The little things in life.....

Good morning!  I am a simple girl.  I am not much for frills and extra "bells and whistles" with what I happen to have.  As long as it serves its purpose...  I am as happy as a clam.  The past couple of weeks became a shopping frenzy, so to speak.  I made a few purchases and is thrilled with each and every one of them.  This is my list (and hopefully DH stays so calm over what I have managed to do).  Please keep in mind that I rarely, if ever purchase anything for myself...

Two weeks ago, I bought a grill pan.  I know, not all exciting, but if you ever watch those cooking shows, a grill pan is a necessity.  Laugh now, but it took me years to finally get one and be "in the the crowd".  Greatest thing ever!!!  Then, after realizing that Lent season was upon us, I went and got an electric griddle to handle making more potato pancakes in less time.  Cooking on an electric stove really sucks when your pan is bigger than the burner and there is not one pan on this planet that offers even cooking.  Takes me hours to make potato pancakes when there is a limited "hot spot" to cook with.  After purchasing that and seeing how much easier my life became, I am looking forward to using that thing for more than just potato pancakes.  Sadly, it took me years to realize that a griddle was a good investment.  Then recently, my keyboard and speakers for my computer wore out.  Slamming down on certain keys was getting a bit frustrating and even though I rarely ever use my speakers, I hated to hold those darn things up to my ears to hear anything (and yes, I had the volume full blast and barely heard anything).  After going for a quick run to the store (and being the most frugal shopper I can be), I found a keyboard that functions just great and speakers that work.  I just have to get used to having a curved keyboard...  I now have to look at the keyboard to type again.  Sigh, it will be a matter of time I will actually get used to this thing, but I am quite happy with what I managed to get.  Oh, and I forgot that my absolutely terrible organizational skills had me lose an external drive I needed and got a new one.  So far, so good....  No need for DH to (as I lovingly call) afro-engineer something to take the place of what is broken.  While I know that he is not able to form a non-stick grill pan, computer keyboard, or external drive... I would believe that he could manage to creatively make speakers and a griddle pan.

The proof is in the pudding here, folks....  If I can still own a wall mounted double oven that probably came with this house that still works (I should know... DH now creatively manufactures replacement parts since there our oven is beyond obsolete), our circa 1978 washer and dryer are still alive and kicking (in fact seem to work like brand new after he finally finished fixing them), and we still have the same heating and AC unit from only God knows when (sadly, our neighbor that helped bring our AC back to life has passed away)....  Our home is now current again.  Somehow, trends make a full circle after a while... "what is old becomes new again".  While I would absolutely love to have new things to replace this old stuff, I understand that old adage... if it is broke and can be fixed... just fix it.  Newer things do not necessarily mean better if you become broke trying to keep up with the Jones'.

Now, knowing that my computer is working fine... I can stop daydreaming dreading about getting a new one. After doing a little preventative sticker-shock shopping, I am happy with my $14 speakers, my $20 keyboard, and my $50 external hard drive.  That $84 investment is cheap compared to the minimum $900 investment for a new computer.  I now get it why DH is so cheap.  I just hope that he understands that these little things impacted me in a big way.  Really, who needs diamonds when the things you use every day now work better than they have in the past.  While lavish gifts are nice...  all I need are the basic necessities.  So if DH asks me what I want for Christmas (or for my birthday)... I can now say, "buy me a beer" and have one with me because I have everything I need (for now)....

Thanks for reading...  Have a great Leap Day!! ;)

Sensationalism at its finest.....

Ever notice those little "add-ons" that the current mainstream media shares in their stories?  You know, like mentioning that they found the missing person, but adding the comment "if you have seen this person, please call the police department to let them know of their whereabouts".  Obviously, the person was found, so there is no need of mentioning if you have seen that person to the police.

The news this morning was no different.  As I sat and watched the morning report about a police officer accidentally shooting himself in the leg while on a routine traffic stop for speeding, I heard very clearly that they were "questioning suspects on this matter".  REALLY?  A cop has his gun accidentally discharge into his leg and there were suspects to question?  Well, just slap me silly and call me Shirley!  I never knew that there were suspects between a cop and his gun.  It is either they felt the need to make the story more than what it really was or they are so accustomed to stating every event is "under investigation" with suspects nonetheless, just to make a mundane story more interesting.

