Tuesday, July 25, 2006

pet peeve

You know what I hate? I'm at a restaurant, eating food, and the server asks if they can take my plate away.

Worst way: "Are you still working on that?" Working on that?! Yes, I'm still eating, and thanks for effectively making me feel like a piggy for still 'working on that'.

Let me eat my food in peace! Quit trying to take my plate away before I'm done.

Thank you. I feel better now.

Friday, July 21, 2006

so i'm a little quirky

I don't have obsessive/compulsive disorder. I'm telling you that right now. That's because I researched it -- I've often wondered about some of my behaviors.

For example:

At home, we have tile in the kitchen. I can only step on tiles diagonally -- I can't step on adjacent tiles. I do this pretty much without thinking.

At work, it's even worse. We have dark and light carpet squares. My left foot can only step on the light tiles; right foot can only step on dark tiles. I don't sit around thinking about this or planning to do it, it's just what I automatically do!

Then there's the stairs. I don't even know how to describe my strange system, but I guess you could say I favor the right foot. Anytime there's a railing on a stair, my right foot has to step on that stair. So when I walk up or downstairs to our condo, I use the same starting foot each time.

And then there's the rhythm I automatically click my teeth to (hard to explain). I've tried to stop doing it because it's annoying (to me -- I don't think anyone else could notice) and because it probably damages my jaw, but when I stop with the teeth, my fingers start tapping out the rhythm instead. And before I know it, my teeth are at it again. It's weird.

Anyone else have unexplainable quirks?

Thursday, July 20, 2006

one word meme -- crazy!

Taken from many other blogs. Try it.

1. Yourself: mysterious
2. Your partner: brilliant
3. Your hair: unpredictable
4. Your mother: amazing
5. Your father: invincible
6. Your favorite item: DDR
7. Your dream last night: nostalgic
8. Your favorite drink: water
9. Your dream home: untraditional
10. The room you are in: cubicle
11. Your pleasure: reading
12. Your fear: failure
13. Where you want to be in 10 years: prosperous
14. Who you hung out with last night: professors
15. What you're not: loud
16. Your best friend: understands
17. One of your wish list items: bicycle
18. Your gender: rules
19. The last thing you did: stretch
20. What you are wearing: stripes
21. Your favorite weather: rainy
22. Your favorite book: many
23. Last thing you ate: starburst
24. Your life: fantastic
25. Your mood: frustrated
26. The last person you talked to on the phone: anonymous
27. Who/what are you thinking about right now: johnny

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

existential crisis

I feel like a failure today. I'm 31 years old. Thirty one! My accomplishments are few compared to many others. I know it's not productive to think and talk this way, but I guess I thought I would be more by now.

I know there is something important for me to do in this life; I just wish I knew what it was.

Friday, July 14, 2006

short-term goals

My very short-term goals. I'm going to focus on these fairly exclusively right now.

Job search. I'm searching hard until the right opportunity arises.

Get in contact with old friends. I'm feeling an extreme need to speak to people I haven't talked to in years. I don't know why. I only know that I feel sad I ever lost contact with some of them, so now starts the task of finding them and getting back in touch. Why did I let some of my good friends go? I don't know how to describe or even explain my level of distress over this loss.

Practice my guitar and mandolin. I'm going to start a band someday. I'm going to cut a record. Then you can say that you knew me. Or read my blog or something.

Read a bunch. I made a goal to read a book a week for the year 2006. I'm a little behind -- we're on week 28 and I've only read 24 books. The problem is that I often start books but don't like them enough to finish them. Most of them self-help books (see embarrassing post). So, time to start reading some good fiction. Nancy Pearl, my librarian idol, gave some good ideas on NPR the other morning. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I'm partial to teen & young adult fiction.

