News

A couple months back I wrote how I asked my boss to consider me for the open Paralegal position. Well.... I didn't get it. No biggie though. I wasn't expecting much. I just wanted to remind them that I do have my degree in Paralegal studies and that I'd be interested in open paralegal positions. They were looking for experience that I don't have and found someone with something like 9 years experience.

However, my boss did sit down with me yesterday. He wanted to make sure that I wasn't all "screw him then" about it because he likes me and considers me a valuable member of his staff. Of course, I completely understand. That specific position doesn't just do the asbestos litigation portion of the firm. He also does the personal practice work for my boss. I'm a little relieved. I think I would've been able to do the job, but it probably would've been very stressful until I got a handle on things. He really needs someone who already is familiar with civil litigation and I really don't want that kind of stress right now anyway.

There is another paralegal position here that just does asbestos and would probably be an easier step for me. That position isn't open, but I'll stick around here a couple years and see what happens. I'll get experience and if no advancement opportunities open up here, I'll start looking for a job elsewhere. I have a while before I start thinking about that but that's the plan.

Update

Wow! I haven't posted in over a week? WTH? Well, the end of last week, I started to get sick. Started with a sore throat on Thursday afternoon, and by Thursday night, I had a full blown cold. Congestion and coughing included. Friday, against my better judgment, I went to work and that night Dave and I were going to Jersey.

Saturday was the worst day of the cold and instead of resting, I had to get up early and help my mother-in-law get set up for my sister-in-law's bridal shower. Just me and my mother-in-law. The other bridesmaid was pretty useless, and showed up about 2 minutes before my sister-in-law did. I would've crashed at my inlaws, but Dave wanted to go home. I was in bed by 10 and totally passed out.

Sunday was beer bottling day! David's first batch of beer was ready for bottling and he wanted  my help. I was totally not up for it and just wanted to lay on the couch and veg, but being the awesome wife that I am, I helped him. It is a bit of a pain in the ass. Everything needs to be cleaned and sterilized with this stuff called C Brite (I think it's a bleach like substance)... The nice side effect is that it makes my stainless steel sink sparkle! I mean as close to mirror shine a stainless sink can look. Anyway, that took a couple hours from start to finish. Then, I took a 2 hour nap... There goes my whole weekend. :P

Yesterday, I finally took a sick day and got some rest. I was barely functioning Monday at work and didn't want a repeat. I'm feeling much better now. Unfortunately, being sick equals eating crap. So, my plan to maintain my weight until my sister-in-law's wedding might have to become "lose a few pounds before the wedding." That's fine because I wanted to start working out, but didn't want to lose too much weight and have the dress be too big. So, maybe I'll add a few workouts a week, and hopefully lose to couple pounds I've probably gained.

I've had some great blog ideas, but of course they come to me in the middle of the night, I didn't write them down, and now I can't remember them. :P Such is life. Maybe some of them will come back to me.

The Difference a Few Pounds Makes

So, I'm a bridesmaid in my sister-in-laws wedding in about a month. I get to wear this dress....

In this color....



It was ordered back in November. When I tried it on for my mom and sister in December, it wasn't looking so good. I'm a little hippy and there's a cumber bun waist on this dress. Well, that cumber bun sits at my natural waist and it drew so much attention to my little stomach pooch. I was not feeling good in that dress. Since then I've lost a few pounds... Only a few. Maybe around 5? Well, I tried it on again this weekend to see what alterations needed to get done. Well, those few pounds made all the difference. Granted I'm still not fond of the fabric. It's a cotton sateen and doesn't have any movement to it. However, it looks so much better than it did and I might just be able to rock it confidently come April 30th.

I was hoping just the straps needed to be shortened and my mom could do it, but it needs to be taken in around the bust... So much for free alterations....  I'm taking the dress to the seamstress next week so I plan on maintaining my weight until after the wedding. Maybe I'll do push ups to tone my arms a little. :P



Ostara Blessings to my Pagan Friends!

And for my non-Pagan friends...

Where did I get the Idea?

