Some kind of -ism?

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It must an -ism of some sort. There’s no other logical explanation.

Maybe it’s blondism, the deep dislike and distrust of women with blond hair. I used to run into this one at some job interviews. The questions I was asked just because I’m blond! Unbelievable! And, I might add, inappropriate.

But wait, my husband isn’t blond. Maybe I’m being too specific by focusing on hair color. It could be simply that we both have hair. That’s it, hairism, the distrust of people with hair.

No, that doesn’t work either. Now that I think about it, most of the leasing agents had plenty of hair.

But something’s going on. Maybe it’s paleism (I don’t tan), hygienism (I take regular showers), ageism (I’m not in my twenties), moneyism (too much or too little?), or average-height-and-weightism. It’s a mystery which kind of -ism is disrupting my life, only that there is one.

Because honestly, there’s no way this is a coincidence. Apartment shopping shouldn’t be this frustrating.

In the last few weeks I’ve had a zillion conversations such as this one:

Agent: “Sure, we’ve got just the two bedroom apartment you want. It’s a corner one, so it gets extra light. The rent is $2100 a month and the square footage is 1083. Do you want to come see it?”
Me: “Love to. I can be there in an hour.”
Agent: “Great. See you at 11.”

Shortly followed by this one:

Me: “I have an appointment to see the two bedroom.”
Agent: “Okay. How much do you want to spend?”
Me: “No. I called. I already know you have a 1083 sq. ft. apartment that rents for $2100 a month-”
Agent: “You’ve been misinformed. Those people in the central office never know what we have. How much do you want to spend?”
Me: “Well…we definitely want to keep it below $2500-”
Agent: “Ohhh. Well, we have a 750 sq. ft. apartment that goes for $2600. Would you like to see that?”

Okay, a zillion might be overstating it a bit. It was more like twenty. But isn’t even twenty a little suspicious?

The first couple of times I thought it was just bad luck. But it happened too often, way too often.

And since the price of the apartment didn’t change until we showed up and the leasing agent got a look at us I know that an -ism, of some sort, must at work.

Even if I don’t know what kind.

At least I know it isn’t racism. As far as I can tell not a one of the leasing agents was from a different planet.  No room for racism when we’re all a part of the human race.

Visits and Vacations

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Keeping My Family Fit When They Visit Me in Chicago
by Kendra Thornton
One of my priorities,
whether I’m at home or traveling, is staying fit and cooking healthy meals for
my family. Living in Chicago, this is fairly easy to do with such a wide
selection of stores, restaurants, fitness centers and other resources. Right
now, I’m getting ready for a visit from some family members and I’m focusing on
what I can do to feed them healthy meals and maybe even convert them to a
healthier way of life when they return home! That has gotten me thinking about
some of my favorite strategies for staying fit.
When my family
arrives next month, I’m going to take them all over Chicago and show them some
of the attractions. As much as possible, I’m going to do this on foot so
everybody gets plenty of exercise. I also find it’s much better to see
everything up close rather than from the window of a bus or taxi. As we explore
the city, I’m also going to come up with as many healthy activities as
possible. I may arrange for everyone to rent some bikes so we can take a bike
ride through one of the city’s parks. The point is, many touristy activities
can be healthy if you focus on staying in motion.
Whenever I travel, I
always make sure I stay at a
hotel that has a gym, and there are plenty of those in Chicago. That way I
can start off each day with a quick workout. This makes me feel more energized
for the day’s activities and it helps to offset any extra calories I might
consume while on vacation. That’s why I recommended that my family do the same
thing when they arrive in town next month. I pointed out that even a half hour
workout makes a big difference when it comes to burning off calories and
helping you maintain your fitness routine.
When my family comes
to visit, we’ll surely be eating out quite a few times. That gives me the
opportunity to introduce them to the concept of eating local foods. This is
something I’ve been doing for the last couple of years, both at home and on the
road. Chicago, for example, has lots of shops that sell local foods as well as
farmer’s markets. There are also some great restaurants that specialize in
local produce and animal products. This type of food is fresher, healthier and
more environmentally friendly than items that have been shipped for thousands
of miles. Restaurants that serve local food also tend to be
more health conscious in general, which means we end up eating nutritious
meals that also taste great!
Chicago has lots of
parks, bike paths and areas that are great for running. I’m going to check the
Internet to find some of the ones that I may not be familiar with. That way,
when my family arrives, I can lead them on some walks or jogs. The best time to
do this is early in the morning. That way, there’s still plenty of time for
sightseeing the rest of the day. There’s no better way to start the day than
with a vigorous power walk or run!

