Pa Fidd is quite a legend within the Fiddler circle, I learned of his legend when I met my husband, Jeff. My story with Pa Fidd began when I joined my husband’s band as a backup singer, we would get together every weekend to practice at my husband’s parents house. At the time I joined the band, I was still married to my ex-husband and Jeff was a friend in sore need of a backup singer so I took the job and before I ever went to my first practice I was warned about not to tick off Pa Fidd. I would hear stories about his temper and how if you really get him mad, the shotgun would come out. Needless to say I listened to the warnings from the people that knew Pa Fidd. In my mind I had envisioned a man who would go postal at any given second, one who was like a rabid pit bull looking for his next prey, and a man that would rip your head off if you looked at him the wrong way. I did, in my own time found out how wrong everyone was.
My real first encounter with Jeff’s dad was when we needed a ride up to the American Legion to meet my husband at the time for our weekly dart game. The man I had envisioned wasn’t what I thought, instead I saw a man who was quite and thoughtful in his actions. I did feel though in my first meeting with him, which only lasted about ten minutes that he was sizing me up. I am sure he was wondering who this tall blonde was that was hanging out with his son and the fact that I was married sure didn’t score any brownie points with him either. Pa Fidd comes from the old school way, one where married women did not just hang out with single men. So my challenge in my mind began, I was going to gain the trust and respect of this man if it was the last thing I ever did.
I knew right off the bat that my biggest hurdle to overcome with Pa Fidd was his former daughter-in-law, who had left his oldest son and who at the time was putting him and the Fiddler family through hell during the divorce process. Pa Fidd just didn’t have the trust of any new woman coming into the Fiddler circle, plus it didn’t help that his ex-daughter-in-law and I shared a lot of physical characteristics. I had to prove to him that I wasn’t a psycho nut job that was going to be the ruin of his son’s life. I knew I had made my first achievement with him when I went from being known as “That girl” to him knowing my name. My second hurdle I crossed with him came when he learned that I did actually know something about cars. Pa Fidd is a master when it comes to fixing cars and the one thing that drives him nuts are people that do not take care of their cars, so lucky for me I wasn’t one of those people that drove him nuts. My final hurdle with Pa Fidd came after Jeff and I were married, I believe then he saw I wasn’t going to hurt his son and he truly knew that I loved Jeff with all my heart. I had defeated being the psycho nut job in his mind at last.
Now you must be saying why is Pa Fidd so special to you? Well, he is in so many ways. Pa Fidd is a man, who like a pit bull will defend his family til death if need be. He is a very no nonsense type of person, one where if you want his respect, you have to earn it. The biggest secret Pa Fidd hides is his heart of gold; in my eyes he is one of the most caring and loving man I know. He showed that to me when his wife had cancer, he never left her side for one second, he also stood by his son when he went through his hellish divorce, and when his mother could no longer care for herself he brought her to his home to look after her. Pa Fidd is the kind of man that would give his shirt off his back if it would help you because that just the way he is.
I know if Pa Fidd reads this he will be thinking that she didn’t have to do it. Well I say to you Pa Fidd, I did it so accept it. I know you don’t like people complementing or thanking you but its good to know that you are appreciated and you are by your whole family. I am sure you don’t realize this but I look at you as my dad. I can hear you now saying, “Oh my goodness.” You got that lofty role when my dad died and I really felt loss without him. I needed so bad to have my dad role model and in your way you stepped right into that role. You are always there to give me advice, listen if I need help, and give me the encouragement when things get tough, just like my dad did when he was alive. For me, you made the loss of my dad a lot easier and I thank you for that.
Will let the legend of Pa Fidd live on but in my eyes you are just a big ole teddy bear. Thanks for all you have done for me, I love you dad!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
SISTER OF THE HEART
Let me introduce you to my friend Suzie, we may not be blood related sisters but to me she is the big sister I never had. I met her at the last job I had and she was responsible for getting me into the world of transcription. When we first met we found that we had a lot in common such as, the same name, we both had three kids, had daughters named Ashley, and had been married the same amount of times. These were only a few things we had in common but as our friendship grew we found we had a lot more in common as well. I knew I had met a kindred spirit when I met Suzie.
The more I got to know Suzie, I found the more I relied on her for advice. To me she was a wealth of knowledge on a lot of subjects and I knew if she gave me advice she wouldn’t steer me wrong. She was the driving force in making my life a better one. If it wasn’t for her my husband and I wouldn’t have bought the house we live in now. Suzie was also the one that trained me to be a transcriptionist, which gave me a bigger paycheck. The most important thing she taught me without her even realizing it was the value of life. I feel truly blessed to have a friend like her.
Suzie to me is the epitome of strength. In her life she deals with her husband’s cancer like a true champ. Very proactive in her husband’s care, she is like a sponge researching every available drug out there to help him and questioning his doctors to the point they feel like a CIA agent is interrogating them. Suzie is a Florence Nightingale when it comes to her husband but then again, Suzie is like that with anyone who is sick or in need. Whether you are human or animal and you need help, Suzie would be the first person there to help, no matter what she had going on in her life she would be there for you. That you can count on.
Magnetic magic is how I would describe Suzie’s personality. If you walked into a crowed room I would have no doubt you would spot Suzie first among the crowd. She just has a way about her that could draw the shyest person out of their shell. Suzie is like a hot fire on a cold day inviting you to sit and warm yourself; you just can’t help but be relaxed around her and confide your deepest darkest secrets to her knowing she would never tell anyone or judge you on them. Without a doubt she has the biggest heart of anyone I know.
To you Suzie I just want to thank you for being the big sister I never had. You have taught me so much about compassion and taking the time to listen and love the people in my life. Remember the sign I had hanging in the office that said, “A friend would bail you out of jail but a true friend would be sitting right next to you saying damn that was fun!” That sign reminds me of us, cause I know you would be sitting right next to me. I just hope you know that when things go bad in your life that I am there for you, like you are for me. I would do anything for you and if I could I would give you the world, after all I believe you deserve it for all that you do for everyone.
I look forward to many more years of our friendship together with the “oh my gods, party fouls, and get me a drink. I also look forward to the tears, joys, and the craziness of it all but most of all I look forward to finding out God’s great plan for us. I really believe that is going to be a true adventure, like an ultimate road trip. You are a true golden friend to me and I pity the fool that ever tries to hurt you because in my true fashion I would go mandango on them. As in true fashion of our friendship I will end this with an L & K to you.
The more I got to know Suzie, I found the more I relied on her for advice. To me she was a wealth of knowledge on a lot of subjects and I knew if she gave me advice she wouldn’t steer me wrong. She was the driving force in making my life a better one. If it wasn’t for her my husband and I wouldn’t have bought the house we live in now. Suzie was also the one that trained me to be a transcriptionist, which gave me a bigger paycheck. The most important thing she taught me without her even realizing it was the value of life. I feel truly blessed to have a friend like her.
Suzie to me is the epitome of strength. In her life she deals with her husband’s cancer like a true champ. Very proactive in her husband’s care, she is like a sponge researching every available drug out there to help him and questioning his doctors to the point they feel like a CIA agent is interrogating them. Suzie is a Florence Nightingale when it comes to her husband but then again, Suzie is like that with anyone who is sick or in need. Whether you are human or animal and you need help, Suzie would be the first person there to help, no matter what she had going on in her life she would be there for you. That you can count on.
Magnetic magic is how I would describe Suzie’s personality. If you walked into a crowed room I would have no doubt you would spot Suzie first among the crowd. She just has a way about her that could draw the shyest person out of their shell. Suzie is like a hot fire on a cold day inviting you to sit and warm yourself; you just can’t help but be relaxed around her and confide your deepest darkest secrets to her knowing she would never tell anyone or judge you on them. Without a doubt she has the biggest heart of anyone I know.
To you Suzie I just want to thank you for being the big sister I never had. You have taught me so much about compassion and taking the time to listen and love the people in my life. Remember the sign I had hanging in the office that said, “A friend would bail you out of jail but a true friend would be sitting right next to you saying damn that was fun!” That sign reminds me of us, cause I know you would be sitting right next to me. I just hope you know that when things go bad in your life that I am there for you, like you are for me. I would do anything for you and if I could I would give you the world, after all I believe you deserve it for all that you do for everyone.
I look forward to many more years of our friendship together with the “oh my gods, party fouls, and get me a drink. I also look forward to the tears, joys, and the craziness of it all but most of all I look forward to finding out God’s great plan for us. I really believe that is going to be a true adventure, like an ultimate road trip. You are a true golden friend to me and I pity the fool that ever tries to hurt you because in my true fashion I would go mandango on them. As in true fashion of our friendship I will end this with an L & K to you.
Friday, September 28, 2007
MY DAUGHTER, ASHLEY
When it comes to all three of my kids I love them all dearly. Each one of them has something very special about them that make them unique. Ashley is my oldest child from my first marriage. I had her at the young age of twenty-two, looking back maybe a little too young to have a child but never have I regret having her for one minute. The minute that Ashley took her first breath of life, she made it a point to let the world know she had arrived. Her screams in the delivery room were deafening like here I am now notice me. Believe me she got noticed. Out of thirty-eight babies born that night she was the only girl to be born. Leave it to Ashley to make an entrance into the world that way.
As a child, Ashley was the most independent, hardheaded child. If I told her not to do something, she did it, if I told her not to wear something, she wore it, and if she wanted something, she got it. If you looked up the word determine in the dictionary I am sure you would see Ashley’s picture right next it. That was Ashley in a nutshell, determine. My dad and I were always blown away by the she could work my mother to get whatever she wanted. In fact she knew how to work anyone over to get what she wanted. My mom would take her shopping and without fail Ashley would come home with a new wardrobe, the latest hairstyle, or a wad of cash from my mom. Still to this day she gets what she wants.
By no means is Ashley spoiled, that is one thing I would not let happened. My philosophy in raising my kids was to always make them understand that if they want something they had to earn it or work for it, life just wasn’t going to give it to them. When it came to school, Ashley busted her butt to achieve the high grades that she did. In elementary school she was reading on the high school level at the amazement of her teachers. Always at the head of her class, she excelled in school. Today she is paying her own way through college, has a fulltime job, and lives on her own. To say the least, I am very proud of her; she sets such a good example to her younger brother and sister on how to succeed in life.
