Sticker Envy!

Anyone who knows me, or who has ever seen my car, should be fully aware of my fondness for bumper stickers.  It's somewhat hard to miss, you know.  Here's what the back of my car looks like right now:

My current sticker collection.

But today, as Kaleb and I were on our way to spend the day visiting my best friend Chris, I saw an absolutely hilarious sticker.  I literally laughed out loud driving down 9 Mile Road heading out of Pensacola.  I laughed hard enough that Kaleb laughed too, even though he had no clue what was so funny!  This is the first time in a long time I've experienced sticker envy, but this sticker is well worth a bit of envy.  And what, you may wonder, was the bit of humor I spotted on my morning drive?

I never get jealous when I see my ex with someone else.

My parents taught me to give my used toys to the less fortunate!

Party Time: How Pitiful.

Playing a sad, sad song.

It's a party!

What?
          It's a huge pity Party!
Where?
          Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.
When?
          Tonight (and every night)
Who's Invited?
          We'll get to that in a moment.

Music will include the world's tiniest violin playing the world's saddest song.....just for YOU!

Let it be known here and now that I am absolutely sick of ambiguous status posts by people who are wallowing in misery of their own creation and seeking pity from everyone around them.  We all have bad days, but the rational among us work pro-actively to correct any problems we can and set ourselves back on the road toward whatever form of happiness we seek.  Sadly, not everyone operates this way.  I see far too many people, lately, living lives of self-induced wretchedness and broadcasting their angst online for all the world to read in an effort to garner the most pity possible.  Well, I'm done playing that game.  If you are miserable and are doing nothing to improve your situation, don't come to me fishing for sympathy.  I'm saving my condolences for people who haven't the means to improve their situations.

So, what does this mean?

Wiser By The Day

"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."

~Abraham Lincoln

Well, Abe, I learned a lot yesterday after making a somewhat painful discovery.

That said, I started thinking last night about all that I have learned in my life as a result of romances and friendships, some of which failed miserably and some that fizzled out slowly and some that are still ongoing.  I'm not talking about those lifelong family relationships.  It goes without saying that you learn volumes from relationships with parents, siblings, grandparents, and other relatives.  Instead, my thoughts yesterday and today have been focused on those relationships that we form outside our families, often starting in preschool or elementary school.  Throughout our lives, most of us meet new people and form new relationships.  Some last only a short time while others last many years.  A rare few will last a lifetime.  But each and every relationship we experience, regardless of its duration, teaches us something.

Often, we never even realize that we're learning from our relationships.  The process is subtle, and it happens without us noticing.  Occasionally, the process of learning is painful, as when valued relationships end.  At other times, our awareness of this learning process can be quite pleasant, as when friends learn that they've grown to be so much more than friends.  Over the last few days, I've made the decision to be thankful for each and every lesson I've learned from my relationships past and present, both the good lessons and the painful ones.  These lessons are like gifts that enable me to live a better life.  And, as with any gift, I've decided I need to say "thanks" to the people who've given me these gifts of knowledge.

To The People of My Generation

It's a Political Party!

Dear Members of My Peer Age Group:

Now that we're all grown up, it's time that you start caring about the things that air on the nightly news before the sports scores!  National events MATTER.  The economy MATTERS.  World events MATTER.  The environment MATTERS.  And, like it or not, political events MATTER!  And not only do these things all matter, they should matter to you.

Some of you post sports updates online several times a day on several days a week!  But those of you who devote all this time to tracking your favorite teams are the same ones who are so quick to complain when I post something about current political or world events.  All of these international events impact your life too!  They determine who's making the laws you have to live by, how much you pay in taxes, how your children's schools are funded, how safe you are, and how the world around you impacts your health.  These matters play an important role in your day-to-day life.....every day.

I understand that news of politics and other world events can be dry sometimes and repetitive.  I suppose that news of sports and fashion and music and people named "Snooki" might be more exciting to those interested in such things, but none of those things are likely to have a life-changing impact on you.  Fantasy football isn't going to pay your bills; laws aren't written or enforced by clothing designers; pop culture isn't likely to ensure that your child gets a quality education.

National Child Passenger Safety Week, September 19-25, 2010

Leave it to Florida to have some of the most relaxed laws in the country concerning the use of child safety seats in vehicles. With the national Child Passenger Safety Week right around the corner, I thought this would be a perfect time to research and share some information on current safety regulations for children riding in vehicles.

Following the bare minimum laws set forth by the State of Florida leaves most young children vulnerable and under-protected.  Just because Florida law says that your 4-year-old can ride in any seat in the car with just the adult shoulder/lap belt does not mean that it is what's safest for your child!  I think most parents these days are more than familiar with the guidelines that state that infants should ride rear-facing until they are at least one year old and weigh a minimum of 20 pounds.  Many child safety groups advocate for extended periods of riding rear-facing, and cite many studies which back up their beliefs that this provides enhanced safety for kids.  The problems arise with the gross lack of readily-available information available concerning appropriate vehicle for children over one year old.

Congratulations! You're all grown up! (But you're still an immature nitwit.)

Possible alternate titles for this post:

"Why My High School Reunion Would Be A Complete Waste Of Time"

--OR--

"Cliques Are Forever"

I joined Facebook at the beginning of 2008, a few months before I became pregnant with Kaleb.  For several years before, I have been a member on MySpace.  However, as MySpace began to be taken over more and more by spammers and middle schoolers, I made the move to Facebook.....where the other "grown ups" seemed to be going.  I thought it would be a perfect way to keep in touch with friends, and reconnect with people from my past.  As it turns out, I was both right and wrong.

After joining Facebook, I rapidly received friend requests from lots and lots of my former classmates and  friends from different stages of my life.  For the most part, I accepted the requests from anyone I knew, putting aside whatever differences we may have had in the past and assuming that they must have moved past it as well since they had sent me requests.  My list of connections grew and grew and I discovered it was fun reconnecting with these people I hadn't seen in 8 years or more.