Sher'd Thoughts

Monday -- Monday

2009-10-19T10:03:00.002-04:00

Monday when I was younger was the beginning of the school week. Five days to be spent with classmates, learning and playing together under the supervision of our teacher(s).

Monday when I became an adult meant the beginning of the work week. Five days to be spent with co-workers creating, and chatting together under the supervision of or boss(es).

Monday now that I am in forced retirement means the beginning of another week. Five days to be spent looking for work. Passing time between resumes, reading, surfing the Internet, and chatting with old friends from the past, under the supervision of no one.

It was 32 degrees when I woke this morning. Imagine 32 degrees on the 20th of October. A real treat -- to me at least. The powers that be in this house (of which I am not one) turned on the heat. I immediately closed the vent and will open my window shortly. Why live in the northern clime and try to make the indoors sub-tropical? Makes no sense to me -- no sense at all. My theory is when the water in your glass begins to freeze over, set the thermostat to 55. I think I might have been an Eskimo in another life.

Thought for the day: “Whether the weather be fine, Whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold, Whether the weather be hot, We'll weather the weather, Whatever the whether, Whether we like it or not” -- anonymous

Blue Sky this Morning - Lets Hope it is an Omen of Things to Come.

2009-10-17T09:09:00.004-04:00

It is 43 degrees at 9:11 a.m. and the sky is blue. Perhaps it will stay as such the live long day.

Having just moved up here to northern Georgia, I am loving this cool weather.

You see I use to reside in south Florida where there were two seasons -- Early Summer and Late Summer.

The only annoying thing about my location is I share space with what sounds like a murder of crows. Caw! Caw! Caw! I have not seen a cornfield, but suspect there must be one in the vicinity.

All is silent at the moment . . . listen. The gentle murmur of trees swaying in the breeze. An acorn dropping to the ground with a thud.
In the distance, the sweet sounds of a songbird -- no sirens, no bass speakers, and no low flying jets.

What this day has in store for me -- I do not know -- just hope it is all sweetness and gentle Autumn breezes.

Thought for the day:
“Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.” -- William Cullen Bryant

TGIF - has no meaning when you are unemployed

2009-10-16T15:42:00.003-04:00

Spent the morning at the library, researching children's literature. I have three or four stories, that I would like to fine tune and send off to a publisher. Rejection at this point in my life would not come as a surprise and definitely could not add insult to injury.

We have a fairly nice library here in Canton. Do wish there had been a place to plug in my laptop (forgot to charge it up before going). They have a Genealogy Room (all Georgia related) -- perhaps I can find and tie in the branch that headed to Georgia instead of Kentucky. But that is another day and the laptop will be charged and ready to go when I start that one!

The cold I was suffering with seems to be letting up (knock on wood). Still sniffling a bit and the old throat tickles now and again -- pop in a lozenge and tickle gone like magic.

Thought for the day: A cold in the head causes less suffering than an idea. Jules Renard

Definitely Been a Long Time

2009-10-15T17:51:00.004-04:00

Actually I totally forgot about this blog.

Since my last entry, my life has gone from mellow to a puddle of Jello - someone throw me a rope!

I am now a resident of Georgia, north of Atlanta, in the town of Canton. It is beautiful here. I just wish my mood reflected the scenery. I feel painted into a dark corner with no way out. I am out of work like the rest of America (perhaps I should move to India to find a job). In my line of work (bookkeeping/clerical) everyone now wants a candidate who is bi-lingual with at least an Associates Degree. It is amazing how I worked as a bookkeeper for over 20 years spoke one language -- English, and the only diploma I had was high school. Now I find myself a senior citizen with no retirement, no home, no job and at the mercy of my family to keep a roof over my head and food on the table. Getting up each day is such a joy.

Thought for the day:
It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose your own. - Harry S. Truman

Lets See Where This Takes Me . . .