The other night I was joking around with my husband saying that his "World of Warcraft" friends aren't real friends. Of course he said, "Sure they are! I spend 2-3 hours a day, 2-3 days a week playing with them." Then, I said, "Well, then are my WW friends real friends?" (obviously, I say yes. I'm closer with some of them than I am with the friends I see face to face) Well, I don't remember him answering that question but he asked "well are they Pagan?" and I responded "some of them are." And he comes back with "Ah! So that's where you got the idea!" That got me to thinking... "Where did I get the idea?" "What made me look for my beliefs instead of just practicing the Catholicism I was taught?" *Warning- This might get a little lengthy.

For reference, I think of Paganism as any Nature-based spiritual path that isn't considered a mainstream religion. It's an umbrella term for all religions and spiritual paths that honor, and feel the spirit and energy of nature whether its Druid, Native American, Wiccan... what have you. I'm none of those. I'm still in the read everything I can get my hands on phase. All I know at the moment is that I don't feel a spiritual connection with the Christian faith and I am trying to find out what I believe versus what I was taught to believe.


A Little History


I was raised Roman Catholic, and attended Catholic School from 1st through 8th grade. I was confirmed in the Catholic church when I was 14. I used to feel a spiritual connection when I went to church and at one time going to church on Sunday made me feel good, uplifted and closer to God. Then, I started forming my own opinions of what I felt was right and wrong. That's when my spiritual connection with the Catholic church started to go south. I felt like I was being reprimanded for my beliefs (mostly my tolerance and open mindedness), and that happy feeling I used to have when going to church turned into frustration. Then, going to church became a "do it on holidays to make mom happy" thing. Once I moved out, I just stopped going. Almost 5 years later, I'm spiritually adrift trying to find a connection with the Universal Power.... Supreme Being... whatever....


What Made Me Question My Beliefs?


Oddly enough... My husband. :P He read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Having been agnostic for years, this book is really what finally made him decide that he was an atheist. So, while he was reading this book, he would ask me why I believed in God. Just so you know, "Because I just do" isn't a valid point in a debate. :P He made the point that I believe what I believe because that's what I was taught. When I thought about it, it was true. So, what do I believe? Hmmmm.. That's a good question that I didn't have the answer to and one that I'm currently trying to figure out.


The Pagan Seeds


Funny enough, one of my first Pagan "seeds" came from this line from the song Colors of the Wind in the Disney movie Pocahontas: "I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name" I was about 14? Something about that line clicked in my head, and it made perfect sense to me.


Then, there was the brief moment when I wanted to be an Astronaut and studied everything I could find about the American Space Program and NASA. Unfortunately, I don't have the patience for advanced math so this career path was abandoned. Anyway... From then on, I've been fascinated by the moon, and would often get up in the middle of the night during the full moon as it was shining into my bedroom window to just gaze at it. I still do this.. did it last night actually. It might seem weird to some people but I feel something stir inside me when I look at the moon. It's both invigorating and uplifting. I can feel the power and the energy of the moon, the sun and all of nature. My husband thinks this is nuts. LOL! I feel the power of the energy of the earth so why not honor it?


Then, there was the TV show Charmed. Kidding!! :P It didn't influence me at all. I'm not loony enough to think, "if I become Wiccan, I can blow up demons!" I just liked the show, but my father didn't approve of me watching it... You know it "promoted witchcraft and devil worship" and what not. However, that was the first time I had heard about Wicca, and it was also around this time the my sister did a report on Wicca for a class in high school. My father was also none to pleased about this assignment. However, it was the first I had heard about a religion that "worshipped" nature, other than the Native American beliefs, and the idea of Goddess worship. Well, as a woman, how can I not connect with the idea of a powerful goddess?


Finally, one of the things I truly believe and feel came to me from Yoga Booty Ballet. It's a workout program that has a meditation section in the beginning and end of the workout. This feeling came during the meditation section. At the end of the meditation (as with most yoga classes), they always say "Namaste" which the creators of the program defined as "the spirit of the divine in me honors the spirit of the divine in you." (this definition varies depending who you talk to) That I have a little piece of the divine within me (as does everyone else) is something I feel to my core. This belief can only lead to being more respectful to everyone since they are also part of the divine.  This is the only thing that I absolutely believe... I'm still working on the other stuff.

