Lost in Cyberland...

I miss blogging! I'm posting now from my phone, a total pain in the ars!!

My electronics are ALL on the fritz. Since my last post I can add an ipod and a washing machine to bite the dust. This is alarming! Four days til Germany so today we hauled a few loads to the laundrymat. Thirty minutes to wash while we had a libation at the most disgusting mexican joint around. I just have to LAUGH OR BE PISSED! Both are a healing but the laughter is more fun!! Thank God the dryer is working so I can chill out in the back yard!

It has been a whirlwind lately and I can't wait to tell you all about my journey. I'm not bringing a computer on the trip and turning off the smart aspect of my android phone. I think its probably over due shut down mode. I intend to write old school (on paper) and translate my adventure on a computer in the future or maybe even on the road...whatever's clever...as my kids would say.

Life is so good and I'm experiencing, growing, laughing and loving every day. I hope you are too!

Who knew that harnessing Anger and Amusement could be so healing!

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The wrath of the Gods!!

You may have noticed that there has not been a post from me since this one on 7/13  Electronic Lamenting.  I sincerely regret my rant about electronics!  Here's what happened following my post:

• The IT Temp at work wiped my computer blank by accident.
• My personal laptop got 37 virus' in one single moment and is perhaps gone forever
• I can no longer access my external hard drive even if I plug it straight into the laptop
• My phone started acting up in a variety of ways
• My DVR stopped working for 24 hours straight
• My husbands car got broken into and our 35mm camera and his Garmin were stolen
• A light that has been on in my car for months went out (now what, I'm scared!)
• My copier at work broke you can't close the side door

How do I calm the wrath of the Electronic Gods???  I have sent up a thousand apologies.  Is there a sacrifice that would right this wrong?  Maybe I'm Kharmically stained for life!  Lord have mercy on my soul, I don't have the patience for this crap! 

Electronic Lamenting

All these electronics are driving me crazy!!! 

It's too much!  We have two laptops that are almost 4 years old and upkeep and troubleshooting is a constant white knuckled challenge!  There was some kind of a virus on Mark's computer that is quarantined but the performance will never be the same and I have no idea where to start!

My android phone, computers, ipod, garmin, dvr, cameras etc the list goes on and on.  Sometimes my dvr just doesn't tape the show I programmed.  Out of nowhere my small camera's photos were too low resolution to upload or print.  I didn't change anything so what the hell? 

Do I really have to check and uncheck every single box on itunes for the items I want to load?  That takes for ever!  I want to be able to check and uncheck one artist or album at a time not song by song SHEESH!

My daughter says my android phone would run better if I consistently go in and delete my cache.  Really?  Couldn't you be a dear and come over every week and do it for me? 

Maybe there are better ways to do things, faster and more efficient or effective but I don't know what that might be.  I'm lost and confused!  Thanks for letting me vent.  The responsibility of being the electronics master of our family is daunting.  I don't feel like I know what I'm doing.  I'm lucky if I can find the right cord to try to sync up all these devices to the computer! 

Heigh Ho...Heigh Ho...

It's back to work I go!  Did you know that Heigh Ho was spelled like that?  I didn't, learning something new before 6am, great start to the day! 

The keep my attitude positive initiative is in full swing, here's my strategy:

1. Focus on Germany!  I have a whole lot to look forward to so I'll let that be the calming force.
2. Lots of amusement.  If I can keep laughing, I'll be better able to handle the politics and B.S.
3. Ipod!!!  Keep the world around me to a minimum.
4. Take care of some personal business.  You know that stack of phone calls that are hard to get to in the middle of a busy day.  I'm going to make time to check them off the list.
5. Ground, Ground, Ground!  If you're not familiar it's a way to connect to the planet and also a great way to release energy.  Click here if you want to learn how: Learn to Meditate

I hope this works for a very relaxing, uneventful and yet productive day!  Ready....set???  GO!

More Vacation Ramblings

Well it's the last day of my vacation.  This is usually a frustrating, depressing realization.  I can't complain because in just 18 short work days I'll be on vacation again only this time for 2 1/2 weeks.  No, I won't complain!!

I love wrapping vacation around holidays.  I only had 4 days off work but it felt like a lot more.  YAY!  It was a vacation about friends and family, those are the best!  I saw things I've never seen before and done things I've never done.  Last post, I talked about laughter and that was a huge part of this vacation.  I hope I don't stop laughing just because I'm going back to work!

