Nobody writes to me

Yup, it's Halloween, I'm dressed up like a security officer (if that ain't a costume, nothing is... LOL!) and I'm feeling like no one reads my blog. I don't know... I've been on a boohoo for me for the past two weeks. You know it's bad when the youngest daughter asks why you've been a royal b$tch for the past couple weeks.

Course, the fact that there's now a narrow channel to walk through my dining room might be part of it. The girls say that they don't make the mess because they're never home. Hmm... I hate to break the news, but that's exactly why it is them who's making the mess. They come in, drop everything and then run off to God knows where. (They always do check in with me, but I can't even begin to keep track anymore. ) The piles are getting deeper and deeper.

I wonder if Clean House would ever dream of coming to New England?

All that aside, the Southern Command is going to meet up. We've scheduled a meeting and my goal is to expand my plan for world domination. Get the other guys involved in what I'm doing. Let some of my enthusiasm rub off and see if it infects them.

Have to work late tonight. Until 8PM. I guess the bosses are worried that the kids will dress up in costumes that attack and swill beer by the gallon without any participation from the kids wearing said costumes. I could just see it. Harem costumes invading the brains of their owners and tossing them on the floor while sleeves hold steins of beer over their mouths, forcing them to drink and become stupid. I guess I'll find out one way or the other.

OTOH, it'll be nice to have company for a change. We're overlapping shifts so I won't have to work alone from 4PM to 8PM. What a refreshing change.

In the meantime, I'll continue work on the Christmas present. I only have about 100 rows to go and it's finished. Can't wait to get a pic of that one.

I'm also going to get a pic of the socks I just finished in LL's Sherbet. They came out seriously nice. Going to wear them tomorrow. New month, new pair of socks. Maybe that will help bring about a change in my life. (I have no clue what that change will be, but I'm ready for one. )

Also, I did make contact with my spinning teacher. She's going to toss some dates out for my first lesson. It might have to wait until next week, though, because her farm is having an open house this weekend. Yes, I plan on attending it. She teased me and said they'll have llama roving available. Hmm... a nice scarf or even mittens of llama? Wouldn't that be beyond fabulous?

Okay, off to pay the mortgage. Did you know that the word "mortgage" comes from the Latin words "mortis" and "gage". Respectively, they mean "death" and "hold or grip". Mortgage = death grip.

Ain't it the truth...

Time Change... Oops.

Yup, a big "oops" on this one. Lord only knows when I'll finish this post, but the time you see on it is now correct. I didn't know that I could change the time from PST to EST... Hmm, should that be DST or did we just come out of DST into EST? Way too many abbreviations for me and it's way too early to think about.

But my body is still on the old time, so I was up at 4AM. Will make the bosses happy when I go back to work that I'm getting up earlier. This past week, I was running late just about every day. Mostly, because I was in here and updating my blog, but then the lines at Dunkin' Donuts was long and there were school buses. There's one that makes 5 stops... yes, count that *5* stops in a one block span... Unless I leave the house by 7:12, I'm inevitably caught behind that durned bus. And considering I don't have to be to work technically until 8AM, it really sucks having to leave that early.

I'm considering giving up my strike. I did dishes yesterday. A mountain of them. They'd been "soaking" for 4 days. The girls always tell me that they'll do them before they go to bed and yet I've caught them sneaking nighttime slumber for several nights before the trace of milk has "soaked" off the glasses. Heck, Dee has dug up half of a field and dragged it into my living room since she last sweated over a couple dinner plates. Isn't it amazing how dirt weighs so much less than a plate?

I did manage to push the wilderness out of my way yesterday and did some spinning. I moved from the Wesleydale (is that even right? ) to the new Merino. A full pound of gorgeous confetti Merino from Copper Moose that I've been itching to try. It's light, light grey with little bits of yellow, blue and pink cotton strands mingled throughout. But that Merino is slippery. I kept losing the draft. I'd be spinning away and suddenly the hands are empty. Had to slow the wheel and loosen the tension to keep it from pulling away. I think I've got the hang of it now, if I could just get even tension.

I was doing good with the Corriedale and Wesleydale. In fact, I did enough that I plied some together. Have to get a pic of that and post it before I knit that into a scarf. I have more Corriedale, so I have to spin up more Wesleydale in order to finish the ply. Looks like an Aran tweed or something. Haven't got a clue, but I want to knit it into a scarf just so I can keep it as my first attempt at spinning.

BTW, contacted Laurie Sanford to get a lesson. She's going to email me with some dates and we'll pick one. Okay, I have the patience meter of a mayfly and I really wanted YESTERDAY, but it was a terrible day weather-wise so probably not a good idea to take the wheel out into the maelstrom. Winds were incredible. I'd be amazed if any of the trees in CT have any leaves left on them. I think they're all in my gutters...

I was taking stock of my stash the other day. Hence the reason I ordered new stuff. I was trying to see what I've got and what I need. Yes, shopping list of yarn. Isn't that just the best concept? I was dangerously low. I mean, I'm not big on stashes. If I have too much yarn, I get confused on what to knit next. Call me weird, but I don't want to pet it and admire it. I want to see it done in projects. I want to wear it on my feet, not admire it in a box or bag or even a drawer. So I try not to get too far ahead of myself. But I was really surprised. I only have yarn for three pairs of socks.

3?!?!?!?!?!? My goodness and YIKES!!!!!

So I had to remedy that. I might be taking a trip off to Country Yarns again today. See if they have more Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn (and maybe some others that might be stashed in a corner and I missed on my last venture). I do have 3 more colors on order with Lisa Souza. Joseph's Coat and Mars Quake and something else. I don't remember because I also ordered some roving.

I definitely need more. Lord knows, once I finish the Christmas project (which will be this week definitely, if not by the Halloween deadline I'd earlier predicted), I'll be whipping out socks like there's no tomorrow. Course, I might have to start a shawl or afghan because I don't have a booth to sit in and it's getting durned cold. I need something across my lap for warmth rather than run my car the whole day to keep warm. The bosses claim I'll have a booth by Nov 17th. Hmm, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. (The university is off that week, which means I'll be off. Makes perfect sense to me to have the booth ready in time for no one to sit in it... ) I'm guessing that means it'll be done for the Christmas break.

I did have one administrator drive through this past week. I can't remember her title. Director of Students or some such thing. She told me next academic year.

Her, I believe.

I finally got an address for my Yarn Swap partner. Tammy lives in Alabama. Hence the reason I collected and inventoried my sad stash. I have some yarns that I worked with and I think she'll like them. But she's having a real tough time in her life right now, so I want to make her package something really special. She needs a nice boost and I can try to give her a little smile during her time of trouble. So I'm gathering. I have some cotton blends that would work better in AL than in CT. So I'm going to send all of it to her. And I have a couple other yarns that should work nicely. A nice little package of variety to keep her mind off the rest of her life when she needs it.

