I Am Disgusted...

Ok...this pains me to mention because I pride myself on my ability to remain open-minded. I really try to look past what is on the surface and find the shine in everyone and everything below. But, I can not accept or tolerate Polygamy. I watched the first season of the show "Sister Wives" on TLC and am watching the new season now, and I constantly find myself shaking my head in disapproval. I know that I am being judgmental about something that I don't really understand and can't relate to so, I should probably just shut up and view it for the pure purposes of education. But, I feel that I have every right to voice my opinion about this topic. If the Brown family feels comfortable with putting their lives out on TV for public ridicule or acceptance, than I feel that I am entitled to express my view as I see it.

For anyone unfamiliar with this show, it is about a family of Polygamists. One man legally married one woman and then had ceremonies to marry 3 more women. They have many children whom he has fathered with 3 of the 4 women as he only just married the 4th last season and, while they are corrupt in what they see marriage to be...and yes...I do believe their idea of marriage is corrupt...they do hold old traditions as important, such as no premarital sex. Anyway, the show follows them in their day to day lives. And, it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.

The worst of it all comes right in the beginning montage. The husband, Cody, says "Love should be multiplied, not divided". That statement is wrong in two ways that I can think of. One is the fact that he believes that because it serves his purposes. Of course he thinks love should be multiplied...because he's letting his freak flag fly with 4 different women. He is multiplying the crap out of his sexual urges. The second reason it is wrong is because, whether he gets it or not, love is being "divided". The women are dividing his love up amongst themselves. They aren't dividing themselves amongst one another or even other men. They are giving themselves to him entirely while he is spreading himself around like horse shit...errr, I mean...fertilizer. And so, that begs the question I had last season that Cody answered in one episode. One of the wives asked him how he would feel if she were giving her attention to another man. He told her, in total honesty, that he wouldn't like it. Well then...I guess that says it all. He wants his cake and to eat it too and that makes me sick.

I have so many more thoughts about this show and their lifestyle but, this is all I care to say about it...at least for now.

Testing...Testing

This is a test. I found a Blog App on my phone the other day and I am curious to see how well this works...of at all. It would be kind of cool to be able to blog on the fly. Especially if I have and idea while I am far away from my laptop. So...here goes!

This has been a test of the blogcast system. 

Mystery Unsolved

I know this is random but, it has me flummoxed so, I am going to mention it. My hubby and I went out to lunch yesterday. We were gone for maybe a bit over an hour. When we got back home, we walked in to see one of our oven mitts on the kitchen floor, in front of the sink. When I picked it up, it was more than damp but less than soaked. I felt the throw rug it was on and that was dry as a bone. There wasn't any water in the kitchen sink, and no water, or anything spilled, anywhere else. There wasn't any odor on the oven mitt. We don't even really know how it got on the floor. It hangs on the knob of one of my cupboards. One of my cats could have pulled it off of the knob but, it is on there pretty secure. But, let's say that one of them did pull it off, I don't know why they ever would have as they never have in the past. And, even if they did...which I really believe they did, it still doesn't explain why it was wet. Needless to say, given that I use it to move hot food about, it was tossed because, I don't know what was on it and, even if I washed it, I would always worry about what was on it and if any of that was still on it.

So, the mystery still stands. Scooby-Doo, where are you?

Feeling A Little Good

I just realized tonight that I have 3 paid projects in the works. I make greeting cards, gift boxes and other fabulous crafts and, I have 3 projects in the works as of today. I am thrilled. I have struggled for a long time to find my niche in life. I love a lot of things in life. I love fashion. I have been told I have great decorative sense. I like photography. And, obviously, I like to write. But, I have really had a hard time figuring out where my lot in life is. And, I still may not have found it but, at least for right now, I feel a sense of purpose and, it is with something that I have fun doing and that gives me a great sense of pride.

The first project is for Birth Announcements for a friend. I still need to finalize some things with her but, it seems to be a forgone conclusion that I will be making her Birth Announcements once her baby boy is born.

