Storm Sandy....

Is it a hurricane? A Nor'easter? Or a reason to eat?

Yes, I know we're going to get slammed and I know that my dad's house will be flooded again. I still have fresh memories of dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene to help my dad out, but that's not where I'm going with this post.

What's up with the run on milk and Wonder bread at the grocery markets? I understand the bread because you need it for peanut butter sandwiches or to make bread animals when the power goes out and you're bored [note: Wonder bread has the consistency of silly putty and if you don't have kids, Wonder Bread provides endless hours of fun(note/note: If you're from the Wonder company, I want ad royalties if you decide to use this in future marketing campaigns)].

But seriously? I watched the NYC news and they showed the lines formed outside of Trader Joe's and thought: People don't you have any food in the house?

However, I admit, I'm a bit guilty of running to the store. I went to the local CVS (drug store), because I'm sick as a dog and didn't want to run out of Thera-Flu (OMG, I love this product) and kleenex. Sure, I strayed and bought some Cetaphil body soap (another product I love and is more than amazing), but I am low on soap. However, people were just buying things. I overheard 2 women talking and saying that they were picking up cold medicine just in case. In case of what? It's 60 degrees out and I'm assuming you're not going to sit outside your home during the storm so you get a cold. If you're are, well, I think you may need something more than an over-the-counter cold medication. Personally, if these women were taking the last box of Thera-Flu, I would have tackled them for it. And then, I would cough on them to prove my point that I needed it more.

As I was making soup for dinner, I used the last onion and asked my hubby to run out to the grocery store for: onions, celery, deli meat and more kleenex (what the hell was I thinking only buying one box earlier in the day). Milk was not on the list or Wonder bread, but he strayed on the list and brought home tortilla chips, seven layer dip (if you live near Stew Leonard's you'd know their dip is yummy) ice cream and cookies. Again, as I ask...Are storms really an excuse to just eat?

Yup. I'm Going to Go Here.....

I'm sick of political talk.

I'm bombarded with flyers, calls, Facebook posts and people who freely share their opinion even after I have clearly stated I don't like to talk politics. While I appreciate people are passionate about their party (yes, I have friends on both sides of the political spectrum)I was raised that your vote is private.

I read. I keep well informed of the issues, but I will never let on which way I'm voting and that is the beauty of being registered as an "Independent". I've voted across party lines and I'm fine with that.

However, I'm not fine with the constant bashing. I find the people who complain about the bashing are also bashing, but don't recognize it. I think there are ways to express your beliefs without slamming another party's viewpoint. To me, if you have to bash a political party, I am going to tune you out.

Also, if I tell you I'm an Independent and I don't talk about politics, don't tell me you feel the same way, also an Independent, and then spend the next 2 hours really sharing your Republican viewpoint with me.

Again, I respect that people are passionate about their beliefs, but right now, I'd rather hear about your bowel movements than talk politics. I'd rather hear you have to eat bran muffins to get things moving in the morning.

Because I feel so strongly, I am removing myself from all situations where the majority of the conversation is politics. I can't wait for talk of politics turning to annoying family members at the holidsys.

Living the Ordinary Life

Over the past several months, I've been struggling with just being "ordinary". I lead a fairly quiet life, haven't accomplished anything that put others in awe of me or discovered the cure for any horrible disease. However, wherever I turn, I'm bombarded with stories of people who've done something fantastic with their lives.

The more I read about extraordinary people the more I began to question what I was doing with my life. How often have I heard the statement "if you follow your dreams, you'll be successful" and am left thinking is there something wrong with me because I have no dream that drives me to put everything else on the sidelines. To wonder why I don't have that kind of tunnel vision and be focused or driven. Often, I'm left being annoyed with magazines that only profile these people. Once I'd like to see an article about the 'average' person.

While I admire people who do reach their goals, I've come to the realization that there are more people in the world who lead fairly quiet lives and can be happy with their surroundings and I'm one of those everyday people.

I enjoy quiet moments with my husband, love going to bed on freshly clean and ironed sheets, am thrilled when the refrigerator is clean and am thrilled when I finish a project to the best of my ability.

I have many dreams, but will I ever be one of those over-the-top super special people whom articles are written about? Probably not. But, I've finally come to the place where I can read about these people, appreciate their accomplishments and also know I do small but powerful things that make my life just a little bit better..

Another Reason Why I Should Think Twice About Asking For My Husband's Opinion

Note: I will remember one day to update my profile from unemployed to employed. End of Reminder

Now that I'm back at work for several months, I've been discussing with my husband the household projects that we need to tackle. Because we don't have a family room, our living room doubles as a living room for company, and the place where my husband plants his butt on a nightly basis to watch t.v. (he manages to find the most obscure crap on t.v.). My living room needs some sprucing up and is in desperate need for a new couch.

My couch is 10+ years, but because of its extended use by my hubby, it's more like 30 years old. I told him it was time that we updated the living room with at least a fresh coat of paint and a new couch (eventually, we'll address the hardwood floors that are beaten up and the fireplace). We (which really means my husband) will be painting the room, but after our conversation about the couch, I will be selecting the new couch alone.

Often when I shop for anything for too long, every option I see begins to look the same. It is inevitable that paint colors and fabric swatches begin to blend into one color or one pattern. I wanted to avoid this when selecting a couch and thought if I had my husband come with me, it would make the selection process a breeze. However, reality set in after I mentioned him coming with me to shop for a couch.

