Name: Anduin Anduin
From: California, United States
About me: I'm a So Cal girl born and raised. I've known my husband for over 19 years and we've been married for 15. My cat is also 15 years old and his name is Yoshi. He is the ruler of the house and has me under complete submission using his super feline mind control abilities.
Anduin's World
FAVORITE SAYINGS, THINGS I LIVE BY: If you don't ask, you don't get, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Not Political
I am not a political person. I usually don't follow the news about whatever whomever is doing to someone else or has done to some other country or nation. I know about Iraq. Yes it's awful and I wish that we weren't there anymore. I'm glad that Saddam is out because he deserves to be punished, but now we are stuck there and our people are dying and that sucks. I am vaguely aware that something else is wrong in the White House, that Chaney is involved, but I really don't have a clue what it is, nor do I care to find out what is going on. My thought about this is: What can I do about it? Not much. So why should I get myself all worked up about how rotten our government is, what a poor job the president is doing etc., if I cannot affect change? I vote, but I find that voting just isn't effective in changing things that I want changed.
I used to support President Bush, but I've seen and heard things about him that I find extremely surprising. How on earth did this man get elected? Twice. What is really going on in the White House? I don't know, I'm sure I don't want to find out. I think a lot of people may feel the same as I do; helpless to be able to do anything about it.
I love being an American and I would hate to see our country become less than what it is, but I also know that she can be better too. What can be done? I think I'll let someone else worry about that for now and I'll just keep my head in the sand for a little while longer.
I expect I'll get some interesting comments on this post. I invite you to comment about my opinion and to share yours too.
I used to support President Bush, but I've seen and heard things about him that I find extremely surprising. How on earth did this man get elected? Twice. What is really going on in the White House? I don't know, I'm sure I don't want to find out. I think a lot of people may feel the same as I do; helpless to be able to do anything about it.
I love being an American and I would hate to see our country become less than what it is, but I also know that she can be better too. What can be done? I think I'll let someone else worry about that for now and I'll just keep my head in the sand for a little while longer.
I expect I'll get some interesting comments on this post. I invite you to comment about my opinion and to share yours too.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Time Off
I took the day off from work yesterday. I have 7 days of vacation time that I'm supposed to use before my anniversary date which is Nov. 3rd. I get 15 days of vacation time every year but I rarely use it, and usually only take a day or two off at a time. I don't like to be gone from work for too long because then I have to come back to tons of work and it's just too stressful to put myself through that. It would be nice to take a week off, but I know that when I came back to work I would spend the next two weeks trying to get caught up again. It would be nice if my company would pay me for any time not used but they don't. They used to have the policy of "use it or lose it" but that is now against the law in California.
Whenever I take a day off from work I always have these great expectations for the day. I told myself that I was going to get up early, clean the apartment, do some laundry and when that was all done I could go clothes shopping. Yesterday I managed to get the laundry done. That's all, nothing else but that. I didn't realize I had that much laundry to do.
Whenever I take a day off from work I always have these great expectations for the day. I told myself that I was going to get up early, clean the apartment, do some laundry and when that was all done I could go clothes shopping. Yesterday I managed to get the laundry done. That's all, nothing else but that. I didn't realize I had that much laundry to do.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Animal Fair
My mom used to sing this to me when I was a little girl. I know these are not the exact words but I remember it best this way. Out of nowhere this morning, this song popped into my head so I sang it to my cat while I was getting ready for work.
I went to the animal fair
The birds and the beasts were there
The old raccoon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair
But the funniest was the monk
He crawled up the elephant’s trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell to his knees
But what became of the monk, the monk the monk?
I went to the animal fair
The birds and the beasts were there
The old raccoon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair
But the funniest was the monk
He crawled up the elephant’s trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell to his knees
But what became of the monk, the monk the monk?
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
No Time
I’ve got things I want to write about, pictures to post and stories to tell but alas, I do not have the time. I wanted to tell you about the WWII reenactment I saw this weekend with my niece and nephew, and show you a picture of the fish that I made out of purple construction paper with holographic scales that is now hanging on my wall, and what I like most about miniature marshmallows (I love that little thwok sound they make when I throw them at my husband and they hit him in the head). There is so much here to write about but I just don’t have the time! Wahhh!
