Lessons from 2010

I made a new years resolution several years ago not to make new years resolutions. I mean, how bad is it to break a promise to yourself! So this New Years Eve here are my lessons learned in 2009 -

1) Laughter can so much better than yelling.

2) You can be mistaken for a hobo in Palmer, TX.

3) The sky really does turn green before the tornado touches down.

4) There is never any magical free time with three kids in the house.

5) If one is responsible for buying his own socs he will wear them till they look like a doily.

6) If I am doing the laundry I can throw the doily socks away.

7) Ice, a plastic kiddy pool and a pick ax are a dangerous combination.

8) You can cut your finger with a butter knife.

9) Friends don't necessary FORGET you, they just may not communicate well.

10) It is always good to go RIGHT at Jesus.

Christmas Time Quiet

The funny thing about my house is that is always really quiet around Christmas time. David is gone at work and we have already opened our gifts so there is not much going on. So I have time on my hands. With this time I think about what has happened this past year; I plan for next year; I start backing up all my photos onto DVDs; and I do a form of winter cleaning ( I already have 3 boxes ready for goodwill). I guess the strangest thing I thought about this year was friends. How do you define a friend? Is it by how much you do together? Have you shared a meal? How much you know about them? Did you send a Christmas card to them? Are you in their contact list on their cell phone? Is there a multi-teared friend classification chart we are suppose to be following?

With our busy, crazy lives - how do you be a friend? How do you support and help? I have something like 250 "friends" on facebook, admittedly about 20 are family so they don't count. So of the 230 left how many would consider me a friend? If you were friends 22 years ago but you haven't talked since then except on facebook are you still friends? Would they accept my help if I offered it? Would I accept theirs if it were offered? When you call to talk do they think you are just being nosey? One of my friends that I had known since 7th grade died this year and we had been emailing back and forth through facebook. Why didn't she reach out to me when she was desparate?

The kids definition of friend is varied. Coco can walk into a room of strangers and announces "Look at all my new friends!" Others walk into a room of people and say "They all hate me." In one instance, a child of mine introduced me to his "friend" - When I asked him later how he knew the friend, he said "Oh we have played football against each other for the last couple years." Sometimes I feel like I am in the middle of that, they don't like me or hate me, they basically just acknowledge I exist, like a commercial on prime time tv.

I know in my lifetime I have have many people come and go. Some I hear from, some I don't. Those I don't hear from I wonder if we were ever really friends or if we just co-existed in some brief period of life - or if I made them mad and didn't know it (I know your shocked). I think of them and miss them. Then there are those who tell me all about what a great friendship we had or what a wonderful memory I helped create and I have no idea what they are talking about (must be the age or the grey hair).

I guess what it boils down is not what you can get from a friendship but what you can give.

When I need a laugh...

Sometimes you just want to laugh. When I need that I either go to www.failblog.org OR www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com you GOTTA read the captions!!!!!!!!

Cell Phone Etiquette #5 - Hello, I have Caller ID

I think this will be my last installment of Cell Phone Etiquette. It will cover TWO items...

If I am standing talking to you and your cell phone rings it is rude to answer it!!!! I mean, I AM THERE. WE ARE TALKING. It would be like if someone just walked over and started talking in the middle of our conversation. Don't answer your phone. There are a very few exceptions for this but as a rule of thumb, the LIVE person should trump the phone, every time. What if you were in the Doctors office and the MD was examining you and right in the middle of the exam his phone rang and he answered it. You would be offended. Trust me, if you answer your phone while I am talking to you, I WILL CALL YOU ON MY CELL PHONE RIGHT THEN!!!

This brings me to another issue, I have texting and caller ID on my cell. If you call, you don't have to leave a message with your phone number unless you want me to call you back at a different number. If you just are distributing info, just text me the facts.

Cell Phone Etiquette #4 - LOL

Some people may not understand this post - so if you don't just stay in your bubble and trust me. I am no a moron. I am not technically challanged. I actually can pwn you at most online games and programs. DO NOT text me LOL speak that stands for profanity. I know OMG - doesn't mean "oh my goodness" and I know what WTF and LMAO stands for. If you wouldn't say it to your mother, don't LOL text me stuff that stands for cuss words! I know all the lingo and I even know LOL from the military from before you could dial a phone!
Use things like WITW for What in the world and ROTFLMBO - Rolling on the floor laughing my butt off!

