Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Resolutions and other superstitions

The new year is quickly approaching and just as probably more than 1/2 of all people do, I'm thinking about my resolutions for the new year. I heard something funny on the radio this morning and I'm trying to think of it word for word, but I don't know if I got it so I'll just do the best I can. The guy said "the problem with most resolutions is that we're trying to take out things we enjoy. And if it were that easy, we would or wouldn't be doing those things to begin with. ie, we wouldn't be drinking so much, we wouldn't be eating so much, we'd stop smoking. But we like to, so we just do it. Why make ourselves miserable?" Unfortunately for us all, there's so much truth in those statements. Which brings me to my resolutions. Do I pledge to do, or not do, the same things I do every other year? Exercise more, keep the house cleaner, etc? Yeah, I probably will. I suppose this will be my list:

1. Be nicer to my bosses. I know that sounds bad, but I'm really mean to my bosses sometimes because they just irritate me so much. lol In this day and market, workers are a dime a dozen and as much as I'd like to believe I'm not, I AM replaceable with a much cheaper model. So I need to buckle and give in to the fact that my bosses, well, can boss me around and I have to take it because I'm paid to.

2. Stop the frivolous spending. (really it should read control HUBBY'S frivolous spending, but I'll digress) We really really really want to move out of the house we are in right now because A)it's in the city B) it's in a really BAD part of the city and C) my father owns it and that means he can do or not do whatever he wants or doesn't want to. This leaves us in a pickle sometimes, so we just want to get out and do our thing. This is only going to be done with a much bigger savings stash than we currently have. So if we cut out those every few day coffees at the 7-11 or cut out my once a month lunches, and of course a bunch of other stuff, we can do it. We just all need a little self control.

and lastly...

3. Help my mare and myself become one. Ok ok, I know that's not going to happen, but I'd really like to better myself as a rider and help my mare become better at what I'm attempting to ask her to do. I know she requires work, but she can't work right unless I do, so really this last one is all about me. me. me. me and getting it right. I'm going to try harder to see what I'm doing wrong and do less of that and what I'm doing right and do more of THAT. Hopefully by sometime in the summer we will be able to do a little local open show somewhere. I'd love to compete in an APHA show since she is registered. Sonnys Hot and Sassie But I think because of her somewhat stunted growth and some scarring on her lower legs, she wouldn't be up to par with any of her competition. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to try though ;) Someday.

Ok, I will say I'm going to forever keep trying to do the keep the house clean, stop yelling at kids so much, exercise more stuff too.

So what are everyone's resolutions? Any new and exciting ideas? Or any that we might actually keep? lol

Superstitions. Does anyone do anything each and every New Year? Like a little tradition that is superstitious? I have one that I still do now. I remember way back when I was in high school and we used to all go to my big brother's girlfriend's (now wife) house for new years eve. We were all a bunch of goodies and nerds, so nothing was going on. But there are only two things I can remember doing. One was trying to eat a grape for each of the last 30 seconds in the countdown. lol Who can stuff 30 grapes in their mouths? And my s-i-l's mom would always buy the big globe grapes yet to boot because she thought it was funny. Needless to say, I don't do that thing anymore. The other thing is to hold money in your hand at midnight and you are supposed to not go without for that year. Thinking back, we've been tight sometimes and done without unnecessary stuff, but we've never been to the point where we needed something we could not finagle getting. So I'd say it works :)

Anyone have any cool things they do every New Years?

10 comments:

20 meter circle of life said...

I bang pots with a wooden spoon and make a lap around the front yard. Yea the neighbors love me

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

20M-you are kidding right? No? That is hilarious!!

I like the money in the hand idea at midnight-I will have to try that this year.

I guess I have never heard of any superstitions associated with New Years...hmmmm...maybe that is because I am either way deep in the "spirit" of things or asleep-;)

ezra_pandora said...

20M, my brother and I and three counsins once stayed at my grandma's house for New Years (notice I said once). We all ran around banging pots and ringing these loud obnoxious bells. It was hilarious. One of my favorite memories. I don't do it now though. lol

Yeah, I usually fall asleep around 10 and the hubby wakes me up, lol. This year we will actually be going to a friend's house. I don't know if we'll stay till the New Year though.

cdncowgirl said...

