12.01.2011

Are you sure you want to work here?


But seriously... We're in the process of hiring for a new Administrative Assistant at my job & while that's great I just have a few words of wisdom to all the job hunters out there:

Facebook has privacy settings for a reason!

We've seen several good candidates but not one that's wowed us yet (or me, at least) and while we don't mock and ridicule behind your back - we do work in a fun & funny environment where we dish it just as well as we take it. So after the last few interviews, I've decided to share some of my rules for job hunting / interviewing:

  1. Facebook has privacy settings for a reason - find out what they are and use them!
  2. Don't say your future potential co-workers are really "entertaining". We're not sure how to take that.
  3. Be ready for any question. (As long as it's legal - be ready!)
  4. Ask questions - make it seem like you want this job not any job (even if you really want any job).
  5. When someone asks you if you "looked our company up" make sure you did. We will always ask!
  6. If there are multiple people interviewing you. Ask for their business cards. Then send them a "thank you" email or card. Their time is valuable. You have no idea how far apart this will set you from the "competition".
  7. Look like you care. Appearance, stature, posture, annunciation, and eye contact are very important if you want to make a good impression. 
  8. Be the best version of yourself.
  9. Don't be afraid to laugh.
  10. Be at least 15 minutes early!
A good job / employer / workplace / co-worker will do their best to make sure you do three things (pretty much) every day: 1. Make an impact. 2. Learn something. 3. Have fun.

If you aren't doing those things - you aren't in the right place!

11.28.2011

It's just another Manic Monday...

♫ I wish it was Sunday! That's my fun day! My "I don't have to run day"... ♫


This morning it was SO HARD to get out of bed. Thankfully, I washed my hair last night so I was able to steal a few more zzz's than usual. After a week of going & going & going & going while on vacation - I think I need a couple of days to recoup!


This morning we started out (as we do every Monday morning) with a meeting. Can I just say, it was darn near impossible for me to not yawn during this meeting today! (which is never really a good thing when *Mr. Big Boss* is sitting across the table from you.) After an hour, I'm finally ready to start the work day and it feels like my energy has just been zapped. 


I wonder if this button will renew my energy?
Is it too late soon to take another vacation day?

11.25.2011

Thankful

I know it's a day late (& probably a dollar short) but I'm ready to share what I'm thankful for.


1. Family - Mine may not be the best, but they certainly aren't the worst. They love me, care about me & only drive me somewhat crazy. For better or worse, they are supportive & loving - I could do MUCH worse.


2. Friends - The friends I have serve as my extended family & I love them dearly for it. They deal with my crazy & still love me at the end of the day. My friends ROCK!


3. A reason to live - Of course into every life a little rain must fall, and although it's been a tumultuous year I can still get out of bed every day with a smile on my face. There's a sign in my kitchen that reads: Ain't nothing gonna happen today that me & the Lord can't handle. Truer words have never been spoken. Strength, at even the darkest times, from God makes me want to live life to the fullest & happiest every day that i'm blessed to open my eyes.


That, friends is the way I live my life & what I'm grateful for.


What are you grateful for?

11.23.2011

Do you believe in magic?

Earlier this week, the Wilson Family adopted a new family member - Nicholas, a new Elf on the Shelf. If you haven't heard about this charming tradition, you should take a look at the website, it really is cute. My niece and nephew love this new member of our family (my nephew even wants to take him to college with him in 10 years)!
Julian, Abs & Nicholas

Part of his magic is that he watches over the kids in the family between Thanksgiving & Christmas Eve and goes back to Santa to report every night. When he comes back from the North Pole, he's usually gotten into some mischief - like opening candy, hiding or pulling some prank. The kids aren't allowed to touch him or his magic might disappear (he's a great discipline tool too!).
Nicholas checking out the fish tank!

Nicholas is a source of disagreement in our family though. My dad seems to think that since the kids believe so strongly in this elf, they will be angry when they find out that the magic was all in fun. I have a friend who has told her children that her Santa doesn't exist. She has equated the belief in Santa and the belief in Jesus on the same level. If / When her kids find out the *real deal* about Santa, she thinks that this will impact their belief in God. As a child, I don't ever remember equating the two. I knew that the reason we had Christmas wasn't about Santa, it was/is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Santa Claus

When you were a kid, were you upset when you found out about Santa? Did you question your faith? What about the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy? Did you question everything you couldn't see after you found out about Santa? Were you angry with your parents?

