I chose to work in an office.

I chose to work in an office, where I had the expressed ability to answer phones, enter data and bullshit most of the day. I purposefully found a job that I was comfortable doing. Something I didn’t have to worry about losing, a company that was standing on firm ground, in my hometown, where I wasn’t ever planning on moving from.

I chose an office job because it meant, banking hours, weekends off, I didn’t have to battle the elements of outside weather. I could sit at my desk, listen to music and learn spreadsheets, socialize with co-workers and heck, maybe even learn something about the lumber industry. Seeing that’s the kind of employer I have.

Blissfully enjoying my job, I am constantly making my fellow co-working office neighbors feel as though they are going through the change of life. I like the office at a comfy 73 degrees. But since I’m the only female in the office and well, men get priority I’m forever shutting the doors, turning the heat back up, wearing gloves as I type, dressed as if a snow blizzard cloud was directly above my desk. But I have to draw the line at a pink nose and numb fingers, toes I can’t feel anymore and ear’s that have just about fell off.

I wouldn’t be so opposed to the idea of the door being open, but when it’s 43 degree’s outside and 38 degree’s sitting at my desk, something’s got to give. I know they are co-workers/bosses and they sign my time cards, but I am growing tired of it. It wouldn’t be so bad if they were constantly in and out, but they aren’t. They are just tired of opening and closing the door, or they just plain forget to close it behind them, and they turn down the heater because “their office is warm enough just from the sun light.”

Of course if I was going from a cold outside temp to a warm inside temp, I too would think the office was toasty and warm. But alas, you see my problem. I knew the winter’s were cold and the summer’s hot, and I have the ability to create spreadsheet and sound sickenly sweet on the phone, and my typing skills are wicked crazy. Therefore,

I CHOSE TO WORK INSIDE WHERE IT’S NICE AND WARM. IF I WANTED TO FEEL HOW WARM IT IS, I’D HAVE TAKEN A JOB OUT IN THE CLIMATE WEATHER. So for the love of all that’s holy, SHUT THE DAMN DOOR WOULD YA AND LEAVE THE HEATER ALONE!

2010
02/10
POSTED BY
sheerchaos
CATEGORY
Rants & Raves
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Things That Really Make Me Happy

1. Warm socks…ok warm feet.

2. My cat falling asleep on my lap.

3. My daughter sitting too close to me in my uncomfortable recliner.

4. Hearing the magic words, “I Love You”.

5. Tender kisses at random.

6. Babies falling asleep on my chest.

7. Looking at my son’s freehand drawings.

8. Gourmet Chocolate

9. My daughter’s ability to multi-task at 6yrs.

10. My step-daughter calling me mom when she feels comfortable.

11. Sleeping children.

12. Iris and Tulips blooming in my front yard.

13. My car warmed up on a cold winter morning.

14. Waitresses that do their jobs well enough that  I don’t have to ask for anything.

15. Being cuddled at night when I sleep.

16. Not having to do dishes.

17. Not having to cook dinner.

18. Finding money that I didn’t know I had lost.

19. Writing and any kind of writing, (my blog, my book, my journal)

20. Peppermint Mocha’s & Banana Nut Bread from Starbucks.

21. Seeing my mom enjoy her Olive Garden dinner that we share.

22. The soft scent and warmness of a newborn baby.

23. Being surprised, only when it’s done correctly. Meaning I never find out about until the surprise happens.

24. A perfectly fitted pair of jeans…(why do they call them a “pair” when they are 1 pant..hmmm)

25. Chocolate

26. Discovering a kick ass band/song/CD/album on my own.

27.  New shoes.

28. Watching my dad watch Nascar/Football.

29. The smell of my sisters hairspray.

30. Speaking of sister, I love how my sisters bed is sooo comfy.

31. Seeing the happiness in Angel’s eyes when she speaks of her boyfriend.

32. Falling in love with a new book

33. Curve cologne.

34. The fresh smell of my boyfriends skin when he gets out of the shower.

35. Over hearing my kids talking about me…”My mom is awesome!”

36. Listening to baby…errr…I mean…Big Boy Conner explain to me, “When I grow up I’m gonna be a dinosaur…”

37. Days I don’t have back pain.

38. Autumn nights sitting on the porch swing nestled next to my boyfriend watching the kids ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac.

