Monday, May 26, 2008
Almost There!
What a year this has been, school year that is. I have promoted my 8th graders and have 3.5 days of school left with 6th and 7th graders. I am very much looking forward to the summer off to spend time with my own kiddos, catch up on some reading, and just plain relax! I have a whole list of things to get done this week, but for once, I'm not stressing about getting it done on time. My major tasks for the year are done, and I can actually enjoy the last couple of days with my students. Come Friday afternoon, the celebration is ON! A couple of months without lesson plans, grading papers, or keeping up w/ a whole Jr. High full of adolescent crazies deserves some time well spent with my friends...Mr. Miller, Jose, and Jack! Now...if I only had a pool!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Six Secrets
I've been tagged, whatever that means! If my speculations are correct, and I believe they are, I'm supposed to tell six thing about myself that you may not know or something like that. Thanks, Notenoughoursinaday!
1. I have, on occasion, passed really smelly gas and not hesitated to blame it on someone else! And laughed hysterically inside when someone walks through the lingering after effects and verbalizes "OH MAN! ___________ did you do that? (Of course they aren't talking to me)
2. I had an "accident" in "Mr. Fixit's" Santa shorts and Ang gave them to him as a gift anyway!
3. Back in the day, I could cause Ang to shoot liquid substances out her nose at the drop of a dime or smartass comment out of my mouth. I still catch her off guard with a quick witted IM on occasion.
4. After 18 years, OMG! has it been that freakin' long?, I still think Jill Campbell is a BITCH!
5. I still haven't forgiven "Mr. Wonderful", after 10 years, for moving me 1158 miles (yes, I've counted) from my family and friends. I have finally adjusted, but not forgiven.
6. Although I tell "Mr. Wonderful" that I would move to Florida or Arizona or prefer to stay here, deep down, I would much prefer to be with my family and friends even with the snow and blow and cold and rain. I miss small town America and open countryside. It sure beats the snot out of fenced in back yards and neighbors so close you could reach out your windows and touch hands.
So, there are my six secrets...at least the ones I'm willing to share this time around. I don't want to scare anyone off! I'll save the "steamy" stories (don't SPEW) for another time!
1. I have, on occasion, passed really smelly gas and not hesitated to blame it on someone else! And laughed hysterically inside when someone walks through the lingering after effects and verbalizes "OH MAN! ___________ did you do that? (Of course they aren't talking to me)
2. I had an "accident" in "Mr. Fixit's" Santa shorts and Ang gave them to him as a gift anyway!
3. Back in the day, I could cause Ang to shoot liquid substances out her nose at the drop of a dime or smartass comment out of my mouth. I still catch her off guard with a quick witted IM on occasion.
4. After 18 years, OMG! has it been that freakin' long?, I still think Jill Campbell is a BITCH!
5. I still haven't forgiven "Mr. Wonderful", after 10 years, for moving me 1158 miles (yes, I've counted) from my family and friends. I have finally adjusted, but not forgiven.
6. Although I tell "Mr. Wonderful" that I would move to Florida or Arizona or prefer to stay here, deep down, I would much prefer to be with my family and friends even with the snow and blow and cold and rain. I miss small town America and open countryside. It sure beats the snot out of fenced in back yards and neighbors so close you could reach out your windows and touch hands.
So, there are my six secrets...at least the ones I'm willing to share this time around. I don't want to scare anyone off! I'll save the "steamy" stories (don't SPEW) for another time!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Lucky #7
Official count...7 days of school left!!! WHOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Did I say that outloud?
FINALLY!!
I am sooooooooo excited...I finally get to write a "Men Suck" entry!
How do men suck, you ask? Let me count the ways...
uhhh, second thought, not enough blog in the world to contain them all...
Yes, I know that I am stereotyping men, but hey...sometimes the truth hurts!