Am I the odd girl out?

On a different note, Happy Thanksgiving. Keep the magic going :)

11.17.2011

If you were a flavor, what would you be?

Cinnamon.


Without a doubt.


Cinnamon.


Sometimes sweet. Sometimes savory. Always spicy!


What flavor would you be?

11.15.2011

And you thought you were going to get fired...

Well, maybe not fired but definitely a disappointed reprimand. 


Instead, I got a "Good Job" - which is as close to singing praises as the big boss (Mr. Boss) gets. Which is why I'm devoting an entire blog post to it!


You see, the last few months I've been distracted by health, death, stress and new job opportunities to the point that I've kind of been phoning it in... everywhereNow some of the things I should've had a better handle on are catching up with me. Today was one of those days (or so I thought).

Part of my day job is to manage a couple of websites, earlier this summer we decided to revamp the main one. A consultant / web developer came in and all was well, we got a proposal and contract and then it was my job to get work with them on design and content. Needless to say, I hadn't gotten as far along as I should have been. Now 4 months later, we have a project update. I'm going to be crucified, but I put on my big girl panties and decided to own up to my failure

We have the meeting, Mr. Boss HATES the demo website - and he begins to crucify the consultant. I try to take some responsibility but Mr. Boss won't let me. I walk out completely unscathed. 

To top it off, I scurry back to my office to figure out how I got out so easy and Mr. Boss walks in and says "Good Job". Seriously? You could've knocked me over with a feather. 

So here I sit - dumbfounded, happy and revamped. Until I realize that now I really can't let him down!

11.10.2011

Death comes in 3's

Sometimes they come in threes all in one day & today is one of those days.


A guy I knew through a friend that I hung out with a couple of times when I was visiting the grand ole state of Maine (and again in Massachusetts) fell asleep while driving on Halloween weekend while (unfortunately) not wearing his seat belt. As you can imagine he went through the windshield and didn't fare well. I found out about it this morning because I lost my phone that same night (but that's a whole other story). So I start my day off sad - but somewhat brightened because I also found out that because of this horrific accident, 5 people were given a new lease on life due to his generosity as an organ donor.


Another guy that is/was (?) an alum of the university I used to work at, passed away today. I found out via Facebook. I'm fuzzy on the details, but I am a bit sad. He was a really nice man - always friendly and funny. The world needs more people like that.


Finally, a friend of a friend's father passed away this morning too. This is a blow because at her birthday party just a few weeks ago we were chatting about him, his health and how she (and her mother) were holding up. They knew he was ill, but it wasn't supposed to happen so soon.


Maybe I'm a little jaded because of events that have happened this year (which will be another post when I'm ready) but I'm tired of being surrounded by so much death. 2011 has been a Year-O-Death for me. Starting with my Aunt Bea - the list goes on way to long for my taste.


Here's hoping I can get through the rest of the year without any more tragedy, I'm tired.

11.07.2011

You remind me of Ricki Lake...

It's not because you're fat!!!


Okay - just so we've cleared that up.


Ricki Lake has done hella good on Dancing With the Stars - so much so that I consider it a compliment to be compared to her. Chicky-Ricki has also made some mad money in her day and is staging a comeback.


Yeah... I can think of worse people to be compared to!


Go Ricki!!

10.26.2011

Blessed to be stressed

This phrase came up last week during a meeting (that went well into the 5 o'clock hour) and it's been haunting me ever since.


I know realize there are a lot of people out of work but just because you have a job - should you really be THAT stressed, furthermore - is it a blessing? Out of work people are stressed (arguably more than the employed) but does that mean the employed should count that crazywantopullmyhairoutifsomeoneemailsmeonemorestupidquestion stress as a blessing? 


I'm all for being grateful, but seriously! 


It reminds me of the line from Dazed and Confused when Randall "Pink" shares (in a drunken stupor if I remember correctly): All I'm saying is that if I ever start referring to these as the best years of my life - remind me to kill myself. 


I won't go that far, but regardless of where we are in life we all have days where it's difficult to keep perspective. 


