I have to work that late because the college is open and we need the coverage. If I want time off at Christmas, I have to sacrifice. Yes, I would rather only have to drive three hours as opposed to four to Woodville. No, I don’t mind skipping out on seeing my classmates get drunk. Not to mention by the time I got off work, went home, and then drove to Woodville, it would be at least midnight and I would be exhausted. I have no idea how long I’m staying. I need to talk to my other boss to determine when he needs me to be back.

This time of year always brings a certain amount of stress. In my case it isn’t a financial crisis as much as it is a time crisis. The holidays always put me on edge because it is the time of year where I have to juggle my family and my real life and it usually isn’t pretty. I think it is an issue with many people, and it is a common affliction amongst people who have moved away from home, have children or are in a relationship. We have a limited amount of time, and we are being ripped in many directions.

I know some people look at me and they just think “well there is one of her, she has no children and she lives three hours from her parents…so what” and admittedly, it does look like it I have it pretty easy . However, looks can be deceiving. Of course it is preferred that I drive home on Wednesday night, but as I said before I work until 7. I can’t just leave from work because I have 5 birds my parents want to see. That means I have o drive home, load them up and then leave. I work two other jobs. One is from home, but the other is a DJ job at night. I know he *wants* me to be back for the Friday night show, but I’ll probably stay until Saturday. At least this year there is no significant other involved to have to play the are we doing Thanksgiving together…if so where game with. Even before Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas questions will start. The getting there by Christmas Eve services isn’t an issue, but the how long will I stay question will be the heavy hitter.

Of course, you want to see your family (well in most cases), and you really do not want to hurt anybodys feelings. Still trying to juggle your time around the holidays can be maddening. Yes it is the holidays and you want to work to make everyone happy, but how is that fair if you are miserable the whole time. It isn’t just your family either. What do you say when your full time employer wants to have a Holiday party downtown until 8:00, but you have to be at your other job on the other side of town at 9:00. Oh and don’t forget about your poor dog Spot who really needs left out before you go to your second job. Common sense says just go to the work party and then leave a little early. In many cases, this will solve it. Yes, it might be a tight, but can be workable. It might not be ideal, but if you make a little sacrifice and ENJOY yourself at the party while you can, it is worth it.

That is how most of the time crunch things work. You do things you don’t like, work to compromise with your friends and family, enjoy the time with your loved ones and friends, and keep positive. When you clash with your mom about only being home for a day because you have to drive another 8 hours to your fiancé’s grandmother’s house, don’t flip out. Stay calm and take the emotion out of the argument when you state your case. Yes there will be chaos and I can’t promise that it will be drama free, but keep focused on the happy things and you will be much better for it.

]]> http://www.culturefeast.com/stressed-for-the-holidays/feed/ http://www.culturefeast.com/bumper-sticker-remorse/ http://www.culturefeast.com/bumper-sticker-remorse/#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:05:33 +0000 Jenni Hammitt http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=1642

I was driving to work one morning and I found myself stuck behind a newer looking Honda Accord with bumper stickers slathered across the bumper, windshield and other parts of the car. This gentleman is very obviously a Democrat, and he has taken quite a bit of time to make his political beliefs known. There is nothing wrong with this. He has every right to do so.

There were stickers ranging from the simple Obama/Biden stickers to heckling Palin to calling McCain the equivalent of a feather plucking cockatoo…and that isn’t a nice thing. It is great that this gentleman wants to express his political stance, and if he got my attention, it can safely be said that he got many other people’s too.

I found myself thinking I was kind of jealous that I didn’t have that on fire conviction for any candidate or party. I’m not a fan of either presidential candidate. I never really liked an of the possible candidates and while the election has seemed to be the topic everyone wanted to talk about , I wasn’t nearly as engaged. I’ve never voted a straight ticket. Like for Indiana Governor, our current Governor is a better choice when in regards to higher education.

I work for a statewide community college system, so it makes sense that I voted for him. He’s a republican, but that does not mean I’ll vote for that party all around. I thought about how I couldn’t wait until the election to be over so my only “team” loyalty will be to “Team Edward” and bringing back Blood Ties. As my mind started to wander…something even less unrelated to politics popped into my head. “Man it is going to be hell to get those stickers off.”

I looked a little closer…hoping the “stickers” were really magnets or stickers put on magnets. Some were but most of the stickers were actual stickers put on the back of the car. Ouch! I purposely only have my Guster widow cling and BLOG bumper magnet on the back of my car. I even conceded and put my “Corporate Goth: Because Nice Boots are Expensive” sticker on my laptop because I know how hard it is to get those suckers off. Well no, it isn’t hard to remove them. The issue is what will you do to your paint job in the process. You can carefully remove them and minimize the damage, but it is a lot of work and far from fool proof. When you go to sell that car, unless you pay for a new paint job, this could look bad.

