Reader Poll: This Is What Annoys You

And, drumroll please...here are your annoying Facebook responses--annoying as in this is what irks you.

• Watching folks who litter look on as their garbage hits the ground. I wonder what they're thinking as they watch themselves be lazy and selfish. "I'm so proud I lack compassion and respect."
  
• A message I just got from match.com: "just wanted to say hi! working half a day then off to the beach! if i see a naked girl on the beach i'll just assume it you! ;) lol have a great day!... ...steve"
  
• The little box that pops up and asks you if you mind leaving a secure setting. If you say NO, you can't move forward. You have to say yes. Why ask? And what setting is really secure anyway?
  
• I hate the SEND ERROR REPORT!! Where does it go anyway?
  
• When co-workers think that the newspaper a department subscribes to is fair game for themselves. Especially when someone takes it to the restroom and then has the nerve to return it!
  
• National Geographic channel now being self-referred to as “NatGeo.” That’s stupid. I took me forever to figure out what that meant. Wait…am I stupid?
  
• Being told you will get a raise and a new position if you do a bunch of extra work. You do it for a year and are then told that the conversation never took place. By the way, “Keep up the great work!” Wait…that’s not just annoying—it’s unethical! Time to look for a new job!
  
• When you try to help your child do math, but the schools no longer teach it the way that you learned, to your kid AND you end up confused...grrrrrr!
  
• The same people who tailgate you when they are going 70 mph leave two car lengths when they come to a stop so you can’t make the left turn lane when the light is green.
  
• People who are supposed to know something about what they’re in charge of but seem to know nothing about it and ask you questions as though they never heard of it at all and can't imagine what it's all about. Don't get me started!

And there you have it. Feel free to add yours to the list.

Girls & Beauty: Let's Teach Them the Truth

Maybe you never saw this. Or maybe you did but it's been a few years.



After taking a tour at Girls, Inc. on Wednesday, I see the need to keep educating our girls on the necessity of being strong, smart and bold. It seems as essential as vitamins and minerals. 

It's amazing that a girl can grow up empowered by her inner beauty with all of the messages she continues to see in advertisements, on television, in magazines and from her peers. 

As a step-parent of an energetic teenage boy, I'm ever aware of his perceptions of female beauty, hoping he will one day choose a mate who is attractive to him because of her unique perspective on the world, not her botox or her breasts. 

Let's keep strong as a united front, loving all of our female friends, of all heights, all weights, shapes, hair colors, pimply and flawless skin.  I love what Girls Inc is doing across the country. Let's all be mini-messengers.

Creative Job Hunting

It's no news that jobs are scarce these days. And although some employers are still hiring, for every job out there, it seems that thousands apply. Experienced professionals are forced to go for entry level positions, and even those are difficult to land. Hmm...looks like I picked the right time to have graduated from college 10 years ago. Can't even imagine what new graduates folks feel like.

An interesting job hunting tactic was displayed at an event I attended today.

An unemployed marketing professional had purchased an event sponsorship, and at her display table, she kept a stack of resumes, a professional sign announcing her candidacy for open positions and a night for two at the Ritz Carlton available to the person who made the introduction to her next employer. At each place setting, she had a bag of roasted peanuts in the shells with a note "In a nutshell, I'm looking for a job."  The hand written note also said "To do: Call ___ at (XXX-XXX) to talk about employment." 

Pretty creative, you've got to admit.

[Afterthought: It's been pretty tough lobbying for date nights. Married women REALLY need them. (Yes, PLRH, it's true.) I am totally going to steal this idea for home. I'll just post some resumes about my qualifications as a date and leave a bag of peanuts (though yes, they'll have to be boiled for husband) with a note declaring "In a nutshell, I'm just looking for a freaking date night with you, Husband."    Think that'll work?]

Gropius Meets Sidewalk

It's been nearly a year since the Big Spill.

And this morning, an even greater near-tragedy transpired on a 5:45 a.m. walk with sweet, loving, adorable, once-homeless-and-living-on-the-streets Flanders, who apparently had to suddently stop and pee for the 321st time.  As one could imagine, I tripped over her. Majorly tripped. As in I busted my ass.

