Check It...

Here's the scenario:

You're told at work that you have to donate a certain amount of money for your company's CFO's retirement party. Is it optional? Not really because your immediate supervisor tells you that if you don't put up your share of the dough that you'll have to go and see the CEO to explain why you're such a cheapskate which could result in A.) A demotion B.)Getting fired C.) Public humiliation or D.)Any combination of the above.

Question:

Should this "donation" be considered necessary for company morale and for showing appreciation for the retiring CFO or is this extortion? What would you do in a similar situation? And the amount of the donation is not a factor. You can afford it.

Pictures

Photobucket Album

That's the link to view pictures from our trip. I titled all of the pictures but feel free to ask questions about any of them. I also created 3 slide shows, Saturday, Sunday 1, and Sunday 2 which show the pictures in the order that I actually took them.

I'm Back

Did ya miss me? I had absolutely no time to post over the weekend. We were gone all day long and didn't get back to our room until late and we always went straight to bed. Here's a run down of our weekend...

Friday: We didn't end up getting on the road until 5. C had a meeting at work that ran over and then there was a fire in his shop. No damage and nobody was hurt, it just caused a delay. So, we didn't get to Virginia Beach until 8 and we just stayed at the hotel and visited with C's mom.

Saturday: C, the girls, me, C's mom, her husband, his son and wife, and his daughter all went out for breakfast. Then, we went our separate ways until it was time to go to the reunion. C, the girls and I headed to downtown Norfolk. First stop, we went to the Naval Station Norfolk and checked out all the big ships. They are so awe-inspiring. The base was cool too. It's the largest naval base in the world. And gas on station was only $2.61!! Next, we went to the Nauticus and toured the USS Wisconsin. What's really cool is that a friend of the family actually served on the Wisconsin during Desert Storm. It was neat knowing that we knew someone who had served on the ship we were on too. There's a lot to see at the Nauticus so by the time we were done, it was time to go to the reunion. The reunion was actually for C's step-dad's family and we had never met any of them before. They were nice and a lot less crazy than our own families. After the reunion, we went to Virginia Beach, the actual beach. That's a happening place. We had a lot of fun at the beach even though we didn't swim. It's definitely a party type of beach.

Sunday: C's mom and her group left bright and early for the 9 hour drive back to Ohio. We stayed and drove out to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. That was soooo cool! We had watched on the History Channel or some channel about how it was built so it was neat to actually get to drive on it. It's one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world ya know. And the Chesapeake Bay is just beautiful. Next, we drove to Fort Story to see the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. All four of us were set to climb it until S saw the spiral staircase she'd have to climb to get to the top. M and I were the only ones that went up. C sat with S at the bottom, lol. It was HOT yesterday and inside that old lighthouse was awful. By the time M and I got to the top, I was ready to die. Awesome views though. My legs are so sore today I can barely walk, lol. After that, we drove back to the base, grabbed lunch in their humongous NEX (that's the Navy Exchange for you civilians), and filled up the gas tank with cheap gas.

Home: I was really looking forward to getting back home. It had been a long weekend with no downtime and we were all pretty tired. And as I had cleaned the house spotless before we left, I couldn't wait to sit in the peace, quiet, and comfort of my own house. Alas! It was not to be. We walked in to a complete and total mess. The dogs had not behaved themselves while we were gone. You remember that sofa that we had agonized over buying when we first moved here? Well, it now has a hole chewed in it. I had a wicker basket that I kept all of our game controllers in...Chewed to bits and spread all over the living room and kitchen. Pee? Everywhere. Smells?? BAAAAAD!!! It was horrible. Thankfully, we had gated them into just the living room and kitchen, I rolled up the rug and put it down the hallway, we took all the furniture cushions and put them in the dining room, and I put all of our books up onto a high shelf. Lesson? Learned. Next time we go somewhere, they either have to go and stay with someone or someone's going to have to come and stay with them. Having someone come a couple times a day to let them out and feed them isn't enough. I cleaned and mopped everything but there's a pee smell that's lingering and I can't figure out where it's coming from. I HATE smells in my house.