Men, face it, most of you can be a big PITA! Some more than others. For all practical purposes, "men suck" usually refers to hubby, you know "Mr. Wonderful" that entered my life 12+ yrs ago and swept me off my feet. HUMPH! GONE are those days...we are lucky to say two words to each other these days. I have come to the conclusion that I don't like him most days and he don't like me most days. I will spare all one or two of you the never ending list and give you a Top 10...here it goes.
TOP 10 REASONS MEN SUCK
10. Morning breath and every other funky odor eeking from any given orophous. You'd think after all these years it wouldn't matter, but it does (at least to me).
9. Two adults with bachelor degrees, one "better" than the other because one moved 2000 miles away from home at 18 and the other commuted. I fail to see the difference as does Papa Ron who reassures me that hubby can't handle the fact that he is married to a witty, educated woman. Thanks dad!
8. Freakin' bags of snacks found anywhere "Mr. Wonderful" has left them. Just drive me up the wall...Cheese-itz in the bedroom, Conn's by the recliner, Sun Chips by the coffee table...whiskey tango foxtrot?? And the kicker...roll the bag, sit it on the floor, then walk to the kitchen without it!! Just burns my ass up!
7. His insistence that I take Midol (yeah, like that's gonna help...pass the freakin' Prozac and a cold beer) ...like I'm the only person on this earth that menstruates. Come on, if you were with any one else, you would still be incovenienced once a month. Too bad men can't experience the joy of "Mother Nature" or "Aunt Flow"! I'd like to see how a man would handle bleeding like a stuck pig every 30 days.
6. The mindset that a woman's place is in the kitchen and in the house...that women should be seen, but not heard (newsflash...it ain't the 20s), that somehow in this whole wide world that he is perfect and never wrong. Guess leaving you wallet on the dresser when going shopping is perfection. I'll have to give that a try.
5. The fact that he can't stand where I come from, which includes my parents (obviously, they aren't perfect), my brothers (again, not perfect), the town I grew up in (any town with two lane roads leading into and out of it, just isn't good enough). WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT EVER!
4. Music preferences...OH MAN! Let's pull out Barry Manilow, John Denver, and Neil Diamond...talk about bringing a party to a screeching halt! That's all I have to say about that!
3. OCD-Bar glasses, tap handles, coasters, hats, trading cards, t-shirts...our house is overflowing! "Mr. Wonderful" gets on a kick and just keeps on going...for example, Jimmy Buffett. We bought concert tickets,OK...great...can't wait..., but three Margaritaville shipments later, three or maybe four new Buffett CDs later, Landshark Lager in the fridge later, four or five Buffet books/ novels later, and a Landshark Lager tattoo later...I think it safe to say, rather scream OCD! Example two, Kentucky Derby. We've watched the Derby for years, but this year has been over the top. Let's start with a stop at Churchill Downs on the way home from spring break (which is for teachers by the way), really cool place, nice break from the 22 hr trip. One day in the door from our detour stop, ebay packages start to arrive. All full of mint julep glasses from various years ( not like we don't have enough bar glasses w/ the nearly 100 already on shelves), followed by programs from various years (whiskey tango foxtrot??), and an order or two from Churchill Downs giftshop for party supplies for the Derby party. Did I mention we all have to wear Derby hats? Can we say it together now, OCD!!
2. Temper tantrums and sports juju. I will have to elaborate on this in a separate blog. Bottom line, it is not safe to walk into a room or out of a room if one of the following teams is playing...Boston Red Sox, Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame, or Nascar. I'm pretty much f&^%ed year round, I might get between Super Bowl and Twin 125s off. God forbid one walks into a room and his team screws up or driver crashes...all my fault...my walking into the room (or leaving) caused the flub up. Simply amazing, I wasn't aware of my magical powers to jinx sports teams! Not to mention the more than I can count on my fingers and toes remotes lost to projectile force into another object. Like I said, another blog...
and the NUMBER 1 REASON MEN SUCK....