When I go with my
family on vacation, I do everything I can to keep everybody on a healthy diet
and ensure we get plenty of exercise. This is an extension of my goals
throughout the year. Just as I send my kids off to school with healthy lunches
and encourage them to participate in sports, I look for ways to practice these
habits when we’re traveling. When I have extended family visiting from out of
town, I share my philosophy of living a fit lifestyle with them.
 
It’s All About Balance
by Veronica Tabares
 
When it comes to successful vacations, balance is the name
of the game.
 
We’ve all seen, and maybe even felt, the live-for-today,
tomorrow-will-take-care-of-itself kind of vacation. Overindulgence is the
keyword, which results in backaches, stomachaches, and skin burnt to a crisp.
 
Honestly. Tell people they’re on vacation and caution and
commonsense fly out the window. They eat, play, and drink indiscriminately. Tomorrow
will take care of itself, indeed.
 
It’s as if they’ve never spent a minute inside their own body.
How could they fail to remember that a body never
forgets a wrong? Revenge will be
exacted, usually at the most inopportune moment.
 
That’s where balance comes in to play. Give a body balance
and it’ll love you forever. Bodies adore balance.
 
Once I learned the importance of balance, vacations, and
their aftermath, got instantly more satisfying. The first trick I use to infuse
balance is to follow an exercise intensive day with a day of relaxation. The
second is to begin and end every day with a nutritious meal that includes
plenty of healthy protein.
 
It’s amazing how willing everyone is to eat healthy when
they’ve had a good dose of treats during the day.
 
After all, it’s all about balance.

Land of the shut-your-mouth

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I’m so confused!

On one hand, I deplore the racist words said by Donald Sterling.

On the other, I believe people have the right to say whatever they want in private conversation, no matter how stupid or uncool. After all, a private conversation is meant to be just that, private.

(And who among us hasn’t said a few idiotic comments that we’d rather not have publicized? Especially in the midst of an argument.)

I’d like to know when it became acceptable to tape a private conversation and put it out there for all the world to hear. It happens so often nowadays that I’m beginning to wonder if we’ve been infected with a strange lack-of-commensense virus.

Eek! I can see it now. It’s the aliens. They caused this epidemic of taping and posting. They’re just waiting for us to create rifts so huge and so wide that we’ll never be able to work together again, and then they’ll swoop in and take over the world.

Well played, aliens. Smart of you to use our own technology against us.

Anyway…

Whatever the reason, there seems to be no such thing as privacy left in the world. Or freedom of speech.

And here I thought I lived in the Land of the Free, not the Land of the Shut-Your-Mouth.

Picture of a good story

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Everyone has a favorite type of story. Some like deep, dark mysteries that keep a person guessing whodunit until the very last minute.

Others enjoy light-hearted comedies that give the brain a rest, but exercise the lungs and mouth with mile-wide grins and near-painful laughter.
Still others love to dive into the swampy goo of horror and immerse themselves in the creepiest, scariest, bone-chillingist shivers they can find.
It’s all personal preference.
But no matter the type, all the stories, if they are really good, are like this picture.
Layers, color, and texture (Lots to think about! I wonder what’s behind…)
Recognizable (Hey! That reminds me of…)
But with an unexpected slant (Wow! I never expected…)

Shadow, light, and color

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Who cares if it’s just a simple vase of flowers that catches the eye as I walk in the door.

Or an interesting shadow created by a solitary ray of sun that manages to muscle it’s way though the clouds at what should be an impossible angle.

It’s beautiful, this fleeting but perfect combination of light, shadow, and color.

These gifts are all around us. We only have to take the time to look.

So go look already!

 

Our guests from Jupiter

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The aliens were a shock to me too.

Over the years I’ve seen a ton of movies about aliens. The aliens ranged from scary monsters with big teeth dripping with slobber to cute little creatures with long arms and a loving disposition. Some of them came in peace, and some to take over the world.
No one got it right. I don’t remember a single movie with aliens that match what aliens are truly like. Just goes to show that the human imagination might not be quite as fantastic as we think!
But then again, no one thought a gas giant like Jupiter could support life, much less a flourishing civilization.
I guess our scientists got so caught up with what was needed to support life on Earth that they forgot that life on other planets might not follow the same rules.
Not that the Jupiterians follow anyone’s rules. They’re kind of a rambunctious bunch, floating around, playing practical jokes and snickering. To me they resemble mischievous children more than serious scientists from another planet.
But there I go again, falling into that same old trap and allowing preconceived notions to cloud my vision. Scientists on Earth tend to be serious, but we know practically nothing about the culture of the Jupiterians. This group might be serious, compared to the other Jupiterians back home.
Once we learn to communicate with the little fellows I’m sure–
Darn it! They just buzzed my dog. They didn’t hurt her, they just gave her a funny haircut. It’s going to take a while for that to grow out.
Fifty years from now we’ll look back on today, the day Jupiterians came to Earth, and laugh. I’m sure by then we will have worked out something with the little creatures to keep them from being so darn irritating.
In the meantime, watch where you step and keep a close eye on your pets. Those Jupiterians seem to particularly enjoy playing pranks on pets.
Oh yes, and don’t forget to enjoy the day.
April Fool’s Day can be a lot of fun.