39. A well seasoned steak cooked on the grill.

40. Watching my cats play fight.

41. Starring into Jaden’s deep chocolate brown eyes.

42. My daughter sleeping in her brother’s bed, under her brother’s blankets, wearing her brothers pajamas.

43. Watching Rilee, Jaden and Kenny on the motorcycle

44. Hearing kids and babies laugh uncontrollably.

45. Chocolate…did I mention that already?

46. My daughter wearing my shoe’s and saying “She’s beautiful now.”

47. My son confessing his sins to me without being asked to.

48. My boyfriends arms around me at night.

49. My cat laying on my cold feet.

50. Hearing my sister say, “I love you sis.”

51. Our Christmas tree.

52. Spending time with my cousin’s family.

53. Knowing Angel is almost out of the woods of a chaotic childhood

54. My grandpa okra strew

55. The smell of my grandma Mary’s lotion.

56. The lit up smile on my grandpa’s face when I come over with my family to visit.

57. Having enough money to pay my bills.

58. Cashing my income tax return check

59. Seeing my mom out and about, feeling good.

60. Funyonions

61. People commenting on my blog or subscribing to my blog

62. A clean, DRY, towel hanging up in the bathroom as I get out of the shower.

63. A song that inspires or helps me with my writing.

64. A comfortable couch.

65. Dinner being cooked for me.

66. My laundry cleaned and hung up without me doing it.

67. The fact that you took the time to read through my list… :)

68. Just being ME!

69. Ending on a good note, MY BOYFRIEND!

2010
02/10
POSTED BY
sheerchaos
CATEGORY
Just Because...
1 comment

Drum Roll Please….

Good afternoon, evening, whichever it might be. I am so friggin happy with myself today as I finally got my grade back on my written exam for my creative writing class. The professors instructions were,   1)It had to be a short story using 1,000-1,500 words   2)Show a “Linear Ending” or use the “Flashback Technique”.

The story I used, had started out as a dream and I posted it on my blog. I decided I would try to fine-tune the dream into more details and easier read-ability. So naturally being the over achieving student that I am, I noticed the instructions said, “Linear Ending” OR “Flashback Technique”. I called my school, asking them if I could use both techniques in one story. They insisted that I pick ONE but that if I felt I could pull it off, I could use both.

I worked on my writing and couldn’t squeeze everything into 1,500 words. I was presented with a dilemma.   1) Submit the story at 1,800 words and take a lower grade but my story would stand tall and proud as I wouldn’t have to sacrifice the integrity of my story for a mere word count problem   2) Cut more out of my story, lose the over-all plot rhythm of my story and get a lower grade…oh the choices.

My true-to-heart-writing-mind decided to submit my story with 1,800 words. Though I haven’t received my professor’s critique of my written exam, I did receive my grade today online…..(Drum roll please)………………….92%!!!!!!!!!!!!! My highest grade yet.  So with out further ado, I will repost my work of art for all to read…if you’d like. (Click the link below)

 http://sheerchaos.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/bitten-by-a-vampire/

2010
02/09
POSTED BY
sheerchaos
CATEGORY
Dreams By Alena
1 comment

Playing S.E.R.R.F

After a long hard days work, I travel 35 miles to my hometown of Red Bluff California. Before heading home I have to stop by my children’s school and pick them up from their after school program called S.E.R.R.F. Pronounced as, Surf.

Immediately as you walk in, you are greeted by loud children talking and a bustle of adults and older teenagers participating with them in various activities. Every thing from painting and coloring to sing and dancing on the Wii. I’ve grown comfortable with this group of adults watching over my children. They know me by my children, as my daughter often dominates all the other children and her budding fashion sense has them captivated by her charm and beauty, and the fact that she is constantly whining about not getting her way.

Signing the children in and out in the many binders placed on the all to short tables. (the lunch room tables that fold into the surrounding walls…remember?) The SERRF adult sitting at these tables, calls over the 2-way radio for the children by name, belonging to whatever parent is standing in front of her. These SERRF adults are often wearing lanyards with keys attached to them, for the numerous rooms and lockers that they may need to get into. After a short conversation, my children come running to me, back packs in hand. With a hug and a kiss, we set off to our car parked in the busy parking lot.

