Long ago in a small, far away village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
Japanese Folktale
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year. Welcome 2010!
Ah, it's the new year. I've been looking forward to 2009 ending. I have to say 2009 was the worst year of my entire life. I'm looking forward to making a fresh start in the new year. Of course, the new decade doesn't start until 2011, but who am I to split hairs. So I have my new year resolutions. Normally, I don't stick to these things but now that I'm older I believe it's time to finish what I start. So here are my resolutions:
#1--Play less of World of Warcraft and play other games.
I wouldn't consider myself a gamer per se but I've been playing video games ever since my parents bought me an Atari 2600 for Christmas in 1984. Ever since then, I've been playing video games. Over the years I've gotten the latest consoles including the Nintendo, Nintendo NES, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Game cube, PlayStation 2 and 3. No I don't have an Xbox but I'm thinking of getting one soon. So I guess you can say I'm really into video game like many other adults in my age group (29 to 39). As a birthday present in 2007 I received the World of Warcraft game. I got online and started an account and tried to play the game. I believe my first character was a human mage. The furthest I got was level 8 before I decided to stop playing. It was just too hard to complete the quests, or so I thought. A few months later Grand Theft Auto IV came out and of course I had to get the game. I love the whole Grant Theft Auto series. My favorite is San Andreas. I finished the game in three weeks. The game didn't even provide a challenge to me. In July of 2008 I ran into someone from work who told me she played World of Warcraft. When I told her that I had the game but stopped playing, she got really excited. She said she would meet me in the game and show me how to really play. So I decided to give the game another chance. Well, after a weekend of receiving her tutorial on how to play the game properly I was hooked. After that all I played was WoW. Now I'm a level 55 Night elf Druid with two alt characters one at level 40 and the other at level 39. World of Warcraft is a time suck for sure. I haven't played my PlayStation 3 in so long it has dust on it. Now I just use it as a Blue Ray player. The decision to play less World of Warcraft came when I spent an entire three-day weekend playing the game and missed going out with a friend. So, I'm retiring WoW while to live life outside the online world and I'm going back to playing console games.
#2 lose 150 pounds.
I've been overweight my whole life. It's gotten to the point to where it's dangerous. I don't want to die at age 50 or younger like my mother who struggled with her weight all of her life. Diets do not work for me. I'm going to just do it the right way with a combination of eating more healthy and exercising. I do have a plan in place and I won't get into it here. I am determined more than ever to lose this weight. My life depends on it. Wish me luck
#3 start dating again. It's been two years, and I need to move on with my life.
It's self explanatory. After my relationship ended, I've been in a funk ever since. I think now I'm ready to put myself out there again. It will be good. Who knows? I might meet the love of my life. Nah!
#4 stop obsessing over people or things I don't have in my life and appreciate the people and things I do have in my life. Try and make new friends.
I need to be more appreciative of all of the things I have. I have good friends in my life. For a long time I wished I had more but I'm grateful for the people in my life. I am a good person. I just need to be willing to let others see it.
#5 Try to accept who I am and stop wishing to be someone I will never be.
For a long time I hated myself for reasons I cannot describe. Lately I've realized I have to stop being so hard on myself. I can only control the things I can control. I need to let go of the things I cannot control. I am constantly doubting myself and putting myself down. I have accomplished so much in my young life. I have a career and life to be proud of. I just need to have a little more confidence in myself. This year I'm going to focus on the positive and not on the negative.
#6 blog more often.
I use to have a blog back in the day under a different name. For some reason I stopped. I use to love doing it. It was fun. So, this year I'm going to post more blogs. I'm still a little rusty. Once I posting more often, I'll get my groove back. Did I just say "get my groove back"? Sheesh!
2010 is going to be a great year. I am going to make it happen.
#1--Play less of World of Warcraft and play other games.
I wouldn't consider myself a gamer per se but I've been playing video games ever since my parents bought me an Atari 2600 for Christmas in 1984. Ever since then, I've been playing video games. Over the years I've gotten the latest consoles including the Nintendo, Nintendo NES, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Game cube, PlayStation 2 and 3. No I don't have an Xbox but I'm thinking of getting one soon. So I guess you can say I'm really into video game like many other adults in my age group (29 to 39). As a birthday present in 2007 I received the World of Warcraft game. I got online and started an account and tried to play the game. I believe my first character was a human mage. The furthest I got was level 8 before I decided to stop playing. It was just too hard to complete the quests, or so I thought. A few months later Grand Theft Auto IV came out and of course I had to get the game. I love the whole Grant Theft Auto series. My favorite is San Andreas. I finished the game in three weeks. The game didn't even provide a challenge to me. In July of 2008 I ran into someone from work who told me she played World of Warcraft. When I told her that I had the game but stopped playing, she got really excited. She said she would meet me in the game and show me how to really play. So I decided to give the game another chance. Well, after a weekend of receiving her tutorial on how to play the game properly I was hooked. After that all I played was WoW. Now I'm a level 55 Night elf Druid with two alt characters one at level 40 and the other at level 39. World of Warcraft is a time suck for sure. I haven't played my PlayStation 3 in so long it has dust on it. Now I just use it as a Blue Ray player. The decision to play less World of Warcraft came when I spent an entire three-day weekend playing the game and missed going out with a friend. So, I'm retiring WoW while to live life outside the online world and I'm going back to playing console games.