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Giving Honor Where Due
Yesterday at work we had our monthly birthday celebration where all of the employees gather in the lunchroom for cake and singing of the birthday song to those that had birthdays that month. Since everyone was going to be there, management thought that it would be a good time to honor the two employees that had saved a person's life earlier this week. I wrote about in my previous post. It was decided that we should call the fire department that responded to the accident and ask them to come in and thank the two employees for their quick action in putting out the truck that was on fire. I called the fire department and spoke with the Deputy Chief and explained to him what had happened and what we wanted to do. He agreed to do what I was requesting and said that the same crew would come to our celebration and give a short presentation to the two employees. It turned out really well, the two employees were surprised when the firemen showed up and thanked them for what they did. The fire chief said that they appreciated the help and were grateful that someone stepped up and acted. He said he has seen accidents where no one wanted to help and people ended up dying because of it. They all shook hands and talked for a while afterwards then went out to the fire truck to have a look at it. Our two guys were very humble and didn't want the attention, but what can you expect from two genuine heros? They said that they just did what needed to be done. I understand that, but I still think that it is appropriate to give honor where it is due.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Thank God for Airbags!
This happened right out in front of my work yesterday afternoon. Two young men were in the red truck driving too fast down the street. The driver lost control of the car and hit a parked diesel truck on the other side of the road. Right after the collision, the red truck caught fire. The driver was able to get out and was trying desperately to get the passenger out of the truck, but he was stuck. A couple of our employees risked their lives to help save this guy buy using fire extinguishers. After several minutes they were able to extinguish the flames and saved the passengers’ life. The fire department showed up a few minutes later.
Neither occupant was wearing his seatbelt. Fortunately, the truck had duel air-bags and both lives were saved. The passenger looked to be in bad shape but I found out later that he was okay and walked out of the hospital with a few stitches. If it wasn’t for the air-bags, neither of these guys would have made it. I still wonder why people think it is okay to drive un-secured in their vehicles.
Neither occupant was wearing his seatbelt. Fortunately, the truck had duel air-bags and both lives were saved. The passenger looked to be in bad shape but I found out later that he was okay and walked out of the hospital with a few stitches. If it wasn’t for the air-bags, neither of these guys would have made it. I still wonder why people think it is okay to drive un-secured in their vehicles.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Eureka!
After years and years of not knowing what I wanted to do for a career I have finally found my calling. I am 37 years old and you may be wondering what I've been doing with myself all of this time well let me tell you. I've worked in an animal hospital, a pizza restaurant, a toy store, a hardware store, a grocery store, a publisher, a bank, a distribution warehouse and finally a commercial printer. I've done cashiering, accounting, customer service and correspondance, research, inventory control, billing and on and on. I'm good at multi-tasking and enjoy being challenged and taking on new responsibilities. My employer finds this to be a great asset. As long as I understand what they want or need, I can find a way to make it happen. I've been in the accounting department where I work for seven years now. I am proficient in two different software programs and have written procedures that are used to train new employees on one of the programs. When necessary, I have stepped in for absent employees and maintained their responsibilities along with mine. I thrive on that kind of challenge. Otherwise I get terribly bored.
Anyways, about a year and a half ago, we lost our human resources person. Since I had covered that position for a few months before she was hired, it was assumed that I would take it up again after she left. I had no experience at all I when I tried it the first time; I learned as I went. It was difficult and tiresome because I didn't know what I was doing and I had no resources to pull from. I didn't want to do it anymore and I was glad when they hired someone for that position. For some reason my opinion changed after I picked it up the second time around. I actually enjoyed doing it.
