Commentary on Our "Busy-ness"

I'm reading the book, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'm at the beginning, when she is experiencing Italy. This paragraph struck me so hard that I have to share it here:

Generally speaking, though, Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure. Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one. Americans spend billions to keep themselves amused with everything from porn to theme parks to wars, but that's not exactly the same thing as quiet enjoyment. Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today. But...we seem to like it. Alarming statistics back this observation up, showing that many Americans feel more happy and fulfilled in their offices than they do in their own homes. Of course, we inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas, eating cereal straight out of the box and staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure). Americans really don't know how to do nothing. This is the cause of the great sad American stereotype - the overstressed executive who goes on vacation, but who cannot relax.

Anyone relate to this? Comments? Observations?

A Loss

One of my dear friends just lost one of her pets to heat stroke. I was looking on the 'net, trying to find some inspirational something-or-other when I came across petloss.com. What a great website!! So if you need any cyberhelp for yourself or someone you know, check it out. It's a very sensitive and inspirational site that will definitely be of help.

Rest in peace, Spaz the Ferret.

Vote This!

So, I participated in the election by early voting on Monday. I found the experience very easy and quick, which was nice. Since this was my first time, I didn't know what to expect.

I have a memory from childhood that's been popping up. I was going with my mother to vote at the local elementary school. I don't even know if I was old enough to be attending that school, so I must have been 4 or 5 years old at the time. I remember asking her who she was voting for. She said, "Gerald Ford." When I repeated his name in a moderately-loud voice, she got all bent out of shape and threatened to leave me in the car if I couldn't be quiet. I never understood her attitude until recently.

I have found out that it's not shame that motivates such secrecy (I really thought Mom was ashamed to be voting for Ford), but self-preservation. I have had a couple of people inquire who I was voting for, just to get all pissed off when I told them. Hey - don't ask if you are gonna get mad if I tell you what you don't want to hear. And please don't try to "convert" me to your candidate. I do see the merits (and mostly evils) of both candidates - I made my choice after researching the major issues and seeing who I mostly agreed with.

I really don't want to regret registering and voting.

You Think You Know Someone...

When I called our insurance company to file losses from Ike, I learned that for some reason our Windstorm Insurance Policy had not been renewed this year. We had dealt with our agent, Darryl Golter, for years. He was a trusted associate. Last night, Channel 13 news told us what happened. Thank God the agency he used to work for is refunding our money. They are also treating the 75 families like we did have windstorm coverage, so no one is going to be out money from damages from Ike. 

I am just flabbergasted. 

Miscellaneous

It's a rainy Tuesday morning, and I have a full day ahead of me. Things are pretty much back to "normal," with the exception of not having a back fence. Well, we have 1/3 of the back fence, as our fence guy has gotten that far. Something tells me that he won't be working in the rain today. But Lord knows, we need it the precipitation. It hasn't rained since the hurricane.

I got in right under the wire and registered to vote for the first time in my life. Now I get to talk about politics! I never did before, since I didn't vote. I have to start researching candidates and issues for myself instead of depending on what others are saying.

We were looking forward to going to Philly to see Christian make his first DVD! Of course, there's a wedding that weekend, not to mention Punkin's BFF's birthday party. It's funny how everything seems to fall on one weekend every once in a while. I need clones. Anyway, I'm sure he'll be fabulous even without us in the audience.

And while I'm bragging on my buds, I have to publicly congratulate Kambri for selling her book to Random House!! This woman continues to be a stellar example of "thoughts become things." I'm a little jealous, but much more proud. Congrats, KC!

A Good Cause...

Hey, folks - go here and vote to help a good family win replacement technology lost to Ike!

What Conclusion Would You Draw?

