My hard drive crashed (whatever that means) and I lost 2 years worth of favorites, bookmarks, files, and pictures.
I am very upset about this and I can't do anything about it. I have a new hard drive in my computer and so now my computer works way faster. It seems like a new computer. I have external hard drives, but didn't use them. :(
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Caramels
I had NO idea making caramels was going to be a 4 hour ordeal! I decided that I was going to try and make one Christmas goody a day (the days I don't work 14 hour days) so that I would be able to have a variety to share and let my family eat. Last night I spent over 3 hours MAKING the caramels, not moving from the stove the entire time for fear they would burn. I spent about $15 on ingredients, so I didn't want to ruin them. I also didn't know that they had to be precise on everything such as temperature and time and so on. Once I figured out this was not going to be easy, I decided I was going to conquer these caramels. I had heard that candy making is hard and a very precise art. It is. I was told by the recipe to let them sit 24 hours before cutting them up. I did that. Cutting them up was another 1.5 hours along with wrapping them individually. I probably got over a hundred single wrapped caramels. Now I have to hide them so they aren't gone in a few days. I have to make a note to self as to where I put them so I don't forget. I have already lost one gift I bought 2 months ago for Sierra. I think I may have early Alzheimers.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Garage Sales
Yesterday I decided this was the perfect blog topic for me. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. Over the years for probably 13ish years I have had an on and off fascination with garage sales. I will go for months and get up Saturday mornings and look for treasures. Lately, I have been wanting to find carpet remnants and glass containers that are just the perfect size for something I am making for Christmas this year. Funny thing is, I have looked for a few months now and have only found maybe 4 glass containers I wanted.
Yesterday was a typical garage sale day for me lately. I went and hoped to find something I was looking for and I got absolutely nothing. If I was furnishing an apartment, I would have been happy, but I was looking for glass. The first and only house I went to had a very nice middle aged man selling his stuff. In the front of his garage sale was a table and 4 chairs that would have been an apartment dwellers garage sale dream. He was originally asking $50 for it, but as I have found out over the years, people won't spend more than a dollar for anything. It is so annoying to me. He had crossed out the $50 and marked it down to $25. I told him that I wish I needed a table and chairs. It was a steal. Right then a truck with Baja Mexico plates drives up. (on the wrong side of the street)
The guy gets out and looks at the table and says, "How much?" The guy said he just marked it down to $25 and the guy offered him $15. My eyes got huge and I told the guy selling, "NO!". He said yes and the guy took his table and went on his way.
Here is the complaint part. I get so upset when people come to garage sales and immediately try to talk the price down. I think that is just rude. When I go to a sale and I see something I want and ask the price, if it is too high, I just don't buy it. If I find something that is in the $10 range I usually get it because no one else will spend that kind of money at a garage sale. I've gotten some very nice things due to others' cheapness.
That guy that took that table and chairs for $15 really upset me. I left and didn't go to any more places. I decided that if it was so upsetting to me, maybe it is time for me to stop going again for awhile.
Yesterday was a typical garage sale day for me lately. I went and hoped to find something I was looking for and I got absolutely nothing. If I was furnishing an apartment, I would have been happy, but I was looking for glass. The first and only house I went to had a very nice middle aged man selling his stuff. In the front of his garage sale was a table and 4 chairs that would have been an apartment dwellers garage sale dream. He was originally asking $50 for it, but as I have found out over the years, people won't spend more than a dollar for anything. It is so annoying to me. He had crossed out the $50 and marked it down to $25. I told him that I wish I needed a table and chairs. It was a steal. Right then a truck with Baja Mexico plates drives up. (on the wrong side of the street)
The guy gets out and looks at the table and says, "How much?" The guy said he just marked it down to $25 and the guy offered him $15. My eyes got huge and I told the guy selling, "NO!". He said yes and the guy took his table and went on his way.
Here is the complaint part. I get so upset when people come to garage sales and immediately try to talk the price down. I think that is just rude. When I go to a sale and I see something I want and ask the price, if it is too high, I just don't buy it. If I find something that is in the $10 range I usually get it because no one else will spend that kind of money at a garage sale. I've gotten some very nice things due to others' cheapness.
That guy that took that table and chairs for $15 really upset me. I left and didn't go to any more places. I decided that if it was so upsetting to me, maybe it is time for me to stop going again for awhile.
Monday, November 2, 2009
This Is It
It's Monday. Today was the day I "push in" to the classrooms for my students. I go into their classrooms and help the kids while they are working on their assignments. I try to help all the kids in the room somewhat so I'm not singling out the special education students. After that was done I went to get the next batch of kids and was told they were not in school because they had parent conferences. So, instead I tried to work on some paperwork, but wasn't able to get a parent on the phone to give me information I needed. I can't get things done there with all the noise, so I left.
When I left, I decided it would be stupid for me to go home and be in Debra's way while she was cleaning, so I got a wild hair and decided to go to the movie....alone!
Mike doesn't share my love of Michael Jackson, so I knew he would not be upset that I didn't invite him to go with me. I went to a 2:10 pm movie. It was pretty crowded for an afternoon movie. I sat in the back up high. Here is where the complaining comes in. There were 2 ladies behind me to my left and two ladies in front of me. The movie started and I was so excited! Well, they didn't stop talking throughout the movie. I was really getting upset. Finally after 2/3 of the movie I finally moved. I was wanting to tell them to SHUT UP! and then I was thinking angry thoughts. This movie actually had me in tears at one point. I don't think I have ever cried in a movie before, except for maybe Titanic 12 years ago ???
I was good and didn't get in one of my shouting fights with people when I get pushed too far, but I was praying for patience because I was thinking such not nice thoughts.
Of course once this was all over at about 4:20 pm I had 6 texts, 5 missed calls and 3voicemails. That almost put me over the edge. I should be glad people want to know where I am, but I just wanted 2 HOURS to do what I wanted to do. I can't wait to get the DVD so I can watch it sometime unannoyed by talking people. It was a great movie, by the way. Unbelievable the talent that man had.
When I left, I decided it would be stupid for me to go home and be in Debra's way while she was cleaning, so I got a wild hair and decided to go to the movie....alone!
Mike doesn't share my love of Michael Jackson, so I knew he would not be upset that I didn't invite him to go with me. I went to a 2:10 pm movie. It was pretty crowded for an afternoon movie. I sat in the back up high. Here is where the complaining comes in. There were 2 ladies behind me to my left and two ladies in front of me. The movie started and I was so excited! Well, they didn't stop talking throughout the movie. I was really getting upset. Finally after 2/3 of the movie I finally moved. I was wanting to tell them to SHUT UP! and then I was thinking angry thoughts. This movie actually had me in tears at one point. I don't think I have ever cried in a movie before, except for maybe Titanic 12 years ago ???
I was good and didn't get in one of my shouting fights with people when I get pushed too far, but I was praying for patience because I was thinking such not nice thoughts.
Of course once this was all over at about 4:20 pm I had 6 texts, 5 missed calls and 3voicemails. That almost put me over the edge. I should be glad people want to know where I am, but I just wanted 2 HOURS to do what I wanted to do. I can't wait to get the DVD so I can watch it sometime unannoyed by talking people. It was a great movie, by the way. Unbelievable the talent that man had.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Grab a cup of coffee
if you plan to read this post. Also, make sure you have about 10 minutes to waste. I have a feeling this is going to be a very long one. I have a zillion things whizzing around in my head and I feel like I need to get them out so I can get on with my normal life.
First, let me begin with apologies. If I didn't know me and was reading this, I might think I was a rotten spoiled brat. If you do know me (then you aren't reading this blog because my family doesn't know I have it) you know that I have had my share like everyone of struggles in life. I just won't bore you with those right now. hahahahaha
The last 24 hours have been a rollercoaster of human emotions for me and my family. Here I sit in my RV in the driveway (that is about as far as we go these days....storage to driveway, clean dust out, storage again) on my laptop. My windows are open, the weather is sunny and 70's, looking at the front of my home that I finally love, 3 daughters inside, 2 asleep on the family room couch since they stayed up late watching scary movies and the other downstairs playing a wolf computer game, husband watching football because of his work football pool (he's not a fb fan normally), my 2 dogs in here with me because they want to be wherever I am, Kobe on the couch, me at the dinette table, and Smush on the front dash where she can see the world. All is really right with my world. I have a job interview with the Provost on Thursday that could make me permanent full time faculty member at the university instead of adjunct. We have our financial struggles like everyone, but we have pretty safe jobs right now, so we are not in immediate panic like so many are here. I have hormone issues, but I really have nothing to complain about. I just feel wiped out because of the last 24 hours.
We stumbled upon a newspaper story about a week ago about a german shepherd dog that was rescued along with her 11 newborn pups. We ran home and found the website and webcam that was on the pups 24 hours a day. Well, along with that came about 25-30 women who have been watching these puppies since they were born. They had an online community chat and were as they called themselves "cyber aunties". How cute. I got on and said hello to them and for one week, they welcomed me and Sierra too with open arms. They were even rooting for us to get one of the puppies after we filled out an application for one. We personally visited a fundraiser where the pups would be to see them and to see how Smush would react. She was fine and Sierra fell madly in love even more. The foster mom said that Jedi would be a good match for what we were looking for and what our situation was. He was staring at us across the cage too and so we knew that was THE ONE! As the week went by, we chatted with the aunties and they were pulling for us to get this puppy. All week long we waited for a phone call and pretty much spent about 10 hours on line each day watching them. I even went as far as to put them up on the big screen in my university class while my students were playing a quiet game that gave them time between rounds. They killed time by watching the pups. Pretty clever, huh? I got to teach and watch pups all at the same time. Ha!
When forever families were coming to pick pups, we were sitting by the phone waiting and to make a long story short, we were rejected by the board of adoption because we didn't answer our home phone. The founder told us on email that in order to take care of a puppy, someone has to be home and if we didn't answer our home phone all the times they tried, then we obviously were not at home. Herein lies that pain of all of this. I gave them 3 numbers, home, cell and cell. They said in the email that they tried home and cells many times. Home yes, cells, no. They actually lied to us. We did some investigating and went on our phones and AT&T website to see data of missed calls. Not one from SDiego area. Last night as we walked on the beach with Smush, Mike and I were talking about it. We understand that they would want someone home to care for pup around the clock, but they made an assumption that was completely incorrect. They assumed that since we didn't answer our home phone *it is our fax line after 4 rings*, then we must by lying about being at home. The truth is, they did not call our cell phones at all. They didn't tell the truth about that. And, we are home more than any family with 2 full time jobs that I know. We just have our cell phones with us. The home phone is in the nook and we work in our office at home with our cells. Here is our schedule in a nutshell:
Monday: Mike works from home all day, I am with students, Debra is cleaning, night we are all there. Tuesday: Mike home all day, I am with students, Debra cleaning, we are all there at night. Wednesday: I work from home, Mike is at APU, Debra cleans, girls come home at 2 and all 3 of them are there at night while Mike and I teach classes at different campuses. Thursday: I am working from home, Debra cleans, Mike is at APU, girls home at night, Mike and I are home all night. Friday, we both work from home and we don't do anything so we are home all night too :(
Saturday, all of us home except during Sierra's soccer game and the dogs come to that. Sunday, (today) we are all home dreading the upcoming week and cleaning the house, yard work, etc. This is our life on a daily, weekly, basis. If we aren't at home, we are walking dogs or going to the beach taking dogs. I only recently got Debra to help clean because I told Mike if I have to have 2 full time jobs and get the Ph. D., then I have to have someone come in and help. This is the first time this has ever happened with me and the past 2 months that we have had her have been heaven, although we have had to cut back big time because I haven't been hired for that 2nd full time job yet! eeek. I feel like I have to explain the helper because it is truly an extravagance. We both come from low income backgrounds so this feels funny to me.
