Dumb Question Of the Day

I'm talking down a hall to the coolest boss in the world and Mrs. Stupid Questions, who are sitting in the coolest boss in the world's office.

"I'll go to lunch when everyone get's back. I'll just be running to Target."

By the time I got to the Target bit I was face to face with both of them.

Christine: "You're going to Target?"

Me: "No. What did I just say?"

Christine not reading the sarcasm in my voice: "You just said you were going to Target."

Me: "Then why did you ask me if I was going to Target?"

Rage

I'm having one of those days again....I can't catch up and my blood is boiling. I took my meds this morning, however I didn't eat until about 5 minutes ago.

My morning consisted of:

*No time for shower (ick!)

*Whiney 2 year old wants to watch "George" and once it's in and started, "NO!!! Bambi!" The screaming is enough to send me over the edge, so I comply to her demands.

*Have to practically sit on child to get her dressed....and she refuses to have her matted hair done.

*Leave house half-hour late...going to be late for work, again.

*2 year old has a melt down when I leave her at daycare.

*Get to work 19 minutes late....not as bad as I had thought.

*Desk is a complete disaster and I'm not ready for the accountant today. While racing to get things together, stuff starts falling off my desk. MY DESK IS TOO SMALL!

*Important fax won't go through, keep getting busy signal....fuck 'em they can call for it again and I'll tell them it's their own damn fault.

*The more I try to calm down and CHILL OUT, the more pissed off I get! At what? God only knows!

I'm feeling better now...it just won't take much to put me back to where I was though. I need to stear clear of Mrs. Stupid Questions and Mrs. The World Doesn't Go My Way.

Senior Photo

My sister replied to my questions about telling her father and...

She hasn't told him.

She claims that she hasn't had any alone time with him. She said that only her oldest sister is aware of the fact that she is adopted, so it's not exactly something she can talk openly about. I basically said, the sooner the better. The longer she keeps it from him the more it turns into dishonesty....she needs to tell him.


A friend of her's mother took some pictures of her for some senior photos...and she said that if she didn't like them she'd have them professionally done. I think this one shot is perfect if you ask me!

I have to hunt my senior photo down so you can see the comparison...I told her that I hate her perfect teeth and that she had better had braces!

As far as meeting her, I won't until I know her father knows about everything. I don't want him to find out on his own and be angry with her, or me!

I'm MMMmmelting!

I can't get over this damn weather....hot cold hot cold! Trust me I love the hot but I could really do without the cold. Over the last couple weeks we've been teased with winter weather...flakes falling from the sky sending everyone into their winter depression.
In Minnesota winter can start in June if it sees the need. You can plan a beautiful June wedding and have it ruined by 45 degree weather...I've never witnessed it, but I'm pretty sure it's happened.

In 1991, October 31st brought more than trick-or-treaters to your door, it brought 28+ inches of the white stuff. I remember my dad's electricians sleeping all over our house because they couldn't get home after work.

Why am I ranting about the weather like some nitty old lady with nothing better to do...well, I'm actually happy about the weather right now. This morning when I came into work it was FREEZING, but just now I had to run work errands and it took everything in my body to come back! I was in Target when it hit me, I was sweating like a fat man in a suana. Did help that I had my wool pea-coat over my polar fleece....(the skinny clothes were packed away last week...time for the winter fatties!)

Sadly, by the time I get outside again...it'll probably 40 degrees and cloudy again.

Mix Up

Okay....for awhile I was managing 3 seperate blogs and I just recently brought it down to 2. The blog I deleted was called "Parents Cause Damage" and it was basically a means for me to vent my frustrations in regards to my family. It was theraputic, but I kept finding myself debating which blog I was going to update....I didn't have time for all three.

Besides this site (and the one I deleted) I have a family site. I'm doing it for two reasons...to journal and to share with our friends and family. The journaling is necessary because accroding my daughter's scrapbook, she's still in in the hospital!

Well on my family site and my now deleted site, I had discussed my sister. I have not seen her since she was 1 year-old, and now 16 years later I've tracked her down. So if you're confused by the previous post.....click on the link below and it will explain everything.

http://melby-family.blogspot.com/2006/10/little-known-fact.html

Updates

Right now I'm eating my lunch at my desk...so I'm actually posting on my own time rather than the norm. SHhhh! I'm drinking a Mountain Dew, which is actually quite disgusting! How did I ever drink this!!!??? Like all high school kids, I lived on the stuff....no I avoid it like the plague! The other night I was drinking a Sunkist (oh Yummy! Orange!!) and my friend and I decided to compare the Nutrition Facts....All around Mountain Dew was actually better! Sunkist had way more sugar and calories. How depressing!