Yard signs are easy to remove. You can stop wearing t-shirts, and the commercials and debates will soon be nothing but a distant memory (thank God!). However, this guy has to look forward to painfully removing each of those stickers. Well he could just leave them on. Now if Obama wins, it really isn’t a huge faux pas initially, but soon people are going to be over the whole election and want to move on. However, if Obama loses (mind you I’m writing this on election night…as I watch the election coverage) that could be a little more shady. I know my eyes automatically roll when I pull up behind that car with the Kerry/Edwards sticker slapped on the bumper.

Are political bumper stickers like a tattoo? They sound like a great idea at the time. You actually may still love them dearly, but maybe it isn’t what you want representing yourself to the world?

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]]> http://www.culturefeast.com/bumper-sticker-remorse/feed/ http://www.culturefeast.com/bad-economy-woes/ http://www.culturefeast.com/bad-economy-woes/#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:38:59 +0000 Jenni Hammitt http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=1611 Everyone is feeling the impact of this struggling (in some cases downward spiraling ) economy. It is hitting us in the pocket book, and we are having to change our way of life and cutting back to make things work. That alone sucks. However, I was dreading the day where the businesses I frequent would have to make drastic changes or worse - close their doors to the public.

Small business are taking a big hit right now. Things haven’t exactly been “good” for them over the past year, but now things are even more dire. Money is tight, consumers are watching their spending and they do not have the access to the credit they may need to stay afloat.

It was only a matter of time before this impacted me. Monday night I got the call. Bobby’s was closing. Bobby’s is a local bar. It is sort of our preferred hang out. It was our “Cheers” if you will. I was floored. I couldn’t believe the place I have spent many evenings and met many friends, wouldn’t be there anymore. I guess I really should have seen this coming. Things have been slower, but not dead. We had started this whole monthly theme night routine. It was bringing in tons of customers and being quite well received. However, they canceled our last theme night last minute. I offered to revamp their outdated website (it is at least four years old) for a pretty basic fee, and they said no. I just figured they were watching their budget. Evidently, things really were much worse.

Yes I know it was just a bar, and it isn’t the end of the world that it is gone. It is just sad that our meeting place had to close. There is also a bigger impact. I am friends with many of the employees. Now, they are out of work. My good friend runs a DJ/Karaoke business, and he had three shows a week up at Bobby’s. He was just as caught off guard by the news. Now he is scrambling to find replacement shows to make up that income. More personally, I work with him at those shows. So that means my weekly income will also take a hit. Granted, it isn’t my “main job” but that little extra money made making ends meet just a little easier.

My friends who worked at Bobby’s are now unemployed, my other friend now has to find news shows, and we all have to adjust our budget and spending to accommodate the changes in our lives. Finding a new bar to “hang out” at is the least of our issues. Now I'm left to wonder what business will be next?

]]> http://www.culturefeast.com/bad-economy-woes/feed/ http://www.culturefeast.com/my-plus-sized-halloween-costume-conundrum/ http://www.culturefeast.com/my-plus-sized-halloween-costume-conundrum/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:52:50 +0000 Jenni Hammitt http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=1601 Halloween is probably my favorite secular holiday. As a recovering Goth-a-holic (or a Corporate Goth if you will), I love the opportunity to bust out the “bat purse,” buy a new pair of wings, and string up George the spider in my office so that when the lab door opens he floats up and down. I also stock up on black roses. I love this holiday, but this year I became very depressed when I tried to buy a Halloween costume.

Okay folks here is the deal. I’m not a small girl. I’m short, but I’m not exactly skinny. However, I have been losing some weight and I decided to bite the bullet and buy one of those cute costumes at the Halloween Store. I was blonde at the time (i've since changed) and I really had my little heart set on being Alice in Wonderland. I stopped by the costume shop on my way home from work, and after a little looking I found three costume options. The first was the “skank” Alice. It was like a bikini top and a little skirt. Uh yeah…so aside from being jealous that I would never be able to pull that off, really that just isn’t my look. The other two seemed more reasonable.

However, the one costume was only available in medium. That left the third option. It had an extra large, but I was still nervous. This brand tends to run small. If I remember correctly I made a failed attempt at trying on a Rainbow Brite costume made by the same company last year (under duress as a last minute attempt to throw something together) and I couldn’t even get the zipper to move.

I made my way back to the dressing room, and hesitantly put the outfit on. Well guess what? It fit! It actually fit and fit well. It wasn’t too tight and there wasn’t icky and embarrassing bulges everywhere. I was about to do the happy dance when I realized one little issue: the skirt was too short. Even with the petticoat, it would be a little dangerous for me to do much of anything than sit. This would be pretty awkward since well I work for a DJ/Karaoke company and I’m working at a party on Halloween.

