I've been blogging with three fabulous women for two years and have been enjoying all the fun topics we come up with week after week. If you want to see what we've discussed in the past, check out our posts here.
This week, Froggie chose the topic: This week is about fortune cookie fortunes. Do you have a fortune cookie fortune that came true? One you wish would come true? Do you think they are silly? Share your thoughts!
Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock
This topic is perfect for me, given I used to work at a Chinese restaurant. I'd get to take home the broken fortune cookies at the end of the night and found some pretty funny fortunes from time to time. My favorite is "You will receive a fortune (cookie)." No joke!!!
When I was living in New Jersey, we always got take-out from the best Kosher Chinese restaurant (one of the few things I still miss about living there). One night, in early summer 2007, I received one that talked about increasing my family (or something along those lines) and on the back, it said "younger brother." (Most fortunes I get have a phrase that you can translate into Chinese.) Shortly after receiving that fortune, I found out I was pregnant with my younger son (whom I thought was a girl until the day he was born). What are the odds of that happening?!?
Another time, almost a year after we moved out here, my husband received an interesting fortune about luck being related to hard work, which was related to an ongoing discussion I've had with a close friend. I wrote a post about it at the time, which you can read here.
This past week, we went out for our usual pre-Pesach Chinese buffet dinner. The fortune I received afterward said: "You will travel to exotic places on your next trip." Given we just got back from a big trip, I have a feeling it will be a while. However, I hope this means that a trip to Hawaii is in order!
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query fortune. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query fortune. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Nifty and Thrifty
I have a confession to make…I love shopping at the thrift store. I was there on MLK day and they had a 50% off sale on EVERYTHING. I shopped like crazy! They have cute items in good condition. Why should I have to spend a fortune when I can get name brand clothes at 90% off the retail price. I don’t care that it has been used, I just run it through the washer or have it dry-cleaned. They have incredibly good deals on books and videos (for adults and kids), toys, bags, etc. I introduced my mom to the store a few months ago and she wants to go back when she comes to visit. I will definitely accompany her on that trip! Aside from thrift stores, I love freecycling. What’s better than getting something I want for free. I’ve received so many clothes, toys, movies, and other items I wanted that way. Recently, I got a webcam through Freecycle and it’s been helpful for Skype. :) In this economy, I’m not ashamed to say that I am saving a fortune and still making myself, my husband and my kids very happy.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Would you like fortune cookies with that?
When I was a junior in high school, I got my first part-time job...at my favorite Chinese restaurant, of course! I pretty much grew up eating at this restaurant, so it was only natural that I should work there too. And the biggest perk was free meals every night I worked there!
I started off in carry-out, as most people did if they were underage (as we couldn't serve alcohol). I went through a training and picked it up pretty quickly after that. I had some pretty crazy customers every now and then. Some even drove my managers crazy. I think it was right after I started working there that a woman who reeked of horrible body odor came in and took forever to place her order at the counter. Then she would ask stupid questions like "what is beef on a stick?" After her order was placed, she decided to pay in coins and took even longer to count them out. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, it was so awful!
After a while, I got to know the regular customers and would have their order written down before they even gave it to me. It sounds like something out of "Sex and the City" (when Miranda calls the Chinese take-out and the person answering says her order before she does), but it's true. I'm even guilty of ordering the same thing at a Chinese restaurant every time I go (and this one was no exception). There were times where I had some really nice customers who would even give me tips. In the winter, I'd offer tea to customers as they were coming in out of the cold. One of them told me to dip my finger in the tea to sweeten it up. Then he proceeded to tell me that he thought I was really nice. I was surprised because he seemed out of sorts when he first came in to pick up his order. I'd also give cocktail umbrellas or fans to children to keep them busy, which the parents appreciated. (My manager didn't appreciate it as much because the kids would tear them up and make a mess.) Once I gave a fan to a little girl who had a lot of disabilities. Her whole face lit up and I got emotional from her response.
During the summer between my junior and senior year, I got trained to be a hostess. It was something I was excited to do, as I got to dress up nice and didn't have to answer the phone as much. However, hostessing can have its drawbacks too. If it was a busy night, it got completely overwhelming. I was told not to "slam" a server's station, but that was hard if their station was the only one available and there were a lot of hungry customers waiting. I learned that the worst time to host is Valentine's Day. I don't think I even got to sit down that evening! The one time I did want to host was on Halloween, but more out of vanity. I had a really cute French maid costume and thought it would be perfect for hostessing in that night. However, another girl was being really obnoxious about refusing to come in unless she could host and she dressed like a cowboy! I still had fun that evening, but I was annoyed over what happened.
In my years of working there, I learned to break away from just eating beef and gravy and try some new dishes. It couldn't hurt as it didn't cost me anything. I tried a lot of new dishes and started liking egg rolls for more than just the outer crust. My favorite dish to come out of this experience was what they called "chicken garlic lo mein." After I stopped working there, I would still come in to eat and order it every time. One night when I was working, one of my coworkers was trying to be funny and put duck sauce (usually meant for egg rolls) all over my lo mein. The joke was on him because it tasted really good that way!
I worked with some interesting people during the time I was there. Mostly it was other people with whom I went to high school. I got to know some better that way and became incredibly annoyed with others. I liked the wait staff though and enjoyed talking to them...well, most of them. When I was checking out my future college, one of the servers was attending that school and I got to meet up with her while I was there for an orientation. Her brother was also really nice and I'd request to be in his section when I was just there for a meal (when I wasn't working there anymore). There was one server who drove me crazy and we'd pick on each other all the time. We'd just say "duh" to each other a lot and then he'd talk about me in Chinese to one of the other servers. I tried to get back at him by talking about him in Spanish, but that backfired when I learned that "loco" meant "husband" in Chinese. Oops! There was a nice lady who washed dishes there for a while. I'd try to teach her English by using fortune cookie messages. She read one out loud and made it sound really funny by the way she pronounced it. I'm glad I wasn't the only witness to that. The managers were interesting. It was a husband and wife and their two sons. I got along well with the husband, as he was very mild-mannered. The wife was a different story. She tended to get in peoples' faces but she also had her nice moments. She brought back jewelry from China during one of her trips there and she gave it to all the staff. I also liked one of the sons better than the other, but everyone has personality differences and you can't please them all. The husband manager would sometimes let me help with bookkeeping, which allowed me to sit for a while and I'd even get to watch TV. I was doing bookkeeping when the OJ chase was going on in 1994. I got to watch on the little black and white television in the office.
The other interesting part of my job was getting to work in the kitchen and help package orders. I learned some Cantonese words and commands and also got to munch on chow mein and pan fried noodles when it wasn't too busy. I could wear t-shirts and shorts since it got hot in the kitchen. It was amazing to see how quickly food could get whipped together. The guys I'd work with liked to joke around and it was more laid back that way. The one thing I didn't like was making hot mustard. We had to stir water and mustard powder together. The worst was when some got in my eye! I wish they had distributed packets like every other Chinese take-out seemed to do! I think they eventually switched, but long after I had left.
As you can see, I have a lot of memories of working at a Chinese restaurant. This post is just a select few. I am sure there are so many more! I haven't eaten there since 2008 (when I was in Chicago for a visit), but I still think about the food and still crave chicken garlic lo mein on occasion. If you know which restaurant I am talking about, stop by there some time and enjoy some egg rolls and lo mein for me!
I started off in carry-out, as most people did if they were underage (as we couldn't serve alcohol). I went through a training and picked it up pretty quickly after that. I had some pretty crazy customers every now and then. Some even drove my managers crazy. I think it was right after I started working there that a woman who reeked of horrible body odor came in and took forever to place her order at the counter. Then she would ask stupid questions like "what is beef on a stick?" After her order was placed, she decided to pay in coins and took even longer to count them out. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, it was so awful!
After a while, I got to know the regular customers and would have their order written down before they even gave it to me. It sounds like something out of "Sex and the City" (when Miranda calls the Chinese take-out and the person answering says her order before she does), but it's true. I'm even guilty of ordering the same thing at a Chinese restaurant every time I go (and this one was no exception). There were times where I had some really nice customers who would even give me tips. In the winter, I'd offer tea to customers as they were coming in out of the cold. One of them told me to dip my finger in the tea to sweeten it up. Then he proceeded to tell me that he thought I was really nice. I was surprised because he seemed out of sorts when he first came in to pick up his order. I'd also give cocktail umbrellas or fans to children to keep them busy, which the parents appreciated. (My manager didn't appreciate it as much because the kids would tear them up and make a mess.) Once I gave a fan to a little girl who had a lot of disabilities. Her whole face lit up and I got emotional from her response.
During the summer between my junior and senior year, I got trained to be a hostess. It was something I was excited to do, as I got to dress up nice and didn't have to answer the phone as much. However, hostessing can have its drawbacks too. If it was a busy night, it got completely overwhelming. I was told not to "slam" a server's station, but that was hard if their station was the only one available and there were a lot of hungry customers waiting. I learned that the worst time to host is Valentine's Day. I don't think I even got to sit down that evening! The one time I did want to host was on Halloween, but more out of vanity. I had a really cute French maid costume and thought it would be perfect for hostessing in that night. However, another girl was being really obnoxious about refusing to come in unless she could host and she dressed like a cowboy! I still had fun that evening, but I was annoyed over what happened.
In my years of working there, I learned to break away from just eating beef and gravy and try some new dishes. It couldn't hurt as it didn't cost me anything. I tried a lot of new dishes and started liking egg rolls for more than just the outer crust. My favorite dish to come out of this experience was what they called "chicken garlic lo mein." After I stopped working there, I would still come in to eat and order it every time. One night when I was working, one of my coworkers was trying to be funny and put duck sauce (usually meant for egg rolls) all over my lo mein. The joke was on him because it tasted really good that way!
I worked with some interesting people during the time I was there. Mostly it was other people with whom I went to high school. I got to know some better that way and became incredibly annoyed with others. I liked the wait staff though and enjoyed talking to them...well, most of them. When I was checking out my future college, one of the servers was attending that school and I got to meet up with her while I was there for an orientation. Her brother was also really nice and I'd request to be in his section when I was just there for a meal (when I wasn't working there anymore). There was one server who drove me crazy and we'd pick on each other all the time. We'd just say "duh" to each other a lot and then he'd talk about me in Chinese to one of the other servers. I tried to get back at him by talking about him in Spanish, but that backfired when I learned that "loco" meant "husband" in Chinese. Oops! There was a nice lady who washed dishes there for a while. I'd try to teach her English by using fortune cookie messages. She read one out loud and made it sound really funny by the way she pronounced it. I'm glad I wasn't the only witness to that. The managers were interesting. It was a husband and wife and their two sons. I got along well with the husband, as he was very mild-mannered. The wife was a different story. She tended to get in peoples' faces but she also had her nice moments. She brought back jewelry from China during one of her trips there and she gave it to all the staff. I also liked one of the sons better than the other, but everyone has personality differences and you can't please them all. The husband manager would sometimes let me help with bookkeeping, which allowed me to sit for a while and I'd even get to watch TV. I was doing bookkeeping when the OJ chase was going on in 1994. I got to watch on the little black and white television in the office.
The other interesting part of my job was getting to work in the kitchen and help package orders. I learned some Cantonese words and commands and also got to munch on chow mein and pan fried noodles when it wasn't too busy. I could wear t-shirts and shorts since it got hot in the kitchen. It was amazing to see how quickly food could get whipped together. The guys I'd work with liked to joke around and it was more laid back that way. The one thing I didn't like was making hot mustard. We had to stir water and mustard powder together. The worst was when some got in my eye! I wish they had distributed packets like every other Chinese take-out seemed to do! I think they eventually switched, but long after I had left.
As you can see, I have a lot of memories of working at a Chinese restaurant. This post is just a select few. I am sure there are so many more! I haven't eaten there since 2008 (when I was in Chicago for a visit), but I still think about the food and still crave chicken garlic lo mein on occasion. If you know which restaurant I am talking about, stop by there some time and enjoy some egg rolls and lo mein for me!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
We are Family!
I have a few friends who knit and blog and we've decided to embark on a blog project that has nothing to do with knitting. We're going to take turns coming up with a topic every Thursday and we each have to blog about it by the end of that day and post links to each other's blogs so that people can see our different perspectives on the same topic.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week’s topic comes from Charmingly Random:
Tell me how you were raised - are there any lessons that your parent(s) taught you that you didn't appreciate when you were younger, but understand now that you're an adult?
Here goes:
This topic was very interesting food for thought on which to chew.
I like how I was raised. I can’t say that things were perfect from every angle. (My mom and I got in some huge fights every so often, but who doesn’t fight with their parents?) However, I liked that my parents cared and were involved in both my sister’s and my lives. We did a lot of things as a family: vacations, dinners out, seeing musicals, going to movies a lot, getting haircuts, being dragged on every errand whether we liked it or not, spending time with extended family, etc. When we were younger, we used to always have meals with my parents around the kitchen table. When our dad got home, we’d ask him if he found anyone a job (he was a recruiter). Then we’d sit down to a home-cooked meal. When my sister and I were involved with after-school activities, our parents could always be counted on for rides home from school. While they paid for a lot of things for us, they also encouraged us to get jobs and made sure we would become responsible adults before they sent us off to college.
When I took interest in a TV show, my mom would take interest too and we’d joke around about stuff that happened on the show. (Such as “Steeempy, you eeediot!”) When my sister and I became close friends with someone, my parents would practically adopt them as a family member (only if they liked them too). When we were involved with our different extracurricular interests, they would come to our competitions or shows. They visited us both in college and sent care packages a lot. There was a funny instance at overnight camp when my sister and I realized that they wrote us the same letter. We joked about it later. Our dad spent countless hours teaching us how to drive and hiring teachers for extra lessons outside of school until we got it right. He also took us for our licenses. Our parents spent a fortune on orthodontist visits so that we could both have nice looking teeth. They helped us with many of our school projects even when we told them about them at the last minute. (My dad mentioned my grandpa doing the same thing for him as a kid, as well.) If we had trouble with a subject in school, they worked with us until we understood it, even if it meant getting tutoring services.