The only reason I'm drinking the Dew is because I'm lazy. We have a fridge full of free soda in my office for clients and staff. Well, its slim-pickins and I don't want to walk down a flight of stairs to buy one! So I sit here and suffer...boo-hooo!


Thank you KneuroKnut for reminding me that I needed to update the sister situation.

Things have progressed, however we have yet to meet. I'm not pushing the subject because I don't want to force myself on her! I'm not a stocker! She's in volleyball right now so her schedule is pretty packed but I'm sure it'll happen. As of right now we're basically e-mail buddies. Soon...
I've been trying to get out of her whether or not she's told her Dad about being in contact with me. I don't want him left in the dark! If she did tell him, what was his response?? I'm curious!

I wasn't going to tell my older about it quite yet. I was going to ease him into it. In the past when I'd mention Marki he'd show no interest. I was talking with him on the phone on Sunday night and it just seemed right. When I told him the story he was immediately interested, which was far from what I thought he'd do. He pulled up her website and instantly said, "Wow! She looks exactly like you!"

I told him I'd keep him in the loop and "maybe one day you'll meet her too!" He was totally cool with that....cool!

I also talked to my cousin Shelly, who is from that side of the family. She is really the only person I keep in touch with on that side of the family. She actually lives nearby Marki...all these years! They live on the same lake, in the same bay! She was going to ask her kids, who are the same age as Marki, if they knew her. They go to different schools, but her kids hang out with a lot of kids from Marki's school too.

Wouldn't it just be the weirdest thing if Shelly's kids knew Marki all this time???

reVAMP!

I need a change...I've been down in the dumps and I'm really getting sick of it. The depression thing is getting to me....while the anxiety seems to be getting better- go figure! The weather isn't helping matters. Seattle blahs...in Minnesota. I can handle the cold if there's sun...but we've been flirting with snow flurries since last week and I'm not ready! Winter is just too depressing! Come into work it's dark....leave work it's dark. The light of day completely passes me by while I sit at my desk.

I've been playing with the idea of changing up my hair...drastically. Right now I have a very non-committal style...long, with a few layers, and highlights. I've grown out my bangs again because the fuss was too much...and now I'm actually debating cutting it all off and having to fuss with it daily! Fussing with short hair can't be anything like my mop! Yes I can always pull it back into a pony or frump, but I tend to do that all the time! I'm lazy! I want my hair done NOW...I don't want to blow dry it for the next 10 minutes!

So here's the picture I'm looking at:

Some of the people I've showed say it's too drastic, and others are saying to go for it....I'm feeling GO FOR IT is the best answer. I know my husband won't be pleased, but he'll get over it. He likes my long flowing hair. Barf!

This picture was taken in March, but illistrates exactly how i wear my hair on a daily basis (and actually is how I am exactly wearing my hair at this moment). It's pulled strait back....to which I have too high of a forhead but who wants to bother with annoying bangs. In this photo it's pulled into a pony, most of the time it's in what I call a frump....a partly pulled-thru pony.


blah blah blah blah! That is exactly how I feel- BLAH! To get past this funk I need to do something...I need to try something new. It's only October, how the hell am I going to make it until April or even May!!!!?

We've been discussing spending Christmas with my parents and younger brothers in Cancun this year. It's not my idea of a Christmas, but paying pennies on the dollar makes it so appealing! And the much needed sun and warmth is the deal maker. We are still trying to figure out how much it'll cost us and that will be the deciding factor! Either way....we're going to Orlando in April to see Jay's mom and her husband, so we'll warm up eventually!


To new looks and sunny days!

Is It Just Me Or....Duh

This morning I was trying to look up my hometown's newspaper online to read a story that my mother suggested I read. I found the site, found the article....clicked on the article to view the entire story and it asked for my login!?! What? I know the Minneapolis Star-Tribune allows access for a limited time before logging in, but ultimately you can make a generic username and password and it's not a big deal. This isn't the case here...

I have to subscribe to the actual paper in order to have a username and password. The site allows you to purchase the subscription online.......but what the???

If I had the newspaper coming to me weekly (yes, it's a small town!) why would I view it online? It's not exactly a paper that you can't read in one sitting. I understand the convienence factor...at the office, want to see what Meals On Wheels is serving today.... totally makes sense! Do you sense my sarcasm??

