Trina's Blog

Top Sites Tuesday #45 – Story Time

Trina — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:40:08 +0000

What is your favorite Childhood Story? Maybe it’s a story you were told when you were little or maybe it’s a story you tell the kids now. Either way, this week it’s Story Time on Top Sites Tuesday!

My favorite childhood story would be from middle school.

There was the girl Shirley. She was big... not fat, just tall and muscular, not someone to mess with. Shirley had it out for me from the get-go.

She was consistently picking on me about my clothes or shoes. She wanted me to be miserable. She intimidated me something terrible.

At recess I loved playing tether-ball, but Shirley would always butt in line ahead of me and sometimes I never got to play. Other times, I would have to play against her and loose - facing further bullying from her.

Then one day she started heckling me in the cafeteria in front of my friends at lunch. I was at the breaking point. All I could think of was telling her off or throwing my tray at her. I thought terrible things toward her. She was so bad my friends were uncomfortable and feeling sorry for me. They were all significantly smaller than her (like me) and none of us stood up.

For some reason, I turned to her and simply said "I have no idea why you hate me so much, but I've always just wanted to be your friend. I would never treat you so bad!" I got up and my friends and I walked away. She looked dumb-founded.

That was my first lesson of peace over war. As much as I wanted nothing more that to harm her in some awful way, I made a simple statement, full of compassion - and she became a friend. There was no hiding from her in the hallways, no dreading playing tether-ball or lunch. We simply moved on and forgot everything mean that was passed from her to me.

Peace,
Trina

Come Join Top Sites Tuesday and be #1 on BlogDumps!
The purpose of this Meme is to encourage
Networking between bloggers to have fun while doing it!
Make sure to visit all the other participants and leave comments.
View More Top Sites Tuesday Participants on Technorati here.
See who Tweeted this Post!

Top Sites Tuesday Meme #44 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:53:40 +0000

While my head is reeling from the Monday Madness around here it's hard to grasp onto two singular thoughts. This week, though, I do have 2 thoughts really swimming around in my head.

Thought #1: I haven't read a book since I closed the coffee shop. I know it sounds hard to believe, but I think the last book I read was the DaVinci Code. I suppose the only read I read it was because I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. I was very happy about both (that rarely happens BTW) Last week I started reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I finished books one and two by Tuesday. While I wait for books three and four to be borrowable, I found that I was so interested in the series that I actually read books 1 and 2 again.

I've never done that - read a book twice? Me? Totally out of character. I can't explain why I read them twice, but the second time around they were as good as the first time. Then, to my surprise, the Twilight movie played last night on Showtime... the movie sucked. I've heard that the second movie is much better, something about a new producer or director or something... Gosh I hope books 3 and 4 are good.

Thought #2: Why? Oh! Why? Can't Spring be here already? I want to start my garden, plant my flower beds, and bask in the warm glow of the sun. I'm ready to watch the daffodils and crocuses bloom. Today was a real teaser here. It started out gloomy - high winds and heavy rain - then the sun came out and I loved every brilliant minute of it. I think it got into the high sixty's or low seventies today -Truly gorgeous.

Happy Tuesday!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #43 – Helping Others

Trina — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:19:01 +0000

This week on BlogDumps Top Sites Tuesday:

Do we do enough? Should we do more?

With natural Disasters like the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the hurricane in Louisiana, and the earthquake Haiti, are we doing enough to help other people? In our daily lives we all seem to have our own natural disasters – does that prevent for helping others?

I can totally understand natural disasters in our own lives. Everyday we seem to have our own natural disasters and it seems that it takes something ad huge as the Earthquake in Haiti to remind us that we are not the only people on this planet. Unfortunately too, it reminds us that we are much more fortunate and that our silly little daily disasters are nothing more than trivial.

I shudder to think about putting myself in their shoes for even a second. To know that everything I once knew to be constant, friends, family, buildings, was now missing and lost - how could I possibly handle such a dreadful thing?

People are resilient. Through the worst of circumstances, they seem to find their way. New homes will be built. New Families will be made. New friendships will develop. Though everything in life is hard right now, it will get better.

Now back to our topic this week, Helping Others. I find that some people seem to be born to help others, rushing at the drop of a pin to a disaster zone where hundreds of thousands of people need. I am almost embarrassed to think think that I am not one of those people. I do admire the effort these amazing helpers are able to make. I am awed by their commitment and determination and by their ability to go to those disaster zones without a second thought to their safety.

I, on the other hand, can hardly cross a tall bridge, let alone face helpless people in a foreign country or state. I do what I can to help others - friends and family especially. Not that they all need my help, but I like to think that I am helping even when they don't know it.

To answer the questions Do we do enough? Should we do more? We do what we can and always strive to do more.

Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #42 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:20:45 +0000

So many thoughts so little time... well, yea, so there's plenty of time just maybe not enough time for me to write it all down.