This weekend I walked in on my daughter sitting at her computer desk in her princess room decorated in all-thing’s-girlie and pink. Placed strategically in front of her on the carpet are her many lovies, a.k.a. stuffed animals. She reaches for her Disney princess walkie-talkie motions to me to wait a minute with her dainty finger and calls out, “We need Leo the Lemur. Your mom’s here to pick you up. She stands up, walks over to her bunk bed and hands me a clipboard. It’s then that I notice she has a lanyard around her neck with a bunch of foreign keys.

(Now for about a week she has bugged me every day to give her my car keys so she can have them. I declined and had to explain to her why I couldn’t part with them but promised I’d find her some old keys she could keep. Unfortunately I never came through on this promise as I later realized I never held on to useless keys like my dad use too.)

I immediately stopped in my tracks and gave her the mommy-eye asking her, “Aubry. Where did you get those keys?”.

She quickly shot back, “From the prize box at school. I didn’t get in trouble and Mrs. Bliss let me pick them out.”

Against my better judgment I didn’t want to rain on her parade and take her prize away. I knew she had been working really hard at not talking so much in class. Being even more curious as to what she was doing, even though I could tell–secretly I just wanted to hear her say it. “What are you playing Aubry?” I asked.

“I’m playing surf.” She said as if the mere question was ridiculously obvious. She gave that away in the roll of her eyes as she turned back around to resume her play, uninterrupted this time. 

Let’s jump now to Monday evening, me standing in front of the short tables starring at the huge green chalk board. Scrawled  across in yellow chalk it read; MISSING 3 ROOM KEYS IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN. (see picture above) Immediately in that moment I knew who was to blame, my sweet and innocent, all too grown-up acting, diva daughter, Aubry. I had brought them the news they were searching.

I approached the director and informed them of my findings this weekend as I walked into my daughters room. After the hysterical laughter, they were relieved. As the director was in huge trouble. The school was about to set out on a costly mission of re-keying every door to the school after not being able to lock the doors or set the alarms this last weekend.

I safely returned the keys to the director the next day and expressed my deepest apologies that I could. I asked the director how Aubry had gotten a hold of the keys. She told me, “Aubry got in trouble for not listening and was placed in time out in the directors office, where the keys were hung up on the wall.”

It’s sad to say, but Aubry is probably going to fall in to my footsteps and this post will more then likely be placed in the now, appropriately named, “Classic Aubry” category.

2010
02/04
POSTED BY
sheerchaos
CATEGORY
Classic Aubry
2 comments

Love In Fiction vs. Love In Life

The relationship between Love in fiction and Love in life are the same– and different. The characters portrayed in romantic fiction mimic Love in life on a grander scale. Like a carefully composed song that’s played for the appreciation of an audience is Love in fiction. Romantic stories capture your heart and take you on a journey of heart break and renewed love and passion. Your body feels each emotion as you turn the pages. You can feel the man’s eyes starring at you from the pages, wrapping his arms around you and gently laying a kiss on your lips from the book. Love in fiction is perfectly plotted. All the right thing’s said at all the right moments in all the right ways with just the right amount of emotion. The picture is painted and imprinted in the reader’s own imagination.

Love in life isn’t so calculated and intricately woven. Human error allows for fumbles and mistakes. When you long for that much needed hug at the end of the day and it doesn’t manifest or your lover smashes your nose when you lean in for the kiss, that’s Love in life. Reality can only imitate fiction, it can’t replicate it flawlessly.

The joy is that you can have both, unlike many thing’s in life. With Love in fiction and Love in life, you can have your cake and eat it too. If you’re lucky to find a person who shares your joy’s and longs to make you happy, yet can still handle your flaws and short comings all the while you can pick up a romance novel and allow it to engulf your mind and keep romance alive within your hands, then you may just be the richest person in life.

On a side note, it’s rather unfair to compare real life love to literature love because that bar is set perpetually high. Instead, use it as a guide-line to keep your actions in check or to set the mood for a planned romantic evening with your Love.

2010
02/01
POSTED BY
sheerchaos
CATEGORY
Just Because...
5 comments