Hello are you there?

I know that is the question on everyone’s mind lately. Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. But I think that’s a good thing. That just means that I have been keeping busy.

I told y’all at the beginning of the year that one of my goals for the year was to see the sights around the region. I think I have been accomplishing at least that goal.

In the last few months I have been to the revolutionary war site at Kings Mountain, the national white water park in Mount Holly, Latta Plantation in Huntersville, Old Salem in Winston-Salem, and Korner's Folly in Kernersville.

Looking at this list I have seen sites from various eras of United States history. The revolutionary war era, early 1800’s town life and mid 1800’s plantations and merchants, civil war, and current recreational trends. Pretty interesting and eclectic. Now the dilemma is what to do next.

I am currently taking suggestions from the few people that look at this blog on what I should do next. Let me hear from you……………

I'm back!!!!

Well I just decided to take a look at my blog and realized I have been a slacker lately. No excuse really, just time getting away from me and thinking that there will always be time later to update everyone on my oh so exciting life. Let's see, what have I talked about with my blog friends? Oh yes, my fish, Well, Herman and Fred 5 are doing great! They are very happy here at the house. I open the blinds for them every day so they can see what is going on in the world. and they seem happy to see me when I come home from work. Okay I know I sound crazy and pathetic, after all they are just fish. But hey little things make me happy these days. Anyway, while I was on the hunt for replacement filters. I asked the fish guy at a PetCo store how many fish could comfortably fit in my size tank and he told me that two were plenty. Because fish use about 2 gallons of oxygen per day and I have 2 fish in my 5 gallon tank, so that would leave me with just a half of a fish which is just mean. So while I feel bad about killer dying I can comfotably say I didn't over or under feed him or give him bad water which is what I was thinking. Which then led into a whole guilt trip depression thing about me being a bad mom (which is a whole other issue for me). Anyway the guy at the Walmart who sold me Killer said it didn't really matter how many fish I had in the tank that they would adjust. At least the PetCo guy sounded more official with his math equation , I don't know if he is right or not. But I am going with right because he knew he was loosing a sale buy not selling me the cute black bulgy eye fish that I wanted to buy.

Although that math equation thing doesn't explain the carnival Goldfish I had growing up that lasted for weeks without getting fed and months without clean water that managed to survive in my round fish bowls for years. Did you know that round fish bowls are dangerous for the mental health of fish? They go stir crazy swimming in circles, or so says a study in France from a few years ago. So if you are ever in France looking for a round fish bowl forget about it, they are outlawed. At least if my memory for useless facts is to be believed I think the study was in France and the outcome was outlawed fishbowls.

Well enough from me today. I could write all day today but I should clean the house, joy oh' joy!
Look for more from me later this weekend. I promise to update you on my new year's resolutions soon!

Have a swimmingly good day!

new years resolution update

Well I have some good news and bad news.

I always like to get the bad news out of the way so I will just get those confessions out of the way first.


You may surmise from my need to be negative (bad news) first that I am still negative. and you would be right. Although when negative thoughts and actions come out of me, I am more aware now of the negativity. And "they" say that being aware of your faults is half the battle. I still have hope that I will change.

I still think about my old home wistfully, but I don't think that I am talking about it as much, so that is an improvement. If you will indulge me for a little bit I will mention that I am going home next weekend and I am so looking forward to the visit. I think alot of it is just getting away from the stress of home and work and not having any responsibilities for 5 days except to have fun and visit.

I am eating less and thinking about what I am eating more. SO that is definitely an improvement! I actually passed up chocolate cake today.

And I have begun to explore the region I now call home. I have been to King's Mountain to learn about the Revolutionary War battle that took place there. I am planning in the next few weeks to go to Kerner's Folly and will eventually go to the Museum of the New South.

So I think I am actually doing pretty well in the resolution department.

How about you?

Saddness abounds

It is with heavy heart that I announce the early demise of my beloved Marble Goldfish, Killer. I came home the other night from work and went to greet my brood and feed them dinner, but I was saddened to see that Killer was floating among the plants of his home. After a brief ceremony "above the bowl", he went to the goldfish home in the sky.

I am still undecided if I should get another fish. I guess the appropriate mourning time for fish has not yet passed.

fish

Well, I have a Christmas update for the masses of people who are waiting with bated breath to hear what happened with my father-in-law and the fish.




Nothing



Well, not exactly nothing, but close to it.

The day I told him I would go fish tank shopping with him, I rushed home from work, so I could meet him at the store we agreed upon. What did I find when I got home? My in-laws and husband all there at my house waiting for me to get dinner ready. This was not the plan that I agreed upon when I left them the night before, and no one bothered to call me during the day. To my surprise plans had changed during the day and it was all of a sudden more important to "help", aka watch, my husband put together the new computer he desperately needed so he could go in circles better (racing games).

Okay, enough of the grousing about the priorities of the in-laws and husband.

I went last weekend and got the fish tank, a pretty 5-gallon tank, with some plants and rocks and a cute snail that has a sign that says "no fishing" set it all up and put 3 adorable fish in it on Tuesday, me and my fish are happy as clams. (No pun intended)

My fish; Fred 5, Herman and Killer all seem to be doing well and are happy to see me when I get home from work, because they already know that it is supper time when I get home and I turn on their light. Let me tell you a little about them.

Fred 5 is the predecessor to all my other fish that I have named Fred. For some reason, whenever I have had fish in the past I have named one of them Fred and I felt that this one needed to stand out. Well I can't remember really how many carnival goldfish I have had over the years and Fred 5 sounded cool, so I gave him that name. He is a little gold fish with these cute puffy cheek things. They look like sacks of air on the side of his face. Can you say adorable!

