Friday, May 30, 2008
I wonder. Do I get credit for having friends that workout religiously? Seriously, this morning, I talked with two of my friends that are diligent about working out. I was actually lying in bed when I talked with my first friend and heard about her upcoming races. She had already worked out, got her kids ready for school and was on her way to work. I, on the other hand, readjusted my pillows during the call (hey, exertion is exertion and I'm just glad that I didn't strain anything). I'm impressed that my friends are so diligent to working out, but I become exhausted just hearing what they are doing.
I think that if I could just breakout in a sweat from listening to the fact that they go to the gym daily at some ungodly hour (4:30 a.m. to be exact - even the neighbor's rooster is still asleep) or train others at 5:00 a.m. I would burn calories and be much thinner. For me, this is just about the time I'm entering into the best dream phase of the night and have my best creative and techno-color dreams. However, this does not answer my question. Can I, by association, reap the benefits from my friends workouts? Imagine if I could? I would package the concept as an info commercial and have some famous couch potato star promote the concept (if Marlon Brando were alive, I think he'd be great - wait, is he dead or has he just not moved in years and I confuse that with being dead). Basically, my concept would work as follows:
1. Surround yourself with athletic friends. Interview them. Ask them what their routine is and how often they workout (I think you should surround yourself with others that do things that you'd like to do if you could pull yourself off the couch).
2. Find out if they use any kind of enhancers to workout -- really, I don't want no 'roid head providing my great health benefits.
3. Talk to them daily. Make sure that they aren't slacking, because if they are, then you are by association (really, that is a bad thing and I would suggest having several workout friends so you're never missing a day of benefits).
4. Encourage them to push themselves because if you receive the benefits by association, you'll be ready for swimsuit season much quicker.
Okay, I'm guessing this concept wouldn't work, but wouldn't it be great if it did! Maybe, I should begin hoping that their motivation rubs off on me to get off the couch instead. Nah.....
j
Friday, May 30, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Feeling Productive While Searching the Internet Job Boards
Wednesday, May 28, 2008....
This morning, like most mornings, I search the various job boards online to find out if there are any possibilities for me. Anything that I may be qualified for and also any job that peaks my curiosity. Granted, I have found very little that I'm qualified for, but I have scanned the swim instructor (I can swim, but it would be an act of God to get me in a bathing suit as my daily outfit because of my figure and because I'd have to shave my legs daily) and the usps site to be a mail carrier but can't figure out the pay or if there are actual positions open in my town.
Today, was a bit different. I scanned the job boards to find nothing in a short amount of time and thought this a disgrace. Instead I actually opened one of my junk emails so I felt as though I was spending more time on the web being productive.
I should explain that I typically just trash the junk emails, particularly the emails that imply a foreign relative has left me a large sum of money or that I've won a non US Lottery (does anyone know if these get answered? If so, I wonder if Dateline has done an expose on it). However, today was different and I am happy with my results. Today, I went to the following site http://www.areyouyoungenough.com/freeyoury/. It is the promotional site for Lipton's Green Tea in which people created videos to show how young they are. Winners will receive $25k. I was to vote on best video which I think will be used as a new commercial.
Just think, I had the power to grant someone $25k by placing my vote. Outside of family members, who actually goes to these sites to vote? I don't because it is time consuming to watch all the videos (and as noted in earlier blog, I have attention span of a gnat). My personal favorites were a guy playing a guitar (he had talent), a man who could put together a lego structure without removing the pieces from the bag (yes, freakish and weird, but how cool), a group of 4 people as a human rubberband (note my comment from lego guy) and the guy that kept tossing empty cans into various garbage cans from various positions. Granted, I have a feeling that the whole thing was staged using something digital, but for the computer neophyte, it was way cool.
It should be noted that none of my picks actually showed people doing athletic stuff (maybe the rubberband group) which is what I think the Lipton Tea people wanted, but I like the odd stuff. This could explain why I think I did poorly on yesterday's phone interview. I was asked questions like "what leadership traits do you have" or "what makes you a team player" and what I would have been preferred to have been asked is "if your house was burning, what one item would you run back in to save". If asked that I think I would have aced the interview. Oh well, we'll see. No word yet, but wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't called back.
