100th POST!!

BOOYAH! Welcome to my 100th blog entry!!! No pressure for a fabulous entry, right? ha. :o)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Got my picks in for the last week of the season....c'MON teams. Currently we're tied for first place in the pool....this is the deciding week. GO BEARS! :-D

In other news....
The trip to madison was grand. I tried lutefisk and learned to make lefse. Very scandinavian...very fun! We also had the wonderful opportunity to weather an ice storm while we were in town. Holy crap holy crap that was a lot of ice. Made for poor driving, that's for sure!

I will have gone to work one day between December 19 and January 2....which is so nice. I've enjoyed the time to catch up on sleep....and learn that comcast has decided to give me access to Bravo with my basic cable package! Project Runway...Top Chef....Biggest Loser marathons....it's been a good time. :o)

That's it for the moment....I think it's time for my afternoon nap.
Love!
And Happy New Year! Time to start deciding what my 2008 New Year's Resolution will be!!

ahhhh...*sigh*....

Blank canvas. So nice.

I had a lot to cover....but suprise...it's all gone. I'm off work until 2008 (with a brief, one day of work on thursday....but really). It's so nice. I can't believe how much I can sleep. Apparently I've been needing that.

I was thinking the other day about my whole "living in someone else's bubble" thing. I think I blogged about it (or xanga'd about it at one point). It's the idea of driving down the road and realizing that for one moment in time, I am headed in the same direction as everyone else around me....but that we're really all headed to different destinations. It's just facinating. There are times I see that in life too. At work, we're all pointed to similar goals/objectives...but our lives spin out from that point of similarity. We have just a brief moment to touch those around us. It's intimidating and exhilirating all at the same time. So much opportunity....but at the same time I feel there's risk. Does any of that make sense? It's a continuing theme of mine....finding purpose in the day-to-day routine.

I heard a stat once that women would choose a job based on the impact they could have....and men choose a job based on the money they would make. There are so many opportunities to make an impact....I can think of two specifics from the past couple of weeks....but it's harder to find them sometimes than I feel it should be. I just want to make the world better....or at least make someone's personal world better. But it's a scary thing to do. It sounds eays...."just be nice and interested"....but there's always the chance that the concern/interest/involvement will be rejected and harshly. Not that it stops me....but there's a pause.

Anyway. At small group tonight, praying before dinner, someone prayed "thank you Jesus for leaving heaven and coming down to earth". And it struck me. Not that it's new news....but Jesus didn't just come to earth as man....he left heaven. To die. You look at His life on earth....and it wasn't easy by any means. It had to be downright depressing at times. His fully man portion must have wondered if he was making any impact at all. Eternally, he knew, he was going to have the impact of all impacts. But in a day to day life....every day didn't have a win.

There was a county song on the radio tonight, and the lyrics were so impactful to me. (i cried, but that seems to be the standard lately...don't know why). It talks about a man crossing a bridge who sees another man leave his cardboard box and approach him. The homeless man begs the other man for a few coins...and then says he wasn't always like this. He was second to none....he had his moments. The other man hesitates and then replies that he wasn't always the man he was....he had his moments when he was down and out too. And the song ends with the first man singing that he saved a man's life as he aimed to jump off the bridge. And in that moment, I realized how blessed I am. It's all in your perspective, isn't it. While I may hit my snags of depression....I need to step back and realize just how good I have it. I have a car. I have a house. I have the means to buy my friends and family gifts. I am dressed warmly and well. I have food for my table and some money in savings. Perspective. Perspective. Looking at life from the underneath of a bridge....with my cardboard box behind me....I don't think i could live it. But God is good. All the time. And even so, it is well with my soul. Perspective, it's everything.

Didn't mean to end on a down note. Instead, Merry Christmas. Remember the amazing gift we've been given....Jesus Christ in the form of man joining us on earth. In a few short months we'll be celebrating his death and resurection....but for now....let's celebrate the sacrifice he made....leaving heaven in order to give us the choice to join Him there someday. that's a pretty big WOW in my book.
Love you all.
-me.

growing old....

It hit me yesterday. I was sitting in a meeting, thinking about how I'm turning another year older soon and how a friend recently joked that I don't act seriously enough to ever be "in charge", when I realized I'm an adult. Although I don't feel like one (and certainly don't look like one)….my life says I'm a grown-up.

It took me by surprise because I feel like I still have so much growing and changing left to do….I don't want this to be my grown-up self! Not that I don't like who I am….I just thought that was I became an adult I'd be more serious….more of the time. And so that got me to thinking about who I really am….I still feel like a kid who's slowly growing up, yet I'm guessing that most of the people I interact with (outside of family and friends) view me as someone who's past the childhood phase. It makes me think….do I want my adult self to be this silly? This flippant? This crazy? This unserious? I don't like the alternative….so I guess so.

And it's not like I think I can't change the whole rest of my life….I just realized that more than a quarter of my life is over. That's kind of intimidating…especially when one considers that the older one gets, the more one gets set in ones ways. Just a lot to think about, right?

In other news, announcement: If I walk behind you, outdoors, and in the cold wind….I should not be choking on your frangrance. It means you're wearing WAY too much….tone it DOWN thankyouverymuch.

I'm going to post an article later….Jess and I are reading/emailing on it. Some interesting points/thoughts. We'll discuss. :o)

eeeee! :o)

That is my mood today. :o) BECAUSE, i painted my nails on my day off from work (that short, dark style that's totally in right now....it still is, right? i see it all over the place!) and because i just caught part of the TV show Samantha Who and it's SUPER cute. Has anyone seen it? Can you catch me up on who that guy from What About Brian is supposed to be in this show?

I also made chili.

And you know how I think the new "mixed tape" shop is selling drugs? Today I turned the street behind a mercedes....driver headed to the mixed tape shop. I mean, c'mon really.

YAy fun nails! I think I may get an actual manicure so I can get rid of the painted cuticles. :o)

MORE neighborhood news....

Turns out, the sketchy strip mall near my house finally filled their open store space. Guess what they're selling. That's right....urban clothing and MIXED TAPES! Apparently they didn't get the memo about CDs, the internet, and MP3 players. Gonna be awkward for them....unless it's all a cover for drugs like I've suspected for a while. I've found it interesting how it seems like the same people start all these unusual stores....and just rotate space. There were a bunch of cop cars out a few weeks ago arresting someone...but it was on the other side of the street. So I guess the drug trafficking will continue for a while longer.....

neighborhood news...

I homesteaded my house today...not really sure what that means except that my property taxes are supposed to be lower. Yay! I felt about 12 years old when I went into City Hall....felt weird.

Driving back I encountered another one of my neighborhood wanders...not the creepy "may be a molester" man....this was a guy who may have been deaf. I hope he was deaf, because otherwise he was just rude. There were cars parked on one side of the (two lane) street....and he was walking directly down the middle of the open area. Um. So I had to follow him at negative 2 miles per hour for a BLOCK. I didn't wan to honk because we were only about two blocks from my house and what if he followed me!? So yeah. Dumb.

