Hello all! It's been a long time since I've posted anything, and I am here to say it's not because nothing big has happened to me. And it seems that I never post because I don't know how to catch up. (And, as I've said in the past, I compose blogs in my head and never commit them to webpage.)
- My sister's episode of Wife Swap aired! (I thought I'd put this at the top of the list, since it was the last thing I posted)
- I went to Ireland with a bunch of people...and I only knew two people when I got there! But I fell in love (totally platonically) with our Irish guide, made tons of friends, and have plenty of people to stay with when I visit Denver someday (and check out my photos!)
- My younger sister (adopted) was in a car accident and is on her VERY long road to recovery
- My company bought a much larger company and things are somewhat stressful as we face the changes (and I've volunteered to move temporarily to Dayton, Ohio, to help with the transition - but that offer hasn't been accepted yet)
- a new friend! A chick named Laura Holt started working in my department at work, and we have totally clicked.
- So many little things that I can't count...
I am just writing to say that I haven't forgotten about this little thing we like to call a blog...and I don't want this to be a biography on my life. Hopefully, I will talk about issues and things on my mind. But also a place where people can catch up with what I've been doing for the past days/months/weeks/years.
So stay tuned for more in the days ahead!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Monday, September 04, 2006
Real life vs. "reality" TV
So, as most of you know, I have a different view of the "reality TV" topic. A couple weeks ago, my sister left for a week at another woman's house as a part of the hit ABC show, Wife Swap.
OMG, right?
Obviously, I can't say much about it right now because I don't want to jeopardize my sister's spot on the show, but I just have to say that I was naive. My thought was, "Well, it's obviously not ALL of what this person's about, but we're obviously seeing events that DO go on, right?"
Riiiiiight...
Let's just say that my family will no longer be watching Wife Swap after Dana's episode airs. I remember being very critical of a woman on the show who said to the house-husband during the "rule change": "I think a man should be providing for his family by doing manual labor." I thought, how in the world can she think that??? Manual labor??? Plenty of men provide for their family with office jobs!
What I think now is, I wonder who made that decision? I wonder what that woman really thought about this guy working outside the home? AND I wonder how much fun it was to send this very metro-sexual man out to dig ditches? :0) So...sorry for judging you, lady.
Because, how will my sister be judged by America? And how will her family look on TV? Who the heck knows. Because they have 150 hours that have to be cut to 22 minutes...for the Clover family alone.
All this to say, I'm very happy for my sister and this opportunity. And VERY happy that it's over! I promise to tell everyone when it airs, and hopefully to defend my sister's honor if anything bad seems to be happening.
AND I am much closer to my niece, Brooke! She spent the night at my house a couple nights, and I got to take care of her for half of the week. She is absolutely adorable (which I knew beforehand), and I love to be with her. While my four pre-adolescent nephews are (jokingly) my "birth control", my time with Brooke makes me greatly anticipate that time in my life when I have children.
Disclaimer: my nephews are great, too. It's just that hormones and arguments between the four of them can definitely take away from their attractive qualities. Again, let's see how they look on TV!
OMG, right?
Obviously, I can't say much about it right now because I don't want to jeopardize my sister's spot on the show, but I just have to say that I was naive. My thought was, "Well, it's obviously not ALL of what this person's about, but we're obviously seeing events that DO go on, right?"
Riiiiiight...
Let's just say that my family will no longer be watching Wife Swap after Dana's episode airs. I remember being very critical of a woman on the show who said to the house-husband during the "rule change": "I think a man should be providing for his family by doing manual labor." I thought, how in the world can she think that??? Manual labor??? Plenty of men provide for their family with office jobs!
What I think now is, I wonder who made that decision? I wonder what that woman really thought about this guy working outside the home? AND I wonder how much fun it was to send this very metro-sexual man out to dig ditches? :0) So...sorry for judging you, lady.
Because, how will my sister be judged by America? And how will her family look on TV? Who the heck knows. Because they have 150 hours that have to be cut to 22 minutes...for the Clover family alone.
All this to say, I'm very happy for my sister and this opportunity. And VERY happy that it's over! I promise to tell everyone when it airs, and hopefully to defend my sister's honor if anything bad seems to be happening.