My biggest thought of the day... I spent a good deal of time today observing a courtroom in action. I saw so many young men and women who made stupid mistakes that have huge consequences. I wonder if they even realized the consequences of their actions. I saw these kids - I call them kids, but they're probably in their 20's - do things like drive on a suspended license and get 50 days in prison. I saw one guy in his late forties who had apparently been in and out of prison his whole life (and seemed destined to spend the rest of his life there) get ten years in prison - granted he had a long record, drug problem, and burglarized a small company. Watching this my heart sank a little more with every sentence - how could these people just throw everything away? Does freedom mean nothing? Was that little trip to the store worth spending that much time in prison?

Is society so collapsed that spending the rest of your life in prison better than being free to come and go and make your own choices? I actually heard the forty year old man say (as he was about to be sentenced) "I did the crime and I should be punished" While the statement was true, is was hard to hear it from a condemned criminal.

I could not believe how some of these people dressed either! C'mon! Sweat pants and t-shirts... saggy jeans and hoodies with skulls... tongue rings and odd piercings (even some of the innocent looked like hardened criminals) What happened to respect for the law? When you go to court you should be dressed nicely IE suit and tie, dress shirt and slacks, dresses... I only saw one young man dressed appropriately (well, beside the lawyers anyway) and apparently the judge was thinking the same thing because he thanked the young man (and his Mama) for showing the court respect by dressing nicely.

I suppose I may be thinking "old school" but is it too much to ask someone to remove their tongue ring before they talk to a judge?

On a more pleasant note, I'm writing this post while watching "Big Bang Theory" on CBS - it's a hoot! If you haven't watched it before, you should look it up! LOL

Ok, so that's my thought(s) for today - what do you think? Oh, and while you're thinking, please click my button and make me Number One!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #41 – Two Thoughts on Tuesday

Trina — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:02:19 +0000

WHEW!! It's really cold here and the wind is relentless! Now that winter has really set in, I am ready for spring!! Bring on the daffodils and crocuses, the chirping birds, the warm sun...

My first thought is about birds... snow geese in particular. We are in the Snow Geese migration pattern... some flocks are so huge it really looks like something you'd see on the calamari... errr.... Kalahari. It's really neat to see the landed flock in the middle of a huge field. I suppose the farmers don't enjoy that much... The only thing I really don't like about their migration is goose poop.

When a really large flock flies over it sounds like approaching machine gun fire. As the birds fly overhead we scream "INCOMING!" Then as the car gets pelted, we whine about having to wash it... Just what ever you do, never turn the windshield wipers on and try to "wash" goose poop off your windshield.

My second thought of the day ever notice that Monday is the hardest day of the week? And if it's a really bad Monday it lasts through Tuesday? I sure am glad my Monday wasn't like that! Sure it was long, but sitting here looking back at all the work I got accomplished today, I feel great... Except that, well, my feet hurt from being on a ladder most of the day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday! Oh and don't forget to click my button!!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #40 – New Year Resolutions

Trina — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:47:32 +0000

Do you make New Year Resolutions? If so what’s your resolution for 2010?

The is the Last Top Sites Tuesday before the new year, so this week we thought it would be perfect to blog about that dreaded decision many people make every New Years Eve – Your New Year Resolutions!

I know it sounds silly, but every year I watch the Twilight Zone marathon on the SyFy Channel. I love the old black and white shows and Twilight Zone has always been my absolute favorite. There are so many awesome episodes - The Camera that takes a picture 1 minute in the future, the beautiful woman that is consider hideous by their world's standards, and (my favorite) the man who wants to read and after a nuclear disaster he's left all alone to read all the books but he steps on his glasses and can't see. I suppose it sounds a little twisted, maybe even corny, but I love the weird outcomes and the quirky plots that could possibly make sense...

By the end of the marathon, my resolutions sound silly - "Getting more than one pair of Glasses" being a more frequent one that I choose.

But, this year my resolution is simple - this one's for my family -- "My resolution's not to call you and we'll finally drift apart. The promises I make always tend to break and I end up back at the start"

Not sure where I saw that quote, but it's been on my mind. I hate making New Year's Resolutions to do things that just get broken. I always feel as though I let myself down, so this year a resolution I plan to break is perfect.

Happy New Years Everyone!
--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #39 – Holiday Party

Trina — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:01:31 +0000

This weeks theme is all about you. What puts you in the Holiday Spirit? Let everyone know what you’re up to or just wish everyone Happy Holidays! We’ve laid out a Holiday Spread to encourage networking between bloggers. Grab some egg-nog and some fruit cake Of course the espresso machine is set up for lattes, cappuccinos, breves, and mochas and holiday cookies are cooling. I’ve made sugar cookies and gingerbread men that are ready to decorate! The snow is here and Wolfbernz has created a huge Snow sled mountain, I took the liberty of putting in a cable to drag you up to the top so you can sled down lots of times without having to walk back up! Let the festivities Begin!

