Nick, get up bud, you need to eat breakfast and get dressed. Maggie, time to get up girlie...
Nick, did you eat breakfast yet? Ok then, do your homework. No, you can't play Xbox until your homework is done.
C'mon Mags, get up. Hey, turn that light back on. Fine, Mommy will carry you. While Mommy does her hair, please get dressed. Maggie, I said get dressed! Why are your jammies still on? Well, if you don't like that outfit, go pick out another one. Then you're just gonna have to wear this one. NICK! ARE YOU DRESSED YET? I didn't mean to pull your hair but you have to stop moving. Maggie, I can't brush your hair if you keep moving. If you move one more time, I'm going to beat you with this brush. See, look how pretty. Watch Dora for a few mintues until I call you down.
Nick, is your homework done? Well, get off the computer and do it. Yes, you can have turkey for lunch. I don't have any rolls left and Dad ate the last wrap. Well, I'm sorry. What would you like me to do about this right now? I already cleaned the Xbox game but you can't use it until after school.
Maggie, get your shoes on. Well, then find them. They aren't in the closet. Because I already checked there. Look in the basement. Maggie! Hurry up! Can we please do this on Mommy time and not Maggie time? Get your back pack. Is your traveling book in there? Where are your shoes? Come here, I'll tie them for you. Get your coat on, let's go. Just wear the Cabela's coat please. I don't know where the brown one is. It's not raining out, put the umbrella back in the closet. Maggie, get your coat on before Mommy has a heart attack!!! Are we ready now? Ok, let's go. Be right back Nick!
Ok, Baby, I love you. Go to the window and I'll wave. Ok, one more kiss. More hugs? Ok. Love you baby girl. Be good for Ms. Lisa today.
Nick? I'm back. Where are you? Is your homework done? What are you doing at the computer again? If your homework isn't done, stop looking at pictures and do your homework. Why aren't you dressed yet? Go get your own clothes. For the love of God, you're 10 now. Nick, is your homework done? Then why isn't all your stuff in your backpack? Please put it away now. Put your lunch in there too. I packed you turkey like you asked. I already told you the rolls were gone. Fruit punch. But you said you hated the kiwi strawberry juice. Fine, I'll switch it. Put your shoes on. No, not the muddy ones, the clean ones. Well, why did you wear them to play? Here, give them to me, I'll clean them. What time is it? Ok, we've got a little time. Yes, you can play one song on Rockband. I don't know when baseball is going to start. The coach hasn't told us yet. I don't know what other kids are on your team yet. Are you done with that song yet? Please put the drums away. Because they shouldn't be in the middle of the room when you aren't playing. Keep it up and you won't play at all later. C'mon, get your shoes on, the bus is going to be here in 5 minutes. I can't drive you to school Buddy or I'll be late for work. Thursday's are different. I've already arranged for that. Bus turned, let's go. Bud, I love you but I really can't stand WWE. Did you grab your lunch? Oh yeah, I put it in there, didn't I? Don't lose those action figures at school please. Here's the bus. Love you Buddy, have a good day. I'll see you after school...LEARN SOMETHING!!!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Do I Want To Remember?
How can people from the same time and place have such diffrent memories of it? Our memories are tricky things. I can understand how little details can be remembered differently but what I've come across latley is so odd.
Recently, I was made a member of a Facebook group from an old workplace. I do not have good memories of this company. I made a few really good friends there and I am forever gratefull for that but the rest of it was horrible. As I read through some of the posts, I couldn't believe how many people had amazing memories from when they worked there. Some of them even said how much they missed the company. I kept thinking, are we talking about the same place?
It occured to me that maybe I was living in a parallel universe. Maybe it was just me who hated working there but as my thoughts wandered, I remembered the few friends I had there were miserable as well. More thinking and I realized that we were all in the same department. The happy people had been in a completley different department. Ok, it's settled. It was just the accounting department. But it wasn't. I knew someone who transferred from accounting to sales and still wasn't happy with this company. Furthermore, my aunt was in sales and she wasnt' all that happy either. She also seems to now be living in the happy memory land and forgetting that she was fired for her performance. She had some health issues and was in and out of work for about a year. How the heck was she supposed to perform if she wasn't there? She worked there for about 15 years and that's how they treated her.