AND I am much closer to my niece, Brooke! She spent the night at my house a couple nights, and I got to take care of her for half of the week. She is absolutely adorable (which I knew beforehand), and I love to be with her. While my four pre-adolescent nephews are (jokingly) my "birth control", my time with Brooke makes me greatly anticipate that time in my life when I have children.
Disclaimer: my nephews are great, too. It's just that hormones and arguments between the four of them can definitely take away from their attractive qualities. Again, let's see how they look on TV!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Four Things
I wasn't tagged per se...but it was implied that I should consider myself tagged.
Four Jobs I've Had: (I could name 7 from last year alone!)
* Technical Writer at Universal Computer Systems
* Worship Assistant at Faithbridge UMC
* Barista at Starbucks
* Editorial Intern at HTexas Magazine (check out my work - google "Bethany Fasnacht" and click on any link to the HTexas website)
Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over:
* 50 First Dates
* Friends (okay, it's not a movie, but I watch it on DVD, so it counts)
* Vertical Limit (I'll watch just about any sports movie, but this is a good, intense one)
* Under the Tuscan Sun
Four Tv Shows I Watch:
* Lost
* CBS' Thursday night lineup - Survivor/CSI/Without a Trace
* Top Chef
* Gilmore Girls
Four Places I've Been On Vacation:
* London (for Thanksgiving...the AMERICAN holiday)
* Akron/Cleveland, OH
* Miami, FL (I would recommend this beautiful city to anyone!)
* San Francisco and northern California
Four Dishes I Never Get Sick Of:
* Homemade chili (NORTHERN chili, that is - with sugar and just a pinch of chili powder)
* Mac & cheese
* Spaghetti
* Taco Bell tacos
Four Websites I Visit Daily:
* Yahoo! Mail
* Yahoo!/MSN Games
* Blogger/Blogspot (Blogger's where you write, blogspot's where you read)
* Wells Fargo
Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
* In bed sleeping
* in NC doing anything else (if you're wondering why, I'm hoping that NC will be my next home)
* hanging out with my sister, nephews, niece, and various farm animals
* chilling by a lake/river/creek/ocean/other body of water
Four People I Tag:
* Katie
* Missa
* Sharon (who I never talk to, but stay up to date on her life via blogspot and KT)
* ???
Four Jobs I've Had: (I could name 7 from last year alone!)
* Technical Writer at Universal Computer Systems
* Worship Assistant at Faithbridge UMC
* Barista at Starbucks
* Editorial Intern at HTexas Magazine (check out my work - google "Bethany Fasnacht" and click on any link to the HTexas website)
Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over:
* 50 First Dates
* Friends (okay, it's not a movie, but I watch it on DVD, so it counts)
* Vertical Limit (I'll watch just about any sports movie, but this is a good, intense one)
* Under the Tuscan Sun
Four Tv Shows I Watch:
* Lost
* CBS' Thursday night lineup - Survivor/CSI/Without a Trace
* Top Chef
* Gilmore Girls
Four Places I've Been On Vacation:
* London (for Thanksgiving...the AMERICAN holiday)
* Akron/Cleveland, OH
* Miami, FL (I would recommend this beautiful city to anyone!)
* San Francisco and northern California
Four Dishes I Never Get Sick Of:
* Homemade chili (NORTHERN chili, that is - with sugar and just a pinch of chili powder)
* Mac & cheese
* Spaghetti
* Taco Bell tacos
Four Websites I Visit Daily:
* Yahoo! Mail
* Yahoo!/MSN Games
* Blogger/Blogspot (Blogger's where you write, blogspot's where you read)
* Wells Fargo
Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
* In bed sleeping
* in NC doing anything else (if you're wondering why, I'm hoping that NC will be my next home)
* hanging out with my sister, nephews, niece, and various farm animals
* chilling by a lake/river/creek/ocean/other body of water
Four People I Tag:
* Katie
* Missa
* Sharon (who I never talk to, but stay up to date on her life via blogspot and KT)
* ???
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
People are annoying, pt. 2
Just a note to everyone out there: Not everyone enjoys the same topics you do. Have a heart and put a little variety in your conversations!
