Being Grateful

My friend lives in Miami, FL, but his family lives near Dallas, TX which is within 4 hours of me. So this year I went and spent Thanksgiving with him and his family. And although it wasn't my family, some things still felt the same. The turkey and fixings, the football, the conversations, and the warmth that goes along with this holiday were all there. And while I really missed my family, it was a little bit easier because, at least for that day, I was a part of another family.

I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for my friends. And I am grateful that, for me, the two titles are synonyms.

Pocket Susan Advice: Write a Thank You note. Have you ever done something nice for someone in your life and then been just a little bit hurt when they didn't say thank you or didn't even notice? It makes you a little less inclined to go out of your way to be nice the next time an opportunity comes around. So think through your day or maybe the last couple of days and try to identify something nice that someone did for you. Even a little thing can count. Now write them a Thank You. It doesn't have to be formal, just a post-it will do. Stick it in their box or on their door or send them an email and let them know that you are grateful for them.

The Conclusion on Karma

I learned that if you are expecting karma then it won't come. Here are some highlights of my day following the returned glove situation.

Due to a slightly complicated (and uninteresting) situation when I started, I had yet to be issued an official key to my office. I made the 5-10 minute walk to the key office on campus with my approved key request and arrived at 2:15. I was told scathingly that the key I was requesting didn't exist and that my office management had switched the office door number without officially changing the key number. I needed a slip with the correct key number. I said, "okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." So I walked back to my office and got the my office manager to write down the correct key number on my request. I walked back to the key office, arriving at 2:33 only to see a sign on the door that said "Temporarily Closed for a Meeting 11/25". There was no start or end time listed so I had no idea how long "temporarily" was. So I sat on the steps and waited. And waited. And waited. I waited for 1 hour and 40 minutes. The key office closes every day at 4pm so at 3:50pm, I finally gave up and went back to my office.

Here are the items that made me very unhappy. 1) When I was in the office the first time and said I would be back, why didn't they tell me that they would be closed for THE REST OF THE DAY!? 2) Why didn't the sign on the door say "closed for the rest of the day"? AAGGHH!!!

I caught the bus home and it was running about 5 minutes behind. We got about half way to my stop and the bus was caught in a major traffic jam of people trying to turn into the parking garage of the events center. We moved 50 feet in 25 minutes. Seriously? There was no traffic in the left lane, but for no apparent reason our bus driver felt obligated to sit in the deadlocked traffic in the right lane. And I will never understand.

Pocket Susan Advice: Consider your scent. Let's say you take a shower in the morning and use a refreshing citrus scented shampoo and shampoo. And then you use a moisturizing body wash that smells like rain. You dry off and use a baby powder scented deoderant. Your hair gel/mousse/spray is something herbal. Then you top if off with a nice spritz of your favorite cologne/perfume/body spray. Talk about sensory overload! All of your nice products smell great on their own, but mixed up they make a strong and likely unpleasant odor, which you probably don't even notice. Other people do notice though. Trust me.

Qualifying for Karma

I'm not really sure that I understand how karma works, but think that the general idea is that if you put out positive vibes in the world then you get them back. My question is whether or not karma works if you are projecting the positivity just to get the return positivity. Because if you do something good and then think, "ooh, I should get some good karma!" isn't that kind of a greedy and negative type of thing to think?

This morning on the bus, a man got off at a stop about 8 blocks before my stop and as he was getting off, he dropped his nice leather gloves. I watched it happen but was too sleepy to react quickly enough to stop him. So at the next stop (one block up) I scooped up the gloves and jumped off hoping to catch up with him to give him the gloves back. I'm not sure how far I would have been willing to chase him to give them back, but fortunately he had realized they were missing and I only had to walk about half of a block to give them to him. Unfortunately, however, I then had to walk the 7.5 blocks to my stop and completely missed my second bus. Did I mention that it's getting pretty chilly in the mornings here and I was not wearing a coat and I was wearing flip flops because it's sometimes difficult to navigate the bus in heels? The man said, "Oh what luck! I wasn't sure I was going to see these again!" Darn straight you're lucky mister! Lucky that I wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize how cold it was before I jumped off the nice warm bus!

So I had to wonder, as I shivered at the bus stop waiting for the next 1L, did karma still work if you did a good deed but then complained about it? Or if you thought, "I'd better get some good karma for this!"

Pocket Susan Advice: Invest in prevention. Taking care of yourself before you have a major issues is going to be cheaper than addressing the problems once they've arrived. A bottle of multi-vitamins, a container of OJ, and some zinc tablets are much less expensive than a co-pay for the doctor and a prescription for antibiotics. Getting an annual dental exam and cleaning may seem expensive, but it's still going to be better than having to get a filling or a tooth pulled or a root canal.

Updates and Tune Ups

My colleague's romance flourished for several weeks, but then went south.
Bart and Isaac have been adopted!
The blue towel is still on my doormat, but I really am going to throw it away.

Pocket Susan Advice: Get ready for winter. For my family and friends back home, it's been winter for a while but it's just starting to cool down in Texas. Take a second to winterize your life before the really foul weather kicks in. Replace missing buttons and sticky zippers on your winter coats. Take measure of your shoes and boots and have them resoled if the tread is worn off or replace them if necessary so you don't slip on ice. Get your car into the shop for a tune up because we all know that nothing is worse than having your car not start during a snow storm!

Penny For Your Thoughts

I received the following text message from a friend of mine that works at a college in Miami, FL.

"I love college students! The three in front of me in line at Starbucks are complaining that their instructor makes them read... how terrible!"

Don't worry students! Your voices have been heard and soon all philosophy 101 textbooks will be available as Pod Casts!

Pocket Susan Advice: Cash in the coin collection. I'm not referring to a real coin collection where the coins are carefully mounted and hung on a wall or kept guarded in a safe. I mean the big jar where you've thrown your spare change for the past decade. There are a couple of reasons that I suggest this. 1. Wouldn't it be better to deposit it into a savings account and make interest on it? All it will collect in a jar is dust. 2. As you know, pennies cost more to make then their actual value. Well... if people weren't hoarding them then maybe the US mint wouldn't need to make as many and we could spend our tax money on something other than making money.

Do Me A Favor. Stay Home!

I am one of only two healthy people in my entire office. Five others are out sick today. An additional two people are here today, but were out sick last week. I'm considering buying some Clorox wipes and sanitizing our entire office.

PocketSusan Advice: Wash your hands.

Skipping Thanksgiving

It seems that everyone is eager to bypass Thanksgiving this year and go straight to Christmas. I heard that retailers started all of their Christmas commercial campaigns this past week because the economy is so bad and because Thanksgiving is so late. They're "losing" 5 days before Christmas.

Even though I knew this, I was startled the other day when my clock radio alarm went off in the morning and the song playing was "Baby It's Cold Outside". Not only is this my least favorite holiday song, but November 14 is just too damn early for Christmas.

I'm excited for Christmas, especially since it will be the first time I've been home to see my family and friends since July. Yes, I did go home for Jenn's wedding in September, but that was super fast weekend and only got to see my parents when they drove me to and from the airport. Not exactly quality time. So while I eagerly anticipate the end of December, I feel it is important to recognize November as the month of the turkey and give Thanksgiving its due.

Why is everyone in such a rush? Don't they anything to be thankful for?

PocketSusan Quote: One can never pay in gratitude; one can can only pay "in kind" somewhere else in life. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Read and Recycle

I lobbied for a new recycling container in the kitchen of our office so that we could recycle plastic and aluminum cans. A lot of people were excited so I thought it would be a breeze. Unfortunately, I was disappointed and continue to be disappointed by the number of people (many with masters and doctorates) that can't seem to read the signs that say NO PAPER and ALUMINUM & PLASTIC ONLY! Seriously people?

Pocket Susan Advice: Make a will. Ahh yes, it's slightly morbid to prepare a document that is only used when you die. Or is it? Think about it this way, having a will and a living will prepared will save your loved ones untold headaches and heartaches if they're placed in an emergency situation or if they're faced with your passing. They're already going to have enough trouble dealing with their own emotions without worrying about whether they're doing what you would have wanted. Why make it harder on them? The way I see it, to not have a will prepared just because you're not comfortable recognizing your own mortality is a selfish thing to do. See this site http://wills-probate.lawyers.com/ for more general information about estate planning and then see a trusted legal expert when you are ready to actually prepare your documents.

This Just In: People in Arkansas Hate Children

Here is what I know. The foster care system in the US is overwhelmed by children whose biological parents are either unable or unwilling to care for the children that they have produced. To the extent of my knowledge, there is no state in the US that has a 100% placement rate for successful foster and adoptive families. Many of the children in the system have mental or physical handicaps are require vast amounts of love and patience. Gay couples across the US have opened their doors and hearts to these children... children that "normal" couples don't want. The measure passed by citizens of Arkansas this past week that bans same sex couples from adopting children makes it clear that it is a state filled with fear and hate. Fear of what they don't understand [BGLTQ people] and hate of children. Because only someone that hates a child would pass a measure that blocks them from what might quite possibly be their only chance for a loving family.


PocketSusan Advice: Help your loved ones stay healthy. Support a friend or family member's effort to get or stay healthy by doing the following things.

• Keep a variety of foods in the kitchen.
  
• Make sure you talk to them about other things besides weight loss and fitness.
  
• Stock kitchen with healthy cookbooks, leaving them where people can find them.
  
• Get the junk food out of the house.
  
• Plan an active activity after dinner.
  
• Make it a habit to play outdoor games together.
  
• Plan a cooking date.
  
• Cook at least three times a week for the household.
  
• If you already cook, cook healthier foods for the family.
  
• Maintain an upbeat attitude.
  
• Invite them to take part in a fundraiser that supports something important to all of you.
  
• Get a physical and urge them to do the same.
  
• Give “active” gifts, like personal training packages, a bicycle, roller blades, etc.
  
• Make a bet.
  
• Use positive language all the time.
  
• Be straight up and let them know you’re concerned about their health.
  
• Plan a “surprise” hike.
  
• Suggest walking more than driving.
  
• Take everyone on a canoe trip.
  
• Make their exercise a priority.
  
• Wash their gym clothes without being asked, do a chore for them so they have time. Make it easy for them.
  
• Sneak healthy snacks and a friendly note (maybe even a love note) into their lunch, briefcase, jacket pocket or purse.
  
• Prepare their favorite dish in a healthier way.
  
• Opt for activities as an excuse to spend time together.
  
• Ask them to help you stay on track.
  
• Turn off the TV and hide the remote.
  
• Give big, positive attention to changes that are made.
  
• If it’s your turn to pick, choose a healthy restaurant or one that’s within walking distance.

Front Door Towel Mystery

I have no idea why, but someone put a dirty old blue bath towel over my doormat this weekend. It isn't one of my towels. It was neatly folded. I know that my neighbor's cat likes to sit on my doormat, but I can't imagine that they put out a towel for her. I'm not sure what to do with the towel. I kicked it off to the side, thinking that it's owner would retrieve it, but now it's been sitting for three days. At what point is it okay to just throw it away? Day 4? After a week? That seems wasteful but I can't donate it in its present filthy condition. And I certainly don't want to wash it with my other clothes. Who knows where it's been?! So the towel sits.

Pocket Susan Advice: Check your credit for free every 4 months. A lot of people don't check their credit history until they try to take out a loan and are denied. It takes a long time to build a good credit score, so don't wait! Visit http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ and get a free credit report from each of the major credit reporting companies once per year. Try to make a schedule and spread your free reports across the year. Unlike sites like freecreditreport.com, annual credit report does not require you to sign up for a service and hope that you forget to cancel it later.