Ashley has become the young adult I had always envisioned, confident, independent, strong, and determine. I am her mom but we are also the best of friends and I know if I need her help she will be there. I don’t doubt that whatever she decides to do, she will be a success at. It is a good feeling as a parent not to have to worry about your child succeeding in life. All my kids I know will succeed but with Ashley, I know, like the screaming baby saying notice me when I had her, is going to be the one to do something spectacular because she will accept no less.
Ashley, I just want you know how proud I am and I love you. Now, for the first time in your life listen to me and do what I tell you! Go knock’em dead for me! Better yet, I dare you. At least that way I know you will do it.
As a child, Ashley was the most independent, hardheaded child. If I told her not to do something, she did it, if I told her not to wear something, she wore it, and if she wanted something, she got it. If you looked up the word determine in the dictionary I am sure you would see Ashley’s picture right next it. That was Ashley in a nutshell, determine. My dad and I were always blown away by the she could work my mother to get whatever she wanted. In fact she knew how to work anyone over to get what she wanted. My mom would take her shopping and without fail Ashley would come home with a new wardrobe, the latest hairstyle, or a wad of cash from my mom. Still to this day she gets what she wants.
By no means is Ashley spoiled, that is one thing I would not let happened. My philosophy in raising my kids was to always make them understand that if they want something they had to earn it or work for it, life just wasn’t going to give it to them. When it came to school, Ashley busted her butt to achieve the high grades that she did. In elementary school she was reading on the high school level at the amazement of her teachers. Always at the head of her class, she excelled in school. Today she is paying her own way through college, has a fulltime job, and lives on her own. To say the least, I am very proud of her; she sets such a good example to her younger brother and sister on how to succeed in life.
Ashley has become the young adult I had always envisioned, confident, independent, strong, and determine. I am her mom but we are also the best of friends and I know if I need her help she will be there. I don’t doubt that whatever she decides to do, she will be a success at. It is a good feeling as a parent not to have to worry about your child succeeding in life. All my kids I know will succeed but with Ashley, I know, like the screaming baby saying notice me when I had her, is going to be the one to do something spectacular because she will accept no less.
Ashley, I just want you know how proud I am and I love you. Now, for the first time in your life listen to me and do what I tell you! Go knock’em dead for me! Better yet, I dare you. At least that way I know you will do it.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
THE HEROES IN MY LIFE
For the next week or so I want to thank all the people in my life that I view as my heroes or that have been an inspiration to me. If I tried to put everyone on one blog it would turn into an epic, so I am choosing to just tell about one person a day and make sure I give them the justification they deserve. There is no particular order of my heroes because really they are all number one on my list for very different reasons. I felt compelled to do this because I felt how often do we stop and thank the people in our lives? Let them know how much they mean to us? One never knows how long you or the person you love has on earth and the opportunity could be gone at any given time to tell them how much they mean to you. I for one don’t want to regret missing that opportunity.
MA FIDD
Let me introduce you to my mother-in-law, Ma Fidd, I guess I am the one that gave her this name, it just seem to fit her. The first time I met her which was about six and half to seven years ago, I felt an immediate connection with her. We both love to do crafts, she has a great sense of humor, and was like me as a mom who would do anything for her kids. When I met her, Jeff and I were just friends and every time I would visit Jeff at their home she always made me feel very welcome there. The first thing that floored me about her was she knew 80’s metal, groups like Motley Crue, Skid Row, and Poison. Heck, if I had mentioned these names to my mom, she would have checked me in to rehab. To me, Ma Fidd was the most genuine person I had ever met, what you see is what you get and to me that was very refreshing.
Ma Fidd became my mother-in-law almost five years ago. Jeff and I married in secret because we weren’t sure how his family would handle him getting married, due to the fact that his oldest brother had been through a very bad divorce and daughter-in-laws were not a very happy subject in the Fiddler household. Jeff did tell his mother not long after we were married and she welcome me to the family with open arms. Her and I started going shopping for crafts every other weekend and I enjoyed our ventures out very much. It gave her and I a chance to escape the testosterone environment we lived in and let us have a chance to take our sweet time in stores without being rushed. We lived for those shopping trips like a kid lives for Christmas morning.
It was a few years ago that I really saw what true strength Ma Fidd possessed. During her well visit check with our beloved Dr. Koons, he felt a lump in her breast. After the biopsy came back, Ma Fidd’s worst dreams came true she had cancer. Then began her adventure into chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and constant doctor visits. I couldn’t stand seeing Ma Fidd going through losing her hair and being sick all the time from the chemo, it just wasn’t Ma Fidd’s style to be like that. Never the less, she stayed in my eyes strong through the whole ordeal. We would still go shopping and do what we normally did and she, to me, always was a pillar to her husband, sons, and grandchildren. Never did I see her show weakness no matter how she felt. She was a true inspiration to her family and me.
Today, Ma Fidd has defeated cancer and is back to the ole Ma Fidd we know and love. Some things have change like now, with much regret, we live further apart so our shopping trips are few and far between but when we do get to go we make the most of it and since now I work at home I don’t get to see her as much. In the seven plus years I have known her my respect and love for her still grows everyday. If I ever have to face what she did I hope I am at least half as courageous as she was. Ma Fidd really did open my eyes as to what it is to be a strong woman and not let the speed bumps in life get you down.
So Ma Fidd, if you are reading this, know that your family and I love and respect you very much and life without you would not be life at all. God has us here for a reason and he doesn’t give us what we can’t handle. He must of known that you can handle anything he throws at you because he knows what kind of woman you are. For everything you went through, you taught us that no matter what, you have to believe and keep faith that all things will work out. A true inspiration everyone can learn from. Thanks for that and I love you.
MA FIDD
Let me introduce you to my mother-in-law, Ma Fidd, I guess I am the one that gave her this name, it just seem to fit her. The first time I met her which was about six and half to seven years ago, I felt an immediate connection with her. We both love to do crafts, she has a great sense of humor, and was like me as a mom who would do anything for her kids. When I met her, Jeff and I were just friends and every time I would visit Jeff at their home she always made me feel very welcome there. The first thing that floored me about her was she knew 80’s metal, groups like Motley Crue, Skid Row, and Poison. Heck, if I had mentioned these names to my mom, she would have checked me in to rehab. To me, Ma Fidd was the most genuine person I had ever met, what you see is what you get and to me that was very refreshing.
Ma Fidd became my mother-in-law almost five years ago. Jeff and I married in secret because we weren’t sure how his family would handle him getting married, due to the fact that his oldest brother had been through a very bad divorce and daughter-in-laws were not a very happy subject in the Fiddler household. Jeff did tell his mother not long after we were married and she welcome me to the family with open arms. Her and I started going shopping for crafts every other weekend and I enjoyed our ventures out very much. It gave her and I a chance to escape the testosterone environment we lived in and let us have a chance to take our sweet time in stores without being rushed. We lived for those shopping trips like a kid lives for Christmas morning.
It was a few years ago that I really saw what true strength Ma Fidd possessed. During her well visit check with our beloved Dr. Koons, he felt a lump in her breast. After the biopsy came back, Ma Fidd’s worst dreams came true she had cancer. Then began her adventure into chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and constant doctor visits. I couldn’t stand seeing Ma Fidd going through losing her hair and being sick all the time from the chemo, it just wasn’t Ma Fidd’s style to be like that. Never the less, she stayed in my eyes strong through the whole ordeal. We would still go shopping and do what we normally did and she, to me, always was a pillar to her husband, sons, and grandchildren. Never did I see her show weakness no matter how she felt. She was a true inspiration to her family and me.
Today, Ma Fidd has defeated cancer and is back to the ole Ma Fidd we know and love. Some things have change like now, with much regret, we live further apart so our shopping trips are few and far between but when we do get to go we make the most of it and since now I work at home I don’t get to see her as much. In the seven plus years I have known her my respect and love for her still grows everyday. If I ever have to face what she did I hope I am at least half as courageous as she was. Ma Fidd really did open my eyes as to what it is to be a strong woman and not let the speed bumps in life get you down.
So Ma Fidd, if you are reading this, know that your family and I love and respect you very much and life without you would not be life at all. God has us here for a reason and he doesn’t give us what we can’t handle. He must of known that you can handle anything he throws at you because he knows what kind of woman you are. For everything you went through, you taught us that no matter what, you have to believe and keep faith that all things will work out. A true inspiration everyone can learn from. Thanks for that and I love you.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
DUMB QUESTIONS
Everyone at one point in life has been asked a dumb question. Lord knows I have been asked many and maybe you have to. Don’t you wish every time you were asked a dumb question you could give a smart-ass answer back? There are times when you can but unfortunately there are times when it’s not appropriate but wouldn’t it be nice to be a smart-ass on those inappropriate times? True, it maybe rude to be a smart-ass but (sigh….) you have to admit, there is some sheer joy in being one when it comes to the dumb questions we all have to face in life at one time or another.
I, myself hate job interviews, to me when you are at a job interview, they ask some of the dumbest questions. I really can’t stand it when they ask, why do I want to work for them? In my warped little brain I just want to scream out that I need the paycheck after all I just can’t get by with just my looks! Think about it, why does anyone want a job? Its not like most people have a choice about it. Another question I hate at an interview is where do you see yourself in five years? Let me see, let me get my crystal ball and I will tell you in a second. Does anyone really know where they will be in five years? I sure don’t know where I will be. Lastly, I hate the dumb question of what are your strengths and weaknesses? To that question I really want to say I have no weakness, I am superwoman! Who really wants to tell anyone what his or her weaknesses are.
In everyday life I am sure you have been asked some real hum-dinger dumb questions like I have. I have to chuckle when friends call me and they say to me, oh your home? I usually tell them Oh shit! I am? I better leave! It’s like, hello; if you thought I wasn’t home then why did you call me? Have you ever been asked by a friend when answering the phone, what are you doing? I am talking to you, duh! Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends but sometimes I just have to shake my head at some of the questions they ask me. The same goes for family, when my kids ask almost on a nightly basis what’s for dinner, my husband and I usually tell them food. They see what is cooking but for the life of us they can’t figure it out. I remember when my mom ask me the most dumbest question when I told her I was pregnant with my first child, she ask me what was I going to do with a baby? I told her I was going to raise it but I really wanted to tell her that I was going to have it and sell it to the highest bidder. Really, what was my mom thinking asking that kind of question?
