Frustration

This job hunting thing really does suck, apparently most of the jobs posted on Craigslist are scams (which is why I won't be looking there anymore) and most of the jobs on job search engines are for temp agencies. I'm trying my luck with the state but I keep getting letters back saying that I do not have list eligibility (check again people, I do, and I have the results to prove it). My first day down here, I had a job interview, the first one I've had in a long time. Though I didn't get the job, I figured it was a sign that finding a job down here may be easier. So far I've been proven wrong. Within the first week of moving here I also had a test for a position with the school district. We were told only the top three would get interviews, guess who ranked third? And guess who has not heard about her interview three weeks later and calling numerous times to leave messages? Sigh... oh well.

The upside is, there have been more jobs to apply for, so I'll just keep trying.

Everyone Likes A Good Train Wreck

Okay, think back to the last time you passed an accident. I'm talking, mangled cars on the road with an ambulance, fire truck, and two cop cars.

Did you look?

Chances are you did, because for some reason, it is in our nature to observe tragic circumstances. It also seems to be in our nature to pass judgment on these "trainwrecks."

Think about "Octomom," did you pass judgment on that trainwreck? I'm sure you did. What about Charlie Sheen? Yeah? I'm sure I could continue to name "trainwreck" after "trainwreck" and I'm sure you had a judgmental thought or two, or even more about each one. I know I'm guilty of them too! However, why is it that we feel so comfortable judging these people, most of them we'll never personally know.

Lately, I've heard a lot of people judge a certain "trainwreck" one that I will not name as it is completely and utterly tragic. I will say that it is high profile and many people are throwing around the "off with their head" sentiment about the individual involved.

Why do they feel compelled to pass judgment? Why are we going with the kneejerk, emotional response, instead of cooling our head and waiting for the rational and logical thoughts? Why must we respond to everything with "Kill them!" Instead of waiting for the facts and hoping for justice and mercy?

This makes me sad that many are quick to anger and lust for blood, instead of wait for the truth and facts to be revealed.

Even those that may be faced with the truth and facts refuse to think other than "blood, blood, blood." Why? What good does that accomplish? Why do people desire this so much?

Just a few thoughts tonight my friends, just the both of us (TJ and I) wondering why people seek death and destruction instead of truth and mercy.

TJ wanted me to add this:

"A Dog's Purpose from a 6 year old"

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me.  I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.  He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Wanted: A Few Good Mommy Friends

In case you missed the last few posts, we moved, which means when it comes to friends we have to start all over again. Easy, right?

In high school, it was about seeking out the people that shared the same interests with you, those interests could be drama, basketball, JROTC, or the Backstreet Boys. All that mattered is that you had something in common and you could tolerate each other.

Then as adults it gets a bit more complicated, perhaps you can make friends at college, or your workplace, or a civic group or club you belong to, but there is still that common denominator of having at least one thing in common.

I have kids, which means I share a common denominator with many people out there, and yet finding "Mommy" friends is so illusive to me. It is a friendship I have struggled to create over the past eight years, and having recently moved, I don't anticipate it getting any easier.

I feel completely and utterly socially inept when it comes to making "Mommy" friends. For starters, where can I find these women? Do I start stalking playgrounds and Chuck E. Cheese's in the hopes that I'll find a mom that I hit it off with? How would I even approach them? I can see it now....

Me: "Hi, I just noticed how well your son is playing on the playground with my two boys, we should totally Facebook each other!"

or....

Me: "OMG our kids have matching Perry the Platypus shirts, do you love Phineas and Ferb too? We have the new movie, you should come over some time for a playdate and watch it with us!"

Nah...wouldn't work. It seems picking up chicks in a bar is easier than picking up mommy friends at a park.

So in order to not appear as super creepy, stalker mom, I'll probably be the quiet mom sitting on the park bench, watching my kids play on the swings and slides and hope that one day I'll be able to stumble into a mommy friendship of my own.

