My uncle sent this to me today and I thought it was so neat:
Ok! How smart is your right foot?
Just try this very simple experiment. It is from an orthopedic surgeon.
This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's pre-programmed in your brain.
1. WITHOUT anyone watching you (they will think you're going NUTS) and while sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand.
Your foot will change directions. Go on try it again, but this time really concentrate.
There's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you haven't done so already
2/5/08
2/4/08
Yankee Swap
I have decided that I hate The Secret....
It all started when I burned the eggs yesterday morning and Andrew stuck his fingers in the cornbread I was bringing. Who burns scrambled eggs? Well, not me. But yesterday, I did - even after I told "the Universe" I was going to have a wonderful day. And even after I burned the eggs I told the Universe it was okay, there would be no crying over burned eggs, we were still going to have a good day.
We did get to the Yankee Swap on time, which is HUGE for my family. Of course, that was not the Universe, that was me lying to them and telling them we had to be there at 10:30 when, in all actuality, we had to be there at 11. So, we were 30 minutes behind (per usual) and we got there right on time.
On the way there my little sister passed us, followed by her boyfriend. They were, of course, going 80+ on the highway and leave it to Kirby to prove just what our minivan with 3 kids in it could do. Argh! This is why I rarely ride the motorcycle with him anymore. He gets around young kids who act like jackasses and he feels the need to join right in and show them that, while he may be old, have 4 kids and a granddaughter, he is still "the coolest". Scares the crap out of me!
It all started when I burned the eggs yesterday morning and Andrew stuck his fingers in the cornbread I was bringing. Who burns scrambled eggs? Well, not me. But yesterday, I did - even after I told "the Universe" I was going to have a wonderful day. And even after I burned the eggs I told the Universe it was okay, there would be no crying over burned eggs, we were still going to have a good day.
We did get to the Yankee Swap on time, which is HUGE for my family. Of course, that was not the Universe, that was me lying to them and telling them we had to be there at 10:30 when, in all actuality, we had to be there at 11. So, we were 30 minutes behind (per usual) and we got there right on time.
On the way there my little sister passed us, followed by her boyfriend. They were, of course, going 80+ on the highway and leave it to Kirby to prove just what our minivan with 3 kids in it could do. Argh! This is why I rarely ride the motorcycle with him anymore. He gets around young kids who act like jackasses and he feels the need to join right in and show them that, while he may be old, have 4 kids and a granddaughter, he is still "the coolest". Scares the crap out of me!
The speeders - Dana and Kolbe
We made it in one piece and without being pulled over. I had a talk with Andrew (nice words, no screaming, stay out of Aunt Jennie's things, etc, etc), did my survey of the house and we were off. Before we even got to the Swap part of the day Andrew had spilled an entire cup of Sprite on me, gotten into the spare room with a glass cabinet FULL of Beanie Babies (and nearly emptied it, I might add and when I say FULL I mean FULL - probably 1000+), and somehow gotten brownie on his butt and sat on my Aunt's floor...ugh! But it is still going to be a great day - right??????
At this point in time, my "good thoughts" and vibes out to the Universe were faltering. At one point in time I ended up in the bathroom using very stern words with Andrew and then I shot Kirby dirty looks for the next 30 minutes until he decided it was time to take Andrew from me.
We had a great lunch with more then enough food. There were plenty of compliments on my cornbread (I decided to cut out the piece with Andrew's fingerprints in it) and my family only got on my nerves a little bit :) I love them, but they try awful hard to irritate people.
My disgusting brothers - and there wasn't even any alcohol involved - they just act like this for fun.
Monica and Aunt Jen checking out all the food!
Dad - waiting for someone to bring him food, I'm sure
Present time! This is what Andrew had been waiting for from the very beginning. There were 22 people. I got number 22 (which is only second best to number 1) and Andrew got 20...which means he had to wait for 19 other people to open their gift and then decide if they are going to swap for something better. When Uncle Loren chose the gift that he wanted (two Harry Potter toys) it was nearly break down time. I just had to keep reminding him that once he opened his gift if he didn't like it he could take Uncle Loren's (and pray that nobody else decided to steal it from him).
