Oscar Update



Oscar - life is pretty sweet!

 So, we survived after all.  Mabel woke me up as if it were time for her to eat, but in reality it was 2:50 am.  According to her belly, it was apparently closer to 6 a.m., or usual breakfast time.  Somehow I snuck her a few treats and that did the trick so I could go back to sleep.   I should admit that before I went to bed I tried to sneak Mabel a few bites of food while Oscar was upstairs.  I was mid spoonful from the can to the dish when suddenly Oscar appeared out of nowhere.  I was so busted and acted like it. I mean I'M THE HUMAN and yet I acted like a child caught red-handed dropping mom's good jewelry into the toilet or pouring her expensive perfume down the drain (note: I never did either of these...I just made those up). I immediately dropped everything out of Oscar's sight and acted as if I wasn't doing anything, which really is just stupid.  And I have no doubt I looked like an idiot - I know this is true because of the feeling of intense fear I felt when I saw him come around the corner!

So we got up and got to the vet's office around 7:30 a.m.  I was told I could call about noon to check on him, so of course I called at 11:40.  He did okay - but needed FIVE teeth pulled!  Oh my poor baby!  So I was glad I did it because those teeth could've led to further problems down the road.  Marilyn at the office told me I could come get him after 3.  Oscar is known to these girls and the vets for being a patient who really tests their sympathy levels and makes them question why they got into their line of work in the first place.  He is not a good boy...he snarls, growls, hisses and swats at them to the point where they can barely get him in the carrier.  Once in the car, he turns on the charm to me.  "Merr" he says to me from the back seat.  "Mrrr," to let me know he had a very bad day.  "Maaawwwmmm," to emphasize the fact that I should really feel sorry for him (which I did, and I felt responsible for it!)  But by the time we got home, he was so lovey-dovey and grateful to me for coming to pick him up from that place...I didn't have the heart to remind him that I had taken him just that morning.  Instead I just gave him lots of love and took his incredibly loud purring as forgiveness - since I'm quite sure that he did remember I had taken him that morning, but pets don't hold grudges. They are just grateful to be loved.  And for that I am truly grateful. 

OMG...this is so tough!

Howdy all...tonight is so hard for me!  My eldest "child" Oscar is having his teeth cleaned in the morning, and in order to do this properly, the vet has to put him under anesthesia.  Well, as with we humans, this means nothing to eat or drink after 10 pm.  WTF!  I have five other cats who are used to eating anytime, anywhere and apparently constantly!  I have had to take up all food and water, which has triggered some feline form of Pavlov's dog response...you know what I mean - when someone takes away the food, the first instinct is to want the food.  So, these cats are hovering, pawing, scratching and totally grovelling for food.  You would think that they are starving to death, which is not true - not even close.  It actually proves how pathetically spoiled rotten they are...they don't know what it is to go without.  They would never survive on the street.  Stinker used to be able to, but he's gone all soft...literally.  Squishy and, well, fat.

So I have about 25 minutes to go before I am finished at work and can go to bed.  I think that will be my only escape, except for Mabel, who will vocalize her displeasure with the situation until I feed her.  And she has some serious lung capabilities for such a little cat with one eye and a crooked tail.  Well, the lungs aren't really affected by those little whimsical traits of hers, but it often sounds like she swallowed a megaphone.  I can't take Oscar to the vet until 7:30 a.m.!  The morning hours will be super tough.  He usually wakes me up about 5:45 every morning for his first feeding of the day.  I was planning on leaving at 5:46 to have him at the vet's office but we'd be there by 6 a.m. and I don't think anybody will be there yet.  This really bites!  I guess it's one thing to have one cat go without food and drink for 8 hours or so, but when there are five others who aggravate the situation, it just perpetuates into stress for me.  I want to go to bed!  I want to curl up in a fetal position with my head under a couple of pillows and pretend like I'm not there so they won't clamor up around me and try to kill me because they are starving.  Oh and Oscar was just up on the counter scratching at something trying to get at his food but now he is "sharing" my office chair with me.  I have raised Oscar from a baby that in times of trial and tribulation, we can just take a nap and things may or may not be okay when we wake up, but at least we escaped for a little while.  In this case I am hoping for about 6 hours of sleep. 

