Pet Peeves

OK, so there are blinkers on your car, there are blinkers on your motorcycle, they are blinkers on your scooter, you can get blinkers for your bike...did you know you can even get blinkers for your pet? Oh, and there are blinkers for a horse that have an entirely different meaning. Anyway, what is the point of all this? One of my pet peeves is how frequently the car in front of you makes a sudden decision to stop, turn, swerve, driev 10-15 mph under the speed limit, you name it! You can't take a trip in the car without experiencing this kind of idiocy.

What else you say? Well, how about the person leaning their left elbow on the car window with their cell phone wedged up against their ear? In fact, they tend to be guilty of offense #1 as well. In fact, they don't even look any direction before they act. Am I ringing any bells here? OK, you're asking if that has ever been me and I respond, not exactly. After all, I don't do the leaning thing and I don't take longer on a call then I need to. I would like very much to see the statistics of cell phone caused accidents and blinkerless accidents. DUI is a big deal and needs to be eliminated but I think DWB (driving without blinkers) and DWOCP (driving while on cell phone) should also be ticketable offenses. Oh, you say, they already are, so I say, but I never see anyone get tickets when they're doing these things. Am I right?

How can anyone who can read, logically or in good conscience, smoke? It is such a nasty and harmful "little habit" but it never seems to stop. From kids in junior high to elderly people on oxygen, they keep on puffin'. No matter how far they are pushed off the property we are still forced to walk through their stinky, polluting, cancerous smoke to get anywhere. Not only that, they smell so strongly of it that if you are closed in an elevator with them, it can almost gag you. And once it's in your clothes, you can count on another visit to the dry cleaners! But the real question is, how is it that England, Scotland, Ireland, California and Washington, to name a few, have all outlawed smoking in any public building while Oregon's only smoking related law is to protect the smoker from discrimination. What is wrong with this picture?

Well, this evening is flying by and I haven't checked anything off my list so I'd better go do that. Although, that is one more little pet peeve, you make a to do list and by the end of the day, you not only haven't checked anything off your list, you've continually added to it. Kind of like when you begin to do something at home on the weekend and that leads to something else and that leads to something else until 5:00 comes and you happen upon the original thing you began doing that led to everything else, none of which are done. Oh well, we aren't bored right?

Old Movies

One of my favorite pastimes is watching old movies, for that matter they don't even have to be old. Murphy's Romance is on now and Sally Field is never a waste of time.

However, there will be a brief break in the movie to view the best of the best "Daily Show". John Stewart, the most respected and trusted non-politico (officially anyway) on television today.
OK, now I've heard everything. North Korea is only running their nuclear tests now to influence the American elections! Oh, not only that, Iran is stepping up the violence in Iraq only to ensure the Republicans will lose their elections. Puhleez, is there no sanity left in the world? How can anyone with two brain cells to rub together believe that? Have people truly lost their ever-lovin' minds? Am I the only one who is creeped out by anything and everything Republicans say? If you want to torture me, just park me in front of a Bush or a Cheney or any other Administration official's speech and tie me to the chair. Actually, that wouldn't do it because I'd simply stand up with the chair and get the hell out of there.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that Kirsten Dunst is a great talk show guest, that would be a lie. I don't think she had one original thought or put together one complete sentence. Jon Stewart actually had to do both his part and hers. Pitiful, they probably won't even pay her, they shouldn't. Instead, they should donate it to a fund to teach her how to talk!

OK, now I'm back to Jim and Sally in Texas wearing cowboy shirts and boots, riding horses periodically and dancing in the Elks club. What is it about the bands in an Elks club or at the Moose lodge, they always have that canned, pitiful sort of bland sound.

Kara gets back from Morocco tonight, FINALLY. This has been nerve-wracking for me, I can't imagine what it's been like for her. Having her back here safe and sound will make everything right with the world. The movie sun is setting, James and Sally will finally get "hitched" and I'm going to call to see if her plane is on time. Then, I'll head to the airport in about an hour and a half. Gives me time to read a few pages. Until next time...

Changes Afoot

So the question is, to change or not to change, to apply or not to apply, to take a risk or not...so many questions. If you pass up an opportunity, how often are you sorry? How will you ever know if you don't try? Should you assume you don't have a chance...never!

Would it benefit others if you try, would it have an adverse impact on them if you don't? If change truly motivates you, why would you turn your back on it, instead you would embrace it.

