August 29, 2005

  • Today is a momentous day in my life.  I am turning in my resignation at work.  This is even better than getting a divorce.  I have worked for Behavioral Health division of the insurance company for 5 years and it has been the worst experience of my life.  I have never met such uncaring, thoughtless and down right mean people.  Ninety-eight percent of the staff are really nice folks -- hard working and very caring.  But the Senior Management stink.  They have egos so big that it amazes me that their heads have not exploded.  Their management style is definitely dictatorial with borderline sadism.  Employees are brow beaten at every turn.


    The problem stems from the belief that an employee should not be seen or heard.  You must sit in your cube and put out the party line.  Do not have any personal or differing thoughts and especially do not express them out loud.  Forget being happy or cheerful because there is no room for it.  But you better smile and say boomeranging to the Senior Management who may or may not respond.  You are given PTO time in increments throughout the year but you may only use it when you give your supervisor plenty of warning and he/she approves it.  In other words, do not call in sick.  That is unplanned PTO time and you are written up for using it.  You have a family emergency and call in that you are at the hospital, you have an unplanned PTO day and are written up.  Can't get ahead because the write ups remain with you forever.


    Well, I could go on with all the stupid stuff.  If you work for corporate america then you know what I am talking about.  We are no longer people but are positions that can be eliminated. 


    Today is liberation day.  Yipee! 


     

August 26, 2005






























  • From "Getting Older" by Hal Scholle


    You Know Your're Getting Old When:


    • you order stewed prunes and your waiter says, "Excellent choice!"


    • you learn that growing old is inevitable, but growing up is optional.


    • you write lists of things to do and then forget where the lists are.


    • happy hour is the nap before dinner.

    You Know You're Getting Older If:



    • it takes two blocks to get your car up to speed.

    • you want to see how long your car will last instead of how fast it will go.

    • you think a CD is something you buy at the bank.

    • your joints are more accurate than the Weather Channel.

    • you know your way around, but don't feel like going.


     

August 25, 2005

  • I remember reading this poem in the newspaper when I was very young.  Thought it was funny then.  I think it is quite true now.  Enjoy!


    How do I know that my youth is all spent?
    Well, my get up and go has got up and went.
    But in spite of it all I am able to grin
    when I recall where my get up has been.

    Old age is golden-so I've heard it said-
    but sometimes I wonder when I get into bed,
    with my ears in a drawer and my teeth in a cup,
    my eyes on the table until I wake up.

    Ere sleep dims my eyes I say to myself,
    "Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?"
    And I'm happy to say as I close my door,
    my friends are the same, perhaps even more.

    When I was young, my slippers were red,
    I could pick up my heels right over my head.
    When I grew older, my slippers were blue,
    but still I could dance the whole night through.

    But now I am old, my slippers are black,
    I walk to the store and puff my way back.
    The reason I know my youth is all spent,
    my get up and go has got up and went.

    But I really don't mind when I think, with a grin,
    of all the grand places my get up has been.
    Since I have retired from life's competition,
    I accommodate myself with complete repetition.

    I get up each morning, and dust off my wits,
    pick up my paper and read the "obits".
    If my name is missing, I know I'm not dead,
    so I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed

August 24, 2005

  • These Laws of the Universe were sent to me by a very dear friend.  Enjoy!










    These are the laws of the natural universe
     

    Law of Mechanical Repair:   After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.

    Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

    Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

    Law of the Alibi:  If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

    Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now. (works every time)

    Bath Theorem:  When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

    Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

    Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

    Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

    Theatre Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last

    Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

    Murphy's Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

    Law of Dirty Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

    Law of Location:  No matter where you go, there you are.

    Law of Logical Argument:  Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

    Brown's Law:  If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

    Oliver's Law:  A closed mouth gathers no feet.