In a nutshell, we are home almost all the time. Someone is! They made a judgement about us that was so very wrong based on the fact that we don't answer the home phone. Home phone calls are usually always sales calls and we just don't have time with our jobs to run across the house to answer the phone before the fax goes off to talk to solicitors. With that being said, it hurt our feelings and it devastated Sierra because she had even said that our application was so good, that how could they possibly say no to us? So now, 24 hours have passed and Mike and I had time to hash it all out. We just said that is was a shame, they made incorrect judgements about us, they were dishonest about the calling of our cells, we understand that they only want the best for the pups and so do we, and now our carpet was saved from pee and poo stains. Not to mention my mom won't haunt me from the grave for getting another puppy. We will snap out of it and I'm sure Sierra will too. We just blamed ourselves for getting her all excited about it. We had been saying no to another dog for years now since her GS obsession started, but this story touched all our hearts and we felt like we could provide the perfect, loving home for a puppy. The fact that we watched the cam religiously and filled out the application was a huge tease for her. Her cyber aunties were pulling for us and she felt like with them in her corner, how could it not happen? Probably the sadness we are feeling now has to do with what we did wrong as parents in hurting Sierra with our going along with her excitement. I'm sure we will feel badly for that for a long time. Meanwhile, the puppies are great and the new families looked like they were perfect. As hard as it is as a human, as a Christian educator, I know that what God wanted to happen happened and disappointment is a normal human emotion. We don't always see right away why things happen, but later we often do. Right now with my career up in the air, I may just have too much on my plate when I start job 2 and Ph.D. God knows what we can handle. And as much as I am a stress eater, I would probably weigh 400 lbs. by the time I finished the program. Now how much of a disaster would that be?
The puppies are where they are supposed to be. Sierra is heartbroken. We feel guilty for getting her excited just to be let down. This too, shall pass.
I have to say, though, that meeting these "cyber aunties" has been so good for me. These are women around the US and world who have been so kind to me and to my daughter. I probably feel sad that the pups will be gone and my visits with them will be gone too. I would love to go have lunch with all of them, laugh, and talk about all our dogs. They are truly loving people.
First, let me begin with apologies. If I didn't know me and was reading this, I might think I was a rotten spoiled brat. If you do know me (then you aren't reading this blog because my family doesn't know I have it) you know that I have had my share like everyone of struggles in life. I just won't bore you with those right now. hahahahaha
The last 24 hours have been a rollercoaster of human emotions for me and my family. Here I sit in my RV in the driveway (that is about as far as we go these days....storage to driveway, clean dust out, storage again) on my laptop. My windows are open, the weather is sunny and 70's, looking at the front of my home that I finally love, 3 daughters inside, 2 asleep on the family room couch since they stayed up late watching scary movies and the other downstairs playing a wolf computer game, husband watching football because of his work football pool (he's not a fb fan normally), my 2 dogs in here with me because they want to be wherever I am, Kobe on the couch, me at the dinette table, and Smush on the front dash where she can see the world. All is really right with my world. I have a job interview with the Provost on Thursday that could make me permanent full time faculty member at the university instead of adjunct. We have our financial struggles like everyone, but we have pretty safe jobs right now, so we are not in immediate panic like so many are here. I have hormone issues, but I really have nothing to complain about. I just feel wiped out because of the last 24 hours.
We stumbled upon a newspaper story about a week ago about a german shepherd dog that was rescued along with her 11 newborn pups. We ran home and found the website and webcam that was on the pups 24 hours a day. Well, along with that came about 25-30 women who have been watching these puppies since they were born. They had an online community chat and were as they called themselves "cyber aunties". How cute. I got on and said hello to them and for one week, they welcomed me and Sierra too with open arms. They were even rooting for us to get one of the puppies after we filled out an application for one. We personally visited a fundraiser where the pups would be to see them and to see how Smush would react. She was fine and Sierra fell madly in love even more. The foster mom said that Jedi would be a good match for what we were looking for and what our situation was. He was staring at us across the cage too and so we knew that was THE ONE! As the week went by, we chatted with the aunties and they were pulling for us to get this puppy. All week long we waited for a phone call and pretty much spent about 10 hours on line each day watching them. I even went as far as to put them up on the big screen in my university class while my students were playing a quiet game that gave them time between rounds. They killed time by watching the pups. Pretty clever, huh? I got to teach and watch pups all at the same time. Ha!
When forever families were coming to pick pups, we were sitting by the phone waiting and to make a long story short, we were rejected by the board of adoption because we didn't answer our home phone. The founder told us on email that in order to take care of a puppy, someone has to be home and if we didn't answer our home phone all the times they tried, then we obviously were not at home. Herein lies that pain of all of this. I gave them 3 numbers, home, cell and cell. They said in the email that they tried home and cells many times. Home yes, cells, no. They actually lied to us. We did some investigating and went on our phones and AT&T website to see data of missed calls. Not one from SDiego area. Last night as we walked on the beach with Smush, Mike and I were talking about it. We understand that they would want someone home to care for pup around the clock, but they made an assumption that was completely incorrect. They assumed that since we didn't answer our home phone *it is our fax line after 4 rings*, then we must by lying about being at home. The truth is, they did not call our cell phones at all. They didn't tell the truth about that. And, we are home more than any family with 2 full time jobs that I know. We just have our cell phones with us. The home phone is in the nook and we work in our office at home with our cells. Here is our schedule in a nutshell:
Monday: Mike works from home all day, I am with students, Debra is cleaning, night we are all there. Tuesday: Mike home all day, I am with students, Debra cleaning, we are all there at night. Wednesday: I work from home, Mike is at APU, Debra cleans, girls come home at 2 and all 3 of them are there at night while Mike and I teach classes at different campuses. Thursday: I am working from home, Debra cleans, Mike is at APU, girls home at night, Mike and I are home all night. Friday, we both work from home and we don't do anything so we are home all night too :(
Saturday, all of us home except during Sierra's soccer game and the dogs come to that. Sunday, (today) we are all home dreading the upcoming week and cleaning the house, yard work, etc. This is our life on a daily, weekly, basis. If we aren't at home, we are walking dogs or going to the beach taking dogs. I only recently got Debra to help clean because I told Mike if I have to have 2 full time jobs and get the Ph. D., then I have to have someone come in and help. This is the first time this has ever happened with me and the past 2 months that we have had her have been heaven, although we have had to cut back big time because I haven't been hired for that 2nd full time job yet! eeek. I feel like I have to explain the helper because it is truly an extravagance. We both come from low income backgrounds so this feels funny to me.
In a nutshell, we are home almost all the time. Someone is! They made a judgement about us that was so very wrong based on the fact that we don't answer the home phone. Home phone calls are usually always sales calls and we just don't have time with our jobs to run across the house to answer the phone before the fax goes off to talk to solicitors. With that being said, it hurt our feelings and it devastated Sierra because she had even said that our application was so good, that how could they possibly say no to us? So now, 24 hours have passed and Mike and I had time to hash it all out. We just said that is was a shame, they made incorrect judgements about us, they were dishonest about the calling of our cells, we understand that they only want the best for the pups and so do we, and now our carpet was saved from pee and poo stains. Not to mention my mom won't haunt me from the grave for getting another puppy. We will snap out of it and I'm sure Sierra will too. We just blamed ourselves for getting her all excited about it. We had been saying no to another dog for years now since her GS obsession started, but this story touched all our hearts and we felt like we could provide the perfect, loving home for a puppy. The fact that we watched the cam religiously and filled out the application was a huge tease for her. Her cyber aunties were pulling for us and she felt like with them in her corner, how could it not happen? Probably the sadness we are feeling now has to do with what we did wrong as parents in hurting Sierra with our going along with her excitement. I'm sure we will feel badly for that for a long time. Meanwhile, the puppies are great and the new families looked like they were perfect. As hard as it is as a human, as a Christian educator, I know that what God wanted to happen happened and disappointment is a normal human emotion. We don't always see right away why things happen, but later we often do. Right now with my career up in the air, I may just have too much on my plate when I start job 2 and Ph.D. God knows what we can handle. And as much as I am a stress eater, I would probably weigh 400 lbs. by the time I finished the program. Now how much of a disaster would that be?
The puppies are where they are supposed to be. Sierra is heartbroken. We feel guilty for getting her excited just to be let down. This too, shall pass.
I have to say, though, that meeting these "cyber aunties" has been so good for me. These are women around the US and world who have been so kind to me and to my daughter. I probably feel sad that the pups will be gone and my visits with them will be gone too. I would love to go have lunch with all of them, laugh, and talk about all our dogs. They are truly loving people.
Friday, October 23, 2009
He Fir Hal o wha I sa
Translation:
Hear first half of what I say
Uggggh. I am exasperated.
Today Abby is coming over to play with Sierra. They doubled up on their schoolwork yesterday so they could play today.
I asked Mike to put the bike rack on the car so he could bring Sierra's bike back home from Abby's and bring Abby's bike so they could ride around here today. I told him that the bike rack was on the side of the house next to the basketball hoop.
10 minutes later I looked outside from upstairs and he was carrying the bike rack that is broken. I asked him about it and he said that I said it was the one on the side of the house. YES, I did say that, but I also said the side of the house next to the basketball hoop. Do you see where this is going? He only hears the first half of what I say. This is not a new revelation to me, I am just now blogging about it.
Hmmm. I need to think about this for awhile and see how this could benefit me somehow. I'll get back to you...
Hear first half of what I say
Uggggh. I am exasperated.
Today Abby is coming over to play with Sierra. They doubled up on their schoolwork yesterday so they could play today.
I asked Mike to put the bike rack on the car so he could bring Sierra's bike back home from Abby's and bring Abby's bike so they could ride around here today. I told him that the bike rack was on the side of the house next to the basketball hoop.
10 minutes later I looked outside from upstairs and he was carrying the bike rack that is broken. I asked him about it and he said that I said it was the one on the side of the house. YES, I did say that, but I also said the side of the house next to the basketball hoop. Do you see where this is going? He only hears the first half of what I say. This is not a new revelation to me, I am just now blogging about it.
Hmmm. I need to think about this for awhile and see how this could benefit me somehow. I'll get back to you...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Just when I thought I couldn't possibly...
...find something else to be annoyed about.
Disclaimer: YES, I know I am a teacher. YES, I know my daughter is being homeschooled this year (not by me, though), and yes, I know I love kids. This is all beside the point, so be forewarned. Hypocritical blog post ahead.