Since my dad lived in a female dominated household, he went with the flow and bonded with us in his own ways, whether it was through Indian Princesses or “date” nights at our favorite Chinese restaurant. His favorite motto was “Dad can fix anything.” He taught this to us from day one. I would still call him when I was living on my own and something went wrong in my condo. He and I rarely ever fought, even when we disagreed. When I was a kid, I would go to watch him bowl on his league night. He and his bowling teammates would teach me hand symbols for strikes, spares and gutter balls. Later, I got into bowling for myself and we competed as a team once. Eventually, I went to watch him bowl for his league again when he and my husband were on the same team.
My mom took us to the mall all the time and was our fashion consultant until we were old enough to shop by ourselves. Even when we butted heads, we still were able to have heart-to-heart discussions. She spent a lot of time teaching us how to cook, which is why I love baking so much. She was the room mother for various parties when I was in elementary school. I think she also gave me the reading “bug.” She and I still love reading and we always recommend books to each other. I think our book tastes are even more similar now. She was the one (along with my sister) who helped me pick out my wedding dress. She also took over as "bridezilla" so I didn't have to be one. We had our disagreements in regard to some things about the wedding, but it all worked out in the end.
I never felt the need to drink (even after I turned 21, I kept it to a minimum), smoke or do drugs. I could attribute this to being raised with good values or just being picky enough about smells and tastes to not want to forage that path. The most rebellious thing I did, if you can even call it that, was participate in midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (which they even supported once they knew how passionate I was about it).
I don’t know what “lesson” I’ve really learned from all this. Maybe just about what it takes to be a good parent and stay involved in my kids’ lives. I already feel like I am doing that. Especially with my older son who has hearing loss…people always tell me what a difference my involvement has made for him, in a good way. I love teaching them how to cook, getting together with extended family, going out for meals together, reading with them, taking my older son to movies, being a room mother (even though it done differently now), playing skeeball or going bowling, shopping for their clothes, helping with "homework," teaching them about responsibility (in the simplest form possible for their age level), etc. We’re always guaranteed a special meal at home together every Friday night, but we make sure to sit and eat with them at dinnertime during the week, as well. Now that they’re getting bigger, they can communicate with us, which makes it even nicer.
My parents are also involved in my kids' lives, just like how our grandparents were involved in our lives (my sister's and mine, that is). They always have toys for them at their house and they visit whenever possible. They send care packages on occasion. They love spending time with the kids. They always call to see how they're doing. Now that we talk on Skype, they're even more connected despite the miles between us.
Overall, I am thankful to my parents for being involved in my life (while also allowing me to be independent) and I have a lot of good memories of our fun times together.
Check out the backstory about how the project was conceived and how we all came together.
Here are the other blogs:
Froggie Knits Like Crazy
Charmingly Random
Desperate Madness
This week’s topic comes from Charmingly Random:
Tell me how you were raised - are there any lessons that your parent(s) taught you that you didn't appreciate when you were younger, but understand now that you're an adult?
Here goes:
This topic was very interesting food for thought on which to chew.
I like how I was raised. I can’t say that things were perfect from every angle. (My mom and I got in some huge fights every so often, but who doesn’t fight with their parents?) However, I liked that my parents cared and were involved in both my sister’s and my lives. We did a lot of things as a family: vacations, dinners out, seeing musicals, going to movies a lot, getting haircuts, being dragged on every errand whether we liked it or not, spending time with extended family, etc. When we were younger, we used to always have meals with my parents around the kitchen table. When our dad got home, we’d ask him if he found anyone a job (he was a recruiter). Then we’d sit down to a home-cooked meal. When my sister and I were involved with after-school activities, our parents could always be counted on for rides home from school. While they paid for a lot of things for us, they also encouraged us to get jobs and made sure we would become responsible adults before they sent us off to college.
When I took interest in a TV show, my mom would take interest too and we’d joke around about stuff that happened on the show. (Such as “Steeempy, you eeediot!”) When my sister and I became close friends with someone, my parents would practically adopt them as a family member (only if they liked them too). When we were involved with our different extracurricular interests, they would come to our competitions or shows. They visited us both in college and sent care packages a lot. There was a funny instance at overnight camp when my sister and I realized that they wrote us the same letter. We joked about it later. Our dad spent countless hours teaching us how to drive and hiring teachers for extra lessons outside of school until we got it right. He also took us for our licenses. Our parents spent a fortune on orthodontist visits so that we could both have nice looking teeth. They helped us with many of our school projects even when we told them about them at the last minute. (My dad mentioned my grandpa doing the same thing for him as a kid, as well.) If we had trouble with a subject in school, they worked with us until we understood it, even if it meant getting tutoring services.
Since my dad lived in a female dominated household, he went with the flow and bonded with us in his own ways, whether it was through Indian Princesses or “date” nights at our favorite Chinese restaurant. His favorite motto was “Dad can fix anything.” He taught this to us from day one. I would still call him when I was living on my own and something went wrong in my condo. He and I rarely ever fought, even when we disagreed. When I was a kid, I would go to watch him bowl on his league night. He and his bowling teammates would teach me hand symbols for strikes, spares and gutter balls. Later, I got into bowling for myself and we competed as a team once. Eventually, I went to watch him bowl for his league again when he and my husband were on the same team.
My mom took us to the mall all the time and was our fashion consultant until we were old enough to shop by ourselves. Even when we butted heads, we still were able to have heart-to-heart discussions. She spent a lot of time teaching us how to cook, which is why I love baking so much. She was the room mother for various parties when I was in elementary school. I think she also gave me the reading “bug.” She and I still love reading and we always recommend books to each other. I think our book tastes are even more similar now. She was the one (along with my sister) who helped me pick out my wedding dress. She also took over as "bridezilla" so I didn't have to be one. We had our disagreements in regard to some things about the wedding, but it all worked out in the end.
I never felt the need to drink (even after I turned 21, I kept it to a minimum), smoke or do drugs. I could attribute this to being raised with good values or just being picky enough about smells and tastes to not want to forage that path. The most rebellious thing I did, if you can even call it that, was participate in midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (which they even supported once they knew how passionate I was about it).
I don’t know what “lesson” I’ve really learned from all this. Maybe just about what it takes to be a good parent and stay involved in my kids’ lives. I already feel like I am doing that. Especially with my older son who has hearing loss…people always tell me what a difference my involvement has made for him, in a good way. I love teaching them how to cook, getting together with extended family, going out for meals together, reading with them, taking my older son to movies, being a room mother (even though it done differently now), playing skeeball or going bowling, shopping for their clothes, helping with "homework," teaching them about responsibility (in the simplest form possible for their age level), etc. We’re always guaranteed a special meal at home together every Friday night, but we make sure to sit and eat with them at dinnertime during the week, as well. Now that they’re getting bigger, they can communicate with us, which makes it even nicer.
My parents are also involved in my kids' lives, just like how our grandparents were involved in our lives (my sister's and mine, that is). They always have toys for them at their house and they visit whenever possible. They send care packages on occasion. They love spending time with the kids. They always call to see how they're doing. Now that we talk on Skype, they're even more connected despite the miles between us.
Overall, I am thankful to my parents for being involved in my life (while also allowing me to be independent) and I have a lot of good memories of our fun times together.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
52 Stories: 100% pure adrenaline!
Inspired by One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern, I've decided to ask people some thought provoking questions about themselves, as I feel that everyone has a story to tell. If you're just joining me on this journey today, please check out the previous posts from this series, as well.
I met this storyteller through one of my son's schools, as our sons have the same first name. Since then, I've gotten to know her and we've become good friends. She's really kind, generous, funny, and a great person to have in your corner. I'm thankful for her friendship. I've gotten to know her even better through this project and a lot of what she has said surprised me!
Name you'd like to go by: Dana
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Location: Washington, DC Metro region
What is an experience that is legendary for you?
Chatting with Billy Joel on more than one occasion, then having the opportunity to work with him. I grew up in a household with die-hard Billy Joel fans, so I was learning the “Turnstile” soundtrack along with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
What is your guilty pleasure?
Entertainment magazines and pop culture aficionado: While I love my business focused mags like Fast Company, Inc., and Fortune Small Business – the ones that I devour are People, Entertainment Weekly, and US Weekly. I mean come on ---- Who doesn’t also love “Stars – They’re Just Like Us” and “Who Wore it Best?”
I’m also a HUGE fan of indie music. I go to shows, concerts, and festivals to hear random, new cutting room floor tunes. I like to learn about the music before it goes mainstream.
What is something you've never done but you would like to do?
I’d love to do a Ted Talk on the importance of accessibility and breaking down barriers surrounding disability. Although, I’d like to live in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language and force myself to learn it.
If you could give someone one of your favorite things as a gift, what would it be and why?
I would give someone a special backpack filled with 1.) a map, 2.) a passport (if needed), and 3.) time. The adventure of getting out and seeing the world all over is a priceless gift given to me and I’d like to share that. That or some really delicious New York pizza.
What is something you did that changed someone's life?
When I was 16, I worked in a local pharmacy. I sold a $5 Million dollar lottery ticket to a woman who was in from out of town caring for her ill elderly mother. She came in to claim it and FLIPPED out when she learned she just became a millionaire. It was thrilling and I had a perma-smile on my face for days.
What part of your personality is now extinct?
The published poet side of me has been kind of dormant for around 15 years. I wrote a massive amount of poetry for around a decade, but then haven’t really come back to it much.
What is one thing that you find really funny?
My children keep me entertained all the time and do the silliest things. I think our random Victrola dance parties are really funny.
When work gets really intense at times, I also really enjoy George Takei memes for a quick laugh during the work day.
Tell me one thing you love about yourself (or a gift you'd like to get yourself, where money is not an issue):
I’m comfortable in my own skin and that’s a gift I’ll keep.
What TV show, book or movie is most like your life?
Don’t know.
What is something that not many people know about you?
1. I am an adrenaline junkie and have been skydiving, scuba diving, ridden motorcycles, flown a plane, and more. I can' wait to go hang gliding one day.
2. I kick-butt at Mah-Jongg. Bring it!
3. I LOVE old school Mortal Kombat.
4. I consider myself one of the luckiest people on the planet, as my family and friends are the most precious things in my life.
5. I ride a motorcycle and would love to get a Dukati one day.
6. I have had to recite Lewis Carrol's "The Jabberwocky" from Alice in Wonderland on more than one occasion to bail me out of stuff.
7. Spring is my favorite season. Although as a child, I was enamored with summer as it meant sleep away camp which I adored.
8. My favorite city in the world is Austin, Texas. Then probably Barcelona, Spain.
9. I am hopelessly addicted to indie-rock, cutting edge, alternative, music.
10. I have several friends that I have been friends with for over 30 years.
11. Languages are amazing. I wish I had the time to learn more and practice speaking them with native speakers.
12. I can't cook very well (and should reevaluate adding the words "very well" in that sentence). I do love to eat different cuisines and try new things.
13. My husband is an AMAZING cook and one of the all-around most talented people on the planet. I am so fortunate to have him as my life partner.
14. I use to train my parrots and parakeets to do silly pet tricks worthy of a spot on the David Letterman segment.
I met this storyteller through one of my son's schools, as our sons have the same first name. Since then, I've gotten to know her and we've become good friends. She's really kind, generous, funny, and a great person to have in your corner. I'm thankful for her friendship. I've gotten to know her even better through this project and a lot of what she has said surprised me!
Name you'd like to go by: Dana
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Location: Washington, DC Metro region
What is an experience that is legendary for you?
Chatting with Billy Joel on more than one occasion, then having the opportunity to work with him. I grew up in a household with die-hard Billy Joel fans, so I was learning the “Turnstile” soundtrack along with “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
What is your guilty pleasure?
Entertainment magazines and pop culture aficionado: While I love my business focused mags like Fast Company, Inc., and Fortune Small Business – the ones that I devour are People, Entertainment Weekly, and US Weekly. I mean come on ---- Who doesn’t also love “Stars – They’re Just Like Us” and “Who Wore it Best?”
I’m also a HUGE fan of indie music. I go to shows, concerts, and festivals to hear random, new cutting room floor tunes. I like to learn about the music before it goes mainstream.
What is something you've never done but you would like to do?
I’d love to do a Ted Talk on the importance of accessibility and breaking down barriers surrounding disability. Although, I’d like to live in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language and force myself to learn it.
If you could give someone one of your favorite things as a gift, what would it be and why?
I would give someone a special backpack filled with 1.) a map, 2.) a passport (if needed), and 3.) time. The adventure of getting out and seeing the world all over is a priceless gift given to me and I’d like to share that. That or some really delicious New York pizza.
What is something you did that changed someone's life?
When I was 16, I worked in a local pharmacy. I sold a $5 Million dollar lottery ticket to a woman who was in from out of town caring for her ill elderly mother. She came in to claim it and FLIPPED out when she learned she just became a millionaire. It was thrilling and I had a perma-smile on my face for days.
What part of your personality is now extinct?
The published poet side of me has been kind of dormant for around 15 years. I wrote a massive amount of poetry for around a decade, but then haven’t really come back to it much.
What is one thing that you find really funny?
My children keep me entertained all the time and do the silliest things. I think our random Victrola dance parties are really funny.
When work gets really intense at times, I also really enjoy George Takei memes for a quick laugh during the work day.
