Restraint

The past four days have included huge lessons in restraint. Some of these lessons I have passed and others I have failed. Take Friday night for example. The sheer quantity of food consumed by myself in that one day was ghastly...and boy did I pay for those bad decisions (the never to be seen photo of my enormous belly that could rival a pregnant woman's proves this...but you shall never know). Sometimes I pass though, like not partaking in the Outback Bloomin' Onion last night at dinner. I was pretty impressed with myself...until this afternoon after lunch I downed a bag of Ritz cheese and crackers and a mini bag of Frito's. Awesome. Restraint is a difficult thing to learn. No matter how many times I eat half a pizza by myself and feel like dying afterwards, I still will do it again. Why does it take so long to learn, especially when you encounter intense physical pain?

Then there is restraint in regards to the things that come out of my mouth...or out of my fingers in the case of emailing/blogging. Even with that delete button I find it hard to hold back sometimes. Do I really feel like my feelings, my opinions are really worth spewing out into the open regardless of how they are perceived? Apparently, the answer is yes, I feel they are worth it. So wrong, I know...but sometimes you just want your voice to be heard...even if it's not heard by an actual person...or perhaps even at all. Just knowing that your thoughts are "out there" makes you feel like a load has been lifted off your chest. Weird.

Perhaps what I have learned here is that restraint is an ongoing process...at least until it becomes natural (and who knows how long that might take!) So in conclusion, be patient with people like me...we'll beat ourselves up later anyway, you don't need to do it for us.

Eggs

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

This was never a huge philosophical dilemma in my mind. It was quite the opposite actually, a very simple answer. Chicken. Call it my black and white interpretation of life (as I have been accused of having from time to time...okay probably more often than that...like...always) if you will, but some of the "big" questions that people throw around, really aren't as big as they seem. At least not to me. Life is not just bunch of circular questions with not beginning and no ending to me. Perhaps this is why I am "good" at my chosen profession...

Some may laugh, some may mock, some may make that awful, "psshfffttt" noise that tends to happen during disagreements but I have always been in the "God said it, I believe it" mindset. In Genesis 1 it says that God created animals, including livestock (to me that says chickens were included). Case closed. Chickens before eggs. The end. How much interpretation could their really be on the following phrase: God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. Sounds pretty "end of discussion" to me.

So why all the fuss? Why is "Chicken or the Egg" such a trademark for the circular questions that people come up with today? Are circular questions only relevant for those who do not "believe"?

Apparently I was feeling rather philosophical today...thanks for bearing with me.

For the record, eggs make me want to vomit.

Warning

Walking up to a local restaurant on Thursday night with some friends for a late night (okay so about 9pm) bite with friends I noticed a rather strange warning sign:

$50,000 Reward for any information regarding armed robberies of this restaurant!

Wow.

What a sign! It was posted on the newly popular Carry-Out (or Curb-Side) door right by designated spots where anxious take-out-ers can wait in their cars a la fast food drive thru and receive their goodies from the higher-end chain restaurant where they have placed a call-ahead order. I thought it was an odd sign to have in the first place. I mean, how often does this particular chain restaurant get robbed? By armored robbers no less?! Slightly disturbing if I do say so myself. Thankfully, the four of us had a delightful meal and were not robbed in the process, although we did have a particularly grumpy waiter, but at the end of the day, who isn't just a little bit grumpy? (Especially if you take into account the anticipation of armed robbery this waiter must face with fear each day as he comes to work and is reminded about the dangers of his chosen life of service. I don't blame him at all.)

The restaurant: Chili's...

Deadlines

There are just some things that cannot be placed on a deadline. In my opinion, war is one of those things.

Granted wars today are fought much differently than the wars of the past (namely because the enemy has changed drastically while the nations on the offensive have not the time, money, effort, nor support to become updated) but still...since when are a bunch of business men/lawyers/politicians the go-to-guys for battle/military advice? Why should lawmakers also be expected or even entrusted with protecting the physical safety if their constituents and of this great nation? Are they really the best judge of military history, military procedure and strategy? I think not.

Today's bill passage in Congress is a true act of arrogance. All the boasting done by Speaker Pelosi is ridiculous. A "victory" of a mere six votes is not a victory at all. That barely makes you relevant, and will not get a bill passed if/when vetoed by the President.

Representative Sam Johnson said it best when he said, "Internationally announcing our timelines for withdrawal literally hands the enemy our war plan...What world superpower would do such a thing?"

(I apologize for my political rantings today, but sometimes I need an outlet.)

