Wednesday, June 29, 2005

something brilliant

Have you ever thought of something wonderful to write about, kept the idea in your head all day long only to have it fly away when you sit down to put it on paper?

Yeah, that happened tonight.

Thankfully, as I was typing the title, which would have been in reference to loosing something brilliant, it triggered something and I remembered what I wanted to blog about. So, the title is not a sad reflection on something lost but rather a lovely reflection on the events of last evening.

Last night I went to a baseball game. Those of you who know me well are very aware that I'm not a sports fan and that social events with more than three people are not usually my style. I went anyway. Our group from church was singing the national anthem and someone whose judgment I now question in the slightest said I could sing with them. I had never sang the national anthem as part of a featured group before and thought it would be fun.

Darn that "I want to experience life" part of me.

Ended up that Nathan (my brother) got back in town late Monday night and had nothing better to do. Nathan is a curious sort and he can still surprize me with the activities he picks to participate in, but that is a whole other post. I picked Nathan up, we had some dinner and then headed to the ballpark.

It was a lovely evening. The sun was still out, no jacket needed kind of weather. We sang and the game began. To be honest I spent most of the first five innings standing in line for snacks, playing with Will and Kayla and taking to the others who had come. All the time thinking I would stay until about nine and then head home.

Just before nine half of the Meyers clan decided to leave (Will being four and Kayla one, they don't really have the attention spans yet) and I was left with Jake under guard as they went to load up. Scott told Jake as he was walking out "If if starts to rain remember your jacket." I think he's a prophet because not two minutes later I see raindrops.

And then the flood came.

Not of water but of people. Sure, the rain came down pretty good, but the flood of people running to get out of the stands and under some sort of protection was far more amazing to watch. We all stood around, wet and cold, waiting to find out what would happen. This was the point that the fair weather fans left. Nathan said he wanted to wait and I still had Jake to look out for until his dad returned, so I stayed put. After twenty minutes or so it let up and they pulled the tarp off the field. It was time to play ball... again.

Nathan wanted to stay so we ended up staying. I'm glad we did. After the rain the game got good. At the middle of the sixth (or rain time) the game was tied. Then, the Sox got into gear and went from a 5-5 to score 9 runs in one inning and several more in the next two as well. One player (Chew, that's his first name, spelling may vary) hit two home runs with bases loaded and he accomplished "running the cycle" (or playing the cycle or something). Scott was trying to educate Dara and I on the game by explaining this. Apparently it rarely happens and we saw it!

Anywho, we beat the Fresno butts 25-6. We got to see lots of good ball playing by the home team and a few fireworks to boot. I'm glad Nathan and Dara convinced me to stay.

I know there are a whole lot of lessons that could be pulled out of that, but I'm going to leave it as a nice little story about a great ball game. I'm too tired to do elsewise.

Three cheers for the great American pastime.

Monday, June 27, 2005

will they show up?

I'm sitting here at Panera waiting for the rest of the writing group to arrive. Granted it's only 5:55 and we aren't meeting until 6, and I'm early, but I still get nervous. What if no one shows up? I look pretty funny sitting in the community room all alone!

I haven't been to one of these get togethers since, well, November. Wait, we had a party in December that I went to. I've been busy with other things. But I want to be a part of this group and thankfully, being the bunch of creative people they are, they don't mind if I'm flakey about showing up. I wish the power outlet was closer to the door, then I could see if anyone shows up, but as it is, I'm stuck near the back wall. Poor planning on Panera's part.

Someone had better show up. Not that I couldn't use two hours to work on my writing. Heaven only knows how sadly neglected it has been over the last few months. But I do have a million (sadly, that is almost literal) other things I need to do that are a bit more time sensitive. Like painting dad's house. I couldn't paint over the weekend because dad wanted to sleep in his room. I can't grudge him that but I did lose hours of great painting time. I could have had the bedroom almost done by now. Tomorrow I have a ball game (we are singing, imagine that) and Wed is tutor training at the library. So, really, I don't have two hours to spend here by myself. And for the almost $9 I spent I would have rather had Red Robin (yummy watermelon limeade and poppy seed honey mustard sauce!!).

It's 6:02 and I'm still alone. There is hardly anyone else in the place except employees. Funny, I was feeling rather anti-social today (didn't make a single phone call!) but now that I'm here, I want other people to be here as well. Chalk another one up to my finicky temperament.

