Do You Ever Make Up Your Own Words?

Posted by

8

I make up my own words. If you asked my husband, he would most likely say I make up my own words on a daily basis. I believe it happens because there are too many things going on in my mind, and whatever comes out is often the combination of a few words.

One that comes to mind as I write this is one day when I felt like Chris was coddling me a bit (he is so good to me, but I think I was cranky and hungry). I cannot remember the exact thing that happened, but my response was: “I not child.” (Said with an aggressive huff.) Yes, no typos there, that is exactly what I said. Now it is funny to us, and we use it for a good laugh once in a while. And, we always say it in a cranky tone.

Somehow over the years he has learned to translate my smashed words and 99% of the time he knows what I am trying to say, but he never lets me off the hook. A day or so later he will find a way to weave my made up word into conversation and wait for my reaction. As soon as I realize what he is doing, a slow grin creeps onto his face. This happens a few times over the course of a couple of weeks until the word becomes part of our normal conversation. Although whenever Chris says it there is a grin on his face. Ah, what fun we have together.

Do you make up your own language when you are tired, cranky, or there is just too much going on in your mind?  I would love to hear the things that have come out of your mouth, that now make you laugh.

Amsterdam = Bikes, Canals, and Oliebollen

Posted by

0

Did you have a good weekend? I hope so! Over the weekend I was going through files and photos on my computer and thought about Amsterdam.

Last November my husband and I took a trip to Amsterdam. What an experience! We were there for about 5 days and it was the perfect amount of time. It felt like a mix between Venice and a town in Germany and also a lot like Portland. When we got there it was foggy for the first few days, and rainy. It felt like being in Portland although 1000 of miles away. Maybe that is why I instantly felt comfortable, like I could so easily live there.

bike parking garage

Bikes rule in Amsterdam. They are everywhere. Cars come next and pedestrians last. So different from what I am used to in Portland, where a car tends to stop whenever someone crosses a street (even if it is not at a cross walk). The picture to the left shows a bike parking garage by the train station. Yes, that is really four levels of bikes parked. I was in awe.

I was also surprised by a few things. There was gum on the streets and sidewalks everywhere. There was also quite a bit of litter everywhere. The below picture shows the canals, with lots of trash, and on the left side of the canal the white thing is actually a refrigerator.

to the left down the canal is a refrigerator

We ate plenty of food. I found it interesting that most menus did not have many vegetable options. But, they like their cheese. We had the most amazing smoked goat cheese, and I had a salad with fried goat cheese, honey, and pears (I never would have thought to put all three together). We had traditional Dutch crepes, and my favorite of all: oliebollen.

Since we were there during Thanksgiving week, the holidays were in full swing. Between Thanksgiving and New Years they have outdoor holiday markets (which look beautiful at night with all the lights). There are an assortment of food trucks, and one had a specific holiday Dutch treat – Olibollen (or fried dough). This particular holiday market was quite a long ways from our hotel, but we make the trek each day for this amazing, warm, and sweet goodness. Who could resist!?

mmm…Oliebollen

I think I have the travel bug again. I am ready to go and explore someplace new. My heart is set on Copenhagen. I love the opportunity to try new food, explore local art, boutiques, architecture, etc. Thank you, Amsterdam for such a wonderful trip!

Working Out While Working

Posted by

2

What is the first thing you do when you come home from work? What do you do to decompress from the work day? I usually like to check in with my husband about his day and tell him things about my day. Then, I try to immediately go for my daily run. I can be completely exhausted mentally and physically and 99% of the time if I go for a run I get rejuvenated and can accomplish much more for the rest of my evening.

In my last job I worked from home and often felt like I needed to run double the amount because I was constantly on my laptop or on the phone and I wished I had the option to move around more during my day. I often felt tethered to my laptop. Fast forward to this article I read recently about a treadmill desk. If I had one of these when I was working from home, I could see myself working away, and run/walk at a slower than normal pace for a longer period of time to have the option to move while working. I think a lot of people (if you can handle the treadmill) would appreciate this type of multi-tasking. It would also mean that a lot of us are staying fit while juggling a lot of other responsibilities.

