today and yesterday i was blessed with an extracurricular activity- walking a friend's dog while she was out of town.
she must have taken pity on me, because about a month ago i designed these "Pet Nanny" fliers, to provide services for people who needed someone to walk their dog, take care of their cat, etc. this was one of my many ideas for extra income, work, fun, and exercise. and unlike almost all my other ideas for entreprenuring (sp?) my skills, i actually followed through on this one. the bad news is that i haven't had any business with the exception of the past two days, and i don't even expect to get paid since i'm doing it more as a favor, after all. but the good news is- i had so much fun doing it! and i even got a pretty good workout without feeling like i was trying too hard.
the dog's name is Guiness, partially after the lager because his coat is dark black and brown, and partially, i'm told, because he should be in the "Guiness Book of World Records" for being the cutest dog around. which, during our walk today, i dicussed with some old ladies we passed on the sidewalk. "we" being me and the designated doggie of course ;)
and the thought came to me, wouldn't it be funny if the world was run by dogs? instead of saying hi or shaking hands, we would greet strangers by sniffing their crotch. we would be more excited to walk outside sniffing greenery than walking around a mall (which i sometimes am anyway, but it mostly depends on the day.) we wouldn't care about watching tv or movies, we would just want to play fetch. we wouldn't need to "get away from it all" with an expensive vacation, we would just want to go for a ride in the car sticking our heads out the window, not caring that it would mess up our hair.
so maybe it wasn't i that was walking Guiness, maybe in turn, it was he that was walking me. and i feel better for it, in many many ways.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
just pennies
so here i am, turned down from yet another job, about to go to the store, because the cupboards are getting emptier and emptier.
per the grocery store's daily special, i'm getting prego sauce for 99 cents, a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts for 3.99, lettuce for 38 cents, & the other essentials; a carton of eggs, half a gallon of milk, and some mozzerella cheese. so if i'm lucky i can keep it under $10.oo.
and with me i'm bringing empty soda cans and a jar of pennies to exchange for cash in their "coinstar" machine. and i'm hoping & praying i can get what i need with just pennies.
per the grocery store's daily special, i'm getting prego sauce for 99 cents, a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts for 3.99, lettuce for 38 cents, & the other essentials; a carton of eggs, half a gallon of milk, and some mozzerella cheese. so if i'm lucky i can keep it under $10.oo.
and with me i'm bringing empty soda cans and a jar of pennies to exchange for cash in their "coinstar" machine. and i'm hoping & praying i can get what i need with just pennies.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
make a list, check it twice
i was going through some old notebooks, as i do from time to time (especially now that i have more of it), and found one in particular that sparked my interest.
it was just a small notepad, interspersed with grocery lists, unfinished poems, schedules, the "lists" go on. :) and as i was reading myself to sleep with my random past, i came upon a few headers that made me chuckle, such as :
*Upcoming Stressors
*Stressors B4 Thanksgiving
*Things that make me want to scream
...all of course, involving senior year exams, thesis work, etc.
but the best out of all of these didn't have a header. this list simply read, top to bottom;
-Fidel Castro/Cuba
-Kids running away
-Person runnng for Mayor
-Road Trip
(Wtf right?)
so i racked my brain trying to come up with some logical reason why i had made a list as random as such. maybe they were wierd dreams i had, or maybe they were possible topics to write about for my fiction class, but even then i can't think of one good reason i would have chosen to write about Fidel Castro. but alas- here i am, doing just that.
it was just a small notepad, interspersed with grocery lists, unfinished poems, schedules, the "lists" go on. :) and as i was reading myself to sleep with my random past, i came upon a few headers that made me chuckle, such as :
*Upcoming Stressors
*Stressors B4 Thanksgiving
*Things that make me want to scream
...all of course, involving senior year exams, thesis work, etc.
but the best out of all of these didn't have a header. this list simply read, top to bottom;
-Fidel Castro/Cuba
-Kids running away
-Person runnng for Mayor
-Road Trip
(Wtf right?)
so i racked my brain trying to come up with some logical reason why i had made a list as random as such. maybe they were wierd dreams i had, or maybe they were possible topics to write about for my fiction class, but even then i can't think of one good reason i would have chosen to write about Fidel Castro. but alas- here i am, doing just that.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
stickers
before i could afford/choose my own clothes, shoes, purses, etc., stickers were a form of expressing myself.
