Over the last few years I have developed a taste for reality TV. My reality TV turnoffs: singing, dancing, bug eating, pretending to know how to sing or dance and Donald Trump. I detest games or competition. For years I have worn two badges of honor: I have never seen an episode of Survivor or American Idol. This meant so much more when those were the two reality shows and the topics of major conversations at work the next day. To a group of people discussing the top 10 finalists, I could smugly say, "Why, I have actually never even seen an episode." Jaws would drop.
I developed a taste for a different type of reality TV. I would kid my friends that I like to watch Documentaries. This is not an untruth. If you peruse my Netflix List, you will find just about every type of documentary on there. Elephants in Kenya, Consumer Debt, Eating Disorders, Black people's hair ("Hair" Chris Rock made it - you should watch it!) everything is on there. BUT, I speak of another type of documentary. In this one "Bethany Gets Married", or we learn about the REAL kids of the OC - Laguna Beach's Kristen and LC. Friends mock me. Nielsen would hate me. I LLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEEE the sub genre of reality TV called "Documentary". See - I didn't make that up people. Check wikipedia.
I have greatly trimmed my DVR record list. I have said goodbye to all of the housewives. I might give the girls in Beverly Hills another go, but the rest are out. No dating or weightloss shows are being recorded (my two concessions to the "no contest" rule). When the Brown family moved to Las Vegas, they moved off my DVR. I don't know if Sarah has found herself, because she has been deleted from my DVR. I hope Ryan and Tatum get their issues fixed, but I won't know since I quit watching. I don't know if Joan ever bought her own house, or if she is still living with Melissa.
I think I was initially drawn in by the opportunity to see how other folks live. I also love to read memoirs. I think I like to get inside the heads of people and see what make them be them. Memoirs do this in a big way - reality TV in a much smaller way. Especially since it is debatable if some of those folks even have brains. I was obsessed with the Real Housewives of NYC. Or basically any reality show about NYC, because I was allowed to peak into the lives of how people that DON"T make toothpaste for a living live. I live in a shoebox, they live in brownstones. Then things just went too crazy. The documentaries became way too un-believable.
One show that I have gone the distance with is Gene Simmons Family Jewels. ** I need to put this disclaimer out there before I go any further. Gene Simmons is my sexy/ugly. Sexy/ugly is defined as someone who is not conventionally good-looking (or any kind of good-looking in some cases), but possesses an appealing personality, style, or talent, and is thus considered sexually attractive. I don't know why, but I am drawn to him.** Anyway, I digress.
GSFJ has always been cute and funny. I always thought "what a great family" - the kids are so well adjusted. Gene plays this whole ROCK STAR PERSONA, but at home he is just a regular guy. Granted, a guy that will do anything to make a nickle, including driving camping in an RV with an erectile dysfunction advert on the side so he could fulfil Sofie's dream of going camping AND earn $25grand. He and Shannon Tweed, his girlfriend, have been together for 28 years. Obviously, something is working here.
This season, the wheels fell off the bus. I won't get into the whole gory mess, but in summary, both kids packed off to college, Shannon decided she needed to re-evaluate how she wanted to spend the rest of her life and she wasn't sure it was playing second fiddle to this ROCK STAR PERSONA.
I normally have a pretty good BS detector when it comes to these shows. Especially with Gene and his well placed cans of Diet Dr Pepper. I watched the entire 6th season completely fascinated. As a former reality show junkie, I can say that I have never seen more honest and raw emotions on a RTV shows. This is Gene Simmons - Dr Love. Dr. Love starts seeing a therapist. Probably 10-15% of each episode take place in her office. Dr. Love cries. Dr. Love gets tough love from his kids. This is not the same show that began 6 seasons ago to continue to proliferate generations of KISS fans. KISS fans do not want to see their leader in therapy! They want spitting blood! They do not want to see their leader wiping tears away! They want fire breathing!
It's not just Gene. You can visibly see the discomfort from Sofie when pressed to discuss her feelings in front of the camera. You can sense the anger in Nic - he sees in himself how much he is like his father and that bothers him. All hearts go out to Shannon. She is on an emotional rollercoaster but knows the best thing is to get away and give Gene space. Of course the season finale left us all hanging - will she? or won't she?. I guess we will have to wait and see. I just thought GSFJ deserved a shout out for some of the most honest reality TV I have ever seen. And I still haven't figured out how Gene is going to get money off this one unless it is kickbacks from the authors of the books that sit on the shelves next to his therapist.