A glimpse into my mind

Okay - we are taking a break from etiquette lessons to reflect on WHY it is scary to be in my head.

One evening I was early to pick up Nicole from gymnastics. I was standing down stairs, looking through the glass and a couple other people were milling about, a Dad and a Mom (I kinda know the Mom). So they were talking about this and that and somehow got on the subject of movies. They were talking about the new Scrooge.

The Dad made this statement "That new Scrooge movie looks scary and I think it will be good with Jim Carrey in it."
This is what I heard "That new Scrooge movie looks scary and I think it will be good with Tim Curry in it"

They continue to talk about the movie and I start getting these images of Scrooge wearing a teady, fishnet hose and high heals. I finally couldn't take it anymore and so I said -
"I just can't go see a movie with him in it because I just see fishnet and high heals on the elevator". The guy looks at me for a minute and starts laughing.... he said "JIM CARREY not TIM CURRY"

Cell Phone Etiquette #3 - Dead People, etc

Do not text me that someone just died!
My family did this to me several months ago, even though it was an expected death, something felt so cold and impersonal about " Uncle died today".

There is certain news that SHOULD NOT be broken to somebody by TEXTING THEM and a sample list includes the following (feel free to add)
1. Somebody Dying
2. Telling CLOSE people (like your huband) your pregnant
3. Breaking up with someone - You need to get a backbone if you have to breakup with someone by texting them....
4. Firing someone - Again, backbone... put on your big girl panties and deal with it.
5. Telling your spouse/parents anything significant - eg, lost job, got in car accident, got ticket, kid failing school, house burned down, etc.

Technology is not something that empowers us to avoid emotions by avoiding confrontation. Can you imagine a funeral where the Eulogy is delivered by text? OR a wedding ... "I DO"....

Cell Phone Etiquette #2 - Check Out at a store

When you are checking out in a line at any place that you are purchasing something -Do not talk on the phone while checking out.

The person WORKING is trying to do their JOB and they don't know if you are talking to them or to the magical person on the other end of the phone. The person on the other end of the phone gets the interjections that you do to try and have minimal interaction with UNLESS they ring up your order then they become the biggest moron you have ever seen... of course you are not standing in front of a mirror to see yourself all self involved with YOUR conversation and treating the person trying to do their JOB while you carry on in your own little world! Don't be on the cell phone to make your purchase.

Once the purchase is complete then immediately get back on your cell phone so you can wonder into oncoming cars in the parking lot since you are not paying attention texting someone while you are walking.

Cell Phone Etiquette #1 - Bathrooms

To ALL cell phone users:

We live in an amazing time. We can watch live streaming video anywhere we are. We can text and email and calculate. We seem to gain an abundance of information from the world wide web.

Although we have all the technology in the world and we are beaming information into space and accessing data at the speed of light, we still need to remember the little things... like MANNERS AND ETIQUETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is Tracy Gillett's Rule of Etiquette Regarding Cell Phones - #1

When in a public bathroom DO NOT use your cell phone.
If it rings, DO NOT pick it up.
DO NOT call anyone with your cell phone.
DO NOT take any pictures or video IN the bathroom with your cell phone.
Matter of fact, there is little reason for you to bring your cell phone into the bathroom. It might slip out of your hands and fall into the toliet that you are using!
People may be waiting outside the stalls and you are taking extra time because you are having a conversation WHILE you are performing a bodily function AND we can hear every word, not to mention the person on the other end of the phone that can hear the toliets flushing while you are talking.
What is WRONG with you! Give yourself the 3 1/2 minutes it takes to go to the bathroom.
I stopped at a shell station in Bastrop and all 3 stalls were occupied. There was someone talking on the phone when I walked into the restroom and once she got off, someone else's phone rang...... and she answered it!!!

In order to train the general public that may not read my blog I am going to purchase one of those key chains that do the farting noises and anytime someone gets on a cell phone while I am in the bathroom, I am going to just start pushing buttons!!!!!!!!

Biblical Butterfly

Did you know that butterflies are not mentioned in the Bible. The are incredibly beautiful and amazing creatures yet, not a word about butterflies.

Ants are mentioned, Proverbs 30:25
Flys are mentioned, Exodus 8:31
Crickets, Locust, Grasshoppers, Bees, Fleas, lice and Gnats are all mentioned, but no Butterfly.