This is the way I work through a problem or answer a question and I'm coming closer and closer to commiting to put my hat in the ring. I seem to have a great deal of support, would I be letting all of them down if I don't make the effort?

What's the worst that could happen...I don't get the job but continue to do what I currently do while my opinions and perspectives are now "public knowledge". This would not be a bad thing. If I don't participate, it further limits the "competition" and additional perspectives necessary for the execs to make the best hiring decision.

Am I up for the challenge? I guess we'll find out...

'Tis The Season

Don't you love watching the best of the best? To me, that's what the World Series is all about. There's no stupid monster halftime show, it's all about baseball, good hardhitting baseball. I really enjoy the playoffs all the way through the series. I can't say I watch much the rest of the year, I like to wait for all the spectacular plays packaged into one series of games.

So, what else happens at this time of year? Let's see,

• the leaves turn color then promptly cover the ground all around your house, leaving most trees completely bare,
  
• the squirrels are busy burying everything they can find, mostly in your plants,
• the rain starts in earnest and the temperature drops at least 10 degrees within a week's time
• there's a big push for flu shots
• we move our clocks back, (when is that anyway?)
• pumpkin patches pop up all over the place
• pine cones start falling in earnest
• many plants start to fade away, one by one
• not much birdsong
• the hunters hunt, mostly animals, except for Cheney of course
• we celebrate Columbus stumbling across North America (I've seen his tomb by the way)
  
• we honor all those who have fought in wars (or who still are)
• everyone starts looking for the perfect turkey recipe
• and, of course, the Christmas shopping begins!

All this talk about turkey has made me hungry, I think I'll go scrounge up my own dinner.

Get Motivated

I've decided that I need a complete mindset overhaul. Fall is here, winter is coming, this is the time of year that I tend to begin hibernation if you know what I mean. Yes, I still go to work and work long hours, I still go through all the normal motions of life, but there is no vitality beneath the surface. I know I'm a person who typically needs sunlight to shed my heavy mood overcoat. Therefore, I'm committed to overcoming this annual dormancy of mine.

Let the rain fall, let the ice freeze, let the fog shroud and let the wind blow; I am completely determined to be active, stay active and to have a high level of energy and motivation regardless of how hectic life becomes or how nasty the weather gets. Oh, and of course, lose some weight!

That, by necessity, leads to eating only the right foods and limiting my quantities. It follows though that if I'm motivated and keep my mindset positive and energetic, I won't be drawn to or tempted by the wrong things. When I get into these seasonal funks, I can far too easily convince myself that just one cookie, just one ice cream bar, just one cup of chai tea won't hurt anything. The problem is, they compound but not in a good way like the interest from your bank account. The additional layer resides all the way around my middle and hips. I'm especially motivated to shed this weight that is keeping me from wearing the majority of the clothes that reside in my closet. Fortunately, I've refused to remove them because I know this is achievable.

So, much for my motivational speech. I'm off to my exercise machine for an hour as I begin to reestablish my renewed commitment to exercise, nutrition and good health through all the seasons of the coming year, and for all the years beyond. My mindset is the element of change I need to do this, pure and simple.

The Future aka Travel Agent

Kara was here, or somewhere in this vicinity in Morocco earlier in the week. She rode her camel, she has done alot of the things she had hoped to do, she even bought pointy shoes but her travel partner has now boged out on her so she is solo for the next week or so. I have arranged for her to come home earlier than planned (it took about 2 1/2 hours with American and Orbitz but it's done). It's amazing to me how busy these flights were, there literally were no vacancies between now and then without very, very creative scheduling.

She also said that she wrote a phenomenal blog at an internet cafe then the computer froze so it was all lost (because she hadn't saved it as she went). She was just generally upset but game to travel a little more before calling it a "day". She is going to travel to a small picturesque town that takes 13 hours to get to by train, then she will head to Casablanca which is on the coast across the Mediterranean from Europe. The plan now is for her to come home on 10/19-10/20 (she actually has to stay overnight in London to get a flight out the next day) rather than returning on 10/25.

She kept getting upset but I suggested she stay focused on positives otherwise she'll ruin what little time she has left there. I said she can always go back to Morocco some other time with someone who is more reliable to see the sites she missed. Hopefully, there will ultimately be more good memories than bad.

So, the roof with dry rot is still waiting for a back door. Because it needs to be fiberglass it had to be ordered and will take a week to come in so this "fix" is taking weeks and weeks and dollars and dollars beyond what we thought. The joys of owning damp beach property. We'll have to follow up the final repair with a weekend trip to the house for Crys's 80th birthday celebration.

