Random Tuesday Thoughts: You Really Want Inside This Head?

What is the fascination with "reality" shows?  Which you all realize are as far from reality as a well put together TV show.  When you partially script the actions of the people, then put them in front of the camera, expecting them to do crazy or bad things, well of course the drama ensues and gets crazy.  I was sort of watching the "Dating in the Dark" last night, the last bit where there's the "reveal."  I was sort of like "who cares?"  Which is why I was only sort of watching.  I was multitasking and it was just noise in the background for me.

I am still listening to the pop "mix" radio station to and from work. Not really very mixed when they play the same songs nearly every hour.  A few are thrown in here and there for good measure.  It does remind me that I used to like to go to clubs or dances and dance with the girlfriends.  I miss that.  There's no place or call for nearing 40somethings to go party and dance to teeny bopper music.  I would be so embarrassing.  But lovin' it.

Have you ever thought of taking a vocation vacation?  These really do exist.  You pay inordinate amounts of money to go "try out" a job you aren't doing right now.  Check out this link.  I could use one myself.  What should I be?  Oh, I know, sword maker.

Actually, I love making reproductions of historic clothing.  Can I make a living at that?  I don't know, because the amount of labor that goes into that, not to mention that fabric is no longer all that cheap (in fabric stores; clothing in big box stores are exorbitantly cheap, but we won't go into why that is), I don't know if people could or would pay me what I should be worth.

My husband, you know, the one who is a mite picky about his food (he would disagree), is absolutely begging to go to a new restaurant.  It serves...wait for it....sushi!  Well, he doesn't want the sushi part, he wants to try the hibachi grills.  Kids are set against.  Never mind that they grill the chicken, which they love.  Grilled chicken that is. Not the grill.

And the weather we're having is just perfect.  I want to be at home with the kids on bike rides to the park, the store, around town, just being outside.  But, usually I'm inside with my job.  Oh joy.

Speaking of bike rides, I am leaning more and more towards training for the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI).  My dad did one day in the early years (this was the 1970s) when I was in elementary school.  I don't remember if he liked it or not, just that he did it with my uncle.  I, personally, want to try it all the way.  Mostly because I want to dip my back wheel in the Missouri and my front wheel in the Mississippi.  Seriously, that's my whole motivation.  I am thinking about this bike for an upgrade.  A bit pricey, but I'm thinking I ought to get several years out of it if it's better than the box store kind.  Actually, I found a store that's has them on sale at $539.  Now, to convince the husband.

This year I have been thinking about 40.  It's my next birthday.  Not in the way of "OMG I'm 40, I'm getting freakin' old."  No more like, "I'm 40, I should be able to do whatever the hell I want."  And I want a party or some kind of fun time.  Something pretty splashy that my friends and family would come see or do.  I know if I want to do something, I need to plan it.  My birthday will be on a Saturday, how perfect is that?

Mr. Wild turns 40 this fall and he wants to avoid all the fanfare.  The grey hairs must be getting to him.  Recently, upon leaning in close, I noticed his salty grey along the temples.  It's hard to notice because his hair is reddish blond and if he doesn't wear a beard, you really can't tell.  I see the crow's feet around his eyes.  I love him all the more for it.  They look good on him, but I think he's very self-conscious about it.  I did like though when he announced that he wasn't going to bother keeping the hair up front long to cover his receding hair line.  I felt like shouting, "Good for you."  I think he figures he's pretty lucky.  He likes to point out all the guys our age and younger who are bald.  Not to make fun of, mind you, just that we're so surprised that we've reached that age point, I guess.

Geez, that's about enough for today, and my lunch break is over.

Thursday Goodness

Baby born on 8/9/10 at 11:12 pm.

CINCINNATI --

Terri Riehle was already happy that she was going to have her baby on August 9, 2010 -- 8/9/10."I'm like 'Oh, easy! I won't get my kid's birthdays mixed up. 8/9/10. It'll be easy to remember, good to go!'" she said.But her doctor, Dr. Peggy Heis, noted another interesting possibility."And then just joking, I said, 'Wouldn't that be fun if happened at 11:12?" she said. Watch Report But 11:12 a.m. came and went without a baby."Everybody was making bets and guesses on when she was going to come out," Scott Riehle said.Just before 11 p.m., the labor started getting more intense for Terri."I looked up and it was a quarter till 11 and I said to mom, 'Do you want to wait?'" Heis said."And I'm like 'Let's just get this over with NOW!'" Riehle said.The minutes ticked by, but despite Riehle's pushing, the baby wasn't coming out quickly."And the heart rate was going down. And I said, 'You have to push now. You have to get his baby out,'" Heis said."I looked at my mother-in-law right as the baby was coming out and I tapped her and I started pointing at the clock, like 'Look, Look!'" Scott Riehle said."And baby popped out and I look at the clock and there it was, 11:12. So some things are just meant to be," Heis said."She was set on that time. She wanted to be unforgettable," Terri Riehle said.Ella Rose Riehle almost took the numbers game a bit further. She weighed almost, but not quite, six pounds and seven ounces.

