Being Frugal

The other day I read story about a few people who decided to not buy any new clothes and only wear six different pieces of clothing for three months. Wow! I think that is a little much, right? But these few people actually did it and the crazy thing is that other people, family, friends, work people, didn't even realize they had only worn six different items for the last three months. It made me think how much people these days have to have a new something, whether its clothes, shoes, purse, whatever, every month, or week, or whatever time frame fits for them. How much money would you save if you lived off six items and didn't purchase any new ones every three months? That's just astounding to me. I can't fathom living off only six pieces of clothing for three months!!!!! Not for me, however, I could use the other part of the plan by not buying any clothing for three months. Three months doesn't really seem like a long time until I really begin to think about it. That's incredible.
So I've decided to give it a try. I am not going to purchase any new clothes for three months. And what a better time then now? Today is gong to be day one. We'll see how much money I can save or what other things I can do with that money that would have been spent on clothes. Wish me luck!!

An Interesting Man

Over the past week or so, this customer has been coming in to have his vehicle worked on. Well today, he actually stayed for awhile and we had the best conversations. He is in his 70s I'm sure. He joined the war when he was fifteen, apparently has no birth certificate, went to school in France, lived in Spain for six years, taught at a few universities in chemistry and mathematics. I mean just an impressive list of accomplishments. During the war he had bomb-related injuries to his face, you wouldn't really know that's what it was from, considering he looks like any other older gentleman, I don't mean that as bad as it sounds, but only that you have to take a close look to realize something was wrong. He apparently solved some math hypothesis that many mathematicians have been trying to solve for years, but he's not going to tell anyone because he wants people to figure it out for themselves. I don't know if any of this is true, but he was full of good stories.
He went out of the country several times and the government had to bring him back to the states because he isn't supposed to leave the country ever. He claimed to deliver explosives to Turkey and France while spying on Russia. And that the government is after him at all times and people follow him wherever he goes. Ha, a little crazy I'm sure, but so amusing to listen to his stories. Best part of my job is meeting all kinds of different people. I always say, It takes all kinds in this world.
Being as smart as he was, he 'challenged' teachers and their classes in math and chemistry, being self taught at first, no one liked him or wanted him around at the universities. He decided to go to school and get a real education. Started out wanting to be a vet then realized how much he enjoyed math and chemistry, and how little he liked seeing animals hurt, he changed his major. He then became a teacher. He said others called him a teacher of perfection, teaching on Thanksgiving, and most holidays. The students didn't mind, but the other teachers would get furious.
I think we talked for about an hour and a half, and by 'we talked' I mean 'he talked'. Very interesting guy, lived a full life and still is this crazy, smart, old man. The best thing he said is while he was teaching he realized, you can't teach people what to think, you can only teach them how to think.
Another day at the office, huh? By far the highlight of my day, as sad as that sounds, it's very true!!

James Taylor and Carole King in Vegas!!