BEER DICK! Apparently that is a condition caused from drinking beer. Fortunately, I have not experienced that personally. However, I have been on the receiving end. For those of you unaware of BEER DICK, here is the best explanation I can give. After drinking a few beers, one becomes a bit desensitized and can "go longer". And apparently when one has BEER DICK, it is announced by telling the partner "we're f&^$ing when every one leaves"...LIKE HELL WE ARE! That line doesn't work with me, he knows it, yet still does it. Which leads to an arguement about "how little he gets it" and "any other woman would jump at the chance"...etc...go for it honey, if it gets you off my back for a while...have at it! I'm offering hubby up...any takers?
These just scratch the surface...there will be more!
How do men suck, you ask? Let me count the ways...
uhhh, second thought, not enough blog in the world to contain them all...
Yes, I know that I am stereotyping men, but hey...sometimes the truth hurts!
Men, face it, most of you can be a big PITA! Some more than others. For all practical purposes, "men suck" usually refers to hubby, you know "Mr. Wonderful" that entered my life 12+ yrs ago and swept me off my feet. HUMPH! GONE are those days...we are lucky to say two words to each other these days. I have come to the conclusion that I don't like him most days and he don't like me most days. I will spare all one or two of you the never ending list and give you a Top 10...here it goes.
TOP 10 REASONS MEN SUCK
10. Morning breath and every other funky odor eeking from any given orophous. You'd think after all these years it wouldn't matter, but it does (at least to me).
9. Two adults with bachelor degrees, one "better" than the other because one moved 2000 miles away from home at 18 and the other commuted. I fail to see the difference as does Papa Ron who reassures me that hubby can't handle the fact that he is married to a witty, educated woman. Thanks dad!
8. Freakin' bags of snacks found anywhere "Mr. Wonderful" has left them. Just drive me up the wall...Cheese-itz in the bedroom, Conn's by the recliner, Sun Chips by the coffee table...whiskey tango foxtrot?? And the kicker...roll the bag, sit it on the floor, then walk to the kitchen without it!! Just burns my ass up!
7. His insistence that I take Midol (yeah, like that's gonna help...pass the freakin' Prozac and a cold beer) ...like I'm the only person on this earth that menstruates. Come on, if you were with any one else, you would still be incovenienced once a month. Too bad men can't experience the joy of "Mother Nature" or "Aunt Flow"! I'd like to see how a man would handle bleeding like a stuck pig every 30 days.
6. The mindset that a woman's place is in the kitchen and in the house...that women should be seen, but not heard (newsflash...it ain't the 20s), that somehow in this whole wide world that he is perfect and never wrong. Guess leaving you wallet on the dresser when going shopping is perfection. I'll have to give that a try.
5. The fact that he can't stand where I come from, which includes my parents (obviously, they aren't perfect), my brothers (again, not perfect), the town I grew up in (any town with two lane roads leading into and out of it, just isn't good enough). WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT EVER!
4. Music preferences...OH MAN! Let's pull out Barry Manilow, John Denver, and Neil Diamond...talk about bringing a party to a screeching halt! That's all I have to say about that!
3. OCD-Bar glasses, tap handles, coasters, hats, trading cards, t-shirts...our house is overflowing! "Mr. Wonderful" gets on a kick and just keeps on going...for example, Jimmy Buffett. We bought concert tickets,OK...great...can't wait..., but three Margaritaville shipments later, three or maybe four new Buffett CDs later, Landshark Lager in the fridge later, four or five Buffet books/ novels later, and a Landshark Lager tattoo later...I think it safe to say, rather scream OCD! Example two, Kentucky Derby. We've watched the Derby for years, but this year has been over the top. Let's start with a stop at Churchill Downs on the way home from spring break (which is for teachers by the way), really cool place, nice break from the 22 hr trip. One day in the door from our detour stop, ebay packages start to arrive. All full of mint julep glasses from various years ( not like we don't have enough bar glasses w/ the nearly 100 already on shelves), followed by programs from various years (whiskey tango foxtrot??), and an order or two from Churchill Downs giftshop for party supplies for the Derby party. Did I mention we all have to wear Derby hats? Can we say it together now, OCD!!
