After a bit of a hiatus, I have decided to start blogging again. I don't really have much of anything exciting to talk about, but hey, I like reading my own voice. In the past couple of years, I've had a change of address, the same job, same fiance and the same lazy outlook on life. In my mind, I am able to do miraculous things and am creative and witty and exciting. In real life...well, I read a lot and I think a lot. I think about cleaning, vacuuming, exercising, finding a new job...I think about cooking dinner everyday and never leaving dirty dishes. I think about losing a lot of weight before my 40th birthday, which is fast approaching. And I think about all of the things that I've done that I wish I had done differently.
No more. I am vowing here to do less thinking and more doing. Hopefully, blogging will help. Here's to a new start!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
New Year, New Me??
Most people make tons of resolutions that are broken within a week. I made no resolutions this year. There are lots of areas where I need improvement...but I have grown to know myself well enough that writing it down on paper and thinking that will make the magic happen is just a waste of some tree.
There are a few things that I would like to accomplish this year though.
1. Get control of my laundry. I don't have to go out to the creek and beat my clothes on a rock and hang them out to dry, so why can't I keep up with it? I'm always so happy when all the clothes are washed and put away. I feel like I have conquered some task akin to discovering cold fusion. But still, it is in piles in the basement...looming...becoming every larger, like the blob. I would like to be like my aunt Peggy and do laundry on Mondays and start my week off right. Maybe I'll try that next Monday. :)
2. Get the kitchen makeover completed. It's not going to be that difficult. Finish stripping the border that I started stripping months ago, rip out the icky white with gold flecks tile backsplash and replace it with something from this century and paint. Easy peasy!
3. Finish the master bath remodel. The tub surround is down to the studs. The floor is basically all ripped up. It has been this way for months. I have to have it finished before March 13th. The kitchen too. I will ponder how to do this...maybe while I am doing laundry on Monday.
4. Exercise. Ick! But the years are ticking by and my ass is spreading with each one. Maybe I'll start off slowly...with my Wii Fit. I really want one of those Ab Circle things, but Tim says they are a ripoff. I think it looks like fun. The people look like they are having fun. I know, they are being paid to look like they are having fun.
Basically, my list boils down to one thing...stop procrastinating. I am the Queen of Putting Off Now What You Won't Do Tomorrow Either. While this is a stress free way to live for a while, things eventually start piling up and then I get stressed out about it to the point that I don't care and we come full circle to the I'm Not Going To Do Anything That I Don't Want To Do. The list is long...it is not for the faint of heart.
So, New Year, New Me?? Probably not. But hey...maybe I'm too cool just as I am. I am literally laughing out loud with that statement. My life improvement goals are not ostentatious...but, really...this is me we are talking about. I'm going to go watch The Big Bang Theory now and contemplate what I can do tomorrow. Toodles!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Kids
I really like kids...other people's kids. I have Maren and Colton who I love dearly. Not to mention Reed and Emma, who I think of as my niece and nephew as well. Tim's niece's are as precious to me as they will be when they are officially "my nieces". Michelle and Kelly's kids have always called me Auntie Beth and I have always felt like they were actually my nieces and nephews as well. So...to total it up...I have 6 nieces and 3 nephews and I couldn't be happier about that. I love spoiling them rotten, giving them unexpected gifts and being the fun Aunt.
I have friends who have children that I am close to as well...MB has 4 and I love them. Not to mention my huge extended family full of kids. I have always been the cousin who looked out for and played with the kids. Everyone has always talked about what a wonderful mother I will be someday.
But here's the thing...I don't want to have kids. Say that around most people, and you might as well have said that you murdered a stranger and have their kidneys in the fridge ready to fix with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. (Shout out to Hannibal!)
It's not that I don't like kids. Obviously, I love children. I am just WAY too selfish to have any of my own. There are days that I don't even stir from the bed until 10 minutes before I have to be at work...which luckily is about 20 feet away since I work from home and have to have that first thing in the morning bathroom break before work. On my days off, I will often spend the entire day reading a book. And when I mean the entire day, I mean I may read an entire book or three. I love that I can do that. Sure, the laundry piles up, groceries don't get purchased, I don't get a shower...but it's ok. It's just me and Tim. If he's ok with it, then I don't even care.
I don't like to think of myself as a selfish person. I like to think that I am caring and giving and all things that my friends and family need me to be; and for the most part, I think I fulfill that. But when I think about a little person relying exclusively on me, I seriously get freaked out. I enjoy my time to myself. I don't think that it is wrong, but maybe not the life that most people choose.
I will be 36 in November. The biological clock is a ticking away...and for the most part, I don't even hear it. There are times when I think it would be wonderful to see a little Tim running around or how cute our kids would be, but mostly, I shudder at the thought of turning my entire life over to someone else.
