Greed

The world is getting greedier and greedier! There's the obvious ones that we all see: banks, millionaires, wall street, etc. But what about the everyday people?

Recently I saw an example on cable television, when an agent was willing to give up part of their commission to help get their client a fully furnished apartment. But then the client didn't want it unless they also got a flat-screen tv. Of course, it didn't happen. Couldn't the person be grateful for what they were getting?

At work, we try to give our clients the absolute lowest deal possible, sacrificing part of the commission sometimes. And yet, we still have clients, who have been loyal for years, complaining that we're not giving them enough. We're giving them too much! We have to make a living as well. But the whiny, greedy people just keep demanding more. They know that they're getting the absolute best deal possible. They are. But they're so selfish, they keep asking for more. Why? Why can't they be happy with what they're getting? Why do they have to keep asking for more?

According to Proverbs 15:27: "A greedy man brings trouble to his family." What these people don't realize is that they will end up miserable. If someone buys a cruise from my company, and then complains that they wanted more, which we don't give them, then they will not be able to fully enjoy their trip. It won't be the positive experience they want their vacation to be. In their miserable attitude, they will blame their unhappiness on us, when in reality it is their own greed and unsatisfied heart that makes them miserable.

Be grateful with what you have! If you can afford to take a cruise, then enjoy the cruise for what it is, and don't demand extras that you don't need. If someone else is providing you with a service, thank them. Appreciate the work they are doing for you.

Claim Your Community!

I am so tired of people, especially in my generation, denying church! Religion has become a bad word. It is taboo to belong to the now evil structure of "organized religion." And I realize that some leaders of different Christian groups have abused their power, but how did that turn into an entire religion being bad? {As a note, I'm saying religion, but the only religion really organized into a hierarchy is Christianity. Other religions have some structure, but not to the extent Christianity does.}

Spiritual is the new catchphrase. If you believe in a higher power, you fit in the classification of spiritual. That is the LAZIEST copout I have ever heard! Being spiritual cannot be measured. Most people that I meet who only qualify themselves as spiritual do not have an ongoing relationship with God/Creator/Divine. They believe when questioned, but don't do anything with or about it. A person who has a personal relationship with God can be qualified as spiritual. A person who believes but does not apply it to their every day life is NOT spiritual, but lazy.

I personally believe religion is a powerful, amazing thing. Every Sunday, I get to be with a group of people who share mostly similar beliefs. And when there are disagreements over beliefs, we still love and accept each other. We are a community; a family. If I get stuck in the day-to-day, on Sunday I can reconnect with my spirituality at church. Group worship is such an amazing way to feel the love of God in our hearts, and you can't get that if you're just "spiritual."

To those who claim Spirituality as their religion, I ask you this: How does your relationship with the Divine manifest in your everyday life?

I belong to the Community of Christ, and I'm proud of it!

Stuck In The Middle

I've been put in the most uncomfortable situation at work. The person who got me into the company just quit. She accused my boss of illegal activities. Personally, I analyzed the situation completely differently, and would never have come to the conclusion that my friend did. But there were mistakes made, and I've been trying to fix them so that they never happen again. But if I'm fixing human errors, and my frient quit over what she believed were illegal activities, what happens when my solutions prove there was nothing illegal? I am, of course, dilligently watching for errors that could not be errors, in which case I would excuse myself as well. But I really don't see that happening. There were a lot of stupid things that happened, and I'm now fixing them. What happens when I see my friend, week after week, and I'm emplyed and she's not? I don't know. I do not like being stuck in the middle.

Rock of Annoying!

Okay, so I've got sucked in to the whole reality dating shows - not all of them, but some. About halfway through the second season of Rock of Love, I started watching. And I was so excited when Bret ended up with a normal person. But that didn't last, like all reality relationships, so I was kind of excited to watch the third season. There were some FREAKS! But eventually they got the boot. The final show was last night, with a fairly normal girl, and another girl (Taya) that was just slightly off. Taya was annoying. They kept saying that the normal girl was in a funk, but Taya's funks were strange. Every elimination was the same: Taya slightly tilted her head down, looked at the floor, and had the face that said, "I'm sad and pathetic. Since you haven't already declared me the winner, I'm going to stand here and pout." And it wasn't even an attractive or sexy pout. Blah! Then last night, even after she realized that she had won, and Bret Michaels was choosing her, she still looked annoyingly pathetic. Not attractive at all. How he could choose her is beyond me. Why couldn't he pick a normal girl? Taya is lame, pathetic, and annoying. And if they have a fourth season of Rock of Love, serves him right for picking her. Blah!