In other news, I shared a different neighborhood story with my Mom this afternoon. She didn't appreciate it. Turns out that when I'm approached at 11:30pm in the Rainbow parking lot by a creepy man asking for a ride....she doesn't want to know. I shared with her the tips I shared with all my girls when I was a CA:
-Let the person know that you see him/her
-Avoid the person (I walked around the other side of my car...yes, he was that close)
-Be alert...don't be talking on your cell phone completely unaware of your surroundings...and don't be digging in your purse without watching around you
-Don't wear your hair in a pony tail (nice handle to grab during abductions)
-Expect the worse (I was prepared to throw my groceries/eggs/milk at him....or run him over with my car)

See how this works?! :o)

It's cold and starting to snow here....and since I haven't made my declaration yet this season...let me just say: I HATE WINTER!!

Thankyouthatisall. :o)
10th annual thanksgiving-eve party tonight....YEAH edina! :o)
love!
-r

Send a soldier a note!

This is cool....
www.letssaythanks.com

making history

In light of the Fast Company article, the recent news on the lutheran pastors in bangladesh, and other close to home high publicity people....this article got me thinking...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/the_frenchamerican_alliance_is.html

Won't it be weird someday to look back and be quoted like Lafayette? We all have the potential to be that impactful....are we taking the opportunities before us?

coffee = nicotine

no, seriously. i'm addicted.

headache, sore throat, tense shoulders....they all disappear after that first sip.

Green

This is cool....(I maybe had something to do with one of them....!!) :o)
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/50-ways-to-green-your-business.html

So, yes. Be green.

In other news. IM. We got Instant Message at work!!! It's essentially MSN messager...with a bunch of emoticons that I don't remember having in MSN. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this...or hate this. I already have a tough time concentrating on one task....and I think the IM will just make it more difficult.

A few cute comments I heard around the office though:
"Oh! I just got my first IM! Let's see...do you want to add 'so-and-so' to your contact list...hmm...do I want to add the boss to my contact list....."
"Now, I've added my daughter to my contact list...but she's not coming up as online! What's wrong?"

Oh....funny. :o) The first, not an IM...just a notification. The second, daughter doesn't work here. It's definitely got the office interacting more...which I support. :o)

Also....it's "write a card to a soldier in Iraq" month at work. Which last year I didn't do because I didn't know what to say. Now, having had a friend in Afghanistan, and understanding the news focus on such things as Brittany Spears' head shaving....I am committed to writing and sending these cards. So, if you get a chance to do something like this, I say support it (regardless of your views on the war itself).

Happy Monday!
-R

this blog i once read....

Back in college i used to peruse numerous blogs on.....xanga, maybe? There was one that i read relatively regularly....not sure how i found it. I'm sure it was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend....so a friend thrice removed?

Anyway. Her writing style was very conversational, yet reflective....made me keep coming back. Many of her posts were complaints/comments on life in college...and while I don't remember many of the specifics, one thing stuck with me. She was addicted to coffee. To the point where it perhaps mimicked others' addiction to cigarettes...and she pretty much subsisted on only coffee. Which I thought of this morning as I had my breakfast (of coffee) and remembered my dinner (at caribou) last night. Hrm. :o) That was it...that was the point. My coffee of late made me think back to this random blog i used to read.

Which makes me think about all the things in life that we experienced so briefly that we have but faint memories. Seems to happen frequently to me....most often in re-meeting people I met long ago in one of those fain memories. My friend Abby recently brought up our trip to Sonshine Music festival and how we caught a ride with a band from the cities.....of which we knew one member that did not ride with us. So random, so weird, so almost forgotten! And there are SO many others. Random youth group trips, college interactions in classes, dorm gatherings, etc. Makes me feel old.

And that is all for the moment.....
!!
-R :o)

oh, ps. we got IM at work. there will DEFINITELY be a post about THAT later.... HA!

Sprint people = rude people

Seriously.

So, I got to work early this morning (6:30am thankyouverymuch). Was walking in and noticed these two guys just loaded down with stuff so I hurried ahead to get and hold the door for them. They both walked through, looked at me, and then kept walking...like they expected me to get and hold the door for them! No thank you, no smile, no nothing! It's not that I expected a thank you for everyone....but to have someone expect the door to be held! Are you kidding me?!

So. Don't sign up for Sprint (that's who they were....sprint reps). Dumb.

my thoughts

I've decided I'm going to start giving you book reports. Get excited - they're coming. Soon, a review on The 4-Hour Work Week. :o)

Anyone catch the new Facebook developments? How amazing it is that the media and companies are swarming this 23-year-old kid to get the very in depth information on our movements/tendencies/thoughts/reactions/etc. WOW is pretty much all I can say about that.

There was an article in Fast Company last month where he was talking about how the internet digitalized our business networks - dry cleaners, stores, photo processing, etc....essentially our info needs. His thought is that Facebook will digitalize our personal networks. We'll share all personal/social information via Facebook - he even mentioned medical records: hospitals/doctors able to access your medical records through Facebook.

I think it's kind of creepy. In fact, the thought briefly crossed my mind (in a hyper-conservative, right-wing evangelicaly way)...that maybe this is "the mark of the beast".....eh? One never knows.

Any thoughts on how I can make some quick (legal) cash? Please send info. :o)

S'all!
-R

restroom usage

Poll question....
How do you select your stall/urinal when using the restroom?

No, I'm serious! I was just in a ginormous restroom....upwards of 15-20 stalls. I was the only one in the restroom and the lady who came in used the stall right next to me! What is that!? I always use at least one stall over...and only directly next to another stall if there are no other options!!! Seriously people.

the earth

So, I'm trying to be more environmentally friendly lately. I've taken to carrying around these canvas bags in my car so when I go grocery shopping or target shopping, i don't need to choose between paper and plastic. I've become more vigilant about recycling.

And then yesterday, I was in line at the Factory Card Outlet. As I watched the cashier ring up my purchases and then bag them into my eco-friendly canvas bag...I wondered if she thought it was ironic as I did that I was buying paper plates and cups. UM, shoot.

In other news...halloween was wednesday. Anyone have any advice on how to deal with pre-teen hoodlums? I had two doorbell rings (this was my first time ever doing anything with trick-or-treating) and the first was a group of six boys in skater gear (not a costume, i've seen them skating all over the neighborhood). I gave them some candy and then noticed that a bag of leaves from my neighbor's yard was split and opened all over my yard....as well as a large rubber ball one of the hoodlums was kicking around. When asked, they claimed to know nothing about the ball (that i'd just seen them kick) or the scattered bag/leaves/rake.

What the heck. How do I find their parents?! Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Out! Happy WEEKEND! :-D
-R

Labels

I'm going back and adding labels to my posts...it's very exciting. so get excited. and USE them! :o)

StrengthsFinder!