I narrowed it down. There seems to have been some glory days somewhere from the late 80's to the early 90's. From there, things spiroled downhill. I worked there from 1992 to 1997. I got the tail end of the happy times. Most of the happy stories peoople told were from those early years. They may have still worked there when I was there but it wasn't the same.
I have to be fair here and mention that I, too, was fired for performance issues. I was a bad employee. I was late all the time, I didn't care about my work, I called in sick quite a bit. I was always on probation for one thing or another. I deserved it. I asked for everything I got. I blamed the company for my unhappiness for a while but the truth was, I was just miserable in general. The crappy job didn't help but it wasn't the reason. When I wasn't happy after leaving, I had to sit back and take a hard look at myself. In a way, they did me a favor by firing me. I had to take responsibility for myself and I did. The thing is, a year later, I found out that my ex-supervisors wanted me to fail. We totally didn't like each other but I don't think they wanted to fire me. I didn't give them any choice. If I got a new job and failed there too, maybe they wouldn't feel so guilty about firing me. But I didn't fail. I found a great new job at a company I loved. (Now, if they had a Facebook group, I would be living in happy memory land with them!) It wasn't the job that made me happy. I was happy when I started the job. There's a huge difference there. It was an awsome company with some of the best co-workers ever. That wasn't it though, I was different.
I sat on it for a few days. Should I stay on the company group? None of those people were horrible. In fact, the few I remember were very nice. In the end, I decided to defect. I realized that none of those people were anybody that I have missed in the last 14 years. The ones I did miss I have re-connected with already or I have stayed in contact all along. Seeing posts from certain people brought me right back to that young girl I was. I felt angry, sad, confused, inadequate and small. I still occasionally have those feelings but not all at the same time and certainly not as strong as I felt them back then. I don't want to feel that way again. I am not that girl they remember and as much as I would like them to see me now, the truth is, I don't care enough about those people to make the effort.
So for now, I respectfully decline Seton. I do hope that everyone is doing well but I choose not to go back.
Recently, I was made a member of a Facebook group from an old workplace. I do not have good memories of this company. I made a few really good friends there and I am forever gratefull for that but the rest of it was horrible. As I read through some of the posts, I couldn't believe how many people had amazing memories from when they worked there. Some of them even said how much they missed the company. I kept thinking, are we talking about the same place?
It occured to me that maybe I was living in a parallel universe. Maybe it was just me who hated working there but as my thoughts wandered, I remembered the few friends I had there were miserable as well. More thinking and I realized that we were all in the same department. The happy people had been in a completley different department. Ok, it's settled. It was just the accounting department. But it wasn't. I knew someone who transferred from accounting to sales and still wasn't happy with this company. Furthermore, my aunt was in sales and she wasnt' all that happy either. She also seems to now be living in the happy memory land and forgetting that she was fired for her performance. She had some health issues and was in and out of work for about a year. How the heck was she supposed to perform if she wasn't there? She worked there for about 15 years and that's how they treated her.
I narrowed it down. There seems to have been some glory days somewhere from the late 80's to the early 90's. From there, things spiroled downhill. I worked there from 1992 to 1997. I got the tail end of the happy times. Most of the happy stories peoople told were from those early years. They may have still worked there when I was there but it wasn't the same.
I have to be fair here and mention that I, too, was fired for performance issues. I was a bad employee. I was late all the time, I didn't care about my work, I called in sick quite a bit. I was always on probation for one thing or another. I deserved it. I asked for everything I got. I blamed the company for my unhappiness for a while but the truth was, I was just miserable in general. The crappy job didn't help but it wasn't the reason. When I wasn't happy after leaving, I had to sit back and take a hard look at myself. In a way, they did me a favor by firing me. I had to take responsibility for myself and I did. The thing is, a year later, I found out that my ex-supervisors wanted me to fail. We totally didn't like each other but I don't think they wanted to fire me. I didn't give them any choice. If I got a new job and failed there too, maybe they wouldn't feel so guilty about firing me. But I didn't fail. I found a great new job at a company I loved. (Now, if they had a Facebook group, I would be living in happy memory land with them!) It wasn't the job that made me happy. I was happy when I started the job. There's a huge difference there. It was an awsome company with some of the best co-workers ever. That wasn't it though, I was different.