Flu season is in full swing in Southern California. My middle daughter missed 3 days in a row of her life due to sickness. I actually had 2 cancellations yesterday and 3 today due to sick students. I was able to get some paperwork done at work since they were absent and I found myself done at the school very early. It was a beautiful day...probably 78 degrees and sunny. I decided that for once I would take an hour and have lunch out somewhere. I went to the Great Harvest Bread Company, ordered a sandwich, grabbed a diet coke and sat outside waiting for my order while I watched puppies on my phone (that is another story for another time). My food came and I was as content as I could be sitting in the shade, puppies on the phone and food in front of me.
Next thing I know, up the sidewalk comes about 4 moms and about 10 kids of various ages around 6-11. They stood extremely close to my table and were very loud. The boys were climbing the lamppost 2 feet away from me and OF COURSE!! the moms were clueless. I could feel my blood pressure start to rise. This was supposed to be my "alone~out~lunch on a beautiful day because I never get to do this lunch". (yeah, I know that was bad grammar; I am off the clock) I put my headphones in to listen to puppies bark hoping that would distract me from being upset. Nope. Next came about 5 more moms and 15 more kids. More moms gabbing means no one watches their kids. I'm in this mob of kids and moms and the kids are running around screaming and climbing and getting in my space. My brain says, "these must be homeschoolers". DISCLAIMER #2 I KNOW I work for an independent study/homeschool charter public school and should not be thinking like this.
I was bothered, though, because the moms were not conscious about what their kids were doing. I have higher expectations for homeschooling moms than I would for a lone teacher and 30 kids on a field trip. It was ridiculous. I tried hard to ignore them and hoped they were not from my school.
When I was almost done with my food, the lady from the store came out and asked the kids and moms to wash their hands and not to touch things unless she says so...
Good luck with that.
Disclaimer: YES, I know I am a teacher. YES, I know my daughter is being homeschooled this year (not by me, though), and yes, I know I love kids. This is all beside the point, so be forewarned. Hypocritical blog post ahead.
Flu season is in full swing in Southern California. My middle daughter missed 3 days in a row of her life due to sickness. I actually had 2 cancellations yesterday and 3 today due to sick students. I was able to get some paperwork done at work since they were absent and I found myself done at the school very early. It was a beautiful day...probably 78 degrees and sunny. I decided that for once I would take an hour and have lunch out somewhere. I went to the Great Harvest Bread Company, ordered a sandwich, grabbed a diet coke and sat outside waiting for my order while I watched puppies on my phone (that is another story for another time). My food came and I was as content as I could be sitting in the shade, puppies on the phone and food in front of me.
Next thing I know, up the sidewalk comes about 4 moms and about 10 kids of various ages around 6-11. They stood extremely close to my table and were very loud. The boys were climbing the lamppost 2 feet away from me and OF COURSE!! the moms were clueless. I could feel my blood pressure start to rise. This was supposed to be my "alone~out~lunch on a beautiful day because I never get to do this lunch". (yeah, I know that was bad grammar; I am off the clock) I put my headphones in to listen to puppies bark hoping that would distract me from being upset. Nope. Next came about 5 more moms and 15 more kids. More moms gabbing means no one watches their kids. I'm in this mob of kids and moms and the kids are running around screaming and climbing and getting in my space. My brain says, "these must be homeschoolers". DISCLAIMER #2 I KNOW I work for an independent study/homeschool charter public school and should not be thinking like this.
I was bothered, though, because the moms were not conscious about what their kids were doing. I have higher expectations for homeschooling moms than I would for a lone teacher and 30 kids on a field trip. It was ridiculous. I tried hard to ignore them and hoped they were not from my school.
When I was almost done with my food, the lady from the store came out and asked the kids and moms to wash their hands and not to touch things unless she says so...
Good luck with that.
Monday, October 19, 2009
More Barktoberfest Pics
One picture is my shepherd mix, Smush, swimming at Barktoberfest. The other is Joe being interviewed by media.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Boof
Yes, boof. It is a sound that I have come to know well in the past 5 years. We have had Kobe 5 years now. We found him wandering the neighborhood 5 years ago. Next thing I know, it is 5 years later and he is nearing the end of his life. My cats were here first. Two have disappeared and we have Ella who stays indoors. Kobe doesn't realize that she was here before he was. Since day 1, Kobe has shown his dislike for cats. He shows it by sniffing the air, going toward the cats and barking uncontrollably. When he is not barking, he is boofing. Boofing is when he is not yet barking, but it is coming very soon. He has done this for so long. It used to be annoying, but now it is music to my ears. Kobe is close to the end and we are trying to spend as much time loving him until he leaves us for the Rainbow Bridge. He may had a bad beginning and middle, but he had a great end. No one could love him more than we do.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Facebook again
Hi there, Well I think I heard somewhere once that it takes 21 days to break a habit and I am fairly sure I have passed that amount of time since deleting my Facebook account. I actually think there is something to that because I am pretty proud of myself for sticking to it this time.
Other than connecting to an old friend, I was just completely annoyed by it so much so that I had to blog about it. What I have found is that I am much less of a b word now that I don't have to complain about how sickening it is when some people post stupid s&%* and brag about how wonderful their lives are when I am sure that they aren't nearly as perfect as they try to display them to be. No one has it as great as some make it seem unless they are independently wealthy and can do whatever they want whenever they want. Those are the only people I would say might have a chance at being so blissfully happy. Other than that, I would say we all have our issues.
I have become much more organized and productive as a mom and a teacher since I rid myself of that bragbook. I do have to admit that once in awhile I will peek at Mike's Facebook, but then I roll my eyes and swear that I am not going to do that anymore. I may have stopped mine, but I haven't stopped peeking every week or so at his, so I can't say I am 100% cured. Must be something about that human nature that pulls me to it. I'm just glad I only spend time on my computer doing research for my job, working, doing IEPs, checking my email, and peeking at the Californian once a week or so. Other than that, I refuse to be a slave to my computer and let my ass get flatter sitting down and staring at the computer screen. Now my problem is when people email me and I don't get back to them immediately, they wonder what is happening. Well, what is happening is I am making dinner, cleaning out my garage, petting my dogs, walking Smush, preparing for my university class, watching some TV, sitting out in my backyard, enjoying my new home finally, and other productive things that do not include me being on a couch with a computer on my lap. I am pretty sure I will not regret the good decision I made to live my life in a way that I won't look back and wonder why I felt I needed to live my life in cyberspace.
Other than connecting to an old friend, I was just completely annoyed by it so much so that I had to blog about it. What I have found is that I am much less of a b word now that I don't have to complain about how sickening it is when some people post stupid s&%* and brag about how wonderful their lives are when I am sure that they aren't nearly as perfect as they try to display them to be. No one has it as great as some make it seem unless they are independently wealthy and can do whatever they want whenever they want. Those are the only people I would say might have a chance at being so blissfully happy. Other than that, I would say we all have our issues.
I have become much more organized and productive as a mom and a teacher since I rid myself of that bragbook. I do have to admit that once in awhile I will peek at Mike's Facebook, but then I roll my eyes and swear that I am not going to do that anymore. I may have stopped mine, but I haven't stopped peeking every week or so at his, so I can't say I am 100% cured. Must be something about that human nature that pulls me to it. I'm just glad I only spend time on my computer doing research for my job, working, doing IEPs, checking my email, and peeking at the Californian once a week or so. Other than that, I refuse to be a slave to my computer and let my ass get flatter sitting down and staring at the computer screen. Now my problem is when people email me and I don't get back to them immediately, they wonder what is happening. Well, what is happening is I am making dinner, cleaning out my garage, petting my dogs, walking Smush, preparing for my university class, watching some TV, sitting out in my backyard, enjoying my new home finally, and other productive things that do not include me being on a couch with a computer on my lap. I am pretty sure I will not regret the good decision I made to live my life in a way that I won't look back and wonder why I felt I needed to live my life in cyberspace.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
That didn't last long...
Well, so much for not complaining. I am going to complain again.
WHY WHY WHY are some people, well maybe I should say women, so rude in their emails? I think people should send their emails to a place in cyberspace where they have to reread it in 24 hours and see if they still want to send out that email. I have gotten a couple lately that have made me want to scream and even want to rethink my career choice. That is about as detailed as I can get about that. I'd love to explain what made me complain about this, but I have to be careful. That doesn't mean I can't complain, because I just had to tonight.
I'm minding my own business, taking 3 girls on a field trip to Sea World. My first mistake was to check my email while the kids were playing on the outdoor playland. Instant bad mood. I had Mike read it and he pretty much said the same thing regarding how men are not as annoying on email. He said they get to the point in one line compared to 30 it takes for a woman to say something. Now I am just in a bad mood. That's all I am going to say for now about that until I get another lovely email that makes me want to scream. I am sure you will hear more about this subject.
WHY WHY WHY are some people, well maybe I should say women, so rude in their emails? I think people should send their emails to a place in cyberspace where they have to reread it in 24 hours and see if they still want to send out that email. I have gotten a couple lately that have made me want to scream and even want to rethink my career choice. That is about as detailed as I can get about that. I'd love to explain what made me complain about this, but I have to be careful. That doesn't mean I can't complain, because I just had to tonight.
I'm minding my own business, taking 3 girls on a field trip to Sea World. My first mistake was to check my email while the kids were playing on the outdoor playland. Instant bad mood. I had Mike read it and he pretty much said the same thing regarding how men are not as annoying on email. He said they get to the point in one line compared to 30 it takes for a woman to say something. Now I am just in a bad mood. That's all I am going to say for now about that until I get another lovely email that makes me want to scream. I am sure you will hear more about this subject.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
I have nothing to complain about, really.
It's been over a week since I have posted. Other than normal stuff, I really have nothing to complain about. This is the end of three weeks of having help in my house for cleaning. My whole attitude has changed, because I am able to live my life more by buying myself an extra 12 hours a week. I strongly suggest everyone find a way to do this. I still haven't been hired for that other job, so I really don't have the extra money yet. We just decided to make it work somehow and I do not regret a penny I have spent. I could have the $450 back, but what would my last 3 weeks have been like? I can only imagine they would not have been too good. Today, I got up and worked straight through for 3 hours. It was 100 degrees outside, so I got my swimsuit on and swam/exercised for 2 hours at our community pool. I came back home and did some more work, but the key word there is home. I am able to work from home for about 50% of my job. It will probably be the same for my second job when that gets settled. I can't complain. I know there are many people who would be happy with one job; two is amazing. I am grateful and feel blessed. So other than minor annoyances, I know I have nothing to complain about. Darn, am I going to have to change my blog title again?
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
*Heavy Sigh*
I'm annoyed.
I think it is a great thing that I found a blog to let it out on because I am sure no one would want to listen to this crap without having a choice.
Love the cleaning person, but now I feel like I can't mess up my house or I'll offend her.
I still haven't heard a word about the job I interviewed for. I wonder if they lost my phone number? ha
I don't like to walk at night because I am tired at night. I can't always do mornings because of my real job.
