Mark Your Calendars – July

July is Dedicated to Baked Beans, Ice Cream, Hitchhiking, Almanac Reading, Anti-Boredom, and Tennis!!! Here is what each day’s “holiday” is:

July 1 is . . . . . Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day and Build A Scarecrow Day

July 2 is . . . . . Visitation Of The Virgin Mary Day

July 3 is . . . . . Stay Out Of The Sun Day and Compliment Your Mirror Day

July 4 is . . . . . National Country Music Day and Tom Sawyer Fence-Painting Day

July 5 is . . . . . Workaholics Day

July 6 is . . . . . National Fried Chicken Day

July 7 is . . . . . National Strawberry Sundae Day

July 8 is . . . . . Video Games Day

July 9 is . . . . . National Sugar Cookie Day

July 10 is . . . . Clerihew Day – A clerihew is a type of poem, usually about a well-known person

July 11 is . . . . National Cheer Up The Lonely Day

July 12 is . . . . National Pecan Pie Day

July 13 is . . . . Fool’s Paradise Day

July 14 is . . . . National Nude Day

July 15 is . . . . National Tapioca Pudding Day and Respect Canada Day

July 16 is . . . . International Juggling Day

July 17 is . . . . National Peach Ice Cream Day

July 18 is . . . . National Ice Cream Day and National Caviar Day

July 19 is . . . . Flitch Day – An old custom brought to America by the early settlers became the holiday we now call Flitch Day. Once a year, a slab of bacon was given to any married couple who could prove they had lived in harmony and fidelity for the past twelve months. Very few ever “took home the bacon”.

July 20 is . . . . Ugly Truck Contest Day

July 21 is . . . . National Tug-Of-War Tournament Day

July 22 is . . . . Ratcatcher’s Day

July 23 is . . . . National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

July 24 is . . . . Amelia Earhart Day

July 25 is . . . . Threading The Needle Day

July 26 is . . . . All Or Nothing Day

July 27 is . . . . Take Your Pants For A Walk Day

July 28 is . . . . National Milk Chocolate Day

July 29 is . . . . Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day

July 30 is . . . . National Cheesecake Day

July 31 is . . . . Parent’s Day

Some Things Never Really Change

This past week, I was going through old stuff I had from my mom’s house, and I came across this picture:

It just reminded me of what a snot-nosed kid I was growing up, and that, if you asked my mother, she would tell you, it hasn’t changed much!!!! I was probably 10 or 11 in this picture, but what a lovely child I was!!!

Then, I came across a book of my work in the first grade, and in there, was this picture:

It made me realize I was just as random, then, as I am now, I apparently, wanted to be an oreo!!!! So, if I tend to be random, it’s just always been the way I am!!!! I also either wanted a bike, or wanted to be a bike, the jury’s still out on that one ! I just found it amusing going through my old stuff, my friend, Sarah, kept making fun of the fact I left of the e’s in most of my words…I was only 7! Then we found a story about a substitute teacher, and I wrote SOB instead of SUB, and she couldn’t get over that I was such a snot back then!!

Oh, What Fun!

So, tonight, I met up w/ a ladies group from Crosspoint, and I had a great time! They were really welcoming, and just seemed like a great group of women. I, surprisingly, was really kind of nervous going to a stranger’s house, but Wendy was very sweet, and all the women were a barrel of laughs! Wendy brought up the journal of gratitude idea…..I’m so on the ball, I’ve had mine going for the last couple of months 😀 (as you can see on my blog). Just wanted to say what a great little group it is, and I’ll be going back, as long as I don’t happen to land a job that would have me working odd hours lol

Restaurant Review

I always like trying out new restaurants and finding the hole in the walls, and what not, so I thought I’d try the new restaurant, Lemongrass Thai and Sushi, and seeing as I’ve lived in Thailand, I think I know authentic food.

Lemongrass Thai and Sushi – Hwy 70 & OHB, behind McDonald’s

Atmosphere – looked very posh compared to the buffet style Chinese restaurant it used to be, the tables were lined up nicely, looked very clean. I only went in for a to-go order, but it appeared they had a station where you can have them cook your food the way you like it. Adequate lighting was nice too, and they had a 92 on their last inspection 😉

Service – Like I said, I was there for a to-go, but it appeared as if the staff was very attentive, they weren’t too busy when I went (at 9pm) but there were maybe half of the tables occupied.

Food – Now, I’ve lived in Thailand, so maybe I’m a little biased, but the food wasn’t too bad, I had the Chicken Phad Thai, and I guess I thought it could’ve used a little more spice and flavoring. I did talk briefly with the head guy there, at least he looked like the manager or owner, and asked him if it was authentic, and he said if it was really authentic, not many people would like it. My take on it is if you’re going to a Thai restaurant, you KNOW it’s gonna be spicy!!! I’m not even one who really likes the spicy foods, but if my nose isn’t running, it wasn’t spicy enough. I did also have spring rolls, and they were alright. They give you what they told me was plum sauce, but I don’t think I’ve ever had plum sauce, but it tasted like sweet and sour, just didn’t have the consistency of it. Overall, the food was pretty good, I think I’d go back, just need to tell them to put a little more spice on the phad thai. The prices weren’t too bad, my phad thai, which was a decent enough portion, was 11.95, and my spring rolls were 2.95. They do appear to have quite the selection of sushi, I’m not a fan of sushi, that I know of, but the sushi lover may be interested in giving this place a try. I would give the restaurant a 3.75 out of 5.