August 21, 2005

  • I don't know about you but I am a sucker for questionnaires.  It must have something to do with my desire to express my opinion about anything and everything.  My goal for the next three months is to be more informed on certain issues so that I can intelligently express my opinion instead of my standard reply of "That's just plain stupid!"    As my husband will always reply "Life According to Zera."    Well, anyway!  Below is a questionnaire sent to me by a friend which was very enlightening.  I have filled it out for me and maybe you would like to use it at your site.  Blessings.  zera


    1. First name born? Edith  

    2. Were you named after anyone?  Both of my grandmothers who were strong solid women.

    3. Do you wish on stars?  No.  But I always enjoy looking at them.  I think trying to find the morning star, the planet Venus, is my
    favorite sky watching activity.  
    4. When did you last cry? A week ago at work when I had felt completely beaten.  Crying for me is a way to relieve tension.
    5. Do you like your handwriting?  I like my signature but I prefer to print everything else.  I am probably one of the few people in
    this country who failed handwriting in school.  If you remember having to take this class in elementary school,  you are probably
    as old as me. 
    6. What is your favorite lunch meat? I am not crazy about lunch me.  It always tastes dry or has no taste.  I love tuna.
    7. What is your birth date? I am an Aquarian born in January 1948.
    8. What is your most embarrassing CD? Now I know that this questionnaire was created by a young person.  I don't collect CDs.
    I don't collect embarrassing stuff that I know of.  I keep things around me that I like.  It may be that others would be embarrassed
    9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?  I think so.  I have decided to change jobs and have secretly told
    a few of my favor fellow employees.  They have all responded so kindly to me.  Each has given me an insight into to how others
    perceive me and it has touched my heart very deeply.  I do not see myself in that light at all.  I am very negative towards myself.  
    I have been blessed with friends wherever I go.  Friendship is a gift that God/dess has given me.
    10. Do you have a journal?  Yes!  I right here at Xanga and at Journalspace and in various notebooks around the house.  When the
    thought strikes, I write.  By the way, journalling has saved my life.   It has taken me from the very depths of depression and despair to
    a life of Light and Joy and everyday happiness.  Having friends to share this journey makes life sweet.
    11. Do you use sarcasm a lot?  Not as much as I used to.  But I do enjoy a good joke on myself that can include sarcasm.
    12. What are your nicknames?  Edie
    13. Would you bungee jump?  No.  I am afraid of heights.
    14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?  No.  I do not own a pair of tie shoes.  My sneakers are the slip on kind and I
    have the laces double knotted. 
     

    15. Do you think that you are strong? Yes.  Thank God/dess I have lots of friends to see me through this life.  
    16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla with chocolate bits and some peanut butter in it.
    17. Shoe Size?  6 1/2 WIDE
    18. Red or pink? Not for me.  I do have a couple tops that are variations on a pink theme but it is not my favorite color.  I 
    have one red shirt that is sort of Hawaiian in style but I don't wear it much either.  I prefer blues and lavenders.
    19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I am way too sensitive.  I let certain personalities push me around until I get
    pushed into a corner and then I come out fighting.  I am consciously working on allowing myself to be assertive.  
    20. Who do you miss the most? Everyone I love lives with me.  I do miss the Beatles.  Loved their constantly changing style of music.
    21. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it back?  No!  I would like everyone who reads this to use it at their own site.
    It is a great tool for getting to know yourself better if you answer the questions with sentences explaining your thoughts.  And
    it is very illuminating to readers.  
    22. What color pants and shoes are you wearing?   Blue and no shoes.  It is 8 a.m. and I am still in my pjs.  Of course, I will stay in
    this outfit until I have to go shopping.  And I never wear shoes at home.  Barefoot girl from way back!
    23. What are you listening to right now?  The sounds of an early Sunday morning filled with cicadas and a few birds and in the 
    near distance a car or two crossing the bridge.   
    24. What is the last thing you ate? A bowl of ice cream with chocolate bits and peanut butter.  That was last evening.  I 
    considered that my supper.
    25. What is the weather like right now?  Sky is hazy.  Going to be another hot one.  Heat index was 105 yesterday.  Anyone who knows me
    can guess that my next statement will be, "I hate hot weather."
    27. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?  The face.  Are they smiling.  Are their eyes sparkly?  Then the voice.  Do
    they say hello?  
    28. Do you like the person who sent this to you?  The woman who sent me this questionnaire is one of my very favorite people in
    the whole universe.  She was my mentor for a time.  I love her.
    29. Favorite drink? Sweet Iced Tea.
    30. Favorite Sport? I only enjoy watching sports.  I do not play any sports.  You have to sweat when you play games and I do not 
    like to sweat.  This is the reason I do not go to the gym and work out.  I really hate to sweat.  As far as watching sports, I will 
    watch most anything when the husband is around.  When no men are around, I choose not to watch sports. 
    31. Hair Color? Dark brown with gray.  I am getting my hair highlighted this week so I will be more stylish for my new job.  I
    have known these people for a long time and I want to look good professional.  I sort of let myself go some where I work now.
    32. Eye Color?  Blue.  One of my best features.
    33. Do you wear contacts?   No!  Like I would have no patience trying to put them in.
    34. Favorite Food? Chicken quesadillas