Of course, the Kardashian klan never disappoint. **Clarifying statement: ONLY The Kardashians, not any of their crazy spin off shows about taking Miami or New York** The Kardashian show is different. Each episode is like a moral lesson neatly tied up in a bow with a couple of crazy story lines thrown in. Today Kendall and Kylie steal their Dad's credit card and so they have to go volunteer (this really means "visit") a homeless shelter where they have an eye opening experience, exchange text phone numbers with a couple of kids they meet and go home to more fully appreciate the meals that their chef prepares for them. Side story - Kris has bladder leakage issues that the girls badger her and humiliate her until she goes to get it checked out at the doctor. Of course, she ends up scoring a huge endorsement deal with a pantie liner company for "women of a certain age". Last week Kim got psoriasis all over her body. Thems gurls are keepin it real!
I may have divorced most of my reality family but the Tweed-Simmons family and Kardashian ne Jenner troops have made the cut and will remain on my DVR list with a much shorter list of favs like Rachel Zoe and Katy Griffin. Oh, and Jersey Shore in Florence begins airing this week!
Now my new badge of honor is being able to say I have never seen one episode of ANY series of Law an Order. :-)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Butler Lies
**Disclaimer - if you are one of my close friends, I have probably only done this to you once or twice. If you annoy the crap out of me, you should probably stop reading now.**
Remember that time you checked your texts and found one from a good friend, one of your best friends actually. It was early afternoon, you were enjoying a lazy day of reading and obsessively listening to "Forget You" by Cee Lo. You were also looking forward to what most of us refer to as "breakfast for dinner". Technically I think that is really having bacon and pancakes and/or eggs for dinner, but since I, um - you - have neither in your barren fridge, your "breakfast for dinner" will be cereal.
So, you didn't text your BFF back, at least not right away. Maybe you texted later that evening, having been out "running errands" or "taking a nap". I realize you really do these things, but be honest - these are the two excuses you use the most. (In my defense, unless you are my grandmother or well, my grandmother, I probably will not pick up the phone if I am out running errands, or (especially) at a restaurant. The cell phone is for MY convenience, not yours (unless I think the phone call will result in something really fun I will make an exception))
Or maybe someone IMd you at work that you didn't want to talk to. Or, they needed to talk to you, but you didn't have what they wanted, or that person just annoys you. You feel compelled to reply, after all, you don't want them to think that you are not working. A quick "in a meeting" should suffice. Some people think that if you are in a meeting you can still respond, since multitasking is so prevalent. A response back from that person can quickly be shut down by an "In a meeting and am projecting" (my job requires running a lot of meetings with lots of powerpoint files projecting on the wall). "On a call", "Have someone in my office" can also be used as actual reasons or good excuses.
Cornell University coined the term "Butler Lies". Just like Butlers (the people), Butler lies act as social buffers, letting people know we are busy when we really are just trying to avoid them. Reviewing 5400 texts, 10.7 were deceptive. Of the 10% deceptive texts, 30% of those were Butler lies **Information "borrowed" from a NYTimes Article**. What could the other 70% of deceptive texts be? "No I did not sleep with your best friend?" "No, I did not leave lipgloss in my pocket in the pants you just washed. Yes, I am sorry all of your white shirts are a lovely shade of pink?" Both lies? HMMMM.
Butler lies can cause life to become complicated. An "I'm staying in" text on Saturday Evening when you really have dinner plans, can backfire if the three parties are together at a later date and said evening is referenced.
You take a sick day - you are sick. You should not spend all day updating your facebook status with pictures of central park and how beautiful and wonderful it is to be outdoors.
You are supposed to be at book club, but you use the facebook "check in" feature. Suddenly everyone on facebook, including your husband, knows that you are at an 80's dance party at Lincoln Center.
These hypothetical examples above that I may or may not have used in the past are more examples of how technology has complicated our lives. I will admit that I spent a few frantic minutes googling the message "See who has viewed you on Facebook". I had checked out photos of ex-boyfriends and maybe some of their girlfriends (current and ex). Do these people not know about FB Security Settings? Luckily, Facebook FAQ informed me "no, no one can see whether you have viewed their facebook". Would my friend from college think it was weird that I had looked at every single one of her photo albums of family vacations? Thank goodness I don't have to find out.
Most of you know, I am an iPhone user. Two things that annoy me about the iPhone. If a text does not send - which happens quite frequently in my apartment with 8" thick Masonite walls, the iPhone is not smart enough to resend the text once it gets reception. My 2003 Palm Smartphone has the sophisticated technology - like the Little Engine that Could, it kept trying and trying until the text was sent. I had a friend visiting NY in March. I went to my phone to send her a text with my office phone number and found that a text I had tried to send in January in response to a SEC Bowl Game victory had never sent. AARRGGGHHH. Also, sometimes you cannot tell when a text was received, especially if it is part of a "conversation". There is probably some explanation in the 120 page Apple iPhone manual PDF that I downloaded but I hate reading on a computer screen. Sometimes is it critical to know what time a text or phone call was made. Like, was it after that 3rd bottle of wine?
