Thursday, August 31, 2006
Buy me, buy me!!


On my way to work (seems I am always on the road these days?!) I was struck by how many new retail shops and strip malls are currently under construction in this town. This on top of 6 (maybe more?) already huge malls, hundreds if not thousands of smaller stores and retail outlets.... Methinks, who do they think will buy all this stuff? Granted since Bank of America has set up shop (pardon the pun) with their HQ here we have inherited the affluent banker types, but come on?

I think what galls me about this is that while they are building all of this shopping Nirvana, there are still thousands of people below the poverty level in this city that will never, ever shop in any of those places. While we are throwing our money around at the malls, there are families out there struggling to put food on their table still. It's apalling.

This consumerism, all this buy, buy, buy...is really disconcerting. Yes, we have charities that pick up some of the need but overall we are not doing enough in my opinion. The job creations that were supposed to come along with new businesses coming into the area (after hefty concessions and incentives from the state mind you) never really materialized. Nobody talks about that. What they do talk about is the grand opening of Macy's at Southpark Mall. How about that.

I speak from experience when I say that I would've rather had a well-paid job, decent housing and the ability to provide adequately for my children than having another gigantic (and expensive) store in my area. The programs for subsidized child care are continuously cut, the minimum wage is abhorringly low and people are still sleeping in their cars or on the streets. So when I see yet another store going up, pardon me if I don't wet my panties over it.

The city can only ignore the poverty in this town for so long. Poor people don't shop at Louis Vitton.

 
posted by Gina at 11:27 AM | Permalink | 2 comments

Quotation of the Day

Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Breaker Breaker 1-9

As I was stuck behind a convoy of 18-wheelers in traffic this morning, yesterday's post by fellow blogger Dawn got me to thinking... these darn truckers think they own the road!

While I was a great fan of the movie Convoy (I actually saw it in the theater in 1978 - that's how old it is! Ha!)....I am not a fan of big rigs acting like bullies on the road. It occurs to me that the bigger the rig, the more obnoxious the driver.

My kids used to love making those pumping motion on our highway travels and get the truckers to blow their horns. It amused them..but they were kids. Ha! And I'm digressing....

Now, I am a generous sort when it comes to sharing the road and I will let you in, including big ol' trucks if I'm not in a hurry. Sometimes they will blink at me and ackowledge the gesture but most of the time they just squeeze in and go about their way. This morning, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I had nowhere to go anyway, so I let one of the truckers sitting next to me in. He graciously thanked me by blinking his tail lights. There was another truck right behind him and he didn't even wait if I was going to let him in too. He muscled his way behind the first truck and just went! No thanks either. The rat. Now that made me mad.

I can't begin to count how many times I was on the freeway trying to keep steady on the road in torrential rain, hardly able to see five feet in front of me and there comes a truck barrelling down the road with his demon lights right in my rearview mirror. And they don't slow down either. Nope. They expect ME to get out of the way. Given that I cannot see to the front, left or right of me with all this rain pounding down...well, let's just say, I was sweating bullets with this rig riding on my tail like glue. I was certain I was going to die that day. Sigh.

Nothing personal against you truckers out there - but sometimes you scare the hell out of me and truthfully I think you enjoy it! Be nice to those that are nice to you and quit being the playground bully!
 
posted by Gina at 8:56 AM | Permalink | 1 comments

Quotation of the Day

Tuesday, August 29, 2006
The thing about respect....
I grew up believing that it was important to have respect - for authority, for your elders, for other people's property and lightning. I'm still fairly big on it although my qualifications for respecting authority have diminished somewhat over the years.

Yesterday I come home to find my entire bag of gummy bears missing. I am a fanatic about my gummy bears! If I was addicted to crack I could not be more fierce about protecting my stash! Since there are only two people living in the house (and my dog has no particular affinity for gummies) the instant culprit was my teenage son. I was livid!

Now before you say that I am being ridiculous over some gummies (which he thinks I am by the way) let me just say this: it's NOT about the gummies. It's about respect. As a kid I would not have dreamed of taking anything out in the open if it did not belong to me. It just wasn't done. My son on the other hand, appears to often live under the mantra, "What's mine is mine; what's yours is mine." He routinely gets into the holiest places of all: my purse. Sometimes it's the gum, sometimes it's a couple of bucks..whatever, not even the point.

The principle of the matter is that no matter what it is, if it does not belong to you - you do not take it! I can't seem to be able to get this through his head. When did kids turn into such selfish demons?? Everything seems to be about instant gratification and "I want it now". I certainly did not raise him this way! I've always been a firm believer in making my boys work for whatever they wanted. Granted, some of this was driven by the fact that when they were small we had very little but I still believe it is a good lesson for real life. Once they get out there, nothing will be given to them - ever.

So I grounded him. He looked at me like I was crazy. Oh well. A few minutes later one of his buddies comes over to get him. He walks to the door, puts on the "Whoa is me" look and says, "I'm in trouble for taking my mom's gummies" with a voice full of disdain and disbelief. So I grounded him another week for acting like it's nothing and trying to garner sympathy from his buddy (who by the way is notorious for being in trouble himself). Am I overreacting? I don't think so.

I think he needs to understand that it's not what he's taking but the mere act itself. Right now he's fairly safe under my wing, but in a few years he will be out there making his own way. Taking some gummies from a complete stranger or a store shelf could earn him a beating or a criminal record. So he's grounded. One can only hope that he will eventually understand what respect is all about.
 
posted by Gina at 6:09 AM | Permalink | 3 comments

Quotation of the Day

Sunday, August 27, 2006
Workouts and fun


I've posted an ad on Craigslist recently for a woman workout partner. I don't like going to the gym it just makes me uncomfortable; too much testosterone and ego floating around if you ask me. Although some folks are motivated by seeing all that sweating and muscle around them to work harder; well, me I just want to slink into a corner and become invisible.

Hence, I invested in various pieces of home exercise equipment. I used it religiously for a while until life intervened with a rather demanding schedule and well...me becoming less and less motivated and more and more lazy. Ha! But I digress.

Back to the Craigslist ad. It was a very simple to the point ad, stating that I'm a single mom that wants to find a female workout partner to get myself back into shape. Guess what happens? Yup, you are right. Out of all the responses I received a total of ONE was from another single mom. The rest? All men. Now, I was very clear that I was looking for a female to work out with. Or else, what would be the point? I could just as well fork out the gym membership fees and go there. Sheesh. Either some folks can't read or they thought this was an invitation for some sort of date.