My husband and I just went to a James Taylor/Carole King concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was outstanding!! Those two together made for an incredible show. I didn't know any of her songs, or so I thought. She sings Natural Woman, Earth Move Under My Feet song, (not sure what the song names are, but I'm sure you'll know the ones I'm talking about), Will you Love me Tomorrow. She also wrote so many songs that I love! Very talented lady. James Taylor on the other hand, I knew all of his songs and sang right along. It was a good time!!
We arrived at the arena about an hour before it all started, and as the time grew nearer, the stand began to fill. I couldn't imagine hundreds, probably thousands, of people coming to watch and listen to me sing. Crazy thought. Anyways, they came out on stage and the crowd went crazy. Everyone was cheering, whistling, standing up, it was a hoot!! Then every time they would begin a song, the same hollering, whistling would start up. I can't believe the energy these people had, to explain, my husband and I were probably the youngest couple there. I've never seen so many bald heads congregated to one place before. But man they kept up song after song after song, just as good as we did. Singing and dancing for about four hours was a blast. The time flew right by!! Before you knew it, they were leaving the stage. Then encore encore!! Not one, but three more songs!! This got people right back into the singing and dancing. It was the best (out of the whole two) concerts that I've seen!! They kept me entertained the ENTIRE time of the concert. The songs went together very smoothly, nice transitions from one to the other. And all catchy, sing-a-long style songs so it was fun for everyone.
The stage was spectacular!! It spun in circles so throughout the night you could always see the front of one person of the band, and at one point during each song you could see the two stars. At half time, the "crew" went backstage and came out in new outfits, which was a good transition to a different theme of songs. Those two together were something else for sure. They played off each other very well, probably cuz they've known each other for years (decades)!! It was an outstanding performance all around by ALL of the people on stage, not only the singers, but everyone involved in the band, backup singers, everyone!!
There was a screen showing to every section of the audience, so the back few rows could see up close to the stage. There was also a band of wire/beads/?, not really sure what it was, but it showed pictures of Taylor, King, and the band from way back when. It displayed pictures throughout the songs, reflecting what the songs were about. It was pretty neat. We were the second to last row and still could see everything and everyone perfectly fine. The arena was huge, but the layout was set up so no one was left out, so to speak. I will definitely be going to see them again, hopefully, in the future. And hopefully going back to the MGM Grand Arena for more shows cuz that stage is perfect!!
The rest of the time we spent in Vegas was shadowed in comparison to the amazing concert we had seen the first night we were there. We stayed at the Vegas Club on Fremont Street cuz my husband has never seen the light show (I say h"has" because we missed it again cuz the concert went on for soo long!) Definitely worth missing a few lights to see James Taylor and Carole King though!! Our room had a "balcony", meaning if you crawled out the window that opened up vertically, you could stand out on this ledge outside of our room. Since we stayed off the strip, everything was reasonably priced too. The hotel, the $2 blackjack table, the penny slots, and there were slot machines that still accepted change!! Which I had never seen before, so a plus for me. There was also a cigarette vending machine and a claw lobster catch game, like the one you'd see for toys or candy, but for lobsters. Oh the things in Vegas! All in all this was the best Vegas trip I have ever had, it didn't cost an arm and a leg, and for once it was must me and my honey. It's always a good time in VEGAS!!

Open UP!!

I am a talker. I mean I can talk and talk and talk!! But when it comes to feelings or serious matters, I become mute, shut down, and shy away.
Opening up to people, especially those close to me, has always been a bit of a challenge for me. You'd think that the people you love and who love you back would be the easiest to share with, but for me it is the exact opposite of that. I care so much of what my loved ones think of me that it makes it that much harder to share feelings, experiences, etc. My new goal is to share everything that is on my mind with everyone, or those willing to listen. I figure you only get one shot at life and I don't want to waste it on wondering "What if?" So (hopefully) from now on, it's gonna be a new me!!
Writing down my feelings and experiences here has helped me to put in perspective my life. I can THINK it, but actually writing it down really has seemed to help. I can LOOK at it. A whole new perspective, I'm telling ya.
Not only I am going to write more, I want to speak my mind as well. I need to share with the world, so to speak. Feelings, whether good or bad, I want to just be able to say it without hesitation. I hold back when I should let go. Speak my mind!! So wish me luck as I am going to strive to be more open everyday, in all I do. This will definitely be a journey, but one I am very much looking forward to.

Ode to the Morning

Every morning you wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, put your face on (so to speak), prepare yourself for whatever this day will bring you. Every morning this process is repeated for the purpose of appearance, to please other people, and yourself of course, to look like what you want to, or what the world wants you to. Regardless of why we do the things that we do, to look the way we do, we do them faithfully every morning. The clothes, jewelry, makeup, etc. we put on everyday reflects who we are. Whether it is realized or not, the way you look influences the people around you. Maybe they have a view of you that isn't anything of who you really are inside, but just the way society has made you feel you must look. Maybe you want to wear sweats, no makeup, hair in a pony tail, relaxed comfortable, however, you know people would not approve of this because we are conditioned to look a certain way and wear certain things and those that do not do this are different, weird, strange, to not be affiliated with. But does that really define you as a person? The way you look, what you wear? Or is it something deeper then that? Well I sure hope so!!
Who you are when you first wake up in the morning, all natural, with sleep in your eye, your hair standing on end, no makeup, in sweats/flannel, whatever you wear, or don't wear, to bed, this is the person I love the most. The grungy, dirty person seems to be quite happy with itself, satisfied to be at peace, relaxed, comfortable. Maybe that isn't who are you, maybe you really are the dolled up person you appear to be and present to the world each morning, and good for you. People are who they are and at some point during the day you are the exact person you want to be. Whether or not you change that appearance to please others or to please yourself, we all do it, present ourselves to the world, however we want to be seen.