Zachary opened his present and ended up with a 3 1/2 foot snowman...I prayed that someone would take it from him (but who in their right mind would take that thing home). Kirby got a DVD player which got swapped for something else which got swapped for a Yankee Candle. Tom got a Patriots picture that nobody even tried to take. Andrew ended up opening a woman's watch and bracelet set which he promptly traded with Uncle Loren for his Harry Potter toys. I don't remember what I opened...huh...can't remember for the life of me...but I traded it for the DVD player that had been taken from Kirby. Thankfully, Thanny (my 2 year old nephew) fell in love with the snowman and Zachary ended up with a bag of Red Sox's and Patriot's stuff with a wiffle ball and bat. After opening up presents trade is open to all - Zachary also ended up with a Bob the Builder Trash Can and a Harry Potter Magic Wand (Kolbe - Dana's boyfriend - decided that he would rather leave with nothing than those).
Look at those cutie boys!
Thanny
Soon after I was just about fed up with keeping up with Andrew and telling Zachary to stop (jumping, swinging, yelling, running) so we decided it was time to go. It takes us just as long to get out of places as it does to get ready to go most times. After much urging and a few exasperated sighs we made our way out.
Andrew getting his socks on with help from Aunt Sandy
I think Aunt Jen was ready for us to go :)
Sue reminded me that we had to stop by the house on the way home to go through the books they are getting rid of (when we were kids we had a "library", essentially a playroom with three walls of shelves filled with books - they have decided to redo the room and get rid of most of the books). I left with a large box of books, some for the boys, some for me. Kirby left with a large box of computer components. Each of the boys left with ANOTHER toy (Dad and Sue have a "treasure chest" that the boys take a toy from each time they go).
We stopped at Hannaford and FINALLY made it home around 5:30 - just in time to make a quick dinner, watch the Patriots lose and get to bed. As far as the bed part, even after I told the Universe that Andrew was going to bed without any problems we fought for nearly an hour, he got a number of toys taken away (including his Harry Potter toys) and I gave up and made Kirby do it.
That darn Universe must be having a really hard time understanding me...I wonder if maybe s/he speaks Spanish...
2/3/08
Brothers (and sisters)
While checking out a friend's MySpace page the following song came on:
PETER GABRIEL LYRICS
"Don't Give Up"
in this proud land we grew up strong
we were wanted all along
I was taught to fight,
taught to win
I never thought I could fail
no fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face,
I've changed my name
but no one wants you when you lose
don't give up
'cos you have friends
don't give up
you're not beaten yet
don't give up
I know you can make it good
though I saw it all around
never thought I could be affected
thought that we'd be the last to go
it is so strange the way things turn
drove the night toward my home
the place that I was born, on the lakes
ideas daylight broke, I saw the earth
the trees had burned down to the ground
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up
we don't need much of anything
don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
where we belong
rest your head
you worry too much
it's going to be alright
when times get rough
you can fall back on us
don't give up
please don't give up
'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
going to stand on that bridge
keep my eyes down below
whatever may come
and whatever may go
that river's flowing
that river's flowing
moved on to another town
tried hard to settle down
for every job, so many men
so many men no-one needs
don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's the a place
there's a place where we belong
I don't know what it is, but Peter Gabriel has a way of bringing me back. Many songs do this to me, but something about Peter Gabriel brings my to my brothers and I get all weepy.
I have to assume it has to do with my mother. She would get a new CD and it was all we would hear through the house for about 6 weeks.
It's funny, my sister and I talk about when she got George Michael's Faith which included "I Want Your Sex". She would never play it while we were in the house but we overheard it one day while we were outside...she must have tried to keep it hidden for a month or so - CRACK ME UP!
Anyway, I wonder if Peter Gabriel was the phase she was going through during the divorce. The other song that reminds me so much of them is this one:
PETER GABRIEL LYRICS
"Solsbury Hill"
Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
Had to listen had no choice
I did not believe the information
(I) just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom boom boom
"Son," he said "Grab your things,
I've come to take you home."
To keep in silence I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut
So I went from day to day
Tho' my life was in a rut"
Till I thought of what I'd say
Which connection I should cut
I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart going boom boom boom
"Hey" he said "Grab your things
I've come to take you home."
(Back home.)
When illusion spin her net
I'm never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouette
When I think that I am free
Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
I will show another me
Today I don't need a replacement
I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart going boom boom boom
"Hey" I said "You can keep my things,
they've come to take me home."
I can hear these songs any place any time and it brings me to my brothers. I love Peter Gabriel and not the Genisis Peter Gabriel or even the Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel but the one that brings me back to my brothers...
