New Project

Here is my sweet newest re-do project, rough shape I'd say! It's been in my basement and now my garage collecting dust for the past 22 years.  I've completely ignored this bookcase because it originally belonged to an ex, and I'm not sure how I got it, he probably forgot about it.  It looked so sad against the garage wall housing all my flower pots, and planting materials.  After further inspection it's really sturdy and solid, yet dinged, scratched, and even a few holes and chips in her.  With a lot of power sanding and some pretty paint she'll come back to be even better and prettier than before, and serve someone well I hope. (Yeah, this is a metaphor)

Here I am on a cold October day out in my garage, it's been 2 days of sanding and plastering the holes, gashes, and chips out of her, but after another coat of putty, and some sanding, she should be ready for some paint.  I now wear a protective mask, because apparently my sinuses are very SENSITIVE!  That's another topic.  Can't wait to see what it'll look like

Here she is all finished!  NEXT

Update:  Sold this shelf that I acquired for free to a friend for $40 for her little daughter's room.  YEAH!

Slow Ride

When I write something down here, I keep in mind my intended audience which is a twenty something version of me.  I always ask myself  "What would I tell myself, having known now, what I'd wished I'd known then?"

       Don't we all wish we could take the knowledge we have now, and go back to high school?  WOW I'd be a A student, and join all the extra curricular stuff.  I'd be better prepared to handle bullies, boys and all the awkward moments that happen during high school.  I would really apply myself in English class instead of being grateful the English teacher was lazy and let us watch TV during class time. I'd know exactly how to react to stressful situations, and what it would take to be popular and cool!   Easy Peasy!   Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. 

     I guess the best piece of advise I can offer you is something a former supervisor told me a couple of jobs ago.   The reason he told me this is because every time I'd run into a problem with a client, or some type of dilemma, obstacle, tough situation involving a big decision that had to be made.  I'd literally run around the office like chicken little "the sky is falling... the sky is falling."  Stressing out telling everyone the dilemma and taking bad advice from whoever passed by.  Then I'd run back to my desk, and make the call or email the client almost instantly trying to hurry as quickly as I could to resolve the dilemma.   For some reason, I felt the need to hurry and get it over with like taking off a band-aid the quicker the less pain. 

My boss sat me down, after me going in and out of his office one afternoon like a freaking yo-yo he said: 

 "You don't have to resolve this right away, or get back to the client as fast as you can." 

 "It's okay to sit and think on it for a little while, and wait for the solution to present itself to you before calling the client again." 

This was life changing!  You mean to tell me that it's not a race against time?   I can actually THINK about it and still get the client to buy my product even though it took a while to get back to them?  I think it was all my prior hourly jobs that had unintentionally programmed me to HURRY, HURRY, HURRY!

  Chop Chop!  The Clock's A Ticking! 

 From that moment on, I took his advise, and tried not to jump the gun, flip out, and go all bat shit crazy trying to hurry and solve the problem so it would just disappear.  No more knee jerk reactions, spazzing out, and making a bumbling fool of myself because I'm in my race horse mode.  

     This has worked well for me at my job and in my personal life.  It's too bad I learned how to do this just 6 years ago, could have saved me from looking like a fool all through my 20's and 30's but oh well better late than never!  Hopefully one of you young hip twenty somethings will read this and see yourself doing this too, and maybe try a new approach and see what happens.  If so please comment below, and let me know how it worked for you too.

Little Girl Voices

     In my line of work, I encounter all types of people.  Rich, famous, homeless down-and-out, and everything in between.  One personality type I really don't understand is the grown woman using the little girl voice.
This happens often, and makes me wonder, why does this grown woman who is obviously over 18 think it's normal to speak to me, (or anyone) a representative of a company in a timid, small squeaky little kid voice while doing a business transaction?  They tend to do it when there is an issue with their account that needs to be resolved.  What makes a grown woman think this tactic is going to work well for them?  I want to tell them " pull up your big girl panties, and speak normally!!!"  Believe me this runs through my head every time I encounter this, and I  do encounter this often throughout the day.  Come on ladies, lose the little girly voice you're an adult now!

      Here are a few tips to make your business dealings go a bit smoother:
Always speak in a confident manner, so the person receiving the information is listening to the issue, not trying to comprehend why you're speaking in such a high pitched tone.  I've heard it said somewhere if you say it with confidence and conviction you'll get what you want.  I so admire men for the ability to just spit it out and say it, these girly gals, beat around the bush, ramble on and on, and it's mentally exhausting trying to decipher what it is they actually want!  Rehearse before you call, be clear concise, and get to the point.  The person on the other end of the line doesn't need to hear your life's story, or all your girly drama, they have a job to do, and other people to serve, so enough with the scattered thoughts, and small high pitched shrill.  It's like fingernails on a chalkboard to someone like me!
I'll share my biggest pet peeve of all time......has to do with repeating back a number.  For the love of all things holy, wait until the representative FINISHES giving you the COMPLETE set of digits, BEFORE interrupting them half way through the series of numbers to make sure your hearing skills work properly!!!  I can't tell you how many people do this annoying little thing!   I get the fact they want to repeat the number back to me to be sure they took it down correctly, but WAIT till I'm finished please!  Then you may have your turn!
 This drives me crazy, I'm not going anywhere, if you listen to me completely, I'll listen you you completely!  No need to freak out and interrupt me 3 digits into a 9 digit account number.
 GEEZE! Enough Said!