The only thing I don't have yet is a small "gift". I haven't found anything that's caught my eye yet. I'll look when I invade Country Yarns this afternoon. (Today is the first day they're supposed to be open on Sunday afternoon, so I think a drive that way is definitely in my schedule. )

Okay, off and running. Well... not running. It's way too early and I haven't showered yet. Don't want to scare small children and wild animals. (Course, Hubby would say I should venture out and get a pound of coffee for the machine. There has to be a Dunkin Donuts that's open -- there is down in North Haven -- and since I'm up... Yeah, right! ) I think I'll blast my iTunes and play a couple rounds of Luxor-Amun Rising. Then I might think about a shower...

New Links!

Geez... never thought I'd update so quickly, but I added some new links to the side... er, over there ------------------------>

So go check them out!

Thank you very much...

Thanks, Lea. I do hope to continue on my journey toward spindom (as well as world domination, but I think that one is going to take a bit longer... )

Checked out your web page and guess what? I'm also a Lime Marguerita. Course, the question is if I get the code put onto this page correctly. Lord only knows what will happen when I go check out what havoc I've wreaked.

Let's see... kids are off at a football game. Hubby and I had some alone time, which was nice for a change. We never get that anymore. (Read that as: WHEN are the girls moving OUT!?!?!?! Whew! ) I can deal with the dogs. They never squeal if we want to swing from the light fixtures. But the kids would definitely turn purple and keel over in a dead faint. Upon awakening, they'd scramble for the cells to call all their friends...

The cats? They're another story. I get the feeling they're just taking notes of some kind.

Anyway... enough of that. I was going to spin except I can't get into my living room. YD took her project to school, but she left the mess and I don't dare get too close. I think it attacks. Those popsicle sticks look pretty darn vicious to me, so I'm not venturing in until she cleans up the mess. (She and some friends did a panorama of the town from The Scarlet Letter, complete with dirt they confiscated from the field down the street. The neighbors probably thought they were burying the evidence as opposed to digging up dirt to haul into my house. )

So I should be upstairs knitting. Got some new Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. I picked that up at Country Yarns in Wallingford, CT. Wow, that store has some really lovely yarns, but I do admit I'd like to see some more sock yarns. Maybe I should venture in during their "open" hours and convince them that sock classes and sock yarns are definitely worth the investment to add to their inventory.

That reminds me. I'm slogging off to set up my spinning lesson. Payday was today so I can set up a lesson with a free conscience. Considering I just ordered some Lorna's Laces and a new pair of winter boots (for work, which is getting durned cold without a booth to sit in... No, don't ask. Still not there and I wouldn't believe them regardless what date they tell me it's going to show up. I'd believe next year... like... September. ) I absolutely adore my all-weather clogs from Lands End, but the bosses are going to have a problem with me wearing red. So I ordered enclosed shoes (gotta think ahead to those snowy days) and they're in a soft powder blue. Sorry, but navy or black wasn't an option. I ordered from the Overstock list since the boss won't pay for these.

Anyway, I did get my roving from Copper Moose. Wow! Pretty, pretty stuff. I can't wait to get my lesson and get my fingers on that. I'm still waiting for more yarn and roving from Lisa Souza. God, I just love her color combos. Course, don't ask what I ordered. Can't remember until it shows up. But I did order Sugar Maple, Rosy Quartz, Mountain Meadow and... hmm, another color from Copper Moose. Even better in person than what showed on my monitor.

Okay, off to email teacher to set up lesson and then upstairs for knitting. Almost done with Christmas present. Can't wait to take pics of that one. It's really turning out lovely. And I'm over half done with a pair of LL's socks in Sherbet. And I started a pair of socks in Cherry Tree Hill Spanish Moss. That's going to be terrific also. Muted variations in green and violet with a touch of hot pink. Really nice. Gee... they'll match beautifully with my new blue suede boots... LOL!

Finally... Pics!

Here it is! This is my little Kromski Prelude! Isn't she just the prettiest thang...

As you can see, I've got my first bobbin full. I think it's Corriedale, but that was my learning bobbin. Actually, it came out pretty nice. Now I'm working on a merino with silk noirs, so it's got some nubbies in it, but it's coming along nicely.

My wheel is sort of shoved out of the way right now because youngest daughter is working on a project for school and she's taken over our entire living room, including the floor. Hence, I couldn't spin last night, but that's okay. I have lots of winter days ahead of me that are waiting for my fingers to do their thing. I still have to write my email to set up a lesson, but I'm having so much fun that I keep forgetting that I don't know anything yet.

You have to let me know if the bobbin pic came out fuzzy. I'm not a pic taker and I think I screwed that one up, but I'm trying to show that my spun yarn is coming out okay. Not bad for someone who's been spinning for about a week and a half...

I have to get youngest daughter to take the pics since she's the expert. (She only has about 637 pics on the camera of herself. Yup, she throws her arm out at full-length and just snaps away. The thing that kills me is that some of the pics come out looking really nice. She says she wants to be a photographer. I say "go for it!" )

Let's see... what else is new? Business group is getting together. They had a meeting last night, but scheduled a "night owl" for after the intro meeting. Yikes! Hey, guys, I get up at 5AM. Starting a really important informative meeting at about 9PM just doesn't work for me. I can't take those kind of hours anymore. When I was 25, I could survive on 2 hours of sleep for several nights and not bat an eye. But that was 20 years ago and I've learned (the hard way) that I require 7 hours to be human. Me not being human isn't a pretty sight. I'm a nasty little curmudgeon who doesn't deserve to live when that happens. (I know because I did it for a year and a half when I first started working for the university. The only sleep I got during that time period was an hour or two whenever I could catch it. Yech! I'm not a kid anymore. )

Anyway, they're supposed to be getting together this weekend. I hope so because I really want to re-energize and get moving. Help me get to a point where I can replace my income and I'll be more than happy to dedicate 40 hours a week to building the business for everyone. I just need their collective help to get to that point. But that's all besides the point. I have more plans for world domination in my pocket and this weekend, some of those plans will be put into motion. (Yeah, yeah, it's about time some motion began to stop this stagnation. )

Today is supposed to be cold. Hmm. And I'm still sitting in my car at my job. We'll see, but this might be the day I finally move inside into the apartment they let us use until they can get the booth done. I'll simply put a note on my dashboard telling the kids where to find me. Think that might light a fire under the bosses' @sses?

Progress on the Christmas present is being made daily. If I work real hard, I'll make my goal and get this done by the end of the month. I'm getting psyched because, even though I'm not tired of working on it (there are color changes often enough to keep me working with interest), I really do want to be done with it. I want to go back to socks. I have a pair of Lorna's Laces that I put on hold while I did this project and it's stopped whispering to me. It's downright shouting for me to get them OFF THE NEEDLES!!!! LOL!

Money in the bank... Yeah!

I told about the fundraiser for NBPOPS. Well, I got to work yesterday and talk about being nervous. I had over $5500 in my truck. NOT something that made me comfortable. So I put the account number on the back of all the checks and ran off to the bank so I could deposit the money.

Yeah, I feel much better now. Don't like that kind of cash hanging around.

I didn't make the meeting last night for Project Graduation. Running late, as usual... I certainly hope they didn't approve something as infantile as Dr. Suess. 007 is the only way to go this year. I mean, this is something that can never be done again. I really don't think that James Bond movies will still be made, let alone popular, 100 years from now, so to miss this opportunity would be stupid.