I'm a little worried about his anesthesia because I have deep-seated fears that he won't wake up.  And then I will be so devastated.  But the vet's assistant assured me when I made the appt that they do these quite a lot, and that they monitor very closely to make sure nothing goes wrong.  Still...I know the risks of anesthesia.  I also tell myself though that with his teeth nice and clean heading into his golden years, it may help prevent him from getting other diseases - abscesses of the teeth which lead to infection, then kidney failure, liver failure, and other organ damage...so I am huge on preventitive ways to stay healthy, for me and my pets! 

So this is turning into a PSA for keeping your cat's teeth cleaned, when really I am dreading the inevitable.  That siren that comes from Mabel's throat is going to be turned on when I try to pretend like everybody just ate like normal and that it's time for bed, like normal. 

So for now I think I've dodged a little bullet, but it's just going to get harder.  I will put food and water back down the second I have Oscar in the carrier so that my poor other kitties who will be wasting away to nothing by then can survive.  Then I can feel sorry for the techs when I turn Oscar over to them.  He is not a very good patient...think John McCain without his laxatives.  The last time Oscar had an asthma attack he spent the weekend in an isolation bin at the emergency clinic, and when I came to pick him up the lady brought him out while she was wearing those falcon-proof gloves and some type of body armor.  I was armed with a tiny blanket from the Humane Society with the picture of a sleeping puppy and kitty on it.  She didn't care - she plopped him into my arms and took off.  I just talked to Oscar and the sweet boy just melted in my arms.  He is a momma's boy! 

Tomorrow should be interesting but first I have to make it through the night...thanks for listening - it's time for bed!!!

The Fur Hat

Hey all...sorry, I did disappear for a while but I never forgot about writing on my blog! I just got distracted a little but I am happy to be back to writing about my boring, yet surprisingly entertaining, life.

A lot has changed.  I am no longer in my apartment of blowing fuses and drunken neighbors.  I am now in the basement of a rental house, where upstairs my mom and sister reside.  Like so many, we have been hit hard by the times, although we all feel differently about how things should be handled.  Mostly we don't talk about it.  Politics, etc.  I am the liberal, and my mom and sister are more rightward leaning, I will say diplomatically.  Aside from getting some bills caught up (awesome, but yes I still have Le Lemon for now), I was able to help them during some rough times - my sister is now working and my mom's getting close to finding something...I feel it.  It's not for lack of trying - even though that's what the Repubes would have one thinking.  She applies for tons of jobs, goes on interviews, and does all the right stuff, so the worry is age discrimination.  Impossible to prove. She's got experience and personality galore and lots of energy, so...fingers crossed!

Anywho, no more drunk neighbors.  Actually not much drinking at all...{frown}.  But I am going to say that, for instance right now what's occurring is that I have a work party tomorrow to which I am taking a veggie pizza.  Well, I am down here working (and blogging) and my mom and sister LOVE to cook, so they are upstairs doing a superb job on my pizza.  Same goes for dinner.  I just sit down here and work...suddenly I hear the magic words - "Dinner's ready!"  Ahh.  Life is pretty sweet right now. In short, the problems I thought I would encounter, I haven't.  The only problem is my sister smokes in the house. I dont think she really gets that it travels through the vents. She thinks it goes away because she cracks the window.  No, it doesn't.

So for Christmas, I have already received a gift from my sis.  A big, furry, fake Chinchilla fur hat. Awesomely warm.  I had it for two days. I got more compliments on it than anything I've ever worn.  So, it's been fun...and did I mention very warm? 

I met my friend at the movie theater in Frontenac.  I had walked into a shop, done a little wandering, ran back out to my car to get my friend's Christmas present, and then back in (picture the little dude in the cartoon when he travels all over rather than taking the straight path...what's the name of that?  Oh yeah - Family Circus.)  Anyway, movie's over.  Fair Game, if you're wondering and yes I left incredibly frustrated.  Then, off to the restroom we go, then on out to our cars.  I reach into my sleeve to get my hat, but wait - my arm is in my sleeve!  So that means...where the hell is my hat?  Oh boy...backtracking.  Nowhere to be found.  I am so bummed because I had my hat all of two days, and here I had been working so hard to prove to my family that I am NOT irresponsible.  Yet...there it is.  One guy I work with at my part-time job called it "road kill."  Another kept asking me about it's digestive tract and dingleberries. Really?  I mean, it had some little balls of fur at the end of the strings to tie under my chin and, which I now realize, is probably a good way to not lose the hat.  The reality is...it's gone. 

Now, this may not be a big deal, but let me add that it's heartbreaking.  My sister has taken a job where she's not making as much as she's used to, but she is feeling good about being able to get gifts for us this Christmas, etc, and is very good at budgeting, so for her to be able to get this hat for me is more than just buying a hat.  I just didn't have the heart to tell her that I had been such a goober and lost it.  So, I did what any grown woman would do...

I told my mom.  She told me where my sister got the hat, but I called her from the store and said they were completely out and the lady I asked said they didn't have any more.  Of course. 

My mom did what mom's do.  She fixed it.  By the time I got home, she had gotten online and ordered me another hat - exactly the same one - which will arrive in a few days.  Ahhhh...when it gets here, the first thing I think I will do is take it to get it microchipped. 

Stinky Followup

Stinker's not doing so hot...I mean, he feels okay but he's still shaking his head and his ear still rattles,so he's not getting better. Want to know WHY he's not getting better? Because pills and cats don't mix. Yeah, they make Pill Pockets, but you can maybe get one or two, three tops, good uses out of those things and then they catch on. I tried putting the hairball gel around the pill and cramming it into his mouth. Then there's the pill shooter, where I practically performed an endotracheal tube placement while pushing the pill into his throat. Ahh! Finally! Nope. There it is on the floor, or my sleeve, or in my hair. WTF???
So a call to the vet's office may help. I am going to try the liquid form of the antibiotics. Screw the steroids. I can't do all of this. I mean, Stinky weighs 23 pounds! Why can't cats be like dogs and just eat everything in site (okay maybe not broccoli) and be super-happy about it? I mean, dogs can eat cat poo from the litter box and not see a problem with that. How is it that two types of animals can be so different in such a basic needs category?
I know all those funny things about giving pills to cats circulate on the internet and through emails. I hope someday to laugh at those things when they come around again, but for right now I have to go pick pieces of pill out of my hair.

Stinky

Poor Stinker had to go to the vet today because his ears are bugging him. This is the first time he's been to the doctor in years, and I was sort of dreading it because...well...he's quite enlarged. He weighed in at a hefty 23.4 pounds and I sort of glanced around waiting for the obese police to lecture me on letting him get to this point. All there really was though was a poster on the wall showing what your pet should look like from above. Well, Stinky wouldn't have even fit on the poster, so that's not a good comparison.

He did super though. He got his nails trimmed and got the mats cut off his back by his tail, where he can't reach. Overall they were very kind and didn't make me feel like a bad cat mom at all! Apparently, after all, taking my cat to the vet is really all about me, is it? I need to get over myself.

He has an ear infection, so now I just need to get a grip with giving him his medicine. We'll work it out, but the less I have to try to rassle him or get him in a headlock the better - mainly because we look like sumo wrestlers and that's not a pretty site. We aren't wearing diapers though.

Communication...

So one of my co-workers, Patrick, was out sick yesterday. I welcomed him back today with a one-word email, which I knew he would appreciate. It simply said, "Faker."

Not 30 seconds later, he responded as efficiently with one word to me, "Bitch."

I never use this word, but this is the only way I could explain my reaction - guffaw. I literally guffawed loudly. You gotta love efficient communication that can create a great belly laugh.

Book Titles

I feel I'm pretty clear about the fact that I am a liberal, a Democrat, a Progressive - choose your favorite, but to understand why I am not always a fan of Republicans - at least those who are intent on keeping much-needed change from happening in our country, I have to share an email I received from a friend of mine, and here it is...The Worlds Shortest Books:

THINGS I DID TO DESERVE THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
by Barack Obama
____________________________________________
OTHER BLACK PEOPLE I'VE MET WHILE YACHTING
by Tiger Woods
___________________________________________
THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY COUNTRY
by Jane Fonda & Cindy Sheehan.
Illustrated by Michael Moore
________________________________________
MY CHRISTIAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS &
HOW I HELPED AFTER KATRINA
by Rev Jesse Jackson & Rev Al Sharpton
_______________________________________
THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BILL
by Hillary Clinton
________________________________
Sequel:
THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HILLARY
By Bill Clinton
___________________________________
MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE
by Osama Bin Laden
__________________________________
THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD
by Bill Gates
____________________________________
THINGS I WOULD NOT DO FOR MONEY
by Dennis Rodman
_________________________________
THINGS WE KNOW TO BE TRUE
by Al Gore & John Kerry
_____________________________________
AMELIA EARHART'S GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC (Shermie's note: that's just wrong...)
___________________________________
A COLLECTION of MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES
by Dr. J.. Kevorkian
__________________________________
TO ALL THE MEN WE HAVE LOVED, BEFORE ......
by Ellen de Generes & Rosie O'Donnel
____________________________________
GUIDE TO DATING ETIQUETTE
by Mike Tyson
_____________________________________
THE AMISH PHONE DIRECTORY (Shermie note: I kinda like this one...)
_______________________________________
MY PLAN TO FIND THE REAL KILLERS
by O. J. Simpson
_________________________________________
HOW TO DRINK & DRIVE SAFELY
by Ted Kennedy
______________________
MY BOOK OF MORALS
by Bill Clinton with introduction
by the Rev. Jesse Jackson

*******************************************************
AND, JUST ADDED:

COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF MILITARY STRATEGY
By Nancy Pelosi

Okay - me again. And obviously my friend is a Republican...some of these titles could be considered sort of funny, but most are not. So, with my little tiny narrow brain going and going, I decided to come up with a few titles of my own and responded with the following:

"Want to Come Hunting with Me?"
My Little Black Book of Hunting Buddies
Written by Dick Cheney

English Pronunciation Made Easy
by George W. Bush

Bill O'Reilly's Tips on Good Listening

Parenting Skills
by Sarah Palin

How to Ask "What Would Jesus Do?" And Then Do the Opposite
Intro by Pat Robertson

"We Republicans Love Our Country (But We Hate Obama More)
A Guide to Obstructionism in DC...Just Say NO to Democrat Ideas Without Offering Any of Our Own"

Rush Limbaugh's Dieting Tips

Glenn Beck's Secret to Saying Whatever He Wants (But Whining When Others Do Too)

"We're Already Rich So the Economy Is Fine"
by Karl Rove, Republican Strategist

"How to Take Care of the 'Little People' and Other Postmortem Thoughts"
Kenneth Lay, Enron

"Mommy, Why Do the Republicans Hate Poor Children and Compare Them to Stray Animals?"
South Carolina student turned down for lunch program

"Fox News Guidelines on Reporting the Truth"

I feel quite proud of my list, so I thought I would post it here. If anybody has any to add, I'd love to hear from you - not so much if you're a RePUBICan.

Better get going...time for bed.
Bye for now!!!

Halfway through January...wow.

Well I am not doing well with keeping up on my day to day musings from this book on thoughts and stuff. I have been having computer problems, and by computer problems I mean I haven't really felt like doing anything lately, including writing, which I miss.

Now I am swamped with work for tonight so I am thinking that maybe over the weekend I can get something going again!

Whew - this month is flying by and I have nothing to show for it. That really sort of pisses me off, but I am going to go easy on myself for that. Anyway, better get back to work and see ya in a few days...oh, and when I have more time I have a pretty funny story for you, so if I forget, remind me to share that!

Bye bye!

Oooohhh...it's SNOWING SO MUCH!!!

Hey folks!

The snow is really coming down tonight. I will have to make a snap decision in the morning on whether to make the trek to the ole part-time job. We'll see on that. On another note, Republicans are mean-spirited and selfish. That's all I'm going to say. For now.


So, here we go. Let's look at the next question here and see what's up. Where the hell did I put the book? Here it is...okay.


Oh boy. I see the word "dignity" in the question, which immediately leads me to believe this question is going to be a drag. Well I would have to say that, yes, I do believe that dignity is only lost when it is surrendered. My question to you is, is dignity something that you have to count on others to recognize? I never hear people say they are proud of their own dignity, you know what I'm saying? But in my mind, dignity equals integrity. Whew. Too heavy of a subject!


