As I mentioned in my last post, we are having a Mexican themed travel party this Sunday afternoon.
I love to vacation in Mexico. I also like fajitas and burritos. And the Mexican beaches I've been to are wonderful!
That, however, is the extent to which my expertise as far as all things "Mexico" go, so in a moment of exceptional optimism I looked up all the recipes I thought I needed for our party on the internet. I intend to make all our party food myself so I googled "Mexican Party Food" and took it from there.
What resulted was a list of things I'd mostly never heard of, and none if which I've ever actually made, of course.
We're having "Tortilla Snacks", for which the recipe calls for some specific kind of cheese, one I never even knew existed prior to my google search. I couldn't find that exact cheese, so I bought a cheese blend with that in it. I reasoned that, if anything, the other cheeses will add flavor AND since I have no idea what the tortilla snacks are supposed to taste like, who'll know the difference anyway?
The guacamole dip recipe I found stated "one package of frozen guacamole mix" Kroger either doesn't carry frozen guacamole mix, or they were sold out of it , so I compensated and circled back by the fruits and vegetables where I purchased two avocados and a powdered guacamole mix instead. I'll just mix that up and throw it in. How different can it be?
Bean dip was next on the list. Now, that's something I do know a little bit about. At least I know how it's supposed to taste. I picked an easy recipe. The store had everything I needed for that, except "cubed American cheese" (What the heck is American cheese doing in a Mexican bean dip?) I decided to use plain old American cheese slices ... it's all the same once it's melted anyway, right?
Aside from the Tortilla snacks, which are a hot appetizer type dish, the bean dip and the guacamole dip, I am going to put a big bowl of corn chips, tortilla chips and salsa on the table and call it a done deal.
Except for the drinks, that is. Our choices will be strawberry Margaritas and Mai Tai punch (both non-alcoholic) Everyone knows that nothing says "Mexico" quite like a Margarita, so I bought some great plastic Margarita glasses at the party store. Now I pretty much HAVE to follow thru on the whole Margarita thing, right?
Again, I googled "non-alcoholic Margaritas and Mai Tai Punch" and wrote down the ingredients. I have a degree in Science. I'm accustomed to mixing all sorts of things together in the lab, so how hard could it possibly be to create a non-toxic/non-alcoholic beverage by recipe?
Silly me!
I was totally dumbfounded in the aisle where all the drink mix concoctions are kept. The recipes called for a certain brand of mix, and of course the store didn't carry that brand! Heck! I wasn't even sure I knew the difference between tonic water, soda water, and seltzer (is there any?)
Finally semi-satisfied that I could make do with what I'd found, I paid for everything and wheeled it to the car.
If nothing else, it will be interesting! My "back-up plan" relies on the fact that our neighbor keeps a fully stocked bar. If a culinary disaster appears inevitable, I'll send next door for plenty of rum and tequila. Enough of that and no one will even notice if the food tastes horrible and the drinks fall flat!
I'll let you know!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Roller Coaster
I like roller coasters. They're fun.
But only the new fangled kind they make out of steel, not the old wooden ones. Ouch! Those hurt!
My favorite so far has been "Superman" at Six Flags. Technically, I'm not sure that falls into the category of "roller coasters" but it's close enough I think. I had such a great time on that ride! I especially enjoyed the part where it all of a sudden flipped me upside down and took me flying backwards! Weeeeeeee! What a thrill.
So, contrary to some people's opinion, I really am no weeny. I like fun, adventurous kinds of things. I just don't like to get hurt, that's all.
"What does the topic of roller coasters have to do with anything?", you might be asking.
Well, I'll tell you.
My life has been an emotional roller coaster lately and I don't mean the fun "Superman" kind. I'm talking about the old rickety, hurt your neck at every bump, wooden sort of roller coaster that I swore I'd never ride again.
Life, however, has not given me much choice in the matter, so here I am being thrown all over the place, up ... then down without warning and screaming every inch of the way.
I used to be stronger than this. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden it appears all my resilience has gone bye-bye. I never know how I'm going to feel one moment to the next anymore and it's really getting on my nerves.
For instance, yesterday was a very good day all around. I felt enthusiastic, and even pretty excited about life and the future. It was the first "good day all day long" day I've had for a while and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Today started off good too. I had a productive morning. I'm getting use to having to do things on a schedule again, so that's good. I'm proud of that achievement! I had a tele-conference, a phone session with a client, did two loads of laundry, took care of a couple more important calls and then went on an errand run. All before noon!
I should mention that somewhere in the middle of all that, I managed to get dressed in REAL clothes (not running pants and a t-shirt), fix my hair and put on some makeup. That in itself says a lot considering how things have been going in recent weeks.
Yes, life behaved itself beautifully for a little over 24 hours.
My first stop on the errand run was at "Party City" to grab some things for the Grand Opening Travel Party we're having this Sunday afternoon. I had fun picking out my theme and decided to choose "Mexico", since that's one of my favorite places to go AND we're giving away a trip to Mexico at our party.
Then, somewhere in aisle five while I was standing, gazing in awe at the display of plastic Margarita glasses, the stacks of party supplies that surrounded me began to cave in. Not literally, of course but all of a sudden I was hit with a sense of dread and sadness that hurt just about as badly.
In an instant, all the things I was feeling so excited about yesterday became overwhelming to me and I almost panicked. I wanted nothing more than to leave my cart of Mexican themed goodies and head back to the safety of my own home, preferably between the covers of my bed if at all possible.
Sigh.
I stuck it out and paid for the items I'd chosen. After that I had to stop at Office Max and get some business supplies, have copies made, yada yada ... but I didn't enjoy it. As a matter of fact I didn't get everything I needed because I decided I'd grab only what would be necessary to get us through the weekend.