Our Butler Lie infused lives are going to become a little trickier now. "Black Berry Messaging" or "BBM" is a snobby little club that allows people with Black Berries to text each other for free and exclude all non BB users. Well, your lives just got a lot more complicated. Black Berry users can now track when their texts are read by the receiving party. BOOM. BUSTED. Forget using, "I had already gone to bed" or "I was in a meeting and couldn't check my phone"
Google Latitude allows you to track the location of your friends. Forget, "I am stuck on the bus." or "traffic is crazy!" Luckily, like Facebook, you have to "accept" someone to allow them you follow your location. And, you location is only disclosed if you launch the application and allow it to run in the background.
It took me a while to embrace texting. It's odd, actually, because I am always the one with the newest technology. I am not sure why I was so resistant to texting. I think texting is fantastic when you are in a packed and noisy bar and you need to tell someone where you are (we're in the back by the plastic palm tree). I think it is annoying to IM or Text when the conversation could be had in 3 minutes, instead of 10 minutes of typing back and forth. My last boyfriend asked me out on our first date via text. Could that have been a sign of things to come? Like inability to communicate? Fear of confrontation, rejection, yada, yada, yada?
Also, remember, you are putting something in writing. Texting "I love you" at 2:30 in the morning to someone you have been dating a few weeks - not smart. Texting "I love you" to anyone but the attended recipient - embarrassing. Lets not get into photos (Anthony Wiener). I can't remember why I took a photo of my sock with a hole in it, but I accidentally sent it to a friend one night. I don't know how or why it happened, but now she has it for all of history. And so do I, because I have a phone that keeps track of conversations between another person and me.
Does all this technology make us all a bunch of liars? Isn't it so much easier to tell someone you don't feel like doing "X" over text instead of in person or on the phone. Those mediums where you have "real" interaction: seeing a disappointed face, or a sigh in their voice. Yes it absolutely does. I had been on 3 dates with a guy and knew that there should not be a fourth. I let his calls go to voicemail, I called when I knew he couldn't answer the phone until I figured out how to handle the situation. I knew in my heart a text or email would be rude, no matter how much I wanted to text or email. Especially if my email said "sent from my iPhone" at the bottom. Like, she couldn't even take the time to sit at a computer? She wrote this email on her phone waiting for the bus?!?!?" So, I worried and worried about what to say, played out each scenario in my head, planned my opening statement (did I mention we had only been on 3 dates?) and I called him. All of that stress and anxiety I experienced was wrapped up in a two minute phone call. He understood, he has been told that before, it has been nice spending time with you, etc.
I just sucked it up and did it. And it wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. I don't want to get back on my "human interaction" soapbox, but we should interact more with real people. You might not want to tell your best friend that you don't want to go to her kid's dance recital. A quick phone call to say, "Unfortunately I cannot make the recital tomorrow. I know that she will be fantastic with all the hard work she put in to practicing. Give her a big hug for me." So much better than, "can't make tomorrow, sorry" via text.
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Remember that time you checked your texts and found one from a good friend, one of your best friends actually. It was early afternoon, you were enjoying a lazy day of reading and obsessively listening to "Forget You" by Cee Lo. You were also looking forward to what most of us refer to as "breakfast for dinner". Technically I think that is really having bacon and pancakes and/or eggs for dinner, but since I, um - you - have neither in your barren fridge, your "breakfast for dinner" will be cereal.
So, you didn't text your BFF back, at least not right away. Maybe you texted later that evening, having been out "running errands" or "taking a nap". I realize you really do these things, but be honest - these are the two excuses you use the most. (In my defense, unless you are my grandmother or well, my grandmother, I probably will not pick up the phone if I am out running errands, or (especially) at a restaurant. The cell phone is for MY convenience, not yours (unless I think the phone call will result in something really fun I will make an exception))
Or maybe someone IMd you at work that you didn't want to talk to. Or, they needed to talk to you, but you didn't have what they wanted, or that person just annoys you. You feel compelled to reply, after all, you don't want them to think that you are not working. A quick "in a meeting" should suffice. Some people think that if you are in a meeting you can still respond, since multitasking is so prevalent. A response back from that person can quickly be shut down by an "In a meeting and am projecting" (my job requires running a lot of meetings with lots of powerpoint files projecting on the wall). "On a call", "Have someone in my office" can also be used as actual reasons or good excuses.
Cornell University coined the term "Butler Lies". Just like Butlers (the people), Butler lies act as social buffers, letting people know we are busy when we really are just trying to avoid them. Reviewing 5400 texts, 10.7 were deceptive. Of the 10% deceptive texts, 30% of those were Butler lies **Information "borrowed" from a NYTimes Article**. What could the other 70% of deceptive texts be? "No I did not sleep with your best friend?" "No, I did not leave lipgloss in my pocket in the pants you just washed. Yes, I am sorry all of your white shirts are a lovely shade of pink?" Both lies? HMMMM.