BOOK RECOMMENDATION!
Read...StrengthsFinder 2.0. You have to buy the book so that you get your personalized access code to the online assessment. The test finds your top five strengths out of 34 strengths. It's seriously amazing.

Both Best Buy and Wells Fargo heavily use this assessment in both training and everyday work. In speaking with the few people I know who've taken the test, I've been amazed at how accurate the results seem to be. Not only does it help me understand why these people behave in the way they do, it also helps me understand the best way for me to interact.

The website: www.strengthsfinder.com will have some additional information (especially if you buy the book and take the assessment). In addition to a short description of each strength, you get a fuller explanation of how that strength might manifest itself in your personality based on the other four strengths. Here are my Top 5 strengths and a short description of each:
Positivity:
People who are especially talented in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Developer:
People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
Activator:
People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Input:
People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Arranger:
People who are especially talented in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

I can post the fuller explanations if anyone is interested. I actually thought that was the cooler part anyway.
So yeah, it's pretty awesome! And it's so insightful (and yes, my excitement and urging of you to participate is both my Positivity and Activator themes emerging)... :o)

amazing idea

no, seriously! i have a wonderful idea!

They should make cars with horns that SAY STUFF! Here are some examples:

-Merge. MERGE NOW.
-If you don't merge now, i'm going to take that space.
-MERGE!
-Please go faster. Go faster!!
-You're 15MPH under the speed limit, GO FASTER!
-YOU CAUSE TRAFFIC! YOU!!
-Learn to drive!! LEARN TO DRIVE!!
-Get out of my lane! MOVE! move OVER!
-Are you even kidding me?!

CAPS indicate the volume is louder.
I think the world would be a better place. Really.

Compiled...

A lot of thoughts lately.

First, some book recommendations:
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
The Naked Soul

The first is short newspaper articles this guy wrote after moving back from 20 years in England. He comments on things like how there are 18 cup holders in a minivan….four more than you would need even if each person in the van had two beverages. It's absolutely HYSTERICAL. I was laughing out loud on my flight back from LA…and couldn't stop. Tears, even.

The second is about God creating in us a need for friendships. It's an interesting look at why we choose friends and the different types of friendship/relationships that exist. I'm about three chapters in and really enjoying it. The author deals with a lot of the difficult questions that I think are often ignored: How do we live in the world but not of the world; how do we focus on giving in a relationship without draining ourselves; how we surround ourselves with people but often end up more lonely than we were in the beginning. So far, pretty insightful.

I had other thoughts….why are they always gone when I'm ready to blog??

Oh, here's a thought. I don't think Vick should be in jail for the whole dog-fighting thing….doesn't seem really that big of a deal when we let abortion doctors run free. Of course, that's just my right-wing, hyper-conservative viewpoint….so get off me. I still think I'm right.

You know how the best sign of maturity is that you like who you are and are comfortable with yourself….even if other people think you're dorky/crazy/weird/etc? I'm finding that the self-confidence that goes along with this doesn't mesh well with a culture in which you need buy-in from anyone who breathes…and in which you need to approach all these people with the utmost care….as they all apparently need handling with kid gloves. If you disagree with something, speak up. If you don’t speak up, you are not allowed to make it my problem. Seriously.

Business travel is draining. But the frequent flyer miles are pretty awesome.

In other news, I am selling:
$25 - NEW golf bag
$200 - Retro/Vintage GE wall oven (white enamel, no chips)
$100 - Matching electric stovetop and hood - beige
$50 - Window AC unit
…please contact me if you are interested….there are already people contacting me about the golf bag, oven, stovetop, and hood. :o)

That is all for the moment. Peace out, bean sprouts.
-R

good thoughts

I've had a lot of thoughts occur to me as I've been traveling this week. They all seemed profound as they came to me....and now of course they escape me. I'll keep thinking...

In the mean time, let me commend to you the book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself". My goodness it is funny. The writer is so witty and able to bring his thoughts full circle. He was apparently born in the US and then moved to England for 20 years. He was roped into writing newspaper articles about his experience upon moving back to the states and the changes he encountered. Really interesting to see our society from another perspective. And funny. Seriously. I was laughing so hard i had tears running down my face. Embarassing....when on a packed airplane to LA....but that in and of itself makes me laugh harder.

Anyway. I'm tired and don't feel like typing. Maybe more in a while.
love.
-R

home depot BLOWS

I'm not really super excited about logging in once this month and then just to rant against the depot, but oh well. i had a really great post all thought out and now i can't remember it. perhapst tomorrow...

Went to home depot...you know....for home repair stuff. I wander around until i finally find someone who appears to work there. I ask him if they carry the expanding foam stuff and where they keep it.
He asks me what it's for.
It tell him to fill a hole.
He asks me what kind of hole.
I tell him a large one in some cement.
He asks me how it got there.
I don't really see how that's any of his business, so I don't tell him (and I don't know how the hole got there).
He asks where the hole is....and then keeps asking questions that make me feel like he thinks i've done something to my parent's house and now i'm trying to fix it before they get home.
NONE of the questions related to WHERE HOME DEPOT KEEPS THEIR EXPANDING FOAM.

This went on for some time. Until he finally gave up and gestured to a few places they carry it.

SERIOUSLY! I HATE HOME DEPOT!!!

And I saw a mouse.

one more in june

Getting one more entry in June...

Last night, I had a date with myself. It was fantastic. And it wasn't until I was leaving that I noticed.
First, I went to the driving range and hit a basket of balls. After quite a few tries, I think my arms started to remember how it all works. It's been over a year. That just doesn't seem like it can be true.
Then, I tried that Dino's Gyro place? Pretty okay....althrough what a mess to eat it. And i didn't realize until too late that they sell baklava. I would have just ordered that. Mmm.

In other news, summer goes too quickly. I know it's just the end of June, but July is entirely booked, half of August is as well, and I have this feeling I'll be traveling for work in there too. Makes me wish...

I've had a lot of topics to blog about....rant about...but at the moment I'm not remembering them.
blah.

changing times...

Remember when we had to give our first 10 minutes speech in middle school? Mine was in 9th grade and I talked about the genocide in Rwanda. Tomorrow I have 10 minutes to present in a meeting at work and I can't figure out how to wittle all my material down to fit within that time. Sometimes it just hits me how much life changes.

My best friend from middle school gets married this saturday and it seems like just yesterday we were running to the park, playing in that huge field making daisy/dandelion chains, or sledding down that huge hill. How has 15 years flown so quickly?

I sometimes think it's funny how the littlest things can make a place seem like home. For some reason I can still have a bazillion boxes unpacked (yes, more than a year after I moved), but having my kitchen cabinets filled an arranged in a way that makes sense makes me feel like I actually live there.

The year of the yard is going well. I've mowed, fertilized, and with all this dry weather this week, started watering. Next up is killing the weeds and getting rid of those terrible ferns along the back of my house.