True, everyone will get asked a dumb question and some of you will have the chance to be a smart-ass and some will wish they could be a smart-ass. Sure, I have probably ask, what seems to people dumb questions, but I do try to catch myself before asking them but I often wonder if someone asking me a dumb question stops and says to them selves why did I ask that? But then again, if we never get ask or ask ourselves the dumb questions, then I guess there would be no smart-asses and that wouldn’t be any fun. Whoever said, there are no dumb questions, obviously was never ask one.
I, myself hate job interviews, to me when you are at a job interview, they ask some of the dumbest questions. I really can’t stand it when they ask, why do I want to work for them? In my warped little brain I just want to scream out that I need the paycheck after all I just can’t get by with just my looks! Think about it, why does anyone want a job? Its not like most people have a choice about it. Another question I hate at an interview is where do you see yourself in five years? Let me see, let me get my crystal ball and I will tell you in a second. Does anyone really know where they will be in five years? I sure don’t know where I will be. Lastly, I hate the dumb question of what are your strengths and weaknesses? To that question I really want to say I have no weakness, I am superwoman! Who really wants to tell anyone what his or her weaknesses are.
In everyday life I am sure you have been asked some real hum-dinger dumb questions like I have. I have to chuckle when friends call me and they say to me, oh your home? I usually tell them Oh shit! I am? I better leave! It’s like, hello; if you thought I wasn’t home then why did you call me? Have you ever been asked by a friend when answering the phone, what are you doing? I am talking to you, duh! Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends but sometimes I just have to shake my head at some of the questions they ask me. The same goes for family, when my kids ask almost on a nightly basis what’s for dinner, my husband and I usually tell them food. They see what is cooking but for the life of us they can’t figure it out. I remember when my mom ask me the most dumbest question when I told her I was pregnant with my first child, she ask me what was I going to do with a baby? I told her I was going to raise it but I really wanted to tell her that I was going to have it and sell it to the highest bidder. Really, what was my mom thinking asking that kind of question?
True, everyone will get asked a dumb question and some of you will have the chance to be a smart-ass and some will wish they could be a smart-ass. Sure, I have probably ask, what seems to people dumb questions, but I do try to catch myself before asking them but I often wonder if someone asking me a dumb question stops and says to them selves why did I ask that? But then again, if we never get ask or ask ourselves the dumb questions, then I guess there would be no smart-asses and that wouldn’t be any fun. Whoever said, there are no dumb questions, obviously was never ask one.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
GETTING LAID OFF FROM WORK
THE BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION:
A little over a month ago I got laid off from my job and let me tell you it sucks! I am sure anyone who has gotten laid off will agree with me. Let me tell you all about my adventure in getting slapped in the face by Corporate America. Since I signed a contract to do no harm to the company by flogging them in public and so I could get my pittance of a severance pay, I will refer to the company’s name as Joe Blow Inc. or JB Inc. for short.
I am a medical transcriptionist and I had worked at JB Inc. for close to five years and was very happy there and loved what I did. When it came to reviews for raises I had always gotten the highest marks thus giving me the highest increase in salary they would give me. JB Inc. is an outpatient radiology center and I was their assistant manager of transcription for the area that I lived in. My manager and I worked very hard at producing high quality reports and always met our turn around time (or TAT) that was instated by the company. Our philosophy was always patient care and they deserved to have their medical reports as soon as possible so their ordering physicians could care for them effectively.
THE GUT FEELING:
Starting at the end of winter of this year, my manager started to receive emails from Brain-dead (again, changing the name due to the contract I signed), she was part of the IT department who help kept the transcription program running to some respect. Brain-dead is a very appropriate name for her because half the time she never knew how the program worked and when we needed help she was as about as useless as tits on a boar hog. So lets get back to the stellar emails she was sending my manager! Brain-dead was asking my manager all kinds of transcription questions, such as, how many transcriptionists we had working for us (Brain-dead knew this answer since she was the one who set-up all the passwords for our transcriptionist to get into the system.), what the difference was between addendum reports versus amended reports, and what our schedules were. My manager and I thought all of these questions she was asking to be a bit odd, after all why would someone from the IT department need to know how we ran the operations of our office, because her only primary job was to keep the transcription program running. Needless to say I had a gut feeling that something stank in Denmark.
Now it was about spring of this year and everything was going fine and Brain-dead had stopped with the endless emails to my manager on transcription 101. Then out of the blue Brain-dead starts telling us how to do our jobs plus her signature on her emails sported a new title of Senior Reports Manager. My manager and I were in shock, how could someone from IT be promoted to running the transcription department for the whole company? Brain-dead was someone who had never transcribed a report in her life and didn’t have the foggiest notion on the legal aspects of transcription. Of course among the entire transcriptionist in the company, we were wondering who Brain-dead got on her knees for to get this promotion because everyone knew she was the clueless wonder when it came to transcription.
THE REIGN OF BRAIN-DEAD:
Well with all good things they must come to an end and with Brain-dead leading the way the end came quickly. Brain-dead was quick to change the formatting style of our reports, she also change the policy on how addendum reports were to be done, and totally did away with amended reports (I would go into the difference of addendum versus amended reports but I don’t want to bore you and I am sure you really don’t care). Then she started on my manager and I saying we made way too much money and that our salaries would have to be reviewed. I wasn’t to happy with the thought of having her decide what I should make and the thought of having to report to her sicken me but I dealt with it in hopes that the company would see what a debacle Brain-dead was making of transcription. Sad to say the company didn’t and it was my manager and I that had to deal with the ordering doctors calling about what a mess their patient’s reports were.
The final blow to us came when Brain-dead decided that our department should start pooling our work with other states because where the home office was they had too many transcriptionist and not enough work for them to do (or at least that is what she told us at the time). Along with taking our work and pooling with the other states she felt that we needed to let our other contracted transcriptionist go so the transcriptionist in her state would have work. I understand that is how Corporate America works but for our contracted workers who had more than plenty of work to do, I felt this was just not fair to them after all they had tenure, as did my manager and I.
After the contract workers were told they would no longer be needed and were let go, it was just my manager and I that were left. Brain-dead had told my manger and I that we could stay on but at a different rate of pay, which I was willing to do because as I stated in the beginning of this epic I am writing I loved what I did and wanted to continue doing it. Sad to say though, Brain-dead really didn’t want us and only kept us around until she was done implementing the change over to having all of transcription done in her state.
In the beginning of last month my manager and I got the news we were no longer needed and we could leave at that moment. Brain-dead was too chicken to give us the news so she had the V.P. of development come up and do it for her. I did call her after the bomb was dropped on us and of course in true Brain-dead fashion she played the dumb ole brick that we knew her to be. She acted very shocked to hear that we were being let go and that she had no idea about it. I of course, told her to stop being dumb with me and at that point she admitted she knew along.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I have found a new job since I was laid off and I am doing great. I do feel the way the company let us go was wrong but what can I do about it. I feel that since we were told we could have stayed at a lower rate of pay, the company should be accountable for what they had promise us but since we work in state that is a right to work state, the company can do whatever they want without consequence to them. Do I feel the law is unfair to employees? You bet I do! But lets face it, the laws in our country are set up to protect companies because they are the ones who pay the politicians the big bucks and us, as voters, can’t compete with that.
I do though feel justify in one respect, since I was laid off from JB Inc., they have gone downhill. I do still have friends that work there and they have told me about the mass exit of employees from the company. As for Brain-dead, well she is still running transcription and still doing a miserable job at it. They now do not have enough transcriptionists to do the work and the twenty-four TAT for reports is not being met. Needless to say, Brain-dead is at a loss as to what to do and I laugh at the thought of her pulling her hair out. Call me evil but that is how I feel but I do feel sorry for the doctors and their patients they send there because they are not getting their reports like they should. I guess in the end it really was a blessing I was laid off from a company that only cares about the bottom line and not the patient, ethically I could not work for someone who runs their business like that.
A little over a month ago I got laid off from my job and let me tell you it sucks! I am sure anyone who has gotten laid off will agree with me. Let me tell you all about my adventure in getting slapped in the face by Corporate America. Since I signed a contract to do no harm to the company by flogging them in public and so I could get my pittance of a severance pay, I will refer to the company’s name as Joe Blow Inc. or JB Inc. for short.
I am a medical transcriptionist and I had worked at JB Inc. for close to five years and was very happy there and loved what I did. When it came to reviews for raises I had always gotten the highest marks thus giving me the highest increase in salary they would give me. JB Inc. is an outpatient radiology center and I was their assistant manager of transcription for the area that I lived in. My manager and I worked very hard at producing high quality reports and always met our turn around time (or TAT) that was instated by the company. Our philosophy was always patient care and they deserved to have their medical reports as soon as possible so their ordering physicians could care for them effectively.
THE GUT FEELING:
Starting at the end of winter of this year, my manager started to receive emails from Brain-dead (again, changing the name due to the contract I signed), she was part of the IT department who help kept the transcription program running to some respect. Brain-dead is a very appropriate name for her because half the time she never knew how the program worked and when we needed help she was as about as useless as tits on a boar hog. So lets get back to the stellar emails she was sending my manager! Brain-dead was asking my manager all kinds of transcription questions, such as, how many transcriptionists we had working for us (Brain-dead knew this answer since she was the one who set-up all the passwords for our transcriptionist to get into the system.), what the difference was between addendum reports versus amended reports, and what our schedules were. My manager and I thought all of these questions she was asking to be a bit odd, after all why would someone from the IT department need to know how we ran the operations of our office, because her only primary job was to keep the transcription program running. Needless to say I had a gut feeling that something stank in Denmark.
Now it was about spring of this year and everything was going fine and Brain-dead had stopped with the endless emails to my manager on transcription 101. Then out of the blue Brain-dead starts telling us how to do our jobs plus her signature on her emails sported a new title of Senior Reports Manager. My manager and I were in shock, how could someone from IT be promoted to running the transcription department for the whole company? Brain-dead was someone who had never transcribed a report in her life and didn’t have the foggiest notion on the legal aspects of transcription. Of course among the entire transcriptionist in the company, we were wondering who Brain-dead got on her knees for to get this promotion because everyone knew she was the clueless wonder when it came to transcription.