My boss told me that she was going to find someone to come in and take care of the human resources on a part time basis. I told her that I had been thinking about it and decided that I wanted to do it and eventually become certified. Yesterday I went to a work shop that was an introduction to human resources management. It was an all day class and the instuctor was wonderful. He was very informative and a great communicator. I was impressed with myself too, because I knew more than I realized. I thought that I was going to go in and be embarrassed because I wouldn't know what they were talking about, but I was actually able to keep up and answer questions. At one point during the day I felt a thrill of exhilaration inside of me. This is it, I thought. This is what I want to do. I could totally get into this. All these years of not knowing what I should do, of having no education and not being paid what I know I'm worth, I've finally found something I want to do and will enjoy doing. Have you any idea how that feels? Best part is, the company will pay for the training. Oh happy day!
Anyways, about a year and a half ago, we lost our human resources person. Since I had covered that position for a few months before she was hired, it was assumed that I would take it up again after she left. I had no experience at all I when I tried it the first time; I learned as I went. It was difficult and tiresome because I didn't know what I was doing and I had no resources to pull from. I didn't want to do it anymore and I was glad when they hired someone for that position. For some reason my opinion changed after I picked it up the second time around. I actually enjoyed doing it.
My boss told me that she was going to find someone to come in and take care of the human resources on a part time basis. I told her that I had been thinking about it and decided that I wanted to do it and eventually become certified. Yesterday I went to a work shop that was an introduction to human resources management. It was an all day class and the instuctor was wonderful. He was very informative and a great communicator. I was impressed with myself too, because I knew more than I realized. I thought that I was going to go in and be embarrassed because I wouldn't know what they were talking about, but I was actually able to keep up and answer questions. At one point during the day I felt a thrill of exhilaration inside of me. This is it, I thought. This is what I want to do. I could totally get into this. All these years of not knowing what I should do, of having no education and not being paid what I know I'm worth, I've finally found something I want to do and will enjoy doing. Have you any idea how that feels? Best part is, the company will pay for the training. Oh happy day!
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The Holidays
I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It seems like it was just a couple of months ago that we had Christmas and New Year's. Now here we are in October and these holidays are just around the corner. Halloween is coming up in a few weeks and before we know it, we will be welcoming in the new year.
I am not big on celebrating holidays. I will do Thanksgiving and Fourth of July because they still hold the true meaning of the holiday; giving thanks for all that we have and celebrating this great country of ours. I don't do Halloween at all. Period. Christmas is a joke; it doesn't hold any meaning for me even though I am a Christian. There is too much guilt involved over buying everyone gifts and I think it is ridiculous what people go through to please people they don't really like. I just want to opt-out and not be involved. I think for me, the best part of the holiday season is that we get paid time off from work. And in case you didn't already know this, Jesus was not born on Dec. 25th.
Giving to others should be a year round event and not be turned into something that is staged once a year to make people feel good about themselves. The homeless and down and out people need food and shelter and help all year long.
Giving to others should be a year round event and not be turned into something that is staged once a year to make people feel good about themselves. The homeless and down and out people need food and shelter and help all year long.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Mama Carlotta
My husband's grandmother was an awesome woman and I've never met anyone quite like her. We found out yesterday that she passed away. Mama Carlotta lived in Merida, Yucatan which is where my husband is from. She raised several children and was a very independant woman. My husband has written a post about her on his blog so please visit and learn more about her. I can't do her justice as well as he is able to.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Happy Place Re-Visited
Ahhh, there it is. This is my favorite place to go when I'm feeling bored or frustrated with life. This is my happy place. I feel like I could spend the rest of my life in this hammock, gently swaying under these palm trees. I wouldn't have a care in the world. No alarm clock, no rush hour traffic, no sitting at a desk all day fixing problems, no maintaining a household and groceries and cleaning and laundry. Just the breeze, the sun and the endless blue of the ocean. If you ever find I'm gone and don't know where I am, I might just be here, dozing in the sun with a big smile on my face.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Blog Meme
Debi has tagged me with a blog meme. Here are the rules:
1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas…
My 23rd post: I like Violent Sports
5th sentence: “I’m into that kind of thing.”