What else?

I haven't gotten to spin since Saturday... Argh!!!! I really want to do more, but I've got to work that into the schedule. I'll find a way. Don't worry. As one of my mentors says (and it's SO true): You never find time to do the things you don't want to do, but you'll always manage to find the time for the things you want to do. Well, I want to do this.

And, we're into a new month. The business is trudging. I think one of the people in my downline got discouraged. Someone mentioned a report they'd seen on some news program about Quixtar. It was negative... of course. Isn't it a given that if something good comes along you always get the naysayers? Well, the guy who was supposed to be giving the "insider info" was someone who'd only given a minimum of effort and made no money.

Duh!

This is not a get rich quick scheme. This is a business plan. If you don't work, you don't succeed. If you don't put in the effort, you get no reward. duh! Yes, that's what makes it hard. But that's also what makes it worthwhile. I mean, if it was totally effortless, don't you think everyone would know about it and they'd be in? If you could grow a business without any personal commitment or effort, wouldn't people be knocking on your door?

Well, sorry, it takes a bit of effort. And people just don't want to work anymore. I don't get it. We all get up each morning and go to our jobs. We work. But when faced with an opportunity that has no limits, we can't find the time or the effort to make it work for us? Geez... talk about the height of laziness.

And just because it didn't work for this one guy doesn't mean it won't work for me. Or thousands of others. Or even you. I mean, I've been into the business for four months now. And I'm seeing results. Normally, by this time of the month, I'm working with about $100 in my checking account and wondering how I'll make it to the end of the month with that inevitable emergency that always seems to come up. I have over $300 in the bank. I'm going to reach the end of the month and be able to move money from checking to savings. I'm actually doing good financially and there's nothing I need to purchase. I've done my buying for the month and have money left over. And I got paid to do this.

Okay, $300 isn't a lot. But it's more than I've had in the past. And I expect this trend to continue and grow. In fact, I wish I had more hours in the day to dedicate to growing my business. I'd be making even more. But that will come. I have patience and it's okay that my business is growing slowly. Slow is better than not at all.

Oops.... time to go. Still have to make my lunch and get off the to daily grind that I hope to kiss off someday. Yup, my goal is to replace this income. Then I can leave this job and dedicate myself to my business wholeheartedly. Isn't that a dream?

Argh! 4 Days!

Gotta give an update. Gotta give an update. This isn't fair...

Okay, been busy as usual. Saturday, the oldest daughter, Shelby, turned 17. We kinda held her party on Friday night because that's when all the family could get together. I bought a couple pizzas and a cake and we gave her presents. Not much to put in her hand, but she now has use of our old Blazer. Family is going to cover her insurance but now she'll actually have to pay for her own gas. Thank goodness. I was getting tired of my tank being empty...

Anyway, so youngest daughter had PSATs on Saturday, Hubby went off to work on Sat and oldest had to work on Sat morning. I actually had the house to myself for about 6 hours. Wow. I can't even remember the last time that happened. Probably when I was still working nights and they'd take off on Sat morning so I could sleep. Course, I don't remember much because I was unconscious for most of those "alone" times.

But I treated myself. I did some cleaning. Then I treated myself to an hour of spinning. (God, I LOVE my new Prelude wheel!!!!) Then I'd clean some more. And I'd spin for another hour. Then clean. Then spin.

Oh yeah, this could actually get me off my butt and cleaning for a change...

Sunday morning. Work. Four hours of computer work and clean-up. I get to take next Sunday off, so I made sure to go through everything. Including the aging report. Haven't done that in probably two years because I never had time, but I actually got that one done.

Then home and a nap. (Hey, I'm entitled once in a while! I don't know why, but I've been SO durned tired. So I took a nap for an hour. Luckily the family didn't say anything because I had the perfect answer all ready... "Bite me!" )

Then off to a meeting. We did a fundraiser for NBPOPS (North Branford Parents of Performing Students) and had to tally all the order sheets. We actually got that done in about three hours. We've only got orders for about half of what normally is bought, but I hope that doesn't kill any potential purchases. The good thing is that we accomplished what we needed to get done in about half the time it normally takes. And everything tallied perfectly.

Home. To bed. Up and I'm finally breaking down and wearing a sweater to work. It's getting darned cold sitting in my truck for 8 hours. So now I'm getting overheated because I'm dressed for outside and sitting at my computer. Oops...

I got my partner's name for the yarn swap. Poor woman was probably itching and wondering if I'd gotten lost. Poor thing emailed me yesterday afternoon and I didn't even check my email til this morning. I have a month to put together a nice package for her and I have some really great ideas of stuff to toss inside. A couple favorite recipes as well as yarn, drink and my favorite pattern. (I don't know if my favorite has a name, so I'm just going to type it up with a pic of what it looks like. It's really simple but looks complex, so I love it and use it on almost all of my socks. Okay, lately, it's ALL of my socks. )

Another meeting tonight for Project Graduation. I have to go because some nimrod brought up theme ideas of Dr. Suess and Ninja Turtles. Er.... scuse me, but we're talking high school seniors, not kids in nursery school. Ninja Turtles? Puleeze! (No, I won't be that nice if I make a comment at the meeting tonight. I'm sure she'll be offended by my language, but get a grip, lady!) The obvious theme is James Bond. This is the graduating class of 2007. See that? 007. Bond. James Bond. Duh!!!! She thinks there's too much violence and sex in the movies. Ha! Read the books. Espionage. Class. Debonair. Tuxedos and gorgeous women. If she can't deal with that, then stay home.

So I've been requested to attend the meeting simply because I'm very direct and won't bother being polite when Dr. Suess is mentioned... LOL! This should be fun. I mean, who should know better? I work with the kids who just graduated last year (or within the last couple of years). Trust me, there ain't no Dr. Suess in the backs of their minds.

Oh, and get this. She signed up all the dads for security. I guess she feels that women can't do security. Hmm... I think I should show up in uniform. Tell her how I've broken up fights, picked up drunks from the floor and investigated everything from thefts to the usual roommate tiffs. Yeah, I don't need a guy to back me up. I'm sure the night crew will heartily admit that I was their secret weapon when dealing with fights. A guy breaks in and he's more likely to get swung at. Me? They can swing all they want. They're most likely going to be swinging over my head...

Anyway... another fun-filled day awaits. I hope yours is just as fun.

Wowee!!!

I'm spinning, I'm spinning, I'm spinning!

Is this exciting or what? I don't want to work anymore. I want to sit and watch my wheel turn.

Got the box on Monday night. Took Mark about an hour to get it all put together, so we oiled it up and I started treadling. That was okay. I didn't want to run off for fiber quite yet. Frankly, I was scared.

Then Tuesday was a total wash. Simply wasn't going to happen Tues night. Bummer!

So I came home last night, practically tossed dinner at the family and ran into the living room. A little glitch in the beginning as the VCR wasn't connected to something. I could hear it, but I couldn't see anything, so had to get Mark to fix that. (Okay, I'm going to have to repaint the floor where the entertainment center goes because he kinda scraped the paint off the floor, but I really don't care. He got the VCR working.)