So, where did I get the Pagan idea? It's been sprinkled around my life. I was happy with my job and was losing weight. So, in September, I figured I might as well find my spirituality and Paganism is where I started. If anything, the books I've read are interesting, and I'm learning about something I knew very little about. It's currently part of my path to help me figure out what I believe.

I Think I Might be Coming Down with Something

Spring fever that is!! Woot! Woot!! I went out during lunch today and it was so beautiful that I didn't want to go back to work. Being a big geek, I went to the bookstore. I love searching around looking for obscure books to read. I love finding really good books that don't have "NY Times Best Seller" on them. Well, I didn't find anything. I almost bought one, but couldn't make up my mind if I really wanted to read it. So, I just left it. I'll have to do some research on it and see what other people had to say about it.

Anyway... I'll leave you with some happy pictures that I found on the interwebz. P

I'm a Hero!

Well... ok.. not really. I'm only a hero to attorneys and paralegals that can't figure out where a paper jam in the copier is. :P Seriously, I am the Wo-MAN! Straight from my bosses mouth. LOL!  I came back from getting lunch and I heard them in the work room fussing with it and I have no clue how long they had been trying to figure it out. About 10 minutes after my return, the attorney asked if I was familiar with the copier. My thought was "I'm sure I can figure it out. It's not rocket science."The paralegal pointed out the customer service number and I think, "Well we have to be able to print off this copier and we can't wait days for it to work again."  I fuss with it for minute, and realize that the display on the copier was telling me how to fix it.   I just needed to hit the next button to see what the next step was. and... VIOLA! problem fixed... crisis averted. Because if you can't print at a lawfirm, it's like the apocalypse.  :P

*and how much paper we waste is whole other blog post.

Shook my Head at this One

My husband works with some very religious Christians. You know the kind... Read the Bible, go to church every Sunday, and very involved in their religious communities. They are really nice, fun people. When I think "good Christian," these are the kind of people I think of. They are just deep down good people. That being said. My husband tells me this story last night and I just thought it was hilarious!

My husband doesn't know how, but him and 2 of his very Christian co-workers got on the topic of aliens... You know the little green men from outer space. Well one of his coworkers says, "I don't think aliens exist because they aren't mentioned in the Bible." (oh.. and this comment is only in reference to creatures) The other co-worker... a little more practical says, "That aliens can exist because the Bible doesn't contain all of God's knowledge." 

That first comment just had me laughing. The person who said it is really sweet and it didn't surprise me that might be her perception of the universe. I just found this little conversation amusing. I'm sure my atheist husband just laughed a little at that comment. You know the kind... The single "Heh" with a little head shake.

Her complete faith in everything in the Bible is endearing, even if it leaves her perception of the universe a little narrow. She's so cute it's really hard to be like "What the fuck? You serious?" Actually... She doesn't use such language so out of respect, I don't cuss in front of her nor would I put down her faith. So it would be a "Huh? Really? That's interesting." :P She knows what she believes in and I can begrudge her for that. Just so long as she doesn't try to tell me that her spiritual law should be my spiritual law. However, religion isn't something I bring up in casual conversation and she hasn't tried to convince my husband to go to church. So, I'm sure it won't come up.

Wish I had my Camera!

So, last week in my Happy March! post, I said that I don't usually see Coleus in my area. Well, the parking lot where I work is right next to a house. So, I pulled into a spot when returning from lunch and I notice that the grassy area of the backyard is covered with blooming, purple coleus. I wish I had my camera with me so I can take some pictures from the parking lot. I obviously can't jump down there with my iPhone and start taking pictures.... eventhough I work for a law firm, I really don't want to get arrested for trespassing on private property. :P

So anyway... Spring is less than 2 weeks away!! Wooooo!!