Tell me one thing you love about yourself (or a gift you'd like to get yourself, where money is not an issue):
I’m comfortable in my own skin and that’s a gift I’ll keep.
What TV show, book or movie is most like your life?
Don’t know.
What is something that not many people know about you?
1. I am an adrenaline junkie and have been skydiving, scuba diving, ridden motorcycles, flown a plane, and more. I can' wait to go hang gliding one day.
2. I kick-butt at Mah-Jongg. Bring it!
3. I LOVE old school Mortal Kombat.
4. I consider myself one of the luckiest people on the planet, as my family and friends are the most precious things in my life.
5. I ride a motorcycle and would love to get a Dukati one day.
6. I have had to recite Lewis Carrol's "The Jabberwocky" from Alice in Wonderland on more than one occasion to bail me out of stuff.
7. Spring is my favorite season. Although as a child, I was enamored with summer as it meant sleep away camp which I adored.
8. My favorite city in the world is Austin, Texas. Then probably Barcelona, Spain.
9. I am hopelessly addicted to indie-rock, cutting edge, alternative, music.
10. I have several friends that I have been friends with for over 30 years.
11. Languages are amazing. I wish I had the time to learn more and practice speaking them with native speakers.
12. I can't cook very well (and should reevaluate adding the words "very well" in that sentence). I do love to eat different cuisines and try new things.
13. My husband is an AMAZING cook and one of the all-around most talented people on the planet. I am so fortunate to have him as my life partner.
14. I use to train my parrots and parakeets to do silly pet tricks worthy of a spot on the David Letterman segment.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
52 Stories: Butterfly kisses (and hugs)
Inspired by One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern, I've decided to ask people some thought provoking questions about themselves, as I feel that everyone has a story to tell. If you're just joining me on this journey today, please check out the previous posts from this series, as well.
I connected with this storyteller through my book blog and other similar groups we're in on Facebook. We also have some online friends in common. She's really nice and I enjoyed reading her answers to my questions...especially the last two.
Name you’d like to go by: I answer to Kimberly or Kim, my close relatives and friends will also call me Kimmy. I like to use the name Kimberlyindy when I review books.
Age: 40+
Gender: Female
Location: Southern California
What is your guilty pleasure?
I have a couple of guilty pleasures. I love to be able to stay in my pajamas all day and alternate watching movies and reading. Some of my favorite movies are A Walk in the Clouds, Serendipity, Sabrina and almost all Christmas movies (which I have been known to watch in July.) I generally read Romance and Chick Lit. Some of my favorite authors are Jane Porter, Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews, Debra Kahn, Melissa Cutler, Anita Hughes Jude Deveraux, Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis. If I can afford to indulge myself, I love to go stay in a hotel and go to their spa. I have learned that you can get a day pass and enjoy the experience of the spa without spending a fortune. =)
What is something you’ve never done but would like to do?
I have always wanted to try zip lining, riding in a hot air balloon, and scuba diving. I would also like to travel all over. My bucket list includes Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Australia.
What is one thing that you find really funny?
I love to watch Comedian Jeff Dunham
What is one thing you love about yourself?
People tell me that I am able to adapt to most situations and I can find something to talk about with everyone. I love people and I find every person interesting in their own way. I have always been able to make friends easy.
What is something you did that changed someone’s life?
This is a hard question to answer, because I try to perform random acts of kindness almost daily, and I always hope that I somehow make their life a little better. I definitely believe in the philosophy of pay it forward.
What is something that not many people know about you?
Well I have a couple of things, not sure which would be the most surprising. I was in a nationally televised commercial when I was in High School that was shown at all of the Indianapolis Colts games. I was in a type of plane crash in 1991 in Colorado. I lived on my own my senior year of High School. Feel free to ask me to elaborate on any of those.
What part of your personality is extinct?
I hope you don’t mind but I took a little liberty with this question and changed it a little bit.
If something is was a good part of your personality and it ceases to exist that isn’t a good thing. I prefer to think of it as hibernating. For me this was my creativity. This was something I definitely thought was extinct, but recently has found a spark and has comes back to life. Throughout my life, I had done different things to feed this side of my personality. I actively participated in the theatre in different capacities, and I enjoyed writing and was on the journalism staff and did speech and debate where I wrote originally oratories and poetry for competition. Then several years ago a few things happened to put my creativity in hibernation, one I got very busy with life and working way too many jobs, and going to school, etc. But probably one of the greatest factors was an English professor I had. For whatever reason, she did not like me, and after having her for a semester I no longer had any desire to write. She accused me of plagiarism, which I had to fight and was able to prove that I had not done that. And she was constantly putting comments on my works like “congratulations on changing a fiasco of a paper to a mediocre paper.” It is amazing how powerful words and actions can be……..Fast forward 20 years and I can honestly say that two things/people have really influenced me and help reignite my creative side. About rwo years ago my work sent me to a motivational event, and one of the presenters was a man named Erik Wahl. He is an artist that creates incredible paintings with his hands, timed to music. If you have never heard of him, I encourage you to check him out. He talked to us about a teacher when he was in elementary school telling him that he had no talent and he didn’t so much as pick up a crayon for over 20 years because of this. It brought back the memory of that English professor and really got me thinking about what I had given up. I honestly don’t remember what he said what motivated him to try art again, probably because my own brain was on overdrive thinking about the past and what I used to love to do. Just a little side fact about him, he no longer sells his art work, he donates it to charity auctions or gives it away through what he calls art drops (he hides the paintings and leaves clues on social media and the first person to find it, gets to keep it). The second influence has been my friend Jane Porter. I met Jane purely by accident about three years ago at a local Barnes and Noble. I had never read any of her books before, but became a fan that day. I got to know her through her blog and Facebook page. After going to few different events, where she talked about all things writing, the good, the bad, and even some of the ugly; it made me want to try writing again. I took a summer writing class and with Jane’s encouragement I went to a Romance Writer’s Conference this past spring. For now, I am only writing for me, but who knows what may happen in the future. I have made a promise to myself so that I never let my creative side become extinct again. I try to do something creative every day. I have been taking painting lessons and making home-made cards, and yes sometimes I do have to push myself out of my comfort zone to try something new and creative; but I am okay with that.
If you could give someone one of your favorite things as a gift, what would it be and why?
I often give butterflies as gifts. They hold a very special place in my heart. While I have always loved butterflies, about 15 years ago, they became very significant part of my life. When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother told me that he came to visit her that night as a beautiful monarch butterfly and stayed beside her all night. My grandmother and I started giving each other butterflies back and forth after that day, so we would always have grandpa with us. Even though my grandma has Alzheimer’s and is in a facility, we still keep her surrounded by butterflies. When she was able to walk, we posted a large purple butterfly outside her room and that was how she knew which room was hers. I swear, if I am having a bad day or feeling a little lonely, a butterfly always crosses my path. Just the other day, a butterfly actually flittered all around me like it was hugging me before taking off. It brought a smile to my face and made me laugh out loud. It felt magical and I could almost see a little sparkly trail it was leaving behind. I enjoy giving butterflies to people, and some I tell the significance of them to me and others, it just feels right. If I know someone is struggling, I think a butterfly is the perfect gift to give them, because butterflies show us that is not easy to make it in this world, but that we are beautiful and we can take flight.
I connected with this storyteller through my book blog and other similar groups we're in on Facebook. We also have some online friends in common. She's really nice and I enjoyed reading her answers to my questions...especially the last two.
Name you’d like to go by: I answer to Kimberly or Kim, my close relatives and friends will also call me Kimmy. I like to use the name Kimberlyindy when I review books.
Age: 40+
Gender: Female
Location: Southern California
What is your guilty pleasure?
I have a couple of guilty pleasures. I love to be able to stay in my pajamas all day and alternate watching movies and reading. Some of my favorite movies are A Walk in the Clouds, Serendipity, Sabrina and almost all Christmas movies (which I have been known to watch in July.) I generally read Romance and Chick Lit. Some of my favorite authors are Jane Porter, Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews, Debra Kahn, Melissa Cutler, Anita Hughes Jude Deveraux, Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis. If I can afford to indulge myself, I love to go stay in a hotel and go to their spa. I have learned that you can get a day pass and enjoy the experience of the spa without spending a fortune. =)
What is something you’ve never done but would like to do?
I have always wanted to try zip lining, riding in a hot air balloon, and scuba diving. I would also like to travel all over. My bucket list includes Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Australia.
What is one thing that you find really funny?
I love to watch Comedian Jeff Dunham
What is one thing you love about yourself?
People tell me that I am able to adapt to most situations and I can find something to talk about with everyone. I love people and I find every person interesting in their own way. I have always been able to make friends easy.
What is something you did that changed someone’s life?
This is a hard question to answer, because I try to perform random acts of kindness almost daily, and I always hope that I somehow make their life a little better. I definitely believe in the philosophy of pay it forward.
What is something that not many people know about you?
Well I have a couple of things, not sure which would be the most surprising. I was in a nationally televised commercial when I was in High School that was shown at all of the Indianapolis Colts games. I was in a type of plane crash in 1991 in Colorado. I lived on my own my senior year of High School. Feel free to ask me to elaborate on any of those.
What part of your personality is extinct?
I hope you don’t mind but I took a little liberty with this question and changed it a little bit.
If something is was a good part of your personality and it ceases to exist that isn’t a good thing. I prefer to think of it as hibernating. For me this was my creativity. This was something I definitely thought was extinct, but recently has found a spark and has comes back to life. Throughout my life, I had done different things to feed this side of my personality. I actively participated in the theatre in different capacities, and I enjoyed writing and was on the journalism staff and did speech and debate where I wrote originally oratories and poetry for competition. Then several years ago a few things happened to put my creativity in hibernation, one I got very busy with life and working way too many jobs, and going to school, etc. But probably one of the greatest factors was an English professor I had. For whatever reason, she did not like me, and after having her for a semester I no longer had any desire to write. She accused me of plagiarism, which I had to fight and was able to prove that I had not done that. And she was constantly putting comments on my works like “congratulations on changing a fiasco of a paper to a mediocre paper.” It is amazing how powerful words and actions can be……..Fast forward 20 years and I can honestly say that two things/people have really influenced me and help reignite my creative side. About rwo years ago my work sent me to a motivational event, and one of the presenters was a man named Erik Wahl. He is an artist that creates incredible paintings with his hands, timed to music. If you have never heard of him, I encourage you to check him out. He talked to us about a teacher when he was in elementary school telling him that he had no talent and he didn’t so much as pick up a crayon for over 20 years because of this. It brought back the memory of that English professor and really got me thinking about what I had given up. I honestly don’t remember what he said what motivated him to try art again, probably because my own brain was on overdrive thinking about the past and what I used to love to do. Just a little side fact about him, he no longer sells his art work, he donates it to charity auctions or gives it away through what he calls art drops (he hides the paintings and leaves clues on social media and the first person to find it, gets to keep it). The second influence has been my friend Jane Porter. I met Jane purely by accident about three years ago at a local Barnes and Noble. I had never read any of her books before, but became a fan that day. I got to know her through her blog and Facebook page. After going to few different events, where she talked about all things writing, the good, the bad, and even some of the ugly; it made me want to try writing again. I took a summer writing class and with Jane’s encouragement I went to a Romance Writer’s Conference this past spring. For now, I am only writing for me, but who knows what may happen in the future. I have made a promise to myself so that I never let my creative side become extinct again. I try to do something creative every day. I have been taking painting lessons and making home-made cards, and yes sometimes I do have to push myself out of my comfort zone to try something new and creative; but I am okay with that.
If you could give someone one of your favorite things as a gift, what would it be and why?
I often give butterflies as gifts. They hold a very special place in my heart. While I have always loved butterflies, about 15 years ago, they became very significant part of my life. When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother told me that he came to visit her that night as a beautiful monarch butterfly and stayed beside her all night. My grandmother and I started giving each other butterflies back and forth after that day, so we would always have grandpa with us. Even though my grandma has Alzheimer’s and is in a facility, we still keep her surrounded by butterflies. When she was able to walk, we posted a large purple butterfly outside her room and that was how she knew which room was hers. I swear, if I am having a bad day or feeling a little lonely, a butterfly always crosses my path. Just the other day, a butterfly actually flittered all around me like it was hugging me before taking off. It brought a smile to my face and made me laugh out loud. It felt magical and I could almost see a little sparkly trail it was leaving behind. I enjoy giving butterflies to people, and some I tell the significance of them to me and others, it just feels right. If I know someone is struggling, I think a butterfly is the perfect gift to give them, because butterflies show us that is not easy to make it in this world, but that we are beautiful and we can take flight.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
"Luck be a Lady"
I got an e-mail this evening, a bit after the fact. Someone was giving away tickets to see a show called "Luck be a Lady." I thought it was amusing because I had that song in my head this evening after my husband received a fortune (from a cookie) that said "Luck is the by-product of busting your fanny." I don't think those were the exact words of Confucious, but it's a belief that I hold to be true.
I have had numerous discussions with someone on the topic of luck. They believe that people are born lucky or that good things just fall into peoples' laps. I come from a different school of thought. I believe that when good things happen to someone, they can consider themselves fortunate or blessed. Luck is based on chance and coincidence. Sometimes good timing plays into it. Like someone who misses their plane and avoids being in a crash. That's pure luck on their side.
However, I feel that for something good to happen, there has to be a catalyst. How does one expect to win the lottery if they don't purchase a ticket? How does one expect to get a promotion at work if they don't "bust their fanny" at their job? How does one expect to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right if they don't put themselves into the dating market? I'm not saying that those situations are even guaranteed to happen even if someone tries for the end result. There's just a better chance of such things happening than someone just "magically" winning a million dollars, becoming president of their company or finding Mr. or Mrs. Right on their doorstep.