I feel very tired now, as is usually the case when the rickety roller coaster finally comes to a rest for a while. I'd really like to take a nap but that isn't an option. I guess I'll just wait here in line for the next coaster to arrive. Hopefully it will be "Superman" and not "Son of Beast" next time around!
But only the new fangled kind they make out of steel, not the old wooden ones. Ouch! Those hurt!
My favorite so far has been "Superman" at Six Flags. Technically, I'm not sure that falls into the category of "roller coasters" but it's close enough I think. I had such a great time on that ride! I especially enjoyed the part where it all of a sudden flipped me upside down and took me flying backwards! Weeeeeeee! What a thrill.
So, contrary to some people's opinion, I really am no weeny. I like fun, adventurous kinds of things. I just don't like to get hurt, that's all.
"What does the topic of roller coasters have to do with anything?", you might be asking.
Well, I'll tell you.
My life has been an emotional roller coaster lately and I don't mean the fun "Superman" kind. I'm talking about the old rickety, hurt your neck at every bump, wooden sort of roller coaster that I swore I'd never ride again.
Life, however, has not given me much choice in the matter, so here I am being thrown all over the place, up ... then down without warning and screaming every inch of the way.
I used to be stronger than this. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden it appears all my resilience has gone bye-bye. I never know how I'm going to feel one moment to the next anymore and it's really getting on my nerves.
For instance, yesterday was a very good day all around. I felt enthusiastic, and even pretty excited about life and the future. It was the first "good day all day long" day I've had for a while and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Today started off good too. I had a productive morning. I'm getting use to having to do things on a schedule again, so that's good. I'm proud of that achievement! I had a tele-conference, a phone session with a client, did two loads of laundry, took care of a couple more important calls and then went on an errand run. All before noon!
I should mention that somewhere in the middle of all that, I managed to get dressed in REAL clothes (not running pants and a t-shirt), fix my hair and put on some makeup. That in itself says a lot considering how things have been going in recent weeks.
Yes, life behaved itself beautifully for a little over 24 hours.
My first stop on the errand run was at "Party City" to grab some things for the Grand Opening Travel Party we're having this Sunday afternoon. I had fun picking out my theme and decided to choose "Mexico", since that's one of my favorite places to go AND we're giving away a trip to Mexico at our party.
Then, somewhere in aisle five while I was standing, gazing in awe at the display of plastic Margarita glasses, the stacks of party supplies that surrounded me began to cave in. Not literally, of course but all of a sudden I was hit with a sense of dread and sadness that hurt just about as badly.
In an instant, all the things I was feeling so excited about yesterday became overwhelming to me and I almost panicked. I wanted nothing more than to leave my cart of Mexican themed goodies and head back to the safety of my own home, preferably between the covers of my bed if at all possible.
Sigh.
I stuck it out and paid for the items I'd chosen. After that I had to stop at Office Max and get some business supplies, have copies made, yada yada ... but I didn't enjoy it. As a matter of fact I didn't get everything I needed because I decided I'd grab only what would be necessary to get us through the weekend.
I feel very tired now, as is usually the case when the rickety roller coaster finally comes to a rest for a while. I'd really like to take a nap but that isn't an option. I guess I'll just wait here in line for the next coaster to arrive. Hopefully it will be "Superman" and not "Son of Beast" next time around!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Rush Hour
Today's start was just as rocky as yesterday's was good.
The alarm went off at 6:30 as usual. I got out of bed and dragged myself up the stairs to awaken my fourteen year old son, a monumental task even on a good day.
Thanks to an aching neck, I didn't sleep well last night so I was particularly groggy this morning. I promised myself I'd take a nap as soon as the boy left for school. The minute the door closed behind him, I treated myself to a pain pill and went back to bed, noting that I had about an hour and a half to sleep before I needed to get up and prepare for a phone coaching session I had scheduled for 10:00.
I'm not sure my head had even hit the pillow before I was happily back in sleepy town. I was in the middle of a rather interesting dream, part of which involved me reminding myself that I needed to wake up in time for my appointment. I mean, literally ... in my dream I mentioned that I probably needed to check the clock and make sure I didn't miss it.
I took my own advice and woke up to see what time it was. The alarm clock's blazing red numbers said 9:57. Ugh! I had three minutes before I had to be "at work". I sprang from the bed, ran into the bathroom and washed my face, brushed my teeth, and thanked God this was a phone session which meant I didn't have to change out of my pajamas!
On the way to get the phone, I opened the door and sent my dog, Jordan outside. Lately, he's developed a tendency to wait until I'm on the phone, then start barking to go out. Not very "professional" sounding for to my clients on the other end of the line, so I thought I'd get ahead of the game and put him out before the session started. All I'd have to do was check the front steps a couple times during the session and make sure he was lying in his usual spot.
Finally, I dialed the number and got the session started, only five minutes late which wasn't bad, all things considered. It actually worked out well because my client said she too was running behind.
Ten minutes into the session, my cell phone rang. Normally I turn it off or at least leave it on "silent" during coaching times, but today was an exception to that rule. I got out of my seat, walked to the counter where it lay ringing and picked it up. It was my husband calling.
My client asked, "Do you need to get that?" I told her "no" and apologized for the interruption. Walt must have forgotten that I had an appointment, as he's usually good about not calling during my sessions.
While I was up and moving around anyway, I figured it would be a good time to check on the dog.
Dog? - Gone!
I stepped outside and looked up and down the sidewalk for him. There were no signs of my dear canine friend anywhere.
I decided the wayward critter must have moved to the garage to get out of the wind, so I went back inside the house and walked to the back door to check. He wasn't in the garage either but the cat managed to slither past my leg and ran out as soon as the back door opened. I quickly hit the garage door control and let it down to block the cat's escape. The cat could stay in the garage until I later. Maybe some time out there in the cold would teach him a lesson about trying to bolt outside in the first place.