2008-09-20T19:17:00.002-04:00

Hmm. Have been in a mellow mood all day. My life seems on an even keel, but I am not sure what revelation came over me to cause such a feeling. Perhaps the little bit of exercise I have started doing, has awoke some inner part of me. Could be. Who knows. I like the feeling, hope it stays around for awhile, I could use some eveness in my future.

Watched the movie "27 Dresses" earlier, predictable, but cute, "feel good" romantic comedy. I'm a sucker for that type of film. Another "feel good" romantic comedy I watched recently was "Catch and Release," I didn't think the acting was all that great, but the storyline and the characters were and more than made up for the acting.

Learned a new word today, confabulate. I heard it used the other day and the context in which it was used led to believe that perhaps it was not really a word, just a mispronounciation out of ignorance. Today I got out the old dictionary and what do you know it is a real word.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
confabulate
verb
1.
unconsciously replace fact with fantasy in one's memory
2.
talk socially without exchanging too much information; "the men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze"

Enough.

Thought for the day: To me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make. Truman Capote

Hair Cut!

2008-09-17T08:51:00.004-04:00

At long last a haircut! Well past two months overdue, today, I finally get a haircut!

One of the drawbacks of easy hair is short hair. One of the drawbacks of short hair hair is having to get it cut on a monthly basis. One of the drawbacks of getting your hair cut on a monthly basis is having the money to do so. One of the drawbacks of having the money to do so, is having a job. One of the drawbacks of having a job, is finding one. One of the drawbacks of finding one, is presenting yourself in the best possible light. One of the drawbacks of presenting yourself in the best possible light is having easy hair. Viscous circle I would say!

Thought for the day: "You're only as good as your last haircut." Fran Lebowitz

Over At Last

2008-09-15T08:17:00.004-04:00

Tired is not the word for how I feel today. I started a project on Wednesday last and little did I know how tiring a project it would become, both physically and mentally. My emotions have been at the very edge of my being for five days and I am so glad it is finally over. The memorabilia has been sorted, filed, mailed to people who would appreciate, scanned and logged into my "Family Tree" information, and discarded if not important. That wasn't enough I also rearranged the furniture in my room, as I did a thorough cleaning and dusting behind, under and above everything. My allergies run amok! My body aches!

I have about eight library books out at present, on various subjects, so I think I will spend the day, today, just perusing such books.

Thought for the day: An ordinary man can surround himself with two thousand books and thenceforward have at least one place in the world in which it is possible to be happy. Augustine Birrell

Trip Down Memory Lane

2008-09-12T08:53:00.008-04:00

The past couple of days found me with nothing on my agenda so I decided to go through and sort out two large containers, which over the past four decades have been accumulating paper items(announcements, invitations, letters, cards, travel memorabilia, children's artwork, etc. etc.). I had no idea how big a task I had set before myself. I cried tears of joy and laughter as memories of: births and deaths, loves lost and found, marriages and divorces, first days of school and graduation, the list goes on and on.

What amazed me was how I (we) had forgotten so many of the good times, of the good memories. I had forgotten how I truly felt about the birth of my first child (I found a letter to my husband, who was stationed overseas at the time, that I had written immediately after her birth, describing her and my feelings.) I had totally forgotten the intimacy of that memory. I also found a letter from a friend long lost; he moved; I moved; he moved; I moved; addresses and phone numbers lost along the way (pre-cellphone/e-mail). I had forgotten how close our friendship had been. How good of a friend he was to me and how good of a friend I had been to him. Lost - Gone. How sad.

I think I have learned from this trip down memory lane. Journal the good times, journal the good thoughts and memories. The bad times I think should be written down, perhaps read out loud and then thrown away. Sounds like a plan . . . maybe.

