One Year Already!

Today is my 1 year Blogiversary! One year today I started off at Blogger with this stinky post.

I got addicted by reading my now Blog Mom Boudicca. She's funny as hell. I would cry from laughing so much after reading one of her posts. Her sister, Morrigan, is the one that got me addicted to reading Bou's site.

This spun off into something I never even imagined it would be. My first comments were from my now blogson Spurs, my friend Morrigan, my blogmom Bou, Ogre, and Jody.

In May of 2005, I was able to move over to the wonderful world of MuNu! The wonderful Prochein Amy helped me decorated and set up this whole place!

I have spawned two blog children myself, Spurs & Napster who happen to be married in real life! :-) I have witnessed the births and even some of the conceptions of many Bad Example Family members! Scary!

I have also had the pleasure of meeting 28 different bloggers and 2 blogmeets and/or town visits.

I've gone through the times where I've written the post that I'm quitting. In fact, I still have it in draft mode. I've also gone through times where I thought I would go crazy if I couldn't blog.

I've given up on triple checking for grammar, spelling and just the making of sense! I came to the conclusion early that I do this for me, and just me!

It's been a year! An amazing year! And hopefully here's to many more!

Happy Birthday Morrigan

I hope you have a wonderful birthday WEEKEND!

And hopefully the clan will be out there soon enough to where we can celebrate right!

Happy Birthday!!

I'm a Lucky Woman

Growing up, I never had a strong woman role model. I was shy, introverted with very low self-esteem. Along with that, we moved all the time. It looked something like this:

Kindergarten, 1st grade and part of 2nd - Okinawa Japan

Part of 2nd Grade - Augusta GA

The end of 2nd Grade - another new school in Augusta GA

3rd Grade - a new school in Augusta GA

4th Grade - another new school in Augusta GA

Part of 5th Grade - again, a different school in Augusta GA

Rest of 5th Grade - Rolla MO

6th Grade - Jacksonville NC

Part of 7th Grade - Rolla MO

Rest of 7th Grade - Camp Lejeune NC

8th Grade - Sterling VA

9th, 10th and part of 11th - Camp Lejeune NC

Rest of 11th and 12th - Twentynine Palms CA

Yep, 13 schools.

So, back to the story...

Once I hit about 13, I started looking for these women I would look to. I found a couple here and there that I observed in how they carried themselves or how they handled things. I was very lucky.

But there were a certain few that made a huge unimaginable difference in my life....and they still do.

One is obviously my stepmom whom I spoke of here.

Another was my English teacher in 11th grade, Beth. She kept me on the right path, got me out of a bad situation at home, cared enough to call CPS and get calls from my mother afterward. She has been there for me since. I visit her often and am like a big sister to her kids. She's taught me how to be happy with me and what I do and everything else will be gravy. She's taught me how to be humble and vulnerable and how to learn from those times. She always told me I knew how to read people, that was my gift. She was the one that inspired me to be a teacher. And she was the first one to teach me about unconditional love. She helped me decide to move to my dad's and explained how his love for me was unconditional. As was hers too.

When I lived on my own in Southern California, I was 19 and broke; working two jobs and trying to go to schools. Kim took me in as her surrogate daughter. She already had 4 kids; 10, 4, 3, and 2. I slept on their couch for a month while trying to get on my feet. She was there for one of my first terrible break-ups; she helped me move up in the company I was in. And I'm sure it didn't hurt that she had a free babysitter whenever she wanted :-) She was just there....nothing in particular...she was just there when I needed someone...unconditionally.

I moved to Yuma when I was 20 and started with the company I am with now. After 6 months of being there, I was promoted to assistant manager by the person who is currently my boss. She saw something in me, even at the age of 21, that I was capable of doing something good for that store and the company. She was a great model in the business I am and how a woman can be successful. A lot of my management traits I learned from her. She's also the one that had faith enough to move me back out here to manage two of her stores. She's gone to bat for me and trusted me. Again, another good model for me.

Then, at the age of 22, I moved out to North Carolina for another position with my company. Beth again helped in the move out there, giving me a place to stay until I found a home.

A year after being there, I received a phone call from someone at our corporate office asking why I hadn't submitted my resume for the training position that was recently posted. My reply was every excuse in the book from no prior experience, to not wanting to leave my team to being loyal to my current boss at the time. She somehow talked me into it saying this opportunity didn't come around that often.

So then I had to prepare for an interview and presentation. I was 22 years old...I was intimidated as hell!! I stressed and went through several ideas. I knew the whole time it was a mistake. I was going to embarrass myself and be known as the fool of the company.

After a stressful interview, presentation and 2 day training, all in front of her (another story for later), I found out I got the job. I thought she was nuts. I am so self-conscious, I didn't know how I was going to train others...I'd be too worried about what others were thinking of me.

If it wasn't for her, I have a feeling I would very possibly be jobless or in a dead-end job as my previous position was eliminated.

Since then, I have learned countless things from her as a career woman and a mentor. She helped me find traits and confidence in myself that I never even thought to look for.

