I’ve Been Tagged

Colby over at Spittin’ (Out Words) Like a Llama tagged me! Now, it’s my turn to spill six things about myself and tag six others. Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you (that= me!).
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post by posting links to their blog sites.
5. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their site.
6. And let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Now, for six things about me…

1. I played the violin for seven years in school.  After spending those seven years fighting everyone who told me I could be great if only I would practice, I quit.  Now, 13 years after leaving high school, I wonder why in the hell I quit.  I even went so far as to visit my old orchestra teacher to figure out how to start again, but found out I was pregnant before I could save up to get a new violin.
2. I despise mice, living or dead.  Yes, this is one area where I’m a “girly girl”.  I will run, scream, do whatever I have to do.  The pest control girl knows this and loves to torment me!  Ironically, before we acquired a fish tank, I thought of getting a gerbil for my daughter.  Really, is there much of a difference?
3. I’m a horrid housekeeper.  It takes a lot to admit this on the internet, but it’s the truth.  I really want to figure out a way to keep my house clean, but I find myself cleaning like a madwoman on Sundays only to have it fall apart throughout the week.
4. Since I’ve started exercising, I’m becoming a morning person.  After being a perpetual snoozer for my entire adult life, I’m actually getting up BEFORE the alarm goes off!
5. I want to run.  This is another side effect of exercising.  I feel great and for the first time in my life, the thought of doing a 5K is appealing to me!  Me, the girl who couldn’t do the mile run in gym class during middle school, who’da  thunk it!
6. I have a jukebox in my head.  Some people get random tunes stuck in their head, I get a song relating to something I’ve been thinking about or observed.  For instance, this week I watched a very short co-worker standing on a milk crate to put bread away.  Before I knew it, “Short People” by Randy Newman was playing in my mind.  If I’m doing something satisfying, liberating, and along the lines I feel I want for my life, “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall is called up.  And on a mushy note, “Follow Me” by Uncle Kracker has been stuck in my head quite a bit as things get back to the positive side in my marriage.  The title of that song is inscribed on our wedding bands.

Now, I have to find six people to tag.  Here goes:

1. Fantastical Imagination
2. The Unfocused Life
3. Stamper Dad
   
4. Virtual Wordsmith
5. Mind Over Mullis
6. The Happy Circumstance

Garage Sale Etiquette

This morning, my sister-in-law and I hit the pavement.  Two local towns were holding their city-wide sales and we’re always in the market for a good bargain.  Hot chocolate in hand, wrapped in fleece, we jumped in my van to see what we could find.  We found quite a few good bargains, but I noticed that we spent a good deal of time griping about some of the sellers.  For that reason, here is a list of (should be) rules for hosting or attending a garage sale.

When attending:

1. Don’t make a total mess of the clothes.  I get annoyed when I see someone just throwing clothes back down after checking the size.  Seriously, you don’t have to fold it well, but if it was folded when you picked it up, fold it!
2. If you don’t like the price but you love the item, ask if they’re willing to negotiate.  A helpful hint, this works best on Saturday later in the morning or early afternoon.  No one wants to pack up all that junk!

When hosting:

1. Let me know you’re having a sale!  You can put a sign in the yard, balloons on the mailbox, or make sure some items are clearly set up for a garage sale on the driveway.  I can’t tell you how many “hidden” garage sales we saw today.
2. If you want people to leave the main roads to your back road, put a bright sign pointing them in your direction.  Not everyone has a map of the city-wide sale participants, and not everyone holding a sale paid to be put on the map.  If you don’t let people know you’re selling your stuff, don’t complain that you didn’t sell anything!
3. DON’T have a garage sale in your garage that is on the backside of a townhouse complex.  No one will see you and you won’t have success.  If you must hold it here, see rules 1 and 2.
4. Mark your items!  I don’t want to guess what you might want for everything.  Part of the time spent having a garage sale is to price items.
5. When marking your items, remember that this is crap you no longer want.  Yes, you want to make some money, but don’t expect someone to pay $5 for something you bought from Walmart for $10.  In the world of garage sales, people are looking for something cheap, and to be honest, half price isn’t cheap when browsing garage sales.
6. Be willing to negotiate on price.  True, you don’t have to, but again, this is crap you don’t want.  If you don’t want it and you see someone who is seriously thinking about it, many times coming down a tiny bit will make the potential buyer think they’re getting a great deal.
7. Don’t come out of the house and tell me all you have is “boy stuff” when I’m looking at the housewares you have.  We’re pretty wise to the world of kids’ clothes.  All blue clothes usually means boy.
8. Pay attention.  We had one sale today where we had to wait for the woman to get done reading a chapter in her book before taking our money.  Not that I would have, but I wonder if she’d have noticed if we left without paying!
9. Have your crap somewhat organized.  I don’t want to be stepping over piles of stuff for sale because you have it all over the place.

