The Crazies: The Sequel

Some of you may remember a previous story about The Crazies (again, not the movie) involving some maniacs, cable issues and a telephone pole. If not, you should read it... it's quite entertaining, really.

I have a new story for you all! This occurred last weekend.

We have tons of trees on our property, so needless to say, we also have even more leaves falling all over the place. We have a small side yard next to our long, winding driveway, where we rake the leaves and bag them. The front yard, to the left of the driveway, is where my stepfather, Lee, just uses his ride-on lawnmower to crush the leaves into a zillion tiny pieces rather than having to pick them up. The Crazies have many times before accused us of purposely putting things on their oh-so-precious property, whether it be leaves, cable workers, or ourselves.

My mom was using the leaf blower to push all the leaves onto the middle of the lawn, so Lee could crush them. On the left side of the yard, where the two property lines meet, my neighbors and us have our own fences separating us. If you've never used a leaf blower to get leaves away from a fence and in the opposite direction, it's a little difficult. You need to go from the side and try to get behind them and it can be pretty annoying.

So my mom is by the fence doing her thing, when she thinks she hears a knocking on the fence. Which had to be pretty damn hard and loud knocking for her to hear it over the noise of the blower. She turned off the blower, to which "Amy" started yelling, "Turn off that blower! Stop that blowing!" Why? I have no damn idea. I would have ignored her and continued, but my mom saw it fit to respond with a certain profanity before continuing.

Lee was also outside, and he started hysterically laughing, so "Aaron" must have said something to him as well, but my mom didn't hear what it was. She continued with the leaf blower, moving down the fence toward the driveway.

Once at the bottom of the driveway, blowing the leaves onto our own yard, Amy ran down to the bottom of the driveway where ours connects, and began taking pictures of my mom using the leaf blower. WTF?! My mom said to her, "Oh please, when have I ever purposely put anything on your driveway?" Of course Amy doesn't listen to anything and continued snapping away, so my mom yelled, "Take a picture of this!" and gave her the finger. She did indeed, take a picture of that too. So my mom then purposely blew some leaves on their driveway and walked away.

I really shouldn't be surprised anymore.


Also submitted for lovelinks!

NaNoWriMo!... and Starting a 3-Day Cleanse

I am participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and I have to say I'm just a tad nervous and scared. It starts tomorrow and I don't even have a topic! For those of you sitting there saying, "What the heck... NaNo-what-o?" it stands for National Novel Writing Month. In a nutshell, writers who participate commit to attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That's 1,667 words a day. Yes, it's just a little insane. But, from what I hear, it's also a lot of fun. Mostly, it's about quantity rather than quality. Editing comes later. The point is to just get your first draft finished, even if it sucks!

There are tons of tips in blog posts and other things online to help writers prepare and get through this crazy month. Many of them heavily emphasize the preparation aspect... gulp, I'm in trouble.

I truly want to dive in and really attempt this for the first time, but I don't even have a novel topic. I don't even know what genre I want to write in, let alone cranking out 1,667 words every day from November 1st to November 30th. Maybe I'll suddenly get a strike of genius creativity tomorrow and go on a writing spree...

Anyone else participating? What are your novel topics? (And do you have any suggestions for this nervous first-timer?)

******

In other news... today I have started a 3-day Shakeology cleanse. Basically it's to flush out any toxins in my system and get rid of unnecessary, undigested gunk hanging around. Unlike other cleanses where calories are almost nothing, with this cleanse, calories are restricted, but it's about nutrients rather than eating as little as possible. Here is more info about how it works. And here's what I will be consuming each day for all three days:

• 3 glasses of Shakeology (with just water and ice, blended)
• 2 cups of green tea
• 1 piece of fruit
• 1 salad for dinner or lunch with lettuce, some veggies, and 4 oz. lean protein (with only low-fat dressings - 2 TBSP)
• LOTS of water!
• No dairy or sugars

Many people I know, including coaches on my team and customers, have gotten great results with the cleanse, and now that I'm in my recovery week of P90X, I can start it. When I finish, my body will be prepared to better use nutrients more efficiently and improve its ability to lose weight through clean eating and exercise. This should not be done while actively working out, as you need enough calories to fuel your body and your workout at the same time. It is okay to do with light exercising.

My biggest concern is my appetite! The word is that the second day is the worst, but let's hope it won't be too bad. I'll keep you updated!
Starting weight: 146.4

Write on Wednesday: I Thought I Saw...

I thought I saw...

you the other day. Your dark curly hair that you always hated, straightened to perfection. Your magnificently sparkling green eyes, the ones that always made me jealous of your beauty.

You were wearing jeans with a slight flare, held up by your studded belt, with a bright pink long-sleeved tee... one of your favorite colors.

My heart nearly stopped mid-beat. It couldn't possibly be you, and yet, the resemblance was uncanny. Her appearance, her style, her posture, even her mannerisms all reminded me of you. She was with her friends, talking and laughing, just as you loved to do.

"Hey, are you okay?" His voice interrupted my daydreaming, noticing the watery redness in my unwavering stare. The question snapped me back to reality and I blinked, and you were gone.

Write On Wednesdays Exercise 20 - Write the words " I thought I saw" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings! Do this exercise over and over if you wish. Write beyond 5 minutes if you like, you can link it up as an extra post.

Hop on over to inkpaperpen to read others and post your own!

Also submitted for lovelinks #28!

Write on Wednesday: Sunshine in a Cup

Bring me sunshine in a cup.