I didn't respond to the male ads; as a matter of fact I was annoyed by them. What made these guys think that I would respond to a line like, "I'm so and so and love to work out and have FUN!" What is that supposed to mean? Have fun with what? Maybe I'm reading too much into this but to me it sounds like he was looking for a little afternoon delight, if you know what I mean. And I am so not interested.

I did however email the single mom back, so we'll see what happens with that.

 
posted by Gina at 9:36 AM | Permalink | 2 comments

Quotation of the Day

Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Come to the dark side.....


I think over the years I've developed a case of impatience. I find myself sitting in traffic, moving two feet every five minutes and quietly seething until I blow up. I get irritated when drivers cut in and pissed when I let them in (in my generous moments) and they don't even say thank you.

I don't mind parking on the far side of the lot at the grocery store and walking a bit, but I do mind inconsiderate drivers cutting in my path, backing out of their spots without even looking where they are going. I try to be a conscientious driver, pay attention to traffic and don't generally get into wild antics (like doing 60 in a 35) that could get myself hurt.

I find that a lot of people on the road these days have no business being there. Someone ought to forcibly drag them through the driver's window and extract their license by any means necessary. Part of the problem in this town is the hundreds, if not thousands, of unlicensed illegal immigrants driving. I'm not going to harp on that issue today, I'm already irritated enough (illigal immigration I mean) but really. Every police road block produces tons of arrests for driving on suspended, revoked or no license at all. Lot of accidents happening with crazy drivers eating, talking, primping, reading - all while driving at 70 miles an hour. For God sakes!

The city is growing by leaps and bounds, there's always road construction going on and yet - we have no workable throughways. Everything is constantly backed up, jam packed and generally a nightmare. And it's starting to get to me. I actually find myself cursing people out - out loud; whereas before I would just quietly give them the evil eye. Now I am spewing forth unmentionables and staring folks straight in the eye while banging on my steering wheel.

I'm a woman (last time I checked anyway) but most women are the worst drivers - ever! I can't even count how many times I've gotten stuck behind a lady doing 45 on the freeway just stoically staring ahead while the rest of us are checking our watches and cursing her out for making us late to wherever we are going. Or the cell phone issue. Boy. What is so damn important that you have to be talking on the cell while you are driving? You are swerving all over the road, cutting people off changing lanes and are being a total irritant! What did you do before they invented cell phones? Send smoke signals to the other party to alert them to your imminant arrival?

So I have this dark side now; I don't particularly like it. For some reason it makes me feel better though to curse like a sailor at all the other idiots on the road. Or maybe I should give up big city living and get back to the country. Wait - that's exactly what I did when I moved here! Mid sized town with a country feel; now they've turned into a metropolis that attracts all the horrible things that come with big city living... traffic and morons. But I digress..... come to dark side.. I'm already there....

 
posted by Gina at 7:24 PM | Permalink | 1 comments

Quotation of the Day

Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Daddy's girl, round two...
I spent the past week or so with loads of overtime trying to get this audit complete...including a full stint on Sunday. Now, I thought that I was the queen over my domain but the last week or so I've sort of questioned that. Some things were discussed, people were stressed out and tired - you get the picture. Instead of addressing concerns with me Daddy's girl turns around and rants and raves to my boss. Which left me with no recourse to defend myself.

I mean, how do you go to your boss and tell him that his daughter is overstepping her boundaries? I feel like such an outsider when she does that and it truly, really bothers me! Not so much that she has concerns or whatever, but the fact that she keeps running to her daddy to whine about it. I wanted to throw something yesterday (but did not) I was so irritated with it all.

Nepotism is a bad situation to be in at any company in my opinion. You just cannot win the fight against the children, it's impossible. No matter how brilliant I am, or what I do, I will always be at the losing end of the battle. Sigh. It bites.

Looks I need to polish up me resume methinks.
 
posted by Gina at 5:41 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Sunday, August 20, 2006
Resistance is futile...

Part of corporate takeovers is change. Sometimes small and subtle changes, sometimes sweeping and painful ones. Our company changed from a small distribution company to a subsidiary of a global German corporation. Employees were inevitably laid off due to these mergers, such is the dynamic of ever increasing demand for cutting costs.

I was brought in to replace one of those laid off but feel at the moment that even my job security is nill to none. Expectations from our German parent company are often (in my opinion) unreasonable. They are so far removed from our daily operations that trying to explain what we were up against was a thorough attempt at futility. They want what they want, when they want it.

Most of the office staff has been around for a number of years (me excluded) and were certainly used to doing things a certain way. For months I've been told to stop doing this and that immediately but when I passed this information on..well, it fell on deaf ears. People can be so resistant to change they just don't hear anything.

Friday afternoon I was subjected to a barrage of expletives from one of the corporate folks, I passed this on once again. Although I have responsibility over my realm as it where I have no influence on actually bringing about these changes. Instead, here it is Sunday morning and I am heading to the office to fix the problems that should've been fixed months ago. I am not happy. Not happy at all.

I've experienced a couple of mergers in my career and inevitably there is always someone that just flat out refuses to succumb to the changes and continues going about their daily routine as though nothing had ever changed at all. So here we are, in damage control mode when we could've been proactive and staved off all this Sunday work crapola.

I think this is true for just about any change in our lives. We hold on to what is familiar because it gives us a sense of comfort. When the changes are forced upon us we have the uncanny ability to ignore them, go into complete denial and then wonder why the rug is eventually pulled out from underneath us. Such a human thing, really. We do not want to change, we like things just the way they are...

I for one try to embrace change whenever I can and chalk it off to a learning experience. I'm not always entirely succesful at this, but hey... I am human too. So off to work I go on a sunny Sunday morning, when I should be lounging on the couch playing remote control jockey. Isn't change grand?
 
posted by Gina at 9:44 AM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Friday, August 18, 2006
It's your brain, stupid!


I am a Sci-Fi nut; I believe in extraterrestrial life, a civilization beyond our own and believe homo sapiens to be extra-ordinarily arrogant to think otherwise. In such a vast expanse of a universe that no human being can wrap their brains around...why would we, or could we, ever believe to be the only living thing out there? To me, this seems ludicrous.

I read metaphsyical texts, as well as Plato and Socrates (yes, I do, really) and philosophy has always centered around the one question "Why are we here and could we be more?"