Does this make me a monster?? Most people would say, "HELL YES!" Most people however, would be wrong. Not everyone is cut out to be a parent. Not everyone is meant to have little mini-mes running around. For those of you who are, I thank you. Your children enrich my life in ways I cannot express. But for those of us who chose to be childless...be kind. We are not soul-sucking, selfish monsters. We just know our limitations and that we have lots of love to give...but to your kids instead of our own.
I have friends who have children that I am close to as well...MB has 4 and I love them. Not to mention my huge extended family full of kids. I have always been the cousin who looked out for and played with the kids. Everyone has always talked about what a wonderful mother I will be someday.
But here's the thing...I don't want to have kids. Say that around most people, and you might as well have said that you murdered a stranger and have their kidneys in the fridge ready to fix with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. (Shout out to Hannibal!)
It's not that I don't like kids. Obviously, I love children. I am just WAY too selfish to have any of my own. There are days that I don't even stir from the bed until 10 minutes before I have to be at work...which luckily is about 20 feet away since I work from home and have to have that first thing in the morning bathroom break before work. On my days off, I will often spend the entire day reading a book. And when I mean the entire day, I mean I may read an entire book or three. I love that I can do that. Sure, the laundry piles up, groceries don't get purchased, I don't get a shower...but it's ok. It's just me and Tim. If he's ok with it, then I don't even care.
I don't like to think of myself as a selfish person. I like to think that I am caring and giving and all things that my friends and family need me to be; and for the most part, I think I fulfill that. But when I think about a little person relying exclusively on me, I seriously get freaked out. I enjoy my time to myself. I don't think that it is wrong, but maybe not the life that most people choose.
I will be 36 in November. The biological clock is a ticking away...and for the most part, I don't even hear it. There are times when I think it would be wonderful to see a little Tim running around or how cute our kids would be, but mostly, I shudder at the thought of turning my entire life over to someone else.
Does this make me a monster?? Most people would say, "HELL YES!" Most people however, would be wrong. Not everyone is cut out to be a parent. Not everyone is meant to have little mini-mes running around. For those of you who are, I thank you. Your children enrich my life in ways I cannot express. But for those of us who chose to be childless...be kind. We are not soul-sucking, selfish monsters. We just know our limitations and that we have lots of love to give...but to your kids instead of our own.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Too tired to sleep
Have you ever been too tired to sleep? I am there. Even as I type this, the letters are all blurring together. Of course, I've had a few Killians, so that might be some of it, but I really think that sleep is just eluding me.
The past couple of days have been very stressful, but thankfully, all is well at the moment. Tim's dad had a heart attack yesterday (was it really just yesterday???). He should be coming home tomorrow. They had to put 2 stints in and he'll be on Plavix and aspirin for the rest of his life. There's 2 more stints to go, but they are going to wait 3-4 weeks for that.
Don is a great man and I love him very much. He's a 6 foot teddy bear with a beautiful smile and a wonderful heart. (Aside from the the physical damage.) Mortality creeps up on us when we least expect it. I don't have any plans for children in the future, but if I did, Don would be the only grandfather my children would know. I was very blessed in that I had not only all 4 grandparents, but my great-grandmother in my life well into my 20s. Now that I am on the downward slide toward 40, I am suddenly realizing that my children (should we ever decide to have any) will have 2 wonderful grandmothers, 1 grandfather and 1 great-grandfather.
I don't want this post to be all maudlin...it's just that I hadn't really given a whole lot of thought to this. I realized that when I met Tim that my dad would never know the wonderful man that I have been blessed with; but until today, I'd never really given thought to the notion that my children (which really, I will probably never have...I'm a wonderful Aunt and I love the lack of responsibility and worry that comes with that role) will never know my dad. They will not know Granny and Papaw Brown or Granny Goldy. How sad is that?
Now this is really sounding too depressing, but it has been a stressful couple of days and these are the thoughts that are keeping me awake when I have had only a few hours of sleep over the past 2 days. Maybe just sharing the thoughts with cyberspace will help. So, my cyberfriends, there's a load off my mind. On to dreamland where everything is sunny and I'm amazingly thin!
The past couple of days have been very stressful, but thankfully, all is well at the moment. Tim's dad had a heart attack yesterday (was it really just yesterday???). He should be coming home tomorrow. They had to put 2 stints in and he'll be on Plavix and aspirin for the rest of his life. There's 2 more stints to go, but they are going to wait 3-4 weeks for that.
Don is a great man and I love him very much. He's a 6 foot teddy bear with a beautiful smile and a wonderful heart. (Aside from the the physical damage.) Mortality creeps up on us when we least expect it. I don't have any plans for children in the future, but if I did, Don would be the only grandfather my children would know. I was very blessed in that I had not only all 4 grandparents, but my great-grandmother in my life well into my 20s. Now that I am on the downward slide toward 40, I am suddenly realizing that my children (should we ever decide to have any) will have 2 wonderful grandmothers, 1 grandfather and 1 great-grandfather.