#2 lose 150 pounds.
I've been overweight my whole life. It's gotten to the point to where it's dangerous. I don't want to die at age 50 or younger like my mother who struggled with her weight all of her life. Diets do not work for me. I'm going to just do it the right way with a combination of eating more healthy and exercising. I do have a plan in place and I won't get into it here. I am determined more than ever to lose this weight. My life depends on it. Wish me luck
#3 start dating again. It's been two years, and I need to move on with my life.
It's self explanatory. After my relationship ended, I've been in a funk ever since. I think now I'm ready to put myself out there again. It will be good. Who knows? I might meet the love of my life. Nah!
#4 stop obsessing over people or things I don't have in my life and appreciate the people and things I do have in my life. Try and make new friends.
I need to be more appreciative of all of the things I have. I have good friends in my life. For a long time I wished I had more but I'm grateful for the people in my life. I am a good person. I just need to be willing to let others see it.
#5 Try to accept who I am and stop wishing to be someone I will never be.
For a long time I hated myself for reasons I cannot describe. Lately I've realized I have to stop being so hard on myself. I can only control the things I can control. I need to let go of the things I cannot control. I am constantly doubting myself and putting myself down. I have accomplished so much in my young life. I have a career and life to be proud of. I just need to have a little more confidence in myself. This year I'm going to focus on the positive and not on the negative.
#6 blog more often.
I use to have a blog back in the day under a different name. For some reason I stopped. I use to love doing it. It was fun. So, this year I'm going to post more blogs. I'm still a little rusty. Once I posting more often, I'll get my groove back. Did I just say "get my groove back"? Sheesh!
2010 is going to be a great year. I am going to make it happen.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Not so good
Boy I'm really not very good at this blogging thing. I use to blog back in the day but I stopped because it stopped being fun. I have a lot to say I just don't feel any inspiration. I guess I'll figure it out soon.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Missing The Southwest
Last year I received a promotion to work in Washington, DC. I'm originally from Phoenix, Arizona. This is my dream job doing something that I love to do. My previous job in Phoenix was quite difficult and I was no longer enjoying what I was doing. When the opportunity came to apply for another job, I took it. At the time when I initially applied for the job I didn't realize the how difficult the whole process would be. The process of moving all of my belongings out of my house to a new place in Virginia which is where I ended up. The only thing I was thinking about was getting out of my old job and away from all of the difficulties I was having. My life in Phoenix was amazing. I had great friends, two wonderful dogs, a home that I built from the ground up, and an amazing boyfriend. But Phoenix was getting boring. It was getting hotter year after year, and the traffic was horrific. I felt like I needed a change. I was getting restless.
In November of '08 I received the news that I had been selected to for the job in DC. I was stoked....for about 5 minutes. When it sunk in that I was leaving my home, my life, my friends, and family behind, I thought, "oh crap, what have I done." I would be leaving Phoenix alone. My boyfriend decided he didn't want to come with me nor continue with a long distance relationship (bastard).
When I arrived in Virginia in January I noticed something very odd. It was cold. Yes, cold. I, Karen Marie, desert flower, had not seen snow since I was 2 years old. Nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience. In February I went through my first snow storm. I looked outside one Monday morning and could not see my car because it was covered underneath tons and tons of snow. My commute everyday from Manassas, Virginia to DC was horrific. I didn't realize the commute was so long. It's about an hour and thirty minutes every morning to DC and two hours to go home at night. When I was in Phoenix, it took me twenty five minutes to get to work. This is not fun.
By March my depression got worse when I didn't see the sun for two weeks. I've never gone outside and not seen the sun and the blue skies, (well Phoenix skies are usually brown because of the pollution). By April I was laying in my bed with the covers over my head crying my eyes out. I missed my home, my dogs (who are still in Arizona due to circumstances beyond my control), my friends and my family. I especially missed my brother who is my best friend. By the way, I still have my house in Arizona. I was unable to sell due to the economy tanking. So now I have to rent it out. Luckily my brother is my tenant so that's good news there. On top of that my step-dad is very ill and I'm worried about him. I feel powerless to help him in my depressed state. Luckily he lives in Philadelphia and I can care for him when he needs me.
