Sunday, August 1, 2010
Introduction
I'm 31 years old. I've realized recently that I have become disillusioned and unhappy with where I am in life right now. I'm married with three teenage step kids. I get along with my family, have a place to live, work at a respectable 9-to-5 job and live with an adorable dog and three loving cats.
We're making just enough money to get by--really it's paycheck-to-paycheck to the extreme. We don't usually have any disposable income and we're behind on the bills each month. Sound familiar?
My family is... interesting. My mom and dad are straight out of one of those old Folgers coffee commercials. The world would be a much better place if everyone had the opportunity to grow up in an environment that I lived in. My parents believed in sending us to church to give us a set of values to anchor us with, they set a good example for us by participating in the community and volunteering, they had traditions around the major holidays for us to look forward to every year, and they believed it was more important to be our parents than our friends. I know, I know--I didn't get to why they are "interesting" yet. I'll get to that.
I notice two main problems with kids today (I know how old that makes me sound).
1. They all have a sense of entitlement. They all think they are going to get out of school with some corner office job making 6 figures with a secretary and 4 weeks vacation...
2. They get this sense of entitlement from parents who don't want to deal with teaching their kids about the unpleasant things that happen in life. They become their child's friend instead of their parent. They have a two-way conversation on how to deal with conflicts between parent and child (I'll explain why I think this is a bad way to go late). They don't set boundaries for their children trusting that they will know what is best for themselves. Finally, they tell their kids that everyone is equal and when their child falls short of their goal, that it's another person's fault.
We have to teach our kids that they are fallible, imperfect and that some kids are going to be more talented than them sometimes. We don't want our kids to feel pain. I get that, but it is a part of life. We can't protect them or anyone else from the bad things that will happen to them. They are going to be hurt physically and emotionally at some point and they need to learn how to deal with it other than blaming it on another person's shortcomings. They need to learn to take responsibility for their actions and learn how to have a sense of duty.
Now that I'm done with that tangent, I'll give you a better idea of what I'm all about. Here's 10 things you need to know about me:
1. I love zombies. I love zombie movies, zombie books, songs about zombies, zombie video games and I can't wait for the upcoming zombie TV show. Why? I've been trying to figure that out. Part of me wants to say that the reason I love the idea of a zombie apocalypse is that I feel like a zombie now. I relate to that NIN song "Everyday is Exactly the Same" and I feel depressed that my weeks are such a monotonous, predictable cycle. I now how melodramatic that sounds--it's how I feel and I know a lot of other people feel the same way.
Anyway, sometimes I feel like I just want to escape from all of my duties and responsibilities: just up and move away without saying a word. Think about it: if there is a zombie apocalypse, there's no more boring job, no more asshole boss or sycophantic coworkers. There would be no more keeping up with the Jones's... Okay, it might be fun for a week or two, then I'd miss sitting at home watching Hell's Kitchen.
On a side note, I also love 80's horror movies. Night of the Demons in particular.
2. I love ninjas. I will watch any martial arts movie especially if it has ninjas. I also really like the Drunken Master movies. A lifelong goal of mine is to learn martial arts. I haven't taken any classes yet, but I will. Maybe that's part of the reason I feel so unfulfilled.
3. I work out every day and it's a goal of mine to run a competitive half-marathon and/or marathon. I've run 13.1 already, but not in a race. I'm currently trying to teach my husband how to run. He's just quit smoking and he's heavier than he's ever been in his life. He's about to embark on a challenge against his brother to see who can lose the most weight in a month.
4. I'm trying to get my family to eat more healthfully but, as I've mentioned, we're on a tight budget. I think it's common knowledge that it is difficult to eat healthfully for someone with little free time and a very small grocery budget.
5. I think everyone should have a job in a customer service position--especially as a server or bartender. You learn a lot about people when you are serving them. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat someone that they don't have to be nice to. When there are no repercussions to treating someone poorly, some people become thoughtless monsters. If you are in a relationship with someone who treats someone in a service position poorly, get out! They are not a good person and their true character will eventually shine through to you too.
7. My favorite movie is either Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Unbreakable.
8. I'm an optimist. My husband is a pessimist. I'm not some crazy idealist, but I like to see the brighter side of life. I know that sounds odd considering how negative I sounded at the beginning of this post, but that's why it bothers me so much that I feel so trapped and unhappy right now. I'm not used to seeing the world from such a bitter perspective.