And due to that opportunity Morrigan gave me, I found two more great women in my life...Morrigan and Napster.

These ladies have no idea how important they are in my life right now. In a new stage where I am preparing more for my future, dealing with relationships, trying to make a life of my own on my own....these girls are there through it all. They know just when to listen to me babble and know when to lay down the advice. They never judge which allows me to be 100% honest...something I was never capable of doing.

They are great models of strong women and friends for me. They share their own life's lessons with me to help me through my own. They answer late drunken calls of tears when I run into an ex and they call the next day to check on me. They listen to all my crazy ideas and support me unconditionally once I made a decision.

I could go on about any of these women. I am just that lucky. I look back on some of the paths I could have chosen, especially without the help of one or all of these women, and I am just so thankful.

So my biggest goal in life is to be the same to others. I want to pass it down...keep it rollin'.

I just can't believe how lucky I am!

Star-Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl

I am an absolute music freak. I've studied it for the past 12 years, I appreciate most of it and consider myself to have a pretty open mind to it.

But that crap they pulled at the Superbowl with the Star-Spangled Banner. I was pissed...beyond pissed! This is right up there with me with the Rosanne Barr incident. Yes, I think it was that wrong!

First of all, that wasn't the Star-Spangled Banner. The Star-Spangled Banner was originally composed in 6/4. This means 6 beats per measure with a quarter note equalling 1 beat. It gives it a sort of waltz feel. In newer versions, it has been rearranged into 3/4. Basically, they just cut each measure in half.

The one they did at the Super Bowl? 4/4. The only other time that I'm aware that someone has sang the Star Spangled Banner in 4/4 was Whitney Houston in 1991. I didn't like that version either, but not nearly as bad as I hated the version from the other day!

The Star-Spangled Banner isn't up for creative interpretation. Holding notes that shouldn't be held, changing chords, and throwing in a bunch of runs, you take away from the song and bring attention to yourself. That is not the point of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Not to mention that combining two very ego-driven artists like Aaron Neville and Aretha Franklin (I'm unaware of the status of Dr. Hook's ego) is disrespecting the Anthem enough! They were each trying to outshine each other, not paying tribute.

I watched the looks on some of the football players faces. Was I the only one that thought they looked shocked at the performance? I didn't see anyone that was wow'd by it.

They lost my respect and I can guarantee that I will never proactively listen to them. I don't care who you are, what your status is or how big your ego is...there are just some things you don't alter, put your own personal spin on or try to interpret differently...and that's the Star-Spangled Banner!

TNT also has an opinion!

I've Got A New Toy

And I love it! It's fast. It's compact. It's a nice dark metallic red. It has a huge battery and last forever!

Meet my new HP DV1580SE!

Intel Centrino with a Pentium M 740 procesor

100GB Hard Drive

1GB DDR RAM

Double Layer DVD RW/CD RW with LaserScribe (burns the label onto the CD)

Built-in Memory Card Reader

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

12 Cell Battery

I love it! It's quiet (fan doesn't run constantly). It's light! My old laptop was about 9lbs. This one is 5lbs and about the size of a piece of paper.

And it even came with a little remote that stores in the PCMIA slot.

Ahhh, I love new toys!

Orchestra Quiz

This quiz was made for me...

You scored as Oboe. Oboe. You're an oboe. yup. Oboe 75% French Horn 75% trombone 58% Clarinet 58% Cello 50% Viola 50% String Bass 50% Flute 50% Bassoon 42% Tuba 42% Violin 33% Trumpet 33% Percussion 8% If you were in an orchestra, what instrument would match your personality? created with QuizFarm.com

...stolen from Ktreva.

Oh, and I have played or do play 5 out of 13 instruments on this list. See, told ya it was made for me!

It's Time To Go...

...Just Don't Know Where

So, I am requesting the advice of the diverse readers I still have left.

I'm looking to get the hell out of Yuma very soonish...April 1st is my goal.

I may or may not be able to transfer with my job. The idea is to be in the midwest or east coast. My dad, stepmom and 8 year old sis just moved to Kentucky and my mom, stepdad and almost 18 year old sis live in South Carolina.

So the idea is to be semi close....but have to call first close.

I've been looking at Atlanta. I've been fascinated with moving to a city for a while. I never have. Pretty much everywhere I have lived was on or near a military base or was supported by a university.

So back to Atlanta...I have visited a few times thanks to Morrigan. And I just liked it.

I also fell in love with Chicago when I visited last summer. Now, I was only there a week and it was in the summer. But I took a day tour, saw some of the sites, met some of the people, and just fell in love with the atmosphere, the buildings, etc. Now, if I could handle it in the winter is the question! The farthest north I have ever lined is Sterling, VA (near DC), and I was 13...I don't remember how I handled the snow.

I've looked into a few cities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. Really, the deciding factor is going to be where I can find a good job.

But I'm open for suggestions, honest thoughts, and personal stories about some of these places....whatever you want.

It's not the end of the world, and as I've been told, you can live anywhere for a year (although that person has never been to Yuma!) The longest I have ever lived somewhere is 2 years....I'm looking to break that record!

