I, unlike many people I know have been fortunate enough to be shielded from death. To date none of my close friends or relations have suffered any life threatening diseases, nor have they died, lucky me. Like a coddled child wrapped protectively from the bad things in life, I have only watched from afar as other people grieved over loved ones now lost. I was therefore totally unprepared by the sheer force of emotion that hit me last week when I heard of an acquaintance’s near death situation at Queen’s Hospital.
I say acquaintance, since I do not know what else to call our relationship. He was a man who had worked for us on and off over the years; he was not a carpenter, nor a real builder, but rather a jack-of-all-trades as many kiwis often are. He would call us every once in a while, asking if we had any projects on, and if anything was forthcoming he would hop on a plane and arrive ready for work. Such was the case early this year, and when our plans for another business were put on hold, he came to work on our house to fill in some time.
Every day at 7a.m. on the dot he would arrive, initially by bike and later by car, always with a baseball cap on his head, and a slightly sheepish look on his face. We are not early risers, and I always felt that he thought that he was an intrusion arriving at that time in the morning, despite the fact that he was either working outside or in a completely different part of the house from all of us sleeping beauties. Always grateful for a cup of coffee, water and lunch – he was extremely polite, and when “D” was not working with him he would always say something to the effect of “oh, I just have to get this last bit done, so I’ll just take it with me”, never staying to eat at the table. Or once when we had a bricklayer working – he asked if I could call him quietly because he felt awkward eating lunch prepared by me because the worker had asked if he would like to go and grab something with him.
An older man, small in stature, and yet fitter and stronger than my youthful sons; they were in awe of his physique. They would always tell their friends how “P” was “totally ripped”! He swam daily, rode his bike all over town, ate healthily and only ever drank on weekends. He was it is true basically a loner, he rarely spoke of friends or family, or of doing anything much socially and I think that that is what made the whole situation even more devastating in my mind.
He was found at 2a.m.on a street close to his apartment. He was lying on the sidewalk, a bloody mess by a nurse just getting off work. She, thank God got him to the hospital where he was put on life support. He had nothing on him but his cell phone and $59; he was just a John Doe. One of the supervisor’s trying to get in touch with anyone who knew him, scrolled through his phone and in one of those odd quirks of fate recognized her ex-husband’s number. She called him, and he put her in touch with us, and we went down to identify him. Poor “P”, massive head trauma had basically killed him, and even though he was breathing through the machine, they said he had little or no brain function. They were really only waiting to get in touch with a relative to let him go.
Relatives, girlfriends, friends? What did we really know about him? We knew his first and last name, the fact that he had dual citizenship, his local number, (he had always contacted us from New Zealand) and to be honest that was about it. The police, searching his apartment found his passport, but little else of personal import. Of course we did eventually find a relation, an estranged brother, however what impacted me so greatly was the fact had it not been for that one number on his phone this man would have gone unmarked to his grave as a mere John Doe. His life totally unrecognized, with no love, no sense of loss at his passing. And such a senseless loss at that, because to this day nobody knows exactly what happened; one scenario being that after a few drinks, realizing that he had forgotten the keys to his third floor apartment he attempted to climb up to his balcony. It sounds too strange to me; was he beaten up? I dearly hope not, I cannot imagine little “P” as I always think of him, a totally non-violent person being assaulted by people much larger than he I am sure. And to what purpose? If he had been robbed, why leave $59?
“P” I am so sorry for what happened to you. I didn’t really know you, but your passing has effected me more than I can tell you. You were a good man, a diligent worker and I hope that more than just our family will mourn for you, because you deserve a lot better than that. A John Doe you certainly were not, in my mind you did leave a mark on our lives, enriching and making it better. I will add a little something, I am not sure what, but I will know when I find it, right beside my habanero plant with its bright red peppers that you loved so much, and I will feel your soul enriching the earth each time I see it bear fruit.