THE REIGN OF BRAIN-DEAD:
Well with all good things they must come to an end and with Brain-dead leading the way the end came quickly. Brain-dead was quick to change the formatting style of our reports, she also change the policy on how addendum reports were to be done, and totally did away with amended reports (I would go into the difference of addendum versus amended reports but I don’t want to bore you and I am sure you really don’t care). Then she started on my manager and I saying we made way too much money and that our salaries would have to be reviewed. I wasn’t to happy with the thought of having her decide what I should make and the thought of having to report to her sicken me but I dealt with it in hopes that the company would see what a debacle Brain-dead was making of transcription. Sad to say the company didn’t and it was my manager and I that had to deal with the ordering doctors calling about what a mess their patient’s reports were.
The final blow to us came when Brain-dead decided that our department should start pooling our work with other states because where the home office was they had too many transcriptionist and not enough work for them to do (or at least that is what she told us at the time). Along with taking our work and pooling with the other states she felt that we needed to let our other contracted transcriptionist go so the transcriptionist in her state would have work. I understand that is how Corporate America works but for our contracted workers who had more than plenty of work to do, I felt this was just not fair to them after all they had tenure, as did my manager and I.
After the contract workers were told they would no longer be needed and were let go, it was just my manager and I that were left. Brain-dead had told my manger and I that we could stay on but at a different rate of pay, which I was willing to do because as I stated in the beginning of this epic I am writing I loved what I did and wanted to continue doing it. Sad to say though, Brain-dead really didn’t want us and only kept us around until she was done implementing the change over to having all of transcription done in her state.
In the beginning of last month my manager and I got the news we were no longer needed and we could leave at that moment. Brain-dead was too chicken to give us the news so she had the V.P. of development come up and do it for her. I did call her after the bomb was dropped on us and of course in true Brain-dead fashion she played the dumb ole brick that we knew her to be. She acted very shocked to hear that we were being let go and that she had no idea about it. I of course, told her to stop being dumb with me and at that point she admitted she knew along.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I have found a new job since I was laid off and I am doing great. I do feel the way the company let us go was wrong but what can I do about it. I feel that since we were told we could have stayed at a lower rate of pay, the company should be accountable for what they had promise us but since we work in state that is a right to work state, the company can do whatever they want without consequence to them. Do I feel the law is unfair to employees? You bet I do! But lets face it, the laws in our country are set up to protect companies because they are the ones who pay the politicians the big bucks and us, as voters, can’t compete with that.
I do though feel justify in one respect, since I was laid off from JB Inc., they have gone downhill. I do still have friends that work there and they have told me about the mass exit of employees from the company. As for Brain-dead, well she is still running transcription and still doing a miserable job at it. They now do not have enough transcriptionists to do the work and the twenty-four TAT for reports is not being met. Needless to say, Brain-dead is at a loss as to what to do and I laugh at the thought of her pulling her hair out. Call me evil but that is how I feel but I do feel sorry for the doctors and their patients they send there because they are not getting their reports like they should. I guess in the end it really was a blessing I was laid off from a company that only cares about the bottom line and not the patient, ethically I could not work for someone who runs their business like that.
Monday, September 24, 2007
MY SISTER, LINDA
One thing I could never understand in my whole life is the relationship I have with my sister or the lack of relationship I have with her. In our family it was just my sister and I with four brothers, Linda was older than me and you would think that with her and I being the only girls we would have had some kind of camaraderie. Sad to say that was never the case. I believe from the day I was born she hated me and all my life she made sure I knew it. Granted her and I are very different people and if you knew us you would probably never believe we came from the same womb. I know this for a fact because growing up I heard that all the time from people that knew my sister and I.
I always viewed my sister as one of the bitterest people I knew. Growing up we had to share a room together so when it came to knowing her I was an authority on the subject of Linda. I remember a conversation with my dad one time when he was describing the personalities of his kids and when it came to my sister he described her as the bitch. True, Linda was very hard to get along with, and if she didn’t like you she would let you know it. Not to say she didn’t have friends, she did but they had to meet her standards. Those standards were very high to, you had to be popular, you had to have money, and you could not have any physical inadequacy, needless to say my sister didn’t have very many friends, which I attribute to her bitterness. Even though we didn’t get along, I felt sorry for her.
I had hope as adults we would have at least become civil to each other or at least act like we were family but it never happened. Linda always viewed me as white trash. I guess that is because I don’t care about material things like she does and I never went to college. There were a few fleeting times she would talk to me but that was only because she needed to know something or needed my help. I guess to Linda I was like some kind of disease that if she got to close she might catch what I have.
Linda as bitter as she was did manage to get married but as with Linda the man she married had to meet her standards so she married a lawyer with money of course. She now lives in a big house with all the luxuries that come with being rich but she is still miserable and seems not to enjoy life. Linda married for money and not for love, her kids can’t stand her, and her husband is never home. The last time I saw my sister it was at my father’s funeral two years ago and she didn’t even talk to me or acknowledge my presence. It had been a while since I had seen her, she looked anorexic and as if life had beaten her up but the one thing that didn’t shock me was she was still the same ole bitter Linda I had grown up with. She was still giving the dirty looks to people that she thought were beneath her and would only talk to people of a certain class and because of that I knew she was not going to belittle herself and talk to me.
I do have to thank Linda for something though; she did step up and acted like a big sister to me without her even realizing it. Linda taught me a very valuable lesson about life and made me who I am today. She taught me to be kind to everyone and not judge people for what they don’t have or look like, that there is more to life than material things, and life is short so enjoy what time you have here. I may never see Linda again but I do hope for her sake she learns to stop and smell the roses and learns to love the people in her life and if she does learn this then maybe she can consider this a gift from her little sister.
I always viewed my sister as one of the bitterest people I knew. Growing up we had to share a room together so when it came to knowing her I was an authority on the subject of Linda. I remember a conversation with my dad one time when he was describing the personalities of his kids and when it came to my sister he described her as the bitch. True, Linda was very hard to get along with, and if she didn’t like you she would let you know it. Not to say she didn’t have friends, she did but they had to meet her standards. Those standards were very high to, you had to be popular, you had to have money, and you could not have any physical inadequacy, needless to say my sister didn’t have very many friends, which I attribute to her bitterness. Even though we didn’t get along, I felt sorry for her.
I had hope as adults we would have at least become civil to each other or at least act like we were family but it never happened. Linda always viewed me as white trash. I guess that is because I don’t care about material things like she does and I never went to college. There were a few fleeting times she would talk to me but that was only because she needed to know something or needed my help. I guess to Linda I was like some kind of disease that if she got to close she might catch what I have.
Linda as bitter as she was did manage to get married but as with Linda the man she married had to meet her standards so she married a lawyer with money of course. She now lives in a big house with all the luxuries that come with being rich but she is still miserable and seems not to enjoy life. Linda married for money and not for love, her kids can’t stand her, and her husband is never home. The last time I saw my sister it was at my father’s funeral two years ago and she didn’t even talk to me or acknowledge my presence. It had been a while since I had seen her, she looked anorexic and as if life had beaten her up but the one thing that didn’t shock me was she was still the same ole bitter Linda I had grown up with. She was still giving the dirty looks to people that she thought were beneath her and would only talk to people of a certain class and because of that I knew she was not going to belittle herself and talk to me.
I do have to thank Linda for something though; she did step up and acted like a big sister to me without her even realizing it. Linda taught me a very valuable lesson about life and made me who I am today. She taught me to be kind to everyone and not judge people for what they don’t have or look like, that there is more to life than material things, and life is short so enjoy what time you have here. I may never see Linda again but I do hope for her sake she learns to stop and smell the roses and learns to love the people in her life and if she does learn this then maybe she can consider this a gift from her little sister.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
HOW I SEE NASCAR TODAY
What can I say I love Nascar! I was introduced to the sport years ago by my husband, Jeff, before Jeff had shown me what the sport was all about I was like most people and thought the sport was only about cars going around in a big circle real fast. Boy was I wrong, there is a lot more to Nascar then cars going real fast in a big circle. I was hooked or you can say addicted after I was educated on the sport and became one of the league of many fans that are drawn to the tracks or televisions every weekend to see who was going to get the checkered flag or the point lead. My wardrobe became a testament to my favorite driver who in the beginning was Rusty Wallace. I lived, ate, and breathe the sport; I guess you can say I became a Nascar junkie.
A lot of things have happened to the sport since I became the junkie that I am. “The Intimidator”, Dale Earnhardt is gone, no matter whether if you like him or not he was someone who made the sport great. I myself can’t believe to this day he is gone and I feel the sport still has a very big hole in it without Dale. I often wonder if Dale was still alive what he would think about the direction the sport has taken? Would he agree with the way Teresa is running DEI, Jr. signing with Hendricks, or the new point system? One will never know but I believe he would have not been too happy about it.
The introduction of formula drivers to the sport such as Montoya and next year with Franchitti makes me wonder who will be joining the ranks of drivers in the future. The formula drivers coming to the sport in a way sickens me. In the past you had to earn your way to the cup series, prove that you can hang with the big guys so to speak. Thanks to Ganassi we now have to deal with drivers that haven’t proven themselves in stock car racing. I am not saying that these drivers shouldn’t be allowed in the sport, I believe they need to prove themselves first by starting in ARCA or the Busch series first after all driving stock cars is a hell of a big difference then driving a canoe on wheels. Montoya has proven this year he is a danger to the other drivers with his “I am going to win at any cost attitude”. I wonder if next year if Franchitti will be the same way? I hope for the sake of the sport he won’t be.
I have my doubts on the car of tomorrow. Now I totally agree with Nascar on making a safer car for the drivers and even out the playing field but so far I really haven’t seen that this year with the introduction of the new car. This year all I have seen is Hendricks’s team stinking up the wins with the new car, how is that evening up the playing field? Is it because he has more money then God and has figured out the new car? Who knows but I for one would like to see more than just someone from Hendricks winning the race, where is the excitement in that? As for being safe, well look at what happened to Harvick in Martinsville when the foam of his door caught on fire, to me when it comes to a car setting on fire like that makes me wonder if all appropriate testing was done before the car hit the track? True, not all the kinks have been worked out in the car and in time I am sure Nascar will get them worked out but as far as the playing field be even, I have very serious doubts on that. I hope that next year will prove to be one where we do see some real competitive racing, one where you never know who might win the race.