Over-The-Shoulder-Boulder-Holder

Dear Blogmom Bou has an issue with bras. One of her many escapades is explained as Secret Government Weapons.

So, I thought we'd have a little history lesson on the history of the bra.

So, go offer your support to Bou....

Never Learned My Lesson

Last night was my friend's Wet Down. I, of course, had to make an ass of myself!

What did I have to eat yesterday? A quesadilla at lunch.

What did I have to drink between 4pm and 10pm? About 10 vodka and crans and 4 Cuervo shots.

No hurling, thank God! Just a night of saying/doing stupid shit, not remembering, and waking up in the middle of the night, forgetting I had roommates and walking to the bathroom in just a t-shirt. Oh, let's not forget calling the bipolic a limp dick motherf*cker and other ridiculous expletives.

Yes, I wish I could rewind....but oh well. Now I wish I could just fast forward. Not just past today due to my upset tummy, but fast forward through the next few months until I can get the hell out of here!

On a brighter note, my roommates said I am an easy drunk. I just pass out when I've had enough.

Yea....they haven't talked to Spurs and Napster!

Now excuse me, I must go sip more water....

What Should I Have Done?

Tonight, we had about 4 customers in my store after closing. I had 2 sales reps on the floor and I was getting everything ready to close down. I came to the floor where one of my reps was helping an elderly couple and my other rep was helping a man. The woman in line next stared at me as I came to the floor to log off a computer someone had left on when they left for the day. She looked at me and yelled "Do you work here?" I replied with a yes ma'am. She asked if I could take her payment. I apologized and said that we only had 2 computers up but that I could show her how to make her payment at the machine. She yelled something about not knowing how. I told her I could show her or that my rep would be with her in just a second (at that time, my rep was walking her customer out the door since it was locked). She yelled that she had been waiting forever (later I found out that she walked in the door 5 minutes before 7:00 and at the time, it was 7:05.

My other rep then explained that she didn't need her bill to make a payment at the machine. The customer went over there, tried it and said it wouldn't let her use it. So then I walked over there with her where she was almost punching the machine. Well, the touch screen doesn't so much respond to punching as it does gently pressing.

I helped her enter her info when she couldn't do it (all you have to do is enter your phone number and the first 4 letters of your last name). Meanwhile, I'm being overly polite and saying ma'am with each sentence where she then replies sarcastically and continues to swear at the machine. As the receipt is printing, I tell her I am going to go get the keys so I can let her out.

As I start unlocking the door, she asks who I am and I tell her my name and that I'm the manager, she laughs, calls me a few profanities as I open the door for her, she pushes the door into me knocking me into our trashcans. I yelled out "Push me again and I'm calling the police!"

Maybe not the best response, but I was shocked and pissed and she's lucky I didn't chase after her.

So at this point, I'm shaking, my employees witnessed everything and so did the 2 customers in the store. The elderly customers even asked if I was alright and said they were sorry. I asked why, and they said she had asked to cut in front of them because she only had a bill to pay and they had told her no.

I went and put her phone number into the system where I saw notes in her account where she had been rude and profane in the past. I put a note in her account so where as soon as someone opens her account, it says she is not welcome in my stores and she can call customer service for future assistance.

After about 10 minutes, I'm still shaking and pissed. I don't know why. I've had phones thrown at me before and didn't get this mad. My mom happen to call and I told her what happened and she said I should call the police and file a report; that they needed to have that on record just in case she did it again and she needed to know she can't treat people that way. I knew my mom was being protective and tried to keep that in consideration, but part of me did want to call the police.

But instead, I finished closing the store. I called my boss to let her know what happened and that I was going to call the police. I figured she should know. But no answer, so I left her a message.

My assistant happened to call, and I told her what happened, and she said to even call.

I finished closing the store while my 2 reps wanted to know where she lived, where she worked, etc. That's exactly what I DIDN'T want to happen. They didn't need to get all worked up over this! I told him it wasn't a big deal and that if she entered the store again, to let me deal with her.

What pissed me off more is that one of my employees is 7 months pregnant. If I wouldn't have come to the floor, she would have been the one to help that chic and could have really hurt her if she would have pushed the door into her like she did to me.

After getting the store closed, I went back and watched the video tape of what happened. You can see where she pushed with force and where she had no reason to even put her hand out as I had the door all the way open for her.

What's even funnier about the situation is that I looked in her account to see that she worked at Target. Just last night I was at Target at about 9:00 and there were 2 lanes open with about 15 people waiting.

I didn't want to cause any drama but I also didn't want her to get away with what she did. Should I have called the police and filed a report?

Gotta Have Him

Basil has to be part of the clan!! He just has to be. He's done the first step here.

If it wasn't for Basil's daily Headline News, I'd never know what was going on in the world. And if it wasn't for his "Meal" posts, I'd never know what was going on in the blogosphere!

So he is definitely a necessity to the clan! Plus, I think more men should wear kilts!

10 Things I Hate About You

Probably doesn't make sense...but this is appropriate right now...

Happens to be from one of my favorite movies and very fitting at this time.