this evening as i was leaving wal-mart, i was enchanted; a sentence i never thought i would say. but after picking up the necessary items an unemployed women of my stance needs (e.g. mountain dew and ibprofen) i noticed a female employee at the exit handing out wal-mart logo stickers to small children. and i smiled, remembering my not so far from current obsession with that stationery "must have".
when i was younger stickers were my life. they were worth more than gold. in fact, if i got money for my birthday, or christmas, i would go out and buy more stickers. i had sticker books, containers for stickers, a sticker making machine, the list goes on. i adorned all of my favorite objects with my favorite stickers; there were the adhesives of cats on my phone, self-made stickers on my school supplies, and generally anywhere else i had been you would find glossy prints of cute animals, or flourescently colored shapes to make everything look better. sort of like a non-cryptic note saying "sarah was here."
and sometimes its easy to forget where you come from, and what used to make you happy. its important to remember, and i was glad for the little reminder in an insignificant place, at an insignificant time.
so here's to the small things in life: may they never be out of style.
this evening as i was leaving wal-mart, i was enchanted; a sentence i never thought i would say. but after picking up the necessary items an unemployed women of my stance needs (e.g. mountain dew and ibprofen) i noticed a female employee at the exit handing out wal-mart logo stickers to small children. and i smiled, remembering my not so far from current obsession with that stationery "must have".
when i was younger stickers were my life. they were worth more than gold. in fact, if i got money for my birthday, or christmas, i would go out and buy more stickers. i had sticker books, containers for stickers, a sticker making machine, the list goes on. i adorned all of my favorite objects with my favorite stickers; there were the adhesives of cats on my phone, self-made stickers on my school supplies, and generally anywhere else i had been you would find glossy prints of cute animals, or flourescently colored shapes to make everything look better. sort of like a non-cryptic note saying "sarah was here."
and sometimes its easy to forget where you come from, and what used to make you happy. its important to remember, and i was glad for the little reminder in an insignificant place, at an insignificant time.
so here's to the small things in life: may they never be out of style.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
two things that make my mouth water
Sarah's quiche:
5-6 eggs (minus 1 egg white set aside in small dish)
7.5 ounces of Ricotta cheese (about 1/2 of a regular sized container)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (i like to use either Italian blend, or chedder & parmesean)
give or take 3 Tbsp. milk (i just have 1%)
1 tsp. flour
~1/4 cup shredded Hormel Natural Choice deli ham lunchmeat
~1/4 cup mushrooms
~1/4 cup chopped french onions
~1/4 cup diced red pepper
(Different meats/vegetables can always be substituted, my personal favorite is spinach, plain & simple!)
I use a store bought pie crust to line the pie/quiche dish- Pilsbury is always good & cheap- and glaze the crust with a egg white/milky mixture. Then I cover the showing crust with foil and bake everything together for about 45 minutes. Yum!
Best Smoothie Ever: (in honor of my recently purchased blender)
1 peach
1 banana
1/2 container fresh rasberries
1/2 small container lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. ground flax seed
1/2 cup milk (again i use 1%)
I like to first crush 3-4 ice cubes to make it super cool especially during summer. Then add chopped fruit and rest of the ingredients. Again, fruits are always easy to substitute but this tastily gets me out of my strawberry-banana habit ;) tomorrow i'm going to try watermelon and grape! Serves 2- enjoy!
(oh, and for the record, i don't have a recipe book to reference as i created these two delights myself ;)
5-6 eggs (minus 1 egg white set aside in small dish)
7.5 ounces of Ricotta cheese (about 1/2 of a regular sized container)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (i like to use either Italian blend, or chedder & parmesean)
give or take 3 Tbsp. milk (i just have 1%)
1 tsp. flour
~1/4 cup shredded Hormel Natural Choice deli ham lunchmeat
~1/4 cup mushrooms
~1/4 cup chopped french onions
~1/4 cup diced red pepper
(Different meats/vegetables can always be substituted, my personal favorite is spinach, plain & simple!)