Pay It Forward

I'm a big believer in karma, I really am. I believe that everything you send out into the world, good or bad, will eventually come back to you. TJ and I are also believers in paying it forward. Last weekend, it was paid back to us.

As you all know we have moved, and if you're a Facebook friend, you really know this because we haven't been shy about how much we love it here. So now our small mountain town with our friends and theatre family is about two and a half to three hour drive from our new city. This last weekend we attended the Golden Apple Awards, Tehachapi Community Theatre's annual pot luck and awards ceremony. We took our large SUV since we knew we were picking up my daughter from her dad's, and because it's a lot more comfortable than the Mini (sorry TJ). We get up to T-Town, pick up my daughter, have lunch at Kelcy's, our favorite restaurant, get TJ and the boys their hair cut (yes, we love our stylist that much), and went to Albertsons to pick up some food for the pot luck and as we get back into the SUV, it won't start. All we hear is clicking.

Oh crap.

So I'm trying to think of my limited car knowledge and I begin to think it's something major, like the starter. TJ is checking the fuses and looks generally confused. A kind lady stops by and asks if we need roadside assistance, but of course that will cost us, so we decline and call TJ's parents, hoping they're coming into town soon. Nope, still an hour out.

We're so screwed.

Then a kind older gentleman walks up and says, "Hey need a jump?" He proceeds to get in his SUV and parks it in front of ours, and connects the batterys. We let it charge for a few minutes, and then attempt to start our SUV. Nothing. So the good Samaritan offers to take TJ to Auto Zone to get the battery checked, and I walk the kids to McDonalds (same parking lot as Albertsons) so they can play while I try not to freak out.

It is weird how things work out though. One of the reasons we go to Kelcy's is that there is a waitress there that we absolutely adore, and she's also a member of our theatre family. She was not at Kelcy's that day and we were bummed since we didn't know when we'd see her again. As I'm waiting in the McDonalds a familiar face walks into the Playplace area. I couldn't believe it, it's our friend! So thankfully I had someone to talk with as I waited nervously for news on the SUV.

TJ took the battery to get tested and as it turned out, it was completely dead. He bought a new battery and the good Samaritan took him back to the SUV and helped him put it in. SUV still would not start, so they went back to Auto Zone for connectors, and then back to the SUV to install them. This did the trick and I cannot tell you how happy I was to see TJ pull into the McDonalds parking lot.

Thankfully we made it to the awards in time and had a great evening visiting with our theatre family. TJ even won two Golden Apples, one for Best Actor (It's A Wonderful Life) and one for Best Blooper (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum). 

I'm also happy to report, the drive home was safe and uneventful.

I'm very thankful for this good Samaritan, all in all, he spent nearly an hour and a half of his own time helping us. This kind man is a reminder for me to keep paying it forward, and I hope you all do the same.

Isn't It Ironic?

No, I'm not talking Alanis Morissette "Ironic" where it's a bunch of weird occurrences (how is a black fly in a chardonnay really ironic, I just want to know). 

As our few readers know, TJ just started a job after seven long months of unemployment, during which he received unemployment benefits. Also during this period of unemployment, we both took tests for state employment as office technicians. 

Anyways, we're going through the mail and there have been offers for interviews and such with the state (not worth the time, his new job is so much better). Well we're going through the mail and he has two pieces of mail from EDD (California unemployment). One is some affidavit about the address change (he just received his final unemployment checks) and the other is an offer for an interview with them.

Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

Darren-ism for the day: "Mom, I'm so glad you made us!"

Having an Open Mind and an Open Heart

I used to be a judgmental, self-righteous bitch. Seriously, it was bad. I was all up in everyone's business and wasn't afraid to judge them for it. But what I should have done was to take a look at my own life. What I would have found is that I'm far from perfect, and I have made mistakes. I would have figured out that I had no business in judging others, or saying negative things about their life. 

Eventually I did learn this lesson, and it has been a learning experience ever since. I'm happy to have this outlook now, but it's unfortunate and saddening that many do not. I'm honestly just tired of people judging the ones I love, and the self-righteousness is sickening. So I am left with this problem, do I call these people on it? Or do I hope that one day they will have the same realization that I had? I have to be honest, I hate confrontation, and typically avoid it like a nerd avoids Twihards at Comic-Con. 

