Tee Gee Eye Friday

I hate admitting it, but I'm having one of those days where everyONE and everyTHING is getting on my nerves. Perhaps it started with the anger I mustered up last night, right before I went to bed, that was directed at Isaac for not watching a stupid South Park video with me. I always watch his videos. Why couldn't he spare TWO MINUTES for mine?! South Park is a terrible show to be watching anyway, but it was only two minutes. Two.

Then, the anger bled into the midnight hours from the incessant clawing that Sandy was doing at the bedroom door. She's like a baby during the night needing food and waking up her "parents" up by whining just so she can have her way. By the way, if she's not clawing at the door she is smacking the blinds around or playing with her jingly ball under the bed (thanks, Carrie).

Morning came and I was accompanied by an awful-sounding melody of barking dogs outside my window. This is one of the worst sounds one could hear when just rolling out of bed to begin the day with practically only one eye open.

I wanted to leave the house early to get Starbucks, but I ended up leaving late, of course. I need to face the reality of my tardiness and do something about it. Because I left late I probably waited extra long in line to get my coffee. And while I was there I got so annoyed because drinks for other people who ordered after me were coming out first. The insanity! Then, taking a sip of what I hoped would be a golden drop of heaven was just shy of gross. Though after sipping it down a bit I got to the caramel deliciousness and my fix kicked in. Not sure why some Starbucks make macchiatos with less syrup than others.

Arriving to work I walked into a pile of chaos, which actually ended up not being that bad once I sorted it out. It's pretty quiet today, here, so that always helps.

My final thoughts: could I be more dramatic and overworked about it? My husband is wonderful. Despite the late night interruptions, Sandy is the cutest cat in the world. The barking dogs mean that I have neighbors (well, that's about all that means). Being late to work means I have a job, and the coffee situation, well, that's just a Northern Virginian, snobbish attitude for you that we all could stand to overcome. We WILL survive without our Starbucks. We will.

TGIF, folks!

3 Sisters

Carrie likes cooking and plants;
I tried those once, but I can't.

Anna likes decor and dishes;
Those certainly aren't my niches.

I'd rather be running or at Gold's Gym;
While pushing myself to get more slim.

If not at the gym then I'm sure I'd be writing;
or making an iMovie, that's ultra inviting.

You'll always find Carrie hosing a bush;
Or turning potatoes into edible mush.

Anna will be at Marshalls, TJ Maxx, or Ross;
Or picking out new, yellow semi-gloss.

I'll be the one organizing until I'm blue in the face;
And making sure my calendar is up-to-date.

But we all like coffee, we all like fish;
We all like makeup; and giving Mariah a kiss.

We all like pictures, we all like the beach;
We all like our jewelry; and we all like a good laughing streak.

We all love each other; but we all have our qualms;
We all have dad's butt; and we all have mom's palms.

We'd go a mile;
just to see each other smile.
And we've all gained good style;
After years of self-hatred denial.

We all have cute pets;
Even turrets.
We all like to text;
And do partake in inevitable housing debts.

We suffer from bloating and bg's, the works.
We're all worrywarts.

Though different apart;
We're one heart.

Finally

At long last I have finally bitten the bullet and done it. I have registered to become a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). With the help of my trusty friend "Google" I have researched for countless hours on countless websites to uncover the best program for me. And with the encouragement and always unpredicted random income and random discount findings from my husband (God's blessing upon his life never ceases to amaze me) I was able to click the button into a world of new beginnings just this morning.

I have signed up with the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Some of you may have heard of it. It's one of the top CPT's in the world accredited by the NCCA (National Commission for Certifying Agencies).

I'm scared. I'm worried I will study, and then fail. I'm scared I won't be able to get any experience or won't be able to find a job, or perhaps that I will end up not liking it. But I'm also stoked. I have been dreaming of this day for, really, most of my adult life. Ever since graduating high school it's been a goal of mine, and I'm not sure why I ever waited so long to do it. It's going to be a long journey, a hard journey, and one where I will have to put in a lot of independent, self-motivated studying, but I am so excited to finally begin something I really and truly care about, and always have. I really have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm getting myself into, but I will figure it out as I go.

More updates will come as I move along, here, but I just wanted to share the good news!

My books come next week...

Addicted

I haven't been able to write much at work these days. Isn't that unfortunate? I don't know what's wrong with my company giving me actual work to do, at work. It's a darn shame. No, I'm [half] kidding. I like being busy at work. It makes the time go by and stimulates my brain.

Today while I was working I could not stop thinking about this show called Addicted that I saw last night. I actually pre-recorded it. It comes on at 10pm ET Wednesdays, on TLC. I think I may become addicted to Addicted. It was one of those shows that even a person who is ready for bed and not interested in watching another reality show before the night's end gets sucked in by the minute because it's so good (or should I say bad) to watch...it's like one of those scenarios when our favorite stars fail in the media because it gives us something to talk about. I plan on watching it this Wednesday, or recording it rather (I love DVR).

Anyway, last Wednesday's episode was about this girl who was a drug addict hooked on heroine. I had always heard about people being drug addicts, and even know one who was, but never actually physically saw the effects of what it can do to one's body. This particular woman first tried heroine when she was 13 and became addicted when she was 14. At the time of this show, now aired, she was 30...still addicted to heroine. She lived in an unpleasant part of town that looked sad and abused. Her apartment was dirty, messy, and bug-infested and her boyfriend was hooked too, but less so.

