Name 10 things you do everyday.
1. Brush my teeth (more than once a day).
2. Have a cup of coffee.
3. Feed my cat.
4. Take a shower.
5. Get dressed.
6. Exercise.
7. Check my e-mail.
8. Make my bed.
9. Kiss my husband.
10. Drink lots of water.
My last assignment for my last class is a conference call with the entire group. It ended 10 minutes ago. It's kind of funny, when you take an online class your only interaction is through threaded online discussions and e-mails. And you only e-mail when you have to do a group project. So during these online discussions you get a sense for those in the class, just like the impressions you get when you meet someone in person. Only instead of getting a visual based on gender, looks, and mannerisms all you have to go on is they way they respond in the threads. So your impressions are based on typing ability, grammatical correctness, and ability to comment intelligently (or not so intelligently).
Because of this one final step, the conference call, I've altered my view of some of my classmates. Not all of them, some of my "online" impressions were actually confirmed. For instance, the first week during introductions, we could post photos. One woman (who started her response with "howdy y'all" and called the class "you guys" throughout the entire eight week course) post her pic in short-shorts and cowboy boots. Yes, she lives in Texas in case you were wondering. The instant label I had for her was Redneck. Her comments through the eight weeks pretty much confirmed my suspicions. And when it was time for the conference call, the combination of her southern drawl, her raspy smoker's voice, and her inability to say anything constructive or beneficial to the completion of this project bore me out.
On the other hand, there were some people who I didn't judge with such harshness. There were two people who didn't always use the correct grammar or spelling in their responses but they had foreign names, so I tended to cut them some slack due to the language barrier. The conference call proved the intelligence of these classmates, with their wonderfully poetic foreign accents. The real surprise came when one person I thought to be a man turned out to be a woman. I would have never guessed that the name Arvinder was female and at the same time, I don't know what ever made me think it was male. I guess that's my own stereotyping capabilities at work.
Most of the rest of the class came pretty close to my first impressions which gave me validation of my own good intuition. Sometimes I'm surprised at the lessons learned throughout this college process. Not everything comes from a textbook. Sometime you learn about patience, diversity, getting along with others, taking initiative, and developing relationships when you least expect it. All things you won't find in the syllabus.
Because of this one final step, the conference call, I've altered my view of some of my classmates. Not all of them, some of my "online" impressions were actually confirmed. For instance, the first week during introductions, we could post photos. One woman (who started her response with "howdy y'all" and called the class "you guys" throughout the entire eight week course) post her pic in short-shorts and cowboy boots. Yes, she lives in Texas in case you were wondering. The instant label I had for her was Redneck. Her comments through the eight weeks pretty much confirmed my suspicions. And when it was time for the conference call, the combination of her southern drawl, her raspy smoker's voice, and her inability to say anything constructive or beneficial to the completion of this project bore me out.
On the other hand, there were some people who I didn't judge with such harshness. There were two people who didn't always use the correct grammar or spelling in their responses but they had foreign names, so I tended to cut them some slack due to the language barrier. The conference call proved the intelligence of these classmates, with their wonderfully poetic foreign accents. The real surprise came when one person I thought to be a man turned out to be a woman. I would have never guessed that the name Arvinder was female and at the same time, I don't know what ever made me think it was male. I guess that's my own stereotyping capabilities at work.
Most of the rest of the class came pretty close to my first impressions which gave me validation of my own good intuition. Sometimes I'm surprised at the lessons learned throughout this college process. Not everything comes from a textbook. Sometime you learn about patience, diversity, getting along with others, taking initiative, and developing relationships when you least expect it. All things you won't find in the syllabus.
I called in sick today. I have a terrible headache that just won't go away. The constant pounding has kept me up half the night. So now that it's time to go to work, I am too damn tired. Plus my head is still pounding. I'm on my third round of pain killers to no avail.
Jeff thinks they are stress related. Between my final project due tomorrow, my mother's bypass surgery, and planning a trip to Menomonie, he thinks it's a bit much for me to handle. Maybe he is right, time will tell.
So for now, it's back to bed, to rest, to think of nothing. The sad thing is that I already feel like the day is going to be wasted and that isn't allowed. Geez, I guess he IS right. I have to learn how to relax!