I don't like teachers telling me when I should schedule my students so it doesn't interfere with their teaching. Sidebar****General ed. teachers think that we special ed teachers are peons and what we do isn't even CLOSE to being as important as what they do, when in reality, I have way more credentials than the ones that are annoying me do and I have more experience than them as well. I'm way more specialized AND not only do I have 2 more credentials than them, but I have the same one that they do, too.
I want to be a stay at home woman.
I must be running out of things to complain about, which is probably good, because as Liz pointed out :) I have a good life. I know that, but some of this is in my genes. Thanks Dad.
I think it is a great thing that I found a blog to let it out on because I am sure no one would want to listen to this crap without having a choice.
Love the cleaning person, but now I feel like I can't mess up my house or I'll offend her.
I still haven't heard a word about the job I interviewed for. I wonder if they lost my phone number? ha
I don't like to walk at night because I am tired at night. I can't always do mornings because of my real job.
I don't like teachers telling me when I should schedule my students so it doesn't interfere with their teaching. Sidebar****General ed. teachers think that we special ed teachers are peons and what we do isn't even CLOSE to being as important as what they do, when in reality, I have way more credentials than the ones that are annoying me do and I have more experience than them as well. I'm way more specialized AND not only do I have 2 more credentials than them, but I have the same one that they do, too.
I want to be a stay at home woman.
I must be running out of things to complain about, which is probably good, because as Liz pointed out :) I have a good life. I know that, but some of this is in my genes. Thanks Dad.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Huge Sad Face :(
Well, it has officially been 72 long hours or 3 long days since my interview and the words, "I'll call you this weekend so you don't have to wonder or worry all weekend."
No call. I check my phone and email about every hour like a teenage girl waiting for a guy to call. Mike keeps asking me too, which only makes me more stressed. I don't know what to say.
I am not complaining like I am supposed to be doing on this blog, but instead I am just babbling like I do in interviews. I am fine where I am and happy even, so it isn't as if I'd be without a job or anything. I just don't like not knowing. That's all. And that is all I am saying on this subject.
No call. I check my phone and email about every hour like a teenage girl waiting for a guy to call. Mike keeps asking me too, which only makes me more stressed. I don't know what to say.
I am not complaining like I am supposed to be doing on this blog, but instead I am just babbling like I do in interviews. I am fine where I am and happy even, so it isn't as if I'd be without a job or anything. I just don't like not knowing. That's all. And that is all I am saying on this subject.
Friday, September 11, 2009
I stink
I can't interview.
I am not just saying that, either. I just really stink when it comes to a major career type interview. Something in my brain just shuts down or freezes. Not sure which, but something is definitely happening in there.
Today's interview was very so-so. I am certain I let two of the people pulling for me down because I was such a nervous wreck who babbles when she is nervous and interviewing.
Part of the problem is when I expect something and it isn't the way my mind thought it would be, I get all flustered inside and can't turn off the words in my mind. Suddenly I get nervous because my mind is chattering to me and then I freeze. I was driving home for 1 hour 45 minutes after the interview trying to analyze what the problem really is.
One good thing is that I definitely do NOT come across as a know-it-all, confident, pushy person. Quite the opposite. In fact today after the first question and I had omitted a huge part of my degree/experience/credentialling, the chair of the department looked at me as if to say, "what else??"... she prompted me asking me to name my credentials and then all of a sudden it popped into my head that I have a school administrator credential. Yes, that is what I spent 3 years in graduate school getting a masters degree for, for God sake. Um... knock, knock, is anyone home in that head? I am certain some or all of them thought, "Dumb blonde, doesn't even know what degrees she has earned." I, of course, felt stupid and then the chatter started in my head...
Me speaking in my head: Oh no, I must look like a complete dork
Head: Well, you blew it. That was only question 1 of 15, this will be interesting.
Me in head: Uh oh, they are going to ask me another question I will answer stupidly.
Interviewer 1 of 15: "Tell us what you think about the theory of best practice and how you would use the theory and best practice in teaching students and administrators."
Me in head: Huh? What? Theory? Uh-oh, I don't know how to answer this question and we just started this interview.
Me out loud but quietly to the guy interviewing next to me: "Will you go first?"
Head: Well, that might have saved you, now you have time to hear his answer and figure out what that question is all about.
Me in head: I don't know what to say, I don't know what to say, I don't know what to say, ....
My answer was stupid I am sure, but I don't know what I said, because I was busy having a conversation in my head while I was answering the question.
Head: Look at Steve, he looks mortified for you.
Me in head: Oh no, I am making him look like he was backing a total dumb, clueless blonde.
Head: He's probably going to be mad at you
Me: Great. He's been such a good mentor and this is how I repay him? By looking stupid?
Head: Shut up, next question is coming now.
Interviewer 2 of 15 "Blah blah blah diversity blah blah blah"
Head: You didn't hear that did you?
Me in head: I heard diversity, but I can't stop looking at Dr. T and Dr. C and thinking I have let them down.
Ugggh. This went on for about an hour.
Then I had to do my research presentation on powerpoint.
Just teleport me to my bed, I stink.
Department Chair: "Thank you for spending your afternoon with us, we will be calling you this weekend to let you know what we decide."
What I should have done is ask for accommodations so I could answer the interview questions on paper. I would have blown them away then. Darn, too late.
I am not just saying that, either. I just really stink when it comes to a major career type interview. Something in my brain just shuts down or freezes. Not sure which, but something is definitely happening in there.
Today's interview was very so-so. I am certain I let two of the people pulling for me down because I was such a nervous wreck who babbles when she is nervous and interviewing.
Part of the problem is when I expect something and it isn't the way my mind thought it would be, I get all flustered inside and can't turn off the words in my mind. Suddenly I get nervous because my mind is chattering to me and then I freeze. I was driving home for 1 hour 45 minutes after the interview trying to analyze what the problem really is.
One good thing is that I definitely do NOT come across as a know-it-all, confident, pushy person. Quite the opposite. In fact today after the first question and I had omitted a huge part of my degree/experience/credentialling, the chair of the department looked at me as if to say, "what else??"... she prompted me asking me to name my credentials and then all of a sudden it popped into my head that I have a school administrator credential. Yes, that is what I spent 3 years in graduate school getting a masters degree for, for God sake. Um... knock, knock, is anyone home in that head? I am certain some or all of them thought, "Dumb blonde, doesn't even know what degrees she has earned." I, of course, felt stupid and then the chatter started in my head...
Me speaking in my head: Oh no, I must look like a complete dork
Head: Well, you blew it. That was only question 1 of 15, this will be interesting.
Me in head: Uh oh, they are going to ask me another question I will answer stupidly.
Interviewer 1 of 15: "Tell us what you think about the theory of best practice and how you would use the theory and best practice in teaching students and administrators."
Me in head: Huh? What? Theory? Uh-oh, I don't know how to answer this question and we just started this interview.
Me out loud but quietly to the guy interviewing next to me: "Will you go first?"
Head: Well, that might have saved you, now you have time to hear his answer and figure out what that question is all about.
Me in head: I don't know what to say, I don't know what to say, I don't know what to say, ....
My answer was stupid I am sure, but I don't know what I said, because I was busy having a conversation in my head while I was answering the question.
Head: Look at Steve, he looks mortified for you.
Me in head: Oh no, I am making him look like he was backing a total dumb, clueless blonde.
Head: He's probably going to be mad at you
Me: Great. He's been such a good mentor and this is how I repay him? By looking stupid?
Head: Shut up, next question is coming now.
Interviewer 2 of 15 "Blah blah blah diversity blah blah blah"
Head: You didn't hear that did you?
Me in head: I heard diversity, but I can't stop looking at Dr. T and Dr. C and thinking I have let them down.
Ugggh. This went on for about an hour.
Then I had to do my research presentation on powerpoint.
Just teleport me to my bed, I stink.
Department Chair: "Thank you for spending your afternoon with us, we will be calling you this weekend to let you know what we decide."
What I should have done is ask for accommodations so I could answer the interview questions on paper. I would have blown them away then. Darn, too late.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Random stuff that is annoying me right now
Why do people refer to themselves in the third person on Facebook? I hate that.
Why is September going the be the month from hell for me?
I don't have a clue how I will be able to get a Ph. D. and work 2 full time jobs all at the same time.
I am hiring a woman to come in and clean 4 days a week for 3 hours a day and I feel weird about it.
My meditation room couch is covered with 3 weeks of clean laundry: some folded, some not.
I am hungry.
I'm in between sizes right now, so I have nothing to wear.
I am getting wrinkles big time.
Blueberries are sour now. I just wasted $7 on blueberries I can't eat.
I have laundry all over my floor in baskets that is clean and I don't know when I will get it put away.
My kids will not help me in the house.
We never use the RV. It sits in storage and we dump $1000 a month down the toilet.
My garage is a disaster.
I get like 40 emails a day and I don't want people bugging me anymore.
I don't know how I am going to make it through the interview. I am having flashbacks from nightmare interviews in the past.
I'm hungry.
I drink way too much Diet Coke and I can't seem to quit.
I had ants all over me today at school and couldn't get rid of them.
The 3 oldest girls are all having major life crisis right now and it is affecting all of us.
My skin is losing elasticity.
I am getting a moustache.
I just deleted about 8 lines of annoyances and I can't get them back.
Facebook is bugging the crap out of me.
People in California can't drive.
I'm tired. Goodnight.
Why is September going the be the month from hell for me?
I don't have a clue how I will be able to get a Ph. D. and work 2 full time jobs all at the same time.
I am hiring a woman to come in and clean 4 days a week for 3 hours a day and I feel weird about it.
My meditation room couch is covered with 3 weeks of clean laundry: some folded, some not.
I am hungry.
I'm in between sizes right now, so I have nothing to wear.
I am getting wrinkles big time.
Blueberries are sour now. I just wasted $7 on blueberries I can't eat.
I have laundry all over my floor in baskets that is clean and I don't know when I will get it put away.
My kids will not help me in the house.
We never use the RV. It sits in storage and we dump $1000 a month down the toilet.
My garage is a disaster.
I get like 40 emails a day and I don't want people bugging me anymore.
I don't know how I am going to make it through the interview. I am having flashbacks from nightmare interviews in the past.
I'm hungry.
I drink way too much Diet Coke and I can't seem to quit.
I had ants all over me today at school and couldn't get rid of them.
The 3 oldest girls are all having major life crisis right now and it is affecting all of us.
My skin is losing elasticity.
I am getting a moustache.
I just deleted about 8 lines of annoyances and I can't get them back.
Facebook is bugging the crap out of me.
People in California can't drive.
I'm tired. Goodnight.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Is God laughing at me?
Be careful what you wish for. I've heard that so many times in my life and now I see exactly what that meant. When I was little and used to think about my life when I grew up, I saw myself being a wife and mother and teacher. Those were my goals from a very young age. However, I also secretly hoped and prayed that those children would be girls. Boys were icky. Todd Boyd was mean to me and I decided I didn't like boys and didn't want any of my own. (Thank you Todd????)