But here we sit, blessed honestly wherever we are in life because that mean's we're alive. This year has reminded me of the importance of being grateful for friends  family, co-workers, strangers, and this whole big crazy world because in the blink of an eye - it could all be taken away. 


So bring on the stress of work, the stress of family, the stress of simply converting oxygen into carbon dioxide - I'm grateful for all of it & I wouldn't have it ANY OTHER WAY!

10.25.2011

No one asked for your opinion...

This is true!


Why doesn't she just SHUT UP?!?
It could be that instead of meaning white wave "Jennifer" actually means talks too much or is disruptive - kind of like a white wave but far less peaceful.


I have a bad habit of cutting people off in the middle of stories or statements and inserting what I think they're going to say. Apparently, this habit is viewed as an action that is NOT very polite. Luckily, I have great friends who (even though it may crush my world) are around to help make me a better person. So "allowing people to finish their thoughts" has gone onto the Qualities I Want/Need List.


It's also come to my attention that the phrases I know and I'm fine appear a little too often in my repertoire. I know because I usually do (apparently it's not bad to know - it's just bad to tell people). I'm fine because, I'm a woman and that's what we say when we don't want to get into whatever the situation that's pissing us off happens to be. 


So now the Qualities I Want/Need List looks a little longer after this week and consists of the following:

  1. Self control to shut the f*&^ up for the sake of others - even if I think I know what they are going to say.
  2. Better control over what comes out of my mouth when #1 doesn't work
  3. Be more grateful that I have friends who care enough to say something in an effort to make me a better person.
So far I've successfully removed the "ums" and "ahs" from my vocabulary - here's hoping I can attack these things are just as easy to "fix".

10.22.2011

Old maid

What I feel like (not look like)!
I feel like an old fuddie duddie! All I do anymore is play solitaire, at least it's on an iPad - but still. It might be time for a new hobby, any hobby that doesn't involve cards!!


I'm open to suggestions to get me out of my card rut. All (legal) and fun options will be considered. Oh yeah, don't forget - I'm on a budget :)


Maybe I need to reinvigorate my recipe blog or finally get around to making some of the stuff I've loved pinned on Pinterest...


Happy Monday & Go RANGERS!!!

10.18.2011

Juicy gossip + diet fail = a really long day

A little birdie told me the juiciest piece of information today... at work... about work... it's all I can think about - but I can't say anything. To anyone. So I sit. And torture myself by not telling you either! If it's true, things are going to be a little crazy around here for awhile, but overall a better situation. If it's not true - then heaven help the point of origin!

On a different note, a co-worker's last day is tomorrow so we opted for a "last day" (almost) celebration with cake and ice cream BEFORE lunch (a pre-lunch dessert, if you will). We all gathered in the lobby and milled about sharing stories about how we will miss our co-worker and how much we hope he'll really like where he's going (and we really do). I tried to be strong. My will power crumbled under the weight of Tres Leches cake. (I'm only human!) My morning of being good and all low-carb-diety was ruined with one small bite. So, I became one of those people the diet books warn you not to be: the "all or nothing" dieter. For lunch I had salad s-l-a-t-h-e-r-e-d in ranch dressing, meatloaf, a roll, a cookie and some of the best scalloped potatoes (ever) - now I sit in weakened shame wondering how I can top lunch with dinner. No but really - I've made a plan to stop by the store and get the tools to stick with this way of eating for (at least) the foreseeable future. (Fingers crossed!)

All that to say, between the gossip, food failure and being out for jury duty yesterday I have a TON of work to do and zero motivation. Maybe I'll be able channel some energy to go work out tonight after stopping by the store? Wait, what's on TV tonight?

10.12.2011

Trying to be smooth

Great example of a Smooth Criminal
In case you haven't already noticed... I'm SO NOT smooth! (Definitely not a Smooth Criminal!) I'm the girl that walks into the plant (door, window, wall, insert unfortunate collision here) while trying to be smart, funny, attractive and all the things members of the opposite sex look for in a mate. So it should come as no surprise that I'm not a great Facebook stalker / friender to someone I want to get to know (insert Days of Our Lives music here).

Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I screwed up a perfectly legit (albeit somewhat stalkerish) Facebook "friending" today. I friended a dude I met at a networking event last week, so I thought it smart to follow up with a quick note reminding him of me (and my extreme forgetedness) so he'd accept the friend request - except it doesn't look like he ever got the request... So I have this email out there just floating around with no action. Did he get it (the message)? Did he get the friend request? Does he think I'm an idiot? Am I an idiot? (alert: crazy self-doubting invaders have taken over my body!!)

Now I lay here, with a headache the size of Mt Rushmore, in angst. Which I must say - feels pretty nostalgic for this 33 year old...

Cue the crazy & stay tuned!

Fat & Flabby, Forever?

This would look cute on me!
So I did not get up this morning to go work out (sad!). I do, however, have plans to get a mani/pedi this afternoon and swing by Ross or Cato for a cute flirty dress so I look cute (but fat & less flabby) enough to flirt with my current (kinda) crush at this über-early event tomorrow... Which I guess means I will not be working out tomorrow morning either!


This is where I need to be right now!


Ugh! I need more hours in the day, a better priority system, more energy, less hours at work &/or all of the above so I can squeeze some working out into the equation before my ass gets its own zip code.


Never EVER that smooth!
By the way, the first couple paragraphs of this post were written yesterday (due to my mega-awesome time management skills) so just a little update on the über-early event this morning: outfit = non-issue (no help / no hurt), flirting was sporadic and painful (at best), and I didn't even make a move when we sat next to each other during the power outage. Flirting FAIL!

10.10.2011

Winning, again...

Yep - this is fantasy football at it's finest! I'm actually almost halfway through (I think) and I'm better than half my league! Yes, there may be quite a way to go in the season, but I'm actually doing okay!

Now I just need good vibes that I get up to go work out in the morning!!

10.03.2011

Bronchitis - it's what this girl is made of (today at least)

This is what I feel like all day long!
I woke up this weekend with a cough that would make even those with the worst case of tuberculosis say "Damn!" So today, I'm at work for a little while being dodged by co-workers and visitors that don't want to be breathed on (it's working out splendidly, I might add). Contagion alert!!

I wouldn't be at work at all today if I didn't have a group coming in tomorrow - this group has been threatened to be protested (which should be fun). All in all, I'm just hoping that the weekend comes back around soon so I can rest, relax and recover. I have a feeling this week is going to kick my butt!

On another note - I lost (for the 2nd week in a ROW) in Fantasy Football. Hopefully, I'll stay in 4th place though!! Fingers crossed!

Peace!

9.27.2011

My delimma with naps

So I was catching up on  reading blogs from my vastly neglected Google Reader account and came across a blog entitled: Take a Nap! Change Your Life and I must admit - it spoke to me as the Gospel according to The Sandman!

Back in the day NPH made frequent appearances in my dreams :)
I've been struggling with extreme exhaustion for the last several months. I've been to the doctor and they've run every test known to man - but no definite diagnosis has been given (The word Lupus has been thrown around more than I'm really comfortable with too). Until this year, I've never been a nap person (unless I stayed out way too late and was nursing a serious hangover headache). Last week, I had a trade show that allowed me to get off work around 2:30 and by 3 p.m. I was SNOOZING - hard! Which, I must admit, scared me a little. The part that scared me even more is that I was able to go back to sleep that night and slept very well (dare I say I felt, rested?) I go back to the doc soon, but until then, this article has inspired me to try to work naps into my daily routine.

We've all heard of the 20 minute power nap, but who really does that? Stay tuned. Maybe by the end of October I can say I am. 


Okay - serious revelation coming around: I could've napped instead of writing this blog... Whoa!

9.21.2011

Team Bacon, Fried Extra Crispy

Week two of Fantasy Football puts me in 2nd place in the league (Woo Hoo!!).

I'm super excited because (this week) I won against the league commissioner's wife - she's the one that keeps up with football probably the most out of us "League Girls" & yet I FRIED her Team Bacon!

I must admit it looks a lot better now.

Check it out!

9.17.2011

Fantasy Football <-----Really?!?!

The title is true - I bit the bullet and am now part of a Fantasy Football League with some girls at work. We are TMAC Shenanigans and my team is Accidentally on Purpose (because when I kick your ass, you must know I planned it that way!).

