vacation...well family time

Just wanted to pop in a moment & apoligize for not posting as much as I have wanted lately. Life is just a bit hectic.

The ups:
NEW JOB!
Visit from a beloved aunt & time off to see her & my family
paid time off to use prior to my LAST DAY at the current job
things work out for the best in the end & we find ourselves stronger overall
I am still in love with a man who loves me dearly

The downs:
dealing with the guilt of leaving my friends at the old job
friends moving away
fights with the man over our relationship & the effects of a disapproving mother (his, mine adores him)

... so yeah. I will be out of town for a while & may or may not be posting as much in the next lil bit.

Fight the fears with FACTS.

So today is a time for education.

I challenge you to take a moment to open your mind & read something new on today's website, Religious Tolerance.org.

They take various religions that people practice all over the globe & give the facts as best & objectively as they can in an effort to help us all realize that we are all one people.

Of course everyone has THEIR belief system & I am in no way asking you to rethink that. All I respectfully ask is that we all take a breif moment to learn about another's way of life. Dispel the myths & prejudgements & base our own opinions on facts.

I am amazed at how many religions there are in the world, so I can dare to guess there is one you don't know everything about.

Go ahead. Learn something new. My personal view is that we should all open our minds a bit more to new experiences, just not so much that our brains fall out in the process. There is no shame in keeping your views while listening to others.

& share a smile with someone new for no reason at all other than you both breath the same air & you both woke up to another new day! :)

Oh service

Let me start by admitting to working in retail quite a number of years now. Yes the last several have been in management, but its still retail.

Anyone who has ever set foot in a public store has a store of stupidity, be it the insane customer or the crazy employees. Lets face it, some people just shouldn't leave the house unaccompanied.

Today's site, Customer Disservice, can serve two purposes.

One- vent away about any bad service you have experienced. I have to say I have been pretty lucky lately & can't really think of any bad service. I'm sure there has been some, but its not coming to mind.

The second purpose is to give you a laugh. Read through the post & feel thankful it wasn't you, on either end of the transaction!

Feel free to leave me a comment with a tale of your experiences in the world of the minimum wage & bad attitudes.

Namaste

Yoga.

I used to do it. Heck my best friend is a teacher & she would come over & give me private sessions just the two of us having fun, relaxing the stress away. Since she has moved to NYC & has a private practice there while caring for her angel of a daughter who will be turning one next month.

I enjoyed the feeling I got afterwards. Enjoyed the body I came to have. Yet something just stops me everytime I think about doing it again. For one I can't afford to pay for the classes (even if I do get a discounted rate). Besides I'm more of an at home work out girl.

Still I have to envy those dedicated souls who practice regularly. I envy the stress reduction that it brings & the flexibility that comes from regular practice, both physically & mentally.


This might me more my style now....

Luck be a Lady

So recently I won in a contest in a blog that everyone should check out, Weight...What?.

The prize? well it couldn't be sweeter! CHOCOLATE!!!! Galore!

It all arrived yesterday, a tad after I realized I was out of chocolate & craving some. The box was so cute! Right on time & with CUSTOM one of a kind artwork! the ink colors even match the colors of my blog!!!


Her daughter was sweet enough to add a lil sunshine to the box. It had me smiling before I even openned it. Too cute. I see more art in her future. She has talent!

Inside, well a treasure trove of delights!


Not only did I get a few treats that will be around after the feeding frenzy is over (M&Ms pens & notepad) but I got a TON of chocolate!! What is better than chocolate?

Cadbury Creme Eggs are a long time love of mine & something I hadn't gotten around to picking up yet this year. I always treat myself to a couple. They are SOOOO GOOD!

Also I forgot how much I loved the Cadbury Mini-Eggs! Just pure chocolate with the candy coating! Delish!!! Now that I remember how good they are, I might be addicted!

This morning what did I have for breakfast? Why eggs of course... Robin's Eggs! Easter styled whoppers. I did feel a little strange laying in bed with Bongo watching as we munched down on what looked like bird eggs! But they hit the spot.

Especially with the double chocolate ghiradelli coffee! mmmmm! The chocolate hazelnut is being saved for another morning, but I do look forward to tasting it. What was I thinking before I started drinking coffee?

but wait.... THERE IS MORE!!!!

I still have chocolate covered pretzels that I am taking to work to get me through those stressful tough times or just when I want a fix. Might even take a few of the hershey's minis to work as well.... but I want some to stay here for my after dinner chocolate fix. Yes I am an addict & I love it!

Also there is some hands on fun to be had.... CUPCAKES!! Which is really funny since we took a quiz & both Wendy & I are chocolate cupcake personalities! She also sent me a secret recipe to use with the GIANTUWAN Hershey's bar! Can't wait to try that one... might even have to blog about that experience later.