2. Temper tantrums and sports juju. I will have to elaborate on this in a separate blog. Bottom line, it is not safe to walk into a room or out of a room if one of the following teams is playing...Boston Red Sox, Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame, or Nascar. I'm pretty much f&^%ed year round, I might get between Super Bowl and Twin 125s off. God forbid one walks into a room and his team screws up or driver crashes...all my fault...my walking into the room (or leaving) caused the flub up. Simply amazing, I wasn't aware of my magical powers to jinx sports teams! Not to mention the more than I can count on my fingers and toes remotes lost to projectile force into another object. Like I said, another blog...
and the NUMBER 1 REASON MEN SUCK....
BEER DICK! Apparently that is a condition caused from drinking beer. Fortunately, I have not experienced that personally. However, I have been on the receiving end. For those of you unaware of BEER DICK, here is the best explanation I can give. After drinking a few beers, one becomes a bit desensitized and can "go longer". And apparently when one has BEER DICK, it is announced by telling the partner "we're f&^$ing when every one leaves"...LIKE HELL WE ARE! That line doesn't work with me, he knows it, yet still does it. Which leads to an arguement about "how little he gets it" and "any other woman would jump at the chance"...etc...go for it honey, if it gets you off my back for a while...have at it! I'm offering hubby up...any takers?
These just scratch the surface...there will be more!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Day Late and a Dollar Short...
It appears that I missed the boat to enter Three Kid Circus's Wii contest, but I'm going to share anyway. I have laughed more at some of the posts regarding exercise equipment purchases, than I have at anything else the past two weeks. What can I say, I'm easily entertained!
Now, aside from two gym contracts that were used for maybe a month or two each and orphaned out to collection companies and eventually back to me via credit bureau dings, I should know by this point in my life that exercise equipment is a meaningless purchase.
To get the full spectrum of exercise equipment purchases made by yours truly, we need to go back to the year 1990 something, where I picked up an aerobic mat and numerous workout leotards. You know, the ones with biker shorts covered by a onesie thong in bright, gaudy patterns. Aerobic class lasted maybe a month. I'm sure these items are still at my mom's house somewhere dry-rotted and collecting dust.
Somewhere in that 1990 something timeframe, I also acquired a set of strap on ankle weights. By some unforeseen force, I still have them sitting in my bedroom collecting dust along with the ever growing pile of unused exercise stuff.
Now, I at least had the intuition to try someone else's Nordic track before making a purchase that I would later regret...one failed attempt at "Nordic trackin' it" (as my dad called it) nearly landed my clumbsy ass on the basement floor of my friend's grandparents. Crossed that one off my list, real quick. Took up a few years of lifting weights after that...12 oz at a time! It was the Lite variety!
Then come the years of marriage and child bearing...complacency set in and I stop giving a shit about how I looked and what people thought, but the inner me was screaming get off you fat ass and DO something! Those are the times when I made the following purchases...Buns of Steel...tried it once, barely made it through the first 15 minutes of donkey kicks...SCREW THIS! swift donkey kick to the back of the entertainment center where it still sits covered in dust. Next stupid purchase...Tae Bo...first few times were great, not too sore, hubby walked in and laughed at me...SCREW THIS!...save it for when HE is NOT home. Second attempt at Tae Bo proved to be a dangerous situation for kids in the vacinity who thought mommy looked hilarious cursing and kicking the shit out of thin air...SCREW THIS...gigantic tae bo kick to the back of the entertainment center where it still sits with the advanced version and 8 min version (still in the original packaging) collecting dust with Buns of Steel. Another stupid purchase...Get Up and Dance with Paula Abdul...thought it would be cool to learn some dance moves from Paula...watched the first 15 minutes...SCREW THIS! Tossed to back of entertainment center to collect dust with Billy Blanks and Buns.
