M.A.M.'s 10 Biggest Pet Peeves...

Oh, c'mon, you know you do too care...

Whenever I voice yet another of my pet peeves, I always start with, "Pet Peeve number 457..." or whatever random number I pick that day, and then launch into telling my unwilling victim something else I just realized ticks me off or drives me crazy ...So, I thought I'd make a list of those that came to mind right away (you know with 457 pet peeves, only the ones that come to mind immediately are listed here) And I imagine some people are not going to like some of my brutally honest opinions here, but really, they're all in fun. And they're in no particular order...

1. Babies who are dressed in just a diaper or a diaper and a t-shirt. I know it's not the baby's fault. It's the redneck parent who inflicts this baby equivalent of Glamour's Do's and Don'ts on their little guy/girl. And yes, I know it can get really hot in the summer, but a little sunsuit or onsie would work too. Why not just put them in a mini-wifebeater and a pair of baby Levi's?
2. Drivers who drive slow in the left lane. Hello! They call it a passing lane for a reason! (They also call it the FAST lane!)
3. Drivers who drive slow in the right lane. Okay, okay - just any slow driver is a pet peeve of mine no matter which lane they drive in! (The way I drive - I should have been born into the Earnhardt family.)
4. People who think they/their kids should be treated better than anyone else or have special priviledges. (Remind me to tell you about MFH (Mother-From-Hell) and her daughter "mini-me" from when my daughter went to private school. That's an entire post all it's own!
5. When you go to the store on a weekend and they have 1 or 2 registers open and deep lines for you to stand there on your time and give them your hard earned money. Retail is one of the oldest professions - have these people not figured out that more people shop on the weekends than other days of the week? (Not blaming the employees - the retailers themselves.)
6. Wal-mart bashers. I'm sorry - I have worked retail and many of my friends still do. K-mart and the other discounters do not treat their employees any better than Wal-mart. They all underpay, overwork and try to get out of giving them benefits. Simple as that.
7. Really ugly and/or really old people driving hot sports cars. Gimme a break. Do they really think people will find them more attractive because they drive a hot car? What happens when they have to get out of their car and meet people without the benefit of that Mustang or Viper? Bet they don't get the same attention.
8. People who complain about EVERYTHING. (This is why I sometimes hate myself.)
9. People who can work, but don't work, and expect me to pay for their food, their healthcare and their shelter (along with their gold chains, expensive name brand clothes and steak dinners - while the only real jewelry I own is my wedding ring, my family eats mac-n-cheese, and wear thrift store clothing.)
10. And the best for last - this is a repeat really - I wrote about this in my 10 things you probably didn't know about me post. I can't stand it when people blow their nose in a restaurant - fast food or nice sit-down - doesn't matter. I don't have a weak stomach - I just think it is rude. That kind of thing really does make some people sick just to think about, let alone hear it while they're trying to eat their pea soup or guacamole.

Okay, there's my list. I imagine I'll be hearing some pretty interesting responses if anyone actually reads my post, that is. Hey, there's pet peeve # 458 - you go through all the trouble to write fun posts for your blog and NOBODY reads them! Do you have any pet peeves? If so, what are they? Your turn...

You Can Go Home Again...

Well, tonight is the last night of karate class for this session. I have not participated in one class this 10 week session, save for the night I helped assist the "Karate Kids" class due to a shortage of instructors that night. As I explained a few posts ago, I've had a lot on my plate for the past 7 months. Emotional, mental and physical stress and plenty of all of them! I signed up for this past session, and made sure my son came to all of the classes, but just couldn't get my own motivation up enough to "just do it" despite the fact that my martial arts school is another family to me and I love them dearly and respect them very much. When I bow into the dojo, I feel like I have come home.

But is it true what they say - "You can go home again"?

Once a session ends, our school takes one week off and then resumes the following Thursday night. Next week is our night off, with the new session beginning on August 27th. I am anxious...both in a good way and in a nervous way. In one sense, I am excited to get back to martial arts and learning again, but in another, I've been away so long, I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to keep up physically.

So, my idea is that during the two weeks before I go back, I will practice. And then practice some more. I am not as worried about the basics - the kicks, punches, stances, stuff like that. It's the kata on which I need to focus. As a yellow belt who wants to earn her orange before the end of the year, I know 6 katas. I know 3 of them well, 3 of them I did know fairly well, but think I need to really apply myself with them in the next two weeks.