The next two projects are for one friend. She wants me to host a crafting party for some of her daughter's friends. I'll teach them how to make a little purse box that I made recently. She came over today so that I could teach her how to make a duplicate of another person's handmade card. We had a blast and her card came out so beautiful! She brought her daughter and I helped her make some invitations for a Valentine's Day card making party she will be throwing in a few weeks. And, while they were here, I showed them a few other things that I have made and that is when she asked me to host and demonstrate at a party for her daughter's friends. And, she also asked me to make one of my Cupcake Gift Card holders for one of her daughter's friends for her birthday. I am so thrilled! I may actually be on the brink of my own business here. I also have some ideas about local businesses that may help me sell my crafts.

Admittedly, the very thought of my own business scares the daylights out of me. But, it also thrills me. I don't have a mind for business so, I don't know how far this will go. But, I do feel pretty great about my clout as a crafter today!

Please and Thank You

I hate how people talk to each other these days. I grew up on Please and Thank you, would you mind, could you please... But, these days people tell other people what they "need to" do. It bugs the snot out of me. I have been guilty of it in the past. Everyone is subject to pick up bad habits from other people if they are exposed to it for too long. So, I make a conscious effort to ask rather than tell people what to do. If I would like a favor from someone I ask them if they will do me a favor. "Can you please pick up some onions for dinner tomorrow" rather than, "You need to pick up some onions for dinner tomorrow". No one wants to be told what to do unless they are getting paid to do it. Furthermore, not even your boss should tell you what "you need to" do. I was taught that you catch more bees with honey. When I am told what I "need to" do, I feel resentful while doing whatever favor I am doing. If I am asked politely, I happily perform the task and feel truly appreciated for having been helpful because I was properly asked.

Since when did "you need to" become the standard for asking for help? You know who says "you need to"? Someone who is robbing you at gunpoint. You know who asks you to "please get me a soda?" People who love you, respect you, and truly appreciate the time you took to help them out.

Say please and thank you and you will have more favors done for you in response.

Weird Instincts

Call me crazy...that's OK! I am fine with that. But, I have a crazy sense of instinct. I always get a little tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach when something good or bad is about to happen. I don't always follow the path my instincts are screaming at me. And, I often find myself figuratively kicking myself in my own butt afterward.

One such instance where my instincts were screaming at me was back in 1992 when a guy I was interested in was killed in a car accident. I was working at McDonald's. It was how we met because he was working at the DIY (a Do It Yourself home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes) across the parking lot from me. He would come in for his lunch break and, no matter how crowded my line was, he would jump into the end of my line and wait for me to help him. I was seeing someone else when we first met one another but, that relationship was at the end of its rope. In fact, it took me a while before I realized that the guy liked me. Either he wasn't very obvious or I was kind of oblivious. I ended things with my then boyfriend and one of my co-workers came clean with how the guy felt about me. Of course I always noticed him a little. He was sweet and adorable and he always made me laugh when he would come in. We exchanged phone numbers and were really only starting to get to know one another. We never went out and he was gearing up to ask me to his school's formal dance. He was a senior in high school and I was a freshmen in college.

So, I was working when I could have sworn that he came in the door. I felt it. I can't really explain it other than to say that my entire body tingled a little and, I remember looking toward the door expecting him to come walking toward my line. But, he wasn't there. While I don't remember the time of day this happened now, I did notice the time back then because it would have been getting close to his lunch break. So, I still sort of waited throughout the rest of the day, hoping to see him. But, he never showed. It was towards the end of my shift and I was working in the drive-thru when a couple of our mutual friends came to my window. They asked me if I had heard about what happened to him. They told me that he was in an accident and, they weren't sure how he was. They only knew that he was in an accident. So, a few minutes later, I got off my shift and headed home. I went to the phone and dialed his number. His Dad answered and when I asked for him, his Dad asked me who was calling. After I told him who I was, he apologized to me and told me that he was no longer with us. I broke down. My family did all they could to comfort me. And, when his obituary and the story of his accident made it into the paper, I saw the time the accident had happened and it was the same time that I had the tingly feeling throughout my body and had expected him to walk through the door.

