Knocked Down

Nobody said this would be easy.

Nobody said it would be this difficult, either.

Last Friday I got knocked down. Again. After interviewing several times for a position, I found out I didn't get the job. I tried not to get my hopes up, but I did. I was sure I bagged the job. So where does this leave me? Knocked down. I've decided to consult with Chumbawumba on this issue.

I get knocked down but I get up again...

You're never going to keep me down...

Cheesy lyrics aside, I've decided I'm tired of being knocked down. True, things haven't gone as planned since I arrived in AZ just a few short months ago. There have been many disappointments. But hell, am I going to let a few knockdowns ruin my life? It may be easy to sit back and be the "victim," but damnit, I'm tired of it. Have you ever found a cockroach on the ground, belly up but still alive? Legs wiggling, struggling to flip back over? I'M THAT COCKROACH! :) Please, if you see me belly up, don't step on me, FLIP ME BACK OVER!

The other day I was in the car, radio on as usual. When I'm down and out, I find myself listening to lyrics really closely, even if I've heard the song a billion times before. The song, "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson came on. Singing along (hideously off tune, of course), I realized the song actually made some sense.

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly

I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky

I'll make a wish

Take a chance

Make a change

And breakaway

Out of the darkness and into the sun

But I won't forget all the ones that I loved

I'll take a risk

Take a chance

Make a change

And breakaway

I Did It!

Yep, I joined a gym. I checked a couple of places out locally and found one that's 5 minutes away from my place. The start up fee was $29 and its $10 a month with no committment. The only negative is the place is seriously ugly - everything inside is yellow and purple. Ugh.

I signed a contract and set of rules, one of which states, "No banging, screaming, grunting or uncontrolled heavy lifting allowed." Awww...come on...a little male grunting keeps a girl motivated! :) Maybe there's a CD version - "oh yeah baby, keep going...don't stop." Now that would keep me walking on the treadmill for a few extra minutes.

I celebrated my "get off your lazy butt" thought process by purchasing some highly fashionable gym shorts at Walmart. Also noteworthy, I finally found Peach Schnapps. I've been looking all over for this stuff! Come to Mama! Now if I could just find one of those beer hats with the straws...fill it with Fuzzy Navel drink....and headphones with male grunting...I'd be set for one helluva good evening at the gym. Hey, a girl can hope, right?

DVD Wishes

I'm patiently awaiting the St. Elsewhere series to come out on DVD (no set date yet). As a kid I can remember staying up past my bedtime secretly watching reruns on PBS in my bedroom. St. Elsewhere kicks all medical drama ass - even ER. The series lasted six seasons from 1982-1988, 137 episodes lasting one hour each. Denzel Washington and Howie Mandel were regular characters on the show. Please, DVD Gods, put St. Elsewhere on DVD's!!

Okay folks, what do you want to see on DVD? A series or movie? Why?

T.P.

The subject of today's blog is toilet paper. I'm not sure why, the thought just came to me when I was...well, yeah. You get it. Which way do you prefer your toilet paper? Under or Over? Does it matter? Personally, I could care less, but apparently for some folks, this is a big deal.

Facts about TP:

• The average person uses approximately 57 sheets of TP per day
• In Pendleton, Oregon, a church used Angel Soft TP as a fundraiser to send 18 members on a missions trip to Costa Rica
• There is at least one person in the world that collects toilet paper, her oldest roll dates back to 1898

TP Links:

Custom toilet paper with pictures or words - Even monogrammed! http://www.comforthouse.com/toiletpaper.html

TP Crafts! http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/tproll/

Talking roll holder http://www.talkingtp.com/

Please don't shake my jar! (see blog 8/6/06)

Did you read the "Time Management" blog from a few days ago? If not, take a sec to do so or you won't understand a bit of what I'm going to say, ok?

I've finally found the analogy that fits my recent stream of thoughts. Lets examine the mason jar theory, shall we? Back home I had my jar arranged just the way I wanted it. The big rocks, gravel, sand, water, etc. were exactly how I wanted them to be. Somehow during the 3 day drive from Missouri to Arizona, my jar was shaken. That's right, someone, something, I'm not sure what, picked it up and vigorously shook it.

What this analogy has shown me is that right now I'm trying to swim around in murky water. I swim one direction and slam my face into the side of the jar. I turn around and swim the other direction and the same things happens. I've been struggling since the first day I arrived in Arizona to find the contents of my jar, but everything is murky. When waters are murky, swimming around fast and bumping into things over and over just stirs it up more (and creates a headache). For now, I need to be content with just treading water.

Now don't get me wrong, I still have my family, friends, values and all of that other stuff. Everything is still in the jar, I just can't see clearly. I realized this week that things can't/won't get better until the jar rests and things settle back down. Only then will I be able to arrange things in the jar like I want them to be.

Somedays I wish I could wear a sign around my neck that warns, "Please...don't shake my jar." Truth is, the culprit is really me. Yep, I shook my own jar.

To Make You Think . . .

Time Management

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. To drive home a point, he used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of thegroup of high-powered over-achievers he said: "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked: "Is the jar full?" Everyone in the class said: "Yes." Then he said: "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more: "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him: "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.

He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question: "Is the jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said: "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked: "What is the point of this illustration?"

One eager student raised his hand and said: "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in!" "No," the speaker replied, "That's not the point."

The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children... Your loved ones... Your education... Your dreams... A worthy cause... Teaching or mentoring others... Doing things that you love... Time for yourself... Your health... Your significant other." "Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you'll fill your life with little things to worry about that don't really big, important stuff (the big rocks)".

So, tonight or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: "What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then...put those in your jar first."

-Anonymous-

1 in 100

Lately I've been whiny because things haven't been going my way. Today the luck was on my side. I ordered a ice cream cone and a Diet Coke at the Mc'Ds drive thru and was informed that I was the 100th car and the order was free. Things are looking up.