SueWorks

Living to Work, Working to Live

Life and work balance do not live where I work.  We have a new head honcho and he's made a life out of work and vice versa.  I can decide when he's serious and when he's kidding around, or when he's being serious and kidding around to get to the truth.

He's honest, just too darn clever for my own good.  I long for the good old ways when what was actually said what actually meant and when you didn't have to justify every action to keep a job. 

Do family-oriented places actually exist?  My company talks a good game but a woman better be the only breadwinner with a house-husband because success is defined by giving your soul to the company.  And you better have someone at home to raise your children and make sure you have clean underwear.

I'm feeling very, very overwhelmed.  But I have an extra day next week, Yippee for Memorial Day.  Sorry for the reason, but happy for the day.

See you all soon!

Pumpkin's Injury

My dear Pumpkin has recently experienced a great "re-kindling" if you get my drift.  Apparently, he and I were over exuberant yesterday and failed to abide by the adage, "once a king always a king, once a [k]night is enough."  And today Mr. P is head-achy, tired, small-voiced and red.  Well, I can't take credit for all the red.  We both got a bit more sun yesterday than was best for us.

I'm olive-complected already but Mr. P is pinky-white.  He takes a pretty good tan but he needs to acquire it slowly and lovingly not in one So Cal morning cleaning the yard.  The yard did look very nice, and we had a wonderful t-bone barbeque.  But P-kin is still under the weather. 

So we will rest this evening, watch the 2-hour season finale of 24 and reminiscent about the good old days when we could stay up more than 12 hours without feeling sick and could be "kings" all night long!

Shiva for the Shoes

Today my six year old (I'm guessing) black mid-heel slides died.  Unfortunately, I have no other shoes with me and am forced to kill my feet in this dead shoes.  The still look lovely.  They are black woven leather, with a band across the toes and another just at the top of the instep.  They have a molded rubber sole and are from Aerosole.  And the best, but saddest part, I got them on a super, super sale.  I think it was Bloomingdale's and I know I spent around $20 for them. 

They lived a good life but now the left arch has oddly collapsed.  After six years under my ### lbs. of goodness, you'd collapse too.  Nevertheless I am sad.  I have tried to replace them before, and have found nothing as comfortable, as stylish and as inexpensive.  So I will sit Shiva for my shoes.  And then I will bemoan the fact that I approach summer without the perfect mid-heel black slide.  I sigh.  You shoe lovers out there, please take a moment of silence to honor these fallen heroes.

What Happens When You Don't Post

I was haphazard in posting over the past month and now I have no comments.  I could use all sorts of salacious words to entice readers back to this site.  Or I could write something that people really would enjoy reading. 

My best bet is to beg for readership, and send out notices telling people that I have posted.  I could go to other people's sites and post comments there.  See, writing really does spur the mind to think beyond it's boundaries.  I've already had two new thoughts about how to drive readership.  I'm sure that as I sit here looking at all this blank space to fill, I will become either incredibly inspired or amazingly overwhelmed by the lack of creativity.  I will just plow through, typing whatever vacuous or lucid thoughts may creep across my brain.

Do you think you need to read to inspire your personal writing?  I know of some authors (novice ones) who refuse to read the work of others so they won't be able, to subconsciously or not, copy.  I read less and less each year.  When I was in school I read only the minimum, unless I really liked the subject, author or class.  And I mean really, really liked.  After undergraduate, I read for pleasure.  I read as many English Empire novels as I could get my hands on.  I have a degree in business, so it's not too startling that I wanted to submerge myself in a world so very different, and without modern commerce, than the one I worked and lived in.  I particularly loved Anthony Trollope.  You  must read, He Knew He Was Right, that is if you like English Empire novels.  I also read Stephen King like a devotee and Dean R. Koontz, neither of whom I enjoy these days.  It think it's their writing and not my sensibilities, but who knows the real truth.  Now I have books at my bedside that go unread for months and months.  I'm reading a fictionalized (though the author would have you believe otherwise) historical account of the sinking and then treasure hunting of a paddle steamboat from the California Gold Rush.  It's very interesting, and I like the parts that go back to 1849 and tell about the trip, the sinking, the saving, and the continuing of life.  I'm not so excited about the modern parts that talk about the people who eventually find the millions of dollars of lost gold.  But I have to read through it all for the book to make any sense, which is why it sits at my bedside.  I've taken it to Mexico, to the hairdresser and to Jiffy Lube.  Do you think that if it was a really good book that I would have already finished it?  Maybe I should just let go.