So I watched the section about three times before attaching a leader. Boy, talk about stop and start, stop and start. Three leaders later and a bit of laughter, I actually had some spinning going into the orifice.

Course, I kept forgetting to feed it into the orifice and wondering why I'm drafting and it's getting longer.

Duh!!! So I start drafting it down and then feeding it in. I loosened up both hands so it would feed easier. Wowowow! I'm spinning!

It's far from perfect and I imagine it'll take a couple of pounds of fiber before I ever get a consistent thread, but there's _thread_ on that bobbin!

Woohoo!!!! Another week and I'll be ready to set up a lesson with Laurie so I can save myself a lot of heartache later. Why struggle when I can get a couple lessons and save myself the trouble of figuring it out myself?

Pics definitely coming tonight or tomorrow night. Me sitting at my wheel! Woohoo!

(Gee, can you tell yet that I'm excited by this new project of mine? )

All sorts of good stuff

I'm finally out of withdrawal. Last night was the first home hockey game. Okay, I missed the first period because of a family matter where my presence was requested. So I took care of what needed taking care of and then had Mark whiz me over to the rink. The place was packed and I saw some good friends before finally finding my kids (they said it was interesting to collect the season tickets that were held under my name without me being there, but having my employee ID did help ). They were standing in the wrong corner. To find out they got there late (I take it youngest daughter had a last-minute hair emergency... probably a wave that showed up just to spite her ), so our usual corner was already occupied.

I did manage to chat a few minutes with El, the wife of a guy I work with. She's another die-hard fan of the Quinnipiac Bobcats and, unfortunately, had to have her leg amputated this summer. She actually looks wonderful! You can't even tell that one of her legs isn't real. Her spirits are terrific and she told me how the team sent her a card this summer during her recuperation that was unexpected and really lifted her spirits. (Haven't I told before how wonderful these kids are?) She was touched and determined to be back in her corner come game time and she was there. Good for her!

Almost as wonderful as seeing El and her wonderful spirit was the fact that we won! Woohoo! Maybe we'll be in serious contention for the league, but it's still early. I was just happy to get a dose of hockey into my system. There's nothing like a crowd (overcrowded if you like opinions, which I'm always full of ) of Crazy Bobcat fans.

Tonight I'll get another dose. That will definitely lift my spirits and hold them until Monday night when I get home from work...

Why?

My spinning wheel should arrive Monday night. It's in transit. It's in Stamford (yes, I'm tempted to call them and go pick it up ), but I'll have it in my hot little hands on Monday night. I've already informed Mark that he'll be busy putting it together for me and my feet are already itching to sit and treadle. I want to see it actually spin, powered by my own feet.

Course, that means I have to contact Laurie and set up a lesson or two. Get good advice right from the start and don't screw this up. But I'll do that this week. First, get it together and see how I'm going to transport it. See what chair will be comfortable for treadling. Get the rhythm and I've got lots of carded roving to play with until I figure out what I'm doing...

Oh, and more news!

I have a way to add pics to my blog. Woohoo! Okay, I can't show the present I'm working on (which is seriously close to the halfway point now and it's really coming together nicely). That will have to wait until after I've gifted it to it's recipient. But I can add pics of the socks I've made since this summer. And I can add pics of the kids and the dogs and the cats. The autumn foliage which is really turning spectacular this fall. I'll have to grab some pics on my way to work. I go in early enough (around 7:30 or so) that the sun is just peeking over the hills, so it captures the tops of the trees while the bottom of the tree is still sleeping in muted splendor. Some terrific pic opportunities and I hope to take advantage of that as the colors really come into their peak season.

And I reconnected with Lori Avocato. She's a published author of 15 books and someone I've known for more years than either of us will ever admit to, so don't ask. But Lori and I are going to meet up next month. I'd do it today, but I have another commitment at the time that needs my attention a lot more. Please check out Lori's site at www.loriavocato.com She's writing mysteries about an ex-nurse who now investigates health care insurance fraud. Lori is such a delightful lady, her books have got to be fabulous. (Yes, I'll be running over to www.bn.com to get copies of Lori's books ASAP.) Support her books and check out her site. I'm beyond thrilled for her and hope I can send a few customers her way.

Her critics say that if you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, you'll enjoy the perils of Pauline. I know I'll enjoy them, so let's do a read-a-long.

And, in the meantime, I'm going to steal a camera and get moving on some pics so this site can get a LOT more interesting...

Woohoo!

Couple quick updates because, as usual, I have about 10 minutes before I've got to leave. First and foremost, I'm getting my wheel!!! Mom, darling woman that she is, said this could be an early and combined Christmas/birthday present. (Okay, she didn't mention my birthday because that's not until March, but I'm letting her know that I consider it a combined present. ) I'm not sure how long it will take before it's here, but my fingers are itching already.

Knitting during the day, spinning at night. Definitely my idea of nirvana! I can't wait to settle into a nice, relaxed routine. Lord knows, I could use the stress-free moments.

Second great news is that Oldest Daughter showed me her letters of recommendation for college. Three more came into the guidance office and all I can say is "WOW!"

Okay, so I kinda bribed her English teacher into a terrific recommendation. He was the tech director on the show last year and I told him that I wouldn't even consider showing up if he didn't give her a good letter. Well, he outdid himself. He included her academic achievements and went on to include her after-school activities as well as a lot of the dedication she shows in her community service. Seriously, an outstanding letter of recommendation, so I owe Mr. Michael Berry a HUGE thank you for that one.

Lastly, the meeting last night was wonderful. The thing I love the most about this group of people is their entire attitude. They're positive and enthusiastic. I mean, think about how much time you spend on a daily/weekly basis with people who are negative. B#tching and moaning, b#tching and moaning. Nothing is right. Nothing is ever good enough. Gets to be a real drag and you find yourself being negative about everything. (Yeah, yeah, refer back two days to my own posting... )

This group of people isn't like that at all. They're such a breath of fresh air that you're not sure what to do with them at first. I felt kinda like a third wheel because they carry the attitude that there are no strangers here, just wonderful friends you haven't met yet. And that's just such a reversal from the rest of the world that it's weird at first. But, I'm telling you, it's addictive. I can't help it. I like being around them and I find myself with a much better attitude about the world and people and the future after I've been with them for an hour or two.

And I missed that. I needed a "fix" and last night was a healthy shot in the arm. All good stuff. And now I'm ready to go back out and conquer the world and make a difference in others' lives. Isn't it strange how the more you do for others, the better you feel about yourself? I learned that from a decade with the fire dept and the ambulance corps. And now I can relate those terrific feelings to helping others set up a toll booth on the Internet. Seeing them succeed and earn money is even better than anything that's falling into my own pocket. Seeing them change into more positive people and excited about the world around them is SO worth missing a little bit of sleep last night.

Oops... ten minutes gone with my usual daily "rant"... LOL! It's so funny. My day wasn't going so well yesterday. Thought I'd lost my debit card. Then thought I'd lost my car keys. All kinds of things that just put a damper on my whole mood. Then I went to the meeting last night and now I find myself smiling again.

Can things get better?

Meeting Tonight...

