a poem

in winter
in a time not expected
in a difficult time
in a cold time
in the quiet
I found it
my peace & confidence
blooming despite the odds
radiant despite the opinions of others
there in all its majesty

etho

12/28/13

What in the Hell was I thinking?

So DAY 5 of No New Things

Ugg I just remembered I need to buy softball pictures of my 2 younger daughters this season?  If I buy them on disc I am good because the decision to do this was based on NO MORE STUFF in our life in our house or in the landfill.  BUT honestly I will loose that disc and never make copies to give to the grandparents!

I did decide media on CDS's, i tunes and TV shows on my Kindle Fire don't count and obviously neither does groceries, toiletries or undergarments (that include bathing suits - see I did think ahead a little).

But what else will I come across? I considered those last minute purchases for class shows form Target like the red shirt necessary for the class sing at Christmas and what about the container I had to buy last year to hold 100 homemade pumpkin muffins....? Ugg

Please watch this short AWESOME video to see where my craziness came from:

The Story of Stuff

Discrimination or National Pride?

Ok, I'm trying to be understanding, open minded and fair but I'm feeling completely pissed to the max about a few things. 

IF YOU FEEL DIFFERENTLY THAN ME PLEASE COMMENT AND SHOW ME YOUR PERSPECTIVE I am open and want to understand better.

Having said that preamble I will still appear to be prejudice.  Maybe  I am  but in denial?  Either way here goes...

FUCK PRESSING 1 FOR ENGLISH. 

Everything in America should automatically be in English. 

I feel its great and super supportive to offer people to hear or read things in other languages especially with certain products and marketing niches BUT ENGLISH SHOULD BE FIRST.

Seriously. I don't want you to ask me to press 1 for the language of the Country I am calling in . 

I have NEVER gone to France and expected ANYONE to speak English. I am pleasantly surprised and appreciative if they do but key word: I do not EXPECT it.

Nor do I call a Japanese business located IN JAPAN and EXPECT the option to hear things in English. If I do not speak Japanese then I should NOT purchase things from a Japanese company OR I should enlist the help f a friend who DOES speak Japanese.

This also leads me down the bumpy road of discussing people who do not speak English having the EXPECTATION when they drop their Kindergartner off at a FREE public school that the school is solely responsible for that child integrating AND learning English. 

Oh and THOSE people are MOST OFTEN the ones who GIVE NOTHING BACK to the school or community.

I of course do not speak for ALL people in this critical rant but a HUGE majority live near me and this is MY personal experience.

Ok, so there it is. Out there in its red white and blue - lets hear it.....

Contradictions

I am contradicting myself on a regular basis. Its usually because I hear some information that stirs up my passion about a particular subject and then I get a strong opinion and start shooting my mouth off with little or no verified facts.  Then I go get facts (after a few rants usually) and I then more often than not I have to retract or start spouting off the completely opposite view.

This is ignorant.


I know this is ignorant.



I try and try and try not to do this .... I try and try and try to take information I hear, read or see and then research and then develope my strong oppinion about it.  this works 1% of the time.

So if you know me you know that while I *mean well* I am *passionate about important topics of today* I am *intelligent* I can be *well spoken* I am *well read* I am *MOSTLY able to see my faults, apologize when necessary and humbly change my mind* I can often come off like a real ass.

I am a work in progress (some of you will catch that familiar phrase and understand me even more ;).

I am a Jew.

I am a mixture of white Irish, Scottish and Welsh.  Most white people I know have Irish in them because it seems to me the Irish will breed with anyone they deem hot in the sack.

I am dissatisfied with Judaism.  I am now following Jesus.  More on this later.

Shit balls kids are home gotta go cook dinner be back later.....

with love your totally imperfect Erika