Tags: Add new tag, Death, Diseases, Family, friends, Head trauma, John Doe, Life support, Life threatening, Loner, Loss, Love, man, Mourn, Passing, Relative, Robbed, Soul, Trauma
December 17th, 2008
There was a time when the mail used to bring news from friends and family, but as the Internet took a hold, so the U.S. Postal Service gradually lost its luster and turned into a sort of extension of the monthly billing cycle. And now, with online banking so available it has been further reduced into becoming merely the bearer of junk mail. There is however still one piece of mail that it delivers that carries weight: “Certified Mail”. The name alone carries a tone of authority, and that is usually what it bears; legal matter, government documents, etc – nothing at all that I want drifting my way.
Therefore it was with a definite sense of dread that I signed for my “Certified Mail” the other day, and true to form as soon as I opened the letter I was faced with the frightful Department of Taxation Insignia. Its missive was to inform me that I was to be audited with regard to my former company “for all the years in which the statute of limitations has not expired” i.e. 5 years, back to 2003. Thank God there is a statute of limitations otherwise goodness knows how far back they would really like to go!
Now it is not that I feel guilty of any wrongdoing, because I have never tried to defraud the state in any way of its 4.72% G.E. Tax, however as I tried to tell the auditor, my last few years in business were conducted mainly as an e-commerce company and therefore all out of state sales were Hawaii State Tax exempt. It was all to no avail, and now I will have to locate my boxes of invoices for the said years for their examination next week. Really what I feel is a certain amount of dread (just because I find anything to do with formal authority intimidating) along with that same sense of irritation that came over me when my wallet was stolen. I just wished the robber had taken the cash and left the credit cards and driver’s license behind, not because of any liability, but merely because of the huge hassle it caused to reinstate everything, especially the driver’s license.
Still, being an upright citizen, when asked for my Federal Tax Returns I duly went down to the Tax Office to drop them off. Government offices are always so dreary, I immediately felt deeply depressed, as if something bad was about to happen to me. After checking in with the stony-faced security guards I wandered through the inevitable maze of grey corridors until I reached the tax office. Once inside, I rang the small silver bell to announce myself behind the bulletproof partition, and was then pointed into a tiny drab brown (interrogation) room! There I was apprised of the fate awaiting me. Tuesday morning at 9a.m. two auditors will come to my home to inspect my papers and after said inspection they will let me know how they will proceed.
The thought was not at all pleasant, but then I wondered how did it feel to be on the other side? Cordoned off behind bulletproof glass, knowing that everybody you do business with on a daily basis absolutely dreads and loathes you from the outset? It must be horrific, your only friends, your co-workers all contained in that small office where you live and breathe like a bunch of pariahs. Imagine being asked what you do for a living? If answered truthfully I think most of us would run for our lives! No, although they may have authority over me for the moment, I am taking comfort in the fact that I wouldn’t trade places with any one of them for love nor money…..would you?
Tags: Audit, Auditors, Authority, Certified mail, Department of Taxation, documents, Federal Tax, General Excise Tax, government, Hawaii State Tax, Junk Mail, state, statute of limitations, Tax, Tax Returns, Taxes, U.S. Postal Service
November 19th, 2008
A smirk, is a smirk, is just a smirk – or is it? A smirk, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is “a smug or silly smile”, and who, may I ask is to be the judge? This question is not as trivial as it may seem once you understand the situation.
Last month my husband applied to renew his New Zealand passport. He duly sent in the 2 required photos, and all the other paraphernalia that goes with all government procedures, along with the date of travel (November 17 2008). Given that he was born in N.Z. and has held a passport for years he did not expect any complications.
As the date drew nearer I was a little concerned, and so I was more than a little relieved to see the N.Z. official envelope when it arrived yesterday (Nov. 10th). Then, can you imagine our surprise when it turned out that the new passport was not inside, but a request that 2 new photos be submitted due to the fact that in the ones sent my husband was deemed to be smirking (my sister-in-law later informed me that you are not allowed to smile in their passport photos!). Now as ridiculous as this may seem, it was all the more ludicrous when you take into consideration that we are talking about professional passport photos taken of a 50 + yrs man….smirking???
