Dazed and Confused

I have been in such a daze these past few days. I haven't yet heard back from the people I submitted my application to for the duplex. I feel pretty certain that I have it but still, until I hear from them, it's not a done deal. It's a loose end that I very much need to have tied.

Even the mood ring on my google tool bar is Gray, indicating that my mood is anxious, ill at ease, strained. How does my google mood ring know this? That's sort of scary to think that Google is tracing my steps to know how I'm feeling......

Anyway, I stood up an appointment today to show a property. That is the very very first time I have been so distracted that I forgot an appointment. I am so embarrassed.

I'm excited about my new home but at the same time I'm very very distracted. It's hard for me to get up in the morning, I just want to sleep. I honestly believe I am feeling very overwhelmed. I look at all my things and I don't even know where to begin packing.

I have been collecting boxes for my niece because she has wanted to move. She changed her mind, so now I have boxes. I still need more.

I wish my sister were here, it would help me. I have friends that have offered to help, but I need my sister.

I'll be ok. I'm just waiting to hear for sure that I have a place to live. And then I have to figure out how much I can afford to spend getting there.

It was only inevitable

I have some very sad news. The apartment community that I have called home for the past 11 years is redeveloping and forcing it's residents to move. You can read the story here. I have wanted to move for some time, I really need more space but have just kept putting it off. I know so many people here and I have loved living here so much.

I found a new place. It's what I want but I'm so depressed about it. I know that I cannot come back. I know that these people who have always been a part of my daily/weekly routine will no longer be a part of my new life. My life is going to change so much.

I don't want to go, yet.

I will have to do a series of memory posts for this place. I have held so many parties here and have seen so many people come and go. I feel like a very close friend has just died.

Sigh.

Teach a man to fish

I have discovered someone who's work has had a really big impact on my life. A very big positive impact on my life. And if I don't say anything else here worth your time than this, then I would be satisfied.

Way back when, while working at Accenture (then known as Andersen Consulting), I listened to a speaker. I loved this guy but for whatever reason, I didn't keep his name or information about him. Then, a friend, invited me to hear him speak last December.

I have been in sales for over 6 years and I've heard a lot of motivational speakers: Tom Hopkins, Zig Zigler etc. None of them, really hit home for me or said anything that I felt I could really incorporate into my life without feeling 2 dimensional. But this guy is phenomenal.

I invested in one set of CD's. I wanted to hear him first before investing in more of his stuff. I love it. I listen to them as often as I can and I find that I am incorporating his techniques in my life and I can sense a change in myself. I am having a fantastic first month in my new business and I have to give some credit to his work. It isn't just the money I've made but also the opportunities that have opened up to me

So, who is it? It's Brian Tracy. I wish that I had started listening to him years ago.....

Oh, and which CD's did I buy? I bought "The Psychology of Achievement" because I wanted something that could help me address the ROOT of it all.

A moment of silent gratitude

I would like to take a moment to give thanks to those people who invented e-mail, faxes and scan capabilities and then made those things affordable and accessible to the average person. It is so friggin cold and yucky outside and I have contracts that have to be delivered. I don't have to step outside of the toasty warm confines of my house. I can scan and e-mail the little devils.

So thank you, whoever you might be, and I hope that you made a lot of money off your little inventions because you deserve it.

The little pixie to the right has the cutest outfits. I just love her coat, I wonder where I can find one like that. Unfortunately it would only get worn once in a blue moon here. It says it's 1 C. I think that translates to about 33 F.

Brrrrrr

It's [insert dirty word here] cold here in Houston

It's cold and wet here in Houston. I know other parts of the country are getting it far worse than we are and are probably laughing that we even think it's cold. But we laugh at those other parts of the country during the summer when they claim they're hot. They don't know summer hot 'till they've lived in our fair city during July and August.

So, It's *#!)(*# COLD here in Houston

I don't have any other way of putting it.

Beta Blogger, you suck.

Ok, I bought into the rhetoric, I made the switch. You told me it was safe. It sucks, ok? I 'm not a spoil sport really and I'm pretty patient about these things but come on, no one can post comments on my blog. I have trouble logging in. I can't always pull up the page elements and I have to keep clicking on refresh to see if I can bring it up.