We're in week two and I'm tied for 4th place at 99 points. My match up this week is my good friend who is in 2nd place. Lord, help me!

I need some positive vibes and good chi and whatever else you can come up with to WIN!

I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy a photo of this SUPER Cute sparkly pink football :)

Let's GO Team!!

4.18.2011

Just a little sad...

As I've mentioned (or perhaps just eluded to) in previous posts, I've made some less than stellar financial decisions in my life and now they've all come to a head. In a couple of weeks, I'll be moving out of my nice 3-bedroom, 2-car garage, 2-bathroom house into a room. Yes, one room. No more garage. No more sole access to two bathrooms. No, I'm not going to jail - I'm getting rid of (pretty much) all of my earthly possessions and renting a room from a friend.

On one hand, I'm extremely grateful to have a friend that is willing to let me rent a room for a very reasonable price.

On the other hand, I'm extremely sad about the concessions I'm having to make in order to get my s**t together.

I hope the grateful / happy part starts taking a larger piece of the pie soon, because this really is a good thing. I get to save a good amount of money and (hopefully) I will get to pay some stuff off quickly. This will also give me a chance to maybe get a second job and/or start working out (at a gym) to lose some of this extra weight.

Roscoe
Right now though, I'm in the throws of sadness - chiefly because one MAJOR concession of this move is that my (dog) Roscoe can't come along with me. He left yesterday to go live with my parents for a (little?) while. My parents are unable to take me in so they're doing the next best thing and taking care of Roscoe. Unfortunately, they live several hours away so I don't get to see them (or Roscoe) again until Memorial Day. I've had this dog for 8+ years and with the exception of a few nights here and there - he's been at my side his whole life. I know he's happy though because he adores my Dad and my nephew - my Mom tells me that Roscoe rode in my nephew's lap the whole way from his Dad's house back home (about an hour). I know Roscoe was happy (at least yesterday). I just don't want him to think I'm never coming back for him...

So the morals of this story are:
1. Pay your bills! They will linger and haunt you!
2. Don't take your day-to-day life for granted - you never know when it will change.
3. Having only bad options to choose from sucks! You won't be happy with what you decide, but when you make your bed - you have to lay in it.
4, Bitching about it doesn't do anyone any good! Oh & it doesn't help!
5. Always have someone that knows how to tie stuff down help you move (but that's a story for another day)...

4.14.2011

When Goose ≠ Vodka

Yesterday, I arrive at work (late, as per usual) pull in to a parking space and start to gather my stuff to get out of the car. I open my car door and this huge ass  Psycho-Goose (PG) starts coming towards me (and no - "goose" isn't a euphemism or metaphor)! I slam my door really fast and all the sudden the goose starts charging my car door. I couldn't believe it!
Goose Captor

While PG charged my door with rage in his eyes, I frantically call people inside the building for help and then as if the PG knew I was calling in reinforcements  he started biting the car door handle!! I get a hold of a co-worker and in between laughs she says she'll send the security guard out to help. In a moment of pseudo-brilliance I open my car door to see if he'll back up - he does but then he charges me again seemingly trying to climb in before I can get the door closed again. After an eternity 3 minutes or so - PG lost interest and went away. I quickly pulled out of that parking space and found a new one, only to be finally greeted by the security guard coming to my rescue

I get to my office (with mirrored windows) and it being an especially beautiful spring day a suicidal male cardinal decides his reflection the competition must die so he dive bombs my window for the next several hours until he meets his untimely fate. By lunch, I realize I've somehow pissed off the avian community and they were going to have their unholy revenge through any physical or mental means of torture available.

Today as I head to work I've decided to pack a shoe box and stale bread to get me through the day - (shoe box for the sad dead cardinal burial & bread to distract the goose). If that doesn't work, tomorrow I'm bringing a BB gun and big pot & we're gonna eat goose for Sunday dinner!

For future reference, Universe, the only kind of "goose" I like is Grey Goose!

3.05.2011

New Haircut

My New Haircut


I've been trying to figure out what to do with my hair for awhile now, but I just never could find a style that I really liked. In the meantime, my locks got long, shapeless & out of control. So, Tuesday I bit the bullet and made a decision to just make a decision and go. 


My stylist cut off over 4 inches of hair! I couldn't believe how long it had gotten. This is my "new look". 