Mom

My mom and dad at my sister's wedding

My Momma... Gee, what can I say about my momma. I am her clone. People that she grew up with, that have never met me, know the I am her daughter when they see me. I've probably already said alot of what I'm going to say here. Oh well...

She was the oldest of 5. She has 1 brother and 3 sisters. She's significantly older than her siblings because of miscarriages. Apparently my grandmother was a battle ax in the morning. So, when my mom was in high school, she'd get up and get ready for school, wake up her siblings, and then wake up my grandmother on her way out the door. :P

As a mother she was always fair and as I got older (into my 20's), I realized that she's always right. I had a truly wonderful life growing up and I attribute that to the hard work of my parents. My father worked to pay the bills. My mom worked so that we could afford the extra stuff like vacations, and bountiful Christmases. You could say that my siblings and I were spoiled, and we're the first ones to tell you that. For the most part, I don't think we were ungrateful... I think.... Maybe I have some rose colored glasses on. Ok... Since I'm talking about childhood at the moment, we probably were a little ungrateful, however I am grateful now when I look back on it.

She's a worry wart. I'm almost thirty and on snowy days, I call her when I get to work so she knows that I got there safe. I think I do this just so I don't make her worry. :P She lives an hour away, and I call her when I get home after leaving her house. When I was in college and living at home, I had to go into her bedroom and say goodnight no matter what time I got home. If she woke up in the middle of the night and didn't remember if I came home yet, she'd get up and walk down the hall to the computer room and look out the window to see if my car was there.

She's more than just a mother. She's one of my best friends. I can tell her anything and I do tell her everything.. mostly.... There are some things you just don't talk to your mom about. I do talk to her atleast once a day and when I'm bored, it's more. I think once I didn't call her for 3 days. On the third day she called me. :P That's probably the longest amount of time I've gone without getting in touch. It's a habit to just call her when I get home from work. I think it stems from calling her at work everyday after school. Most of the time, I don't have much to say. I'm just checking in.

She's an amazing role model. She's been married to my dad for 37 years. They raised three awesome kids. :P We're all successful in our own way. My sister gave them their first grandchild. My brother gave them their first granddaughter. I gave them.... grand-kitties? LOL!! See.. we're all successful.

I could go on about her forever. Maybe I should just take you all to her house to meet her. She'll make a pot of gravy. (for you non-Italians, that pasta sauce) :P

Mom-mom Brandt

My Mom-mom (on the left) with her sister, Betty. I actually took this picture! :P

Dottie Doyle from South Philly... LOL!! She is full of life and somehow managed to raised 4 daughters that are close as.... molecules?.... When I say my mom and aunts are tight, I mean all but one live in the same town. And that one travels an hour to help out and come to family events. Alright... back to my grandmother. She's well... from South Philly and if she meets someone who is as well, you might as well take a seat because she will talk to that person for hours! :P She's all Irish to the core, except for the drinking part and only because alcohol gives her heartburn. She has taught my mom and, in turn, me the not so subtle art of nagging. :P Always concerned about her husband's well being, we often heard in the course of the day "BOB!! are you alright?" This is something I've learned from her as well. For example, one night I woke up at around 4 am and I couldn't tell if my husband was breathing (usually I can just hear it) so I did what any rational adult would do... I shook him... hard :P He was none too happy, but atleast I knew he was still alive. LOL! I have since learned to gently touch his back to feel him breathing. Just one of the signs that I'm crazy.


I was closer to her than Little Helen mostly because her house (for most of my life) was just a 5 minute walk away. I spent many summers by the pool at her house and with my aunts so close, every Saturday and Sunday during the summer was a family event. I told you my aunts were tight. There's an uncle in there too, he just wasn't around almost everyday of my life like my aunts were.


She's full of life with a great sense of humor. She gets enjoyment out of the simplest things (ie a good hair cut and color). It was nothing short of a miracle that she raised four girls who all got along with each other. I'm sure it wasn't all sugarplums and daisies, but from what I can tell, they always got along. She, my mother and my aunts were the biggest influence on me growing up. I didn't need any celebrity role models. I had these 5 constant sources in my life showing me how to be a strong, independent woman.