So. . . .a husband and wife, married about 16 years, hit a rough spot. They separate, go through counseling, and reconcile, the wife thinking they are more deeply in love than ever. After a year and a half back together the following happens:

1) In December, the husband comes home giddy about the "hot" new job candidate he's interviewing, making sure to tell the wife she's a former model.
2) In January, the husband and wife go to a function the former job candidate (now employee) chairs. Afterward, the husband e-mails his best friend about how he'd like to have sex with the woman.
3) In February, after the husband and wife share their Valentine's dinner, the husband calls the woman and spends an hour on the phone with her, giggling and being silly. The wife doesn't hear the entire conversation, but at one point he's holding the phone to the dog's ear, so the woman can talk to the dog.
4) From the day the woman is hired, she and the husband spend numerous nights "working" at the office, the two of them staying alone until midnight - and later.
5) In March, the wife overhears the husband and the woman saying how they love each other.
6) In April, the husband and the woman make a bet involving the NCAA final basketball game. Loser gets to tie the winner to the bed, and must bring whipped cream, restraints, and champagne.
7) The wife, growing increasingly suspicious, starts checking the husband's Blackberry. She finds e-mails between the two of them: "I love you."
8) In April, the husband announces the marriage is over. He's not in love with the wife any more. But no, he's not leaving her for the other woman.
9) Husband moves out of the family home and rents a townhouse. It happens to be exactly a mile from the other woman's house. He says the geography is entirely coincidental.

10) It's now September, and neither the husband's divorce, nor the woman's divorce, is final. However, the two have announced they are getting married.

So, blogospherians - what conclusion would you draw???

Welcome to the Blogosphere

Go check out Kat's blog. After being a lurker for a while, she's decided to start a blog! Yay!! Go say hello and make her feel welcome if you have a minute.

An Opportunity to Help

One of my friends on my "Friends" list there on the right needs a little help. With our wonderful, easy and cheap access to healthcare (end sarcasm here), Tracey is reaching out for help in a last ditch effort to raise the money to take care of herself. If it so moves you, visit her site and read her story.

New Word of the Day: Jackhole

Our neighborhood has one of those Yahoo Groups where you can post things for your neighbors to read. Mostly the posts are about garage sales, homeowner's association stuff, and community meetings. But every once in a while, these (presumably) grown people have junior high fights.

This morning's flame-fest was about people letting their dogs poop in neighbors' yards. It's really a time-honored argument. No, you shouldn't let your dog poop in other folks' yards or you should pick it up if it does happen. But we had some name-calling going on today. My favorite was "jackhole." Without giving any airtime to the immature argument, I must say that it was really junior high.

I guess we all have our buttons. I just can't imagine airing my ignorance for 1000 people to read. [What the heck am I talking about? I air my ignorance here all the time! Good thing only 6 people read this thing.]

Mini Hot Dog Eating Competition

Back to the vacation soon, but I had to post this hysterical video written by my pal Kambri Crews. It's PG-13, but check it out without the kiddos around!

I Feel Your Pain

Literally. I love my friends. And when one of them hurts, I hurt too. When they are appalled at the depths to which a formerly trusted loved one went, I am horrified as well. This makes me quite an emotional person in general. 

Last night I was going to go down to the pool with Punkin and my friend offered to go and sit with me while I watched my daughter swim. I started crying because someone else thought of me and my needs.

I guess the "self-care guru" needs to read her own book, eh? 

So, if you find yourself sobbing alone in your closet and you are my friend, call me. If at all humanly possible, I will come sob with you. I'll even bring ice cream. If you're the selfish, cheating sonofabitch that caused my friend pain, however, invest in a steel plated athletic cup. I know where you sleep.

Beautiful Bride

The pictures are in from my beautiful friend Cynthia's wedding. Check them out!

Creechman Lives!

After 4 1/2 years of cyber-friendship, I finally got to meet Creechman in RL! He really does exist! As an added bonus, he gives great hugs and is fun to talk to. Thanks for coming out last night, Creech. I hope we can do it again soon!

Now I Have Seen Everything

Spring Brake

Today I took Punkin and her BFF to the natatorium in the Angleton Recreation Center. For you philistines like me, natatorium, according to dictionary.com, is a fancy-schmancy word for "indoor swimming pool." All I know is that it offers a plethora of indoor water activities for about $2.50 per person.

