HGTV Here I come!

A few more weeks and I'll graduate. I'm becoming so excited I can barely contain myself! Everyone keeps asking me "What are you going to do with all of your spare time?" Honestly, I hadn't thought about it until recently. My boyriend works 24 hour shifts at a time, so there are weekday evenings and weekend days that I spend all by myself. In the past, that's been my time to study and catch up on school work, but what am I going to do when I don't have any school work?!! I'm so excited! I'm going to have time to take up new hobbies, read books for pleasure for once, decorate the house, tackle other projects around the house,....oh the list goes on and I can't wait!

I've been watching HGTV when the designers go in and re-do a room in someones's home. I've been stocking up on ideas. I'm finally going to have the chance to do all of the things that I haven't been able to do for months. I'm thinking at first, I'm going to relax and watch some more design shows to get some more ideas. I shouldn't start right away, I'm one of those types that tests the waters first. Definately not the type to dive in head first. Of course, I'll be working more, but the evening times are mine again! I'll be a slave to homework no more!

I'd like to learn how to knit too. I used to know the basics, but I've since lost the skills. Maybe I can make a blanket while I watch HGTV with all of my free time!

The "Real" World

http://www.slate.com/id/2203245/

I was watching tv earlier today, surfing through the 40's and 50's.......HGTV, TLC, Food Network, TruTV, etc. These are my favorite channels, because I can always find something that interests me. I came across a show called "Real Housewives of Atlanta" and for some reason, I stopped to watch. I think because it was a lot like a train wreck. (You know how you don't really want to watch because you know that you shouldn't, but you just can't help it.) Anyways, the show was about 4 or 5 women that spend their days spending ridiculous amounts of money on ridiculous things that they don't need and running their mouths about things that really have no consequence. I thought it was funny that I came across this article about this very show.

First of all, the title uses the word "Real." Seriously? I find it hard to believe that "real" people live this way. I guess they are the "beauty" of this country; you have the opportunity to make enough money to live that way. But, here's my problem. Most of them are married to football stars. Why does your ability to throw or catch a ball make you worth so much more than an average hard-working citizen? Don't get me wrong though, I don't think that people should receive free hand-outs by any means. But I truly feel that there are people that get paid way too much for what they do. I'd rather see a wall street professional or a CEO make the millions of dollars. At least they went through years of college and graduate school and probably worked 12-16 hour days for years to get to where they are. Granted, I don't know much about a football player's demanding schedule, so I can't say that they don't work hard. But SERIOUSLY!?

I think my biggest problem with these kind of shows is that they don't reflect what this country is really about. I bet these shows are broadcast all over the place and people probably think that Americans live this way! And, I guess I'm a little old-fashioned. These women hire people to raise their children so that they can spend their days running around town doing "important" things. What's more important than raising your children?

Anyways, this show makes me angry. Along with the OC.....oh and that show about girls and their sweet sixteen birthday parties. Because the rest of the REAL world doesn't live that way. We have real issues and real problems; we have crappy jobs that barely pay the rent; we struggle to put ourselves through school. We go without all of these things that are considered necessities in the super-rich world. Show me someone on tv that I can relate to! Give me a character that I can actually feel sorry for, or even understand where they're coming from!

Thoughts on Repetition

I was driving home from work the other day down Southfield; it was around 5:20. I was stopped at a red light, and I found myself looking around at all of the cars in line at the light. I think it was a Tuesday. My mind started to wander as I thought about where all of these cars were going. As they all poured into the neighborhood, I wondered if most of them were coming home from work like I was. How many of them do this every day? What were they going home to? An empty house? A husband? A wife? A new baby? Dogs or cats? Then I wondered if they were Monday-Friday 8-5 workers like myself. Maybe this was their last day at their jobs; maybe they start vacation tomorrow and are so excited to get home and start the vacation early. Then I started to think about how every week day, during this time, this road sees the same procession of cars, out at 7:30 AM and back in at 5:30 PM. Don't they get tired of doing the same thing EVERY DAY of their lives? Don't they get tired of coming home for five days straight to stand in front of a stove, cook a hot dog dinner, and spend a precious few hours with their children? Only to wake up and start the process all over again? It started to sink in that in just a few short months, I'll join this group. How exciting.

