Tuesday, September 28, 2010....
Last Wednesday I turned 45. I didn't really celebrate like I normally would, but I decided to create a list of 45 things I wanted to do in my 45th year of life.
Last year, I did 44 new things and I think I tried/did 44 new things, but never wrote them down as I did them. This year, I took a different approach. I made a list of 45 things I wanted to accomplish. This list isn't a resolution list, but things I want to accomplish to lead a fuller life. Sounds easy to come up with 45 things, but it's not when you have no cash to do some things you really want to do (i.e., travel to Italy for 3 weeks or take fabulous cooking classes). Each item on the list has no $$ value on it.
Well, I've had this 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle I got years ago and figured why not finally do it. I started it last Thursday evening, and without hubby's assistance, started working on it in the evenings (note: hubby didn't want to help until last evening when there were fewer than 100 pieces left - I let him help until 40 pieces were left). Last night, I went to bed with having fewer than 40 pieces to put in. I start this a.m. and was cranking away at it until the last piece. Oddly enough, the company gave me a duplicate piece and neglected to put the piece I needed in the box.
Ummmm.... this is both frustrating and very funny at the same time. I actually wrote the company telling them of my dilemma. I'm not sure they'll care (they probably won't), but I just had to. I'll let you know if they write back (again, I doubt they will).
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Bucket List
Monday, September 20, 2010......
Today marks my parents' 63rd wedding anniversary. My dad doesn't read my blog, nor do I want him to, but I thought 63 years deserves a definite congrats shout out before talking about a Bucket List.
If you haven't a clue what a bucket list is, well, it's simply a list of things you want to do before you die. It's sort of a New Year's resolution list, but better. It's all about the things you want to do, not have to do. For some, it could be traveling to Italy, for others, it could be learning yoga.
Most people in their 20's and 30's don't have a Bucket List and shouldn't. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with Cancer that I created a mental one for me. At the moment, it's on hold due to lack of funds. I may just revamp it to create a Bucket List that doesn't involve any money, but I really haven't thought about it too much until last weekend.
Last weekend, YogaGirl and I spent the weekend with our other sister, Science Girl. It was her 62nd birthday the day the 3 of us participated in the sprint triathlon and on the eve of her birthday she told us one of the items on her bucket list. Expecting it to be complete an entire Ironman competition (she's part of an Ironman relay and biking 110 miles under 10 hours) we giggled when she said to go through a corn maze.
She followed up with hiking to the base camp of some major mountain (name escapes me because I was still processing the corn maze concept and am not sure if I heard anything else).
When we returned on Sunday, YogaGirl started looking up corn mazes for my sister. I wonder if she'd settle for a hay maze? I bet those are easier to find this time of year and in my opinion safer. Didn't she see Children of the Corn?
Does anyone have a quirky item on their Bucket List? I'd be curious to know it. Who knows, it may end up on my list if it sounds fun.
Today marks my parents' 63rd wedding anniversary. My dad doesn't read my blog, nor do I want him to, but I thought 63 years deserves a definite congrats shout out before talking about a Bucket List.
If you haven't a clue what a bucket list is, well, it's simply a list of things you want to do before you die. It's sort of a New Year's resolution list, but better. It's all about the things you want to do, not have to do. For some, it could be traveling to Italy, for others, it could be learning yoga.
Most people in their 20's and 30's don't have a Bucket List and shouldn't. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with Cancer that I created a mental one for me. At the moment, it's on hold due to lack of funds. I may just revamp it to create a Bucket List that doesn't involve any money, but I really haven't thought about it too much until last weekend.
Last weekend, YogaGirl and I spent the weekend with our other sister, Science Girl. It was her 62nd birthday the day the 3 of us participated in the sprint triathlon and on the eve of her birthday she told us one of the items on her bucket list. Expecting it to be complete an entire Ironman competition (she's part of an Ironman relay and biking 110 miles under 10 hours) we giggled when she said to go through a corn maze.
She followed up with hiking to the base camp of some major mountain (name escapes me because I was still processing the corn maze concept and am not sure if I heard anything else).
When we returned on Sunday, YogaGirl started looking up corn mazes for my sister. I wonder if she'd settle for a hay maze? I bet those are easier to find this time of year and in my opinion safer. Didn't she see Children of the Corn?
Does anyone have a quirky item on their Bucket List? I'd be curious to know it. Who knows, it may end up on my list if it sounds fun.
Friday, September 10, 2010
A Week in Review.....
Friday, September 10, 2010....