On the subject of being born lucky, I don't think anyone has come out of their mother's womb holding a four leaf clover. There's the matter of being born into good or poor circumstances. Once you know your circumstances and have control over what could happen next, you have the ability to do or be whatever you want. Take the movie "Precious" for example. Precious was born into a terrible family situation. However, she got an education and found a way to escape from her abusive mother. She could have sat there and taken her mother's abuse and just blamed it on bad luck. I know it's a fictional story, but it does have a basis of truth and it's very empowering. There's also "The Pursuit of Happyness," which is based on a true story. Chris was having a difficult time finding a job and being able to provide for his child. Doors closed in his face and he kept getting kicked when he was down. Still, he "busted his fanny" to get a job so that he could get himself and his son off the streets. It wasn't a matter of luck. It was a matter of blood, sweat and tears, so to speak.
Tonight, I could have been the "lucky" recipient of free tickets to a show, but I got home late because of dinner plans with my family. I missed the opportunity, but it wasn't meant to be. There are other times when my timing has been perfect, such as knowing when to speak aloud about a bowling commitment I had, just as my husband's best friend happened to be standing nearby. I wouldn't call that luck, just good timing. My husband may not have been interested in meeting me or we might not have been each others' type. I could have chosen not to give out my number in the first place (a catalyst). I'm glad none of those situations were the case. I just feel fortunate and very blessed as a result of such savvy timing.
I'd be interested in hearing your opinions about the concept of luck. Are people naturally lucky or do you think they have to do something to make something good happen for them? Discuss....
I have had numerous discussions with someone on the topic of luck. They believe that people are born lucky or that good things just fall into peoples' laps. I come from a different school of thought. I believe that when good things happen to someone, they can consider themselves fortunate or blessed. Luck is based on chance and coincidence. Sometimes good timing plays into it. Like someone who misses their plane and avoids being in a crash. That's pure luck on their side.
However, I feel that for something good to happen, there has to be a catalyst. How does one expect to win the lottery if they don't purchase a ticket? How does one expect to get a promotion at work if they don't "bust their fanny" at their job? How does one expect to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right if they don't put themselves into the dating market? I'm not saying that those situations are even guaranteed to happen even if someone tries for the end result. There's just a better chance of such things happening than someone just "magically" winning a million dollars, becoming president of their company or finding Mr. or Mrs. Right on their doorstep.
On the subject of being born lucky, I don't think anyone has come out of their mother's womb holding a four leaf clover. There's the matter of being born into good or poor circumstances. Once you know your circumstances and have control over what could happen next, you have the ability to do or be whatever you want. Take the movie "Precious" for example. Precious was born into a terrible family situation. However, she got an education and found a way to escape from her abusive mother. She could have sat there and taken her mother's abuse and just blamed it on bad luck. I know it's a fictional story, but it does have a basis of truth and it's very empowering. There's also "The Pursuit of Happyness," which is based on a true story. Chris was having a difficult time finding a job and being able to provide for his child. Doors closed in his face and he kept getting kicked when he was down. Still, he "busted his fanny" to get a job so that he could get himself and his son off the streets. It wasn't a matter of luck. It was a matter of blood, sweat and tears, so to speak.
Tonight, I could have been the "lucky" recipient of free tickets to a show, but I got home late because of dinner plans with my family. I missed the opportunity, but it wasn't meant to be. There are other times when my timing has been perfect, such as knowing when to speak aloud about a bowling commitment I had, just as my husband's best friend happened to be standing nearby. I wouldn't call that luck, just good timing. My husband may not have been interested in meeting me or we might not have been each others' type. I could have chosen not to give out my number in the first place (a catalyst). I'm glad none of those situations were the case. I just feel fortunate and very blessed as a result of such savvy timing.
I'd be interested in hearing your opinions about the concept of luck. Are people naturally lucky or do you think they have to do something to make something good happen for them? Discuss....
Thursday, July 5, 2012
What you own
Remember the blog project I did in 2010 with three other women? Well, Froggie decided to resurrect it with me and we each got to invite another friend to join us. She invited a mutual friend (someone I met through her) and I invited a friend whose blog I really enjoy reading. So now it's Froggie, Mom of Many, Moma Rock and Merrylandgirl. Hope you enjoy the topics that we'll be exploring!
This week, Mom of Many picked the topic: In light of all the fires and other natural disasters, if you had to evacuate your home, what would you take with you and why? If your home was destroyed what would you miss most?
Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock
The topic for this post made me think of a song from Rent, which is what I used for the subject line.
I recently read a novel called "Keepsake" by Kristina Riggle, who visited Chick Lit Central this week (and there's a chance to win a free copy....hint, hint). It's about a woman who becomes a compulsive hoarder and could potentially lose custody of her child after some of her stuff falls on and injures him. The story made me put my own collection of “stuff” into perspective. I even went through a box of toys and papers in my boys’ room and made them help me organize it. I was proud of my older son for making some mature decisions about what to keep and what to throw away. However, when we went to the mall to beat the heat, he wanted everything he saw, even if it didn’t make sense for him to have it.
This past week, we had a major storm, probably the worst I’ve ever seen. It knocked out our power from Friday night until Wednesday morning. It was so stifling hot that we escaped to a hotel for some much needed air conditioning. They had a pool too! I was rushing around packing clothes to last us a few days, given we were expected to be without power till mid-week, or possibly longer. My first priority was all the stuff my older son and daughter need for their cochlear implants. If they couldn’t hear, it would be like our camping trip all over again. I brought their batteries and battery charger, as well as manual batteries, just in case. Then there were the toiletries, like important prescriptions, dental hygiene products and hair care products. (My hair gets so frizzy in the heat!) We also had to make sure we had swim wear and inner tubes for the pool. We ended up buying the inner tubes since the ones we had were dirty or out of air and I didn’t feel like dragging them along. Then there were clothing items, which were a necessity and toys to keep the kids entertained (even though the TV and pool did that job even better). I had to take my laptop so I could communicate with everyone and keep Chick Lit Central stuff updated. Plus, a majority of my photos are stored there or on my Facebook account. Finally, I brought along some books. I can’t go anywhere without a book!
Whenever I go to visit my family, they tell me not to bring a lot since there’s a Wal-Mart nearby and they also have a laundry machine. In this case, we also had a Wal-Mart nearby (and this one was so nice too), but we weren’t going to spend a fortune on hotel laundry services. When we had the power outage, I was reminded of this reality show we watched back in 2003 about two couples who try to live on a prairie with limited resources. (They had to plow for their grain to make wheat for bread and wash up in a pond.) I was thinking how fortunate we are that we have stores around to replace whatever we leave behind. When we were at the mall, I was mainly shopping for kids’ clothes, even though I got myself some much needed shoes (my other shoes were so worn out that they were getting really uncomfortable). I got a few little toys for the kids, but nothing else all that major. I was tempted to get some more Full House DVDs, but the used versions were still so overpriced!
I may seem materialistic, but I really am not. I could use a beat up purse for years without thinking much about it. I try to spend frugally, only looking for sale prices to justify my purchases. (I tell you, I am REALLY spoiled by the prices at my favorite thrift store!) I think it’s important to have comfortable clothes and all the other necessities. I like to spoil my kids with fun little things, as long as they aren’t overpriced. I couldn’t justify getting my older son a pen that cost $5.50 because it had a Disney character on it. What a joke! A PEN! For $5.50! I can get two boxes of cereal for that amount! So when it comes to a potential or real evacuation, I just take the stuff that we’ll need to get by (clothes, toiletries, hearing items). I even pack along some food items since my kids are picky and sometimes breakfast is not included at a hotel or it’s too early to get up and partake in their continental buffet (the one at our first hotel ended at 8:30). Then there's my laptop and at least one good book, if not more. In the end, I was more upset about all the food we lost than the potential of losing our material items. My wedding ring is always on my hand, so that stays with me. I would be upset if I lost it because of the sentimental value and all the thought my husband put into designing it for me. The diamond was handed down to him by his grandfather, so it's something we can carry along to future generations.
Hashem forbid, if something were to happen to our house to render it unlivable, I'd definitely miss the kitchen. My husband did an amazing job designing it and the contractors really brought his design to life. It's the central focus of our house now. I'd hate to see all that hard work and planning go to waste. I think that's really about it. Everything else is replaceable, even though some things were passed along from one generation to the next. I don't feel as strong of an attachment to those things when it comes down to making sure those don't get destroyed. The most important thing is that my family is safe and we're all together.
This week, Mom of Many picked the topic: In light of all the fires and other natural disasters, if you had to evacuate your home, what would you take with you and why? If your home was destroyed what would you miss most?
Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock
The topic for this post made me think of a song from Rent, which is what I used for the subject line.
I recently read a novel called "Keepsake" by Kristina Riggle, who visited Chick Lit Central this week (and there's a chance to win a free copy....hint, hint). It's about a woman who becomes a compulsive hoarder and could potentially lose custody of her child after some of her stuff falls on and injures him. The story made me put my own collection of “stuff” into perspective. I even went through a box of toys and papers in my boys’ room and made them help me organize it. I was proud of my older son for making some mature decisions about what to keep and what to throw away. However, when we went to the mall to beat the heat, he wanted everything he saw, even if it didn’t make sense for him to have it.
This past week, we had a major storm, probably the worst I’ve ever seen. It knocked out our power from Friday night until Wednesday morning. It was so stifling hot that we escaped to a hotel for some much needed air conditioning. They had a pool too! I was rushing around packing clothes to last us a few days, given we were expected to be without power till mid-week, or possibly longer. My first priority was all the stuff my older son and daughter need for their cochlear implants. If they couldn’t hear, it would be like our camping trip all over again. I brought their batteries and battery charger, as well as manual batteries, just in case. Then there were the toiletries, like important prescriptions, dental hygiene products and hair care products. (My hair gets so frizzy in the heat!) We also had to make sure we had swim wear and inner tubes for the pool. We ended up buying the inner tubes since the ones we had were dirty or out of air and I didn’t feel like dragging them along. Then there were clothing items, which were a necessity and toys to keep the kids entertained (even though the TV and pool did that job even better). I had to take my laptop so I could communicate with everyone and keep Chick Lit Central stuff updated. Plus, a majority of my photos are stored there or on my Facebook account. Finally, I brought along some books. I can’t go anywhere without a book!
Whenever I go to visit my family, they tell me not to bring a lot since there’s a Wal-Mart nearby and they also have a laundry machine. In this case, we also had a Wal-Mart nearby (and this one was so nice too), but we weren’t going to spend a fortune on hotel laundry services. When we had the power outage, I was reminded of this reality show we watched back in 2003 about two couples who try to live on a prairie with limited resources. (They had to plow for their grain to make wheat for bread and wash up in a pond.) I was thinking how fortunate we are that we have stores around to replace whatever we leave behind. When we were at the mall, I was mainly shopping for kids’ clothes, even though I got myself some much needed shoes (my other shoes were so worn out that they were getting really uncomfortable). I got a few little toys for the kids, but nothing else all that major. I was tempted to get some more Full House DVDs, but the used versions were still so overpriced!
I may seem materialistic, but I really am not. I could use a beat up purse for years without thinking much about it. I try to spend frugally, only looking for sale prices to justify my purchases. (I tell you, I am REALLY spoiled by the prices at my favorite thrift store!) I think it’s important to have comfortable clothes and all the other necessities. I like to spoil my kids with fun little things, as long as they aren’t overpriced. I couldn’t justify getting my older son a pen that cost $5.50 because it had a Disney character on it. What a joke! A PEN! For $5.50! I can get two boxes of cereal for that amount! So when it comes to a potential or real evacuation, I just take the stuff that we’ll need to get by (clothes, toiletries, hearing items). I even pack along some food items since my kids are picky and sometimes breakfast is not included at a hotel or it’s too early to get up and partake in their continental buffet (the one at our first hotel ended at 8:30). Then there's my laptop and at least one good book, if not more. In the end, I was more upset about all the food we lost than the potential of losing our material items. My wedding ring is always on my hand, so that stays with me. I would be upset if I lost it because of the sentimental value and all the thought my husband put into designing it for me. The diamond was handed down to him by his grandfather, so it's something we can carry along to future generations.
Hashem forbid, if something were to happen to our house to render it unlivable, I'd definitely miss the kitchen. My husband did an amazing job designing it and the contractors really brought his design to life. It's the central focus of our house now. I'd hate to see all that hard work and planning go to waste. I think that's really about it. Everything else is replaceable, even though some things were passed along from one generation to the next. I don't feel as strong of an attachment to those things when it comes down to making sure those don't get destroyed. The most important thing is that my family is safe and we're all together.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Let's go to the movies....or not?
When I wrote my post last week about stuff I enjoyed in the past but don't enjoy now, I didn't include "going to the movies" as one of the items. It's something I go back and forth about because going to the movies these days is nothing like it was when I was younger. I still enjoy going to the theater--sometimes--but there's a price to pay, and I don't just mean from my wallet.
Back in the day, movies were reasonably priced. Usually about $4.00 for a matinee. And if you had a coupon from the Entertainment book, it was $4.00 at night too. The only time it's $4.00 to go to a movie theater now is if you get some major deal from Groupon for Fandango. Otherwise, it's $12 for an adult to see a matinee. At least it feels that way. It's not any less expensive for kids. Maybe $10 instead? There are NO second run theaters out by where I live. We have the big name ones like Regal and AMC. When I lived in Illinois, the dollar theater was around the corner. I loved it there. Sure, we would see these cheesy ads before the movie started and the seats weren't super comfortable, but it was nice for a date night where we didn't feel like we were spending a fortune. It reminded me of being in college and all the inexpensive options for seeing a movie on or off campus. Also, snack items were way more reasonably priced back then. I don't even bother getting snacks at the theater these days. After spending my life savings to see a movie, I am not inclined to go into debt over snacks. What bothers me the most is that theaters show a billion ads before the movie starts, but they're somehow not getting sponsorship for these ads or they would be able to charge more reasonable prices overall.