Jeff thinks they are stress related. Between my final project due tomorrow, my mother's bypass surgery, and planning a trip to Menomonie, he thinks it's a bit much for me to handle. Maybe he is right, time will tell.
So for now, it's back to bed, to rest, to think of nothing. The sad thing is that I already feel like the day is going to be wasted and that isn't allowed. Geez, I guess he IS right. I have to learn how to relax!
I think there is something to that ying-yang thing. With the good there is always bad and with karma, what comes around goes around. But still, I was starting to feel lucky.
Although you love all your children the same, it is impossible to treat them the same because they are all very different people. And I think I am lucky to have them be so very different from each other. I take that as a sign that I helped them pave their own path to fulfilling their own dreams, no matter how much I would want something else for them.
I also think there is something to the middle child syndrome. Most people I know have the most trouble with their middle child and mine is no exception. My troubled child's problems are complicated by diabetes. No matter what I will always worry about her medical condition. In the past few years she's totaled two cars while driving with low blood sugar. Luckily for her, no one was hurt and she doesn't remember a thing. She hasn't had a car since she totaled the last one almost two years ago. Since her lousy job pays crap, she can't afford another one and we're done helping her out - or so I thought.
Then something good happened. My employer offers their fleet cars for sale when they start aging. We get an e-mail listing the cars available. They sell them at the price they would get if they traded them in which is very low compared to the blue book value. You put your name in and on a specific date, they draw a name from all those who want it and then you have seven days to come up with the cash and the cars are sold "as is." We got the e-mail and there was a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the list. The blue book value is almost $5K and the asking price $1500. I didn't even ask to look at it or whether there was anything wrong with it, I put my name in. I was pretty excited about the opportunity to get Bailee a good car cheap. And a big car that would protect her. And if there was anything really serious wrong with it, at the very least I should be able to sell it and get some profit out of it. The gas mileage didn't really matter because her work is less than a mile from home. But she would finally have some independence that would help her self-esteem.
My excitement waned when I found out there were 12 other people who wanted the car. Fat chance of drawing my name. As I whined to my coworkers about my chances, one of them discreetly said she would be happy to help me out and double my chances. So she put her name in for the car. Of course we told no one. A week later when the e-mail announcement came out and she won I just about flipped. I was so excited, it was hard to contain myself and our little secret. She wanted no one to know so I discreetly gave her the money, she paid for the car, signed over the title and handed me the keys. Wow, just like that. I am so grateful.
I brought the car home and Bailee jumped up and down for two days. We made a deal that she would have to get the insurance on her own and pay me $200 a month even after the car is paid off. I want her to build up a maintenance fund in case it needs new tires or service and at the same time she can learn the value of managing money. She's been giving me money on a regular basis so I can keep it in her "car fund" so I have $700 of her hard-earned cash. The crack-head ex-boyfriend has ruined her checking account by stealing all the money out of it so now she doesn't even have a bank account. I am her bank account. I told her we would do a maintenance overhaul and that money would be used to get the car in the best shape possible. It may need shock absorbers so I warned her about that. She keeps saying, "Good things come to those who wait!" I guess she was right.
So things are looking brighter for her for the first time in a long time. Since she dumped her loser crack-addicted boyfriend, she now has a new boyfriend who treats her nice and has a real future (see The Old Man post). When she called for insurance, she got decent rates, so the price isn't going to suck the life out of her measly paychecks. And she has the freedom to drive without begging to borrow a car. She is ecstatic.
So today my oldest daughter Jen calls me to say she was just in a car accident. She is OK but her car is in bad shape. And there is a problem with one of my mother's lungs. We still don't know when she will be going home from the hospital. And my classmates are arguing about our final project that is due tomorrow. And the pendulum keeps swinging....
Although you love all your children the same, it is impossible to treat them the same because they are all very different people. And I think I am lucky to have them be so very different from each other. I take that as a sign that I helped them pave their own path to fulfilling their own dreams, no matter how much I would want something else for them.