It can't exactly be a revenue factor! If you subscribe to the paper you get the online subsciption for free.....and how many people are signing up for a subscrition soley to use the online version....Um, None?! You can even purchase just the online subscription....for damn near the same price as the real version.

They need to learn how to better utilize their advertising...and like other online papers I've read, have additional sections to draw readers in. But to pay for the service...that's just not right!

It's days like this that I wonder if I'm insane or just really really logical.....maybe a little of both!

Progress

I just got back from another therapy appointment, and like all of my sessions I feel great afterwards.

Today's session was extremely good in that we discussed my progression in dealing with my anger issues....and noticing my anxiety issues before they take over.

Having someone notice my progression has allowed me to validate it too.

Though I had a bad day the other day, I felt it coming on and knew that I needed to do something to not allow it to consume me.

As far as therapy sessions, I had always invisioned that they would be entirely of me crying my eyes out....and this hasn't been the case!! I seriously have cried ONCE....and it was mainly to do with talking about emotional things when I wasn't feeling well. I'm a cry baby when I don't feel good! I never imagined that I would feel good after a session...I always thought they'd make me confront the people that were causing me the anquish, therefore causing a family nightmare....and then more stress.

Instead I'm learning how to listen to myself, and slow down and take control of the situations that normally cause me anxiety.

I'm far from OKAY, but today I really feel as though I'm on my way to a healthier mental life.

Anxiety...part 2

Back in August I started a post called "Anxiety" and after receiving a nice comment from Chameleon I decided that I should add to it.

I've never thought of it until today, but a chameleon is exactly what I am in respects to my anxiety and depression. I go about my days trying to blend in as normal...and hoping that no one knows the truth! I'm a fake....that's how I feel on most days. I'm constantly waiting for someone to shout it from the roof tops so I would be forced to face all the people that I've lied to!

Today I'm actually having a bad day. I can't focus and everything is driving me crazy. Over the years I've learned to read the symptoms, but by the time I notice them it's too late...I'm already a mess. Today make lack of focus is truly to blame on my tornado-like desk. I look from one unfinished project to the next, and my blood starts racing. I seriously feel like a sinking ship.
Each time I feel like I'm making progress a new project is thrown my way.

So why and I blogging when I should be working...because I'm inches from dropping it all and going home for the day. I'm on the fence between screaming and crying...and I'd like to avoid both....so I'm taking a breather.

Days like this pyschically wear on me. I have to fight all day not to snap at people, and then on top of that attempt to focus on something to look busy.

Right now all I want to do is lay down on a bed...hell, the backseat of my car...and take a nap. Sleep away the frustration.

I just took a double dose of my anxiety medication, but we'll have to see if that'll do it.

Everything is getting to me!!! My feet are catching on the wires under my desk....papers are falling off my desk....or simply I can't find something! My mind races a million miles a second and I just want to through it all up in the hair and disappear.

Yet another bad day...

American Schools

In a week of horrible school shootings all over the country, it has now hit close to home. Fortunately all matters were dealt with correctly and at this time there is a sigh of relief...however things will never be the same again.

Just this afternoon my mom called to inform me that my youngest brother, Matt, was threatened yesterday and then later found to be on a hit list. While at football practice a boy that Matt has had problems with since 3rd grade (they are now in 7th) freaked out on him and said "YOU and YOU (while pointing at him and another kid) will be dead tomorrow...I'll see to it." After further investigation by the proper authorities, a hit list was found.

My hometown maybe has a population 4,000 people...so people feel as though they are immuned to the violence of city life. They are so wrong.

A few years after I graduated from high school there was actually a shooting at the school. This was before Columbine and Jonesborogh by a few months. A boy that was pissed off at the world had made comment that he'd come in and "shoot the place up." When he didn't show for school the next day, and his parents hadn't called him in sick, the school went on lock-down. Eventually the kid showed up with a sawed-off shotgun ready to kill. The kid was finally pinned into a bathroom where the janitor locked him in, and the cops were brought in.
By pure luck, grace, or chance the cop is here to talk about it. As he entered the bathroom and swung open the stall door the kid shot him in the head. All the police officer got was a graze wound, though he was less than 3 feet away from the kid. (this kid went to prision at 16 and will be released next month at the age of 25...gee, will he re-offend? He's never lived on the outside as an adult!)