I can't believe how quickly the summer went and that it's already the 10th of September. In 5 days, I begin national birthday week and for those of you remember from last year, I truly embrace the week.
This past week, I've applied for a position and was informed I was over qualified because I have a B.A. and not an Associates degree.
This past week, I discovered a new vegetable: Kale. I love it.
This past week, hubby befriended the cutest older gentleman who operates his own farm 1 mile from my house.
This past week, I had a break through in the piece I'm writing and realized it's crap and am ready to start over (seriously, I was writing a scene involving a conversation between 2 characters and I was bored).
This past week, I realized it's my sister's birthday on Sunday and I get to spend the day with her and YogaGirl participating in my first sprint triathlon. My sister, Science Girl, inspires and shows me that age should never inhibit you from pursuing your passion.
This past week, I added the "elusive" Tree Kangaroo to my Yahoo alerts. This is HUGE because the only other Yahoo alert I set up was in 2003 for the Snakehead fish. I'm still fascinated by them.
This past week, I got to know some women from my writing workshop outside our normal setting and really enjoyed talking with them.
This past week, I noticed it's getting darker earlier and it sucks.
There it is. My week in review. I hope everyone had a fun, if not, quirky week.
I can't believe how quickly the summer went and that it's already the 10th of September. In 5 days, I begin national birthday week and for those of you remember from last year, I truly embrace the week.
This past week, I've applied for a position and was informed I was over qualified because I have a B.A. and not an Associates degree.
This past week, I discovered a new vegetable: Kale. I love it.
This past week, hubby befriended the cutest older gentleman who operates his own farm 1 mile from my house.
This past week, I had a break through in the piece I'm writing and realized it's crap and am ready to start over (seriously, I was writing a scene involving a conversation between 2 characters and I was bored).
This past week, I realized it's my sister's birthday on Sunday and I get to spend the day with her and YogaGirl participating in my first sprint triathlon. My sister, Science Girl, inspires and shows me that age should never inhibit you from pursuing your passion.
This past week, I added the "elusive" Tree Kangaroo to my Yahoo alerts. This is HUGE because the only other Yahoo alert I set up was in 2003 for the Snakehead fish. I'm still fascinated by them.
This past week, I got to know some women from my writing workshop outside our normal setting and really enjoyed talking with them.
This past week, I noticed it's getting darker earlier and it sucks.
There it is. My week in review. I hope everyone had a fun, if not, quirky week.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Talk About Passion......
Thursday, September 9, 2010....
I'm always fascinated by what makes a person tick. I understand a person's desire for fame or fortune, and rarely am I mystified by what drives a person's passion. However, I was pleasantly surprised by one person.
I watched a video aired on Yahoo, courtesy of ABC, about the elusive tree kangaroo. Why? I'm not quite sure. Maybe it was because I wanted to know why a tree kangaroo was elusive. Whatever my reason, I took a few minutes out of my day to watch the video.
What was more surprising to me was the woman who is spending her time and energy to protect these creatures from extinction. She arranged for a camera crew to come and capture a tree kangaroo on film because she feels the more people know about them, the more people will want to save them.
For her, it was a visit to a zoo to see one that made her want to know all about them. I'm impressed, and am in awe of someone, who has so much passion that one look has them move to the jungles and spend their life working to save them.
I like and love many things, but no one thing jumps out at me. I wonder what it would be like to be all consumed with such passion. I wonder if it is a curse or a blessing.
I'm always fascinated by what makes a person tick. I understand a person's desire for fame or fortune, and rarely am I mystified by what drives a person's passion. However, I was pleasantly surprised by one person.
I watched a video aired on Yahoo, courtesy of ABC, about the elusive tree kangaroo. Why? I'm not quite sure. Maybe it was because I wanted to know why a tree kangaroo was elusive. Whatever my reason, I took a few minutes out of my day to watch the video.
What was more surprising to me was the woman who is spending her time and energy to protect these creatures from extinction. She arranged for a camera crew to come and capture a tree kangaroo on film because she feels the more people know about them, the more people will want to save them.
For her, it was a visit to a zoo to see one that made her want to know all about them. I'm impressed, and am in awe of someone, who has so much passion that one look has them move to the jungles and spend their life working to save them.
I like and love many things, but no one thing jumps out at me. I wonder what it would be like to be all consumed with such passion. I wonder if it is a curse or a blessing.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Fancy Pants...
Monday, September 6, 2010......
Ever come across a person that TELLS you how intelligent they are? The person who believes using words from medieval times is acceptable when having a conversation?
I have.
It's annoying as hell.