As I chuckled over the comment made in the news report, DD asked me directly if I had some whack-a-doodle sense of humor over someone getting shot.  I actually had to explain to DD that when I listen to anyone or anything (like the news), I listen to every word spoken.  That is a characteristic of a good listener.  I am not one for skipping the opportunity for details.  Probably because I learned rather quickly that if you only hear half of what is said, creating your own conclusion will result in being wrong.

Just loving the DVR player we have, you can rewind live TV to replay something if you felt you missed something or for the sheer level of entertainment...  replay something that you like.  The only catch is that you cannot rewind something that you missed because you were on a different channel... it has to be something you were currently watching.  So, as I pressed rewind to go back to the reported story, I had DD pay close attention to what was said in the report.  Once she realized the error in stating that "suspects were being questioned on the matter", she started to laugh, too.  Really, who are they going to question other than the cop that shot himself in the leg?  His gun?  Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me.

I can only gather that the news reporter hoped that their listeners did not catch that mistake, but with people, like myself, it is quite obvious that it was heard.  With that brought to light, I do wonder if their proof reader will not let that slip happen again in the later reports.  I can only guess that time will tell.

What about those that refuse to proof-read what they write?  While I do tend to check my writing before pressing "publish", I have no doubt that there are plenty of people that just feel too darn confident to check before letting it be seen.  I have even managed to see writing errors in books.  Not all that many over the years of my avid reading have I seen errors, but it does happen.  While the brain can process what a word is even if the letters are mixed up, as long as the first and last letter are in the proper place... it does make me wonder why in an electronic age that we live in that mistakes can still happen.  I guess that fluidity no longer exists when bolstering confidence comes to center stage.  Computers cannot do it all, you know.  It takes a person to be detail-orientated to catch the mistakes.  In the hustle and bustle of life, more mistakes are made and nobody actually has the time, attention span, or patience to correct before it is shared.

I guess the reason for today's blog is for people to actually think about what they are to share before actually sharing.  Even think before acting would be nice.  It makes understanding the who, what, where, why and how in life....  and to realize that not everything needs to be sensationalized to get a person's attention.

Thanks for reading....  

What do you think....

This morning I was on Facebook and since I am a fan of Channel 2 News Chicago, their networking person shared an article about a small town in Baltimore that is passing a law that states their county is making the English language its primary (and basically only) language to be spoken.  Basically, it is a scream of conformity in the premise that if you live in America... you need to speak the language.  I can only gather that the tolerance of catering to people that flat-out refuse to learn the English language has hit its breaking point.

While I agree that America is an English speaking country, we have been seen as a melting pot of diversity.  Good old Lady Liberty states that everyone is welcome.  Too bad it did not have the added clause of requirement of consideration of the language being a factor.  I have to admit... I am a tolerant person.  While I whole-heartily agree that showing conformity to a foreign land is just common courtesy, there are plenty of people that either feel that heritage surpasses the ability to change or they feel that the masses should accept diversity and conform to cater to them.  Better said...  refusal to learn the language is a rude behavior that has them (the non-conforming person) expect special conditions just for their language because of the language barrier.

While America has been seen as a tolerant nation that accepts all, we are also the weakest nation when it comes to standing firm on its principles.  Having me press 1 for English is beyond frustrating, but quasi-racist. Since when it is up to us to decide what language we want to be talked to.  Chances are, we will end up with a person that has such a thick accent that be can barely understand a word that is said.  While I can appreciate the efforts of the person that obviously has a dialect issue, I find it painfully irritating to try to comprehend.

Since it appears that conformity has been allowed to Spanish speaking people, I do see it as biased against other languages like German, Polish, French, Russian, and Chinese.  Obviously, I missed far more languages since there are more countries with other languages to list, but you get my point.  There are not enough buttons on my phone to select that many different languages.  Point being said, people that speak other languages other than Spanish had to conform to speaking English when they came here.  So what makes Spanish speaking people so special?  Are the less intelligent?  Or are they just more stubborn to change?