What else is new since the last time I posted - it's been awhile, eh? I'm sure I had some very interesting points I wanted to make...but I've forgotten them. Oh, what's up with the current generation's inability to clearly articulate themselves? They can't seem to open their mouths without mumbling! Hello! I can't understand a word you're saying!!

Oh, here was something. Heard a presentation that said that since 9/11 there's been an increased interest in spirituality and that's one of the reasons the environmental push is so big: Because people want to respect the earth and the "higher power" that made it. And yet, we're still not allowed to present intelligent design in the classroom? And then what about how this whole focus on more from the middle/upper class and that it's really not something that's even on the radar for the lower class (or so is theorized). But then, there's all that stuff in the news about how healthy supermarkets aren't accessable for that lower class - so how does that all tie together? This is the stuff i'm working on and thinking about. Any thoughts?

I'm a totaly spaz today...seriously...you'd think i'm all hopped on sugar. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
out.

it's almost JUNE

Seriously....this year is FLYING. But I'm having the time of my life....name the song. :o)

Finished painting my room. Attempting to hang curtains...apparently putting brackets right next to the windows isn't a good thing? I have no idea but those screws are HARD to put in. Watched because I said so last night...oooh it was frustrating. Makes me appreciate the backbone I somehow developed in junior high...people need to stand UP. Mowed the lawn....need to more frequently i'm guessing by how slowly I had to go. Dumped yard waste at the yard waste place in maple grove...it was pretty neat.

Saw a commercial today by Denny Hecker....he was supporting the fundraising at Wendy's to help place children in adoptive homes. He says "i personally know how hard it is to find adoptive homes". How. I'm just curious. How does he personally know how hard it is to find adoptive homes for children? Did he work for an adoption agency when before working in the automotive business....or what? Just an interesting emphasis that stuck out when I was watching.

Did you know this old house is on at 7pm on Thursdays? I'm pumped! Especially now that i've dumped grey's. What an overly-dramatic show. To watch a show I need at least ONE part of it to be happy. Dumb.

out.

Non-irony

If I was Alanis Morissette, and I'm not, I would sing about how ironic it is that the day after my central AC was installed there was a frost advisory. Yup. Frost. In May. Minnesota how odd thou art.

Interesting topic: how little kids' teeth are rotting and falling out. Apparently this obsession we have with bottled water is contributing to a decline in the condition of our children's teeth. Fluoride is added to our tap water to help fortify the enamel on our teeth...but with all of the bottled water we're drinking I guess kids are getting enough fluoride. Add to this the fact that juice and pop are the favorite beverages of choice and I'm guessing the cost to see a dentist will increase in the next couple decades. (and it's not just kids....apparently bottled water came in second to beer as the beverage of choice in the states. word has it bottled water is supposed to surpass even beer next year. insane. just drink the tap water.)

Another topic (also related to the declining faith i have in today's youth): DVD players and the role they now play. Has anyone seen the new commercial for some type of Lincoln car/van/suv? It begins with a classroom of rowdy, boisterous, and out of control kids. The teacher attempts to regain control but is unable to until he pulls down a mini-DVD player. This is the point where all of the kids cease their talking, running, throwing, noise-making, etc and sit down and pay attention. The scene switches to the advertised vehicle and comments about how nice it would be if those DVD players in the back of the vehicle actually were available everywhere else in life. UMMMM, HELLO. That doesn't make me want to buy their car. It also makes me never want to purchase a car that has a DVD player. I find it disheartening, discouraging, and slightly depressing/scary that the only thing able to control our kids is a DVD player. Does anyone else see a problem with that? Shouldn't we be raising kids that have more respect for authority/their elders/etc? What is this world coming to and what do we foresee as the future of business/government/teaching if the only way to get people to pay attention is to talk to them through a TV screen...but then again...maybe they're going to be way ahead of the curve as everything goes more global and the main way of communication will be over video-internet.

Anyway. Happy weekend. :o)
-R

hrmmm

Has it been awhile since I posted? It appears yes. Somewhere I have a list of topics about which I'd like to blog...but I haven't the faintest idea where they might be. Perhaps tomorrow.

News:
I mowed my lawn for the first time. On Saturday. It looked great, and then it rained. Poo.
I painted my bedroom ceiling. No longer may I call it "the womb". Ha.
VB courts are full of burrs. There is still one stuck in the bottom of my right foot.
Today I ordered A/C. It will be installed on Tuesday. Today it was 85 degrees....kind of wish it was already done.
They have compressed air at the work car place. And the mechanic guy fills your tires for you.
Forearms are burnt. This is due to a lunch meeting outside at Kips. Gotta love summer.
Oh, and the little sis is going to prom. twice. I'm going to be the dorky, older, picture-taking sister. yay!
I want three kids. And an SUV.
I finally put down my crab grass preventor. I think it maybe included fertilizer...based on how fast my grass is growing.
I would like to plant raspberries behind my shed.
Extreme Home Makeover - Habitat for Sanity started...we gutted Dave's bathroom. Cuz we're that hardcore. Next time - patio installation. yeah.
Menards sells groceries (at select locations) - we have pictures to prove it.
I will be visiting Ely this summer. Supposed to be a neat town, eh?
For my motorcycle rides...I think I get a helmet.
I don't hate the phone like I used to. I'm actually quite addicted. Quite. (hence the lack of blogging)


Enough for now, more for later.
"Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away...."
-R

kleenex. kleenex, kleenex, kleenex!

HA. It appears that Kimberly-Clark keeps a pretty close watch on any internet activity surrounding Kleenex! Even random bloggers.

Too funny.

You should pay me for this stuff!

Oh, I had this fabulous idea about kleenex! There are a few challenges to overcome, but I think it's "The Next Great Idea"! Ready?
They should make kleenex that changes colors depending on how many germs you killed by blowing your nose!
It's kind of like those hyper-color shirts from middle school. The only problem I see that the kleenex company would have to make sure there weren't any germs in the box of tissues when it went out to the store. Can you imagine opening a new box of kleenex that's supposed to be white until it kills germs and instead finding a kleenex that has purple spots on it? Yeah, that'd be rough.

But seriously, great idea, huh??

know what?

First, why won't blogger "remember" me? Every time I'm on my home computer I have to sign in! What is that.

In other news, my mom just joined facebook. WOOO! Cuz she's pretty much the coolest.

And lastly, I've been smiling a lot since Sunday. :o) Who would have thought. God is pretty amazing.

Love.
-R

hello time?!

Like I said before I left last week, when I travel I lose track of time. How is it already April 17th tomorrow?!

(which, ps, is free cone day at Ben and Jerry's....fyi. http://www.benjerry.com/ There's the site...and there's a store locator for your convenience too. WOOO!) :o)

Anyway. I forwarded an email today to pass along the info that someone was out of the office until April 17th and so we wouldn't get a reply at least until then. I thought that was two weeks away. Turns out, it's tomorrow. I keep missing huge chunks of the month!! But the traveling - wow I learned a lot! To tie in, today was i think my favorite day of work since I've moved back to MN. It was all strategy focused...how COOL eh?! Big smile here. :o)

Random thought today in relation to the huge shooting at West Virginia....when someone commented about the shooter, it somehow came up that it seems it's always been guys. I'm not making any comments/assumptions about that - I just find that interesting/frightening/odd. Shouldn't someone be looking into that? Anyway, my prayers are with that school and those families. How tough.