The parts they aired were almost too graphic to bear and I as I watched her mutilate her body over and over again I became sad, nearly to the point of nausea. She would get loaded in the morning right before she headed off to wherever she was going and then get loaded again in the afternoon, and at night before she went to sleep. She wrapped a belt around her arms, her legs, anywhere, just to find a decent vein to inject the needle, and then slowly but surely she would begin to get high and drift into a state of extreme relaxation. It was devastating to watch and a miracle that she was still alive after nearly 15 years of living on narcotics. Her face had become scarred with what looked like permanent bruises and her nostrils seemed as if they'd been burned around the edges and chiseled with charp objects. But underneath the scars, she was a beautiful girl.

I don't know why, but this really got to me, watching a young and beautiful girl become disease-ridden for 15 years because of trying something once. In the end, she went to detox and "got clean" with the help of her family, but it was nearly impossible for her to go through withdrawals for the addiction she suffered was nearly undoable.

I have no lesson, I have no point. I just wanted to share the story that broke my heart and left me saddened for this girl I don't even know. My heart goes out to her and I wish I could just reach out my hand.

Texting Phenomenon

How r u? Idk. LOL. Ikr?

I was at dinner the other night with the family and my aunt said something that I never really thought about before. She said that we've developed a language amidst the texting phenomenon that's like shorthand. She's right. Do we ever express our thoughts in full words anymore? Everything is abbreviated and cut down and shortened to the point that sometimes when I receive a text I don't even know what the other person is saying. LOL! <--- We insert these words and phrases and monikers into our emails, our facebook updates, our blogs, and have made them historically memorable and recognizable in today's society.

Are you thinking that I am going to continue writing about how this is bad? Well I'm not! Maybe parts of it are, and I'll explain in a second why I think so. But, personally, I love texting and frankly would rather text than talk any day. It's just easier, simpler, and faster. Go ahead and call me lazy, but not only do I find it easier, I like feeling connected to my friends all day long.

But I do ask in the matter of my small opinion, have we become so lazy in our texting capabilities that it has debilitated even our writing skills, especially for future generations?

I was talking to my niece the other day on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and as she was typing, everything that came across was an abbreviation. I am not saying I don't do the same thing, but I wonder is it hindering the rising generation's ability to write words in their full length? I speak from experience. I can't tell you how many emails I've started writing and I'll insert "U" for you, or "R" for are, or "Plz" for Please. It's sad when it becomes such a habit that is hard to break.

My sister text me the other day with, "Res cmn rt?" I had to text her back and ask her what the heck she was talking about. Of course, I replied with a wut,rather than a full blow what , but she got the gist. The answer was, Re's coming, right? Now, Re is short for Isaac, which is a challenge itself, but cmn and rt I had no clue about. It is almost like we take out every vowel and leave every consonant in to do the work, jst lke ths. It's easier, it's quicker, and it's shorthand...if you can understand it that is.

But sometimes we leave in the vowels too and just come up with abbreviations of our own like thot for thought or bot for bought or me2 for me too. What about luv u or gnna for gonna (which is really going to anyway) or wknd for weekend? And we can't forget OMG, LMAO, and ROFL. Ab for about or ppl for people? It's no wonder our parents and grandparents have struggles. We are asking them to climb Mount Everest by learning this wacked out lanugage that makes no sense!

Geez. OK. g2g. R U fnshd w/ths dmb blog alrdy? ttyl.

Doing What You Love

Does anybody really ever do what they love? I mean, is anyone out there totally in love with their job and feeling at their complete and utmost fulfilled satisfaction? I don't know of many people who do or who are. I feel like most people I know, including myself, just do what they know, what they're skilled in, and what they have the most experience with. But, I'm finding it very rare that in one person that all adds up to what they love to do.

Take my aunt, for example. She owns a roofing business that was passed down to her from a generation ago, which she now owns and runs. I have no doubt that she is an outstanding CEO and is on top of her game like no other. But, is it really what she loves doing? Maybe it is. I have never really asked her.

Or, how about my sister? She started working at a movie theater when she was in her teens running the concession stand. She is now 32 and the General Manager of a theater of her own in Arlington, and has been working in the business ever since. Did she really think she'd be doing this 13, 14, 15 years later and is she totally happy excited with it?

Maybe we grow to love what we do.

Or, maybe, we do what we have to do to earn our paychecks, even if we don't love what we're doing. Then, on the side do what we love indefinitely, or until we can leave our regular jobs and make a decent living off of that alone.

My mother-in-law is a success story of someone who is doing what she loves. I never knew she wanted to make wine (I have been with her son since 10th grade), but apparently she did. She has been through a myriad of jobs over the years, mostly law enforcement related, but after much hard work and preparation has just begun launching her own career as a Winemaker while working at a lab as her full time job. I'm sure it took (and still takes) lots of long hours and extra hard work to get where she is, but she is enjoying it and goes to work excited about what she's doing every day. It is, indeed, a rare success story.

I don't do what I love. Of course, I didn't know what I loved until I was done educating myself. I guess that's part of discovering who you are by trying different things. As life goes on I think we tend to discover ourselves. And by the time we take some jobs learning what we're good at, it almost seems to be too late, or too expensive, to go back to school. So, we start side jobs or side hobbies doing what really like to do and hope for the best as we watch it grow in what we believe will be something great.

I think we all struggle, because most of the time what we love doing is a career longshot: educating people with your own curriculum, flipping houses, selling homes, launching your own practice, or becoming a professional fisher. All of these things require money, business savvy, knowledge, and time. If you're an average civilian, you most likely don't have that much MONEY and you've never started your own BUSINESS before so you must take the TIME to become KNOWELDGABLE about it. This might not be about starting your own business. It could be just a matter of finding a job that already exists that provides an opportunity to do what you enjoy. We all have to put in our "dues" to get where we want to go.

Maybe doing what you love on the side for a while, until you can make it on your own, is a step towards success.