I also think there is something to the middle child syndrome. Most people I know have the most trouble with their middle child and mine is no exception. My troubled child's problems are complicated by diabetes. No matter what I will always worry about her medical condition. In the past few years she's totaled two cars while driving with low blood sugar. Luckily for her, no one was hurt and she doesn't remember a thing. She hasn't had a car since she totaled the last one almost two years ago. Since her lousy job pays crap, she can't afford another one and we're done helping her out - or so I thought.
Then something good happened. My employer offers their fleet cars for sale when they start aging. We get an e-mail listing the cars available. They sell them at the price they would get if they traded them in which is very low compared to the blue book value. You put your name in and on a specific date, they draw a name from all those who want it and then you have seven days to come up with the cash and the cars are sold "as is." We got the e-mail and there was a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the list. The blue book value is almost $5K and the asking price $1500. I didn't even ask to look at it or whether there was anything wrong with it, I put my name in. I was pretty excited about the opportunity to get Bailee a good car cheap. And a big car that would protect her. And if there was anything really serious wrong with it, at the very least I should be able to sell it and get some profit out of it. The gas mileage didn't really matter because her work is less than a mile from home. But she would finally have some independence that would help her self-esteem.
My excitement waned when I found out there were 12 other people who wanted the car. Fat chance of drawing my name. As I whined to my coworkers about my chances, one of them discreetly said she would be happy to help me out and double my chances. So she put her name in for the car. Of course we told no one. A week later when the e-mail announcement came out and she won I just about flipped. I was so excited, it was hard to contain myself and our little secret. She wanted no one to know so I discreetly gave her the money, she paid for the car, signed over the title and handed me the keys. Wow, just like that. I am so grateful.
I brought the car home and Bailee jumped up and down for two days. We made a deal that she would have to get the insurance on her own and pay me $200 a month even after the car is paid off. I want her to build up a maintenance fund in case it needs new tires or service and at the same time she can learn the value of managing money. She's been giving me money on a regular basis so I can keep it in her "car fund" so I have $700 of her hard-earned cash. The crack-head ex-boyfriend has ruined her checking account by stealing all the money out of it so now she doesn't even have a bank account. I am her bank account. I told her we would do a maintenance overhaul and that money would be used to get the car in the best shape possible. It may need shock absorbers so I warned her about that. She keeps saying, "Good things come to those who wait!" I guess she was right.
So things are looking brighter for her for the first time in a long time. Since she dumped her loser crack-addicted boyfriend, she now has a new boyfriend who treats her nice and has a real future (see The Old Man post). When she called for insurance, she got decent rates, so the price isn't going to suck the life out of her measly paychecks. And she has the freedom to drive without begging to borrow a car. She is ecstatic.
So today my oldest daughter Jen calls me to say she was just in a car accident. She is OK but her car is in bad shape. And there is a problem with one of my mother's lungs. We still don't know when she will be going home from the hospital. And my classmates are arguing about our final project that is due tomorrow. And the pendulum keeps swinging....
Are you more...
01) Lawyer or accountant?
Lawyer - I hate math and I work in a Corporate Accounting Department so they can vouch for my lack of accountantness.
02) Dentist or family doctor?
Doctor - I am totally into health.
03) Chiropractor or massage therapist?
Massage therapist - I have great hands.
04) Engineer or architect?
Architect - I couldn't tell you how something works but I certainly can decide what it should look like.
05) Sports announcer or news meteorologist?
News meteorologist - I can lie and make things up as well as the experts do.
06) Garbage collector or sewage system inspector?
Garbage collector - Nothing like working in the "fresh" air all day long.
07) Plumber or electrician?
Plumber - electricity scares me (see answer #4) And I have better butt cleavage.
08) Lead hand/foreman or supervisor/manager?
Supervisor/Manager - I love to boss people around.
09) Astronomer or astrologist?
Astronomer - I like the science of stars.
10) Advice column writer or editorial column writer?
Editorial - I don't care what anyone else thinks.
01) Lawyer or accountant?
Lawyer - I hate math and I work in a Corporate Accounting Department so they can vouch for my lack of accountantness.
02) Dentist or family doctor?
Doctor - I am totally into health.
03) Chiropractor or massage therapist?
Massage therapist - I have great hands.
04) Engineer or architect?
Architect - I couldn't tell you how something works but I certainly can decide what it should look like.
05) Sports announcer or news meteorologist?