Conclusion: Despite my idiot dogs and a rough start, it was a fabulous weekend. Norfolk and Virginia Beach is a lot of fun. We're already making plans to go back. There's so much history and so many things to see and do there that we only got to see a fraction of it all. Next time we plan on going to Busch Gardens since we get in for free, Colonial Williamsburg, Washington's birthplace and a whole host of other things. It's only a three hour drive and we can stay pretty cheap on one of the many bases in the area.

So, there ya go. I'm going to post pictures later. I have a LOT and I'm trying to figure out the best way of sharing them.

Chicken...No Head...Running Around

That's me. Why are there always so many last minute things to be done when you go on a trip?? I've been getting ready all week so you'd think that everything would be done. C was supposed to be home from work an hour ago and has apparently forgotten how a phone works. Hannah keeps dragging our beach stuff out of the bag and all over the yard. I had to pack my books because I didn't get my paper written. So, on this, the only thing that's going to resemble a vacation for me for a verrrry long time, I get to write a paper. I'm feeling very hectic. And this is the only time I have to write this so I gotta run. I'll try and find the time to update sometime this weekend but I'm not making promises.

Hugs and kisses.

CHECK THIS OUT!!!

This bat is right now, right this minute, hanging on my back door. How cool is that?!?!?

eBay

I'm not an eBay person by any means. I've never purchased anything from eBay (not that there's anything wrong with it) and have only sold one item there about 6 years ago. It was a car stereo in case you were wondering. Anyway, I currently have one certain item for sale right now on eBay that I listed yesterday. From the responses that I have gotten in the less than 24 hours it has been listed, I can tell things have changed. I've gotten four "ask a question" e-mails and as far as I can tell, they're all frauds. The first time I used eBay, I remember that I didn't get one fraudulent request the entire time we had the stereo up for sale. I'm seriously regretting using eBay at all and this will be the last time. Lesson learned. Sheesh.

The Vatican Has Nothing On Us

C and I saw the funniest thing yesterday while out and about in town. Parked in the McDonald's parking lot of all places was the Jesus Mobile. Yep. You heard it hear first. The Jesus Mobile was in my town yesterday. It's a rather unassuming car until you see the loud speakers mounted on the roof, the words "Jesus Mobile" in big, giganto letters, and the other various religious stenciling all over the car. I'm disappointed to say that I didn't get any pictures. C and I went back but apparently, the driver of the Jesus Mobile is a fast, fast food eater. I know. Too bad.

Far more interesting though, we also saw our neighborhood firefighters out conducting some training. My, my, my. Talk about some good looking eye candy. It was clear to see why entire calendars are devoted to our nation's firefighters.

With all that to see on a routine drive a mere 5 minutes from my house, I betcha wished you lived in my town.

Is This Back-handed or Just a Slap in the Face??

The following is a comment that I just received on a research assignment for my business class. I feel the distinct need to make excuses and to defend myself but I won't. Read this:

"That’s well and good, however, I think you’re gifted at completing
assignments like these quickly without a sufficient look into updated and useful
sources with specific data and findings."

That's copied and pasted word for word. Ouch, right? I like this class for the information that I'm learning and I like my professor despite the fact that she's hit me on every single assignment that I've turned in. She's thorough and involved and having an instructor that's actually involved in their class can be a rarity believe it or not. That being said, this is an introductory, 100 level class and I have the most writing assignments, reading, debating, and discussion than I do in my other two mid and upper level classes that I'm taking this semester combined. I think she thinks we're only taking her class and that's it. See? I bet you guessed that I wasn't going to be able to hold back defending myself, lmao. I'm irritated. I always score really high on my writing assignments but no matter what I do, it's not enough for this lady. It's making me question myself and wonder if all my other instructors went easy on me and everything else that I've written was utter rubbish.