Butler lies can cause life to become complicated. An "I'm staying in" text on Saturday Evening when you really have dinner plans, can backfire if the three parties are together at a later date and said evening is referenced.
You take a sick day - you are sick. You should not spend all day updating your facebook status with pictures of central park and how beautiful and wonderful it is to be outdoors.
You are supposed to be at book club, but you use the facebook "check in" feature. Suddenly everyone on facebook, including your husband, knows that you are at an 80's dance party at Lincoln Center.
These hypothetical examples above that I may or may not have used in the past are more examples of how technology has complicated our lives. I will admit that I spent a few frantic minutes googling the message "See who has viewed you on Facebook". I had checked out photos of ex-boyfriends and maybe some of their girlfriends (current and ex). Do these people not know about FB Security Settings? Luckily, Facebook FAQ informed me "no, no one can see whether you have viewed their facebook". Would my friend from college think it was weird that I had looked at every single one of her photo albums of family vacations? Thank goodness I don't have to find out.
Most of you know, I am an iPhone user. Two things that annoy me about the iPhone. If a text does not send - which happens quite frequently in my apartment with 8" thick Masonite walls, the iPhone is not smart enough to resend the text once it gets reception. My 2003 Palm Smartphone has the sophisticated technology - like the Little Engine that Could, it kept trying and trying until the text was sent. I had a friend visiting NY in March. I went to my phone to send her a text with my office phone number and found that a text I had tried to send in January in response to a SEC Bowl Game victory had never sent. AARRGGGHHH. Also, sometimes you cannot tell when a text was received, especially if it is part of a "conversation". There is probably some explanation in the 120 page Apple iPhone manual PDF that I downloaded but I hate reading on a computer screen. Sometimes is it critical to know what time a text or phone call was made. Like, was it after that 3rd bottle of wine?
Our Butler Lie infused lives are going to become a little trickier now. "Black Berry Messaging" or "BBM" is a snobby little club that allows people with Black Berries to text each other for free and exclude all non BB users. Well, your lives just got a lot more complicated. Black Berry users can now track when their texts are read by the receiving party. BOOM. BUSTED. Forget using, "I had already gone to bed" or "I was in a meeting and couldn't check my phone"
Google Latitude allows you to track the location of your friends. Forget, "I am stuck on the bus." or "traffic is crazy!" Luckily, like Facebook, you have to "accept" someone to allow them you follow your location. And, you location is only disclosed if you launch the application and allow it to run in the background.
It took me a while to embrace texting. It's odd, actually, because I am always the one with the newest technology. I am not sure why I was so resistant to texting. I think texting is fantastic when you are in a packed and noisy bar and you need to tell someone where you are (we're in the back by the plastic palm tree). I think it is annoying to IM or Text when the conversation could be had in 3 minutes, instead of 10 minutes of typing back and forth. My last boyfriend asked me out on our first date via text. Could that have been a sign of things to come? Like inability to communicate? Fear of confrontation, rejection, yada, yada, yada?
Also, remember, you are putting something in writing. Texting "I love you" at 2:30 in the morning to someone you have been dating a few weeks - not smart. Texting "I love you" to anyone but the attended recipient - embarrassing. Lets not get into photos (Anthony Wiener). I can't remember why I took a photo of my sock with a hole in it, but I accidentally sent it to a friend one night. I don't know how or why it happened, but now she has it for all of history. And so do I, because I have a phone that keeps track of conversations between another person and me.
Does all this technology make us all a bunch of liars? Isn't it so much easier to tell someone you don't feel like doing "X" over text instead of in person or on the phone. Those mediums where you have "real" interaction: seeing a disappointed face, or a sigh in their voice. Yes it absolutely does. I had been on 3 dates with a guy and knew that there should not be a fourth. I let his calls go to voicemail, I called when I knew he couldn't answer the phone until I figured out how to handle the situation. I knew in my heart a text or email would be rude, no matter how much I wanted to text or email. Especially if my email said "sent from my iPhone" at the bottom. Like, she couldn't even take the time to sit at a computer? She wrote this email on her phone waiting for the bus?!?!?" So, I worried and worried about what to say, played out each scenario in my head, planned my opening statement (did I mention we had only been on 3 dates?) and I called him. All of that stress and anxiety I experienced was wrapped up in a two minute phone call. He understood, he has been told that before, it has been nice spending time with you, etc.