I tried on a different costume in a the same size and I had the same problem. Apparently, if you want to wear the cute Halloween costumes, you not only have to be a 12-14 at the most, you also have to follow the long legs short torso model. The costume was made so that in theory the skirt would star at the hip. On me it started higher. So even with losing the weight to be the right size, I still can’t wear the cute costumes?

Defeated, I go to the plus size costumes. Well guess what? There are no Alice in Wonderland costumes at all and the ones they have are mostly lame. So just because I am bigger, I can’t be cute for Halloween? The ones that are actually sort of cool do not work for me because of the way they are sized. Plus sized costumes are sized from 16-24. That means that they all look like tents on me, or worse, my whole body can fit through the neck hole.

Defeated, but still not totally down for the count, I turned to Plus Sized stores like Torrid. Even then the selection wasn’t that great and the prices were much higher. It was like $64.99 for the costume, plus another $15 for the petticoat, and another $8 for shipping. Okay folks I had a $50 spending budget for my costume. The ones at the costume shop were $39.99…these were identical, but the skirts were a little longer.

Maybe they were a higher quality fabric, but still with tax that would run me at $90. That is a little more than I wanted to spend on a costume. Luckily for me I already have fishnets and boots! Not to mention I wear a 0 in Torrid sizes and their costumes start at a 1. That could be an issue especially since I can't try it on since I am ordering online (we do not have a Torrid store in Indy).

I finally gave up. I had an old and now too big costume pulled apart and the inlay made into a halter dress. I bought a fun pair of glitter wings and new fake eye lashes. I’ll have to do yet another DIY costume this year. At least this year’s will be cute.

I know some people will read this and think I’m just a fat girl whining. Their suggestion will to be just get on a treadmill and a diet. Yes, I’m the only one who can make me lose weight. I am losing it slowly. Thankfully the slow method has worked and I have been able to keep it off. It still doesn’t make the situation better. Even if I lose more weight, I’m not sure that will make it better. Because of the way I am proportioned, I still can’t wear the costumes. I know they save money by using the same patterns. It helps them save money. It still is a disappointment.

So when you are too small for most Plus Sized costumes, you would fit into the regular costumes but your proportions aren't right, or you are just a little too big for the the normal sizes, what do you do?

]]> http://www.culturefeast.com/my-plus-sized-halloween-costume-conundrum/feed/ http://www.culturefeast.com/being-media-literate-during-the-election/ http://www.culturefeast.com/being-media-literate-during-the-election/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:00:34 +0000 Jenni Hammitt http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=1569 People will not only believe everything they hear on TV or radio, but how they only hear the messages they want to hear or the parts of the message that back up their believes and ideas. It kills me on how media illiterate we have become. We take everything at face value, and we never delve beneath the surface. This leads to people being miss and under informed.

Any time you look at ANY media artifact (article, blog, TV show, website, radio show, advertisement…basically any piece of media), you need to be thinking critically. You need to know who made the artifact, what they stand for, what’s their angle, background and goal. Even as you read this, before you take anything I say at face value, do you know who I am, what credibility I have, or what I am trying to accomplish? You need to know these things so you can evaluate the artifact properly and then assess its value and merit.

Yes, you need to not only look at *what* is being said, but also who is saying it and how it is being said. Media bias isn’t new by any stretch of the meaning, but when you here people touting something they read in the paper or hear on tv…or worse read on the internet as fact and then go about spreading the ideas as truth.

With the Presidential Election just around the corner, this is even more noticeable. At lunch one day a friend took offense to someone saying Obama is running some pretty “ugly” ads. He is running some rough ads, and so is McCain, but Obama’s “mud slinging” is a bit harsher and widespread than his. The offended co-worker of course jumped to the defensive and started referring to ads that in fact are very harsh on Obama and saying they were McCain’s. Really they are not his. They are ads run by the Republican National Party not McCain’s campaign. One could easily assume they were McCain ads, but if you read the fine print at the end of the ad or listen carefully to the voiceovers, you are told who is actually responsible for the ad. Now, this really doesn’t make the situation better. It is McCain’s party slinging the mud, but it is still being slung. I’m pretty much disgusted by all mud slinging. Both candidates are guilty of it. However, the facts prove that Obama has produced more negative ads against McCain than McCain has produced against him.

That simple fact should not have put my co-worker into defensive mode. Now, had she argued that yes, McCain didn’t air the ads, but he also has done nothing to speak out against them, that would be a different story. I would totally been interested to see what people had to say about that! Instead she made a faulty argument and most everyone at the table agreed with her, or just didn’t know enough to question her. I’m not claiming to be perfect or not fall prey to this from time to time too, but I’m also pretty jaded in regards to the media and it is in my nature to pick things apart.

