Friday, August 26, 2011

Write On Edge Challenge

So I joined this group on Facebook called Write On Edge.  It's a creative writing group that will occasionally post writing challenges.  This week's was to write a story.  Easy, right?  The tough part was to write it in the form of one tweet - 140 characters (including spaces) or less.  So - here goes...

Not again, she sighed.  She put her head down and wanted to cry.  She picked her head up, sighed again and went on.  #notanothermonday.


134 characters including spaces, puctuation and the hashtag.  Let me know what you think!

Write On Edge

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Random Thoughts While Running...

I got out of work early today.  That meant I could get to the gym earlier and get my workout done.  There was one catch to that.  I discovered it while I was doing my run.  The kids' program was still going.  The track I run on is on the second floor and loops around the gym area on the first floor.  This was where like 40-50 little kids in there playing dodge ball.  Do you know how loud that gets?  They drowned out my music from my ipod.  Random (or in this case not so random) thought:  It isn't always a good thing to get to the gym earlier...

Then, during my run another thought:  Either I'm getting old or my body is having fits over my attempts to beat it into better shape.  Why?  Because the more I run/lift/workout, the worse my body protests and not always in a good way.  But am I smart enough to quit?  No.  I figure if I keep it up long enough either my body will figure out it won't win or the truth is I AM getting old and no matter what I do I'll continue to hurt.

Next random thought was that I still had to get my husband's birthday present.  His birthday's tomorrow so I'd better get moving.

Another random thought:  Either I'm getting better at blogging or I'm just finding more and more random crap to put up here cuz this is like a record number of entries in one month for me.

Last random thought:  What am I gonna make for dinner?  My husband won't be home.  I don't need to worry about him, so what do I want?  I'll let you know as soon as I know...

Monday, August 15, 2011

Two things...

OK - there are two things I want to cover in this blog.  No, they have nothing to do with each other but, oh well.  Live with it.

Number 1 - My first thing to cover is more of an accountability for me - and motivation.  I have been trying to get myself into better shape.  So, as the accountability/motivation piece for me I figure I'm going to add a line at the end of my blog entries to track my progress.  The numbers are 2 measurements.  No - I am not going to say which particular measurements they are but most women would be able to figure it out fairly quickly.  I figure I'm going to go with the measurement thing because, quite frankly, I don't care about the number on the scale.  Most of my life my weight has been on the high end for my height, even when I was in pretty good shape.  And, since this venture is about fitting into my clothes better, the measurements are a better tracker for me anyways.

Number 2 - My second thing is actually the topic I intended for this blog entry (see, I was actually getting to the point!).  I have realized something.  I don't know if it is fair to say it's about myself, even though it kinda is.

Let me back up a second.  In order to understand what I'm getting at, you need to follow the entire train of thought.  I started this blog as a spur for myself to write more.  That being said, one of the other things I am working on is a fiction piece I started several years ago.  I would call it a story but in terms of word count it is definitely approaching novel length.  Anyways, I've been working on finishing this story.  It's about half way done, maybe more.  Well, I'd given what I did have finished to a close friend to read and critique for me.

So, this realization I came to happened when she made a comment about the story.  She was telling me she was excited to get some more.  I told her that I was working on it.  I knew where the story went but I was having some issues getting it there.  Thinking about that today (as well as some more of how to get my story to the end I already have in mind - which is a first for me), I came to a kind of scary realization.

The problem I am having with my story is that the characters are not doing what I wanted them to do.  For example, while at the gym, it dawned on me that part of why I was having issues with the interactions between two of the characters was because this wasn't really their story.  They play vital roles in it, but it isn't about their relationship to each other.  Then I realized that my ideas have taken on a life of their own.  They're my ideas and I have no clue what they're gonna do to get to the end.  I know the end I have in mind is, generally speaking, what will happen because it just feels that right.  It answers many of the things hanging at this point in the story.

But, come on.  It's my imagination - why won't it do what I wanted it to do?  Anyways.  If anyone cared, that was what I realized today.

Measurements - 34" and 41".

Friday, August 12, 2011

Bathroom Saga Part 3 of a (still) Unknown Number

Note:  I actually had this entry written back in about June when it was happening.  However, in the midst of the chaos that is my life I lost it.  So, when you are reading this, please bear in mind that this actually was happening back in June.

Yes - This is part 3.  No - it isn't over yet.  I hope at least some of you have been finding this funny.  I would if it weren't my bathroom that's torn up.  Then again, at least it's still functional so I guess I can't complain too much.

We finally picked out the paint.  At this point I've lost count of the trips to Menard's but we went back again to get the paint supplies.  I thought, finally - I'll get my bathroom done.  Not quite.  As anyone who has painted knows, the first thing that needs to be done is taping woodwork, taking off switch plates, taking down fixtures, etc.  So I asked my husband to help me with this.  Now, I get he was working, but so was I.  He got about an 8 foot section taped.  I got 30-40 feet taped in the same time frame.  Keep in mind, we have a large number of fixtures, woodwork areas and whatnot to tape off.  Like 2 weeks later I have a ton more taped off while he hasn't done anything more yet.  I got irritated and painted one wall. 

Needless to say I was less than impressed.  See, here's another thing to factor into this.  I'm short, like 5'4" short.  My husband is 6'1".  Therefore, it is MUCH easier for him to do some of the work around the peak of the vaulted ceiling than it is for me to do it.

By this time we've had the paint and supplies for almost a month.  Now, granted, we'd been out of town several times in that month, but still, a month?  And all he'd gotten done so far was taping about 8 feet?  So I really started pushing the issue.  He finally gave in and helped me get the last of the taping done and fixtures down.  Of course, by this time I'd already gotten a good portion of the brush work done.  Which, then led to several comments from him while he was helping tape what I hadn't gotten to yet.  Comments like he didn't like how some of it looked and how I should have done something differently.  Really?  Like he had any right to talk?  But - the taping finally got done.  We could finally finish painting.  So - silly me - I asked him to help me finish the painting since he owns the house as well.  I asked him several times.