Well, while I was pregnant each time, I also prayed for a girl and I thought I was just in God's good favor when I gave birth each time to a sweet, cute, baby girl. Sometimes I thought maybe God and I had a special little "understanding". All I could think about was hair bows, dresses, cute shoes, dance classes, blonde pigtails and cute stuff. Well, yes, I got all that each time. I thought I had finally hit the jackpot of life.
Here is where the laughing begins. About age 9 or 10 everything changes. Then it keeps changing and changing until you have to dig out old photos and videos to see that sweet princess you had when they were ages 0-8ish. All hell breaks loose. You become the enemy, the dork, the pain in the rump, etc.
Fast forward to teenage years. This has been something I never dreamed would happen. Girl drama, independent thinking, etc. Right now my oldest are 18 and 16 and are both going through a big friend drama that involves others' moms and the need to block texts and calls from girls and more. This past week has been one of little sleep, much stress and pain. I'm exhausted. I feel defeated. I want to wake up when they have this all figured out.
I do love them all, and I am thankful that they are still with me on this earth, because I can't imagine what would happen to me if something serious happened to any of them. But I do know that boys are easier. I have heard this from absolutely everyone. I thought God was cutting me a break by letting me have my wish of choice of sex of my children. Actually, he was probably giggling right next to my dad and saying, "Sure, no problem! Good luck with that!".
Well, while I was pregnant each time, I also prayed for a girl and I thought I was just in God's good favor when I gave birth each time to a sweet, cute, baby girl. Sometimes I thought maybe God and I had a special little "understanding". All I could think about was hair bows, dresses, cute shoes, dance classes, blonde pigtails and cute stuff. Well, yes, I got all that each time. I thought I had finally hit the jackpot of life.
Here is where the laughing begins. About age 9 or 10 everything changes. Then it keeps changing and changing until you have to dig out old photos and videos to see that sweet princess you had when they were ages 0-8ish. All hell breaks loose. You become the enemy, the dork, the pain in the rump, etc.
Fast forward to teenage years. This has been something I never dreamed would happen. Girl drama, independent thinking, etc. Right now my oldest are 18 and 16 and are both going through a big friend drama that involves others' moms and the need to block texts and calls from girls and more. This past week has been one of little sleep, much stress and pain. I'm exhausted. I feel defeated. I want to wake up when they have this all figured out.
I do love them all, and I am thankful that they are still with me on this earth, because I can't imagine what would happen to me if something serious happened to any of them. But I do know that boys are easier. I have heard this from absolutely everyone. I thought God was cutting me a break by letting me have my wish of choice of sex of my children. Actually, he was probably giggling right next to my dad and saying, "Sure, no problem! Good luck with that!".
Friday, August 28, 2009
Cell Phone Post
I see that my Monday post didn't get published for some reason. Look back about 3 posts and there will be the cell phone post that got published late. I think you will like this one. Let me know if you feel the same way.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Crap Behind the Couch
With all 3 kids and Mike out of the house for the day (finally), I decided since I was up at 6:30 a.m., I was going to clean my family room and then declare it off limits to everyone except me.
Our family room is attached to our kitchen. Picture this. When you walk into our front door, you walk all the way straight back to the back door. When you get about 5 feet from the back door and stop, to the right is the kitchen and the family room is to the left. They are attached with a little walkway between them from the front to back doors. This is pertinent because of the proximity of our kitchen (which I hate by the way :( to the family room is part of the problem.
When we got this house, I could hear my mom's voice inside my head telling me to take care of this house for God sake and not let those girls trash this one too. I made a declaration that no one is allowed to eat in the family room unless they make more than $50,000 a year and contribute to the mortgage. I was dead serious about this. In order to avoid dragging this post out too long, that lasted probably a good 3 months and eventually everyone assumed that rule was optional. When I see anyone eating in there, I tell them to get out and they look at me and keep eating. Then I get pissed, but that doesn't matter...they don't care.
Every 2 months I try to empty out the whole family room when I am home alone and start from scratch like I did the day they gave us the keys to our new home. Well, each time this happens, I find bizarre, random crap behind my couches. This should NOT happen because no one is supposed to be even breathing in that room as far as I am concerned.
Today's finds: several chewed up straws, bobby pins, sunflower seed shells, dog hair, shirt tags cut off, a live spider!!, a remote for the ceiling fan, crumbs, a bounce sheet, and other miscellaneous crap of the sort. The room is completely empty, couch pieces in the next room, and I have to pick up all this crap that they stuff behind my couches. By now my BP is probably at an all time high. Then I go around with the vacuum hose and suck up all the edges of the room and cushions, etc., vacuum the room, and then return all the pieces back to where they belong. I windex everything and then put up the rope from wall to wall with the sign that says, "Stay the Hell Out". Yes, this is not very ladylike or teacherlike, but I have had it. Last time I did this in June, I tied the rope to the tall lamp in the corner by the back door and taped the other end to the wall. Alexa walked into the rope by accident and I watched my lamp tip over and shatter into a million glass pieces. Won't be doing that again. No lamp anymore.
So, for now, as I type, my family room is immaculate. No one has gone in there except the 2 dogs, which I suspect are part of the problem, but they can't read English...signs mean nothing to them. I'll enjoy it until the next deep cleaning in about October where I will have another list of weird stuff I found behind my couches.
Our family room is attached to our kitchen. Picture this. When you walk into our front door, you walk all the way straight back to the back door. When you get about 5 feet from the back door and stop, to the right is the kitchen and the family room is to the left. They are attached with a little walkway between them from the front to back doors. This is pertinent because of the proximity of our kitchen (which I hate by the way :( to the family room is part of the problem.
When we got this house, I could hear my mom's voice inside my head telling me to take care of this house for God sake and not let those girls trash this one too. I made a declaration that no one is allowed to eat in the family room unless they make more than $50,000 a year and contribute to the mortgage. I was dead serious about this. In order to avoid dragging this post out too long, that lasted probably a good 3 months and eventually everyone assumed that rule was optional. When I see anyone eating in there, I tell them to get out and they look at me and keep eating. Then I get pissed, but that doesn't matter...they don't care.
Every 2 months I try to empty out the whole family room when I am home alone and start from scratch like I did the day they gave us the keys to our new home. Well, each time this happens, I find bizarre, random crap behind my couches. This should NOT happen because no one is supposed to be even breathing in that room as far as I am concerned.
Today's finds: several chewed up straws, bobby pins, sunflower seed shells, dog hair, shirt tags cut off, a live spider!!, a remote for the ceiling fan, crumbs, a bounce sheet, and other miscellaneous crap of the sort. The room is completely empty, couch pieces in the next room, and I have to pick up all this crap that they stuff behind my couches. By now my BP is probably at an all time high. Then I go around with the vacuum hose and suck up all the edges of the room and cushions, etc., vacuum the room, and then return all the pieces back to where they belong. I windex everything and then put up the rope from wall to wall with the sign that says, "Stay the Hell Out". Yes, this is not very ladylike or teacherlike, but I have had it. Last time I did this in June, I tied the rope to the tall lamp in the corner by the back door and taped the other end to the wall. Alexa walked into the rope by accident and I watched my lamp tip over and shatter into a million glass pieces. Won't be doing that again. No lamp anymore.
So, for now, as I type, my family room is immaculate. No one has gone in there except the 2 dogs, which I suspect are part of the problem, but they can't read English...signs mean nothing to them. I'll enjoy it until the next deep cleaning in about October where I will have another list of weird stuff I found behind my couches.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Cell Phones
I thought I already did a post on cell phones, but this is another facet about them that is currently weighing heavily on my mind right now.
Today is what made me want to write about this. For some reason, several facets of my life came crashing together today and along with that came constant phone ringing and texting. I had work related calls/texts, college related calls and messages on my voicemail/Lavin related calls/texts, etc., etc, etc. The only problem is, is when I am on the phone talking to someone, all of a sudden I hear my second line ringing, then 2 seconds later, a text comes through. It happened so many times today that I finally told Sierra that we should just go to the pool for 2 hours since it is the last day before school starts for her and I. Forget the work I have to do...let's just go swimming. We did and it was very nice. After we showered and got ready to leave the pool, I checked my phone for the time and I had 3 calls, 2 voicemails and 2 texts from different people. For 2 hours, I had peace and quality time with Sierra. After reality hit, I had to figure out how to prioritize how I was going to answer all those people. I wanted to throw my phone in the pool, but this is a bad time of the year for that.
I don't understand why things have changed so fast in this world that we are supposed to be 100% available to everyone at all times. I do not like this one bit. People get annoyed if you don't answer their texts immediately, or you don't answer their calls or whatever. I am getting to the point where one of these days the wrong person is going to get impatient and I am going to blow up. I don't want to be available to everyone all the time when they want me to be. I wish I could get a thing that sends out messages to people immediately after they call or text me saying that just because they want to talk to me that minute, doesn't mean I am able to or even want to for that matter. And that I will get back to them at MY convenience, not when they want me to. What is next? I fear that someday there will be something that pops up in front of your face when someone wants to tell you something and you will have no control over it whatsoever. I know that sounds impossible, but if you would have told me 20 years ago, you could walk around, go to the bathroom, drive, etc. and someone could talk to you while you were doing so, I never would have thought it possible.
Probably should have used my disclaimer because I get annoyed when some people don't answer the phone when I call too.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
S L O W D O W N !!!!!!
I probably should use my disclaimer for this post, but I am too lazy to copy and paste it, so just be forewarned.
I'm old. I have faced it. I guess 44 is officially old because I am getting really cranky about stuff that should not be annoying me so much. In our neighborhood, a lot of young families have moved in. They all seem to have kids from ages 3-8, which stinks for Sierra, because there is no one her age.
Sidebar: What is the deal with these young families being able to get these houses? When I was that age, I could only dream of the day when I could afford to get a house with an upstairs. Where do people get their money? It's not like our houses are mansions, but sheesh, it took me until age 43 to get a house that has enough room to finally breathe. I just don't get it. Whatever.
So, here is the problem. These young families live in the middle of the block of our cul-de-sac. If you picture a road that goes about 2 blocks and ends in a circle, we are at the end of the circle and these people live in the middle of the 2 block street. They put out these huge, ugly, yellow signs that say "Children playing" or whatever they say right in the middle of the street. Then their kids are all in the street playing and the parents are in their driveways chit chatting. Now, you might wonder what the hell is my problem with this? I have 2 possible answers for that question. 1.) I am too much like my father was, or 2.) PMS. Probably both of the above.
I have teenagers, so when their friends drive them home, they do not slow down and these people are running behind their cars screaming at them to slow down. How embarrassing. I want to tell them that I have no control over my kids' friends' driving. I have warned Lavin not to speed down the road in her new used car. Today, I went through that mess of kids, parents, and signs and muttered to myself that they are annoying as hell. Then about 5 blocks later in a different development, there was another sign. This time it was a whiteboard on a chair in the middle of the road with the words "SLOW DOWN" written in huge, black letters on it. That was it. I was officially annoyed and decided that I want to move to the country. That is how I know I am old.