I don't want this post to be all maudlin...it's just that I hadn't really given a whole lot of thought to this. I realized that when I met Tim that my dad would never know the wonderful man that I have been blessed with; but until today, I'd never really given thought to the notion that my children (which really, I will probably never have...I'm a wonderful Aunt and I love the lack of responsibility and worry that comes with that role) will never know my dad. They will not know Granny and Papaw Brown or Granny Goldy. How sad is that?
Now this is really sounding too depressing, but it has been a stressful couple of days and these are the thoughts that are keeping me awake when I have had only a few hours of sleep over the past 2 days. Maybe just sharing the thoughts with cyberspace will help. So, my cyberfriends, there's a load off my mind. On to dreamland where everything is sunny and I'm amazingly thin!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Mafia Wars Addiction
Hi. My name is Beth and I'm a Mafia Wars addict. I freely admit it. I haven't actually counted the number of times a day that I check on my "family", rush my Cuban pesos to the bank before someone fights me and takes them or try to rob someone's casino...but I can safely say that several is erring on the conservative side.
What is it about this game that has me so enraptured? My mafia is made up of me and 42 friends. It's my mafia...my family. We pillage other mafias everyday, trying to make enough money to upgrade my Cuban Cocoa Plantation. We "do jobs" like shake down a hotel owner or bring the local teamsters under my control. Muh-ha ha...the power is mine!!! ALL MINE!
My NY mob makes a cool $5 million every hour. My Cubanos make 25K every 3 hours, but it's growing every day. There are properties to buy, weapons, armor and vehicles to purchase...all to make your mafia more deadly than the person who will attack you. You have to think about offensive and defensive values for each weapon, armor and vehicle. You have to make sure that you have enough so that every member of your mafia will be equipped to fight or defend.
Then there's your health, energy and stamina. Energy is the bane of my existence...along with untraceable cellular phones. Energy is required for every "job" you do. Once you're up in the higher "job" levels, higher level of energy are required to do each job. I receive 1 energy point every 5 minutes. ONE. Taking over the docks in Cuba requires 54 energy points. You have to do this particular job many times before you master it. Then you have to master it 2 more times to move on to the next level. One time per day, you are alotted an energy pack...usually sent to you by friends. This will increase your energy by 25% and fill up your energy tank. I blow through that in like 1 minute by repeatedly clicking on the "DO JOB AGAIN" button.
For every job you do or fight you win or property you rob, you earn experience points. These experience points allow you to advance to a new level. When you reach a new level...all of your health, energy and stamina is restored. I like reaching new levels...energy for jobs...jobs make money...money upgrades businesses or buys property or weapons...if I knew how to spell the sound that Tim Allen would make when he talked about cars or tools, I would insert it here.
Health is taken away everytime you fight. One stamina point is taken away each time you fight too. (Stamina is replaced 1 point every four and half minutes). You can visit the hospital and pay to be "healed" by the doctor...health is basically just a pain in the ass. Fight in Cuba...fight, fight, fight, fight, fight...fly to NY to see the doctor...fly back to Cuba to fight some more. I could see the doctor in Cuba, but I don't want to waste my precious pesos on something as trivial as restoring my health!! The only time health is an issue is when I am not on facebook playing Mafia Wars. Then some SOB or skanky ho attacks me and attacks me and eventually, I am snuffed out and lose 6 experience points. BITCHES! How dare they kill me when I'm not even playing? I have been killed 68 times. I have whacked 131 other people. HEE HEE HEE!
Believe it or not, I have not even scratched the surface of Mafia Wars. There are collections and loot and gifts and achievements and the lottery and godfather points and the hitlist....I'm working myself into a frenzy just thinking about all of the aspects of this game. Oh yeah...it's a game. There's no bloody action. No shootings or stabbings shown on the screen. Here's a fight that took place in Cuba:
Your mafia of 43 fought against Don Draffin in Cuba with 7 Aguila HV .50 Sniper Rifles, 6 ASC45 "Conquistador"s, 18 Para 322s, 12 BA-12 Assault Rifles, a Guerrilla Commando, a Davy Crockett Hat, 41 Street Gang Members, an El Rey Roadster, 18 Montaine 320s, 7 Multi-Purpose Trucks, 17 Chucho FAVs.
