Things that Amuse Me

This is the week that my new hours start so I do not have to be there until 10. That sounds like a really good thing except it is a cut in hours. While I appreciate the fact that they are trying to keep from having to let people go...a 8 hour cut hurts pretty bad too.

It is simple really, the market is just bad.

They are hoping that the market improves through the summer and by September things will be better. This goes against what is being said about the real estate market. I have a feeling that it will not be better and they will be forced to make some drastic cuts.

I am a Contract Coordinator. I just closed my last contract. So it is an uncomfortable feeling to be a Contract Coordinator and have NO Contracts. I do not feel that my job is secure at all.

So, I am making up money by working the door at the club a few nights a week. I am hoping to put away some money just in case the worst happens.

I can't lie...I am really worried. I have no one to take up my slack...if I can't pay my bills, there is no one there to pay them. It is scary...plain and simple.

Yesterday, just as I was leaving work, the sky looked so bad. The closer I got home, the worse it looked. I took this picture on my way home (yes, I was driving!)...it looked a little scary. Of course, not a single drop of rain fell until I was almost home! I am just glad that the storm wasn't as bad as it looked like it might be.



On another note, my kids come back from their summer trip to my mother's house. This is always an adventure because they have spent weeks there and it takes about 2 weeks to get them to behave! They start summer camp on Monday and I really hope that they have a good time.

I have also found a tutor for my youngest daughter. This is something that I am very excited about. Since her dad and I decided to keep her in the 3rd grade, I wanted to give her some extra help. I just don't think that repeating the stuff is the sole answer and that unless something different is done, she will always struggle. I want her to have a good school year since she has struggled every year including kindergarten. I honestly think that having some one on one time to work on the things that she stuggles with may be really good for her. Her dad doesn't agree with me but I do not care. I will take her to the tutor on the evenings that I have her. What is he going to do...take me to court because I got her a tutor? LOL

Thanks for putting up with my disjointed rambling today! Have a good weekend!

It is hump day again and I am ready for my imaginary vacation day. This time I am off for some fun and relaxation. I will start my day by relaxing poolside and will take my relaxation a step further with a nice long trip to the spa.


CRUISE

Juse the thought of this gets me excited!

I am so ready for a major trip like this! Sun, Pools, Spas, Shows, lots of fruity drinks.....the options are endless!




WEBSITE UPDATE: The website for the club is fully operational again. I will not bore you with the details of what I had to go through to get it fixed...but it took me a really LONG time.

OK...yesterday I posted the link to the club website. Yesterday at some point, there was a database problem and I have to start over! UGH!!!!! Fortunately I was able to save the code for the actual design but I have to reinstall the modules and components!

So, I am going to sneak that work in at my job today. This website needs to be live!

I woke up this morning to the news that George Carlin died. So, in true George Carlin fashion, I think that we need to have a moment of obsenity out of respect for him. *#?*#$@

The weekend was a good one. I seemed to get a lot of things done. I cleaned the house, went grocery shopping and I finally finished the website for the club. Go ahead, check it out.... www.stageshhi.com Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions, I am open to them.

My mind has been so preoccupied since last Friday. Out of all of the thinking I have been doing, one question seems to be coming to the surface.

DOES "NEVER" REALLY MEAN "NEVER"?

The majority of the time a person says that they will NEVER do something...more often than not they end up doing it. But is there ever a time with NEVER really means NEVER? Is it possible to close yourself off to the possibilities so much that you really mean it?

Is it really fair to close your heart and mind off to that degree? I don't understand why a person would really want to limit their options in life.

Sorry for the rambling...I just have a lot on my mind to sort out and decisions to make.

My dream travels this week takes me to the hustle and bustle of the big city. I have always wanted to go here. Since I have never been to a big city, there is just something mystical about it to me. With so much to do, I think this might be a long trip!

I honestly have no clue what to write about this morning. There are things going on...Tiger Woods edge of your seat win at the Open, gas prices that continue to climb, the bad real estate market that hits me in the face every day, etc... But nothing seems to be grabbing my attention enough to really get excited about it.

I think I have just one simple problem....I AM BORED!

I am craving some fun. I want to do something out of the ordinary. To go somewhere...do something...almost anything would do.

My life consists of only about 5 things and those tasks are as methodical as the ticking of a clock.

Ok...maybe it is more than being bored...I am in a rut and need something to snap me out of it.

So, I have to come up with something cheap to do that is out of the ordinary.....hum??????????

Yesterday, I did something that I never get to do...I TOOK A REALLY LONG NAP! It was glorious...one of those deep sleeps that make you feel so refreshed!

The only thing that bugged me was that I had predicted that Dale Jr. would win the race yesterday...He did and I missed it! LOL

The weekend was a good one...nice and relaxing. Now I head back to the grindstone and get back to work. I am thinking of taking a vacation and just spending it at home. I need a good vacation!

I have always loved music. As a teenager the big thing was to make mixed tapes of all of your favorite artists. I just had one problem...money. I would help my grandmother with chores to earn just enough money to buy the required blank tapes and then the hard part would begin. I would sit in front of the old Zenith cabinet TV and watch Solid Gold or any music show I could find, use a mic and my tape recorder and make my tapes. I would also spend hours listening to various radio stations to record my favorites.