They have the traditional "adult swim" for 10 minutes every hour. I noticed that I was the only adult in the pool during that time. Thus, I was the only person in the water. Sweet! I got the big waterslide all to myself, and took much delight in passing the kiddos on the staircase and saying "nah nah nah nah nah." Yes, I am that mature.

When the second round of "adult swim" came about, I got the girls out of the pool and into the showers so that we could go home. As I waited in the locker room, a flood of women and girls suddenly poured in. I asked one of them what was going on. Apparently they found a floater in the hot tub, and it wasn't a Baby Ruth bar! They ended up closing the pool for 2 hours so they could clean out the spa and sanitize it. I thank God, the Universe and all that is holy that we hadn't been in that particular area.

The fun never ends...

Rushing Past Margaritaville

This morning on my way to school, I watched a white BMW fly up on my tail, pass me, get "boxed in" in between 2 cars in front of me, and finally wrestle free, ne'er to be seen again. I was simultaneously listening to a podcast and the speaker was talking about how we tend to rush through life, where's-the-fire style. Synchronicities like that make me smile.

I was also thinking about a trip to Mexico I turned down recently. My good friend is about to get married and is fortunate enough to be having 2 bachelorette parties - one on a tropical beach and the other more local. Money, planning and passport expedition aside, I found myself pondering a deeper reason why I didn't try harder to arrange to go. I haven't met the other bridesmaids, save the matrons of honor, and while I am sure they are fabulous (my friend has great taste obviously), I want time with my friend all to myself.

I have always had this deep desire to be special to certain people, and I get very selfish and possessive of this specialness (whether real or imagined). So while the logistics really do stand in the way of me going, my deep-seated desire for exclusivity has reared its head again. 

Buenos noches, mi amiga. Have a margarita for me (no salt, please).

Project Day

I am working on designing a brochure for a conference. I love doing this type of work. Time just flies by - I am in the flow.

The thing that bugs me about this particular project is having to research and confirm everyone's credentials. Lord help me if I call a psychiatrist (MD) a social worker (LMSW) or if I don't include every last book and accolade. 

I do understand some of it. I worked hard for my Masters and like to see "MA" after my name. But I wouldn't start a scandal if someone left it off or misspelled my name. So...love the work, am irritated at the feeling of being under a microscope. 

Maybe I should screw up everyone's credentials on purpose just for kicks - especially the MDs. They *hate* it when you don't call them "doctor." Muhahahahaha!

Hey Yo

Teaching high school students is a completely different experience for me. They don't know anything! And they are supposed to be the "cream of the crop" as they are getting dual credit for high school and college. My favorite quote of the day goes to the young man who asked, "What does this have to do with psychology?" as we were covering the 5 senses.

And they totally don't get my frames of reference. I was talking about depth perception and was trying to use "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" as an example. One student had seen it and knew what I was talking about.

They can also find ways to tie sex in with anything. Today, we were talking about career counseling and I was jokingly telling them they should get jobs in the "janitorial arts." "The genital arts??!!" one kid replied.

At least they are pretty fun to mess with. They think everything I say is serious so I can really freak them out. I am just so used to non-participation that I feel a little off center.

Yeah, it's all "off the chain."

Peace out.

Time Warp

It feels like it should be Monday. The kiddo and I took a quick trip to Austin on Thursday and came back yesterday. We had a great time - next time we should stay longer. Got to catch up with some friends that I haven't seen in a long time!

I have always disliked road trips because I find them quite boring. This time didn't seem so bad, though by the time we made it to the home stretch I was more than ready to get out of the car. Thanks to the iPod, Punkin's "I'm bored" s were kept to a minimum. What did we do before iPods?

We visited the state capitol and went to eat at The Oasis. We took 27 pictures in less than an hour with a throwaway camera and then realized that we hadn't used the flash for most of them. We spent time with buddies and were reminded of why we all became friends in the first place. I'm missing them already.

It's the weekend! Any plans for you?