Challenging life

This last week has been challenging, I have been coughing, wheezing and my throat irritated enough to initiate this hoarsy sounding cough. I also had a really bad migrane a week ago to set off this annoying respiratory problem I have. I am on a bunch of prescribed inhalers and usually they work, whereas, this the wheeze goes away but this has not happened yet. I know I have improved since last week, where I had no voice and sounded like crap if I did try to talk. Lately, I absoulutely have not had any fun with exception of watching first episodes of the new season of grey's anatomy and the office. This also has prevented me from spending any money walking around stores due to my shortness of breath and limited exercise abilities. Maybe the part about spending money is a good thing. Due to economy and unsureness of everything, we have suspended pool installation for the time being. I don't have a huge stake in stocks, I do have a few mutual funds going from my 401 K, but plan to ride all of those out. I still think the stock market has some good in it, despite this weird turn of events our US has taken in the past couple of weeks. I guess my take is long term, if this happened when I was 60, I would be crying because of my dependence on my retirement. What is this lesson to be had from all the headlines going on about financial institutions crumbling? Don't spend out of your means. I seem to find myself guilty of doing that sometimes but in actuality I am too hard on myself. People still haven't learned that lesson to spend within your means. People think money will just fall out of the sky so they can pay their morgage and credit cards. Just because I get a credit card in the mail for a 20,000 limit doesn't mean I need to spend it. I cut it up or just don't activate it. Granted, there are those who don't have a choice to overspend in order to live and are still in debt, are using the credit cards to buy groceries and to pay for healthcare, I feel for those people. Because of this economic fiasco, we have lost a lot of equity in our house which sucks because it means any improvements we do is deemed worthless to add to the value. In other news, one of our leopard geckos died. We thought she was pregnant with eggs and was doing fine, the next day she was dead. It always sucks when one of your pets die, no matter how unattached I was to it. C'est la vie...looking forward to the weekend to rest and recouperate. Hopefully, I won't be so downer debbie in the future.

What's Happening

Freshly off of my newly turned age. Life is taking a few twists and turns lately. I believe age is simply a number. There are many experiences, many good a few bad in the last few months. I am fortunate that my health, family needs and wealth are not affected by these financial/natural disasters happening. For those that have been hard hit, my hat is off to you. I can't imagine having a flooded house, having to rebuild again or life changes in health or wealth. My personality is to lay low and ride things out. My nose is on the news streaming on the internet, depressing it may seems, the reality is nothing is happy anymore. I think Brad Pitt is doing more positive things for the world than the US government is right now, which in a way is really sad. My focus is family first, myself and work second and third, respectively. I cannot ever forget that or stray from that focus. Truly, at this time of dire straits in our country, I am blessed. My hats off to Obama to pursue the goal of change for our country. With him, it really can happen... with McCain and Palin, the chances are better that hell freezes over. So anyways, if American dreams really exist, I will be celebrating on Nov. 4 with the melodies of Madonna in the brisk Petco Park air rather than plotting my move across the Atlantic to hawk lavender bundles in the countryside. Just my thoughts this week, by the way French class is going very well, I have a exam on Monday so lets hope I spell correctly and keep my tenses, objects and gender agreeing.

On a lighter note

It is the weekend.  Yesterday, I went to Ryan's first soccer game of the season, it was an exciting game ending in a tie of 3 to 3.  I get nervous and anxious watching these because you get proud and want only for your team to succeed.  But they are fun and it is great watching the kids mimic soccer stars like David Beckham.  After the game, we went to Costco to go on the "necessities" shop.  That was one expensive shop.  I guess we were out of everything.  Then after my ritual weekend nap, I perused Barnes and Nobles for french study aides and browsed for a while.  It amazes me how many people are there on a Sat. night just hanging out.  

