Random Musings

OMG - If you did not see last week's LOST or if you plan to ever watch LOST then you probable shouldn't read this!

1. A CORK? That is so cool! It makes complete sense! I love the idea of the island being a cork that holds back the darkness and evil! I hate that Sayid has turned and has no soul. I really thought he could have redeemed himself and found pennance. If Richard Alpert could not repent and be forgiven than I guess Sayid would not be able to either.

2. The Teenage Mutant bought me a Motorola Droid this weekend. I love it! Of course, he got one for himself...mine was part of the buy one get one free. He ended up spending 440.00 dollars, will get 200.00 dollars back in rebates but then will have to pay 170.00 in cancellation fees at Sprint. We now have Verizon and it has much better coverage at home and at ECU. It is a bit more expensive for the service but I think it is worth it.

3. I have been spoiling for a fight lately, as if you couldn't already tell. I feel pretty out of control.

4. A CORK? I just LOVE that concept! Oh, and I am ready for more scenes involving Sawyer! Wooo hoooo!

5. I need to curb my spending habits. I have been spending too much money lately.

6. American Idol is on tonight. I can't wait to see what Crystal has planned. She is by far my favorite! I really want her hair. I wonder if I could find someone to do dreadlocks for me? Hmmm......that is definitely an idea!

7. I just saw a news report that showed State Troopers sitting on the side of the road in a DOT Truck with a radar gun. They sit there incognito and clock drivers. When they clock someone speeding they radio it in to another trooper that will then chase down the speeder and give them a citation. I do not think I like the idea of a trooper hiding out in a DOT vehicle.

A Horrible Week

What an absolutely horrible week this has been! I think it really started last week and just got progressively worse. I am not perfect and I have lots of buttons that can be pushed. I can be overly opinionated, I can be stubborn, I can be judgemental. I am however also intelligent, strong, capable, and passionate. If there is one thing that I cannot tolerate it is to be dismissed, ignored, or patronized. It seemed like that has happened often these past two weeks.

It is difficult to be a woman working with older white men that are accustomed to being in control and in charge. They become so accustomed to being in charge, making decisions, and getting by without being questioned. They resist anyone asking "Why is it this way? or How did you reach that conclusion?" They automatically assume their ability and ethics are being questioned. They begin to actually believe that they can control every situation, every decision, and always get their way.

There are plenty people, both women and men, that will roll over, that will do as they are told, and that will just go along. I am not one such person. I have my own ideas, my own opinions, and my own beliefs. I also know when to fight a battle and when to live to fight another day. That is my current strategy. I will keep quiet for now, I will not "stir the pot", I will not question the process. However, these men will eventually have to deal with me and with others that have the same ideas and opinions. You see, I am not alone. I have support, more support than they realize. Therefore, I will have my day, my time, and my vindication. So, dismiss me now, ignore me now, and say that my opinion is not valid. You are only putting off the inevitable. I will be heard.

The Library

My teenage mutant went to the tutor today and I went with him. He goes to a wonderful tutor twice a week for HO Precalculus. Tutor is a retired public high school teacher that taught this class for many many years. She now tutors students and apparently LOVES it! Anyway, Tutor has sessions at the library. I had not been to the library in years. I have been to worse libraries but the one in my town is not a great one, I have been to much better libraries. I guess it is a function of the city really. Anyway, while it is sitll not a great library I was motivated! I must have picked up 20 books I decided I must read. Some were cookbooks, gardening books, fiction, non fiction, biographies, history books, etc. The list goes on. In fact, I have decided what I am reading next... The World is Flat! I have had it on my shelf for a couple of years of now and I finally ready to dig in! Wish me luck!

Teenage Mutant and friends

The teenage mutant has friends. He has really good friends. They are all good kids and I love having them around. In fact, many of them come over and hang out even when my own mutant is not at home. I am hoping that happens when he goes to college!

Anyway, while they are good kids, they are a bit slow at times. One friend in particular, I will refer to him as PIA, can be a little much to handle. He is a good guy but can be annoying at times. So, this is the point of all this - Last night we were watching 2012 (which I liked) and it came to the end of the movie. There were references to Africa so I told the kids "Did you know that actually it is believed that our ancestors all came from Africa. There were possibly 4 different 'tribes' that ended up in Europe, The Americas, Africa, and Asia." PIA then said "How did we end up white if we started out in Africa?" REALLY???? REALLY???? Did he really ask that? Well, yes he did. So I explained that not everyone from Africa is black, for example many South Africans are white. To which he responded "But South Africans are a combination of Australians and Americans, aren't they? They have Australian accents!" REALLY???? REALLY???? I tried to explain it but alas the mutant part of him kicked in and I gave up. I told him he was a dumb ass and to just shut up. That wasn't very nice of me I guess but REALLY??????

He did redeem himself today by helping me change most of the light bulbs in the house! Like I said, they are really good kids, just a little slow sometimes!