I guess I would rather have my facts straight than to just go off what the media feeds me. Maybe all those media studies classes just made me paranoid. However, I would rather be safe than sorry. Remember, media is a business. In most cases, their main objective is to make money and further their own agendas! Figure out the facts and then make your own conclusions, and you wll be more informed and better off.

After 9/11, people stopped travelling. This caused the travel industry to buckle down and start making travel affordable again. They (especially the hotel industry) slashed prices, and made the world of budget travel a happy place. You could find amazing deals on Hotwire, Priceline, Expedia, and many other travel sites. Solo travel for the average twenty something was affordable, and the hunt for the perfect deal was all part of the fun.

After a few years, travel picked back up, and then the prices started to rise again. Hotels and airlines no longer needed to tempt customers with amazing deals. Now the average twenty something still had to hunt for a deal, but now it was much harder. The websites we depended on for deals suddenly have very limited discounts, or worse, the prices are actually higher than if you book through the hotel, rental agency or airline directly. It quickly became very frustrating, and in some cases just not economical to take trips. Even if you booked well in advance, the prices were just too high.

For example, in March 2003 I booked a July flight from Indianapolis to San Francisco. Round Trip it was just under $200 on Hotwire. I stayed in a hostel that time, so my total costs for lodging and airfare were just about $300. When I did research on what that trip would have cost me to book in March 2008, it would have been more like $450. If I wanted to actually stay in a budget hotel in Union Square, it would balloon up to at least $600. I flew from Indy to Vegas in June 2007, and even with advanced purchase on Southwest my flight was still a little over $300. Prices kept ballooning, and the travel industry had a stockpile of excuses for why this kept happening. Whether it be fuel charges or some other excuse, there was always a “reason.”

Travel is down again, and things are starting to come full circle. It isn’t in full swing yet, but I can see the change on the horizon. I booked a cruise in December. That time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is often a busy time for cruise lines and begins the “peak” tourist season for many of their ports. Somehow, I still managed to score a pretty sweet rate.

Yeah, I have an interior cabin, but still the price is pretty affordable. I booked my airfare about a month ago, and secured round trip flights from Indy to Tampa for $180 including trip protection. Now the catch is, you have to know the airline’s hidden fees for checked bags, drinks, seat assignments, and other odds and ends.

A cheap ticket might not be so cheap once you tack everything on. Since I booked in September, the price have held at about the same rate. It isn’t like a year ago where the prices quickly climbed over $250 before your reached two months out. Not all the airlines are slashing prices yet, but it is happening and I see prices getting better over the next few months.

However, I also see especially the airlines starting to pick up their fuel costs woe and start finding new and annoying ways to make money. Really this has very little to do with fuel. These are changes the airlines have been waiting to implement for years, the fuel crisis just gives them an excuse.

My advice? Book now. Get out of dodge for a few days and enjoy the savings you will find between now and Christmas! However, also be smart, only plan vacations you know you can afford, and if possible you can avoid using huge chunks of credit.

I’m not a fan of the government having to bail out our Financial Institutions. I believe that this could have been avoided if better choices were made, and our government admitted we were in trouble long before it became the current mess. Normally I would be against the government using tax payer money to come to the rescue of financial institutions. However, I’m completely aware that without the bail out, our Market may fall further into disrepair.

So how does this effect the average American? Okay so let’s say my back folds. Back when the stock market crashed in 1929, I would have been screwed. The banks did not have enough money, and people panicked and withdrew all their funds. If you didn’t get to the bank before they ran out of money, you were out of luck. Because of that mess, Congress created the FDIC in 1933. That means that my money, up to $100,000 per institution, is insured.

Let’s be honest, most of us will no have more than $100,000 in any particular bank. That means that we don’t need to run out and withdraw all our money, like some people think. Others know about FDIC, but think that the coverage is unlimited. They don’t know about the $100,000 limit. At any rate, our money will probably be okay.

What worries me are the business that have more that $100,000 per institution. They are at risk. These are places where people work, and places you do business every day. If they cannot access their money, or gain access to more credit, there could be trouble. Of course there is the stock market. This is a scary time for investors. Retirement Plans, 401Ks, and all things investments are looking scary. I had a friend refer to the NYSE as looking like a Kmart Blue Light Special.

In a way he’s right. Everything is way cheap right now, but the question is can you find the treasures? If you have the money, and you pick the right stocks, you might actually come out ahead when the market rebounds. That might we a while, so it could be some time before you know how you fare. People who already were invested, are wondering about their futures. Will they be able to retire? Will they have to change their plans? It is a huge mess, and the less informed people are about the situation, the more dangerous it becomes.

]]> http://www.culturefeast.com/knowing-about-your-money/feed/ http://www.culturefeast.com/lessons-from-the-emergency-vet-clinic/ http://www.culturefeast.com/lessons-from-the-emergency-vet-clinic/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:51:46 +0000 Jenni Hammitt http://www.culturefeast.com/?p=1424 I made the trek back to Toledo earlier this week, and I brought all five of my birds with me. The plan was to go to lunch and then return to the house to work on a few projects. However, when we returned home, the Chloe was sitting at the bottom of her cage looking very sad. I had just rescued Chloe from a very bad situation ten days before this. Since I brought her home she had been very happy and energetic.