As I see this...  that little town near Baltimore has finally said "enough is enough".  Who can blame them?  I sure can't.  While the constitution never stated that there is a required language, we really cannot see that little town in Baltimore as being able to stand firm on its law they passed, but kudos to them for trying.  I just wonder....  when will the day come when every person can show respect for where they live.  I know that if I was to move to a foreign land, I would learn the language.  I even know quite a few people that would agree with that statement.  I just wonder if the people that choose to not conform would understand.  It is all about respect... wouldn't you think?

Thanks for reading... Have a great day :)

Whoops, forgive me for forgetting.....

Today's blog has some religious context.  While I admit that I am not a person that talks all that much about religion, I am a believer.  I just believe that things like religion (being so vast in choices and all) is a personal thing and to not be shoved down the throat of every person I come across.  If you feel that my sharing moment about religion is a sensitive subject to you.... May I suggest you stop here and stay tuned for another blog I will most certainly put out for the world to see that may or may not offer some entertainment value without religious undertones.  Thanks :)

It has been well known that there are certain times of the year in the Catholic calendar that reflect upon the mysteries of the faith.  While it is shared every week in mass, there will always be some sort of awe inspiring mystery to the faith.  Miracles are usually the first and foremost things discussed as noteworthy things that cannot be explained.  Then there, of course, are the mentions of Christ's death and resurrection.  While normal folk, like ourselves, cannot fathom how a person who, in all intended words, can return to the living once pronounced dead.  That belief is a testament to undying faith.  While I can say, without a doubt of waver in my response, believe completely that there is a greater being out there and his name is, God.  I believe in his son, Jesus Christ.  I believe in how he came to be.  While being born from the womb of a virgin may seem a little far-fetched, it is a miracle that is believed.  I believe that there is a heaven, I fear that there is a hell, and knowing that I am far from perfect will be concerned about where I will be going when my time comes because I will always fear the unknown.  It is not like someone that manages to pass away is able to tell me that I have a guaranteed ticket to the pearly gates.

While this religious calendar has been far from random in how it goes, we have certain times of the year that we are needed to make personal changes and challenges to become closer with God.  One time is called Lent.

For those that are not familiar with the Lenten season when it comes to Catholic faith, here is a shortened version of what it is about and what we, the Catholic faithful, do.  Lent is a period of 40 days and 40 nights, spanning between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.  It is a period of prayer, penance, fasting and self denial.  Until recently, I included Sundays for Lent, but in all actuality it is not counted.  This period of time reflects upon many aspects of the bible.  Ranging from the time Moses spent on Mt. Sinai with God, to the rain that Noah built his arc for, and more.  The number 40 was mentioned quite a few times and has been embraced as the time frame for Lent.  During Lent, Catholic and Christian followers take 40 days and 40 nights to reflect through prayer, go to mass to seek forgiveness (besides confessional), abstain from eating meat (on Fridays), and make a personal sacrifice of something that challenges you (as like when Satan tried to tempt Jesus, but not as extreme).  Once Easter arrives (which is also noted for the return of Christ), we can go back to eating meat on Fridays and what we gave up can come back into our lives.  It is a testament of faith, belief and strength.  While I am aware that some of these practices are man-made, it is to test the moral fiber of every follower.

Since Lent is an annual thing, like Christmas, the 4th of July, and all the other holidays...  it should be easily remembered, but since not everyone is Catholic or Christian...  it is a holiday that not everyone partakes in and can be easily misplaced in planning.  This year has been no different than others, but being on a budget from week to week, forgetting that there needs to be a meatless choice every week does happen.  Obviously, I forgot to look at the calendar this month and planned ahead.  I also have not put much thought in what I will be giving up for Lent.  Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  In the practices of my youth, we are to not eat meat.  Last year, out of curiosity I grabbed a sheet from Church after the Ash Wednesday services to see what is actually required.  Little did I know, they changed the rules and I was supposed to not eat an actual meal for the whole day.  While I am allowed to have a snack to curb the hunger pains, what I was to allowed to eat should not total what a meal is, combined.  Epic fail last year.  I was determined to do better this year and realized that our meal planning for the week did not consider Lent starting tomorrow...  Yet another fail in progress.  While it is quite easy for me to just not eat, I cannot do that to a growing daughter and a husband that is not a perfectly practicing Catholic.  While DH may seem so lax in the religious practices, and I not being excessively demanding that we go to mass every week (we could be a bit more consistent)...  I would at least like to try to follow at least one practice in its entirety.  I just wonder how I can fix my oops before it becomes an oops repeated.