So now the book asks for specific examples of people that come to mind who have not compromised their dignity, or surrended it, when under attack. The first person who comes to my mind is President Obama. Back when he was the presidential candidate, there were so many times that people came at him, and even more now as president, and I feel that he has not compromised his dignity by sinking to the levels of those who attack, not to his face of course, but through the media or talking heads whose only job really is to criticize.


Another person would of course be Martin Luther King, Jr. and one of my personal favorites, Eleanor Roosevelt, and all those who have fought for and continue to fight for civil rights, women's rights, human rights, gay rights, and equal rights for all...

In trying to think of someone I know personally, well...people in my life personally are not people that I think of as having their scruples attacked by others, mostly because I try to surround myself with those who have no scruples. Hee hee. Hell, I don't know. I feel the people I know personally stand up for their beliefs but as far as when I'm around them, I don't see them being attacked, ridiculed or assaulted based on those beliefs. As far as for myself, well that's easy - I have no dignity. Maintaining dignity can be uncomfortable and really really hard. I am more about keeping peace and just trying to make people comfortable, maybe get some cheap laughs. So I usually bite my tongue to keep myself or anyone else from feeling uncomfortable. On the other hand, I am trying to educate myself on topics of interest because without the knowledge to back myself up, I certainly won't speak up. I learned that speaking without the information needed means I am relying on emotion to get me through what could become a heated discussion, and emotion is not enough to carry one through... keep that in mind, people. It's true what they say - knowledge is power!

I just wish my brain wouldn't be like a spaghetti strainer and that the knowledge I take in wouldn't be like those stray noodles that slip through the little holes and down the drain. Sometimes it's just not retrievable at the moment I need it, so what good is that? Should I go back and find the person I was having a discussion with the next day and say, "So, remember when you said what you said about such and such? Well...what I meant to say about that was..." That is just idiotic.


I, like so many others, learn most of what I know from The Daily Show, and I love the Rachel Maddow Show on msnbc. She is liberal, but she is very smart and doesn't just go looking for reasons to dog Republicans (not that it's hard to find them). She offers REAL information, not just made up hateful spewing of rhetoric that is so easily found elsewhere. So I highly recommend watching that show too.


Well I am rambling now. I still have an hour and 45 minutes left of work, and frankly my brain is not wrapping around my work responsibilities right now! I guess I should get back to it though.


Oh - the latest drama regarding "Le Lemon" Mercedes - no drama. The guy at the garage says, "It'll be okay to check it tomorrow." Oh. OK. They are good there. He didn't even have to look at it. "But sir, don't you know, it's 'Le Lemon'?" It is famous! And he said he could replace the headlight that's out too. Poyfict. So tomorrow then...if I am not snowed in, which would be wonderful because I have ice cream and white cheddar cheese popcorn in my house.


Time to get back to work, so we'll meet back here again...you guessed it - TOMORROW! Here's to getting snowed in...

Nighty night.

Jan 5 - is it February yet?

So apparently some big snow is coming our way...and of course guess what happened today? I am driving home from the part-time job in "Le Lemon" Mercedes and all of a sudden it feels like I'm not in gear and...HELLO!!! My "check engine" light comes on...holy crap. Really, car? I thought we had established a friendship after the initial rough start to our relationship. Dammit. So I am sputtering along, turn onto a side street, pull into a parking lot and just turn it off. Then when I turn it back on it sounds and feels normal...whatever that means...and so I proceed to head on home. Of course the "check engine" light was on the whole way, so I will have to take it in and have it looked over...please 2010, be kind to me and don't let it be something that costs a lot. PLEASE!!! So, positive thoughts...positive thoughts...ohhhhhmmmm.

Now, on to today's question...do I feel that I live my life to the fullest and if not what can I do to change that? Well of course I don't feel that I live my life to the fullest. That would involve some form of effort I think. For example, while driving home today with my "check engine" light on, I sure didn't want to miss my nap. I mean, let's think about this for a moment - what does living life to the fullest really involve? If I love naps and I got to take a nap, then I guess I am living my life to the fullest. Who determines what a full life consists of? If I'm not out saving lives or squeezing selfless activities into every waking moment, does that mean I'm not living my life to the fullest?