I did, at one point, attempt to start up a dining out group, where we’d meet up monthly, and try different restaurants around, and meet new people in the process, unfortunately, it failed, but if there is anyone interested in doing something like that, let me know, I would love to meet new people and try new things!

If I Could Live Anywhere…

It would have to be Australia. This guy, whom I found wandering around wordpress, posted some beautiful pictures of Sydney here and here, and it just made me fall in love with the thought of living in Australia all over again!! I’d visited Cairns, Port Douglas, and spent a night in Sydney, and LOVED that trip! I, especially, like the fact that English is the primary language, so no language barrier, and the people seem to be a lot more laid back, and tolerant of differences. After living overseas, I’ve become very tolerant of people and their differences, whether they be cultural, racial, or what their sexual preference is. Plus, who doesn’t love an Aussie accent???? With my degree, there are plenty of resorts there, that I could work at/manage, and the whole reason I went into hospitality management was to be able to travel. I just need to find me an Aussie man, and I’m good to go! 😉

If you could live ANYWHERE, where would you want to live?????

Father’s Day

Well, I don’t live near my family, so the holidays aren’t like everyone else’s, and, especially, since my father lives in England, I hardly get to see him, as it is. I did call him, but I think he was at church, so I left him a nice message, but it’s his home phone, and he travels a lot, and I didn’t get a call from him yesterday, being that Saturday is when he’s supposed to call, and he does forget when he travels. Either way, he’ll get the message, but I just wish I could give nice gifts to them as a token for my appreciation. I love my parents dearly, and despite everything that’s gone on in the past few years, they still did a FANTASTIC job raising my brother and I. My dad doesn’t read my blog, I haven’t showed it to him, I still haven’t worked up the courage to tell him I don’t have a job anymore, but only because I love him, and don’t need him worrying, nor do I need the lectures!

Any Magical Potions For Common Sense or Courtesy????

Lord knows I could use one or two right about now, well, certainly not for my, but for my roommate….she needs all of them, if you haven’t read about the issues, read this, this, this, and this!!! She’s back to eating my food, and I have to call her out on it in order for her to do anything! Two days ago, I saw she had mistakenly put my pork, from the freezer, into the fridge, so I switched it out with her chicken, which I know I hadn’t bought. Well, she goes and switches it back, and eats my pork! What kills me though is my friend was able to see what she was doing when she switched the meat, and I asked her while it was happening if she switched it back, she said no, so I didn’t even worry about it, so that ticked me off too, but then I realize she’s a dingbat too….my fault for believing her!!! We’ll get to her in a minute. I go to grab something out of the freezer the next day, and see her chicken breasts still there, and I’m not happy! So, I left a note on the whiteboard for her, and told her she ate my pork, not her chicken, and she didn’t say anything, nor has my food been replaced! You would think you would remember what you bought, or at least know that pork loin and chicken breast aren’t that similar, or at least, when eating it, notice the difference…Noooooooo!!!!! On Tuesday night, I was in the cupboard, where I put my food, and realize my Ramen noodle package of six had been opened, and 3 taken out, and I’m in the cupboard all the time, and know I hadn’t had any Ramen since I put it there. Well, I left a note on that one, and the next day, I see two packages there, not three, I’m not upset over the quarter it cost, but it’s the point, IF YOU’RE GOING TO EAT MY STUFF, REPLACE IT!!!!!!! Common Sense and Courtesy! And the pork she replaces mine with better be just as much as I bought, the last time she replaced my bun-sized hotdogs with the itty bitty hotdogs from oscar meyer…it should be the SAME THING!!!

Not only has the dimwit eaten my food, thinking I’m not going to notice, but she has now begun sneaking her boyfriend in the apartment, AS I’m sitting right by the door! What they do is he calls her when he gets to the door, she runs down the stairs, opens the door, and lets him in and they run upstairs. Again, I’m right here!!!! Now, if he knows I see him, he leaves, but the other nights, they must think I’m dumber than a brick! I am not deaf, after all, I do hear them having sex EVERYTIME!!! It’s just irritating, they need to do it at his house, and see how his parents feel!!! If I only knew where he lived, I’d go have a lovely chat with his mother LOL