Well, off to do a little soul searching to figure what I am willing to give up and what I can do to actually not make that oops tomorrow....

Thanks for reading and have a great day!!

HA! Figures.....

Ever thought you could ever get ahead just to have something happen that sets you back a few steps?  Obviously, if I was unable to laugh, I would be crying...  So with a sigh and the need to vent where I cannot get judgement placed upon me from DH that I am yet spending money for something I have zero control over.  Just stupid fate pressing me just a little deeper in to the dirt is how I see this....

I happen to have a sweet tooth... yes, I do.  I just have zero patience when it comes to hard candy.  While I cam perfectly capable of letting it dissolve in my mouth, I prefer to crunch it into tiny pieces.  Same goes for ice cubes.  Just that feeling of being able to break something solid into smaller pieces just by the strength of my jaw and teeth seems so appealing to me.. or is it possible that my impatient nature does that to me.

It was a Friday afternoon that I decided to accept a piece of candy from DD.  Something from her stash of Valentines Day candies she received at school....  Just a simple little "sucker" or "lollipop" (if you prefer one name over the other).  Life Savers cherry flavored (one of my favorites), on a stick of all things.  After thanking her for the candy offering, I unwrapped this innocent thing and popped it in my mouth.  Not being a huge fan of things like this on sticks, the overwhelming urge to chomp down and get that stick into the garbage came to the surface.  I was that owl in the Tootsie Pop commercial...  yep, 3 licks and then a huge crunch.  Noticing it sounded a little louder than usual, I did not put much thought into it other than it was not melted down as much as I usually go to before chewing it all up.  Little did I know.... you can fracture a tooth doing that, and obviously I must have.

Fast forward to the next day....  Keeping remotely busy at work, I realized that I forgot to pack a lunch for myself.  As hunger starts to creep up, I decided to go get a sandwich from Jimmy John's when I had a free moment.  "Freaky fast sandwiches" is what they state is their claim to fame and I cannot disagree.  By the time I filled my drink, my sandwich was ready.  Back at work, in the break room, I dig into actual food to sustain me for the rest of my day.  Having a tendency to be a fast eater (all from training through working in my environment since we really do not get an actual lunch break to rest), I get half way through this sandwich.  Jimmy John's uses crunchy, Italian style bread for their sandwiches.  I suddenly hear a "snap" and felt something hard in my mouth.  Wondering what in the heck that was, I spit out my mouthful of food to find a chunk of my tooth.  Feeling no pain, but a strong sense of concern, my tongue feverishly seeks out where this lost piece of tooth came from.  Finding it rather quickly, I race to the bathroom mirror to see the damage.  Completely repulsed and frustrated that this happened, I grab my cell phone and call my dentist.  Obviously, their office was closing and I got to talk to my dentist while making an appointment to get this fixed.

My dentist knows me and figured how this would have happened....  He knows my tendencies to crunch things that should be left to dissolve in your mouth and asked me if I ate any hard candy or was chewing on ice cubes in the past 24 hours or so.  I did and he knew it.  Feeling quite bad that I was a month late for my semi-annual cleaning, he gave me a little "ribbing" that I could have avoided this, but set me up for a 9am appointment to fix the damage.

Once I hung up with my dentist, a deep feeling of guilt washed over me.  Realizing that this visit to the dentist is going to cost more than a run of the mill cleaning, I called DH to try to soften the blow.  Knowing that trying  to actually soften the blow to DH never really works, I tried anyway.  Apparently, I woke him up from one of his many Saturday naps.  He sounds all reasonable and tells me that if I have to go... I have to go.  "We'll manage", he tells me.  HA!  Once I got home from work, finished making the side dish to what was in the crock pot, cooking all day, it was only a matter of time when the other shoe was gonna drop.  I guess he does see how bad I feel about spending money on myself and has been quite gentle with his "dropping of the other shoe", by mentioning he needed new headphones for his mp3 player, but will have to "make do" with his jacked up ones since I will be spending the mother-load on my tooth...  Thanks dear!!  The discomfort of constantly feeling where my tooth broke was not punishment enough... now I have yet another notch in the list of "Nancy spends too much money" to deal with, too.  Just when I was starting to feel that we were doing better financially...  Fate made sure that cannot happen... just yet.