I'm not sure why it is just the boys and not my sisters. Of course there is music that reminds me of my sisters (In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel reminds me of my older sister because it was her wedding song as well as Joe Cocker's version on A Little Help From My Friends because we all danced to it at her wedding - most any Janet Jackson song reminds me of my younger sister, especially Control). But those are usually happy memories...memories that bring joy to me not the overwhelming sadness that I feel when I hear the ones that remind me of my brothers.
I love my brothers and I think that they were effected most by the divorce. Of course, the divorce started well over 13 years ago...we have all grown up, mostly gotten over it - they are adults now, grown men (Loren just turned 20 even and Alex is engaged to be married in 2009).
I think this is something I have to keep working on...keep writing about.
PETER GABRIEL LYRICS
"Don't Give Up"
in this proud land we grew up strong
we were wanted all along
I was taught to fight,
taught to win
I never thought I could fail
no fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face,
I've changed my name
but no one wants you when you lose
don't give up
'cos you have friends
don't give up
you're not beaten yet
don't give up
I know you can make it good
though I saw it all around
never thought I could be affected
thought that we'd be the last to go
it is so strange the way things turn
drove the night toward my home
the place that I was born, on the lakes
ideas daylight broke, I saw the earth
the trees had burned down to the ground
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up
we don't need much of anything
don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
where we belong
rest your head
you worry too much
it's going to be alright
when times get rough
you can fall back on us
don't give up
please don't give up
'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
going to stand on that bridge
keep my eyes down below
whatever may come
and whatever may go
that river's flowing
that river's flowing
moved on to another town
tried hard to settle down
for every job, so many men
so many men no-one needs
don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's the a place
there's a place where we belong
I don't know what it is, but Peter Gabriel has a way of bringing me back. Many songs do this to me, but something about Peter Gabriel brings my to my brothers and I get all weepy.
I have to assume it has to do with my mother. She would get a new CD and it was all we would hear through the house for about 6 weeks.
It's funny, my sister and I talk about when she got George Michael's Faith which included "I Want Your Sex". She would never play it while we were in the house but we overheard it one day while we were outside...she must have tried to keep it hidden for a month or so - CRACK ME UP!
Anyway, I wonder if Peter Gabriel was the phase she was going through during the divorce. The other song that reminds me so much of them is this one:
PETER GABRIEL LYRICS
"Solsbury Hill"
Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
Had to listen had no choice
I did not believe the information
(I) just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom boom boom
"Son," he said "Grab your things,
I've come to take you home."
To keep in silence I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut
So I went from day to day
Tho' my life was in a rut"
Till I thought of what I'd say
Which connection I should cut
I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart going boom boom boom
"Hey" he said "Grab your things
I've come to take you home."
(Back home.)
When illusion spin her net
I'm never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouette
When I think that I am free
Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
I will show another me
Today I don't need a replacement
I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart going boom boom boom
"Hey" I said "You can keep my things,
they've come to take me home."
I can hear these songs any place any time and it brings me to my brothers. I love Peter Gabriel and not the Genisis Peter Gabriel or even the Sledgehammer Peter Gabriel but the one that brings me back to my brothers...
I'm not sure why it is just the boys and not my sisters. Of course there is music that reminds me of my sisters (In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel reminds me of my older sister because it was her wedding song as well as Joe Cocker's version on A Little Help From My Friends because we all danced to it at her wedding - most any Janet Jackson song reminds me of my younger sister, especially Control). But those are usually happy memories...memories that bring joy to me not the overwhelming sadness that I feel when I hear the ones that remind me of my brothers.
I love my brothers and I think that they were effected most by the divorce. Of course, the divorce started well over 13 years ago...we have all grown up, mostly gotten over it - they are adults now, grown men (Loren just turned 20 even and Alex is engaged to be married in 2009).
I think this is something I have to keep working on...keep writing about.
7am
It's 7:30 am on a Sunday and I am awake. This is really not like me. I have somethings to do this morning before our trip to Portsmouth for the Annual Bickford Family Yankee Swap.
Keeping The Secret in mind, I have decided today is going to be a wonderful day - and it will!
We LOVE the Yankee Swap! Nearly 30 of us will gather today at my Aunt Jen's house and exchange some rather crazy gifts. Well, some will be crazy, others plain stupid but at least one will be wonderful.
My father's mother died when he was 13. None of us ever had the opportunity to meet her. So, every year at the Yankee Swap one of the gifts is her cross necklace. You get to keep the necklace for a year, wear it if you like, then you pass it along to someone else. The year that I was in school I got to have the necklace and I wore it most everyday.