I'd like to take a moment to comment on the food. Not realizing how unhungry I was, I should have gone with just the soup. The baked potato isn't as good here as it is a Bear Rock Cafe, but it's good. I got the half sandwich and soup combo with a chicken salad sandwich. I like their chicken salad but it needs pepper, lots of pepper. Maybe I should have done a bagel and soup, that would have been nice as well. Too late.

Okay, it's 6:06 and I'm still alone. Wait, I think I know that person, but she's walking out. Maybe they reserved another part... Guess I'll have to go see.

Later!

Saturday, June 25, 2005

what I meant to say

So, Father's Day came and went. I had wanted to post something wonderful about my dad. Instead, I spent much of the day hanging out with him. Since that didn't work out (to post) then, I decided to say something about him now.

As far as dad's go, I've got a great one. While I haven't always agreed with him there has never ever been a doubt in my mind or heart that he loves me. I remember a camping trip with my youth group while in junior high. It was me, another gal, one of the guys and the youth leader and his wife (small church, what can I say). We were having some problems with tents and fires and whatnot. I made the comment that "I wish my dad were here, he could fix everything." I'm a Daddy's Girl to the core.

Growing up, my dad provided some stability in contrast to the world my mother presented. I won't go into it, but dad stuck around for us kids. When my parents divorced, I called my dad in tears and asked if he had found an apartment and was there enough room for me. He told me later that he knew things would be okay because his kids still loved him and would choose him

When I had used my last dollar from my college account and still had a year and a half left to finish my degree, dad was there to help out. I recall I was in tears that time as well because I didn't know how I was going to pay for school. Thanks to my dad's parents and dad, I graduated with no school debt.

While I've done some not so smart things in life, my dad has always been there to help me crawl out, give me guidance if asked and love me no matter what. Yes, we have our differences. Living with him drives me up the wall. But I love him and he loves me.

My dad has set a great example for his kids, has given me roots and wings and everything else a father could hope to pass on to his children. A good head on my shoulders, a sense of purpose, kindness, world smarts and a lot of other things that would take too long to list.

Yes, I have a wonderful dad. I'm so very very very thankful that he is mine. Even if I have to share with Vicky, Carin and Nathan, he's still my dear ol' dad.

Friday, June 17, 2005

running on empty

I keep wondering when I'll hit the wall. I don't think my headlight is in good working order and I'm sure that any moment I'm going to go splat.

Watch out everyone!

Work is keeping me really busy. It's weird, it's not like the work was never there, just the work I was doing was more waiting than doing. Now it's doing. Time flies when there is more stuff to get done than time to do it. And not only am I doing more, I'm staying more hours because we just have to get the work done. Remember, this is a test, and the more we show that we are needed to do the work the more likely the team will become official. The head only looks at numbers so he won't care that we started 500 phone calls in the hole or that we are understaffed by at least two. Nope, he'll just look at the final numbers. So, I feel a great burden to help get those numbers where they need to be (which, by the way, isn't a set place, go figure!).

With all that, moving, home repairs and now training to be a tutor with the libraries literacy/language program, I'm swamped. I should be sleeping right now but I wanted to post something. Hopefully I'll be able to think of something grand in the next day or so. Maybe a tribute to my dad.

I hope that you all are having a much calmer, quieter summer than mine. Go, enjoy the day tomorrow, it's is supposed to be lovely. I'll be working (at work then at church and then at home!). C'est la vive!

Monday, June 13, 2005

reach for the stars

Here's something I discovered today and I thought, "wow". Hope you enjoy it as well.

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." - C. S. Lewis

I'm pretty busy these days helping fix up dad's place so I can move back in. There is a lot of work to be done including painting (now that the nasty wallpaper is gone) and putting in a new floor downstairs. Mostly I need to get the floor and downstairs painted but that's not easy when all of dad's stuff is still there and he's traveling all the time. So if I'm MIA for a few days at a time, don't worry, I'm just working on home repairs.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

moving on up

It's official.

I'm moving.

Back to dad's house but mostly minus him. This world is crazy if nothing else.

I'm also giving some serious thought to joining the Peace Corps. The more I look at what they do, the more I think it's one of the few places around that could actually use my skills and meet many of the qualifications I have for "work". That's a dirty four-letter word, I know. Expect to hear more in the coming months.