I use a store bought pie crust to line the pie/quiche dish- Pilsbury is always good & cheap- and glaze the crust with a egg white/milky mixture. Then I cover the showing crust with foil and bake everything together for about 45 minutes. Yum!
Best Smoothie Ever: (in honor of my recently purchased blender)
1 peach
1 banana
1/2 container fresh rasberries
1/2 small container lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 tsp. ground flax seed
1/2 cup milk (again i use 1%)
I like to first crush 3-4 ice cubes to make it super cool especially during summer. Then add chopped fruit and rest of the ingredients. Again, fruits are always easy to substitute but this tastily gets me out of my strawberry-banana habit ;) tomorrow i'm going to try watermelon and grape! Serves 2- enjoy!
(oh, and for the record, i don't have a recipe book to reference as i created these two delights myself ;)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
on the eve of turning 27
tonight was movie night for me & jesse- we decided to watch "The Shawshank Redemption". since i bought this film quite a few years ago, it was on vhs. so we had to snuggle in his room to watch it on his old tv. i had forgotten how much i liked this movie, but for some reason, was in the mood to watch it.
its not the most upbeat flick; despite the happy ending there is a lot of stress and suffering the main character, Andy Dufrain, has to endure. not only is he sentenced for life due to a crime he didn't commit, but he gets raped, beaten innumerable times, and generally treated like shit along with his fellow inmates. however, Andy still rises above it all, ends ups making friends among the guards and doing taxes/books for the warden and others. and of course, ends up escaping through the prison's sewer system to freedom, and justice is given to those who wronged him.
so inspite of all the teeth clenching, and wincing moments throughout, its a feel good movie in the end and there are a lot of laughs along the way. and as i was watching, i got to thinking about some symbolism between the movie, and what i have/am experiencing this time in my life.
in no way do i have the same misfortune of Andy Dufrain, but yet, in the same way he was injustly sentenced, i feel like i am being punished for no reason. i have been "fired" 3 times from temporary jobs in the past 2 1/2 years. not for doing anything "wrong" or "unethical", but simply for my time being up. and the interview i had last week, well, that didn't work out either. so tonight i felt a little bit like Morgan Freeman's character in the movie, Red, as he was rejected year after year for parole. in certain respects to the working world, i feel i have paid my dues. i have been receiving some sort of paycheck- big or small- since i was 13 years old, when i worked as a part time janitor for my family's church. fourteen years later, tedious job after tedious job, i still don't know what i want to be when i "grow up". and on days when i think i do, i don't know how to get there.
there's a section of the Shawshank story, where Red talks about what it means to be institutionalized, after an elderly man is released on parole. Brooks- the former librarian in the prison- commits suicide as a result of having no idea how to exist in the "real world." after 50 years of being placed in an institution, day after day of the same routine, he doesn't fit in in the modern world full of automobiles on every corner, and is too old and arthritic to keep pace at his part time job at the grocery store.
in some ways i feel i have been "institutionalized" as a temp. i've become somewhat dependent on temporary jobs, first starting when i worked summer jobs, or work studies at college, and now because that's the type of employment i've had working with an agency that finds positions for you. and even though i've interviewed numerous times to make these temporary positions permanent, apparently i'm not wanted in that facility. and so because all of this, its not only hard to try and apply for various jobs after so many failures, but also hard to have goals and strive for something big. its my fear of rejection, plain and simple. and even though these failures aren't specifically my fault, its hard not to take it personally time, after time, after time.
tomorrow is my birthday, and i just didn't want to turn 27 without having a plan, either immediate or long term. i didn't want to say i'm unemployed to my friends and family, when they call or write to wish me a happy day.
but who knows, maybe its a good thing that i don't have something to fall back on, some immediate easy way out through my temping agency. maybe its good my figurative book is open and the page is empty. maybe freedom means- like Andy's escape- having to crawl through hundreds of feet of shit before i can reach paradise. and still having hope despite my current situation.
so here's to another year- and may it be the best one yet.