Katie waited, sitting on the cotton, yellow blanket they had laid over the grass, both legs bent to her right side. The heat of the sun's rays emanated in full force on her blue, flowing skirt and plain, black blouse. She pulled her curly hair away from her face, holding it in her hands at the back of her head as she observed the nature surrounding her at the park.

I'm such a spaz! she thought to herself, patiently awaiting Robert's return. I've been an athlete all my life, and I pick now to trip and twist my ankle. Idiot. She pulled off her sandals and examined her foot, comparing one leg to the other. It's already swelling. Sigh.

Robert came into view then, his red shirt bobbing into focus as he jogged toward her from the parking lot. She watched as she took notice of his strong shoulders, how his T-shirt fit just perfectly snug on his arms and across his chest, how perfect his lean legs looked in dark blue jeans...

"This is the best I could find in my truck," he said as he began wrapping an orange handkerchief tightly around her swelling ankle, concern clearly displaying in his eyes. "Tell me if it's too tight."

"No, that feels just fine..." Katie sighed, wishing with all her might that she could just dig deep enough to find the courage to say...

"Okay, let's get you home to ice that ankle," Robert interrupted her thoughts. He helped her stand up, quickly rolled up the blanket and draped it over his left arm, and swiftly swooped Katie up, holding her against his chest. She rested her head on his muscular shoulder, shielding her eyes from the sun as he walked toward the truck.

The full prompt: Sunshine in a cup. Write the words of Emily Dickinson: "Bring me sunshine in a cup" at the top of your page. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after the prompt. Don't take you pen off the page (or fingers off the keyboard). Stop only when the buzzer rings!

 

Okay, I confess. I used just a little more time than five minutes. I just had to finish my thoughts ;-) Although I didn't get to where I wanted the ending to land just yet. Maybe I'll continue this story in other posts. Jump on over to inkpaperpen to read the rest of the posts and add your own!

Write on Wednesdays: Status Anxiety

Ha!


How ridiculous. She sipped her morning coffee as she recalled the events of the preceding night. You can't pull one over on me, you weasel, she thought. Good luck with your new life.

Pulling her pink cotton robe closer over her chest, she leaned forward to read the comics in the newspaper. Maybe fictional cartoons will make her feel better.

But she couldn't focus on the words and pictures in front of her. All that loomed in her mind was the darkness. The lack of light, the color of her shoes on the floor, his hair, and the sinking feeling in her heart as she pushed the door open, bottle of wine in hand for the two of them to share.

Today's prompt was to go back through the previous weeks of WoW  at inkpaperpen and choose one to try that we haven't done before, or one we wanted to try again. It was also my first week with the five minute time limit, as the ones I have done before had abandoned that rule, and I found it a little difficult for my first attempt. I chose one that occurred before I found WoW, from week 6: Log onto your Facebook/Twitter page and write down the first status update you see.  Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write the first words that come into your head after your prompt. Stop when the buzzer rings.




Also submitted for lovelinks #27

Apologies... and an Eternal Love

Oh, I've been such a bad little blogger lately. I apologize for the lack of posts and fresh reading material here. It's partly due to a void of inspiration, and partly due to trying to think of a new name for this blog. The reason for that is because while it's named Signing Life, and while my life often revolves around sign language and my Deaf friends, I do not actually post about ASL very often. This blog is actually quite random and not particularly focused on one thing or another, just my ramblings and scribblings of whatever I feel like writing about when I come here. So, I am currently attempting to do one of the things that I have absolutely no talent or creativity for, and that is creating a catchy/witty/fun/unique name. Suggestions are welcome.

Moving on.


I went to a wedding on Sunday. Danny's friends Sal and Anjelica finalized their commitment to one another with a beautiful display of raw emotions shining through their personal vows. Before the reception filled with toasts to the happy couple, good food and drinks, words of congratulations and tons of dancing, there was the ceremony.

Set up outside on this cool evening in early October, the air was chilly with a light breeze, tickling our faces and the bare legs and arms of the ladies. At the head of the seated audience was an elegantly decorated and lit white gazebo, where three unlit candles awaited. After the entire wedding party had walked out, the beautiful bride and groom anxiously waited to officially become husband and wife.

Sal and Anjelica were married on the date of their original anniversary. They had waited ten years for this day to come. Literally, an entire decade since they began dating. When they exchanged their personally written vows, it was clear that these two people were meant to spend their lives together. While many tears of emotion flowed through their words, what really shone through these promises to each other was genuine love, adoration, and affection for the other. Truly meaningful, real, and completely pure blissfulness glowed as an aura, surrounding them together as one with every utterance of their vows.

At the completion of their vows, they went inside the gazebo, each standing at one end of the three candles lined together. Sal and Anjelica both lit their personal candles, representing themselves individually as people with separate lives. Together, using one hand to protect their light from the wind, they used the candles of their personal, single lives to light the middle candle, representing their new life together as one, perfect unit of love and devotion to one another through the beauty of marriage.

And with their marriage sealed with the first kiss as husband and wife, they walked back together, hand in hand as one, their candle flickering ever so gently through the cool breeze, but never extinguishing out.

Write on Wednesdays: The Crazies - No, Not The Movie

This week's prompt is (a little late) about people-watching, and telling the story of a stranger, like another customer in the supermarket, or a neighbor. See the full prompt here at inkpaperpen.

I chose neighbor, because they are completely insane. They must have something wrong with them to act the way that they do. I cannot create a conflict for them simply because I cannot begin to fathom what actually rattles around in those hollow skulls. Here is just a snippet of their cuckoo antics...

Oh, and side note: I wanted to get some pictures, but my camera battery is dead and it's currently raining.