I can only hope that since there is no pain where the tooth broke, I can avoid a root canal.  Just discomfort where that jagged edge scrapes the inside of my mouth.  After this is fixed, I will remember to keep my dentist appointments and tell DH to deal while we did not budget for my dentist appointments.  We budgeted for DD... not for me.... the invisible money waster...  Maybe my dentist was right....  Prevention is key and even though I hate spending money on myself during hard times, I just have to...  Now, if I can only remember to stop crunching things that should not be crunched in the first place....

Social angst....

What does social mean to you?

I sought out what social means and here is my take on it....  Being social is relating and interacting with people.  While the concept does not state how a person is to relate or interact, but there are some ideas on how a person can relate or interact that do not include electronics.  Oh, you probably just realized that this is my take on social angst when social sites are involved.  Yep, chances are I am either going to piss you off or enlighten you, but the time has come to share my feelings on the subject....

Social sites like Facebook and Twitter are to connect people all over the world in one place.  While the concept is something we all like, it can bring on feelings that we did not ask for.  As I cannot judge what others feel about these social sites, nor can I actually complain about their existence because I can openly admit that I am a Facebook junkie.  I like the concept...  talking to people I do not see on a regular basis, reconnecting with lost friends, making new ones, and all the other pros that social sites can offer.  It is far faster to communicate with someone compared to hand-writing a letter and putting it in the mailbox, and it is far more convenient to share thoughts and ideas to a larger base of people compared to physically driving to parts unknown and seek out people to talk to.  While most of my friends on Facebook are local, I do have a large number of friends that are not.  Okay, enough on my disclosure that I am not trying to bash social sites...

What I have noticed is that these social sites are portraying one large pissing contest.  It seems to boil down to who you know and how many choose to know you.  One thing never considered is that there is a major popularity contest going on and people are getting a little depressed about it.  What has not been taken into consideration is how people try to be social and feel left out.  It could be because of opinion, attitude, or the inability to capture an audience.  What seems to bother me about social sites like these is that it appears to be some anti-socialism brewing under the surface.  This is where my played-out phrase becomes center stage....

"BACK IN MY DAY"... people paid attention to those around them.  There was not internet, no cell phones, and no Facebook.  People actually paid attention to who they were with and were not glued to their cell phone with internet access.  While it is nice to share what you are up to and who you are with, it becomes a huge distraction to actually enjoying a social interaction with actual people.  As stated above, I have no qualms with these social sites...  I just have an issue with how consuming it is to actual life.

While I cannot place blame on people because of this, because I have tendencies to have Facebook up and running throughout my day, I feel that there is a deeper addiction that people are in denial about.  As I cannot confirm, nor deny, there has been times I see people constantly checking their Facebook account while out with friends.  The only way I have managed to avoid joining the increasing numbers of people that cannot step away from sharing everything on Facebook is to not have internet access on my cell phone and I do not carry a laptop everywhere I go.  When I am out with friends, I am focused on them.  While I have caught a few being locked in on their phones, I can only wonder if Facebook is less social in the actual concept of being social.  As I have joked by saying talking is far more effective compared to bantering on the same status update while sitting next to each other....  There is a small ring of truth there.

I guess that is why I rarely try to update my status with anything newsworthy.  I like to be an original, but being original does not get a huge following of comments from my friends.  Chances are, that is where people tend to feel left out, unworthy or even unappreciated.  It has been stated that social sites like Facebook and Twitter have managed to cause depression in people that never experienced it before.  Sadness, frustration and cries for attention seem to be taking center stage.  Kind of like when we were kids trying to "one-up" someone for the coveted spot in the center of the attention.  It makes me wonder how social sites can help a person feel better when algorithmic patterns can make you seem invisible.  That is where I see the anti-socialism brewing under the surface.  Basically, the popular ones taking over what is supposed to be social to the masses.  Is that healthy to one's psyche?  I don't see it, but in real life... being the quiet one in the corner does not make you all that memorable either.