Car headlights seemed brighter tonight.
It smelled like summer as I was walking out of coffee.
With new timing belts, my gas mileage improved dramatically. I went 50 more miles on one less gallon of gas!
God is pretty amazing.

phew

I think I could like sales....!!! seriously! :-D

Okay. So the trip is going well. I've missed the Minneapolis snow, which in and of itself is amazing. It is, however, pouring buckets here. And it's freezing. And i'm already always cold...so when the two guys I'm traveling with blast the air conditioning the two hour drive to the facility tours....i'm pretty much a solid ice cube when we arrive. And I forgot my sweatpants for the hotel so i've been cold pretty much the entire time so far. But i've been eating like a king! (translation, GUY) Ribs and beer last night....steak and wine tonight...I'm going to need to go running for SURE after this! Anyway, I'm learning a ton. Seriously, a TON. Oh my goodness though I feel a bit outside of my league. I've never even known anything about sales and now I'm on a call. OY!

Anyway. I'm super into trying to predict company moves....as far as marketing stuff. And so when Applebees announced last week they were closing 10 stores, I immediately began guessing which ones they would be. The funny thing was I'd been wondering lately if they would be closing any stores because they had really saturated the market. I mean, there were at least three stores withing two miles of my house. That seemed a little excessive to me. I also don't live in the nicest part of the Minneapolis, so I was wondering if they were seeing a drop in same store sales growth because of the demographics of their locations. I'd seen a recent article covering their recent menu additions (the special chef ones - i highly recommend the bruchetta burger with parmesan fries) and how their current typical customer had kept them from introducing something like this earlier. Well, bottom line, I'd decided this one applebees by my house, right off the highway, was probably going to be the one to close due to it's extremely small size, awkward location, and general "city location".....and sure enough, not more than two days later, it was vacant. We're talking signs are down and you wouldn't even know that an Applebee's used to be there. Go me! :-D

In other news, what are thoughts on this recent Imus radio station issue. I read a comment in the USA today that said that everyone who heard Imus' comments was offended. Perhaps I spent too much time in the overly sensitive and highly charged politically correct environment of housing and residential life at the university of minnesota - but I thought tolerance means we're supposed to put up with stuff that we would typically take offense to.....isn't that the whole line that the left is pushing? Okay, I'll admit I've put a right-type slant on the view...but seriously. I thought we weren't supposed to censor anyone anymore. Or are we just not supposed to censor people who agree with the left's views? I'm not saying that racial comments are good or that we should support them....but personally I feel like I've been beaten down to the point where I'm only allowed to say "well, it's interesting you feel that way, i'm not sure that I entirely agree" and leave it at that. I thought we weren't allowed to say anymore that people are wrong.....right? Anyway. I just get pissed. If you want to get down to it....I get offended when you take Christ's name in vain....it's horribly terribly offensive - but you don't see me going on national tv every time some says that on the radio. And I'm also super offended when people begin to attack republicans ascrazy religious nazi's. Or when I get ridiculed as having little to zero intelligence because of my Christian faith. And even the fact that because I've now stated that i'm right-leaning and religious (and not just any religious thankyouverymuch but christian) that now I have to state that by no means am I advocating or supporting this radio guy's comments, okay? Basically, bottom line, if you're really truly supporting freedom of speech (in all the insane ways that are occurring) then you've gotta swallow the whole pill my friend. You don't have to support what the speech is - you've just gotta give them the right to speak.

And off my soapbox. (and again, just to state, i don't support his comments. thanks.)

Alright, is it wednesday? I'm beat people. I fly home tomorrow night, gotta bake something for this weekend, AC quote friday morning, work, and then straight out of town for church retreat. AH!
Love.
-R

Friday worked!

I love my church and I love my pastor. :o) As he says, Happy Easter.....SO great because it proves that GOOD FRIDAY WORKED! I don't remember if I've been to one of our Good Friday services before, but this year's was really thought provoking. To sit and feel the weight of nailing your sin into the cross...as though directly nailing Christ to the cross...is immense. But then to pause and realize what my world would be like if that's all it was? If there was no Sunday. No resurrection. No washing clean as snow. I almost walked out onto 7th to get hit by a bus. I know that most of the time I suck at remembering the weight of that sacrifice. But to stop and think about how my life would be different if it was all a lie? I don't even wow. I think the most significant thing I took away was how much I take this saving for granted. It's just a part of my life. We're in a continuous cycle where I screw up, feel like crap, ask for forgiveness, feel grateful for his acceptance, smile, move on, and then start all over. And how amazing is it that I can have a cycle like that? (okay, obviously it would be great if it wasn't so frequent, but the opportunity to continually start over? To know you're loved beyond anything you do? Or think? Or whatever? It's unconditional.) And so Friday was Good. Both because it worked, and because it was one of those infrequent moments in life when it all came together to hit me between the eyes.

You've got to read my friend Erinn's blog - I've linked it to the right. She's hysterical.

The monday night coffee girls and I went to Fridays on Saturday to visit Becca while she was working. Her parents happened to be there and chatted with us for awhile. Her mom commented how great it was that we had such a strong support network. We agreed. She said it was great because most people don't realize until they're much older that they need support like that. We said we're fully aware we're in need of a lot of support - which is why coffee will continue for hopefully many more years.

I was driving through the Lowry Tunnel the other day and noticed there were HUGE icicles hanging in the middle of the tunnel from a crack going from one side to the other! I do not this this is good. In fact, I believe it to be downright dangerous! One of those icicles could fall, pierce the top of my car, and KILL me. Luckily today on the way to church I noticed they were gone - now a bumpy pile of ice to the left of the lane. Hm.

At the end of service on Friday, the guy in front of me turned around and told me I had a good voice. I told him it was the girl next to me. He was unconvinced. I was baffled. This is the third time in a month someone (randomly) has said I've had a good voice. Perhaps constantly singing along to the radio CAN teach one to sing??

Yesterday I made a curtain for my kitchen door window. Today I bought a lamp with a shade that matches the curtain. It's very exciting. Welcome to my life.

Tomorow is the first day of power yoga! Hopefully this will be the perfect combination of the wonderful yoga class and the terrible pilates class. Cross your fingers. Una is apparently VERY good. YAY! :o) Downward facing dog, here we go!

Well, a few more things to get done around the house before kicking off this week of work.
Happy Easter to you all. I wish you could have joined my family for our wonderful Easter brunch. That's right, quiche, french toast bake, fruit salad, and lots of laughter. MMM. I hope your afternoon was good as well.
Love.
-me

ps. i owe lots of people calls (nicole, mariah, megan, aaron....i think there are more.) i'm sorry, they're coming...

flying time

What a week. I couldn't even remember when I last posted. Some super early mornings and I finally feel like a contributing member of the company. It's good.