So with that... when my mom called to tell me what was going on, my heart sank. My baby brother!!

To explain Matt from my perspective I'm sure is far off from what the kids at school see. I'm almost certain that if I were in his class I would have not been in his group of friends. He's very popular and a great athlete. To top it off he's a fantastic student. I was a good student, friends with most everyone, and played sports (but wouldn't consider myself as a great athlete)

My version of Matt is that he's Mr. Macho with a heart of gold. He's a softy but puts up a strong front. He's totally a mama's boy but I think that stems from him being so young when my mom was sick with cancer.

Matt is my daughter's favorite person in the entire world! Since day one he has totally gushed all over her. He is the best uncle out of the 4 she has. Jason's brother Tom is rarely around, as is my older brother Dan...Mitch is wonderful with her, but he's just a little older and not as interested. If I needed a babysitter, he'd be there in a second. I have photos of Mitch changing MacKenzy's diaper when she was little....with a nasty brownie in her pants too!

Matt...he's her buddy! They play non-stop when we're visiting! He wrestles with her and he slips her treats when we're not looking.

I can now only hope and pray that the powers at be keep my brother safe and free of harm. Though maybe this kid thinks he's the worst kid ever, I know the real Matt and would put my life on it that he's a fabulous person! He would never intentionally go out of his way to make some else's day miserable. He's told my mom all along about the problems with this kid...its not as if Matt is instigating everything.

I love my Matty-cakes to death and can only hope for the best and be thankful for all of the smart people that may have deverted something awful already.

Money Back In the Bank

After lots of work, our account is currently showing a postive balance...and our heart attacks have come to a hault

OVERDRAFT!

Okay so all of us have had an overdraft or two...or three in our lifetime. Some of us have had three just this month, but who's counting!?!

Last night I was just falling asleep when the phone rang. I knew it was Jason so I had to answer it or he'd think we were dead! The first thing out of his mouth was, "Have you looked at our checking account lately?"

"No, why?"

"Because it's over $6,000 in the hole!"

"WHAT!!??"

For once in our lives we actually had a balance with mulitple thousands, and then it blows up in our face! We had an insurance claim last month and last week we finally deposited the check. For whatever reason my husband deposited it into our checking account, but then a few days later he transferred it into our savings.

The first thing I did when I got to work this morning was call Wells Fargo to see what the hell was going on! The 800 number customer service lady was very nice and sympathetic. After she reviewed the account she found that the error was the fact that I didn't endorse the check....the mortgage company did, Jason did, but I didn't. I forge Jason's name all the time, but apparently he didn't think to do that in return.

Customer service explained that insurance companies are very strict on their endorsements and this week they rejected the payment (she did mention that teller should have noticed this and refused to deposit it)....therefore pulling out $6,000 from our checking account. Mind you, the $6,000 was already transfered to our savings! Once the deduction was made checks and checkster card payments started bouncing! The bank was covering them, but charging us $33 for each overdraft. An additional $1,200 later, we're $6,200 in the negative. There's no word to explain the panic!

The customer service person said that the check was mailed to our house and that I just needed to sign it and deposit it again.........but in the meantime??? I was to contact the branch that it was deposited at and there too they were super apologetic. Apologies are nice, but money in our accounts are even better! The gal I spoke to at the branch said that they'd have to go through our account to figure out what our balance should be without the mishap...and we'd go from there.

I'm surprised that I'm not slaming anxiety drugs like candy....but I know we did nothing wrong and certianly didn't spend $6,000!!!

Paranoia

I am normally not a paranoid person or at least I work really hard at not being that way.

One area I fail miserably in is that of friendships. If someone doesn't call when they said they would, or simply doesn't call at all...I start to wonder. What did I do? Did I piss them off somehow? Maybe they realized their other friends are more important and fun.

I know this sounds clingy and radiculous when you're on the outside looking in....actually I think it's radiculous but that doesn't stop me from doing it. As far as being clingy, it's not that at all...it's all about negative self-talk.

The more I analyze it all I've concluded that it has to be tied to my constant fear of failure. Failure in friendships are a direct reflection on me as a person.

I talk to my friend Chris most everyday; just to say hi or to discuss when we're going to hang out again. Chris is single, so often times she hangs out at our house and its as if she's one of the family. On Friday I called her during work to talk and to ask her if she'd go with to this thing I had to go to on Saturday night. When she answered she said that she was just going to call, but got super busy but would call me back in just a few minutes.