Look, I know you're trying and I also know this is free. I don't have to pay for this and I get this great online journal to make friends with people I would never have met otherwise. But I have to say, it's a bit frustrating.

From the Heart -- To my sister who I love very much

As I clean up the remnants of my first tea party, my thoughts wander to you. Since I am baby sister, many of my firsts have been in your shadow. So this event causes me to consider the number of times I have wanted to grow into being the woman I always saw in you. Independent, feminine and one who was dedicated to making every day become something new, different and interesting all the while respecting and holding true the romance of the past.

As a young child, I remember watching you as you magically created beautiful Barbie furniture from thread spools and scraps of lace and fabric from Mom’s projects. And I, too, thought it made perfect sense that Mom’s stiletto made as good a Barbie car as anything else you could find. So, by the time I was old enough for Barbie, Mattel provided her accessories. Lace, fabric, glue and scissors were no longer required, so it wasn’t as fun. My interest leaned towards race cars, trains and whatever else I could get my hands on that seemed boyish and cool.

I recall as I began planning this tea party thinking of the ones that you have held and told me about. I imagined the invitations you would make with doilies and calligraphy. I see scissors and glue; and possibly even glitter. Each envelope thoughtfully addressed and mailed out weeks in advance.

My invitations went out via e-vite.com.

Determined to somehow stay true to tradition, I selected a menu of finger sandwiches and scones. I scoured the Internet for the best recipes I could find for egg salad and cucumber sandwiches. I borrowed a food processor to make the scones from scratch. And then, my guests informed me of their special low carb diets and before I knew it, tradition was again to be abandoned and finger sandwiches would be replaced with deviled eggs, ham rolls and cucumber and sour cream salad.

Finally, the day came and my guests, in the spirit of a “tea party”, arrived bearing hats and gloves. I pulled out Aunt Evelyn’s full length gloves and a Talbot’s hat I bought several years ago. And then found myself serving Constant Comment tea in little china tea cups to guests sitting prim and cross-legged with their hats and gloves. The weather was beautiful and the gazebo in the courtyard beckoned us all outside. While I was preparing water for another pot of tea, a guest discovered my Origami book and paper. So, when I went outside with a fresh pot of tea, I found all of my guests had abandoned their gloves and were making Origami designs.

We laughed, drank tea and ate guilt-free bite-sized snacks. Various teas were tasted and future events were planned. We were the secret society of the ya-ya sisterhood and life was great.

And so as I wash up the last of my delicate little tea cups, feeling all mature and feminine, I reflect and wonder what you did at your tea parties. I wonder if I did it right and what you would have thought of it. But mostly, I wonder what it would have been like if you were present and wish most of all that you had been.

Mirabelle

Last night I watched a wonderful movie called Shopgirl. I thought it was fantastic. The name of the main character is Mirabelle. What a cute name for a girl.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this movie all day.

So this morning, I'm showing a house to a client. Her name is Linda and she's inspecting the living room. I'm in the kitchen and I think of something to point out to her. I address her as Mirabelle when I make my statement. She had a funny look on her face and I realize that I called her Mirabelle. I apologized and explained that I saw the movie and really liked it and that I've been thinking about it all day. It was a fun moment.

So later this evening, I was showing a totally different property to a totally different customer. She met me at the property with a friend. As we were walking through the property I realize I didn't introduce myself to her friend. So, I turn to her, apologize for my oversight and introduce myself.

She looked at me, smiled, and told me her name was Mirabelle. What are the odds, really?

First Post of the Year

Well, I've thought about reviewing the past year but I'm going to pass on doing it because this year is about moving forward. The past year offers me fabulous lessons. It was mixed with disappointment and with accomplishment. So, I'm leaving the past in the past and I'm focusing onward to my future.

So, I start the new year armed with a list of goals and a plan for the year ahead. I expect growth, both personally and professionally for myself.

In the spirit of change, I changed the look of my website.

So, here's to all of us and to 2007. May we grow and prosper.