its not the most upbeat flick; despite the happy ending there is a lot of stress and suffering the main character, Andy Dufrain, has to endure. not only is he sentenced for life due to a crime he didn't commit, but he gets raped, beaten innumerable times, and generally treated like shit along with his fellow inmates. however, Andy still rises above it all, ends ups making friends among the guards and doing taxes/books for the warden and others. and of course, ends up escaping through the prison's sewer system to freedom, and justice is given to those who wronged him.
so inspite of all the teeth clenching, and wincing moments throughout, its a feel good movie in the end and there are a lot of laughs along the way. and as i was watching, i got to thinking about some symbolism between the movie, and what i have/am experiencing this time in my life.
in no way do i have the same misfortune of Andy Dufrain, but yet, in the same way he was injustly sentenced, i feel like i am being punished for no reason. i have been "fired" 3 times from temporary jobs in the past 2 1/2 years. not for doing anything "wrong" or "unethical", but simply for my time being up. and the interview i had last week, well, that didn't work out either. so tonight i felt a little bit like Morgan Freeman's character in the movie, Red, as he was rejected year after year for parole. in certain respects to the working world, i feel i have paid my dues. i have been receiving some sort of paycheck- big or small- since i was 13 years old, when i worked as a part time janitor for my family's church. fourteen years later, tedious job after tedious job, i still don't know what i want to be when i "grow up". and on days when i think i do, i don't know how to get there.
there's a section of the Shawshank story, where Red talks about what it means to be institutionalized, after an elderly man is released on parole. Brooks- the former librarian in the prison- commits suicide as a result of having no idea how to exist in the "real world." after 50 years of being placed in an institution, day after day of the same routine, he doesn't fit in in the modern world full of automobiles on every corner, and is too old and arthritic to keep pace at his part time job at the grocery store.
in some ways i feel i have been "institutionalized" as a temp. i've become somewhat dependent on temporary jobs, first starting when i worked summer jobs, or work studies at college, and now because that's the type of employment i've had working with an agency that finds positions for you. and even though i've interviewed numerous times to make these temporary positions permanent, apparently i'm not wanted in that facility. and so because all of this, its not only hard to try and apply for various jobs after so many failures, but also hard to have goals and strive for something big. its my fear of rejection, plain and simple. and even though these failures aren't specifically my fault, its hard not to take it personally time, after time, after time.
tomorrow is my birthday, and i just didn't want to turn 27 without having a plan, either immediate or long term. i didn't want to say i'm unemployed to my friends and family, when they call or write to wish me a happy day.
but who knows, maybe its a good thing that i don't have something to fall back on, some immediate easy way out through my temping agency. maybe its good my figurative book is open and the page is empty. maybe freedom means- like Andy's escape- having to crawl through hundreds of feet of shit before i can reach paradise. and still having hope despite my current situation.
so here's to another year- and may it be the best one yet.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
dolphins and sea turtles
is it wierd that i'm more upset about the recent oil spill than i am about losing my job again? and is it even more strange that i'm more sad about the hurt and dying animals in the Gulf area than i was about the terrorist attack on 09/11/2001?
i was doing some reading tonight on a couple different websites as to why this problem hasn't been remedied yet. per Weather.com: "An estimate from a government-led team in May put the leak at between 504,000 gallons to 798,000 gallons a day." and to use one of their easy to relate to graphs- thats enough to fill over 52 olympic sized pools. in one day.
and i guess i just find it ironic that our government as well as other countries, especially in the last 10-20 years, have been obsessed with the oil, the need of oil, and the lack of oil reserves. and of course oil spills happen quite often, but this is by far one of the most devastating one in a long time. people kill people for oil -> oil kills wildlife -> humans once again suffer at the upset of homeostasis. and even though accidents happen, it's just so depressing to me that all of this seemingly could have been avoided. the same article i mentioned above, stated, "So far, 29 dead dolphins and 227 dead sea turtles have been collected within the oil spill area." what did the dolphins and sea turtles ever do to us? i posted the link to a short slide show- only showing just a few scenes of the tradgedy. i liked this particular picture of the 3 clean pelicans next to the 4 dirty ones. it seems so symbolic in the way some people relate to one another, and react to devastation. sometimes we just stand by and watch the suffering, and do nothing. either out of ignorance or apathy, but mostly, because there is really nothing more we can do. http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/oil-spilll-animal-slideshow_2010-05-27?page=5
i've always thought it would be quite an experience if i could be apart of the clean up crew-i see those commercials about how purchasing the dish soap "Dawn" will contribute donations to help clean up the animals caught in oil spills. that makes me really wish i could somehow take an all expenses paid trip down to Louisiana to lend a hand. (and on another note- hasn't LA suffered enough lately? they're still recovering from Katrina!)
