A little light reading :)
A - Age: 30
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: vvaaccuummiinngg (mainly b/c I can't spell it - never remember how many c's and u's)
D - Dog's name: Growing up, it was our pug Ticket!
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee w/ milk and one equal, please
F - Favorite color: I have a hard time w/ this question... do I answer which color I like to wear? (blue) or which color I like in nature? (bright green of spring) or just a color I like to look at b/c it makes me happy? (orange)
G - Gold or Silver: Silver!
H - Height: 5' 1"
I - Instruments you play: Piano :)
J - Job title: Let's call me a Corporate Trainer in school to be a Massage Therapist
K - Kid(s): Not a one
L - Living arrangements: My little apartment on Chestnut Hill
M - Mom's name: Bafferly
N - Nicknames: Linds, Meg, Pollyanna, Sunshine
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None
P - Pet Peeve: I would say listening to people chew is pretty darn high on the list!
Q - Quote from a movie: "Pork, mother!"
R - Right or left handed: Righty
S - Siblings: Two of the best big brothers on the planet, two pretty great sisters in law, and one wicked cute adopted little sister!
T - Time you wake up: Alarm is set for a little before six...
U- Underwear: What do we think this question is about? Do I wear it? (why yes, yes I do) What kind? (that's a tad bit personal, fyi)
V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussel sprouts
W - Ways you run late: Because I couldn't drive as fast as I wanted to?
X - X-rays you've had: Lots of ones of my crooked spine
Y - Yummy food you make: Beef stroganoff, of course
Z - Zoo favorite: Primates! And penguins!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Well... Have You?
Have you ever walked into a restaurant and read on the face of the hostess that her entire evening has been completely destroyed because you have come to her establishment? I've driven past a restaurant several times in my stay down here that said it was Spanish & Mediterranean cuisine. Tonight I decided to try it... hoping it would focus mainly on the Mediterranean (maybe I'd get lucky and there'd be some Greek food?) portion of their sign. I noticed a "Proper attire required" sign on the front door, but figured my khakis and black shirt were appropriate. Plus, I have a cute pink purse, and was wearing clever sandals. There were other patrons in khaki there, but apparently my choice of clothing didn't meet her standards. She deigned to seat me anyway.
Have you ever opened a menu and realized with sheer panic that e-v-e-r-y single item (save three) included your least favorite food... seafood? There was shrimp, mussels, octopus, squid, salmon, and many, many fish names that I'd never heard of before.
Have you ever been scorned by your waiter for ordering a Diet Coke. He skulked away from the table and then turned around saying plaintively "You're the driver?" "Yes - yes, I'm the driver."
Have you ever dipped hot, crusty bread into the purest olive oil you've ever seen or tasted? It was delicious, and made my mouth happy. But then, wiped the crumbs onto the floor, in fear that they would figure out you were mortal, and had indeed gotten bits of crust on the tablecloth. After eating a bit of the bread, I ordered an appetizer of bruschetta and a salad as my entree.
Have you ever done something that made you giggle to yourself numerous times during your meal? The waiter brought the bruschetta and it was beautifully presented on the plate. There was a big bunch of specialty lettuce in the middle, with four pieces of bread, spread with pesto, olive oil, tomatoes and that Spanish ham that I can never remember the name of. I'm not a fan of the ham, so after eating a bit of it, I lifted up the pretty lettuce garnish and hid the ham underneath, hoping an enraged chef wouldn't come flying out of the kitchen to demand I answer for my crime when they took the plate back and scraped it off.
Have you ever wondered if they are in fact hatching, growing and then in turn preparing the chicken that you will be eating, because it's taking so long? I had eaten some of my appetizer and was reading (I know - that's probably another reason that they didn't like me, but it was either read or have a staring contest with the hostess... who refused to make eye contact with me, and sighed each time she walked past my table), waiting patiently for my salad, and out of the corner of my eye I could see the waiter staring at me. Finally he came to the table and asked if I was still working on my appetizer. OH! THAT's why my food hadn't come. I did not know this was protocol. In the restaurants I normally eat at, they huck the entree on the table as soon as you've put the first bite of appetizer into your mouth.
Have you ever not known some of the things you were eating, but all in the name of "salad?" The chicken was amazing, the cheese was smooth and sharp, the lettuce spicy, the white asparagus gross and slimy, the granny smith apples pucker tart and crispy, and the dressing strong and unknown.
