No matter how much time passes, the hurt and devastation of 9/11 does not fade. I saw a commercial for National Geographic TV for a special titled "Inside 9/11," and I decided to record it. I'm just now watching it and it brings me to tears to re-watch the towers being hit, hear cries of pain and terror, see pictures of smiling pilots and flight attendants who passed that day, and to see little dropping dots from the flaming wreckage KNOWING they are desperate people overtaken by fear. It's heartbreaking, and the images still sting as though I am seeing them for the first time.
It's awesome, yet saddening, to listen to the survivors' stories and see the scars the day left upon them. I specifically remember where I was...we all do! I was leaving my apartment in Urbana, IL, driving to open Abercrombie & Fitch for the day. On the radio, a deejay was giving the breaking news and I remember thinking "WHAT is going ON?!?!" Because they were saying it was a low-flying plane and just an accident. Then, minutes later, the 2nd plane hits and you just knew it was an attack. I got to work and just turned on the tv as I opened the store and followed the news to keep hearing the story develop. A few hours later, we got the call from home office that the stores were closing. We all went to a friend's house and sat together on the couch to watch the devastation that just happened to our country. It was unbelievable. Then everyone freaked out about gas and my sister and I (later that evening) sat in her living room and watched out the window at the people lined up down the street for blocks just to get gas.
Such a horrible day and something unthinkable...how can such horrible people exist on this planet?! And among everyone else?! A man who worked at the ticket check-in counter just spoke about how he checked in one of the terrorists and when he spoke to the man, the man just glared at him and he said he just felt anger and a horrible feeling when this man looked through him with a cold stare. He said he mentally slapped himself for letting them pass and not going with his instinct of looking like a terrorist. Can you imagine feeling like you let this happen because you didn't go with a gut instinct because you didn't want to offend someone? Gosh no, what a hard position...and a very hard thing to live with forever. It even showed surveillance using the hand-wand for extra security for some of the men and not catching the knives they had. I will never complain about security measure our airports take to ensure our safety. There is absolutely no reason those pilots and flight attendants should have ever been at risk for their safety because they were doing us all such a huge convenience in travel...please, continue to check us, even if we appear naked on your screen, I DO NOT CARE, I want everyone to be safe.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Forever Friends...on Facebook
So what is the deal with people, who were TOTAL strangers in high school, now wanting to be your friend on Facebook? It's really puzzling (*annoying) that they all of a sudden want to snoop in my business, I mean, snoop in SOMEONE ELSE'S business :)...but never uttered a word, or maybe just a one, in high school. This is by no means a "I was a dork in high school and no one would speak to me".....heavens no! It's a "We never spoke in high school because we weren't friends" type of thing...nothing bad there, just didn't know each other. It's weird to me. And you better believe that I quicker-than-shooby doo wop deny them because, again, that is weird. I know Facebook allows us to be in someone's life impersonally by just viewing pictures and reading comments, but I won't allow it for a stranger. I already have almost 600 Facebook friends, and that alone is ridiculous.
So....to all you creepers, weirdos, stalkers, or nosies....don't request me even if all you know about me is we shared a common hometown, because I will not allow your cyber friendship. Nope...not gonna do it. However, you CAN "like" my artwork Facebook page! ;) Stalk away!
So....to all you creepers, weirdos, stalkers, or nosies....don't request me even if all you know about me is we shared a common hometown, because I will not allow your cyber friendship. Nope...not gonna do it. However, you CAN "like" my artwork Facebook page! ;) Stalk away!
Monday, January 17, 2011
House for Sale...AND, Sister for Sale
Almost 6 1/2 years ago I bought a very cheap house in my hometown and it has been a good little house to me, a friend, and now my sister. When I bought the house, it allowed me to live cheaply but also while investing in my future by paying a mortgage to myself....well, eventually, when I knew I'd resell it. After 2 years, I moved to Indiana and my friend moved in by herself. She took great care of the house and things were good. Fast forward two more years and my friend purchased her house. I kind of freaked out about paying the mortgage and my rent here, but my sister wanted to move in. I never ever thought or planned on leasing to a family member because I know how that goes...I've heard WAAAAAY to many stories about how it goes sour and families break from it. But, ya know, I needed the money to pay that mortgage and protect myself. My sister and her two kids moved in and things were fine. Then, her b/f was staying there, with his two kids visiting overnight more than half of every week. During this time, I visited only to see an ugly 70's couch just chilling in the driveway, toys everywhere, a trampoline that is 1/2 broken in the yard, 2 big black dogs in the dog run which was now all mud and feces, and plenty of other trashy things in view. It was pretty devastating and embarrassing.