The listless parakeet really made me worry. I got her out of the cage and she perked up and little as she sat with me. Then I thought she might be hungry. She did not like the pellet I fed her, and maybe that was the issue. I gave her some millet and once again she perked up, but that only lasted a minute. Then it happed…she had a seizure. I’m guessing she had one while I was gone, and that is why she was at the bottom of the cage. She couldn’t stand on her own and she was becoming non responsive.

Had I been at home I would have rushed her to my vet. My mom and I had to find an avian vet that was open after four in Toledo. The Emergency Vet said they would see her, and we took off. She had another seizure in the car and then two more at the clinic. At that point in time, I wish the vet had just been honest with me. She told me that Chloe did perk back up after the last seizure and there were some treatments she could try. If I went that route she would have to keep her for at least an hour to see if they worked. Actually, she had already started the treatments. Based off that statement, I agreed to hospitalize her.

Now I wasn’t thrilled that she had started the treatments without my authorization, but since she had I figured maybe there was some hope and I really did need to do everything I could to save Chloe. My mom and I went to the Starbucks down the street (they do not live in Toledo proper so we were not driving all the way home) for an hour and then I called the clinic. The receptionist told me Chloe was fine, she hadn’t had any other seizures and she was sleeping.

As soon as I hung up, I knew something was wrong. I told my mom to take me back to the clinic. I wanted to talk to the doctor. Once we got back, I had to wait another half an hour before the doctor came out to see me. I asked her about Chloe’s actual condition. She told me Chloe was sleeping and hadn’t had another seizure, but really there had not been a change in her condition and she was still in bad shape. That statement set off red flags. If she perked back up after the last seizure, why was she in such bad shape? That is when the doctor admitted she really didn’t come back around after the last seizure, and she was pretty much unresponsive.

They had given her a valium shot to keep her comfortable (treatment I had not authorized), but that could wear off at any minute and she would probably have a seizure again. Actually, it was quite probable she wasn’t going to make it through the night. I knew what I had to do. I had to have my little baby girl put down. When I said good bye, I knew she was suffering and I couldn’t let that keep happening. She was happy with me and I know she knew she was loved.

This brought up two interesting points about human nature. As I sat in that animal clinic, people kept streaming in with their pets. One family had even driven from farther away that we had to get their pet treatment. Each pet had a different story, some were puppies while some had been with their owners for years. No matter how long they owned their animal, that bond was there. They loved their pet so much they were willing to bring them to this clinic and do all they could to make him or her feel better. They loved their animals like children, and I think that is appropriate. Since I rescue birds, I often times just get to see the bad side of pet owners. It was refreshing to see the good side.

The other point was the extent of human greed. I’m sorry, but I can’t totally stand behind the fact that that doctor did what was in Chloe’s best interest. If she knew that the damage was done and my Chloe was pretty much gone, she should have told me. She should not have said she perked back up after that last seizure. She should not have given her treatments I did not authorize. When I got my bill, I looked at my charges.

The exam really wasn’t that much. She did run a couple tests that normally would have been included in the price of the exam that I did not authorize, but I could forgive those because we needed to know if Chloe was contagious. However, had she just been honest with me and not started the additional treatments with out my okay, the bill would have been at least $100 cheaper.

Some people might contend they she was just trying to give Chloe every chance, but the fact remains that she lied to me. Had she told me the truth I never would have hospitalized her and I would have contested the treatment she started. It just is suspicious to me. When they tell you upfront that they will give you an estimate for any treatment beyond the exam, and then fail to do so, that seems a little fishy.

If Chloe was suffering and would most likely die in pain, the only reason the doctor would have lied to me is to get me to pay for additional procedures and her hospitalization. That is unforgivable.

I know that traditionally you "go" to work. Yes, you actually leave your home and travel to another location. You have a pretty standard work day, and then you drive/ride home. When you work from home, you do all the things you would do if you had an actual office, but you do them from the comforts of your own home. That offers a certain amount of flexibility. You can adapt your schedule to be so much more than a typical 9-5.

However, you still have deadlines and expectations to meet. I think that is the part people just don’t get. If I have three articles and a blog with deadlines at midnight, and I have given myself five hours to get it all done, I don’t really have time to do anything else. I know it might just seem like I am at home hanging out, but I am really quite busy. I know people who work from home full-time, and they experience this on a much bigger scale. They may be able to take shorter days here and there. In many cases, they don't have to be up at the crack of dawn.