It's not like my life flashed in front of me or anything, but during the long and fumbling trip to the sidewalk, I did see things in slow motion like a horrible reinactment from a murder documentary. The impact left both knees severly skinned. I'll spare you the pictures, but it will suffice to say that I almost made someone in the office puke today when I revealed them.

After sitting there for a moment and collecting myself (during which time Flanders accomplished her desired urinary mission), I got up to walk the mile home. A block from the house, I realized my keys were still on the sidewalk...way back there. Fun.  Banging on the door several times eventually yielded a sleepy husband who let me inside and who promptly went back to bed.

Nice start to a new day. But I'm not complaining.

Does ANNOYING music affect your concentration?

This year for the famously annoying task of completing a science project, D-Man is asking the question "Does music affect concentration?"  He's having a series of people--including me and husband of course--see how many words we can find in a word search as we listen for 5 minutes each to classical music, rap and finally no music.

I completed the experiment yesterday and found that music actually helped my concentration, but people, let's examine the choices. The rap was the Beastie Boys and the classical was Debussy--both of which are more than humane choices. I like them.

I totally think the experiment should be changed to "Does annoying music affect your concentration?" We would then be asked to complete word searches while listening to:

• The song that begins with "Heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friii-iiieeeeeend who, heard it from another you've been messing around..." 
• Most of the 11 songs played in a heinous endless loop by ClearChannel stations last year--last month--last week--today--and into infinity.
• Hall & Oats "Private Eyes"  (see below)
• At the risk of offending many, anything by Whitney Houston in the last 10 years, most Journey songs, and most of those (new, not classic) pesky Disney movie songs. I don't know many, but the ones I do know are more than annoying.
• Hotel California. I mean it's a great song, and the Eagles--such talent. But really, it's had its day in court. It's over. I can't take it any more!!!!

Anything else to add to that list of annoying music to add to the experiment?  Young D-Man has a lot of work to do.

Check out this post on Popten: Top Ten Catchiest, Most Annoying Songs (That Burrow Into Your Brains and Make You Want to Die.)

I Wish I Had's are No Good

So way back in another life it seems, I met a beautiful soul named Ken, who was one of my volunteers at a nature center where I worked. (Doesn’t he look like Walter Matthau?)
He and his lovely wife Mary have been like part of our family. In retirement, they were full time RVers, traveling about, spreading goodness like little seeds wherever they landed for a few weeks or months.

They’ve given up the wandering and now have a home in Minnesota. Good grief, I miss their winter visits to Florida. Here’s a bit of wisdom Ken recently shared with me in an e-mail. Thought I’d pass it on:


“So are you learning to take it a bit easy on the work and volunteering, to carve out a little more time for doing relaxing fun things with self, friends, and family? I hope so. Life goes by so quickly that if you don't create some fun/pleasant personal memories along the way you'll be my age before you know it with a whole bag of "I wish I had"s. I know people like that and they make me glad that I screwed off along the way, even if I didn't achieve my full career potential (boring).”


First Thought: Ken developed devices that made pace makers possible. And he did the first electrocardiogram on a wild whale. Didn’t achieve his full career potential? Oh man. One could only imagine what that would have looked like.

Second thought: Back to the point. “I wish I had’s” are no good. This needs to be my daily mantra. Thanks to Ken and to all those I come across in life who bring me back to the point.

Private Eyes Are Watching You...Watching Your Every Move...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of volunteering with Art Center Sarasota for its Private Eyes tour—a tour of lovely homes in town with fabulous private art collections.

As a result, the 1981 Hall & Oats song “Private Eyes” has been permanently marked in my conscious mind. I know about 10 words to the song, which I’m trying desperately to forget, but continue to mentally repeat them in a hellish rolling record nonetheless. I am ready to be Baker acted.

The volunteering gig was enjoyable. I am left with a great respect for all of those who opened up their homes to the sea of strangers who arrived with (and without) manners, looking at their stuff, commenting good things (and bad) about their most prized possessions, and shedding DNA calling cards on their floors, rugs, walls and windows. In general, people were on very good behavior and I would surely call the event a grand success.

However, it was one of those days I thank heavens for my little 7 room house in Bradentucky, with no worries of being called on for tour duty.

By the way, misery loves company: