Wednesday, August 31, 2011

At Home Among The Spiders

I have to say I am happy to be home in Utah. Even though I like traveling and seeing places, the saying 'there's no place like home' is one that is always true to me. I like being in a routine. I like knowing the roads and the gas stations. I like being around familiar things. In Ohio, everywhere I went I saw things I wasn't used to - different restaurants, strange street names, no mountains, different plants. It's interesting, but it can also get overwhelming after a while. At home you can relax because you don't have to take in so much new information all the time.

There is one thing I haven't liked about being home - spiders. Ever since Mike and I saw a show about a house that was infested with spiders, we have been really sensitive to their presence in our own house. I wouldn't go so far as to say we have an infestation. But I will say spiders are prevalent in our home. Especially in the garage. *shiver* I don't even want to think about the garage. You see, the thing I hate about spiders is that they invade my personal space and property. If spiders only lived in deep dark woods, we wouldn't have a problem. Spiders stay in the woods, I stay out of the woods. Problem solved. But NO, spiders have to get all up in my space. I dread opening a tote or a tent that I have stored in the garage and finding it filled with spiders. If that happens you have pretty much lost your belongings, because you can't get rid of the spiders without spraying them or torching them, and that would obviously ruin your belongings.

Spiders also like to live in dark places, which is a problem because they are basically hiding and waiting to pop out at you at the most terrifying moment. Living with spiders is like living with a ghost. You are constantly scared and there isn't much you can do about it. Except spiders have the added bonus of being able to kill you. YAY!

If there was a way to get rid of every single spider within a mile radius, without chemicals, and never have them return, I would totally do it. Even if it cost a huge amount of money. I'm not a rich person, but I would totally save for that shit.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Ohio Or Bust

Long time no blog. But maybe you can forgive me because I have been on vacation. If that's not a good enough excuse for you, I will have you know I was SICK the entire time. That's right. The fates wouldn't even allow me to enjoy my vacation. Grrrrrrr At least I can say I have been to Ohio now. Mike and I went there to visit family and to just relax. Six days later, much visiting was had, but not much relaxing. I remembered how uncomfortable airplane seats are. Even though I am in awe every time at the human race's ability to fly, I would not enjoy flying often.

Ohio was as green and humid as I expected, but had fewer people than I expected. That might be because we stayed out of the cities for the most part. I feel like if I lived in Ohio I would always feel lost in the forest and trying to get out no matter where I was. It's green alright, but all that green kind of gets in the way and makes you feel cut off from the rest of the world. Is it just me?

Here are a few pictures from our trip. Not much to say about them except you probably won't be interested because they are people you don't know in front of a constant green background.

The second night we were there we had a campfire which would have been really pleasant if I hadn't been sick -





This is Mike and his son Daylen at the Columbus Zoo. We didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked because the roads in Ohio are like some sort of cryptic language that no one understands unless they have lived there their whole lives. There was also a water park at the zoo, which was fun. However, I just can't get used to the idea of a water park at the zoo. It seems weird to me.



Here's a few pictures of family. It really was fun to see Mike's family, most of whom I had never met before. I heard plenty of stories about the past that helped me get to know my husband a little better.




So that's what I've been doing for the last little while. It may not have been the most exciting vacation in the world, but anytime I get to travel I feel thankful because it always broadens my understanding of the the world and the people in it. If you stay in one place all your life, you tend to forget about all the people and places in the world and how different their view of life is. When you travel, you see for yourself just how much there is that you don't know about, and maybe it will open your mind to more possibilities.

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Bad And The Good

I know I am getting lazy about my blogging, but life has been pleasantly boring for most of the summer. As a child I never would have thought boring could be pleasant. But when you grow up and you know about all the bad things in the world, boring is like heaven because at least nothing bad is happening to you. I'm not sure if I believe in destiny or predestination, but I think things would be easier if I did. If I did believe in that and something bad happened to me, then I would know there was a reason for it - that it is all part of a bigger plan. If you don't believe in destiny, then there is no reason for bad things and you live in fear of the next bad thing popping up.

Like I said, I'm not really clear on what I believe yet, so I try to focus on the good times. When nothing is going badly, I milk it for all it's worth. I bask in it like it is my last happy moment. Some people may say that is somewhat hedonistic and maybe it is. But I think hedonists are only people who are afraid there is nothing after you die so they want to get the most out of life. In other words, they are only scared people who are trying to cope with their fear. Sometimes I am one of the scared people, but mostly I try to believe and pray there is a reason for bad things happening. That's really the only way to make it through the hard times because hedonism only works when things are good. During the bad times, it is a useless doctrine. If you are only hedonistic, you have nothing to get you through the hard times. That's why life is easier if you believe in destiny and a master plan - it helps to make the hard times more bearable.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Keep Your Opinions To Yourself

Sometimes I watch shows like Say Yes To The Dress, and I am always shocked by how rudely opinionated some people can be. If you haven't seen the show, it is a reality show where brides-to-be go to a bridal salon and pick out their wedding dresses. So you would think that decision would be solely the bride's to make with maybe a few helpful tips from friends and family. Not so. It never fails that some loud-mouthed friend or family member has very strong opinions about what the bride should wear, and they are not at all kind about voicing those opinions. First of all, let me say, WHO CARES? Picking a wedding dress is about what the bride likes, NOT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE LIKE. Unless you have a big problem with wanting to live vicariously through other people, you shouldn't care what the bride is wearing. The bride could pick out a dress that you think is the most hideous thing on the planet and all you should do is smile and say she looks beautiful. If you think she is a beautiful person, then it shouldn't matter what she is wearing, right? RIGHT?

