Job Hunting Made a Little Easier

With all the worry over employement now it is good to know there are still jobs in retail out there but what is even better is that you can find jobs online. It makes job searching a lot easier being able to see what is open all around the country, or in any area you are interested in without having to buy newspapers from ever single community, going to employement offices and filling out tons of forms before even getting an assignment you might not like, or playing hunt and pick by just dropping in on various places to see if they have openings. Finding a job has always been a tough endeavor, now it's tougher, but the Internet at least makes it a little less painful.

New Phone?

I am a little excited today. I may be getting a new phone!! I have wanted a 'texting' phone for a long time. Sending text messages using a tradtional keypad is a PAIN. I am long long long overdue for an upgrade and can actually get this phone for free after rebates and with discounts and all on my plan so hubby took my old phone with him up north today and after he is through with his meeting he is going to go and see if he can get the new one today! (Otherwise I may have to order it online from the wireless company if they don't have it in store.) This is the one I WANT. (Pictured above) It is a Pantea Duo.

I do have a second choice if that one isn't available but I sure hope I get that one. Something is really wonky with the way pictures are in here, maybe it's my new browser. 

Day Off? Sort Of.

EdTV is a funny movie. There are a lot of hilarious stars in this movie. I am vegging out in front of the TV this morning when I should be working. Usually it is on and I'm ignoring it while I work, but today is the other way around. I have to do a lot of little things around the house today, clean the kitchen, bird cages, fish tanks, vacuum, and call for new insurance quotes so I'm not sure I'm going to get a whole lot of work done at all anyway so may as well kill the whole day and enjoy a little of it.

Breathing is Essential to Life

I have been having such a hard time with my sinus' lately. I finally got a decent night sleep after taking two sinus allergy pills, and using Vicks. I think it is the birds that are aggravating my problem. I hate to have to give them up but I forgot how dusty birds can be. For a few weeks I've been thinking I had developed a horrible smoker's cough and must have suddenly developed a bad case of COPD but realized last night when it disappeared completely it is all related to my allergy. I guess not being able to breathe is bad for your lungs.

Ferrari or Not?

With the way the economy is I wonder if I will ever get my luxury car? I was talking about it with my accountant the other day (jokingly) and I said my 'perfect' car is a Ferrari(okay who would argue?). Even though my work is not slowing, and things are going good, I don't think a Ferrari itself is in my future, but maybe if I get some Ferrari parts and trick out my truck I can make it LOOK like a Ferrari--maybe? Well, okay, a big fat Ferrari. I would probably have better luck making my son's car look like one than my truck, neither would look quite 'right' with those big swing up doors, and that's what makes a Ferrari a Ferrari at least visually. Some day, you will see me swooshing down the road in a beautiful, sleek, fire-engine red Ferrari, until then you are going to have to accept a big, black, fake one in the form of a pickup truck with flip doors.

Thoughts on Entering A New Depression as an Adult

A recent article pointed out on Twitter about how a Depression will re-shape America gave me a moment's pause. My grandmother was a teenager/young adult during the last depression but I have never known more than a heavy recession in my lifetime. It made me wonder for a moment how it will impact my 46 year old life and outlook, in fact, many middle-aged American lives. I think going through something as catastrophic as a depression, if indeed anyone has to, is best as a child/teen. Young people are resilient and have less of a personal value tied up in survival at the time. They come out of a depression era, as in the past, even more resilient and stronger with sharper values and a better understanding of how to survive. Older people are crushed, broken, and beaten by such financial disaster. Many do not survive, and the ones who do may never recover. It is more than just ego it is an entire sense of self-worth.

My prayer for those of us in my age group looking down the barrel of financial collapse--may God give us the strength to take heart and hold tight to our beliefs, and sense of self-worth to come out at the end with a renewed understanding and strength to go on.

Today's Forecast

Woke up this morning, took a few aspirin and two diet pill before even opening my eyes. Was a long, long night, and got up very late. It is a beautiful day here though. For early February it is downright amazing. It is supposed to be in the high 40's and 50's all week. Even though it is supposed to storm off and on in the next couple days I can live with that. I know winter is not over but every nice day we can get makes winter that much shorter. I don't want to spend my whole day inside today with the weather so nice so I hope this headache goes away long enough for me to enjoy the nice day while the sun is still up.

the Celebrity Twit

Very interesting list of celebrities that are currently using Twitter. This is an evolving list that the blogger says will be updated regularly and attemtped to verify the actual personnas behind the names. Some of these are really and truly verified. I follow Demi More and Ashton Kutcher and I have found a few more I am going to follow from this list too.

