Help! I am being attacked by the shopping bug!
A little background info on me. I am not a huge shopper. If it weren’t for my husband, sister and What Not to Wear I would always look half put together, or half not, depending on whether you are the glass half empty or half full types. Me? I am the half empty type. I don’t even bother claiming to be a “realist” I just know that I am liberally infused throughout with pessimism, or cynicism, take your pick. It may have something to do with the years traveling the road. It may have to do with working with so many people. Not really sure though I am sure that a psychiatrist would have a heyday explaining it to me.
Back to the shopping. I think it has something to do with spring. We cleaned up the lawn. My house is getting the walls put in. The sap is flowing, there are buds on the trees. I think this all leads in the shopping direction. Why? New things! So this is what is on my shopping list:
1. Vibram Five Finger shoes. I just have to have a pair of these, they are amazing! I love going barefoot and these shoes are just perfect. Plus I found them in the most amazing color…
2. A new purse. Oddly enough I am not much of a purse girl either but I found one the other day that is just plain yummy. I seriously am needing to buy this purse.
3. Carpet. I am getting the walls done and now I need a piece of carpet to put in the loft.
4. A food processor. We have been along OK without one but it is becoming increasingly needed.
5. Ribbon because I need to dress up the plain headbands that I just bought for my oh-so-mod hair.
6. I would really like to buy some stuff to design my wall decorations BUT I will be able to put this off because my walls aren’t done yet.
I honestly thought there was something more but I guess that is it. The good thing is I can usually guilt/talk myself out of buying most everything so I think I am safe (I hope?) But the shoes may do me in.
Now that I have inflicted you all with my shopping desires I am sure you have wasted under 5 minutes reading this and can now set your mind free to make a spring shopping list of your own and if you need any help guilting yourself out of buying something just drop me a note because I am an expert. Just ask my shopping hubby.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Pet Peeve
So today’s discourse is nothing but a rant plain and simple. Pet food commercials. They are on my top 10 hate list. Hate is actually the wrong word. Despise is a good one. They make me want to vomit. My favorite commercial to hate is the Blue commercial. It talks about how every other pet food is made out of byproduct and how pets are family therefore they need to eat as well as your family member. This pet food advertises that it has real meat, veggies and fruit. Another commercial I love to hate shows a mother pouring some unmarked dry food in to her kids’ bowls and states that you wouldn’t feed your kids dry food so why would you feed it to your pet? This commercial happens to be advertising refrigerated pet food. These commercials disgust me. Don’t get me wrong I love animals. I enjoy my dog and have always had pets. I have cried when my pets have died and I care for them by feeding them well and providing for their health and even for their happiness. This is my beef with the pet food. Pets are animals. Period. They are not children. To rate a pet as a human demeans what it means to be a human. Ok so I have another beef with the commercials. In the light of the recent disasters around the world but in mind especially the horror of Haiti it seems pathetic that we should be told that our pets need to eat the best meat, fruits and vegetables there is to offer. It almost makes me sick every time I see them as I think of the people who are going without. I know that it doesn’t matter if I feed my pet a slightly lower grade food, they are animals for crying out loud, in the wild they eat dead things! Human beings on the other hand are meant to be nourished with actual food. Believe me my pet feels no less loved because I didn’t feed her refrigerated food this morning but if I would have fed my son some sort of ground of chicken meal he would be one hungry unhealthy little boy.
Shame on you pet food purveyors there are people out there in need of food let pets eat byproduct, they always have.
Shame on you pet food purveyors there are people out there in need of food let pets eat byproduct, they always have.
