And Cue the Panic...

When you wake up in the middle of the night thinking, "oh crap what have I done..." you can pretty much assure your day is not going to be the best one you've ever had.

So far, things have gone pretty much as I expected with school. I'm progressing, but it is slow going. Lots of time on the machine is the fix for the problems I'm having, though. Hmmm... I think that is why I quit my job.

I have called all of the firms in the areas I want to move and now they are all telling me that business is slow and they aren't hiring. I realize that January is quite a while away, but having something like an available job is good motivation! Okay, so Texas may not be where I practice. I am going to qualify and sit for the (then pass the) Texas CSR exam in January, regardless of whether I practice here right away or not.

So, now it looks like New Mexico might be my best bet. I've spoken with their CCR Board a several times and read and re-read their website and rules and I was/am a bit confused by it. The person I spoke to at the Board assures me that the pesky "and" in their rules will be changed or deleted at the October meeting (then it has to be aggreed upon and approved by the State Supreme Court) and I shouldn't have any problems considering I'm sitting for the RPR in November. They also have a Provisional License where I can practice for up to two years under a Licensed Reporter while I'm continuing to practice and sit for the RPR.

Also, as I've looked at various job boards, it looks like I can move to Kentucky if I want or Montana. Both have lots of job openings, but since the goal is to move closer to the Panhandle not further away.... well, I think I'll pass on those. (Caveat as always: Prince Charming comes along and sweeps me off my feet.. :) )

So, between the disappointing job outlook in the area I'd prefer to move, this not getting a paycheck thing (still waiting on the 401(k) payout) has me a bit stressed. I know it is coming, so I'm not just totally wigged out, but paying for things knowing that on Friday the money I'm spending isn't going to be replaced is scary. Watching my bank account dwindle while waiting is hard. This month's bills are about due andmy $233 electric bill was a bit of a shock. (I live in a 20+ year old apartment complex, on the second floor, with a vaulted ceiling, and while I had them do maitenance on my AC before it got hot, 26 of the 31 days in this billing cycle were 100+ degrees... ugh.)

I'm trying to remind myself that it is all a means to an end and I am doing what is necessary and it will all work out. I have a plan. It is a good plan. I am acting on that plan to reach my goals. I can do this.

But mostly, I'm just telling myself I have to breathe.... and practice.


KEY:
RPR = Registered Professional Reporter. Certification given by the National Court Reporters Association
CSR = Certified Shorthand Reporter. Texas' state certification
CCR = Certified Court Reporter. New Mexico's certification

A post about "BEWBS"

They are in front of women all the time and always often front in the minds men. They are at the same time symbols of femininity and motherhood. Some are large and others not so much. They are perky and in your face and others are droopy and at your waist. But they are always there, out in front for the world to see.

There have been many, many blog posts about "The Girls" and "BEWBS" and "the rack" and so on and so forth. Heck, Lotus over at Sarcastic Mom has had contests to choose the best rack and sent her rack to BlogHer with a friend. A Google search for "blogs about bewbs" returned 6,720,000 hits. Obviously, we're breast obsessed. Quite a few of them were silly, light-hearted posts in blogs, but one of the top five was this blog called Boobs on Ice. Her tag line, I wasn't supposed to be a candidate for breast cancer. And then I was diagnosed., really caught my attention. How many who are diagnosed say the exact same thing?

The past few months, "bewbs" have been up front in my mind also. You see, in the past three months, I personally know two people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and just this morning received a prayer request from my cousin about a lady she works with who has been diagnosed with very aggressive breast cancer. I don't know of anyone who hasn't been touched in some way by this awful disease.

So, what can we do about it, you ask? Well, there is an event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day. The 3-Day is a 60 mile walk over three days and while it is not part of the Koman Foundation, 85% of the proceeds go to Koman and the remaining 15% go to the National Philanthropic Trust for Breast Cancer.

Each participant is asked to raise money in order to walk. It's an event that has always intrigued me and something I've always wanted to be involved with in some way. When one of my Blogger Friends, Zee, decided to walk, I decided that I would donate to her 3-Day. I don't have the time energy to train for the event. Okay, I'll admit it, I'm just flat too lazy to train for it. But Zee is walking and is blogging about it at her One Step at a Time blog. Her event will take place on September 12-14. That's soon, folks! But the kicker is, she's only 83% of the way to her goal of $2200. So, she's raised over $1800, but still needs that other 17%. That's roughly $375.

So, bloggers, let's help Zee reach that goal. Just click here to go directly to her donation page. If you can't donate (or even if you do) leave her words of encouragement in my comments and I'll make sure she gets them. We can do this together... let's do it for the boobs!!!

Thursday Thirteen #11

I've got nothing. I mean it. I had no idea what to thirteen about his week, so you're getting the cats. The striped one is Maxie and the Black one is Buddy. Enjoy!