Now, for my dingbat of a friend, I call her that to her face, she knows it, she is driving me insane!!!! She is too needy, as she puts it, and I agree! Since we both don’t have jobs, we are bored, but I don’t mind being alone, I don’t need to be around people all the time! My grandma says there’s a difference between being alone and being lonely, and I like being alone sometimes. Even in college, my friends couldn’t understand why I was by myself often. One, I didn’t have that many friends (and that was ok by me), and two, I don’t like feeling like i have to keep people entertained. I don’t have things to do at my house, I’m here to sleep, eat and relax when i think about it. I do feel bad that she’s so lonely, but I know that I, alone, can’t fix that problem. I’m an independent person, heck, I up and moved here not knowing a soul, and she did the same thing, but she is still very clingy to them. I go up to MI to see my family twice a year, if that! She has now clung to me, and I’m not a good person to be clung to, I need my independence, and quite frankly, I get sick of people when I have to be around them all the time, and I’m sure she’s gotten sick of me too. Maybe it’s the times she comes over, and leaves a mess that I have to clean up (Mom, I am so sorry, I now understand your frustration), and that she talks when I’m trying to watch TV (I’ve yelled at her about that quite a bit, but she fails to stop still), or that she doesn’t chew with her mouth closed (she says it’s a nasal issue, but still), it’s just gotten to be too much! I’m not saying I want to lose this person as a friend, I just don’t want to have to be responsible for her entertainment, and I really wish she weren’t so darned flaky!!!! She has a good heart, we just need a separation. We did have one already, for about 4 days, but apparently not enough! Makes me wonder if I could stand to live with a husband LOL

The Best Life Lessons

I, just today, saw the condensed version of the “Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, who has become famous by his words of wisdom. He has it figured out! He says 10% of your life is black, 10% is white, and 80% is gray, and WE have the ability to change the gray to white or black, depending on our attitude. He has a point about brick walls, that they are put there to show us how much we really want something. When you think about it, the people who are great at what they do often hit many brick walls along the way, and had they not hit them, they wouldn’t be as great as they are. He says we should live with integrity, and tell the truth. He explains a good apology has 3 parts: “I’m sorry”, admittance of fault, and asking how to make it right. Another great lesson is that gratitude is simple, but powerful. If you know you are appreciated, you’ll continue to work hard. The only jobs I have liked were ones where I was appreciated, and knew I made a difference. I just was inspired by what he said, he said if you live your life properly, karma will take care of you, and to hear this from a dying man, who chooses to live each day and each moment so positively is incredible! He was asked what, if anything, he’d want to tell his daughter, when she gets older, was that she can’t date until she’s 30, and to ignore what the guys say, and watch what they do, and she can avoid a lot of mistakes in the future. I think that applies for everyone, in general, actions do speak louder than words. My goal is to make my life 90% white!!!!

I Got Work To Do!

So our sermon today @ Truelife was about prayer, he says a lot of us are doing it all wrong, I must say, I know I am!!!! Phil (the pastor) explained that it’s all about God changing us, not us changing Him, and getting him to do as we ask. I, like a lot of people, have always believed prayer was just speaking with God. He also said people, on average, only pray for 5 minutes a week, he asked what kind of relationship would you have with your spouse if you only talked to them 5 minutes a week??? Heck, I only pray when others are doing it, church and bible study are pretty much it…I’ve been going to church twice on Sunday’s (different churches, of course), but I know it’s not a much better. Even pastors only really pray a little bit more (probably because they have numerous sermons a week to preach 🙂 ) I definitely need to work on it! If you look up prayer, it is defined as: a devout petition to God or an object of worship, a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.  I admit, I don’t know what to say!!!!

Any ideas on what to say, or how to make it a little easier? it seems kind of intimidating. If I were asked to pray in front of a group of people, I wouldn’t know what to say, or would be scared to death that I would say the wrong thing and be humiliated!

Bogus Law

Have you ever heard of the alienation of affection law??????  It exists in Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah, other states (like Tennessee) have been smart enough to abolish the law, however, it is ridiculous!  Apparently, should your spouse decide to cheat on you, you can sue the other person!  One woman on the Dr. Phil show didn’t even know the man was married, he’d lied and told her he was going through a divorce, like she was, but apparently he still was living with his wife!  The poor “other woman” just gave up and settled, even though she didn’t live in one of the 7 states, the man and his wife did.  It just doesn’t make any sense to blame “the other woman” because they may know they’re married, and I’m not condoning it, but shouldn’t the spouse pay???????  It’s not as if the other person forces them to stay with them, and alienate their spouse.  I just find it silly, if your spouse isn’t happy, they were going to cheat regardless, doesn’t matter the person they’re doing it with really!  Maybe the ones who bring about these suits need to take a good look at themselves and their marriage, and figure out why their spouse isn’t happy, and BLAME THEM!!!!!  I would think lawyers would see it as frivolous, however, a lot of them (not all) are just money hungry anyhow!! Sorry, just my two cents, plus even if you have been lied to by a man, who happens to be a cheating spouse (not a far fetch considering their circumstances obviously), there’s still a chance you can be sued!!!!