Nascar also seems to be trying to take the sport and turn it into what I call Hollywood. They took the Darlington Labor Day race away and replaced it with another California race and nix Rockingham altogether. Nascar stated they had to make the changes due to faltering tickets sells in North Carolina and that weather played a factor in their decision. So now we have races where we have Hollywood’s finest flocking to the tracks in hopes that Nascar’s popularity will boost them into superstardom and trying to turn the sport into a red carpet event. Most of these celebrities have never even seen a race or even understand the sport but there they are. Whatever happened to the whole aspect of Nascar being a sport built on southern tradition? How did all these posers as I call them get into the sport that all us die-hard fans love so much? I wonder if you ask any of these posers who the king is, if they would answer back with Elvis? I don’t mind if celebrities are true fans coming to a race and supporting their driver but I do object to the posers coming to the sport in hopes that by riding the coat tails of Nascar they gain stardom and free press off the popularity of the sport.
True, these are just my opinions and maybe you agree or disagree with me but the bottom line is I hate to see the sport I fell in love with turn into just another commercial vehicle like the NFL, NBA, or MLB. Bootleggers, dirt tracks, and a good ole handshake built Nascar not Hollywood, contracts, and formula drivers. Nascar is the working mans sport, a sport where you can take your whole family to and have a good time. Where you have drivers that have values and you can be proud to be a fan. I hope Bill France Jr. and the other board members never forget that as they continue to build the future of Nascar, because really like the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
A lot of things have happened to the sport since I became the junkie that I am. “The Intimidator”, Dale Earnhardt is gone, no matter whether if you like him or not he was someone who made the sport great. I myself can’t believe to this day he is gone and I feel the sport still has a very big hole in it without Dale. I often wonder if Dale was still alive what he would think about the direction the sport has taken? Would he agree with the way Teresa is running DEI, Jr. signing with Hendricks, or the new point system? One will never know but I believe he would have not been too happy about it.
The introduction of formula drivers to the sport such as Montoya and next year with Franchitti makes me wonder who will be joining the ranks of drivers in the future. The formula drivers coming to the sport in a way sickens me. In the past you had to earn your way to the cup series, prove that you can hang with the big guys so to speak. Thanks to Ganassi we now have to deal with drivers that haven’t proven themselves in stock car racing. I am not saying that these drivers shouldn’t be allowed in the sport, I believe they need to prove themselves first by starting in ARCA or the Busch series first after all driving stock cars is a hell of a big difference then driving a canoe on wheels. Montoya has proven this year he is a danger to the other drivers with his “I am going to win at any cost attitude”. I wonder if next year if Franchitti will be the same way? I hope for the sake of the sport he won’t be.
I have my doubts on the car of tomorrow. Now I totally agree with Nascar on making a safer car for the drivers and even out the playing field but so far I really haven’t seen that this year with the introduction of the new car. This year all I have seen is Hendricks’s team stinking up the wins with the new car, how is that evening up the playing field? Is it because he has more money then God and has figured out the new car? Who knows but I for one would like to see more than just someone from Hendricks winning the race, where is the excitement in that? As for being safe, well look at what happened to Harvick in Martinsville when the foam of his door caught on fire, to me when it comes to a car setting on fire like that makes me wonder if all appropriate testing was done before the car hit the track? True, not all the kinks have been worked out in the car and in time I am sure Nascar will get them worked out but as far as the playing field be even, I have very serious doubts on that. I hope that next year will prove to be one where we do see some real competitive racing, one where you never know who might win the race.
Nascar also seems to be trying to take the sport and turn it into what I call Hollywood. They took the Darlington Labor Day race away and replaced it with another California race and nix Rockingham altogether. Nascar stated they had to make the changes due to faltering tickets sells in North Carolina and that weather played a factor in their decision. So now we have races where we have Hollywood’s finest flocking to the tracks in hopes that Nascar’s popularity will boost them into superstardom and trying to turn the sport into a red carpet event. Most of these celebrities have never even seen a race or even understand the sport but there they are. Whatever happened to the whole aspect of Nascar being a sport built on southern tradition? How did all these posers as I call them get into the sport that all us die-hard fans love so much? I wonder if you ask any of these posers who the king is, if they would answer back with Elvis? I don’t mind if celebrities are true fans coming to a race and supporting their driver but I do object to the posers coming to the sport in hopes that by riding the coat tails of Nascar they gain stardom and free press off the popularity of the sport.
True, these are just my opinions and maybe you agree or disagree with me but the bottom line is I hate to see the sport I fell in love with turn into just another commercial vehicle like the NFL, NBA, or MLB. Bootleggers, dirt tracks, and a good ole handshake built Nascar not Hollywood, contracts, and formula drivers. Nascar is the working mans sport, a sport where you can take your whole family to and have a good time. Where you have drivers that have values and you can be proud to be a fan. I hope Bill France Jr. and the other board members never forget that as they continue to build the future of Nascar, because really like the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
10 THINGS THAT DRIVE ME NUTS
I feel the need to do a top ten today because yesterday I was driven to the brink of insanity. I really felt that I was being tested, why? Who knows, maybe the powers that be wanted to have a good laugh at my expense. I do hope I don’t offend anyone, these are just the things that drive me nuts and are my opinions and like opinions, everyone has one. I am going to do my top ten things that drive me nuts like David Letterman’s top ten. I will start at ten and work my way down to one.
10. WOMANS BATHROOMS: I hate with a passion going into a public restroom. I have come to find woman are the biggest pigs when it comes to using them. I will go into a stall and the previous occupant has either, A. sprayed all over the seat (Yo babes, they have disposable toilet seat covers for your use, USE THEM, if they have them!), B. Did not flush the toilet. Maybe your our proud of your accomplishment and didn’t want to flush your miracle away but really I don’t want to see it. Next time take a picture and scrapbook the sucker for prosperity sake, or C. Never fails when I have to go real bad, there is also someone who has decided to move into the stall and take up residence. I just want to scream to that new residence to move it along other people have to go! Makes me wonder, do these offenders do this at home?
9. LONG LINES AT THE STORE: Never fails, you are in the store and you only need one item so you go to the express lane. The express lane is either closed, the person in front of you has over a hundred items in their basket and are unable to read the fifteen item limit sign, or the cashier is having a bad day because her/his boyfriend/girlfriend is cheating on them with their best friend and decides to take it out on you. The other thing I hate about long lines is when you have a lot of stuff to buy and they only have a few lanes open and it happens to be the busiest time of the day for the store. That one I can’t figure out, the manager of the store sees this but does nothing about it. I think it is all a ploy to keep you in the store longer so you might remember you forgot something and to leave the line to get it.
8. GETTING SCREWED AT THE DRIVE THRU: I am hungry and want something quick to eat so I hit the drive thru at one of the many fast food restaurants. Big mistake! I personally do not like ketchup, mayo, or cheese so I always order whatever I am eating without it. What do I get on my burger? Ketchup, mayo, and cheese after telling the drive thru attendant a million times I didn’t want it. I get to the point I feel I have to draw them a picture, I mean what is so hard to understand what NO means? I know the biggest problem with drive thrus’ is the people working there can’t speak english (another thing that drives me nuts and will be my next number), or they just don’t give a flying hoot what you want and you will get the burger the way they fix it, like it or not. Bite me! I want my burger my way and damn it I will have it, oh yes I will.
7. I NO SPEAK ENGLISH: My response to that would be “I no speak your language!” Granted we live in a country (USA) that is a melting pot of nationalities. But for the most part the language spoken here is english, like it or lump it that is what it is. In the past I worked in a medical office, never failed someone would come in our office and it would be in the early morning hours and I was the only one there and they couldn’t speak one word of english. This presented a lot of problems as you could tell. They wouldn’t be able to fill out the paperwork because along with not speaking the language they couldn’t read it either, they couldn’t let me know if they had allergies to any medications, again because they couldn’t read or speak the language, and they would get mad at me because I couldn’t read or speak their language. My feelings on this is, when you come to our country please at least attempt to learn the language, don’t assume everywhere you go there will be someone that can speak your language or bring someone with you that can translate for you. Hell, I wouldn’t go to France or Germany and expect them to know english! Common sense people!!
6. KNOW-IT-ALLS: Lets say you are an expert in your field or you do know a lot about something because you researched it, lived it, or had to deal with it. There will be always someone that knows more about it and they never lived it, researched, dealt with it, or were an expert in the field of it. You could talk until you are blue in the face with the “know-it-all” but they will always come back to you with it’s not true because Uncle Dingle Berry told them different and he knew everything because he was a hermit on Smoke Top mountain and he mediates everyday on life so his word is golden. Oh shut-up will you! Come on I know you want to say that to them and you also want to smack them upside their head in hopes that if they have any brain matter it might wake it up and they will see the light.
5. GAS PRICES: This one burns me. Today gas prices go up and down like a roller coaster for no apparent reason. You may hear in the news that because of the war, hurricanes, or stock market it causes the gas prices to go up. Well where I live none of those factors may come into play at that point in time; they just seem to be up one day and down the next. I personally believe it’s a conspiracy of the oil companies to price gauge us anyway they can. Funny how around traveling holidays the price goes up and then after the holiday it goes down.
4. SHARING THE ROADS WITH IDIOTS: Now I am not saying I am a perfect driver by any means and I do admit to making driving mistakes and I am sure I have pissed off a few of my fellow drivers out there. I am sure everyone at one point with driving have done it also, but there are offenders out there who make it a daily habit. The habitual offenders are the ones who, A. drive on the interstates or highways below the speed limit and do so in the left lane. GGGGGRRRRR!!! If you are going to drive below the speed limit then stay in the right lane, after all our tax dollars didn’t go into making the sign that says “SLOWER TRAFFIC STAY TO THE RIGHT” for scenerity sake. B. Talking on the cell phone while driving. If you can’t do two things at the same time then don’t do it. Your main focus should be on the road not talking to Buffy about the latest fashion craze sweeping the nation. And finally, C. Being lost. This one is very simple, if you are lost and don’t know where you are going then pull off the road and look at a map, if you can’t read a map then ask someone for help but pull the hell of the road! Do not stay on the road and hit the brake every time you come to an intersection in hopes that the direction fairy will tell you to turn here, it ain’t going to happen. People that are lost are a accident waiting to happen, so please pull off the friggin road!