How can you look as this incredible creation and doubt there is a God?
I am still wondering why lice made it in but butterfly was never mentioned.

2009 Swine Flu/H1N1 education

So, here we are the beginning of another flu season. Sigh. Yes, the dreaded swine flu is still out there. It is already at in full swing in many places but the news is not covering it. Why? I don't know, I don't care. I have already had it, thank you very much. I tell you what, it was a rough 48 hours of headache I had to endure but I pulled through, along with my husband, son and daughter. Took some tylenol, drank a lot of fluid and moved on. Just like any other disease out there, it can affect other people differently. Some people may have a harder time with it or get some of the respiratory complications. The earlier in the season you catch it, the milder it is and you just built up a great immunity to it. Really - People ...... it's okay. It happens every year. It seems as if the US government wants to panic people into needing pubic healthcare!!

In the Gillett Compound:

• We are NOT getting the H1N1 vaccination. More long term and dangerous complications arise from the vaccination than the flu.


• We will NOT take tamiflu. Most people it cause terrible abdominal cramping. You have to take it for 7-10 days and I rather just have the flu for 3 days


• We will NOT be wearing masks. People have been writing how the see people are wearing masks. Study after Study has shown that you might as well put a weasel on your head. It would have the same effectiveness as a mask and is much cuter.

I will be the first to let you know if any of the BAD mutating stuff shows up or if there is a change in the trend.

Luckiest Person EVER

I have 3 email accounts...
tbsharp@hotmail.com I got it in September 15, 1996
tbsharp@yahoo.com I got it May 23, 1998
tbsharp@gmail.com I got it 2004 as one of the demo users

I also have 2 websites...
www.tbsharp.smugmug.com
www.tbsharp.blogspot.com

but I digress...

My hotmail account is my JUNK account. Whenever I go to a website that asks my email to get in, I give them my hotmail account. I haven't checked it in a while but when I went to it tonight I had 378 messages that weren't in the spam folder.

All I can tell ya is that I am going to need to make some room, because according to my emails I have about 65 DELL computers, 30 Walmart gift certificates, and 22 ipods that will be arriving any day. Top that off with several new careers in the medical field and multi-million dollar bank accounts from around the world that I need to baby sit..... I am one lucky woman.

Ever thought about what you are saying?

I was watching tv the other night and someone said "...the world is her oyster." I have heard that phrase throughout my life and no matter what explination I get I still think it is stupid. I mean, oysters are smelly and gross. Most of them don't have pearls, if they do then they are not usually the nice round ones. If you eat an oyster, you don't enjoy the taste or even chew for that matter. So what are really saying with that phrase.. That the world is an ugly, mindless, sea slug that tastes horrible.

That brings me to another phrase I hear ALL the time... (make sure you say it with the soft southern draw) "Bless her heart.." That only translates to one thing for me "She is so stupid" Why are we blessing her heart, should be praying for her brain?

Then there is "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" - Huh? That would make for a weird world series don't ya think. Players changing sides to be on the winning team in game 4.

There are the southern phrases that people from other places don't understand... Like "... the dog out of" . I was talking to some kids on the yearbook staff last year and I told them I had taken this really good picture of the football team but I had to photoshop the dog out of it because of the shadows. The little blonde girl from california looked intently at the picture and asked "where was the dog?" What was bad, was the boy behind her was pointing out where he thought the dog had been.

FYI... THERE WAS NO DOG!

SOLD

So far in the past 3 days I have sold David's truck and his boat.

Skuuul

I am a bad parent.

The first day of school I drove up, opened the door and told the children to get out of the van.

No pictures

No pomp and circumstance just get out of the car.

I told John "Son, you are suppose to go to the Gym" he gets out of the car and heads for the lockers... The grammer principle stops him and tells him to go to the Gym. I roll down the window as I am driving by and Shout "I AM NOT A MORON" and speed off.

The second day of school we played hookie and went to the Houston Texans Training facility for the day.

The third day of school I email the administration concerning the variation in the policy and procedures which were subsequently removed from the website to be updates.

The fourth day of school John didn't show up till 10:40am because of a Drs. appointment

and

The fifth day of school I picked up Nicole because she had a sore throat.

In first grade they use to count to the 100th day of school. I am not sure we are going to make it!