Sometime around the turn of the century, I finally graduated from VHS exercise purchases to some "functional equipment". Some "functional equipment" being a Stepper (never used), a thigh master used maybe 3 times, didn't notice a difference, I look like a dork with this red hinge between my legs, forget it), hand weights (used a couple of times, when i started thinking about using them to ring hubby's bell a few times, decided my children would be better served if they were to just sit and collect dust), an ab roller (WTF is this? a torture devise? used that for about a half a roll before getting stuck in an awkward position, cursing profusely at my predicament while hubby laughed hysterically, lending NO HELP...this is BULLSHIT, quickly added that POS to the quickly growing pile of unused exercise stuff collecting dust).
Yeah, and try selling this shit at a garage sale! Apparently everyone else in the world has either purchased it themselves or are just smart enough to pass it up when they stop at those soooo convincing infomercials.
Mother's Day two years ago...I really needed to get into shape so hubby offers up my choice of exercise torture devices to help me "get into shape". So, we visited the local sporting goods store to try them out...treadmill=boring, stationary bike=boring and besides I had one I forgot to mention above, recumbent bike=nah, oh, what's this? a gazelle? let me try this....ok, I think I can handle this. Yep, this is what I wanted! And so it was...proud owner of a Gazelle. "Little" did I know (pun intended), this would come back and bite me in the ass in a few hours. All excited, we took it home and hubby, three hours later, figured out how to assemble the thing (with only a few leftover parts). I was ready to go. So I jumped on and after a couple minutes got a good rhythm going and before I knew it, the digital box said I had gone for 1/2 mile...I felt pretty good, I thought I would finish a mile, then stop. And I did. Woke up at early-thirty with my bladder kicking like a kangaroo...with one eye open, I stepped out of bed or tried to step out of bed and landed face first into the carpet, screaming in pain. Hubby woke up...WTF are you doing? I'm trying to walk, (DUMBASS!) but my calves are telling me NO FUCKING WAY MS. I CAN GO A MILE ON THE GAZELLE FIRST TIME OUT OF THE BOX! It was at least a week before I could walk normally. I didn't quit though, I paced myself and with some help from Massive Party Hits worked my way up to about 3 miles a day. That came to a screeching halt when Aunt Flow and Uncle Rrhoid came to town. They left and the kids were out of school for the summer. Thought that maybe I would get back into that when the kids went back to school...NOT! When kids went back to school, I went back to school as a full-tme teacher, never got back on it. With good intentions of gazelling during my planning period, I toted that sum beach to work where it has set in my closet collecting dust since August. The bonus there is that it is NOT in my bedroom collecting dust!
My last exercise equipment purchase came at Father's Day last year. Hubby bugging me to buy these Perfect Push-up torture devices apparently designed by an ex Navy Seal...they are rotating handles that you twist as you do a push-up, comes with complete workout schedule and everything. I tried them once...BULLSHIT! I'm not killing myself, hubby used them for a couple of months, started experiencing "shoulder pain". After three months of constant "you need to go to the doctor and have that checked out", a useless trip to the ER, and a follow-up with his doctor, hubby finds out that his perfect push-up torture devices have caused a torn rotator cuff.
This spring, we upgraded kids bikes and purchased bikes for hubby and me so we could "ride bikes as a family". We have ridden bikes a total of 2.5 trips around the neighborhood! The bikes, all 5 of them, are sitting in the garage collecting dust. Maybe we will use them more this summer!
My most recent attempt at exercise has been toting this 40lb bag of ungraded papers and TE manuals back and forth between school and home and back for the past three weeks. Sometimes, I would add another set or two of papers to test my endurance and strength. I felt my training was going well, so I lightened my load a bit and graded some papers and removed one TE from my bag. With any luck and will power, I will continue improving upon my training and completely eliminate my workout plan by week's end.