I also don't understand how it's already April. I'm going on another trip for work next week and so when I get back, it'll be mid-april. That seems a bit crazy. I keep waking up and feeling like I've missed a month of my life. Where is the time going? Hopefully through what seems to be a busy travel schedule I'll somehow acheive silver elite status on Northwest....that'd be pretty sweet. Seems like everyone at work's already earned it....so I'm always by my lonesome back in coach. Oh well. Someday! :o)

Happy Good Friday today. Brainstorming about projects for the kids on sunday. It was always the big projects or traditions that stuck with me from my childhood....and that's what I'm trying to go for. I want this to stick. Maybe some posterboard....we haven't done anything with that yet....hmmm. Thoughts.

Volleyball season is over....it's time to start the search for summer fun. :o) I think a golf league may be joined!
Anyway.
Happy Easter. It's the holiday that gives us a reason to live. Eh?
-R

bite me.

No, seriously. This weather can bite me. What the butt. Snow in april? Seriously. What is this.

Electrical, almost done. Ran into some problems tonight...let's just say flying sparks, but thankfully no fire. Oy. My mixer is out, so it feels like stuff is starting to fall into place. I'm trying to move in...and stop thinking about how everything is still in progress.

I'm tired. I can't find some of the stuff I want to hang on my walls...no idea where it is. I just want this place to feel like home.

How is it already easter?
I still kinda want a gun. Springfield XD?
Snow means the ground's not 55 yet, right? C'mon phase one of turf builder...

I think I need to stop and take a moment in life. To get things in order. I feel like I've been running on a treadmill since I moved back. A continuous cycle of things never getting done. How can I make decisions when I don't know where I am. It's times like this I miss Iowa. I swear, it really was slower down there. Maybe I'm not as suburban as I thought.

Okay goodnight. Love.
-R

bologna

I used to like bologna. Now I don't.

Not many thoughts tonight.
1. I don't think the ground is 55 degrees. I'm safe for another week or so as I hear it's supposed to snow on wednesday.
2. Remember how i accidentally got re-signed back up for netflicks (it's a long/boring story)? Well, I've had "American Dreamz" sitting on my tv for the past three weeks giving me craploads of guilt about how irresponsibly I'm using this movie service. Finally watched it tonight and can i just say, it ranked right down there with mystery men. Terrible acting, poor social/political commentary, and just a miserable plot. OY. I'm never getting those hours of my life back.
3. Today was palm sunday. We made a palm tree and acted out some of the story. I tried to communicate the point of the blood in the last supper by talking a lot about lambs and sacrifice. I'm not sure if it all was absorbed, but we had fun pretending to be shepherds, sheep, and sacrifices. :o) I love those kids.
4. Got my girl scout cookies today. Two semoas and one tagalong. Mmmm.
5. Going to opening day (or whatever the first day of baseball is called) with people from work tomorrow...twins, metrodome, lousy parking, and crappy weather. Add this all to the fact that baseball usually makes me want to poke out my eyes after two innings (usually just in combination with the metrodome)...and you can imagine that i am extremely excited.
6. I installed a new lock on my freshly painted kitchen door. It looks pretty much amazing.
7. I get central A/C this year. Quoters coming this week and next. HOT summer, i will be READY for you!

For the moment that is all.
I hate not getting to wish people a happy birthday.
Looking forward to sleep.
-goodnight.

rabbit poop

I've discovered, as part of raking my yard in the spring, that there is a lot of rabbit poop all over the yard that you just never know about. Or, I have an extremely large number of rabbits pooping in my yard. One of the two.

I'm finding I'm a big picture person....or someone who likes to dream and then isn't super keen on doing all of the detail work. Some of the huge ideas that I want to do are knocking out the wall between my kitchen and three season porch in order to make it a four season room. I'd need to insulate, put in new windows, and install some baseboard heat. Doesn't sound too bad in theory...but all the work? Oofda. And how about my new idea today? To lay a patio off of my soon-to-be four season room....but then I thought about digging out all of that grass and I started to get tired. Oh yes. There is a lot I could do...not much I am actually capable of doing. Oy.

I'm making a turkey and pepperoni grilled cheese sandwich with garlic. I'm super excited. This is the second day in a row I've made dinner without following a recipe. I'm getting there!! :o)

My blisters are growing. Gross.

or not

Everything in the backyard is too wet, so raking is postponed.

So, first. Has anyone seen the commercial for the "to go" pop-tarts? It's all about this girl who's getting asked to the prom by someone with whom she doesn't really want to go....and she's holding a pop-tart, about to eat it, and so can't run away. Ummmm. I've always thought of pop-tarts as a to go food. But apparently, if the cracker hard outside isn't portable enough, there are now pop-tart sticks for more convenience. Whatever.

Next topic....If you recall, I commented on the (red) campaign that's been going on for the past few months. It seems that the CEO of the (red) campaign wasn't too happy with the article (more so, the numbers) that adage published. He claims that the campaign has been a fantastic success and that adage didn't take into account all of the "awareness" that's been generated by the campaign. He also thought it absurd to suggest that the companies should have just donated the money they spent on advertising for the campaign. His argument was that in the month's since the campaign has started, they've donated more money than the benefiting fun had collected during all of its existence. Well, I'm sorry. But I would like to argue that isn't the best way to measure the success of a fundraising campaign. (red) set a goal, and has come nowhere near that number. That should be the measure of the success.

I don't really actually care about the fight that's going on....I am more interested in this new way of fundraising. The (red) CEO commented that all of the participating companies have most likely generated many additional sales from the (red) traffic. And I think that's more of what rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's just me, I don't get the feeling anyone involved in this project is really that concerned about the fund or the AIDS. It seems to me that they're all just very interested in generating a whole lot of media attention so that their store/music/etc makes more money. An understandable goal - just not when they're coming off as very philanthropic. I don't know what we'll call this....but it seems similar to greenwashing. A whole bunch of hogwash. Bottom line - they don't really care how much money they raise through (red) as long as they get a significant bump in profit.

Does anyone know where you can buy palm branches? Next week is palm sunday and one of my favorite sunday school memories is going home with palm branches on palm sunday. It brought the story to life so much. Any hints would be great.

Don't really have any other amazing topics of blogging tonight. A few random thoughts:
-It always surprises me how forthright people are when drunk.
-I am more naive than I thought.
-I keep thinking I want to go back to the way things were.
-Sometimes I think I was crazy to buy a house.

How is it Monday, tomorrow.

please hold

As this is the "year of the yard"....I am not allowed to blog until I finish raking my yard. Front is done, and now on to the back. Blisters are fun.

tuna melts

Welcome home. Phew. I slept from 4:30pm yesterday to 7:00am this morning. Let's talk about that trip/conference kicking my butt. I also somehow picked up some type of illness. Getting drugs today.