Well, I am finished for the night. My sinuses are acting up like crazy and I have to take "Le Lemon" in to have it checked out first thing when I wake up, so I am calling it a night. I may explore this particular topic more again later, but for now it has the potential to depress me so I am choosing to ignore it if you don't mind. Please send me any of your thoughts regarding whether you are living your life to the fullest, and if you understand exactly what that means. Could I be doing more? Of course I could...but not right now because it's bedtime.

Sayonara!
Shermie

Jan 4 - where does the time go?

Holy cow...already January 4. So far not much has changed in the new year, but I guess 4 days does not a lifetime make. So things will pick up. Definitely once this friggin' cold snap passes, although I do love the cold! I believe my retirement years will be spent up in Michigan somewhere, preferably with a good view of a lake and a nice fireplace. And a leopard pattern Snuggie.

So, here we go with the next question/post topic. Ummm...let me get my handy dandy book and read what's next. This should let you know I don't give much pre-thought to what I am going to say since I haven't even opened the book yet today. Right now Mabel is ripping and tearing again throughout the apartment, doing the cartoon-cat thing where she spins here wheels and does the Starsky and Hutch slide, starting in one direction and ending up at a 180 degree turn facing the opposite direction. She is SO cool!!! Taz is being intimidating to my super-dramatic baby Oscar (he's 12 and a mama's boy all the way around). He's been with me through a lot of stuff - moving all over the country, falling off balconies and out 2nd story windows (him, not me), and a couple of breakups with boyfriends (me, not him)...what a pal. He's pretty cool too. I'll talk more about him some other time.

Now, on to the topic. It says something about not following through even though I thought I was very capable of doing whatever that might have been. Hmm. By the way, I am doing question #10 today since I skipped it and apparently went right to #20 yesterday. I guess this is going to turn into just a random guessing game!

So, yeah, sure...in high school I wanted to try out for the hockey cheerleading squad. I had zero self-confidence though, so I was a complete chicken. Of course in 6th grade I thought I could play clarinet and then they were going to put me back with the 5th graders because I apparently sucked at the clarinet, so that knocked me down a notch when I couldn't really afford to be knocked down even half-a-notch. So I quit that. I really only wanted to play in the band so I could get out of the last part of class on certain days anyway, so there. But I thought I was pretty decent and found out that was not the case. The high school hockey cheerleading thing was different though. I practiced a lot even though I didn't really know what I was doing. I wasn't a slim girl, but come on, it's HOCKEY! It's cold...even a cheerleader should have some meat on her bones to keep her warm under the bulky sweater! But I never made it that far because I basically talked myself out of it before it ever really got going. It's not a major decision that I regret every day of my life, but it could've changed the course of my life. I might have developed my self-confidence a little earlier, or I might not have made it and it could've turned me into a bitter person before my 20s, let alone my 30s.

Speaking of high school, I didn't really ever fit in where I went to school. That's a long story though, one I am saving for my "book" that hopefully will be finished some time this year. Anywho, one thing I remember is a girl who befriended me when I really needed it. She was a bit of an odd duck, and by that I mean that when I think back and remember her, I could swear she was at least 25 or 30 years old. I know she was totally into The Rocky Horror Picture Show and went every weekend when they used to show it at the Tivoli at midnight or whatever. One day she brought to school with her an anatomically correct Franken Furter (sp?) doll, which I thought was a little weird, but I respected her passion for the stuff. She was very tall - probably 6 feet tall, had long blonde hair and acne, and sort of a deep voice. I can't think of her name right now, but she was cool to know.

So this is what journaling is you guys - you start out talking about something you maybe didn't have the courage to do but know you had the capabilities, and you end up thinking about an obscure person in your life who obviously was more important to you than you realized. The mind is a cool and freaky maze of memories from the past, ideas for the future, and hopefully you have the presence of mind to appreciate what's happening in the moment.

Well I guess that's the scoop for today! Be sure to share any of your thoughts, memories, plans or just present day appreciations with me - I would love to hear from you!

Take it easy all - we'll chat more tomorrow!

oops...

Missed day 2. I was so tired - sorry about that! That pesky work sure gets in the way of my blogging, which I love doing much more but unfortunately it doesn't pay, well, anything. So work must come first for now!

So I am reading through this book and I realize if I follow the journal suggestions in order from 1-300, it would suck because clumps of the questions are basically about the same topic. So I am going to go 1, 10, 20 to 300, then back to 2, 11, 21, etc. It's already getting more complicated than I care to put the effort into, but who cares if we change the rules down the road, right?