College

For some reason I found myself reading Time.com this morning (strange due to the fact that I usually try to stay away from such dribble) and stumbled across an article on college rankings (a la US News' annual college rankings). After reading said article (which I only skimmed before realizing I was reading Time Magazine and stopped) I got to thinking about students as consumers. Not consumers of normal things mind you, but as consumers of higher education. When did college lose it's mantra of being a place of preparatory education? The springboard for careers such as engineers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, architects...need I go on? College is regarded as "the next step after high school" in this country. Funneling 18-year-olds from their high school graduation straight into college whether or not they deserve to be there, appreciate being there, or have a plan for attending. Now don't read "deserve" with an upper class mentality of "born to go to college", but rather read "deserve" as the personal behavior of the student. Do they know what they "want to be when they grow up?" or are they just trying to "find themselves?" at the expense of those who love them (for many) or those who truly "deserve" the opportunity (for probably more). Waiting grant money, scholarship money, or even trust fund money on a barely-adult who changes their major 6 times in 4 years (causing them to spend an extra two years finishing up major number six) is really just that, a waste. Since when is "General Studies" an occupation providing benefit to society? How can parents allow their children to go into debt for thousands and thousands of dollars when there is no job in sight? What about the kids that aren't given the chance to go to school because all the scholarships are given away to girls who don't plan on working a day in their life because college to them was "husband shopping" or guys who just wanted to "fit in" and be like "everyone else" and couldn't care less about getting a job in any particular "field" when they graduated. What about the people who know they only need an associates degree to be "ready" for their chosen profession...should those individuals be valued any less because they didn't have "a true college experience"?

Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that everyone in this country has the right to attain higher education. I am not saying only affluent members of society should be allowed to attend as was the trend in the past. What I contend is that parents of today place so much emphasis on telling their children "You can be whatever you want when you grow up" that they forget that some things cannot be taught. You cannot teach a person who abhors math to become an engineer anymore than you can teach a fish to fly or a bird to swim. Realistic goals for our children's futures should be set early on in childhood. If Johnnie was born with no tongue or no sense of smell, he probably shouldn't pursue a career as a food critic.

At some point people will come to realize that the high tuition prices are simple supply and demand...the more people who are "expecting" to go to college, regardless of cost, the more colleges will be charging...the more they will have to expand their facilities...and the less effective their teaching will become. I look forward to the day when a high school senior realizes that the job they want doesn't "require" a college education, but rather an apprenticeship, or enrollment in a trade school. A simpler time awaits...

Leftovers

I love conference leftovers days! The variety of food my company chooses to order for lunchtime conferences is quite vast. Sometimes it's pizza, sometimes sandwiches, sometimes salads, sometimes pasta, sometimes Mexican food (yes, that's right, Mexican food!) Granted, I have never actually "attended" one of these well-fed meetings, but around 2:00pm I certainly benefit from the leftovers. Today was amazing. Everything I mentioned before (save pizza) was on the table next to the "Please Help Yourself!" sign signaling to all of my fellow food scavengers out there that it was acceptable for us to pick through the leftovers. I chose a "scoop" of vegetarian lasagna and half a turkey, pesto, and cheese sandwich on focaccia bread. There were no cookies. The only thing that could have made today's spread better would have been cookies. Thankfully, yesterday there were mystery cookies in the kitchen. I indulged myself with a cookie yesterday (after heating for 15 seconds in the microwave) and it was the highlight of my day.

Thank you corporate America for your love of staff meetings and your ability to use those meetings as a time to feed your employees. I salute you and all the administrative assistants who place the orders with the various caterers that bring those delicious goodies to my place of work. Thanks to each and every one of you!

Procrastination

"Please do not be jealous of my exceptional motivation and productivity, you slacker. You who cannot even make your way to Target for a simple wedding gift."

I was really called out on my procrastination today. I have been meaning to order this wedding gift for the past few weeks now from Target.com. Now it's too close to the actual wedding date and I must venture into a Target store to make my purchase...that and Hubby kinda reminded me that the item I wanted to purchase would probably end up costing me double after paying for shipping. Ever the optimist I decided that I could make this gift more exciting by delivering it personally a mere seven hours from my home and adding a few tidbits to the gift to really make it stand out...or something like that.

When did I become such a procrastinator? I guess I really have been one all my life now that I think about it. Even when it came to things I do for fun, like scrapbooking, I still procrastinate sometimes because I want things to be "perfect" and sometimes because I just become bored. It's why I can't commit to an exercise routine, choose a hobby, complete a study method, finish reading a book, or even to dropping one of my "regular" TV shows when I know I watch entirely too much TV. Is this truly procrastination, or a fear of completion? Perhaps it's not the starting that is such a daunting task, but rather the finishing of a task...the unknown that looms after the completion that really is my problem. Sometimes perhaps I should just get off my butt and do something rather than try to rationalize my actions...