Addictions

For some people it is illegal substances (crack). For some people it is legal, but illicit (cheating). For some people it is consumed (booze) . For some people it is observed (porn). And finally, for some people, it is plugge in (internet).

Addictions -- they come in various packages and have differing levels of complete domination.

I have watched my husband get increasingly addicted to being connected to the world around us. Wether it is through Twitter, Facebook, email, newfeeds and now Google Plus -- he must be connected. I swear, I think he white knuckles it when he has no signal or worse yet, when I take the device away (just to be cute).

I too struggle with my own addictions, though, so I must be careful -- those in glass houses and all... But I digress, my post is not about Ken's addiction to the internet (and no Kate Monster, it is not just for porn). This post is about the latest in a string of my addictions.

While I do not smoke, drink or do drugs, I DO play. First it was Tumble Bees on Pogo.com. It is a super fun word game and a great way to work out my brain and pass time. Then came all the other games on the site -- Oh My Goodness! It may not be Call of Duty, but let me tell you, the little strategy games and puzzle games on this site had me from the get go.

I have since moved on -- fickle is me, you know. Once on Facebook, I was doomed. I left behind my Pogo and started playing the games on FB. Bejeweled -- oh my how you mesmerize. I played for hours on end, without even knowing it. The plink plink of the matches and the ex[plosions with the colorful graphics. How could you NOT?

Well, I have found a new addiction -- sorry Bejeweled. Angry Birds and Words with Friends are my crack and my iPhone is my pipe. To be lost in this place where the toughest decisions are which bird to send crashing into a brick wall, and should I use the double word or tripple letter tiles?

In a world where there are bills to pay, work to do and people to whome we must answer, it is so nice to just be lost, to get consumed in the nothingness. I love playing 2 tiles and getting 40 points, or hitting the pig at just the right angle and watching it implode.

I am sure there will be new games and opportunities out there soon, but for now, I am enjoying this addiction one finger tap at a time.

What are your addictions?

I'm Baaaaaaack

I am back, and of course, overthinking EVERYTHING.

It is so easy to get caught up in all the minutia of the everyday. When last I typed my life was a very different picture than it is today.

I was a stay at home wife working on selling my Mom's collectibles, and making my merry way along -- going to the gym, taking care of myself and Ken and living the Happily Everafter.

Today, I am a Director of Quality Improvement for a small hospital, working 10-12 hour days and barely keeping my head above water. What happened?

The last two years have been eventful to say the least.

I got a new job followed by a promotion, was diagnosed with and survived cancer (seriously, I am fine -- clear almost 2 years), went to Hawaii for our 4th wedding anniversary, had my Dad move in with us, and, and , and... Oh yeah, can't forget that we have started the adoption process. I will most likely set up a separate blog for the adoption thing -- but I PROMISE if you do not ask me about it, I will keep you all updated.

In the past few weeks, Ken has started up the collectibles thing again, so you can look for lulubarlow.com and ebay stuff announcements again too. I think we have decided that the $$$ for storage could be so much better spent somewhere else!

Now, back to my overthinking...
I need an outlet -- bottled up stress can be a killer. If I have followers it will make me happy and if I do not, well, it will bum me out, but I will survive to type another day. I will make efforts to be witty and charming, but bottom line is that my overthinking will be a source of ideas, randomness and, well, the rest is to be determined.

Introducing Ms. Lulu Barlow

There once was a woman, Lulu Barlow. She was an amazing woman; smart, funny. charming and vivacious! Lulu never met a stranger, and if she did, they were not a stranger for long. She had a zest for life, enjoying dancing, music, good food and an occasional white water rafting adventure.

Sounds like a cool chick, huh?

Lulu also had a passion for collecting, ummm, things. Lots and lots of things. Dolls, nick knacks, chachkis (sp?) stuffed animals -- she really had no prejudices. If it was collectible, she collected it. In fact, she collected enough to amass a collection large enough to occupy the entire inside of an 1800 sq ft house. The goodies she collected often substituted for friends socializing.