What do you think?

3.03.2011

Finally back online

Finally back online!


Monday, my cable & internet service provider did an "upgrade" to their operating system and by Tuesday my system wasn't receiving a signal. I called and spoke with the wonderful automated system, who informed me that an "outage" was in my area and they "are working on the problem". So I took a Benadryl and went to bed. 
sweet sweet TV


Wednesday morning = still broken. Wednesday evening, I call and find out (after 45 minutes on hold) that I have to wait until Thursday between 5 - 7 for a technician to come and figure out what the problem is. The last time Charter came out for a service call they were 15 minutes early, so I left work at 3:30ish and get halfway home and get a call from the technician saying that he's sitting in front of my house. I'm a good 20 minutes away and think "crap!" I can't handle rescheduling. He says he'll wait...


All this to fix some problem with the wire... on the street... a job that took maybe 30 minutes (including troubleshooting). The whole time, Roscoe (my dog) is in his crate - crying his eyes out. 


So after all this, I'm embarrassed to say I went two+ days without cable and internet and almost went crazy! Of course, I didn't eat dinner for two days and now that I have it (cable) back I'm S T A R V I N G! Maybe there's something to this no TV thing...

2.17.2011

How About Some God with your Commute?

After the month I've experienced I've really been reflecting on being grateful for the blessings in my life. Recently, I've lost my Great Aunt, had a pretty significant financial blow, my mom has been in the emergency room and (the pièce de résistance, if you will) my car's last wheel leg is giving out. Now, I can be cynical but overall I try to keep on the "sunny side" because that black hole is just not how I want to live, but I digress. Anyway, after attempting to get back "in the swing of things" I realize that keeping on the "sunny side" is going to take a little more than will power so Tuesday, on my 1st public transportation commute (in Fort Worth) home, I stumbled upon several podcasts from "Catholic Stuff You Should Know" and the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste caught my eye. 


Martyrdom by Freezing
Via Wikipedia - Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste were a group of Roman soldiers, who became martyrs for their Christan faith in 320. According to Basil, forty soldiers who had opened confessed themselves as Christians were condemned by the prefect to be exposed naked upon a frozen pond near Sebaste on a bitterly cold night, so they might freeze to death. During the night, one of the confessors had enough and gave in to the warm baths near the lake which had been prepared for any who might change their mind; as soon as he hit the warm water he immediately died. Then one of the guards, set o keep watch over the martyrs had a revelation and proclaimed himself a Christian, striped down and joined the thirty-nine solders (once again making them 40). At daybreak, the frozen bodies of the confessors, which still showed signs of life, were burned and the ashes thrown into a river.


What were you complaining about again?
This story (and the dynamic way in which it was told) reminded me that things can always be worse! I believe one of the quotes toward the end of the podcast was "those with no socks complain of cold feet, while those without feet don't complain at all" (or something along these lines). In more personal terms, a friend of mine (who's lost both her parents to cancer before she was 18) turned to me and said "at least no one used the word 'malignant' to describe your situation". On the other hand, no one condemned me to death for my beliefs either!

2.15.2011

Spoiled Much?

I take my freedom and independence for granted. Not as an American (although probably that too) but as a functional adult member of society.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN ATHENS, GREECE
Image via Flickr by Andra Motta

Today I had to ride the bus.

Now for those of you who don't live in the South, this may not sound like a big deal - but trust me - it is! This is the first time in my life (32+ years) that I've ridden the public transportation in Fort Worth. I must say, I was humbled and surprised. It wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. It wasn't dirty or smelly or dangerous. It was bordering on enjoyable. (at least on the way to work)

I realized that, although it took me over an hour to get to work (and over an hour and a half to get home) public transportation isn't really so much about giving up independence - it's about living within your circumstances. What a great reminder of this life lesson & now I get a chance to listen to my podcasts :)


By the way - the car has pretty much bitten the dust (hence the public transportation) but fingers crossed that I'll be able to band-aid it for a few weeks until I can procure something else!

2.13.2011

The Worst 4-letter "F" Word...

Fear.


fear
Via Flickr by LWPrencipe 
This, my friends, is the worst 4-letter "F" word known to man. Fear is the emotion that holds us back (good or bad) developed as a result of knowledge. That's right, fear is learned - and it is in all of us.

