I like to think of myself as a pretty upbeat, optimistic person. I definitely have my moments and get a little grumpy (or even a lot grumpy). But I think I prefer to be happy rather than grumpy.
However, today I think I will be a bit self-indulgent and let myself feel grumpy, or depressed, or sad, or all of the above. Just for today. Maybe even just for this morning, I don't know. But I am not going to force myself to be happy . . . not yet, anyway. I think I need to feel this way, even if just for a bit. After all, you really can't appreciate being happy unless you've felt notsohappy. (I was going to make a smiley face, but decided that would be too upbeat and optimisic and I'm trying not to feel that right now.)
So, I shall sit in my notsohappy for a while and be back later with my normal, upbeat, happy self!
Until then, don't have a nice day - grrrrrrrrr. (Is that believable????)
Okay, I saw something on the internet this morning that made me very happy. And then very sad. It's National Donut Day! That's the happy part (if you like donuts). And you can get a FREE donut at Krispy Kreme today! That's the sad part. We don't have Krispy Kreme. The closest Krispy Kreme to us is about 45 minutes away. As much as I would like a free Krispy Kreme donut, I will not drive 45 minutes to get one. It would probably take three gallons of gas, round-trip. At $4.25 (that's what I paid this morning), my free donut would cost me $12.75. That's probably not worth it. Right? And if I drove all that way to get a free Krispy Kreme donut, I certainly wouldn't want to waste my trip so I would more than likely buy an extra dozen to bring home. I'm not sure what that would cost me, but I imagine about $7-$8 -- does that sound right? So, my free donut would actually cost me more like $20.
I could do a lot with $20. I could go to a movie. Twice. I could buy four boxes of cereal. Or I could buy three boxes of cereal and two gallons of milk (cuz you can't have cereal without milk). I could rent about 15 movies for a day from Redbox. I could pay for one-third of a haircut. I could buy 26 rolls of toilet paper.
So, I won't get my free Krispy Kreme donut today. But that's okay. I'll get a psychological high from saving $20!
Happy National Donut Day (which really sounds stupid).
Pay day. Yippee. However, just once I would like to look at my check and see an extra $1,000 in it. Just because. I would love to be surprised by my employer with that extra $ as an expression of his appreciation for the awesome job I do. Of course it will never happen. But, I have this hope . . . maybe fantasy is a better word. I would then take $500 of that extra cash and go to the grocery store and not care that peanut butter costs $6 for a small jar. I would throw it in my cart with abandon! I would get plenty of frozen food so that when my son asks "is there anything to eat?" I would point him towards the freezer where he would have an array of yummy frozen microwavable things to choose from. I wouldn't worry that the price of cereal keeps going up while the box keeps getting smaller. I would pick our favorite kinds and throw them in the cart.
Maybe I just need to be a contestant on Supermarket Sweep (is that still on??).
I love tag! I haven't played it in years! Of course, these days I probably couldn't run fast enough to NOT get tagged! I'd always be "it." Sarah tagged me and asked me to play. Who can resist Sarah? Not me! And this is a fun way to get to know each other!
The rules say that I need to (1) answer 11 questions posed to me by Sarah; (2) come up with 11 questions to ask my "tagees" and (3) tag 11 blog friends (no tag-backs) to answer my questions.
My 11 answers:
1. Do you, or did you before blogging, also write in any other formats? Kind of. I have several journals that I have started (some years and years ago). The idea was to write in them every day, like a diary. I write in them very infrequently, though. Shame on me!
2. Why did you start blogging? This is kind of embarrassing. I am always looking for ways to earn extra money. I have friends who blog and earn money from their blogs. I started my blog with google adsense on it, but they banned me because my daughter kept clicking on the ads! hahaha! Now it's just fun!
3. Do you ever have to stop reading another blog because the grammar or spelling makes you crazy? Short answer: No. I try not to judge by that criteria :)
4. Have you ever met the author of a blog you follow? I know a few of my blogging friends, only because they are relatives or friends. But I have not met any NEW blogging buddies, although I think it would be a blast.
5. What is your all-time best ever thing you ate? That's a hard one. I honestly can't think of a single favorite thing. Although, now that I think of it - - there was a Mexican restaurant that I used to eat at with co-workers when I worked at the District Attorney's office in Orange County, CA. They had the best burrito I have ever eaten! I can even taste it right now as I am typing. Oh drat! I want one!
6. If you had one week and an unlimited Visa card to go anywhere in the world, but you had to spend that week alone, where would you go and what would you do? This one is easy - - if I couldn't take my husband with me, I wouldn't go. Period.