Debate

I have to debate the federal minimum wage in my business class this week. Does that sound boring or what? I had my butt reamed for not participating in the debate last week, lol. Whoops. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for THREE weeks worth of grades, including the grade for my creative nonfiction piece from my English professor. I hate waiting that long for grades.

For now, I'm off to look up some info on minimum wage. Did you know that five states in the U.S. don't have a minimum wage law? Can you guess which five they are without Googling it?

Back to the Real World

This week is going to be hectic. I could've started out my week with a nice, gooey, chocolate, cream-filled doughnut from Krispy Kreme, but my oldest ate it so I settled for a raspberry filled doughnut. Yum.

Last week, I had to write a short story for my creative writing class. I agonized over it the entire week. I just could not come up with a topic. Last night, with four hours before my due date, I finally was able to write my story. It was about a boy who spends a week with his grandma. At the end, I reveal that the boy is actually a dog. Cutesy, I know, but I was completely stumped. C thought it was good though, lol.

This week, I have to get all of my work done and the house cleaned spotless by Friday because we're going to Virginia Beach!! I'm so excited, I've never been there before. It's for a family reunion and our hotel room is being paid for by the family. Can't beat that with a stick. We're also excited to be taking the new car on a road trip. Woot woot! I'm glad that I started re-reading my Harry Potters because I'll have something to read on the way up.

So, I'm off to get something productive done. It's after 11 already and I'm still in my pj's, lmao. I'm lazy, I know.

Here We Go

I finished "the book" last night, or rather, early this morning. I was sorta pissed because I didn't get my book until about 3 or 3:30 in the afternoon. I usually get it first thing in the morning when I pre-order. Oh well.

I have been debating on what I want to say about the book. Do I want to give a full review? Do I want to give away the ending? I already said that I'd be disappointed if Harry dies in the end so if I say I liked the book, people will figure he lived and if I say I hated it, people will figure that he died. SO! This post will contain spoilers. You've been warned. Read at your own risk.

SPOILER WARNING!!!
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Alright. Here we go.
The last book lived up to most of my expectations. Most of them. I was a bit disappointed that so little of the book took place at Hogwarts. I thought that it was sad that this would be our last chance to see Harry and the gang at school and only a few chapters took place there and it was all battle scenes.

Disappointment #2: I thought having Ron go off in an angry huff was a bit repetitive. Ron's mad at Harry, Ron loves Harry, Ron's mad at Harry, Ron loves Harry, etc. Been there, done that.

That was pretty much all that I didn't like about the book. I LOVED!!! the rest. Lots of action, some snogging, loyal friends, heart-wrenching partings, it was great. We all know Rowling isn't afraid to kill of characters, however, it was still incredibly sad that Fred, Lupin, Tonks, and Mad Eye had to die. Especially the newlyweds when they had just had a baby.

I also thought that it was great of Rowling to include an epilogue. It may be predictable, but I like a happy ending and I like for loose ends to be neatly tied off. I can't believe the series is finished. I feel like I said goodbye to some good friends. It was one hell of a ride.

Home Buying

I was watching this show on A&E called Sell This House this morning. Basically, they take homeowners who are having a hard time selling their homes, go in and figure out what the problem is, and then help them solve it. For this, they use hidden cameras to record potential buyers' reactions. People are dumb. I don't understand why you would look at a house and base your opinion of it on the furnishings of the present owners unless they are selling the house furnished. That is so freaking retarded. So what if you don't like their couch. They are taking it WITH them!!! I was so irritated watching this show. As for the sellers, why they were showing their homes with dirty dishes in the sink is beyond me. When we were showing our house in VT, I killed myself before each and every showing making sure there wasn't so much as a piece of lint on the carpet let alone dirty dishes in the sink. Geez.

In my opinion, when you are looking at houses, you should see the potential of what you can and want do with it. Unless you're having a house built, you're going to have a really hard time finding a house that is 100% what you're looking for. The house we're in now is just a rental but I still look around it and think of the changes I would make if I were to ever buy it. I wouldn't because it needs too much work, but you get my point. Have VISION!! people.