Given the lateness of the situation, I called Wellington N.Z. and spoke to an official since I had already researched all other avenues, I could not find a service that could get the new photos back to N.Z. earlier than the 17th. The gentleman I must say did attempt to be helpful, given as he said that I was not the primary party and therefore he could not divulge any real information. However he was not all surprised when he heard that the photos had been returned due to the fact that my husband was judged to be smirking and that although the date of his departure had been recorded he felt that his department could not have ascertained how long the delivery and return would have been for said documents to and from Hawaii – longer than 4 days even an idiot I think would have seen that – but losing it with anybody in an official position is usually not the means to the end one would like, so I held my breathe. The final conclusion was that I should contact the Consulate General here, who I had already discovered was out of town until tomorrow.
So I shall wait until tomorrow and hope that they will be able to arrange some emergency travel documents. My husband is going home for his mother’s birthday, unfortunately perhaps the last one she will remember since she, like too many older people is in a rapidly declining state of Alzheimer’s. So you see a smirk, may just be a lot more than just a smirk.
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Tags: Consulate, government procedures, information, New Zealand passport, official, passport, passport photo, passport renewal, smirk, travel, travel documents, Wellington
November 11th, 2008
Doctors, the Oracles of our health, speak the truth, the whole truth, the only truth, at least that was what I had assumed for a long time. A true believer, I thought that medicine was an exact science, and its apostles infallible. How naïve was I? Doctors are merely human beings with a little more knowledge than the rest of us, and their opinions as to our well being and our needs can be as varied as the members of their profession.
Believing this then, why was I so shocked to learn that a close friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer? Why, because she, like I had diligently followed her doctor’s preventive instructions; i.e. maintain a healthy life-style, do regular self – examinations and have an annual mammogram. So, how could it be that just this year she was informed that she had a malignant tumor that had been growing inside her for 6- 10 years? 6 – 10 years, you would think that that was impossible! But no, there were facts that we were totally oblivious of, one of which was extremely pertinent to her. The fact that mammograms are not always able to detect tumors in dense breast tissue, and that in such cases an additional MRI or ultrasound is advisable. As it was, her tumor was discovered this year when her mammogram showed some “complications”, at which point the need for further examinations were ordered – and not with a sense of urgency I might add, because if the tumor had been there for 6 – 10 years what difference would a couple of weeks make? Hello, what about to the life of the patient, during those long days waiting, not knowing whether she or not she had cancer? Finally she was diagnosed, operated on and is now undergoing chemo. Thankfully they believe that they were able to get it all, and with regular monitoring she will be fine.
None of us are immune, not even men. However, given that “Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer)” and that “According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide about 465,000 will die from the disease” (excerpt taken from www.imaginis.com) it is of the utmost importance that we learn all the facts.
Now more than ever I am aware that although seeing my doctor, along with self-examination and annual mammograms are essential, that is not enough. Doctors are not Gods and should not be assigned the whole responsibility of our health, it is also up to us to take matters into our own hands, so we know whereof they speak. After all, it can be a matter of life and death – ours, not theirs.
Tags: Breast cancer, breast tissue, cancer, doctors, mammogram, medicine, MRI, tumors, ultrasound
November 1st, 2008
The Presidential election this year seems to have created more interest and participation from the general public than in years past. Both the younger and older generation seem to be prepared to cast their votes in numbers as never before. Sadly this rally is most probably be due to the desperate state of our economy, and the terrible cost both in terms of human lives as well as the billions spent on our involvement in too many wars. I myself have never been particularly politically involved, but this time around I have a very firm opinion as to who should be our next President.