I'm old. I have faced it. I guess 44 is officially old because I am getting really cranky about stuff that should not be annoying me so much. In our neighborhood, a lot of young families have moved in. They all seem to have kids from ages 3-8, which stinks for Sierra, because there is no one her age.
Sidebar: What is the deal with these young families being able to get these houses? When I was that age, I could only dream of the day when I could afford to get a house with an upstairs. Where do people get their money? It's not like our houses are mansions, but sheesh, it took me until age 43 to get a house that has enough room to finally breathe. I just don't get it. Whatever.
So, here is the problem. These young families live in the middle of the block of our cul-de-sac. If you picture a road that goes about 2 blocks and ends in a circle, we are at the end of the circle and these people live in the middle of the 2 block street. They put out these huge, ugly, yellow signs that say "Children playing" or whatever they say right in the middle of the street. Then their kids are all in the street playing and the parents are in their driveways chit chatting. Now, you might wonder what the hell is my problem with this? I have 2 possible answers for that question. 1.) I am too much like my father was, or 2.) PMS. Probably both of the above.
I have teenagers, so when their friends drive them home, they do not slow down and these people are running behind their cars screaming at them to slow down. How embarrassing. I want to tell them that I have no control over my kids' friends' driving. I have warned Lavin not to speed down the road in her new used car. Today, I went through that mess of kids, parents, and signs and muttered to myself that they are annoying as hell. Then about 5 blocks later in a different development, there was another sign. This time it was a whiteboard on a chair in the middle of the road with the words "SLOW DOWN" written in huge, black letters on it. That was it. I was officially annoyed and decided that I want to move to the country. That is how I know I am old.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Lies, Lies, Lies
Probably the biggest character flaw I hate is lying. I was informed tonight by my eldest daughter that lying is a genetic trait and the liar cannot control it. Yes, she was dead serious.
I knew daughter number 2 had the "gene" at a very young age. She was too little to know that her lies were so obviously lies that there was no wondering if things were true or not...they just were obvious lies. I was quite a bit frightened that she was going to have the lying "gene". Back then I would blame any bad trait on their father. Actually, one night when driving to college for 90 minutes, my brother in law explained to me that his brother had lied all his life as if he couldn't help it. As upsetting as that was to hear, it answered a lot of unanswered questions. As hard as I tried not to let it be our undoing, it just was.
I started to notice my oldest daughter's lying in middle school. It snowballed in early high school until I made her suffer for 2 years under my close watch and strict rules. I know some would say I am too hard on the bigger girls, but I am sure my youngest will have her time with lying when she gets bigger, although she can't possibly have the "gene". I put "gene" in quotes because it is my way of rolling my eyes on the computer for all to see. I actually rolled my eyes in the car tonight when I was informed of this genetic defect, but as I comtemplate, I am thinking maybe there is something to that. ??? I need to do some research. Nevertheless, lying is the quickest way to end relationships in my opinion. I worry that my girls will not see this until it is too late. I talk to them constantly when the subject comes up (after I catch them in yet another lie) and tell them that if they ever want to have a lasting relationship, they need to not ruin it by lying. Oldest girl tells me that it is out of her control. ***eye roll***
Just another thing in my list to worry about regarding my kids.
I knew daughter number 2 had the "gene" at a very young age. She was too little to know that her lies were so obviously lies that there was no wondering if things were true or not...they just were obvious lies. I was quite a bit frightened that she was going to have the lying "gene". Back then I would blame any bad trait on their father. Actually, one night when driving to college for 90 minutes, my brother in law explained to me that his brother had lied all his life as if he couldn't help it. As upsetting as that was to hear, it answered a lot of unanswered questions. As hard as I tried not to let it be our undoing, it just was.
I started to notice my oldest daughter's lying in middle school. It snowballed in early high school until I made her suffer for 2 years under my close watch and strict rules. I know some would say I am too hard on the bigger girls, but I am sure my youngest will have her time with lying when she gets bigger, although she can't possibly have the "gene". I put "gene" in quotes because it is my way of rolling my eyes on the computer for all to see. I actually rolled my eyes in the car tonight when I was informed of this genetic defect, but as I comtemplate, I am thinking maybe there is something to that. ??? I need to do some research. Nevertheless, lying is the quickest way to end relationships in my opinion. I worry that my girls will not see this until it is too late. I talk to them constantly when the subject comes up (after I catch them in yet another lie) and tell them that if they ever want to have a lasting relationship, they need to not ruin it by lying. Oldest girl tells me that it is out of her control. ***eye roll***
Just another thing in my list to worry about regarding my kids.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Teenage Girls
Need I say anymore? The title of this post says it all.
However! I am not going to leave it at that, because I am sure mentally that will not be enough for me to get it off my chest. I woke up this morning, took a peek in Alexa's room and got instantly angry. I KNOW Lavin's is worse, so I didn't even go in there. I went downstairs, grabbed a huge handful of trash bags with drawstrings and went back to face that disaster of a room.
We have lived in this house almost 10 months now. I watched it be built from the concrete pad and up. I was so happy that I would have a clean house with no one else's dirt or energy. I told myself I was not going to let my kids ruin my brand new house. Well, not even a year into it and I am not happy at all.
I started by stripping the bed, throwing the bedding downstairs to wash. My girls are so weird. They don't like the regular mattress pad, sheets, blanket, comforter thing. NO, Alexa sleeps on top of it all and covers up with even more bedding. Lavin sleeps on the mattress with nothing on it at all, which I find extremely weird. She has dirty gross bedding and old comforters along with pillows with no pillowcases on them. I'm sorry. I just can't stand it anymore. After that, I took the trash bags and went through different parts of the room and just put absolutely everything into the bags. It took me several bags and lots of time. I was grossed out at all the dirty clothes stuffed in different places. Oh, I can't even talk about what I saw/found because it is just purely disgusting and ticks me off to think about it.
Then I took the mattress and moved it out into the hallway. I made a long list of what they have to do in the order I want it as far as putting things back. I am expecting that they should be throwing away at least half of the crap I found. Lavin has boxes, bags, and things like that from clothes she bought years ago. Ewwwwwwwww. Reminded me of Aunt Dot when I cleaned out her trailer before she died. She had stuff like that in there and I remember thinking that I am NOT going to hold on to crap. Scary.
It has been about 4 hours now and Alexa will be coming home from school in about an hour. I plan to be gone so that she doesn't scream at me because I will probably just drag the bags outside and tell her to leave if she doesn't like it. Lavin is almost 19, so it is very possible she will freak out enough that she will just take her stuff and move in with her other friends. As much as I feel that would be a huge mistake, I would have a new office and a clean room. Time to grow up Lavin.
Well, once again, complaining on here doesn't really make me be able to let it go. I am just more upset now thinking about how they do not respect my home at all. Tonight should be interesting around here.
However! I am not going to leave it at that, because I am sure mentally that will not be enough for me to get it off my chest. I woke up this morning, took a peek in Alexa's room and got instantly angry. I KNOW Lavin's is worse, so I didn't even go in there. I went downstairs, grabbed a huge handful of trash bags with drawstrings and went back to face that disaster of a room.
We have lived in this house almost 10 months now. I watched it be built from the concrete pad and up. I was so happy that I would have a clean house with no one else's dirt or energy. I told myself I was not going to let my kids ruin my brand new house. Well, not even a year into it and I am not happy at all.
I started by stripping the bed, throwing the bedding downstairs to wash. My girls are so weird. They don't like the regular mattress pad, sheets, blanket, comforter thing. NO, Alexa sleeps on top of it all and covers up with even more bedding. Lavin sleeps on the mattress with nothing on it at all, which I find extremely weird. She has dirty gross bedding and old comforters along with pillows with no pillowcases on them. I'm sorry. I just can't stand it anymore. After that, I took the trash bags and went through different parts of the room and just put absolutely everything into the bags. It took me several bags and lots of time. I was grossed out at all the dirty clothes stuffed in different places. Oh, I can't even talk about what I saw/found because it is just purely disgusting and ticks me off to think about it.
Then I took the mattress and moved it out into the hallway. I made a long list of what they have to do in the order I want it as far as putting things back. I am expecting that they should be throwing away at least half of the crap I found. Lavin has boxes, bags, and things like that from clothes she bought years ago. Ewwwwwwwww. Reminded me of Aunt Dot when I cleaned out her trailer before she died. She had stuff like that in there and I remember thinking that I am NOT going to hold on to crap. Scary.
It has been about 4 hours now and Alexa will be coming home from school in about an hour. I plan to be gone so that she doesn't scream at me because I will probably just drag the bags outside and tell her to leave if she doesn't like it. Lavin is almost 19, so it is very possible she will freak out enough that she will just take her stuff and move in with her other friends. As much as I feel that would be a huge mistake, I would have a new office and a clean room. Time to grow up Lavin.
Well, once again, complaining on here doesn't really make me be able to let it go. I am just more upset now thinking about how they do not respect my home at all. Tonight should be interesting around here.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
We're just different
Why is it that women talk 2x or 3x more than men? I read that somewhere and it seems to apply in most all areas of men/women communication.
A good example that happens very often is the conversation Mike and I have frequently that goes something like this:
M: Keith stopped over today for a few minutes (this never happens BTW, he doesn't come over)
D: Really? What was he doing?
M: He rode his motorcycle 110 miles today.
D: Oh wow, what did you guys talk about?
M: Nothing.
D: Oh, so you just sat there staring at each other?
M: We didn't stare at each other.
D: Well then you must have talked about something. Where did he ride to?
M: Julian
D: Did he stop for pie? You have to have pie when you are in Julian.
M: No, he just rode
D: Wow, so he stopped by here? That's unusual.
M: Yeah
D: I can't believe you won't tell me what you talked about.
M: Do you want me to make something up? We didn't talk about anything.
D: That doesn't make sense
You see, Keith and Mike have been friends since middle school when they attended Catholic school together, college, etc. Mike talked Keith into moving from South Dakota to California when Mike had been here for 9 years. They are at year 6 in the next city hooked to ours and we rarely see them. It is so weird. You would think that we'd see them but we don't. I can't say anything more about that because it is a sore subject. At least the guys are still best friends even if they mainly talk on the phone 10 miles apart. Whatever...
Back to the subject at hand. I always want to spill everything that I talked about with people and I can't get anything out of Mike. I am not sure if he just doesn't want to talk to me about what they talk about or if he just doesn't want to talk to me. Either way, it bothers me enough to post it on my complaint blog so I can just let it go (hahahahaha---that is funny). Well at least if I complain on here, I am not starting arguments. Right?
A good example that happens very often is the conversation Mike and I have frequently that goes something like this:
M: Keith stopped over today for a few minutes (this never happens BTW, he doesn't come over)
D: Really? What was he doing?
M: He rode his motorcycle 110 miles today.
D: Oh wow, what did you guys talk about?
M: Nothing.
D: Oh, so you just sat there staring at each other?
M: We didn't stare at each other.
D: Well then you must have talked about something. Where did he ride to?
M: Julian
D: Did he stop for pie? You have to have pie when you are in Julian.
M: No, he just rode
D: Wow, so he stopped by here? That's unusual.
M: Yeah
D: I can't believe you won't tell me what you talked about.
