And you know what? If I quit my job right now, I would be the absolute happiest girl alive! I can just imagine the electric shock of excitement that would pulse through every cell of my body. I would suddenly be consumed with so many ideas and possibilities of a whole new life. I would be so thrilled that I could now focus and create my OWN company that functions on its own while I travel and do all the things I want to do NOW and not when I'm old and retired and pulling around an oxygen tank. And what is really cool is that I'm seriously thinking about doing this. If you're wondering what the hell would make me consider such a thing, especially when I have "such a wonderful, high paying, cushy, perk-laden job" already... well, all I can say is, go read this book and you'll understand completely. AND you may even want to do the exact same thing. This is another one of those books that can and will change your life (if you let it). Trust me.
Scene: Sitting at my desk at my office in Dinky-Town, USA. I'm working vigorously on a important project that needs to be finished within the next 30 minutes.
My Boss: (via email) Please email David at XYZ Trucking Company and tell him to load the glycerine on Friday instead of Monday. Thanks.
Me: (in my head) You have GOT to be kidding me.
Me: (via email) Hi David. Please load the glycerine on Friday instead of Monday. Thanks.
Now, tell me....do you see a gross disregard for the whole concept of "efficiency" and "time management" or...oh, I don't know...intelligence?
Un-Be-lieve-Able.
I just don't get it. Do you...?
Comments anyone....?
Things I Loathe....
1. Having to drive 30 miles round-trip DAILY to Dinky-town, USA (aka Tuscola, TX) for the sole purpose of working all day at an extremely UNFULFILLING job, which bores me blind (therefore, the glasses) and makes me slightly resentful that I do 90% of the workload, yet HE'S the one getting to enjoy the thousands of dollars profit that is being made daily. He pays me well, but as far as the work vs. pay ratio, I'm totally getting shafted. Big time.
2. Boyfriends that whine nearly EVERY DAY about when I'm going to let them move in with me. (preferably never)
3. Waking up in the morning. Or any other time in a 24-hour day. (i.e. I hate waking up EVER.)
4. Paying the State of Texas to drive My. Own. Car. (yearly registration is just stupid and excessive)
Things I Love....
1. Reading, drinking coffee, and smoking for hours.
2. Gardening, drinking coffee, and smoking for hours.
3. Coming home to a sparkly clean house that I didn't have to clean myself. (See Housekeeper = Best. Decision. Ever.)
4. Loving, petting, and kissing on my cats as if my life depended on it.
One of my favorite authors, Jen Lancaster, has chosen to include Texas on her tour list. Amazing! Now I just have to BEG my boss to let me out of the office in time to drive to either Round Rock/Austin on Wednesday (only 2.5 days away...yeah, a tad short notice, but what the hell, I'll give it a try). Below is the pertinent information for all Texan fans:
Dallas
Wednesday/May 14
7:00pm
Barnes & Noble
7700 West Northwest HWY
Dallas, TX 75225
Austin (Round Rock)
Thursday/May 15
7:00pm
Barnes & Noble
2701 Parker Road, Bldg A, Suite 700
Round Rock, TX 78681
Anyone interested in taking a little road trip with me this Wednesday??
....3 indoor cats just isn't enough for me. Ooooh nooooo. Not this cat-crazy girl. No, I had to go and volunteer to adopt 2 more 8 week old kittens from Dallas. Because having 2 giant litter boxes in my house just won't cut it. I have to have 4 or 5 huge litter boxes instead. Because I? Just can't get enough.
Will someone please remind me that I can't adopt every damn cat on the planet...(even though I want to soooo bad!)...?
My new babies....Nick and Jillian.
For what seems like forever now, I've been trying to get around to cleaning my whole house...all 2,000 sqare feet of it. Three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, big dining room, big kitchen, huge formal living room, and SUPER huge family room/den in the back. Over time, I realized this was just a fantasy. That no matter how hard I tried, how long I busted ass, how devoted I was to getting the job done....it just wouldn't get done. Because of my already busy schedule, cleaning house could only be done in my free time (which SUCKS, by the way). I always made sure the important spots were cleaned, like the bathrooms, kitchen, living rooms. But I could never get the whole house done at the same time. Therefore, adios free-time!! I would decline invitations because "I need to get my house cleaned" or I would stay home all weekend and clean and work around the house trying to get it done, instead of enjoying my time off from work playing with Claudia, or watching movies, or hanging out with friends.
Want to know what it's like to have no life? Come to my house! I'll show you how it's done!
Naw...seriously, though...it seemed like this was all I did, all the time. Then I started thinking...."Wait a minute. I make enough money to hire someone to come do this! Duh!! Why hadn't I thought of this before?!"
So the hunt began.
Now, finding someone to clean your house isn't as easy as you might believe. I did not want to hire a cleaning company, like Merry Maids or any chain-type cleaning corporation. Nope. I wanted a woman who wanted to make some extra money, someone I could trust to be in my home alone, someone who knew what they were doing and weren't afraid to dig in and get a little dirty.