Thought for the day: "Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by authorities whom we do not control." Cyril Connolly

Dreary Day Ahead

2008-09-09T07:51:00.004-04:00

We are in for a dreary day today. Ike is on his way to Mexico and as he passes, near, we are experiencing feeder bands from his storm. The Keys are getting pounded with rain storms as I type. Dreary days like this make me want to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book, a steaming hot cup of coffee, and a soft throw to wrap up in as I daydream my way through a novel. Do I get to do that? NO! First don't have a fireplace -- bit of a folly here in South Florida. Too hot to drink steaming hot coffee (iced is more like it). Could never afford the electric bill if I were to crank the A/C down low enough to warrant wrapping up in a throw and well daydreaming through a novel whilst one sweats from the humidity is not all that fanciful.

I am hoping beyond all hopes to be living elsewhere by this time next year. Somewhere where there are seasons. Somewhere where the temperature drops below 80 before November/December. Somewhere where I can have a fireplace. Fingers Crossed!

Thought for the day: "To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life." -W. Somerset Maugham

Bummer of a Day

2008-09-02T15:47:00.005-04:00

Monday, Labor Day, was a real bummer of a day for me. No paticular reason that I can think of, just a real bummer. Spent the entire day in bed watching movies and sleeping like a log. Question . . . "do logs sleep?" I have to check this out back in a little while with the answer.

Took a bit of time but here are my findings.

Website http://www.phrases.org.uk/ "The Phrase Finder"

As for "slept like a log," it apparently means slept like an inert piece of wood, that is, slept well (and presumably quietly, if the log metaphor is to be continued). This seems to be the view of the Oxford English Dictionary, which cites, as an example, Robert Louis Stevenson,Treasure Island," II. vii. 59, I must have slept like a log."SS

Back to Monday . . . Actually I kinda enjoyed being a veggie for the day. Finished watching the PBS mini-series "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens. Turned out to be very much like a soap opera with all those characters . . . Dickens sure could spin a tale. Must admit "Bleak House" is one of Dickens' that I have not read, but I promise I will and before too long. Also watched, "The Count of Monte Cristo" another movie I saw and then had to read the book -- that happens a lot with me. Dante is to die for and I love a good sword fight -- grew up watching Errol Flynn, etc. -- so this movie is a keeper.

Thought for the day: "The stronger swordsman does not necessarily win. It is speed! Speed of hand, speed of mind." Abbe Faria, "Count of Monte Cristo," by Alexandre Dumas

My Favorite Time of the Year

2008-08-31T08:35:00.004-04:00

My favorite time of the year is when autumn segues into winter. Snowflakes, as delicate as lace, gently covering the multi-hued leaves with a coat of sparkling white.

As you can tell, this abominable South Florida heat and humidity is really getting to me! "Yuk!" (for the lack of a better word). It is not even 9:00 a.m. and a full sweat sitting at my computer in an air conditioned house no less. Of course the coffee has something to do with that, but trust me, very little. Give up my morning coffee -- no way! The only good thing -- today is the last day of August, which means we only have two more months of this icky-sticky weather. Whereas all you lucky people who live north of us can begin to look forward to cool evenings, warm days, and nature's pallet for the fall.

Thought for the day: "Oh, the seasons...they go round and round and the painted ponies go up and down. We're riding on a carousel of time...."
Author: Joni Mitchell

It's Not Easy Being a Pack Rat!

2008-08-30T15:10:00.004-04:00

I spent the last several days attempting to catalogue my collectibles, which if you are a Pack Rat, is not easy. However, I love researching things . . . so kinda like a kid in a candy store . . . where do I start first? I have probably 24-36 hours logged into it already and I am at most 25% along. I forsee at least two, if not three more trips to the library - one of which will take me to the main library downtown Ft. Lauderdale, which means gas and parking (maybe). Been years since I have been down that way. Perhaps I'll take in the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Art while I there - that would be nice.