Some of the best things about Fall, besides the crispness in the air, are sunflowers. There is no flower more substantial, more maturely beautiful or more perfectly representative of it's season. They made a beautiful bouquet of them at the Farmer's Market today, an event that somewhat reflects the local, open air markets in Europe. They are one of the first things you miss when they stop in November.

Not many endorfins escaping today, overcast and cold. A good day to be sitting at the computer, absorbing baseball playoff after baseball playoff. For someone not from the U.S., hearing the team names of the A's vs. the Tigers and the Mets vs. the Cardinals wouldn't offer a clue about the sport (or even what they stand for in some cases).

So, I get it but why does my cat watch? What is going through her head when the batter hits a fly ball or when the pitcher throws one in the dirt? Can cats see color? I wonder if I could Google that? I can tell she wants to blog, maybe I should create one for her. She walks on the keyboard all the time when she's trying to get my attention, it could be pretty funny. I'm sure it's not an original idea, there are probably already blogs for any number of animals. Maybe someday there will be a tv show for the World's Funniest Animal Blogs?

Enough of that, time to work.

WAITING

Have you ever noticed how much more preferable it is to be the one traveling instead of the one back home waiting to hear from the one traveling? So you say, big duh! Right, but I do have the answer to this dilemma. All you have to do is make sure you accompany everyone you know on their trips, that is of course on top of those that you plan. You could become something of a professional traveler. So what issues might there be with this approach...hmmm, let me think:

• money could be an issue I suppose
• you'd undoubtedly be in a "If it's Tuesday it must be Belgium" mode
• it could be impossible for your birthday and/or Christmas gifts to ever reach you (if they were clothes they may not fit you or be in style by the time you do get them)
• your pets would miss you...then they'd disown you
  
• your creditors would miss you...then they'd repossess everything you own
• your family would miss you and send you nagging letters to come home
  
• everything in your refrigerator would turn varying shades of blue (your house would eventually have to be designated a hazardous waste area)
• you would eventually become sleep-deprived
  
• your voter's card would expire (oh no, you couldn't vote against Bush, wait a minute - he's done!)
• no more trick-or-treating
• and finally, what if they travel to the armpit of the world, are you going to follow?

I'm sure there are other important things that would occur, these were just top-of-mind. This was enough to change my mind before I even made it up. What's funny is I don't know which of these issues would be more bothersome; well, to each his own.

Isn't it bizarre how some people are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? So who comes to mind when I say this:

1. Sitting in your living room when a car drives through it
2. Getting hit by lightening while playing golf
3. Scuba diving in a cave and running headlong into a shark
4. Hiking on a mountain on what starts out to be a sunny day and all of a sudden there's a whiteout
5. Being in an elevator when the power goes off
6. Passing the last exit on the freeway only to be immediately faced with miles and miles of traffic that's completely stopped
7. Crossing an otherwise inconsequential stream when a flash flood appears
8. Visiting relatives in the midwest when a tornado suddenly hits
9. Losing your job immediately after buying a new car
10. Getting pregnant only after starting the "pill".
    

Isn't life funny?

Costco Madness

Every time we go to Europe, or someone we know goes abroad, I am reminded of just how decadent our superstores really are. In most towns in Denmark, you may have to go to 2 or 3 grocery stores to find celery, there is only one brand of any one item and not alot of stock of that either. People go to the market everyday and pick up fresh food items, they don't have piles of canned and pre-packaged food in their cupboards. When you look at store aisles like those in this picture, you realize how spoiled and wasteful we are compared to the rest of the world. It's very good to have that put into perspective periodically to keep us from spiralling out of control.

A trip to the market in France is as much about visiting with the storeowner or other shoppers as it is about shopping. A trip to the store in the U.S. is all about getting in and out in minimal time, or, it's about filling your cart to heaping so you don't have to come back in the near future.

The other interesting thing is what you end up putting in your basket that wasn't anywhere on your list. Back in the 90's, we used to say a trip to Costco meant a $100 bill at a minimum. I think that has become standard these days. You go in for jewel cases to hold DVD's and baggies and you leave with Christmas ornaments, two newly released DVD's, mozzarella & sundried tomato salad and animal cookies. Of course, each of these packages is quite large because that is also a Costco requirement. And these were only the things that were not on the list. Some of the list items were never purchased because the other thing about Costco is that frequently they just don't have what you're looking for.