We live in a court; an odd-shaped, half cul-de-sac, and our house is the last one on the block. The Crazies, "Aaron" and "Amy" live right next door. Our driveway is long and winding, and their driveway is one of the half-circle types, which just happens to connect to the bottom of ours.

(Imagine a driveway picture!)

Right adjacent to the driveways is a telephone pole, complete with the usual wires. (Imagine a telephone pole picture!) One day a few months ago, A and A decided they needed some work done on their "Private Property." Yes, they think that because they own the house that they live on "Private Property," complete with at least two signs claiming so -- one so passive-aggressively pointing directly at our house, where it is only visible by us as we leave the driveway. (Imagine a "Private Property" sign picture!) Unbeknownst to us, whatever they decided to do included messing with the wires, as our cable was almost entirely cut out, with only a few channels continuing to work properly.

Of course, this resulted in a phone call from us to the cable company, asking them to come out and inspect our lines, as at this point we were unaware of the cause. Some guys drove out, and apparently this is where all hell broke loose for the Crazies.

The workers were simply doing their jobs and performing their normal job duties, but A and A seemed to think the opposite. The guys were up on the pole, checking things out, when one A (or both As, I don't even remember at this point) barreled out of the house, yelling at the workers to get off their property.

"You can't do this! You can't be here! This is private property; you need to leave!"

I'm not kidding. They think the freakin' telephone pole on the street is their property. Not only that, but they are still claiming that they live on private property - which they do not. Even if they did, the poles on the street do not belong to them. Ummm.. HELLO??!

The workers - tons of sympathy for them for dealing with these maniacs - calmly attempted to explain to the Crazies that it was not private property, that they had every right to be there, and that the Crazies did not in fact, own the telephone pole or anything else on the street. The Crazies of course had no intention of buying these ridiculous words as fact, and continued on screaming like banshees. Poor guys. My heart goes out to them.

My stepfather, Lee, who is 6'1" and nearly 300 pounds of muscle, had no choice but to come outside to diffuse the madness. The Crazies were still yelling, but Lee eventually coaxed (or possibly forced, who knows) them back inside and apologized to the innocent workers.

This is just a small chapter in the novel of dealing with the Crazies. Many other stories exist. Hmm, I should write a book.

The Perfect-ness of Imperfection

Two days ago, on Saturday, my lovely Daniel had a surprise up his sleeve and took me out for the night.


However, the poor boy, bless his heart, cannot hide anything. Ever. He either slips somehow, or when asked a question remotely related, he will smile and simply cannot lie or hide it.


For example, we were at a local elementary school, practicing for softball on Saturday, and when we were finishing up I casually asked him, "So what are we doing tonight?" After a couple of roundabout odd answers, he blurted out that he was planning on surprising me and taking me out, but hadn't thought of what to do yet, and was going to ask me what I wanted. I of course promptly explained to the silly man that if he is going to surprise his amazing and wonderful girlfriend, he is not supposed to ask her opinion on what to do or where to go; he is simply supposed to plan it himself and just do it. I then informed him that I will not be involved in the deicision-making. It was quite the learning experience.


After showering, I arrived at his house only to be whisked away into his silver Nissan Altima and driven to an undisclosed restaurant. I knew we were eating because we were both starving. He actually did trick me when he told me that he missed a turn that led to one of my favorite restaurants, Carrabba's Italian Grill. Once we approached the area of the real dining location, I knew what it was, and I became quite excited. J&R's Steakhouse! Yes! I'd never been, and now, finally, I would taste their juicy, marinated steaks of deliciousness. And that I did. And I added a tasty Kahlua Mudslide to my menu of deliciousness. And that it was.


Upon leaving the restaurant and driving in the direction toward home, Danny made a random right turn off the highway. When I asked where we were going, he only grinned at me and wouldn't say. After pulling into the movie theater parking lot, I asked if we were seeing a movie, and he quickly replied, "Yep!" I should have known something was up, but he actually tricked me again, because as we walked up to the theater, he pulled me to the left toward the strip of stores in the next parking lot. I voiced that I didn't even know what was on that side as I never go there, and he was very good with not slipping and ruining his surprise. Unfortunately, however, he was saddened and his surprise was thwarted as he realized that this place of business no longer existed at this location. As I am quite addicted to ice cream, he confessed his plans to take me to ColdStone because he knew I loved it. I told him not to worry, as it is the thought that counts, and a very nice thought it was.


Though his second plan failed, and he was upset because Google Maps lied to him and told him it still existed, it was still a nice night. We had a good dinner, great conversation, amazing Mudslides, and following the small ice cream mishap, we went to Borders' closing sale to see if there was anything left on their last day of business (so sad).


While some people must have every date planned perfectly and itinerized (yes, I just made that up) to the last minute, I don't need that.  I am grateful to have someone with whom I can still have fun, even with bumps in the road, or, in this case, missing ice cream shops. I'd rather have a haphazardly effective but enjoyable date rather than a perfectly planned but boring rendezvous. And had Danny organized and orchestrated a flawless, romantic night out on the town that was smooth and went off without a hitch, so be it. I'd take either one, because of the person I'm spending it with, not because of the activities. I'm happy just to be with him, enjoying his company and our time together. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Five Question Friday: Post 2

1. If you had a weekly newspaper column, what would you name it?

I'm probably the worst person ever to ask this question to... I really have a lack of creativity and this is probably the worst aspect of it. Do you have any idea how long it took just to come up with "Signing Life" for this blog?