Fast forward again...b/f has moved out because he grabbed, pushed, and held a knife to my sister's neck (nice, huh) and she filed a restraining order against him. Ok, he and his kids were gone. Oh, did I mention...this is only a 985 sq. ft, 2 bedroom house built in 1915? Yep. And all of these people were living there. And 1 bathroom. Yikes. So, anyway, sister pays rent late every month, and one month couldn't pay it all....the same month I told her to take off $40 for a birthday present. SIGH.....so, she's late and I never EVER make her pay a late fee, I just do it. I charge her enough to cover the mortgage/escrow and home warranty payment. That's it. But whatever, I don't need to MAKE money off of her, but I just want to cover the minimum. So, OH YES, how could I forget?!?! When she moved in she asked if I could keep the power in my name because she owes $2000 in her name....yes, that's what I said...I didn't add an extra "0." I did not want to and I was not going to do it...I work hard to keep my credit in good standing so I'm not about to ruin it for my older sister with 2 kids who can't be responsible enough to pay her s%#t. Well, my mom said "please do this....if it gets out of hand I will help only because you are helping her." My mom has already helped, paying half of a $1000 bill. The bill is still high and as of January 31st, we had a deal to turn off the power in my name and she needs to figure it out. She agreed and said she'd pay with taxes. So, I remind her last week and of course she "can't" because she wrecked her new b/f's truck and needs to pay for that.
I don't know what to do. If I turn it off then I'm basically turning it off on my nieces, too. Also, I'll still have the balance in my name. My mom said "I'll help you" I said "ME???? It's not mine!" I appreciate her willingness to help but my sister is 35 and a mother of 2, where is her responsibility in this??? If we pay it it only shows her she can do this dumb stuff and keep escaping the punishment. Her b/f bought her paint and stuff to freshen up the house and do her own thing. I offered to help because I want the house ready to sell in the spring. I drove home Friday after work, told her I was ready for Saturday's paint party, and she said ok. That night, at 10 til midnight, as I slept, she sent me a text that she wouldn't be ready to paint so we couldn't do it. Also, her facebook status said 2 things that night "Can't wait for the weekend with my man!" and then "Date night!" I'm over it....what do I do? Please offer real suggestions...not "kick her out!" because what will I do for the mortgage?! :(
Fast forward again...b/f has moved out because he grabbed, pushed, and held a knife to my sister's neck (nice, huh) and she filed a restraining order against him. Ok, he and his kids were gone. Oh, did I mention...this is only a 985 sq. ft, 2 bedroom house built in 1915? Yep. And all of these people were living there. And 1 bathroom. Yikes. So, anyway, sister pays rent late every month, and one month couldn't pay it all....the same month I told her to take off $40 for a birthday present. SIGH.....so, she's late and I never EVER make her pay a late fee, I just do it. I charge her enough to cover the mortgage/escrow and home warranty payment. That's it. But whatever, I don't need to MAKE money off of her, but I just want to cover the minimum. So, OH YES, how could I forget?!?! When she moved in she asked if I could keep the power in my name because she owes $2000 in her name....yes, that's what I said...I didn't add an extra "0." I did not want to and I was not going to do it...I work hard to keep my credit in good standing so I'm not about to ruin it for my older sister with 2 kids who can't be responsible enough to pay her s%#t. Well, my mom said "please do this....if it gets out of hand I will help only because you are helping her." My mom has already helped, paying half of a $1000 bill. The bill is still high and as of January 31st, we had a deal to turn off the power in my name and she needs to figure it out. She agreed and said she'd pay with taxes. So, I remind her last week and of course she "can't" because she wrecked her new b/f's truck and needs to pay for that.