It is amazing the things one accumulates along life's way. In the beginning, it started with items given from relatives. A knick-knack here and knick-knack there, you get the picture, right. Living in South Florida limits (seriously) the amount of space one has for such things. Especially if you had a carport and not a garage. Well, we moved to St. Louis where we had a four bedroom home with a full basement and a one car garage. The pile up began - toys, books, clothing, sports equipment, furniture, games, etc. etc. Eight years we accumulated - eight years! Made a move to Kansas City to a three bedroom home with no garage, but a full basement and outer buildings. It was there that I became acquainted with auctions. Acquainted is not quite the word I want. More like addicted to auctions sounds more like it. Anyway . . . the pile continued to grow. Six more years passed by and the piles were getting extremely high (sorry about the rhyme thing - got carried away). Husband decided he need his own space not just for his stuff, but for him too. At the time - traumatic, from a distance - best thing that ever happened. Now I had to fit my stuff into a one bedroom apartment with a storage closet. "Just don't open the closet doors," I would tell friends and family when they came to visit. Two years later I headed back to South Florida and purchased a two bedroom home for myself and my stuff. Things just continued to pile up for the next eight years. Eight seems to be a magic number for me when it comes to moving, oh well . . . packed it all in a U-Haul (two trips) and moved across the state into a small one bedroom apartment with no storage closet. Thank Goodness for the television show "Clean Sweep." After watching that show about two weeks, I started cleaning out drawers, graduated to boxes (still unpacked), and before I knew it most of my "Couldn't Part Withs" were long gone to Goodwill or the dumpster. It took me two years of sorting through to get to where it is at today, and it still needs weeded out before my next move.

I have decided all those things I kept for my kids - yeah right - they don't want them, could care less. Decided I am going to take pictures for them to look at and if there is anything they want they better tell me now and come and get it, before the Salvation Army arrives at the door.

Thought for the day: "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

I Like Words!

2008-08-29T07:41:00.007-04:00

Sloppy is an adjective, which describes a state of being unkempt, disorderly, overly sentimental or squishy wet. Kind of an all-purpose word. I like all-purpose words. Lets face it -- I just like words! Words that roll off your tongue. Words that start at the back of your throat and explode into the air. Words that whisper their way past your lips ever so silently and disappear almost instantly into the void. Words that make you giggle, blush, turn beet red. Words that make you unhappy, mad, or seethe with anger. Words that make you long for, desire, or burn with a fiery passion. A word by itself can be strong, but link it together with other words and you can control your audience with a power like no other force known to mankind.

If I Had Three Wishes

2008-08-27T14:27:00.003-04:00

If I had threee wishes, I'd wish for three more and three more again and again. With that many wishes all would be well with the world. There would be peace, happiness, enrichment and love enough to go around. No more hunger. No more poverty. No more pain. Wouldn't that be nice . . . hmmmm . . . wouldn't that be nice.

Thought for the day: There never was a good war or a bad peace.
~ Benjamin Franklin

On the Mend Again

2008-08-26T14:29:00.004-04:00

First the Shingles, then a Hyperactive Thyroid and now Adult Acne. Will it never cease! Seriously, I have been out of commission since the end of March. No job, having to pay COBRA insurance $$$'s and perhaps another couple of weeks before I can begin looking for work, which according to the classifieds there aren't many jobs available. I'll be alright though, I am a survivor.

The bureaucracy that is attached to the field of medicine is atrocious. I knew which specialist I needed to see, but getting approval, and then finding an appointment (this century) was near to impossible. As a result, I suffered for at least three to four weeks longer than was necessary. Had I been smart, I would have just gone to an emergency room.

Thought for the day - "Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle."
~ Lewis Carroll

What is Luxury?

2008-08-26T14:13:00.006-04:00

Def: free or habitual indulgence in or enjoyment of comforts and pleasures in addition to those necessary for a reasonable standard of well-being

For me it would be a 1964 ½ Ford Mustang convertible, red with a white top, and white tuck and rolled upholstery.

Having a London flat so I could come and go as I please for as long as I please.

A cottage somewhere in New England along the coast perhaps, or in the mountains - really wouldn't matter as long as it was in NE.

And finally a ranch with snow capped mountains in the distance and lush pasture land for as far as the eye can see.

