Hello....Anyone out there?

Hello!  Anyone out there?....I thought I would blog again just to see if anyone out there would respond.  I miss the English 226 class for which this blog was created.  I miss writing with the knowledge that what I have to say will be critiqued by others in a constructive way.  The critiques and the grade helped me to strive to do my best.  Now I am just trying to cope with finding a job, staying a nonsmoker, and crocheting.  I walk with my dogs and my Mom a lot.  She is also trying to find a new job...she hasn't quit the one she has but she wants to find a different school.  We do a lot of talking while we walk.  If we aren't finished talking, we keep walking.  We both have come to the conclusion that one has to know someone to get a good job because job politics is in every sector.  I don't know anyone.  I do need a job.  Anyone out there know anyone who needs a good employee?

Goals

I am sad this is the last required blog.  I have learned a lot from blogging because I had to come up with something to say every week to all my classmates.  Sometimes that is hard, especially when all I wanted to do was complain I didn't really have anything to say.  I am like that about my essays too.  I still don't have any idea what I will write about for the segmented essay.  I'm sure it will come to me in a flash!...I need at least 2 days after I write my initial draft to have time away from what I have written in order to take a look at it again before making changes and submitting that first draft!  It's not that I am a worrier, I just keep rejecting ideas that pop into my head.  The latest idea that came to me was really for this blog... it is time to reassess my goals.  Not like a New Year's resolution kind of thing.  Just a look inward to see where I am headed.

So, I have some goals that I want to accomplish.  Thanks to Nick Flowers' blog, I am seriously considering quitting smoking.  I know it is time.  But, I will need something to do with my hands that is productive.  (Of course, I have already rejected the idea of writing a book!)  So, I have decided to check into learning to crochet!  I decided to do this because my maternal great grandmother has some awesome patterns for crocheting that are even in her own handwriting!...what a treasure!!  I also want to get a job this summer so I can start saving some money for moving out of the house one day.  Looking further inward, I also decided to make it a goal to either say or do something nice for someone, anyone, every day.  I also have a goal to be more thankful for the things I have been blessed with.  Hopefully these goals will be met and I will be a better person!  I think that goals, both short and long term, are a good thing to have as they give purpose to our lives.


This class has been really fun to me and I am definitely going to miss it!  Good luck to each of you as you accomplish your own goals!

Maria Cimino

Random Ramblings

Trying to decide what I am going to wear for the upcoming Tim McGraw concert has me reassessing the contents of my closet.  I don't want to spend money on something new when I have lots to choose from.  I realize that I have been blessed with so many things...great parents, a nice home, food, clothes, my dogs!, good friends, and so many clothes.  So, I decided to donate about half of what is in my closet to Providence House.  I finally decided what to wear to the concert once there was a lot less to choose from!  It seemed like putting things in the donation bag got easier with each item as I began to think about those less fortunate and the situation that so many people in Japan are in today.  Grand scale disaster bothers me for a long time.  Of course, my dad has called the condition of my bedroom a "grand scale disaster" a few times but I know he was just trying to motivate me to get rid of unnecessary junk.


My oldest brother, Sam,  who is a medical sales rep in Houston has decided to make a career change.  He got accepted into law school!  He wants to be a contract lawyer.  My other brother, Michael, also lives in Houston and is a dentist there.   (Now he wishes he had listened to my mom about learning Spanish!)  I am thinking about moving to Houston one day also.  There is so much more to do there. 

A good friend of mine just found out that she and her husband are expecting!  I am so happy for her!  The doctor had told her that for various medical reasons that she would have a hard time getting pregnant.  So, this news is a miracle blessing for them! 

This blog does not seem to have much continuity but I have just been feeling rather random lately.  I guess I am just ready for a break.  I didn't even feel like going out with friends this weekend.  I just wanted to hang around the house and have some "me" time.  In addition to cleaning out my closet I have enjoyed lots of chips and hot sauce (my Favorite junk food!), reading a good book, walking with my dogs, and connecting with friends on Facebook.  And, as usual, with another upcoming essay, my mind has been in a turmoil as to what to write about!  The topic is always the hardest thing for me to decide.  I have really enjoyed this class and am going to miss it when the semester ends.  I enjoy reading everybody's blogs and hearing other people's points of view. 