When we got back from our short trip to Leavenworth Hubby had to go back to work.  For one day I hung out with our two good friends and then just one for a few days after that.  I had to swear that if I blogged about this time I wouldn't name names.  We had so much fun!  Some things like Pike Place Market are no brainer tourist activities that I can always enjoy!   We visited Jimi Hendrix's grave site which was different and fascinating.  One morning my friend was talking about seeing the Bothell Chicken and I was confused.  We googled it and then I felt silly.  The chicken stands tall on the highway that I drive on frequently, so often that I had stopped seeing it all together.  I never really checked it out so it was fun!  What a great time!  I don't remember promising not to post pictures so here it is with my friend who shall remain nameless:

As you know, my life is about balance.  This vacation has shifted my balance again.  I feel different then I did before.  The negativity about work has become glaringly obvious and that is something I can change.  My desire to expand my life in a different direction has become glaringly obvious, although what that means is not 100% clear yet. 

Here's my conclusion: When you step out of the normal routine you shift your perspective.  Most times, I shift right back to the day to day grind and routines poor attitude intact.  I'm making a commitment not to slide back into the same old frame of mind.  I'm going to keep some momentum going if it's the last thing I do!!  I'll let you know how it works...

Random Vacation Ramblings

There are a ton of things I like about being on vacation.  I love lazy mornings with no real agenda.  I love not getting gussied up and putting on make up.  Being with friends and family.  Dancing in the street (yes, I did).  I love when someone in a hotel has to scold us for laughing too loud, that is a sign of a fabulous time!

There is one thing I don't like about being on vacation.  Every vacation I take I have the same nagging thought 'I have to find a way to not work full time'.  Yea, pipe dream right?  There's no clear plan for me to change jobs but this year, I actually feel like it might be possible.  I don't love my job the way I used to so who knows.  A shift might be in the making somewhere in the future.

Vacation travel is always funny.  I'm a perpetual over-packer.  This weekend I went away for 3 days with almost nothing.  In comparison to the clothes I normally pack this was minimal.  I over-packed on my bathroom stuff, that's a vanity thing I'm learning to let go of.  I'm going to Germany in just less then a month so packing is going to be a real challenge.  This weekend was sort of a dry run, I would say fail but not epic fail.  HA!

What I love the most this vacation is the laughter.  I LOVE TO LAUGH and I have laughed more in the last week then in the month before that.  One night in Leavenworth we were sitting on a delightful deck around midnight.  There were 7 of us and we were chatting and telling jokes (there was alcohol flowing as well).  Mark told a joke or two and we all laughed.  I shared that he only knew those jokes because when he's grumpy I have taken to looking up jokes on my android phone to cheer him up.  My daughter grabbed her android and started reading jokes.  We laughed and laughed and laughed!! Most of the jokes are too raunchy for this blog, I apologize.  The hotel staff came and told us to be quiet.  The harder we tried to be quiet the harder we laughed.  This laughter was such a huge healing for my soul!  I can't describe how good it feels to laugh until you cry!!

Mark had to go back to work yesterday and we have 2 friends still visiting.  I love being the chauffeur and tour guide.  The time with friends and of course the laughter is awesome!  The memories are unforgettable! 

TruHealth Follow Up

Yesterday's post was about a store I love with an owner that has been rude to me on a number of occasions:  Here's my money...where's my respect?  I do LOVE this store!  It's well organized, chalked full of great stuff with reasonable prices.  I was fed up with being treated poorly so I vented it.  I went one step further and sent a link to the blog to the store. 

I am thrilled to report I received a very nice e-mail back from the owner.  She apologized and seemed to really take responsibility for being rude.  She seemed to really hear the feedback!!  That's huge!  I won't post the entire message but here's a portion:

"Thank you for all the nice things you said about my store and for being a TruHealth customer.......With knowledge comes responsibility, and being human, I know I am more than lacking in living up to that responsibility........I am working on this topic for myself and I thank you for bringing it to my attention."

As I said, this is not the first time she had been rude to me but for some reason it stuck with me.  I contemplated never shopping there again but that's not what I truly wanted.  Also, my feelings were hurt and I wasn't sure why.  I couldn't let it go.  I meditated long and hard and even asked God "why can't I let this go".  I heard a loud answer back "you are meant to speak out about this".  So I did.  She needed to hear it, I needed to say it.  Maybe you guys needed to hear it too. 

I don't know what to expect next time I go in.  I can't quite imagine we'll hug it out.  It felt good to get this off my chest and I'm relieved in the knowledge that I won't be treated rudely again.  After I posted yesterday I told my husband that he would have to shop there incognito if I got banned for life!  : )  Thank God that didn't happen. 

The message here is two fold:  1.  Speak up!  Say what you see and communicate what you can and cannot tolerate.  Others need to hear it too.  2.  Listen to yourself!  If you're hanging onto something, there might be a reason.  It's all part of TRUE Health!!

THANK YOU TruHealth for being gracious and understanding about this.  Everyone stop by, the store is on the corner of 180th and Bothell-Everett Highway in Bothell.  I promise, you'll go crazy!  Don't miss their delicious selection of chocolate bars!!! YUMMY!