BS
Sometimes I surprise myself with how totally capable I am at BSing. Seriously. I write articles as a little sideline job. It doesn’t make much and that doesn’t really bug me because I tally it up as being pure profit because 1. I don’t have to buy any special clothes for the job, I could do it in my pjs and hair curlers if I really wanted to (Yeah, I said hair curlers, I am totally in to the whole 50′s housewife thing. That was the 50′s when they did that right?), 2. We don’t have to own a second car for it and 3. I don’t have to pay for childcare because I am home and can do it during nap time or after the boys go to bed. Therefore it is pretty much the perfect job. The not so perfect parts about it is that it doesn’t pay really well and I have to write a lot of articles about things that I am not so interested in. I also have to write articles about products that I don’t use or procedures I think are dumb. Things like that. What I have found out though is that I can write about these things in a totally convincing tone like I actually care about what I am writing about. How do I know this? Because people actually accept my work. I guess that is a good thing. It’s a good thing because I get to keep the job. As I was putting the finishing touches on my latest article, which I happened to enjoy writing because it was actually about something that I care about and the person who ordered the article actually gave some leeway for artistic interpretation, so not a completely brain-dead type of job. Anyway, as I was finishing this article I had to chuckle to myself because I felt so full of BS. There are times in life when it just seems like the situation calls for some measure of BS. And I don’t mean being fake. I mean just plain (And this is where the whole equating the article writing to what I am about to talk about ends) “fake it ’til you make it” jazz. There have been so many times in my life where I did not want to talk to one more person or play one more song or drive our 1970′s bluebird converted house bus to one more place with new people and I just plain had to BS my way through it and through that I ended up not only tolerating life but “livin’ it large” to quote a young man we met at the beginning of our travels. I get tired of seeing people call it quits just because they don’t feel it any more. I have seen so many people quit things just because they were difficult. Marriages, jobs, ministries, organizations, family, eating healthy, exercise, breastfeeding and sometimes even life. Now I know you might thinking “you can’t BS your way out of those kinds of situations!” and you are right. I can’t just BS my way out of things. First I have to face the facts. I have to call things what they are. I have to realize that the articles are not something I can really believe in but that they are a real way that I can bring a little extra in to our little family that doesn’t have much (Haha, the example is back in full force and with renewed applicability!). Then I have to take my feelings about those things, whatever they might be and find a way to give them expression. And then I BS. I fake it. Really. I act as if. I act until my emotions catch up. Because they will. The key is honest evaluation. Calling things as they are. No BS.
Good Morning
I am not a morning person. I have never been a morning person. From the time I turned 13 I stayed up way too late reading. Ok so I admit it I was a homeschool nerd. I practically day-dreamed about the book I was going to read that night. And that is about all it took me to read it. One night. I don’t know what has happened to me. Wait. Yes I do. His name is Jude. He happened to me.
I am getting up at 6 something every single morning. Yuck. Why? Jude of course. Why? I have no clue! Seriously, what is going through his little pea brain? It is hardly light then. We have to turn all the lights on! I do not think that I am going to convert in to a morning person. For some reason I seem to be able to get up and be fairly cheery every morning. I used to swing at people who tried to wake me up. In my sleep, really, I was sleeping, I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not that mean. Ok, so maybe I am. Mean that is. A little.
The problem with getting up that early is the fact that I seem to need to eat two extra meals just because we got up at 6. I mean I seriously have to consider how much food one actually needs to eat and all because of that dang morning number. The bonus is that I am exercised and showered before 10.
Mornings are just one of the things that my son has “gifted” me with. Special don’t you think?
I am getting up at 6 something every single morning. Yuck. Why? Jude of course. Why? I have no clue! Seriously, what is going through his little pea brain? It is hardly light then. We have to turn all the lights on! I do not think that I am going to convert in to a morning person. For some reason I seem to be able to get up and be fairly cheery every morning. I used to swing at people who tried to wake me up. In my sleep, really, I was sleeping, I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not that mean. Ok, so maybe I am. Mean that is. A little.
The problem with getting up that early is the fact that I seem to need to eat two extra meals just because we got up at 6. I mean I seriously have to consider how much food one actually needs to eat and all because of that dang morning number. The bonus is that I am exercised and showered before 10.
Mornings are just one of the things that my son has “gifted” me with. Special don’t you think?
Experience Life
I have experienced something totally amazing. It is chocolate (And all the women say “duh” like you didn’t know that was the most wonderful thing ever?) It has to be on the most sensual experiences ever (Besides sex of course which still rates above chocolate in my book). All you virgins out there just ignore that last set of parentheses. I think that chocolate and sex are very similar. They both send trigger “happy hormones” in your body and even if you have had the worst day ever they seem to make things brighter, or at least tolerable. Of course if the reason you are PO’d happens to be your hubby then you might want to stick with the chocolate scenario and I am about to let you in on this amazing experience.
This new chocolate sensation is by Chocolove and is sea salt and almonds in dark chocolate. I feel amazing just talking about it. It may be a taste fad but I am kind of doubting it. The problem is that I now live in terror that they might discontinue it at some time. But isn’t that how all great things are? You have to live in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest. I love this chocolate because it has nuts, life should be a bit nutty, you should have nuts in your life and be a bit of a nut. The sea salt is like tears, tears of laughter, tears of pain and tears of sorrow, life has no depth without tears, salt adds depth, I bet you didn’t even know it had been missing in all other chocolate. You’ll understand when you taste it. Just like life. You can’t explain life to someone, they have to take a leap of faith and try it out for themselves. And then there is the dark chocolate. I am a dark chocolate lover anyway. Dark chocolate has just that perfect hint of bitterness. Bitterness is not something that I advocate in life but I equate this kind of bitterness to something like old hurts, life scars, it shows that you have lived and makes you enjoy everything right down to its dark bitter-y depths.