However, there are days where they work long hours to generate sales, meet deadlines, and complete their respective tasks. People just assume that working from home is a lot of vegging around the house, but many times it is time consuming hard work. In my case, I work four jobs, so I have to manage my time wisely. I have to set aside time to work on writing projects and for Cha Cha and stick to those timelines. Otherwise, I would always be behind. As my writing business keeps picking up, I am going to need to focus on this more and more. It isn’t “free” time and I can’t just drop everything to accommodate others.

So the next time you call a friend who works from home and they tell you they are busy with work, tell them you will call back later. The next time they say they can’t hang out because they are working, just say “Okay” and let them get back to it. Just because they are at home and not at an "office" does not mean they are not working diligently to complete their tasks.

As I listened to him talk, I began to critically think about his TV watching habits, and how his viewing choices created this image in my mind. Eventually it made me think about my DVRing habits…

In the past Week (yes 7 days) I have recorded:

1) NCIS

2) The Mentalist

3) Friday the 13^th the Series

4) True Blood

5) Blood Ties

6) Kindred the Embraced

7) X-Files

Without a Trace

9) Cold Case

10) My Boys

Check with me in a week and I *might* add Ugly Betty to the mix. I haven’t really decided if I like that show and if I do if I like it enough to record it. If Without a Trace continues to play its B Game, it is off the list, and I haven’t actually watched The Mentalist yet. Of course Scrubs will be added once new episodes air.

If you just looked at the list, what you could tell about me. Well aside from my slightly obvious thing for Vampire shows, I think it says a lot. What we chose to watch or in this case record to watch often times creates a pretty accurate snapshot of who we are. It tells people our likes and our dislikes. Even the shows that we don’t want others to know we watch give people little insights about us. It show people what we really do like when others aren’t looking.

After reading this list, my naming my new parakeet Mina (as in Mina Harker) will make more sense. You know...the corporate goth, just one of the guys, with a dark sense of humor, who falls in love with series that are quickly cancelled....and the list could go on and on. I watch these shows because they in some way I can relate to them. Whether it be great writing, a storyline I can get into, or literally relate to a character I see a part of me or something I hold in high regard. I’m beginning to think that maybe it is true in most people.

Yes I know, there are some people who will argue that people are like cattle. They are so media illiterate that they will watch whatever slop the powers that be put on the air. Admittedly, I cringe at the masses who watch reality television and think it is the best thing since sliced bread. However, their choice to watch those shows does say something about the person. It isn’t always a negative thing, but it still says something.

If I looked at your recording list, what would I find? What would it tell me about you?

My family was very lucky. The fire department was able to move and protect several large antiques get the truck our of the garage and really it could have been much worse. When you look at the house, you would think that most everything inside was destroyed, but luckily that wasn’t the case.

I learned quite a bit about people from this whole mess…

1) Apparently, some people think it is okay to kill weeds with a torch. Seriously? Yes apparently the chemical killer just was taking too long. Now I’m not sure if the gentleman in question just came up with this on his own, or if this is common practice in some places.

2) Some people will still try to play the hero role, even when it is very obvious they are at fault. The gentleman who started the fire kept singing his own praises because he ran into the house to get Rachel and Ross. Yes, he did rescue the birds, and yes we are very grateful, but the birds would not have needed rescuing if he had not set the house on fire.

3) Myspace is literally keeping my extended family together. All of the cousins are on Myspace, and they check their account’s regularly. All I had to do is post that there had been a fire at the parents’ house, and my cousin Nikki saw it and told her dad. My dad was getting calls from his family within the hour. There was not a need to make tons of calls, one status update informed the whole family.

4) Our friends usually show their true colors in time of crisis. It really wasn’t my crisis, but people really surprised me. Yes, I mean they surprised me in a good way.

5) It takes more than needed three fire departments on the scene to make the Toledo News. Really it does…you would think in that small of a market they would have jumped all over it.

6) Firefighters can minimize damage to property (if they can get into the house) with fire tarps.

I think the most important thing I have learned from the fire was really more of a reminder. The fire chief initially told my mom and sister the Kitchen Garage and Living Room were gone. The fire was to hot for anything to have survived. The clean up crews and professionals look at the charred garage and roof and think the fire was a total loss. However, once they got inside you see another story. You saw and antique cabinet filled with Havilland China the fire department was able to wrap in a fire tarps and move to safety without breaking a single dish. There was other antique furniture moved out of the flames reach and covered to minimize water damage.

There are huge holes in the ceiling, but the damage to the items in the house is mainly from the smoke. Actually the only thing that was totally destroyed was Rachel and Ross’s play gym. Actually, it wasn’t destroyed by fire, but it was trampled by firemen. Yes, my parents will find other things that it really isn’t worth to effort to salvage (and really I think my sister is going to use this as an excuse to do away with parts of my parents’ wardrobes), but the only total loss was a $25 Bird Gym.