Going to South Windsor tonight to learn how to expand my business. If I'm going to afford a new spinning wheel, then I definitely need to learn how to prospect new clients and IBO's for my business. I seem to make contacts all over the place, even with the college students I work with every day, but turning them into actual prospects seems to elude me. I must be doing something wrong because I can't understand how people wouldn't want to know how to make a commission off of Internet purchasing.

It's such an easy concept. I've been buying stuff through the Internet for almost a decade now. I'm going to continue buying stuff from the Net, mostly because I'm tired of airplane hangers for stores and clerks that haven't got a clue of the differences between a washing machine and a coffee pot. Even worse is they don't care if there's a difference.

So why spend my time and money in that store? I'd much rather go to Amazon or B&N where they keep an idea of my preferences based on past purchases. I'd rather go to an Internet store that actually cares. One that will automatically send me a box of stuff I'm going to purchase every month anyway. And, best of all, they'll pay me a commission based on those purchases.

Kind of like when Discover Card first came out. Get a check back based on your purchases and we'll pay you up to 5% of what you buy! Hmm... there's a cap on that. Up to 5% and no more. This business pays me a commission based on whatever I purchase. I can spend $500 or $5000 and my commission is based on that total amount. Heck, they encourage me to spend more so they can pay me more. And they start at 3% for beginners and work their way right on up to 25%. Okay, the last couple months, I've earned 12%, but that's twice as much as Discover ever offered.

Anyway, I'm posing again. I just don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to jump on board. It's money we all spend anyway. Why not earn some of that back? (If you think it's a great idea, email me at bonneewolf@yahoo.com I'd love to explain how this whole system works and get you started on how YOU can earn money back.)

Now, back to spinning wheels. I'm getting excited. I'm saving money. I should have a spinning wheel in my living room by Thanksgiving if I can keep squirreling away part of my weekly allowance. That's my goal and I'm sticking to it. Yes, I still have yarn to knit and projects to complete.

Oops... kids just called. Bus hasn't come, so I have to make this one short...

So much for being on strike, eh?

I'm on strike!

Yup, just what I said. I'm on strike this week. Last night, things kinda hit the fan. I'm trying to watch a movie, Memoirs of a Geisha. Yeah, yeah, I've seen it before, but out of the 10 or 12 times I've tried to watch the whole thing, I've only seen the end once. So I keep watching with the hopes that I can see the end again and the whole thing can come together for me.

Not to happen... yet again. First, the Hubby comes up. He promised someone at work that he'd record the NASCAR race from yesterday. (Translate that into the wife will record it for you because I haven't a clue how to do it.) That wasn't the big problem. But he comes upstairs and asks me (while I'm watching, mind you) how I'm going to split the race onto two DVDs since it was 4 hours. I tell him I don't need to do that. I can simply cut out a few commercials and it'll all record onto one disk. But let me finish the movie. I'm halfway into this movie. So he's gabbing and arguing with me that I didn't get the whole race to begin with and I can't do it. And I think to myself that I've seen this part several times, so I can miss a few minutes.

I cut over to the recording of the race. I fast forward to the end of the movie (takes about two mins... gotta love technology ) and I see how, on the last lap, Jimmie Johnson takes out Dale Jr. on the back stretch as he makes his move. Course, it really wasn't Jimmie's fault. It was the guy in third place (didn't catch a name) because he rubbed the back bumper and sent him into a spin which effectively took out Johnson and Earnhardt.

Anyway, I've proven I did get the end of the race. So I start again at the beginning and take 10 minutes to cut out 20 minutes of commercials from the first hour. Okay, they weren't the best editing job I've ever done, but I do it and then set the thing to record onto a DVD. Project accomplished.

So I go back to the movie. Daughter comes into room and starts asking if friends can come over to watch a movie, yadda, yadda. IOW, Hey, Mom, don't care if you want to see what's on. My social life is hanging in the balance here and we don't have school tomorrow. I tell her friends can come over, but they're leaving by 9. After all, both her father and I do have to work tomorrow and I don't want teenagers down in my living room past my bedtime.

So she sulks off into another room. In the meantime, Hubby has grabbed the remote and he's cruising for the channel which inevitably will be showing Crimson Tide and I remind him that I only have 20 mins left of this movie that I'm attempting to watch. Yes, honey, this is a girl version of Crimson Tide in that I can watch it over and over and have yet to see this section. And I can't see a thing because you have the d@mn TV Guide on the screen instead of the movie.

Hmmm.... nothing. No response. He cruises all the channels until he finds Crimson Tide and switches to it so he can simply hit a button and return to it once my movie has stopped boring him. Fifteen minutes to go and he puts down the remote. YES!!!! I'm thinking.

And he hides under the covers and starts playing with the dog. He's making mewling sounds to play and the dog is growling at him.

I spend the rest of the movie listening to them play and knitting in anger like a storm cloud.

Movie is over and he switches over to his Crimson Tide and when I sarcastically thank him for totally ruining the end of the movie, he says that I was knitting the whole time and not paying attention anyway.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yuppers. I decided then and there that I'm on strike. No favors. No car. No money. No time. No cleaning. No cooking. I'm going to spend this next week doing what *I* want and let them see how it feels when my life doesn't revolve around their needs and their wants.

Whew! I feel so much better for having gotten that off my chest. I think I'm going to hide the remotes for the rest of the month. Hubby wouldn't know what to do if he actually had to get up to change the channel. He does work hard. He does a lot of physical labor in his job. But, damn!t, I'm tired of him walking into the room and not even asking if I'm interested in the show I've got on. He just assumes that Crimson Tide is more important. Doesn't matter that he's seen it 149 times in the past 6 weeks. He can give the dialogue verbatim. Doesn't matter. We know it's more urgent than anything I've got on the set.

I now understand why couples have separate bedrooms. It has nothing to do with sex or snoring or even the fact that all of the dogs and cats have suddenly decided that our bed is their bed. I think it's all because then each person can have their own remote and not have to worry about someone coming in and decided their program is more important than yours.

Attractive idea if I had anther bedroom... LOL!

Spinning Wheels and other such stuff...

Okay, yesterday I had a lot of errands to run, but I did manage to wind my route right to a local yarn shop (LYS) so I could check them out. This is the store I ran into at the Durham Fair. Very nice store. Lots of stuff and some really gorgeous yarns. Not cheap stuff, mind you, which can hurt the wallet nicely, but definitely a place I want to hang around once they open on Sunday for the "knit & chat" hours.

Anyway, my goal was to see if they had any drop spindles and info on some spinning classes. And what do I find when I turn a corner? A lady teaching a Mom and daughter how to spin on wheels. So my mouth engages and the next thing, I'm taking her card and promising that I definitely want some lessons in spinning. (Videos are terrific for technical things like how to thread a machine, but they can't teach you feel and touch. You need a teacher for that. ) The nice thing is that she loved my socks. (I took off the cowboy boots and showed her my Jester Fleece Artist socks that turned out simply gorgeous.) And, upon comparing notes, I'm doing what she did, only backwards. She spun for years and years and is just beginning to knit the stuff she spins. The mother and daughter don't know how to knit. Me? I've knitted since I was a kid and now would like to spin my own yarn to put on the needles.