Surprisingly enough, I was able to maintain my conversation on the phone throughout the extra activities taking place around me.
About that time, a call from my husband beeped in on the business line. This meant there must be a problem that merited immediate attention. I asked my client if I could call her right back and she said, "Sure! No problem" By then, she was probably happy to have the chance to start looking in the yellow pages for a new coach anyway.
I hung up the phone, then dialed Walt's number while simultaneously walking out the front door to look once again for Jordan.
Still gone!
On the phone, Walt's apologetic voice informed me that we had a lunch meeting at 12:00, at a restaurant a 30 minute drive away. He asked if I could pick one of his associates up and meet him there. By then, it was about 10:30. That meant I had another 30 minutes of a session to complete, which would have the call ending at 11:00. It would allow me only 30 minutes to find something decent to wear, fix my hair (which was in dire need of washing) put on some makeup .. and find my dog before I had to leave.
With a promise that I'd try to be there on time, I hung up the phone and walked around the front of the house, calling my dogs name while a cold November wind blew it's way up my pajama pants and down the sleeves. Needless to say, I was chilled to the bone.
Finally, I spotted the prodigal Sheltie waddling back up the street towards the house, obviously a little perplexed about my impatience with him over the matter.
Ignoring the fact that my cell phone was ringing AGAIN, I said a prayer that the neighbors hadn't seen me out wandering around in my pajamas, and went back inside to call my client back.
And again, she was very understanding about it all. I apologized one more time, and told her I was going to give her a free session next week to make up for today's debacle. She said that wasn't really necessary, but accepted my offer anyway ... a relief since I figured by that time I'd been put on her "expendable" list.
We hung up the phone at 10:55. The dog was inside resting comfortably in front of the gas fireplace, the cat was howling to be let in from the garage, and I had 35 minutes in which to pull myself together.
GO!
I raced into the closet and found a pair of reasonably wrinkle free brown slacks. Eyes scanning the rack for a blouse that would match, I grabbed a lacy short sleeved top from it's hanger. It didn't exactly fit into the "fall apparel" category but it would have to do. I would find a jacket to go over it ... somehow.
I started to slip into a pair of brown boots but noticed they didn't look right with those particular pants. Shoes! I'd bought a pair of shoes specifically for that reason not too long ago, where were they?
Aha! Shoes! Now socks! My choice was considerably narrowed by the fact that they would actually have to match since I was wearing shoes instead of boots and therefore more likely to be seen by the public. Aha! But I'd done laundry only yesterday and a pair of matching brown socks were readily available. Thank goodness for small favors!
I can't say I was proud of the way my hair looked when I finished, but there was no time for fussing over it. I brushed it, sprayed it, made an attempt to style it with my fingers and called it done. Makeup was slathered on in record time. I even managed to find a pair of earrings and a necklace to compliment the lacy top.
It was 11:25. I had five minutes to figure out where I'd left my watch and rings, find my keys, and get to the car.
I stopped at the hall closet to get the jacket I needed to cover my summer blouse but it was not there. Instead, I opted for a distinctly winter, casual coat. By that time, who cared! I put it on and ran out the door.
As I backed the car out of the driveway, I applied some lipstick then called the lady whose call I'd previously ignored. I was still talking to her when I arrived at the home of the gentleman I was suppose to be taking to the lunch meeting.
Still talking also when I rang his doorbell. He opened the door, and I (still talking on the phone) smiled and said "Hi! I'm Becky. Are you ready to go?"
We got into the car and headed for the restaurant.
It looked like we just might make it there by noon! YAY!
...Until we got about 10 miles from the house and discovered the traffic was at a near standstill on Rt. 400. I called Walt, who was by that time waiting at the restaurant, and advised him of the situation. "Don't worry about it" he consoled me. "Just get here when you can."
At long last we arrived at the restaurant at precisely 12:30, exactly thirty minutes late.
I breathed an audible sigh of relief as I sank into my chair. A round of applause and laughter went up from the other meeting attendees.... and no one seemed the least bit aware that I was in an unusual state of dishevelment.
Maybe there is something to be said for making an "entrance" after all.
The alarm went off at 6:30 as usual. I got out of bed and dragged myself up the stairs to awaken my fourteen year old son, a monumental task even on a good day.
Thanks to an aching neck, I didn't sleep well last night so I was particularly groggy this morning. I promised myself I'd take a nap as soon as the boy left for school. The minute the door closed behind him, I treated myself to a pain pill and went back to bed, noting that I had about an hour and a half to sleep before I needed to get up and prepare for a phone coaching session I had scheduled for 10:00.
I'm not sure my head had even hit the pillow before I was happily back in sleepy town. I was in the middle of a rather interesting dream, part of which involved me reminding myself that I needed to wake up in time for my appointment. I mean, literally ... in my dream I mentioned that I probably needed to check the clock and make sure I didn't miss it.
I took my own advice and woke up to see what time it was. The alarm clock's blazing red numbers said 9:57. Ugh! I had three minutes before I had to be "at work". I sprang from the bed, ran into the bathroom and washed my face, brushed my teeth, and thanked God this was a phone session which meant I didn't have to change out of my pajamas!
On the way to get the phone, I opened the door and sent my dog, Jordan outside. Lately, he's developed a tendency to wait until I'm on the phone, then start barking to go out. Not very "professional" sounding for to my clients on the other end of the line, so I thought I'd get ahead of the game and put him out before the session started. All I'd have to do was check the front steps a couple times during the session and make sure he was lying in his usual spot.
Finally, I dialed the number and got the session started, only five minutes late which wasn't bad, all things considered. It actually worked out well because my client said she too was running behind.