I don't know what to do. If I turn it off then I'm basically turning it off on my nieces, too. Also, I'll still have the balance in my name. My mom said "I'll help you" I said "ME???? It's not mine!" I appreciate her willingness to help but my sister is 35 and a mother of 2, where is her responsibility in this??? If we pay it it only shows her she can do this dumb stuff and keep escaping the punishment. Her b/f bought her paint and stuff to freshen up the house and do her own thing. I offered to help because I want the house ready to sell in the spring. I drove home Friday after work, told her I was ready for Saturday's paint party, and she said ok. That night, at 10 til midnight, as I slept, she sent me a text that she wouldn't be ready to paint so we couldn't do it. Also, her facebook status said 2 things that night "Can't wait for the weekend with my man!" and then "Date night!" I'm over it....what do I do? Please offer real suggestions...not "kick her out!" because what will I do for the mortgage?! :(
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010 Recap
I'm going to attempt, yes attempt, to recall a memory (good or bad) from each month in 2010. Here goes...(enjoy!)
January: GOOD memory! Started the year off RIGHT in Ennis, Ireland, in a small pub called Cruise's. Rang in 2010 with a cute Irish band, in a cute pub, in a cute village/town, with NOT cute Irish men. Nice, but not dream boys you hope for! In fact, one was quite offensive with his sexual advances. Ick. Oh, January.....you were a fun start.
February: The Superbowl...not a pleasant (aka BAD) memory. Who knew I would ever be emotionally involved in a football game?! I could've bet I wouldn't be. BUT I WAS. I left that party and didn't even want to speak to anyone because I was just sick that the Colts didn't win. I just honestly never dreamed they wouldn't win, so I wasn't prepared for that outcome. Sad. Sucked. Boo on February (only kidding).
March: Softball tryouts at school....GOOD memory. Good only because the previous year we had the Bad News Bears as our team. I mean it...tryouts were unreal. We, the coaches, gathered at tryouts and said "Really? How do we even do cuts when we want to cut more than we want to keep?" So, 2010 brought us an amazing week of tryouts. We had a really good team and a wonderfully positive outlook for the season.
April: Spring Break, always GOOD times! Spent it right here in Indianapolis but it was amazing. We had a random unseasonably warm week and I definitely took advantage of it! Not to mention, Indianapolis was host to the Final Four. This meant tons of people were in town and tons of stuff was going on. Perfect week to be off! Oh, and on top of all of that, Butler was in the Final Four! So Indy was hopping. I met Bill Self and we reminisced about U of I. I also met a coach from South Dakota. Very cool guy, we had a fun night (his friends, my friends) at Howl at the Moon! We kept in touch for a bit. Good time!
May: Oh May, how could you ever be bad! Such a GOOD month of memories. For starters, May is great because it's the last month of school til summer break (awesomeness). Next, warm weather is coming, the Reds trip, Relay for Life, it's my birthday, days are longer, the Indy 500, Memorial Day, flowers are looking great, people are out on bikes and walks, the Indy Mini's going on, I mean, it's an amazing month!!! My best memory was my birthday and the end of school. I just love that time of the year because it means my favorite season, SUMMER, is here! I remember spending my birthday at the Rathskeller with my buds, listening to ALO outside...then a huge thunderstorm came and poured buckets of rain but I danced in the rain and enjoyed it! RAINDANCE! (what movie is that from??) Then went to Louisville for the weekend my girl Dara and spent a wonderful, relaxing weekend sipping sangria at her dad's pool.
June: GOOD GOOD GOOD. Started it off with a fun Girls Weekend to New Buffalo, MI. Stayed in a cute little town, nice hotel, visited wineries, ate some good grub, rode bikes and just enjoyed the local bar, The Stray Dog. June also is terrific because I spend my days soaking up sun and reading at the pool. Love it! Road-tripped to Minnesota for my good bud's wedding. Then, back home for another wedding, 2 friends. YAY! Then, had a sad memory for June, too...Larry Hurt passed away. Bad.
July: 4th of July, absolutely GOOD memory. Boating all day on Geist. Beautiful, picture perfect day to celebrate America's birthday! Or, as we called it, Merka's Bday! Great day, enjoyed dinner at Bella Vita on the lake, and enjoyed an overhead display of fireworks on the boat! Also, our volleyball team was ranked 1st but lost in game 3 of the championship. :( And of course, a new little bundle of joy was blessed to our family! My niece had a baby girl, Kada. Last but not least, I got a new job!!! I was hired at the high school in our district as the Drawing teacher! So exciting. AND, I was featured in Indianapolis Monthly in the pet spread they featured that month. I, yes..little ol' me, was mentioned (the only pet portrait artist in the spread!) in the spread for my painting business!!!