Don't get me wrong, I love when I hear people use words that we typically don't use in everyday conversation, but what I don't like is when they assume fancy words = intelligence. It doesn't.
In many cases, it leads to arrogance. Just because your vocabulary is amazing, don't assume you know everything. And when someone corrects you because they've actually worked in the field and came across the situation your were talking about on a daily basis, don't tell me "I haven't worked in the field, but know it to be true". How? How could you?
My ex neighbor was famous for doing this, but he didn't declare himself brilliant. He just wanted you to believe that he knew it all. At first, I would believe him if he talked about subject matter I hadn't a clue about. But one day, he revealed his hand when he discussed suicide clauses in life insurance policies. I worked for 8 years in the insurance industry and was a registered life insurance agent. I knew the ins-and-outs of a standard life insurance policy and called him out on it. The more he try to dig himself out of his lie, the more I'd nail him to the wall.
Prior to meeting my ex neighbor, I trusted everyone was honest and only talked about a subject when they were knowledgeable about it. Now, I know better.
I haven't come across an individual like my neighbor until I met Fancy Pants. Now I know to keep quiet, smile and realize although he though he may use big words, he could be 100% full of shit.
Ever come across a person that TELLS you how intelligent they are? The person who believes using words from medieval times is acceptable when having a conversation?
I have.
It's annoying as hell.
Don't get me wrong, I love when I hear people use words that we typically don't use in everyday conversation, but what I don't like is when they assume fancy words = intelligence. It doesn't.
In many cases, it leads to arrogance. Just because your vocabulary is amazing, don't assume you know everything. And when someone corrects you because they've actually worked in the field and came across the situation your were talking about on a daily basis, don't tell me "I haven't worked in the field, but know it to be true". How? How could you?
My ex neighbor was famous for doing this, but he didn't declare himself brilliant. He just wanted you to believe that he knew it all. At first, I would believe him if he talked about subject matter I hadn't a clue about. But one day, he revealed his hand when he discussed suicide clauses in life insurance policies. I worked for 8 years in the insurance industry and was a registered life insurance agent. I knew the ins-and-outs of a standard life insurance policy and called him out on it. The more he try to dig himself out of his lie, the more I'd nail him to the wall.
Prior to meeting my ex neighbor, I trusted everyone was honest and only talked about a subject when they were knowledgeable about it. Now, I know better.
I haven't come across an individual like my neighbor until I met Fancy Pants. Now I know to keep quiet, smile and realize although he though he may use big words, he could be 100% full of shit.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Best Scam Email Yet
Friday, September 3, 2010.....
Yesterday, I received an email from the "BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION" apologizing to me for being the victim of a lotto or a kin claim and am entitled to a large sum of money if I responded to the email because of I was a victim.
Two things that made me laugh about the email:
1) They want to give me $2.4 million because I am a victim of a scam and I just need to give them contact info; and
2) Although the British High Commission lists his email address within the body of the email, the email originated from a gmail account. I'm thinking the British gov't would not be using gmail for its electronic mail service.
I'm just glad these criminals are plain stupid.
Actual email with my comments:
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
The British School of Cotonou,
Haie Vive, 08 BP 0352,
Cotonou, Benin.
Email:bhighcoms@admin.in.th
Sir,(Dude if you're going to win me over, at least know I'm a woman)
REF:FRAUD VICTIM
The Government of the West African Countries (ECOWAS) under the African Union (AU) have recompensed you following the meeting held with the Government of the various countries' high commission with the AU chairman, DR.BINGU WA MUTHARIKA for the fraudulent activities carried out by her Citizens on you.
This is to cushion the effect of the present economic difficulties on you. (So impressed he knows I'm unemployed and unemployment has run out - bet he's psychic)Your email address confirms that you were among those defrauded as listed by the FBI and Scotland Yard (Wow...I've never submitted any of these to either agency) through email scam by fraudsters either as contract payment, Next of kin claims, (do you mean these weren't real?)lottery and game wins etc. By citizens of either Nigeria, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea from any part of the globe where they operate from.
Be informed that a total of two Million four hundred and fifty thousand US dollars ($2,450,000.00) was allocated to you by the heads of states of the African Union as you were indicated as one of the fraud victims. Your current phone number/contact address (name John Doe, 1234 Main Ave, Anytown USA, 800-555-1212) should be made available to this Commission in acknowledgment of this mail to effect the processing and release of your fund by the nominated bank.(I bet you believe I think monkeys fly too) You can as well contact the Director in charge of the release/CEO of HSBC Bank London.