3. TELEMARKETERS: I know people have to make a living and being a telemarketer is one way to do it but if I or anyone says no I am not interested then please stop reading your script and say thank you and goodbye. Do not keep pushing the sale on me I am not going to change my mind! I also believe in order to be a telemarketer you have to have the ability to be a mind reader. They always seem to know when to call at the worse time of the day. They will call you when you are eating, having a little whoopee, or when you are answering the call of nature, never fails they seem to know they have you. Doesn’t matter that I am on the do not call list, they will find a way around it and call you anyway. They are also very good at calling you again and again after you told them no the first time in hopes that you have change your mind and they have you at a weak point. I just wish they would leave me alone!!
2. PEOPLE THAT DON’T CALL YOU BACK: I just hate it when you call someone and you leave a message and then they don’t call you back. I understand they maybe busy and can’t get to you right away but if they just plain don’t call you back, that is rude! My time is just as important as your time so please call me back. I may have something very important to tell you, need advice, or I have just won the lottery and I want to split my winnings with you. Either way, call me back! I don’t want to have to keep calling you and harassing you until you get sick of me, there is a reason I am calling you, so please have the decency to call me back.
Finally the number one thing that drives me nuts is (drum role please)…………….
1. STUPID PEOPLE: They are everywhere! Just like Bill Engvall says, “Here’s your sign”; I too want to say that. Like when I am getting ready to get in to the car and someone will say, “Going somewhere?” I want to say, “No, I thought I just sit in my car for awhile because I have nothing better to do.” Or if I am wearing a Kevin Harvick T-shirt and someone asks me if I like Kevin Harvick, I want to tell them, “No, I can’t stand him that is why I am wearing a T-shirt with him on it because the colors of the shirt make my eyes seem bluer.” Yes, stupid people are everywhere and they just love to ask the most stupidest questions. I have come to learn that Ron White was so right when he said, “You can’t fix stupid, stupid is forever.” I just wish they would come up with an anti-stupid pill for people to take, think about all the people who wound not suffer from endless headaches due to stupid people. So please next time you see me doing something, think before you ask. I am sure if you pay attention it will be obvious what I am doing. Here’s your sign!
10. WOMANS BATHROOMS: I hate with a passion going into a public restroom. I have come to find woman are the biggest pigs when it comes to using them. I will go into a stall and the previous occupant has either, A. sprayed all over the seat (Yo babes, they have disposable toilet seat covers for your use, USE THEM, if they have them!), B. Did not flush the toilet. Maybe your our proud of your accomplishment and didn’t want to flush your miracle away but really I don’t want to see it. Next time take a picture and scrapbook the sucker for prosperity sake, or C. Never fails when I have to go real bad, there is also someone who has decided to move into the stall and take up residence. I just want to scream to that new residence to move it along other people have to go! Makes me wonder, do these offenders do this at home?
9. LONG LINES AT THE STORE: Never fails, you are in the store and you only need one item so you go to the express lane. The express lane is either closed, the person in front of you has over a hundred items in their basket and are unable to read the fifteen item limit sign, or the cashier is having a bad day because her/his boyfriend/girlfriend is cheating on them with their best friend and decides to take it out on you. The other thing I hate about long lines is when you have a lot of stuff to buy and they only have a few lanes open and it happens to be the busiest time of the day for the store. That one I can’t figure out, the manager of the store sees this but does nothing about it. I think it is all a ploy to keep you in the store longer so you might remember you forgot something and to leave the line to get it.
8. GETTING SCREWED AT THE DRIVE THRU: I am hungry and want something quick to eat so I hit the drive thru at one of the many fast food restaurants. Big mistake! I personally do not like ketchup, mayo, or cheese so I always order whatever I am eating without it. What do I get on my burger? Ketchup, mayo, and cheese after telling the drive thru attendant a million times I didn’t want it. I get to the point I feel I have to draw them a picture, I mean what is so hard to understand what NO means? I know the biggest problem with drive thrus’ is the people working there can’t speak english (another thing that drives me nuts and will be my next number), or they just don’t give a flying hoot what you want and you will get the burger the way they fix it, like it or not. Bite me! I want my burger my way and damn it I will have it, oh yes I will.
7. I NO SPEAK ENGLISH: My response to that would be “I no speak your language!” Granted we live in a country (USA) that is a melting pot of nationalities. But for the most part the language spoken here is english, like it or lump it that is what it is. In the past I worked in a medical office, never failed someone would come in our office and it would be in the early morning hours and I was the only one there and they couldn’t speak one word of english. This presented a lot of problems as you could tell. They wouldn’t be able to fill out the paperwork because along with not speaking the language they couldn’t read it either, they couldn’t let me know if they had allergies to any medications, again because they couldn’t read or speak the language, and they would get mad at me because I couldn’t read or speak their language. My feelings on this is, when you come to our country please at least attempt to learn the language, don’t assume everywhere you go there will be someone that can speak your language or bring someone with you that can translate for you. Hell, I wouldn’t go to France or Germany and expect them to know english! Common sense people!!
6. KNOW-IT-ALLS: Lets say you are an expert in your field or you do know a lot about something because you researched it, lived it, or had to deal with it. There will be always someone that knows more about it and they never lived it, researched, dealt with it, or were an expert in the field of it. You could talk until you are blue in the face with the “know-it-all” but they will always come back to you with it’s not true because Uncle Dingle Berry told them different and he knew everything because he was a hermit on Smoke Top mountain and he mediates everyday on life so his word is golden. Oh shut-up will you! Come on I know you want to say that to them and you also want to smack them upside their head in hopes that if they have any brain matter it might wake it up and they will see the light.
5. GAS PRICES: This one burns me. Today gas prices go up and down like a roller coaster for no apparent reason. You may hear in the news that because of the war, hurricanes, or stock market it causes the gas prices to go up. Well where I live none of those factors may come into play at that point in time; they just seem to be up one day and down the next. I personally believe it’s a conspiracy of the oil companies to price gauge us anyway they can. Funny how around traveling holidays the price goes up and then after the holiday it goes down.
4. SHARING THE ROADS WITH IDIOTS: Now I am not saying I am a perfect driver by any means and I do admit to making driving mistakes and I am sure I have pissed off a few of my fellow drivers out there. I am sure everyone at one point with driving have done it also, but there are offenders out there who make it a daily habit. The habitual offenders are the ones who, A. drive on the interstates or highways below the speed limit and do so in the left lane. GGGGGRRRRR!!! If you are going to drive below the speed limit then stay in the right lane, after all our tax dollars didn’t go into making the sign that says “SLOWER TRAFFIC STAY TO THE RIGHT” for scenerity sake. B. Talking on the cell phone while driving. If you can’t do two things at the same time then don’t do it. Your main focus should be on the road not talking to Buffy about the latest fashion craze sweeping the nation. And finally, C. Being lost. This one is very simple, if you are lost and don’t know where you are going then pull off the road and look at a map, if you can’t read a map then ask someone for help but pull the hell of the road! Do not stay on the road and hit the brake every time you come to an intersection in hopes that the direction fairy will tell you to turn here, it ain’t going to happen. People that are lost are a accident waiting to happen, so please pull off the friggin road!
3. TELEMARKETERS: I know people have to make a living and being a telemarketer is one way to do it but if I or anyone says no I am not interested then please stop reading your script and say thank you and goodbye. Do not keep pushing the sale on me I am not going to change my mind! I also believe in order to be a telemarketer you have to have the ability to be a mind reader. They always seem to know when to call at the worse time of the day. They will call you when you are eating, having a little whoopee, or when you are answering the call of nature, never fails they seem to know they have you. Doesn’t matter that I am on the do not call list, they will find a way around it and call you anyway. They are also very good at calling you again and again after you told them no the first time in hopes that you have change your mind and they have you at a weak point. I just wish they would leave me alone!!
2. PEOPLE THAT DON’T CALL YOU BACK: I just hate it when you call someone and you leave a message and then they don’t call you back. I understand they maybe busy and can’t get to you right away but if they just plain don’t call you back, that is rude! My time is just as important as your time so please call me back. I may have something very important to tell you, need advice, or I have just won the lottery and I want to split my winnings with you. Either way, call me back! I don’t want to have to keep calling you and harassing you until you get sick of me, there is a reason I am calling you, so please have the decency to call me back.
Finally the number one thing that drives me nuts is (drum role please)…………….
1. STUPID PEOPLE: They are everywhere! Just like Bill Engvall says, “Here’s your sign”; I too want to say that. Like when I am getting ready to get in to the car and someone will say, “Going somewhere?” I want to say, “No, I thought I just sit in my car for awhile because I have nothing better to do.” Or if I am wearing a Kevin Harvick T-shirt and someone asks me if I like Kevin Harvick, I want to tell them, “No, I can’t stand him that is why I am wearing a T-shirt with him on it because the colors of the shirt make my eyes seem bluer.” Yes, stupid people are everywhere and they just love to ask the most stupidest questions. I have come to learn that Ron White was so right when he said, “You can’t fix stupid, stupid is forever.” I just wish they would come up with an anti-stupid pill for people to take, think about all the people who wound not suffer from endless headaches due to stupid people. So please next time you see me doing something, think before you ask. I am sure if you pay attention it will be obvious what I am doing. Here’s your sign!
Friday, September 21, 2007
THE MAN I MARRIED
I believe I am married to the most wonderful man, one that I feel I can spend my whole life with (finally). It was a long road to get to him and a pretty rough one at that. I had always envisioned when I was a little girl that I would one day find that one true love we would get married and spend our whole life together. Well I did but it took two previous husbands to get to him. I guess because of the fact I was married before makes me appreciate him even more. Today I couldn’t imagine life without him.
The lessons I learned from my two ex-husbands brought me to where I am today. Funny, I guess I have to thank them for that. My first husband taught me not to marry a man with a lot of baggage; you see he was an alcoholic and a drug user. I should have never married him but I was too young at the time to realize that. I know if my mother was reading this she would say, “I told you so”, but in hindsight if I hadn’t married him I wouldn’t have my daughter, Ashley today. After I divorced Mike I swore I would never date or marry someone who used drugs or drank like there was no tomorrow.
A few years after Mike, I met my second husband, K (I am just going to call him K because if you all knew his real name you would die!). He was funny, didn’t use drugs, and he didn’t drink like a fish, all the qualities that I like plus he got along with my daughter great. I was happy just dating him because after my first husband marriage was not on top of my list of things to do but I got pregnant with my son KC and K and I ended up getting married. It didn’t take long for me to find out that K didn’t want a wife, he wanted a mommy and I was damned if I was going to be a grown man’s mommy. I did try to make our marriage work but with time that got harder and harder because along with him wanting me to be his mommy, his mother was part of our relationship and all decisions that should have been between us had to go through his mother as well. K also had a very bad habit of trashing me to everyone and lying to me. That was the breaking point for me and I left him.