Thirteen Pictures of My Cats

1. Maxie riding in the car...

2. Buddy glowing...

3. Buddy in the grass...

4. Together...

5. Checking out the new Kitty Pi...

6. Maxie in his kitty Pi...

7. Buddy in his...
(you can order your own hand made wool Pi HERE)

8. Buddy in the blinds...

9. Sleeping like Super Kitty...

10. Snuggled together at home...

11. Maxie close up...

12. Buddy not quite as close up...

13. Playing with the catnip...

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Are there such things as Summer Doldrums?

I am tired of hot, dry weather. I am tired of 100+ degrees days. I want rain. I want cooler weather. I want to be able to sit on my front porch for more than three minutes without sweat dripping off my brow. I'm so over summer.

Torch Lightings through the years...

Okay, so the greatest of all time Olympic torch lighting wasn't 4 years ago, it was 16... Here are the last few torch lighting ceremonies embedded from YouTube. If you've got time to kill, give them a watch.

Los Angeles 1984 -- Ronald Regan opened the games and another pretty good cauldron lighting with the ignition of the Olympic Rings first.(And the fact that he made it to the top of those stairs without passing out!)


Seoul 1988


Barcellona 1992 -- Best ever in my opinion


Atlanta 1996 -- I remember the build-up and the secrecy as to who got to light the cauldron


Sydney 2000


Athens 2004

It's that time again...

I love the Olympics. The Opening and Closing ceremonies (especially the closing) have the power to reduce me to tears. Last night's opening ceremony was spectacular. I can't believe that there were something like 15,000 people who were involved in making the Opening Ceremony spectacular. I also loved the lead-up to the torch lighting, but the lighting itself was just so-so. (Then again nothing is going to really be able to beat the archer from Athens in 2004.) Boy, I don't envy Great Brittain in 2012 having to follow China.

My favorite part of any Opening Ceremony, however is the Parade of Nations. This year's non-alphabetical entry was fun because some small countries who preceed (or follow) large countries in alphabetical order didn't get cut out by a commercial break. To me it's just fun to see people and countries who know they have no chance to win a medal, but are just thrilled to be there. The pride on their faces as they follow their country's flag and wave and smile to the crowds is fun to me.

Another favorite part is getting to hear national anthems from various countries. Of course, my favorite is when I get to hear the U.S National Anthem, but getting to hear other countries' anthems is neat, too. And the hard-luck stories of how some of the athletes got there... and seeing the people who come in dead last but wave and smile when they cross the finish line because they are competing at the Olympics. To me, it's all just a special time when we get to see the very best of people and the world if only for a few weeks.

So, for the next two weeks, you will pretty much be able to find me watching some sporting event or another of an evening. I'll be cheering and rooting for the U.S., of course, but also cheering for the underdog who is just thrilled to be competing on the world stage at the Olympics.

Thursday Thirteen #10

Thirteen Things I've been doing instead of blogging...
Okay, I realize I've been a bad blogger for the past week or so. Life has been hectic and then there is the whole *change* thing in my life... even good change throws me for a loop. So, here is a list of the top 13 things I've done instead of blogging and none of them good excuses (except school).

1. "Going" to school -- this online school gig is great. There's no driving, there's no traffic, it can be done any time day or night and in your pajamas. It's also a lot of hard work and discipline, I'm learning.

2. Watching television -- for the average person, that may not sound like such a big deal, but with going to school and working 2 jobs for the past (I'm not admitting how many) years, I haven't seen much television and there are some interesting programs on cable these days.... Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, just anything on Discovery Health.

3. Actually cooking dinner instead of heating something up.

4. Reading -- I've been catching up on reading my JCR (Journal of Court Reporting) magazine that I've gotten for the past year and have only skimmed a few of them.

5. Attempting to fix what a virus on my computer wiped out -- people who create malware and viruses should be taken out somewhere and drawn and quartered for all the frustration and chaos they create.

6. Cleaning my house -- Okay, so this was only one day last Thursday when I thought my Dad was coming to spend the night, but I did clean.

7. Playing with my cats.

8. Being (enter negative emotion here) and then very, very excited about my BFF and her hubby's adoption of a gorgeous baby boy. It is hard to watch the world getting what you so want and also knowing that the friendship will change again (I am still getting used to the married bit!) I don't, however, worry about the friendship slipping away.

9. Talking on the phone.

10. Going to dinner with friends and then to a movie because I wasn't ready to go home.

11. Disassembling my VCR because it died when I put in a workout tape and I wanted the tape back.

12. Repotting some plants that needed it desparately.

13. Nothing -- and I do mean just doing nothing. Sitting on the couch staring blankly at the TV with my brain shut down except for the vital breathe, blink things.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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