And, yes, she's heard of the Rakestraw and would love to see mine. (How come I never toss that thing in my bag? Probably because it wouldn't fit. ) The biggest thing I got excited about was that I was watching Mom and Daughter for a few minutes and Laurie was encouraging them, which she should, but I'd already noticed that my technique is already much finer than theirs. I haven't learned how to be consistent in my yarn threads, but they are really fine.

Anyway, so I got all excited and came home and I'm checking out wheels. And Hubby suggests that I check eBay to see if there are any auctions. (After all, dropping anywhere from $500 to $800 on a first wheel does seem to grate on my Yankee penny-pinching ways. I mean... what if I don't like it? ) So I start cruising through eBay and, yes, there are ALL kinds of auctions. Some nice Ashford wheels that have been lovingly repaired and now for sale. Old estate sales. All kinds of wheels, working and non-working.

And I run across a listing for Copper Moose Spinning and Fibers out of Vermont. And they list a Kromski wheel, brand-new, out of the box for $342.00. And that's finished. Unfinished, it lists for $299.00. A Polish company known for their finely-turned spindles, etc. New to America, only sold in Europe in the past. I checked a couple sites to see what they had to say and they all agreed that the Kromski is a terrific first wheel. Especially this Prelude model. Best bang for the buck. Yeah, yeah, that definitely appeals to my Yankee side. It's got a traditional look to it, which appeals to the artistic side of me (sorry, but the solid wheels on the Louet models just drive me crazy. Maybe by the time I'm 100 years old, I might get used to it, but I love the spindled-wheel design of the old-time spinning wheels.) Moving on, no plastic parts. All inclusive and you even get an entire pound of roving to play with as well as a video to show you set up and how to spin.

Oh, and totally off the subject (not really ), but this is a perfect time to introduce it, it was through my Uncle Jack's book that I found out the origin of the term spinster. Way back in the Dark Ages, when men were called off to war (and fulfill their annual duty, etc to their lord, king, or whoever), the women would be left without any way to make income. So they spun yarn for the weavers. This was a way to bring extra income into the house, especially if a woman became widowed by war, how would she support herself and her family? She spun. The cost of a wheel was negligible compared to the lifetime income it could produce, so practically all the women in any given town would spin at night. Originally, it was the widows who would be called spinsters, but it later gravitated over to the older daughters who never married. And this made sense because a younger woman who wasn't working in the fields beside her husband wouldn't have the work-hardened hands and probably produced a finer thread on her wheel. Hence, spinning became a job. And they became spinsters. (Let's face it. If you're spending day and night inside the house, spinning yarn for weavers, I doubt you got outside much in order to meet anyone so you could marry. )

That appeals to my logical side.

Hmm... too many sides to me to be contained in one body. Maybe that's my problem... LOL!

Anyway, I really am trying to get back on topic here. So I'm looking for opinions. If anyone has used or knows someone who has a Kromski wheel, I'd definitely love to hear from you. I've already put my bid in for my Christmas wish list. I think this would be fantastic to be able to spin my own yarn and then knit my own socks from yarn that I've spun. Relaxing to the nth degree, if you know what I mean.

And, before I forget, I did drop money at the LYS. I bought two skeins of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock yarn. This yarn looks great. Has that nice smooth finish of Fleece Artist and Socks that Rock by Blue Moon and Gypsy Girl yarns. Wears SO smooth on the feet that you barely notice they're there, so I can't wait to cast this stuff onto my needles. But first I have to finish that Christmas project. That's still going to take a while. I figure definitely by the end of the month, if not sooner, but I was thinking the other day...

The kids will ask me once in a while what I'm working on when they pass me sitting in my car at work. And several (especially the guys, for some reason ) have given me their foot or shoe size. I could just imagine someone asking me how much I'd charge for this project I'm making. (Yes, I almost slipped and said what it is, but I'm going to try REAL hard not to reveal that. ) Project cost is probably somewhere between $60 and $70. I don't know about that because I haven't worked that out. (Doesn't matter because I'd already bought the yarn months ago.) But the time invested? Geez... I'd probably have to charge somewhere between $250 and $300 for this thing. I'll probably have 90-100 hours invested by the time I'm done. And that would be half of minimum wage.

IOW, for those of you who wonder about all those handmade gifts? They're priceless, babe. No way you can put pricetags on those. Think about it. If you asked a whole bunch of people on the street what they'd like more of, what would be their answer? Okay, negate money. We probably all have jobs and someone else has already determined what we're worth. If you could really get more of something, what would it be? Time. We'd all love more time to do what we want (like spin it up so I can knit it.) Those precious handmade gifts were all made using the most expensive commodity on Earth. Someone invested what little free time they had in order to make you something. Money can be replaced. Go get another job. Wait another week or two for another paycheck. But once time is gone, you can never replace it and someone invested their time for you.

Appreciate that. With Christmas coming, that's my little piece of advice for everyone.

Best idea yet...

It's working. I'm actually making progress on the new project. Yuppers, finally found a serious project to tackle during those work hours that are so d@mned dull. Okay, I did very little reading yesterday (sorry, Michele!) but I worked for hours on end on that new Christmas project. It will have a total of 39 sections once I'm done with the thing and I began it on Wednesday night. By the end of work yesterday, I'd completed 6 sections. I did a bit last night and am into the 7th section. Might not sound like much, but that's progress.

I mean, I was sitting at work, wondering how to make all that time constructive and finally found something that would benefit someone other than myself. I was actually walking through the parking lot and BOOM!!! It hit me. Didcha ever have that happen? You're walking along, doing whatever and you literally stop in your tracks because some idea comes wailing in from left field and hits you upside the head? Yup, that was the one.

I'm weird. I like doing things for other people. I like taking time and utilizing it so someone else might get some pleasure from it in the long run. So I'm working on this project. Yeah, it'll be done before the end of the month, but it'll be one Christmas project completed.

And what sucks is that I can't post a pic of it because the person who it's intended for reads this blog.

What else is new? I'm actually reading a book on the history of the church (read that as nonn-demoninational, like of all of them ). My uncle on my Dad's side actually wrote this book for all his nieces and nephews and I received a copy back in the spring. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it because I'm not religious. I guess you can call me Christian in that I try to be the best person I can be and I do live by the creed of do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (IOW, treat them like doormats only if you like being stepped on because, sooner or later, you're going to meet someone who wears a bigger shoe size. )

Anyway, I really wanted to thank him for sending me the book and thinking of me, but I'd feel really weird about writing if I hadn't read it. So I'm reading it. And it's really kind of fascinating. His writing style is rough (a really good editor with a strong hand could actually make this publishable), but I'm enjoying the concept behind the book. IT does re-ignite the desire to read the Bible. I've never read it. I never studied it. Long story, but I pretty much stopped going to church when I was about 9 or 10 years old. So most of my religious education came from my years in a Catholic junior high. And most of that was spent arguing with the nuns because they really wanted to convert me and that just wasn't gonna happen!!!

And what did I do? Marry a lapsed Catholic. Good thing with the lapsed part, though, or the relationship never would have worked... LOL!

I'm wandering yet again, aren't I?