My favorite Sci-Fi show isn't about aliens invading or little green men leaving crop circles. I will readily admit that Friday nights are generally reserved to being glued to the tube watching SG-1 battle yet another foe and the like. I just love those for the entertainment value. No, my favorite show is Roswell. I realize it's been taken off the air for quite a while now (thank goodness for re-runs) but the premise of the show still gives so much food for thought.

For brevity sake I won't recap episodes or even the plot or cast. I will only say this much - it has gotten me to thinking... what IF we as a people truly could develop the ability to use more than the measly 10% of our brains we use now? What IF, we truly could develop our cerebral cortex to enhance our abilities and perform feats only seen in super hero movies? What if??

Nobody really knows the true nature of our brains, nor how the neurons interact with anything else or what a soul is. It has been the debate of thousands of scientists over hundreds of years and we are no closer to the answer now, nor do I believe that we will truly ever be. Some things just cannot be explained - they just are!

I would love to have the ability to move things with a mere thought, or alter the molecular structure of things (how about changing an Explorer into a Ferrari? Ha!..just kidding), or perhaps turn all the deserts of the world into plains of crop? Methinks this would be amazing.

I am fascinated by the thought that if we could find a way to harness the true powers of our brains, just by say, a mere additional 10 percent or so - amazing things could happen. But then it strikes me, any ability that can be used for good can also be used in reverse.

So what if, we develop these amazing abilities - regardless of race, creed or conviction? I can see armageddon in that scenario. I cannot even begin to imagine if the necessity of weapons became pointless as everyone would have an ability to murder people at will. We as a people have always throughout history exhibited this innate need to fall into one spectrum or another. Either we are good or evil. People have always killed, people have always loved.

Entering these abilites into the equation without a fail safe spells certain doom to me. Don't get me wrong, I would like nothing better than to be able to study and just look at the page...BOOM, it's there. ::sigh:: For the time being, I will have to do it the hard way and actually read all those books.

Just do think about it though....with every good thing that comes your way there has to be a counterforce. A ying to the yang. This is how it has always been, and always will be.

 
posted by Gina at 6:42 PM | Permalink | 3 comments

Quotation of the Day

Thursday, August 17, 2006
Chicks, broads and old ladies
I have a friend, a male friend, who every time he sees me greets me with an exuberant, "Here's the old lady from hell." Now, I truly have no idea why he calls me that and even repeated ribbings have not made him stop. I told him the other day that after every encounter with him I feel depressed and well, old. Who wants to be the old lady from hell? I wondered if he calls his wife that at home and he just laughed it off, "She would kick my ass!" Well, hello?! So why am I the old lady then? I thought the term old lady implied wife, girlfriend or mistress - of which I am neither to this man.

Hey, when I was young I thought it was kind of cool to be someone's old lady. Then again, I was running with the biker crowd at the time and the women were all old ladies. It was just a term of endearment as I suppose.

Now, I'm really not so crazy about people using any sort of terms of endearment on me that sounds negative. Chick and broad is another one of my pet peeves. I am neither a chicken nor a, well, hell, what's a broad anyway?

I have a tough enough time coming to terms with being in my 40's, do I need to reminded of that? I think not. I prefer to be just a girl. Or if you want to be respectful, you can just call me lady - just leave the old part out of it.
 
posted by Gina at 7:22 PM | Permalink | 2 comments

Quotation of the Day

Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The value of reminiscing
My horoscope suggested today that it is a good thing to reminisce as long as my foot is firmly in the present. I will agree that stepping backward in life and continuing to live in the past is completely counterproductive. However, to reminisce merely means an account of a memorable experience and in and of itself is not a bad thing.

I practice reminiscence quite often; sometimes consciously, sometimes not. The times when memories are triggered most often occur through sounds or scents. For example, the scent of bananas reminds me of first grade as my mother continuously stuck a banana in my satchel and it always got smashed. First grade also is triggered by the smell of floor wax. It’s a comforting thing really.

The sound of seagulls and crashing ocean waves remind me of the summer I spent in St. Peter Ording on the German Nordsee and it calms me down to a point of complete serenity. There was something magical about that summer and each trip to the beach bears the same result of reminiscence.

The smell of fresh baked pastries reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen as she was always baking something and again, I love the feeling of security this triggers.

On the flipside, the smell of stale tobacco and alcohol triggers a definite discomfort as my father was an alcoholic who consequently died of liver cirrhosis. The fights at my home during those years still linger in my memories and I do not like to revisit them; they make me feel helpless and put me into survival mode at the same time. I understand this about me so I truly try to separate the now from the then; it can be difficult at times.

There is value in reminiscing. It can serve as a compass to your character, guide you in your decision making and help you understand your reactions to certain (and oft inevitable) life events. It’s impractical to wallow in the past as it can district from day to day living and moving forward. An occasional visit to the past can be quite comforting though. I chose to embrace the memories that trigger feelings of security and comfort; the rest, well...you learn to live with it and deal with them from a detached adult point of view.
 
posted by Gina at 9:55 AM | Permalink | 2 comments

Quotation of the Day

Monday, August 14, 2006
Dreamland
It was one of those mornings where I kept rolling over trying to stay asleep. I fought the emergence from dreamland for as long as I could and finally spat out, “Dammit!” and got up. I am not a morning person. As a matter of fact, I am downright grouchy when I first wake up and rattling my cage before I had coffee is generally ill advised. Perhaps it’s a reaction to having to leave my land of dreams where anything and everything is possible. I have entire movies playing up there in full Technicolor and Dolby surround sound – it’s an awesome experience. Hence, I hate to get up.

Strangely enough, when I’m in a committed relationship that includes the sharing of my bed, I can get up just fine. I don’t mind it one bit. I’ll cuddle and spoon and snuggle for a few minutes and then happily bounce out of bed off to the kitchen for coffee. I can go about my morning with a smile and not think twice about rousing a grumpy teenager out of bed. Maybe it’s the knowledge that someone else is there to lift some of the burden of living. It can get downright ugly out there! Two heads are better than one and two bodies snuggled under the blankets provide much more protection against the onslaught of reality.