The next factor is how RUDE people are in the theater. They get up and walk around. They talk during the movie itself. They kick my seat. They play with their cell phones and text all their friends. And I won't even begin to tell you what one of my friends caught someone doing when she went to the theater once. I'll just say that the movie should have been rated X for the behavior it elicited. I also hate when people bring babies or small children to a movie that's clearly for adults. Someone brought a BABY to Les Miz. Seriously! And even when I'm at a family friendly movie, people practically encourage their kids to talk and scream. If your kid is screaming, TAKE THEM TO THE LOBBY!!! I didn't pay half my college tuition to see a movie where the soundtrack is someone's child throwing a tantrum. I'm sorry they're throwing a tantrum when the parents probably paid just as much as I did to see this movie, but if they weren't ready for the theater, they shouldn't have brought them. And now that they did, ignoring them is not going to stop the tantrum from getting worse. I was a kid once too and I remember not allowing my parents to see Mary Poppins in the theater because I was too scared of the dark. That was when tickets were 50 cents though....
I'm still somewhat traumatized by an experience I had while watching Monsters Inc. the first time in the theater back in 2001. Some man came in toward the end and was looking for his wallet. Instead of waiting an extra five minutes for the movie to be over and the lights to go up, he decided to get into our row and practically lean on top of me to look behind me for his wallet, blocking my view of the screen. He ruined an emotional scene for me and also freaked me out considerably. He was breathing really loud the whole time he was leaning over me, so you can imagine why that would be super uncomfortable.
It's also a matter of how great vs. how much of a letdown the movie is. More often than not, I have been disappointed by the movies I've been excited about seeing in the theater (i.e. Les Miz, Frozen, Brave, Avatar, etc.). Maybe one out of every three times I go, I actually enjoy the movie throughout (Monsters University, Wreck-It Ralph, The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted, Turbo). Still, there's an imbalance of movies I didn't like vs. movies I enjoyed. I do want to see Into the Woods and The Last Five Years in the theater, but worry about being disappointed by both.
I still like the feel of being in a theater, where the screen practically overtakes you and the sound fills the room. I may not like the ads before a movie, but I'm a trailer junkie. I love finding out what movies are coming soon and getting a glimpse into them. I like the comfortable chairs that are way better than the ones I sat in at the theater when I was a kid. And stadium seating is amazing. I resent when a theater doesn't have stadium seating and I have to look up from below the screen. There's something intoxicating about the smell of popcorn as you're going into the theater, along with the lights, colors, sounds, etc. It's something that the price, rude people, and caliber of movie can not take away from me.
There's a theater by my parents' house (in the west suburbs of Chicago) that does something awesome...every Tuesday, they charge a flat rate of $5.00 per ticket all day, along with FREE popcorn. We saw Mr. Peabody and Sherman there and got to sit in this auditorium that had really comfortable lounging chairs with lots of room between our row and the row in front of us. It was probably one of the best theater experiences I've had in a long time and I enjoyed the movie too!
I long for a day when we can get back to old school prices for seeing a movie (even just once a week), or at least have some second run theaters established nearby. I don't think either will happen anytime soon. Until my fantasy becomes a reality, I'll just hang out on the couch and watch a DVD in my pajamas, with a bowl of microwave popcorn. That's the ultimate movie experience for me these days!
Back in the day, movies were reasonably priced. Usually about $4.00 for a matinee. And if you had a coupon from the Entertainment book, it was $4.00 at night too. The only time it's $4.00 to go to a movie theater now is if you get some major deal from Groupon for Fandango. Otherwise, it's $12 for an adult to see a matinee. At least it feels that way. It's not any less expensive for kids. Maybe $10 instead? There are NO second run theaters out by where I live. We have the big name ones like Regal and AMC. When I lived in Illinois, the dollar theater was around the corner. I loved it there. Sure, we would see these cheesy ads before the movie started and the seats weren't super comfortable, but it was nice for a date night where we didn't feel like we were spending a fortune. It reminded me of being in college and all the inexpensive options for seeing a movie on or off campus. Also, snack items were way more reasonably priced back then. I don't even bother getting snacks at the theater these days. After spending my life savings to see a movie, I am not inclined to go into debt over snacks. What bothers me the most is that theaters show a billion ads before the movie starts, but they're somehow not getting sponsorship for these ads or they would be able to charge more reasonable prices overall.
The next factor is how RUDE people are in the theater. They get up and walk around. They talk during the movie itself. They kick my seat. They play with their cell phones and text all their friends. And I won't even begin to tell you what one of my friends caught someone doing when she went to the theater once. I'll just say that the movie should have been rated X for the behavior it elicited. I also hate when people bring babies or small children to a movie that's clearly for adults. Someone brought a BABY to Les Miz. Seriously! And even when I'm at a family friendly movie, people practically encourage their kids to talk and scream. If your kid is screaming, TAKE THEM TO THE LOBBY!!! I didn't pay half my college tuition to see a movie where the soundtrack is someone's child throwing a tantrum. I'm sorry they're throwing a tantrum when the parents probably paid just as much as I did to see this movie, but if they weren't ready for the theater, they shouldn't have brought them. And now that they did, ignoring them is not going to stop the tantrum from getting worse. I was a kid once too and I remember not allowing my parents to see Mary Poppins in the theater because I was too scared of the dark. That was when tickets were 50 cents though....
I'm still somewhat traumatized by an experience I had while watching Monsters Inc. the first time in the theater back in 2001. Some man came in toward the end and was looking for his wallet. Instead of waiting an extra five minutes for the movie to be over and the lights to go up, he decided to get into our row and practically lean on top of me to look behind me for his wallet, blocking my view of the screen. He ruined an emotional scene for me and also freaked me out considerably. He was breathing really loud the whole time he was leaning over me, so you can imagine why that would be super uncomfortable.
It's also a matter of how great vs. how much of a letdown the movie is. More often than not, I have been disappointed by the movies I've been excited about seeing in the theater (i.e. Les Miz, Frozen, Brave, Avatar, etc.). Maybe one out of every three times I go, I actually enjoy the movie throughout (Monsters University, Wreck-It Ralph, The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted, Turbo). Still, there's an imbalance of movies I didn't like vs. movies I enjoyed. I do want to see Into the Woods and The Last Five Years in the theater, but worry about being disappointed by both.
I still like the feel of being in a theater, where the screen practically overtakes you and the sound fills the room. I may not like the ads before a movie, but I'm a trailer junkie. I love finding out what movies are coming soon and getting a glimpse into them. I like the comfortable chairs that are way better than the ones I sat in at the theater when I was a kid. And stadium seating is amazing. I resent when a theater doesn't have stadium seating and I have to look up from below the screen. There's something intoxicating about the smell of popcorn as you're going into the theater, along with the lights, colors, sounds, etc. It's something that the price, rude people, and caliber of movie can not take away from me.
There's a theater by my parents' house (in the west suburbs of Chicago) that does something awesome...every Tuesday, they charge a flat rate of $5.00 per ticket all day, along with FREE popcorn. We saw Mr. Peabody and Sherman there and got to sit in this auditorium that had really comfortable lounging chairs with lots of room between our row and the row in front of us. It was probably one of the best theater experiences I've had in a long time and I enjoyed the movie too!
I long for a day when we can get back to old school prices for seeing a movie (even just once a week), or at least have some second run theaters established nearby. I don't think either will happen anytime soon. Until my fantasy becomes a reality, I'll just hang out on the couch and watch a DVD in my pajamas, with a bowl of microwave popcorn. That's the ultimate movie experience for me these days!
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Book Review: The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street
In 1913, little Malka Treynovsky flees Russia with her family. Bedazzled by tales of gold and movie stardom, she tricks them into buying tickets for America. Yet no sooner do they land on the squalid Lower East Side of Manhattan, than Malka is crippled and abandoned in the street.
Taken in by a tough-loving Italian ices peddler, she manages to survive through cunning and inventiveness. As she learns the secrets of his trade, she begins to shape her own destiny. She falls in love with a gorgeous, illiterate radical named Albert, and they set off across America in an ice cream truck. Slowly, she transforms herself into Lillian Dunkle, "The Ice Cream Queen" -- doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises and a celebrated television personality.
Lillian's rise to fame and fortune spans seventy years and is inextricably linked to the course of American history itself, from Prohibition to the disco days of Studio 54. Yet Lillian Dunkle is nothing like the whimsical motherly persona she crafts for herself in the media. Conniving, profane, and irreverent, she is a supremely complex woman who prefers a good stiff drink to an ice cream cone. And when her past begins to catch up with her, everything she has spent her life building is at stake. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
As soon as I opened the book, I was immediately drawn in to Malka's world. She narrates the story through her 75 year-old voice and personality (as Lillian), so there's a lot of wit and humor that wouldn't have been prevalent if she narrated it throughout the time she was coming of age. She uses the word "darlings" to address her audience, and I just love that for some reason. It makes me feel like I'm talking with a long lost relative.
Susan really did a lot of research that comes out in all the detail she uses throughout the story. I really felt like I was right there and could practically taste the ice cream Lillian was selling. It made me want to go back in time to when my grandparents were growing up. I also enjoyed reading about how businesses came about before the Internet existed. (This is coming from someone who doesn't get what people did at work before computers existed.)
Malka/Lillian ranks up there with Wally Lamb's Dolores Price (from She's Come Undone) on my well-developed and incredible characters list. I could easily see them being friends if they were part of the same story. I had to keep closing the cover to make sure I was still reading a book, as Malka/Lillian felt so realistic. Susan wasn't afraid to put her flaws and imperfections out there and allow her to be seen as an unreliable narrator upon whom I could still rely. I hated to love her, honestly. She reminded me of myself in some ways and of people I know in other ways. And she was so easily sympathetic, even when she was at her worst behavior. The only critique I have is that there were too many names to keep track of and I forgot about some people and their significance to the story after a while. However, this didn't detract from my enjoyment in the slightest.
Aside from that, the story had a Forrest Gump feel, as it spanned over a long period of time and incorporated the characters into real historical events, as well as incorporated celebrities and politicians into a fictional story. The other reason is because it was a well told and compelling story that I could easily enjoy on the big screen. I was sort of casting it into my head, but because it spanned so much time, it was hard to stick with one actor. I could see June Gable (who played Estelle on Friends) as 75 year-old Lillian as she's narrating the story. I also pictured Mayim Bialik playing Lillian in her 30s and 40s. I pictured Ty Burrell as a middle-aged Albert ("Bert").
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit the Jewish Food Experience blog to meet Susan.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Thursday, November 24, 2016
In my life
Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about three years, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.
We will be posting bi-weekly as life keeps getting in the way.
Moma Rock chose this week's topic: Write about something ugly — war, fear, hate, cruelty, etc.–but find the beauty (silver lining) in it or something good that comes out of it.
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
When I got this topic, I decided that there is way too much talk about hatred post-election. So I decided to keep it slightly “lighter” and use situations from my personal life instead.
Childbirth:
It’s so ugly, I did it three times! Seriously though, pregnancy starts out ugly if you do not have the rare fortune of not experiencing morning sickness. However, we’re told that morning sickness allows us to know that the baby is in there and growing. I had it somewhat bad the first time, as the Chicago winter air would make me sick as soon as I stepped outside. I also felt a deep-seated nausea all the time and kept a bottle of Sprite and a package of saltines nearby. The second time around, it was very mild. The only time it really acted up was when we lived in this money pit of a rental house in NJ and there was a sewage problem. The third time around was a nightmare. I almost hated eating because I knew whatever I consumed would come up when I “coughed in the potty.” (That’s what my younger son called my frequent bathroom visits.)
Then there’s the delivery. First of all, I hate getting IVs put in and I had to have it done all three times, whether I needed Pitocin or not. Plus, doctors or nurses checking how dilated I was felt so uncomfortable in the throes of labor pains. The only relief was an epidural, which also felt painful to start off. Then there’s the potential of going #2 in the process of delivery. (Yes, this does happen and women should not be ashamed. We’re told to “poop out the baby.”) Don’t even get me started on the blood, or the feel of the placenta coming out. And if stitches are needed, that’s awful too. The epidural does NOT take away from that feeling! If you ever want to curb teen pregnancy, show them a video of someone giving birth. I had to watch that in health class once and it was eye-opening for sure!
However, in the end I had three beautiful babies whom I am more in love with every single day as they continue to grow and flourish.
Fights between friends:
There’s a reason there’s a book called My Other Ex (which I still need to read). Close female friendships are sacred and when there’s a fight, it’s extremely upsetting.
My BFF and I have been together 29 years, so naturally we’ve had our share of arguments. It’s natural and can happen as easily as fights between spouses, siblings, parents and children, etc. I still hate when they happen. There was a time when we stopped talking for about half a year (maybe more). However, we found our way back into the friendship. It took a lot of time and nurturing, but we got back to a really good place after a while. We’ve had other fights since then, but the time off didn’t last as long (maybe a week or so, at the most). And after each fight, we became closer and more in tune with what each other needs out of the friendship. Not to jinx things, but 2016 has been a good year for us, which was kicked off by an awesome ‘80s and ‘90s concert. I have learned from past fights that I need to be a better listener and more supportive. Even though we don’t see each other as often as we would like (when is teleportation going to be invented?!?), we stay close by e-mails, texts, and Google Hangouts (which we need to get back on track with). We’re doing something special to celebrate 30 years in 2017, but that’s all I’m going to say for now.