Will My Vote Count?

I have to ask myself this question more and more.  The Democratic primary is a heated race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  As of the latest count I’ve seen, there are 307 uncommitted “superdelegates” and the difference in the delegate count is 133.  Even though there are more primaries to come, I think there are many who wonder if the “wisdom” of the Democratic Party has silenced their voice.

In 1968, the DNC changed their policies on seating delegates to take some of the control away from party leaders and return it to the citizens.  This sounds like a great idea.  Knowing that Wikipedia is not a be-all-end-all source for the truth, it was interesting to read about the McGovern-Fraser Commission to see how this change came to be.

If you read the Wiki entry on Superdelegates, it’s interesting to note that the Democrats feel this decision weakened the ticket of George McGovern, who was one of the chairs of the McGovern-Fraser Commission.  In 1982, they felt it necessary to give back some of the power to party leaders.

The more I read, the fewer answers I have about this topic.  I can’t find anything that leads me to believe that this is a fair system.  Let’s face it, whoever wears the most Chapstick to prevent their lips from drying out on the backside of the superdelegates could very well wind up becoming the nominee.

Three Years Tomorrow

Coffee Shop Treats

At the new location, I’m going to be in charge of running the coffee shop in addition to an ice cream counter and two pizza brands.  Yes, it’s a bit unconventional, but it’s what I’m being given.  When I was touring the store last week, the pastries for the coffee shop area looked all wrong.  I was hoping to get some input from my friends in the blogosphere before I recommend changes.  When you go to a coffee shop, what treats do you buy to go along with coffee?

The Beginning of an Interesting Week

Last Monday, my boss called me.  There are going to be some changes at one of the locations of the company I work for.  I was a bit flattered when he talked to me before deciding what he wanted to do.  He needed to know he had someone competent to take over and turn on location around.  We met at that location, talked a bit, he showed me around, and told me it could be a few weeks before anything changed.

Last night, I called to get my schedule for the week.  Apparently the changes have come and I will be transferring after today.  Because I know how much work there is to be done, my head started racing as soon as I found out, causing me to lose some sleep.  I’m actually not looking forward to going in today, no one else knew of the plan for me to move.  My co-manager wasn’t terribly happy last night as he told me that I’m at the other store most of the week.  We have a tight knit group, especially during the day, and there’s part of me that feels like I’m abandoning them.

Along with this surprise move, I’m sure I’ll be meeting with the owner sometime today to iron out the details.  I’ll have to work late at least a few days a week, so I’ll also have to rush to find rides for Khaila.  It’s times like this that I’m glad I live near so much family!  Rick is already out the door to work and is planning on being at work until after sundown.

For the first time, a job I’ve had off and on for almost a decade has much uncertainty.  Part of the appeal to returning after leaving was that nothing ever changed.  That’s no longer true and I have to admit, it’s a bit scary!

How I Spent My Friday Night…

Reading blogs!  My brain is completely fried from being up too late last night, making it nearly impossible for me to form a coherent thought.  At my dad’s, he asked me to repeat part of a sentence and I couldn’t.  Not five seconds after completing my thought, it had left my head to find other thoughts to keep it company.  Rather than try to write, here are some of the blogs I enjoyed:

Missing Inaction – I love the wit of Amy Mullis!  When I grow up, I want to be just like her!
Polygamy: A Top Ten List – Think more wives means more of all the good stuff in life?  Steve reminds us of all the other things, the ones men may put out of their mind.
Livininsanity – A wonderful recap of this month’s blog chain.  Another author whose writing I truly enjoy reading.
Colby Celebrates a Milestone – I will admit, the word llama was what first drew me to Colby’s blog.  I’m glad she’s posted for 100 consecutive days, it’s always a bit of entertainment for my early morning or late night!
Healthy, Green, and Frugal – The name says it all!
Outrageous Brownies – Mmmmmm, brownies!  Yes, I know I’m trying to lose weight, but heck, these look worth the guilt!

And just to show that I haven’t completely neglected my blogging responsibilities, I posted a business spotlight and information about the Earth Day Energy Fair at 53536.net.