My little brother is creating a resume so he can include references for a job he's applying for. Sad to think that by his age, I'd been in the workforce for almost seven years in some fashion, paying taxes, the whole nine years. The baby always gets off easy.

Okay, to bed, to bed. I gave blood today and I'm a bit weary.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

stupid is as stupid does

If you are easily offended, stop reading now. I'm not trying to offend, I'm just trying to make a point. Since I've received hate calls in the past, I want to say up front if you can't read and get the point (ie, that I'm not really poking at individuals but the ideas or lack thereof that individuals represent), then go to some nice little blog where you won't be tempted to be offended. I hold that if words offend then you need to look at the why, not point at the messenger! If you are okay with all this, read on.

It's not hard to believe that humanity is inherently evil, I can understand the reasons for that. But why humanity insists on being inherently stupid, that I have trouble understanding.

I see it daily. When I was on the phones at work full time, I talked to stupid people on every other call or so. I had a lady once tell me we had been charging her credit card for the last six months when her card had expired seven months prior. She didn't believe me when I told her we are unable to pull from an expired card. She called me a liar. I told her, as nicely as possible (since you can't yet reach through a phone cord and smack someone) that if she wanted to mail me copies of her credit card statements with our charges highlighted I'd be glad to give her credit for it. She hung up and we never heard from her again.

I had another man tell me that everyone at work must be stupid because they thought a rosary was a necklace. He didn't care that we aren't Catholic and most Christians have never seen (nor do we have much use for) a rosary. They look like bracelets or necklaces and we use a generic letter to let people know gifts under $10 were given to local charities. He insisted that we were dumb to have given away something so priceless. He of course wouldn't take any responsibility for sending the item after we told him it couldn't be given to the child, no, it was all our fault.

We receive mail everyday with the most absurd sediments. Yesterday, we got a piece returned (it was a receipt, necessary by law to send) saying if we didn't take them off our list they would alert the Attorney General of El Paso, Texas to our flagrant disobedience of something or other. Let me get this straight. You gave us a donation, of your own free will, and we provide you with a receipt so the government doesn't wonder how you got that high cushion of charitable giving. You in turn send it back with a threat? I'm shaking that the Attorney General of El Paso Texas is going to send a Texas Ranger up to Colorado Springs to take all 500 of us back to Texas.

I am amazed daily that such people actually seem to function in the world. We've all seen them, they are the drivers that go five miles under the speed limit no matter what, they are the ones who stand in the middle of an isle in the store blocking everyone else, they are the ones who make the lives of everyone else on the planet stressful. I wonder if they know just how stupid they make themselves appear when they do such things. Do the people who write threats on receipts know they sound ignorant? Do people who cry foul because they failed to read their mail (three times!) that we were making a change and then made it know they appear to be incompetent? Do they have any clue that there are people who read their mail and just about fall out of their chairs laughing at the complete absurdity of it and then toss it in the trash (only after conferring with a supervisor that no, we really don't need to give that one the courtesy of a response!)

I write this mostly because I need to get it out or I won't be able to handle the stupidity that I encounter daily. I need to be able to laugh at it and know that I'm not the only person that is baffled by it. I also write it to warn you, dear readers, away from such activities. I don't want you to look stupid. Here's a few tips, mostly on how to deal with organizations, especially ones that you are partnering with (ie, not the phone company, but use common sense with them as well!).

1. Before you send anything, or for that matter, say anything, have your facts straight. If this means having letters, communications, bills, statements in front of you, get them. It's much safer and you will come off as much smarter if you avoid using extremes like never, always, etc. Be prepared, knowledge is more than half the battle.

2. Be kind. Instead of sending a threat, make a request. Say as nicely as possible, thank you, however... this will get you much farther with the people you are dealing with. Don't demand, just ask. If they treat you like crap, work up the ladder, but be nice. Be able to hang up with the knowledge that you took the high road at all possible times.

3. Owe up to your mistakes, or possible mistakes. How many times I've seen people say "you all screwed up" when in actuality, it was their error. Before making a charge, check the facts. If you did drop the ball, say, "opps, I'm sorry, it appears I'm wrong. I'll make it right, thank you."