I didn't think of it again until I passed her on the road on my way home from work. I was on my phone talking to another friend, and she was on her phone too. After I hung up with my friend I called her and got her voicemail. I simply said to give me a call and that I had a question for her. I didn't hear from her until the following morning when I saw that she text-messaged me late at night.

All day Saturday I attempted to get a hold of her because I really didn't want to go to the thing by myself. Luckily I gave up hope and called my friend Jodi and she went with me. Sunday morning I found another late night text from Chris saying that she'd call later.

Sunday went by without a call and that is when the paranoia set in. This was not like her and I was starting to play mind games with myself. The more I thought about it the more that pit in my stomach began to quake and the anxiety set in.

This was simply brought on by a insecurity!! I thought my way to a mild anxiety attack! Argh!

This morning I had another text saying she'd call me at work today, and she did. She apologized for never calling me back and explained that she had a crappy weekend because of family issues.

Why do I do this to myself!!

Deal Breakers

Today DOOCE wrote about deal breakers and it really made me laugh...so here I am doing the same.

The question posed:

“What are your relationship deal breakers? Some folks are annoyed if a date shows up ten minutes late. Others look for something weightier, like a felony record. Have you ever rejected someone over something that seems insignificant to your friends? Or do you have selective blindness for red flags?”

here's my top ten in no particular order:

1. Smoker or recreational drug user
2. Mustache
3. Shorter than me
4. Overly into his looks (looks at the mirror more than I do)
5. Likes Barbara Streisand (because he is SO batting for the other team!)
6. Has chest hair coming out of the top of his shirt (would prefer NO chest hair!)
7. Has a felony background
8. Moocher
9. Disrespectful of me...and anyone for that matter!
10. Bad teeth


The list could go on and on...

-Dirty hands
-Lack of personal hygeine
-Lack of any ambition for anything
-Negativity which goes along with no sense of humor
-Combovers and hair plugs
-Gangsta's and con artists
-Mama's Boy
-Doesn't have a drivers' liscense
-a lisp
-talks like he's in the movie "Dude Where's My Car ?"
- Dresses Goth style
-Starts fights with random people
-drinks heavily
-Drives a BIG truck with loud pipes....he's over compensating for something!



that's all for now.

That's a Good Boy!

In May my husband brought home a black lab, though he knew I didn't want a dog. Not yet anyway. I love dogs, don't get me wrong. We used to have Abby:


Abby was MY first dog. Not the first dog I've ever had, but MY first dog. Some friends of ours had a Westie named Squirmmer and I loved that dog from the get-go! Funny thing is, I'm not a small dog person!

Well, the Febrauary before we had MacKenzy, Jason decided that we should just go ahead and get one. We found a breeder and a pup, and on Feburary 10, 2004 we brought home Abby!

Abby was awesome, and by WAS I mean she is no longer with us....she's still alive, just not living in OUR house. Abby loved MacKenzy, but didn't take to well to us giving the baby more attention than her. She didn't take it out on MacKenzy, but on Jason. No, not even me. He'd take her out to pee and she'd run off or she would just walk around and pee once they got back in the house.
Finally, on Christmas morning she signed her walking papers....she pee'd on the couch! We were all gathered around opening gifts and she jumped up on the couch like she was going to lay next to me, and instead she popped a squat! By December 30th she had a new home, but not without a lot of crying. Luckily we were able to give her to some friends of ours, so I still get to see her now and again. They absolutely SPOIL her and love her to death...that dog is in doggy heaven!

So with that said, I'm sure it explains my apprehension in getting another dog. To train a puppy is hard enough, but now I have a two year-old to think of too!

The rule was he couldn't get a dog until our sod was down. We were told we'd have it by the beginning of May so he found a litter that would be ready in mid-May. Well, mid-May came and our lot was still dirt. He couldn't very well back out on the dog...and I couldn't very well force him to...so the puppy came home. Jason knew I wasn't happy about it, but knew that I was "dealing with it."
I was not happy about having to help house break a dog while in the midst of potty training a child. I was not happy about a puppy peeing on our NEW carpet. I was not happy about having to be on top of a puppy to keep him from chewing on everything! And I wasn't happy about having to hear that damn thing BARK!

Ozzy has yet to grow on me and it has a lot to do with his barking. Up until maybe THIS WEEK (and he's 6 months old) he would start whining and barking every morning anywhere between 4am and 5:30am. Jason is forced to deal with it when he was home...but when he's on shift I'd have to...and have I mentioned that I'm NOT a morning person?