I dropped off some film and digital pictures of baby boy that were going to be ready in an hour but I'll have to go back to pick them up tomorrow night because there is no way I could resist temptation if I'd stayed for an entire hour. Pitiful but true. Of course, that also means I'll be back in there tomorrow, hmmm.....

Sleep-deprived

There are certain times in your life when you can plan on being sleep-deprived. Some instances are due to the stupidity of youth, it will again resurface should you take on the role of a new parent. Lest you think you have then outgrown your sleep-deprived state, I hasten to correct your thinking. For the women in the crowd, it's called menopause, and the package comes complete with sleep-deprivation, living on the edge (of your nerves and any semblance of a pleasant personality) and visibly sweating when everyone else grabs for a sweater.

You have one of three options to battle this diseased state:

• one is to ply yourself with hormones, thereby plunging your body's chemical balance into an unnatural condition and possibly increasing your chances for singularly unpleasant diseases, or,
• you can do nothing and revel in your clammy uniqueness, or,
  
• you can do what I do and futz around with herbs.
  

Whoever heard of Black Cohosh anyway, would you know it if you saw it? Does it actually help, probably not but I'm unwilling to stop taking it because it could actually get worse!

So, to get back to my sleepy self, I am going to make this a short one on the outside chance I'll actually sleep when I go to bed instead of trying to track all the random thoughts that begin running through my head the minute I lay it down. One of those being, I hope I hear from Kara soon...Good night, Marrakesh!

Politico Mumbo Jumbo

Well, is anybody sick of the political campaigns yet? That's me nodding and raising my hand. I just need to ask; Does anyone tell the truth anymore? Have all of you actually responded to these surveys they keep quoting about who you hate and who you hate more? Does anyone take accountability (can anyone even spell it)? Is it possible not to spin something? Does the press all take holiday when there is no political campaign, mass murder or severe weather to report?

Okay, now that I'm off my soapbox (and no, I'm not handing out buttons or putting signs in your yard) let's move on to a more pleasant subject. How about all the recent vacations or those currently underway as we speak (figuratively of course). We have the aunt and uncle on the Mediterranean cruise that I spoke of yesterday, we have the daughter and friend on the road to Morrocco that I also spoke of yesterday, we have friends cruising down the Yangtzee River in China (the last trip before it is dammed as opposed to damned), I have a sister who just got back from Reno, my boss and his wife recently returned from a biking trip in France, I have a stepdaughter who just got back from New York City, my daughter has friends who just got back from a month in Italy (that one is especially painful...envy, envy) and a sister and niece who recently returned from three weeks in Thailand. Who says the average Joe isn't a world traveler?

In point of fact, for all the traveling we do as Americans, you would think some of that cultural exposure would rub off and our level of tolerance would increase commensurately. However, it seems that we shed all that we learned once we are back home; we lose the appreciation we gained as we learned about the people who live in those places we visit. Now why it that?

In trying to get to the bottom of this, I decided to recount a typical day in my life to see why it might be difficult to retain and apply all that you learn on these trips. So, here goes:

• 5:30 AM - get up
  
• 5:30 - 7:00 - get ready for work
• 7:00 - 7:30 - drive to work
• 7:30 - 8:00 - organize for the day/review the calendar
• 8:00 - 8:30 - return 3-5 voice mails/respond to 20-30 e-mails
• 8:30 - 9:30 - meeting
  
• 9:30 - 10:30 - meeting
• 10:30 - 11:00 - respond to 10-15 more e-mails and voice mails
• 11:00 - 12:00 - miscellaneous meeting
• 12:00 - 1:00 - eat lunch at desk/respond to more e-mails & voice mails
• 1:00 - 2:00 - meeting
• 2:00 - 3:00 - meeting
• 3:00 - 4:00 - meeting
• 4:00 - 5:00 - respond to more e-mails & voice mails
• 5:00 - 5:40 - drive home (possible carpool with daughter)
  
• 5:40 - 6:00 - read mail/change into workout clothes/listen to voice mail
  
• 6:00 - 7:00 - work out/watch movie
  
• 7:00 - 8:00 - respond to more work e-mails/voice mails
• 8:00 - 8:30 - eat something
• 8:30 - 9:30 - blog/read home e-mail
• 9:30 - 10:30 - do more work if assignments due
  
• 10:30 - 11:00 - read to fall asleep
• 11:00 PM - 5:30 AM - try to reenergize to get up and start all over again

Okay, maybe I can see how the vacation time becomes a distant memory very quickly. Regardless, I think we all need to work harder to retain those learnings and to recall them whenever we are challenged by the differences in the cultures of others. At least, I know I do.

