Holiday Season: Time for buying needless junk, spending more money than one has, and forgetting all about what's real

I know it's been a while since I last wrote to you all, but it has been a crazy few months.  Apologies.  Now on to the fun.  Spoiler:  Rant ahead.  

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day, and had the chance to truly reflect on what was important to them.  My family and I had the chance to spend time with my sister in law and her fiancee for the afternoon, and then we came home and spent a quite night in.  It was nice.  On the way home we took a drive through the neighborhoods around town, thinking of where it might be nice to purchase a home.  As we drove past Wal-Mart, the lot that only hours before had been empty was now teeming with cars.   This was close to six at night on Turkey Day.  

I have to say.  There was a time not too long ago when people spent time with their families, and it didn't have to be centered around shopping*.  Why is it so important to be the guy out with his family shopping at 6pm on one of the few holidays that most stores actually close for?  What is wrong with letting the workers of those stores actually enjoy the day off?  What is wrong with us as a society that we have become so obsessed with getting that "deal," that we can not resist the hustle and bustle of advertising and stay home?

Now, I understand that some people like the tradition of Black Friday Shopping.  But why in the name of all that is holy does Black Friday Shopping have to start at 5pm on Thursday?  How many people sat in front of stores in lines waiting for the doors to open on Thanksgiving?  Why?  Was being at home with your family so depressing that you couldn't bear to be in the room with them for one more second?  Seriously?  

Family is supposed to drive you nuts.  That's one of the great things about holidays.  So what?  Deal with it.  You want family tradition?  Try spending time with the family doing anything other than standing in line to surge into Walmart, or Target, or Ashley furniture or whatever other store you want to name.  

And so we push past other crazy shoppers for the Black Friday Deals on early Thanksgiving Thursday, trying to get that one tv deal, or one of the six whatevers that were advertised for some insane price.  News flash:  Most people don't want the crap you are buying them with the money you don't have.  

America is going broke to be the first in line at these stupid sales.  And, just for your info, you can get the same sale all year long.  Surprise!  Stores do not loose money on the deals they are giving you, and if you are smart, you'll see the same items on sale all year long, for just as cheap.  Because, let's face it.  Chances of you getting that one item for next to nothing are slim to none, and if you do, how many other things are you putting in your cart for damn near full price?  

Don't Be a sucker.

* I will admit, I enjoy shopping with my friends and family as much as the next guy and have spent many days strolling the mall with them.  But... Not on Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or at 3am.  There are some things that are more important.  And I have been the guy that had to work on the holiday because some schlup couldn't pull their head out long enough to realize that I too have family.

Batman syndrome

I sat in on a meeting with my daughter's principle this morning.  She has been getting in trouble at school lately for physically assaulting other children. She does not punch them, but she has pinched, poked, squeezed, kicked and choked others in her immediate area.  Now, before you get to thinking that she's a violent child, I blame this all on her grandmother.  Feistiness runs in our family, as any of the family stories attest to.

See, the problem is that Ana has a very distinct concept of right vs. wrong.  She believes that if one of her friends is getting picked on, and she is in the immediate area, that she should do something about it.  She believes that if her way of looking at the world is challenged, that she has the right to retaliate.  She desperately needs to learn how to talk to a teacher.

But I have to wonder how many people wish they could see the world in such a way.  If your friend were getting picked on, would you have the guts to stand up for what is right?  If your way of thinking and seeing the world were challenged, would you be willing to stand up for what you believe in, whether you were right or wrong?  Do we gravitate towards movies where the good guys still wear white, and there is a clear cut line between the protagonist and the antagonist?  Look at Batman, Superman, Beauty and the Beast, Supernatural, any Stallone movie..... They all appeal to the part of us that longs for the good guys to win.

So is it fair to expect children to ignore this part of their psyche when they witness injustices being done in their small worlds?

No, I will not allow my daughter to get picked on at school, nor will I allow her to become the bully.  And if she gets into trouble at school again and ends up getting suspended, you can bet that she's going to be in some major trouble at home.  But a part of me completely understands where she's coming from, because, to be honest, I like seeing the good guy win.  I'll root for Batman, Sam and Dean, and guys like Bruce Willis because they are standing for something, however unconventional.

Am I afraid of a Small Business?

I have recently come across an opportunity to open a small business here in Elko.  It appears that the need for a quality seamstress is quite high.  I have experience in this particular field, and know how to run an alterations room.  The problem is.... I'm terrified.

I should clarify that.  I'm scared to put my talents out there.  I think that's why I haven't actually gotten around to sending out any of my writing.  Now, as I read that last line, I think What a Weenie. 

But, I'm not scared to fail.  I'm worried that I might succeed.  Yes, that sounds weird.  But, it's true.  I know that if I succeed that I will be essentially "The Boss."  There is no one to answer to if things go wrong, but myself.  I will make my own hours, and be completely responsible for the running of this business.  If I become some what successful here, will that mean that I will never be able to leave this place?  Did I actually think I would be leaving anyway?  Yep, I'm scared.

And then, on the other side of the room, my friend here is completely gun ho about the whole idea.  She is helping me to get things set up, and has ideas running so fast that my head is spinning.  It is all very overwhelming.  Last week my only thoughts on work were writing my blog and finishing my short to sell, along with taking care of my home and family.  Today I already have clients lined up for a business that two days ago was a figment of my imagination.

And I wonder how many others have gone through this irrational fear?  How often do we come up with brilliant ideas in our lives, plans for the future, or just for today, and find ourselves frozen in action because we are more afraid to succeed than we are to fail?  Is it easier to sit by the sidelines, not risking anything than it is to commit to a solid action?

I could sit here and list a hundred reasons why I am not ready to open a small business.  And yet, there is only one that stands out as to why I should.

 I am proud of the work I do.

I am a good seamstress.  I know quality customer service.  I love sewing.

No, I don't know the first thing about running a business, but if I keep those last few sentences in mind, I am confident that I can learn.

Make new friends but keep the old....

My Grandfather used to tell my mother that a man may have many acquaintances, but was considered lucky if he had one true friend in life.  I have to wonder how accurate that statement is.

Websters dictionary gives this definition for friend: one attached to another by affection or esteem.  
Facebook would say that it's someone who knows everything about you and likes you anyway.

Is it possible in this life, that there is no such thing as one true friend?  But instead that the universe sends people into our lives as our friends when we need them most? Many of the people I grew up with, I don't speak with any more.  Not out of malice or anger, but as we grew we found that we had nothing in common.  But there are those who have a special place in my heart, as soul friends. I have kept in contact with these special people.  

I have my Rock friend, who I have known since I was a child.  We keep track of each other through social media.   One of my friends and I lost contact after high school, but have managed to get back in touch after many years.  He has always been the Calm one.  One person I met when I was barely twenty one, whom I still speak with fourteen years later, is my Fire friend.  Others I met in college and although we have all moved on with our lives, we still consider each other dear friends, such as my Fashion Forward friend and my Purple friend.   In Twin I found my Enthusiastic friend, and here in Elko, I have made yet another who is Alive.  

My point is this:  through our lives, people come and go but each is brought to us at the time we need them most, or when they need us the most.  And out of all of the people we meet during our lives, there is at least one who will stick out, one who calls to us in a way that we can automatically recognize them as one of our own.  Our true friends.  Just like the tides ebb and flow, so does the times for those who come into our lives.  

Thank you all for being my soul friends.

Long weekend... My house shows it, but the menu planning is still in the green!

We had a wonderful weekend here in Elko.  And we stayed home for most of it.

Friday:  Alex worked the Fair for two hours, raising money for the golf team.

Saturday:  After a 7:30 am golf practice for Alex, me and the kids took a trip to Twin falls to visit the county fair.  It was beautiful and full of people and rides.  It reminded me of a smaller version of the WI State fair.  We visited the oddities tent, of which the coolest part was the old Carnie banners outside of it.  The inside was a bit of a sham, but for $2.00 a person, we really got what we paid for.  The rest of the day was spent hanging out with Alex's boyfriend, going on rides, eating fair food and looking at the fair entries.  All that, and we made it home in time to cook dinner!

Sunday:  Alex went back to work at the fair, Ana went to the fair with her friends, and Josh and I hung out at home while Dad worked.

Monday:  Alex worked the fair again.  Carlos was home, so the rest of us hung out together, and then cooked steaks for dinner.  It was a great weekend.

Tuesday:  Alex had a golf tournament her in Elko, which her team took 1st place in.

Yesterday:  I forgot to pick Ana up from school because I was playing catch up with all the house stuff I had ignored the previous days.  It was Wednesday and she got out early.  OOPS.  Sorry babe.  I would like to say that I will never do it again, but I would probably be lying.

And it comes to today.  I am looking around my house wondering where to begin.  The kitchen is overflowing with dishes, there is laundry waiting to be put away, the floors desperately need to be vacuumed, and Josh is not interested in taking a nap.  I have no idea what the office looks like, so most of my paperwork is on the dining room table.

The good news is... I signed up for a site called eathismuch.com, and after putting in the dietary preferences for the house, it gave me a specific meal plan with grocery list for the week.  Complete with what each day's meals should cost.  The service is 9.99 a month, much like any other menu planning service out there.

I like this one because it gives me the option to pick out my own meals, provides me with menu ideas, and I can mix and match them all.  I can change anything at any time and the planner will reflect that in the nutrient mix and the price.  It also allows me to dictate the number of calories i want to eat a day, and the macronutrient percentages.  Then, the last thing this amazing program does is asks me how much time I want to spend each day cooking each meal.  This is a great service, seeing that every day my timetable is different.

Some others that I have looked at are great if you want to load your own recipes in, such as plantoeat.com but I don't have time for that.  Others, like the primalblueprint.com, are awesome because they give you thirty meals a week and they are all primal.  The only thing I wish is that I could customize them, because let's face it, even having a plan, sometimes we really need a night to cheat.  If you are interested in meal planning, and I would suggest everyone give it a try with one of these services, you will find that nights in the kitchen are no longer filled with angst over dinner, despite what the rest of the house looks like.

I think I'm going to go for a walk with Josh, and then come home and tackle the living room.  Maybe if I can get that far, I will consider my day a success.

Labour Day Weekend

As we enter in to this weekend, I hope that everyone is safe.  Enjoy the time to spend with your friends and family, and remember to think of the men and women who this holiday is meant to celebrate.   Here's to all who have labored in the past and now in our every day lives helping our civilization to move on and accomplish more and more every day.

I will talk to you all again on Tuesday.

Happy Labour Day!

Smoking in the boys room....

Or to be more accurate, on the front lawn of the high school.    Over the last three days, I have dropped Alexandra off in the front of the school, and as we pulled away, I noticed that she had to walk through a cloud of smoke to get to her class.  To say that I was completely floored by this "smokers group" is putting it mildly.

I called the school, asking for an explanation, and I spoke to the VP, who was very nice about it.  He pretty much told me that there was nothing the school could do about it.  Despite the kids being on school property, the authorities took this stance:
    If the kids don't do it there, they go to the cemetery and the school gets calls.  If the kids are chased away from the cemetery, they will hang out in someone's yard, and the school gets calls.  So, even though it's illegal, school age children are allowed to smoke on that corner because it's easier all around. (yes, I paraphrased the conversation)

There aren't enough police in this town, that aren't busy sitting on corners waiting to catch someone going faster than 25 through the downtown area to bother with the underage smokers ON THE HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS.

And it's not as though the kids are even trying to hide it like they used to when I went to high school.  At my high school the smokers would at least make a pretense of hiding, posting a sentry and keeping Fre-breeze handy.  These kids don't care, and I believe that it's because they aren't being held accountable.

If the cemetery doesn't want smokers loitering on their grounds, CALL THE COPS.  Let the kids get in trouble.

If neighbors don't want smokers hanging out near their homes,  CALL THE COPS.  Let the kids get into trouble.

This state has a policy about truancy.  If your child has one unexcused absence, they are considered truant.  By the second one, you can bet they will be sending the police to your front door to find out where they are.  So why is the town being so lenient with underage smokers on public school grounds?

Apathy or just plain laziness?  It's time that we as parents start to take more of a role in the lives of the children around us, instead of expecting the schools to deal with it.  Because the truth is, it's not their job.  It's ours.