:::: MENU ::::

Dec 1, 2009    |       23 comments

Pick Today to be Happy…

by

I went to a baby shower for a woman I work with.

And yes, I know I ended the above sentence with a preposition but sometimes, ending sentences with prepositions is the only way to not sound like Yoda.

Anyway – She is upper management and comes from a wealthy family. It didn’t cross her mind that, in a company full of employees who have been on a salary freeze for two years, it’s inappropriate to ask for six car seats. Yes. Six.

Heck, it’s probably inappropriate in any crowd.

She said she needed one for each of her cars… and then threw in that she needed six cars because she has six houses.

Financially, she’s where I want to be. Wait… she’s way past where I want to be. But the reality is, she keeps talking about being ‘happy tomorrow’. She’ll be happy when ‘this’ happens or happy when ‘that’ happens. Those things come and go yet her anger and resentment stay.

I wanted to shake the unhappy look off her face and scream ‘Lady! You’ve got money, a husband, and a healthy baby. What are you waiting for to be happy?!?!’

Hmm.

What am I waiting for to make me happy? Will being debt free be the one thing that puts a permanent grin on my face?

I know the answer to that and yet I still place my happiness in tomorrow.

Perhaps that’s something I need to work on.

Nov 30, 2009    |       4 comments

Turning to Reality TV for Help…

by

I’ve been trying to figure out creative ways to remodel our home for low to no cost. As I watched HGTV this weekend, I thought, ‘I’ll have reality television remodel my home!’

I assumed this wouldn’t be a difficult task. It’s not like there’s a strong filter for reality tv. Come on. I’ve seen Jerry Springer and Tila Tequila.

California’s official nickname is ‘The Golden State’
San Diego calls itself ‘America’s Finest City’
Humility isn’t our strong point.

It only seems obvious that we would point a camera of reality tv at our Southern California city. I went to the HGTV site, Pie Town Productions, and the DIY network. Do you know how many home remodeling shows are based in ‘America’s Finest City’?

Zero.

But, there are two shows that film anywhere, anytime – Extreme Home Makeover and Deserving Design. For Extreme Home Makeover, we lack a compelling unique story. ‘My husband lost his job… just like everyone else’ isn’t nearly as impressive or distinctive as ‘Timmy is allergic to the sun’ or ‘Little Bonnie Sue doesn’t have sweat glands’.

And remarkably, Deserving Design didn’t call me back after I submitted my husband as ‘deserving’ because only once during the last five years of our marriage has he left the toilet seat up. It’s sweet but not as gripping as Jane Doe saving the world over the last 20 years rescuing one sweatshop child at a time.

Bummer. I really needed a new back patio before the toothpicks, dental floss, and tin foil holding it together collapse.

1 … 1,373 1,374 1,375 1,376 1,377 … 1,950