Let's Play Spot the Sexism: Round 1

Is there anything more frustrating than to watch outright sexism, and have nobody be called on it? Granted, it was fictional. But come on!

Allow me to explain:
I watched Trust Me tonight (cable show on TNT). I pretty much love this show, although the only women as main characters completely annoy me. The overall boss, Denise, is a bitch. She's constantly trying to fire the lover who jilted her so many years ago. Sarah's going through a lot of personal issues, but mostly her behavior of what she thinks works in an office setting is just off. Anyway, they were shooting a hair commercial with a director named Yan. The entire sequence was full of Yan making a women's hair commercial about a man! First, the story wouldn't be relevant unless they showed the man's face. Then, it was stupid unless they showed the man's story, too. The person who created the commercial was a woman. The person representing the hair product company was a woman. The commercial was about one woman's story. The intended audience was women. The male director wanted to bring all the focus onto the man that was barely in the commercial. In the end, he would only deal with the male advertising boss. He said that either the creator of the commercial (woman) had to get off HIS set, or he'd leave. But NOBODY called him on the fact that he was being a sexist pig. They labeled his behavior as "trying to be an artist."

I was just sitting, staring at the tv, flabbergasted. How come no one is yelling in this guy's face that he's way out of line, or introducing him to the ways of the 21st century? But again, this is television. So... WHAT ARE THE WRITERS, DIRECTORS, PRODUCERS THINKING?!? Where are the women in this process? Grrrrrr!

My Baby

Do you see this angel? This was my baby on her first birthday, reading a card from her family.

Celebrity Spotted!

Once, my husband came home from a trip out of state, and he said that he saw a comedian at the airport, even sitting near him. I couldn't believe that he couldn't ask for an autograph, or have a conversation with the guy. Of course, I've never been star-struck. That is, not until now. I went to a seminar for work downtown Portland (or P-town as my husband calls it). During the lunch break, my friend and I decided to walk around the area and window shop. All of a sudden, I look up and walking past me is Michael McDonald (from MadTV, not the old singer). I could barely process that he was familiar to me before we passed each other, and then I was just like, "What just happened? Who was that guy? Why couldn't I say hi? I need paper and pen to get an autograph!" I mean, come on! He's Stuart! He's an amazing comedian! But my brain just did not work fast enough to get over the star-struckness that I was going through in time to actually do something in the moment. And since my friend seemed completely clueless as to who just walked by, I wasn't going to demand that we backtrack. Oh well. But, for a second, I was in the presence of an amazing comedian. And now I understand that that's enough. So, I'll try not to make fun of my husband anymore.

Self-Soothing Sucks!

I'm sorry, but I will not just sit there while my one-year old daughter cries in her crib indefinitely. I've tried multiple times, and she just won't lay down. And I'm not just going to ignore her, either. The longest I can handle it is 20 minutes, and I know that for her 20 minutes is an eternity! How does anyone do that? Ack! And after I decided to let her out tonight, she was so upset with me. She didn't want to see me, or let me hold her or comfort her. That was so hard! I've never been refused before.

Self-soothing is a crock! Right now, my daughter needs the comfort of knowing that she's not alone. Eventually, we'll work our way there. But I'm not going to force something on my daughter that she's not ready for. There's nothing wrong with respecting where my daughter is in her process. And you can't tell me that it's a step that will keep her from moving on in the future; forcing her to take a step she's not ready for will hurt her development, not help it. So everyone who says to let her cry, I say to you: Back off! She's my child, and we're in negotiations of what would be best for her.

Travel!

I work for a travel agency, but not as an agent. I've never done any serious traveling in my life that required a travel agent, so I knew very little about the topic. HOWEVER, now that I've seen the industry from this angle, I would NEVER plan a cruise or rail trip by myself. Too much could go wrong! Why would I want to do that to myself? Why would anyone? Cruise businesses are getting lazy, cheap, and even going out of business. You NEED someone in your corner, and that's your travel agent.

Oh! And if you're stupid enough to book without travel insurance, but your agent is so nice that they'll fight to get you some money back, you BETTER shut up and be nice about it. Complaining about how long it takes, or a minor mistake is just RUDE! I don't know how the agents keep their cool on the phone with you. We're doing extra work to get you a lot of money, and none for us, so smile and say thank you. Jerks. Learn some manners and class.