Ten minutes into the session, my cell phone rang. Normally I turn it off or at least leave it on "silent" during coaching times, but today was an exception to that rule. I got out of my seat, walked to the counter where it lay ringing and picked it up. It was my husband calling.
My client asked, "Do you need to get that?" I told her "no" and apologized for the interruption. Walt must have forgotten that I had an appointment, as he's usually good about not calling during my sessions.
While I was up and moving around anyway, I figured it would be a good time to check on the dog.
Dog? - Gone!
I stepped outside and looked up and down the sidewalk for him. There were no signs of my dear canine friend anywhere.
I decided the wayward critter must have moved to the garage to get out of the wind, so I went back inside the house and walked to the back door to check. He wasn't in the garage either but the cat managed to slither past my leg and ran out as soon as the back door opened. I quickly hit the garage door control and let it down to block the cat's escape. The cat could stay in the garage until I later. Maybe some time out there in the cold would teach him a lesson about trying to bolt outside in the first place.
Surprisingly enough, I was able to maintain my conversation on the phone throughout the extra activities taking place around me.
About that time, a call from my husband beeped in on the business line. This meant there must be a problem that merited immediate attention. I asked my client if I could call her right back and she said, "Sure! No problem" By then, she was probably happy to have the chance to start looking in the yellow pages for a new coach anyway.
I hung up the phone, then dialed Walt's number while simultaneously walking out the front door to look once again for Jordan.
Still gone!
On the phone, Walt's apologetic voice informed me that we had a lunch meeting at 12:00, at a restaurant a 30 minute drive away. He asked if I could pick one of his associates up and meet him there. By then, it was about 10:30. That meant I had another 30 minutes of a session to complete, which would have the call ending at 11:00. It would allow me only 30 minutes to find something decent to wear, fix my hair (which was in dire need of washing) put on some makeup .. and find my dog before I had to leave.
With a promise that I'd try to be there on time, I hung up the phone and walked around the front of the house, calling my dogs name while a cold November wind blew it's way up my pajama pants and down the sleeves. Needless to say, I was chilled to the bone.
Finally, I spotted the prodigal Sheltie waddling back up the street towards the house, obviously a little perplexed about my impatience with him over the matter.
Ignoring the fact that my cell phone was ringing AGAIN, I said a prayer that the neighbors hadn't seen me out wandering around in my pajamas, and went back inside to call my client back.
And again, she was very understanding about it all. I apologized one more time, and told her I was going to give her a free session next week to make up for today's debacle. She said that wasn't really necessary, but accepted my offer anyway ... a relief since I figured by that time I'd been put on her "expendable" list.
We hung up the phone at 10:55. The dog was inside resting comfortably in front of the gas fireplace, the cat was howling to be let in from the garage, and I had 35 minutes in which to pull myself together.
GO!
I raced into the closet and found a pair of reasonably wrinkle free brown slacks. Eyes scanning the rack for a blouse that would match, I grabbed a lacy short sleeved top from it's hanger. It didn't exactly fit into the "fall apparel" category but it would have to do. I would find a jacket to go over it ... somehow.
I started to slip into a pair of brown boots but noticed they didn't look right with those particular pants. Shoes! I'd bought a pair of shoes specifically for that reason not too long ago, where were they?
Aha! Shoes! Now socks! My choice was considerably narrowed by the fact that they would actually have to match since I was wearing shoes instead of boots and therefore more likely to be seen by the public. Aha! But I'd done laundry only yesterday and a pair of matching brown socks were readily available. Thank goodness for small favors!
I can't say I was proud of the way my hair looked when I finished, but there was no time for fussing over it. I brushed it, sprayed it, made an attempt to style it with my fingers and called it done. Makeup was slathered on in record time. I even managed to find a pair of earrings and a necklace to compliment the lacy top.
It was 11:25. I had five minutes to figure out where I'd left my watch and rings, find my keys, and get to the car.
I stopped at the hall closet to get the jacket I needed to cover my summer blouse but it was not there. Instead, I opted for a distinctly winter, casual coat. By that time, who cared! I put it on and ran out the door.
As I backed the car out of the driveway, I applied some lipstick then called the lady whose call I'd previously ignored. I was still talking to her when I arrived at the home of the gentleman I was suppose to be taking to the lunch meeting.
Still talking also when I rang his doorbell. He opened the door, and I (still talking on the phone) smiled and said "Hi! I'm Becky. Are you ready to go?"
We got into the car and headed for the restaurant.
It looked like we just might make it there by noon! YAY!
...Until we got about 10 miles from the house and discovered the traffic was at a near standstill on Rt. 400. I called Walt, who was by that time waiting at the restaurant, and advised him of the situation. "Don't worry about it" he consoled me. "Just get here when you can."
At long last we arrived at the restaurant at precisely 12:30, exactly thirty minutes late.
I breathed an audible sigh of relief as I sank into my chair. A round of applause and laughter went up from the other meeting attendees.... and no one seemed the least bit aware that I was in an unusual state of dishevelment.
Maybe there is something to be said for making an "entrance" after all.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I Should Have Seen It Coming
This day just started out too good. That should have been my first clue that it would be best to crawl back into bed and stay there where it was safe.
But like I said, it started out great. First of all, I woke up feeling rested ... always a plus for someone who's "pushing fifty", then after the boy went to school I made a pot of coffee and sat down at the computer where I typed to my heart's content on my coaching blog. Once my brain and fingertips were equally numb, I turned my energy towards housecleaning and got a ton of things accomplished in that arena.
While I was sitting down to rest, I received a call from someone requesting one of my free sample coaching sessions, a very good thing since I need all I can get for my certification. (Although it would be nice to have a couple of them turn into a paying clients for a change)
That call came in around noon and the best I can recall, it was the last really good thing that happened to me today. It's been all downhill from there, I'm afraid. From that point on, it's been one minor disaster after another until finally I am exhausted and watching the clock for a decent hour at which to declare the day done with, crawl into bed and pull the covers back over my head.