2. Who is your mentor/inspiration?

I wrote about this in another post. The short version... my mom, my boyfriend, and my good friend Debbie all inspire me. One I will add this time is my high school ASL teacher, who was also my first cooperating teacher when I student taught my first ASL classes. To this day, she is still the best teacher I have ever had, and I mold my teaching style after hers. She loves what she does, and her passion for ASL and teaching is what made me want to become a teacher, too. To read about the other three, click here.

3. What is your wake up beverage of choice?

SHAKEOLOGY!! Of course.

4. Would you wear your mom's clothes?

I would wear some of her clothes. Others... hell no.

5. When you were a kid, did you put posters on your wall? If so, what were they of?

Hell yeah! Mostly of the Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore, and other singers I liked. And a bunch more who I thought were hot, who I don't even remember anymore. Though, I'm not a kid anymore (except at heart), and I have a poster of the movie "See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary," signed by all four cast members hanging next to my window. On the other side, next to me bed, I also still have a gigantic poster of Linkin Park that I "borrowed" from Madison Square Garden after their concert a few years ago and never returned... 

Ten Reasons I Love My Job

The title is self-explanatory. I will list ten reasons why I love what I do.


1) This isn't a job. I run my own business. That means no boss to answer to, no stupid corporate rules, no rude, inconsiderate, dirty customers to deal with and clean up after. I am my own boss.
2) My team is absolutely amazing. I am part of one of the fastest growing teams in the company, and it only continues to grow every day. Not only that, but the support from these people is incredible. We are all there for each other every minute of every day, and I couldn't ask for a better group of people to be involved with in this business.
3) I get to help others. I've always felt satisfaction when helping my friends and family get through a rough time, or a great time, whatever the situation may be. Now that I get to pass this along to people even beyond my personal circle, and branch out to help tons of other people get physically and financially fit, it is absolutely worth every second to be a catalyst to their personal successes.
4) I get to use the products. Even if I wasn't a coach, I would still be using Beachbody's products because I LOVE them. They've helped me, and I love sharing them with others to help them reach their goals as well. Plus, I get a nice coaching discount.
5) I can work on my own time. No specific time schedule to follow. No time clocks. No covering shifts. No requesting vacation and days off and being disappointed. I get whatever time off I want, whatever vacation requests and days off I want, and I work when and for however long I want. Which actually turns out to be a better part of my day, just because I love this and am so passionate about it. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, too. But this is an added bonus.
6) The potential for a six-figure income. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. This is a legitimate business that I operate. The more I work at it and nurture it, the more it will grow, the more successful it will become, and the more I can earn.
7) Helping others helps me stay accountable. Coaching my customers reminds me to stick to my health plan and my workouts every day, even if I don't feel like it. We can always find reasons to not work out. Keeping my goals in mind makes me continue to push play, and I always feel better when I'm finished. I've never regretted working out. I've only regretted NOT working out.
8) Giveaways and free stuff. Beachbody is continually rewarding its coaches and customers for their hard work and efforts. I received a free "Insanity: I Earned It" T-shirt for my journey and transformation with Insanity. Webinars occur every week, and sometimes they have giveaways for products like Shakeology. Logging your workouts into Team Beachbody's WOWY Supergym online gives you the chance to earn $500 or $1,000 every single day. And becoming an Emerald coach qualifies you for free customers given to you by Beachbody.
9) Working with people from all over the country. And soon, all over the world. Being an online fitness coach allows me to work with people across the nation, not just here in New York. And Beachbody has plans to launch internationally by the end of this year, which will only increase our connections, growth, and revenues.
10) Beachbody rewards its coaches for their hard work. The more we work and continually reach our goals, Beachbody rewards us with tons of bonuses, including free cash and vacations. What other company does all of this for its coaches and customers? None.


We are always looking for people to join our team. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please don't hesitate to contact me for more information so we can get started in changing your life.

Five Question Friday

I came across another new fun thing to do, this time on Fridays. And if Freeky Friday wasn't over for the summer, I'd be upset that I'd be overlapping the two. ;-)


So, as you can guess, five questions are posted, and I answer them. Simple as that. Here we go.

1. What ringtone do you have on your cell phone?

"Take Back The Fear" by Hail The Villain. Awesome band!

2. What is your favorite memory from this summer?

I posted about this before in a Freeky Friday post. Read it here.

3. Paper books or ebooks?

Paper books! I love holding a book and turning the pages. I love the feel of them, and the touch and material of each page. Some even have a great book smell. And I don't care about the weight of them like some people do who rave about Kindles and nooks being so light... I like my books just the way they are. =)

4. If you could have one home upgrade what would it be and why?

I don't have my own home, so my upgrade is to actually have a home. That counts, right?

5. When was your first serious boyfriend/girlfriend?

I guess most people define "serious" as long-term, correct? Like, a year or more? I'll go with that. In that case, my first serious boyfriend was my senior year of high school, Kevin. We were together for a year and four months.

How about you?

And The Versatile Blogger Award Goes To!... What? Me?!

The wonderful Lene has nominated lil' ol' me for the Versatile Blogger Award this week, and, aw shucks, I couldn't be more honored. Thank you Lene!

To accept this award, the nominee must do the following things:
1) Thank the person who gave the nomination (check! see above!)
2) List 7 interesting facts about him or herself
3) Pass on the nomination to 15 newly discovered blogs


Here are my seven "interesting" facts about myself (which may actually be boring to other people):
1. I am a Team Beachbody Coach, getting paid to help others get fit and achieve their fitness goals, and I love every minute of it.
2. I literally just made an Insanity Transformation Video after completing the 60-day program, hopefully to inspire others to move and keep pushing play.
3. I know American Sign Language (duh), love using it on a daily basis, and teach ASL privately.
4. I absolutely despise seafood. It sickens me.
5. I've seen every single episode of "Gilmore Girls," and own all seven seasons on DVD (don't judge me). I'm also obsessed with the TV show "Bones."
6. I've recently become infatuated with TOMS shoes. I love their movement, One for One, and their shoes are super comfy!
7. My mom wanted to name me Chloe or Dana, but my dad refused. They finally decided on Kerry because it's Irish (which is what my dad wanted) and it sounds nice (according to Mom). Kerry means "Dark-haired princess."