August: GOOD! Celebrated Stephanie's birthday at St. Elmo for Devour Downtown, then headed out to Vegas the next day. Had a great time there...didn't win $ but it was still fun! Got lots of sun and pool time and had a good time. School started and I was happy to be in my new spot and reconnecting with former students. Also, I didn't coach volleyball so I was happy to have that free time!
September: GOOD! Had my first art show at Monon Coffee Company and it was very positive. I met a new photographer friend and sold some pieces. This really boosted my business and sales. Whoo hoo! This is also the month I found my awesome new loft. SUCH A GREAT MEMORY OF 2010! I love it. It was clearly fate the way it all worked out and I'm so thankful!
October: A good month because it always plays host to a GOOD holiday....HALLOWEEN!!! Yay. My good friend, Bitty, came down to visit on Fall Break, and Halloween was fun! I was Sookie Stackhouse, NO, not Snooki from Jersey Shore, but Sooki from True Blood! Awesome. Had a fun party to attend. Also, had a VERY warm October so that is always nice. :) Also took a trip to IKEA with Steph and got lots of great great GREATNESS! My photog friend, John, mentioned last month, he got me another show at Hubbard & Cravens coffee shop, which ended up bringing me a LOT of orders, especially for Christmas!
November: Another great month. Thanksgiving=great. Met a cool new guy, always a plus. Put up my Christmas tree=best ever! And just had a nice month. Stressed a little (a lot) at work with getting my failing students' grades up. Otherwise, good November even if it was cold. Steph and I also applied for the Lilly Grant this month for our dream trip through Turkey and the Greek Islands! Fingers are crossed (figuratively, not literally or else typing this wouldn't be possible) and won't come undone until February, the end of February. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE think our idea is worthy!
and that brings us to December, which was literally just yesterday. Good good month. Christmas shopping, wonderful holiday decorations everywhere you go, unfortunately a lot of snow but that's ok, the holidays and fun with family and friends! December also marked the 1st ever party I had (which I already blogged about!), so of course December was a GOOD memory. I still am so happy when I think about that party...it was just such a good GOOD night of fun with my friends. Christmas was great, and New Year's Eve was great. Oh, and my buddy Dara got married a few days ago! Obviously, fun!
I'm such a blessed girl...and I am so thankful to have these blessings! Thank you!!! 2010 was a GOOD year! I hardly have any bad memories and that really says so much! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
January: GOOD memory! Started the year off RIGHT in Ennis, Ireland, in a small pub called Cruise's. Rang in 2010 with a cute Irish band, in a cute pub, in a cute village/town, with NOT cute Irish men. Nice, but not dream boys you hope for! In fact, one was quite offensive with his sexual advances. Ick. Oh, January.....you were a fun start.
February: The Superbowl...not a pleasant (aka BAD) memory. Who knew I would ever be emotionally involved in a football game?! I could've bet I wouldn't be. BUT I WAS. I left that party and didn't even want to speak to anyone because I was just sick that the Colts didn't win. I just honestly never dreamed they wouldn't win, so I wasn't prepared for that outcome. Sad. Sucked. Boo on February (only kidding).
March: Softball tryouts at school....GOOD memory. Good only because the previous year we had the Bad News Bears as our team. I mean it...tryouts were unreal. We, the coaches, gathered at tryouts and said "Really? How do we even do cuts when we want to cut more than we want to keep?" So, 2010 brought us an amazing week of tryouts. We had a really good team and a wonderfully positive outlook for the season.
April: Spring Break, always GOOD times! Spent it right here in Indianapolis but it was amazing. We had a random unseasonably warm week and I definitely took advantage of it! Not to mention, Indianapolis was host to the Final Four. This meant tons of people were in town and tons of stuff was going on. Perfect week to be off! Oh, and on top of all of that, Butler was in the Final Four! So Indy was hopping. I met Bill Self and we reminisced about U of I. I also met a coach from South Dakota. Very cool guy, we had a fun night (his friends, my friends) at Howl at the Moon! We kept in touch for a bit. Good time!