I really thought he'd feel thrilled to be included in the process, but I think I was mistaken....or hope I was after our conversation.

When I asked him to come with me, he suggested that we bring the outdoors inside. I don't know what I was thinking, but fell for it. I thought he was going to have a great creative suggestion, but got these 2 suggestions instead:

- why not have a greenish couch with a pattern of wetlands imprinted into the fabric with marshes and ducks; or

- why not have a greenish/brown couch with the forest imprinted into the fabric with deer and other woodland creatures represented.


Take aside my opinion that I think this is just plain ugly, but imagine going to sit down and your butt lands on the face of a raccoon? Eventually, there's no way you wouldn't have a dream that a raccoon is chasing you trying to bite your ass.

Needless to say, I will be on this search alone. I felt out a friend to see if she wanted to come with me, but no luck. I just hope I find this couch quickly.

Untitled - Yet Personal.....

I've been working for several months and still struggle with insomnia. I admit, it's not as often as it was when unemployed, but still, it happens.

Last week I went to dinner with a friend, came home and could not fall asleep. I was a bit anxious and couldn't figure out why. As I was thumbing through the t.v. stations I came upon a documentary on HBO: "Hard Times: Lost on Long Island."*

It followed several people who were hit by the Great Recession. They showed candid conversations with people who were unable to pay bills, feared being evicted, talked about how their friends disappeared because they couldn't handle them being unemployed and other issues that come up when there is no money.

It hit a note. I experienced most everything they went through, but didn't know how to really express myself because I was either frustrated or ashamed because I couldn't find a job and couldn't explain why.

Since getting a job, I realize I relate to why my parents (depression kids -- even though I'm a Gen-X kid) thought cash was king, hid money in a coffee can in the refrigerator and liked having extra money in their checking account.

After watching the documentary, I pinned down why I can't sleep some nights. It's fear. The fear of never feeling financially safe. Realizing that bad things happen to good people and this could happen again. The best I can do is take the right steps towards financial freedom and renew my daily meditation practice to help feel calm.

*As part of taking steps towards financial freedom, I worked with my cable provider to lower my bill to match another offer in the area and, in addition, to lowering my bill, I got HBO free for several months.

I Wonder How Old I'll Be Before I'm No Longer Amazed By What People Do.......

The other night as I was in the waiting room for a focus group I was participating in, I was totally shocked by the actions of this woman in the room.

Just imagine you're sitting in a room with complete strangers. It's totally silent. People are thumbing through magazines and then BLAM 'No Boundaries Lady' enters the room.

This woman is talking loudly on her cell phone not noticing 12 other people are in the room sitting in absolute silence. I've seen where people enter a room while talking, but quickly finish up their conversation. But not this lady. In fact, she got louder and would often pull the phone away to look at a text message she received as she was talking.

It wasn't that she was talking on a cell phone in a room where no else was talking, it is the conversation she was having that made several of us look up at one another in complete shock.

She was talking about someone's child she knew that had just drowned in a pool. Totally oblivious to how loud and how personal she was getting. It was somewhat disturbing to be in the middle of such a conversation. She was clearly upset which led to my ultimate thought/observation: Why are you even here?

Living in My Own Episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive..or Why I know I'll Never Own 43 Cats.......

Here in the U.S., we are slammed with every conceivable t.v. show imaginable. There are shows based upon families with multiple children, others about brides who are bat-shit crazy and truckers who drive long distances on ice in the dead of winter to deliver their shipments. I know I blogged in the past about a show entitled Hoarders and how watching it made me want to clean my house (I later made the connection that the people they profiled typically had multiple cats which are always found dead under stacks of rubble and realize if you own more than 40 cats you'll more than likely end up on the show).

While Hoarders is a show that amazes me (they usually cart away 8 tons of garbage in just 2 days) I've decided there has to be at least 400+ people for every house they profile to ensure it's clean in 48 hours.

Wait... I'm getting distracted. I want to tell you why I feel as though I'm one of the people profiled on Hoarders: Buried Alive (okay, not really because I don't own 43 cats, but I do have a room that is jammed packed).

When I found out I got a job in April and could work out of the house, I asked my husband to make a multi-shelf bookcase. It's July 1st and my dining room is still crammed packed, BUT the bookcase is finally painted. It's not completely dry and the room is covered with drop cloths (which my husband has promised will be put away tonight along with his painting implements and other stuff before I start work tomorrow), but I'm just thrilled it's finally painted.

I admit I'm a bit to blame, but I think his confidence in how long it would take was exceedingly high. I think he was under the impression it would take a day to cut the wood - a couple of hours to put together and a couple of hours to paint the case -- ummmm...NO! My husband is very handy, but I think he may have been watching too many home improvement shows where every home project is completed under 30 minutes.

I have to wait for the shelves to dry before putting things in its place and with the humidity as high as it is in CT, I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to double the normal waiting time before putting the office back together. I'm just hoping things are back in place before the end of the month because I'm starting to lose my mind.

With everything in the room I have to walk through to get to every room in the house, I've noticed how living in clutter, over a really long time, depresses the hell out of me. I can now see how most of the people they profile on the show feel defeated and don't know where to start. I have gone through everything and although the clutter is organized, I still have to maneuver through the room to pass through.

I'm just thankful I don't own 43 cats because I know I may not see them in between the stacks of books and office supplies on and under the table....And as my husband just said: "You don't want to find a flat cat".