M: Do you want me to make something up? We didn't talk about anything.
D: That doesn't make sense
You see, Keith and Mike have been friends since middle school when they attended Catholic school together, college, etc. Mike talked Keith into moving from South Dakota to California when Mike had been here for 9 years. They are at year 6 in the next city hooked to ours and we rarely see them. It is so weird. You would think that we'd see them but we don't. I can't say anything more about that because it is a sore subject. At least the guys are still best friends even if they mainly talk on the phone 10 miles apart. Whatever...
Back to the subject at hand. I always want to spill everything that I talked about with people and I can't get anything out of Mike. I am not sure if he just doesn't want to talk to me about what they talk about or if he just doesn't want to talk to me. Either way, it bothers me enough to post it on my complaint blog so I can just let it go (hahahahaha---that is funny). Well at least if I complain on here, I am not starting arguments. Right?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Work
Why do I have to work? I don't want to work. I want to be completely free of responsibility. I want to be able to do what I want when I want without anyone expecting anything of me.
I've said this all my life and I continue to say it to this very minute. I guess this isn't considered judgemental, so maybe I need to change the title of my blog to "Sorry, but I am going to complain". That would probably cover more areas for me. That is taken care of now. Great! This gives me much more leeway in my blog. I've always been good at complaining. Hey, maybe I can get paid for complaining and then my "job" won't seem like work at all! Don't people say that anyway? Get a job you love and you won't feel like you work at all.
I know I am so lucky to have a job, so I should just shut up, but truly, I just wish I was rich and could not work.
Here is what my day would be like if I had no responsibilities: Wake up whenever I want, which would be late, lay by the pool and swim, read, listen to my talk radio, shower, watch tv while I clean, make dinner, go for a walk with my dog, meditate, read, go to bed and repeat. Actually, sounds boring, huh? Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and be thankful that I have a job.
This really is funny coming from someone who may just have too many jobs in the near future. Good thing only one person reads my blog or I might get struck by a lightning bolt for saying all this negative stuff.
I've said this all my life and I continue to say it to this very minute. I guess this isn't considered judgemental, so maybe I need to change the title of my blog to "Sorry, but I am going to complain". That would probably cover more areas for me. That is taken care of now. Great! This gives me much more leeway in my blog. I've always been good at complaining. Hey, maybe I can get paid for complaining and then my "job" won't seem like work at all! Don't people say that anyway? Get a job you love and you won't feel like you work at all.
I know I am so lucky to have a job, so I should just shut up, but truly, I just wish I was rich and could not work.
Here is what my day would be like if I had no responsibilities: Wake up whenever I want, which would be late, lay by the pool and swim, read, listen to my talk radio, shower, watch tv while I clean, make dinner, go for a walk with my dog, meditate, read, go to bed and repeat. Actually, sounds boring, huh? Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and be thankful that I have a job.
This really is funny coming from someone who may just have too many jobs in the near future. Good thing only one person reads my blog or I might get struck by a lightning bolt for saying all this negative stuff.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Chivalry Is Dead
This is an easy one. It doesn't even require a disclaimer because it is something I would never be accused of (hypocracy).
On the way home from our 8 day journey to South Dakota, we took a flight from Sioux Falls to Las Vegas. We were the last to get on the plane because of the row we were in.
Sidebar: We were in row 7, which is in the front because it starts with row 4 for some ODD reason that I can't figure out. Rows 1-2-3 do not exist on that particular airplane. (Twilight Zone music). They boarded rows 4-6, then went from the back of the plane and the last row to board was 7. Very strange.
I had told Alexa that there was NO way we would find overhead bin space for our carry on suitcases because the idiots in the back of the airplane that got to board before us would stop and shove their crap in the overhead bins above row 7 even though they are in row 35. She thought I was just making that up. We get on and all the overhead bins were closed except for about 4/5 down at approximately row 27. The plane was full and they were waiting for us to get our stuff in before they took off. There was a boys' baseball team that had won some tournament and had a 5 foot trophy they had to disassemble to put on the plane. They were probably ages 15-18 and I couldn't tell where they were from, but they were definitely flying home with their trophy. One boy had a Vegas t-shirt on and another had an Orange County t-shirt on, so they were definitely from this end of the US. They were all in rows 25-29 sitting together. Do you see where I am going with this? My gorgeous 16 year old daughter and I are having to put our suitcases up above their heads probably because their %&$# is above our heads in row 7.
I lifted my suitcase up and stuck it in there. Alexa, who is 5' 9" at least, went to pick hers up and do the same. Of course she was flustered because they were all looking at her and saying stuff that we weren't really hearing because we were hurrying. She had difficulty putting her suitcase up there because it was crowded on the plane and such. She was obviously struggling big time.
(stupid question coming) Did even ONE of the boys or their coaches help her with lifting it up?
(stupid answer coming) NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Not one offer. I was shocked, saddened, and mad all at the same time. She did get it up there and they said something to her. She said, "What?" and they laughed. I know she was mortified. Not letting it go like I am known for, I said:
"These must not be South Dakota boys, because if they were, someone would have offered to help you." She was not happy that I said that, but oh well.
I am not so sure if a South Dakota boy would have done it, I can only hope he would have, but probably more likely than the boys that were sitting right there laughing at her plight.
The only problem with this blog is that while it is supposed to let me get stuff off my chest, it usually only makes me madder. Like now, I want to find out what town/team they were and tell their coaches what I think of that. I know her Grandpa was rolling in his grave when he saw what happened to her that day. Boys.
On the way home from our 8 day journey to South Dakota, we took a flight from Sioux Falls to Las Vegas. We were the last to get on the plane because of the row we were in.
Sidebar: We were in row 7, which is in the front because it starts with row 4 for some ODD reason that I can't figure out. Rows 1-2-3 do not exist on that particular airplane. (Twilight Zone music). They boarded rows 4-6, then went from the back of the plane and the last row to board was 7. Very strange.
I had told Alexa that there was NO way we would find overhead bin space for our carry on suitcases because the idiots in the back of the airplane that got to board before us would stop and shove their crap in the overhead bins above row 7 even though they are in row 35. She thought I was just making that up. We get on and all the overhead bins were closed except for about 4/5 down at approximately row 27. The plane was full and they were waiting for us to get our stuff in before they took off. There was a boys' baseball team that had won some tournament and had a 5 foot trophy they had to disassemble to put on the plane. They were probably ages 15-18 and I couldn't tell where they were from, but they were definitely flying home with their trophy. One boy had a Vegas t-shirt on and another had an Orange County t-shirt on, so they were definitely from this end of the US. They were all in rows 25-29 sitting together. Do you see where I am going with this? My gorgeous 16 year old daughter and I are having to put our suitcases up above their heads probably because their %&$# is above our heads in row 7.
I lifted my suitcase up and stuck it in there. Alexa, who is 5' 9" at least, went to pick hers up and do the same. Of course she was flustered because they were all looking at her and saying stuff that we weren't really hearing because we were hurrying. She had difficulty putting her suitcase up there because it was crowded on the plane and such. She was obviously struggling big time.
(stupid question coming) Did even ONE of the boys or their coaches help her with lifting it up?
(stupid answer coming) NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Not one offer. I was shocked, saddened, and mad all at the same time. She did get it up there and they said something to her. She said, "What?" and they laughed. I know she was mortified. Not letting it go like I am known for, I said:
"These must not be South Dakota boys, because if they were, someone would have offered to help you." She was not happy that I said that, but oh well.
I am not so sure if a South Dakota boy would have done it, I can only hope he would have, but probably more likely than the boys that were sitting right there laughing at her plight.
The only problem with this blog is that while it is supposed to let me get stuff off my chest, it usually only makes me madder. Like now, I want to find out what town/team they were and tell their coaches what I think of that. I know her Grandpa was rolling in his grave when he saw what happened to her that day. Boys.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Cell phones
Could this be the best and worst invention all at the same time?
I've had a cell phone since 1998 and I swear the signals are the same today as they were 11 years ago. It's crazy. I live in a city of over 100,000 people in the middle of one of the most populated areas of the United States and I still can't get a signal for about 1 mile in the middle of Margarita Road in the middle of Temecula!
I can see why I didn't have the best service in South Dakota. They don't have AT&T there anyway, so that is understandable. But HERE? Come on! Seriously. When will we have cell service everywhere? The year 2020? Well, maybe not even then since it is only a decade away and nothing seems to have changed in the past decade regarding cell service. It's so bizarre.
Get this...I had rare service the whole 8 days in South Dakota. If I was in Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Huron, I was okay for the most part. Anywhere else, it was sketchy. I understood that. But when my sister and her friend got lost in Custer State Park back last Winter in the middle of nowhere, they were able to get cell service. There is no rhyme or reason to the cell service anywhere. I find that so funny and annoying especially since they have been out for more than a decade. Weird.
I've had a cell phone since 1998 and I swear the signals are the same today as they were 11 years ago. It's crazy. I live in a city of over 100,000 people in the middle of one of the most populated areas of the United States and I still can't get a signal for about 1 mile in the middle of Margarita Road in the middle of Temecula!
I can see why I didn't have the best service in South Dakota. They don't have AT&T there anyway, so that is understandable. But HERE? Come on! Seriously. When will we have cell service everywhere? The year 2020? Well, maybe not even then since it is only a decade away and nothing seems to have changed in the past decade regarding cell service. It's so bizarre.
Get this...I had rare service the whole 8 days in South Dakota. If I was in Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Huron, I was okay for the most part. Anywhere else, it was sketchy. I understood that. But when my sister and her friend got lost in Custer State Park back last Winter in the middle of nowhere, they were able to get cell service. There is no rhyme or reason to the cell service anywhere. I find that so funny and annoying especially since they have been out for more than a decade. Weird.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Driving in California
Many people here drive very poorly. I don't really mind as much when I am in my car, because my Dad always taught me to be a defensive driver and watch out for everyone.
However, when I drive the RV, which is rare, it is impossible to be a defensive driver. People have no patience for a big vehicle. The only problem with that is it is next to impossible to stop an RV when people pull out in front of you.
We were told when we bought it, that we would get a lot of middle fingers from people, and we have. That is fine. It is just so scary to try to keep that beast in between the white lines, watch both sides, keep your speed at the proper rate and watch out for people either cutting in front of you, or pulling out fast in front of you and slowing down.
The only good thing about this is that it has made me a more patient driver when I am in my car and an RV needs to pull out or stay in the slower lane on a hill.
However, when I drive the RV, which is rare, it is impossible to be a defensive driver. People have no patience for a big vehicle. The only problem with that is it is next to impossible to stop an RV when people pull out in front of you.
We were told when we bought it, that we would get a lot of middle fingers from people, and we have. That is fine. It is just so scary to try to keep that beast in between the white lines, watch both sides, keep your speed at the proper rate and watch out for people either cutting in front of you, or pulling out fast in front of you and slowing down.
The only good thing about this is that it has made me a more patient driver when I am in my car and an RV needs to pull out or stay in the slower lane on a hill.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Flakey
*Disclaimer:If you are reading my blog, you must know ahead of time that I realize I am not perfect and that is beside the point. So, it won't help to point that out to me if you choose to comment.