Tolerance... or a rant... :P

So, last night, I'm putzing around on Youtube watching a bunch of videos by a woman named CharmingPixieFlora. She's a Wiccan? Witch? Ok.. I can't remember how she classifies herself, but she has this amazing, bright, loving energy about her. All her videos are about Paganism and has great tips, how to's and general information. Some non-Pagans can relate to some of her videos. There's one about having an open dialog with the Goddess and just talking to any divine power you believe in.

 Anyway.... Under the related videos, I see some shit from Brother "What's His Name"... He's so important that I forgot his name. :P He starts off his video telling her that she's wrong, and needs to stop what she's doing. And then he goes on about how she needs to repent and "if only you would open your mind and accept Jesus Christ into your life" and "follow the one true God" ... blah...blah... blah... WHAT??? Who needs to open their mind? With so many people in this world, how can you say that there's only one way to divinity? I was raised Roman Catholic and am now seeking a nature based spirituality. When I realized that there were all these other religions, I just came to the logical conclusion that, regardless what the name of someone's gods/goddesses are, we're all ultimately worshiping the same supreme power. (Keep in mind, I came to this conclusion while attending Catholic school) We just have a different means to the same end. May I remind you... an end that no one can prove what it actually is.

I got about 2 minutes in and had enough. Apparently, he went on to reading some scriptures... and I'm sure more blah...blah...blah.... Obviously, she's not going to care about this but...

It got me thinking about tolerance and respect. You might not agree with my opinions, or my beliefs. That's fine. That doesn't mean that I'm not a good person. As a society, we need to respect people's beliefs and start deciding if a person is good or bad based on their character and how they treat other people. Shit! I've known a Satanist in my past, and she was a very nice person. From what I knew of her, she was far from the "evil" that most people might think when they hear that.  Just because you go to church, go to temple, or create a sacred circle in your living room, it doesn't mean that your automatically good. We just need to respect our differences and move on with our lives. Brother McNegative Energy and alot of other people need to stop judging people because of how they choose to live their lives. It's not your place to tell someone that their spirituality is wrong and they're going to hell for it. How the fuck do you know? No one really knows for certain. That's why it's called "Faith" and not "Fact."

I'm a firm believer that you can't really convert someone. You can give them info, and tell them what you believe, but that doesn't convert people. They can choose to join you if that's what they believe as well. Ultimately people will find the right spiritual path for them because they're looking for it and want that connection with the divine. They'll find it on their own without your help. No one way is the right way. And if you're a sciencey, overly logical, person that believes that there's no way there's a God, have at it.

I'm not even going to get started on the fact that maybe we should care less about what other people are doing and start concentrating on ourselves. OR... the fact that this Brother "Save the Pagans" doesn't understand how we can live without a sacred text. Or... the arrogance of this man to think that what he says will change another person's spiritual beliefs. That's a whole lot of different rants. :P

*Please note that this guy was very respectful, but it was very obvious that he knew nothing about what Pagans believe. I think that being a man of God that he would have just been happy that she believed in something greater than herself. I despise proselytizing for the reasons about finding spirituality stated above. I wonder if I can put a "No Proselytizing"
sign on my front door? :P

*This is the first website I found when I was researching Paganism. It's an awesome site with information about almost any religion you can think of. http://www.religioustolerance.org/



perfectmemorials.com



Happy March!

Happy March!!

March is such a sigh of relief for me. February tends to be the worst month of the year for my seasonal depression. However, this year has been significantly better than previous years. That doesn't mean that I am not as excited to see spring approaching. March is when I come out of my dark winter hole and really start getting excited about warmer days, and cool breezes. Sleeping with the windows open and being awakened by singing birds. March 1st is a happy day for me. Soon we'll be seeing some of these!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Krokusse_im_Schnee.jpg



flower-garden-bulbs.com

However, I don't see alot of Crocus around here. I'll more likely see these around. They are very popular at Easter and landscapers like to plant them around flower beds at office buildings.



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