My dreams have become my safe havens over the years. It’s a place where I can be anyone, see anyone and do anything without repercussions. Mornings like today, I still wish I could turn and spoon up to a better half. 7 more hours before I can go back to sleep.
 
posted by Gina at 3:25 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Sunday, August 13, 2006
Oooo....I've been so bad today
I bit the sour apple and went shopping with my son today. It's almost back to school time so I figured, I'd have to eventually. We ended up at Hecht's (part of Macy's now). Ah, the clearance rack beckoned. I had no intention of spending any money on myself since I sincerely loathe shopping. I truly do.

However, browsing through the isle I couldn't resist and ended up purchasing a new outfit for work. Maybe More inspired me, who knows? On the way out we walked through the fragrance section. I haven't really bought any new perfume or cologne in a long time. It's a really clever marketing ploy if you think about it. Right at the exit, bright and beautiful with the various designers lined up like little soldiers.



I was drawn to them like a Geisha to GI's.. ok, bad analogy maybe. Ha! I digress. I ended up buying a bottle of Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue. Don't even ask what I paid for it, I will not tell for fear of embarrassment. It's obscene. I will say this though - I absolutely love the scent!

I won't post a link to it but you can get it at various online fragrance shops as well. Ah, how to describe it... I found this description and it fits very well...



A stunning perfume overwhelming and irresistible like the joy of living. Surprising and coloured: the liveliness of Sicilian citron, the happiness of Granny smith apple, the spontaneity of Bluebells. Feminine and resolute: the intensity of jasmine, the freshness of bamboo, the charm of white rose. Deep and true: the character of cedar wood, the fullness of amber, the embrace of musk.



I can't stop smelling my wrists! It's almost a giddy kind of scent and if I had some bubbles to blow I'd be doing that right now. What a perfect complement to my earlier post today. Break out the water balloons!
 
posted by Gina at 6:24 PM | Permalink | 3 comments

Quotation of the Day

Putting the fun back into life
As I sit here on a gorgeous North Carolina Sunday morning, sipping my obligatory coffee and catching up on the news online... I wonder... when did I become such a homebody? I clearly recall the many nights on the town, the trips out of town and generally having a blast painting the town. Now it seems the town is not so interesting to do these days.

Every Friday rolls around and I make all sorts of plans in my head. Do this and that, get in the car head to the beach, visit a museum or something. None of that ever seems to come to fruition. The past seven years have zoomed on by and all I have to show for it are two college degrees, one teen out of the house and another well on the way. I spend most of my weekends still writing papers, catching up on the (yuck) housework I neglected during the week and well, goofing off on the net and musing away on here lately.

Right before I finished my undergrad I promised myself that I would take a trip to the beach. Never happened. Instead, I took a short break and headed straight to graduate school. Another two years of writing papers and lazing around the house. I am four months away from my MBA and totally clueless what I'm going to do after that. Why did I push myself so hard anyway? I have a list of things to accomplish and thus far have reached most of my goals. Yet, there is no leisure list. I just dream of all these exotic places I want to visit. Australia's coral reefs, Egypt's pyramids and Rome's coliseum...

Always something seems to take precedence over my plans; always life intervenes with one minor crisis or another. Or am I just stuck in this work, work, work mode? Have I forgotten what it is to have fun with all this self-pushing I’m doing? And the strange thing is, that once I reach my self-imposed goals….it never seems to be enough. Why am I constantly trying to one-up myself? I push myself to the point of mental exhaustion – until there is nothing left to give to myself.

They say, take care of you first. I’m still in caregiver mode where everything and everyone else has priority over me. The kids, the job, school, the house, the dog. Everyone wants a piece of me all the time and in the process, Gina is sort of sitting at the sidelines watching life zoom by. Granted, some of it is my own doing – but why do I do it? It’s as if I am constantly waiting for that attagirl from someone, somewhere. Perhaps I need to pat myself on the back and just let the exhausting ambition take a rest. Being all grown up and responsible is tiring when you’re going it alone.

Maybe recapturing youth isn’t about looking younger; maybe it’s about putting the childlike fun back into my life? Baby steps methinks. The next fountain I see on another searing hot day – I think I will run through it.
 
posted by Gina at 9:58 AM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Saturday, August 12, 2006
The fountain of youth....


Two things got me to thinking today. First, I watched an installment of Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days" series. This 34 year old gent injected himself with testosterone and HGH to supposedly recapture his college bod. What happened instead was that his liver function tanked (due to the high number of supplements he was taking on top of the injections - 40+ pills a day - INSANE!) and his sperm count went from 80 million to zero. All within a matter of a mere three weeks. The poor guy didn't even make it the full 30 days.

I thought about this for a minute as I have a virtual smorgasbord of various supplements as well. I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of pages on recapturing your youth via this route. I must have spent well over a thousand dollars in the past two years alone on all this junk. I start out enthusiastically enough but soon forget to take them. And here they are, collecting dust and wasting valuable shelf space in my already too small kitchen. Maybe I didn't stick with it long enough to make a difference, who knows. I just get tired of swallowing a ton of pills every day.

Secondly, my More magazine showed up and emblazened on the cover: "Great Style After 40: Fashion that fits your life now" Jamie Lee Curtis is also on the cover and a bit more chunky than I remember her. But I digress. Which got me to thinking again. What exactly is that supposed to mean? It reminds me of my grandma always telling me to dress my age. I still don't know what that means either. Am I supposed to be breaking out the mumu's? They looked comfy on her but she was 80 something...

I still wear basically the same style I wore in my 20s; lots of jeans and casual shirts. I will admit that as I have gotten older I've added a few skirts to my closet - which I honestly never thought I would. Try as I might though, I cannot imagine me dressing up with $300 pants because I'm over 40 now. Sure some of the outfits in the mag look snazzy but way to office and business like for me. I can't wait to jump into my sweats when I get home from work. Dressing up in suits always makes me feel so confined and well, not me. Same with makeup. I couldn't be bothered to put it on every day, way too much work. And what's wrong with au naturel anyway?

I feel comfortable in my skin just the way it is, prefer to dance to my own tune in the clothing department and generally don't pay a lot of attention to trends and such. Sure, I love to look younger than my age but all the potions and lotions and pills in the world aren't going to stop what's happening - I am simply getting older. Grow up already Gina....you're fine the way you are. Time to toss some of those bottles of pills out. Maybe go for a walk. Drat, it's raining again...

 
posted by Gina at 3:03 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Friday, August 11, 2006
Ah...sweet relevations
I've had the fortune (or perhaps misfortune if you will) to come across some recent photos of two of my exes this year. It was an eye opener.