Yes, it looks ugly on the outside, but once you take the time to look inside and put things in perspective, it really isn’t that bad. Once you get past the appearance, and dial down the drama, it still sucks and it isn’t fair, but it isn’t hard to see that things will be okay. Most things are like that. From the outside it is just “hot mess,” but once you calm down and really take a look at it, really isn’t that bad and it could be much worse.

Of course I was a little excited about my DVR. I don’t really have a lot of shows I watch regularly, but the few I do I watch I would often miss. I work three jobs and I’m pretty much always on the go. Then there is the annoying point where two of y shows somehow end up in the same time slot. Yes I can flip back and forth, but I always end up missing something. My DVR would make life easier, but it wasn’t the end all beat all everyone was claiming it would be.

My U-Verse account was set up on the day I moved in, so I immediately started putting programs. You know, Cold Case, NCIS and Scrubs reruns I missed in first run and things of that nature. I had only had 40 (and I’m being generous there) channels. Now I had 400. Soon I discovered that there was this channel called Chiller, and it was showing reruns of “Friday the Thirteenth the Series” and “Kindred the Embraced.” Of course, those started being recorded.

I was crushed when Lifetime stopped airing episodes of “Blood Ties.” However, one of their sister networks still airs them every Saturday and Sunday night at 10:00. Yes I know…it is on Lifetime. That fact alone should make me refuse to watch it, but come on, it is so addictive. The special effects are cheesy, but the acting and chemistry between leads is amazing…ok so my DVR lets me watch my under appreciated guilty pleasure shows. I love this. I can save them for as long as I would like, and I can watch them whenever I please. So yes, I can watch “Blood Ties” 3:00 after working until 2:00. This is heaven for me.

Okay yes, I loved being able to record “My Boys” while I worked Friday night and “In Plain Sight” just in case I missed the beginning. Admittedly, recording movies off my movie channels and old X-files episodes has been nice. Still the selling point it getting to catch my secret favorites again.

I’m a convert…and yes that does scare me a little. As I sat there watching my favorite show in the middle of the night, I looked back on those days where I didn’t even have the channels to watch them on. Sometimes I wonder if I am adapting to the technology or if I am just being a slave to it.

I have sat at my lunch table and heard co-workers voice their political views, and I have been sick to my stomach. Their comments have been so ignorant and clueless, it just made me sad. You know I might agree that said candidate isn’t a good choice, but I’m not going to agree with you or even give your argument credibility by discussing it with you. I just won’t go there. I’m not sure where some people get their information, or if they just blindly believe anything people on TV tell them, but it just makes my head hurt.

For example, back during the EARLY stages of the primary season, on woman came into lunch and announced that Hillary just needed drop out of the race because there was no way she would get enough delegates. She even claimed that Nancy Pelosi said this herself on the Today Show that morning. That just didn’t make sense to me. Yes, I was never much of a Hillary fan, but at this point in the game the Clinton Campaign was not dead yet. Mathematically, it was still possible for her to win enough delegates. I didn’t see the Today show that morning, but her comments just didn’t sit right with me.

I returned to my desk and looked on CNN.com. There I found an article quoting Pelosi as saying that despite what commentators were saying, Hillary should keep trying. Having her drop out now would be premature, and it would undermine the democratic process. Now of course, I don’t believe everything I read, but this conflicting reports just made me wonder. I’m not sure of what was said on the Today Show, or who said it, but my co-worker sure heard it one way and was banking on it as gospel.

Another issue I have is when people selectively remember the past. Even if I am against the war, just “forgetting” about Clinton and his “Peacekeeping Missions” is unacceptable. Yes it is like comparing apples and oranges, Our current war situation is much bigger, messier and complicated, but to say Clinton never sent us into a war zone is just ignorant. Yes, it was George H.W. Bush that sent troops to Somalia in December 1992. However, it was Clinton who put a number of our troops in UN command resulting in the Black Hawk Down fiasco. He sent troops that used combat and military actions against war lords in Somalia and later in Bosnia, Haiti and Kosovo.

I clearly remember Anderson Cooper covering these stories well before his CNN days on Channel One. Once again, our current war situation is a whole different animal, but despite the fact these were not “wars” they were still combat situations for our troops. I’m all fro thinking the best of your party, but just “overlooking” their past indiscretions and questionable choices isn’t a smart move.

If you are going to voice your opinions on politics, please, do yourself and all in earshot a favor: Know what you are talking about.

It wasn’t until recently that I noticed my last full week off was over Thanksgiving week of last year. Yes so even 2 of those days were paid holidays. I only took 3 days off for Spring Break, and the most I’ve had is a long weekend here or there, and even those were usually to comp time for six day work weeks. It isn’t that my place of employment doesn’t give me TONS of time off to use. Really, I accrue over half a day per pay period. I actually max out my accrual every couple months.

