Huggies Denim Diapers

The things I see sometimes amaze me. This has to be about the funniest diaper commercial I have seen in a very long time.



The way I see this is as a cute kid commercial making fun of the all too serious fashion ads.

How in the universe do people think this not only sexualizes children but is targeting pedophiles? People who think such things seem to have a personal narrow view of the world that they see only the worst.

When is a cigar not a cigar? Sometimes... it's just a cigar.

The Human Race

I find myself constantly amazed by people. I just watched an episode of Divorce Court and I am amazed that not only that these people got married, but they had the ability to get a driver's license.

"Aint got a lick o' sense" is the phrase that comes to mind.

One would think that some people would have a modicum of common sense. Just the basics, but time and time again I am proven wrong. I should never watch daytime television. I guess I love the judges. Judge Alex is hot, what can I say?

But still, I see people in situations that I would never tolerate. I see situations that my husband wouldn't tolerate. If I behaved the way some of these women behave, let me tell you, I would not have been married for 26 years.

Let me give you an example. The wife had the attitude was that she deserved the best. Both partners worked and she would buy these expensive (and tacky based on what was shown) because she 'deserved' it. She believed her husband spent too much time and money on his hobbies (fishing, hunting, tinkering with old cameras).

I think I deserve stuff. I think I'm special and classy. I also know that my husband and I work our butts off just to stay above water. I don't expect my husband to buy me an expensive set of jewelry for our anniversary. I know for a fact that neither of us have the money. But I do know that when he can afford it, he will.

When we got married he gave me a choice: Wedding bands or engagement ring. I said wedding bands. They weren't expensive and they were just plain gold bands. I wore a cubic zirconia until we got married. And then 18 months later, my husband received a rather large bonus. He took me to the jewelry store and said 'whatever you want'. I now have a large marquise style diamond ring not a diamond chip ring that my friends used to flaunt as a sign of their boyfriends.

Often I would hear from my friends that he should have gotten me an engagement ring, yadda, yadda, yadda. And yes, I deserved a nice big rock on my finger as I sign of my worth to him. What they couldn't understand that he gave me a choice so it was all on me.

They are also the same women who can't understand our $25 rule.

Early in our marriage we had serious money problems and we fought over it. He would spend and I would spend beyond our means. Finally we came up wih the $25 Rule. This rule states simply, any personal purchase over $25 we must let the other spouse know. That way we can't accuse each other of overspending without the other's knowledge.

Seems logical, but my friends are going 'why do you have to get his permission?'. I'm not getting permission, I'm letting my husband know. Okay, maybe it is a sense of permission, but I see it as a sign of respect to my other half. We never say no without good reason and considering we haven't argued over money in the past 20 years as a result I think means alot.

Time to close up this ramble and watch a movie. War of the Roses maybe?

Fighting for Your Marriage: Positive Steps for Preventing Divorce and Preserving a Lasting Love (New & Revised)

Divorce For Dummies

Still Trying To Quit

Have I mentioned yet how much quitting sucks?

I've rambled more about my suffering here.

Diary of a Smoker/Non-Smoker

I'm still in transition. What can I say?

How I Quit Smoking: Day 2

Thirty six hours. They say the first week is the hardest week. Non smokers have no idea how hard the first week is.

I'm already asking myself why I wanted to stop. That is when I'm restraining myself to keep from putting my fist through something.

Ever notice on television they make it look fairly simple. If you want to quit chew this gum, take this pill, join this program.

The worst part is the withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine is a drug. Weaning your body off of nicotine is no picnic. In fact I would rather have my toenails pulled one by one.

Symptoms at 36 hours: Difficulty focusing. Hot and cold chills. Shaking hands. Restlessness. Irritability. Making effigies of former bosses and torturing them. Punching out the next person who says 'You're doing the right thing. You'll get through this'.

How I Quit Smoking: Day 1

Seven hours. Seven hours since I smoked my last cigarette and put on my first nicotine patch.

ARGH!!!!!!

Why did I decide to stop smoking? Again? Well if I think of the money I save is a good idea. I am... rather was spending almost $35 a week on cigarettes. I was up to almost two packs a day which is not good.

They say that each time you try to stop smoking your chances improve.

I once quit for six weeks through a program funded by my HMO at the time and was doing was rather well until my mother went into the hospital. With the travel and th stress of dealing with her condition I started back smoking.

Then there was the time I tried to quit cold turkey without help and within 36 hours my husband who has never smoked a day in his life went out and bought me cigarettes. He said it was for the sake of him and our son. He said I'm an evil bitch when I quit cold turkey without help.

I have tried to quit on and off over the past years. The thing is, the decision to quit smoking had to be mine and mine along. There is nothing worse than having a nonsmoker or former smoker going on a self righteous lecture about the evils of smoking.

More tomorrow.

Body Aches and Resolutions.

As I have gotten older I've noticed I no longer have the trim attractive body I used to have. This shouldn't surprise me, but what the heck. I looked in the mirror and noticed that while I do still have something that vaguely resembles a waistline I also look pregnant and my feet are disappearing.

So my first reaction is to excersize. Okay, that obviously isn't going well. My primary problem is motivation. That Butterfinger candy bar is looking awefully tempting. Of course once it settles in on my backside, getting it to leave is another matter all together.

Step one was to walk the dog. Simple enough (and weather permiting) I come home from work. I drop my stuff inside and grab the leash. My dog, Shadow, is a big fan of walks. Therefore when we go out I'm forced to walk more at her speed, although I can't really move that fast so she's forced to a half walk while I'm struggling not to go face down. Skates might be an alternative.

Today however, I decided to try something new. Belly dancing. It is supposed to be good excersize and look pretty sexy at the same time.  Which brings me back to body aches. I went through a very basic free online course until I can buy a DVD to work along with.

Beginner Belly Dancing Lessons: Video Series

This was the first one I found and I went through the entire series. It's fairly short, but it does give you a small work out. Though I'm not completely out of breath that was still a wow.

Undercover Boss

I recently watched 'Undercover Boss' on CBS. It has been a very long time since a reality show impressed me. Watching the chief operating officer of Waste Management out there in the trenches with the people who actually do the work and struggle to make ends meet was impressive. The effect on him was strong and apparently gave him a deeper understanding of how his decisions affect not only his company but the public face of the company.

What I learned from this is that there are a few big corporate bosses out there who actually give a damn about the little people. The nice paycheck, the homes and cars are based on the hard work of people like you and me. When they see what's going on, they make changes. A happy worker is a productive worker.

There are a lot of big companies out there. It makes me wonder how many of he corporate big wigs would really come down to our level.

It makes me think of my current job and my past jobs. A former boss could not do my job. I excell at administration but the more they gave me to do the less time I was given to do it. My opinion did not matter. If I made a mistake I was given no opportunity to attempt to defend myself. My productivity went down and consequently I was let go.

My current job isn't that way. My current boss knows he can't do my job. For the first time in a very long time I feel like part of a team instead of feeling isolated and alone. My opinion matters. My suggestions to improve productivity are heard and implimented.

A company from the person at the top who makes the decision to the person at the 'bottom' who impliments these decisions must communicate up and down the ladder as part of a team.

A boss who's employees are frustrated and unhappy will bring the company down. He/she needs to remember that they are part of a team and make their decisions accordingly.

Undercover Boss on CBS