In other cases, some friends just drop off the face of the planet without a reason. It’s definitely hurtful and hard to cope with sometimes, but then other friendships come into my life that are even more special to me. Maybe it’s just meant to be that way.
"I see dead people."
When I first started my job almost seven years ago, I was handed the task of reading through death notices to find donors who have passed away. Since some may have set up major gifts to go into effect upon their passing, I was required to be vigilant about staying on top of this information and reporting it to my team. Needless to say, I can’t just magically ask Legacy.com to find me only Jewish death notices, so I need to look through a large group of them almost every day. Needless to say, it gets depressing. I hate coming across death notices for babies, children (as well as teens and young adults), or people around my age. I get morbidly curious and look up the reason for their death. Some of the reasons are too awful to comprehend. (“You hold your child as tight as you can and push away the unimaginable.”--“It’s Quiet Uptown,” Hamilton)
The beautiful side of this is seeing some of the tributes to loved ones. It’s nice to see when someone has a lot of family who will cherish their memories. I like looking at the birthday or death anniversary messages to people who have passed long ago. While it is all sad, it’s nice to know that people have left legacies and are not forgotten many years after they have departed from this world.
Tribute to my paternal grandma after she passed away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While there's a lot of awfulness going on in the world at this time and we want to make sense of it by trying to find the beauty, sometimes it's important to look within to find it in the little things that may be ugly at first.
We will be posting bi-weekly as life keeps getting in the way.
Moma Rock chose this week's topic: Write about something ugly — war, fear, hate, cruelty, etc.–but find the beauty (silver lining) in it or something good that comes out of it.
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
When I got this topic, I decided that there is way too much talk about hatred post-election. So I decided to keep it slightly “lighter” and use situations from my personal life instead.
Childbirth:
It’s so ugly, I did it three times! Seriously though, pregnancy starts out ugly if you do not have the rare fortune of not experiencing morning sickness. However, we’re told that morning sickness allows us to know that the baby is in there and growing. I had it somewhat bad the first time, as the Chicago winter air would make me sick as soon as I stepped outside. I also felt a deep-seated nausea all the time and kept a bottle of Sprite and a package of saltines nearby. The second time around, it was very mild. The only time it really acted up was when we lived in this money pit of a rental house in NJ and there was a sewage problem. The third time around was a nightmare. I almost hated eating because I knew whatever I consumed would come up when I “coughed in the potty.” (That’s what my younger son called my frequent bathroom visits.)
Then there’s the delivery. First of all, I hate getting IVs put in and I had to have it done all three times, whether I needed Pitocin or not. Plus, doctors or nurses checking how dilated I was felt so uncomfortable in the throes of labor pains. The only relief was an epidural, which also felt painful to start off. Then there’s the potential of going #2 in the process of delivery. (Yes, this does happen and women should not be ashamed. We’re told to “poop out the baby.”) Don’t even get me started on the blood, or the feel of the placenta coming out. And if stitches are needed, that’s awful too. The epidural does NOT take away from that feeling! If you ever want to curb teen pregnancy, show them a video of someone giving birth. I had to watch that in health class once and it was eye-opening for sure!
However, in the end I had three beautiful babies whom I am more in love with every single day as they continue to grow and flourish.
 |
| So worth the morning sickness and labor pains :) |
Fights between friends:
There’s a reason there’s a book called My Other Ex (which I still need to read). Close female friendships are sacred and when there’s a fight, it’s extremely upsetting.
My BFF and I have been together 29 years, so naturally we’ve had our share of arguments. It’s natural and can happen as easily as fights between spouses, siblings, parents and children, etc. I still hate when they happen. There was a time when we stopped talking for about half a year (maybe more). However, we found our way back into the friendship. It took a lot of time and nurturing, but we got back to a really good place after a while. We’ve had other fights since then, but the time off didn’t last as long (maybe a week or so, at the most). And after each fight, we became closer and more in tune with what each other needs out of the friendship. Not to jinx things, but 2016 has been a good year for us, which was kicked off by an awesome ‘80s and ‘90s concert. I have learned from past fights that I need to be a better listener and more supportive. Even though we don’t see each other as often as we would like (when is teleportation going to be invented?!?), we stay close by e-mails, texts, and Google Hangouts (which we need to get back on track with). We’re doing something special to celebrate 30 years in 2017, but that’s all I’m going to say for now.
 |
| My BFF and I at 12 and 30-something |
"I see dead people."
When I first started my job almost seven years ago, I was handed the task of reading through death notices to find donors who have passed away. Since some may have set up major gifts to go into effect upon their passing, I was required to be vigilant about staying on top of this information and reporting it to my team. Needless to say, I can’t just magically ask Legacy.com to find me only Jewish death notices, so I need to look through a large group of them almost every day. Needless to say, it gets depressing. I hate coming across death notices for babies, children (as well as teens and young adults), or people around my age. I get morbidly curious and look up the reason for their death. Some of the reasons are too awful to comprehend. (“You hold your child as tight as you can and push away the unimaginable.”--“It’s Quiet Uptown,” Hamilton)
The beautiful side of this is seeing some of the tributes to loved ones. It’s nice to see when someone has a lot of family who will cherish their memories. I like looking at the birthday or death anniversary messages to people who have passed long ago. While it is all sad, it’s nice to know that people have left legacies and are not forgotten many years after they have departed from this world.
Tribute to my paternal grandma after she passed away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While there's a lot of awfulness going on in the world at this time and we want to make sense of it by trying to find the beauty, sometimes it's important to look within to find it in the little things that may be ugly at first.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Art of Forensics
I used to wear a sweatshirt that said "Forensics is Not Just Cutting Up Dead Bodies." I got a lot of questions about that shirt! However, I was always proud to announce that I was part of the speech team at my high school.
In the beginning of Freshman year, my English teacher made everyone do a creative writing piece based on "Tom Sawyer" (our assigned summer reading). I had a little too much fun with it. The next thing I knew, I had received a letter formally inviting me to join the Forensics team. My teacher had apparently liked my story enough to give it to the head coach of the team. I went to an event where people would show off their material from each individual event and then we could meet the person whose event we were most interested in. We got to learn more about the events that way. My choice that year was "Original Comedy." The piece I ended up writing and acting was amateur and didn't get me very far. However, my English teacher/coach loved it and I got a simple joy out of making him laugh. He helped me fine tune it a bit, but it still never held a candle to the material of my competitors. I didn't get to go to Regionals because of my cousin's Bar Mitzvah. I was not too happy about that. (No offense to my cousin, but I just really loved being a part of the team.)
During sophomore year, I took a class on individual events and got to try out different types of events throughout the semester. Everyone had to audition for speech team that year by reading song lyrics as verse (which is why I hate "Hotel California" so much). I ended up getting placed in Verse and had fun working on the different poems I chose to present. My favorite was "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" by T.S. Eliot (yes, I know it was turned into a song for "Cats," my least favorite musical). I ended up taking 3rd place at a tournament and I also got to go to Regionals that year. (Talk about a long day!) For the talent show that spring, I read "Mungojerrie..." again and my friend dressed up like a cat and did an interpretive dance while holding a real cat. It was a fun and memorable experience, to say the least.
Junior year was low key. I did Verse again but didn't win any awards. I still went to Regionals though. Senior year was the best overall. I only won at two tournaments and not really high places. I still had a blast though. My sister was on the team and I also became best friends with "Will" because of it. The only annoying part was that I was captain, but one of the girls from the team went behind my back with one of the coaches to try to take over everything. Not that I normally hold grudges, but I still resent both of them for doing so.
One of my favorite parts of going to speech tournaments was flirting. (And you thought I was going to say the nachos at Warren High School, but I hate nachos!) I was the team flirt all four years of high school. I may not have won at many tournaments, but if I got the attention of some guys and maybe scored a few phone numbers, I was on cloud nine! No one from other schools knew my "status" and I got to dress nice and wear make-up. Original Comedy was the best event for flirting (guys tended to participate more often than girls) but I still found ways to meet guys even when I did Verse. I think my coach finally picked up on all my flirting by senior year and teased me about it later. It was so much fun though!
I also enjoyed baking for the tournaments. I'd bring cookies, brownies, etc. I liked baking these big Funfetti cookies (in a pizza pan), which my coach would get addicted to sometimes. I got a little lazy during senior year and started bringing fortune cookies from work.
Going to speech tournaments meant I had to get up before the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning to ride a bus to whichever high school was hosting. I loved when our school hosted. We'd spend the Friday before (usually a day off school for some reason) preparing the classrooms and materials. Everyone worked together and we'd get pizza for lunch. I also got to use my flirting prowess even more because I knew my way around our tricky looking school and some of the guys would get lost easily. I even snuck some guys in to where the athletic department soda machines were hidden, as they were less expensive. The best thing was getting to sleep in on the Saturdays we hosted. I'd sometimes bring friends or my parents would show up. When we hosted during my freshman year, some friends and I walked all the way to McDonald's and back during the lunch break. (Back in the days when I was actually eating at McDonald's.) There were tournaments at other schools where we would go out to lunch as a team. I liked those better than the ones where we were stuck eating gross school hot lunches on a Saturday.
After I graduated, I occasionally got to help judge at a tournament. It usually happened if I was home on winter break and there was a tournament going on. I got paid $90 each time I judged, which was nice. After I graduated college, I got to judge more often. I only did this for a couple of years and then fell out of the loop when someone else took over the team. I enjoyed getting to judge and thought it was a great way to earn some extra money on weekends. I was also pretty nice to the people I judged, as I remembered how a harsh criticism could easily break my spirit or put me into a horrible mood. I think I review books in the same manner these days. :)
Overall, I have some great memories and even funny inside jokes from my speech team days. I don't know what prompted me to think of them recently, but I think that dressing up on Saturday usually triggers a memory or two. I dress up for different reasons now and I'll never be able to judge at tournaments again, unless they move them to Sundays. I hope that will be the case when my kids go to high school, if they take an interest in participating.
Final fun Forensics fact: Ian Brennan, co-writer of "Glee", competed in speech tournaments. I even saw him compete because one of my friends was performing against him and I'd go to support her.
In the beginning of Freshman year, my English teacher made everyone do a creative writing piece based on "Tom Sawyer" (our assigned summer reading). I had a little too much fun with it. The next thing I knew, I had received a letter formally inviting me to join the Forensics team. My teacher had apparently liked my story enough to give it to the head coach of the team. I went to an event where people would show off their material from each individual event and then we could meet the person whose event we were most interested in. We got to learn more about the events that way. My choice that year was "Original Comedy." The piece I ended up writing and acting was amateur and didn't get me very far. However, my English teacher/coach loved it and I got a simple joy out of making him laugh. He helped me fine tune it a bit, but it still never held a candle to the material of my competitors. I didn't get to go to Regionals because of my cousin's Bar Mitzvah. I was not too happy about that. (No offense to my cousin, but I just really loved being a part of the team.)
During sophomore year, I took a class on individual events and got to try out different types of events throughout the semester. Everyone had to audition for speech team that year by reading song lyrics as verse (which is why I hate "Hotel California" so much). I ended up getting placed in Verse and had fun working on the different poems I chose to present. My favorite was "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" by T.S. Eliot (yes, I know it was turned into a song for "Cats," my least favorite musical). I ended up taking 3rd place at a tournament and I also got to go to Regionals that year. (Talk about a long day!) For the talent show that spring, I read "Mungojerrie..." again and my friend dressed up like a cat and did an interpretive dance while holding a real cat. It was a fun and memorable experience, to say the least.
Junior year was low key. I did Verse again but didn't win any awards. I still went to Regionals though. Senior year was the best overall. I only won at two tournaments and not really high places. I still had a blast though. My sister was on the team and I also became best friends with "Will" because of it. The only annoying part was that I was captain, but one of the girls from the team went behind my back with one of the coaches to try to take over everything. Not that I normally hold grudges, but I still resent both of them for doing so.
One of my favorite parts of going to speech tournaments was flirting. (And you thought I was going to say the nachos at Warren High School, but I hate nachos!) I was the team flirt all four years of high school. I may not have won at many tournaments, but if I got the attention of some guys and maybe scored a few phone numbers, I was on cloud nine! No one from other schools knew my "status" and I got to dress nice and wear make-up. Original Comedy was the best event for flirting (guys tended to participate more often than girls) but I still found ways to meet guys even when I did Verse. I think my coach finally picked up on all my flirting by senior year and teased me about it later. It was so much fun though!
I also enjoyed baking for the tournaments. I'd bring cookies, brownies, etc. I liked baking these big Funfetti cookies (in a pizza pan), which my coach would get addicted to sometimes. I got a little lazy during senior year and started bringing fortune cookies from work.
Going to speech tournaments meant I had to get up before the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning to ride a bus to whichever high school was hosting. I loved when our school hosted. We'd spend the Friday before (usually a day off school for some reason) preparing the classrooms and materials. Everyone worked together and we'd get pizza for lunch. I also got to use my flirting prowess even more because I knew my way around our tricky looking school and some of the guys would get lost easily. I even snuck some guys in to where the athletic department soda machines were hidden, as they were less expensive. The best thing was getting to sleep in on the Saturdays we hosted. I'd sometimes bring friends or my parents would show up. When we hosted during my freshman year, some friends and I walked all the way to McDonald's and back during the lunch break. (Back in the days when I was actually eating at McDonald's.) There were tournaments at other schools where we would go out to lunch as a team. I liked those better than the ones where we were stuck eating gross school hot lunches on a Saturday.