The slam of the door

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SLAM!


The unique sound of the front door shutting reverberated through the house and woke me out of a deep sleep.

It was a normal morning occurrence. No matter how hard my husband tried to leave for work quietly the front door always slammed. It was just one of those doors.

I yawned and stretched as I got out of bed and began to think about the upcoming day. I had a lot I needed to accomplish in just one day. I decided that a checklist was in order.

But first I needed coffee. As I walked past my daughter’s door I glanced in and noticed she was still peacefully sleeping. I was a little envious, but only a little. After all, the items on my soon-to-be created checklist weren’t going to do themselves.

Still groggy with sleep I went down the stairs and into the kitchen. It was only after I’d made my coffee and taken the first sip that the background noise I’d heard from the moment I awoke, but somehow not registered, stopped.

The sound of the shower.

It only took a few minutes for my freshly showered husband to appear in the kitchen, dressed and ready to head out the door to work.

Which left me with a mystery. If my daughter and I were asleep and my husband was in the shower, who had slammed the front door?

Tip for house hunters

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A) Know what you want.

B) If you want a new house with a huge yard, don’t waste time looking at older homes in the city. You’ll just be wasting your time, the broker’s time, and (most importantly) the home owner’s time.

C) If you put an offer on an older house and get an inspection, don’t expect the report to come back stating that the house is in mint condition. Older houses have flaws. It’s what makes them unique, quirky, and even charming.

D) Remember that the inspector’s job is to find every little fault, no matter how small. It is your job to decide if the flaw is a deal breaker or one you can live with.

We’ve lived in our near 100-year-old house for the past twelve years, and it does qualify as unique, quirky, and charming. It’s by no means a perfect house, but it has character that many of the houses in my neighborhood lack.

It’s been a great place to raise our four daughters. There are many fond memories in this house.

A part of me will be sad to leave the house. But then again, there’s another part that’s raring to move on to the next adventure. And I do like adventures.

This whole process of selling a house is a little odd to me since much of the human equation has been taken out of the picture. I’ve had to leave the house for every showing, which means I’ve never set eyes on any of the potential buyers. It also means that my dog and I have spent hours driving around while strangers walk through my house.

Some have even snooped through our dresser drawers. I guess they forgot that the house is being lived in by real people.

But still, I’m sure everything will be okay as long as no one forgets that there are real people behind the piles of paperwork.

Buying or selling a house is a huge undertaking. If both sides work together and respect each other all will go well. The goal is for everyone to be happy.

That craving to write

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I was 23, married less than a year, and pregnant with my first child. I’d traveled solo across the country and supported myself for a number of years so I knew I could do anything.

The world was mine for the taking, and I wanted to take it as a writer!

It only made sense. I’d always had an overwhelming desire to write, a desire I’d never been able to shake.

So I got out my pencil and paper (computers weren’t so prevalent then) and began to write the book that would define me. Writing was what I’d been born for, it was my destiny.

Unfortunately, though I had ideas galore, I no knowledge of what to do with them. I’d written songs, prayers, cards, and short stories most of my life. Never anything very long. That jump from a couple-page story to a book was of the daredevil type. It was at least twice as wide as the Grand Canyon and three times as deep.

Or at least, that’s how it looked to me. There was an abyss separating me and my chosen career. An abyss that I couldn’t overcome without help.

Which is why my next step, after several months floundering around like a goldfish who had gotten too sassy and jumped out of her bowl, was to sign up for a writing course.

When the box containing the course materials arrived I was ecstatic. I ripped open the box with the same enthusiasm I’d used to open my Christmas presents when I was five.

Here were the blueprints to book writing, to my future. This box contained everything I required to build the bridge to my writing career. I simply needed to complete the course and all that lovely knowledge would be transferred from the box into my brain.

I sighed with happiness and dug in.

I only had time to write one short story before I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. And as I held her in my arms the world shifted.

That craving to write, the one that had overwhelmed me from the first time I’d picked up a pencil, melted away.

All that mattered was my family. Writing could wait.

I didn’t think about writing as a career again until my fourth and youngest child went through that miraculous third grade transformation from little kid to big kid. As soon as she no longer needed my constant, undivided attention that old desire to write came back with a vengeance.

That’s the year I began writing Braumaru, my first book. A book I truly believe I couldn’t have written before I had kids.

Go figure!