:: and this i know ::

Quite frankly, without the spam bots I would have completely forgotten about this site. Should I even call it a site given that I have not updated in years?

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

To be honest, this was to be posted a week ago today. Life is such that I am only now getting around to writing this little bit of wordage.

Also to be honest, I have been busy. Very busy. In fact this past weekend was the first were I was not running around completely booked since mid-August. Some of it has been fun (no, most has been), some days filled with errands, others with obligations, which I am completely over.

Again in the honesty vain, I have become interested in just trying. Saying yes to invites if I have nothing planned – not due to interest, but due to keeping busy, seeing if there are things that I find myself introduced to that I do want to learn more about. This is not always the case, but why not let myself see if there is some new item that I must find out about.

Such is the case with Common Core. To my Mother’s dismay I have been bothering her for worksheets to introduce myself to the Common Core method of teaching that is taking place these days. She is horrified that the school she is working in has included it in their curriculum, as well as the fact that I have found myself curious enough to want to learn how to do math under their rules. I do not have a child under my guidance (for this, some are grateful), so learning the method is just for my own curiosity. I understand that many are not happy (e.g., my Mom, who works at an elementary school), but I find that I cannot make a solid pro / con argument until I learn more about the method, which is why I am bothering for worksheets to work from when I have the rare free moments.

Other things I would like to do with my free moments:
Catch up on my reading – unlike last year, I have completely lost interest in finishing anything more than a chapter in most of my books.
Reorganize the bookshelves – filled with books that I swear I will read one day.
Upload photos from a vacation taken in the Spring.
Clear out the DVR of programming to make room for other programs.
Actually write the post that I intended to post when I signed on to write an update.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

For those suffering through the fires in Glendora, CA (or who have suffered others):

1.  Please feel free to break down.  If you do not want to do this in front of others, do it whenever you can find a private space.  Trust me, the release will be needed.

2.  People will surprise you.  There is no way my family and I could have made it through the days, weeks, months after the fire without the kindness of friends and family.  Seriously, I knew beforehand but this ordeal confirmed that I truly have the most amazing friends in the world – from those who gave a sympathetic ear to those who gave items to live.

3.  People will disappoint you.  It is shocking to realize that individuals who you assumed would be there to be understanding are just too full of themselves to consider what you are going through.  I actually had someone complain about my not adding her to a social network site.  This after losing everything that I owned except for what I took to work that day.  Sure, I will get right on finding a computer to add you because that is the most important thing to do instead of trying to salvage any part of my life that I can.

4.  The smell of smoke will haunt you for quite some time.  I still panic when I smell smoke coming in from an open window, even if it is merely due to someone smoking a cigarette nearby.

5.  In some circumstances, life will become B(efore)F(ire) and A(fter)F(ire). There will be moments where you find yourself unsure if you own certain things. People may assume that you are an idiot for not remembering if you own a book, for example, but seriously it becomes difficult to remember some of the items that were lost. When this happens, it is okay to be upset about what you have lost.

BONUS: Try to laugh whenever possible, and see any objects that you may find (photos, especially) as being a gift.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Things learned in 2013:

1.  There are times that it sucks to be right.

2.  Some do not appreciate it when you stand up for yourself.

3.  Follow your gut instinct, even if you spend an hour or two beforehand debating every angle.

4.  It does improve one’s spirit to do spur of the moment things.

5.  While it is important to know your limits, it is equally important to know your possibilities.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Things I was doing last Friday that caused me to not post a list:

1.  Memorizing Finnegans Wake.

2.  Performing my final for my mime class.

3.  Finally getting around to Spring Cleaning.

4.  Two words:  road trip!

5.  Finding out that Crocs are not as evil a footwear choice as I once thought they were.

The sad truth is, number 5 is not a lie.  I truly do know why Crocs exist.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Things I thought while standing in line at Toys R Us today:

1. Are people afraid to say no to their children and their “wish” lists?
2. Is there a law against opening additional registers?
3. What is so difficult about the concept of paying attention to the cashiers calling for the next person in line?
4. Why aren’t these kids in school?
5. I should have brought a book to read while in this line.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

I am unsure of why or how this happened, but I have become the “witness” at work, the person who, for some strange reason, needs to listen to the petty issues or look at the things that are found. The issue I have with this: the issues or found items rarely have something to do with anything I am attempting to do for work.

I feel the need to state now that I have no problem with helping out when I have the time. I have been known to throw in a needed hand when I have a few minutes to spare to aid someone with their job. I believe in lending a hand when you are able as it makes for a better workplace. However, back to the just realized position, I do have a problem when I am swamped with my own work.

It seems that having a stack of mail to sort through once I am done with returning phone calls left on the machine means nothing compared to having to see something left on a carpet. No, this is not something that Hudson (the Golden Retriever who is the true boss of the company) has left, but some random spot. All I can think of now is how guilty one’s conscious must be to pester someone to look at a spot while claiming that they are not responsible.

I also wonder why when I walk in the door it immediately becomes “listen to my problems at home” time when obviously there are things that need to be taken care of to start the workday. Is it rude to say, “I do not care?” I do not want to resort to this, however when one is following me to my desk, and refusing to take the hints of turning on the computer and grabbing papers from the previous workday, is this what I need to do?

Now I am wondering if this is just an issue with me – maybe I should stop and listen. Join in as I listen to the personal problems, support when needed. Then again, when I have done it, I end up spending way too much time listening to every issue. Worse, when I attempt to bring in my personal experience to either make a point or show I understand, I am talked over and / or ignored.

It is issues like this that make me truly appreciate Hudson in the workplace. Is it any wonder that I tell people that there are days where he provides me with the most intelligent conversation?