I just sucked it up and did it. And it wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. I don't want to get back on my "human interaction" soapbox, but we should interact more with real people. You might not want to tell your best friend that you don't want to go to her kid's dance recital. A quick phone call to say, "Unfortunately I cannot make the recital tomorrow. I know that she will be fantastic with all the hard work she put in to practicing. Give her a big hug for me." So much better than, "can't make tomorrow, sorry" via text.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Traveling to Guatemala City
** Please forgive my grammer and spelling in this posting. Apparantly my computer has figured out I am in another country and the spell check is trying to make everything spanish.
Traveling for work is vastly different than traveling "Holly style" in many, many ways. As I write this, I am perched in my Westin bed. This Westin Bed, is located in the Westin Camino Real in Guatemala City. I do not want to ever ever leave this Westin Bed. There are 5 pillows of varying degrees of firmness. The sheets feel so very silky to the touch. The entire set of bedding is solid white. So white I am afriad to lift my laptop and see what damage it might have done. Perusing the room literature, I discovered I can also own this complete bed ensemble with 100% Egyptian cotton 300 thread count sheets for $3195. This does include the box springs, matress, skirt, sheets, down blanket, duvet with cover, 5 pillows and 5 pillow cases. I could cheap out and get 230 thread count cotton-blend sheets for $2870, but I say when you go, you go big. I also have a 50" LG LED TV hanging on the wall.
Holly Travel usually involves utilzing Trip Advisor reviews to locate the most desierable location with the most economical spend. I buy my hotel rooms like I buy my wine - you find the cheapest bottle, then get the bottle one step up. My hotels are usually small (my preference), may or may not include an elevator, typically has a continental breakfast, and has a 19" TV that only receives 2 channels. It also typically involves an extensive search for any possible sign of bed bugs. (NEVER put your suitcase on the floor in a hotel room).
I am down in Central America to teach a training class. I flew in on Saturday evening because we need to set up the room for the class on Sunday. One of my wonderful co-workers that had been a participant in a previous session of the course offered to pick me up and take me to a handicraft market and then to a historic town about an hour away called Antigua. As we pulled away from the hotel, Jenifer's husband says to me, "the vehicle behind us is your bodyguard. I just wanted to let you know in case you notice a guy following us around". OK - Holly Travel DOES NOT involve the use of a bodygaurd. I have heard of people with Colgate having bodyguards when they travel but myself have never had one. I think my trip to Colombia must have been under-the-radar because I stayed with Tatiana's family for several days, went out to her Aunt and Uncles' farm, shopped, dined, everything - all with no bodyguard. And if you need a bodyguard anyplace, I would think it would be Colombia.
We picked up 3 other people from the airport and began our adventure to this beautiful colonial town. We dined at the restaurant La Fonda de la Calle Real. The food was typical of the area - they cook with a lot of pumpkin. Bill Clinton dined at La Fonda in 1999 (as you can see from my photo below). There is a beautiful town square and a picturesque volcano in the distance.
I arrived to perfect 75degree weather. The "city of eternal spring" one person called Guatemala City. One of the exercises in my class involves M&Ms. I was afriad if I purchased them in NY, they would melt before I could get to Guatemala, with our temperatures running over 100 degrees on Friday and Saturday of last week.
Holly Travel usually involves tagging on a few extra days to explore the area when a work trip is involved. That is how I have seen Warsaw & Krakow, Amsterdam, Brussels & Bruges. Unfortunately my life between now and November is dedicated to the NYC marathon, so I scheduled my trip to ensure I could get in the training runs with my group. I really wish I had more time to spend in this beautiful area. I will definetly be back to spend more time in Guatemala.
Traveling for work is vastly different than traveling "Holly style" in many, many ways. As I write this, I am perched in my Westin bed. This Westin Bed, is located in the Westin Camino Real in Guatemala City. I do not want to ever ever leave this Westin Bed. There are 5 pillows of varying degrees of firmness. The sheets feel so very silky to the touch. The entire set of bedding is solid white. So white I am afriad to lift my laptop and see what damage it might have done. Perusing the room literature, I discovered I can also own this complete bed ensemble with 100% Egyptian cotton 300 thread count sheets for $3195. This does include the box springs, matress, skirt, sheets, down blanket, duvet with cover, 5 pillows and 5 pillow cases. I could cheap out and get 230 thread count cotton-blend sheets for $2870, but I say when you go, you go big. I also have a 50" LG LED TV hanging on the wall.
Holly Travel usually involves utilzing Trip Advisor reviews to locate the most desierable location with the most economical spend. I buy my hotel rooms like I buy my wine - you find the cheapest bottle, then get the bottle one step up. My hotels are usually small (my preference), may or may not include an elevator, typically has a continental breakfast, and has a 19" TV that only receives 2 channels. It also typically involves an extensive search for any possible sign of bed bugs. (NEVER put your suitcase on the floor in a hotel room).