**FYI...these types of people do NOT grow on trees, nor do they have a significant advertising campaign, which means that YOU have to dig dig dig to find them.**
After a couple months of trying to find someone, I asked my massage therapist if she knew anyone who might be interested. I gave her my number and told her if she found anyone looking for a little bit of work, to have them call me. Only 4 days later I got a call from a woman named Sharla that I knew since I was a tiny girl from our church. I never really knew her as a person. I just knew who she was and we would occasionally talk a little but nothing more than that. Anyway, she called and said she was looking for a house cleaning job to help pay for food to feed her grandson, whom she is supporting.
I was so relieved to hear from her...FINALLY!!!
A few days later, on a Friday afternoon, she was at my house to begin her new "job". When I got home later that evening, I walked in the front door and was so happy to see that everything was spic-n-span. Clean clean clean!! I loved it! I loved knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about any house work for the entire weekend. It was heavenly!! I've hired her to come every Friday afternoon. The only things I do during the week are wash any dishes we use, clean cat boxes, or do laundry. How easy is THAT?! It's the most intelligent move I've made in many, many moons.
Now I have time to go through each room and start organizing and purging everything I don't need so that my life is more "together" and not so scattered and jostled. I would always think, "Once I finish cleaning the house, THEN I'll start organizing the closets, drawers, shelves, etc." But as I said before, that never happened, which meant all the organizing goals I had were just sitting there gathering just as much dust as the rest of my clutter.
So...if any of you can afford to hire a cleaning person to come shine your house every week, or every other week, or even once a month, it is SOOOOO worth it. Trust me.
So there you have the winner of my "I'm so thankful"-Award for this month.
Now...if only I could find someone to do my ironing...
I remember as a child thinking that the Chinese women had such small, tiny feet. I couldn't understand it. I'd see the special shoes that they wore back in the 1800s and think, "My lord, how could they walk on those tiny things?" What I didn’t know was that they weren’t born that way. Their feet were BOUND and wrapped with cloth strips and alum, their bones broken and re-formed ON PURPOSE! It was a sign of prestige, upper-class, and beauty. C.R.A.Z.Y. Luckily, it was eventually outlawed. But in case you have never seen what a bound foot looks like, here are some pictures that give you a good idea.
***Note: Photos are Not for the faint of heart. ***
I became interested in the whole morbid concept when I Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.
It’s an amazing book in every way you can think of.
....but apparently not everyone thinks that way, especially men who obviously feel threatened by women who are. You know how many times I've been told by my boyfriend of 5 1/2 years, possibly soon-to-be EX, that I am just "TOO independent", "TOO self-sufficient", "don't need anyone", "do everything by myself", "answer to no one" and makes it out to be a totally BAD thing?? TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT!!! Which is more than I should have to listen to. Personally, I think it's just jealousy, because he is STILL living with his parents and has ever since I met him all those years ago. Yes, I am independent....extrememly so...and have been this way for a long time, even before I met him. I've always had to take care of myself because the men I've been involved with have never been reliable and could barely take care of themselves much less me and my daughter. I didn't want to have to depend on someone that would end up failing, leaving me and my daughter in the lurch, begging for help from parents or whoever. I figured if I had my shit together, I wouldn't have to worry whether the man I was dating could take care of me or not. And if things between us went south, then I would be okay, because I had been supporting myself the whole time and losing him wouldn't affect my living situation or standard of living in any way.
I've always believed that the only person you can depend on 100% to take care of you is yourself. Now, I know there are some men out there that are very dependable, who will take care of their families no matter what, even to the point of making sure they are all okay after a split up or divorce. One such example is my Dad. He did just that. After he and my mother divorced, he made sure that I, my two brothers, and my mom were taken care of financially and never once griped about it. Even to this day he would help any of us if we need it. But he's one of the few in the world who are so dignified and responsible and who know how to be a true man, who is there for the people he loves no matter what has happened in the past. If I had a man who had the same principles, the same dedication and commitment to those he loves, I wouldn't mind handing over the reins and allowing myself to depend on him. Of course, I would always have a safety net somewhere JUST in case. That's just how I am. And how I will always be.
Just because I am independent and self-reliant does NOT mean I don't "need" someone in my life as a partner. I want to share life with a mate just as much as anyone else. The fact that I can take care of myself shouldn't change that. No, I don't need a man to pay my bills, mow my yard, change my oil. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy it if I did have a man to do those things for me. And I DO need a man for other things...companionship, sex, friendship, fixing the toilet (I don't know how to do that, nor do I want to learn), unlimited massages, father duties, and many other very important things...things that only a man could do for me.
In my opinion, I think men should be happy that a woman can be independent. At least they would know that she wouldn't be expecting him to take care of everything for her and support her (financially). He should be thankful that he found a woman who is intelligent, industrious, ambitious, NOT lazy, who is dependable and knows how to live without the constant need of another person to do it for her.
Whether I ever find a man who appreciates me for my independent strength or not, at least I know I'll be okay and life will go on.
Be delicious, eat mangos naked lick the juice off your arms.
Discover your own goodness.
Smile when you feel like it.
Be rare, eccentric and original.
Describe yourself as marvelous.
Paint your soul.
Investigate your dark places with a flashlight.
Make more mistakes.
Tell the truth faster.
Celebrate gorgeous friendships with women.
You are enough, you have enough, you do enough.
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