You know how tuna melts always seemed kinda gross....except then somewhere along in the line in Iowa I discovered how amazing they are? Well, today was a tuna melt day. Do you ever get on those kicks where something like a tuna melt is all you want to eat for weeks on end? What does that say about your personality....something about bordering on OCD? Whatever. At least it's not jellybeans like last month.

In other news, my parents are fabulous. They did so much around my house while I was gone. AND left me daffodils! So cute!! :o)

That is all for the moment. News flash - March 30 is National Cleavage Day. :o)

nervous, what?

People don't believe me, but I'm shy. And so I was super nervous for the conference. And while I have been asked several times if I'm 17, I've also realized there are people twice my age who need to be put at ease. It always suprises me....I just don't typically remember these types of things. And for some reason people assume I'm totally comfortable meeting new people and being out going. But geez....walking into a room full of people you don't know and being expected to mingle and make conversation....that's one of the most intimidating things ever. Welcome to my night.

In other news, it's been fun, but I am so excited to go home and to my bed. The beds here are nice, like I said...but I must be allergic to something. I feel like crap.

VB tomorrow and then some solid sleep. Thursday/Friday is going to be crazy.
I miss home.

four years!

Yesterday was my four year anniversary with my company. One more year and I'm fully vested! I know it's not that long, but it's now the longest time I've ever worked for one company. In second place is Northwestern bookstore, for three and a half years.

Anyway. I have a tan! :o) LA was wonderful, and now I'm on to Orlando. First conference ever (well, besides the convenience store convention we crashed in college....which, ps, was a ton of fun). My hotel is crazy amazing. There are complementary q-tips!! I was hoping they'd have those! (yes, i'm a dork) And some super good smelling shampoo and conditioner. As well as two queen (maybe king?) beds....i guess i'm supposed to swap between them each night? Apparently there is also a pool somewhere...i have yet to find it as the hotel is undergoing a huge renovation. I'm aiming to make it on the treadmill tomorrow morning. We shall see.

Um. The flights have been interesting....I'm not a fan of Frontier. They make you stand in line to check in....where are the e-check-in kiosks?? Seriously. No snacks and no food on these flights either. Good thing my mom gave me skittles before I left. :o)

Okay, I have a food drive to organize and then some hay to hit. I'm wiped. It does feel like a week of vacation though with this wonderful weather. Rumor has it minneapolis is supposed to be back in the 50s when I get back.

Missed Hope today. Doesn't seem like sunday without it. Makes it feel like I've moved away. Looking forward to a week from now. Mmm.

out.
-R

up, up, and away...

Quick post tonight. I'm so totally and completely tired. I swear these ulcers are going to get the best of me. Almost four months of this crap now. What the heck.

Anyway. I'm headed to warmer weather. Meeting up with rotational kids from Iowa for some St. Patty's Day fun....and then to Orlando for some work conference fun.

I just got a laptop at work (with a cd burner!!!), so maybe there will be some blogging fun too.

Otherwise, peace out bean sprouts. I already miss my bed.

*sigh*

Today was beautiful, wasn't it? This is the perfect weather where you walk out of a building you've been in all day long, and the feeling of the sun on your face and the wind in your hair makes everything better. It's like breathing in freedom. Or simplicity. Or a life without cares. A promise that if spring isn't here, it's certainly on the way....which can only mean that summer is not far in the distance.

So here's a picture. It's Iowa. And it's what I miss:

I miss the country. I know, I know. There are a lot of country-folk who would take issue with me calling where I lived in Iowa the country, but that's as country as I've ever been. A corn field across the street from my house? Deer running across my driveway being a common occurrence? Parties in barns? That's country to me. And I miss it. I was driving home from work today with all the windows down...just to enjoy the weather a little bit more...and all of a sudden: cigarette smoke. In my wide open, bring in the spring air, windows. Ok, there are a fair share of cigarettes in Iowa, but the smell of clean air every time i walked outside? Amazing. Open fields? So great. A slower pace of life where I could "go out" in jeans, a tshirt, and tennis shoes....no pointy-toes...no heels.....and not feel out of place? Green grass everywhere you looked. Learning more about farming and horses and machines than you ever thought you could. Feeling like you were dropped in the middle of real, FOR REAL, nature. I miss that. I feel like I'm in the middle of a smoggy, dirty, car-filled realm of craziness. Not that Minneapolis is bad, not at all...this is home. But sometimes, I want to breathe in and just smell the air.

Sorry, end of rant. Except that I also want a dog.

In other news, I hope at age 75 I look as good as Regis does. Did you know he's 75?! SEVENTY-FIVE. That's crazy. He's going in for by-pass surgery this week. Don't worry, this is the only celebrity news I know. In related news, my grandma (the only grandparent left) is turning 90 this year. We share a birthday. Yup. Ninety. Apparently a surprise birthday is being planned for 89.5 years since it's looking like 90 might be a long shot. I thought it was the coolest thing to have great-grandparents...so unless I marry someone with living grandparents, I guess that's out. My sister and I got these super fun dolls named grape jelly and peanut butter from our great-grandma. Now that i think about it, those may have been a little odd, huh?

Tonight, after pilates, Karissa and I walked ALL the way to coffee. It was so beautiful out. Mmm. Spring. :o) What a great walk. We felt very eco-conscious as well. :o) And now, good night. I'll be listening to the trains outside my window (isn't that a song?)

Love.

day in the neighborhood

Well - the melting snow is wonderful - it means spring is on the way....I just don't like all the melted snow ending up in my basement. Why can't my mop pick up more water than it does? And why do I not know how to use the wet function of my shop vac. Argh.

I'm a bit of an advertising/commercial snob and tonight I realized why I hate Old Navy's commercials so much. There's only ONE and they play it over and over and OVER again. While it may be achieving the goal of making everyone aware they sell spring/summer dresses, it's probably also making people never want to hear about Old Navy dresses again. Driving me NUTS.

In related news, here's a fun game to play: Watch commercials and try and guess what show is on! Denture paste? Maybe it's the price is right! Birth control? Maybe it's america's next top model (or essentially anything on the new CW...). It's super fun. It's also eye opening to see that perhaps you're not the target audience for the show you're watching....why do I always end up seeing commercials for centrum silver?

Do you ever wake up and realize that, for no apparent reason, you were crying in your sleep?

there was more...

Another working weekend coming up. This should be the final coat of paint in the kitchen and attachment of the baseboards. I think I finally found the look for my bedroom. Finally. It will involve a closet organization system. Going to spend some time at the Depot tomorrow after work browsing. Should be a good time. :o) Maybe I should sketch it out....ooh....sketching....

I was half a cup of flour short to bake my amish friendship bread tonight. Good thing I didn't promise it to anyone at work for tomorrow...i am SO not going to go buy flour tonight/tomorrow morning and then bake it before work. I did that whole wake up early to bake bread thing last time. So over-rated.