humans are often the biggest help in times of crisis, but we are also the one biggest threat to our earth. and it saddens me when i feel like it all seems pointless. even the volunteers who are working all non-stop to help, are just redoing the same work day after day until the oil stops leaking. its interesting how in the same pictures i saw of dirty beaches and these clean up crews, i saw people swimming, tanning, putting up their feet and vacationing as normal. and its not that people shouldn't be allowed to have some free time, but honestly, i don't think i could stomach being that apathetic only a few feet away.
http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2010/06/dauphin_island_oil_scenes.html
in another article on abc.com regarding the spill, (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Politics/attorney-general-eric-holder-justice-department-investigate-bp/story?id=10805026&page=2) reporters Brian Winter and Kevin Johnson conclude: " 'They seem to be throwing up their hands,' said Carl Safina, an ecologist and founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, an environmental group. 'It seems like we're ruining the Gulf of Mexico, and there's nothing effective that can be done to stop it.' "
i believe there's still hope. but to anyone in the future who would demeaningly call me a tree hugger, i shake my head at you. i really, really do.
i was doing some reading tonight on a couple different websites as to why this problem hasn't been remedied yet. per Weather.com: "An estimate from a government-led team in May put the leak at between 504,000 gallons to 798,000 gallons a day." and to use one of their easy to relate to graphs- thats enough to fill over 52 olympic sized pools. in one day.
and i guess i just find it ironic that our government as well as other countries, especially in the last 10-20 years, have been obsessed with the oil, the need of oil, and the lack of oil reserves. and of course oil spills happen quite often, but this is by far one of the most devastating one in a long time. people kill people for oil -> oil kills wildlife -> humans once again suffer at the upset of homeostasis. and even though accidents happen, it's just so depressing to me that all of this seemingly could have been avoided. the same article i mentioned above, stated, "So far, 29 dead dolphins and 227 dead sea turtles have been collected within the oil spill area." what did the dolphins and sea turtles ever do to us? i posted the link to a short slide show- only showing just a few scenes of the tradgedy. i liked this particular picture of the 3 clean pelicans next to the 4 dirty ones. it seems so symbolic in the way some people relate to one another, and react to devastation. sometimes we just stand by and watch the suffering, and do nothing. either out of ignorance or apathy, but mostly, because there is really nothing more we can do. http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/oil-spilll-animal-slideshow_2010-05-27?page=5
i've always thought it would be quite an experience if i could be apart of the clean up crew-i see those commercials about how purchasing the dish soap "Dawn" will contribute donations to help clean up the animals caught in oil spills. that makes me really wish i could somehow take an all expenses paid trip down to Louisiana to lend a hand. (and on another note- hasn't LA suffered enough lately? they're still recovering from Katrina!)
humans are often the biggest help in times of crisis, but we are also the one biggest threat to our earth. and it saddens me when i feel like it all seems pointless. even the volunteers who are working all non-stop to help, are just redoing the same work day after day until the oil stops leaking. its interesting how in the same pictures i saw of dirty beaches and these clean up crews, i saw people swimming, tanning, putting up their feet and vacationing as normal. and its not that people shouldn't be allowed to have some free time, but honestly, i don't think i could stomach being that apathetic only a few feet away.
http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2010/06/dauphin_island_oil_scenes.html
in another article on abc.com regarding the spill, (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Politics/attorney-general-eric-holder-justice-department-investigate-bp/story?id=10805026&page=2) reporters Brian Winter and Kevin Johnson conclude: " 'They seem to be throwing up their hands,' said Carl Safina, an ecologist and founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, an environmental group. 'It seems like we're ruining the Gulf of Mexico, and there's nothing effective that can be done to stop it.' "
i believe there's still hope. but to anyone in the future who would demeaningly call me a tree hugger, i shake my head at you. i really, really do.
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