I know, even on the worst of days I am still blessed. But even on my best days lately I am feeling a little fragile and tired.
And this was one of those.
But like I said, it started out great. First of all, I woke up feeling rested ... always a plus for someone who's "pushing fifty", then after the boy went to school I made a pot of coffee and sat down at the computer where I typed to my heart's content on my coaching blog. Once my brain and fingertips were equally numb, I turned my energy towards housecleaning and got a ton of things accomplished in that arena.
While I was sitting down to rest, I received a call from someone requesting one of my free sample coaching sessions, a very good thing since I need all I can get for my certification. (Although it would be nice to have a couple of them turn into a paying clients for a change)
That call came in around noon and the best I can recall, it was the last really good thing that happened to me today. It's been all downhill from there, I'm afraid. From that point on, it's been one minor disaster after another until finally I am exhausted and watching the clock for a decent hour at which to declare the day done with, crawl into bed and pull the covers back over my head.
I know, even on the worst of days I am still blessed. But even on my best days lately I am feeling a little fragile and tired.
And this was one of those.
Monday, November 3, 2008
It Ain't Easy Being Green
We were at a party Saturday night when my friend, Lourdes mentioned to me that I am "green", lime green actually as I also have some "yellow" traits.
She was referring to the "color" of my personality.
I had no clue what she meant, but it sounded interesting enough. I'm always open to learning new things so I was intrigued.
Lourdes explained to me that she is a "blue". Blues are exuberant, motivated, people-persons, and maybe a little on the loud side. She said that "blues" drive most "greens" crazy. Since I'm not completely green (my secondary trait is yellow, remember?) I don't really have a problem with blues.
Obviously not, since I've loved Lourdes since the day I've met her, blue trait and all.
On Monday morning, while I was attending my Life Coaching tele-class, I decided to multi-task and do a little research on the colors of personalities. With the phone on "mute", I found a couple tests online and took them (I had to take a second test in order to confirm the results of the first one. It's a "green" thing)
Lourdes had nailed it. I am green (with a side of yellow)
As fate would have it, the mere fact that I was intrigued by the concept and felt the need to research it, is an indicator of my "green-ness".
"Green people have a deep seated need to study and learn things. They are logically minded and rarely content to blindly take someone else's word for things." We green people need to understand issues for ourselves and frankly, can get a bit perturbed at those who don't approach life in the same manner.
The information I uncovered actually helped me understand myself better. Some aspects of my personality that have bothered me most of my life, can be explained by the fact that I am green.
Not that it makes it any easier. It doesn't. It just helps me understand, and understanding is very important to green people.
For instance, I usually feel isolated in a crowd. I often wonder if people even like me. This is because I look at the "statistics" I've calculated in my head and realize that by no means do I seem to be a "people magnet".
Here's an excerpt from one of the paragraphs I found:
"It's not easy to communicate with greens ... their ideas are often expressed in an overly complicated manner ... some people avoid talking to greens ... it's no surprise then, that greens are delighted when someone takes the time to carefully listen to them and respond with intelligent feedback. In fact, it may be hard to shut them up once they get going."
Hmmm .. ok. Fair enough.
It went on:
"Since greens represent a minority (they're the least common of personality colors) in most populations, they generally grow up feeling isolated from others. They may attend social events, but remain apart from the group, usually conversing with other greens. This may cause them to be viewed as anti-social by other colors."
There were several things I didn't like about what I was reading, even though according to my calculations, at least 80% of it rang true.
"Greens can be oblivious to the emotional responses of others. Some people may feel they don't exist to a green and may react to this unpleasant feeling by attacking the personality of the green. This generally causes the green to be surprised and perplexed. They do not understand the cause of the attack and will seldom strike back"...
"When they do strike back, however, they are capable of biting sarcasm that can be devastating to the person to whom it is directed."
At that point, I decided it was ok to pick and choose from my internet findings concerning "greens".
I am not oblivious to emotional responses of people at all, but I have been told I sometimes come across as cold in nature. People who know me well also know that isn't true. I'm a very warm and caring person.
I DON'T do drama though, so maybe that's where that aspect of my personality comes from. I do, however, have a deep respect and appreciation for sincere emotions ... and can tell the difference between the real and fake stuff in a heartbeat. If someone is sincere in their emotions, I'm there, and I'm definitely compassionate. (That, thanks to the "yellow" side of my personality)
"Greens take their time in making decisions." That's because we analyze things until we're absolutely convinced. We can be "knowledge junkies" because we're always searching for facts to back our findings.
"Greens are concerned with precision in language." (hello! This is why I'd rather communicate in writing than verbally. It gives me a chance to re-read and process what I am saying.)
and on it goes ...
"Greens are perfectionists and hold extremely high standards for themselves. They are often frustrated at their inability to meet even their own standards. Greens are constantly accumulating mental lists of things they should know and should be able to do."
Here we go ...
"Greens are drawn toward occupations that involve formation and applications of scientific principles (Umm, wanted to be a Medical Lab Technologist since age eight .. hematologist for most of my adult life ... analyzed uranium samples for a living for several years ... )"
Among other scientific fields, greens are drawn to CRIMINOLOGY. Hence my lean toward the "dark side" at times. Give me an afternoon of "Forensic Files" or "Dr. G. Medical Examiner" on t.v. and I am a happy camper.
Best and most appealing of all the statements I uncovered concerning the green personality type was this one:
"Greens are right almost 100% of the time!" This is because as greens, we think things through before we say them out loud. Long before our assessment of a situation leaves our lips, we've dissected it. We pick our battles, in a sense, because we hate to be found lacking. We like to be accurate and don't want to give the impression that we aren't.
