Oprah Quote 2/08/10

“To know that people care about how you;re doing when the doings aren’t so good – that’s what love is.”

I’m pretty lucky in this respect, I have a good core of friends who I know care about how I’m doing. There are also a couple who can tell how I’m doing by my voice.  I sometimes for get this and need to be reminded by a good metaphorical kick in the head.

Oprah Quote 2/06/10

“Every sunrise is like a new page, a chance to receive each day in all it’s glory.”

This quote parallels my adopted’One Day at a Time’ philosophy. Every day may not be glorious but it is what it is, and nothing more or less.

It kinda weird that this is the quote that came out of the jar today, because I went to the cheap seats and spent $2.50 to watch 2012. The apocalypse just cannot wiggle it’s way into my ODAAT kind of life. I guess that’s one of the reasons I’ve never accepted the apocalyptic preaching of the Bible.  Give me Oprah’s glorious sunrises and smally flowers any day over that other garbage.

As disaster movies go, it was pretty well done. The special effects were pretty incredible, and premise was pretty corporate America – if you have eleventy-billion dollars you’ll get your ticket to survive, everyone else is screwed.  It was still an enjoyable movie but nothing I’ll wake up tomorrow worryying about.

Oprah Quote 2/05/10

“Reading gives you the ability to reach higher ground.”

That’s a fact Oprah. That’s why I identify myself as a reader, although, in recent months I have been reading as much. Several years ago someone asked me, “Why do you always have a book with you?” My answer, “I like to read. Reading is knowledge and knowledge empowers me.” I still believe this, so I have no idea why I haven’t been reading as much lately.

Which brings me to the book I just finished. It would have normally been a fast read, but it took me several weeks to read. Here it is:

This was my first Carl Hiaasen book. It’s about an ecological madman. O.k. he’s not really a madman, but he’s really mad about the decimation of Florida’s shoreline, and he’s a man.  He’s motivated by his hatred for his father, who was a developer and responsible for building up Florida’s shoreline, destroying Florida’s natural beauty. Hiaasen uses a humrous voice to deliver his message. I laughed out loud more than once.

I also bought a new book today. A friend gave me a gift card to Barnes and Noble (sorry, Dana, going to B&N makes me feel like a traitor), and I bought Sherman Alexie’s book, Indian Killer.  I’m a big fan of Alexie’s short stories and poetry, so expectations for his novel are high.

Too bad I left the dang thing in the car, so I wont be starting it tonight, unless I want to go back out in the cold. Ummm, nope.

Oprah Quote 2/04/10

“Use what you have to run toward your best – that’s how I live my life.”

Wow! There’s something to think about, right?

I don’t have much but I have what I need and occasionally I get things I want. This reminds me to use what I have to make myself better, rather than focus on what I don’t have.

I sometimes get irritated, while at meetings, listening to people complain about what we call “high class” problems. Someone who has been denied some luxury item, because they have to pay for their mistakes. I sit in my chair and stew, thinking, “try living on almost no income and come back and complain.” When paying your rent every month is a real challenge come back and talk to me.

But, I do my best to let those kind of comments go. If I’m going to respond with something snarky and mean I may as well stay home. I instead focus on what I have to do next best thing to make things better, especially when the outcomes are out of my control.

Taking the next best step and doing what I need to do, I think, is using what I have to be my best, even if what I have is not that much right now.

Oprah Quote – 2/03/10

Opps. I forgot to do my Oprah quote yesterday. I have a good excuse though, I was working on my website. I’m working on drumming up some business, since I can’t seem to get a job, I’m going to have to make one.

Here’s the quote:

“If you can survive 11 days in cramped quarters with a friend and some out laughing, your friendship is the real deal.”

I’ve yet to spend 11 days holes up with one person. But I can pretty much guarantee spending 3 days with a whole group of friends and come out spiritually high. This is something that’s going to happen in a couple weeks. I’m going on a retreat. I won’t know some, but there is a core group that I’ve been on other retreats with, and it’s a promise of a great time.

Oprah Quote 2/01/2010

“The work of your life is to discover your purpose and get on with the business of living it out.”

Wow. This one is a little heavy, or perhaps heady is a better word. I say this because the moment I read this one, this morning, my head started spinning.  Sometimes I think I know what my purpose is, but in times of discouragement that purpose goes right out the window.