I've been guilty of wallowing in sweet memories for half of my adult life. Well, not so sweet actually in case of ex #2. I've said this before but.... it's unnerving how people in your memories never age. Everything is frozen in time. Then, when you are presented with reality it's a rather shocking jolt. I'll be the first to say that I do not quite resemble myself as I was 20 years ago; then again, I'm not half bad either, if I may say so myself.

So, seeing various exes in various stages of aging and letting themselves go over time....it actually gives me a bit of a confidence boost. Is that sick or what? Ha!

I suppose this is the same reason funeral directors put make up on the dearly departed and in the case of horrible accidents it is ill advised to view the body. I am very visual person. I retain snapshots of everything I see fairly vividly in my memory. Sometimes these new images replace the old ones. This could be cause for endless nightmares (as in the case of seeing dead babies in the recent Middle East conflict), heartache (as in the case of abused and suffering animals) and so forth. In that case it's not a good thing to have such a photographic memory.

In the case of my departed exes (no they are not dead, but some may as well be) it is actually a good thing. All part of growing up. You finally see them as they really are, as they have become and as they will continue to be and change even further. It serves as a catalyst for me to keep growing and as fellow blogger Dawn so aptly says, "growth is shifting".

I am shifting into a new phase of my life and while I was seriously depressed upon hitting the big 4 0 for a while, I am only now beginning to embrace it. You simply cannot be 20 forever. I hear "you are only as old (young) as you feel" all the time and I'm not so sure of that makes a lot of sense for me. I felt 20something for most of my adult life while my body decided to just keep on getting older. Which is not to say that I now feel 40something per se. I simply am in the process of acceptance and you know, it's not so bad. I'm actually enjoying the ride!
 
posted by Gina at 6:31 AM | Permalink | 1 comments

Quotation of the Day

Thursday, August 10, 2006
Should I stay or should I go?
Just yesterday I mused about the media hype surrounding the 11 missing college students from Egypt. I still am against stereo-typing and tossing all peoples of Middle Eastern decent into the same pot with the rest of the Islamic fanatics.

The news today however has me contemplating somewhat. Is this a mere coincidence that these men went missing and a couple of days later air traffic out of London to the US is all but shut down? Any self-respecting conspiracy theorist would answer with a resounding, “Yes! I told you so.”

I on the other hand have my doubts that these two events are necessarily connected. I will agree that on the surface it appears to have relevance, yet I do also believe in innocent until proven guilty. It seems that lately we’ve been subscribing to this in a backwards fashion – guilty until proven innocent. In my opinion that can only erode what we as a country stand for, freedom of choice, freedom of speech and freedom to practice whatever we want whenever we want. Well, within reason of course. Ever try being free of taxes? Ha! But I digress again.

I’m supposed to be flying to Germany this Christmas. My son fought me on this for weeks. He did not want to get on a plane (he’s never flown) and be blown up by some terrorist (his words). I presented all the arguments about flying being the safest mode of transportation, increased security at the airports etc. I eventually calmed him down and he agreed to come on a visit to see my family.

He has not seen today’s news yet and once he does, how will I alleviate his fears once again? Hell, even I am a little rattled now and I love flying! Do I want to succumb to a somewhat rational fear of being targeted whilst flying the unfriendly skies? Or do I want to say, screw it, we only live once, let’s go. I’m honestly torn. For the sake of seeing my family once again after an almost 20 year hiatus – I think I will have to chance it and hope for the best. Hiding in a panic won’t change the outcome if “they” do decide it’s time to attack.
 
posted by Gina at 12:23 PM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Letting go is the hardest thing to do
When I met him, it was one of those moments that are forever burned into your soul. Our eyes did meet across the room and we did fall in love instantly. It was a crazy, no-holds barred kind of love. The kind that makes you believe that nothing can hurt you ever again, nor ever did. I was barely 17 with too much life experience and not enough maturity to match it. I loved him with such fierceness and intensity that every man that ever crossed my life path after that was always silently compared…and ultimately dismissed.

22 years later, I have missed so much. I have held my potential mates to a standard that was flawed by youth, exuberance and innocence; none could have matched that. I was unfair.

When you are young and full of hope anything that comes your way is a sign of fate, a wink of destiny. Once you turn the corner of 40something, you know this not to be true. I held on to the love of my life for half of my life. I saw him in my dreams, made love to him again, held him in my arms…but it was all…well, just a left over. A remnant if you will.

I have wasted half of my life yearning for something that can never be again; lost in memories, what once was….

I have no regrets. I loved him. I loved him with every timbre of my being. Only now, it seems so futile.

Part of growing up is letting go. I know this to be a true fact; yet, it still hurts.
 
posted by Gina at 8:27 PM | Permalink | 4 comments

Quotation of the Day

Egyptian exchange students - "missing"?
The latest and greatest from our trusted news media and once again I am simply aghast at the sensationalist connotation. As I was scrolling through some of the comments left behind by CNN as well as MSNBC readers on this particular story, it struck me how misinformed the American public can be at times. The instant knee-jerk reaction to this newsstory is amazing! Half of the responders are of the impression that these young men simply waltzed through JFK illegaly from the start - when it was very clear from the story that they had F-1 student visas to begin with.

Now I was stunned and horrified by the event of Sep. 11 as much as anyone else (well maybe not Osama) but does this automatically indicate that all people of Middle Eastern descent are incognito suicide bombers or Al Quaeda? This sort of profiling could ultimately lead to vigilantism in my opinion and possible incite riots or worse. It scares me to tell you the truth.

Of course I am concerned as to where these young men are - who wouldn't be? I do not, however, subscribe to the instant belief that they are out to get me. It could all well be very innocent and perhaps they are just sight-seeing somewhere on the way to Montana? Classes don't even officially start until the end of the month!

If anything, I would say that the FBI is on top of things by making this information public so quickly albeit devoid of photographs of these men. Hey, I am fairly intuitive but psychic I am not. I am not about to suspect every person of Middle Eastern heritage as one of them.

I truly do not want to live every day in fear that some other horrific event is going to happen at any moment. I will admit that during the weeks after 9/11 I did just that. I spent way too much time glued to the news, way too much time worrying and way too much time at home in general. It's as if I was trying to spin a cocoon around me and my son, keep us safe from harm and if the end should come, at least we were together.