Letting go is a huge, huge problem for me.  I don't know when to just walk away.  I hope to learn this in my fifth decade of life.  That is if I can survive without having a nervous breakdown before then.

So, I will end this post of that note.  How will Sue let go?

Shoes Revisited

Apparently when people Google "shoes", "toes", "love", they get this Weblog.  Scary!  I just like my toes.  Also, Katie Couric is quite popular too.

I Confess, I Confess

I met the man of my dreams online.  Actually, I first I met Mr. Right (on paper) through Match.com.  Incidentally, I eventually worked for the company that owned Match for a short while.  It's total coincidence and totally unrelated.  Mr. Right On Paper had it all, all the things that could be verified on paper that is.  He was tall, bigger than I, educated, had a Catholic high school education (like me too, it's rare,) never married and no kids.  Oh, and he wanted them.  See perfect, on paper.  He was also a very nice person in respects that mattered and because he may read this site I'll leave it there.

About two years after that I met Mr. Totally Wrong on Any Type of Paper, also known as my husband of four years.  I met him on AOL and not on a dating site.  I think he stalked me, but he doesn't remember it that way.  Craig had it all against him, and I won't go into details as he may read this site as well.  We're happy, no kids (one of my really conflicted points) and looking at 40 more years of marriage.

Now I write all of this because I know someone (who also reads my site) who is totally, whole heartedly online meeting people.  I love her deeply and wish her all the luck in the world, but I want to warn her against the "bad men."  She encountered one of those not too long ago.  He and she were going full-steam ahead.  Talking every single-a** day.  It got to be annoying.  He's from another country (yuck and yicky already.)  Well, she had an inkling I guess and she asked another girlfriend to help with a little Sting-Operation.  Apparently, Mr. Right used the same lines on this girlfriend.  He was busted wide open.  Now my friend is still talking to the lying, cheating, b*st*rd.  They are "just friends."  Scr*w that!  The idiot lied once, he'll lie again.  I say there are plenty of people online, don't get caught up with the stinkers, the liars and the cheaters.  Life is just too precious. 

For us chubby girls, I think it's particularly challenging.  First, we're usually so much more interesting and entertaining, men just flock to us like bees to nectar.  But the idiot men then can't get past our tummys or hips.  They always turn to the "little" girls in real life.  Men are just not that developed, shall we say.  It's about looks.  And honestly, I know the normal weighted men who are ch*bby-ch*sers are not right in their minds.  I could give you gory details but it's just not worth repeating here.

So, Friend, please cut off all contact with this jerk.  He's not worth your time and energy.  I know what I'm saying.  I lived through it.  I lived through a 5'8" high school dropout tell me that I was too fat to have an active life.  Well, I'm heavier now and have a more active life and I married and not to a "little" man.  You will find someone.  I know that's true, just be patient. 

Vacation Pics

Just a few:

Cheese and Other Thoughts

I've been sailing the seas.  Alright, just two.  We went to Mexico last week on a lovely cruise along the Pacific coast and just a bit into the Sea of Cortez.  I'm back now, still rocking a bit.  It takes me a while to get back to normal. Craig attributes it to my use of seasickness patches.  I get sick when I sail.  I'm OK on roller coasters and car trips but boats do me in. 

The thing I missed most while on vacation was Swiss cheese.  The cruise line was British and "cosmopolitan" which means all the cheeses were too soft and smelled funny to me.  And now I'm broken.  My favorite French deli Swiss from Von's is too soft and not tart enough for me.  I ate it with my apples both today and yesterday but something is definitely amiss.  Either my taste buds are still sailing or this is a less than adequate batch of French Swiss.  I don't really know.  I guess I could ask Craig to taste but his preferences lean to sharp cheddar.  Perhaps Mexican sea air temporarily affects the taste.  I'll let you know next week.

And, if I can remember and if I have patience, I'll post some pictures from the cruise.

See you real soon!