It isn't anything spectacular. In fact, I have an allergy to some metals and get itchy with a rash if I wear anything too long and often that would happen to me when I wore it. But it is just nice to have something of hers.
It can get a little crazy at Aunt Jen's. Her house is small (well, small for 30 people) and it is NOT childproofed in any way, shape or form. Last year she had a bottle of fingernail polish sitting out and Andrew decided he would open it and dump it. The year before he knocked over a table. But this year - well, this year is going to be wonderful. He is going to be so well behaved. Mom will make a quick scan of the place before Andrew is released and move anything potentially dangerous or mess worthy. We will bring a favorite toy and a book or two and he will be an angel.
Keep your eyes out for my next post. I am going to bring the camera and I hope to get tons of great pictures of the fam.
Have a great day, I know I will!
Keeping The Secret in mind, I have decided today is going to be a wonderful day - and it will!
We LOVE the Yankee Swap! Nearly 30 of us will gather today at my Aunt Jen's house and exchange some rather crazy gifts. Well, some will be crazy, others plain stupid but at least one will be wonderful.
My father's mother died when he was 13. None of us ever had the opportunity to meet her. So, every year at the Yankee Swap one of the gifts is her cross necklace. You get to keep the necklace for a year, wear it if you like, then you pass it along to someone else. The year that I was in school I got to have the necklace and I wore it most everyday.
It isn't anything spectacular. In fact, I have an allergy to some metals and get itchy with a rash if I wear anything too long and often that would happen to me when I wore it. But it is just nice to have something of hers.
It can get a little crazy at Aunt Jen's. Her house is small (well, small for 30 people) and it is NOT childproofed in any way, shape or form. Last year she had a bottle of fingernail polish sitting out and Andrew decided he would open it and dump it. The year before he knocked over a table. But this year - well, this year is going to be wonderful. He is going to be so well behaved. Mom will make a quick scan of the place before Andrew is released and move anything potentially dangerous or mess worthy. We will bring a favorite toy and a book or two and he will be an angel.
Keep your eyes out for my next post. I am going to bring the camera and I hope to get tons of great pictures of the fam.
Have a great day, I know I will!
2/2/08
Do you know The Secret?
The Secret claims that you control whatever happens in your life. Anything you want can be yours - all you have to do is ask for it. You want a million bucks? Ask for it, believe that you will get it and receive it. That simple.
I am in the middle of the book The Secret. I am working on the process of allowing the Universe to make all that I want happen.
My first goal is 10 clients each week. Starting this week I will have 10 clients each week. After the Universe makes this happen to me, then I will ask for a million bucks :)
In all actuality, the book really makes sense. It is all about your outlook on life. If you walk into a situation expecting it to be bad then it will be. But walking in with a good outlook, results are very different.
In order to change your life you have to first change your thinking. Today that is what I am working on.
Of course, this means being constantly aware of my thoughts and my feelings - which can be a tough process. I have to keep checking in with myself, "how you doin'..." (but you have to ask it like Joey Tribiani from Friends asks it - a bit of Italian, a bit of player).
It is a tougher read than I usually like. I like to not have to think a whole lot while I am reading...but, of course, this one is much more thought provoking.
I'll give you a full update in a later post...
I got "Thinking In Pictures" today, that will be another interesting one. I'm not sure if I will read that one right away, I think I might like a nice, easy read next.
I am in the middle of the book The Secret. I am working on the process of allowing the Universe to make all that I want happen.
My first goal is 10 clients each week. Starting this week I will have 10 clients each week. After the Universe makes this happen to me, then I will ask for a million bucks :)
In all actuality, the book really makes sense. It is all about your outlook on life. If you walk into a situation expecting it to be bad then it will be. But walking in with a good outlook, results are very different.
In order to change your life you have to first change your thinking. Today that is what I am working on.
Of course, this means being constantly aware of my thoughts and my feelings - which can be a tough process. I have to keep checking in with myself, "how you doin'..." (but you have to ask it like Joey Tribiani from Friends asks it - a bit of Italian, a bit of player).
It is a tougher read than I usually like. I like to not have to think a whole lot while I am reading...but, of course, this one is much more thought provoking.
I'll give you a full update in a later post...
I got "Thinking In Pictures" today, that will be another interesting one. I'm not sure if I will read that one right away, I think I might like a nice, easy read next.
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