I try pretty hard (I don't know how successfully - people don't tell me) to not give too much information about the things that I do. I figure that I should give them the basics, and they can ask questions if they would like to know more. That way, I'm not boring people with endless stories about myself. I think I've gotten pretty good at this, though again, I've never gotten confirmation.
I also do my best to be interested in what other people are talking about. I ask them questions when they're telling a story, and I bring it up later if there was something going on. People like others to be interested in what they're talking about. And why would you want to tell a story if no one seems interested?
I have a friend at work who really doesn't understand that concept. And it's getting on my nerves. He talks about one topic every day, and I'm really not interested. Especially when I hear him telling the exact same story to at least three other people in the department! OMG! Too much information! He has no concept of how to make a story short, and it drives me nuts. He's constantly pulling me away from my work, and he cannot come over, make a comment, and leave again. It would be okay if he says something and leaves - I do that to him all the time. No, he comes over and stays a while. EVERY TIME, EVERY HOUR...
It's just like talking on the phone - if every conversation you have with someone is really long, what are the chances you'll pick up the phone if you don't have 2 hours to spend talking? (Okay, did I just reveal too much about my tactics?) The same with this friend from work. I dread him coming over because it's never short. I think he's funny and I like hanging out with him. But it's always long, and I've got deadlines.
Quote from SNL to end this rant: "The FDA approved a new transdermal patch to treat depression. Just remove the backing, and place it over your mother's mouth." Or grandmother. Or other relative. Or friend. Or stranger...Could I get a package of 100?
I try pretty hard (I don't know how successfully - people don't tell me) to not give too much information about the things that I do. I figure that I should give them the basics, and they can ask questions if they would like to know more. That way, I'm not boring people with endless stories about myself. I think I've gotten pretty good at this, though again, I've never gotten confirmation.
I also do my best to be interested in what other people are talking about. I ask them questions when they're telling a story, and I bring it up later if there was something going on. People like others to be interested in what they're talking about. And why would you want to tell a story if no one seems interested?
I have a friend at work who really doesn't understand that concept. And it's getting on my nerves. He talks about one topic every day, and I'm really not interested. Especially when I hear him telling the exact same story to at least three other people in the department! OMG! Too much information! He has no concept of how to make a story short, and it drives me nuts. He's constantly pulling me away from my work, and he cannot come over, make a comment, and leave again. It would be okay if he says something and leaves - I do that to him all the time. No, he comes over and stays a while. EVERY TIME, EVERY HOUR...
It's just like talking on the phone - if every conversation you have with someone is really long, what are the chances you'll pick up the phone if you don't have 2 hours to spend talking? (Okay, did I just reveal too much about my tactics?) The same with this friend from work. I dread him coming over because it's never short. I think he's funny and I like hanging out with him. But it's always long, and I've got deadlines.
Quote from SNL to end this rant: "The FDA approved a new transdermal patch to treat depression. Just remove the backing, and place it over your mother's mouth." Or grandmother. Or other relative. Or friend. Or stranger...Could I get a package of 100?
Monday, April 17, 2006
Pollyanna
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems but will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
- Herm Albright
Now, that's my kind of thinking!
- Herm Albright
Now, that's my kind of thinking!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Who am I?
Bethany -- [noun]: A human transformer (Robot in disguise) 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com |
my trials and tribulations
Since no one in my family is either awake or around for me to complain to, you have the opportunity to hear it first-hand. It's nothing huge, and if you know me, it's nothing new.
MY GRANDMOTHER!!!
Sometimes she makes me so frustrated, I want to cry. Of course, I slightly dramatic, so I'm probably over-reacting. But that doesn't change the fact that she's crazy!
The latest thing, which isn't big, but just another example of what I'm dealing with here: when my grandmother died, I got her round, glass-topped table, which went into storage because I was away at school. Then I think it hung out at someone's house for a while, and then Grandma wanted it. She said her table (which is slightly like mine, but larger, octagon, and with gold legs) was too big for their small apartment, and they started using mine.
Well, when I started talking about moving out, it came up that I was going to need the table back. And wouldn't you know it, her only response is, "Well, that table is too big for my place, and I gave it to your mother!"