    
35. Favorite Subject?  The person who created this form was definitely still a student.  So being a student of life, my favorite
    subject is life and philosophy.
    36. Favorite Date? September 28, 1973, the date I was married.  Second favorite is 6/17/86, the date of my daughter's birth.
    37. Scary Movies or Happy Endings?  Happy endings
    

    38. Summer or Winter?  Winter.  I don't sweat.
    39. Hugs or Kisses?  Hugs!  I love to hug and be hugged.
    40. What Is Your Favorite Dessert?  Need I tell you.
    41. Most Likely To Respond?  I am working on responding to life instead of reacting.  
    42. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? If the questionnaire is wanting to know who is least likely to respond to this questionnaire, then
    it would be people who hate answering questionnaires.
    43. Living Arrangements? I love in a third floor apartment overlooking the Chattahoochee River and the forest that surrounds it.  I live 
    with my husband, daughter and her boyfriend, three cats, one hamster, three mice, and two tanks of fish.
    44. What Books Are You Reading? Just finished a Nevada Barr mystery.
    

    45. What's On Your Mouse Pad?  the color blue
    46. What Did You Watch Last night on TV?  The Iron Chef America and Law and Order/Jury.

    47. Favorite Smells? Wood smoke in the air on a crisp mountain morning.

    48. Favorite Sounds? Silence is first and second the Canadian Geese as they are flying.
    49. Rolling Stones or Beatles?  Beatles all the way.
    50. What's the furthest you've been from home? Vancouver, BC

    
51. Do you have a special talent?  Making people feel comfortable.
    52. What is your ring tone?  Please!  Like I care.  I wish the darn thing wouldn't ring at all.
       
    
53. What is the strangest thing about you?  I have a very weird sense of humor.  My family tolerates it so I have to keep it to

    myself or bring it to my journals.

July 16, 2005

  • Hey!  I have to tell you that I have been avoiding this website.  There is nothing worse than someone criticizing something that you write on your very own website.  It is very similar to an artist creating a painting for display and having someone say that it is really nice but it would look better if you used more blue.  My basic belief that most people are ignorant in their stupidity. 


    Actually, I believe that your website is your personal space that you allow people to enter, read and comment.  But the website and content are totally at your decoction.  You, the reader, do not have to read my writings.  I did not send my website to your computer unasked for.  You came to my website to see what I was up to.  You may not agree with what I write which is really okay.  We are all allowed to think and feel and act differently.  Should you decide to unsubscribe or not subscribe at all is totally your business.  I will continue to write what I want on this space.  This is the one place that I may express myself....the one place where I truly give voice to my ideas and experiences. 


    I am sorry that someone of you may not appreciate my writings about Avon.  However, if you did not bother to read to the bottom of the posting the other day, you missed the best part of the story.  Writing at Xanga and selling Avon have both dramatically changed my life.  I feel good about me and the direction that my life is taking.  I love both activities because of the empowerment that I feel.  Sorry, you didn't understand the reason for writing.  Your loss, not mine.


    Anyway, I appreciate everyone's sites and their observations on life.  Glad to see you are all still around and well.  I support your right to express yourself as you see fit and I hope you will give me the same respect.


    Blessings.  zera

July 11, 2005

  • Synchronicity or  Incredible Coincidences


    Did I ever tell you the story of a book called "Is It Ever Normal to be Crazy?"  Well, many years ago (about 22 years) my first pregnancy ended in stillbirth.  It was a very traumatic experience, as you may well imagine.  Also, so many years ago, people were not so sensitive to the needs of a mother who has lost a baby.  I was also part of my hippie new age order and at the time we believed that you were somehow responsible for everything that happened to you.  I would say that 98% of the members of the order were under 25 and never had anything bad happen to them.  Anyway, I stuffed all the pain from the loss and continued on with my "new age" life.  Four years I had my Meagan.  When she was about 2 1/2, I realized that I was coming apart at the seams.  Life was unbearable even though I had the one great love of my life, Meagan.  My husband who spends a great deal of his time at the library said that he was walking down one of the aisle when this book practically jumped out at him.  "Is it Ever Normal to be Crazy?"  I was just looking on the Internet and can not find the book.  However, this book saved my life.  OT brought it home to me and I stayed up all night reading it.  Yes, it is normal to feel like you are going crazy when you lose a child.  This was a life that you carried inside you and made great plans for your life together.  You need to have time to grieve and do all the closing, loving things you do when someone you love dies.  How freeing that book was.  I joined a support group for families who have experienced pregnancy loss.  Nevertheless, I learned a lot about caring about others especially when death is involved.    Well, anyway, the book almost jumping off the shelf was Synchronicity.

