as illustrated here

Another one… so soon?

I know what you’re thinking; “Another one?  So soon?  I haven’t even had a chance to read the massive post you just put up yesterday!  What’s up?”

The answer is… well… just ’cause. 

See… I want this to be a regular thing, just sometimes life gets … wait… I can’t say “life gets in the way” ’cause that’s the point. Isn’t it?  Life should get in the way.  And doesn’t this just sound like I’m writing exactly what’s in my head at the moment?  Stopping partway through a sentence to correct myself or slip into a crack in the icy layer of my consciousness and plunge into the darkness of my mind? (Man, I love The Phantom of the Opera… see?  SEE?  Tangent!)

I like typing as if I’m talking to you. I’m not a talkative person in real life unless you get onto a topic that I know something about.  However it has been pointed out, recently too, that I am a very inviting person. At a friend’s wedding, two weekends ago, we were sitting at a table for the reception and the priest who married them sat down next to me. He had been sitting at another table all together, but had gotten up and went out for a moment and when he came back he sat in the empty seat next to me (sandwiched by me and a couple I didn’t know) even though there were other seats available with empties beside them. He regaled us with tales of weddings he had done before, some good and some never-talk-to-the-relatives-again bad, and mentioned that his wife was pregnant (and not having a good time of it).  I listened intently, because I love hearing stories and it’s just plain polite, and congratulated him (since his wife wasn’t there) on their expected child (they don’t know what the baby is, but she’s near to the end of it so they’ll know soon enough). 

But people will just talk to me if I give them a polite smile or empathetic nod at their troubles.  I know it sounds hokey, but deep down I want people, anyone/everyone… just random somebodies, to know that there’s someone in the world who feels for them.  There are some people this odd minor benevolence (if you can even call it that) does NOT extend to, not racially different or anything… just life choices different.  No, not gay/lesbians either (I was going to say ‘homosexuals’ but I hate the sound of that word). I have had friends/co-workers since High School (at least) who are gay/lesbians and I really have NO problem at all with that.  If you can find LOVE, it shouldn’t matter the ethnicity, religion, or sex. The only place I draw the line on finding LOVE, is age and that’s only when you get into the younger end of the measuring stick, and it more begs the question; are they mature enough to make such important decisions as having sex, having a baby, getting married, and living together (to name a few, and not necessarily in that order of course)?  I mean, some young people get bitten by puppy love and think it’s LOVE, and then make all sorts of mistakes. Hard to generalize though, some people are more mature than you would think.

Though, I suppose I, among others, always say; we learn from our mistakes. It’s the best way TO learn… unless of course what you’re trying to accomplish is life threatening… then it could be fatal.  But that’s a choice.

Which brings me to one point that was on the radio this morning and had my father in a tizzy. The whole ATV issue that’s been going about this summer… more accidents, ‘adding’ laws, etc.  They’ve had laws in place, my father argues, and they’ve got a new platoon of enforcers… and they are catching and fining people, but they can’t be everywhere at once. Just like the police. They had a neurosurgeon on as a specialist interviewee and really… all of his points are valid and in-line with ‘choices’.  If you choose NOT to wear a helmet on an ATV… it’s your own fault if/when you crack your head open.  If you choose to drink while driving one, it’s your own fault when you have an accident… just Fate preserve anyone you may ‘try’ to take with you.  If you choose to drive at night, you need to choose paths you know very well, use your light and be VERY careful.  If you choose to drive recklessly, including speeds, then it’s your own fault if/when you get in an accident.

Honestly. Just use your brains.

That enough of that… I hate ranting, but I felt it necessary.  I just want people to be safe, really, that’s all I want. I hate to think of my sisters or parents (who have ATV’s and are very responsible) or family or friends being out somewhere and getting into an accident because of some idiot.

All of this just to say that I saw a doe and her twins walking in the grass & underbrush beside the causeway this morning on my drive in with Dad.  I tell you… I hate just posting small stuff… I feel like; if I have the chance to post, I have to make it count since I don’t usually get the chance.  They were really cute though!  Momma was walking ahead of them looking for some yummy clover and the twins still had their spots!  Dad, an avid hunter (though mostly he loves taking photos now), saw a tail… but when I told him about the fawns he was happy.  I worry about the deer in there, but they seem smart enough because I never see bodies on the side of the road and I never hear about any getting hit there, and there’s a good sized ‘herd’ of them.  Which is kind of odd in-and-of-itself since it’s so close to downtown, but I enjoy seeing them in the morning and occasionally on the way home after work.