You couldn't just take him out to go pee, you had to feed him too....oh and then take him out again to do his business. Just when I'd fall back asleep, it was time to get up! UGH!

"Barking is that noise that the devil makes and is telling you to strangle your dog! " -me.

Well the last few nights have been noticably different...in a good way! Ozzy has figured out that I don't like getting up that early and that I'd prefer to feed him once I've decided to get up; not when HE decides its time!

If and when I get a picture of Ozzy that turns out I'll be sure to post it. It's hard to take a picture of something that is all black...your lucky if you can make out the eyes! Some day we'll be successful!

9/18/2006 Okay, Jason and Ozzy went hunting yesterday and Jason managed to get some shots of Ozzy... here:

Visual

On my favorite site someone made a comment saying the following:

MAKES ME WANT TO ROLL YOU UP IN A WONTON WRAPPER AND DIP YOU IN A LOVELY DUMPLING SAUCE

The visuals alone made me laugh...

5 Years Ago

With today being the 5 year reunion of 9/11 its hard to avoid thinking about it. I remember where I was in graphic detail, as if it happened just days or months ago.

KQRS (radio) has a grrrreat morning show and both my husband (fiance at the time) and I listened to it every morning. Just as I was pulling into the parking lot of my work Tom Bernard of the morning show said, "Oh My God, did you just see that? I'm sorry folks but we have a monitor on in here that scrolls world news and an airplane just flew right into the World Trade Center."

I sat in my car listening to the radio in disbelief. On the radio they were talking about it being some kind of weird accident. I couldn't believe it, it just seemed to unbelieveable. As we all know, a few minutes later another plane hit the other tower. "Another plane just hit!! Another plane just hit the other tower!" The speculation turned to a problem with air traffic control or maybe even, TERRORISM!!!

After the second plane hit I realized that I was then late for work and needed to get inside. As I walked to my desk I could tell that no one in the office knew what was going on. I unfortunately had to be the messenger... I was also the only person in the office with a radio so we tuned in just as the first tower fell. We tried getting online with NYC news stations or papers, but all sites were bogged down with traffic.

From that point on, the day was a blur. TV's were pulled into the lunch room, and people piled in to watch. No one was working, and no one cared...the big bosses were sitting there too.

The company I worked for had IT testing centers all over the world, and my territory happened to be the East coast. I got a phone call shortly after the second tower fell that sticks with me still today. A testing center administrator called bawling. She was calling from home, outside the city, and was practically begging me not to make her go into work. I was dumbfounded... this woman knew that she could get into trouble by not showing up to administer tests, but she was too afraid to leave her house. I told her not to worry, it would be fine and she should stay home until we knew more.

I seriously had been working for the company for 3 weeks on 9/11...and I was the first person in our GLOBAL company to realize that we had testing centers that were impacted....one was actually in the Trade Center! The strict rules didn't allow people to miss their tests...if they did, they lost their $300+. We had to restructure the rules...for the entire country, and especially for NYC and DC. A meeting was pulled together with the BIGGEST of BIG-WIGS...and little ol' me! They were all grateful for the fact that I had brought it up- super kudos to me for being fast on my feet.

The thing that still sticks out in my mind is the quietness of the skies. We are so used to hearing planes flying over head that we don't even really hear them anymore. For the days that the NO FLY rule was in effect it was CRAZY quiet! When you did hear a plane in the air, your heart raced! The only planes saw for days were fighter jets. Something straight out of Hollywood script.

It's really sad that it took something like this to pull a nation together, but I have to admit that still today it makes me feel good. People talked to complete strangers, smiled, and lived life how we all SHOULD. It's no longer like that, but it's something that we've all experienced and KNOW that it can happen.

Manic Monday

I really don't want to be here today...more so than a normal Monday. I have a head cold from working outside in the yard on Saturday.

I barely sat down this weekend, so I'm really not ready...plus, I have a head cold. Way to start the cold season early!

This weekend was pretty gloomy outside. Friday night we had a wedding, and lucky for them it never acutally rained. Pictures in overcast weather always look better anyway! We had a late night (that included many fruity drinks) so naturally I'm swinging the door wide open to get sick. I was rudely awaken at 6am by a cheery 2 year old wanting to WATCH NEMO! She couldn't grant me the wish of watching it in the bedroom, where I could go back to sleep...no, she wanted to do it in the living room! Ugh. Within the hour she was grumpy and tired, but regardless of my attempts she would not go back to bed.