The people on that show act like it will be the end of the world if the bride picks the wrong dress. Here's an idea - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE WRONG DRESS. Clothing is nice and all. Believe me when I say, I like clothes more than the average Joe. But even I can recognize the insignificance of clothing in the big picture. What's the worst that could happen if you pick an ugly wedding dress? You laugh at it later on? You can't sell it for more than $5? I don't think I have to say there are worse things in life. So if you are ever going out with a bride-to-be to help her pick her wedding dress, be supportive of what SHE wants and if you have a negative opinion, bite your tongue!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Free To Do What I Want

Have you ever noticed how much freer people are when they are young? They are not yet tied down by responsibilities, kids, and things. They can move far away or do something new and crazy on a whim.

Once people get older they usually get more and more stuck in a routine and burdened by overwhelming responsibilities. But it doesn't have to end up like that! Some responsibilities are unavoidable, but others are a choice. Do you wish you weren't burdened by a mortgage and a big house to maintain? Rent or buy a smaller house! Do you feel like you can't move because you have too much stuff to bring with you? Don't buy so much stuff! Do you feel like you can't go back to school or try surfing because you are too old? Who cares?! You don't have to put restrictions on yourself.

I love the idea of living freely. I never want to have so many possessions that they feel like a burden. I never want to have so many responsibilities that there is no fun left in life. I never want to feel like I am too old to try something new. I keep all that in mind when I make decisions about taking on more responsibilities. By not taking on too much, I can choose to be light and free my whole life.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Time To Spare

Seriously, everyday I think about about writing a post. But then, somehow, there is not enough time or nothing to write about or I'm just plain lazy. I only work part-time, but some days I work close to 10 hours, and on those days I wonder how anyone ever has the energy to have kids, work full-time, and go to school. Because on those days it is all I can muster to drag myself home and flop on the closest soft surface. I know quite a few people who do the work and school and kids thing, and every time I hear about it I am just in awe. What kind of magic pill are these people taking that allows them to have the energy to do so much? Maybe I have unusually low energy or motivation, but I'm pretty sure if I tried to do all that I would be crying in a fetal position within 5 minutes. If you haven't noticed, I'm the kind of person who likes to take things slow and simple. I don't like to over-extend myself because I feel life is too short to be running around like a crazy person all the time. Problem is, we live in a time where everything is so fast-paced, if you're not running around like a crazy person, people think YOU'RE the one that's crazy. Whatever. I'm not going to speed up just because of other people's disapproval. But sometimes I do wish I could do it all with energy and time left to spare.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

What Budget?

This may sound strange coming from me, the queen of financial responsibility, but I don't like budgets. Plans - yes. Approximations - yes. Estimates - yes. Budget - no. So why all this hate towards something every financial planner swears by? Well I'll tell ya. No one ever stays on budget. You only ever hear of people going over budget. If by some miracle someone does stay on budget, it's not because they have a budget. It's because they didn't have any surprise expenses or they didn't have any extra money to spend beyond the budget.

That's the thing with budgets. Everyone seems to think they are some set-in-stone amount that they absolutely can not exceed. But when it comes down to the wire, they always seem to find a way to get more money and go over budget. That means that budgets mean nothing. They are like a promise that isn't kept. Budgets are only what people WANT to spent, not what they CAN spend. That's why they never work.

If you had $1,000 to spend, but you only wanted to spend $100 of it and save the rest, how long do you think it would take to find excuses to go over your $100 'budget'? 'Well there's sales tax, and that will bring the price over $100.' 'I found this really cool thing for $125, and that is only a little over $100.' Pretty soon, you have spent the whole $1,000 and you have no idea how it all added up so fast. I know everyone doesn't think about money this way, but I think the large majority do. In America, if you want more money or more credit, there is almost always some way to get it. Therefore, the budget is always unlimited. If you want to limit the budget, you have to limit yourself, and most Americans don't seem to be so good at that.

I'm not saying it isn't wise to plan how you will spend your money. I just don't like the word 'budget'. Budgets never work because people can't limit themselves. So plan, save, appropriate, invest, and estimate, but NEVER, EVER, BUDGET.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Too Many Cards

It seems like every business these days has some kind of card that they try to get you to sign up for - preferred customer card, punch card, brand credit card, reward card, loyalty card. I'm getting really tired of being asked every time I check out at a store, "Do you have a card with us?" Sometimes I just want to scream, "NO! I don't have card, and I don't want to ever be asked that question again!"

I get why businesses have these sorts of cards. They usually reward customers with a discount for shopping at their store, thus prompting repeat business from that customer. So I guess that is OK if you have only a very few stores that you like to shop at. But what if you like to shop around? If that's the case, you could easily find your wallet bursting with a million 'loyalty' cards. Doesn't it seem contradictory to have loyalty cards to five different grocery stores? Ten different gas stations? Twenty different clothing stores?

Few people these days are loyal to specific stores because almost everything is big business and no one is really friends with big business. They only go along with it because it gets them cheap prices. If I had things my way, we would all do away with cards and show our loyalty by actually shopping somewhere frequently. Of course that won't happen, so I do the next best thing and refuse as many cards as possible. Besides, we all know that having a customer card doesn't mean you are loyal. It just means you caved in to the question you have been asked too many times - "Do you have a card with us?"