7. What is your one pet peeve of all time? This one's easy, too. People who are late. We are all late . . . sometimes. Some people make a habit of it. And it's really not that hard to be on time. I hate that!!
8. Have you ever visited a place and just "felt" that you belonged there? Everytime we visit my sister and her family in California, it feels "right." We all feel it -- it's the favorite place my children like to go. But it's sad, though, because we don't go there often enough. And I think it's about time for a trip!
9. Do you prefer to have a grocery store employee back your bags or do you prefer to do it yourself? If I did it, I would break the eggs, squish the bread. . .
10. How large was your high school graduating class? Have you ever attended a reunion? I think our high school was the smallest in Anaheim, but we still had several hundred (I think). And no, no way would I ever go to a reunion.
11. How do you feel about salon care? I like professional hair cuts, never had my hair professionally colored, would never get a massage, and no one will ever touch my feet but me!!
Here are my tagees -- visit them - - they are all incredibly insightful and awesome and funny!
1. Nain
2. Tammy
3. Mark
4. Graciewilde
5. Delores
6. Larissa
7. Lisa
8. Kelly
9. LuLu
10. Dana
11. Michelle
Now my 11 questions for each of them --
1. Dogs or cats or neither?
2. Your favorite holiday and why (besides Christmas)?
3. What is the greatest life lesson you've learned so far?
4. Is it easy for you to say "I'm sorry"??
5. What is the one place in the U.S. that you have always wanted to visit? Why?
6. How do you deal with anger?
7. Comedies or dramas? Favorite?
8. When was the last time you laughed out loud?
9. Are you who you want to be? Anything you would change about yourself?
10. Do you have a hero? Who is it? Why?
11. Have you ever lied about your age or weight? In what circumstance?
I'm sure you didn't miss me, but I've been gone for a few days.
Last Saturday I was unwillingly guided to a cave-like place by a little, creepy looking, hairless creature. He left me there. Total abandonment. I thought we were friends, or at least had a mutual respect, but I guess not. I didn't know where I was or how to get out. When I was trying to figure my way out, I was attacked by a giant, disgusting eight-legged freak of nature. I tried to get away, but it was too fast and too big. It pierced me with its pincer-like tentacles and paralyzed me. While I lay there, rendered helpless, it wrapped me in a cocoon and left me there, lying on the floor of the cave, while it went and looked for more prey, I guess. Laying there helpless, wrapped up tight and unable to move or speak, three horrid, big, mutant-faced "things" came and found me. They spoke with some sort of weird accent. They poked at me and I guess they figured I was dead. They picked me up and took me up to where they lived. They dumped me on the floor and talked about how they should eat me. I was certain I was to be their dinner. Just as I was about to give up hope of ever getting out alive . . . in came my best and most loyal friend ever . . . and he saved me. And then we found our way home.
And here I am. I am back.
As I read Sherry's post today I was reminded of an incident at work yesterday. I work in the basement, practically alone. I like it that way. Everyone else is upstairs, where the furniture is much nicer and there are windows. But, honestly, it is so nice having an office down here - away from the noise and drama. Yup, just me . . . and the spiders.
So yesterday morning I picked up a file and a spider scurried away. Actually, "scurry" is really not the word. It practically flew. Ninja spider. Honest. Then it just stood there, on the desk, watching me. Me watching it. It was standing still, yet its legs were moving, and I could see its eyes watching me. Seriously. It was ugly. Very ugly. And the way it moved its front legs reminded me of a crab. Very creepy. I was not going to take my eyes off of it. I didn't want it to get away. I was going to watch it until someone came down to my office . . . no matter how long it took. You see, I spent a week in a hospital after being bit by a spider, so I am not too fond of them. They gross me out. And this one particularly grossed me out, the way it just stood there. Watching me. Creepy.
Finally, after about a ten minute standoff, someone came down. I yelled, "Be careful!! Killer spider!!" I immediately asked him to get rid of (meaning KILL) the spider. He looked at it and said, "wow, it's beautiful!" Beautiful?! Are you crazy?! So, he slipped it under a piece of paper he had in his hand and then walked it out into the hall and let it loose. HE. LET. IT. LOOSE. Right outside my office! Because he thought it was beautiful. Idiot.
And now I have to look over my shoulder because I KNOW it's coming back to get me. Those eyes.
It used to be that if someone disagreed with my opinion or something I said I would start to doubt myself and my position. I would automatically think that the other person was right because everybody was smarter than me. As I got older I realized that my opinion is just that . . . my opinion. And someone else's opinion is just that . . . their opinion. No right. No wrong. You can like people who don't agree with you. You can even love people who don't agree with you. So glad I figured that out!! Opinions rock!!
