Give thanks!

I know many of us have our share of worries, problems, or irritations that we face from day to day, however we also have a mountain of blessings that we enjoy. We have the security to walk down the street and not have to worry about a suicide bomber trying to murder us, thinking he is about to go to heaven and make babies with 72 virgins. We can take a drink of water and not worry about contracting a bacterial disease. We can leave work and know that we will not have to fight the elements to stay warm tonight because we will have a roof over our head.

And hopefully we will all be able to enjoy a long weekend with good friends, good wine, and piles and piles of homemade smashed potatos. I'll be doing so with TBF's sisters in Dallas.

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday. On Thursday night I will be giving thanks for all of you and wishing you another year of health, prosperity, and happiness.


I enjoyed this and wanted to pass it along:

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is:
Know where you're going in life ...
you may already be there.

~Author Unknown~

3 things

I was going back through old drafts tonight, looking for a mindless meme to post. I copied this one from Glitzy back in June! With slight modifications, here are my 3 things:

3 THINGS I AM WEARING
1. jeans
2. fuzzy socks
3. engagement ring

3 SONGS ON iTUNES "PARTY SHUFFLE"
1.That Smell - Lynard Skynard
2. Luka - Suzanne Vega
3. Keep Yourself Alive - Queen

3 THINGS I CAN SEE
1. Cajun dreaming - I think he's chasing a rabbit!
2. a totally mediocre SNL
3. a dusty mantle

3 THINGS I ATE IN THE LAST 24 HOURS
1. cream of chicken soup
2. strawberry jello
3. scrambled eggs

3 THINGS I PURCHASED THIS WEEK
1. black turtleneck (thank you, Gap)
2. pre-lighted Christmas tree (thank you, Target)
3. $1700 worth of oral surgery (thank you, Citibank)

3 THINGS I DID SO FAR TODAY
1. dropped off teddy bears at the museum for annual holiday display
2. took a handful of Hydrocodone
3. fell asleep while watching Cops

3 THINGS I'M PLANNING FOR NEXT WEEK
1. five days worth of work squished into three days
2. trip to Dallas to spend Thanksgiving with TBF's sisters
3. getting rejection visit from my boss for job I interviewed for last week

3 UNWATCHED MOVIES ON MY TIVO'S "NOW PLAYING" LIST
1. Spanglish
2. Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
3. Charlotte's Web

No tagging from me - copy it if ya wanna.

Busy little bee

What a busy couple of weeks! Quick update:

New computer software at work. It was developed just for us by a local company, and was supposed to be ready to start beta testing on August 1st. Uh, no. We didn't get it installed until 10/31, the same day the contract for our old corrections software package was terminated. Fortunately there was no apparent data loss, but there are soooo many bugs and problems, it's ridiculous. My fave IT guy said it would likely be 3-6 months until everything is up and running as it should be. Trying my best to be p a t i e n t.

Went to Ruidoso last weekend and TBF and I did some early Christmas shopping. Our favorite Italian joint, Michelinas, was closed for remodeling though, so we didn't get to gorge on pizza, pasta, and wine as planned. However we still managed to get drunk and watch Texas Tech beat up on A&M at Farley's. Go Tech!

This Saturday, I worked (volunteered) my first crisis team shift for the local police department. We go out in pairs in an unmarked car, monitor the police radio and computer and go out on calls where we can be of assistance to the victim or their family - generally crisis counseling after a domestic disturbance, but also homocide, suicide, kiddnapping, etc. This weekend there was actually a kidnapping on Friday night that turned into a homocide investigation by Saturday morning. Very interesting stuff.

This morning I met with the atty my insurance company hired to represent me after a car accident from March. The plaintiff dismissed the case a few months ago, and I thought I was in the clear, but they've since re-filed. Blegh. I've given all the appropriate statements, turned over documents and pictures, and should be called to give a deposition in a month or so. If it isn't settled earlier, the trial will be scheduled for December 2006!! Just a motherly reminder - pay those insurance premiums!

On Wednesday I will interview for a brand new counseling position within the probation department. I don't have any expectation of being offered the position as I am not yet licensed and won't even graduate for another month, but I do have tons of probation experience and counseling internship hours through the drug court and the women's shelter, so we'll see. Best case scenario: I get the new position and an enormous raise. Worst case scenario: It was a great interview experience.

And on Friday morning - dum duh dum dum - to the oral surgeon to get all four wisdom teeth removed. I will have a swollen drooling bloody face five days from now. Pretty imagery. Well, at least it's a day off, and a good excuse to be babied, eat jello, and lay on the couch. Oh, and did someone mention Lortab?

Fwd: Mathematics

MATHEMATICS
Smart man + smart woman = romance
Smart man + dumb woman = affair
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

OFFICE ARITHMETIC
Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime

SHOPPING MATH
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

HAPPINESS
To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.
To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

LONGEVITY
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.