My inspirational message for today:
Make informed choices, but… if you make a mistake; make it count.

Have a sun-shiney day!

Okay… I need to post… something … anything!  It’s been a while… it’s been since … July 29th?!  Why didn’t anyone tell me?!

This is what comes of a full-time job during the day and too many projects for friends and family at night. No real “me” time.  I grab a few minutes here and there to play some WoW because it’s a great de-stresser, but in no stretch of the word can I be called a hardcore gamer.

Ever feel like the more you do, the less you ARE?  Those words have been running around in my head almost since my last post; “The more you do, the less you Are“.  A disturbing thought, but it feels true.  I have so many projects on the go that have very little or nothing to do with where I want to be in life, and they’re bogging me down.  But, you see, I have a very VERY hard time saying “no” to certain people.  Family members, forget it… the only way I can say “no” is to tell them that I have  HUGE project already on the go… and even then it’s not “no” it’s … “I’ll get to it later, when I can”.

Don’t get me wrong… I don’t resent my family at all.  I love them so much it’s hard for me to keep from trying to please them. I just finished one project for my grandmother (scanning in her 35mm Red Hatter photos so that she can put them into her digital picture frame that we got her for her birthday and show her Red Hatter friends), as an example, and already she’s got another one for me (scanning Red Hatter photos from a scrapbook so I can add those to the SD card that goes in her digital frame as well). Le sigh.  It’s not like they don’t appreciate the work I do for them either, my grandmother, again for example, is very thankful and she always lets me know that if I’m stuck and need a drive anywhere, she’s available.  Very useful for someone who doesn’t drive.

So I enjoy being appreciated… and someone might say that I’m addicted to it and that’s why I let them pile these jobs on top of me, but I do feel suffocated. I have to take time off of my full-time day job just to get ahead on some of my personal jobs.

I wish that I could just quit my day job and do my hobbies for a living.  I mean… I’ve got enough of them. Listed here:

• Sewing
• Baking
• Chainmail Jewelery
• Beaded Jewelery
• Fimo art pieces (mostly beads and jewelery bits at the moment)
• Digital graphics
• Flash graphics and animations
• Photography (new one, so I’m still learning)

Though I know I’m probably forgetting something, but those are enough to list for here for now since you may not be that interested. 

In any event… that’s enough of my ramblings for now. I actually have to start doing some work. I have a new banner project that’ll be easy and quick so I think I’ll do that first, and then I have another pain-in-the-butt project that I can actually complete now, so I plan on having that one done either today or tomorrow.  These on top of all the admin and finance stuff I have to do that pop up during the day… it’s a wonder I get anything done really!

At least yesterday the bossman gave me a compliment. I closed the MSN window now, but it was something like “It’s a good thing that you’re organized”.  He had asked for the number he had to call in regards to something that had been stolen from him.  He needed to cancel service on it and I had tried to do it for him late last week, but didn’t have access to that particular account so I gave him all the info then but he lost it.  I replied with the number, his account number with that company, and the phone number and name (his AND the company name, so he knew they might ask for both) that it is linked to.   Last week I was out on a vacation day on Monday (trying to get caught up on projects), and then I was out sick Tuesday and Wednesday (I hate stomach flus!)… when I got back on Thursday I was talking to one of the girls and said something about the office falling apart without me (I had a little mountain of things on my desk as well as a ton of e-mails) and she said that someone actually said that while I was home sick.

So yeah, one of the things I demand in anything I do for others; appreciation.  You may not understand how long it takes me to do something, or how hard it is to manipulate the forces working against me when I take on a project, or how difficult it is to adjust mid-stream sometimes because you want it changed in a particular way… but the very least you can do is appreciate my blood, sweat and tears.

Okay… now I’ll start doing work.  I have organized the Accountant’s folders already, in between typing this, and now I’ll get to work on some graphics for the pain-in-the-butt project.

Here’s hoping that, no matter what it’s like on the outside, you have a bright sunny day on the inside.