Don’t take my word for it. Go experience.
Embracing the Inner Mod
I can’t seem to leave well enough alone. It seems to me that blogs just scream for new themes. I am glad that at least I have not figured out how to use WordPress well enough to tweak it too much in some ways because I think it would become some sort of obsession.
I care more about what the content is that what the cover looks like but it sure can be fun to change the look. Mostly it is because I am searching for “the” look. The look that says “read me”, “take me seriously”, “enjoy me”, “I’m smart and witty”, etc.
It’s the same with my hair. Seriously. I can never leave well enough alone. Right now I am attempting for the thousandth time in almost as many years (Ya, so bite me for exaggerating) to grow my hair out. I am, thus far, successful which really is not saying much. I am constantly on the hunt for the right look. I don’t want to be too “cute” but I don’t want to look all vamp-sexy all the time either but I can’t look frumpy but… I want my hair to say almost everything that I would like my blog to say now how weird is that? The deal is that it can be very tricky because I have always been drawn to slightly whimsical and wispy hairstyles but I have the thickest and straightest hair ever. I do mod. I do mod very well. Ugh.
So embrace is the name of the game. I am going to embrace the inner and outer mod.
Whatever that means.
I care more about what the content is that what the cover looks like but it sure can be fun to change the look. Mostly it is because I am searching for “the” look. The look that says “read me”, “take me seriously”, “enjoy me”, “I’m smart and witty”, etc.
It’s the same with my hair. Seriously. I can never leave well enough alone. Right now I am attempting for the thousandth time in almost as many years (Ya, so bite me for exaggerating) to grow my hair out. I am, thus far, successful which really is not saying much. I am constantly on the hunt for the right look. I don’t want to be too “cute” but I don’t want to look all vamp-sexy all the time either but I can’t look frumpy but… I want my hair to say almost everything that I would like my blog to say now how weird is that? The deal is that it can be very tricky because I have always been drawn to slightly whimsical and wispy hairstyles but I have the thickest and straightest hair ever. I do mod. I do mod very well. Ugh.
So embrace is the name of the game. I am going to embrace the inner and outer mod.
Whatever that means.
Milk Toast
Every so often I feel like giving a little word lecture. Not because I think that everyone doesn’t know the meaning of the word I am about to lecture on. I would never presume that anyone presides in such ignorance. And for the most part I don’t even presume that you care a rat’s butt about my little word lecture I am going to give but that’s OK because it’s your own fault that you are here reading this.
Today’s word lecture is (drum roll accompanied by bated breath): Disappointment (Tada!). Was that just shock and awe that I saw register on your face? No? Bummer. I was hoping for some sort of dramatic reaction not some sort of caustic smirk. The definition of disappoint is:
1. To fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of: His gross ingratitude disappointed us.
2. To defeat the fulfillment of (hopes, plans, etc.); thwart; frustrate: to be disappointed in love.
Disappointment is synonymous with the words: Sadden, disillusion, dishearten, disenchant.
So you may be wondering something along the lines of “So what’s up with the down-in-the-dumps post?” at this point. Hang with me and you may get your answer soon unless it is anything like the last blog where you will leave wondering where this is all going. That is, by the way, what happens when you try to put your thoughts together sometime after 11 p.m. when you have a toddler.
I realized something the other day while I was watching TLC’s What Not To Wear. I know you are gaping in horror right now considering how shallow I am. But it’s true. I love that show. It is part of my “vain hour” even though it is a bit over an hour, my vain hour includes exercise, What Not To Wear and a shower, all during nap time. Anyway, while I was watching What Not To Wear the other day I realized that I want their job. OK, so not their job per se but a job like their job. Something that transforms a person in 1 week giving them a new look, new confidence… etc. I wouldn’t say that their job is easy. Actually I am guessing that it can be quite frustrating. But I do think that their job is gratifying. Right now I would like to have a gratifying job. All the “career” paths that I have chosen so far in my life are not all that gratifying and gosh dang it if they aren’t the slowest moving “careers” to see “success” in on the face of the planet! (OK so maybe I am exaggerating just a bit)
I am disappointed. I am disappointed that things take so long and that people don’t change as quickly as I would like. I am disappointed that the walls in my tiny cabin are not finished and that it is starting to give me cabin fever. That and there is still snow on the ground and after struggling my son in to all his winter clothes he only wants to be outside for 10 minutes before he is freezing and wants to come back in. Probably just so that he can track snow all over my floor. I am disappointed about the fact that I want certain things in my life that just don’t seem to be happening on my time frame. I am disappointed that I am going to turn 25 and don’t feel like I am. Even though I don’t even know what that is supposed to feel like and maybe that is disappointing as well. I have never been good about learning new things. I always think that I need to be good at it right off the bat and I give no room for error. I think perfection should happen right off the bat. Why? I’m really not sure. I don’t have OCD, really. OCD is a disorder and I am pretty sure that I am too ordered to have a disorder. Then again that is another disappointment, health stuff that I also is not in my area of control. I hate not being in control.