I am down in Central America to teach a training class. I flew in on Saturday evening because we need to set up the room for the class on Sunday. One of my wonderful co-workers that had been a participant in a previous session of the course offered to pick me up and take me to a handicraft market and then to a historic town about an hour away called Antigua. As we pulled away from the hotel, Jenifer's husband says to me, "the vehicle behind us is your bodyguard. I just wanted to let you know in case you notice a guy following us around". OK - Holly Travel DOES NOT involve the use of a bodygaurd. I have heard of people with Colgate having bodyguards when they travel but myself have never had one. I think my trip to Colombia must have been under-the-radar because I stayed with Tatiana's family for several days, went out to her Aunt and Uncles' farm, shopped, dined, everything - all with no bodyguard. And if you need a bodyguard anyplace, I would think it would be Colombia.
We picked up 3 other people from the airport and began our adventure to this beautiful colonial town. We dined at the restaurant La Fonda de la Calle Real. The food was typical of the area - they cook with a lot of pumpkin. Bill Clinton dined at La Fonda in 1999 (as you can see from my photo below). There is a beautiful town square and a picturesque volcano in the distance.
I arrived to perfect 75degree weather. The "city of eternal spring" one person called Guatemala City. One of the exercises in my class involves M&Ms. I was afriad if I purchased them in NY, they would melt before I could get to Guatemala, with our temperatures running over 100 degrees on Friday and Saturday of last week.
Holly Travel usually involves tagging on a few extra days to explore the area when a work trip is involved. That is how I have seen Warsaw & Krakow, Amsterdam, Brussels & Bruges. Unfortunately my life between now and November is dedicated to the NYC marathon, so I scheduled my trip to ensure I could get in the training runs with my group. I really wish I had more time to spend in this beautiful area. I will definetly be back to spend more time in Guatemala.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Pledge of Allegiance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM
I missed my blog entry this week because I was celebrating my niece's 1st birthday. A very bittersweet occasion because I am so happy for Dean and Jamie and their little Kadie, but I missed my mom terribly.
As I was driving to El Dorado, I heard this monologue by Red Skelton played on the radio. It struck me that the words "under God" had been cut from the recording.
I do not voice opinions on most anything that can cause an opinion. But I will ask you to listen/watch this utube clip. It honestly brought tears to my eyes and gave me chill bumps.
I missed my blog entry this week because I was celebrating my niece's 1st birthday. A very bittersweet occasion because I am so happy for Dean and Jamie and their little Kadie, but I missed my mom terribly.
As I was driving to El Dorado, I heard this monologue by Red Skelton played on the radio. It struck me that the words "under God" had been cut from the recording.
I do not voice opinions on most anything that can cause an opinion. But I will ask you to listen/watch this utube clip. It honestly brought tears to my eyes and gave me chill bumps.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Where are those damn elves when you need them?
I am a mess. Not as in "she is a hot mess", but my apartment is a "hot mess" (only because the AC is not working (remember the post about the AC leaking into my apartment?)). I think about the Grimm Brothers fairy tale about the shoemaker. He was a good person, but he had a hard time getting shoes made. He cut out the leather and planed on making the shoes the next day. Alas, along come the little elves and they make the shoes for him. I really don't think that is fair. I am a good person too, but I just can't seem to get my apartment orderly. Where are those damn elves when I need them?
Over the weekend I tidy the apartment. I wash clothes, I put most of them up. I run my dishwasher every Sunday. The part I struggle with is all the crap that accumulates during the week. I can never get through the entire New York Times paper over the weekend, so I keep it. I am absolutely sure that I will get to it. Of course you know exactly how that goes. Actually, you probably don't. You probably think I toss it because, as you correctly guessed, I never get around to reading it. Of course, I never throw it away. **Disclaimer - when I say "throw it out" I always mean "recycled" or "gave to Salvation Army"** I have a couple of Style sections from May. I only read 1 column in that section. "Modern Love". I WILL READ IT.
I have created a vicious cycle. I let my work clothes build up on my bed, then on Friday night I decide if it can go back in the closet or needs to be washed. (Yes people, you can wear clothes more than once (or twice) before you wash them). This bed thing has been an issue my entire life. When I sleep, I take up approximately 13 inches of the bed. Throughout my life, the rest of my bed was filled with clothes, magazines, books, cassette tapes, etc. Until I moved into this apartment, my bed had always been against my wall - all the better to stack stacks of stuff. My other trick from childhood is stuffing stuff under my bed. My mom would send me to my room to clean up and EVERYTHING would be shoved under my bed. Far enough back so you could not see it from the vantage point of the door. Of course, she caught on to that trick pretty quickly. I had a huge amount of junk and one small closet and a desk with 4 drawers. I was not Sabrina from Bewitched. I did not twitch my nose causing the broom to jump to life and sweep the room clean 10 minutes (which is actually about how long it took me to shove it under my bed.) After college, I wised up (and made more money) so I actually bought containers to slide under my bed. And mom wasn't around to check under there anymore.