I met my present husband, Jeff, through a mutual friend and at the time I met Jeff I was still married to K. Jeff and I became the best of friends; I knew I could always count on him when things got bad. Needless to say K wasn’t too happy that I had a man as a friend and always kept trying to read more into it then there really was. When my marriage to K was near the end and he was getting real ugly with me that’s when I started to realize just how important Jeff’s friendship to me was. When I thought life couldn’t be better Jeff made me see otherwise, when I was ready to give up and accept how K was treating me, Jeff gave me the strength to fight back, and when I needed someone to talk to, I knew no matter what time it was Jeff would be there to listen. It wasn’t long after my divorce with K that Jeff and I became more than friends, not hard to understand why.
So here I am today, a lot older and a lot wiser. I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. Jeff and I are coming up on our fifth wedding anniversary and my love for him is deeper than it has ever been. I think what makes our marriage so strong is that we treat each other with respect, we don’t criticize each other, and we accept each other for who we are. But most important to me, we are still best friends. My only regret is that I didn’t meet Jeff sooner but maybe if I did our marriage today wouldn’t be as strong as it is. I guess I had to go through being married to my ex-husbands so I could appreciate what Jeff and I have now. So all in all I guess third time really is a charm, well at least with me it is.
The lessons I learned from my two ex-husbands brought me to where I am today. Funny, I guess I have to thank them for that. My first husband taught me not to marry a man with a lot of baggage; you see he was an alcoholic and a drug user. I should have never married him but I was too young at the time to realize that. I know if my mother was reading this she would say, “I told you so”, but in hindsight if I hadn’t married him I wouldn’t have my daughter, Ashley today. After I divorced Mike I swore I would never date or marry someone who used drugs or drank like there was no tomorrow.
A few years after Mike, I met my second husband, K (I am just going to call him K because if you all knew his real name you would die!). He was funny, didn’t use drugs, and he didn’t drink like a fish, all the qualities that I like plus he got along with my daughter great. I was happy just dating him because after my first husband marriage was not on top of my list of things to do but I got pregnant with my son KC and K and I ended up getting married. It didn’t take long for me to find out that K didn’t want a wife, he wanted a mommy and I was damned if I was going to be a grown man’s mommy. I did try to make our marriage work but with time that got harder and harder because along with him wanting me to be his mommy, his mother was part of our relationship and all decisions that should have been between us had to go through his mother as well. K also had a very bad habit of trashing me to everyone and lying to me. That was the breaking point for me and I left him.
I met my present husband, Jeff, through a mutual friend and at the time I met Jeff I was still married to K. Jeff and I became the best of friends; I knew I could always count on him when things got bad. Needless to say K wasn’t too happy that I had a man as a friend and always kept trying to read more into it then there really was. When my marriage to K was near the end and he was getting real ugly with me that’s when I started to realize just how important Jeff’s friendship to me was. When I thought life couldn’t be better Jeff made me see otherwise, when I was ready to give up and accept how K was treating me, Jeff gave me the strength to fight back, and when I needed someone to talk to, I knew no matter what time it was Jeff would be there to listen. It wasn’t long after my divorce with K that Jeff and I became more than friends, not hard to understand why.
So here I am today, a lot older and a lot wiser. I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. Jeff and I are coming up on our fifth wedding anniversary and my love for him is deeper than it has ever been. I think what makes our marriage so strong is that we treat each other with respect, we don’t criticize each other, and we accept each other for who we are. But most important to me, we are still best friends. My only regret is that I didn’t meet Jeff sooner but maybe if I did our marriage today wouldn’t be as strong as it is. I guess I had to go through being married to my ex-husbands so I could appreciate what Jeff and I have now. So all in all I guess third time really is a charm, well at least with me it is.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
MY POWER MALL 101
Today I am blogging about My Power Mall. Why you ask? Well I signed up for it about a week ago and I enjoy it very much. I have a business mall and sent emails out to all my friends and told them about it. I have also posted on boards and did the usual stuff to promote it. I really haven’t gone gangbusters in the promotion of it because really I haven’t had time due to work. For those of you that don’t know me I am a medical transcriptionist and I work at home. My day is really spent transcribing and that is where my focus needs to be. Since I started doing My Power Mall I have been getting calls and emails wanting to know if this is a scam or what is the deal with it. So today I am going to give a My Power Mall lesson 101 and I hope to answer all your questions. Now don’t get me wrong, its not that I am ungrateful about inquires, but I do have to get my normal day job done without so many interruptions. So here we go!
First lets ask a few questions:
1. Do you or have you ever shop online?
2. Do you like to save money?
3. Do you like to make money?
4. Do you care about the environment?
5. Have you ever referred a product to a friend?
6. Do you hate selling?
7. Do you understand what FREE means?
Question number one; have you ever shop online? I bet the answer is yes, because in this day and age who hasn’t. I shop a lot online, I would much rather do that then go to a store and deal with the long lines, the salesperson following me around with the “can I help, can I help, can I help”, and not having what I am looking for crap.
Question number two; do you like to save money? Duh, who doesn’t like to save money, after all, I work hard for the money I make and too much of it goes to Uncle Sam, bills, and putting gas in my car. I am sure all would agree with me on that but if your Bill Gates saving money may not be a real issue to you since you have piles of it.
Question number three; do you like to make money? Again DUH! Haven’t met a person yet that doesn’t like to make money. I am sure they maybe someone out there who doesn’t but I bet they are few and far between.
Question number four; do you care about the environment? I am sure to some respect everyone does. Keep the environment healthy and we stay healthy. Really pretty simple on that one.
Question number five; have you ever referred a product to a friend? I know I have! One product I love and tell a lot of people about is Spray Nine. The cleaner is awesome, it will clean anything and you can use it in your laundry. I swear sometimes I feel like the makers of Spray Nine should pay me for all the free advertising I do for them.
Question number six; do you hate selling? I hate it with a passion. Years back I was with Amway and I hated it! The company made me feel like I had to force my friends to join the cult as I call it. I didn’t do it for very long because I did not like having my life run by Amway and losing friends.
Question number seven; do you know what FREE means? I hope you do! Free means you do NOT have to pay anything for it, it is given to you! I am sure if Donald Trump or Bill Gates came up to you and ask you if you would take their businesses for free no strings attached you would go for it. I know I would. That is what My Power Mall does; it gives you your own business for FREE or your own personal shopping mall for FREE!!!
So here is the deal with My Power Mall:
If you shop online then you will love it! You will be able to shop at 1000+ stores like; Macy’s, Home Depot, Best Buys, Target, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, and The Gap just to name a few. I personally signed up for My Power Mall for the Nascar Superstore, because anyone that knows me knows I love Nascar! I love to save money and that is another reason I signed up because with My Power Mall any item you buy; you get a rebate on it. Now go to Target and when you check out tell the cashier you want a rebate payable now for every item you are purchasing. I bet you will get a look like you are on crack! It won’t happen but if you have a Power Mall it will.
Now if you sign up for a Power Mall you will have a choice, you can either have a business mall or your own personal mall, no one will be holding a gun to your head saying you have to take the business mall but if you want to make money then go for the business mall. You will make money by telling your friends, family, and really anybody else you want about My Power Mall and if they sign up whether it be business or personal you will get a percentage of everything they buy. The more people you get to sign up for their own mall and they shop on it, the more money you will make, very simple. The malls are free and there is no hidden fees you have to pay, not a dime will come out of your pocket for signing up to get a mall. The only money you will pay is what you shop for. My Power Mall has a wealth of marketing tools for your use and they give it to you for free but if you really want to promote and make some money, then sure you will have to spend money to do it but you decide how much its up to you. No one within the Power Mall business will tell you that you have to do. Also there are no meetings to go to and there is no cult like atmosphere to it. Also you will be doing the environment a favor by not driving store to store to shop and not to mention you will save money on not using your gas to get the items you need they all come to your door.
So you see it is really simple, everyone shops, everyone likes to save and make money, and everyone likes to get something for free! What better than a FREE business or personal mall that will let you save and make money. To me the whole concept is genius and really a no brainer but there are still a few skeptics out there I’m sure, there always is but I am sure there are folks out there like me who see what a real deal this is and the potential of it. My lesson is done now you decide, if you want one great, if you don’t that’s fine after all I am not holding a gun to your head saying you have too.
http://www.mypowermall.com/Biz/Home/47081
First lets ask a few questions:
1. Do you or have you ever shop online?
2. Do you like to save money?
3. Do you like to make money?
4. Do you care about the environment?
5. Have you ever referred a product to a friend?
6. Do you hate selling?
7. Do you understand what FREE means?
Question number one; have you ever shop online? I bet the answer is yes, because in this day and age who hasn’t. I shop a lot online, I would much rather do that then go to a store and deal with the long lines, the salesperson following me around with the “can I help, can I help, can I help”, and not having what I am looking for crap.
Question number two; do you like to save money? Duh, who doesn’t like to save money, after all, I work hard for the money I make and too much of it goes to Uncle Sam, bills, and putting gas in my car. I am sure all would agree with me on that but if your Bill Gates saving money may not be a real issue to you since you have piles of it.
Question number three; do you like to make money? Again DUH! Haven’t met a person yet that doesn’t like to make money. I am sure they maybe someone out there who doesn’t but I bet they are few and far between.
Question number four; do you care about the environment? I am sure to some respect everyone does. Keep the environment healthy and we stay healthy. Really pretty simple on that one.
Question number five; have you ever referred a product to a friend? I know I have! One product I love and tell a lot of people about is Spray Nine. The cleaner is awesome, it will clean anything and you can use it in your laundry. I swear sometimes I feel like the makers of Spray Nine should pay me for all the free advertising I do for them.
Question number six; do you hate selling? I hate it with a passion. Years back I was with Amway and I hated it! The company made me feel like I had to force my friends to join the cult as I call it. I didn’t do it for very long because I did not like having my life run by Amway and losing friends.
