Is there a new rule that I wasn't made aware of that says "No Parking in a Handicapped Zone without placards UNLESS you are in an Elementary School parking lot...then park wherever you feel like"?
One thing in life that I feel like I am missing out on, (and I feel that way because I am impatient and have a hard time "waiting my turn") is travel. The idea of visiting every place I can imagine takes hold of my imagination, and doesn't let go too easily. I want to see it all! And I want my children to see the places I loved visiting as a child. We live in the Grand Canyon state...we should probably take a trip to the Grand Canyon. I love visiting the local sights, the ruins, the hills, the trails, I want to see Oman, Korea, Sydney, Vietnam. Pretty much the only place that doesn't spike my interest too much is Italy. I have no idea why I don't care about Italy...JP says I don't like Italian food...maybe that has something to do with it. (For the record, I do like Italian food, but not Olive Garden, that's as Italian as Taco Hell is Mexican.)
So I found a writing gig for Examiner.com (you may have noticed the button on my side bar, click it to see my articles). I took the Mesa, AZ Sightseeing gig. I really expected it to just be very localized, I thought I would just write about what's to do in Mesa, AZ. I felt really happy to do that. It seemed like the perfect excuse to find new things to do and take my family all around town so I could write about what to do in Mesa. What I didn't expect going in, was all the contacts I would make with people in the travel industry, in the know in their own towns (the Santa Fe, New Mexico travel Examiner has some great articles, she almost makes me want to try New Mexico one more time before deciding forever and always that New Mexico is an evil state.)
In addition, because Examiner.com pretty much required me to voluntarily (like that?) sign up for twitter, I have found lots and lots of FREE things to do in Mesa in the next couple of weeks. Who knew?
I had no idea when I replied to a Craig's List ad for a paid writing gig that the result would be an answer to my desire to find ways for my family to enjoy some of life and to get out of the grind a little.
The pay for Examiner seems to be somewhere about a penny a click. That's not alot. But even after just one week, I can see that the rewards from making contacts not just in my community, but around the entire US (when will it become the world?) are going to be invaluable.
I'm excited.
Also, Examiner is in 120 cities, not all of them "large"...so if you think you'd like to become an Examiner, please let me know so I can refer you. There is a special way to do the referral, and I get $50.00 if they offer you the gig, so it would mean alot to me if you'd let me refer you. I think most of you can put a sentence together, so, why not see if its something for you? There are lots and lots and lots of topics to choose from, and if there is not currently an Examiner for a topic you are passionate about, you can suggest a topic! So if budget meal planning is your thing, suggest it. If special education is your thing, suggest it! If traveling by donkey is your thing, you can see if you can find some readers for that too.
Anyways, I just wanted to fill you all in on this, because I'm loving it.
Since we're all about the spooky things in life, I suppose I may have brought this on myself, but the nightmares this month...I'm done.
Every morning I am waking up exhausted from having been fired by bosses I had 10 years ago, arguing with family members, discovering I was about to become a grandparent before 40, being attacked by snakes, haunted by 40 gallon barrel's of potato pearls, etc.
The bags under my eyes are not pretty. I have never been so tempted to take the kids to school still wearing my pajamas. A donut sounds really good.
Dear Mr. Cave Hair,
I owe you an apology.
When we did this-
JP and I have been having fun all month posting creepy picks of the day for seasonally appropriate music. (Some might call it Halloween, but JP prefers Helloween...its that special time of year when we can let our inner goth out)
Of course we have enjoyed the usual picks, "This Is Halloween" both the original and a spooky Marilyn Manson version (does it get more?) and "Every Day is Halloween" by good ol' Ministry, but we've found some other fun, weird, offbeat, bizarre, and just plain stupid tunes too!
My fave so far is this one:
Don't you just love the creepy buzzy organ and the wailing Wailers? My kids can't get enough of this song either, in fact one night last week, they begged to hear it just one more time during dance party time before bed, they had already heard it 4 times in a row. I agreed to play it one more time and told them "OK, one more time, run around, be crazy, do whatever you want for 3 more minutes, then its bedtime." Ummmm, lets just say that next time I will omit the phrase "do whatever you want." Before I knew it, they were both wearing nothing but their underwear and jumping over the couch. I had no idea that do whatever you want meant strip to your drawers and jump over furniture! I thought maybe it meant chase each other, do jumping jacks, maybe even play freeze tag. Now I know!
Here is the STUPIDEST song I've found so far...seriously, I don't know which is lamer, the chipmunks, or the rapping. Either way, it gets my vote for being next only to the Milk Shake Song, and My Humps for Stupidest Song Ever in the Entire Universe. (even stupider than the One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater---which I LOVED as a child.)It made the creepy picks list because its about a witch doctor, and witch doctors are creepy.
Get your kids over here before you click though, because they will love it.