It was April and I'm still wearing a coat, sweater, hat and gloves. In Phoenix, April is BBQ weather. I'd be out grilling some chicken or steaks. Why is it still so cold?
I realized that I took Phoenix for granted. Before I knew it, I began to miss all of the things I despised about Phoenix. Now, it's summer and the humidity is killing me. I miss the 110 degree dry heat. I miss the desert landscaping and the mountains. I've never even been to the Grand Canyon. Yes, I lived in Phoenix my whole teen and adult life and never seen the
Grand Canyon. I figured it would always be there. It's not like someone is going to come and fill in the hole. Now, I wish I could visit it.
I'll admit, I didn't think things through all of the way when I accepted the job. I guess the only thing I was thinking about was getting away from the stress and pressures of my old job. The new job is awesome and the people there are great. It's August now and I'm just now finding my way. The depression I was feeling is slowly going away. I've made one new friend at work. I still miss Phoenix terribly. The southwest girl in me will always love Phoenix. I will probably never get use to living on the east coast. It's getting better and better day by day.
Just thought I'd share this.
In November of '08 I received the news that I had been selected to for the job in DC. I was stoked....for about 5 minutes. When it sunk in that I was leaving my home, my life, my friends, and family behind, I thought, "oh crap, what have I done." I would be leaving Phoenix alone. My boyfriend decided he didn't want to come with me nor continue with a long distance relationship (bastard).
When I arrived in Virginia in January I noticed something very odd. It was cold. Yes, cold. I, Karen Marie, desert flower, had not seen snow since I was 2 years old. Nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience. In February I went through my first snow storm. I looked outside one Monday morning and could not see my car because it was covered underneath tons and tons of snow. My commute everyday from Manassas, Virginia to DC was horrific. I didn't realize the commute was so long. It's about an hour and thirty minutes every morning to DC and two hours to go home at night. When I was in Phoenix, it took me twenty five minutes to get to work. This is not fun.
By March my depression got worse when I didn't see the sun for two weeks. I've never gone outside and not seen the sun and the blue skies, (well Phoenix skies are usually brown because of the pollution). By April I was laying in my bed with the covers over my head crying my eyes out. I missed my home, my dogs (who are still in Arizona due to circumstances beyond my control), my friends and my family. I especially missed my brother who is my best friend. By the way, I still have my house in Arizona. I was unable to sell due to the economy tanking. So now I have to rent it out. Luckily my brother is my tenant so that's good news there. On top of that my step-dad is very ill and I'm worried about him. I feel powerless to help him in my depressed state. Luckily he lives in Philadelphia and I can care for him when he needs me.
It was April and I'm still wearing a coat, sweater, hat and gloves. In Phoenix, April is BBQ weather. I'd be out grilling some chicken or steaks. Why is it still so cold?
I realized that I took Phoenix for granted. Before I knew it, I began to miss all of the things I despised about Phoenix. Now, it's summer and the humidity is killing me. I miss the 110 degree dry heat. I miss the desert landscaping and the mountains. I've never even been to the Grand Canyon. Yes, I lived in Phoenix my whole teen and adult life and never seen the
Grand Canyon. I figured it would always be there. It's not like someone is going to come and fill in the hole. Now, I wish I could visit it.
I'll admit, I didn't think things through all of the way when I accepted the job. I guess the only thing I was thinking about was getting away from the stress and pressures of my old job. The new job is awesome and the people there are great. It's August now and I'm just now finding my way. The depression I was feeling is slowly going away. I've made one new friend at work. I still miss Phoenix terribly. The southwest girl in me will always love Phoenix. I will probably never get use to living on the east coast. It's getting better and better day by day.
Just thought I'd share this.
Friday, August 21, 2009
First Day
So, this is my first ever blog. Yes, I've started late now that the blogging craze has started to die down. The reason why I decided to create a blog is because I wanted to share some of my thoughts and ideas with the world. Why would the world care what you think you say? Well, I don't expect the world to care. Years ago I use to write a lot. For some reason I stopped. I'll go deeper into that much later. My point is I've decided I wanted to start writing again. I have no idea what I'm going to write about but I figured this would be an excellent starting point. I also wanted to share my thoughts on what is going on in the world. I'll be writing about politics, movies and other life stuff. I will not write about celebrities or gossip. I hate that stuff.
Stay tuned I promise this will get more interesting.
Stay tuned I promise this will get more interesting.
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