July 10, 2005

  • Avon Calling! 


    Hi!  Just wanted to remind everyone that I am an Avon sales representative.   I love the Avon products. I use them as well as sell them and I recruit others to join my team.  If you stop and think about it, Avon is a unique American phenomena that began in 1886 by offering women cosmetics in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.  And Avon has made use of the Internet to provide the tools to support and empower women to grow their own businesses and reach their own dreams.



    • Avon is the Company for Women. Our CEO and COO are both women.
    • Avon is a global company with close to 5 million sales representatives in over 100 countries around the world.
    • Avon is a major contributor to the Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade having given over $250 million dollars to the effort to find a cure.
    • Avon is a fortune 500 company. 
    • Avon recognizes and appreciates the diverse needs, lifestyles and cultures of their customers.
    • Avon sells a complete line of makeup, fragrance, skin care and personal products.
    • Avon has a line of wellness products for inner and outer beauty.
    • Avon also has a wide variety of jewelry, accessories, fits, toys and more.
    • And for my PETA friends, Avon does not do any animal testing of its products.

      A brief and interesting history of Avon

    • Avon began in 1886 when David H. McConnell, a door-to-door book salesman from upstate New York, began offering small vials of perfume as an incentive for people to listen to his sales presentations.
    • He blended the original scents with the help of a local pharmacist.  It wasn't long before he discovered that people were more interested in the rose oil perfumes that he created than his books.
    • Avon started out as the California Perfume Company (named after the home state of a financial supporter) and sold products in the rural areas where women had poor access to the better stores of large communities.
    • The first woman sales person and pioneer of the now famous direct-selling method for Avon was Mrs. P. F. E. Albee, a widow from Winchester, NH who began her career in 1886.  This was 34 years before women had the right to vote!
    • Mrs. Albee not only sold the "Little Dot Perfume Set" (the first product of the California Perfume Company) but recruited other women to do the same thing.
    • By 1887 the California Perfume Company had 12 employees who were selling a line of 18 fragrances.
    • The company was re-christened Avon Products Inc. on October 6, 1939.  McConnell who lived in a town called "Suffern on the Ramapo" was reminded of the home town, Stratford-on-Avon, of his favorite playwright, William Shakespeare, and renamed his new company to honor him.   

    Have I got your interest about Avon and its products?  Hope so.  Avon is a great opportunity for you to buy wonderful products from the comfort and privacy of your own home.  If you haven't seen an Avon catalog recently, I would be more than happy to send you one at no cost, of course.  But better yet, you can visit my website at www.youravon.com/emerwin and see what is new and exciting for women.  We also have some wonderful new products for men as well.  Wait till you see the sultry male model in the Mesmerize for men ad.  Put a smile on my face plus the scent is very macho. 

    There is jewelry, gifts and games, DVDs, scrapbooker supplies, wellness products from vitamins to Curves cross trainer shoes, a wonderful selection of Bali and Playtex bras, clothes (even for us full figured ladies), shoes, handbags, fragrances, make up, and so much more.  The small catalogue is 164 pages after all.  It is a must see.  And it is easier to visit on the Internet. 


    If you don't want to visit my website, then post a comment and ask me a question about a product that you are looking for or have always used but can't locate.  I will be more than happy to help you.  And if you would prefer, you can email me at edie_avon@att.net (that is edie_avon).  I am always at the other end.


    Now if what you really would like to do is become financially independent, then let me get you started and with the help of Avon move you towards your dream.  I would love to add you to my sales unit.  We are a team with a greater team to support us.  It only cost $10.  That is it.  You get a wonderful bag of materials including catalogues for your first two sales campaigns.  All your training can be done on line and we are only an email away. 