The one thing I'm really wondering is just how different are the laws of driving in different cultures. That's probably the area where I struggle most on a day-to-day basis, let's just say it's a good thing there is no loudspeaker to the outside within my car. Although, you can't always blame it on a non-U.S. citizen. Sometimes I've decided there must be other factors, not remotely obvious to me, causing what I see, things like:

• Not using a blinker...EVER
• Not even looking in either mirror or heaven forbid, turning their head before they change lanes
  
• Driving 10-15 mph under the speed limit while looking for something then suddenly stopping in the middle of the street
• Driving so close to your back bumper you can smell their breath because they just know they can get there faster than you
• People driving in rush hour traffic who aren't used to it...enough said.
  
• Sitting at a side street, watching you drive toward them, THEN deciding to pull out in front of you when you're almost there
• Here's a good one, they pull up behind you in an intersection when the light is turning yellow and you are already at the end of the block putting them in the interesection. Then, they start honking at you, apparently certain that if you just try harder you could actually drive under the car in front of you to get out of their way!
  
• Seeing that you are waiting for a parking spot then pulling into it in front of you (TYWANDA! - quote from Kathy Bates in "Fried Green Tomatoes" for those who aren't following)
• Slamming their door open into your car in a parking lot OR scraping the entire side of your car in a parking lot with, of course, no note left behind...I hope they like red!

These are just a few of the pleasures of driving that as I've thought through them, undoubtedly have nothing to do with culture or country of origin. I feel better already and I'm not even driving. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll be much more patient...NOT.

As The World Turns

Do you know that I could spend all day simply trying to figure out why so many crazy options come up on Google Images when you type in a particular phrase. For instance, when I asked for "world turning" images, here is a small list of the wierdness I was provided:

- butterflies
- queen for a day type, complete with tiara
- wood rocks
- Japanese clowns complete with red noses and fans
- some guy turning 111 after drinking a beer a day,
and my personal favorite, I almost used it but it was so disconnected I refrained,
- a urinal.
And this was all within only 20 different screens. Nevertheless, I chose to use an image (something like the final screen shot of "Love Actually") that better represents my theme of the day, which is all that is happening at any given time across the world that somehow connects to you.

There is a brand new member of our family just four blocks away from me. He is sweet, adorable and is growing and changing everyday. Today he is officially 11 days old. Just think if he were a lion cub, he'd be rolling all over the ground with his brother or sister, if he were a fawn he'd be scampering through the woods after his mom by now, if he were a colt he'd be kicking up his heels in the pasture, if he were a baby dolphin he'd be swimming effortlessly through the sea, if he were a baby bird he would be screaming at his mother and father for food and pointlessly flapping his little wing stubs (hmm, this one sort of fits...just kidding).

His aunt is leaving for Morrocco tomorrow, literally almost halfway around the world, where she has great hopes of riding a camel (I wonder what a baby camel is capable of doing at 11 days). She's also hoping for a glimpse of the great Sahara Desert. And, most importantly, she has promised to buy her sister (baby boy's mom) some pointy shoes. She will be chronicling her visit so we all look forward to that crazy footage, her m.o.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch so to speak, baseball playoffs are in full swing (pun intended) working up to the World Series. This is another one of those American presumptions calling something a world competition when the only two countries who participate are the U.S. and Canada and Canada only barely. So, though baby boy's dad and his grammie will be closely following this series, certainly no one in Morrocco knows or even cares about this "world" event.

Baby boy's grandpa takes off for the notorious beach house again this afternoon to survey the progress on said "dry rot" repair. The weather there is expected to remain temperate and dry similar to the expected Morroccan weather. Yet another good thing for backpacking travelers.

Baby boy's great aunt and uncle leave for a 12 day Mediterranean cruise today, beginning in the great Italian waterway of Venice. So while auntie roams on foot around the southwestern section, they will be roaming via water around the northeastern area. One of the sights they most anticipate are the ruins of Turkey (as opposed to a ruined turkey).

Baby boy's great-grandma and great-grandpa are stuck home, literally holding the dogs! But, that's the way they like it. While baby boy's auntie is leaving the cat with the ex's son (I dare you to follow all this). This is only necessary because baby boy's grammie's cat is a demon when it comes to other animals. She is not into sharing or tolerance. With her, it's truly rule or die! Thank goodness the world isn't run by cats like her...or is it?