There were a couple of artists that were of enough importance to have their very own homemade tape. One of those happened to be Eddie Money. In the day of 1 hit wonders, Eddie Money was a multi platinum artist and that made him special! I had a poster on my wall, I knew every song and I dreamed of meeting him!

So, today is a HUGE day! Eddie Money is coming to the club!!!!!!!! I am so excited that I do not know how I will focus on work knowing that he is only a few miles away. I am going to the club right after work. As always, I designed the poster for the concert and I have printed one for the required autograph. I will be meeting him before the show and I will also be the concert photographer that will give me unlimited access!

So, Show Me The Money!!!!!!!!

So, you know how your stomach feels when it is filling up with air and the pain that follows as it is carried up to the middle of your chest? Well, that is how I feel everytime I have to make the decision that I absolutely must pull into a gas station to fill up my car.

Gas this morning is at an alarming $3.97 or more! I was fortunate to find two stations on the Hwy 17 side of I95 that had it for $3.89. One was out of gas and the other wasn't. So, I pulled in and put in just enough to get me to pay day.

This makes me feel like my grandfather talking about "back in the day" prices because I remember gas at $0.89 a gallon. I am not that old people!!!!

Everyone should know by now that we will NEVER have normal gas prices again. They have fixed it in our head that $2.50 a gallon is cheap. So, how far will they try to adjust this in our minds. Will they go for $5 so that we think that $4.00 is cheap?

The gas companies are single handedly ruining our economy. They are making $300 billion dollar a year in record profits. Do they really expect us to believe that they are not making that off of our backs? If they do, they are idiots.

ok...I wish someone would just come over and cut my head off. It feels as though it weighs 500 lbs. I have a summer cold and I am miserable. I would have stayed home but someone is on vacation and I am her back up. That leaves me to rough through it and try to stay awake all day.

I hate that I don't have something more interesting to write but my pounding head has my undivided attention!

I have not posted today because honestly, I am pissed off! I needed to try and calm down and get my thoughts together.

So, I was out yesterday so I could attend my daughters 5th grade moving up ceremony...there was a meeting at work. I came in this morning and I was stunned to find out about the topic of this meeting.

Seems that my employer is taking away our 10 minute morning and afternoon break because the state doesn't require them to give it. Ok...fine...but then they took it further. If you exit the doors during the work day (except during that amazing 30 min. lunch break), you have to deduct that time from your pay!!! WTF???? That includes running out to the car really quick, just stepping out to get a breath of fresh air, etc.

This place has never been a "job" for me...I enjoyed the environment and my work. Now that the 2 office managers have decided to have a power trip...it is just a job.

Well, my oldest daughter has her moving up ceremony and will be moving to middle school. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday that she was just a 2.8 lb preemie that would just barely fit in 1 hand!

So, I am off to be the proud mom and I get to feel a little older too!

I am having a blonde day. I locked my keys in my car...with my purse...with my phone and with my smokes!!!!!!!

Over the past few years, I have changed a lot. Every now and then something small happens that really shows me how far I have come.

First, let me take you back to what I used to be. I was always an outgoing person but I had no confidence in myself at all. I had no sense of what clothes looked good on me...I did nothing to take care of myself. Honestly, I had stopped being the typical girl along time ago.

In my journey to better myself, I had some help from my dearest of friends. He has a great sense of style and knows how to be drop dead honest with me without crushing me completely. He was and is my my shopping buddy. For along time, I would NEVER go shopping without him. He taught me what looks good on me, he had to practically force me to start getting my nails done (lol). As a result, I started treating myself better. My confidence skyrocketed. The image I had of myself changed dramatically. When I walk in a room, I don't hold my head down anymore.

In the past few weeks, several things have happened that just made me realize how far I have come and how much I have grown as a person.

Just over a week ago, I went shopping with my sister. I was picking out clothes and she just kept commenting on how dressy the clothes were. I just looked at her like she was nuts. They were Capri pants and blouses...dressy? Then it hit me. My definition of casual has completely changed. Before, casual meant jeans and a t-shirt. Now my casual is nothing like that. I only own 2 pair of jeans and t-shirts are only worn around the house or if I go to a race! As we were shopping, I noticed I was doing something that I had never done before...I was looking for shoes and purses to go with my outfits!!!! WTF???? I am finally a girl! LOL So, that day ended with 4 outfits that were perfect, 2 purses and 3 pair of shoes.

Then, this weekend, I went shopping again. (no, I am not a shopaholic...I just lost weight and desperately need clothes). I got the best outfit. But this time, I also decided to treat myself a little and had my nails done and got a pedicure.

This is more than a shopping trip rundown. This is a symbol of how far I have come. In the past couple of years, I have grown into a vibrant, confident woman. I have just started doing things for myself that I should have been doing for a very long time.

Many of you may think this is all a bit silly. But I think it is a sign that I have finally discovered ME!