    Not my usual posting.  But selling Avon has changed my life.  Honest!  I was beginning to believe that I was the office worm.  You know worms eat away at rocks etc. and the byproduct is dirt which we need to grow food etc.  Get the idea?  Since I began selling Avon, I have discovered that there is a place in the world for me and my personality.  I have a great time selling the products, making money, meeting new people, making money, learning that I am just as important as the next person and can help you feel good about yourself as well.  I am certainly not ready to quit my job yet but one of these days I will be.  Thank you Avon.


    Well, that is it for today my dearest friends.  Hope you  have a beautiful Sunday.  Will be surprised to hear from you who have read the whole way through this blog.  Namaste.  zera





     

July 5, 2005

  • If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.

    Abigail Adams American Revolutionary

     

    A battle cry for today's women.  How can we let men enact laws that take away our freedoms and they do it in the name of religion.  Please if you do nothing else, stop and think about the long term ramifications of any law that is being proposed in the name of protection. 

     

    I do not believe that abortion is the way for me or anyone in my family BUT it is not something that a law should govern.  This is a personal issue that needs to be made between the woman involved and her own Creator.  Making abortions illegal will not stop abortions.  If lawmakers can stop abortions will they move on to our ability to purchase birth control? 

     

    In a world that allows women to be used and abused and considered less than second class citizens, how can the most democratic country in the world make laws to govern a woman's reproductive issues.  Why is this even considered necessary.  Ladies, open your minds and consider the long term ramifications of laws before you support their ratification.

     

    Sue I wish that we would take away everyone's guns because so many people use them to settle arguments or leave them where children can find them and kill each other.  BUT that is a right given to us under our constitution.  Do we want to have it taken away.  What is the long term cause and affect not the short term goal. 

     

    Our rights are being eroded every year.  Do we want to wake up some morning and realize that we are back in the 1950's or earlier and have not rights as women.  Remember when you couldn't have credit if you didn't have your husband sign for it.  How many women are still living to remember when we didn't even have the right to vote or own property or any number of rights that we take for granted.

     

    Do not be unconcerned about our freedoms.  Do not let the government into our lives anymore than they already are.  Do not expect the government to solve our human condition.  We as women need to stand up and speak our minds and hearts.  We have the ability to accomplish much in this world.  We can see that change occurs that our sisters throughout the world are freed from the enslavement of  old age patriarchal thinking that allows women to be physically and mentally abused on a regular basis. 

     

    We can change the world.  Start in small ways for they add up quickly.  Do not wait for a man to rescue you.  Pick yourself up by your own bootstraps.  Hold your head up and remember that you are a worthwhile human being with a brain and you can use it to make changes.

     

    I am not putting men down.  I just want them in their place.  They are only half of the human condition.  We are the other half and are ready to take our place in running this world.  We not only can help make it a better world but we will make it a richer and safer world if we stand up and act fiercely as women.  The "strength" card in Tarot shows a woman lovingly holding the jaws of the lion.  She is in control of the situation.

     

    For the sake of our children, stand up and hold the jaws of the beast.  Do whatever you can to bring peace and safety to this world.  Pray, learn as much as you can about laws that Congress will be voting on, visit websites that educate you on the conditions of women and children in other poorer countries, join women's groups and open up your heart to your sisters.  Women can and will make a difference in this world.  We do already.  Let's just do more.

     

    I am now stepping down from my soap box.  Namaste.  zera

July 4, 2005

  • "All progress is gained through mistakes and their rectification. No good comes fully fashioned, out of God's hand, but has to be carved out through repeated experiments and repeated failures by ourselves. This is the law of individual growth. The same law controls social and political evolution also. The right to err, which means the freedom to try experiments, is the universal condition of all progress."

    -Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)

    Life is for living.  You get no where sitting on the fence undecided about which way to go or waiting for god to answer your prayers.  You must get off the fence and move.  It doesn't matter which way you step because each step leads to another.  There is no "One Way" but only "your Way."  Sounds like a Zen koan.  Actually it is the most difficult thing to realize is that there is no magic anything that will save you from yourself.  You must learn to walk your path of Life bravely and joyously.  You must be unafraid to make mistakes and willing to learn from those mistakes.  This is what life is all about.  Following your own inner guide from the beginning of life to your very last breath here on earth.  Live fully and consciously forgiving yourself for your mistakes and learning from them so that you can continue to move.  Namaste.