So there you've got it. I'm green. Like it or not, that explains a lot.
On the other hand, I am not always so green. I happen to be quite convincing as a speaker (as long as I've had a chance to prepare and a microphone isn't shoved in my face unexpectedly, in which case my words will no doubt come out zombie like and unappealing)
I've learned to push myself to do "people" things. The last year has been one of great stretching and growing for me, and I am pretty proud of the results. I am a great listener, a trait that ironically enough helps immensely in my pursuit of a Life Coaching career. (That's normally more of a "blue" occupation)
So, maybe in my latter years I am evolving ... changing like a chameleon from green to yellow and on to blue in order to accommodate the demands of my surroundings. I can see where that may be a possibility. After all, I started out as a "green" and everyone knows, we "greens" can do anything we set our minds too!
(Quotes taken from insightlearning.com )
She was referring to the "color" of my personality.
I had no clue what she meant, but it sounded interesting enough. I'm always open to learning new things so I was intrigued.
Lourdes explained to me that she is a "blue". Blues are exuberant, motivated, people-persons, and maybe a little on the loud side. She said that "blues" drive most "greens" crazy. Since I'm not completely green (my secondary trait is yellow, remember?) I don't really have a problem with blues.
Obviously not, since I've loved Lourdes since the day I've met her, blue trait and all.
On Monday morning, while I was attending my Life Coaching tele-class, I decided to multi-task and do a little research on the colors of personalities. With the phone on "mute", I found a couple tests online and took them (I had to take a second test in order to confirm the results of the first one. It's a "green" thing)
Lourdes had nailed it. I am green (with a side of yellow)
As fate would have it, the mere fact that I was intrigued by the concept and felt the need to research it, is an indicator of my "green-ness".
"Green people have a deep seated need to study and learn things. They are logically minded and rarely content to blindly take someone else's word for things." We green people need to understand issues for ourselves and frankly, can get a bit perturbed at those who don't approach life in the same manner.
The information I uncovered actually helped me understand myself better. Some aspects of my personality that have bothered me most of my life, can be explained by the fact that I am green.
Not that it makes it any easier. It doesn't. It just helps me understand, and understanding is very important to green people.
For instance, I usually feel isolated in a crowd. I often wonder if people even like me. This is because I look at the "statistics" I've calculated in my head and realize that by no means do I seem to be a "people magnet".
Here's an excerpt from one of the paragraphs I found:
"It's not easy to communicate with greens ... their ideas are often expressed in an overly complicated manner ... some people avoid talking to greens ... it's no surprise then, that greens are delighted when someone takes the time to carefully listen to them and respond with intelligent feedback. In fact, it may be hard to shut them up once they get going."
Hmmm .. ok. Fair enough.
It went on:
"Since greens represent a minority (they're the least common of personality colors) in most populations, they generally grow up feeling isolated from others. They may attend social events, but remain apart from the group, usually conversing with other greens. This may cause them to be viewed as anti-social by other colors."
There were several things I didn't like about what I was reading, even though according to my calculations, at least 80% of it rang true.
"Greens can be oblivious to the emotional responses of others. Some people may feel they don't exist to a green and may react to this unpleasant feeling by attacking the personality of the green. This generally causes the green to be surprised and perplexed. They do not understand the cause of the attack and will seldom strike back"...
"When they do strike back, however, they are capable of biting sarcasm that can be devastating to the person to whom it is directed."
At that point, I decided it was ok to pick and choose from my internet findings concerning "greens".
I am not oblivious to emotional responses of people at all, but I have been told I sometimes come across as cold in nature. People who know me well also know that isn't true. I'm a very warm and caring person.
I DON'T do drama though, so maybe that's where that aspect of my personality comes from. I do, however, have a deep respect and appreciation for sincere emotions ... and can tell the difference between the real and fake stuff in a heartbeat. If someone is sincere in their emotions, I'm there, and I'm definitely compassionate. (That, thanks to the "yellow" side of my personality)
"Greens take their time in making decisions." That's because we analyze things until we're absolutely convinced. We can be "knowledge junkies" because we're always searching for facts to back our findings.
"Greens are concerned with precision in language." (hello! This is why I'd rather communicate in writing than verbally. It gives me a chance to re-read and process what I am saying.)
and on it goes ...
"Greens are perfectionists and hold extremely high standards for themselves. They are often frustrated at their inability to meet even their own standards. Greens are constantly accumulating mental lists of things they should know and should be able to do."
Here we go ...
"Greens are drawn toward occupations that involve formation and applications of scientific principles (Umm, wanted to be a Medical Lab Technologist since age eight .. hematologist for most of my adult life ... analyzed uranium samples for a living for several years ... )"
Among other scientific fields, greens are drawn to CRIMINOLOGY. Hence my lean toward the "dark side" at times. Give me an afternoon of "Forensic Files" or "Dr. G. Medical Examiner" on t.v. and I am a happy camper.
Best and most appealing of all the statements I uncovered concerning the green personality type was this one:
"Greens are right almost 100% of the time!" This is because as greens, we think things through before we say them out loud. Long before our assessment of a situation leaves our lips, we've dissected it. We pick our battles, in a sense, because we hate to be found lacking. We like to be accurate and don't want to give the impression that we aren't.
So there you've got it. I'm green. Like it or not, that explains a lot.
On the other hand, I am not always so green. I happen to be quite convincing as a speaker (as long as I've had a chance to prepare and a microphone isn't shoved in my face unexpectedly, in which case my words will no doubt come out zombie like and unappealing)
I've learned to push myself to do "people" things. The last year has been one of great stretching and growing for me, and I am pretty proud of the results. I am a great listener, a trait that ironically enough helps immensely in my pursuit of a Life Coaching career. (That's normally more of a "blue" occupation)
So, maybe in my latter years I am evolving ... changing like a chameleon from green to yellow and on to blue in order to accommodate the demands of my surroundings. I can see where that may be a possibility. After all, I started out as a "green" and everyone knows, we "greens" can do anything we set our minds too!