Middle of the Night Ramblings

Once again, I see a skyrocket in my stats.  I know where this comes from, and it got me thinking.  The search terms that are put in on days when I have amazingly high stats have nothing to do with the content I’ve written.  It has everything to do with me as a person.

There’s a part of me that wonders if this is why some people choose an anonymous blog and never include the names of family members.  To keep people from getting that close to their private lives.  Yes, there was a time when I made my life an open book online.  Since then, I’ve learned a few lessons and I’m selective about what I share.

Another part of me wonders why I have these spikes every week or every other week.  It’s been almost a year since I’ve talked to any of the particular group that is now checking in on me.  Why now?  Have they been entering my name and my daughter’s name the entire time and it wasn’t until I started blogging that they were able to look in the window of my life?

Why does it matter to me?  Why is there a part of me that would like to remove every reference to my daughter by name?  I know they’re harmless, but it still bugs me.  Why?

Nah.  If they want to keep reading about how we’re doing, that’s their prerogative.  It’s something I knew going in, and months later, I don’t have the energy to waste on trying to make myself more anonymous.

Another Step to Becoming Healthy

Today was my first day without soda.  I’m not experiencing too many withdrawal symptoms other than a killer headache.  I know that’s to be expected, but dang, this hurts!  ALOT!

I know there will be many benefits to not drinking soda.  I’m feeling one of them already.  I’m not nearly as sluggish as I am after a day spent drinking nothing but sugary, caffeinated, zero-nutrient gook.  It’s funny how something we drink to keep us awake can have such an adverse effect on how we feel.  Seriously, I feel pretty good besides the headache that kept me in the dark most of this evening.

Another benefit, I’m taking part of the money I would spend on soda and I joined the local gym.  It’s not nearly as expensive as some others, you don’t have to sign a one or two year contract, and I can go when it’s convenient for me.  That was essential since Rick is working longer hours and I have to have someone to watch Khaila.  I signed up this afternoon, came home to whine about my pain, and after Khaila was in bed and the Excedrin kicked in, I went back down to check it out a bit more.

There were two people there when I got there, a husband and wife.  This is very important to someone who has over 50 pounds to lose and is going into a gym for the first time.  Once I don’t feel as awkward and out of place, it’ll be easier to go in when it’s busy.  The machines were easy to figure out, although I think the computer was wrong, it said I achieved “superior” level for the fitness test.  I was worried about getting bored since I forgot my mp3 player, but they have several television sets mounted to the wall.

If you’re an Evansville reader and you haven’t checked out Evansville Health Club, I encourage you to do so!  Justin was very friendly on the phone this morning, was great in person, and I’m sure my “official” orientation tomorrow afternoon will be informative.

Choosing a CSA

The past year has brought many scares related to the food we eat.  It used to be recalls were something “reserved” for meats, but more and more, vegetables have been the culprit.  Having a young child has changed my view of the world, and now it’s changing my ideas about what we eat. This got me started thinking about joining a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, program.

With my husband’s new job comes new health insurance.  Part of the plan is a wellness incentive program.  With this plan, we can receive up to $300 back from any approved program.  This includes the CSA.  Even at $450 for the season, $22.50 per week, it’s a good deal.  With the rebate, it will be much cheaper than trying to buy fruits and vegetables in the store.  Plus, we will be able to rest easy knowing that we are eating foods that are not coated with pesticides and preservatives to extend the shelf life and accommodate shipping from who-knows-where.

I will admit, I used to pick on people who were so adamant about eating organic foods or did anything I considered “crunchy granola”.  Now, I realize the things they were doing were different from what I was doing, not bad or weird.  I realize they had some great ideas.  Slowly but surely, I’m trying to change how we live in our home to be safer and healthier.

The search for a CSA has not been easy.  I started my search at MACSAC.  There aren’t many south of Madison, which is where I would prefer to find one.  There were two west of Madison, near my moms, that I was interested in, but both are full for the season.  There were others that seemed interesting at the beginning, but as I looked at the offerings, I knew much of it would go to waste in our house.

Finally, I found one that I have contacted and I’m waiting to hear back from.  Scotch Hill Farm is south of Evansville.  I am hoping they still have room.  If they do, we will make the trip to Brodhead weekly to pick up our veggies.  I will update throughout the summer, both my opinions of CSA as we go through our first year and also recipes I come across for veggies we haven’t tried in the past.