Has these sites made it harder to actually be social in the real world?  You tell me....

Thanks for reading :)

Love and marriage.....

Oh, to feel loved is something that everyone strives for.  Really, what is love?  We all know that it is an emotion that surpasses all other feelings two people can share.  When a person finally finds love, we tend to feel invincible to the challenges of life.  It is what people believe that endures everything and never falters.

I have been married for almost 14 years and I wonder where that young love has gone.  I can state with complete honesty that I do love my husband, but it is no longer the type of love that I had in the early years of our marriage.  Probably because even though love endures, the intensity does fade.  I remember going through what people call "the red tape" of classes that Catholics go through in order to get married in a church setting.  In young love, two that become one is such a wonderful concept, but the Catholic faith does try to forewarn you that there will be challenges that you will face along your journey called marriage.  While money and other outside forces test the strength of a commitment, there are points that never become considered.  I call this... change in perceptions.  Communication is key in sharing thoughts, feelings, desires, and goals.  Young love has no problems with communication.  Little do people know, it is when young love matures things become difficult.  Communication becomes less, sharing becomes strained, and the concept of what love is changes.

I had to learn this the hard way.  What I felt was so important in a relationship really means nothing once time changes a person.  All of those little things you felt that you can live without become a major problem in growth from young love to mature love.  The time frame for love to mature does not exist.  You can be with a person for 20 years and maturity will still not be there, or you can be with someone for 6 months and have maturity hit you like a brick wall.  It is all in how two people connect.  While I like to see myself as "young at heart", I tend to find myself unhappy quite a bit.  I have become sensitive to my environment and weak in my composure to dealing.  I am not sure how this happened, but I am really quick at finding excuses.  A big excuse that I have been hanging onto is expectations without verbalization.  I just cannot find the words to share my feelings without sounding crass, rude, or demanding.  As I have searched deep within my soul to find a way to express myself, to be heard, to be understood, or to even justify why I feel this way... I feel like I have hit a brick wall too high and too strong to overcome.  While the thought of going around such obstacles seems far easier than to overcome, I know that any sense of accomplishment would be destroyed and in the end makes me a weak person, or guilt-ridden.

But how does one accomplish something that is impossible?  When two become one through marriage, how is it even remotely possible to feel detached?  Easy....  It is acceptance in the face of need.  Accepting that feeling that you cannot be heard, accepting that your significant other lost focus on your needs, accepting a role that has been placed upon you and dealing with less interest in who you are.  While perceptions vary from person to person, nobody can seem to expand their focus on the whole picture.  When one component of a whole thing is the main focus, it is far easier to let things, albeit what you feel is insignificant in your eyes, become very significant in another's and cause a rift between the two.  Another way of explaining it is what role a person takes in a union...  Caregiver or provider, is very possible to feel not understood of your sacrifices you do on your own compared to what both actually do when they are melded together.  Being told that your sacrifices of being the provider are not appreciated once money has been spent, or telling someone that you have given all that you can in caring for an unappreciative family unit...  Two separate components never melding into one.  This can cause for separate thinking into only wanting to do what makes you happy and never considering the other person, thus creating a rift that may not be repairable.

When communication breaks down, appreciation diminishes and the desire to seek out what you feel is lacking becomes almost consuming.  No longer feeling that young love really hurts.  What mature love offers is companionship and nothing else.  Romance is gone.  While love still exists, it is... different.  Not exactly what you figured it would be or all that you hoped for.  It almost feels more like an obligation compared to something offered freely.  In fact, it feels similar to detachment of deep connection.  All it takes is for something scary to make you realize that even though mature love lacks the feeling of young love, you still have a connection that cannot be denied, but you still hope for better anyway.  Now only if both people realize this at the same time, there is a distinct possibility that what was feeling less than sufficient can become adequate or more.  I just wonder when that would happen in my life to see if it works because something is putting a major damper on growth in my marriage.  I do love my husband, I strive for more from our commitment to each other, but I feel as if my earlier desire for someone that was not all clingy or sappy in the romance department could be the reason why I feel I need more and his desire to not see it.  Maybe that is where love seems to be so elusive to attain....  The expectations of growth.