Oh, and last night, one of the students invited me out to hear a band at a local bar. Kinda cool to get invites from the students considering I'm old enough to be their mother. But I stayed home to listen to the webcast of the hockey game. Six more days and counting until I can sit in the audience and enjoy a game live. Believe me, that has me excited. I'm in serious hockey withdrawal. Need a good solid game to lift the spirits.

Well, they say it's not going to rain this weekend, which means I have yard work to do. I want to get some mums and plant at the cemetary. This fall should be great for mums and the color will make up for the fact that I took the flamingoes away.

Yes, I had a pair of flamingoes (is that spelled right?) at the cemetary. It was an inside joke specifically for my brother. When Dad died this summer, I wanted to make sure the site looked nice when we all showed up for the burial. Well, when I got to the plant place, I saw a pair of flamingoes and immediately thought of my brother. He said he wanted flamingoes out in front of his trailer so he could be "proper trailer trash". Well, for his birthday, one of his friends found a pair of mini flamingoes and planted them in front and my brother found them on his way home from work. Hearing the story, my Dad laughed. So when I saw them at the plant place, I bought them and stationed them on guard at the cemetary. And when Tom showed up for the funeral for Dad, they did provide a moment of levity to a very solemn occasion. So I promised Tom that I'd leave them for the summer to watch over Dad and then I'd take them down come fall and send them down to North Carolina so he could put them out front of his trailer with the mini pair. Well, they're boxed and ready to go. (Frankly, idiot that I am, I keep forgetting to ask Hubby to ship them.)

I'll see if I can get a new pair come spring for the cemetary. Give us a couple years and my brother Tom could have a whole flock outside his trailer...

Reading and other pleasures...

I'm into the third book of the Sundered series by Michele Sagara West, Lady of Mercy. I'd forgotten just how good this series is. So I certainly hope that Bella Luna books is going to release the 4th title soon as I'd like to have a new set of the complete series. (Yup, I have an original printing of all the books, but let's save those as collector items.) Course, the fact that the series is being released again will devalue the original books, but that's okay also. I'd like to hold on to them for another decade or so when printed books are obsolete totally.

Let's see, I started a Christmas project last night. I've been thinking about it since spring on how I'm going to do this and finally said I've got to stop thinking and start doing. Maybe because I started taking Rhodiola 110, which is an herbal supplement meant to help with energy and mental clarity, I'm feeling more energetic and active. I want to accomplish things for a change and stop thinking about them so much.

But I do spend a lot of time thinking. I haven't got a choice at work since I sit around so much. I get a lot of reading and knitting done while I'm there, but I'm also starting to do more planning when it comes to my non-working time. Let's get some things accomplished.

I did put in an hour in my dining room (read that as disaster... ) It's our dumping ground. If you can't think of where to put something the first time, just dump it in that room. And when you've only got 6 rooms in your house, you can't assign space for dumping. I'm sick of it. We tore the fireplace out two years ago and I still stare at an empty space in the wall where it used to be. Yuck!!!! I want to sit in there and have Thanksgiving dinner with my family and friends. Can't do that if every horizontal space (and even a few vertical ones) are covered in junk. So it's time to clear out, reconfigure and organize.

It's also time to put the flower beds down for the winter. Have to get out this weekend (if it's not raining) and clean out the beds for the snowy months. Get it done now before the snow starts to fly and the Almanac is predicting some very snowy months. So get them settled and ready for spring and I'm all set with that. (This is definitely jeans and flannel shirt time and I'm looking forward to it.)

Lastly... yarn. Time to get more yarn in my stash. Can't wait. I posted a note to one of the listservs I belong to and asked what sites are everyone's favorite. Going to order more of old favorites, but it's also time to try some new yarns also.

And (argh!!!) _thinking _ about joining the Sock Wars. You get a partner and send them a package of yarn, pattern, favorite drink and a little gift and they knit a pair of socks. Those get sent (back? I'm not sure of all the details) and if your package arrives before your partner's package arrives to you, you're assassinated and out of the game. It's a knit-a-thon to see who can knit the fastest and survive the longest.

Should be fun. In the meantime... off to work for more knitting and reading.

Oops... I did it again

I forgot to list how I basically conned myself into designing the lights for the play at the high school this year. I should probably start at the beginning (though I really do promise to keep it as short and sweet as possible )...

Last year, they did Fiddler On The Roof and Shelby (oldest daughter) was the stage manager. Well, one night, she asks me to drop by after a meeting in the same building and pick up her school books so she doesn't have to drag them home later. So I go into the auditorium and she's nowhere to be found, so I'm watching what's happening on stage during the rehearsal. Big mistake.

See... I've got a degree in theater. Long story how that happened, but I was a techie. I designed lights, built sets and even did a class or two in costumes and make-up. So I'm looking up at the stage and I'm floored by the lack of any coherent light design. So the mouth starts running.

Have I ever been able to keep my mouth shut when it's really crucial? Heck, no, so I start running and asking why there are some specials but there's no design, no color, no direction, etc. Well, my daughter walks up and informs me that the gentleman standing next to me is the Tech Director and he's going to be really upset by all my... er, not-so-nice comments. So I turn to him and apologize and he says that I'm right and did I know how to fix anything?

Mind you, this is less about 10 days before the play is going live in front of an audience.

The next thing I know, I'm crawling across the catwalks and inserting gels into the lights. I'm redirecting some of the lights for better coverage and direction. I'm grabbing people left and right to hang a few more instruments.

The next night, I'm up in the booth and writing some actual cues (beyond lights on and lights off)...

Okay, so Mr. Berry (the TD) tells me that I've basically saved his tushie and saved the production. It actually did turn out pretty nice considering I threw this thing together in about a week prior to an audience in the house.

So he tells me that he really, REALLY needs me for next year. And I tell him that I'll only come back if he also comes back as TD. He tells me that he's expecting another baby and there's no way that he can TD.

Well, guess what? He's back. I went to a meeting of the Drama Mamas & Papas and he tells me that he's only doing it because I said I wouldn't if he didn't. Which means now I have to design the lights.

Hmm... do I know how to step in it or what? Okay, at least they announced the play. (We didn't know last year until January, which is a whole 'nother story because I've done t-shirts for the play for the past two years.) We're doing Once Upon A Mattress and, of course, none of the kids have ever heard of it and half the parents are just as clueless. I've heard of it. It was done at the college I attended the year before I switched into theater for my major. So I've heard the stories. I doubt this production will be like that one, though. The director we had in college had a wicked sense of the absurd, so he'd toss in all kinds of jokes and keep the plays light-hearted.

Now, not to say that this director doesn't have a sense of humor, but she tends to take things a LOT more seriously. I really, really have to write to Kathryn Chaffin-Honda (a friend of mine from my old college days) and see if I can the rights to Cinderella Rock. (Think Cinderella done to 50's music and we used a live band on stage for the music. My first light design and we not only had fun with it, everything I wanted to work actually worked... LOL!) I think I'll search anywho.com to see if I can find Kathryn and see if she still has the rights to the show.