9. I love Harry Potter and Disney World. I'd say fantasy is my favorite genre. I like sci-fi too, but fantasy is my favorite.
10. I am a HUGE geek, but I try to hide that from most of the world.
We're making just enough money to get by--really it's paycheck-to-paycheck to the extreme. We don't usually have any disposable income and we're behind on the bills each month. Sound familiar?
My family is... interesting. My mom and dad are straight out of one of those old Folgers coffee commercials. The world would be a much better place if everyone had the opportunity to grow up in an environment that I lived in. My parents believed in sending us to church to give us a set of values to anchor us with, they set a good example for us by participating in the community and volunteering, they had traditions around the major holidays for us to look forward to every year, and they believed it was more important to be our parents than our friends. I know, I know--I didn't get to why they are "interesting" yet. I'll get to that.
I notice two main problems with kids today (I know how old that makes me sound).
1. They all have a sense of entitlement. They all think they are going to get out of school with some corner office job making 6 figures with a secretary and 4 weeks vacation...
2. They get this sense of entitlement from parents who don't want to deal with teaching their kids about the unpleasant things that happen in life. They become their child's friend instead of their parent. They have a two-way conversation on how to deal with conflicts between parent and child (I'll explain why I think this is a bad way to go late). They don't set boundaries for their children trusting that they will know what is best for themselves. Finally, they tell their kids that everyone is equal and when their child falls short of their goal, that it's another person's fault.
We have to teach our kids that they are fallible, imperfect and that some kids are going to be more talented than them sometimes. We don't want our kids to feel pain. I get that, but it is a part of life. We can't protect them or anyone else from the bad things that will happen to them. They are going to be hurt physically and emotionally at some point and they need to learn how to deal with it other than blaming it on another person's shortcomings. They need to learn to take responsibility for their actions and learn how to have a sense of duty.
Now that I'm done with that tangent, I'll give you a better idea of what I'm all about. Here's 10 things you need to know about me:
1. I love zombies. I love zombie movies, zombie books, songs about zombies, zombie video games and I can't wait for the upcoming zombie TV show. Why? I've been trying to figure that out. Part of me wants to say that the reason I love the idea of a zombie apocalypse is that I feel like a zombie now. I relate to that NIN song "Everyday is Exactly the Same" and I feel depressed that my weeks are such a monotonous, predictable cycle. I now how melodramatic that sounds--it's how I feel and I know a lot of other people feel the same way.
Anyway, sometimes I feel like I just want to escape from all of my duties and responsibilities: just up and move away without saying a word. Think about it: if there is a zombie apocalypse, there's no more boring job, no more asshole boss or sycophantic coworkers. There would be no more keeping up with the Jones's... Okay, it might be fun for a week or two, then I'd miss sitting at home watching Hell's Kitchen.
On a side note, I also love 80's horror movies. Night of the Demons in particular.
2. I love ninjas. I will watch any martial arts movie especially if it has ninjas. I also really like the Drunken Master movies. A lifelong goal of mine is to learn martial arts. I haven't taken any classes yet, but I will. Maybe that's part of the reason I feel so unfulfilled.
3. I work out every day and it's a goal of mine to run a competitive half-marathon and/or marathon. I've run 13.1 already, but not in a race. I'm currently trying to teach my husband how to run. He's just quit smoking and he's heavier than he's ever been in his life. He's about to embark on a challenge against his brother to see who can lose the most weight in a month.
4. I'm trying to get my family to eat more healthfully but, as I've mentioned, we're on a tight budget. I think it's common knowledge that it is difficult to eat healthfully for someone with little free time and a very small grocery budget.
5. I think everyone should have a job in a customer service position--especially as a server or bartender. You learn a lot about people when you are serving them. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat someone that they don't have to be nice to. When there are no repercussions to treating someone poorly, some people become thoughtless monsters. If you are in a relationship with someone who treats someone in a service position poorly, get out! They are not a good person and their true character will eventually shine through to you too.
7. My favorite movie is either Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Unbreakable.
8. I'm an optimist. My husband is a pessimist. I'm not some crazy idealist, but I like to see the brighter side of life. I know that sounds odd considering how negative I sounded at the beginning of this post, but that's why it bothers me so much that I feel so trapped and unhappy right now. I'm not used to seeing the world from such a bitter perspective.
9. I love Harry Potter and Disney World. I'd say fantasy is my favorite genre. I like sci-fi too, but fantasy is my favorite.
10. I am a HUGE geek, but I try to hide that from most of the world.
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