Cooking, gardening, and reading

I am not a great cook. Most of the time when I do venture into the kitchen I do a pretty good job. I must have a recipe to follow though. I am not good at just making it up as I go along. I love cookbooks! I bought three new ones today and read through all three as soon as I got home. I use the little post it tabs and put one on every recipe I am interested in trying. Sometimes I get a cookbook and only mark a few and then other times I get a cookbook and mark a ton. I have never made it all the way through every marker in a cookbook though. A friend (Aerobic Mom) lent me her slow cooker cookbook and I started going through it to mark the ones I liked. I thought I will mark them, make copies and then give it back to her. I quickly realized though that I had marked so many that I might as well go out and buy it. That is why I ended up with three. I also got the slow cooker cookbook by the woman that cooked with a Crock Pot every single day for 365 days! I am excited to try out some of the new recipes. I am beginning with Peking Pork Chops. The only reason I am starting here is because I thawed pork chops today and want to cook them so they don't go bad. Wish me luck!

I also really like working in the yard. I like to weed the flower beds. I am not very big on mowing or weed eating though. Alex will have to do all of that. When he moves out I will definitely hire someone to take care of it. I do like to pull weeds and plant things. I think I will do some weed pulling tomorrow. I have a few beds that need attention.

Finally, I just went through a period of reading, reading, reading. Almost every waking moment that I was not working was spent reading. I got a bit overwhelmed by it all and decided to take a bit of a break but I am ready jump back in. I have a few books that I need to read but I am not sure where to begin. What do you think?

Albert Einstein's Biography
Her Fearful Symmetry by the woman that wrote The Time Traveler's Wife
The autobiography of the boy soldier from Africa
The Colony - about the Leper Colony in Molokai

Or do you have another suggestion? I really want to pick up a good book!

Warning - If you work with me you DON'T want to read this!

I am going to vent - if you work with me then you probably do not want to read this. If you do read it then you must agree not to hold it against me in the future. I will change the names to protect the innocent and the guilty but you can probably figure it all out. I am aggravated and because this is MY blog I feel that I have the right to express those frustrations. So, you have been warned.

If you want everyone to just blindly agree with you then stop putting together committees!

If you do not like the feedback that you are getting then stop asking for the feedback. Stop pretending like you cherish the feedback and then when you get the feedback don't listen to it.

Stop pretending that you are an advocate of transparency. You are not an advocate of transparency if when someone follows up on meeting minutes and questions said minutes, you get angry about it.

Understand that I am not to be "controlled". I am going to speak my mind, professionally but passionately. It is okay if we disagree but do not attempt to shut me down because you disagree.

I do not care if you use the "F" word, use it all you like, that means I can use it to. I do use it at home, but try to refrain from using it at work. If you use it then I will take that as a sign that I can use it.

Do not take your frustrations with the process out on me. I have not complained about the work load. I am concerned about the operationalization.

Stop being arrogant. I think you have a Napolean complex. I am tired of being subjected to it. You are not nearly as qualified at Napolean was therefore, you should not share his complex.

I have a PhD, I worked my ass off to earn that. Do not suggest that you have worked harder than me because you were in the "real world". I live more in the real world than you do.

Whew - maybe I should put some privacy on this so I can authorize readers. Or, I could just black out every other word. If anyone wants to read the entire rant then let me know and I will send it to you.

Worry, worry, worry

I worry about my mutant. I worry about him all the time. He knows this and yet cannot comprehend it in the least. In fact, it drives him insane! He is a junior in high school but he is 18 yrs old. This is completely my fault because I held him back in kindergarten and on top of that he is a December baby. That means he started late to begin with. He doesn't let me forget it for a minute! Now, there are perks to being older - he was the first to start driving, his curfew is later than most of his friends, he was the first to get a job, etc. But - his friends are almost all younger than he is. Except from the guys at work, all his friends are just now getting their licenses. Does it matter? He is a good kid, a really good kid! He doesn't drink, he doesn't do drugs, he isn't getting in trouble for stupid stuff. Well, he gets in trouble for stupid stuff but not breaking the law stupid stuff!

I try hard not to be a helicopter parent! It isn't easy. He is different than I was at that age. He would rather have me do it for him that take care of it himself. This is the mutant that will hold 3 paychecks for a total of 6 weeks before he puts them in the bank. He says he hasn't gone to the Humane Society to volunteer because I have not gone with him! His tax return sat on the front entry table for two weeks until I addressed it and put it in the mail. He is capable, when I force him to be capable. For example, as I mentioned he steamed cleaned the living carpet. He also hung the new drapery rods, and he has worked hard on his Jeep.

He will be going away to college soon and he has this huge ideas. He wants to skip the dorms and move straight into an apartment. I have already told him this is not going to happen. He will live at least one year in the dorms. It is an important part of the transition. He wants to take the dogs and cats with him when he goes to college. I have not yet succeeded in convincing him that this is not a good idea.

He also spent yesterday and today in ISS (In School Suspension) for having too many tardies. This, on top of the fact that he has an HO Pre Calc test tomorrow. HOpefully he spends his time today studying and NOT sleeping! He really needs a passing grade on this test!

I worry about my teenage mutant alot. Will that ever stop? Hopefully it will lessen as time goes on.

Wants vs Needs

I want a new camera. I want a DSLR with the image stabilizer built in. They are about 500 - 700 dollars.