Great News!

I am So Excited!  I got The BEST news today from my best friend!  We have tickets to attend the Tim McGraw concert on April 10th...she entered us in a drawing to be able to meet Tim in person and listen to him give a private concert before the concert starts at CenturyTel Center...I cannot believe I get to meet Tim McGraw!!  He is one of my favorite country singers!  I have listened to his songs since I was 8 years old!  He even starred in my favorite movie "The Blind Side."  I need to start deciding on what I am going to wear!  This good news is definitely what I needed to pick me up after the sadness that has engulfed me in the  past couple of weeks. 

More good news is that my Mom is doing lots better after her surgery!  She has not driven her car, a 1970 red VW Bug that she keeps in mint condition, since her disc ruptured in November.  This morning she decided to try to start her car and Voila!...it started on the first try!  She was bragging about her car to my dad while I was laughing!  The pain she still has in her back prevents her from driving yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear her start her car a few more times just to hear the engine!  Her days of wearing red high top Converse tenny shoes are probably over, however, since she is unable to bend over to tie shoes.  I told her that it was time she "got with the times" and wear slip on shoes!  Her grin tells me that it will only be a matter of time before she is both wearing her tenny shoes and driving her bug again!

Slate URL

"Stop, Thief!  Thank You.  Why so little looting in Japan?  It's not just about honesty."
by Christopher Beam
March 16, 2011


http://www.slate.com/id/2288514/

Three's

They say that things happen in "three's."  So far, that has proven true many times.  I have been to 3 funerals in the past 2 weeks.  Today I found out that my Mom's uncle has an inoperable brain tumor.  Life seems so fragile sometimes.


  Today was such nice weather I decided to help my dad in the yard.  Today was also my dog's birthday...Ruby Jean is now 3 years old!  My mom always makes what she calls a "Poo-Poo" cake in celebration....so funny!...she makes a batch of brownies and takes it out of the oven before it is all the way done, shapes it into a "turd", and lets it cool on a platter.  Then we take a picture of the birthday girl, wearing a paper birthday hat in front of the poo-poo cake that has the appropriate amount of candles in it, and sing "Happy Birthday!"   It is a funny tradition that my mom started when we were kids and she keeps it up with each dog!!  Of course, they don't eat the brownies, but we do!

Tonight I am getting together with some friends.  It seems like we have all had stressful weeks.  Sometimes having to shelve one's emotions in order to get schoolwork done helps take the focus off of grief.  I am hoping that all of us can help each other by listening, sharing feelings, and doing something fun together.

Reading on my Kindle!

This past Christmas I was surprised with a gift of a Kindle!  I love to read and read a lot of different kinds of books.  Recently I purchased "The Autobiography of Mark Twain."  Mark Twain died in 1910 and wanted his autobiography published only 100 years after his death.  There are a lot of boring parts to this book because Twain seems to go on and on with a lot of detail about such silly things (a description of a room for example), but I have learned some interesting facts that I did not know before:  Mark Twain was a friend of Ulysses S. Grant and they first met in 1868; he once had to move to San Francisco (1864) to escape prosecution for dueling; he knew Helen Keller; and he outlived all 3 of his children and his wife. 

The reason that Mark Twain did not want his autobiography published until 100 years after his death was because he stated opinions of issues and people that he did not want anyone living at that time to know about.  For example, while living in Italy for a while, Mark Twain referred to his landlady, a Countess, with these remarks:  "She is excitable, malicious, malignant, vengeful, unforgiving, selfish, stingy, avaricious, coarse, vulgar, profane, obscene, a furious blusterer on the outside and at heart a coward.  Her lips are familiar with lies, deceptions, swindles and treacheries as her nostrils with breath" (Kindle 30%).  Too many adjectives and commas, don't you think?
Mark Twain was quite the character as he also stated in a speech at his 70th Birthday Dinner "I have never taken any exercise, except sleeping and resting, and I never intend to take any.  Exercise is loathsome.  And it cannot benefit when you are tired; I was always tired" (Kindle 83%).  I think I would have loved to be able to meet such a humorous writer!
(Note that there are no page numbers on a Kindle, only a percentage of how much of the book has been read.)