Friend Categories

I love lists and other means of sorting and organizing, especially at work. I've found that it extends to my personal life as well, most recently when I realized that I subconsciously categorize my friends into groups.

• Friends from childhood/high school/college/grad school
  
• Friends that I call weekly/randomly/never
• Friends that don't return my calls
  
• Friends on Facebook
• Friends that will probably be in/at my wedding (some day)
• Friends that I would fly to see
• Friends that would fly to see me
• Friends that I would drop everything and anything for
• Friends that would drop everything for me

And the list goes on. It's interesting to see where the categories overlap. And it's a blessing to think about how many amazing friends I really do have, regardless of their category.

Pocket Susan Advice: Go to Commit to Donate to register to be an organ donor in your state. Every state has different requirements for organ donors so this is especially important if you've moved recently.

Happy Election Day!

It seems like the elections have been going on forever! Probably because the primaries, particularly the Democratic race was so intense and because I actually voted two weeks ago. Now that Barack Obama is officially our president elect we can return our focus to other important things like the Britney Spears watch or the upcoming season of Top Chef and try to forget that the economy stinks, China owns the most US currency in the world, CEOs are using bailout funds to take vacations, and we're still embroiled in two non-wars. After McCain gets over any initial disappointment at the loss, he might actually be relieved that he won't have to take on this mess.

Pocket Susan Quote: This is a defining moment in our country's history. There is a before and there will be an after. We don't know what will happen in the after, but we do know that it will be different. - One of the CNN newscasters

The Right Bad Decision

Have you ever faced making a decision and known that there was no good choice? Every angle has as many cons as it has pros? Man, that just sucks. No details on this topic, but let me just say that I feel ya!

Pocket Susan Advice: Upromise. This is specifically for people with student loans through Sallie Mae. You have the option of signing up for the UPromise program where you register credit cards, debit cards, and/or store discount cards (like the Kroger Plus Card) and then when you make qualified purchases, a certain amount goes towards your loan. It can be a loan you are currently making payments on or on a loan in the future, which is good to know for people that actually want to have children. Anyway, you can also have friends and family register their cards and link it to your account to accumulate savings much more quickly. (A shout out to my sister who registered all of her cards for me!) Every penny helps!

House Guests

I was fortunate enough to have two houseguests this weekend, Bart and Isaac. We've had a blast playing with ribbon and pouncing on anything that moves! Bart and Isaac are my first fosters for the Austin Humane Society and couldn't be cuter. They came to the Humane Society from Town Lake Animal Shelter, which unfortunately is publicly funded. That means that they have to accept all the animals that are brought there and if they run out of space they have to put animals down. When Town Lake gets litters of kittens brought in, they usually try to pass them along to AHS so that we can foster them until they can be spayed/neutered and then adopted out. Last year, the AHS fostered over 1,000 animals! Bart and Isaac are about 4 weeks old, but a little bit small. I'm not sure how long they will be staying with me, because Isaac may have a URI (upper respiratory infection) and need medical treatment. URI's are highly contagious so if Isaac has one then Bart probably will get one too. Anyway, we're having fun now. Pictures of Bart and Isaac below!

Bart is the adorable tortie on the left and Isaac is the cute all-white one on the right. Can you believe that they're from the same litter?!

Isaac has developed a love for Vera Bradley

Bart looks sweet and innocent, but he's actually wild and lives dangerously. He can't get enough of electrical cords!

Pocket Susan Advice: I love the end of the daylight savings time and that extra hour of sleep we get, but don't be surprised if if takes your body a couple of days to adjust. You may get hungry earlier than your normal meal time or want to go to bed earlier. Give in to these urges as much as possible even if it seems like a slight inconvenience and by the end of the week your body should be caught up with your watch.