- j
This morning, like most mornings, I search the various job boards online to find out if there are any possibilities for me. Anything that I may be qualified for and also any job that peaks my curiosity. Granted, I have found very little that I'm qualified for, but I have scanned the swim instructor (I can swim, but it would be an act of God to get me in a bathing suit as my daily outfit because of my figure and because I'd have to shave my legs daily) and the usps site to be a mail carrier but can't figure out the pay or if there are actual positions open in my town.
Today, was a bit different. I scanned the job boards to find nothing in a short amount of time and thought this a disgrace. Instead I actually opened one of my junk emails so I felt as though I was spending more time on the web being productive.
I should explain that I typically just trash the junk emails, particularly the emails that imply a foreign relative has left me a large sum of money or that I've won a non US Lottery (does anyone know if these get answered? If so, I wonder if Dateline has done an expose on it). However, today was different and I am happy with my results. Today, I went to the following site http://www.areyouyoungenough.com/freeyoury/. It is the promotional site for Lipton's Green Tea in which people created videos to show how young they are. Winners will receive $25k. I was to vote on best video which I think will be used as a new commercial.
Just think, I had the power to grant someone $25k by placing my vote. Outside of family members, who actually goes to these sites to vote? I don't because it is time consuming to watch all the videos (and as noted in earlier blog, I have attention span of a gnat). My personal favorites were a guy playing a guitar (he had talent), a man who could put together a lego structure without removing the pieces from the bag (yes, freakish and weird, but how cool), a group of 4 people as a human rubberband (note my comment from lego guy) and the guy that kept tossing empty cans into various garbage cans from various positions. Granted, I have a feeling that the whole thing was staged using something digital, but for the computer neophyte, it was way cool.
It should be noted that none of my picks actually showed people doing athletic stuff (maybe the rubberband group) which is what I think the Lipton Tea people wanted, but I like the odd stuff. This could explain why I think I did poorly on yesterday's phone interview. I was asked questions like "what leadership traits do you have" or "what makes you a team player" and what I would have been preferred to have been asked is "if your house was burning, what one item would you run back in to save". If asked that I think I would have aced the interview. Oh well, we'll see. No word yet, but wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't called back.
- j
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"Charming House" aka "The Money Pit"
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Or ...the joys of home ownership and how I spent my weekend and now have a sore forearm. Being unemployed, does not mean your home (that desperately needs a paint job) goes unattended. Its been awhile and my house is in desperate need of a paint job. Several years ago, a friend of mine told me of her and her husband's plan to paint a part of their house every year so they could save money and it wouldn't be such a hassle. I thought this idea sounded great, but wasn't ready to commit to such an undertaking (it could be that I had no help in this task and sometimes have the attention span of a gnat)....needless to say, it took till last summer to present this idea to my fiance and have his buy-in and another to begin the project.
Lo and Behold.....Memorial Day Weekend. The perfect time and weather to start this project. We spent 2 days powerwashing the garage and when I mentioned that my forearm hurt, he stated the obvious "poor baby". It should be noted that I put in an equal amount of time on the powerwashing duties, but whined like a little priss when the area to powerwash was over my head. I believe the excuses used were "the water gets in my eyes" and "you're taller" so you'll do a better job at it than I will. I capped it off with "you're a boy and have more experience at this" (in my defense, he was in construction and I wasn't). I'm not proud that I pulled out my girly-girl card, but heck, it worked and my garage is officially ready for painting.
I would have started today, but two things happened: 1) it rained; and 2) my fiance told me not to begin unless he's with me (I guess pulling out the girly-girl card/ I'm helpless act does leave a lasting impression) because he doesn't think that I'll do it right, or better yet, get distracted and leave the paint outside to dry up (sad to say, he could be right on that one).
I will have to redeem myself when painting and use a step ladder for the higher areas. I don't always want to be known as a girly-girl.
j
Or ...the joys of home ownership and how I spent my weekend and now have a sore forearm. Being unemployed, does not mean your home (that desperately needs a paint job) goes unattended. Its been awhile and my house is in desperate need of a paint job. Several years ago, a friend of mine told me of her and her husband's plan to paint a part of their house every year so they could save money and it wouldn't be such a hassle. I thought this idea sounded great, but wasn't ready to commit to such an undertaking (it could be that I had no help in this task and sometimes have the attention span of a gnat)....needless to say, it took till last summer to present this idea to my fiance and have his buy-in and another to begin the project.