Double Standards

C and I have discussed this topic so some of this is from a man's viewpoint as well as a woman's.

1. Men bond and women gossip. Over the years, C has been with quite a few different units but one thing remains the same: Men gossip just as much as women do, if not more so. They just call it bonding. I call it what it is: gossiping. Why must men get away with labeling it with a more positive word and women get to be called names? Let's all be honest.
2. If a man finds out that his buddy's wife is cheating on him, he will feel obligated to tell his buddy that he's with a cheating whore. If the same man finds out that his buddy is cheating on his wife, they'll keep it to themselves not wanting to "get involved" in someone else's private matters or they'll be thinking, "You dog!!" Personally as a woman, I have never been able to figure out what is the right thing to do in this situation.
3. A woman being a stay at home mom is more socially acceptable than a man being a stay at home dad. If a man stays at home with his kids while his wife works, he is looked at as being a wimp, possibly a homosexual, OR he's just a deadbeat who'd rather sit on his ass than work.

I know there's more out there, but this is my list for now.

What's my point? No matter how "evolved" we think we are, we still have ideals of what the role of a man and a woman should be. I'm definitely not exempt from this. I get irritated that I'm the typical housewife and mother that is expected to cook, clean, and take care of the kids and that's it. At the same time, I expect my husband to mow the lawn and take out the trash. It's a double standard. I admit it. I have no solution.

Thursday Meme

Courtesy of Booking Through Thursday

Okay, love him or loathe him, you’d have to live under a rock not to know that J.K. Rowling’s final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on Saturday… Are you going to read it?

Definitely. I've had my copy pre-ordered from the first day that it was available to do so. It should arrive bright and early Saturday morning right to my hot little hand.

If so, right away? Or just, you know, eventually, when you get around to it? Are you attending any of the midnight parties?

Yeah, I'll be cracking it open right away. I have absolutely no patience. I'm not attending any midnight parties. Maybe if I was 12 or 13 or had kids that age that wanted to go.

If you’re not going to read it, why not?

Like I said, I plan on reading it Saturday.

And, for the record… what do you think? Will Harry survive the series? What are you most looking forward to?

I think Harry is going to survive the last adventure. Yeah, Rowling isn't afraid of killing off characters, even important ones, but I don't see her killing off Harry. I'll be incredibly disappointed with the entire series if she does. Endings mean everything to me. What I'm most looking forward to is seeing all the reactions to the ending of the 6th book. (I don't want to give anything away in case there are people reading this who haven't read the books.)

Phone Number Update

I just sent out an e-mail informing everyone that I'm having our land line turned off. This e-mail also included our cell phone numbers so that we can still be contacted. If you didn't get this e-mail it is because I don't have your address. I've already had a few e-mails bounce back to me. If you need our cell phone numbers, drop me a comment here and let me know.

Thanks.

Lifetime

I hate this channel. I hate the movies that they show. I especially hate Army Wives. However, I gave Side Order of Life a chance and despite the sappy, emotional, girly-ness of it, I like it. I've only seen the pilot so we'll have to see if it turns out like everything else Lifetime has ever put out. I like the premise of the main character being a photographer/writer.

As for Army Wives (I had to check it out just to see if it was as bad as I thought it would be), that show is so way off base that I barely made it through one episode. A Colonel's wife and a Private's wife being friends...yeah right. And if that really ever did happen in real life, I can just about guarantee that the husband's were uncomfortable with it. It's sad, it's un-pc, and it's out of the stone ages, but it just doesn't happen. In VT, I showed up at a family function with C's NCOIC's wife (his boss) who is the same rank as C and we caught flack for that. Not that it stopped us from being friends, lol. But, whatever.

Next, I'm going to try out another Lifetime show called State of Mind because I like Lili Taylor. I liked her in The Haunting, even though I didn't like the movie, Mad About You, and especially in Ransom. As a result, I'm giving this show a shot just because of her. I have it DVR'd for tonight, so I'll keep you posted.