(Quotes taken from insightlearning.com )
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Who Woulda Thunk It?
I decided today to have the cat bite on my leg checked by a doctor. Right after church this morning, we drove to the same Urgent Care clinic I went to for the torn meniscus a month or so ago.
The area around the bite was so swollen and sore Friday night, that I couldn't bear to have the bed sheet touching it. Saturday morning, the worst of the puncture wounds started oozing fluid and I suspected an infection had taken hold.
After the oozing episode, my leg started to look better and hurt less so I waited until today to go to Urgent Care.
I'm glad I went! I received antibiotics and quite an education during my visit.
Did you know that cat bites are second only to human bites as far as risk of serious infection goes? They are! The doctor told me that he's had one patient who actually lost her leg below the knee because she waited 10 days after a cat bit her to have her injuries treated.
OK, so the lady was 80 years old, the neighborhood "cat lady", and the cat that bit her was a wild stray.
Still, that information certainly got my attention.
Also, did you know it's common medical procedure to treat ALL cat bites with antibiotics even if there are no signs of infection at all?
Given the story of the now one-legged cat lady, I can understand why.
Injuries such as the ones inflicted by my sweet, playful Skippy tend to fool people by appearing to heal, when in reality there are bacteria "incubating" and breeding deep within the tissue. If untreated, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body. If it finds it's way to, oh say ... the heart, it can be FATAL.
That's good to know, Doc, but you had me convinced way back at first mention of amputation of the injured limb!
Thankfully, the doctor himself is a cat lover so he was completely understanding of my plight. I'd feared he might suspect I was harboring a dangerous animal and insist the CDC be called in to investigate. I hated the idea of poor Skippyjon having to go before a jury of his Siamese kitty peers, and possibly be convicted of "cruelty to a human".
No need to worry now. In a week or so my leg should be back to normal, (with the exception of a couple fang shaped scars) , Skippyjon has already forgotten the whole incident... and we are all a little wiser for the experience!
The area around the bite was so swollen and sore Friday night, that I couldn't bear to have the bed sheet touching it. Saturday morning, the worst of the puncture wounds started oozing fluid and I suspected an infection had taken hold.
After the oozing episode, my leg started to look better and hurt less so I waited until today to go to Urgent Care.
I'm glad I went! I received antibiotics and quite an education during my visit.
Did you know that cat bites are second only to human bites as far as risk of serious infection goes? They are! The doctor told me that he's had one patient who actually lost her leg below the knee because she waited 10 days after a cat bit her to have her injuries treated.
OK, so the lady was 80 years old, the neighborhood "cat lady", and the cat that bit her was a wild stray.
Still, that information certainly got my attention.
Also, did you know it's common medical procedure to treat ALL cat bites with antibiotics even if there are no signs of infection at all?
Given the story of the now one-legged cat lady, I can understand why.
Injuries such as the ones inflicted by my sweet, playful Skippy tend to fool people by appearing to heal, when in reality there are bacteria "incubating" and breeding deep within the tissue. If untreated, the bacteria can get into the bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body. If it finds it's way to, oh say ... the heart, it can be FATAL.
That's good to know, Doc, but you had me convinced way back at first mention of amputation of the injured limb!
Thankfully, the doctor himself is a cat lover so he was completely understanding of my plight. I'd feared he might suspect I was harboring a dangerous animal and insist the CDC be called in to investigate. I hated the idea of poor Skippyjon having to go before a jury of his Siamese kitty peers, and possibly be convicted of "cruelty to a human".
No need to worry now. In a week or so my leg should be back to normal, (with the exception of a couple fang shaped scars) , Skippyjon has already forgotten the whole incident... and we are all a little wiser for the experience!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Third Rock and The King
It has become customary for Mr. Taylor and I to record episodes of "The King Of Queens" and watch one or two of them just before we retire every night. This started over a year ago and I fear at this point has become more of an addiction than a custom for my husband. To date, we have probably seen each episode no fewer than 10 times. I have most of them memorized word for word.
The show is still funny, but it began to grow a little old to me a month or so ago. This was only made worse by the fact that when particularly amusing scenes play, Walt will "rewind" and watch it over again several times in succession, laughing hysterically each and every time.
I suppose you could say the man is easily entertained. ( I don't know exactly how that reflects on me as his wife, but it's true)
When I watch t.v. I tend to choose shows that range from one extreme to the other. I either want to see something incredibly mindless and silly, or I want something that leans to the "dark" side. Once Mr. Taylor has laughed himself to sleep, I will normally flip channels until I locate something akin to "Forensic Files" or "Dr. G. Medical Examiner".
That was before I re-discovered a sitcom from the 90's called "Third Rock From The Sun". I use to love that show. It definitely falls into the "mindless, silly" category and is just what I've been needing a lot of lately. I happily set the DVR to record every episode.
Because I only watch it a couple times a week, this meant I had 10 or 12 episodes to choose from every time I got my turn at the remote.
Last night we came home from a Halloween party at our neighbors and began settling in for the night. Walt had a hunting trip planned for the wee hours of the morning, so he surrendered the remote to me after only two re-run, re-runs of "The King of Queens". I happily accepted his offer to watch a show of MY choosing and clicked on "recordings".
I noticed there were no new "Third Rock" episodes on the list. Hmm. I skimmed down through through the titles and saw lots and lots of "King", several old western movies (needless to say those were not mine either) "Deliverence" (oh please!) "The Godfather" (are you beginning to see a trend here?)
No "Third Rock" offerings at all, except for a few waaaay down towards the bottom that I'd already watched in recent weeks.