Ezra - read your comment at Leah's (barn door tagz). Can't believe that welding pays so little there. Here you make well over minmimum wage.
Are there not a lot of welding jobs or just too many welders? Our city (heck probably the province) has brought over welders, and their families, from all kinds of places in Europe just to fill jobs. Plus they get paid pretty darn good.

ezra_pandora said...

CDN: it's both. All the industry is shooting out of Ohio like there's no tomorrow. Then you have all these newbies who went to school for two years flooding the market, and they accept minimum wage because they have no experience. So employers are just not paying around here at all at the few jobs we do have. My husband was making over $20 an hour 3 years ago (and we thought that was underpayment). Now he makes what any of the new inexperienced guys are making because if he doesn't, he doesn't have a job, they'll just find someone cheaper and train them. Now one could argue maybe he isn't that good, but every place he's been, he's gotten compliments from owners and higher ups about the quality of his work (welds) and the things he can do (fabricate). Where do you live again? lol Maybe we'll come for a visit and stay if the weather isn't much worse than it is here. hehe Our weather is usually 20's-30's (farenheit, I don't know Celcius) in the winter and 80's in the summer. How does yours compare?

All joking aside, we have been looking at other parts of the US to kind of see what's going on. I'm a paralegal (with a bachelor's degree), so I can do that or any kind of reception or office work, so I'm pretty sure I could find a job easily. He's the one that kind of has a limited area of skills.

Is the economy that much better up there or are things just that different?

20 meter circle of life said...

come on out to Oregon!! We are not recession prrof but we arent hit as hard as the rest of the nation, its spendy to live here, but there i still lots of work

Flying Lily said...

I just can't get over 20Meter running around the yard banging pots. I say next year she hosts the New Year's Eve party and we bring the pot. BrownEyed Cowgirls has a pot garden; I saw a photo on her blog. ;)

My only New year's Eve custom is usually going to bed far before midnight, waking up at dawn to clear away the boys' beer bottles. Who raised up those lazy lads?! Oh wait; that was me.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Flying Lily-shhhhhhhh-sheez if the local authorities found out about my pot garden they might come busting down my door-LMAO!!

Ezra...I know of other places that welders get paid VERY well too...anywhere there is an oilfield!! In this part of the country good welders are far and few between...okay, anyone who can do anything is far and few between.;) But there is only one really good welder that I know of within a 40 mile radius and he stays busy 24/7, 365 days a year. He doesn't charge an arm and a leg but I am sure that he just stays busy enough that he makes good bank.

ezra_pandora said...

20M: What else is in Oregon? lol. Just kidding. Hubby is taking into account all of these ideas and has been scoping these places online. CDN, he's just not sure about moving THAT far north. lol We barely like the weather here and I believe it's probably way way colder.

FL, I usually fall asleep well before midnight too. This is the first time in about 4 years that I've even went anywhere let alone stayed up till midnight.

Pot garden. LOL

BEC: my hubby actually has been looking in the NW at some jobs. He talked to a guy last year about rig welding, the only problem? He doesn't have a welding rig to put on a truck. The guy he talked to in Wyoming said some of the guys there work only in the spring/fall/summer and take the winter off because they make $90+ for 8 months and can live off of it for the other 4. Again, the cold. I just don't know if I can handle that! lol!! I think I'm very a warm blooded creature. I can sit under the electric blankets and if I lay on my side too long (still under the blanket) my butt cheeks are like ice. It cracks my husband up. Anyhow, he is looking around in other places.

Oh, oh. CDN, he found 24 acres in Saskatoon for $240k. Interested? lol I know you're looking for property.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

I'm working on creating a list of some goals, but mostly I have to focus on healing and regaining strength so I can be mobile again and ride sometime this summer. I miss trail riding so much.
I wish the two of us lived closer. there are so many great trails to ride on around here.

No superstitions here. We sometimes watch the ball fall, but otherwise we're asleep. Aren't we boring? lol!

I'm surprised your hubby isn't rolling in the bucks with his welding experience. Around here people pay big bucks for pipe fencing for their horses.
When we bought this property, the owners use the barn as boat storage and had ripped apart one of the pipe fenced pens.
We paid a welder to come in and fix it up and it cost over $200.00 for the spot welding of the rails and it took less than 2 hours.

Good luck on reaching all your 2009goals!
~Lisa
New Mexico

 

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