Oddly enough I am also involved to a very small degree in a local political campaign. A friend of mine Janis Akuna is running for a place on the Board of Education, and knowing the dire state of our public education I was happy to volunteer to help her in any way that I could. Janis has a keen social conscience, and the intelligence and experience to back it up (please visit her website Janisakuna.com to learn more about her and her goals), and I know that she would be an incredible asset to BOE. She is truly committed to improving the public educational system here, with no ulterior motives, such as using the position as a steppingstone to other public offices – which is so often the case. For me, it has truly been an eye opener to see the type of commitment in both time and personal money, which it takes to get oneself elected to office. In order to get one’s name out there, and registered in people’s minds especially if one has never run before takes a tremendous amount of effort – emails, banners, flyers, ads, even T-shirts– a stream of constant repetition, to get one’s name familiarized. Whatever help Janis gets is all on a volunteer basis, and to keep the engine fueled when we are all so busy already with work and family is not an easy task. Now with the elections almost at hand she is out sign waving twice a day for 3 hours at a time, both at morning drive and also during the evening rush hour – choosing high traffic areas all over the island. I who participate in either a morning or evening stint cannot imagine doing this twice a day for two weeks!
So, may I ask that you visit her website Janisakuna.com and see what a potential goldmine is available to the BOE. Afterwards if you believe in what you read, please when it comes time to cast your vote for the Board of Education at Large, please vote for Janis Akuna. I can assure you that you will not be sorry.
Tags: Board of Education, Board of Education at Large, BOE, Education, elections, Janis Akuna, janisakuna.com, political campaign, politics, public education
October 27th, 2008
Today women can be anything they want. You only have to look in any field and you can see how many women are leading the pack. Indra Nooyi (CEO of PepsiCo) Meg Whitman (CEO and President Ebay) Ann Moore (Chairman and CEO Times Inc) Judy McGrath (CEO and Chairman MTV, Viacom Groups), Oprah Winfrey (Chairman Harpo Inc), etc. etc. and of course first and foremost in our minds right now, the likes of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin in politics.
Shouldn’t this all be cause for encouragement? We, as women should be celebrating! However, as is so clearly illustrated by the news of how much money was spent on Sarah Palin’s appearance upon her nomination for the Vice Presidency; the new message is still the old message. Appearances, especially for women count! Sarah Palin the good old soccer Mom who equates with all women, especially those of the middle class was not good enough as she was – though we are supposed to believe it was merely her appearance and not her brain that needed a thorough make-over. In my opinion it should have been the other way around given her antiquated ideas of “the atrocity of abortion,” even in the case of rape victims, along with her ideas of abstinence only education, to name just a few. I feel the money would have been better spent on giving her some higher education; enlightenment of the brain would have been a more worthy campaign expenditure. However, be that as it may, an astounding $150,000 and counting was spent to make her look more Vice Presidential. And true to her nickname the Caribou Barbie, she was the ultimate doll; dressed by a professional stylist, her hairstyle chosen by an equally adept hairdresser, even her eyeglass frames (Kawasaki 704’s that start at $375) – they were all selected for her. Furthermore her face must have been in need of a lot of attention given that her make-up artist Amy Strozzi was paid $22,800 for 2 weeks work, and is now included as part of her entourage.
So with this news, we truly see the hypocrisy of it all. Had the soccer Mom Sarah Palin appeared before us in the Vice Presidential debates, and all the rest of her public appearances, would she have been taken seriously as the potential president in waiting? But now clothed to suit the public image of the position she hopes to attain, should she be considered any the more capable? And what happens once Nov. 4 election is over and her clothes are all donated to charity (as they profess), who will be left the soccer Mom or the Barbie? Let’s hope that the choice never has to be made with regard to the Vice President of the United States, it’s frightening enough to think of it in terms of a private citizen!