Meaning, subtext or hidden agendas: Well, what can I say about that? Hmmm. This isn’t exactly the 23rd post, but it is closest to it. The 23rd post was pictures. Anyways, what can be gleaned from the abovementioned sentence? I was writing about things that I liked but was not obvious to others. I think I was revealing that the person I present myself to be was only a façade and that the real me inside was a lot more raw and real and very different from the way that others perceived me to be.
5. Tag five people to do the same.
I’m not going to tag anyone this time. Maybe next time around I will.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Bad, Bad Drivers
Things I've witnessed freeway drivers doing on my way to and from work during rush hour stop and go traffic:
- A man in his big pick-up truck was talking on his cell phone with one hand and drinking from a can of Coke with his other hand. What was this guy using to steer the truck with? Not sure I really want to know.
- A man spraying his hair with a big can of aerosol hairspray in one hand and fussing with his hair with the other. I guess it might have helped if he had more hair to work with.
- A man was flossing his teeth while looking into his rear-view mirror. Ewww! Gross!
- A woman was smoking a cigarette with one hand and talking on her cell phone with the other hand.
- Men and women reading (books, newspapers, etc.).
- A man was shaving (electric shaver at least).
- A woman putting on gobs of mascara.
- Little kids bouncing around unrestrained in the back seat of the car.
Men always complain about woman drivers. From what I've been seeing, men have become the new menace on the highways.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Illiteracy
I heard the other day that American Idol Fantasia came out in her memoirs and stated that she was illiterate. I find this difficult to believe. I just can't grasp that as a possibility. How is it that a woman her age is not able to read? I could understand if she had a learning disability, but even these days there are programs to help. I'm left wondering how these people cope on a day to day basis. Fantasia wrote that she faked her way through the show and that she signed contracts not knowing what they said or were for. I was still thinking about this subject days after I heard about it and I began to wonder if illiterate people can at least recognize words. Do they know simple words like stop, walk, entrance, exit etc.? Things you see every day. Have they tried to learn to read? Have they asked anyone for help or do they just "fake it" and hope no one notices? I'm baffled. If anyone knows or has any info on the subject, I wouldn't mind hearing about it.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Pet Peeves
- Rude people – especially in retail. If you are so displeased about your job and your crummy life why don’t you go find a rock and crawl under it? Do us all the favor and remove your pathetic self from our presence.
- People that talk too much, like non-stop, and don’t have anything to say.
- People that tell you mundane facts about their lives. Like "I got the truck washed, then I did five loads of laundry. I ate some eggs and washed dishes then played with my dogs, I took a bath and then I took a nap and I vacuumed and on and on they drone in a monotonous voice. Too much information and I could care less. Really, don't care.
- People that repeat themselves when they tell you something. You know what I mean, they tell you the beginning all the way through to the end again and don’t even bother to add anything new. I spoke to someone one time that did this 4 times in a row. Hello? I’m not dense. I got it the first time!
- People that interrupt you when you are talking. There's a woman at my work that will cut you off mid-sentence when you are talking. She isn’t even listening to what you have to say. You can't have a conversation with her. You basically end up standing there listening to her ramble on about whatever. It's mind numbing and she irritates the hell out of me.
- Bad drivers - running red lights and stop signs, dodging through traffic, tailgating or driving too slow and holding up traffic. I used to fantasize that I drove a suped-up tank and if someone got in my way or pissed me off I would just blow them to smithereens. My road rage has calmed down considerably in the last few months, these people just aren’t worth my energy.
- Snarky comments from snarky women who think they are “all that”. Yeah, whatever.
- People that talk all throughout a movie or those that bring little children or babies with them to the theater. These people drive me nuts. The babies cry all through the movie and the kids can’t sit still. Leave the kids at home people. Get Netflix or cable and watch the movies in the comfort of your home so that the rest of us can enjoy the movie we just paid $10.00 to see. Have some consideration. You knew it would be difficult having kids, but it isn’t necessary to make the rest of us suffer through it with you.