Question number seven; do you know what FREE means? I hope you do! Free means you do NOT have to pay anything for it, it is given to you! I am sure if Donald Trump or Bill Gates came up to you and ask you if you would take their businesses for free no strings attached you would go for it. I know I would. That is what My Power Mall does; it gives you your own business for FREE or your own personal shopping mall for FREE!!!
So here is the deal with My Power Mall:
If you shop online then you will love it! You will be able to shop at 1000+ stores like; Macy’s, Home Depot, Best Buys, Target, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, and The Gap just to name a few. I personally signed up for My Power Mall for the Nascar Superstore, because anyone that knows me knows I love Nascar! I love to save money and that is another reason I signed up because with My Power Mall any item you buy; you get a rebate on it. Now go to Target and when you check out tell the cashier you want a rebate payable now for every item you are purchasing. I bet you will get a look like you are on crack! It won’t happen but if you have a Power Mall it will.
Now if you sign up for a Power Mall you will have a choice, you can either have a business mall or your own personal mall, no one will be holding a gun to your head saying you have to take the business mall but if you want to make money then go for the business mall. You will make money by telling your friends, family, and really anybody else you want about My Power Mall and if they sign up whether it be business or personal you will get a percentage of everything they buy. The more people you get to sign up for their own mall and they shop on it, the more money you will make, very simple. The malls are free and there is no hidden fees you have to pay, not a dime will come out of your pocket for signing up to get a mall. The only money you will pay is what you shop for. My Power Mall has a wealth of marketing tools for your use and they give it to you for free but if you really want to promote and make some money, then sure you will have to spend money to do it but you decide how much its up to you. No one within the Power Mall business will tell you that you have to do. Also there are no meetings to go to and there is no cult like atmosphere to it. Also you will be doing the environment a favor by not driving store to store to shop and not to mention you will save money on not using your gas to get the items you need they all come to your door.
So you see it is really simple, everyone shops, everyone likes to save and make money, and everyone likes to get something for free! What better than a FREE business or personal mall that will let you save and make money. To me the whole concept is genius and really a no brainer but there are still a few skeptics out there I’m sure, there always is but I am sure there are folks out there like me who see what a real deal this is and the potential of it. My lesson is done now you decide, if you want one great, if you don’t that’s fine after all I am not holding a gun to your head saying you have too.
http://www.mypowermall.com/Biz/Home/47081
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
MY DOG IS A GENIUS
It really did hit me today about my dog Baz; he really is a genius of a dog. Why you say? Well let me tell you how I came upon this revelation and maybe you will see, if you have a dog, how you may have a real genius on your hands as well.
I was working on my computer and I noticed that it had gotten real quite in my living room. No big deal you say? Well it is if you have an eight-month-old puppy that like kids gets into everything. So the mommy in me had to go and investigate. Well my instincts proved correct because in front of my eyes there was Baz sitting in the living room with poly-fill everywhere. You see, Baz loves dog toys with squeakers in them and when you give him one he goes nuts. So there I am standing in my living looking around thinking here it is July and it looks like I had a blizzard with poly-fill everywhere and Baz sitting there wagging his tail with such a content look on his face like, “Mommy look what I did, aren’t you proud of me? I got the squeaker!” That is when it hit me that my dog was a genius! I then realized that Baz had a goal, it was to get that squeaker out of the toy and he succeeded at doing so. Baz reached his GOAL! A simple goal yes but a goal, so this made me realize how many goals I had set out for and didn’t follow through with them. How many times I told myself I was going to do something no matter what but got sidetrack and didn’t complete them.
I went back to my computer after I cleaned up my snow-filled living room and started to think about Baz and how determine he was in the goals he set out to do. My backyard is another place where Baz has a goal. He loves to dig and my backyard is starting to look like the Grand Canyon because of his digging. He really wants to know what is under that ground and damn it he is going to find out one way or another. He also is a tail chaser, he sees that tail attach to his butt and he wants it. He will chase his tail until he is so dizzy he can’t stand but darn it he will get his tail one way or another. Finally, Baz wants to chase anything that moves, birds, squirrels, butterflies, you name it, he wants it. He acts as though he is on safari and he is the great hunter and he will get his prey no matter what and will not stop until he does so. Now anybody watching Baz doing these things will say what a dumb dog, heck even I have said it but he has goals and he is doing whatever it takes to reach them.
So you see, my dog is a genius! He taught me a very valuable lesson today on goals. I have to set goals and go for them and be determine just like Baz. I can’t give up and I can’t get sidetrack. I am going to write down what goals I want to obtain and pin them up where I can see them and not forget about them. Maybe you have some kind of goal you want to reach but with being human the fear of not reaching them stops you. After all, everybody hates to fail and nobody wants to look like a fool in front of friends, family, and the world. I bet Baz could care less what we think or what other dogs think if he doesn’t reach his goals, so why should I? The way I see it now is if I don’t try then I am a failure because I didn’t try. Today is the day I start chasing my tail and who knows I may just get it!! Thanks Baz!
I was working on my computer and I noticed that it had gotten real quite in my living room. No big deal you say? Well it is if you have an eight-month-old puppy that like kids gets into everything. So the mommy in me had to go and investigate. Well my instincts proved correct because in front of my eyes there was Baz sitting in the living room with poly-fill everywhere. You see, Baz loves dog toys with squeakers in them and when you give him one he goes nuts. So there I am standing in my living looking around thinking here it is July and it looks like I had a blizzard with poly-fill everywhere and Baz sitting there wagging his tail with such a content look on his face like, “Mommy look what I did, aren’t you proud of me? I got the squeaker!” That is when it hit me that my dog was a genius! I then realized that Baz had a goal, it was to get that squeaker out of the toy and he succeeded at doing so. Baz reached his GOAL! A simple goal yes but a goal, so this made me realize how many goals I had set out for and didn’t follow through with them. How many times I told myself I was going to do something no matter what but got sidetrack and didn’t complete them.
I went back to my computer after I cleaned up my snow-filled living room and started to think about Baz and how determine he was in the goals he set out to do. My backyard is another place where Baz has a goal. He loves to dig and my backyard is starting to look like the Grand Canyon because of his digging. He really wants to know what is under that ground and damn it he is going to find out one way or another. He also is a tail chaser, he sees that tail attach to his butt and he wants it. He will chase his tail until he is so dizzy he can’t stand but darn it he will get his tail one way or another. Finally, Baz wants to chase anything that moves, birds, squirrels, butterflies, you name it, he wants it. He acts as though he is on safari and he is the great hunter and he will get his prey no matter what and will not stop until he does so. Now anybody watching Baz doing these things will say what a dumb dog, heck even I have said it but he has goals and he is doing whatever it takes to reach them.
So you see, my dog is a genius! He taught me a very valuable lesson today on goals. I have to set goals and go for them and be determine just like Baz. I can’t give up and I can’t get sidetrack. I am going to write down what goals I want to obtain and pin them up where I can see them and not forget about them. Maybe you have some kind of goal you want to reach but with being human the fear of not reaching them stops you. After all, everybody hates to fail and nobody wants to look like a fool in front of friends, family, and the world. I bet Baz could care less what we think or what other dogs think if he doesn’t reach his goals, so why should I? The way I see it now is if I don’t try then I am a failure because I didn’t try. Today is the day I start chasing my tail and who knows I may just get it!! Thanks Baz!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
SELECTIVE HEARING IS A REAL DISEASE!
How many of you have family members that suffer from selective hearing? I am sad to report that my whole family suffers from this dreadful disease. I have put a call into the AMA in hopes that doctors around the world can come up a miracle cure for this epidemic that is sweeping across the world.
My head is splitting; as I write this, of course banging my head against the wall isn’t helping it much. If you are not sure if your family suffers from this disease let me give you some signs to watch out for:
Telling your kids to pick up their room only to have them tell you 5 minutes after when you remind them that they didn’t hear you.
Asking your husband to fix a leaking faucet then when you ask him an hour later if he has started he gives you the “I have no clue what you are talking about” look.
Telling your kids not to forget their homework and then you get a call from them at school asking you to bring them their homework because they forgot.
These are just a few examples of the selective hearing disease. Remember a sure fire way of telling if your family suffers from this is if they always respond to you with an “I forgot” answer. I have been trying to think of ways to combat this disease since there is no wonder pill to give my family members. Some of the ways I combat the disease is:
When they want dinner, I tell them I forgot all about making dinner because Oprah and Dr. Phil thinks I need to re-evaluate my life.
When my husband wants me to run an errand for him and he asks me later if I took care of it, I tell him “Darn, I meant to, but Food Lion was having double coupon day and I got too excited and forgot!”
When my family asks me if I did their laundry, I tell them that I didn’t do it because Hallmark has decided to make a “Mom free laundry month” and I decided it was a good idea and I was upset because they didn’t get me a card as well.
I hope if your family is suffering from this disease my ideas help you. If you have any ideas please let me know. I believe if we as mothers unite we can stop the spread of this terrible disease and make the world and our families happier and healthier, not to mention help all mothers out there from banging their heads into the wall.
Suzanne
My head is splitting; as I write this, of course banging my head against the wall isn’t helping it much. If you are not sure if your family suffers from this disease let me give you some signs to watch out for:
Telling your kids to pick up their room only to have them tell you 5 minutes after when you remind them that they didn’t hear you.
Asking your husband to fix a leaking faucet then when you ask him an hour later if he has started he gives you the “I have no clue what you are talking about” look.
Telling your kids not to forget their homework and then you get a call from them at school asking you to bring them their homework because they forgot.
These are just a few examples of the selective hearing disease. Remember a sure fire way of telling if your family suffers from this is if they always respond to you with an “I forgot” answer. I have been trying to think of ways to combat this disease since there is no wonder pill to give my family members. Some of the ways I combat the disease is:
When they want dinner, I tell them I forgot all about making dinner because Oprah and Dr. Phil thinks I need to re-evaluate my life.
When my husband wants me to run an errand for him and he asks me later if I took care of it, I tell him “Darn, I meant to, but Food Lion was having double coupon day and I got too excited and forgot!”
When my family asks me if I did their laundry, I tell them that I didn’t do it because Hallmark has decided to make a “Mom free laundry month” and I decided it was a good idea and I was upset because they didn’t get me a card as well.
I hope if your family is suffering from this disease my ideas help you. If you have any ideas please let me know. I believe if we as mothers unite we can stop the spread of this terrible disease and make the world and our families happier and healthier, not to mention help all mothers out there from banging their heads into the wall.
Suzanne
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