I was laying in bed last night thinking about the things that I want in life and why I don't have them - all the biggies were represented: job, relationship and money. 


Fear of being rejected - Ah, duh! Who doesn't fear rejection?
I haven't looked for a new job because until recently I've never had a job that I interviewed for and didn't get an offer from. In my mind, I know that there are tons of really great, qualified and educated candidates out there that maybe need a job more than me - but what a blow to the ego! (I know what a problem to have). So my fear of rejection of (several seemingly) dream jobs has caused me to stop applying.  


Fear of acceptance and change. Arguably the WORST fear out there.
I met this guy a week or so ago. He is smart, funny, handsome and he was interested - so my guard immediately went up. I tried to squash my fears with gallons of alcohol and ended up totally showing my butt, but he was still cool. He called a couple of days later and I completely blew him off. Now, I can explain away my "ditching" because I was out of town with my Dad attending my Great Aunt's funeral but at the end of the day, I was scared of getting involved. My heart tells me that I want a relationship but my fear holds me back. What if he really does like me? I've been on my own for awhile now, could I change?


Fear of being found out. 
I'm down right terrible with money. I know what to do. I know how to do it. I just don't know how to choose to do it. In the past, I've fronted pretty well but now all of my past digressions are catching up to me at lightening speed. A few people (and now I guess a few more) know about my fiscal irresponsibility but I'm finding it harder to deal with and keep private. I try not to let this define me (I have lots of other really great qualities) but I fear that others will use it to define me. I'm reliable, responsible, honest and trustworthy but would you see someone as reliable and responsible if you knew they don't get reimbursed for mileage because the state withholds it because they're behind on school loans?  


I fell asleep last night thinking about fear. We need it. Fear makes us stay in our lane on the highway and not get into cars with strangers. Fear keeps us safe, but fear can also cripple us. So what if, this year, I will work on keeping the worst 4-letter "f" word out of my vocabulary & my daily life! 

2.07.2011

Back to "reality"

So today was my first day back at work after Icemageddon 2011 - it was a LONG day...


Icemageddon II looks like it will rear it's ugly head in a couple of days, but I will not be here. Nope, no Icemageddon II for me - I get to go where it's truly cold... Indiana.


An Aunt Bea, but not my Aunt Bea...
Why, you ask? My Great Aunt Bea died yesterday. 


Now it is sad, but Aunt Bea was no spring chicken. She experienced several mini-strokes and quickly advancing Alzheimer's, so I must say, I'm glad she isn't suffering anymore. 


I know that (for lots of people) the sound of "Aunt Bea" stirs up memories of Andy Griffith and that's kind of who she was. She liked to take care of people and make sure everyone was comfortable. She taught me that all people don't pray the same way, but that doesn't mean their prayers are no more or less real/important. Visiting her for Christmas in 1990 confirmed my hatred of snow and Ã¼ber-cold weather. When I was little she was the first one to give me Cheddar Cheese Pringles for which I am eternally grateful.


So tomorrow I am headed out with my Dad and my Aunt on a 15 hour (or so) drive to a special icy hell known as a funeral in February in Indiana. Hopefully, Aunt Bea will keep a watch over us and make sure we all make it there safe, sound and not fighting. <3

2.05.2011

Day 5 of Icemageddon

Must. Leave. House.
Mount Wilson (aka my driveway)


Seriously!


I watched some of the snice (snow + ice) melt off my roof yesterday and may have gotten a little too excited because today - Nada! Today, there's no melting action - AT ALL! Granted it is just now 9 a.m. but still, can't a girl count on the 800 zillion degree sun to melt some of this crap off the roads so I can run to Wal-Mart? (Yes that is how desperate I am, a trip to Wal-Mart sounds like fun!)


I'd like to say that I was really productive and got a lot of work (both personal & professional) done but I really didn't. I did clean (and I use that word loosely) the house on Icemageddon Day 3 because the heater service guy was coming over and with my luck he'd need to use the bathroom. I also, did a lot of cooking and wrote a few blog entries on this and my other blog. I also spent a LOT of time on Facebook and participated in a couple of conference calls but I don't feel like that was productive in any way. 