Five years later, well, I am still worried when he doesn't come home on time. The subsequent barrage of phonecalls to his friends in an attempt to find him does not however include thoughts of a possible terrorist attack or kidnapping. I am much more concerned about his inability to make rational decisions, his typical teenager thoughtlessness, the fact that there are numerous sex offenders residing in our Zip code and well, I am a mother so I am entitled to worry dammit.

I hope they find those young men and they get to start school as intended. I am not, however, going to be judge and jury in regards to this situation without having all the facts. Our American teenagers and college students give us enough grief on their own, thank you very much.
 
posted by Gina at 6:17 AM | Permalink | 2 comments

Quotation of the Day

Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Daddy's Girl


I like my job, I think I am lucky enough to have a great boss too. He never badgers me for anything and is one of the last hands-off types; as I said, great boss. I have no complaints. The pickle I am often in has nothing to do with my boss.

Before we were taken over by a much larger corporation (not dropping names, ok?), the managers in the office were mostly comprised of my boss - and his children. Well, adult children. The son left official employ but is still freelancing on some IT stuff; the daughter is still there as office manager. Now, I like her as a person, she can be fun. As a co-worker she sometimes drives me up the wall.

On occassion I have to ask her for things, paperwork mostly....or ask her to do certain things that fall within her area. Inevitably she will go next door to my boss' office to question him about it. That in itself is annoying. However, this is also accompanied with a "Daddy! I have a question!?" This sort of thing goes on all the time. Daddy this, Dad that. Am I being overly sensistive?

Methinks that a professional environment as such does not include a mid-40s woman whining "Daddy" when she has a question. It is just so unprofessional in my opinion. And often I also feel that no matter what I say or do, how brilliantly I perform etc. - it will always come down to me not being able to top "Daddy!". That didn't come out right.

The son is tolerable, although he also calls him "Dad", it just sounds more..well, masculine I suppose. Why am I having such a problem with her then? Is it the tone of voice? The pitch of "Daddy" that grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard? Or is there some rivalry in play as well?

Could be that I truly want to impress my boss with my feats but feel this is impossible since his little girl will always beat me out? I think I'm being silly. Or am I?

 
posted by Gina at 5:28 PM | Permalink | 3 comments

Quotation of the Day

Heureux, Felice, Glücklich, Happy
Years ago, 20 to be exact, I owned a very special sweater. It was not a luxury item spun of the finest silk, nor was it particularly remarkable in its craftsmanship, origin or even color. It was a basic dark grey with batwing arms. As I said, not all that remarkable at first glance. However, across the front was emblazened the one word that put a bounce in my step every time I wore it: "HAPPY". The font was a bouncy flow of letters and every time you read it you couldn't help but smile.

Any other day I went to work, the obligatory "Good morning." was exchanged with co-workers upon arriving. However, on the days when I wore this sweater I was most often greeted by, "Hey Happy! How you doin'!?" Everyone seemed to smile a bit more, grin more often and exchange pleasantries more often. It was a conversation piece for sure.
Happy was the catalyst to an easiness throughout those workdays; shedding it at night was accompanied by a sense of loss. Very strange indeed.

I'm reminded of this sweater sometimes these days and I recalled it with nostalgia this morning in the shower. (Don't ask, I think a LOT in the shower).

There is so much sadness and confusion in the world today, what if we could all just put on Happy sweaters? It could prove to brighten someone's day and perhaps I could start a new movement? Ha! Wouldn't that be something?

[Credit: Thanks to fellow blogger imho for the image]
 
posted by Gina at 7:38 AM | Permalink | 2 comments

Quotation of the Day

Monday, August 07, 2006
Teen kills mom during driving lesson
This is about the saddest thing I saw on the news this morning. The 39-year old mother was giving her 15-year old daughter driving lessons and the girl hit the gas instead of the brakes while parallel parking. Imagine that? The poor kid. What an incredible trauma to sustain. I would never want to get into another car for the rest of my life. The sadness over the loss of the mother and the guilt for having caused it, incredibly difficult.

I think about my son getting behind the wheel in a couple of years. The way he views cars frightens me! He is in that phase right now where he just wants the coolest and fastest car possible. I'm hearing his enthusiasm at being able to drive soon, but I'm also hearing him boast how fast he's going to drive etc. That certainly doesn't serve to eliminate my fears of him getting hurt or worse.

I have a healthy respect for all cars, big or small, having been in a couple of wrecks in my life. Luckily I never sustained any serious injuries but it's still traumatic. I can't remember the last time I drove without a seatbelt!

Looking at today's teens driving habits - they drive while putting on make-up, talking on the cell phone, with music blasting and thumping. How can they pay attention to traffic this way? I'm glad legislature approved the fine and banned cell phone's for teens while driving. It's just a disaster waiting to happen. Hopefully, I can teach my son safe driving and I won't have to worry about standing too close to the car and getting run over by accident. I still have a couple of years, so that eases my mind somewhat.

My heart goes out to the family of the girl and her mother...truly a distressing situation.
 
posted by Gina at 7:42 AM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Sunday, August 06, 2006
Fuck buddies
I've been an AOL member for longer than I care to admit - since 1993. Before AOL had all the nifty content, before there was anything faster than a 2400 baud modem, before a low monthly fee (my AOL bill back in the day ran around $200 a month - can you imagine?!). Somehow you end up attached to your screen name as though it defines you in some alternate universe.

I've met some good people in the chat rooms, made some friends I still stay in contact with, had a few flings and a couple of longer term relationships. Over all it's been an educational and oft enlightening experience. Yay - they made it free now! But I digress.

The shock value of today's post is priceless (sorry Mastercard) but in all honesty there is a disturbing trend behind it.

I chatted with a gent for a while, friendly banter back and forth, harmless flirting, some music file exchanges - nothing heavy. However, I am leary of folks who don't have photos; hence, I insisted that he send me one. Which eventually he did. Now, I'm not sure what he was expecting my reaction was supposed to be? I imagine he pictured me falling hopelessly in love with his photo and we would live happily ever after. Instead, I was honest and said, "You look nice but you're not my type." IM silence for a few minutes. Then he goes ballistic. I won't go into the entire detail but the gist of it is, that he deemed me shallow, unbelievable and where did I get off passing judgement like that. Huh????

I've learned over the years never to lead anyone on lest I cause heartache and false hopes; it has been my policy to be polite but brutally honest about my true intentions/feelings/whatever. 9 times out of 10 it works. This guy was the one case where it backfired. He was genuinely appaled that I had said this!