Bad Week at Work ! ! !

2007-06-22T18:21:00.000-04:00

Bad doesn't even begin to describe the week from hell.

Imagine, if you can, 18 five year old children confined to one room
okay got that picture in mind?

Now imagine that of those 18 five year olds two are hyperactive twin boys (one of which has a grudge against his brother - who has the grudge varies from moment to moment).
Okay got that picture.

Now add to the twins, three boys with major behavioral problems, one sweet kid that just cannot sit still, one tomboy and her bud (male), one Prima Donna with a major attitude and only one caregiver/teacher.

These children have no attention span, no respect, no manners, no discipline at home or perhaps too much discipline at home (of course we are not allowed to discipline at school), foul mouths and think fighting is a way of life (kick boxing, fists, finger guns, etc.). I would like to blame the parents and in some respects I do blame the parents. But then again - these are working parents, single parents, foreign speaking parents who drop their children off between 7 and 9 in the morning and return to pick them up between 5 and 6 in the evening. By the time they get the kids home and fed its time for bed. Not much time to discipline or train. We actually spend more time with these kids than their parents do.

This week the head teacher in my room was out for medical reasons, which left me in charge. I spent many hours (of my own time at home) preparing fun and educational projects that I thought would entertain the children and keep them busy during "center time". We were only able to complete (just barely) two of these projects due to constant distractions that took my time (I had no helper for three of the days). One cannot teach while there are fights (verbal and physical) going on in two or three different locations around the room.

The powers that be, that dictate the rules and regs for childcare, can come up with some of the pettiest, most asinine directives for the most trivial of circumstances, but think it is okay for one person to supervise 18 five year old children. Well, I would like to witness anyone of these bureaucratic morons in my classroom - alone! I asked myself the other day, if I ran a daycare at my home or anywhere for that matter, would I take on 18 five year old children by myself and the only answer I came up with was NO WAY! Perhaps eight or maybe ten but eighteen . . . Their parents couldn't pay me enough money.

TGIF took on new meaning today. I was never so glad to be done with that room and those kids. By noon, I had almost given my two weeks notice . . .

Don't get me wrong - I love kids, I love teaching, talking to, reading to, etc. young children. There is nothing like the smile of a young child when you listen to them relate an adventure or ask a question of great importance.

Eighteen children - nine that demand all your time and could care less. And nine that would love the opportunity to learn and develope who unfortunately are short changed on a daily basis.

Thought for the day . . .
"Don't base your parenting skills on your ability to keep a hat on your child" -- Author:Dee Ann Stewart from "What Spock Forgot"

Health

2007-05-20T17:29:00.001-04:00

Finally!

After a week of illness, I am finally on the mend. Lost two days of work (ouch $$) plus doctor and pharmacy (double ouch $$).

Lets hope the summer will be "Healthier" than the past three seasons. I am really S I C K of being sick.

Thought for the day . . .
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like and do what you'd druther not." -- Author:Mark Twain

Happiness

2007-05-13T19:18:00.000-04:00

When was the last time you were truly happy?

I came across this question the other day in a magazine article and it haunted me the remainder of the day. That evening lying in bed I kept asking myself, "When was the last time I was truly happy?" Sadly I must admit, after careful consideration, I realized I have not been truly happy since 1993.

In 1993 I found myself divorced and single for the first time in my life. It was the year I found myself. In the past I had always been the person other people (parents, friends, husband, children, etc.) expected me to be . It was the year I discovered I could be me. I began to develope tastes of my own. I read what I wanted to read, watched what I wanted to watch (TV/movies), expressed my own opinions on religion, politics, etc.

Unfortunately however, it was short lived. I allowed my family to convince me to move back to my home state. I fought them at first, but I wasn't strong enough, by early 1994 they had me tucked deep into the family nest where I have slowly lost control of me.

Now it seems I have to do some soul searching and find a way to turn my life around so I can once again be truly happy.