News meteorologist - I can lie and make things up as well as the experts do.
06) Garbage collector or sewage system inspector?
Garbage collector - Nothing like working in the "fresh" air all day long.
07) Plumber or electrician?
Plumber - electricity scares me (see answer #4) And I have better butt cleavage.
08) Lead hand/foreman or supervisor/manager?
Supervisor/Manager - I love to boss people around.
09) Astronomer or astrologist?
Astronomer - I like the science of stars.
10) Advice column writer or editorial column writer?
Editorial - I don't care what anyone else thinks.
Spending the last few days with my family has been a trying experience. It's not that I don't love them dearly, the problem is that we don't always get along. It didn't help that my mother's recent bypass surgery stays on everybody's mind. She should be with us, but the obvious importance of the surgery couldn't be denied - no matter how much she wanted to get out of it.
We all took the day off of work on Friday, got up early and headed to the Mall of America. Bailee, Jeff, and I had a nice ride up, Jen called to say her flight to Minneapolis was good and that she would meet us at the mall as soon as she finished with her fabric shopping spree at SR Harris. Her girlfriend, Tara was with her and the two of them called constantly to update us on the status of their location within the mall.
Bailee was on a mission. She saved up $800 for her shopping spree. Unfortunately for me, I had to carry her cash which I found to be a large burden of responsibility. She had an agenda and didn't care about meeting up with her sister. We started at Victoria's Secret which was a very annoying. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, the mall wasn't all that busy. This meant a barrage of sales clerks were upon us like seagulls diving down to get the dirty french fries from the garbage cans. And these women were so stupid. They would forget they asked us if they can help us and ask again. When Bailee actually responded and explained what she wanted, they didn't listen anyway. Here is this 34D young girl trying to find a stinkin' bra that fits and all they want to do is sell her push-up bras. Like she needs to make her big boobs even bigger. Morons. In the end she got her bras with no help from the sales staff.
Her next mission was to find a fancy dress for a wedding. As we wandered from store to store, she put a few dresses on hold. We also stopped at the cool little stores in-between the dress hunt. We met up with Jen and Tara somewhere between Delia's and the Guess store. Both Jen and Tara have degrees from Stout's fashion design program so most of their conversations revolve around the clothing stores. Comments like overpriced, bad cut, cheap fabric, bad design are not uncommon - it's the nature of their business. Unfortunately, Bailee takes everything her sister says to heart. So she took the comments about the stores as an attack on the things she likes.
So let the war begin. Jabs, digs, and irritations become anger, bitching, and yelling. So we separate the two of them only to have to deal with the aftermath for the rest of the day. This day I've decided that I will never go anywhere with the two of them again. And it's too bad, I've always wanted us all to go to Cancun over the Christmas holiday as a family. It would be a waste of money.
The cool thing at the mall was that the Food Network had a contest to create the tallest sugar sculpture. Two teams competed. One made a replica of the Empire State Building and the other did the Hancock Building. They were about 27 feet tall - pretty cool. At least Jen, Tara, and I thought so, Bailee thought it was lame. Here we go again. Round two.
By the end of the day, things settled down, Jen and Tara left to head back to Tara's place, and we headed toward Hudson where we had a hotel reservation. I was disappointed because at the end of the day I hadn't really shopped for myself. We stopped to eat in a suburb called Woodbury and discovered the coolest area filled with shops. Ann Taylor, J Jill, and many others lined the newly paved streets. Too bad I was too tired to shop and all I could think of was getting something to eat and sitting a while. We ended up at a Champp's. Although the food is always good, part of the adventure is trying something new and this definitely wasn't anything new.
We checked into our hotel room just before 10, Bailee went right to bed, we headed to the pool to swim a few laps and unwind. I fell asleep with soaking wet hair and woke up looking like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. After a morning swim, a decent breakfast, and a hot shower, we headed to Stillwater to hit the shops along Main Street. What a cute little town! We noticed it last year when we passed through on a motorcycle trip. Unfortunately, we were with a group that couldn't fit a stop in their schedule so we just passed the town by. Our first stop was at a winery. We tried samples and made our purchase. After a nice walk through town it was time to head to Menomonie.