A bonus fact: It took me about twenty minutes just to think of those things about myself, since my life is so exciting and all.


Now, time to pass the torch. Check out these blogs I love! Do it. My nominees for the Versatile Blogger Award are:


Amanda at Concrete Jane
Daniel at Daniel Meyer Blog
Sarah at Sensibly Sassy
Douglas at Marvinator's Place
Deb Ann and Hannah at Waving With My Deaf Hands
C at Apparently, This is My Life
Jayne at Jayne Watkins
Adam at merry wanderer of the night
Ashley at Perpetually Me
Sarah at that space in between
Sherry at Fit Coach Sherry
Janice at Mommy's Lounge
Amanda at Amanda St. Clair
Leslie at Gleaning Grace
Morgan at Snapshots

Two Truths and a Lie: Answer

So the other day I decided to play a little game. I gave you three statements about myself; only two of which were true, and one was a lie. You were to guess which one is the lie. It is now time to reveal the answer. The choices were:


1) I've never broken a bone.
2) If I wasn't a teacher, I'd want to go to veterinary school.
3) The first time I shot a gun, I had 100% accuracy.


The lie is... *drum roll*...


If you guessed number ONE... sorry, you're wrong. I have in fact, never broken a bone. You may have been thrown off by my klutziness, but I apparently have strong bones.


If you guessed number THREE... you are also wrong. My first (and so far only) time shooting a gun, I did have 100% accuracy. It was last summer in Kentucky with Danny while we were visiting his family for his cousin's wedding. Granted it was only one handgun, but I hit the plates every time. ;-)


And finally, if you guessed number TWO, you are correct. Only one person got it right. While I do love animals, and I love my dogs dearly, I do not want to learn how to be their doctor. I also could never put someone's pet to sleep or tell them that there is nothing more to be done. Which is the same reason I could never be a doctor for humans, or a police officer, or anyone that has to tell any family member that their loved one is not coming home. I can't bring that kind of pain on someone. And I'm sure as hell not qualified to try and save them, either.


So, if you guessed number two, which only one of you did, Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. "Anonymous," you WIN! And your prize is... well, nothing, because I don't know who the heck you are. 


Hope you enjoyed! Tune in soon for some more!

Things I Am Currently Sick Of

This prompt comes from Mama Kat's writing prompts. For some reason I can't get the button to work, but you can check out her blog here.

Prompt: List ten things you are currently sick of.

Oh, no problem! I may get hell for some of this, but, oh well!

In no particular order:

1) JERSEY *&%#! SHORE!

2) Smokers complaining about price of cigarettes, having to smoke outside in the cold/rain/snow/heat, not being able to breathe, coughing all the time, smelling like smoke, fingernails/hair/teeth turning yellow and/or brittle, skin turning leathery, and whatever else they complain about DUE TO smoking. Easy solution, people. STOP SMOKING!

3) People thinking they are funny when making Deaf jokes or jokes about ASL. Especially: "Oh, you know sign language? Yeah, I do, too," and promptly give me the finger. Oh, my goodness, you are so hilarious, I've never heard that before in my life... Guess what? You're not cute. You're not funny. You're not original.

4) Inconsiderate, lazy, rude, messy, dirty, disgusting shoppers. Even before I worked in retail, I was NEVER one of these people. I always put things back where I found them, and if I can't remember where it was, I give it to a salesperson rather than leave it in some random place. If I drop something, I pick it up. I hold my trash until I find a garbage can rather than leaving it under a rack of clothes, on top of a rack of clothes, on the floor of the fitting room, on a stool outside the fitting room, in the fitting room rack outside the doors, under a pile of clothes, between stacks of folded shirts, in a pocket of jeans, or inside boxes of merchandise. And yes, that has ALL happened to me while working. Why are people so damn rude and lazy? How freaking difficult is it to just take your merchandise out of the fitting room (YES, BACK ON HANGERS, AND NOT INSIDE-OUT) when you're done trying it on? What makes people think that the fitting rooms are an effing BATHROOM? Do you see a toilet? A sink? No? Then don't leave your bodily fluids and baby's dirty diapers wherever you damn well please. Why do people walk up to a poor retail slave and demand service like the self-entitled prissy princesses they act to be? Chances are if you are rude to an employee for no good reason, he or she will either a) be rude to you right back; b) ignore you and continue working; or c) simply not give you what you want due to your condescending attitude. Just because a person works in a retail store, that does not make you any better than he or she is. He or she is probably working for a damn good reason, such as to make an income while going to school to do something better with their lives, or feed their family, or help their family because someone else lost their job, became injured or disabled, etc. etc. etc. Get over yourself.

5) Anything done by, worn by, said by, or remotely related to the following people and/or things: Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Selena Gomez, Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, vampire movies/TV shows, Will Ferrell, Rebecca Black, Charlie Sheen, Ke$ha, Lindsay Lohan, Royal Wedding BS, any reality show except Hell's Kitchen, Megan Fox, Nicolas Cage, Michael Vick...