Those are the main things right now, besides exercise and eat right. I want to mention that I have made a concerted effort to exercise every day, cook healhty meals EVERY DAY, and even make healthy lunches for John and I. This is exhausting, which is why we used to eat out a lot. We don't anymore. On Saturday, I made two dinners and froze them both. So that helps a little. But for the most part, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen creating healthy masterpieces, and that is time I used to spend elsewhere. Sigh. I just feel extremely nostalgic. I feel like I missed out on something important and it's too late to go back and get it. This attitude is very defeating, because it prevents me from living my life now, and that's a waste. Hopefully this funk will move on down the road relatively soon.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

injustices

A while back I wrote a little about my dad getting fired, but there have been several updates to the story and many further insults to my dad and family. The latest occurrence is that they assigned my dad a teaching schedule that includes only classes he has never taught before. This means he must significantly prepare for each class period instead of using materials he had built up through the years. Why are they doing this? So that my dad gets frustrated and leaves the school.

Is my dad a bad teacher? No. He is a good teacher who has always been liked by students. Was he a bad coach? Definitely not. In my opinion he was one of the best the school has ever seen. And not just because of the winning seasons and state championships, although there were those. What my dad did was to instill teamwork and a sense of family. He was a friend, and he helped young kids build self-esteem. He truly cared about the students. In short, my dad’s many designations of Nevada 3A coach of the year have always been well deserved. I just read a small tribute to my dad found here (By a rival school no less). The story nearly brought tears to my eyes and angered me anew.

My dad is two years away from retirement and has been at MVHS for around 30 years, and this is how they repay him for everything he has done for Moapa Valley High. I believe the man who helped cause all this (he is also my mom's direct boss), along with the principal of the school deserve to be fired. In fact, I wish I were living in Moapa Valley right now, because you can believe I would be causing all kinds of problems for the school, including finding my father a lawyer and suing the school district's pants off.

I really would. There are several illegal things they have done during this whole debacle. When they fired my dad from his coaching position, they hired a new coach to take his place. However, the subject the new coach teaches (Social Studies, I believe) was already well taken care of by other teachers. How could they justify hiring another teacher of the same subject? Well, somehow they surplussed another teacher, which means she had to find a position elsewhere. Illegal. She hired a lawyer and is suing the district. Forcing my dad to have a crappy schedule just so he’ll quit? I did some research, and it basically falls under the category of age discrimination. Also illegal. Then there was the firing itself, which did not follow CCSD rules. I think he has a case.

I would love nothing more than seeing the responsible parties get fired from their positions, but I don’t see that happening. The teachers of MVHS signed a petition and sent it to the school district, in part because they support my dad but also because NO ONE is happy with the administration of the school, asking for a change in the administration. The county didn’t even respond.

The whole thing is just wrong. I want to see justice done. I want my dad to stop being slapped in the face and get the recognition he deserves.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

totally embarrassing story alert

I love the library. I love self-help books. I love self-help books about relationships even more. I can’t help myself--I always have and probably always will. (Sometimes my husband puts up with reading a relationship book together, sometimes not. I think he’s a saint for doing it at all.)

So yesterday at the library I picked out three different relationship books. At 8:55 I ran to the front of the library so that I could use the automated checkout before it shut down at 9pm, because I didn’t really want the librarians to see my picks. I may love self-help relationship books, but I do understand that they are cheesy if not overtly embarrassing.

The automated checkout was already off, so I got in line at the circulation desk. Of course, the guy who helped me is a member of my church and knows me. I think he even said, “Hi, Sister Ronk.”

Oh my. I was bright red as he checked my books out to me. One title, ‘16 Ways to Love your Lover’, is NOT what the title sounds like! At all! It’s really a book about the Myers-Briggs personality types and how that fits into relationships. Slightly boring--NOT racy like the title suggests! Another book had a picture of a silhouetted couple on the cover, their faces close together, moving in for a kiss. Again, makes the book look much racier than it actually is.

As soon as he handed me the books, I speed-walked it out of there, red-faced and totally humiliated. I will never be able to look him in the face again.

terrible twos

My niece Sare has gotten a little jealous since her brother was born. Wait, did I say a little jealous? (Not to mention that she just turned two and has been acting rather naughty for the past few months anyway.)

We were at my sister and brother-in-law's house on Sunday, and the following exchanges happened.

First the background information. Every time we say goodbye to Sare on the phone, we say "Love you sweetie" and she repeats it back. Hers sounds more like "Uh you fweetie."

I was holding Isaac and Sare was standing nearby.

Me: (to Isaac) Love you sweetie.
Sare: (pointing to herself) I fweetie!

Sare raised her hand to hit me.