After I graduated, I occasionally got to help judge at a tournament. It usually happened if I was home on winter break and there was a tournament going on. I got paid $90 each time I judged, which was nice. After I graduated college, I got to judge more often. I only did this for a couple of years and then fell out of the loop when someone else took over the team. I enjoyed getting to judge and thought it was a great way to earn some extra money on weekends. I was also pretty nice to the people I judged, as I remembered how a harsh criticism could easily break my spirit or put me into a horrible mood. I think I review books in the same manner these days. :)
Overall, I have some great memories and even funny inside jokes from my speech team days. I don't know what prompted me to think of them recently, but I think that dressing up on Saturday usually triggers a memory or two. I dress up for different reasons now and I'll never be able to judge at tournaments again, unless they move them to Sundays. I hope that will be the case when my kids go to high school, if they take an interest in participating.
Final fun Forensics fact: Ian Brennan, co-writer of "Glee", competed in speech tournaments. I even saw him compete because one of my friends was performing against him and I'd go to support her.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Just me and the BSC
When I was 11, I started babysitting for kids outside of my family. It wasn’t always fun and games though. Some kids were complete brats! Then I got the best babysitting job ever, when I was almost 13…for two boys aged one and four (at the time). They were a pleasure to hang out with and we always had fun together (my own boys remind me of them a lot, and not because I’m biased either). My sister and I would tag team babysit and we’d even sing Broadway and Disney songs to them at bedtime. They loved my “kid kit,” as well.
You may have heard the term “kid kit” before. If you read “The Baby-Sitters Club” series (by Ann M. Martin), you would definitely know what it is. It’s basically a box of fun activities to bring with when babysitting. Kids get bored of their own toys and books sometimes (I know this for a fact) and “kid kits” offer variety and entertainment. I not only have the BSC to thank for that, but also for entertaining me and taking me on armchair adventures throughout my youth.
The members of The Baby-Sitters Club (or BSC) were my best fictional friends during my adolescent years. I started reading the books from the beginning, when Kristy first came up with her great idea and invited Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey to join her in this endeavor. Soon more babysitters joined the pack, with the addition of Dawn and later Mallory and Jessi. (I found out that someone named Abby joined after I stopped reading the books.) The BSC dealt with real issues and also gave great babysitting tips, making their jobs look effortless in the process.
The best BSC books were when they would go on these fabulous vacations, which usually entailed lots of trips to amusement parks. I enjoyed living vicariously through their fun adventures and loved when each chapter of the book had a different character sharing their thoughts about the trip. Sometimes it would take place in a regular series book where it would focus on just one of the characters’ perspectives (i.e. “Boy Crazy Stacey”). Sometimes the characters would find a boyfriend and other times they would learn something new about themselves. I also enjoyed the book where they went to NYC and saw a Broadway show and ate at Hard Rock Café. I’m not much of a NY person these days, but I had never been there when I was younger and got to enjoy the trip using my imagination.
My favorite character was Mary Anne. I felt like I could relate to her the most and I also enjoyed living vicariously through her when she and Logan got together. He seemed like a sweet guy and I was definitely jealous of her good fortune at the time, but I still cheered on their relationship.
There was a TV series about the books for a while. I even enjoyed watching those because they had good casting choices and stayed true to the books. I tried watching the movie once but didn’t like the cast as much and gave up watching after a short period of time. (That was just this past spring; I’m not ashamed to admit! I was hoping it would take me back to my youth, but it just didn’t work for me.)
I’m hoping the BSC will still be around (even as used old copies of the books) when my daughter reaches adolescence. I’d love to introduce her to the fictional friends of my youth because they never age and can be around for future generations. I also would love to see a reunion novel for women my age that grew up with the BSC. That would be fun and I’m sure they’d go on at least one vacation throughout the story. When I was younger, it was my “comfort food” in the same way that “Full House” was, and still is. (Is it a coincidence that the characters on that show also got to go on fun adventures all the time?)
I even admitted recently that the BSC is a guilty pleasure of mine because I’d gladly read a BSC book (or two or three) as an adult, just to go back to simpler times. Especially now that the kids I loved babysitting for the most are adults (and one is even married). And while I’ve never made a “kid kit” for my own kids, I enjoy seeing their surprised looks when I show them toys from my past (such as the ones my parents brought over recently). However, I’m now inspired to make a “kid kit” for when we go on our next vacation. And I hope I can find a babysitter who can watch them consistently and who they will like as much as my sister and I liked our regular sitter (when we were kids) and who will like them as much as I liked my favorite “charges.”
You may have heard the term “kid kit” before. If you read “The Baby-Sitters Club” series (by Ann M. Martin), you would definitely know what it is. It’s basically a box of fun activities to bring with when babysitting. Kids get bored of their own toys and books sometimes (I know this for a fact) and “kid kits” offer variety and entertainment. I not only have the BSC to thank for that, but also for entertaining me and taking me on armchair adventures throughout my youth.
The members of The Baby-Sitters Club (or BSC) were my best fictional friends during my adolescent years. I started reading the books from the beginning, when Kristy first came up with her great idea and invited Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey to join her in this endeavor. Soon more babysitters joined the pack, with the addition of Dawn and later Mallory and Jessi. (I found out that someone named Abby joined after I stopped reading the books.) The BSC dealt with real issues and also gave great babysitting tips, making their jobs look effortless in the process.
The best BSC books were when they would go on these fabulous vacations, which usually entailed lots of trips to amusement parks. I enjoyed living vicariously through their fun adventures and loved when each chapter of the book had a different character sharing their thoughts about the trip. Sometimes it would take place in a regular series book where it would focus on just one of the characters’ perspectives (i.e. “Boy Crazy Stacey”). Sometimes the characters would find a boyfriend and other times they would learn something new about themselves. I also enjoyed the book where they went to NYC and saw a Broadway show and ate at Hard Rock Café. I’m not much of a NY person these days, but I had never been there when I was younger and got to enjoy the trip using my imagination.
My favorite character was Mary Anne. I felt like I could relate to her the most and I also enjoyed living vicariously through her when she and Logan got together. He seemed like a sweet guy and I was definitely jealous of her good fortune at the time, but I still cheered on their relationship.
There was a TV series about the books for a while. I even enjoyed watching those because they had good casting choices and stayed true to the books. I tried watching the movie once but didn’t like the cast as much and gave up watching after a short period of time. (That was just this past spring; I’m not ashamed to admit! I was hoping it would take me back to my youth, but it just didn’t work for me.)
I’m hoping the BSC will still be around (even as used old copies of the books) when my daughter reaches adolescence. I’d love to introduce her to the fictional friends of my youth because they never age and can be around for future generations. I also would love to see a reunion novel for women my age that grew up with the BSC. That would be fun and I’m sure they’d go on at least one vacation throughout the story. When I was younger, it was my “comfort food” in the same way that “Full House” was, and still is. (Is it a coincidence that the characters on that show also got to go on fun adventures all the time?)
I even admitted recently that the BSC is a guilty pleasure of mine because I’d gladly read a BSC book (or two or three) as an adult, just to go back to simpler times. Especially now that the kids I loved babysitting for the most are adults (and one is even married). And while I’ve never made a “kid kit” for my own kids, I enjoy seeing their surprised looks when I show them toys from my past (such as the ones my parents brought over recently). However, I’m now inspired to make a “kid kit” for when we go on our next vacation. And I hope I can find a babysitter who can watch them consistently and who they will like as much as my sister and I liked our regular sitter (when we were kids) and who will like them as much as I liked my favorite “charges.”
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Somewhere in the middle...
Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about two years, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.
This week, Darwin Shrugged chose the topic: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Discuss.
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
I personally consider myself to be more of an introvert. If my blog post from last spring about my guilty pleasure is any indication of that, then you would agree. I treasure my alone time and prefer to be with a book vs. actually talking to people. I even bring a book with me to the break room at work. I sometimes will chat with the people who are there at the same time, but it's mostly small talk and then I go back to reading. I make exceptions for people I consider as close friends though.
I'm only really an extrovert online, but it's this persona that makes me feel more comfortable, as I feel so awkward when I have to talk a lot vs. write out my thoughts.
Having said that, I decided to take some online quizzes to assess if I'm more of an introvert or extrovert. Most of them pointed toward the introvert end of the scale, but a few placed me right in the middle, as an ambivert. That's a new term for me, but I can see why the quizzes would come up with such a result.
Here goes....
From an 81 question quiz on Psychology Today:
According to your results you appear to be the type of person who enjoys socializing with both large and smaller, more intimate groups of people. You don't mind being around big crowds, but that doesn't mean you'll want to crash every party you're invited to. Having an active social life and extending your network of friends is relatively important to you, but it isn't the most crucial thing. You've managed to strike a great balance between actively involving yourself in your larger social network, and spending some quality time with a few intimate friends. Although you may not always be the conversation-starter or the "life of the party", you are generally a very outgoing individual, whether among friends or people you are less familiar with.
(I didn't feel like purchasing the full report, so that's all I'm going to get from this one.)
I took tests from Quiet Revolution and Fortune and got the same result from both:
AMBIVERT
Based on your responses, you’re an ambivert. That means you fall smack in the middle of the introvert-extrovert spectrum. In many ways, ambiverts have the best of both worlds, able to tap into the strengths of both introverts and extroverts as needed. See below for information on introverts and extroverts; you’ll likely see part of yourself in both.
The Introvert-Extrovert Test says that I'm Somewhat Introverted
What does it mean?
This test points to the fact that you tend to be more introverted than extroverted. This would point to the fact that you like taking time for yourself, but do know how to have fun. Your friends are very close, and you consider most other people your peers.
I then took a test from Psychologies (UK). It had interesting questions, but the one about my reaction to losing my car keys wasn't really a fit for any of the answers, as I would ask someone for help if I felt really stuck.
You are more of a public introvert and private extrovert
Within your circle of family and friends, you are completely at ease and it’s often you who takes the lead to organise outings, dinners, vacations, etc. However, as soon as you are in a public or professional setting you become rather inhibited. You don’t feel in tune with what you would qualify as agitation, rivalry or vainglory and this can sometimes appear to others as a kind of hidden criticism or a lack of ambition. In fact, your pragmatic temperament helps you successfully manage problems as and when they arise. You aren’t the kind to calculate your every move and plan every inch of your life, and you find the sphere of family and friends to be much more gratifying to the professional sphere. You are more expressive in emotional, sensorial and human terms and at home your organisation skills and capacity to oil the family wheels work well and many of your family and friends appreciate your qualities and skills. At first glance, people find it hard to understand how you could be so comfortable organising your private life and then seem to lose the better part of your self-confidence when you’re in public. Maybe it’s a question of rhythm? If you feel comfortable in your domestic rhythm it’s perhaps because it works more on a short-term basis (day, week or more rarely a month). On the contrary, the rhythm of professional life seems less concrete and more distant as the professional agenda works more to quarterly or annual plans, that you have no control over. Is this the source of your lessened motivation? You can’t control all the cards so you have to adapt and, in fact, that doesn’t interest you at all? If this difference between work and home life doesn’t bother you, then carry on. However, if you feel frustrated by this imbalance, it could be useful to look into the deeper reasons (either on your own or with someone else) that keep you less focused on professional ambition. For instance, such reasons could be: a lack of thanks and recognition, a fear of not being up to the mark… It’s up to you to find out.
A quiz from BuzzFeed says:
You got: Mild introvert!
You're an introvert, but not to the point that you like to always be alone and constantly let down your friends. You know the value of a good book or really great film and your time by yourself is very important, but that doesn't mean you won't occasionally go along for drinks after work or on the odd night out when you fancy it. Still, you're more of a listener than a speaker, and you're much happier being on the outside of a conversation looking in than being the centre of attention.
LonerWolf says:
You have reached 57 of 100 points, (57%)
If you score was between:
40 – 60 points You’re an Ambivert.
Darwin Shrugged also asked us what we thought the others in the group were. It will be interesting to see if our answers matched up. Here are my guesses:
Darwin Shrugged and Moma Rock--Ambiverts. This is based on how they present themselves on Facebook and in their blog posts. I think they both enjoy much-needed alone time but also are comfortable in social situations.
Froggie--Extrovert (only saying this because I know her in person and can see how she easily connects with people in face-to-face interactions)
Are YOU an introvert or extrovert?
This week, Darwin Shrugged chose the topic: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Discuss.
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
I'm only really an extrovert online, but it's this persona that makes me feel more comfortable, as I feel so awkward when I have to talk a lot vs. write out my thoughts.
Having said that, I decided to take some online quizzes to assess if I'm more of an introvert or extrovert. Most of them pointed toward the introvert end of the scale, but a few placed me right in the middle, as an ambivert. That's a new term for me, but I can see why the quizzes would come up with such a result.
Here goes....
From an 81 question quiz on Psychology Today:
According to your results you appear to be the type of person who enjoys socializing with both large and smaller, more intimate groups of people. You don't mind being around big crowds, but that doesn't mean you'll want to crash every party you're invited to. Having an active social life and extending your network of friends is relatively important to you, but it isn't the most crucial thing. You've managed to strike a great balance between actively involving yourself in your larger social network, and spending some quality time with a few intimate friends. Although you may not always be the conversation-starter or the "life of the party", you are generally a very outgoing individual, whether among friends or people you are less familiar with.
(I didn't feel like purchasing the full report, so that's all I'm going to get from this one.)
I took tests from Quiet Revolution and Fortune and got the same result from both:
AMBIVERT
Based on your responses, you’re an ambivert. That means you fall smack in the middle of the introvert-extrovert spectrum. In many ways, ambiverts have the best of both worlds, able to tap into the strengths of both introverts and extroverts as needed. See below for information on introverts and extroverts; you’ll likely see part of yourself in both.
The Introvert-Extrovert Test says that I'm Somewhat Introverted
What does it mean?
This test points to the fact that you tend to be more introverted than extroverted. This would point to the fact that you like taking time for yourself, but do know how to have fun. Your friends are very close, and you consider most other people your peers.