Stamp of Approval

There are a lot of helpful devices that can help you do mundane things, or make big tasks easier. Using rubber stamps can not only be fun, it can be labor saving as well. When I had a job that required my signature on many documents I had a stamp made of my signature, in my handwriting and everything. It made my world a much nicer place for that period of time. Saved me from writer's cramp too. Kids love them as well, they can be found in all sorts of shapes and figures from action and animation characters to animals and fun objects.

the Twitter Bug

I'm Twitting again. I've caught the Twitter bug. I'm going to have to insert the widget here again so you can follow along if you don't go to the Twitter site itself. It's fun. If you do Twitter check me out at TParrington on there and link me up. There you go, it's on the left.

Filling Space

I don't have a formal dining room in this house. I did in my old house in Palos. Here I have an alcove off the kitchen that serves as a dining area. The kitchen itself is big enough to be classified as an eat in without the alcove and that is where I actually have my table now. I'm looking around for discount dining room furniture
to get a deal on a nice smaller table to put in the alcove though. I could actually fit a full size table in there but with it just being me and my husband now it doesn't make much sense anymore. We don't entertain much and usually eat in the kitchen or living room. It looks kind of strange to have that area empty though so a nice decorative but functional table would be nice.

Remembering The Worst

That's an image of an ice storm that was the same storm that crippled us here for a week in December. I am so happy that spell of weather is over. It kept going for almost 2 weeks in total with intermittent power outages but that one week was a solid struggle for heat and power not to mention Internet service which I NEED to have for my sanity and my income.

Walking Tall

Shoes are the one clothing item I will spend a fair amount of money on. Just like they say about horses -- no foot no horse -- the same holds true for people. If your feet are in pain you aren't likely to be going anywhere. So shoes have to fit well, be sturdy and supportive, but they also have to look great too. I was just cleaning out my closet yesterday and I have quite a few pair of shoes I've had for years. They are so well made and I usually only wear them on special occassions anymore. Back when I worked in the outside world I would buy the best dress shoes I could afford but wearing them so often wore them out fairly quickly. Now dress shoes last a long time. Dansko professional shoes are a wonderful example of the types of shoes I love. I adore clog style shoes and theirs are classy looking, strong, supportive, and very reasonably priced. That is the type of shoe that will last a long time and keep you walking tall.

How Long Do You Have To Live Somewhere?

How long do you have to live somewhere before you don't have to worry about stupid accidents? A few months ago I tripped over a stair coming into the kitchen (just one step) and fell to the floor carrying an armload of groceries and then today I just about broke my toe on a coffee table I've had for nearly 12 years. It hasn't moved. I usually move furniture around a lot but I like the way the living room is laid out so well I haven't changed it in that much time. Besides the TV is NOT going anywhere. The huge entertainment center is so heavy it would take a forklift to move it. It was put together where it is and that is where it will stay until we move, or it disintegrates. So after 12 years how much longer do you think I have to live here before I can feel safe--from myself?

Vacuuming Easier

I was looking at new vacuums at the store the other day. I don't 'need' a new vacuum but I want one. I vacuum almost daily, sometimes more than once a day with the birds I have and would like a vacuum that doesn't use bags. I like the new ones that have the canisters you simply remove and empty. I also like many of the newer models that come with vacuum dusters, and other cool attachments. I will probably buy a new model online though because you can almost always find a much better selection than you can in stores.

How to Do IT--anything

Here is an interesting home repair video from YouTube. God bless YouTube for all of its informative videos I just followed the advice on this movie to recaulk my bathroom.

Understanding Movement

Whether you are drawing motion, or actually living it, sports related, racing, or other movement activities you have to understand linear motion. As an artist I have to be able to incorporate movement into my work since most of it involves animals or human subject matter rather than still life. I think still life artwork can be beautiful but in some ways boring for the simple reason that it does not move. Even an animal that is standing, sitting, or laying down and completely 'still' has a movement about it although it is not linear. That 'alive' feeling still has to be captured in the moment. It is what makes it so exciting. Movement in sports often involves a complex understanding of geometry and physics even if it is on a subliminal level. That's what makes the games we watch and play so exciting. Even if we do not know we are calculating movement in that way it excites us.