By brother Mike lives in Menomonie. He was working until noon so we knew we had time before we had to make an appearance. We checked into our hotel in Menomonie then we stopped at Mike's house where we were greeted by his wife, Carmen. She let us in and we spent the afternoon playing with their children, Seth and Aubrey. Aubrey's baptism was scheduled for later that afternoon and we were also celebrating Seth's second birthday. His birthday is easy to remember - tax day, April 15th. I always need some sort of trick to remember important dates. I don't know why it's such a mental block for me.
Mike and Carmen have no sense of real commitment to time schedules. They told us the baptism was at 4 but at 4:30 we were drinking our second beer in their living room. We got on a roll during a discussion about my sister and her family. Their children are terrible due to the lack of discipline that they desperately need. They are also sickly from their steady diet of sugary sodas, coffee (yes, coffee and cappuccino too!), and anything else they want - all unhealthy.
Speaking of unhealthy, by 4:45 we headed to Legacy Chocolates to buy some of the best chocolate in the world. We eventually got to the hall where the baptism was held. We met the most fascinating people. The pastor and his lady were very interesting. He's 87 years old and his companion was most likely near that age too. So much history makes for interesting conversation. And this hall was a mini-museum so it had as much character and charm as those in attendance.
The commitment issue spills over into other areas of my brother's life. On our way over to the hall they asked Bailee to be the Godmother. She was shocked, honored, and annoyed at the lack of notice. But the baptism went on followed by a wonderful dinner. Mike is a health nut so dinner included a salad followed by chicken in puff pastry and steamed carrots. It was great to have something other than the usual banquet fare. After dinner, the evening ended with a chorus of Happy Birthday to Seth, the traditional cutting of the cake, and then the opening of the presents (both birthday and baptism).
We headed back to the hotel in Menomonie to unwind. Jen and Bailee were getting along, finally! Mike and Carmen came over after all their guests left. It was nice to visit with them one on one. We talked about mom's surgery and recovery and Mike's next visit to the Milwaukee area which will be in a few weeks. This was a surprise to his wife which was not really a surprise when you think about their decision making process, if you know what I mean.
Things broke up around 10:30 and we got to bed shortly after that. In the morning we packed up and got out of town as soon as we could. We were home by 2:30. Four and a half hours of driving is exhausting even when you're the passenger. We spent the rest of the day getting ready for the workweek, and I don't think I will recover or catch up until next weekend comes. It was a great time, considering a few bumps but I don't think I want to repeat the experience anytime soon. I think our next visit to Menomonie will be without the girls.
We all took the day off of work on Friday, got up early and headed to the Mall of America. Bailee, Jeff, and I had a nice ride up, Jen called to say her flight to Minneapolis was good and that she would meet us at the mall as soon as she finished with her fabric shopping spree at SR Harris. Her girlfriend, Tara was with her and the two of them called constantly to update us on the status of their location within the mall.
Bailee was on a mission. She saved up $800 for her shopping spree. Unfortunately for me, I had to carry her cash which I found to be a large burden of responsibility. She had an agenda and didn't care about meeting up with her sister. We started at Victoria's Secret which was a very annoying. Since it was the middle of the afternoon, the mall wasn't all that busy. This meant a barrage of sales clerks were upon us like seagulls diving down to get the dirty french fries from the garbage cans. And these women were so stupid. They would forget they asked us if they can help us and ask again. When Bailee actually responded and explained what she wanted, they didn't listen anyway. Here is this 34D young girl trying to find a stinkin' bra that fits and all they want to do is sell her push-up bras. Like she needs to make her big boobs even bigger. Morons. In the end she got her bras with no help from the sales staff.
Her next mission was to find a fancy dress for a wedding. As we wandered from store to store, she put a few dresses on hold. We also stopped at the cool little stores in-between the dress hunt. We met up with Jen and Tara somewhere between Delia's and the Guess store. Both Jen and Tara have degrees from Stout's fashion design program so most of their conversations revolve around the clothing stores. Comments like overpriced, bad cut, cheap fabric, bad design are not uncommon - it's the nature of their business. Unfortunately, Bailee takes everything her sister says to heart. So she took the comments about the stores as an attack on the things she likes.