To this day, I don't know if it was his spirit touching me and saying good-bye or if it was just my own connection to him that gave me that feeling. All I know is that I definitely felt something and, that was not the first, nor the last time, that my "Spidey Senses" have given me a little kick when I should know something. And, my "Spidey Sense" is never wrong. There are times when I know exactly what I am tingling about. Other times, it is just a tingle for an event to be seen. A lot of times, it is for something good that is going to happen. Sometimes it will be attached to a person that I think about and then I hear from them either that day or a few days later. I frequently have it happen for something that I am about to do wrong. I've felt it days, or even minutes before I get busted for speeding down the highway. I've felt it when a family member gets injured. I've even felt it when my hubby is mad at me for some reason yet to be discovered.

So, call it "Women's Intuition". Call me a psychic. Call me crazy. I only know that I often know things that I have yet to figure out I know. And my instincts never fail me. I just need to stop failing them.

Update: From Zero To 3

I just found out that my friend, who was injured in Afghanistan, was actually hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). He and his men were hit and, I still don't know all of the specifics but, he fractured a bone in his spine but, he will heal and be fine. I have a hard time calling him lucky. Yes, he got out of the situation with his life and, he gets to come home to the states and retire from the military. But, how close was he to being one of the unlucky? I think that I don't even want to know because I swear that I can feel my heart break a little if I dare to think about it too hard. Maybe it is selfish to try to just remove myself from too much thought about it. But, I can actually feel my heart skip a beat, which I can only equate to it breaking, when I let my mind comprehend the very danger of it. And, I still know two other men in Afghanistan whose lives I worry about.

I heard from one of them the other day. He's doing well...as well as he can given where in this world he is right now. And, I was so thrilled to hear from him. It meant so much to me because I've been so worried about him. I only hope that I conveyed how thrilled I was to hear from him and that he knows how much it meant to me. And, I hope to continue to hear from him on a fairly regular basis because, worried doesn't even begin to describe it.

So, I just wanted to reach out and remind everyone to keep those in service in your thoughts. Whether you know someone who is deployed in a danger zone or not, they could still use all the positivity you can send their way.

Modern Technology Can Be Hurtful

I have said that I am a huge fan of modern technology. I love the way that it makes our lives easier. From less painful mammography machines, to ways that make an eye exam less impactful on the rest of your day. One of my favorite rewards of modern technology is the ability to stay in touch with everyone. I've blogged about it before. But, with the ability to stay in touch with people comes the ability to rid yourself of those whom you have decided you don't want to be in touch with anymore as well. Modern Technology has also given us the DELETE button. It is great for getting rid of mistakes you make when typing something. But, it has also been incorporated into the world of social networking sites and it is really hurtful. I have been deleted a few times. Most recently, by a family member who completely misunderstood one of my status updates in Facebook. I saw a t-shirt on a teenager that cracked me up. The t-shirt read, "I am a Waffle House Kid". For those who aren't familiar, Waffle House is a 24 hour restaurant franchise most often found in the Southern states of the U.S. The food is greasy and completely unhealthy. And, because the restaurant is open 24 hours a day, it is often frequented by people who are just leaving the bar in the middle of the night after having had a lot of adult beverages. People often go there to get to know the man or woman they just met on the dance floor. It is often the stop they make before or after hooking up with their new companion. And, when you see someone leaving Waffle House in the early morning hours, they are probably wearing what they wore the night before to the bar. For that reason it is also referred to as "The Walk of Shame". So, upon seeing the t-shirt, I laughed myself to tears and promptly went home and posted the following status update on my Facebook profile: "saw a hilarious t-shirt on a teenager today. "I'm a Waffle House Kid". LMFAO! He might as well have had a t-shirt that said "I'm a Walk of Shame Kid". LOL!" My friends got a kick out of it and we all joked around in the resulting thread. That was until my niece-in-law took offense to it and told me I was being judgmental and that she was disappointed in me. I repeatedly told her that I was just joking about the shirt. I told her that I didn't have anything against the kid in the shirt. It wasn't about him. I saw the humor in the shirt and that was what my status was about. But, she refused to see that I was only clowning around about the t-shirt and insisted on believing that I was judging the kid in the shirt. I, in fact, said absolutely nothing about the kid in the shirt. Upon being pushed to say something about him, I told her what I really thought about the teenager. My impression of him was that he was a cutie. He seemed clean cut and well taken care of. He seemed happy and kind of like "every kid U.S.A." But, I truly gave no more thought about him. My laughter was about his t-shirt. So, after a few more pissed off comments from her and more apologetic comments from me trying desperately to smooth things over with her, she deleted me. That hurt. If I had done something deserving of being deleted, it still would have hurt but, I could and would have done my best to be understanding. Being deleted sucks! I have only ever deleted a few teenagers (perfect strangers) from my Myspace page because I would just prefer not to temp problems in the future with parents wondering why a 37 year old woman would be friends with their teenage son or daughter on Myspace. I am forever mindful of what I do and say online because I really don't want to get myself into trouble. But, you never know when someone will take something the wrong way and when trouble will thrust itself upon you.