I feel spoiled rotten! Like the easter bunny remembered me & EARLY! There is nothing like a care package which is what this felt like!

So

BIG THANK YOU!!!!

to Wendy & her daughter! You have made my life so much sweeter with your blog, comments, generosity & all this delicious sweet bliss!

So now that we are all craving chocolate, want to learn more about this blissful bite? Check out GourmetSleuth, where you can learn facts about how good chocolate can be for you & some of the history behind this magical mouthful!

...like did you know that chocolate has been shown to help alcoholics fight their addiction?

I think the only thing it isn't good for is my waist line... but I think I will just think of it as added motivation to move more. Certainly not going to give it up or let any of it go to waste!

Birds to wake up to

So its been a while since I have had the time or the motivation to sew. Lately I think more about it, but the actual doing part just escapes me.

Still I see projects online, in stores, around & think "I can do that"!

Like this bird mobile! I love it & would love to put it in my bedroom. Looks easy enough & says its a starter sewing project, so maybe it could be a REstarter project!

There could be so many possibilities with this one & all the cool fabrics there are. Also I do already have quite the stash cluttering up my spare room! Could be fun way to go through some of it.

Still.... got the dreaming down, now I just have to get the doing down!

doom doom doom cha cha cha doom doom doom cha cha cha

Look out! Its here...

FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH! AHHHHH!

yeah it happened last month. believe it or not it is going to happen again this year.. 3 times in one year! (November has another Friday the 13th!) Basically any month that begins on a Sunday is going to bring us this day of "doom".

Really seems like the one to worry about comes in 2029 when The asteroid 2004 MN4 will make its close encounter on Friday, April 13, 2029!

So are you Paraskevidekatriaphobic? Do you have the irrational fear of this date?

Other than everyone being on pins & needles wondering what bad luck lay ahead, what does it all mean? Who started this mass hysteria. Well depends on who you ask.
You can learn a lot about this date at this site, by How Stuff Works!

Oh so yeah, I'm bored... & now bowling!

Yup.. another addictive lil game online.

Bowling!

only no ugly shoes or shirts. No cigar smoke or beer stained carpet on the way to the bathrooms.

Just more time wasting fun.

So maybe its not as much fun as my sister is having on her Wii, but it certainly is cheaper! ;)

Funny Fish

So we spent a couple of hours at a couple of pet shops today adding fish to our aquarium.

A few weeks ago we lost all but two when someone cleaned the tank & moved them out of the tank into buckets of tap water. Needless to say I believe he learned his lesson & we won't be having that happen again. Over all I am impressed by his first fish tank & how into it he is.

Still deciding what fish we would get to replace the old ones who now swim in the great blue above, was an ordeal! Too many choices. Which pet shop had better fish, which fish would get along, which ones would help control algae, etc.

Finally he agreed that we would add another platy to give Walt our white Mickey Mouse fish a pal. So we got a red Mickey Mouse fish which I named Roy. Seemed fitting since Walt Disney had a brother named Roy.

Also we kinda feel for the Dalmatian Mollies since they seemed to be the most interactive of all the fish in the shops. I had suggested mollies since they seem to be pretty hearty fish & good for beginners. I remember doing pretty well with them as a kid. So we got a couple of those. Still working on names for them.

We also got a couple of tiny algae eaters with a strange sounding O name... not sure about those. Not much personality but I'm sure they will grow on me & get names as well sooner or later. If the clown loach (& other survivor) Barbosa doesn't get them like he did Scully the albino cory catfish we had. He ate the fins right off of him! His passing actually made me feel better since I feel it couldn't have been a good life as a fish without fins. He seemed to do ok though... til the tap water disaster.

Fish are just interesting lil creatures. So different from us.

Like these two:


Saw them at Ripley's Aquarium last week & cracked up!

So yeah, as Wendy (@ Weight...What?) says... Life is Funny!

So go on... make your best fish face & laugh! No one is looking!

Fast & Furious.... rides again!!!!

Ok so it should be said I'm a bit biased when it comes to Vin Diesel & everything he does.... I've been in love with that man for as long as I have known about him. Not in a stalker - going to have his baby one day way, but he does make me smile. Just so friggin cute & THAT VOICE!!! Plus although I don't know his personality more than what is shared in interviews, etc. I love his out look on life. I love that he refuses to label himself with a race just to be categorized for others (check out one of his first movies, multifacial, to see him as many different "types" of people!).

Anyway... I have been stressed today by over thinking life & changes that could happen & a few that are happening. The unknown just brings me down sometimes & today was one of those days... UNTIL:



I saw this & squealed! Actually squealed! My adreneline shot up & I got giddy! I love the first one & even enjoyed the following squels, but this one looks AWESOME!!!

I sooooo can't wait!

Sugar BUzzzzzzzzzzzz

So while roaming around Thursday exploring the shops of Myrtle Beach, I found one place called Its Sugar. Among all the various candy selections they had gravity bins full of jelly belly jelly beans! There was one bin with the flavors already mixed & of course you could buy packs already mixed, but what fun is that? How often can you make your own mix? Heck yeah I did!!!

Even found a new favor one! Mango!! Who knew they made one in mango flavor!?!


So I ended up getting a bag & adding a little of this & that to make the greatest mix I have ever had! Surprise though. I don't like chocolate jelly beans! How the heck is that? I adore anything chocolate! Just not enough like the real thing I guess.

Also saw the boxes of Bean Boozled, sort of a candy game to play with a friend. I passed. The concept is that some of the beans taste good, but there are ones that look the same that taste aweful!

Jelly Belly BeanBoozled flavor pairings are:

Skunk Spray – Licorice

Rotten Egg - Buttered Popcorn

Ear Wax - Café Latte

Booger - Juicy Pear

Baby Wipes – Coconut

Pencil Shavings - Top Banana

Toothpaste - Berry Blue

Vomit – Peach

Moldy Cheese - Caramel Corn

Black Pepper - Plum

EWWWW!!! I can't imagine expecting peach & getting vomit...& why baby wipes? Hopefully its the PREUSED wipes!

So what's your favorite flavor of Jelly Bean?

I can do that... so when do I start?

So in hiring at my present job & applying for a new job I have come to the conclusion that people in general have NO CLUE on how to get a job. The caliber of cover letters & resumes are shameful. Which helps in making the good ones stand out. But over all I am saddened at the state of it all. Especially as my job search goes on. I just keep thinking, this is who I am up against & yet I haven't been hired yet? Anyway I PLEAD to all educators to add resume & cover letter writing to their curriculum & teach interview skills as well.

I have conducted numerous interviews where I knew as soon as they walked in & made a few statement that it was not going to be a good fit. Some advice, so respect! In the way you dress in the manners shown, impress in the interview. Yes you can get by possibly wearing regular comfy clothes on the job, depending on what it is, but don't so up in your ripped up metal tee. Don't sprawl out in the chair in some strange yoga like pose with your leg over the arm bar. Don't chomp on gum or answer you cell phone.

Think about what the recruiter or hiring manager is looking for in an employee & show that you can be that. Especially in answering questions in the interview & on the application. Its great that an outside interest is in cavemen, but if it doesn't relate to the industry or job in any way - save it for the water cooler chat during breaks! Also if they are asking a question on an application, realize that they are asking it for a reason. Don't leave big blanks all over the place. You will be passed up. Its ok to say you can discuss this further in face to face or give a brief statement indicating that it may not apply to you (N/A), but try to answer all questions thoroughly. Its shows you pay attention & can do what is asked.

ok so I needed a laugh after all this frustration..I'm guessing so do you! Enjoy!
(& I really hope none of these come into my office anytime soon!)

Job Interview Bloopers

A survey of top personnel executives of 100 major American corporations came up with these stories of unusual behavior by job applicants. The lowlights:

• Said he was so well-qualified [that] if he didn't get the job, it would prove that the company's management was incompetent.
• Stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application.
• Brought her large dog to the interview.
• Chewed bubble gum and constantly blew bubbles.
• Kept giggling through serious interview.
• She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time.
• Balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece.
• Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.
• Asked to see interviewer's resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge the candidate.
• Announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in the interviewer's office.
• Without saying a word, candidate stood up and walked out during the middle of the interview.
• Man wore jogging suit to interview for position as financial vice president.
• Said if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.
• Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.
• Wouldn't get out of the chair until I would hire him. I had to call the police.
• When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around my office.
• Had a little pinball game and challenged me to play with him.
• Bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be highly thought of by the company because I was given such a thick carpet.
• Took a brush out of my purse, brushed his hair and left.
• Pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of me. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him.
• Candidate asked me if I would put on a suit jacket to insure that the offer was formal.
• Said he wasn't interested because the position paid too much.
• While I was on a long-distance phone call, the applicant took out a copy of Penthouse, and looked through the photos only, stopping longest at the centerfold.
• During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate's brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.
• A telephone call came in for the job applicant. It was from his wife. His side of the conversation went like this: "Which company? ... When do l start? ... What's the salary?" I said, "l assume you're not interested in conducting the interview any further." He promptly responded, "I am as long as you'll pay me more." I didn't hire him, but later found out there was no other job offer. It was a scam to get a higher offer.
• An applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained that the other shoe was stolen off her foot in the bus.
• His attache [case] opened when he picked it up and the contents spilled, revealing ladies' undergarments and assorted makeup and perfume.
• He came to the interview with a moped and left it in the reception area. He didn't want it to get stolen, and stated that he would require indoor parking for the moped.
• He took off his right shoe and sock, removed a medicated foot powder and dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back the shoe and sock, he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day, and this was the time.
• Candidate said he really didn't want to get a job, but the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one.
• He whistled when the interviewer was talking.
• Asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home now and wanted my phone number. I called security.
• She threw-up on my desk, and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened.
• Pointing to a black case he carried into my office, he said that if he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving, I began to state why he would never be hired and that I was going to call the police. He then reached down to the case, flipped a switch and ran. No one was injured, but I did need to get a new desk. (Wall Street Journal 1989)
• Asked if I wanted some cocaine before starting the interview.