My husband got out of all this because he had to take 3 kids up to the ends of the earth. We live at the southern most point of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area. The place that he had to take these kids was actually a mile short of being the most northern point in the metro area. There's no way about it, it's a three hour event. He got back home just after I sucessfully put her down for a nap.

Childless for an hour plus...we decided to do yard work! Last weekend we planted all of our long overdue shrubs and flowers. We had planned on putting down "nice" mulch... meaning, not cheap stuff! The neighbors (our influence in getting our yard work done...since they only moved in a MONTH ago!) were laying the cheap stuff out of the bag and Jason looked at me and said, "Let's just do that!" We figure if it looks like crap next spring, THEN we'll spend the money. Why start high!!!??

By time we were prepped and ready to go it was after 5pm!!! Who starts their weekend yard work that late??? Well, we do... we did our planting that late too! Five hours later, we're using grill lights to put on the finishing touches.

I've wanted red mulch all along, and Jason has sworn that we need Golden. I don't like Red in every yard...but up against a green house I think it looks great! We actually faught about it a few months back. He routinely asks me what I want to do, and then when I tell him he tells me that it's all wrong. So I usually ask why he even asked me if he was going to do it his way all along!!!
Well, our selections for the "cheap" mulch were very limited....black, red, or natural. We both HATE natural only because it never looks fresh and new...it looks as though its been there for years. Black....uh, no. Red it is! When we were finished laying it all down HE SAID IT!

Hold on....I need the build up.....drum roll please!!!!

You Were RIGHT! I Should Have Listened To You!

Even though I know he'll never admit it outside of our house, or yard, but the fact that HE knows he was WRONG and I was RIGHT...that's all that matters! I can see it, 5-6 years down the road he'll try to tell me that he wanted Red all along, and I wanted the Golden!

Even if, I got to hear those GOLDEN words!

People!

Okay, so today I hate being smart.

I'm not saying I'm smarter than you....or you, well...possibly you.

I work in an office with three people that are not computer literate. They (sometimes) know what they need to know to do their jobs, but beyond that the computer world is a complete mystery to them.

My boss, Jess, is the best out of all three. She takes it in stride that she doesn't know how to do things, but willingly tries to learn. Rarely does she call me back to her desk to help her figure out something. Even so, she tries to figure it out on her own before calling me.

The next two gals tie each other in the lack of computer skills department.

Marg will surf the web, but refuses to use e-mail. We have yet to figure out why, but my only explanation is that she's scared of looking inferior by asking for help. Today she was asking me to pull up something on Wells Fargo's website. What she wanted had been replaced with more current information and she was bound and determined that I wasn't looking in the right place! Because she's not the type to take NO for an answer, I went searched for her document playing along with the charade. She stood behind me and kept saying how she didn't understand why it wasn't showing up....I had to bite my tongue and just pretend I was as clueless as she was.

Then there's Chris...the annoyance that can make nails on a chalk board seem like music to your ears. Chris is in her 40's and has somehow made it through her life without any common sense. For the most part she knows how to use her computer, but as soon as something appears to be different than she's used to- she panics! For instance, earlier today she called me to ask how to open a Word document. I was stunned at the stupidity of the question! She went on to explain that the little yellow folder wasn't on her screen, and that's what she uses to open files. Seriously, she would have never made it the world before Windows became Moron-proof (but then again, she's testing it!).
I answered her mindless question by saying, "Go to File. Open."

"I already did, it wouldn't let me select Open!"

"Go anyway."

"Oh! There it is!"

See, being smart actually can be quite a bother. When challanged folks use me as their crutch! They eventually refuse to try and think it through, rather just call me and have me fix it!

Chris even has troubles with our copier/fax/printer. If the Error light is blinking she goes into shock! There are multiple reasons why this light would blink, and she's aware of all of them!

1. someone is trying to print something for manual feed, and there's nothing in the feed
2. it's out of paper
3. a document may require legal sized paper and it's set at letter size.

All Chris will do is open all of the paper drawers to ensure there is paper, if there is....she screams for me. Doesn't matter if I'm on the phone or engrossed in a pile of work, I must come to her rescue.

I've got to the point that I say, "If I fix it in under 5 seconds, you're buying me lunch!" She knows I'm not serious, but eventually I may have to be....just to force her to think for herself!