So, modern technology is like a double edged sword. So fantastic in the way that it makes our lives easier. So potentially hurtful by re purposing the careless act of the "delete" button into a way to makes us something similar to a typo in someone else's life. And, that is how it has always made me feel. I am nothing more than a typo.

More Than Just For Cleaning Dirt

I love the Swiffer line of products. They make my life easier. I use the little 360 Dusters, the Wet Jet and the Sweeper Vac. They all cut down on the time it takes me to clean my house. They make it smell fantastic while I am cleaning. And now, my Sweeper Vac saves me the trouble of getting too close for comfort to any of the dinosaur sized spiders that make their way into my house late summer and throughout the fall. I am an arachnophobe. I hate those hairy freaks. Who needs that many dang legs? And, why do they think they should live in my house? Because I have such a fear of them, if I have to take care of one that gets into my house because no one else is around to handle it for me, I usually panic and miss hitting it with a shoe or stepping on it. I don't know how it works. I just know that my panic gives me horrendous aim. It can take multiple attempts before I succeed at my little mini-murder. And, as a result, the freaky little too-many legged hairy offender gets warning that I am after him and, about 7 out of 10 times, it gets away and I spend the next several hours freaking out until it emerges again and I get another chance to scare it away, and make a fool out of myself.

But, a few months ago I had a "Light bulb Moment" while standing frozen in place, in my kitchen, as one of those hairy little intruders stared me down. My Swiffer Sweeper Vac would suck that jerk up and keep him in its container until it starved to death. I know...that is severely inhumane and I should be ashamed of myself. But, guess what...it is my house, it is my paralyzing fear, and I will deal with it how I want to. If I am going to be punished in the future for torturing one of His creatures, I will stand in judgment and fess up and hopefully I will be forgiven. But, until that day...let this be a warning to those freaky, hairy, eight legged abominations. You are not welcome in my abode and I will rid you of my home the best way I know how.

Swiffer Sweeper Vac is like my own little Roach Hotel for spiders...Spiders go in but they don't come out!

Millionaire MissMatchmaker

Forgive me if I have posted about this before and, if I weren't so darn lazy, maybe I would comb through all of my old posts to see if I have or not. But, if I have...too bad. It's my blog and I'll repeat myself if I want to. So, :P

Anyway...I have a newly renewed old-fashioned disgust for Patti Stanger of The Millionaire Matchmaker. She is every kind of wrong in my book. She obviously thinks she is stunning and someone with whom other women should model themselves after as she constantly councils the women that she interviews for her millionaires, to straighten their curly hair and color their red hair any shade but red. And, it isn't just the women whose red hair she has such an aversion to. In this evening's episode, she asked a man if he would color his red hair another color and when he refused, she dismissed him. I have seen her call another woman ugly, to her face. The woman she called ugly was infinitely more stunning, gorgeous and beautiful than Patti. Maybe I am biased. I don't see an inch of beauty in Patti. She obviously had her lips blown up and they look awful. If I had to pay her a compliment, it would be that her hair shines like silk. But, it is a horrible style. Her voice is grating. I won't resort to being further insulting to her but, she really aught to take a look in the mirror before she calls the kind of woman who would make Angelina Jolie jealous, ugly.