So let the war begin. Jabs, digs, and irritations become anger, bitching, and yelling. So we separate the two of them only to have to deal with the aftermath for the rest of the day. This day I've decided that I will never go anywhere with the two of them again. And it's too bad, I've always wanted us all to go to Cancun over the Christmas holiday as a family. It would be a waste of money.
The cool thing at the mall was that the Food Network had a contest to create the tallest sugar sculpture. Two teams competed. One made a replica of the Empire State Building and the other did the Hancock Building. They were about 27 feet tall - pretty cool. At least Jen, Tara, and I thought so, Bailee thought it was lame. Here we go again. Round two.
By the end of the day, things settled down, Jen and Tara left to head back to Tara's place, and we headed toward Hudson where we had a hotel reservation. I was disappointed because at the end of the day I hadn't really shopped for myself. We stopped to eat in a suburb called Woodbury and discovered the coolest area filled with shops. Ann Taylor, J Jill, and many others lined the newly paved streets. Too bad I was too tired to shop and all I could think of was getting something to eat and sitting a while. We ended up at a Champp's. Although the food is always good, part of the adventure is trying something new and this definitely wasn't anything new.
We checked into our hotel room just before 10, Bailee went right to bed, we headed to the pool to swim a few laps and unwind. I fell asleep with soaking wet hair and woke up looking like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. After a morning swim, a decent breakfast, and a hot shower, we headed to Stillwater to hit the shops along Main Street. What a cute little town! We noticed it last year when we passed through on a motorcycle trip. Unfortunately, we were with a group that couldn't fit a stop in their schedule so we just passed the town by. Our first stop was at a winery. We tried samples and made our purchase. After a nice walk through town it was time to head to Menomonie.
By brother Mike lives in Menomonie. He was working until noon so we knew we had time before we had to make an appearance. We checked into our hotel in Menomonie then we stopped at Mike's house where we were greeted by his wife, Carmen. She let us in and we spent the afternoon playing with their children, Seth and Aubrey. Aubrey's baptism was scheduled for later that afternoon and we were also celebrating Seth's second birthday. His birthday is easy to remember - tax day, April 15th. I always need some sort of trick to remember important dates. I don't know why it's such a mental block for me.
Mike and Carmen have no sense of real commitment to time schedules. They told us the baptism was at 4 but at 4:30 we were drinking our second beer in their living room. We got on a roll during a discussion about my sister and her family. Their children are terrible due to the lack of discipline that they desperately need. They are also sickly from their steady diet of sugary sodas, coffee (yes, coffee and cappuccino too!), and anything else they want - all unhealthy.
Speaking of unhealthy, by 4:45 we headed to Legacy Chocolates to buy some of the best chocolate in the world. We eventually got to the hall where the baptism was held. We met the most fascinating people. The pastor and his lady were very interesting. He's 87 years old and his companion was most likely near that age too. So much history makes for interesting conversation. And this hall was a mini-museum so it had as much character and charm as those in attendance.
The commitment issue spills over into other areas of my brother's life. On our way over to the hall they asked Bailee to be the Godmother. She was shocked, honored, and annoyed at the lack of notice. But the baptism went on followed by a wonderful dinner. Mike is a health nut so dinner included a salad followed by chicken in puff pastry and steamed carrots. It was great to have something other than the usual banquet fare. After dinner, the evening ended with a chorus of Happy Birthday to Seth, the traditional cutting of the cake, and then the opening of the presents (both birthday and baptism).
We headed back to the hotel in Menomonie to unwind. Jen and Bailee were getting along, finally! Mike and Carmen came over after all their guests left. It was nice to visit with them one on one. We talked about mom's surgery and recovery and Mike's next visit to the Milwaukee area which will be in a few weeks. This was a surprise to his wife which was not really a surprise when you think about their decision making process, if you know what I mean.
Things broke up around 10:30 and we got to bed shortly after that. In the morning we packed up and got out of town as soon as we could. We were home by 2:30. Four and a half hours of driving is exhausting even when you're the passenger. We spent the rest of the day getting ready for the workweek, and I don't think I will recover or catch up until next weekend comes. It was a great time, considering a few bumps but I don't think I want to repeat the experience anytime soon. I think our next visit to Menomonie will be without the girls.
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