What puts me in the Holiday Spirit? Cooking, baking, Christmas Lights on houses and stores full of cute Christmas decorations! I think anticipation gets me in the Holiday Spirit more than anything. Anticipating watching family and friends open the presents I bought them. Looking forward to opening the presents they bought. Sitting in my living room on Christmas Morning under the mountain of wrapping paper that was once around gifts - being hit in the head by the occasional wrapping paper ball from one of the boys... Ahh... It's only once a year so why not sit back and enjoy everything the day has to offer. Oh! I love Holiday songs that mock traditional songs or are funny... Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song is simply rocks! Happy Holidays Everyone! See you at the Holiday Party at the Dump! --Trina
Come Join Top Sites Tuesday and be #1 on BlogDumps!
The purpose of this Meme is to encourage
Networking between bloggers to have fun while doing it!
Make sure to visit all the other participants and leave comments.
View More Top Sites Tuesday Participants on Technorati here.
See who Tweeted this Post!

Top Sites Tuesday #38 – What do you Want from Santa

Trina — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:01:10 +0000

It's the question of the day around my house... "What do you want for Christmas?"

I don't like saying something like a sweater or a jacket, it's not fair to them if I have to return the item they struggled to pick out for me because of size sna-foos. This year though, it's simple.

Wolfbernz built a cabinet for my kitchen so my espresso machine and grinders could be installed. For those of you who don't know, I had a coffee and books store a few years ago. When I closed it (to do more geek work instead of food service) I kept my commercial espresso machine with matching grinders. I've had them nicely and safely stored, hoping for a day when I would have a place to use them. Now that I have a place, this Christmas I'm asking for whole coffee beans (preferably Guatemalan Hue-Hue, a dark roasted Sumatra Manhelding, Kona, or Jamaican Blue Mountain) to fill my grinders and other espresso bar essentials.

While he was making the cabinet (I got to help!) we planned it out so that I got a door and a drawer on one side (desperately needed) and the other side is open and fits my wine rack.. so I suppose that it's a wine and espresso bar LOL

Wine is another great gift for me this Christmas. Red, white, Rose, blush, Champagne, sparkling wine... it's all good, but I do not drink Merlot, Sirrah, or White Zinfandel no Yellow Tail, Kicking Horse, or Sutter Homes either - Oh and I don't do boxed wine... (I'm not picky, those are simple guidelines)

Truthfully I'm really excited about knowing what I want this year and I know Santa's going to wake me up with an awesome Latte on Christmas morning I can totally hear the delightful scream of my espresso being pulled now!

I can't wait to read what everyone else wants for Christmas... Happy Holidays and have a great Tuesday!

--Trina

Top Sites Tuesday #37 Your Favorite Holiday Music!

Trina — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:14:28 +0000

I really enjoy so many holiday songs! They are all so uplifting and cheery - and we only get to sing them for one month out of the year (well in public anyway)

A favorite song really is hard to choose so I'm choosing 2!

1) I love "Joy to the World" - Not for sentimental reasons though, I love this song because of the modified childhood version. We could never get in trouble for singing it (or humming it). In case you don't know the modified version, here's a little bit:

(to the tune of Joy to the World - press play then read the words)

JOY TO THE WORLD THE TEACHERS ARE DEAD!

We Bar-Be-Qued their heads!

What happened to their bodies?

We flushed them down the potties...

LMAO I can't remember the rest - probably a good thing, I know many of you are teachers so I'm moving on (but there are many versions for this song!)

2) Feliz Navidad - I love the upbeat blend of Spanish and English in this song. In school in the south we learned it and sang it at every Christmas Choir program - not sure they do that song up here because the Spanish influence isn't as strong around here (but it's getting there - Bring on the TEX-MEX restaurants and mariachi bands!)

Happy Tuesday and Merry Christmas!

--Trina

My Christmas Tree

Trina — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:13:30 +0000

Ah! The crisp fresh air outside, the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping... and time to set up that darned tree.

I got issues.

I mean it.

I dread setting up the Christmas tree every year. We've opted for the pre-lit fake tree instead of a real tree (it's the best looking fake tree I've had yet, but it's still fake) I haven't had a real tree for my Christmas tree since I was a child. I remember the tree smell permeating the house.. the falling needles that are consistently having to be vacuumed.. and the worry that if the lights are left on too long the house would burn down (hence the lovely fake tree - safety issues)

I despise my tree every year.

I'm not one of those women who decorate mindlessly and have things turn out perfect. I try really hard, I think out every move and I am never satisfied. People have come to understand my minimalist ways of decorating - easy to clean around, move and move again, and Woofy-proof.

Oh yeah, back to the tree. I am jealous of people who have a perfect tree with the perfect bow or angel on top, the ribbon wrapped just right and the additions of sparkly things that just make the tree a sight to behold. I envy people who have more than one perfect tree...

As I sit here writing this post, I'm staring my tree down, hoping that if I start shaping the fake branches before I decorate it I'll be happy with it this year, but the branches are attic smooshed and I'm not sure where to begin.

So I've plugged it in. That didn't help. But I'll bet it looks good from the road

I suppose it's bad if you dream of having a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree...

Merry Christmas, may your tree sparkle and your ornaments hang just right!
--Trina