When I moved to New York, along came the "under bed tubs". When you have a house, you get used to many luxuries. For example, TWO sets of sheets, THREE bath towels, etc. I moved to New York in October along with the contents of my linen closet. I needed towels for all those folks who were coming to visit. I quickly learned that in bedrooms, as in life, real estate comes at premium cost (or it did until 2008). And nobody was probably going to visit. Traveling home for Thanksgiving, half of my suitcase was filled with towels, and my 2nd set of sheets. If someone did come to visit, I nicely asked them to bring their own towel. That also saved me from paying to wash it when they left - BONUS!
I have cabinets empty in my kitchen. I have empty shelves in my closet, yet I have junk still sitting around in my living space. I think in my mind, if I place something in that cabinet I am commiting it to that location. Crazy, I know. Every piece of furniture I own serves as extra storage. Seemingly antique trunks masquerade as my coffee table and end table - storage. A giraffe patterned footstool stores magazines. My entertainment center looks like something you would find in an apothecary shop, instead you find it on page 68 of the Pottery Barn catalogue. I bought a bench for my bedroom with a lift top lid. My jewelry will go in there if I ever get it moved from my closet shelves (see - committed). I actually bought a bed with drawers underneath it to render the under bed tubs obsolete. Now the under bed tubs are empty, stacked up and under my desk.
I may sound like a hoarder, but I really am not. I take more stuff to Goodwill than anyone I know. I keep my wardrobe paired down to what will fit into my closet. I have sworn off wearing shoes that don't fit for the sake of fashion. Those are being auctioned off on ebay. My issue is junk. Magazines, like the newspapers, I will read them. Let me ask this, who came up with this "auto-renewal"? I get about 9 magazines and 4 of the 9 are weekly. And they just keep showing up.
Flylady recommends spending 15 minutes a day tidying and your clutter will stay under control. Of course, this is the same woman that said if you "shine your sink" you will be motivated to clean the rest of the kitchen. I did read about Flylady and her cleaning system in RV Magazine. The average age of their target audience is 67. In their retirement, these folks probably look forward to the 15 minutes of cleaning each day. It is probably sanwiched in between "Cash Cab" and "Paula Dean"
My biggest issue is when I start to clean, I inevitably am distracted by a bigger project. Last weekend it was the refrigerator shelves and drawers needing a good cleaning. One shelf and the two drawers are still in my kitchen floor. Today, I went in to unload the dishwasher and complete the refrigerator. I decided it was more important to declutter the counter top. Sounds like an easy task, right? Not with Holly. First I should mention that I have 20 feet of counter top. I decided to start with the small section on one side of the cooktop. I moved all the junk mail (to the other side of the cooktop), placed all the canisters, utensils and electrical appliances on the floor. I wiped up the dust, then I used the special granite cleaner. After the cleaner, I used the special granite polish. The polish needs to be sprayed on, given time to dry and then "buffed to a sheen". While I was waiting for the polish to dry, I decided (project #2) to move a part from one set of blinds to the kitchen blinds (the thing that opens and closes the slats). I broke it. This brought on project #3 - super gluing everything that had broken in my apartment over the last year, including the blind thingy. After gluing all the broken items, the polish was dry and I set about my buffing. Finally, project #4 - re-arranging everything that lives on that side of the counter top. Can you develop ADD at 40?
Today I made a list of my "must do" tasks for the weekend. This does involve reading many magazines and hanging up many clothes. I hope the satisfaction of the checklist that I enjoy at work when finishing a task will drive the same behavior at home.
As far as the elves go, they probably knew that when I left out those cleaning products in hopes that they would come clean, the reality was, I got distracted and forgot to put them up. Or maybe I needed to sew them some tiny little elf clothes, like the shoemaker did. Just another project to start and be distracted from.
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Over the weekend I tidy the apartment. I wash clothes, I put most of them up. I run my dishwasher every Sunday. The part I struggle with is all the crap that accumulates during the week. I can never get through the entire New York Times paper over the weekend, so I keep it. I am absolutely sure that I will get to it. Of course you know exactly how that goes. Actually, you probably don't. You probably think I toss it because, as you correctly guessed, I never get around to reading it. Of course, I never throw it away. **Disclaimer - when I say "throw it out" I always mean "recycled" or "gave to Salvation Army"** I have a couple of Style sections from May. I only read 1 column in that section. "Modern Love". I WILL READ IT.