Tags: barbie, caribou barbie, mom, palin, politics, sara palin, sarah palin, soccer mom, vice president, women
October 25th, 2008
My mind is in absolute turmoil. I have made a grave mistake, one that I cannot seem to correct! See above: somehow despite all my best efforts I cannot erase the nasty bold green intruders who have invaded my lovely soft blue header. The fact that they spell out my blog’s URL is beside the point because I inadvertently inserted them and now I cannot get rid of them, as hard as I have tried
Agh! The result of another of my great ideas. I decided that in order to get more traffic for my blog I should submit it to various blog directories. Sounds like a good idea…..right? Well, everything was going just fine, except that many of them require a reciprocal link be placed on your site before they will assess you for insertion. This surprisingly enough did not appear to be too hard until I hit upon www.technorati.com (I should have guessed from its name that it would be way too technical for me!). They requested that you insert a specific coding instead of using the web name (which seemed to be the norm) as the link, and foolish me, without thinking about the consequences of such a change I did just that. Furthermore, feeling a little smart, (that should have been a hint right there of trouble to come) I thought that it would be a good idea to add a new category to my sidebar since the list was getting a rather long. Of course I had not noted that I could hide part of the list, and yes I am the type of person who reads the instruction pamphlet after the fact. Merrily on my way I added a new category Blog Directories and inserted the dreaded code.Well, when I visited my site, lo and behold there were the intruders sitting smack in the middle of my header. Totally freaked (my usual reaction unfortunately when things go wrong with things I know nothing about, and a mindset I would never recommend when making serious decisions) I immediately rushed back and deleted the category along with the link, at least so I thought.
Nothing can be that simple, especially in a world where I am just treading ever so lightly in the hopes of not disturbing anything other than the few things I know. And yet here to my horror I was faced with the most dreaded thing, an unknown factor that I had created and could not erase. Returning to the admin area I discovered that deleting a category did not automatically delete its links but rather rolled them over into another category. That was well and dandy, I could deal with that, but what happens when the link itself disappears into thin air?
I have contacted Technorati.com and have received the usual automated response that they have received my email and will get back to me. I have searched all the WordPress FAQ’s and Troubleshooting areas that talk in tongues that leave me totally befuddled – as if I weren’t already at my wits end. Finally I have contacted my Webmaster who is deeply entrenched in another job and cannot help me until the weekend. So please bear with me, I am beyond hope, and appalled every time I open my blog, aghast at what I have done.
To wit, my sincerest apologies for blaming Technorati.com (despite their name!)! I received a very nice email from their Support Department which assured me that they had nothing to do with those dastardly invaders in my header, but as you can see I still have not been able to erase them. Perhaps they are just meant to be, but again I do apologise to Technorati.com for accusing them of things for which they are totally blameless.
Tags: admin, blog, blog directories, Blog Directory, category, code, link, reciprocal link, site, Technorati, URL
October 16th, 2008
Somebody once gave me a refrigerator sticker that says, “Good clothes open all doors”. Given that I was in the fashion industry this seemed extremely appropriate. However, if this is the case I wonder what price or how many doors are opened by beauty? Far more than good clothes I can assure you! The price for beauty to be honest today is sky high. More than ever beauty is a commodity, traded daily just as surely as stocks and bonds. At this moment such and such a beautiful model is “the one”, sought after, pampered and indulged. But waiting in the wings right behind her is her replacement, because as any good merchant knows we are living in a consumer world where the newest and latest is everything; old news is no news. And she, like everything else is just one more commodity, to be used and passed up, as soon as her value that is her ability to sell merchandise is worn out. For what isn’t sold today without the conscious or subconscious image of a beautiful girl? And I do mean girl, because although she may appear to be a woman more often than not she is hardly more than a girl. This, my friends is without doubt one arena where women have the advantage, and for once earn a higher income than men! Products, as diverse as luxury clothing, perfumes, vacations, houses and even less prestigious items, such as basic household goods are all sold with the helping hand of a beautiful female image.