This weekend will be full of homework and reading my Kindle will not be on my agenda.   With the wonderful Spring weather it is hard to concentrate on schoolwork but I intend to take some breaks with my Dachshunds!  

Something Different

It seems like more than just the long drive that I have going back and forth to school has become a wearisome routine.  Every time my friends and I go out it seems like we keep doing the same things over and over and going to the same places.  It makes me think about how much I want to move away from Shreveport one day.  I want to try out the big city life somewhere like Houston or Dallas.  So, I proposed to my friends last night that we try something totally different, something so different that none of us would even ever think about suggesting to do.  I was so shocked when everyone agreed to go!

So, what was so different to do in Shreveport on a week night that ended up being really fun because it was so different you might be thinking?  Well, it was going to play BINGO!  We couldn't believe how much fun it was!  When I first suggested the idea some of my friends groaned and said that there would be too many old people there.  I countered that they would be old someday too and it might be good to get a closer look at what would seem fun when one got older! 

We went to the Bingo Hall on Shreveport Barksdale Hwy.  If you go at 6:00 you get in for $13 and get to play 13 games.  If you go at 7:00 you can get in for $10 and play 10 games.  Along with your cards you get something called a dobber.  This is what you mark your card with.  It is really just a big marker that makes circle marks on the card when you have a number on your card that has been called out.  There is a board at the front that tells the players the type of game that is being played.  For example, if the pattern of the game is an X, you can win by having all your dobber markings in an X pattern on your card.  If the game is Window Pane, you have to fill in all the spaces around the Free Space.  There are cash prizes for winning.  During the first 5 games you can win $250, game 6 you can win $350, games 7-9 you can win $300, and the prize for game 10 is $1000!

There must have been about 300 people there.  There weren't a lot of young people, true, but the crowd was a fun loving group. People at our table were conversational and funny. None of us felt uncomfortable and we ended up having a lot of fun!  All of us want to go again although it may be a few weeks before we get to do so.  I can't believe how fun it was to go somewhere so different in Shreveport!  This adventure showed me that sometimes the thoughts we have about places and people with preconceived notions deserve a chance for a second look.

Exercise

With petite builds, my Mother and I have never been one to hit the gym to exercise.  We have always considered our active lives exercise enough!  Now things have changed for my Mother.  After her surgery this week she has been doctor ordered to do as much walking as she can tolerate and then do a little more. 

Being unable to bend after back surgery, she has needed a lot of help from everyone in our family.  I like to walk with her during the day.  She likes to walk the perimeter of the back yard and the dogs happily follow us.  Funny how I get tired before she does.  I like to keep her talking so her mind will be off of her pain.  Not that she complains.  During the night the pain wakes her up and she will get up and walk around the den and around into the kitchen and back around again.  She measured her steps and determined that it takes 18 of these rounds in the house to equal one walk around the yard.  Our back yard is an acre so I guess that sounds about right.  I just hope that this walking helps her make a full recovery soon.

Exercise is good for the body in so many ways.  I don't think much about exercising because I do not need to lose weight and have healthy annual checkups.  My mother lost 13 lbs. since all this started because the pain decreased her appetite.  I hope this walking will help her appetite....and, I hope it doesn't increase mine as I walk along with her!  I have heard the statistics on obesity and know that eating the right foods needs to be accompanied with exercise.  With everyone so busy in today's world I think it is probably really hard to fit in an exercise regime if you are not into that sort of thing.  Staying healthy is important.  I found out that I actually enjoy walking and plan to keep it up on a regular basis.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Did anyone happen  upon the Westminister Dog Show this week or read about it in the paper?  The Scottish Deerhound won Best in Show.  This breed does not make the Top 10 list of favorite breeds in American pet homes and many people have never even heard of this kind of dog.  Even if you are not a dog fan you might have heard someone comment about the fact that he won the show.  Well, I am here to blog to you that looks can be deceiving....

All of the dogs in any given dog show are supposedly the best of the best.  The owner or breeder recognizes something in the dog and gets it ready for showing in AKC (American Kennel Club) dog shows.  The dog, no matter the breed, must meet certain standards of their particular breed and AKC rules must be followed.  For example, a dog cannot be spayed or neutered if it is shown in the ring.  Also, while not in the show ring or waiting to be shown in the ring, all dogs must stay in their crate at the show unless they are being taken out for a bathroom break by the owner/handler.  I have never shown dogs and choose to not show my dogs because looks can be deceiving....

