Repairs & Reparations

Sometimes in the morning my car, much like myself, shudders when accelerating through first gear. Cold, cranky, and mildly depressed at the prospects of transporting somewhere to sit all day - it's no wonder we're reluctant. Workhorses. Young, pretty, classy, dignified, and sometimes slow to warm up.

I have an appointment with a mechanic to have this "looked" at, because unlike ourselves, we repair inanimate objects when they begin to malfunction. And we do this at the first sign of malfunction because, if we didn't, something really bad might happen. Then why, if I may ask, do we not treat ourselves the same way? I'm not just talking physical health, either. It seems to me that most humans let problems and situations fester until the point that really bad things happen. Why? Because it's easier that way? In the end, an issue will be resolved whether its the long, drawn-out, stressful, painstaking way, or the quicky, easy, ripping off a bandaid kind of way.

I say, take the time and courage to do things the right way. I think you'll find it'll turn out better than you thought!

Hoopla and Hootenanny

Here we are, Christmas Eve, amidst the burgeoning hoopla and hootenanny we call the holidays. Right smack dab in the middle of it. Chaos. Everyone is rushing around, shopping, stressing out, overeating ("indulging" because, well it's the holidays, and my diet starts with my new year's resolution), singing, hoarding, worrying, planning, overspending, traveling, packing, doing 9,000 activities ... (What's with the kid's face in the picture by the way? Must be Black Peter...)

I prefer to approach my holidays like a hunting tiger. Slow, steady, tactful, stealthy, decisive. Make a decision and execute. I did all my holiday shopping in 4 hours in three stores, and came in under budget. How about them apples?! Granted, I spent about an hour planning - but at least that was at the comfort and focus of my desk, not in the middle of Walmart as an angry mom of 4 is pushing her cart into my heels trying to get through to the display of Hannah Montana toys.

Slow things down and do it the right way, and efficiently. Imagine, plan, finalize, and then execute.

In my opinion, time is better spent this way. Not just during the holidays, but in general. Worrying is so much time wasted. It takes up a lot of energy that could be spent producing a solution. "It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?" - Henry David Thoreau

Our new course of action: Simple and easy. Stress less. Do more. The concept is like a gadget As Seen on TV! making life easier, tasks so much quicker, and you think, I can't believe I lived without this before and I can't imagine a future without it. (This is how I feel about ShamWOW). The key is foresight and allotting yourself enough time to plan. Your best work cannot be done on short notice - but better work can be done if you take the time to build a plan of action, no matter where you are in the process.

This isn't to say that I don't fly by the seat of my pants for most of my days. I am a big proponent of spontaneity. It's one of the gifts of life and almost always allows for more humor. That's why you get the jobs you need to do out of the way so that free time can be spent frolicking and fumbling about. And you can only really 100% enjoy this if you don't have any impending worries on your mind. So it is best to get things that need to be done out of the way as soon as possible and with as little effort as is needed.

Now, as I kick back and eat fudge and be merry, I am saddened by the fact that others are out there hustling around buying mediocre gifts (...and the when-all-else-fails-and-I'm-too-burned-out-to-care-anymore gift cards) when they could have just followed these simple steps I've outlined above. IPFE. Imagine, plan, finalize, execute.

After all, dreams and ideas are meaningless until you pursue them. And if you have no time to dream, that makes for a very joyless life.

Beware of Paco, He's a Thief.

That was what a sign read in the front yard of a house in the neighborhood we just moved into. Seems to me that there may or may not be better (and more productive) outlets to voice one's opinion. But I guess whatever makes you feel better, right?

That sign was posted for over a month.

Today, I was approaching the house as I do everyday on my morning commute to work and there is a neon sign lit up in the window reminiscent of the Bud Light beer neons you see at bars or the "Open" sign buzzing above a shanty convenience store door jam. I approach even closer and as I pause at the stop sign I notice that the neon sign is a beach scene with the word 'Peace' glowing in the middle.

It could be a reformation, or maybe it's just the holiday season, but it seems to me that these people are caught in the middle of instigating and mitigating war. How can you post such a provocative sign one day, and then release a white dove the next?

It's almost as if they're begging recompense.

I wish people would just stop acting so passive aggressively and rude and start acting more productively and friendly. The world would really be a better place if everyone bit their tongue a couple more times and acted rationally all the time.

Buxom Beauties

The Sun Maid raisins girl got a makeover. Matter of factly, so did B. Crock, Miz Butterworth, Lil Dora Explorer, and Auntie Jemima. But the activists are pissed:

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108296/sun-maid-girl-makeover-sparks-controversy.html?mod=family-love_money

and

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2456746/sunmaid_raisin_girl_joins_dora_the.html?cat=3

They like the 90 yr old imagery of the overweight, vitamin D deprived, simple Sally. Well, "news" flash, times are a-changing. So what if the company wants to amp up its brand? The image dates back to 1915, when "life was . . . a lot less hectic."

1915! I think its time. Just like the soda companies changed their cans and Jack in the Box updated their logo and image. It's simple marketing, a company making their image current and/or appealing to a broader audience. All is fair in the game of sales.

Their I-♥-Raisin-spokesperson says they want to encourage healthy food choices by making their image more relateable to the current society. And if we're lucky, we'll get to see the new girl "...doing some of the things modern women typically do, like going to the gym, shopping at the market, and speaking multiple languages."

Here she is doing yoga.
I can hardly wait to see her grocery shop and mangia con la famiglia.

I guess the point of my rant is that no matter what change you make or what your motives are, there will always be an opponent. Someone always has to object. To a point, it makes life more interesting, but in reality it is people not taking the time to explore all perspectives before aligning themselves against this new concepts. I think a lot of people establish their stance and lazily fall back on how that dictates issues instead of thinking for themselves.

So what if little miss Rachel Raisin wants to get out and live a little. Everyone else is.
Literally and figuratively eating shriveled grapes.