Lo and Behold.....Memorial Day Weekend. The perfect time and weather to start this project. We spent 2 days powerwashing the garage and when I mentioned that my forearm hurt, he stated the obvious "poor baby". It should be noted that I put in an equal amount of time on the powerwashing duties, but whined like a little priss when the area to powerwash was over my head. I believe the excuses used were "the water gets in my eyes" and "you're taller" so you'll do a better job at it than I will. I capped it off with "you're a boy and have more experience at this" (in my defense, he was in construction and I wasn't). I'm not proud that I pulled out my girly-girl card, but heck, it worked and my garage is officially ready for painting.
I would have started today, but two things happened: 1) it rained; and 2) my fiance told me not to begin unless he's with me (I guess pulling out the girly-girl card/ I'm helpless act does leave a lasting impression) because he doesn't think that I'll do it right, or better yet, get distracted and leave the paint outside to dry up (sad to say, he could be right on that one).
I will have to redeem myself when painting and use a step ladder for the higher areas. I don't always want to be known as a girly-girl.
j
Friday, May 23, 2008
Reality TV Shows
Friday, May 23, 2008......
In my search of the job boards, I easily become distracted by headlines on the various homepages I view and now have the time to fully explore them (who states being unemployed doesn't have its benefits). Recently, I discovered the following site http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/ and am not sure if I should admit this to others or keep the fact that I really like what I've discovered to myself. Obviously, I have chosen to share my discovery with others and here's why:
1. I discovered from recent conversations with two of my friends that I'm not up on my reality tv lingo. While I spend numerous hours watching L&O (Law & Order for people who have lived in a cave the past 20 years or don't have NBC, Bravo, TNT or TBS), there are shows such as Celebrity Rap Superstar or Breaking Bonaduce (although, I will admit I've heard of this show, but have yet to see).
2. There appears to be 426 reality tv shows that have existed and am wondering why there isn't a show like Project Greenlight where they show the process from start to finish of how a tv studio selects a new reality series.
3. I know that there are several hundred channels, but really, when do they air and who has time to watch them all?
Personally, I enjoy Top Chef, Workout, The Biggest Loser, Project Runaway, Housewives of Orange County and NYC (thanks to my sister). I also enjoy Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs (but I think that is solely based upon the host) and, of course, Man vs Wild. I want to note that I hated when the scandal on Bear came out and that my sister had to point it out to me (every possible chance she could). I romanticized the fact that someone could be dropped off on top of a mountain, wrangle wild horses with a lasso made out of vine and build a makeshift boat out of inferior quality wood. Never mind what he eats or drinks. I think Man vs Wild is my take of the fairy tales read to you as a child. Although the disclaimer at the beginning of the show doesn't take away from the show, it somehow has managed to ruin the magic for me.
What I wish I saw and missed were shows like the Monastery, 5 men in a midlife crisis stay with 30 monks for 40 days, but didn't.
As I was going through the list of shows, I have to admit, I have watched several dozen of these shows at one time or another or have heard of them. The beauty of a reality show is that they last for 5 to 6 weeks and the season is over. In some cases, you can catch up in one day of the season if your show was on Bravo or stop watching them and come back to them years later (for me it is The Bachelor this past January).
Although I make fun of the amount of reality tv shows there are, I do appreciate them and look forward to new ones. I plan on watching Denise Richards, It's Complicated which starts on Memorial Day on the E Channel.
j
In my search of the job boards, I easily become distracted by headlines on the various homepages I view and now have the time to fully explore them (who states being unemployed doesn't have its benefits). Recently, I discovered the following site http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/ and am not sure if I should admit this to others or keep the fact that I really like what I've discovered to myself. Obviously, I have chosen to share my discovery with others and here's why:
1. I discovered from recent conversations with two of my friends that I'm not up on my reality tv lingo. While I spend numerous hours watching L&O (Law & Order for people who have lived in a cave the past 20 years or don't have NBC, Bravo, TNT or TBS), there are shows such as Celebrity Rap Superstar or Breaking Bonaduce (although, I will admit I've heard of this show, but have yet to see).