I then took a test from Psychologies (UK). It had interesting questions, but the one about my reaction to losing my car keys wasn't really a fit for any of the answers, as I would ask someone for help if I felt really stuck.
You are more of a public introvert and private extrovert
Within your circle of family and friends, you are completely at ease and it’s often you who takes the lead to organise outings, dinners, vacations, etc. However, as soon as you are in a public or professional setting you become rather inhibited. You don’t feel in tune with what you would qualify as agitation, rivalry or vainglory and this can sometimes appear to others as a kind of hidden criticism or a lack of ambition. In fact, your pragmatic temperament helps you successfully manage problems as and when they arise. You aren’t the kind to calculate your every move and plan every inch of your life, and you find the sphere of family and friends to be much more gratifying to the professional sphere. You are more expressive in emotional, sensorial and human terms and at home your organisation skills and capacity to oil the family wheels work well and many of your family and friends appreciate your qualities and skills. At first glance, people find it hard to understand how you could be so comfortable organising your private life and then seem to lose the better part of your self-confidence when you’re in public. Maybe it’s a question of rhythm? If you feel comfortable in your domestic rhythm it’s perhaps because it works more on a short-term basis (day, week or more rarely a month). On the contrary, the rhythm of professional life seems less concrete and more distant as the professional agenda works more to quarterly or annual plans, that you have no control over. Is this the source of your lessened motivation? You can’t control all the cards so you have to adapt and, in fact, that doesn’t interest you at all? If this difference between work and home life doesn’t bother you, then carry on. However, if you feel frustrated by this imbalance, it could be useful to look into the deeper reasons (either on your own or with someone else) that keep you less focused on professional ambition. For instance, such reasons could be: a lack of thanks and recognition, a fear of not being up to the mark… It’s up to you to find out.
A quiz from BuzzFeed says:
You got: Mild introvert!
You're an introvert, but not to the point that you like to always be alone and constantly let down your friends. You know the value of a good book or really great film and your time by yourself is very important, but that doesn't mean you won't occasionally go along for drinks after work or on the odd night out when you fancy it. Still, you're more of a listener than a speaker, and you're much happier being on the outside of a conversation looking in than being the centre of attention.
LonerWolf says:
You have reached 57 of 100 points, (57%)
If you score was between:
40 – 60 points You’re an Ambivert.
Darwin Shrugged also asked us what we thought the others in the group were. It will be interesting to see if our answers matched up. Here are my guesses:
Darwin Shrugged and Moma Rock--Ambiverts. This is based on how they present themselves on Facebook and in their blog posts. I think they both enjoy much-needed alone time but also are comfortable in social situations.
Froggie--Extrovert (only saying this because I know her in person and can see how she easily connects with people in face-to-face interactions)
Are YOU an introvert or extrovert?
Thursday, February 12, 2015
You've got (WAY too much) mail!
Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for about a year now, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.
This week, Moma Rock chose the topic: What is something you're really bad at?
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
Right around the time we got our topic from Moma Rock, I received this fortune at a Chinese restaurant.
I thought it was fitting, since I can't really change something unless I'm aware of the problem to begin with. Well, I've been aware of my burgeoning inbox over at my Gmail account and have been loath to do anything about it. I've been hoarding e-mails there since late May of 2006, starting with a message from my friend Denise (NOT Darwin Shrugged), where we were joking about John Krasinski for some reason.
The amount of new mail in my inbox is only half of the total amount. My older son will look at my inbox sometimes and make fun of how many messages I have not opened yet. You'll also notice the folder called "Ads," which is where I have mail sent if it's for Groupon, magazine subscriptions, Goldstar tickets, etc. I could easily empty this mailbox, and I just never seem to get around to it.
This week, Moma Rock chose the topic: What is something you're really bad at?
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
Right around the time we got our topic from Moma Rock, I received this fortune at a Chinese restaurant.
I thought it was fitting, since I can't really change something unless I'm aware of the problem to begin with. Well, I've been aware of my burgeoning inbox over at my Gmail account and have been loath to do anything about it. I've been hoarding e-mails there since late May of 2006, starting with a message from my friend Denise (NOT Darwin Shrugged), where we were joking about John Krasinski for some reason.
The amount of new mail in my inbox is only half of the total amount. My older son will look at my inbox sometimes and make fun of how many messages I have not opened yet. You'll also notice the folder called "Ads," which is where I have mail sent if it's for Groupon, magazine subscriptions, Goldstar tickets, etc. I could easily empty this mailbox, and I just never seem to get around to it.
The amount listed for my inbox was from Sunday. It has gone up to 10,849 as of this past Wednesday at 4:20 pm.
And here's the total amount of messages in my inbox. Brace yourselves...this is NOT pretty!
Having said all this, something I'm REALLY bad at is managing my e-mail. I not only have this account, but also three Gmail accounts related to my book blog (why I don't condense some, I will never know). In addition to that, I have a Yahoo account I rarely ever check unless I need to post something to a listserv I'm connected to there so that it doesn't clog up my Gmail account. There's also my Facebook Messenger inbox, which is quite a mess. And finally, my work e-mail, which I won't even try to make you anxious about.
Now that I'm aware of this problem, I realize there are some changes I need to make. I'm going to first start with my personal Gmail account.
1. I'm going to go back to messages from years ago and just dump anything that doesn't have a picture attached to it. I'll do it in small groups as to not get overwhelmed.
2. I'm going to clean out my "Ads" folder, even if it's just deleting 100 a day. Again, small groups.
3. I'm going to create some folders into which I can place certain messages. I have a "follow up" folder for messages I know I need to reply to soon.
4. I'm going to send anything book blog related to one of my book blog accounts to answer over there.
5. I'm going to unsubscribe from companies that send me ads that I don't even care to open anyway. (This will also be done in small groups.)
I think five is a good set of steps to start with. I will report back in a month to let you know where I'm at with this progress. I need someone to hold me accountable for inbox organization, and who better to do it than my readers! Here's hoping I'll actually be able to conquer these tasks! Wish me luck.
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| Physical embodiment of where my e-mails should go. |
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Facing my "Demon"
Our blog project group has once again changed by one member, but I'm still calling it Blog Project 3.0. The newest member is Darwin Shrugged, a friend of Froggie's. I recently got to know her better through "52 Stories" and I look forward to what she has to say on the upcoming topics.
This week is Darwin Shrugged's first topic for our group: Slightly in honor of Halloween, I'd like us to write about facing a fear -- one we've faced, one we've yet to faced, etc.
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic:
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
When I was a kid, I was terrified of roller coasters. The only ones I could handle were the kid-friendly ones, such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World. Anything that had a chance of going upside down or even downhill too fast was just not an option for me. Therefore, it was hard to find much to do at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. I would go there on field trips from camp or school and there were only a small amount of things I could do. Mostly it was the kiddie rides and watching shows. When I went from camp, they split us into roller coaster and non-roller coaster groups, which was nice. However, when I went on the eighth grade field trip from junior high, it wasn't so easy. The two girls I was hanging out with at the time (I've since reunited with one of them and we've become closer as a result) wanted to go on the roller coasters. I ended up spending a lot of time sitting on benches, waiting for them to get off the roller coasters. I only went on the Whizzer, which was tame, mostly geared toward kids or people, like me, who were scared of a real roller coaster. Needless to say, I should have brought a book with.
The summer before junior year of high school, I went to Great America again for a synagogue youth group event. My BFF came with, as her goal was to get me to ride roller coasters. We also met up with my close friend from Madison and some of her friends. I think my BFF started me off slowly, on somewhat tame but somewhat wild roller coasters. The whole day is a blur, but I know I rode a lot of the scary ones, including Iron Wolf (the one you stand up on) and Batman (where there is nothing under your feet). She wanted me to go on Shock Wave, but that was pressing her luck. I'm pretty sure I rode the Demon, which was another scary-looking ride. All I know is that I had a blast and got over my fear rather quickly. It was exhiliarating going around loops and speeding down hills without any control on my part. I just had to enjoy the ride (and scream...a LOT). It became a natural high for me. This also helped my social life at the next trip to Great America, which was on Physics Day during senior year of high school. I was able to ride all the roller coasters without a problem that time too, thus getting to hang out with other people from my class who liked roller coasters (one was a girl I reconnected with because of "Rocky Horror"). It was exhilarating to scream expletives while going in upside down loops. I went there a few more times after that trip.
Sadly, my roller coaster euphoria ended in 2001. I went there over Memorial Day weekend with "Will" and he even managed to get me on Shock Wave (he had to go to "Rocky Horror" with me in exchange). I felt like my earrings were going to pierce another hole through my head from that ride! In any case, it wasn't that I didn't have fun on the roller coasters. I always have fun with "Will." It was more that I had motion sickness from that trip. I even took Dramamine to ease the effects. By the end of the day, I just wanted to crawl into bed and never come out. I went to sleep at an unreasonably early hour for a holiday weekend. I went to a local carnival a few months later and felt the same way after some of the rides there. I think the only rides I can go on these days without becoming incredibly nauseated are carousels and ferris wheels. Thankfully, my husband doesn't do roller coasters either, so we have no reason to spend a fortune at amusement parks geared toward thrill rides.
In any case, I'm glad I braved the roller coasters and have my BFF to thank. If she ever wants me to return the favor (even though she's braver than I am...and probably less motion-sick too, when it comes to stuff like this), I'd be glad to help her get over a fear.
Other stuff I still will NOT do (mostly out of fear):
This week is Darwin Shrugged's first topic for our group: Slightly in honor of Halloween, I'd like us to write about facing a fear -- one we've faced, one we've yet to faced, etc.
First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic:
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock
When I was a kid, I was terrified of roller coasters. The only ones I could handle were the kid-friendly ones, such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World. Anything that had a chance of going upside down or even downhill too fast was just not an option for me. Therefore, it was hard to find much to do at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. I would go there on field trips from camp or school and there were only a small amount of things I could do. Mostly it was the kiddie rides and watching shows. When I went from camp, they split us into roller coaster and non-roller coaster groups, which was nice. However, when I went on the eighth grade field trip from junior high, it wasn't so easy. The two girls I was hanging out with at the time (I've since reunited with one of them and we've become closer as a result) wanted to go on the roller coasters. I ended up spending a lot of time sitting on benches, waiting for them to get off the roller coasters. I only went on the Whizzer, which was tame, mostly geared toward kids or people, like me, who were scared of a real roller coaster. Needless to say, I should have brought a book with.
The summer before junior year of high school, I went to Great America again for a synagogue youth group event. My BFF came with, as her goal was to get me to ride roller coasters. We also met up with my close friend from Madison and some of her friends. I think my BFF started me off slowly, on somewhat tame but somewhat wild roller coasters. The whole day is a blur, but I know I rode a lot of the scary ones, including Iron Wolf (the one you stand up on) and Batman (where there is nothing under your feet). She wanted me to go on Shock Wave, but that was pressing her luck. I'm pretty sure I rode the Demon, which was another scary-looking ride. All I know is that I had a blast and got over my fear rather quickly. It was exhiliarating going around loops and speeding down hills without any control on my part. I just had to enjoy the ride (and scream...a LOT). It became a natural high for me. This also helped my social life at the next trip to Great America, which was on Physics Day during senior year of high school. I was able to ride all the roller coasters without a problem that time too, thus getting to hang out with other people from my class who liked roller coasters (one was a girl I reconnected with because of "Rocky Horror"). It was exhilarating to scream expletives while going in upside down loops. I went there a few more times after that trip.
Sadly, my roller coaster euphoria ended in 2001. I went there over Memorial Day weekend with "Will" and he even managed to get me on Shock Wave (he had to go to "Rocky Horror" with me in exchange). I felt like my earrings were going to pierce another hole through my head from that ride! In any case, it wasn't that I didn't have fun on the roller coasters. I always have fun with "Will." It was more that I had motion sickness from that trip. I even took Dramamine to ease the effects. By the end of the day, I just wanted to crawl into bed and never come out. I went to sleep at an unreasonably early hour for a holiday weekend. I went to a local carnival a few months later and felt the same way after some of the rides there. I think the only rides I can go on these days without becoming incredibly nauseated are carousels and ferris wheels. Thankfully, my husband doesn't do roller coasters either, so we have no reason to spend a fortune at amusement parks geared toward thrill rides.
In any case, I'm glad I braved the roller coasters and have my BFF to thank. If she ever wants me to return the favor (even though she's braver than I am...and probably less motion-sick too, when it comes to stuff like this), I'd be glad to help her get over a fear.
Other stuff I still will NOT do (mostly out of fear):
- Ice skate...it's more about the fact that my ankles don't want to cooperate with my feet, but the balance issue also freaks me out. I commend my kids for being able to do it and especially my younger son, who just picks himself up each time he falls.
- Ski....my husband can go on the hills and I'll stay inside by a fire with hot cocoa and a good book.
- Dive into any body of water. Don't tell my freshman year HS P.E. teacher, but I snuck out of the diving test and she never noticed and it didn't even affect my grade! That's how terrified I am to even get near a diving board. I also won't do deep sea diving, as the idea of a fish coming near me freaks me out.
- Anything involving heights (bungee jumping, skydiving, etc.)...my BFF has skydived and there's no WAY she's getting me to do that.
- Get my wisdom teeth removed (not like I really need to, but it's still something I fear anyway)
Other fears I've conquered:
- Driving on highways/expressways
- Driving in the city...mainly Chicago (The first time I drove on Lake Shore Drive was a huge accomplishment). I still refuse to drive anywhere in NYC and drove to DC once but am not sure I'd want to do that again (more that people drive like idiots and directions are confusing).
- Haunted houses (I managed to psyche out a scary clown)
- Getting an epidural (thanks to labor being so painful the first time around)
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