On a Sour Note

Ok, so I agree that sometimes I can be a tad bit mean, awnry, whatever you wanna call it, however, some people can be downright rude! It's very irritating. Especially when it's a person you care about, a person that means something to you, a close friend, a family member, take your pick.
Back and forth friendly banter is alright, but where do you cross the line? What is too close? What works, and what doesn't? Does anyone really know the answers to these questions. I sure don't, wish I did obviously. It would be nice if everyone had the same standing point on humor as I do, then I would "know" they weren't offended by what I was saying, they would "know" it was just a joke. Oh what a world it would be!
However, the world is not so. So I continue to wonder, Did I just upset that person? Are they actually mad or is this still a friendly game? Well to those of you whom I love and offend in anyway, my apologies. I have a sense of humor unlike any other and mean no offense when I joke around and say literally whatever is on my mind.
All my love, Just me!!

Seattle Trip

I decided to visit my bestest friend, who now lives in Seattle, for the 4th of July. What a trip it was!! I had such a good time there in the big city, which was a little crazy considering I live in a small town of about 35,000 people.
Seattle is alive, constantly bustling with life, at all hours of the day, into the wee hours of the morning. I woke up around 3am one morning to people walking the streets, having a jolly good time by the sound of it. Realizing if I had woken up in my town at 3am, there wouldn't be a sound, nothing, just silence. 9pm rolls around here and its dead, nobody out, everybody at home, inside, still and quiet. Nothing like the big city. There is so much to do, beautiful trees, water everywhere you turn, little shops around every corner, it is wonderful!! So that being said it was a busy five days, busy but fantastic!!
I hadn't seen my friend for awhile, it had been WAY too long. We grew up two houses away from each other, they are my second family. We did everything together, played in the mass amounts of desert, tried to catch pigeons while hiding in creosote bushes, ate pizza in the warm summer rain. Our childhood was a blast. Her older brother was my first love, if you will. I knew in my ten year old mind that we were going to get married, have babies, and live happily ever after, right? However, it turns out that he has the same taste in men that I do, awkward, yes, but I love him still. He just happened to be there in Seattle the same time I was, so we also got to hang out and reminisce about the good ol' days. It brought back all those first love experiences I had and needless to say it was a little weird at first. He had asked if I "knew" about him, obviously blinded by "love" I did not. (Haha, its different seeing it all written out in front of me!) But nevertheless I had an amazing time with my bestest friend and first love.
I also got to meet her new boyfriend, lover, amazing guy in her life. He is perfect for her, a great dad (yes he has a four year old son), very talented musician, fun to be around, and so goofy!! That was the word of the week, in case you were wondering. Seeing them together it was like they had known each other for years not months, they "fit" into each others lives very nicely. PB and J!! This gent, his brother, and dad played in a band on the 4th at a park, so green, a lake, tons of people, games, food. We played a water balloon toss game, me and mine and her and hers, the siblings both dropped the balloon, it had to be said. Haha, it was such a good time. Thinking about how this could have been how it could have stayed if things had turned out a little differently. The two couples having a ball in the big city. But no, someone upstairs had different plans for my life and theirs, well theirs isn't for certain yet, however I have high hopes for those two little love birds, and for the first love of my childhood too.
Two years and five moths ago I got married to pretty much the exact opposite of this first love of mine. Crazy how things turn out. Comparing what life would/could have been and what it is today, I wouldn't choose anything else for myself. Comparing the two guys in my life that have meant so much to me, seeing how different they are, but how vital they were/are in my life still and forever will be. It is nice to see that everyone finds their someone regardless of friends, family, first loves, true loves, things tend to turn out for the better somehow through all the mess of life. I am extremely grateful for these friends I have and the love I have now, thanks for just being you and who you really are, and know that you are loved and will always be loved.