May: Oh May, how could you ever be bad! Such a GOOD month of memories. For starters, May is great because it's the last month of school til summer break (awesomeness). Next, warm weather is coming, the Reds trip, Relay for Life, it's my birthday, days are longer, the Indy 500, Memorial Day, flowers are looking great, people are out on bikes and walks, the Indy Mini's going on, I mean, it's an amazing month!!! My best memory was my birthday and the end of school. I just love that time of the year because it means my favorite season, SUMMER, is here! I remember spending my birthday at the Rathskeller with my buds, listening to ALO outside...then a huge thunderstorm came and poured buckets of rain but I danced in the rain and enjoyed it! RAINDANCE! (what movie is that from??) Then went to Louisville for the weekend my girl Dara and spent a wonderful, relaxing weekend sipping sangria at her dad's pool.
June: GOOD GOOD GOOD. Started it off with a fun Girls Weekend to New Buffalo, MI. Stayed in a cute little town, nice hotel, visited wineries, ate some good grub, rode bikes and just enjoyed the local bar, The Stray Dog. June also is terrific because I spend my days soaking up sun and reading at the pool. Love it! Road-tripped to Minnesota for my good bud's wedding. Then, back home for another wedding, 2 friends. YAY! Then, had a sad memory for June, too...Larry Hurt passed away. Bad.
July: 4th of July, absolutely GOOD memory. Boating all day on Geist. Beautiful, picture perfect day to celebrate America's birthday! Or, as we called it, Merka's Bday! Great day, enjoyed dinner at Bella Vita on the lake, and enjoyed an overhead display of fireworks on the boat! Also, our volleyball team was ranked 1st but lost in game 3 of the championship. :( And of course, a new little bundle of joy was blessed to our family! My niece had a baby girl, Kada. Last but not least, I got a new job!!! I was hired at the high school in our district as the Drawing teacher! So exciting. AND, I was featured in Indianapolis Monthly in the pet spread they featured that month. I, yes..little ol' me, was mentioned (the only pet portrait artist in the spread!) in the spread for my painting business!!!
August: GOOD! Celebrated Stephanie's birthday at St. Elmo for Devour Downtown, then headed out to Vegas the next day. Had a great time there...didn't win $ but it was still fun! Got lots of sun and pool time and had a good time. School started and I was happy to be in my new spot and reconnecting with former students. Also, I didn't coach volleyball so I was happy to have that free time!
September: GOOD! Had my first art show at Monon Coffee Company and it was very positive. I met a new photographer friend and sold some pieces. This really boosted my business and sales. Whoo hoo! This is also the month I found my awesome new loft. SUCH A GREAT MEMORY OF 2010! I love it. It was clearly fate the way it all worked out and I'm so thankful!
October: A good month because it always plays host to a GOOD holiday....HALLOWEEN!!! Yay. My good friend, Bitty, came down to visit on Fall Break, and Halloween was fun! I was Sookie Stackhouse, NO, not Snooki from Jersey Shore, but Sooki from True Blood! Awesome. Had a fun party to attend. Also, had a VERY warm October so that is always nice. :) Also took a trip to IKEA with Steph and got lots of great great GREATNESS! My photog friend, John, mentioned last month, he got me another show at Hubbard & Cravens coffee shop, which ended up bringing me a LOT of orders, especially for Christmas!
November: Another great month. Thanksgiving=great. Met a cool new guy, always a plus. Put up my Christmas tree=best ever! And just had a nice month. Stressed a little (a lot) at work with getting my failing students' grades up. Otherwise, good November even if it was cold. Steph and I also applied for the Lilly Grant this month for our dream trip through Turkey and the Greek Islands! Fingers are crossed (figuratively, not literally or else typing this wouldn't be possible) and won't come undone until February, the end of February. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE think our idea is worthy!
and that brings us to December, which was literally just yesterday. Good good month. Christmas shopping, wonderful holiday decorations everywhere you go, unfortunately a lot of snow but that's ok, the holidays and fun with family and friends! December also marked the 1st ever party I had (which I already blogged about!), so of course December was a GOOD memory. I still am so happy when I think about that party...it was just such a good GOOD night of fun with my friends. Christmas was great, and New Year's Eve was great. Oh, and my buddy Dara got married a few days ago! Obviously, fun!
I'm such a blessed girl...and I am so thankful to have these blessings! Thank you!!! 2010 was a GOOD year! I hardly have any bad memories and that really says so much! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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