As I watch the news and check out Facebook, I'm seeing that a lot of people are venturing out (despite the fact that everything that melted yesterday refroze last night). I'm a little nervous (my driveway is as steep as Mt Everest although you can't really tell from that picture) to get out of my driveway and neighborhood. Last year, the snow/ice lasted for 8 days in my yard before it melted - here's hoping it melts NOW this time!

2.04.2011

Lean Cuisine Garlic Chicken Spring Rolls

All I can say is W-O-W! I read posts on the Lean Cuisine website about how good the Garlic Chicken Spring Rolls were so I went ahead and decided to try them and I am NOT disappointed!


You get two servings in one box and one serving is three spring rolls. They are about the size of a regular restaurant spring roll you'd get at a restaurant. I make a spicy mayo (with Sciracha sauce found in the Asian Food aisle and low fat mayo) and used that to dip but really I didn't need it. 


Totally satisfied my hunger (on a marathon conference call) and at only 4 Weight Watchers points seems like a great deal!

2.03.2011

If I Weren't in the Throws of Icemageddon 2011 & Could Afford to Attend a Super Bowl Party...

What I'd wear to a Super Bowl Party

What I'd wear to a Super Bowl Party by jenniliz featuring floral print dresses


I'm sitting here (iced in) watching the news talk about all the Super Bowl parties happening in my freaking back yard! So I thought I'd deal by choosing a cute outfit that, if I could afford the clothes and party tickets, I'd wear to one of these kickin' icy parties!

Icemageddon Day Three

I didn't post yesterday because I was busy staying warm - without a heater!


The road in front of my house...
Here in Texas, we experienced icy temps (with wind chills below 0), rolling power outages, and a decreased flow of natural gas - which altogether placed extreme stress on my heater and caused it to blow cool air and then no air and then finally overnight it kicked back on and started working again.


Are you freakin' kidding me?!?


I rent my house, so I call my landlord (who's also a good friend) and she springs into action! Mrs. Landlord calls the rental warranty people and the wait on hold is like 20 minutes so she finds an online form that needs all sorts of information like model number, unit brand, BTUs, serial number, etc... and so she needs me to go into the attic.


Can I just say, I've lived on my own for 13+ years and I've never had to go into an attic.


I'm scared!!!


So I add on some layers, move my car and climb up the 16 steps to the ice cold, creaky, scary attic. All the while Mr. & Mrs. Landlord are listening to my comments and terror over the phone (I'm really glad no one had a video camera!). I find all the info and then double check that the breaker hasn't been tripped and get back into my 52 degree house (and almost stand inside the fireplace).


She gets an email and then a call, the service company says they can't get anyone out until (hopefully) Thursday and I'm second on the list. Great news, I pile on more clothes. It gets down to 47 in my house.


I go to bed with a ton of clothes and blankets to cover me and wake up sweating because it is 65 degrees in my house - YAY!

2.01.2011

Ready for Snowmageddon, Part Deaux?

The dog running in the snow!
Just found out that work is closed tomorrow too. Woo Hoo!!


I'm not sure that I'm really ready for it (because I'm going a little stir crazy) but I'm excited that I get to sleep in tomorrow - maybe I'll bundle up and try to take the dog for a walk. All he did today was run around the backyard a little...

Snow Day!!

View from my front door today!
Wait, I think I had one of these last year. Today I woke up to a new term our local media has termed "thunder sleet" (which I thought sounded like a cool name for a band) - but I digress. We had about a half inch of ice covered in about a tenth an inch of snowy-sleet. Man I love Texas! Most of the morning was spent without internet and then all of the sudden all my devices decided to connects so YAY! I try not to question the universe and it's decision to torture me on a regular basis.


So since I couldn't get online this morning, I did the next best thing COOK! I stumbled upon a FAB-U-LOUS website called Gina's Skinny Recipes and yesterday Gina posted an interesting recipe for Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dressing and can I just say W O W! I was so floored by the fabulousness that I couldn't stop there and made salsa (I'll leave the recipe in another post). Now, my sad little blender wasn't up for the task of a full batch so I tried to do it in smaller quantities - the 2nd batch turned out great but the first one might need a little more doctoring when I run out of the yummy stuff :)


Later, shrimp tacos! I <3 snow days!!