It is massive and not the most attractive of machines, but to me the ROI could be high. To think that maybe on those crazy days when you do not have time for a workout, but you are listening in on a conference call, or you need to read over proposals and the like that you could have stay fit in the process. It sounds like a win-win situation to me!

TGIF!! I am so very excited for the weekend and for time to rest and recoup from a full week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Are You A Sponge?

Posted by

1

Are you a sponge? Do you feed off of the energy of those around you? I love this Daily Om from a few weeks ago called: “Centered and Safe.” It resonates with me because I find that when I am not balanced or listening to my inner voice, I can easily become a sponge to other’s moods, complaints, or joy. The good part is when I am a sponge for joy. The not fun part is when it is the opposite. You know when you are grumpy and someone else’s happiness kicks your mood’s butt? Those are the good perks of being a sponge. What is bad is when you can be in a great place, and someone’s poopy attitude sways you to become grumpy and frustrated.

I have worked hard over the past few months to be clear on when my moods are affected by those I am surrounded by on a daily basis. Do I feel frazzled and stressed out because those around me do? Can I leave the mood of others behind by finding the good in a bad or not fun situation? Another way to think about it is what the Daily Om calls being sensitive. I think “being sensitive” gets a bad rap. Many times the word “sensitive” has a negative connotation of being weak or easily influenced. I do not think of the word sensitive in that way. Dictionary.com lists “sensitive” as:

sen·si·tive [sen-si-tiv] adjective

1. endowed with sensation;  having perception through the senses.
2. readily or excessively affected by external agencies or influences.
3. having acute mental or emotional sensibility; aware of and responsive to the feelings of others.
4. easily pained, annoyed, etc.
5. pertaining to or connected with the senses  or sensation.

#3 is what resonates with me. So, the better balanced an individual is with their own selves, the easier it is to accommodate their own sensitive nature. In a good way. So if you are a sponge, you have a choice of how much of another’s moods you let into your experience. Are you aware of what you are absorbing?

You might also find Tuesday’s Daily Om resonates with you. It is called: “Let it Roll Off Our Back.” It is a good reminder to let things go and not get too caught up in someone else’s negative energy.

I am going to be on watch for when I need to squeeze out the junk from my sponge and when I need to keep absorbing the good!

Scam Notification – US Airlines

Posted by

4

Just got this scam notification in the mail from US Airlines. I am so sick of junk mail that looks slightly legitimate only to find it is a scam. The front looks like they are tax/government documents. It is not in an envelope, but has those edges that you tear off on three sides. Here is what the front looks like, and below that is what it says on the inside:

front of US Airline notice

PLEASE READ ENTIRE DOCUMENT CAREFULLY–

“Dear XXXXXX,

Enclosed is your airline ticket voucher. This voucher is good for a certificate for 2 round trip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental US from any major international US airport.

This voucher must be certified to be valid.

We have been tasked with notifying you of this award. We have attempted contacting you several times. Note that this aware must be claimed by July 3rd, 2012.

If you do not claim your award, it will be transferred to the alternate. This is a limited time offer and can be withdrawn at any time. Flights fill quickly.

This will be your last chance to respond.

Please reference your claim number xx-xxxx.

Note: This is not a timeshare or land sales offer.

Sincerely,

Awards Department

As with the Mortgage Auditing Consumer Services letter we received, and that I wrote about a few months ago, this is just another way to scam people. I still fear that those that are most effected are the elderly. Plus I think what is additionally confusing is that in the top left it says “US Airlines” – which I think makes people think of “US Airways” or “United Airlines” which makes it seem more legitimate. US Airlines is not an airline, it does not exist.

Please companies, stop the junk mail, stop the scams. Can we just get back to honesty and integrity? Why do we have to work so hard these days to determine if what we receive (paper mail or email) is legitimate?