And, she toots her horn as having "an extremely high success rate" in her matchmaking business. Yet, in probably 99% of the episodes, she has failed miserably at making a match. So, I would like to see where she is pulling her success rate from. Furthermore, she is 49 years old and, recently split from her fiancee. Of course, she blames him, after being together for 6 years, because he didn't want kids. I don't see her as being the nurturing type so, I fear for any children she might have. Anyway, my point is, if she still hasn't made a match for herself, one year from the big 50, how exactly does anyone have faith that she can find their match for them?

I really have a hard time digesting most of what she says. Now and then, she will give good wardrobe advice to some of the women who walk into the interview wearing tops that look like they belong on a girl 3 times younger and 6 times smaller than them. On occasions she will dole out good wardrobe advice to men who look like they came in from climbing a mountain. No one wants to date a shlub and, I agree that too much skin gives the wrong impression of a woman...and I am not a prude. I just think a little bit of cleavage goes a long way.

But, as for her advice that everyone needs to flat iron the crap out of their hair and that red isn't as beautiful as blond, brown or black...I call B.S. What is beautiful to one person is ugly to another, so...who is she to think she has the final say on beauty?

From Zero to 3

Up until this year, I haven't known anyone who was deployed to Afghanistan. And, now I know 3 men. One of them is a High School friend, I worked a summer job with one of them many years ago, and the last one is an acquaintance through a family member. My friend from High School was recently injured so, he is actually on his way back here to the states. And, he is able to retire now so, he will not be going back. Even though he suffered an injury, I'm thrilled for him and his family! But, since he was injured, it seems to have made it even more real for me, that I still know 2 other men in Afghanistan. I don't hear from the guy I worked with back in the day and I worry for him all the time. I don't really know if he is ok. I don't know how things are for him in Afghanistan and I just keep him, and his safety, on my mind and hope that he is doing well. The friend of my family member was deployed in June so, he is halfway through with his deployment. One of his friends posts a lot of pictures of him and his unit on Facebook and always tags him in them. Seeing those pictures is surreal for me. There is a lot of sitting around behind big rocks while holding huge big boy guns, smoking cigarettes and probably just chatting away their hours. To be honest, the first set of pictures he and his friend posted back in June, brought me to tears. Even though they were all posing and goofing off, I couldn't help but be taken by the sheer danger of it. There is never a time, when they are outside of their rooms, that they aren't holding their guns. Someone is always looking out in the background so that, even when they are trying to pass the time and feel a little normal by goofing off a little, someone is always looking out for their well-being. It is poetically disturbing. So, I worry for the 2 men that I know in Afghanistan. I hope for the quick recovery of my friend who is on his way back to the states. I wish I could keep in constant contact with my ex-coworker, or at least hear from him once in a very short while, so that I can know that he is safe. And, I keep an eye on the pictures of my family member's friend on Facebook, and his few Status Updates, and that helps me to know that he is doing ok. But, for now, I wish them all a safe deployment to Afghanistan, and a safe and healthy return to the states.

What Do You Think...Please Leave a Comment!

As you can see, I've changed my template and, I am trying to decide if it makes my posts a bit hard to read. I do feel that the color of the text makes a difference. Red text, like in "Some Stuff" is hard to read so, if I keep this template, I'll probably refrain from using red text. Anyway, please let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions, I'll be very happy to give it a shot and see how it works out in a future post. Thank you, in advance, for any suggestions or comments!

I Want To Scream It...Stop Rewriting History...

I dislike politics. Worse yet, I dislike talking politics...especially with people who are on the opposite side of the fence because, while I can hold a rational and calm conversation, a screaming match will ensue and I will inevitably back down because I refuse to be screamed at in an effort to change my mind when all I want is to have an adult disagreement. I am not wrong and neither are you where opinion is concerned.

That being said, I really dislike it when people try to rewrite history. So, here is my soap box. I was at my nail salon a week ago and President Obama was on their TV. One of the salon employees changed the channel and my manicurist told me that it was because they have literally had complaints from other salon patrons when Obama has been on the TV before. So, in an effort to make everyone "comfortable", as soon as they notice Obama on their TV, they change the channel. Seriously? I find that childish. I feel that, if you don't want to see something, simply don't look at it. If you don't want to hear something, simply don't listen to it.