Today, if you catch the eye of a scout and are proven to be a marketable commodity, how valuable are you? The term Supermodel is almost too banal, because the likes of say a Kate Moss or a Gisele Bunchen can sell the gamut from Versace Couture to CoverGirl mascara; they are truly multi purpose. So what does that say about us, I mean us as in the term “women”? Are we so impressionable that we really think that by buying a Victoria Secret’s bra we are going to look like Heidi Klum, or any of the other gorgeous hair tossing beauties who sport their latest styles in front of us? That element of naiveté (to put it kindly) is what is implied to me when the surveys say that many female voters will vote for the Republicans now that Sarah Palin is on their ticket, and Hilary Clinton is no longer an option. It is as much to say that they are interchangeable because they are both women regardless of the fact that what they stand for is so totally different……have we gone back to the dark ages? However in their (whoever they may be) defense when sales rocket due to “celebrities” like Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan etc. wearing or carrying a certain item, one can hardly blame them for jumping to such inane conclusions! I realize that I may be speaking here of the younger members of our gender, but isn’t it still our responsibility to be good role models and teach them to be individuals and speak with their own minds and not those of the herd?
Furthermore, if you look behind this marketing veil, I hate to admit that you are sure to find men for the most part leading the pack. They are the puppeteers. Please, let’s take a stand and not allow ourselves to be the willing puppets manipulated by their unseen hands!
Tags: beauties, beauty, celebrities, clothing, commodity, consumer world, couture, CoverGirl, fashion industry, female image, gender, girl, goods, Hilary Clinton, household goods, individuals, Lindsay Lohan, luxury, marketable, merchandise, Paris Hilton, products, Republicans, role models, sarah palin, value, Versace, women
October 15th, 2008
I thought that I was doing just fine, having adapted after much time to my new state of being. My youngest son was still at home and in need from time to time of his mother (for food, laundry and all the important periphery things a young man needs to keep his hectic life going!). My husband was here at my side to support me with my attack of the collywobbles while my oldest was away, and so life goes on. It is funny though how things can change in an instant, and one’s life is abruptly turned upside-down, and that was what happened to me this past Saturday.
The phone rang it was my son. He phoned ostensibly to let me know his whereabouts, since he had been continually on the move. However, I discerned a note of sadness in his voice and suddenly my whole body was on alert. We talked of nothing, I just wanting to keep him on the phone to learn more, trying subtly to draw him out so I could find out what was going on. Men on the whole are not forthcoming, whether it be good news or not, and I know my son was reluctant to ever admit that he was not enjoying himself. On the one hand he did not want to hurt my feelings since we had gone to great expense to make his trip possible and he knew that any admission of wanting to come home would make me worry, and on the other it was a matter of pride to tell me that he was capable of being away from home without whining about loneliness and any such other stuff. However it was there, I could hear it and my heart was breaking.
After almost 2 months the traveling was starting to wear thin, and without close friends at his side he was definitely feeling alone. The weather was terrible and so he was unable to go out and occupy his mind with activities that would leave him tired by the time he got back to his hostel. I could imagine him looking out at the rain and wondering how to pass the time, feeling a little homesick. What could I do? So far away, I wanted to just rush out and in some way be able to hold him and tell him everything would be all right. As it was I could only talk to him and tell him that his father would be in New Zealand in 4 weeks to see him. He seemed cheered by this thought and then blurted out that he definitely wanted to come home with his Dad until his course started there in January. I was now on high, high alert. After his call I was on the phone to friends, did they know any young kids in Queenstown, when were their kids headed down that way, etc. etc? A better sheepdog you could not find! And I did not find much, but I had done the best I could. I text him just to keep in touch and let him know I was thinking of him…obsessing over him in truth.
And what do you know on Sunday he called and I could tell that he was over the moon with excitement. He had met some people and they had told him about the Kiwi Experience Tour where it seemed everybody for the most part was both young and traveling alone! He was off immediately to buy his ticket and that…he might need a little extra money. Extra money, of course how much and when. I was just so relieved; I would have given him any amount he had asked for, though in reality we could not afford much! Fortunately he only asked for an additional $200. He had it all worked out, he was sorry he couldn’t talk for long because the ticket office was closing and he needed to get there quickly and then he was off out with his new friends before catching the bus early the next morning.