Why do we watch?

I'm addicted to a phenomenon called "Real housewives of Beverly Hills", I'm sooo excited for the new season, it's a guilty pleasure for sure!
    After watching each show I can't help but think, "all the shows plots are the same".. Uber rich ladies dressing up in their designer clothes, shoes, handbags, and diamonds...heading out to a drunken night of partying with the other ladies on the show, seems like they barely arrive via limo (of course) when someone says something to someone, and that someone takes it the wrong way and runs with it, then next think you know....CAT FIGHT! 
      There is crying, yelling, false accusations, ladies are talking over each other trying to get their point across but the other party is yelling even louder and nobody hears each other, and soon after it begins one of the groups storm out of the party, down the sidewalk to the always waiting limo. (what that driver must think!)
      As a spectator sitting in my easy chair eating popcorn, and watching all this drama I can't help but think to myself, it's "High school for forty-somethings" only with more expensive outfits.   I realize it's all fake and phony, and most of the drama is made up stuff to get viewers and rating points so the network can charge more money for commercial/sponsorship and all that.... but still as my son always asks: "Why do you watch that?"  because each time he comes upstairs when the show is on, and takes a peek at the T.V screen ...it's always in the middle of a yell fest, and he can't make heads or tails of what's going on.  Then he goes back downstairs seriously worried about my entertainment choices.
    I asked myself that very question:  Why do I watch?   It's certainly not for the cat fights, I guess I've always wondered how rich people really live, and so does the rest of the country.
        Apparently they're not any happier than I am, or else they wouldn't be fighting all the time with their "friends" on T.V. of all places.  They have substance abuse issues, and money issues even though it's not like a normal person's money issues.  They appear to all be clamoring for love and acceptance, and lots of attention like most of us.   They have fights with their partners, and their kids seem spoiled and snotty, like most kids now-a-days are.  They're overly concerned with keeping up with the Jones' and seem to work extra hard at always looking their best for the cameras.
     I know the TV viewing public eats it up, but I'd like to see more of how did they get so rich?  How do they manage to run all the businesses they own, and why are they called "Housewives" when they all  have careers?  If they're rich they must be smart, and if they're so smart why do they act so foolish?  They're not any smarter than I am, and I know many intelligent women who aren't nearly as wealthy as they are.
     Maybe these questions swirling around in my head constantly will be addressed this season, while I'm snuggled up in a throw blanket noshing on popcorn, eyes peeled in anticipation for the next fashion trend, over the top shoe or business idea one of the ladies comes up with.  I'll be wondering if Kyle's eyelashes are real or fake, if Mauricio is as handsome in person as he is on TV, and how the hell did
Yolanda meet David Freakin Foster???
 Inquiring minds want to know!





MY GAWD.... look at all those Grammy's!!
www.bravotv.com












  

Photography

My photography class is going slow, (totally my fault) trying to fit it in an already jammed schedule.
Here is a sample of my first assignment on light. Learning all about shutter speeds, lighting, and outdoor stuff. The assignment was to go outside and take a picture of something interesting that captured light in a unique way.  I simply took my camera on a "nature walk" and saw the sun glistening down through these beautiful healthy trees, and wanted to capture the way the light hit the leaves as the sun was setting for the day.
Here it is, pretty good huh?

TEN Command.MEN.ts

I  Thou shalt not date or marry a lazy ass man

II  Thou shalt not date or marry a man out of pity

III  Thou shalt not get married just because you think you're in "love"

IV  Thou shalt not let relatives, married friends, or the guy  pressure you into getting married before you are ready

V  Thou shalt not date a man who is too cheap to pay 

VI  Play the field, dating is all about ELIMINATION, sorting, and making the best possible choice

VII  Observe how he treats other women, his mom, his sisters, his female friends, his grandmother.  Be leery of a guy who is only nice to you

VIII  Date him for at least three years, hormones and lust wear off with in that time-frame, if you still love him after three, he's a keeper

IX   If he's sloppy now, he'll be an annoying dirty pig when married.  Make it clear you want to be his partner not his mom or maid/slave!!!

X    You end up marrying guys you date, don't waste time on a man you'd never want to marry.  Mr. Right could be waiting for you while your fiddling around with Mr. Wrong! 