H.S.B.C
8 Canada Square Canary Wharf.
London, E14 5H.
Phone: +44 703 591 4563
Contact: Mr. Stephen Green.
Further communication between you and fraudsters should be discontinued as such will result to a total cancellation of the release of the stated fund to you. You are requested to acknowledge the receipt of this mail for proper update of the file opened for you in this regard.
Yours faithfully.
Mrs. Pauline Collins for.
Mr. Bob Dewar. (Commissioner}
Yesterday, I received an email from the "BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION" apologizing to me for being the victim of a lotto or a kin claim and am entitled to a large sum of money if I responded to the email because of I was a victim.
Two things that made me laugh about the email:
1) They want to give me $2.4 million because I am a victim of a scam and I just need to give them contact info; and
2) Although the British High Commission lists his email address within the body of the email, the email originated from a gmail account. I'm thinking the British gov't would not be using gmail for its electronic mail service.
I'm just glad these criminals are plain stupid.
Actual email with my comments:
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
The British School of Cotonou,
Haie Vive, 08 BP 0352,
Cotonou, Benin.
Email:bhighcoms@admin.in.th
Sir,(Dude if you're going to win me over, at least know I'm a woman)
REF:FRAUD VICTIM
The Government of the West African Countries (ECOWAS) under the African Union (AU) have recompensed you following the meeting held with the Government of the various countries' high commission with the AU chairman, DR.BINGU WA MUTHARIKA for the fraudulent activities carried out by her Citizens on you.
This is to cushion the effect of the present economic difficulties on you. (So impressed he knows I'm unemployed and unemployment has run out - bet he's psychic)Your email address confirms that you were among those defrauded as listed by the FBI and Scotland Yard (Wow...I've never submitted any of these to either agency) through email scam by fraudsters either as contract payment, Next of kin claims, (do you mean these weren't real?)lottery and game wins etc. By citizens of either Nigeria, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea from any part of the globe where they operate from.
Be informed that a total of two Million four hundred and fifty thousand US dollars ($2,450,000.00) was allocated to you by the heads of states of the African Union as you were indicated as one of the fraud victims. Your current phone number/contact address (name John Doe, 1234 Main Ave, Anytown USA, 800-555-1212) should be made available to this Commission in acknowledgment of this mail to effect the processing and release of your fund by the nominated bank.(I bet you believe I think monkeys fly too) You can as well contact the Director in charge of the release/CEO of HSBC Bank London.
H.S.B.C
8 Canada Square Canary Wharf.
London, E14 5H.
Phone: +44 703 591 4563
Contact: Mr. Stephen Green.
Further communication between you and fraudsters should be discontinued as such will result to a total cancellation of the release of the stated fund to you. You are requested to acknowledge the receipt of this mail for proper update of the file opened for you in this regard.
Yours faithfully.
Mrs. Pauline Collins for.
Mr. Bob Dewar. (Commissioner}
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Coasting.....
Thursday, September 2, 2010.....
Sometimes in life it is important to do the silly stupid things. For me, one of the greatest joys I have is when we coast down this particularly long street.
I'm not sure how the game started, but it always ends up trying to guess exactly where the car is going to die out. Although the road is a somewhat busy road there are times when no one is on the road and we coast at great speeds where you have to be in the middle of the road to make this one, somewhat difficult, hairpin turn.
I wonder if my love of the coasting game has anything to do with my love of amusement parks? During my 20's and 30's, I visited many amusement parks in different states. Not sure how that happened, but it just did. Initially, I had this insane fear of roller coasters, but with each visit to a new park, I began to love to ride them.
It's been at least a decade since I've been to an amusement park. I think my car coasting game is the closest thing to a roller coaster I'll see in a while. It's definitely a stupid game, but sometimes, stupid can be fun.
Sometimes in life it is important to do the silly stupid things. For me, one of the greatest joys I have is when we coast down this particularly long street.
I'm not sure how the game started, but it always ends up trying to guess exactly where the car is going to die out. Although the road is a somewhat busy road there are times when no one is on the road and we coast at great speeds where you have to be in the middle of the road to make this one, somewhat difficult, hairpin turn.
I wonder if my love of the coasting game has anything to do with my love of amusement parks? During my 20's and 30's, I visited many amusement parks in different states. Not sure how that happened, but it just did. Initially, I had this insane fear of roller coasters, but with each visit to a new park, I began to love to ride them.
It's been at least a decade since I've been to an amusement park. I think my car coasting game is the closest thing to a roller coaster I'll see in a while. It's definitely a stupid game, but sometimes, stupid can be fun.
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