Next Tues. is my birthday, I am still young I guess.  My last name won't be. I am actually officially changing it through the DMV on Monday morning when I need to renew my drivers license, this is a feat that has taken me 8 years to do. I want to stop flip-flopping my maiden name and my married name and just have an idenity.  I am going to take my birthday off of work and I decided to do....somewhat absolutely nothing. I may go off and take my weekly french tutor hour so I don't miss work doing so this week but other than that I plan to catch up on episodes of tv that I am neglecting.  Usually on my birthday I reflect on the last year for a brief moment but other than that it is just like any other day. I also think of all the free meals that I could get using my drivers license from participating restaurants but never take advantage of the deals.  

Ok, I haven't given up yet but there is no pool or startings of a pool in my backyard, it is on "hold".  I officially have a mowed weed yard, our gardeners probably think we are crazy telling them we are killing our lawn for nothing. I keep imagining prettiness someday.  I guess that is what hope is for. 

I erased my likes etc. on my myspace and facebook pages, it is time to think anew, what are really my favorite tv shows, movies, interests etc... I feel I have somewhat evolved in the last few months. I am going to reevaluate and rewrite in the next week or so. 

Last weekend, I went to my grandma's birthday celebration up in Los Gatos which is near the San Jose area.  We landed on a Sat. morning,  I took the kids and we drove down to Santa Cruz for the afternoon.  It was a good time, the road is windy from San Jose to Santa Cruz but all the memories of driving there as a teen came flooding back.  I used to go to Santa Cruz to boogie board and just to hang out, those were the days. After Santa Cruz, we had a family get together on Sunday with about 44 people.  This included 2 babies under the age of one and a handful of kids under the age of five.  My kids are over the age of five, which sounds crazy since the parents of the kids under five are older than I am by as much as 17 years or so.  I really enjoyed my day with my family, I have to do this a few times a year to keep me sane. It gives me a calm to see my mom and dad.  Overall, It was a good weekend trip away. 

I am a mom too

So I guess that qualifies me to be VP. I am a soccer mom and PTA member, I am even in charge of counting Box Tops for Education, I work full time and hold down a household. Following all this nonsense of backwards politics this week has made me just want to say if you vote for a backwards lady for VP, I feel sorry for you. She, Fallin is hypocritical, dumb, stupid, idiotic..need I say more. She is so extreme she thinks it is god's will for all these tragedies in the world. I am not basing on her family, because it is her family, that is her personal life. Her views and gun toting agenda are not who I want leading this country. Who knows how long the big McOldperson will last in the big chair if he becomes elected. I cannot believe the country I currently reside in America is falling for this crap. If they sit in the two top seats, all of the progressive rights America has made in the last century not inc. the last eight years (because there was no progression) will be halted and even taken away. I am all for National Security and safety of the fellow American, global conservation and new energy sources like solar and wind but I also see the value of seperation of church and state, upholding the constitution, pro choice, and the same rights for gays as married hetero people. I see the economy dwendling in front of my eyes seeing much first hand being in recruitment advertising. I even heard India has taken over writing articles for the newspapers. Our dependence on oil can be averted not by drilling more holes in the US and in the process potential harm to the environment and the wildlife surrounding the oil fields. A more logical way to reduce the dependence would be to produce more efficient vehicles and educating on how to use less and conserve. There is a lot of untapped renewable energy sources still available, it would be more efficient to invest in those than to have all our polar ice caps melt and harm our atmosphere by drilling for more oil. Think of this, if we drill our other sources, will eventually use it up at probably a faster pace because of potential abuse of oil/gas resources. I don't see drilling as a good solution. It really sounds lame hearing a group of people chant drill, drill. Come on be educated. Change is good, it is not just a motto, it is a mission and hopefully for the better. I want to stay a proud American and not second guess where this country is heading. This year, I am voting on experience on not who has served in the military for a bunch of years but who is willing to open their hearts and mind for actually changing America life for the better. That experience is Obama/Biden. My opinion, my thoughts, my blog.