For a few days after that he continued IM'ing me and eventually it came down to: "Well, if you just want to be friends - how about we become fuck buddies? Would that work for you?" It was my turn for extended radio silence. What on earth made this guy think that I would even entertain that notion? It's absolutely incredible! The IM's got so bad I had to eventually block him entirely to get some peace as he was relentless in his Fuck Buddy pursuit. Now, I'm a pretty open and progressive kind of girl, but come on!?



I've noticed this disturbing trend in a lot of the different chat rooms. The generic hello's quickly disintegrate to propositions of spankings (me being the spanker or spankee), what are my measurements, do I want to dominate (him or her), do I have pretty feet or toes, do I love stockings, will I do this or that - and in exchange I am often offered boatloads of cash. Has AOL become pimp heaven? What is going on here?

Would any of these guys (and yes, some gals too) approach me in a bar and ask me those same questions? Hell no! So it appears that AOL has become a safe haven for deviants and perverts. Hey, if toe sucking and the paddle is your thing who am I to judge? Just don't assume that you can just blindly message me and expect me to clap my hands in glee upon being found to engage in various act of depravity and kinkiness. It's just weird. And then when I don't bite, you have the nerve to curse me out? WTF?

Whatever happend to etiquette and common sense? An old fashioned hello not followed by "I'm so horny, what are you up to?" Are we as people really so far removed from real life and so firmly entrenched in the instant gratification culture that we truly expect to order sex any way we want it through a chat room?

Some of these folks appear to be perfectly respectable members of society - doctors, lawyers, police men etc. Yet, they have formed the opinion that AOL is entertainment as well as an online sex ordering system. It's unreal. Cybersex has replaced the real thing in some cases (hey, the ultimate in safe sex I hear), the deviants are out in droves on the hunt (child molestors included) and I have stopped answering my IM's lest I know how it is. It's like avoiding that seedy bar you know is frequented by undesirables.

Is AOL doing anything about it? Hell no again. They used to have these room guides, volunteers that monitored the goings on in the chat rooms. People used to get booted and/or banned for this sort of behavior. Well, no more. You have to go through all kinds of gyrations and execute complicated searches as well as experience long wait times to get to a live person to report infractions to. It's become a free-for-all for deviants as they know you can do nothing about it. Abysmal!

While I'm still of the opinion that the Internet is the greatest invention ever, the proliferation of disrespectful, appaling and deviant behavior is alarming. I think the public service agencies are catching on to this - why else would there be a need for a special FBI squad trolling the chat rooms? Sign of the times? Maybe.

I for one will stick to the old fashioned way of meeting my potential bed mates. And for all of you toe fetish folks - no I do not want them scattered, smothered and covered, thank you very much.
 
posted by Gina at 5:09 AM | Permalink | 3 comments

Quotation of the Day

Saturday, August 05, 2006
Theory on arrested development
It dawned on me today that most of the pictures of my children around the house are depicting smiling little boys. I stopped framing and displaying photos of my boys when they were around 10 or 12. Not that I don't have any of them at their current ages (22, 20 and 14 in case you were wondering) - I just have not framed any of them.

I wonder if this is a Freudian trick to make myself believe that I am really not 42, that I am still a young "chick" and that I am just fooling myself along the way. If I start displaying photos of them as they really are - I would have to face up to the fact that my youth is no longer there. Not that 42 is old - it's just not 22 or even 30. Ha!

I look at pictures that various family members email me of other family members and the first thing out of my mouth invariably is, "Wow! He/she looks so old!" As if I truly expected them to look the same as they did 20 years ago. It's weird. In my memories everyone is young and hip and so on, they (as well as myself) never age - ever. But being faced with the reality that people age and die - well, it's just ugly and I am not ready to go there.

I look at pictures of myself over the years and to me it seems like I never really get any older. Or perhaps I'm just really, really delusional. My closet is still full of clothes I wore 10 years ago and most don't fit me any more. I keep thinking I will shrink back and voila - I will wear them again. Bohemian hippie fashion is coming back into style, so I'm good there.

I have a tough time reconciling with what I see with what is. Surely, this is not a new phenomenon?

Me at 18

Me at 32

Me at 42
 
posted by Gina at 10:40 AM | Permalink | 1 comments

Quotation of the Day

Friday, August 04, 2006
Chinese dog massacre
I've noticed that this bit of news has already been burried whereas I am of the opinion it should still be debated all over TV-Land. When I first read the story a couple of days ago, I was stunned and in complete disbelief. It is unfathomable that a government would order the brutal bludgeoning muder of 50,000 dogs! In case you have missed it, you may view the story here (CNN), here (Yahoo), here (Fox), here (Spiegel in German) and if you have a strong stomach here (PETA). I caution against viewing the PETA site and have only included it here for illustrative purposes. My son and I viewed 5 seconds of the video and shut it down. That's how badly it affected us.

We are dog lovers. Our pit mix Peaches is our joy and we love her to death. The mere thought of a government official tearing her away and beating her to death in front of our very eyes makes me want to be violently ill. The image of the dog in the Chinese street hovered over by Chinese killing squads mercilessly beating on him - it is too brutal to explain, understand or even accept.

When our last dog left us, I cried like a baby. The attachment to a pet can be as strong as the bond between parent and child; I know of a few people that treat their pets as such. I try to keep some perspective to this though and I can't say that I particularly spoil her or spend tons of money on things she has no use for (like a rhinestone studded collar for example).

If the Chinese government had invested in proper vaccination procedures for pets, this atrocity could have been prevented. I cannot even imagine the trauma of thousands of children and families at having watched their beloved pet murdered before their very eyes - helpless to do anything about it. The psychiatry industry will be booming for years. Wait, do they even allow shrinks in China?

I've said too much and not enough. I need to regroup; I'm hoping by giving my outrage a voice via this medium it will act as a cathartic experience. Perhaps not.
 
posted by Gina at 6:25 AM | Permalink | 0 comments

Quotation of the Day

Thursday, August 03, 2006
How rude! The office jerk et.al
Well, maybe one or two - not wanting to generalize here. Thanks to fellow blogger Andy who provided me with a ton of laughter last night, I'm feeling much more chipper today. And thanks to my latest bathroom reading I've got more food for my giggles today.