Me: We don't hit.
Sare: I want to hit.

Sare later started biting my leg.

Me: No. We don't bite.
Sare: I want to bite!

Monday, July 10, 2006

peer pressure

Has anyone else noticed that while there is strong pressure in our society to look good (a la fashion magazines, etc.), there is also nearly equal pressure to eat whatever we want to (and by "whatever we want to", I mean unhealthy, fat filled foods)?

I have noticed, during my challenge to eat less sugar and processed foods, that there is immense pressure for me to eat poorly. At work, people say, "Come on, Holli! You know you need a treat!" "This chocolate will make you feel better!" If I didn't know any better, I would think I dropped into a drug treatment center where peer pressure was rampant.

People don't want to respect my desire to improve my health. I don't get it. If I said I don't eat chocolate for religious reasons, they'd back off. If I didn't eat chocolate because was allergic, they'd feel sorry for me. But if I say I don't eat chocolate anymore for my health...they feel more than free to sabotage my health.

Wrong? Ironic? Yes! But that's the way America is. And that's why 2 out of 3 of us are overweight.

Friday, July 07, 2006

not in need of metamucil

I made the most delicious lentil soup yesterday. So yummy. So healthy. But guess what, folks? The soup had 22 grams of fiber per serving!

Holy bathroom break, Batman!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

i *will* do what i dream! (name the movie)

I applied for a job today. I feel like patting myself on the back. Instead, I'm posting my self-congratulations online.

help me!

Job searching is hard. That's what I'm supposed to be doing right now. But I'll tell you why I get discouraged.

1. The area I have education in -library science- I don't seem to have enough experience, and there aren't enough library jobs to go around. So I get interviews, but the jobs go to someone who already has experience. Or, let's face it, maybe I don't interview well. I don't know. But I'm not getting anywhere in the library science field.

2. The area I want to move toward -health and wellness- seems to only have jobs for people who ALREADY HAVE EXPERIENCE. Well, how do I get the experience?!! Let me guess. Take a job that pays $8 an hour in order to provide me the experience. Can't do it.

So...what do I do? I can't really take much of a pay cut. I really can't right now. But at the same time, I REALLY can't take this job anymore, either.

Suggestions, anyone?

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

post fourth randomness

I love days like today -- overcast, with steady, drizzling rain. Beautiful. Today is going okay, but my coworker/boss is driving me crazy. I've now scheduled in time every week to job search, because I'm getting out of here. And not just library jobs, because obviously those aren't happening. But I don't care how I get out of here, I'm getting out.

I've been much happier the past few days. Is it because the withdrawals are over?!! Is it that I don't eat sugar anymore? Is it because I exercise 5x a week? Is it because I feel in control of my life, knowing there are goals to be reached and I have plans for reaching them? Don't know. But I'm thankful.

Guess what? I am now up to 'Standard' in DDR! Only while in workout mode. If it were game mode, I'd be boo'ed off the dance pad and it would be game over. But I like Standard a lot, plus I think it gives me a better workout. Even if I can't seem to hit all the arrows. Not that anyone other than a fellow DDR freak would even care about this paragraph. Ha!

I went to Sunflower Market the other day, and I love it! The prices are much cheaper than I thought they would be, and such good and healthy food there! I was in heaven. I can't believe I haven't been shopping there all along.

Have I mentioned lately what a great husband I have? He's the best. He does DDR with me every day, he listens to me, he likes my family, he humors me when I get obsessed with something (like I said, right now it's Andrew Weil, but it changes periodically), and he's an amazing kisser. I couldn't be luckier.

Monday, July 03, 2006

a good day

Happy things:

1. My nephew is finally home from the hospital. He had a bad case of jaundice, which apparently is dangerous. I had no idea.

2. I'm going to buy a yogurt maker. $17 on amazon.com! Then we're going to eat healthy yogurt recipes all the time. Yum.

3. I don't know if this is "happy", but it's on my list of stuff. I found a new obsession: Dr. Andrew Weil. No, I'm not obsessed with an old bearded man (that would be a tad too weird), just his ideas. I'm very into health and wellness, and he is very informative. I wish he could be my dr. I'm done with mine.

4. I finally figured out a website I could make that might be of some use to humankind. We'll see...