I'll keep you posted on how this whole thing comes together. I'm hoping to find a DVD somewhere with an old production (I know it was done on Broadway back in the 60's, I believe) so I can get some ideas on the play itself before tossing together a design. I did assure Mike Berry that I won't be putting in monster hours for almost two weeks. One week to hang the lights and one week to put together the cues. First week involves other people. The other week involves only me and the running crew. So this should be less hectic...

... I hope.

Monday Morning Quarterbacking...

Or, with the popularity of Monday night football, should this be titled Tuesday morning quarterbacking?

I don't want to lull anyone into a false sense of security. I don't like football. I never did. For a few years when I was teen, I did follow the game, but that was an attempt to solidify my position as "Daddy's girl" and he loved sports. Any kind of sports. The one thing that drove my Mom crazy is that, no matter what time of day (or night), Dad managed to find a game somewhere. Cable TV and the sports networks were a Godsend to Dad and a nightmare to Mom.

Me? I love college hockey. I follow the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Even though I could go to the games for nothing as an employee, I buy season tickets. My boss even figured that I'd adore working the games once the new sports complex (a new athletic center that boasts a hockey rink on one side and a basketball court on the other) opens come January. I told him to "fergit it". I don't want to work the game and risk the moments I could lose by some disruptance in the audience that I'd have to deal with. Nope. I'd rather pay for a seat and be assured I'll see every moment of the game.

Anyway, I'm wandering as usual. The point of this is Tuesday morning quarterbacking and people who think they know more than the people who are actually involved on the field. When I make contacts with people for my business, they sit there with their arms crossed and their legs crossed and their lower lip stuck out about a foot and tell me that this business doesn't work.

Yeah, my wonderful DH is listed as a partner of mine, but he's also a naysayer. He told me that it's a scam and no one makes money without even looking at the structure of the business before he made his claim. Bottom line is I've already proven him wrong because I have earned commissions. Goes right into our checking account along with his paycheck and mine. I'm beginning to pay down some of our bills. Impulse shopping is near dead in our house which frees up money. I have it delivered to the house so I'm home more than I was before. And we're getting everything we need delivered right to our door by UPS. Hmm... I don't know. I kinda scratch my head and wonder how he can be so negative when it's working right under his nose.

Sure, it's small now. But it's going to grow. And you know why? It's not because I have faith in the system, though it's a proven system and it's worked for a couple hundred thousand people. More importantly, I have faith in myself that I can make it work for us. I've given four years of my life to my job.

I don't think I've told this story, but my bosses moved me. Last December, I lobbied for a certain job within our department and on Dec 28th, the chief called me and gave me the job. Told me it was mine. Then the guy I worked with started making all kinds of noise. Raising a stink whenever he could (which translates into taking off from our post to sit in the boss's office and complain that he should have been given the job and not me). What happened? I was called in a week or two after my Dad had died this summer and asked if I wanted a different position. A new one. One just created that week. I asked the boss what if I said I didn't want it? He said we'd have a bit of a problem. So I pointed out that he'd given me that position and then effectively taken it away and given it to someone else.

Bosses generally don't like me too much because I tend to speak the truth and I don't try to hide it behind niceties and platitudes. I nkow, I know. I was supposed to sugarcoat it and hide it behind something that would make my point without being so direct. Hence the reason I've never gone into politics. I call a spade a spade and it tends to make people cringe... Needless to say, he didn't respond to my statement.

But, he assured me that there'd be a pay increase because my actual title would also change to a job with a higher pay grade. Hmm... I was thinking. Take the money and run. So I moved off campus to a new booth that still doesn't exist and to a location where there were no bathroom facilities until a few weeks ago. Well, this week I was working the numbers off my paystub and I didn't get that raise. Well, I called the chief and asked "What's up?" He danced real quick and gave me all kinds of excuses, but the bottom line is that I'm not going to see it anytime soon. Another broken promise. Another negotiation that "fell through".

So I've given them four years of my life and, in return, I've been moved around like a pawn on a chessboard.

So why am I going to put effort into Quixtar? Because this is one system where I'll actually see benefits from my efforts. I earn what I earn. If I put effort into this business, I'll see reward. If I make no effort then I'll see no reward. It's that plain and simple. I'll earn more money if I'm willing to make the effort that extrapolates into higher commissions.

So I'm going to give four years of my life to Quixtar because my current job has already proven that they can't be trusted to deal with me honestly. Quixtar has never made me a promise other than, if I put in the effort, I will receive the reward and the benefits. Okay, I've only been a member for four months now, but I've seen reward and I've seen benefits. And this is just a mere taste of what I know I can accomplish.

Tuesday morning quarterbackers are all claiming that the benefits are worthless and the promises are empty. The only people making money are those at the top. My first disclaimer to them is... Isn't that true of all businesses? Aren't the guys at the top making more money than those of us at the bottom? OTOH they've been at it longer and it's because of their effort that I'm even here. Sure, I'm near the bottom, but I sure didn't stay at the bottom tier for long.

See, my uplines (the people further up the list from me) are working with me to bring in people below me. And then they're working with all of us to bring in more people below the people below me. All they ask is that I add my efforts to theirs. See... we're a team. We're all working together to move my name closer to the top. It moves theirs even higher. And it moves those below me up to my level. And, then, as the people below me work to add people to our team, they're moving up, but so am I.

Direct correlation. My bosses at my 9-to-5 promised a pay increase and I won't see one until the annual across-the-board increases come January. Empty promise. My uplines at Quixtar said they would help me move up the list and they've actively pursued that goal. The first boss has talked from both sides of his mouth, promising one thing and doing something entirely different. My upline ("Boss" if you will) at Quixtar made me a promise and has followed through.

So I ask the naysayers and the Tuesday morning quarterbackers where I should put my loyalty and efforts? In my 9-to-5 job, I have security, insurance benefits and a terrific 401k. But I can also guarantee that I can't believe any promise made to me because the boss has already shown me what his promise is worth. In my business dealings with Quixtar and my uplines, they're actively working to improve my position. All they've asked is that I also work to help myself and those I sponsor.

Now, who's made empty promises and false claims? And who's been honest and forthright from day one? Maybe I'm strange, but I like a business that's not going to lie to me. I have no use for liars. A little respect and total honesty is all I've ever asked for in a boss and all I've ever offered in return. I've received that from Quixtar and I'm going to put my efforts with them. I've given four years to my other job and I'm no better off today than I was when I first went to work. I'm still struggling to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck. No matter how hard I work, I'll get the usual annual 3% increase (when the cost of living is skyrocketing at a rate of 5% or more). OTOH, I'm already making five times more from Quixtar than I was a mere four months ago. (I know yesterday I said three and a half months, but my actual anniversary date of four months will be on 10/6). I think I'd much rather put my efforts and time into Quixtar where I know I have a chance of succeeding.

How about you? Are you willing to take that risk? BTW, tomorrow at 8:15PM, I do believe that Quixtar is running their first ever commercial during Monday night football. (Kinda poetic that I chose my title around that, eh? LOL)

Next topic will be the Two Income Trap. Did you know that something like 80% of women work outside the home and yet we're actually living on less leftover money than we were 30 years ago? We're making more and yet we have less once all the bills are paid. Kinda deals directly with that pititful little cost of living increase I was just talking about.