6) People doing stupid, reckless things to get attention, and bragging about it. Things such as: Getting into a fight with someone, sleeping with a million people, smoking (anything), drinking themselves into oblivion, doing any illegal drug, getting into trouble with law enforcement, driving recklessly, etc. I'm not impressed. You sound like a moron. You're not cool. Let's see how cool you think you are when driving recklessly at 732894mph causes you to crash into a tree, hit and kill someone, or kill an entire family in one car all because you thought you were a hotshot. Let's see how cool you think you are when sleeping with every person you possibly can gets you one or more incurable STDs or an unwanted pregnancy. Let's see how cool you think you are when run-ins with the police land you in prison because you wanted to boast about your "world against authority" attitude. Let's see how cool you think you are when you are fighting for your life in the hospital due to severe alcohol poisoning simply because you had to prove to everyone at the party how cool and edgy you were for drinking 47 shots of tequila in a row. Yeah, real awesome of you.

7) PLANKING. And whatever other stupid words are now associated with this moronic act.

8) Ridiculous spelling and grammar mistakes. Your = possessive. You're = You are. It's not that difficult.

9) Ridiculous and absurd baby names. Kal-El, Pilot Inspektor, Apple, Blanket, Coco, Kyd, Suri, Sage Moonblood, Maddox, Memphis Eve, Ocean, Rocket Valentino, Racer Maximilliano, Rebel Antonio, Rogue Jaoquin, Rhiannan Elizabeth, Blue Angel, Audio Science, Moon Unit, Diva Thin Muffin, Moxie Crimefighter, Tu Morrow, Jermajesty, Bronx Mowgli (yes, from the damn Jungle Book), Reignbeau, Freedom, Zuma Nesta Rock, Romeo, Brooklyn, Cruz, Seven Sirius, Puma Rose Sabti, Mars Merkaba, Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Atlas, Bandit Lee, Denim Cole, Diezel Ky, Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa (no, I didn't make that up. How could I?!), Bluebell Madonna, Calico, Dashiell, Sonora Rose, Magnus, Mattias, Banjo, Speck Wildhorse, Bamboo, Indio Falconer, Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q, and dear GOD the list goes on forever! WTF were they thinking?! I can't decide which one is the most idiotic.

10) Pe0plE Wh0 WriTe L1k3 Th1s. And "Dis." And who use no punctuation whatsoever so their paragraph is one gigantic long sentence and keeps running on and on forever and you can't tell where one thought ends and one begins because it's all jumbledtogetherinonebiggiantmessofwords.

Sadly, I could only limit this to ten. What about you? What are some things that you are sick of?

Write on Wednesdays: One Liner

This is my third week with Write on Wednesdays. Today is about a great one liner that describes a part of my day. Click the button above to read the full prompt. Here is my line:

And as we lay together, listening to the rhythmic drumming of his heart, fingers laced and legs intertwined, I knew I had found my treasure.

Hop on over to InkPaperPen at the button above to read others' posts for this week!

Two Truths and a Lie

I played this game with my ASL students as a student teacher, and thought it might be fun to play it here with whoever actually reads this thing. You may have heard of it or played before. The game is called Two Truths and a Lie. The way it works is that I tell you three things about myself; two of them are true, and one is a downright lie. Then you, the reader, leave a comment with your guess as to which one is the lie. After a few undetermined amount of guesses, I will post the answer. So, let's get to it! I'll keep it simple for the first game.

1) I've never broken a bone.
2) If I wasn't a teacher, I'd want to go to veterinary school.
3) The first time I shot a gun, I had 100% accuracy.

So, which one is the lie? Leave a comment with your guess!

Feel free to play this game as well; just please credit it back to my blog. :-)

Scars

Writing prompt from Mama Kat's.


I found another fun little writing prompt exercise through InkPaperPen. Click the link above to check it out. Today: "Tell us about that scar."


Oh, so many to choose from.


As I have stated before, I am a klutz. This has therefore resulted in many, many scars across my body. Today, I will tell you about the two times my klutziness has resulted in stitches: once in my face, and once in my finger.


The first occurred when I was about eight years old. At that time, my mother, older brother, and I lived in a tiny apartment in my grandmother's house with a small kitchen, a smaller living room, and an even smaller bathroom. A minuscule bedroom was built for my brother and I to share, while my mom used the living room as hers. 


One afternoon, my brother and I decided to play catch in the backyard. Things were going fine, the natural back-and-forth progression that involves a simple game of catch. Suddenly, my brother threw the ball quite a bit further than I could reach, so I ran for it. This, consequently, made me look up at the hurdling ball in the sky rather than where my feet were landing. My grandmother had apparently just cut down a tree, because that's when I tripped over a stump and landed face-first in a giant pile of sticks, cutting and puncturing my face and neck. With blood streaming down my face and neck, staining my shirt, I screamed and cried, and cried and screamed. Mom snatched a towel to hold to my crimson wounds, most worried about my neck, and we were off to the hospital. The end result? Two stitches in my chin, leaving no visible scar, and bandaids for the rest of the cuts.


The second sewing incident to my body happened my senior year of high school, during second period art class. I can't describe the project very well, but we were required to draw a self-portrait, and cut it out onto linoleum using a tool something like an Exact-o Knife. My first attempt at cutting, I held the project at the top, and slowly but firmly slid the knife across the board. Of course, immediately after, I slipped, and sliced my left index finger open, which instantaneously gushed blood onto the table and my project. I ran to the counter next to my table for paper towels, dripping blood on the floor on the way there. Pressing the towels to my finger did nothing to stop it, and so I asked a friend to tell our teacher that I was running to the nurse.