3rd Time's a Charm

I'm finally done with the eye doc and it only took three visits, lol. I almost had to make it four visits because my dumb butt insurance didn't send the authorization for the pressure check and they were going to make me get a referral from my primary doc (whoever the hell that is since they saw fit to enroll C and the girls here in N.C. but not me.) However, I have an awesome eye doc and she did the pressure check and dilation free of charge to save me the hassle of having to deal with Tricare. I should buy her some flowers.

I do have some bad news though. It seems that Vermont has had a lasting and negative effect on me. Due to my high blood pressure woes for the three years that we lived there, the blood vessels in my eyes have narrowed which could lead to bleeding and blindness. Nifty, eh? So, I have to figure out who in the hell is my primary doc so that I can have my blood pressure monitored and possibly go on meds. Yes, I hate meds, I resist them, they scare me, but I'd rather take them than be blind.

On the agenda for the rest of the day...I have to pick M up from her summer day camp deal at noon. Then, I have to drive back to the car dealer to take care of a thing. NOT looking forward to that. I'm not in the mood to go clear to Jacksonville today.

Forwarded E-Mails

When people that know me on a personal level forward me e-mails of a religious nature, that person, whether they admit it or not, is preaching at me. Especially the person that I'm specifically referring to in this post. Sheesh. And by the way, it's behavior like this that reinforces my religious point of view so it's an exercise in futility. Just so ya know.

The Newest Member of Our Family

This is the reason why I didn't post yesterday. We spent most of the day car shopping. C and I decided that we needed something that is better on gas than the gas guzzler we've had for the past two years. Despite what people may want to believe and what officials are saying in the news, gas prices aren't going down.

This might seem sort of sudden, right? I never mentioned that we were planning on getting a new car. Well, we had actually been talking about it for months but trading in the 4Runner was really hard to do. Deciding to go shopping yesterday was spur of the moment though. See. We have a plan. It's a three year plan that we have put into place with the idea that C is not going to reenlist in 10/09 but will be extending his contract instead until the summer of 2010 and then getting out altogether. Why would he not reenlist after putting in 12 years and only being 8 away from retiring? That is a very long and convoluted story that nobody would understand unless you were in our situation and I'm not trying to justify why we have come to this decision. And besides, things could change in 3 years.

Back to the plan. We are going on the assumption that C is getting out of the Marine Corps in 2010, he will have his paralegal certificate by January, 2010, and I will have my bachelor's by the end of the summer semester of '09, and we will be selling our house in Vermont by no later than November of '08. With all this in mind, we have written out what I am calling the "__Family Manifesto". This plan, or manifesto if you will, is a written document detailing how we will be completely debt free (minus my student loans) by the end of the next three years and will be able to survive on our own without the Marine Corps breathing down our necks.

I have hesitated blogging about our plan because once the cat is out of the bag, you sorta have to live up to it and I don't want to end up eating my words. But in the end, I figure that the more people that know, the more it will motivate us to stick to our plan, accept the sacrifices that we will have to make for three years (bye bye, 4Runner :( ), and eventually come out on top.

So, we welcome the newest member of our family, the Rav 4. It's a purty car, it's good on gas, and it has more storage than the 4Runner did. It also has a better stereo system than the 4Runner did, go figure. The bad thing? And the ironic thing? The first full day that we had it (today), C got a speeding ticket on base. Stinking Cpl. Whoever. May your bad juju get you.

We also welcome the next three years filled of small sacrifices. No eating out, no unnecessary spending which means no new gadgets :( , no extravagant trips or outings. But it's all for the greater good.

I'm Slacking

I feel like I've been slacking with my posts lately. It'd be really sad if nobody else thought that, lmao. I had a really good reason for not posting yesterday for which I'm going to post pictures later. Right now, we're getting ready to head off to the commissary. UGH UGH UGH!! I HATE grocery shopping.

Check back later.