But you know what I'm most apprehensive about? It's the workout we do before class. It can get pretty intense sometimes - even when I was in the greatest physical/mental/emotional shape in which I had been in years (before my self-imposed break). How am I going to get through those first few workouts before I start getting back to where I was? I guess that is something else I will really have to concentrate on during the weeks leading up to August 27th. I mean, last year the class right before 4th of July, we did 3 sets of deep-knee bends or knee-deep bends if you prefer. The first two sets of 10 were just your textbook deep-knee bends. The last set of 10, we popped up in the air from the bent position. It was tough actually doing them that night, but it was even tougher walking for the next 3 days! Seriously, I can't remember ever being that sore in my entire life - even counting after giving birth!! And sometimes the "Ab-Master" (aka: our female Sensei) mixes it up as a "guest workout leader" and tortures us with yoga aimed specifically at strengthening the abs. I think about these tougher exercises and really worry I will be out of breath by the count of 2 repetitions!

I took my son to class and I got something I needed...reaffirmation. The instructor who teaches our intermediate and above kids asked me tonight if when we come back in 2 weeks if I'd be willing to help with the kids' class so the yellow belts can continue to move ahead. I am very flattered and it was just what my ego needed today. I am even more determined to work hard during these two weeks so I can even better help the kids.j

So, all in all, I guess I'm worrying for nothing. If I work hard at getting used to working out again (I never stopped entirely but have taken it down a notch.) I will be fine. I will get back into the swing of things. I will once again be learning myself from teaching.

I choose to believe that "Yes, you CAN go home again."

Tie a Yellow Ribbon...I Mean Belt...

Well, my 11 yo son, Buddy, received his yellow belt last night at the end of class.

I think our instructors were even more excited to present it to him than he was to receive it! Such good people.

And, obviously, I am so excited for him! Photo is left to right: Bauer Sensei, my son "Buddy", and Parson Sensei.

10 Things Most People Would Be Surprised To Know About M.A.M. (And probably didn't care to know either!)

Just thought it might be fun to post one of those "10 Things Most People Would Be Surprised To Know About Me" posts and then challenge all my hundreds (hee-hee) readers to do the same. Here's my list and TAG - You're it - whether you do it on your own blog or in my comments...

10 Things Most People Would Be Surprised to Know About M.A.M.:

1. I hate math. Detest it. I am a "word person"...NOT a "number person"!


2. If I was shipwrecked on a desert aisle with only one food, and I could choose that food, what would it be? Easy answer - POTATOES Baby! No question! Mashed, fried, scalloped, julienned, baked...okay, you get the point. (This answer is based loosely on the assumption that if I had a choice in the first place, the rules would be liberal enough to take into account condiments to prepare the one food in any way possible!)


3. Okay, everyone knows that in my opinion, there's only one way to rock...SAMMY HAGAR! What many don't know is that I have a tattoo to prove it. I designed it myself and got it about 3 years ago. I will post a photo soon, but it is about 5" diameter and is on my back right shoulder.


4. I am not good with sewing/quilt patterns. But I can get an idea for a quilt in my head, actually being able to see it visually inside my head, and then draw it out and figure out the math (yes, really, even tho I'm not a number person) and make it myself from start to finish.


5. It ticks me off when people blow their nose in a restaurant. Ask any of my friends. Whether I'm in a high-class restaurant or a Jack-in-the-Box, if someone whips out a napkin & blows their nose in the dining room area of a restaurant, you can bet I'll be staring daggers at them. There is just no reason for this. I don't have a weak stomach or anything - I just think it is plain rude. Go to the bathroom, Dude!


6. I wear a size 10 ladies shoe. Now if I were a guy, I'd be bragging about this and everyone would know! But I have flat feet (born w/no arch) and I have Fred Flintstone feet. Not exactly the kind of thing a lady wants to be well-known.


7. My husband and I have been together since we were 14 & 15 years old. (Except for that pesky 7 month divorce thing we almost went thru with). We are now 43 & 44. You do the math...remember, I hate math (refer to #1)! See photo of us above when we were VERY young!


8. Unlike many women, I am NOT a chocoholic. I much prefer other dessert flavors - like apple, cinnamon, hazelnut, pecan, etc.


9. I drink only 4 beverages on a very regular basis. They are: Coffee, Unsweetened Tea, Water and Smirnoff Ice. (I do like me some rum and coke and Southern Comfort and Sprite on occasion, but those 4 are my staples.)


10. I don't particularly care much for meat. It's not that I don't like the flavor - it's the consistency I don't like. Too much like eating dead animals. Oh, wait a minute, when eating steak, one IS eating dead animals. I don't have any ethical qualms about eating meat, I just don't like feeling like I'm chewing on actual flesh, which is what eating a steak of any kind feels like to me...yuck. Now give me some good ground round and I'm a happy camper. I know it sounds weird, but ground meat doesn't look like/have the consistency of flesh. Again - not a vegetarian or vegan or an activist - just don't like the feel of it in my mouth. (Get your mind out of the gutter!)

After writing this, which was fun by the way, I realized I could probably add about 10 more things that would surprise people about me. Then again, there's probably HUNDREDS of things I could tell you about me that wouldn't surprise anyone in the least...like how shy I am and often run out of things to say...yeah, right...that's a "whole nuther post"...