In all seriousness, the BEST exercise equipment I have purchased is a good pair of walking shoes. These allow me to escape the craziness of school and kids and hubby and run away to a peaceful walk around the neighborhood to regain my sanity. I'm sure my family is grateful for this purchase! As for the others...watch out Goodwill!
FYI...I'm looking at Hip Hop Abs...so far I have seen the infomercial four times and have fought off the urge to buy this set of really cool dancercize DVDs four times, but I have a feeling that someday, they will mysteriously show up on my front porch, get watched over icecream, and be tossed to the back of the entertainment center to join the company of Paula, Billy and Buns...
Now, aside from two gym contracts that were used for maybe a month or two each and orphaned out to collection companies and eventually back to me via credit bureau dings, I should know by this point in my life that exercise equipment is a meaningless purchase.
To get the full spectrum of exercise equipment purchases made by yours truly, we need to go back to the year 1990 something, where I picked up an aerobic mat and numerous workout leotards. You know, the ones with biker shorts covered by a onesie thong in bright, gaudy patterns. Aerobic class lasted maybe a month. I'm sure these items are still at my mom's house somewhere dry-rotted and collecting dust.
Somewhere in that 1990 something timeframe, I also acquired a set of strap on ankle weights. By some unforeseen force, I still have them sitting in my bedroom collecting dust along with the ever growing pile of unused exercise stuff.
Now, I at least had the intuition to try someone else's Nordic track before making a purchase that I would later regret...one failed attempt at "Nordic trackin' it" (as my dad called it) nearly landed my clumbsy ass on the basement floor of my friend's grandparents. Crossed that one off my list, real quick. Took up a few years of lifting weights after that...12 oz at a time! It was the Lite variety!
Then come the years of marriage and child bearing...complacency set in and I stop giving a shit about how I looked and what people thought, but the inner me was screaming get off you fat ass and DO something! Those are the times when I made the following purchases...Buns of Steel...tried it once, barely made it through the first 15 minutes of donkey kicks...SCREW THIS! swift donkey kick to the back of the entertainment center where it still sits covered in dust. Next stupid purchase...Tae Bo...first few times were great, not too sore, hubby walked in and laughed at me...SCREW THIS!...save it for when HE is NOT home. Second attempt at Tae Bo proved to be a dangerous situation for kids in the vacinity who thought mommy looked hilarious cursing and kicking the shit out of thin air...SCREW THIS...gigantic tae bo kick to the back of the entertainment center where it still sits with the advanced version and 8 min version (still in the original packaging) collecting dust with Buns of Steel. Another stupid purchase...Get Up and Dance with Paula Abdul...thought it would be cool to learn some dance moves from Paula...watched the first 15 minutes...SCREW THIS! Tossed to back of entertainment center to collect dust with Billy Blanks and Buns.
Sometime around the turn of the century, I finally graduated from VHS exercise purchases to some "functional equipment". Some "functional equipment" being a Stepper (never used), a thigh master used maybe 3 times, didn't notice a difference, I look like a dork with this red hinge between my legs, forget it), hand weights (used a couple of times, when i started thinking about using them to ring hubby's bell a few times, decided my children would be better served if they were to just sit and collect dust), an ab roller (WTF is this? a torture devise? used that for about a half a roll before getting stuck in an awkward position, cursing profusely at my predicament while hubby laughed hysterically, lending NO HELP...this is BULLSHIT, quickly added that POS to the quickly growing pile of unused exercise stuff collecting dust).
Yeah, and try selling this shit at a garage sale! Apparently everyone else in the world has either purchased it themselves or are just smart enough to pass it up when they stop at those soooo convincing infomercials.