So day 2 (we're still calling it day 2 even though I didn't have the mental energy to blog yesterday), we are covering the topic of being unfairly criticized. I am going to go out on a limb and say that this has really never happened to me. If it has I have blocked it out of my memory and even though these journal sparks are probably supposed to jog things like this out of memory, this didn't do it, so I am going on the premise that it just really never has happened. Now if, by say day 10 of this new blog style, I remember something, then I will definitely refer back to this day and say, "You know? What the hell - I was criticized for blah blah blah? Not fair!" I may just be in too happy of a place at the moment to remember things that made me unhappy. I should say though that I have probably actually criticized myself unfairly more than anyone else ever has. But I think most people do that...of course the ones who don't are the frustrating people for the rest of us! Everybody knows someone like that - they think they are fine and the rest of us are bumbling fools or jerks. Hmmm...actually I can think of several people I know.
Are these journal entries supposed to be cleansing? I might have to re-think this crap.

In the meantime, I have the same New Years Resolution as every year - to get myself in financial harmony and to get back in shape. It never happens but if I keep spending and eating the way I have been the past week or so (by so I mean year) , then I shouldn't be surprised. So we'll see. And I'll leave it at that. I have to leave it at that because my friend is coming over and we are going to the Rams game today. Somehow the company tickets made their way down the food chain to...me. Well me and another lady who is bringing her husband. We just split them up, 2 and 2. I think it'll be fun - the seats are about 20 rows behind the Rams bench, so maybe the fun part won't be watching the game, but rather the shenanigans that take place along the sidelines! Maybe a cheerleader will fall down or something...that would make me guffaw with delight.

So I should be back on track for tomorrow! Looking forward to seeing you here too...now Mabel, my cat, apparently just took her morning dose of kitty crack and is ripping and tearing all over the apartment chasing a plastic milk ring! Oh to be so easily entertained...but wait, I am that easily entertained! Life is good people, life is good.

Take it easy!

Day 1 Continued

Just kidding on that last entry! I thought maybe that would get your curiosity flowing on what the question was! Hee hee - a little Shermie joke for you guys...now I'll continue and I promise not to pull that crap again.



The answer is absolutely true - yes I have absolutely committed this heinous act, but in my defense it wasn't for the wrong reasons. In my life I haven't always had the most confidence in many areas, but in my abilities to do good work, learn quickly and be dependable for my work responsibilities, I must say that I always had a pretty good sense about my capabilities and have actually taken it very seriously. However, there were times when I took on too much and didn't ask for help when I probably should have. The only person who really suffered from that though was me...I basically was a workaholic and probably could still be considered such if I were to allow myself to fall back into those habits. I guess I don't look at it as overestimating what I can do...I just look at it as wanting to do a good job.



This folks, is why I have tried to adopt the opposite style in my life...aim low. Then whatever you do accomplish feels great! I highly recommend it...

See you guys tomorrow...for day 2. I guess I'm sort of copying the "Julie and Julia" idea, but when you have low amounts of focus as I do, having a guideline to follow can only help! Make sure to give comments and, again, the name of the book I am following is "Journal Sparks" by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ. Join me!

Bye bye -
Shermie

Day 1

Dudes, some of these are quite thought provoking, not a strong Shermie quality, so I will do my best here.

So, here we are on day 1, question 1...January 1, 2010: Yes.

HAPPY 2010!

Hey Friends!

Happy 2010 - this is going to be an awesome year...I can just feel it in my creaky bones. Or maybe I just feel arthritis - not sure yet.



So here at Life with Shermie, I am going to take on a little project that involves you all. I recently purchased a book called "Journal Sparks" and in it there are 300 topics or questions on which I am going to comment every day - I am just going to comment on them, not actually repeat the questions/topics on the blog, so I hope you guys will find a copy of the book and follow along - but more than anything I hope it inspires you to comment to this blog or even start journaling yourselves! The fun part is that if you don't have the book, you have to try to figure out what the hell I am talking about in my rambling Shermie way, so I guess that could be a little entertaining in its own way...however it works for you! I am excited about it~I hope it's fun for you guys too.



Okay...I'll be back with the first entry...see you soon Shermites!