Have you ever breathed a sigh of relief at the same time your hostess and waiter did, that the meal was finally over?
Have you ever been more than grateful that this entire experience was paid for by your employer and not out of your own earnings?
And finally...
Have you ever laughed your entire way to the car... just by yourself... revelling in the strangeness of it all?
If so, then welcome to my evening!
Have you ever opened a menu and realized with sheer panic that e-v-e-r-y single item (save three) included your least favorite food... seafood? There was shrimp, mussels, octopus, squid, salmon, and many, many fish names that I'd never heard of before.
Have you ever been scorned by your waiter for ordering a Diet Coke. He skulked away from the table and then turned around saying plaintively "You're the driver?" "Yes - yes, I'm the driver."
Have you ever dipped hot, crusty bread into the purest olive oil you've ever seen or tasted? It was delicious, and made my mouth happy. But then, wiped the crumbs onto the floor, in fear that they would figure out you were mortal, and had indeed gotten bits of crust on the tablecloth. After eating a bit of the bread, I ordered an appetizer of bruschetta and a salad as my entree.
Have you ever done something that made you giggle to yourself numerous times during your meal? The waiter brought the bruschetta and it was beautifully presented on the plate. There was a big bunch of specialty lettuce in the middle, with four pieces of bread, spread with pesto, olive oil, tomatoes and that Spanish ham that I can never remember the name of. I'm not a fan of the ham, so after eating a bit of it, I lifted up the pretty lettuce garnish and hid the ham underneath, hoping an enraged chef wouldn't come flying out of the kitchen to demand I answer for my crime when they took the plate back and scraped it off.
Have you ever wondered if they are in fact hatching, growing and then in turn preparing the chicken that you will be eating, because it's taking so long? I had eaten some of my appetizer and was reading (I know - that's probably another reason that they didn't like me, but it was either read or have a staring contest with the hostess... who refused to make eye contact with me, and sighed each time she walked past my table), waiting patiently for my salad, and out of the corner of my eye I could see the waiter staring at me. Finally he came to the table and asked if I was still working on my appetizer. OH! THAT's why my food hadn't come. I did not know this was protocol. In the restaurants I normally eat at, they huck the entree on the table as soon as you've put the first bite of appetizer into your mouth.
Have you ever not known some of the things you were eating, but all in the name of "salad?" The chicken was amazing, the cheese was smooth and sharp, the lettuce spicy, the white asparagus gross and slimy, the granny smith apples pucker tart and crispy, and the dressing strong and unknown.
Have you ever breathed a sigh of relief at the same time your hostess and waiter did, that the meal was finally over?
Have you ever been more than grateful that this entire experience was paid for by your employer and not out of your own earnings?
And finally...
Have you ever laughed your entire way to the car... just by yourself... revelling in the strangeness of it all?
If so, then welcome to my evening!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Narcissist's Anonymous
Due to the lack of punctuation on this comment from my latest End of Course Evaluation, the point of this sentence is quite different from what I can only assume the participant meant.
"The trainer kept comming (sic) up with ways to keep us wanting to learn she was the best."
Yes.
My name is Lindsay and I am a narcissist. I frequently come up with new and creative ways of teaching my trainees that I am, indeed, the best.
"The trainer kept comming (sic) up with ways to keep us wanting to learn she was the best."
Yes.
My name is Lindsay and I am a narcissist. I frequently come up with new and creative ways of teaching my trainees that I am, indeed, the best.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Life Source
Sit... and watch. Mesmerized by the sound of the water falling?
Drag your hand just below the surface, feeling your fingers resist the water's tension?
Dip a toe in?
Turn your face toward it, hoping for a mist to refresh?
Or jump in and dance with abandon?
What do you do with the Life Source?