I have this vase that I decoupaged in college and in which I now store pens/pencils/scissors. I used a bunch of magazine cut-outs....and i love it. It sits to the left of my computer and sometimes I just find myself staring at it. It feels like life does sometimes....I feel all these things when i'm looking at it, but I can't put it into words. There are faint memories of what the full pages were, but it's melding into one piece of art. My favorite part is the quote "what to drive during your uncynical pre-burnout phase"....how did I miss that without even knowing it?

there was more....but it's just beyond my grasp. such is life...right?

Misc...

First, public service announcement!!
Granite City is THE BEST RESTAURANT EVER! AND, apparently, they have a "mug club" thing....$10 on Mondays to join the club ($20 every other day of the week) - lasts your lifetime - gets you $3 beers (24oz, first one free when you join) and 10% off food (and their food is SUPER good). Who's in?! :o)

In other news....question:
As we age/grow/get older, do we gradually begin to trust the decisions we've made? I second guess myself all the time. I've gotten to the point at work where I force myself to trust the work I've done, the decisions I've made, the results I've found...but in life? Life has a tendency of being more fluid than work does....and as things change....I wonder if maybe my decisions aren't valid/relevant/right anymore. I mean, as we age/grow/get older, we gain a better understanding of ourselves - doesn't this give us new insight that might change the decisions we've made? Might make past decisions essentially wrong? Or does time just give us a different memory of the past and that's why it seems like there needs to be a change? Either way....do we ever get to the point where we trust ourselves? Because so far, I don't.

To finish the random collection of thoughts today, let's focus on the current, new, popular, trend: Sustainability. I subscribe to a fair number of magazines. This month, March, brought several magazines "going green". Note, their magazine wasn't produced on recyclable paper, but all of the products they covered were sustainable/environmentally friendly/green. So what, Al Gore's a trend-setter now? I think it's great to focus on the enviroment/sustainability/how to make our world a better place....I'm just fundamentally against jumping on a bandwagon because it's a bandwagon. Especially when people jump on it just in show....a "green" magazine should be on all post-consumer paper!

And can we just delve for a moment into the question of why so many people are against Gore's movie? I haven't seen it, but does it matter if his information is accurate or not if it's an impetus for change? Shouldn't we support anything that makes people more environmentally focused/conscious? I'm not advocating a methodology of the ends justifying the means, but to some extent....is anything being hurt if some of the fact are inaccurate? Can someone please explain to me the reason the religious right is so against Gore's movie?

Okay, time for volleyball. I'm out folks....let's hope for a win, eh??

hey you!

Yeah, you! :o)

If you're reading my blog, you should leave me a message/comment!
It'll be great! And maybe I'll even add you to my list of "blogs I browse".....

yeah...you know you want to be cool....

thoughts

Have I already titled a post "thoughts"? Oh well.

Coffee tonight was rather subdued. Not in a bad way, it felt like more of a decompressing sigh as we all eased into a new week. I think the snow took a lot out of us all. We did have a pretty spirited discussion about elementary education, our experiences, and home schooling. Sometimes, like tonight, it hits me that I'm more conservative than I typically give myself credit. I was home schooled - I think it was a great idea. My parents chose to home school not because they didn't trust the education of the public school system, but because they were/are conservative, evangelical, christians who wanted to protect their kids from the evils of society. I like that. And I think it's a huge part of why I am the person I am today. My family could even be a social experiment of sorts - we stopped home schooling when I was in third grade....so each of my siblings has less home schooling in levels. Just interesting, I think.

Other topic - today's "youth" (which most would say includes my generation). There's this pervasive feeling of entitlement in today's youth. It's the problem of parents not telling their kids that they are good at some things and bad at other things. It's the enabled generation - students who do "B" work but get "A"s because their parents complained until the grade was changed. It's the generation that never heard the word "NO" because their parents didn't want to do any damage to their self-esteem. The sad, disillusioned, result is best portrayed by Time's magazine's selection of their "Person of the Year." Instead of selecting an individual whose contributions to society/America/the world were phenominal, the magazine selected "YOU"...and slapped a mirror on the front of their magazine. (read my friend Tim's comments on this craziness)

While one might think this is a problem for the adolescents of the world and that most people most likely grow out of this disturbing trend - Fast Company would beg to differ. I'm still trying to track down an electronic copy of the article I read, but the magazine claims this trend continues into the working/career world. There are stories of twenty-somethings not getting their "deserved" promotion, crying to Mom/Dad, and Mom/Dad confronting their adult child's boss about this "over-sight".

I'd just like to put this out there - no one is good at everything. And to perpetuate for your child that he/she IS good at everything is not preserving his/her self-esteem, but instead setting him/her up for the worst/rudest/most life shaking wake up call EVER. Maybe entitlement is something that needs to be recognized more often. Is it a secular thing? I still see it in Christian circles. One might think christians would make the connection: "i'm full of sin, deserve death" = "I don't deserve anything in this life". But sometimes, we still miss it, eh?

I appreciated learning at an early age that I am not good at basketball. I can be your Rodman (in the rebounding, defense, elbow-throwing kind of way), but I'm not your Kobe (making all the shots kind of way). And the reason Rodman didn't make it big was for sure because of his inability to contribute offensively. I also realized that I could be good at some other things, if I made choices to focus time and effort on those few things.

I begin to wonder if the current generations aren't just creating problems for themselves through thoughts of entitlement and perfection, but also creating problems for America as a whole. If we are breeding a country of people who are mediocre at everything, and not good at any one thing in particular (because no one's forced them to choose), are we setting ourselves up for an eventual downfall?

I'll admit, it's a thin argument as people eventually settle into one line of work (but again, note all the multiple career changes now-a-days...so is that really a true statement?). Basically, bottom line, I think we need to commit to telling our kids they suck! :o)

snow, snow, and more snow

Whew. This is a lot of snow. I just finished shoveling my driveway....which was a lot of snow. About halfway through I realized the size of my driveway that I have in my head is about half of its real size. I was all gung-ho about completing it all by myself, until Rick, my neighbor up the street stopped by and asked I'd like help. Well, I sure as heck wasn't going to turn him away as I'd already been out there for a super long time.

Never met him before. Attorney. Lived in his house 35 years. Nice guy. Coolest shovel ever. Kind of like a sled with a handle....no lifting. WOW i want one of those. He called Menards, Maynerds. I was confused for a moment...wondering why the bar on Lake Minnetonka was selling shovels...and why it would ever occur to someone to go there to purchase a shovel....when I realized he meant the hardware store. Ah yes. I'm brilliant.

Just as we finished, he slipped and fell. My first, cynical, thought was, there goes my savings! :o)

Here's the finished product (I know, you can't see very well...sorry):

We're supposed to get another seven inches or something during the night. I'm so pumped to go do that all over again. Grrr.

In other news, did you know Fritos have no preservatives in them? Corn, corn oil, and salt. YUMMM!!! I knew there was a reason I liked them so much!!!! :o)