At the nurse's office, she did her best to patch up the wound, but it wouldn't stop bleeding and suggested I go to the hospital to get stitches. Despite my protesting, she called my mom at home, who of course didn't answer. She called the next two people on my emergency contact list, who of course didn't answer either. Finally the last person on the list, my stepfather's mother, answered and came to pick me up. She drove me home, and it turns out my mom didn't answer simply because she was outside with the dogs and didn't hear the phone ring. 


We drove to the hospital, as regular doctor's offices don't handle stitches. The doctor numbed my finger, sewed up two or three stitches, wrapped up my finger, and we were done. Most kids would have been happy to get out of school for a day, but I was pissed that I had to miss the entire rest of my day due to a stupid cut on my finger. I couldn't just slap a bandaid on it and be done with it?! Jeez.


How did you get some of your scars?

Write on Wednesdays: The Fight

Head over to InkPaperPen to see the full prompt for this week. Today is about a personal story, 100% truthful, but not 100% of the truth. The keywords: The Fight.

When I started this blog, I promised myself I would always be honest with everything I wrote. And that has stuck. Everything I have written thus far has been purely genuine in its content. That isn't difficult for me. The difficult part is choosing the content. A few different things popped into my head when reading this week's prompt: My house fire at age 15, struggling through bad relationships and even worse break-ups, ended friendships, the fight through graduate school to get out of retail. But I decided to focus on something meaningful to me at the present, rather than the past. This is my fight.

I had always been a confident person, for as long as I can remember. I never had a problem with worrying what others may think, or checking the mirror every so often to make sure every hair was in place and every wrinkle was smoothed out. That's never been me, and I had always taken pride in that fact. I'm not saying that I never thought my appearance was unattractive, but even when I did, I usually forgot about it and moved on with my day. Besides, it's much too aggravating and time-consuming to be constantly worrying about my looks, my appearance, fiddling with make-up and the perfect outfit for the day. I've always worn what I felt like wearing, which was usually jeans and tank, ran a brush through my hair, hardly ever wore make-up, and ran out the door. And that's how I liked it.

But lately... I haven't been myself. I've gained some weight in the past year or so, and it's done a number on my self-confidence. I've never been stick-thin, but I've never been tremendously overweight, either. I've always just had pretty average weight; right in the middle. A little extra here and there, but I was happy with it, and myself. Now... that's somehow changed. Some of my clothes don't fit the same, and it makes me upset. If I put on a pair of jeans and they are too tight, I immediately call myself "fat" and rip them off, searching for something looser to wear. If a tank top or a T-shirt no longer feels right, I am immediately disgusted with myself and try to find something else that will cover up the spare tire around my waist or the muffin top peeking out over my pants. And I hate it. I hate that I feel this way about myself. Then, I become angry with myself that I do feel this way, because I never used to, and this was never me. My current fight is with myself.

That's why I started the Insanity program by Beachbody. I wanted to get back into shape, lose a little weight and a few inches, and feel confident about myself again. I wanted my self-esteem back. I wanted my cardio to improve, I wanted to feel stronger, and I wanted my clothes to fit better. I wanted to feel like myself again.

I've also been drinking Shakeology, The Healthiest Meal of the Day, and the tastiest! Replacing one meal a day, Shakeology is the healthiest and best-tasting shake you can find. After only a week, I felt improvements in my body. It feels healthier, and has even helped with my digestion. After a month of drinking it every day, my body feels amazing. I wish I could drink it for every meal! That's how excellent it is. You can't find quality like this anywhere else.

Now that my first round with Insanity is coming to a close, I feel better. My cardio has improved, and my numbers on the "Fit Test" have skyrocketed. This is my last week, and I can't wait to see the real end results. Next on my list is P90X!

Now that I feel better, I want to help others feel better and gain their confidence back as well. And that's why I became a Beachbody Coach; so I can help others achieve their health and fitness goals, too. I believe in this company and their products because I've used them, and they work. I want to end the craze of people across the country feeling the way I felt, no matter what the number on the scale reads back. I want to end the fad of people insulting themselves, putting themselves down, and calling themselves derogatory names because they think they are too fat just because their clothes don't fit the same, or they don't look like the models blazoned on every advertisement and flashed on mass broadcast across every TV screen. I want to End The Trend of obesity in this country. That's my new fight. And I love every minute of it.

Freeky Friday: Summer Lovin'

It's Freeky Friday yet again! Sadly, this is the last Freeky Friday of 2011. But, not to fear, it shall return next summer. The last question of this summer is...

What was the best thing that happened to you this summer?

I have two answers to this question. 


The first was my vacation with Danny to Myrtle Beach at the beginning of June. I wrote about this in a previous post titled Living Proof, so I won't go into great detail here. Click the link if you would like to read the full story. It was our first vacation together alone as a couple, our first road trip together, my first vacation since I went to Disney World with my family when I was 16, and we were also celebrating a few different things. We just had our one year anniversary, we both graduated from college, a Master's degree in teaching for me, and a Bachelor's degree in architecture for Danny. We also had both recently landed new jobs (see Keep On Keepin' On and Living Proof). We had a great time with all of our little events packed into the weekend, and it was an awesome start to the summer. 


The second is something that I'm very excited about. I recently started my own, new business as a Team Beachbody Coach. I just started it, but I'm already having a blast with it and I'm anxious to continue and really get it off the ground. Basically, I help people become physically and/or financially fit. I work with others to help them achieve their fitness goals, not only for the present, but forever. We work together to create a change in their lives, for the present, and the future. We create a lifestyle change, to transform their bodies and their lives into healthier and happier living. I'm loving every minute of it.