Office Politics

When I interviewed for my current job, one of its "selling points" was the size of the office staff. With three partners, a principal (extra CPA), 3 staff accountants, and an office manager, I thought the regular politics of an office setting wouldn't come into play. I dreamed of a work environment with no BS, and thought that I could find it in a smaller setting. Little did I realize that a smaller office only means there isn't anywhere to hide! It also amuses me how even in a smaller setting, all the typical office personalities are still represented. I work with a small handful of people daily and I'm beginning to see that if we don't see eye to eye, it makes things around the office a little sticky. But I feel like if the office was larger, it would be easy to find a niche and associate with people that I can easily relate to. I think I'm looking for a group of "co-workers" that do double duty as friends. I want to work with friends. But then again, sometimes I'm thankful that I don't. It does make it easier when I just want to come to work, get something done and go home.

10 weeks to go

I give it about 10 weeks. 10 weeks until I finish my last 18 hours at LSUS, finish my finals, and walk out of the last classroom that I'll step foot into for a while. I CAN'T WAIT. I don't know if I have senoir-itis or what......but I have never been so ready for a semester to be over in all my life. I think that because I have a job already in my career, I feel like I learn so much more when I'm at work than when I'm at school. I'll take real-world experience any day over something I learn in a classroom. I feel like school is getting in the way of what I could be doing and learning at work. I'm sure though that a few months after I start working full time I'll want to be back at school.......You know, I'm beginning to wonder if I'll never be content!! :)

Family

So, my mom wants me to tag along to a baby shower tomorrow for one of my cousins....and I don't want to go. This is a problem that I encounter often in my life, and I'm conflicted when it comes to which "school of thought" I should adopt. First of all, it's my cousin. I should be excited that she's having a baby right? So, I should just go. There's the first "school". It's my cousin, we have the same blood running through our veins. BUT.....here comes the second "school". I don't know her. We didn't grow up together. We live an hour away and the last time that we were on the same level and truly spent time together, I was seven years old. So part of me wants to know why I should take hours out of my day to attend a shower where I won't know anyone, just to make her (or my mom) happy. When she won't even notice that I'm there. What's the point? It also brings up the feelings that I've had since I was a little girl, the feelings that have festered inside of me especially since I started dating my current boyfriend. The women in his family are extremely close, and I realize that I don't have that. And I never will. So, I have to take what I can get. It makes me kind of sad, but I think I should be looking on the brighter side of life and realizing what I do have instead of what I don't.

The evil of it all....

So, I'm headed to Wal-Mart to do a little grocery shopping. I like to go at night because I feel like it's not as crowded as it is during the daytime. And I'm thinking about how going to this place just ruins my day. Lately, I've felt more strongly about my next statement than ever......I HATE WAL-MART. And it's not just because EVERYONE shops there. It's mostly because the shelves are always empty and you can't ever find anyone to help you if you need assistance. Their customer service, or lack thereof, has left me speechless on many occasions. I also believe that as an average American, who lives on a budget, I have no choice but to shop there for certain items. And feeling like I'm backed into a corner when it comes to finding low prices on grocery and household items often outrages me. I also believe that Wal-Mart was not originally this horrible. And because of their position in various markets, they are able to be the price leader when it comes to a lot of items, so they don't really have to care about store cleanliness, customer service, etc. anymore. I know that I am not alone in my hatred, and if I had the time, I think I would love to set up a website for people that share my opinion on this place. I wish Costco would make an appearance in this town and wipe them off the map. At least there, you get what you pay for and you know the game walking into it.