I have listened to people lambaste President Obama for the economy. This is what I mean by rewriting history. Let's get this straight right now. I really want to scream this point but, I hold back because I will not play the middle woman between crazy and crazier. The economy was broken for 8 years before President Obama ever got into the Oval Office. President Bush had 8 years to break America's economy. How does one forget that? How is it possible that people think that the economy only broke starting 2 years ago? Furthermore, how do people think that President Obama can just snap his fingers and fix, in 2 years, what Bush spent 8 years breaking? President Obama is highly intelligent but, he isn't a magician. It is going to take time to repair 8 years of damage. I will never understand how something can be broken but acceptable until another person is in charge of it simply because the person who broke it was of political agreement and the new person in charge of it is in political disagreement. In other words, you lost your job when President Bush was in office and that was ok but, now since President Obama is in office and you are having a hard time finding a job, it is his fault. Right...that makes sense.

As I chatted with my manicurist, her original thought was that it was President Obama's fault. Then all I had to do was calmly remind her that things were broken while President Bush was in office, before President Obama took over. All I had to do was have her think back to nearly 3 years ago and it was amazing the change in tone that she had.

Open your eyes! Take a trip back down memory lane to when you started to struggle financially. I bet you will see it started before 2008. So, how about we try to hold all parties accountable to your struggles, as far as the government is concerned, and stop blaming the new guy just because he is a Democrat and you are a Republican. There is no such thing as rewriting history because it is literally impossible. You can not, no matter how bad you want to, go back in time and change what has already happened. Good luck trying. You'll just come across as an idiot to people who have a strong grasp on the reality of history.

To Shred, Or Not To Shred...

...that is the question.

I am almost and OCD shredder. I shred anything and everything with my name and address on it. If it isn't staying in my house, it goes through my shredder. And, what got me thinking about that topic was when I shredded the envelopes from last years Christmas cards sent to me from friends and family (I save them so I can use them as a reference for the following year, should I forget anyone on my card list). So, not only did I protect my identity, but I protected my friends' and family's' identities by shredding their addresses as well. Now, the question is...are my friends and family as courteous of my identity? Or, do they simply throw the envelopes with my address on it away? Perhaps I am a bit over-protective. It's not like someone stealing the envelope from the garbage would have my SSN or even my birthday. But, if they have my name and address, it is my opinion that they have enough information about me to make my life Heck. So, in an effort to protect myself, I don't take any chances and into the shredder that info goes.

What do you think? Am I too protective? Do you shred everything with your name and address? Or, do you do what I worry that others do and just toss the envelope with your info, and mine, right there in the garbage for anyone with bad intentions to steal?

Socially Networked

I truly am Socially Networked. I don't know how I ever survived without social networks like Facebook and Myspace. Nor do I know how I will survive if they ever cease to exist. I am also on Twitter but, I haven't entirely figured that one out yet. I feel like there is a key component I am missing to it. I will post an update now and then but, I guess I really just need to sit down and navigate around it more than I have.

Anyway, I became Socially Networked in June of 2008 when I used Myspace to find a friend with whom I'd lost touch with 11 years earlier. I have been hooked on the social networking sites since then. And, since then, I have reconnected with some of my besties from high school, a few of my college friends, ex-coworkers, family I don't get to see very often, family friends from my younger years and, I've even made a few new acquaintances.

I know very few people whom disagree with the social network sites. And to them I say, you don't know what you are missing. I understand that some people think these sites are dangerous. And, they can be. There are some sick people in the world. Couple that with hackers and it can be a dangerous world. But, if you are careful and mindful of what you are doing, you won't have anything to worry about.

I do wonder if the teens and 20-somethings that are Socially Networked, can truly appreciate what they have at their fingertips and, have had for a major portion of their lives. If you've never lost touch with people who played a big part of your lives in your formative years, can you really appreciate a site like Facebook and all the reminiscent reconnection it has to offer those of us who went more than a decade before getting back in touch with people we swore never to lose touch with in the first place?

So, I am endlessly grateful to my social networking sites of choice. I'm grateful that I have been reconnected with people whom I have truly missed and thought about a lot throughout the years. That being said, I miss those whom I still can't keep in touch with on a regular basis.