Utility Bills

     When I was young and dumb, I'd watch my Mom take baskets of laundry outside on a sunny day and hang all our clothes on clothes-lines in our back yard to dry.  All the families undies, towels, sheets and so forth.  She'd carefully pin all the clothes up neatly, and in an organized fashion.  I was in my teens and thought it was soooooo embarrassing  "OMG all the neighbors are going to see our underpants drying on the line!!!"
 "How MORTIFYING for me!!"  Why did this crazy woman do all this when we have a perfectly good clothes dryer?

     Mom is a frugal gal, and doesn't like to waste money.  I didn't appreciate this until now, here I am in my late 40's and just opened up the electric bill and saw a $25 Savings!  WHOOP HEE!   You see my not so old electric clothes dryer timer went out last year.  I put the clothes in and it never shuts off.  Although I'm fully aware I have to manually stop the dryer I forget all the time.  Clothes would be drying for 4 hours. Then I started noticing my bill go up and realized it was that dumb dryer I keep forgetting to shut of.

       It was on a hot summer day over 100º when I go to throw some wet towels in the dryer, most of them used only once down at our community pool, then laundered.  It hit me, it's so hot outside why am I spending money and resources when I can line dry them like mom did?  I found some nylon cording, and tied it to two beams high up on my awning on the back deck out of the way but serves the purpose.  I found an indoor retractable line you can attach to a wall and string from wall to wall creating an indoor line as well for undies and delicate's.   All summer I dried my clothes outside, and because I like the fresh sent of bounce, when they were 90% dry, I'd stick them in the dryer with a fabric sheet for 5 minutes for that soft fresh smell I like.  My lines are much smaller than Mom's I just do my own clothes she did a family of eight.

    I save $25 a month off my bill that's $300 per year, and I'm being "green" which now-a-days is COOL!  I'm sure mom gets the same thrill when she sees how much she saves by using good old Mother Nature instead of an energy sucking electric dryer! I look back and say to my self, I was the idiot, I'm pretty sure nobody in the neighborhood gave 2 hoots about the clothes on the line in our backyard, and if they did, well....who the hell cares!

SOLD!

Before

Yes!  I finally sold "my piece" I call it.  I did this piece over the summer, and put out classified advertisements here and there, and today it finally sold at full asking price!  I've heard if you can turn your passion into a living you'll never "work" again!  Can't wait to see what the next piece will look like!

Adel

I love this, she's fearless and Fab and belongs on my blog!

18 BABY!

     Tonight I was reading an old classmates post on Facebook, she'd posted how depressing it is now that her baby is 18, and how she felt "old".    I couldn't help but comment under her status " My youngest turned 18 last week... and I find it very liberating!"

     I guess I'm a cockeyed optimist, or just a realist because I find it so wonderful that my youngest child is now a legal adult.  Of course I'll be there for him if he needs me, I'll always be his mom, but I'm also smart enough to give him space to learn, grow, make mistakes, and pick himself back up if he falls, and he will fall.

     Instead of being depressed  (this isn't the first type of post like this from the class of 1983) as we're all the same age and there are a lot of us.  I've been reading these baby's now 18 posts all year long I can't believe anybody could be depressed by this.  Maybe I'm just a kook, but I do feel liberated as HELL.  My 18 year old, has a job, a car, his own space in the basement, friends, and a good head on his shoulders FINALLY!  He rarely needs me for anything, he can go out on his own, get his car's oil changed, shop for clothes, buy his own meals, he's got ideas on what's " health food " and he buys his own.

      I no longer have to worry what's for dinner, I usually skip it, or have a banana before bed, I have time to actually READ a book!  I have time to go out with friends, weekend road trips, I have more money, because face it kids will nickle, and dime you to DEATH!   Mine did anyway, "my shoes have holes", "I need new pants", "me and ( fill in the blank) want to go to the movies, and have a sleepover!"  " I need a couple dollars for this or that"... UGH!  There goes my raise!   I'm able to shop, and buy stuff for ME!  With no guilt either cause 18 Baby's got his own money.

      I can stay up late, sleep in late, he doesn't wake me up for morning cereal and cartoons before I'm ready to be woken up. It's LIBERATING to say the least.  Just signed up for tennis lessons, and I'm taking a photography class too.  I can work whatever shift I want it doesn't matter when I come home because baby's 18!!!

      Why can't all these people see the benefits of having an 18 year old living in the house!  We still have our mom and son chats at night, but let's face it baby's 18 wouldn't be caught dead with mom in a social environment.  I no longer have to taxi he and his friends around anymore, saves me time and gas money too!  I'm finally free after 25 years of child rearing I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!  My job is complete, and looking at him, I did a great job indeed!  Watch out world, here I come cause baby's 18!