4. If you are communicating in writing, write your message on a separate piece of paper, hide it for 48 hours and then re-read it. You'll be amazed at what you wrote in a moment of anger, confusion or mental abstraction. By putting it away for a day or two, clarity has a chance to reign and you'll be spared looking the fool.

Okay, that's about it. If you made it this far, cheers to you. I admire you. Now, back to our normal cheery program.

Saturday, June 04, 2005

I had a dream

It's a fact, we all dream. Yes, even you who swear on your mother's grave, you have dreams too. It's just that some people are better at remembering them. I took a class in college on Dream Analysis and the Psychology of Dreams. It was pretty cool. We learned how to help people analyze their dreams and figure out if they meant something or not (not all dreams do). I'm one of those people who dream very vividly and I tend to remember a lot of my dreams. I attribute this to the fact that I'm somewhat of an insomniac (poor sleep, not no sleep) and I wake often. The most likely chance of remember a dream is waking during or right after a REM cycle. I wake during these often so I have pretty good access to my dreams.

So, last night, I have this dream about being sent to Peru for work. Not a highly odd topic seeing as I love Peru, I've been there twice, it's one of our countries, etc. Anyway, I was at work, it was 5 in the evening, and I had to be at the airport by 5:30 with my bags, which I supposedly had already packed. But when I checked I only had my purse and some clothes. So I'm frantically calling my dad to have him bring my Teva's (won't leave the country without them) and then I realize I have no camera, no film, no memory cards. This is a huge tragedy, especially when I realize that I don't live with my dad anymore and he can't get into my new home. By this time, it's almost 5:30 and I'm still at work and remembering the must have items that I don't have for a trip.

I woke up with a panic and had to check and make sure my Teva's were in my room. This is a bad side effect of vivid dreams that you remember, you sometimes have trouble knowing what is real and what was dream. I've woken up to check on things I couldn't find in dreams, to check that I really do have a book or movie or something. Then there is the whole problem of remembering a conversation from a dream and expecting the other person to know about it (because I don't recall that it was a dream and not real life).

I know, I'm weird, but that's me. So, what is a dream you've had lately? Anything fun, exciting, scary? I'll tell you all later about the nightmare I had so frequently when I was growing up that I'm still sure that someday, it will play out in real life. I remember it perfectly. It no longer scares me, but it confirms that my imagination has far too much material to work with!

Good night, may your dreams be sweet tonight!

Thursday, June 02, 2005

in the event...

Hi there. It's been a while. Sorry. I think I took myself too seriously when I said I would relax when the play was over. I've done some good vegging the last week or so. But now I'm back.

Emily asked for some photos of me. So, below are a few from my February trip to Peru. I prefer being behind the camera and not in front, so I don't often have photos of me. Enjoy.

As for the rest of life, I'm trying to catch up on movies, books and sleep. I'm doing well in the first two, the third, well, there is always death for that one.

Looks like the move is a pretty sure thing. As soon as the VP approves it (and with HR and three managers support, he better approve it), then things can get going. I told dad my reasons for wanting to move again so he understands why I'm anxious and that's nice. I'm weird when it comes to things like that. I didn't really want to tell dad my reasons, but I needed him to know. Thankful, my dad is one of the most understanding and caring people this earth has. I'm a lucky girl, really.

So, enjoy the photos. Hope they make up for me being MIA for a week. I'll try not to let it happen again. My toaster oven just went ding so dinner is ready. Better go!

My Karen and I. I put this on my other site, but it's a favorite of mine. I don't have many favorite photos that actually have me in them, here is one of the few! Posted by Hello

Dad and I at Macchu Picchu. It was a great place to visit, high up in the Andes Mts. Posted by Hello

Okay, so I'm not in this one, but I wanted to throw it up there because I developed a facination with stairs while in Peru. I took a lot of photos of stairways. Posted by Hello

Here I am by the ruins of a large Incan city. That's my friend, Amy, in the way. Just goes to show you have to be picky about who you hand your camera to! Posted by Hello

Jose, Soledad and I. My Peru brother and sister and me. Posted by Hello

Me and the girls in Lima, Sandra, Katherine and Kacey. My Karen was in Chiclayo so she couldn't join us for this one. Posted by Hello

This is me and Katherine, one of my dad's girls, in Peru. This was the second visit she and I had. Emily wanted more photos of me but the most recent I have are from Peru, so here are a few of my favorites. Posted by Hello