I know this sounds negative and I try to be as positive as I can, but I have my moments. These are some of the things that cause my moments. I'm sure you can relate to some of them.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Dreams
I have a very active dream life. Most of the time I can remember my dreams and some of the stranger ones will stay with me throughout the day. I also have re-occuring dreams. Not the same dream over and over, but the same theme or subject over and over. The main subject that I dream about with regularity is public restrooms. I dislike having to use them but I must have a deep seated sub-conscious dislike for them because the things I dream about are horrendous. I will dream that I am in a restroom and all of the stalls are missing doors. Then the stalls are only waist high so you are mostly exposed as you do your business. The next thing is that all of the toilets are a mess. Not just messy, but disgustingly dirty with "stuff" all over the seat and the walls. In my dream I am desperately trying to find one stall, one toilet that is suitable to use but I am never able to find one. I've had dozens of dreams about this subject.
The other subject I dream about often is a house. The house that my husband and I used to own. This house was a nightmare to live in, something we didn't realize before we bought it. When we looked at the house we made sure to check out the neighborhood at all times of the day, even at midnight once. It seemed like a nice neighborhood, hardworking people with families. Every time we went by the house, the place was quiet and peaceful. The house itself was small but cute, built in 1910 surrounded by houses that were even older, and situated near the antique district of the town. Kind of an artsy-fartsy trendy place. The house had been empty for a while before we bought it and needed some cleaning. The first night we had possesion of the house we went to clean it before moving in. I was shocked by what we found. It seemed as if every neighbor surrounding us was having a party. The music was so loud that we had to shout to talk to one another. I remember feeling very stressed that night. This house was our dream come true, and it seemed that the dream was turning into a nightmare. I always had a bad feeling about the house afterwards. I was reluctant to go into the back yard or the garage for at least a year after we lived there because it felt creepy to me. Apparently, there was also a gang in our neighborhood and we had to deal with grafitti on our garage doors and the side of our house. There were drug dealers that lived next door and even a few shootings happened near our house. None of this was apparent when we bought the place. It seemed like all of this appeared while we were in escrow. Suprisinly we lived there for six years before finally deciding to give in and leave. Life is better now. We like where we live and don't have to deal with all of the problems we faced in that house. Still, I dream about it. Sometimes I'll dream that I'm back in the house and when I realize where I am I get so angry. There's always something physically wrong with the place too. It will be missing the roof or have floorboards missing and you can see through the walls. I wish I could wipe these things from my mind so I wouldn't have to dream about them, or better yet, be able to control the dream to turn out the way that I want it to. Wouldn't that be great? What do you dream about the most?
The other subject I dream about often is a house. The house that my husband and I used to own. This house was a nightmare to live in, something we didn't realize before we bought it. When we looked at the house we made sure to check out the neighborhood at all times of the day, even at midnight once. It seemed like a nice neighborhood, hardworking people with families. Every time we went by the house, the place was quiet and peaceful. The house itself was small but cute, built in 1910 surrounded by houses that were even older, and situated near the antique district of the town. Kind of an artsy-fartsy trendy place. The house had been empty for a while before we bought it and needed some cleaning. The first night we had possesion of the house we went to clean it before moving in. I was shocked by what we found. It seemed as if every neighbor surrounding us was having a party. The music was so loud that we had to shout to talk to one another. I remember feeling very stressed that night. This house was our dream come true, and it seemed that the dream was turning into a nightmare. I always had a bad feeling about the house afterwards. I was reluctant to go into the back yard or the garage for at least a year after we lived there because it felt creepy to me. Apparently, there was also a gang in our neighborhood and we had to deal with grafitti on our garage doors and the side of our house. There were drug dealers that lived next door and even a few shootings happened near our house. None of this was apparent when we bought the place. It seemed like all of this appeared while we were in escrow. Suprisinly we lived there for six years before finally deciding to give in and leave. Life is better now. We like where we live and don't have to deal with all of the problems we faced in that house. Still, I dream about it. Sometimes I'll dream that I'm back in the house and when I realize where I am I get so angry. There's always something physically wrong with the place too. It will be missing the roof or have floorboards missing and you can see through the walls. I wish I could wipe these things from my mind so I wouldn't have to dream about them, or better yet, be able to control the dream to turn out the way that I want it to. Wouldn't that be great? What do you dream about the most?