He then, got mad and turned around and told me that he had no intention of helping me paint.  After all, it was my idea to paint.  I couldn't believe it.  I said wait one minute.  Don't me commenting on how you don't like how I am painting then tell me you have no intention of helping me!  Yes.  This then turned into one of those "discussions".  You know the kind.

Finally he agreed to help me.  Didn't take too long to get the first coat of paint up once we both worked at it.  But, I do gotta give my husband some credit.  We needed to wait until the first coat was good and dry to put up the second coat.  A day or two later I walked in the door from work and found a pleasant surprise.  He didn't work that day and decided to finish painting.  He was just getting done when I got home.  Now all that's left is to touch up a few spots when the second coat is dry and clean up.  Then the painting will be done.  Yay!  The floor still needs to be done.  I am really hoping it won't take another month to do that.  But, I guess we'll have to wait and see.  Either that or I'll have to learn to put vinyl floor tiles in myself.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Never mind - Still on the Soapbox

Alright.  I know I said I was gonna get off my soapbox.  But I can't help it.  I ran into another situation that just gets to me.  So, please, cut me a little slack as I rant and rave up here on my soapbox for a paragraph or two.  Here goes...

I just want to say some parents drive me nuts!!!!  I was working with the parents of one of my kids at work the other night.  Both parents were there with the kid which is a good sign.  During group, they both agreed that the kid was doing well.  Mom expressed some concern over how soon to trust the kid since the kid's been struggling behaviorally over the last few years.  This is normal and not an issue for me.  What happened next IS the issue.

Mom and dad want to talk to me in my office for a few minutes which was somewhat of a red flag for me.  They wanted to review what the kid's rules were at home.  So I went over it with them.  They were both fine with the rules.  Then Mom wanted to talk to me alone.  Major red flag number 2.  She tells me the kid has violated the rules at least twice.  Dad has not done anything about it and she wanted to know if the kid told me any of this.

Here's a side note issue I have with her wanting to know if the kid admitted this to me.  This is a teenager we're talking about.  Of course the kid isn't going to 'fess up to breaking rules to me when I am the one who will give the kid a consequence for it.  That is normal teenage behavior.  Just walk into any high school in the US - or most anywhere else for that matter - and see if a kid will walk up to a person in authority and admit that they broke a rule with absolutely no more motivation to do so beyond "it's the right thing to do to show honesty".   To me it's a little unreasonable to expect a teenager to come forth of his or her own volition and admit that he or she broke rules to the person who will give him consequences for it.

Now, back to what really bothers me, if you aren't already jumping up and down at the same issues I'm having here.  Why is Dad not holding this kid accountable?  Even bigger issue to me - why aren't these parents on the same page with regards to parenting this kid?  No wonder the kid gets away with breaking rules!  Parents are not suppose to be their kids' best friends!  They are suppose to be parents.  That sometimes means doing unpopular things in the kids' eyes.  Sometimes that means putting up with the kid screaming, kicking and telling parents that the kid(s) hate them and parents have ruined the kid's life.  Trust me.  The kids will get over it and most likely be grateful you parented them as they get older.  Parent them, will ya!

Just for the record.  I do not at this time have kids of my own.  But this is common sense people!  And we wonder why society, generally speaking, is so screwed up now days...

So it was a little more than a paragraph or two.  Thank you for your indulgence as I now attempt to climb down off my soapbox.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Time for the Soap Box

Ok - for those of you not interested in politics - stop reading now.  For those of you who know me, writing something about politics is rather unusual.  I can't stand politics.  That being said, for those of you who are brave enough, read on!

Since I only work 1 job now, I've been able to catch the news a little more often.  I still don't watch it religiously because I know how badly they can screw up stories from personal experience.  But I do watch so at least I have some clue as to what's going on in the world around me.  There has been one theme that has been sticking out to me in a not so good way.  Politics.  More specifically budget issues, be it on a state level or the federal level.

Here's where I get on my proverbial soap box.

Come on!!!  99.9% of the rest of the population of the U.S. would end up getting fired if we did half of the things that Congress has done - both here in Minnesota and on a Federal level.  If we don't get work done in time we don't get paid overtime to do it.  We get written up and potentially fired.  We can't turn around and tell the mortgage company, the car loan, the electricity, etc. that we don't have money to pay them so they just have to wait.  We can't tell them that we are delaying payments to them so we can pay other things because we can't figure out how to spend within our means.  What gives the government the right to do this?

Furthermore, why are we giving millions upon millions of dollars to aid other countries with there issues when we can't solve our own?  Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe in helping out those less fortunate than us.  But what happened to the less fortunate in OUR OWN COUNTRY?  Where are the millions upon millions to help them?  Why are we sending all of this money over seas when we can't figure out a national budget?  And why on God's green earth are we going to take money from the military to balance the budget if we can't figure it out any other way?  We are already underpaying our soldiers significantly and asking more of them than we do from almost anyone else in the country.

Let me give the federal government a hint - rewrite Medicare Part D!  If you read the Medicare Part D law language, the government cannot take into account how much a procedure costs when it decides whether to cover it or not.  I forget exactly how much it is, but Medicare Part D pays out somewhere in the BILLIONS of dollars in medical costs that, if it could take into account the cost effectiveness of the procedure/medication, it could be saving.  That would go a looooong ways toward balancing the national budget and paying down our debt.

Ok - soap box rant over.  I'll try for something more upbeat next time.  Perhaps back to The Bathroom Saga cuz, for those of you who have been following, that ain't over yet.