The problem is, there is never a “good” time to take it. We can’t take time during peak registration periods, and other times. My office is understaffed, and I feel guilty taking time when I know we already have coverage issues. So, I rarely take time off. I know my part timer doesn’t like working Saturdays, and coverage during the day is always a challenge. Of course this place can run just fine without me. I do not think I am that all important. I just know how it can be rough if we are down a person.

I know I’m not alone. We all have different reasons for not using our vacation time. Things are too busy, I can’t afford to go anywhere, and the list goes on and on. Sadly we all discover (as I am right now) a painful side effect of this: BURNOUT. We work too hard. We rarely take a day off. “Me” time is something we kind of/sort of remember. The wear and tear is take a toll on our minds, bodies and spirits. Even if your job is decent, you can start resenting it and your co-workers. Stress manifests itself in weight gain, hives, weight loss, insomnia, headaches and other aliments. It can put a strain on your relationships. The backlash isn’t just work related, it seeps into every aspect of your life.

How did we get like this? I’m not sure. I blame my parents. You can blame mine too if you would like…no but seriously maybe it is a learned behavior. Maybe it is a result of our current job market, or our drive to get ahead. I’m at a loss there. The thing is I hate it. I mean I love to travel, and do not want to end up like my parents who put their careers first. This is where I took a clue from my boss. She takes time off regularly. If she doesn’t feel guilty about taking the time, why should I? She knows she needs the time off for her family and for herself. I need to change my behavior now. If I don’t, it will just follow me from job to job. Yes, a “better” job will not make this any less of a problem. It is mind set that needs amended. I need to stop being th victim in this situaiton, put my big girl panties on and just request the time I need.

A long weekend isn’t going to fix this. My upcoming week off will be nice, but I will be doing a “staycation.” I’m to the point where even a trip home for the holidays…or to help my parents clean up from their house fire won’t be enough. I need a trip where unless I want to pay hellacious roaming charges my Blackberry is a pretty paper weight and my laptop only works when I want it to.

So it has happened again. You waited until the last minute to do something. Now it is crunch time and you are rushing to make your deadline. The question is how are you going to proceed? About six years ago, I walked through the front doors of the community college I work for. Actually, I fought my way through the door. There was a line all the way thought the lobby and down the front hallway. Security thought I was a student, and they initially wouldn’t let me through the door. The triage desk (the people in the lobby who made sure you were in the right line) made the same mistake.

By the time I made it to my office, I was at least 5 minutes late…and I had planned on being 15 minutes early. When I asked my one new co-worker what was going on, her response was: “Oh it’s just late registration. You’ll get used to it eventually.” What she didn’t tell me (probably to not totally scare me off) was that every year it would get worse as our student population grew. I never have gotten used to it. I just know to expect it.

It is that time of year again, and of course chaos on the loose. Over the years, I have discovered our students fall into categories. 1) Students who know they screwed up. They know that we have been registering since March. They know there will be long lines. Not all the services the want access to will be available. Oh, and the classes they want may in fact be full. They don’t like the mess they are in, but it is what they have to deal with. 2) Students who just don’t get why they are faced with long lines, overwhelmed employees, not all the services want are available, and their classes are full.

The second group just baffles me. I’m not sure what the issue is. I usually put a lot of blame on my friend “the entitlement monster.” People think that it is our job to make up for their poor planning. They are loud, rude and insult the people they expect to bend over backwards to accommodate their requests. In their minds, the rules shouldn’t apply to them. They just don’t why the transfer advisor isn’t available for appointments. Well that is because the transfer advisor is running the returning student registration room.

Testing is walk in, but we might not have a seat for you when you arrive because it is first come first served. If you want to see an advisor, you will have to wait. I know you can’t register with out a Program Chair signature, but it is Faculty Break. None of them are on campus. Of course, this is all *our* fault for being bad employees and knowing nothing about customer service. Right?

Don’t get me wrong, people in the first group can have their moments too. Yes sometimes the stress they have created comes back and bites them in the behind. It happens, but in the end they take full responsibility for their own choices and the consequences.

This isn’t just a “student” issue. Procrastinators usually just own up to it, or they do not take responsibility. Of course people fall somewhere in between the two extremes, but there usually is a reaction that they favor. Think about the people in your life. No wait, actually think about you. How do you behave when your procrastination has caught up with you? Do you take ownership of it? Do you blame everyone else, including the people trying to help you?

It can be a tough question for some of us. Personally, I’m admittedly a control freak. I hate waiting until last minute. Writer’s Block sometimes forces my hand though. When it happens, I will do everything in my power to make my deadline. I’ll stay up all night, cancel my plans, work over my lunch breaks and anything else I have to do to make it work. Of course I have my moments. I get ugly, and is unacceptable. In the end, I have to own up to my flaws and apologize.

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