I guess some of this perspective comes from the family I was raised in. We always did what we said we were going to do and if something came up, we would fix things so that we could be where we said we would be.
I am really annoyed with people flaking out on things. This isn't really something that affects me as much as it affects my husband. He has people that say they will do things with him and then back out, flake out, or just forget that they had plans and never contact him. Of course he never would say anything to anyone, but I see how upsetting it can be to him. As his wife, it bothers me a lot.
My husband is pretty spontaneous and will do whatever anyone wants to do on a moment's notice. Luckily we have each other because we are both that way. But there are people who just can't seem to make a decision about anything. Things are always up in the air. I just don't get it. I have pretty much just bitched about it to my sisters and mom for years now, but I have this forum, so I am putting it out there. Maybe he doesn't pin people down enough? Maybe he doesn't get pissed off at them like I would and never ask them to do anything again after so many tries...He's a better person than I am. Hopefully he knows who always is ready at the drop of a hat to go to a movie, a walk, the beach, an RV trip or whatever. I guess that is why we are married.
I am just sick of people treating him with little respect. These people really have no idea who they are, and if they do, that is even worse.
I guess some of this perspective comes from the family I was raised in. We always did what we said we were going to do and if something came up, we would fix things so that we could be where we said we would be.
I am really annoyed with people flaking out on things. This isn't really something that affects me as much as it affects my husband. He has people that say they will do things with him and then back out, flake out, or just forget that they had plans and never contact him. Of course he never would say anything to anyone, but I see how upsetting it can be to him. As his wife, it bothers me a lot.
My husband is pretty spontaneous and will do whatever anyone wants to do on a moment's notice. Luckily we have each other because we are both that way. But there are people who just can't seem to make a decision about anything. Things are always up in the air. I just don't get it. I have pretty much just bitched about it to my sisters and mom for years now, but I have this forum, so I am putting it out there. Maybe he doesn't pin people down enough? Maybe he doesn't get pissed off at them like I would and never ask them to do anything again after so many tries...He's a better person than I am. Hopefully he knows who always is ready at the drop of a hat to go to a movie, a walk, the beach, an RV trip or whatever. I guess that is why we are married.
I am just sick of people treating him with little respect. These people really have no idea who they are, and if they do, that is even worse.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Texting
*Disclaimer:If you are reading my blog, you must know ahead of time that I realize I am not perfect and that is beside the point. So, it won't help to point that out to me if you choose to comment.
My kids text all the time. I am so tired of them with their heads buried in their phones while I am trying to talk to them. Both of my girls now have iphones that they purchased themselves, so that means I have a little less control over it.
I was thinking about when I was their ages and cell phones were not even THOUGHT OF. Makes me wonder what is going to be next and what it will be like when they are my age. This is just a small annoyance of mine, but worth mentioning.
My kids text all the time. I am so tired of them with their heads buried in their phones while I am trying to talk to them. Both of my girls now have iphones that they purchased themselves, so that means I have a little less control over it.
I was thinking about when I was their ages and cell phones were not even THOUGHT OF. Makes me wonder what is going to be next and what it will be like when they are my age. This is just a small annoyance of mine, but worth mentioning.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Crying
I RARELY cry when I watch TV or movies. Today, while wasting the day out of the heat, Lavin was watching 16 and Pregnant. Of course whenever my teenagers watch these shows I walk through the living room shaking my head. Next thing you know, I am sitting down watching it with them. This happens a lot.
For hours now I have been watching a marathon of this show. You know it is HOT outside when I am watching a marathon of 16 and Pregnant. I watched 2 different couples get pregnant and have their babies. I was just disgusted that they were thinking they could take care of a child. Watching them struggle through the first weeks with the exhaustion and so on, I saw even more why this show is so popular. It is exactly what it is like to have a baby. I think the teenagers that watch this see that it is not what you want to do with your life. However, it has to be better than the fate another baby suffered at the hands of my daughter's friend, let's call her, "Bara".
This last episode I just watched had me crying. These two 16 year olds decided that they could not take care of the baby and they gave it up for adoption. It went through the whole process and at the end, as hard as it was, a very nice, stable couple got the baby. I was so proud of these kids for making the right decision. It was very emotional.
I know that I have three daughters and I do not know what will happen with any of them so I need to be careful about my comments on this topic. I can't wait to see the season finale next week that shows what has happened since the season was over. Dr. Laura would be proud of them.
For hours now I have been watching a marathon of this show. You know it is HOT outside when I am watching a marathon of 16 and Pregnant. I watched 2 different couples get pregnant and have their babies. I was just disgusted that they were thinking they could take care of a child. Watching them struggle through the first weeks with the exhaustion and so on, I saw even more why this show is so popular. It is exactly what it is like to have a baby. I think the teenagers that watch this see that it is not what you want to do with your life. However, it has to be better than the fate another baby suffered at the hands of my daughter's friend, let's call her, "Bara".
This last episode I just watched had me crying. These two 16 year olds decided that they could not take care of the baby and they gave it up for adoption. It went through the whole process and at the end, as hard as it was, a very nice, stable couple got the baby. I was so proud of these kids for making the right decision. It was very emotional.
I know that I have three daughters and I do not know what will happen with any of them so I need to be careful about my comments on this topic. I can't wait to see the season finale next week that shows what has happened since the season was over. Dr. Laura would be proud of them.
Heat
I don't need my disclaimer for this post :)
It's HOT. I suppose being that it is July 18, that should be expected, but still, it is HOT.
Summer is supposed to be for doing fun things and relaxing. In fact, I think that is why we got our RV and timeshare, but just like with the boat, it isn't working that way.
Other than our Lake Tahoe vacation, we have been sitting in the house with the air conditioning on for weeks on end. I had promised myself that this summer would not be wasted in the house, yet here I sit. Just taking my oldest out to learn how to drive was torture. It felt like we drove through the Mojave Desert for 5 hours. It is such a chore to go outside. My dog rode along this morning for a few errands, but opted out of sticking her head out the window after about 5 minutes. She was even miserable. I have heard her heavy sighs all afternoon while she lay next to me.
What is the deal with this? Life is moving faster with each passing day. Summers when I was a kid seemed to last a long time. The day was long and we enjoyed all 3 months of summer. Now, it seems like it goes in a few weeks. We just have not figured out how to do this summer thing right. When we move to San Diego one day, this won't be a problem, but until then, something needs to change.
It's HOT. I suppose being that it is July 18, that should be expected, but still, it is HOT.
Summer is supposed to be for doing fun things and relaxing. In fact, I think that is why we got our RV and timeshare, but just like with the boat, it isn't working that way.
Other than our Lake Tahoe vacation, we have been sitting in the house with the air conditioning on for weeks on end. I had promised myself that this summer would not be wasted in the house, yet here I sit. Just taking my oldest out to learn how to drive was torture. It felt like we drove through the Mojave Desert for 5 hours. It is such a chore to go outside. My dog rode along this morning for a few errands, but opted out of sticking her head out the window after about 5 minutes. She was even miserable. I have heard her heavy sighs all afternoon while she lay next to me.
What is the deal with this? Life is moving faster with each passing day. Summers when I was a kid seemed to last a long time. The day was long and we enjoyed all 3 months of summer. Now, it seems like it goes in a few weeks. We just have not figured out how to do this summer thing right. When we move to San Diego one day, this won't be a problem, but until then, something needs to change.
*Disclaimer:
If you are reading my blog, you must know ahead of time that I realize I am not perfect and that is beside the point. So, it won't help to point that out to me if you choose to comment.
This is post number one. I decided to do a blog after reading so many others and realizing that it could be a good way for me to just let out the things that are bugging me.
I am choosing Facebook for my topic today because it is probably the uppermost on my mind right now. You could say this is a somewhat hypocritical post, but once again, read the disclaimer.
Facebook needs to be renamed to something like Bragbook or MakeYourLifeSoundPerfectbook. When I joined months back, it was because someone invited me on an email. I thought, "Why not?". Since then I have gotten up to about 30 "friends".
Before I complain too much, I should say that there is a flipside of my bitching. I have enjoyed seeing pictures of friends' kids, vacations, families, animals, and such. I have even loved saying hello to old high school friends and acquaintences who I never thought I'd see again. So, in that sense, I have enjoyed Facebook.
Here comes the complaint. Obviously there must be some jealousy involved in my post because why else would this bother me? It seems like sometimes people post only to make their lives sound perfect. I can't name anything concrete because if I do, that person might know that I mean them and be totally offended. An example may include that a person just rode their bike 30 miles, went to their child's endless sports events like a good mommy or daddy on a daily basis, mentioned how their spouse is taking them to such and such a place and that they are going to have "special time" later, etc, etc, etc,. Sometimes my eyes roll back so far, I wonder if they will stick that way forever. I usually run these comments by my husband who like smart man agrees with me as to how annoying that sounds. Then I start thinking about why isn't my life as perfect as everyone else's? Why can't I put some sappy crap on Facebook that will just make others probably roll their eyes? I don't know the real answer to that. Maybe a good thing about blogging is it will make me try to understand myself better. Whatever.
Okay, well I am not sure if I feel better or not, but time will tell. Meanwhile, I am going to go look on Facebook to see what's going on with everyone.
If you are reading my blog, you must know ahead of time that I realize I am not perfect and that is beside the point. So, it won't help to point that out to me if you choose to comment.
This is post number one. I decided to do a blog after reading so many others and realizing that it could be a good way for me to just let out the things that are bugging me.
I am choosing Facebook for my topic today because it is probably the uppermost on my mind right now. You could say this is a somewhat hypocritical post, but once again, read the disclaimer.
Facebook needs to be renamed to something like Bragbook or MakeYourLifeSoundPerfectbook. When I joined months back, it was because someone invited me on an email. I thought, "Why not?". Since then I have gotten up to about 30 "friends".
Before I complain too much, I should say that there is a flipside of my bitching. I have enjoyed seeing pictures of friends' kids, vacations, families, animals, and such. I have even loved saying hello to old high school friends and acquaintences who I never thought I'd see again. So, in that sense, I have enjoyed Facebook.
Here comes the complaint. Obviously there must be some jealousy involved in my post because why else would this bother me? It seems like sometimes people post only to make their lives sound perfect. I can't name anything concrete because if I do, that person might know that I mean them and be totally offended. An example may include that a person just rode their bike 30 miles, went to their child's endless sports events like a good mommy or daddy on a daily basis, mentioned how their spouse is taking them to such and such a place and that they are going to have "special time" later, etc, etc, etc,. Sometimes my eyes roll back so far, I wonder if they will stick that way forever. I usually run these comments by my husband who like smart man agrees with me as to how annoying that sounds. Then I start thinking about why isn't my life as perfect as everyone else's? Why can't I put some sappy crap on Facebook that will just make others probably roll their eyes? I don't know the real answer to that. Maybe a good thing about blogging is it will make me try to understand myself better. Whatever.
Okay, well I am not sure if I feel better or not, but time will tell. Meanwhile, I am going to go look on Facebook to see what's going on with everyone.
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