I need to pay someone to come out and service my washer and dryer. They are making horrible sounds.

I want some flowing, comfy linen, wide leg pants.

I need to get some new pajamas so I am not wearing the ones that are stained and have holes in them.

I want a Great Dane Puppy!!! I have always wanted one and they are so much fun!

I need to take my two dogs and two cats to the vet for checkups and shots.

I want to hire someone to come clean my house.

I need to just get up and do it myself!

What are your wants and needs?

Lounging around in underwear???

I wasn't planning on blogging about this but as I was logging on the I saw the commercial for Bali Bras. There was a shot of a woman sitting on a window sill in her bra and panties with a white unbuttoned blouse flowing around her. She was reading a book! Now, I know that most commercials do not represent reality, but REALLY??? Sitting in a window in nothing but a bra and panties and reading a book? Even if you were an exhibitionist, how comfortable can you be sitting on a tiny ledge reading a book? It wasn't a big window sit, it was a small one. I don't know about you, but when I am reading a  book I am in my sloppy sweats or jeans and a t-shirt and I am laying on the sofa or in bed! I am NOT sitting around in my sexy lingerie in front a window. But that is just me.....

Thank goodness yesterday ended! It was not a good day except for one bright spot - my teenage mutant is making an A in HO Physics and Drafting 2. He also has a B in HO English 3. HO Pre-calculus is not so high but between the tutor twice a week and his renewed commitment hopefully that grade will come up!

Tomorrow a colleague and I are going to have a brainstorming session. Another colleaugue of ours came up with an interesting idea about the impact of information overload on organizations. The idea is pretty simple and interesting - with all the different ways we put information out into the world about ourselves, how does this impact or work relationships. FOr example, some of my coworkers are also friends on Facebook. It normally isn't a problem except when maybe I spent a a bit too much time on Farmville and hence am running late for a meeting! Because one of the committee members is a friend on Facebook he knew why I was running late before I even got there! So, is this all TMI? HOw does it impact our relationships at work? I am excited about this research!

No Sleep, Burning Eyes, and Exhaustion

I did not sleep last night. Not one bit, not even for a minute. I tossed and turned all night. I knew I wouldn't sleep before I even got in my pjs. I think that made it worse; knowing that sweet slumber would elude me. I am feeling the effects today. As a matter of fact, I have gotten out of bed only 3 or 4 times today. I am lucky that I have that option, I know that. But no sleep does not suit me at all. It will not happen again tonight, I am taking steps to ensure that! I will be making a speedy trip to the pharmacy in a little while. Sweet dreams are back on the menu!

Two in one day

Alright, so I know that two blogs in one day is excessive and indulgent but I have this overwhelming need to publish any and every thought I have during the day. I am hoping this passes as blogging loses some of its newness.

So, my very own teenage mutant proved that he is still human after all. He steam cleaned the carpet in the living room today! Now, don't get too excited, it was something that he offered to do two weeks ago and that I ended up putting on his chore list. I eventually told him that if he didn't get it done tonight he would be grounded for the rest of the week. But! He did it!

Well, he actually only steamed the living room and still has 4 rooms to go...but he did it! I was very proud of him.

 He also got up from the dinner table and started on cleaning the kitchen without being told! Of course, when I got in there he was gone, the dishes were piled up in the sink, and all he had really done was put away a few items and scraped the dishes into the trash. But! I didn't have to ask him, except to remind him to take out the trash.

I feel like I am celebrating accomplishments that should be expected instead of applauded. You know what I mean? I guess I just appreciate the moments like these because they are few and far between. I am the parent of a teenage mutant after all!

Top 10 Favorite Books of all Time

Well, I am new to blogging but I decided to just jump in and give it a shot! I decided to start by discussing one of my favorite topics (other than the teenage mutant) BOOKS! The list posted is a Top 10 Favorite Books of all Time. Now, they are not in the correct order - The Stand ranks #1 of all time and Love in the Time of Cholera ranks #2 of all time. From there it doesn't really matter. I could actually break it down into a list of Favorites from Childhood, a list of Favorite Series, a list of Favorite Classics, Favorite NonFiction, etc.

I tend to have a trouble stopping once I start a list. It is like deciding what genre certain types of music fit into. It used to be that there were just a few genres - Pop, Rock, Country, Jazz, Blues, Soul, Classic, and that was about it. Now each one of these has several subgenres, not to mention the addition of Alternative, Punk, Hip Hop, R&B, etc.  Artists don't seem to fit into just one category anymore either - for instance, David Bowie, what genre does he fit into? Normally it wouldn't be a problem but now that I have an iPod I have to make sure I get the genres right. It is just way too confusing! Goodness, how did I get from Favorite Books to Music Genres? This blogging is a bit more difficult than I thought - is it supposed to be a stream of consciousness thing? I have a couple of friends that blog and I love reading theirs, they seem to have this down to a fine art. Me, on the other hand, it feels more like diarrhea of the mouth - it just keeps coming and I am helpless to stop it!

Okay, this sounds like a good place to quit - I know I just committed a big TMI! I will try to refrain from that in future, no promises though. I suffer from this quite often!