Ran across a fun article on the office jerk and things that annoy us. Seems that my grievances aren't so far fetched as CareerBuilder actually did a real live survey about just this thing.

There are a few of us in the office less than happy about the fact that when we arrive in the morning, the coffeepot is either empty or has one cup left in it. Either way the person being lucky enough to arrive first has to make another pot. How rude! (My best Stephanie Tanner impersonation yet) We've tried sending threatening emails but the practice has not ceased. Perhaps we could ready the pot for the next day and lace the grounds with some ex-lax. That'll teach'em.

Same goes for stealing food/drinks whatever out of the fridge. I know who the culprit is and one time I actually caught him red handed. He walked by my office with one of my V-8's in his hands, looked at me sheepishly and said, "You don't mind do you?" Uhm. Yeah, I do. Unfortunately he's part-owner of the company so I wasn't sure what to do. I quietly seethed and watched the remaining cans of V-8 disappear after that. I'm contemplating a personal fridge for my office.

Oh! It irritates me to no end when I am on the phone, someone enters my office and just stands there. To me this says, "I don't care that you are on the phone - I am way more important." How rude! I try to ignore them in the hopes they will eventually just give up and leave; it's tough carrying on a conversation with someone staring at you though.

The other side of that coin is when you're in a meeting (that you deem important, or else why bother having the meeting?) and the phone rings. Instead of letting voice mail get it - they pick it up. And then - it's even worse if they put up the index finger to indicate "one second" - which invariably turns into 5-10 minutes . So in other words - whatever is on my mind really doesn't matter anyway, so they might as well pick up the phone. How rude!

Such rudeness in the workplace (and I could go on and on) is probably not a new phenomenon, I just seem to notice it more the older I get. Perhaps I still have some old school etiquette left in me, who knows. It goes against my nature to take other people's food from the fridge, interrupt phone conversations or meetings, take the last of anything (coffee or the last piece of pizza/cake whatever - all qualify) or generally be an annoying co-worker and human.

I wonder if they make funny posters I could hang in our common kitchen? I will go on the hunt right now. Ha!
 
posted by Gina at 12:19 PM | Permalink | 1 comments

Quotation of the Day

Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Can you say $#%^$^^&* !?


Look at this woman. She looks exactly how I feel today - irritated, impatient, cranky, annoyed and generally pissed off. Although this is an ancient joke I have to say that it's true - and 100% NOT funny. Right.

I try to laugh at myself when I get this unreasonable but it's really quite impossible. The reactions to life's little annoyances are usually instant, violent and without any sort or rhyme or reason. Some of these annoy me no matter what day of the month it is.

Take Subway for instance. I craved a sub today so I figured, why not? I left relatively early to beat the crowd. When I got there, there were two teenage girls in line, flirting, and giggling and making a mess of their order. I spent an entire 20 minutes in there for two measly subs! Pissed me off! The guy behind the counter was taking his sweet time with the girl's salads and I was left 20 minutes short of my lunch hour.

Or how about the guy reading the newspaper at the red light? He's so engrossed in his paper he forgets to look up and MOVE when the light turns green. I have the irrepressable urge to lean on my horn and scare the wits out of him. I didn't do it, but glared at him through the windshield instead; not sure if he saw me. Don't care.

Finally when I made it back to the freeway and heading toward the office, minus 20 minutes thanks to Mr. Subway, this person (and I use this term losely!) supposedly merging into traffic from the right almost causes a five car pileup! Apparently he didn't think it was necessary to check his mirror for any traffic in his lane. He just swerved right into traffic, no signal, nothing. I hit my brake so hard my heart become dislodged. This time I did hit my horn, as did four people in front of me and at least four more behind me. A great big bunch of cars every which way hodge podge on the freeway as well as the shoulder; a nasty tangled up mess. What does this person do? He guns it down the shoulder and speeds away - leaving the rest of us shaking, cursing and extremely late for work.

This day sucks! Grrrr.

PS. Artwork by Sharron Rose - Funky stuff!

 
posted by Gina at 12:38 PM | Permalink | 1 comments

Quotation of the Day

Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Sleep disorder

I have a sleep disorder. It manifested itself around the age of 14 and has tortured me off and on ever since. Strangely enough I did not exhibit any symptoms until the introduction of the electric alarm clock into my life and with it, the annoying snooze button. No doctor has been able to help me and there is apparently no cure for “Fivemoreminuteitis” – I am doomed to live with this ailment for the rest of my days.

It is an unpredictable ailment since I am never able to predetermine when it will strike again. During my teenage years I suffered the most; mornings were painful as the monster had me firmly in its grip and I was forced to succumb to it totally. There were days I crawled out of bed with the full intention of going to school, yet my disease made it impossible and coerced me mercilessly to find a place to go to back to sleep. Some days I could satisfy the demon by napping on the bus, others the urge would be so overwhelming that I would end up dragging myself into the basement and falling into a coma like state on the cold cement floor.

As I grew older and had children the disease thankfully retreated somewhat. Perhaps it was taking pity on me since I had to wake early feeding babies and changing diapers. I cannot imagine being attacked by this monster while trying to do those things and may have ended up with a diaper on my sons head a bottle in his you-know-what. Imagine the horror!

My 20s and 30s consequently were thankfully void of Fivemoreminuteitis (although I am straining to remember much of my 20s probably due to the fact that I never slept anyway and spent all my nights out partying).

Going into my 40s the monster has risen again; only this time, it also demanded my sons complete devotion without mercy. It must be genetic and I carry with me a great guilt over having passed on such a horrid and merciless disease. My youngest is afflicted with it the worst – he will sleep for 16-18 hours at a time, sometimes missing daylight altogether. Now that it had my sons firmly in its grip it turned to me and said, “I missed you honey! Come back to papa!”

So here I am again, afflicted with an incurable ailment that appears to be most active during weekdays and strangly enough never affects me on Saturdays and Sundays (I am up at 7 am both days!); it has taught me over the years how to brush my teeth with the right hand, my hair with the left and jump into my shoes at the same time; it has perfected my skill to be out of bed and off to work in less than 20-25 minutes (causing the envy of a few exes); it has kept my face free of gunk since I never put on make-up in the morning and made me very efficient at time management.

Perhaps I should be grateful to Fivemoreminuteitis and learn to appreciate the gifts it gives me in return for partial narcolepsy?
 
posted by Gina at 8:05 AM | Permalink | 3 comments

Quotation of the Day

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