So, other than personal opinion that one particular kind of dog is downright ugly or too this or too that, how does one dog rank as the best in a dog show?  Well, the point is....looks can be deceiving.  I have been to many dog shows for many years specifically to see the Hound Group.  My favorite breed, dachshunds, are hounds.  I have made many friends over the years with dog show people.  My standard dachshunds always come from a show person because it is just about the only place one can find a standard dachshund anymore.  So, what is the deception?  It all boils down, sadly to say, to politics....

"Politics:  you do this for me and I'll do that for you or you owe me one" is one viewpoint of what goes on.  Of course, politics can occur in just about any arena....sports, offices, jobs, etc.  So, was the winner of the Westminister Show a political choice?  Maybe, maybe not.  What qualifies the judges to be the best judge of something that is often a decision based upon emotions or politics?    As much as I love hounds, politics is precisely why I choose to never show one of my dogs.  I already know they are the best!  But, they are only the best to me.  Another person's opinion on my dogs is not what counts in my heart.  So, I don't need anyone telling me that my dog is or is not the best.   For some people, their cat(s) is(are) the best.  For others, no dog or not cat is the best.  It's what makes the world go 'round!  Just remember though, looks can be deceiving....The ugliest dog you may ever see may be the best in show to the one who loves them!

Busy is Good!

This has been a busy week.  My maternal grandmother turned 80 and my Mom and her 2 sisters put a surprise luncheon together to celebrate!  She was so surprised and so pleased!  There were 28 guests and they each got up and said their thoughts about my grandmother...many were very funny and others on the serious side.  I had a great time!  I admire my own mother for doing this while she endures the pain of a ruptured disc in her back.  She wanted to wait until this event was over before she has the surgery.  She has been through a lot of pain while taking the conservative approach of 12 weeks of physical therapy.  I am glad that she is going to have the surgery now though. 

I may be in the minority here, but I am looking forward to this cold weather to end.  I am ready for Spring!  Scraping ice off my windshield so that I can see to drive is not my idea of fun.  I prefer Summer...the clothes are more comfortable and I love to walk barefoot around the house!   I don't like to walk my dogs as much in the winter and even often cut the walk short.  In the summer we will sometimes walk in both the early morning and at night. 

Working on the memoir was a good thing for me.  It made me more aware of authors who write memoirs that are on the best sellers lists.  I just finished reading "A Child al Confino" by Eric Lamet.  It is his memoir of growing up and living in Italy during WWII.  I was very impressed by his story and enjoyed reading about everything he lived through.  I usually don't have as much time to read for pleasure during the school week but I made time for this book since it was a memoir.  I wanted to see what a published memoir book was like all the way through.  I'm glad I did!  I have tests coming up next week in my other classes so next week will be busy too!...the pleasure reading and dog walking may have to wait....Busy is good!

Just A Thought: Fighting the good fight

Just A Thought: Fighting the good fight: "Lately I have been faced with some really tough and depressing situations. Things that maybe I knew where going on around me but I didn't re..."

Catherine ! Re-read Psalms 139 and Psalms 34 ! Maria

My Dogs

I couldn't live without a dog.  Specifically, a Dachshund!  I have 2 Dachshunds:  Luci and Ruby Jean.  They are red smooth haired girls.  Luci is a miniature and Ruby Jean is a standard.  Luci believes she is in charge whether I am around or not.  Her favorite toy is a tennis ball.  She never gets tired of her ball being thrown so she can retrieve it.  One can never throw the ball enough!  However, if I think she should rest from too much running after the ball I will tell her "Personal Time!" and she will lay down with her ball and either chew or hold it.  Ruby Jean is not too big on toys.  She is very laid back and observant.  She likes to watch for squirrels or birds that invade her yard.  Once one of these culprits is spotted, she will run as fast as she can.  Barking all the way, Ruby Jean will calmly and patiently await their return for another chase.  I like to walk my dogs around the block.  They each have a velcro closure type harness instead of a collar.  They love their walks but we turn the other way when another dog approaches.  Dogs are important to me because they teach us so much about life...how to get along with others, how to forgive and forget, each day is a new day with a new adventure, and love is the most important thing of all.