The author of these pages claims no ownership of these jokes as his own creation. They are compiled from many sources.

Oh you doll!

Well there is someone who is turning 50 soon & yet doesn't look her age at all!

Plastic surgery? Um... I'm guessing that is a definite!

Its someone almost every girl has played with now & then in their lives, yes I'm talking about Barbie! Miss "We girls can do everything" herself. 50!?! She sure doesn't show it! Yup she made her grand entrance on March 9, 1959!

So take a peek into her life with her blog, All Doll'd Up.

What would like be like without her? Sure she couldn't exist as a healthy human in real life with that weight that wouldn't allow enough space for vital organs to operate or those feet that are in the permanent high heel position! But she is a fantasy. A chance for girls to dream. Play out all the what ifs in life. What if I had that dream house? ...well after a while you got sick of it. It gets dirty, once you collect all her stuff it gets cramped... not so dreamy after all. What if I had the perfect body..... well then your elbows don't function, you are missing essential girl parts & you probably have one heck of a back ache with that arch, constant tip toe & big bazoombas that enter the room before you do... & you have a perma grin no matter what tacky outfit you wear. Perfect guy.... um... well he is missing a few vital parts as well & his hair is stuck in place. He can't do much.

So perfection still isn't that great after all, but its still fun to pretend.

One thing we can learn from Barbie is that if we keep chasing our dreams & trying new things, we can do anything.....& we can make a LOT of money doing it if we market ourself well! :)

So Happy 50th Birthday Barbie.

I know we used to be close, but I seem to have moved on from your perfect life to my life. Which may not have a dream house, or job, but the boyfriend certainly seems to be a lot more amazing that Ken ever could be!

...hand through tamborine...

I love the literal videos out there, but tonight this one has me cracking up!



Had to share...

now... I'm off to walk off into a rainbow wall.

Let us eat cake!

So its March already??!! Time flies.
Someone somewhere is having a birthday!

& yet I am the one who craves a cupcake! Course I am not really in the mood to make some & its just too cold to head out to buy one. But still there are many reasons to celebrate today.

Need one? Check out the famous people who were born today & all through March.

Maybe tomorrow I will splurge & devour one in honor of Jean Harlow's birthday!

Can I get yo digits?

well guess who feels almost human today? me!! :) I'm still tired, which is redonkulous since I have barely been doing anything other than sleeping, watching movies & visiting the porcelain goddess to make the requisite sacrifices (oh joy). Even got up to make lunch, roasted chicken breast with rice & gravy. Which will also be leftovers since its still just me around here. Still a gal has to hope that I am getting better & will wake up tomorrow with no feeling of sickness at all.

In checking out Wendy's Weight...What? blog (warning for those who check it out at work - she has automatic music that will play unless you hit the pause button!), I noticed that she mentioned my blog! :) Gotta love it when you know someone actually reads this. Anyway she also linked to another great post, which had a clip from MadTV about a character who is the typical jerk you meet just when you want a bit of time to yourself. Yes ladies the ever annoying Number Collector. He just doesn't seem to take hints & nothing will stop him from reaching his goal, the coveted number. Well, sometimes no thank you doesn't seem to register with these guys, for those times you need back up.

Which is why some blessed soul created the REJECT LINE! or as it is listed in my phone, my friend Rej who I will be staying with & is the best number to reach me at since my cell phone is about to die & oh gee I forgot to pay the bills... yadda yadda yadda... just make up whatever excuse feels comfortable for you. Just give it to the creep gracefully & save you time in dealing with him & it saves him face in front of his friends (which is usually why some of the guys are being so pressing!).

What really matters is that you give him the number. Then they call & are rejected by a recording..... wha wha whaaaaa... hilarious. yeah I called it a few times & about wet my pants laughing at the different options.

Many, many thanks to the girl who enlightened me to the magical protective powers of the reject line. LOVE IT!

ok ok, it is technically called the Rejection Line, but I have been calling it the reject line so long that just doesn't seem right to say it the other (correct) way!

huh? say you want the number? well here you go: 212-479-7990, or you can check out the pay for one that is more local to your area (there is even one in Dublin!).

You can thank me later! ; )