Saturday

Everyone seems to work all week just for the weekend so Saturday is a special day because you still have one more day off before returning to the office. I like to have plans for my Saturday. I am a list person (but that's another story) and if I don't plan ahead for my Saturday, lots of times I do absolutely nothing except search on the computer, do a little housework and watch the television. But, I am okay with this. I have grown into quite the little hermit and I like to stay home with my animals and sometimes my husband - who prefers to be gone all the time. So, I will continue to work all week long just for my Saturdays. There you go.....

What is normal?

I look at my life and wonder somedays how simple things are and how I like routine. I have very few areas in my life that are unpredictable. Then there are people who have a dark cloud following them around and it rains on just them. Car trouble is something I have very little of but other people have car problems ALL the time. They owe too much on the car to sell or trade but the car is old enough and has enough miles that repairs are in the mix along with car payments. Can't get rid of one without the other. Car did not even qualify for "cash for clunkers" because it was too new. Hum, maybe if the car wasn't so deluxe it would be more cost effective to drive and/ or repair.

I will stay with my new vehicles and hope to buy and then pay off before I do repair bills. I will also look to make sure I don't have a cloud following me.......

It's All About Attitude

A normal person gets up every day and makes a decision, to be happy, sad, or grumpy. I know some days I just don't feel like being up and smily. I go to work just kind of sober and not upset, just more of a flat line without all the up beat greetings and laughing at 7:30 a.m. When I have those morning fellow workers, peers, etc. all want to know what is wrong with me, I'm not my usual self. Be careful what you establish as your "usual self" cuz that follows you around.

When I visit our dual county, everyone tells me they know I am in the building because they can hear me and that I am always positive, laughing, and making it a good place to be. I think that is a compliment but it also is a hard reputation to live up to on a day in and day out basis.

I do think when I get up early I have time to get to the happy place and if I am honest, I would rather be happy than not. If I feel blue it is usually because I don't feel good or because something sad or bad has taken place in my life somewhere.

Today however, is Friday, and I like it. Casual Day and my last day of being caretaker for Caide because his father returns from a 5 week training. Yeppy!! Enjoy the moment everyone - it is gone in the same amount of time.

Chaos, Crisis, Emergency

How do you distinquish between the three. I believe chaos is a state of affairs. Someone in chaos may have a very messy office, no organization, phone calls unanswered, paperwork all over, and leaves the office because can't function in the chaos.

Crisis, may occur as a result of the chaos, lack of following up on messages, lost billings, unreturned phone calls. Totally avoidable, and can be fixed usually.

Emergency could happen in any instance by events unforseeable. A car accident, child getting hurt, electricity gone, toilet backing up, car breaking down. Now some of these may be avoidable but usually not expected.

I try to stay away from chaos so there are few moments of crisis and I can better deal with an emergency.

State of the State Address

As a state employee I am always interested in the state of affairs for the state I work for. Unfortunately, my state is Michigan, known for the highest unemployment, Detroit, and stagnant economy with more people leaving than staying. The auto industry brought a lot of prosperity to Michigan. Who would ever thing the Big Three would be bankrupt or almost bankrupt. Things will never be the same. I can't figure out why Michigan cannot profit from the tourist industry. We have water on all sides except the southern border and the coastal areas are beautiful. Mackinac Island is wonderful, the UP is unbelievable, and the wine country near Traverse City is worth driving for anytime. The governor talks tonight and will discuss cutting our pay, increasing the amount we pay for benefits, unpaid days off, donated time, and how we are all helping stabilize the economy. I think I will go shopping in Indiana since I seem to be such a burden to the State of Michigan.

And that's all I have to say.

The wonder of it all.....

I have been taking care of my 4 year old grandson for a few weeks while his father is away at training for work. I am amazed at the cartoons he watches (can't really figure them out) and how he is so techy already. He plays Leapster and finishes game after game and is addicted to the Wii. He races Hot Wheels cars and after just racing one time he knows where all the short cuts are, the tricky track and how to manuever around like a pro. He gets mad at me when I can't race right.

I can't remember what I played at age 4 but it must have been like little play cars, crayons, and coloring books. How we have changed in 50 years - yes, you read right - I am 50 years older than this child. When I say that out loud it sounds like a very big number. Hum, I guess it is. He watches a movie in the car on the DVD, plays video games in bed to put himself to sleep, and plays Wii until he drops. But his favorite thing to do is help me read a book at bedtime. The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Mondays

I think there are lots of songs about Monday and none of them are about how much we love them. I like Monday when it is over because then comes Tuesday which is a pretty neutral day, then Wednesday which is hump day (and casual at work), Thursday is busy, and TGIF always is a happy day.

It is also the first day of February which brings Valentine's Day and then President's Day (which is a holiday for us State workers).

Rainy days and Mondays alway get me down........