As gregarious as Lulu was, she sadly lacked the social life that she so totally craved. As a result, she found plenty of ways to fill that void. Delivery people were friends, phone operators were acquaintances, and dolls, oh the dolls -- they were her kids and grand kids.

While this may sound sad, really it was not. She lived every minute as if it were her last and when she left this earth, she did it with little regret.

Now... Lulu left behind this collection of treasures. I have been charged with said collection and its disposal, liquidation and disbursment. To reach this end, I have opened an eBay store, Lulu Barlow Collectibles and am in the midst of developing a website -- lulubarlow.com. You can take a look and see what Lulu has to offer and what tricks she has up her sleeve. New items are posted regularly. This way, not only is the collection being taken care of, but it gives us the opportunity to share Lulu with so many people. A piece of her was in each piece she collected, and now she can be with each person who has a part of the lot.

At last, Lulu Barlow is having the social life she wanted and the adventures of a lifetime.

A new chapter...

There is more to come, but I will give you this as a tasty tidbit and glimpse into what will be coming!

Gobble Gobble

I have been a slacker, I know. No posts in way way too long. I will post an update soon, I promise; cause trust me, I have plenty to talk about! In the meantime, it is Thanksgiving and I needed to do my annual why am I thankful post...

First and foremost I am thankful for my family -- KEN , that has you at the top of the list. I never in my whole life thought I really would end up married to my best friend. But here I am and here you are. You have given me a new sence of the word family and what it means. ALl the rest of the relations are included here too -- Dad, In-Laws, nieces and nephews (the older 19 already! and newer 6 weeks), aunts, uncles and cousins -- you get it, the whole kit and caboodle.

I am thankful that my mom was my mom. She is gone now and it makes me sad on a regular basis, but I am thankful that i had her for as long as I did and that she imparted to me the importance of this holiday and spending it with loved ones.

I am also thankful for all of the people in my life that make up my extended family -- my/our friends, their kids and all their families that fill in the gaps. Friends as family rules!

While I am desperately seeking a job, I am thankful to be in this position. It means that I got to take the time off of work that I needed to put my life back together after a very very rough patch. And I am thankful for the rough patch, cause it taught me to appreciate the smooth times.

I am thankful for the fact that even though the economy is killing us all and things seem like a long dark tunnel, that I have a roof over my head and food to put on my table, and people in our lives to have sit at that table with us. Oh! And eBay, VERY thankful for eBay, as I am finally selling all of my mom's collectibles.

I am thankful for my health -- yes I saiad my health. As not perfect as it is, is as bad as it could be. I am thankful for what I have -- including all ten of my digits in tact, even though I seem to be hellbent on changing that.

I am thankful for Facebook! I have found so many people from past parts of my life that i am so happy to get to know all over again. What a hoot this has been!

And finally, I am thankful for you, dear readers. You keep coming back no matter how long I disapear and you give me a sounding board for random and various other rants. Thanks.

I hope you and yours all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and the start of a beautiful holiday season!

Quoteable Fridays

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
-- John Cage (American avant-garde composer, 1912-1992)

There is so much to be taken from this one that I will let you all take a go at it first, and respond in kind. But how appropriate it is at this time in our lives, our society and our world...

Hope everyone had a great week and that the weekend will be much enjoyed by all.

Quoteable Fridays

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary
-- Aaron Rose

I think the important part of this quote is the "at the right time". When my world provides me with drama and uncertainty, I am finding that it is helpful to just kind of sit back -- not in apathy, but in the faith that in the end, everything works out the way it is supposed to. While I may not like the outcomes at the immediate moment, I am finding solace in knowing that when I look back, with just the right perspective, it all happened/happens for a reason. And in that reason, it becomes the perfect thing to have happened at the time, and for that reason it is extraordinary. Sometimes the sunset or sunrise of a new day provides that "right light."