Can be found here: http://www.wlwt.com/r/24592171/detail.html

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Too Much Ranting

So, I was thinking about passion for what you do.  I have passion for raising and being with my children.  I have passion for my family and enjoying my family moments.  I have passion for my husband and enjoying spending alone time with him (minds out of the gutter, I'm talking dinner and a movie).  I have a passion for spending long quality time with my girlfriends.  What would life be without them.  I realized this morning, driving to work, I have lost all passion for my chosen vocation.  Though I don't think it is the actual chosen vocation I've lost passion for.  It is the current position I am in.  This is the feeling that kids get when their passion for learning is squelched by all the teacher and school rules and regulations, when the teachers are phoning it in, even while sitting in front of the class.  I cannot believe that further up the managment chain that those people have the passion I used to have for this job.  They keep shelling out rules, regs, hoops to jump, committees to form to study yet again another thing that we never, ever take action on.  I am tired.  I am also tired of solving all the little problems, both for those I supervise and those that are supposed to be managing me, but really, I spend my time managing them.  I used to think I liked interacting with people, but I think I'm done now.  If I'm going to solve people's problems or the ones they create for me, I'd much rather do it on a small scale and do it for my children and family.

Which leads me to a beef.  I am really sick and tired of health care being tied to a job.  I can't say that I have a better solution than the myriad of the ones out there, but I don't think the current system is going to continue to work.  I wonder if my health care was affordable in the private sector and if it was that way for everyone else, if we'd be staying in these jobs we don't like, or if we'd have more creativity, small businesses and some economic growth because people aren't tied to unproductive boring jobs with health insurance.

The mosquitoes are awful around here.  I hate DEET and it seems to not be working, according to my friends and kids.  Perhaps a more natural alternative might work.  I had a friend say that Burt's Bees Natural Herbal Insect Repellent works well.  It has lemongrass in it and my herb gardener friend says anything with lemon scent should help keep the mosquitoes away.  Lemon balm, lemon juice.  I say it is worth a try and natural to boot.

Anybody out there ever think about packing up your family and doing service work in a foreign country that needs it?  I know that is super risky, but I also feel that my chosen vocation and profession really doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.  I feel like I should make a better difference to the human race.  I should have become a doctor.  I like to solve problems.  Maybe medical mysteries would have been more my style.  Maybe I'd feel I was being more helpful, which might make me feel more fulfilled about my job?  Oh, heck, maybe I should have been a teacher.

That's all I got for today.  Click on the button above for better random choices.

Thursday Goodness

I know that some people disagree and we'll just have to agree to disagree.  But my sense of justice feels righted today.

I would say there is a difference between the legal union in the nation state's eyes and the union advocated by religious organizations.  Religious organizations can still refuse to recognize these unions if they so choose.  However, the nation state, in its attempt to be fair and equal to all peoples who live in this country, cannot withhold this legal standing from a minority of its citizens.  If they do, they are treating that minority unequally.  If you have a religion against it, you have a right to speak out about it, but you do not have a right to deny others equal treatment under the Constitution.

Yes, a little political for Thursday Goodness, but in my heart of hearts it is a step in the right direction towards fairness.

Open letter to Mr. Favre

Dear Mr. Brett Favre,

Not that I care very much about your career.  I didn't care when you "retired" from the Packers.  I didn't care when you moved to the Vikings.  I don't care whether you want to "retire" again.  What I care about is all the stupid hubbub it causes. Do news outlets really need to hash the "Will he, or won't he?" story again?  Could we please not clog up the airways?  I am sure there are many more newsworthy stories out there. (Ok, maybe Lindsey Lohan doesn't count either)

I do want to say, hey, you've reached 40, you're heading for 41, most great atheletes at this time would say, "I've had a good run, now it's time for something else."  Face the music, you're not getting any younger and that body of yours isn't going to last.  We all know it's hard to start something new, but you've had a good career, good money, and I hope you invested it wisely for a day like today.  Because I wish I was in your shoes, with enough money to stop what I'm doing now and try something new.

So cut bait, pack it up, and the next time you hit the news airwaves, maybe it will be for a good cause or something.  That's always worth hearing about.

Sincerely,

A Wisconsinite who doesn't give a rat's ass what you do for your career

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Give Me a Break

Blink.  Trying to stay focused and awake.  Where is that Diet Coke?

Guess what I got to deal with this past weekend?  A husband with a bout of the flu.  The serious flu, influenza kind.  (The other kind could be just as bad, but lasts a much, much shorter time.)  The kind that knocks you down, sends your fever soaring gives you aches, pains, headaches and chills.  Finally, today, he's feeling better.

Funny thing is (or not) we all got both seasonal and the H1N1 vaccinations.

Like my new blog background?  It seems a bit froufrou, but I'm in a froufrou mood.  Love that Cutest Blog on the Block!

Work is back open and I'm madly playing catch up.  It's nice to be back to some semblance of a routine.

Instead of listening to books on CD, I've been listening to the radio station(s) on my way to work.  Now I remember why I quit listening to them.  I get so damn bored.  I flip between four--one NPR station and three mixed pop/rock/today's hits, etc.  At least I get to have that "can't get this damn song out of my head" feeling every night.  There's some fun pop songs out there, but not fun when they play the same ones every hour.  I think there's a rotation of about 20, maybe 30 songs, and they are all the same all day and all night.  Really?  I forgot what it was like to listen to those kind of stations.

Here, let's see what I can get stuck in your head.



I don't think I have any other rants or raves inside me.  Except, does anyone know what the "rockabilly" style is, in regards to clothing?  I'm not sure I quite get what that is supposed to be.

Go, be more random than me.

Monday Garden Club

What the hell do you do with swiss chard?

This:

Flaky crust thanks to some rendered lard from Aliceson:

That was some serious swiss chard, onion, garlic and egg pie!

Too bad for everyone not willing to try it in my house.  I think it's better than spinach in pie.

Froze the leftovers for quick breakfast warm ups.