Mother's Day two years ago...I really needed to get into shape so hubby offers up my choice of exercise torture devices to help me "get into shape". So, we visited the local sporting goods store to try them out...treadmill=boring, stationary bike=boring and besides I had one I forgot to mention above, recumbent bike=nah, oh, what's this? a gazelle? let me try this....ok, I think I can handle this. Yep, this is what I wanted! And so it was...proud owner of a Gazelle. "Little" did I know (pun intended), this would come back and bite me in the ass in a few hours. All excited, we took it home and hubby, three hours later, figured out how to assemble the thing (with only a few leftover parts). I was ready to go. So I jumped on and after a couple minutes got a good rhythm going and before I knew it, the digital box said I had gone for 1/2 mile...I felt pretty good, I thought I would finish a mile, then stop. And I did. Woke up at early-thirty with my bladder kicking like a kangaroo...with one eye open, I stepped out of bed or tried to step out of bed and landed face first into the carpet, screaming in pain. Hubby woke up...WTF are you doing? I'm trying to walk, (DUMBASS!) but my calves are telling me NO FUCKING WAY MS. I CAN GO A MILE ON THE GAZELLE FIRST TIME OUT OF THE BOX! It was at least a week before I could walk normally. I didn't quit though, I paced myself and with some help from Massive Party Hits worked my way up to about 3 miles a day. That came to a screeching halt when Aunt Flow and Uncle Rrhoid came to town. They left and the kids were out of school for the summer. Thought that maybe I would get back into that when the kids went back to school...NOT! When kids went back to school, I went back to school as a full-tme teacher, never got back on it. With good intentions of gazelling during my planning period, I toted that sum beach to work where it has set in my closet collecting dust since August. The bonus there is that it is NOT in my bedroom collecting dust!
My last exercise equipment purchase came at Father's Day last year. Hubby bugging me to buy these Perfect Push-up torture devices apparently designed by an ex Navy Seal...they are rotating handles that you twist as you do a push-up, comes with complete workout schedule and everything. I tried them once...BULLSHIT! I'm not killing myself, hubby used them for a couple of months, started experiencing "shoulder pain". After three months of constant "you need to go to the doctor and have that checked out", a useless trip to the ER, and a follow-up with his doctor, hubby finds out that his perfect push-up torture devices have caused a torn rotator cuff.
This spring, we upgraded kids bikes and purchased bikes for hubby and me so we could "ride bikes as a family". We have ridden bikes a total of 2.5 trips around the neighborhood! The bikes, all 5 of them, are sitting in the garage collecting dust. Maybe we will use them more this summer!
My most recent attempt at exercise has been toting this 40lb bag of ungraded papers and TE manuals back and forth between school and home and back for the past three weeks. Sometimes, I would add another set or two of papers to test my endurance and strength. I felt my training was going well, so I lightened my load a bit and graded some papers and removed one TE from my bag. With any luck and will power, I will continue improving upon my training and completely eliminate my workout plan by week's end.
In all seriousness, the BEST exercise equipment I have purchased is a good pair of walking shoes. These allow me to escape the craziness of school and kids and hubby and run away to a peaceful walk around the neighborhood to regain my sanity. I'm sure my family is grateful for this purchase! As for the others...watch out Goodwill!
FYI...I'm looking at Hip Hop Abs...so far I have seen the infomercial four times and have fought off the urge to buy this set of really cool dancercize DVDs four times, but I have a feeling that someday, they will mysteriously show up on my front porch, get watched over icecream, and be tossed to the back of the entertainment center to join the company of Paula, Billy and Buns...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Not Enough Coffee in the Pot
ARRRGH! It is hump day...Wednesday...middle of the week...I should be gung ho for the approaching weekend. Instead, my arse is dragging this morning. Work piling up, deadlines to meet, house a disaster...all adds up to lack of giving a shit about any of it. Solution...slam another mug of java, slap on my happy face, and make the best of the day ahead of me. Life will slow down in a couple of weeks, when school is out, and I'll have the rest of the summer to do NOTHING! Yeah, right! Well, the THOUGHT of doing nothing all summer was nice. Might be enough to get me through the next few weeks! Did I mention it was pouring rain and my normal route is down to one lane, which means take the long way around or sit in traffic? Man, this sure feels like a Monday!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Some People...
"You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time."
...and there the story unfolds
What was supposed to be a fun-filled day for kids turned into a personal attack on moi. I am always open to criticism, but this attack was a bit vindictive and unnecessary. To avoid jeopardizing confidentiality, I'll spare the details.
I must say that I was initially put out by the seething email I received, but after a couple of days to pick my chin up off the floor and regain my composure , I have come to this conclusion. There are some people in this world who will NEVER be satisfied with anything, regarless. There are some people in this world who overlook the good in a situation to focus on the negative. There are some people in this world who choose to bend and or break the rules to suit their needs only to point fingers at others to take the spotlight off of their own wrong doing. And there are some people in this world who think they are without fault.
I work with these kinds of people everyday. In fact, I live with one of these people! I have learned in my 11 yrs of living with one of these people is that...When people of this caliper vent, it is for the purpose of being mean and hurtful. Often times, the venting is laced with insults and blame. I have also learned that responding to this nonsense only fuels the fire and in the end, they feel they have essentially "WON".
Over the years, I have grown accustomed to similar outbursts, as in the email. In fact, I could almost picture hubby's finger pointing at me as I read it. I have learned not to take everything said personally, to let people vent if it makes them feel better, and to pray that they can see their own imperfections someday.
On the flip side of the coin, there are more people in this world who are thankful and appreciative of your efforts than the ones defined as "some people" above. When the day is done, I am far from perfect, I know this, I am not afraid to admit it, and I can handle criticism. In fact, I welcome any criticism that is going to help me improve who I am and what I do. In every situation, there is always room for improvement, I have taken notes on this one and will take steps to improve upon my skills in the future. I hope "some people" can take the same steps in their own lives and think about the impact that insults and vindictiveness have on others. Kids learn by example, think about that...Would you want your child behaving in this manner? Would you want your child treated like this by others? In fact, would you want to be treated like this?
...and there the story unfolds
What was supposed to be a fun-filled day for kids turned into a personal attack on moi. I am always open to criticism, but this attack was a bit vindictive and unnecessary. To avoid jeopardizing confidentiality, I'll spare the details.
I must say that I was initially put out by the seething email I received, but after a couple of days to pick my chin up off the floor and regain my composure , I have come to this conclusion. There are some people in this world who will NEVER be satisfied with anything, regarless. There are some people in this world who overlook the good in a situation to focus on the negative. There are some people in this world who choose to bend and or break the rules to suit their needs only to point fingers at others to take the spotlight off of their own wrong doing. And there are some people in this world who think they are without fault.
I work with these kinds of people everyday. In fact, I live with one of these people! I have learned in my 11 yrs of living with one of these people is that...When people of this caliper vent, it is for the purpose of being mean and hurtful. Often times, the venting is laced with insults and blame. I have also learned that responding to this nonsense only fuels the fire and in the end, they feel they have essentially "WON".
Over the years, I have grown accustomed to similar outbursts, as in the email. In fact, I could almost picture hubby's finger pointing at me as I read it. I have learned not to take everything said personally, to let people vent if it makes them feel better, and to pray that they can see their own imperfections someday.
On the flip side of the coin, there are more people in this world who are thankful and appreciative of your efforts than the ones defined as "some people" above. When the day is done, I am far from perfect, I know this, I am not afraid to admit it, and I can handle criticism. In fact, I welcome any criticism that is going to help me improve who I am and what I do. In every situation, there is always room for improvement, I have taken notes on this one and will take steps to improve upon my skills in the future. I hope "some people" can take the same steps in their own lives and think about the impact that insults and vindictiveness have on others. Kids learn by example, think about that...Would you want your child behaving in this manner? Would you want your child treated like this by others? In fact, would you want to be treated like this?
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