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
My Day in Bullet Form
- Took my class outside for review... which turned into sitting around talking... which turned into charades
- Got a sunburn on my right shoulder from our "review"
- Laughed so hard I cried
- Listened to people in my class discuss the different shades of chocolate that is their skin
- Had a very pleasant run in with an 80-ish year old in the parking lot of the grocery store
- Decided to forgo the elliptical and went for a long walk, exploring the small town where I'm staying
- Ordered room service
- Fell into bed at 9:00 because I was so tired
- Still awake
- Apparently not as sleepy as I thought
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Woman I Call "Mom"
She taught me by example how to love unconditionally
She is an eternal optimist, because she knows a God who can be trusted
She’s not afraid to show emotion
Nor is she afraid to allow others to feel grief or joy in her presence
She’s lap I grew up sitting on
The lap I still sit on when life gets to be too much
She shares my sense of humor and thinks I’m funny
And is the only person who genuinely cares how many calories I burn on the elliptical
She cries when I’m sad
And allows me to say “It hurts”
She prays for me every day - numerous times, I know
Her voice cracks when she is praying and gets to the part where she says, “Lord, I know you love my daughter even more than I do… and I just can’t even fathom that”
She’s my commercial buddy during shared TV shows
Yet also instilled in me my love of reading
She’s the one, who when I’m sick says into the phone “I’ll just sit here and be quiet with you, so you’re not alone when you’re sick”
She rejoiced when the country song came out “You’re mama’s still your biggest fan” and it fast became our song
Through her tutelage I fell in love with words, and have learned from her how to make them do what I want them to do
Her favorite one-liner is “God has a good track record”
And she knows all the right times to say it
She rose above an imperfect growing up experience, to provide an idyllic one for us kids
Her mother heart is huge, as evidenced by all my friends who also call her Mom
She saw worth in me years before I saw it myself
She has all of us kids secretly convinced that we’re her favorite
Her passion for her family is surpassed only by her love for her God
And she’s the one who gave birth to the woman writing this, who knows how very lucky she is to call this amazing woman “Mom”
She is an eternal optimist, because she knows a God who can be trusted
She’s not afraid to show emotion
Nor is she afraid to allow others to feel grief or joy in her presence
She’s lap I grew up sitting on
The lap I still sit on when life gets to be too much
She shares my sense of humor and thinks I’m funny
And is the only person who genuinely cares how many calories I burn on the elliptical
She cries when I’m sad
And allows me to say “It hurts”
She prays for me every day - numerous times, I know
Her voice cracks when she is praying and gets to the part where she says, “Lord, I know you love my daughter even more than I do… and I just can’t even fathom that”
She’s my commercial buddy during shared TV shows
Yet also instilled in me my love of reading
She’s the one, who when I’m sick says into the phone “I’ll just sit here and be quiet with you, so you’re not alone when you’re sick”
She rejoiced when the country song came out “You’re mama’s still your biggest fan” and it fast became our song
Through her tutelage I fell in love with words, and have learned from her how to make them do what I want them to do
Her favorite one-liner is “God has a good track record”
And she knows all the right times to say it
She rose above an imperfect growing up experience, to provide an idyllic one for us kids
Her mother heart is huge, as evidenced by all my friends who also call her Mom
She saw worth in me years before I saw it myself
She has all of us kids secretly convinced that we’re her favorite
Her passion for her family is surpassed only by her love for her God
And she’s the one who gave birth to the woman writing this, who knows how very lucky she is to call this amazing woman “Mom”
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
All in a Day's Work
One of my new participants has been late three out of three mornings.
Each day I inform Ms Tardy via email that she needs to update her timecard to show the time that she arrived for work.
This morning I added that she needs really needs to take this training seriously and get here at 8:00.
Her response to me went something like this.
"It is important to me to be here, however it is not my fault that I have been late. There has been heavy traffic on (insert large highway near where I am staying) and if this continues, I expect to continue to be late. If you doubt this, please check with the traffic advisory."
I graciously replied if she continued to think that heavy traffic would be an issue for the duration of training that she should perhaps
a) find an alternate route
or
b) leave home a little earlier
There was no reply.
One of us is not holding our breath to see what tomorrow holds!
Each day I inform Ms Tardy via email that she needs to update her timecard to show the time that she arrived for work.
This morning I added that she needs really needs to take this training seriously and get here at 8:00.
Her response to me went something like this.
"It is important to me to be here, however it is not my fault that I have been late. There has been heavy traffic on (insert large highway near where I am staying) and if this continues, I expect to continue to be late. If you doubt this, please check with the traffic advisory."
I graciously replied if she continued to think that heavy traffic would be an issue for the duration of training that she should perhaps
a) find an alternate route
or
b) leave home a little earlier
There was no reply.
One of us is not holding our breath to see what tomorrow holds!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Today was one of those days...