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Yet another entry that was to be about something else. However given today’s holiday, as well as the number of programs I need to take off the DVR, I am going to just ramble to make today’s posting goal.

For the record, yes, this is how my mind wanders – especially when stuck in traffic.

Will anyone ever have the guts to sue Snickers for false advertising if they find that they are not satisfied?
Why are two of my favorite TV shows set in the world of high school sports when I really cannot stand most sports?
Did I select the correct book to read, especially since my goal was to finally tackle it next year?
I wonder how many others shared information on the suction / flow of prison toilets while enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner who were not in prison.
Why does this bra always have a loose strap no matter how many times I tighten it?
Is my decision to treat others the way that they treat me going to bite me in the ass?
Did I buy these socks in the correct size? They seem a bit too snug, but I do like the pattern.
When the hell did I become a sock whore?
When did whore become commonplace when trollop just sounds better?
Seriously, can someone get sicker faster if they are a passenger in a lowrider?
Do I really still find myself cheering for rowing because the movie Oxford Blues?
Will I ever have even a third of the courage of some of my friends? I swear, I cannot help but admire the way that some stand up for themselves.
I also fear that I am the exact same as those that I worry about who do not stand up enough for themselves.
I need a bang trim, and possibly a hair cut. Not really a hair cut, but I kind of want one.
Why can’t cake be the traditional Thanksgiving dessert? I would be much happier if it were.
Am I going to really bake for the holidays?
Has it really been a decade since I had a soda?
Why are yams so addicting?
I really should not have had that third cup of tea so late in the evening.
Why is it that I watch the repeats of episodes I have seen before when clearing out the DVR instead of watching new shows?
Why am I so disinterested in parades?
I need to close the window. It is getting too cold.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

As I may have mentioned before (I am unsure due to the fact that it has actually been rather difficult to come up with a daily blather this month), I do not have any guilty pleasures. I gladly admit to anything that I take a liking to – whether it be trips to Disneyland or reading a play by Ibsen. Can I identify a Salena Gomez song? Chances are yes, I can tell you when it is her song playing. Am I fan? Of her work in Wizards of Waverly Place yes, her music not so much but yet it does not bother me when it is playing. People will admit that they feel bad about enjoying the film Drumline, or listening to certain songs. I have never understood why they would feel shame in enjoying something that gives them pleasure (without breaking any laws, naturally).

The most recent example of what should be a guilty pleasure: Bobbie Brown’s Dirty Rocker Boys. Released this past Tuesday, it arrived in the same package as a DVD of the Big Star documentary, Nothing Can Hurt Me. A quick review: an autobiography written by the person best known as the Cherry Pie girl in the same box as a documentary on a not-widely known band that influenced The Replacements, Elliot Smith and REM. I eagerly anticipated both of these items during my drive home as I knew that they arrived while I was at work.

Why on earth would I be so excited? Is it my love of gossip? Sure. A curiosity about the life of a video vixen? I guess. Is it a love of most hair bands? Absolutely a factor. All I can say is that I read the book in two sittings (damn the need for sleep), which was upsetting. Not that I read it that quickly, as I can do that with certain books / authors (most recently with Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, which I still cannot believe took me until this year to read), but that I finished it so quickly. That was going to be my book to read during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The schedule as I saw it: wake up in the morning, watch Reservoir Dogs as is tradition, clean a bit, help a bit, then watch the Big Star documentary. Take a break to have the mental preparation for the family time, eat and then have Bobbie’s book on hand to keep me company. Last year that honor went to Jimmie Walker’s Dyn-O-Mite, a mighty fine read, and this year was to be spent escaping into Bobbie’s world. Now I am sitting here, taking a break from deciding what to read to blog about my foolish mistake.

Given my book addiction, for it truly is an addiction, I have many selections on hand. Right now it is looking like it may be Neil Gaiman’s American Gods or Michelle Tea’s Mermaid in Chelsea Creek. For all I know it could be the copy of Peyton Place that will call out for me to bring as my dinner date. The only thing I do know is that I will at least have Big Star to keep me company during the afternoon.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Or at least my mind . . .

This was not the post that I intended to make tonight. I had an idea of what to write. Today does not allow it, not with the headache I have been struggling with most of the day.

It is 9:18 as I type this, at least according to my laptop that is the time. I am already in my pajamas. I have washed my face, brushed my teeth and flossed. Yes, I have given up on the night, but not on writing.

This is an accomplishment, correct? The fact that I am over today, but not over writing?

I was stuck behind a few red lights during the drive home, each light showing the silhouette of a person through their work window. I assume it was work – they were in office buildings, but I may be making assumptions. I wondered if each person realized that people like me were watching them, not in a peeping Tom way, but in a distracted way that involved possible stories behind what they were doing.

Women in a skirt was putting something in the cabinet beside the wall to hide presents from her children. She hoped that they would enjoy the effort she was putting forth, but deep down knew that she would get the looks of resentment.

Man was busy standing, adjusting his shirt and tie because of a date he was nervous about. What if this was a waste of time that could be spent finalizing his fantasy line-up? What if it wasn’t, but unfortunately would lead to his having to suddenly make plans for New Years that did not involve getting a pizza and beer with friends? Oh, why did he agree?

The stereo was my enemy thanks to this headache. Normally it keeps me company. Tonight it did nothing but add to my pain – and this was not due to not liking the music coming in.

So thank you, thieves who stole our bills from the work mailbox on the 7th. Thank you for causing me to spend my day dealing with 3 different bank accounts to find out what had been cashed, what the process of stop payment was and for letting me have the joy of contacting each company that was owed a bill that was mailed that date.

Oh, if only the boss was into doing electronic payments on-line.

One day he will listen and know that it is ok to pay this way. Hopefully I will still have some level of sanity when that day comes.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #