PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A GRAMMAR FREE ZONE!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Lo Siento

I decided that I needed one more post in the month of July.  My postings have been few and far between recently as I try to figure out who I am and where I am going.  Without much response to my request for goals, I am toying around with some ideas of my own.  Hopefully, the prospective tenants we have lined up to rent our house in the next town over will come through and one of my new goals can be saving money.  Rental tenants will also mean that I will have a source to fund said goals once I have finalized them.  The prospective tenants are four college-age boys.  Not the ideal, no, but they are people who are willing to pay rent.  Their credit is good and combined they make enough that the rent is affordable to them.  The only thing that made us think twice was their lack of credit - some of them have none.  But when I really thought about it, the thing that was really making us think twice was their age.  But if we got a family in there to rent the place in their twenties with young kids and no credit, we would think that was great.  So why not these boys?  We can't legally discriminate based on age and that's what we would be doing if we turned them down.  So, we wait on our packet from the property management people and hope that we have some rental income soon.  My hubby thinks we are going to be "fat cat landlords".  I have reminded him that in order to qualify for the "fat cat" status, one cannot still be paying rent to someone else.  At least in my opinion.  So "plain old landlords" we will be.  Hopefully this will help relieve some financial stress around here as well as allow us to do some more saving for our daughter's college fund.  We were kind of worried that when they saw my hubby's salary, they would expect a ginormous family contribution not acknowledging that we are paying our rent and an additional monthly mortgage.  It'll be nice not to panic when we do the budget each month.  Hmmmm . . .  I'll have to find something new to worry about.

P.S.  If you don't know, "lo siento" means "I'm sorry" in Spanish.  Which, I must point out to my daughter who is fed up with me using random Spanish words where they don't apply, is totally applicable in this situation.  Gracias!  Lo siento!  Burrito!  Amigo!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fourth and Goal

I recently realized that once upon a time, I had goals in my life.  I wanted to get a piece of paper from a college or university by the year 2000 and I did it (it was an associate's but that counts right?).  I wanted to do certain shows in the world of community theatre and I managed to direct and/or choreograph quite a few of them.  I wanted to raise a happy healthy child and . . . well . . . she turns seventeen next month.  But that was all in the past.  I have come to realize that I currently have a lack of focus beyond my normal ADD.  Sure, I have things to do day to day but I want some goals people.  I'm hoping you can help me.  Some of you don't know me any more than what you have read on here.  Some of you know me personally.  Either way, I'd like your help.  I'm hoping that your suggestions will lead to some wonderful future adventures for me.  Thank everyone!

WANTED:
GOALS FOR ME TO FOCUS ON
Large or small
Realized I have no goals to work toward
All replies appreciated
Comment below with your suggestions

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Close a Door and Open a Window . . . or a Book!

Ok, you know that book review blog that I was writing book reviews for?  Well, I quit.  Now, before you get all up in my grill (that's what the kids say) about quitting, allow me to explain.  My decision was made for two main reasons: 1) There were a lot of ads on the blog.  I didn't like how cluttered it was and I also realized that the woman coordinating things was probably making money off of those ads and 2) Everyone who wrote a book review for the blog totally loved the book they read.  It was a bit much.  I mean, come on, can you adore everything that you read.  I was doing a scale of one to ten and I had everything from a ten to a seven.  In fact, one of the books I am currently reading will be getting a two unless something amazing happens.  I would have felt strange putting that review on there though.  I just wasn't getting the "highly recommend" thing for each and every book.  The lady who ran the blog was nice enough when I resigned.  She was looking for people to promote the blog and I just didn't feel really right about that.  But, don't fear fair citizens of Cyberville!  I will still be reading and voicing my opinions.  Only now I will be doing it on my own book review blog.  It is called "Cover to Cover Uncovered" (pretty catchy, huh?) and can be found at http://www.myliteraryopinions.blogspot.com/.  I hope you will all take a moment to check it out and maybe even become a follower.  I really appreciate all of your support as I try out this new adventure.  Thanks!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Shop . . . Craft . . . Stop . . . Repeat

I love projects.  I love coming up with the idea.  I love the listing of the required materials.  I love shopping for said materials.  I love choosing.  I love creating.  I love seeing the progress I have made.  The problem with me lies in the finishing.  I can't seem to finish a project.  I have half finished crochet blankets.  I have half finished cross-stitch pictures.  I have half finished scrapbooks and drawings.  I even have half painted ceramics.  There are a few projects over the years that I have finished and I take great pride in those.  I don't really know why I have such trouble finishing a project.  Maybe its my ADD.  Maybe I lose interest in the project once I get so far into it.  That could be it.  Maybe its my OCD.  That desire for everything to be perfect.  I know that there are mistakes in my projects so they can never be perfect so why try to finish them.  They'll always be incomplete because they're not perfect.  Either way, I don't know why I do it but I do.  I start a project and then just kind of . . . stop.  I think about them.  I think about how I really should finish them but I just don't.  Maybe its not so much the creating as it is the shopping.  Maybe I justify shopping for materials by starting a new project.  Then I get to make a trip to the local craft store and load up my cart.  Oh my God, I am a shopaholic!  I am justifying my need to purchase things.  I am using my projects as an excuse.  I am making another trip to Michael's today.  Shhhhhh!  Nobody tell Hubby!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Learning Your Colors

I remember when my daughter was in first grade.  She came home from school one winter day and told me she had some big, important news.  She told me I probably should sit down for this.  I obeyed not knowing what to expect.  She sat down on the couch next to me and very seriously said, "Mom, there are black people and there are white people."  I stifled a giggle and then the irritation grew within me.  We had done so much hard work to raise our child color-blind when it came to people's skin.  We always lived in very multi-ethnic communities.  We never addressed people by the color of their skin.  It was always "The boy in the blue shirt" or "The woman with the baby".  We went to great effort to raise her to see people as people - not as colors.  Then she went to school.  First grade.  They were celebrating black history month and that's where my daughter learned about color.  (She probably would have learned it in Kindergarten but we had moved from another country during black history month of her Kindergarten year so she missed quite a bit.)  It is amazing how something with such good intentions can corrupt such wonderful innocence.  I have to say that that one moment was probably my most proud moment as a parent.  We had done it.  We had raised her color-blind - even if it was for only the first six years of her life.  Thanks American school system.  Thanks.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Coming Soon: An Original Remake

I happen to like my childhood and the entertainment it included so please, Hollywood, leave the seventies and eighties alone.  Try coming up with some new ideas and making those into movies instead or digging up things that are dead and burried for regurgitation into something that is similar to the original but from some alternate universe where things suck.  The latest to fall victim to this horrible happening are the poor unfortunate smurfs.  Have you seen the advertisements for this movie?  The smurfs have been all CGed up to look like scary little freaks.  They have even appeared to add more updated smurfs to the pack.  Who had the great idea to add a "Gutsy Smurf"?  These are classics.  They are called that for a reason.  They don't need remade.  Just because we have new technology doesn't mean we should update "The Wizard of Oz" does it.  That tornado sceene is so fake compared to what we could do today.  Now, I'm not putting the smurfs on the same level of iconic as "The Wizard of Oz" but you get my drift.  I love these things the way they are and think they should be left as such.  If you want to bring them back, bring them back in their original form.  Put the classic smurf cartoons back on Saturday mornings.  I'm sure there are many children who would enjoy it, as well as parents who would love to relive their childhoods through their own children.  I guess that is the market they are going for by remaking . . . well . . . everything but remaking it takes the nostalgia factor out of it.  And what is the track record for this remaking of everything?  Can anyone say "Flintstones the movie"?  How about "Garfield the movie?  How many of you saw that one and thoroughly enjoyed it?  Hollywood take my advice and leave well enough alone and stop messing with my memories!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Postal Preparedness

Dear People of America -
I have a request.  When you wish to send someone a gift for their birthday, by all means feel free to do so.  Buy them something nice.  Wrap it up in pretty paper and tie a bow on top.  At this point in the process, whatever you do, DO NOT PROCEED TO THE POST OFFICE WITH NOTHING BUT THE WRAPPED GIFT!  It is not the responsiblity of the postal employee to find you a box or other package in which to mail said gift.  Nor is it their job to find you tape and scissors with which to continue the wrapping process.  Borrowing a pen is bad enough but let's come a little prepared here people.  And let me just say that if you do come to the post office - totally unprepared - and expect the postal worker to do your job - just to be told that you need to do things for yourself - and you leave the line with your gift to package it up properly -  DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SKIP BACK TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE!  The rest of us came prepared and had to wait while you were given all the packing materials you needed that you should have USED AT HOME!  Get in the back of the line and wait your turn again!  You've already caused enough trouble.  True story.  I'm just sayin'.