I guess this is just me airing my frustration at all the judgmental people of the world. What can be done?

Black Sheep Unite!

According to Wikipedia (which as we all know, may or may not be accurate), "black sheep" is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness. It derived from the atypical and unwanted presence of other black individuals in flocks of white sheep.

To go even further and reference the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (obviously more reputable than Wiki), "black sheep" means: The least reputable member of a group; a disgrace. For example, Uncle Fritz was the black sheep of the family; we always thought he emigrated to Argentina to avoid jail. This metaphor is based on the idea that black sheep were less valuable than white ones because it was more difficult to dye their wool different colors. Also, in the 16th century, their color was considered the devil's mark. By the 18th century the term was widely used as it is today, for the odd member of a group.

Well one thing you may have gleaned from this blog is that we're odd. I am the self-proclaimed black sheep of my family, given the many times I've been wayward (as my family would call them, mistakes), I'm obviously the odd one out. Yes, I live unconventionally, I've given up the family religion, the family political party, and live life differently.

This hasn't proven to be too much of an issue with my immediate family, because I have to be honest, they can be a little odd too, and my parents were both the black sheep of their families (that whole apple and tree idiom is coming to mind). However, with the extended family it seems to be a problem. While there are family members who are not afraid to call, text, message, associate, etc with me, to the others I'm treated that if they ignore me, I might actually disappear. It does bother me at times, as I obviously feel left out, but I can't change the past, and I can't change who I am.

Any advice from any fellow black sheep out there?  

Stuff My Son Says

To begin with, we're doing well so far down in the OC, we've already been to Disneyland more times than I went in the first eleven years of my life. The apartment is coming together, though storage and organization remains an issue. We're hoping to rectify this problem after a couple trips to IKEA. TJ is settling into his job nicely, and I have many interviews and tests coming up, so employment is in the offing it seems. The boys have adapted so well to this move that it is frightening! I was completely ready for the tears and for the tearful statements of how they miss their friends and our old home. So far, not one tear, and they're not missing anything, if anything I hear how much they love the OC...many times a day.

Well that's the little update, now on to the subject of this blog posting. I realized a year or so ago, that my younger son is very witty, and some of the things that have come out of his mouth are quite entertaining or even downright hilarious. I don't know where he gets some of these things, but I suspect he picks up more than I even realize. A few days ago, after a few witty remarks made at the Magical Kingdom, I decided to start documenting these remarks, and what better way to keep track than on our blog?

Here are some older "Darren-isms" (as we call it in our house).

"Mom I can't walk smart," said as he trips over his own feet.

"Well, guess I'm screwed," said to his aunt after she refuses a request for sweets. I still don't know where he picked that up considering he was only five when he uttered those words.

While trying to talk him into eating all of his dinner so he could get dessert, he said, "Nevermind, sugar is bad for my brain." Outsmarted by a six year old!

"Don't worry mom, it's just a volcano," said while seeing Mount St. Helens for the first time.

"Are you kidding? That scared the crap out of us!" said when asked if he wanted to go back onto the Hollywood Tower of Terror

"Thank you my good man," said to a waiter who brought us our food at a restaurant at Disneyland.

"Mom, did they just use their flash? Didn't they listen to the pirates? It's against the rules!" said as some idiot used their flash repeatedly in the darkened part of Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean.

Which reminds me, why do people use their flash after they're told not to? What makes them think that it's a good idea to use the flash in a dark environment? Darren and I have light sensitive eyes, which means we need sunglasses whenever we're in sunlight or else we develop painful headaches.  In the past week, we've seen many people use their flash in the dark parts of rides, which has led to a few headaches, and the occasional grumpy TJ (nobody blinds his family and gets away with it).

So to my readers (what few of you there are), please, just say no to flash photography at Disneyland!

 Nerdy family on the loose at Disneyland!