You know, a day where:
... you drag yourself out of bed after very few hours of sleep to get to work extra early, to start your class at 8:00 with only three people (THREE PEOPLE!) who have deigned to show up to work on time
... you wear a sombrero while training a class that very blatantly couldn't care less what you have to say
... the guy doing your nails tells you "this is the type of day to curl up on the couch with your family or boyfriend"
... you eat Thai food to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, because pad thai is way more comforting than salsa.
... you go online to The Biggest Loser website and report that you came within half a pound of your four month weight loss goal, and that NBC is going to donate 19.5 pounds of food to a local food pantry in your name!
You know, just one of those days.
... you drag yourself out of bed after very few hours of sleep to get to work extra early, to start your class at 8:00 with only three people (THREE PEOPLE!) who have deigned to show up to work on time
... you wear a sombrero while training a class that very blatantly couldn't care less what you have to say
... the guy doing your nails tells you "this is the type of day to curl up on the couch with your family or boyfriend"
... you eat Thai food to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, because pad thai is way more comforting than salsa.
... you go online to The Biggest Loser website and report that you came within half a pound of your four month weight loss goal, and that NBC is going to donate 19.5 pounds of food to a local food pantry in your name!
You know, just one of those days.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
I Found Mr Two-Out-of-Three Man!!
And I'm sure he was three for three... I'm sure that there was a motorcycle around there somewhere. He was just too busy singing to me to tell me about it :)For more pictures of the great day in NYC, kindly check out my Facebook
Friday, May 01, 2009
Them That Keep Rules
This place where I'm living for six weeks has a rule.
And that rule is "Drivers cannot talk on cell phones."
I have been very good about following this rule. But it has made me overzealous about watching that OTHER people follow this rule as well! And I tend to holler (not so they can hear, of course, because that would be confrontational) at various drivers who are NOT following The Rule.
The ironic thing is, though, I'm generally flying past them at a rate of speed that is greater than the "suggested" speed posted on the large white signs by the side of the road.
I've always viewed my third born self as a free spirit. I leave the rule-keeping to my older brothers, both of which are very good at that! Like when Darren & I went to England when I was a senior in high school. We'd be in the middle of a conversation, and I'd be carrying on my end of the conversation while crossing the road, only to realize that my rule abiding brother was still on the sidewalk yards behind me because the red hand had not changed to green, signaling it was now legal to cross.
I religiously "Click It" so I don't get a ticket. But I relish tearing tags off mattresses and pillows.
I wouldn't dream of using a hair dryer in the shower, but happily get into the hot tub here at the hotel, telling Rule #1 on the posted sign "Don't use this alone" to not discriminate against my one-ness.
Signs saying "Don't cross this fence, or you'll plummet to your death" are all well and good, unless there is a breath-taking photo op that is just waiting to be snapped right on the other side of said fence.
Will there be rules in Heaven? Or will I be so happy to be there, I wont mind? Perhaps the rules will be doable - like "Be the most filled with joy that you've ever been, because you've finally met the Only One that your heart has truly desired?"
And that rule is "Drivers cannot talk on cell phones."
I have been very good about following this rule. But it has made me overzealous about watching that OTHER people follow this rule as well! And I tend to holler (not so they can hear, of course, because that would be confrontational) at various drivers who are NOT following The Rule.
The ironic thing is, though, I'm generally flying past them at a rate of speed that is greater than the "suggested" speed posted on the large white signs by the side of the road.
I've always viewed my third born self as a free spirit. I leave the rule-keeping to my older brothers, both of which are very good at that! Like when Darren & I went to England when I was a senior in high school. We'd be in the middle of a conversation, and I'd be carrying on my end of the conversation while crossing the road, only to realize that my rule abiding brother was still on the sidewalk yards behind me because the red hand had not changed to green, signaling it was now legal to cross.
I religiously "Click It" so I don't get a ticket. But I relish tearing tags off mattresses and pillows.
I wouldn't dream of using a hair dryer in the shower, but happily get into the hot tub here at the hotel, telling Rule #1 on the posted sign "Don't use this alone" to not discriminate against my one-ness.
Signs saying "Don't cross this fence, or you'll plummet to your death" are all well and good, unless there is a breath-taking photo op that is just waiting to be snapped right on the other side of said fence.
Will there be rules in Heaven? Or will I be so happy to be there, I wont mind? Perhaps the rules will be doable - like "Be the most filled with joy that you've ever been, because you've finally met the Only One that your heart has truly desired?"
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