Friday, April 30, 2010

One Expensive Gift Basket

It is one month shy of Shi-shi’s 5th year with me (Shi-shi, the Mitsubishi that is). I never really liked shi-shi much. It was probably all due to the series of tragic events that occurred, resulting in my needing to buy a new car.

But still, my issues aside, she kept me safe, warm and mobile for many years, through many seasons and road trips. Even Sammy couldn’t break her.
Last night as I transferred 5 years worth of junk from her trunk to the trunk of my new yet-to-be-named vehicle, I felt a little sadness.

Only a little sadness though. I stepped back and admired my new vehicle, the moonlight reflecting on the black exterior, the warmth of the buttery leather seats inviting me in, the pride of the deal I secured….I think angels broke into song at that moment.

As I started to leave, the salesmen handed me a gift basket as a thank you. Right there with that little gift, he just put the cherry on top of my happiness, named my blog post, and put the final nail in shi-shi’s coffin.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Stess...

I'm sure you've noticed my absence. I've been overwhelmed with the flood of emails asking if I'm ok, people desparately missing my witty prose, looking for a littlebit of humor each day. Ok, not so much. I might get a passing comment from a family member but the rest of you...Well, not really sure there is a 'rest of you'. Anyways, I've been busy. I actually billed 70 hours last week. That was 70 hours from Sunday to Friday. After doing my time sheet, I realized why my body feels like someone dragged me through the mud and threw me against a wall.

I've also discovered that when I don't have time to go the gym to release stress, my alternative outlet has been in the kitchen. Sunday nights have been the only time I can find, which works out perfectly to prepare for calendar shattering week ahead. I will asses the fridge and pantry, head to the store if needed, and start cooking.

My base of recipes is limited, especially in comparison to the culinary talent that is embedded in most every cell of my family tree. I am on another branch. Honestly, its not really about the end result. Husband is pretty easy to please. And because I grew from the same culinary seed, I'm not burning or ruining too many things. Instead, it's the mindless multitasking, getting my hands dirty, making a mess and ultimately ending up with a finished product.

It probably has something to do with control. It usually does with me. All day long, I'm running in cicles, not controlling the fact that there is no satisfactory resolution.

Either way, you can bet that there is a direct corelation between Husbands waistline and my work environment.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

To Do:

Sometimes I notice how clearly I am like my mother. Other times, I’m my father’s daughter through and through.

As hectic as my life has been lately, made apparent by the lack of blog posts, there is one thing that keeps me sane. I know this thing, weather nature or nurture, came from my Father.

I make lists.

Making a list is my lame attempt to lasso all the ever-changing aspects of my life and pin them down in one place, so I don’t have them spinning in my brain.
I used to make many different lists, see the list below:
• To do’s at work
• To do’s at home
• Grocery Lists
• Cleaning Lists
• Gift lists – birthday, Christmas or other.

As of late, nothing in my life even exists unless it is on paper. I’ve been so busy lately that I can’t keep a single thought in my head. Husband will tell me we need something at the grocery, but before he even finishes his sentence, I blurt out “add it to the list.”In this frazzled state, I can’t even been counted on to remember what he said by the time I’ve got pen to paper.

The smartest thing I’ve done recently is to consolidate the many lists to one notebook. This notebook is mostly my work notebook, but in the back section I keep a running tally of all the personal things I can’t get to because of the preceding work lists.

Currently this ‘personal’ section of my list reads as follows:
• Stamps
• Laundry
• Clean house
• Yard-clean up
• Fix bathroom light
• Go to the grocery
• Workout! (there really is an exclamation mark)
• City taxes

Some of the items above even have sub-lists, like cleaning the house and grocery lists. Somewhere lost in my mess of loose paper’s exists a list with deck stripping and staining supplies to get at Lowes. I can only remember this because it was written down. If I can’t find the list, chances are the deck will not get repaired this summer. Notice how working out falls only above city taxes. Oh and fixing the bathroom light has been on one list or another for over a year. Need to get serious about that one.

All in all, I thank my mom for my ambition, and my dad for the skill to keep that ambition organized.