I sat on it for a few days. Should I stay on the company group? None of those people were horrible. In fact, the few I remember were very nice. In the end, I decided to defect. I realized that none of those people were anybody that I have missed in the last 14 years. The ones I did miss I have re-connected with already or I have stayed in contact all along. Seeing posts from certain people brought me right back to that young girl I was. I felt angry, sad, confused, inadequate and small. I still occasionally have those feelings but not all at the same time and certainly not as strong as I felt them back then. I don't want to feel that way again. I am not that girl they remember and as much as I would like them to see me now, the truth is, I don't care enough about those people to make the effort.
So for now, I respectfully decline Seton. I do hope that everyone is doing well but I choose not to go back.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Beer
This Saturday, Steve and I are going to do the Brew master tour at the Budweiser factory in New Hampshire. We are going with some good friends of ours and we are really looking forward to some adult time. We love our kids but lately they have been out of control. So, what better thing to do than combine, good friends, an adult outing and beer.
I really love beer. I love everything about it. I love the hops and the barley. I love that first sip of an ice cold beer on a hot summer day. I love the sound of popping it open next to a fire. In Austria, there's a brewery where you can swim in beer. YES!!
My favorites have a hint of citrus in them but it's not overpowering. Years ago, the microbreweries were trying to tap into the wine cooler market. They put everything from watermelon to cherry in their beers and it was awful. Imagine taking your favorite beer and then your favorite juice and mixing them together. Ew. I'm sure there were some fans out there but obviously not enough because you don't see it much anymore. Take heed Brewers! A hint of flavor is good, cherry flavored beer is not.
When I was a young drinker, all I drank was Budweiser. I used to be able to recite the saying on the side of the can. (This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no other...You get it) My father raised me that we were Republicans, we drove Chevys and we drank Budweiser. Stray from that and there will be consequences. Not his, just consequences. I bought a Ford once and it was nothing but trouble. I got the "I told you so" look and traded it in for a Chevy. When I branched out to (GASP!) Rolling Rock, he took a deep breath and prayed for my survival. The Lord smiled on me and let me live to drink another beer.
From Rolling Rock, I have matured where my husband has gone backwards. I prefer a beer that tastes good to a beer that's cheap. My husband swears PBR tastes the same but I catch him stealing my Blue Moon's when we have them in the fridge. That's not say that I'm not still a Bud girl. No one does it like Bud Light Lime. Bud still makes a great beer but sometimes, you need a change.
And sometimes, you need to fall back on an old favorite. So, on Saturday, I will go back to my roots. I will toast my dad who taught me the goodness of beer and I will be thankful to be able to share that experience with some good friends.
"And on the 8th day, God made beer....and it was good"
I really love beer. I love everything about it. I love the hops and the barley. I love that first sip of an ice cold beer on a hot summer day. I love the sound of popping it open next to a fire. In Austria, there's a brewery where you can swim in beer. YES!!
My favorites have a hint of citrus in them but it's not overpowering. Years ago, the microbreweries were trying to tap into the wine cooler market. They put everything from watermelon to cherry in their beers and it was awful. Imagine taking your favorite beer and then your favorite juice and mixing them together. Ew. I'm sure there were some fans out there but obviously not enough because you don't see it much anymore. Take heed Brewers! A hint of flavor is good, cherry flavored beer is not.
When I was a young drinker, all I drank was Budweiser. I used to be able to recite the saying on the side of the can. (This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no other...You get it) My father raised me that we were Republicans, we drove Chevys and we drank Budweiser. Stray from that and there will be consequences. Not his, just consequences. I bought a Ford once and it was nothing but trouble. I got the "I told you so" look and traded it in for a Chevy. When I branched out to (GASP!) Rolling Rock, he took a deep breath and prayed for my survival. The Lord smiled on me and let me live to drink another beer.
From Rolling Rock, I have matured where my husband has gone backwards. I prefer a beer that tastes good to a beer that's cheap. My husband swears PBR tastes the same but I catch him stealing my Blue Moon's when we have them in the fridge. That's not say that I'm not still a Bud girl. No one does it like Bud Light Lime. Bud still makes a great beer but sometimes, you need a change.
And sometimes, you need to fall back on an old favorite. So, on Saturday, I will go back to my roots. I will toast my dad who taught me the goodness of beer and I will be thankful to be able to share that experience with some good friends.
"And on the 8th day, God made beer....and it was good"
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