Why do I do this? Because I believe in the Beachbody company. I believe in them because I know their products work. I've used them, and they've worked for me, and so many other people all across the country. Thousands of transformation stories have been posted on the Beachbody website, to YouTube,  and in the Beachbody infomercials for P90X, Insanity, Turbo Fire, Hip Hop Abs, and more. I'm currently finishing up Insanity, and if it can work for me, it can work for anyone. I plan on doing P90X next. I also have been using an amazing product by Beachbody called Shakeology. It is called "The Healthiest Meal of the Day" for a reason; because it is. I drink it every day for breakfast to start my day off as healthy as possible. It is also my favorite meal of the day because it tastes AMAZING. I love this job, and I love helping others get fit and achieve their goals.

What's the best thing that happened to you this summer?

You can participate in three ways! Head over to Concrete Jane to see how, and how you will be entered to win some yummy homemade treats and have a donation made in your name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! This is your last chance of the year to participate! The winner will be announced next week!

Write on Wednesdays: Let's Take a Stroll

I have stumbled upon something in the blogosphere at Ink Paper Pen, through Writing Out Loud, called Write on Wednesdays. See Ink Paper Pen above to see the full prompt and find out what this is all about. This week is about going for a walk and writing down your thoughts and what you see. This is my first attempt at Write on Wednesdays.

I change into comfortable black sweat pants, branding my alumni status from my graduate school down the left leg in blue capital letters; "COLUMBIA." Something I can actually be proud of. I slip into my exercise sneakers, Nike, black and teal, and stylish if I do say so myself. I call to my Husky/Greyhound mixed dog, Nikki, who is enjoying her safe haven under my bed. "Nikki, wanna go out?" usually perks her right up enough to crawl out and run downstairs. This time, she doesn't want to move. I change my tactics. "Nikki, walk?" She immediately peeks her head out. I repeat the question. She sprints out of my room and down the thirteen steps to the landing.

I fasten red leashes onto both dogs, and we're off... out the garage door, down the driveway and out of our little half cul-de-sac/court/dead-end street. I worry how long of a walk Floppy can handle, as he is fifteen and has arthritis in his hips. At the end of the court, I ask the mutts which way we should go. They both start walking left, so I follow.


The air is warm, but not too warm. The sun peeks through clouds and various trees along the streets. The area is quiet, with only the sound of my sneakers pounding and the dogs' paws clicking on the pavement. Occasionally, a car or truck drives by.

My neighborhood isn't much to look at, so my mind wanders. Watching the simple life of my dogs, I start to wonder what the minds of dogs look like, and what their thoughts might be.

Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff. What's that bush smell like? What's that tree smell like? What's that grass smell like? Sniff, sniff. Another dog's urine! Jackpot! I must steal this territory as my own!

No, that's poison ivy. You're not going anywhere near that. Sorry, pup.

Why are you pulling me away?! This is mine! 
...

What's that? Another dog barking? I must bark louder! 

He's behind a fence. You can't even see him.

Stop pulling me away! I must bark with that dog! Collar... choking... don't care... must... continue... must... bark.... with... dog...
...

How are you doing, Floppy? 

Thirsty. Water! What's that? Sniff sniff... SQUIRREL! Chase, chase! Stupid leash! Great, it went up a tree! I could have caught it if you let me go!
...

Oh, that's a cute house. I like the bench outside and the stone walkway.

Sniff, sniff. Who else has been here? What other dogs have been stealing my territory? Sniff, sniff.
...

Time to go home, guys.

Sniff, sniff, sniff.
...

Home, sweet home!

Thirsty. Water! Drink drink drink...

Freeky Friday: Shiny Happy People

It's Freeky Friday once again! This week, Freekware wants to know:

When are you most happy?

Oh, so many different answers.

I shall make this easy on myself, and copy what I wrote on Freekware's Facebook page (click the badge above!) to this question. But, I will add pictures! Yay, visuals!

I am most happy:

When I'm with my amazing boyfriend

my crazy ass family (there are way more of us, but I have no good pictures),

my friends, 

when my best friend comes home from school to visit (even though I look demonic in this picture. Miss you Roger!)

when I'm having a conversation in ASL (and I apparently have no picture of an actual conversation with it),

when I'm reading one of my thousands of books (and this MIGHT be what my bookshelf may actually look like some day, if I ever have enough room to put them somewhere other than in and on top of one tiny bookshelf, in the trunk at the foot of my bed, behind all of my DVDs, and stacked on the floor next to the original tiny bookshelf) [Source],

when I am teaching, 

when I'm belting out songs to myself even though I can't sing, 

when I'm watching whatever I want on Netflix, 

when I'm watching my box set DVDs of Gilmore Girls [Source],

when I try something I haven't done before and accomplish it (like cooking something!)

when I am at concerts of my favorite bands (like Disturbed!)

(and Blink 182!)

or when I'm MEETING THEM! (Chester and Phoenix from Linkin Park!),

when I am writing (hence this blog, and my contributions to Retail Hell Underground), 

when I am hanging out or playing with my dogs, (or when I'm playing with any puppy or dog) 

when I am on vacation, 

when I am helping others to achieve their fitness goals (My Beachbody Coaching Page), 

when I am drinking Shakeology (My Shakeology Page), 

when I am cuddled up having a movie night with the boy, 

when I am walking around Manhattan [Source]

when I pamper myself for once, 

and before this post becomes any longer, I'll stop it there, though I'm sure I could go on forever! =)

So, how about you?

When are you most happy?

You can participate in three ways! Head over to Concrete Jane to see how, be entered to win this month's prize of yummy Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies, and have a donation made in your name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Get on this!