I looked at the snoozing man lying beside me in the bed, and then at the clock which read "12:05" I knew he had to get up at 4:30 to go hunting but really felt I had no choice but to awaken him. This was an emergency!
After several elbows to the ribs, he opened his eyes, and asked, "What is it?"
"What happened to all my "Third Rock From The Sun" recordings?" I asked.
He thought for a moment and finally responded .. "Oh ....."
Propped on both elbows, I glared at him in anticipation of the answer I knew would surely follow.
"I must have deleted them. I was going through the list the other day cleaning it up a little. I'm sorry. Just go ahead and reset it to record them again."
Within a milli-second he had fallen back into a peacefully state of slumber.
So much for the crisis at hand.
WHAT? "Just go ahead and set it to record them again?" To begin with, I don't even remember what channel the show was being aired on, or when it aired at all! Secondly, it was after midnight, and with the exception of the light from the television screen, it was dark in the room. Unlike my husband, I don't know how to blindly manipulate the remote.
Oh, believe me, it did cross my mind to turn on ALL the lights and blatantly search the programming schedule until I found my "Third Rock" but I resisted and found something morbid to watch instead. It wasn''t quite the same, but it had to do.
In the process, I couldn't help but stew just a little. How ironic that only MY shows got "cleaned" off the repeated recordings list and his did not.
I don't ask for much. For every chick flick Mr. Taylor and I watch together, we see at least 20 manly-man types of shows. And it wasn't like we were running out of room for recordings either. If I'm not mistaken, the last time I looked I noticed we had about 200 hours of recording space available.
Maybe there is a 300 hour "King of Queens" marathon coming up that I am unaware of and Walt is afraid he's going to miss it.
To make matters worse, first thing this morning I started scanning the program schedule so I could find out when MY show will be airing again, and correct the situation. I had no luck whatsoever. By all appearances, my beloved aliens from "Third Rock" have left the planet.
I won't give up. I can't! This is war and I WILL WIN!
King of Queens, you have no power over the alien forces of Third Rock!
And Mr. Taylor, you know me better than to think you have heard the last of this matter.
The show is still funny, but it began to grow a little old to me a month or so ago. This was only made worse by the fact that when particularly amusing scenes play, Walt will "rewind" and watch it over again several times in succession, laughing hysterically each and every time.
I suppose you could say the man is easily entertained. ( I don't know exactly how that reflects on me as his wife, but it's true)
When I watch t.v. I tend to choose shows that range from one extreme to the other. I either want to see something incredibly mindless and silly, or I want something that leans to the "dark" side. Once Mr. Taylor has laughed himself to sleep, I will normally flip channels until I locate something akin to "Forensic Files" or "Dr. G. Medical Examiner".
That was before I re-discovered a sitcom from the 90's called "Third Rock From The Sun". I use to love that show. It definitely falls into the "mindless, silly" category and is just what I've been needing a lot of lately. I happily set the DVR to record every episode.
Because I only watch it a couple times a week, this meant I had 10 or 12 episodes to choose from every time I got my turn at the remote.
Last night we came home from a Halloween party at our neighbors and began settling in for the night. Walt had a hunting trip planned for the wee hours of the morning, so he surrendered the remote to me after only two re-run, re-runs of "The King of Queens". I happily accepted his offer to watch a show of MY choosing and clicked on "recordings".
I noticed there were no new "Third Rock" episodes on the list. Hmm. I skimmed down through through the titles and saw lots and lots of "King", several old western movies (needless to say those were not mine either) "Deliverence" (oh please!) "The Godfather" (are you beginning to see a trend here?)
No "Third Rock" offerings at all, except for a few waaaay down towards the bottom that I'd already watched in recent weeks.
I looked at the snoozing man lying beside me in the bed, and then at the clock which read "12:05" I knew he had to get up at 4:30 to go hunting but really felt I had no choice but to awaken him. This was an emergency!
After several elbows to the ribs, he opened his eyes, and asked, "What is it?"
"What happened to all my "Third Rock From The Sun" recordings?" I asked.
He thought for a moment and finally responded .. "Oh ....."
Propped on both elbows, I glared at him in anticipation of the answer I knew would surely follow.
"I must have deleted them. I was going through the list the other day cleaning it up a little. I'm sorry. Just go ahead and reset it to record them again."
Within a milli-second he had fallen back into a peacefully state of slumber.
So much for the crisis at hand.
WHAT? "Just go ahead and set it to record them again?" To begin with, I don't even remember what channel the show was being aired on, or when it aired at all! Secondly, it was after midnight, and with the exception of the light from the television screen, it was dark in the room. Unlike my husband, I don't know how to blindly manipulate the remote.
Oh, believe me, it did cross my mind to turn on ALL the lights and blatantly search the programming schedule until I found my "Third Rock" but I resisted and found something morbid to watch instead. It wasn''t quite the same, but it had to do.
In the process, I couldn't help but stew just a little. How ironic that only MY shows got "cleaned" off the repeated recordings list and his did not.
I don't ask for much. For every chick flick Mr. Taylor and I watch together, we see at least 20 manly-man types of shows. And it wasn't like we were running out of room for recordings either. If I'm not mistaken, the last time I looked I noticed we had about 200 hours of recording space available.
Maybe there is a 300 hour "King of Queens" marathon coming up that I am unaware of and Walt is afraid he's going to miss it.
To make matters worse, first thing this morning I started scanning the program schedule so I could find out when MY show will be airing again, and correct the situation. I had no luck whatsoever. By all appearances, my beloved aliens from "Third Rock" have left the planet.
I won't give up. I can't! This is war and I WILL WIN!
King of Queens, you have no power over the alien forces of Third Rock!
And Mr. Taylor, you know me better than to think you have heard the last of this matter.
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