I believe my purpose is to use my talents and experiences to help others. Or, to help me become a better person while helping others. I applied for a job last week that would have connected my purpose to gainful employment, but I quickly received a rejection letter siting “lack of education”.   After getting the rejection letter, I read an article in the paper about two people in the county probation and sobriety court departments (the positions I had been rejected) who are being investigated . One had already been fired.  Perhaps this problem came from hiring people who had the “required education” but lacked personal experience, and the support needed to deal with these kind of positions.

So, off I go to punch a hole through discouragement and get on the business of living out my purpose.

P.s. Becasue I just watched a commercial for the winter olympics I have to say,  “Curling is a very strange sport.”

Oprah Quote 1/31/2010

“Whenever you’ve been touched by love, a heart-print lingers.”

After yesterdays show of love and support, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I pulled the above quote today…

Too tired to write more.

Graduating to Oprah Quotes

Today, well, more like yesterday, was my college graduation party. It was a long, hard process for this old brain to survive through enough classes to get my degree, so, naturally, having a party seemed appropriate.

I loved all the people who showed up. It was great seeing everyone, even that pesky Jackie who kept insisting on taking my picture. I’m not very photogenic, and I hate having my picture taken, but she managed to get a picture of me with everyone who showed up.

The most interesting thing of the day is a gift I received from my friend Darlene. It was a Bell jar labeled “Quotes from Oprah”. It was full of strips of paper with a quote on each one. It was obvious she put her heart and sole into this project.  I’ve never seen anything like it before. In fact, Shelby said, “I’m so stealing that idea”, while a few more heads bobbed yes.

I thought it would be a good way to get me blogging again, so here’s the first one.

“Listen. Pay attention. Treasure every moment. “

This is actually the perfect one to start with.

I consider myself a good listener, and I’m a true believer in seeing every little miracle of life, when we pay attention, but I have forgotten how to “treasure every moment.” The struggle of not being fully and gainfully employed has made me forget how to treasure every moment. With every new rejection letter comes a little more discouragement. It’s hard not to take it personal, especially when I get rejection letters stating lack of education or experience as the reason for not even getting the chance at an interview. It can be hard to feel the accomplishment of finally graduating when you have it in black and white that it’s not enough. Or, when so many years of varied experience is not going to cut it. What is left out there these days for someone who is 45 and newly graduated? It’s kind of frightening.

So, I guess I’ll just have to work a little harder at Treasuring every moment. Fake it until I make it, or something like that.

Dee’s Dumbass Thing of the Week.

I’ve decided to dust of the old blog. I haven’t done anything remotely interesting, or worth writing about since, oh, umm, I think, April. Things are startign to pick up so here we are.

So here it is:

Last night I was preparing for my trip to Traverse City by checking the fluids in my car. I checked the oil, and sure enough, due to a slow leak, it was low. I filled her up and things were good. The whole entire trip north, I had a nagging feeling something was wrong. I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember putting the cap back on, you know, where the oil goes in, what ever it’s called.

I don’t have a radio in my car  so the whole trip there was an argument going on in my head. Yeah, you put it on.

No.. I don’t know. I can’t remember.

Yeah, it’s on there.

I remember putting the oil in; I remember checking the oil again; I remember cleaning the funnel off; I remember putting the oil jug back in the truck, but I don’t remember putting the cap on.

Yeah. It’s on there. It has to be.

I really don’t know.

It’s was not as simple as just pulling over and looking, because  and my car’s latch cable is stretched out and actually needs two people to open the hood.

So, onward ho! The whole approximately 200 miles.

Sure enough when I got there, I could definitely see the cap was not on without even opening the hood. There was oil dripping down the side of my right fender. Oops.

After finishing the job I went to do, I had to embarrass myself and ask one of the guys on-site to help me open my hood. Something I couldn’t do without telling him why I needed help with my car hood. DOH!  He didn’t laugh too hard. Well, not to my face anyway.

In spite of the dumbassedness, and after a crash course of me teaching myself how to use a phone line tester (affectionately known as a “butt set”) the trip was a smashing success!

P.s. Where’d all my images go? <shrug>

A Horse of a Different Color

My sisters horse just had a baby.

<–Isn’t that just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?

The best news though, is well get to see the little horse, in person, next month.  We are going to a road trip to Montana where my sister lives.

I haven’t laid my eyes my sister in almost a decade. Her boys a practically adults. We are going for Ethan’s graduation. The youngest is nearly 16. How times flys.

Speaking of time flying my baby is going to be 18 in 9 days!  She was pouting around the house Monday, because she is on spring break but we cannot do anything, when my sister told her we are going to Montana next month.

She cried.

She stopped pouting though.