2. There appears to be 426 reality tv shows that have existed and am wondering why there isn't a show like Project Greenlight where they show the process from start to finish of how a tv studio selects a new reality series.
3. I know that there are several hundred channels, but really, when do they air and who has time to watch them all?
Personally, I enjoy Top Chef, Workout, The Biggest Loser, Project Runaway, Housewives of Orange County and NYC (thanks to my sister). I also enjoy Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs (but I think that is solely based upon the host) and, of course, Man vs Wild. I want to note that I hated when the scandal on Bear came out and that my sister had to point it out to me (every possible chance she could). I romanticized the fact that someone could be dropped off on top of a mountain, wrangle wild horses with a lasso made out of vine and build a makeshift boat out of inferior quality wood. Never mind what he eats or drinks. I think Man vs Wild is my take of the fairy tales read to you as a child. Although the disclaimer at the beginning of the show doesn't take away from the show, it somehow has managed to ruin the magic for me.
What I wish I saw and missed were shows like the Monastery, 5 men in a midlife crisis stay with 30 monks for 40 days, but didn't.
As I was going through the list of shows, I have to admit, I have watched several dozen of these shows at one time or another or have heard of them. The beauty of a reality show is that they last for 5 to 6 weeks and the season is over. In some cases, you can catch up in one day of the season if your show was on Bravo or stop watching them and come back to them years later (for me it is The Bachelor this past January).
Although I make fun of the amount of reality tv shows there are, I do appreciate them and look forward to new ones. I plan on watching Denise Richards, It's Complicated which starts on Memorial Day on the E Channel.
j
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Things That People Shouldn't Say.....
Wednesday: May 21, 2008:
I've recently become unemployed due to a reduction in workforce and am amazed at the comments I've heard. I wanted to list a few of them along with other inappropriate comments that make me go "Hmmm... did you really mean for that to come out of your mouth?"
Unemployment:
I've recently become unemployed due to a reduction in workforce and am amazed at the comments I've heard. I wanted to list a few of them along with other inappropriate comments that make me go "Hmmm... did you really mean for that to come out of your mouth?"
Unemployment:
- Did you know that XYZ Company just had layoffs and I hear that another 2000 people will be let go this week that you'll be competing against.
- I think it'll be several more years before the recession turns around and companies begin to hire again.
- Did you find anything yet? Have you looked? Why haven't you found anything, its been a week? (these are comments I hear from people who have never been unemployed and don't have a clue that appropriate jobs don't fall out from the sky)
Baby Shower: (it should be noted that I do not have any children)
- Guest to pregnant guest-of-honor..."I was in labor for 36 hours and hemorrhaged, it was the worst experience of my life and that is why we only have Janey"
Seriously, that is like leaning over a patient while on the operating table and telling them that although the surgery is dangerous, the surgeon has been successful with this particular operation at least once out of the last 10 procedures.
Hospitalizations/Surgery:
Years ago, I had a surgery that went amiss and was back in the hospital with some funky horrible infection which was apparently life threatening. I was scheduled for emergency surgery the next morning and called a friend for consolation and here's what I heard:
- "Man, your life really sucks" (It should be noted that although I adore my friend, I no longer rely on him for any comforting words).
Nursing Home:
Recently my mother has been admitted into a nursing home for Alzheimer and the cost is close to $10k per month. My father has insurance, but still has a considerable out-of-pocket expense which is not covered by insurance. Apparently, everyone knows someone who has been admitted to a nursing home because of Alzheimer and instead of saying, "oh, I'm sorry to hear that, how are you doing" he has heard comments like this:
- My mom/aunt/grandma was admitted to a nursing home for Alzheimer and lived for another 12 years. My dad/uncle/grandpa went broke and lost his home. (something every 86 year old wants to hear)
Divorce/Separation: Yes, in addition to losing my job (a couple of times), I am now divorced and was amazed that I heard the following comment:
- Don't worry, you won't be alone. You'll find someone soon.
Hello? What are people thinking? I had just filed for divorce and wanted the chance to breathe and I am supposed to be worried about being alone?
I know that there are probably dozens and dozens of inappropriate comments that others have heard, these are just the ones that stick out in my mind.
j-
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