What can I say? I felt like a ton of bricks had just fallen off my back. I was so relieved and so proud all at the same time! He was happy and more to the point he had taken it upon himself to try and solve his problem. He had asked to switch rooms in his hostel to try and meet more people, and lo and behold that is how he met up with these new friends. He is learning such invaluable lessons – that life is not always fun even when you are on an adventure, and that sometimes to make things happen you have to take the initiative and give life a kick start in the right direction. I have been dancing in my mind ever since, smiling as I think of him and emailing my friends that the calamity is now over, the alarm bells are off and that this neurotic woman is on an even keel again. Please tell me I am not the only mother to feel this way!!
Tags: alone, Dad, father, feelings, friends, happy, home, homesick, husband, Life, loneliness, man, mother, proud, relieved, sadness, son, worry
October 7th, 2008
Having always held the mantra of achievement as being the measure of myself, I find it incredible to see how oddly happy I am staying at home, doing the jobs that I had once held to be honest, beneath me - taking into the time versus money equation. The humdrum chores, such as laundry, cooking and cleaning – the archetypical female duties, had always been done in the past, with little aid from me by my housekeeper and nanny morphed into personal assistant.
Now however not earning any income of my own, I felt it would be an affront, given the economy (our economy) to not take on these jobs myself, and so I let my housekeeper and per se personal assistant go, both of whom I might add were snapped up immediately by other equally needy women.
Much to my delight I have discovered so many new contraptions, all designed to make such dull chores easier. Take for instance the “Swiffer”. What a nifty gadget, they even have a wet Swiffer (awful) and a dusting version that I love, although I am totally appalled by the price of the refills. In my mind this situation equates similarly to the price of printers, which are now so unbelievably cheap, until you need new ink cartridges, which at such time you will pay dearly!! Still, what with Clorox bleach cleaner, magic erasers, and other such tomfoolery which I am sure ladies of olde will tell you could just as well be replaced by water laced with vinegar or some such, I am finding life quite relaxing.
Encouraged by this state of affairs I am now trying to do my part towards going green. I hang my laundry out (honestly who would have thought the day would ever come!), and this gives me a win/win situation since my electric bill seems to be sliding nicely, and my clothes smell fabulously fresh without the help of Bounce. I have actually made my own lemonade – delicious with a hint of mint (which my boys hate “doesn’t taste like real lemonade” I tell them it’s the gourmet kind!) because I have an over abundance of lemons and mint. And today I am going to actually venture totally out there and try to bake a banana cake from scratch, yes you guessed it because all of a sudden nobody is interested in eating them au naturel!
Well, well who would have believed it, me the fashionista, only concerned with the cut of the latest jean, or length of the new spring skirts, now engrossed in Fannie Farmer’s instructions on how to bake a cake! It just goes to show you that you can learn something new every day, especially if you have a goal in mind. Here I have to admit to a teeny weenie chink in my high falluting aspirations of goodness. You see, I am obsessed by this absolutely outrageously fabulous pair of thigh high Coach boots which can be pushed down and converted to a great slouchy look that I saw the other day, and I thought if I cut back just a little I might be able to justify them to myself as a necessity. I mean I have not after all abandoned my core being as such, to do that would be utter blasphemy don’t you think?
Tags: achievement, Bounce, chores, Clorox, Coach, economy, Fannie Farmer, fashionista, female duties, home, housekeeper, income, money, nanny, personal assistant, Swiffer
September 29th, 2008
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I, unlike many people I know have been fortunate enough to be shielded from death. To date none of my close friends or relations have suffered any life threatening diseases, nor have they died, lucky me. Like a coddled child wrapped protectively from the bad things in life, I have only watched from afar as other people grieved over loved ones now lost. I was therefore totally unprepared by the sheer force of emotion that hit me last week when I heard of an acquaintance’s near death situation at Queen’s Hospital.