Herman is named after one of my favorite picture books when I was growing up, Herman the Helper, by Robert Kraus is about a fish that goes around the ocean helping all the other sea life, and I just thought I would give ol' Herman a nod. He is the largest fish that I have and he has predominantly white scales with an orange underbelly and fins.

Killer, is the name that my father-in-law wanted me to give to one of my fish so I have named the ugliest one Killer, He is the middle size fish and his scales are a multitude of colors; black, orange, red, white. Funky looking to say the least. I have secretly named him, but I can't reveal that name or it wouldn't be a secret. It is a much prettier name, to give this homely guy or gal some confidence.

Have a great weekend everyone. I'll let you know how I am doing on my new year's resolutions next week.

New Year's Resolutions

Well, it's that time again to come up with some crazy resolutions that most likely you are not going to complete.

Well NOT this year!

This year I decided to come up with a workable list of things that I might actually complete. Granted I "borrowed" some of these ideas from other sources but the ideas are great. so thanks to Ellen DeGeneres and the Charlotte Observer columnist that does the "new in town" column.

1. I resolve to see something unique to this area of the country at least once a week. This is the easy one since I am new to the area I haven't seen much.

2. I resolve to not eat as much. Now, I didn't say "diet" I am choosing not to eat as much or as late in the evening as I don now. Hopefully this small change will lead to the real goal, but I am taking small steps.

3. I resolve to not talk about my old home like I would rather be there than here. I have nothing to say about this, because I might just start waxing poetic about my old home, and that would defeat the purpose of this whole thing.

4. I resolve to be less negative than I am now. This will be a hard one since I am stuck in a rut of negativity, I am hoping to get out of this slump and on to happier times.

So what do you think? Short and simple not that extreme. I think some will be harder than others but if I keep a positive attitude about things it might just work. I'll have to revisit this post throughout the year and see if I am living up to my resolutions.

How about you? Are you resolving to change anything this year?

Holidays part 2

Well, I got the money for the fish tank and because I couldn't go home for the holidays, he is traveling specifically from New Jersey to North Carolina later this week so we can go shopping and he can share his opinion on the tank. Oh what a joyous shopping trip that will be. Now we get to "discuss" in public instead of over the phone. So if you are in the Concord Petco or Petsmart (I don't remember what the store is) on Saturday night you might be treated to a rousing debate between me and my father-in-law.

My husband also got THREE (yes 3) types of saws for Christmas, a weedwacker and several other tools, that I am sure he will never use, since in the 10 months we have owned the house he hasn't lifted a finger to do any work around the house. They would have been better off giving me the tools and him the slippers I got because I am the one who seems to be doing everything around the house. It has fallen to me to pick out fixtures,and furniture and do all the painting and general fixing up around the house. And GOD forbid I do something he doesn't approve of.......


Okay in the words of my co-worker, I'm being snarky tonight. I am a little cranky because not only did my husband drag me down here to NC so he can pursue his dream career, but he sees nothing wrong with leaving me here when his job shuts down for the holidays. And I have to stay here to go to work, and he goes back to NJ to visit his family.

Luckily, my mom is a teacher and gets long holidays at Thanksgiving and Christmas. She comes down here and we visit and hang out and she gets to relax and read while I am at work all day.

Well that is enough snarkyness tonight. Have a great New Year!

I resolve to be less snarky in the new year!




Yeah, right!

Holidays

What is it with holidays?! I am an adult, with no kids, and can afford the essential things that I need in life. I try not to buy myself things that are not absolutely needed and I try to give gifts like that as well. Okay, occasionally I splurge on myself and get something fun, and my gifts aren't always practical. I don't expect nor want extravagant gifts and I think that people should respect that. This time of year, whether you celebrate Hanukkah or Christmas (or both like me) or another holiday isn't it the thought that counts, not the size or the monetary amount of the gift that matter?
Case in point, My father-in-law, all year long I hear how they don't have money, money is so tight, blah, blah, blah. But when it comes to Christmas he goes all out and gets gifts that his grown kids and kids-in-law don't need or want. He just buys buys buys with no thought. I so want to say to him if you didn't spend so much at Christmas you wouldn't be scraping by the rest of the year, but I keep my mouth shut for family harmony.
Two years ago I asked for sheets, he was appalled that I could ask for something so practical (the ones I asked for were pretty expensive). He got me a George Foreman Rotisserie grill that is still in the box, last year it was a panini maker that is also still in the box. He knows I don't want or use these things but yet he buys them for me. (Apparently he thinks I am a bad cook)
This year, when he asked me what I want I thought I was finally prepared for him, but alas I still was not as extravagant, outlandish and non-practical as he wants. I asked for a fish tank. Not at all practical, not at all serious, and not big enough for him. I specifically asked for a 3-5 gallon tank that is easily transportable, easy maintenance and if I ever get tired of the fish, can be stored easily. Apparently a 5-gallon tank is not big enough he wants me to get a 12-15 gallon one. We have been "discussing" this for a few weeks now and I am frustrated at his lack of respect for my decisions.
He is not the only one I continually have this conversation with, I just don't have the space for everyone.
And isn't this holiday supposed to be for kids anyway? It has been a long time since I have been a kid and I don't feel I should be treated like one where my opinions don't matter.

Why does everything have to be so big and extravagant? Why can't it be what I want?!

Bah Humbug.

Happy holidays, what ever it is you celebrate!