SO FREAKIN' WHAT?!?! That doesn't change the fact that you are using MY table! A table that I liked so much that I asked for it when Grandma Perkins died. A table that I paid good money to store for over a year so I could use it when I got my own place. A table that's stinkin' hard to move, but I've done so several times, just so I could keep it! Not to mention the fact that I can't stand her table - it's got a crack in it, and I HATE gold.
Yeah, yeah...I'm not moving out right now, but it came up again tonight. I reminded her of our division of property here at the house, because she was flabbergasted that my mother wanted a new dining room set. "But what is she going to do with that table?" Yes, because you gave it to her, Grandma, she should want to treasure it the rest of her long life! Because you conveniently forgot that the table you are currently using is NOT YOURS, you will be able to keep it...
I am so tired of having to put up with her logic - if it's not her world, it's not worth talking about. Since her life revolves around my dog, her cat, her health, and cleaning her small apartment, she cannot fathom why I want to sit around on Saturdays when I could be doing something to organize, clean, or otherwise engage myself. And don't bother telling her that you have stressful things in your life, just like her - I feel like she doesn't understand that I have a life outside this house, outside my family, and outside her realm of existence. (You can tell I'm angry - I'm getting verbose.)
When I try to rebel and not give in to the manipulation and insinuations, my relationship with her is on even rockier grounds. I hate how manipulative she is, and I hate how I respond. I've said to her before that we say things to each other, just to get on the other person's nerves, and it's true! I'm trying to annoy her enough so she changing how she acts, and she's acting like normal, waiting for me to give up and give in.
I am sick and tired of manipulation. I feel like everyone uses it, including me. I'm tired of responding to it, and I'm tired of using it - whether or not it gets me what I want.
Thanks for letting me vent...happy thoughts to come...
MY GRANDMOTHER!!!
Sometimes she makes me so frustrated, I want to cry. Of course, I slightly dramatic, so I'm probably over-reacting. But that doesn't change the fact that she's crazy!
The latest thing, which isn't big, but just another example of what I'm dealing with here: when my grandmother died, I got her round, glass-topped table, which went into storage because I was away at school. Then I think it hung out at someone's house for a while, and then Grandma wanted it. She said her table (which is slightly like mine, but larger, octagon, and with gold legs) was too big for their small apartment, and they started using mine.
Well, when I started talking about moving out, it came up that I was going to need the table back. And wouldn't you know it, her only response is, "Well, that table is too big for my place, and I gave it to your mother!"
SO FREAKIN' WHAT?!?! That doesn't change the fact that you are using MY table! A table that I liked so much that I asked for it when Grandma Perkins died. A table that I paid good money to store for over a year so I could use it when I got my own place. A table that's stinkin' hard to move, but I've done so several times, just so I could keep it! Not to mention the fact that I can't stand her table - it's got a crack in it, and I HATE gold.
Yeah, yeah...I'm not moving out right now, but it came up again tonight. I reminded her of our division of property here at the house, because she was flabbergasted that my mother wanted a new dining room set. "But what is she going to do with that table?" Yes, because you gave it to her, Grandma, she should want to treasure it the rest of her long life! Because you conveniently forgot that the table you are currently using is NOT YOURS, you will be able to keep it...
I am so tired of having to put up with her logic - if it's not her world, it's not worth talking about. Since her life revolves around my dog, her cat, her health, and cleaning her small apartment, she cannot fathom why I want to sit around on Saturdays when I could be doing something to organize, clean, or otherwise engage myself. And don't bother telling her that you have stressful things in your life, just like her - I feel like she doesn't understand that I have a life outside this house, outside my family, and outside her realm of existence. (You can tell I'm angry - I'm getting verbose.)
When I try to rebel and not give in to the manipulation and insinuations, my relationship with her is on even rockier grounds. I hate how manipulative she is, and I hate how I respond. I've said to her before that we say things to each other, just to get on the other person's nerves, and it's true! I'm trying to annoy her enough so she changing how she acts, and she's acting like normal, waiting for me to give up and give in.
I am sick and tired of manipulation. I feel like everyone uses it, including me. I'm tired of responding to it, and I'm tired of using it - whether or not it gets me what I want.
Thanks for letting me vent...happy thoughts to come...
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