Now before you get carried away and assume that I think my life is a failure and everything is a disappointment I am going to clarifying by saying this is not the entirety of my life by any means it is just a portion of my life. There are plenty of things that I am happy and content with and as sooner I embrace my disappointment the sooner it can transform in to action and contentment. Though I still wouldn’t mind having a gratifying insta-transformation job.
My theme for now believe it or not is also off What Not to Wear (Yup, go ahead and roll your eyes) “Why go through life being milk-toast when you could be mocha almond fudge?” Stacey from What Not to Wear. And to me sometimes that means you have to accept extreme disappointment because not having disappointments in your life would also mean that you did not experience extreme joy. I would rather be a wild flavor with all it’s nuts than milk-toast.
Today’s word lecture is (drum roll accompanied by bated breath): Disappointment (Tada!). Was that just shock and awe that I saw register on your face? No? Bummer. I was hoping for some sort of dramatic reaction not some sort of caustic smirk. The definition of disappoint is:
1. To fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of: His gross ingratitude disappointed us.
2. To defeat the fulfillment of (hopes, plans, etc.); thwart; frustrate: to be disappointed in love.
Disappointment is synonymous with the words: Sadden, disillusion, dishearten, disenchant.
So you may be wondering something along the lines of “So what’s up with the down-in-the-dumps post?” at this point. Hang with me and you may get your answer soon unless it is anything like the last blog where you will leave wondering where this is all going. That is, by the way, what happens when you try to put your thoughts together sometime after 11 p.m. when you have a toddler.
I realized something the other day while I was watching TLC’s What Not To Wear. I know you are gaping in horror right now considering how shallow I am. But it’s true. I love that show. It is part of my “vain hour” even though it is a bit over an hour, my vain hour includes exercise, What Not To Wear and a shower, all during nap time. Anyway, while I was watching What Not To Wear the other day I realized that I want their job. OK, so not their job per se but a job like their job. Something that transforms a person in 1 week giving them a new look, new confidence… etc. I wouldn’t say that their job is easy. Actually I am guessing that it can be quite frustrating. But I do think that their job is gratifying. Right now I would like to have a gratifying job. All the “career” paths that I have chosen so far in my life are not all that gratifying and gosh dang it if they aren’t the slowest moving “careers” to see “success” in on the face of the planet! (OK so maybe I am exaggerating just a bit)
I am disappointed. I am disappointed that things take so long and that people don’t change as quickly as I would like. I am disappointed that the walls in my tiny cabin are not finished and that it is starting to give me cabin fever. That and there is still snow on the ground and after struggling my son in to all his winter clothes he only wants to be outside for 10 minutes before he is freezing and wants to come back in. Probably just so that he can track snow all over my floor. I am disappointed about the fact that I want certain things in my life that just don’t seem to be happening on my time frame. I am disappointed that I am going to turn 25 and don’t feel like I am. Even though I don’t even know what that is supposed to feel like and maybe that is disappointing as well. I have never been good about learning new things. I always think that I need to be good at it right off the bat and I give no room for error. I think perfection should happen right off the bat. Why? I’m really not sure. I don’t have OCD, really. OCD is a disorder and I am pretty sure that I am too ordered to have a disorder. Then again that is another disappointment, health stuff that I also is not in my area of control. I hate not being in control.
Now before you get carried away and assume that I think my life is a failure and everything is a disappointment I am going to clarifying by saying this is not the entirety of my life by any means it is just a portion of my life. There are plenty of things that I am happy and content with and as sooner I embrace my disappointment the sooner it can transform in to action and contentment. Though I still wouldn’t mind having a gratifying insta-transformation job.
My theme for now believe it or not is also off What Not to Wear (Yup, go ahead and roll your eyes) “Why go through life being milk-toast when you could be mocha almond fudge?” Stacey from What Not to Wear. And to me sometimes that means you have to accept extreme disappointment because not having disappointments in your life would also mean that you did not experience extreme joy. I would rather be a wild flavor with all it’s nuts than milk-toast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)