I have created a vicious cycle. I let my work clothes build up on my bed, then on Friday night I decide if it can go back in the closet or needs to be washed. (Yes people, you can wear clothes more than once (or twice) before you wash them). This bed thing has been an issue my entire life. When I sleep, I take up approximately 13 inches of the bed. Throughout my life, the rest of my bed was filled with clothes, magazines, books, cassette tapes, etc. Until I moved into this apartment, my bed had always been against my wall - all the better to stack stacks of stuff. My other trick from childhood is stuffing stuff under my bed. My mom would send me to my room to clean up and EVERYTHING would be shoved under my bed. Far enough back so you could not see it from the vantage point of the door. Of course, she caught on to that trick pretty quickly. I had a huge amount of junk and one small closet and a desk with 4 drawers. I was not Sabrina from Bewitched. I did not twitch my nose causing the broom to jump to life and sweep the room clean 10 minutes (which is actually about how long it took me to shove it under my bed.) After college, I wised up (and made more money) so I actually bought containers to slide under my bed. And mom wasn't around to check under there anymore.
When I moved to New York, along came the "under bed tubs". When you have a house, you get used to many luxuries. For example, TWO sets of sheets, THREE bath towels, etc. I moved to New York in October along with the contents of my linen closet. I needed towels for all those folks who were coming to visit. I quickly learned that in bedrooms, as in life, real estate comes at premium cost (or it did until 2008). And nobody was probably going to visit. Traveling home for Thanksgiving, half of my suitcase was filled with towels, and my 2nd set of sheets. If someone did come to visit, I nicely asked them to bring their own towel. That also saved me from paying to wash it when they left - BONUS!
I have cabinets empty in my kitchen. I have empty shelves in my closet, yet I have junk still sitting around in my living space. I think in my mind, if I place something in that cabinet I am commiting it to that location. Crazy, I know. Every piece of furniture I own serves as extra storage. Seemingly antique trunks masquerade as my coffee table and end table - storage. A giraffe patterned footstool stores magazines. My entertainment center looks like something you would find in an apothecary shop, instead you find it on page 68 of the Pottery Barn catalogue. I bought a bench for my bedroom with a lift top lid. My jewelry will go in there if I ever get it moved from my closet shelves (see - committed). I actually bought a bed with drawers underneath it to render the under bed tubs obsolete. Now the under bed tubs are empty, stacked up and under my desk.
I may sound like a hoarder, but I really am not. I take more stuff to Goodwill than anyone I know. I keep my wardrobe paired down to what will fit into my closet. I have sworn off wearing shoes that don't fit for the sake of fashion. Those are being auctioned off on ebay. My issue is junk. Magazines, like the newspapers, I will read them. Let me ask this, who came up with this "auto-renewal"? I get about 9 magazines and 4 of the 9 are weekly. And they just keep showing up.
Flylady recommends spending 15 minutes a day tidying and your clutter will stay under control. Of course, this is the same woman that said if you "shine your sink" you will be motivated to clean the rest of the kitchen. I did read about Flylady and her cleaning system in RV Magazine. The average age of their target audience is 67. In their retirement, these folks probably look forward to the 15 minutes of cleaning each day. It is probably sanwiched in between "Cash Cab" and "Paula Dean"
My biggest issue is when I start to clean, I inevitably am distracted by a bigger project. Last weekend it was the refrigerator shelves and drawers needing a good cleaning. One shelf and the two drawers are still in my kitchen floor. Today, I went in to unload the dishwasher and complete the refrigerator. I decided it was more important to declutter the counter top. Sounds like an easy task, right? Not with Holly. First I should mention that I have 20 feet of counter top. I decided to start with the small section on one side of the cooktop. I moved all the junk mail (to the other side of the cooktop), placed all the canisters, utensils and electrical appliances on the floor. I wiped up the dust, then I used the special granite cleaner. After the cleaner, I used the special granite polish. The polish needs to be sprayed on, given time to dry and then "buffed to a sheen". While I was waiting for the polish to dry, I decided (project #2) to move a part from one set of blinds to the kitchen blinds (the thing that opens and closes the slats). I broke it. This brought on project #3 - super gluing everything that had broken in my apartment over the last year, including the blind thingy. After gluing all the broken items, the polish was dry and I set about my buffing. Finally, project #4 - re-arranging everything that lives on that side of the counter top. Can you develop ADD at 40?
Today I made a list of my "must do" tasks for the weekend. This does involve reading many magazines and hanging up many clothes. I hope the satisfaction of the checklist that I enjoy at work when finishing a task will drive the same behavior at home.
As far as the elves go, they probably knew that when I left out those cleaning products in hopes that they would come clean, the reality was, I got distracted and forgot to put them up. Or maybe I needed to sew them some tiny little elf clothes, like the shoemaker did. Just another project to start and be distracted from.
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