Don Draffin's mafia of 31 fought with 2 Gaff hooks, 11 Cane Knives, 9 Ru-38 Pistols, 6 Gadyuka-5 Pistols, 3 Bayonets, 4 Red Coats, 6 Falsified Documents, 15 Camouflage Body Armors, 3 Federal Agents, 3 Bodyguards, 2 Private Jets, an El Rey Roadster, 5 Ocelot Armored Trucks, a Cigarette Boat, a SWAT Van, a Vintage Cruiser, 3 Barges, 3 Montaine 320s, 3 Multi-Purpose Trucks, 10 Chucho FAVs, a Prop plane.
You WON the fight, taking 1 damage and dealing 18 damage to your enemy. You gained C$0 and 1 experience points.
That's it. Why do I love this so much? It's a guilty pleasure for certain. For some people, it's reality tv. For me and "my little friend"...it is Mafia Wars.
What is it about this game that has me so enraptured? My mafia is made up of me and 42 friends. It's my mafia...my family. We pillage other mafias everyday, trying to make enough money to upgrade my Cuban Cocoa Plantation. We "do jobs" like shake down a hotel owner or bring the local teamsters under my control. Muh-ha ha...the power is mine!!! ALL MINE!
My NY mob makes a cool $5 million every hour. My Cubanos make 25K every 3 hours, but it's growing every day. There are properties to buy, weapons, armor and vehicles to purchase...all to make your mafia more deadly than the person who will attack you. You have to think about offensive and defensive values for each weapon, armor and vehicle. You have to make sure that you have enough so that every member of your mafia will be equipped to fight or defend.
Then there's your health, energy and stamina. Energy is the bane of my existence...along with untraceable cellular phones. Energy is required for every "job" you do. Once you're up in the higher "job" levels, higher level of energy are required to do each job. I receive 1 energy point every 5 minutes. ONE. Taking over the docks in Cuba requires 54 energy points. You have to do this particular job many times before you master it. Then you have to master it 2 more times to move on to the next level. One time per day, you are alotted an energy pack...usually sent to you by friends. This will increase your energy by 25% and fill up your energy tank. I blow through that in like 1 minute by repeatedly clicking on the "DO JOB AGAIN" button.
For every job you do or fight you win or property you rob, you earn experience points. These experience points allow you to advance to a new level. When you reach a new level...all of your health, energy and stamina is restored. I like reaching new levels...energy for jobs...jobs make money...money upgrades businesses or buys property or weapons...if I knew how to spell the sound that Tim Allen would make when he talked about cars or tools, I would insert it here.
Health is taken away everytime you fight. One stamina point is taken away each time you fight too. (Stamina is replaced 1 point every four and half minutes). You can visit the hospital and pay to be "healed" by the doctor...health is basically just a pain in the ass. Fight in Cuba...fight, fight, fight, fight, fight...fly to NY to see the doctor...fly back to Cuba to fight some more. I could see the doctor in Cuba, but I don't want to waste my precious pesos on something as trivial as restoring my health!! The only time health is an issue is when I am not on facebook playing Mafia Wars. Then some SOB or skanky ho attacks me and attacks me and eventually, I am snuffed out and lose 6 experience points. BITCHES! How dare they kill me when I'm not even playing? I have been killed 68 times. I have whacked 131 other people. HEE HEE HEE!
Believe it or not, I have not even scratched the surface of Mafia Wars. There are collections and loot and gifts and achievements and the lottery and godfather points and the hitlist....I'm working myself into a frenzy just thinking about all of the aspects of this game. Oh yeah...it's a game. There's no bloody action. No shootings or stabbings shown on the screen. Here's a fight that took place in Cuba:
Your mafia of 43 fought against Don Draffin in Cuba with 7 Aguila HV .50 Sniper Rifles, 6 ASC45 "Conquistador"s, 18 Para 322s, 12 BA-12 Assault Rifles, a Guerrilla Commando, a Davy Crockett Hat, 41 Street Gang Members, an El Rey Roadster, 18 Montaine 320s, 7 Multi-Purpose Trucks, 17 Chucho FAVs.
Don Draffin's mafia of 31 fought with 2 Gaff hooks, 11 Cane Knives, 9 Ru-38 Pistols, 6 Gadyuka-5 Pistols, 3 Bayonets, 4 Red Coats, 6 Falsified Documents, 15 Camouflage Body Armors, 3 Federal Agents, 3 Bodyguards, 2 Private Jets, an El Rey Roadster, 5 Ocelot Armored Trucks, a Cigarette Boat, a SWAT Van, a Vintage Cruiser, 3 Barges, 3 Montaine 320s, 3 Multi-Purpose Trucks, 10 Chucho FAVs, a Prop plane.
You WON the fight, taking 1 damage and dealing 18 damage to your enemy. You gained C$0 and 1 experience points.
That's it. Why do I love this so much? It's a guilty pleasure for certain. For some people, it's reality tv. For me and "my little friend"...it is Mafia Wars.
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