Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Carpal Tunnel and NaNoWriMo

Hello dear readers,

I apologize for the long absence.  In the past week, I have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel in my right hand.  The reason: too much writing and knitting.  So I've been having to give it a break.  (It'll be another week or two before I can knit again. =P)

I have decided this year to do NaNoWriMo.  It's National Novel Writing Month, and I have yet to complete any story, so I decided kind of last minute that it would be a good idea.

Is anyone else doing it?

It looks like fun.  I hope I can actually do it and get something written for once.

And now I have to go wrap my wrist again.

Until the next time.

~Meaghan

Friday, October 26, 2012

Don't Forget to Vote!

I know you're probably hearing that everywhere, dear readers, but it really is so important.

In the weeks that follow, we will be deciding who is going to lead the country for four more years.

Every vote matters. 

So please, make sure to get out and vote.  It's important.  Make your voice heard.

(And if you don't vote, you don't get to bitch about how the country is being run.  Remember that.)

~Meaghan

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Perils of Passing Out Samples

Hello, dear readers.

As you may or may not know, I work on the weekends passing out samples in the grocery store.  It's a fun job most of the time.  I get to talk to people, try new products (what's that?  Oh, a new soda?  Sure, I'll try it..), and make a pretty easy paycheck.

But it's not always fun or easy.  There are a handful of things that can really throw it off.  And so, I created a list:

1. Rude Customers
  
 It's like they expect me to bend over backwards for them.  They're the people who come up to the table and cut in front of everyone, grabbing without stopping.  FYI, due to health code, I have to hand the samples over.  If you grab one out of hand, not only are you showing a lack of respect for me and my position, but you're putting my health license in danger.  Not cool.  And seriously.  If you're going to get a sample, put the cell phone down.

2. Ill Behaved Children
 
 I'm not allowed to pass samples out to anyone under 13 without a parent present.  I did not create the rules, I only follow them.  That being said, when your kid comes up to the table while you're too busy looking at shredded cheese and takes five of one thing before I can stop them, it's really not cool.  And if you're the parent of the kid and you don't even have the courtesy of coming by and at least taking a coupon after that, then you aren't any better.  (You know who you are, and I'm watching you.)

3. Cranky Employees

 Yeah, it happens.  I had one case where I started to set up (where I was told to) and the manager came over, ripped my table cloth off my table and told me that I wasn't in the right place.  Totally disrespectful.  Plus you get cranky managers on the phone who make it sound like you're putting them out when you do the pre-call on Monday for a demo on Saturday.  It's not that I mean to make anyone's life harder; honestly, I sell product for them.  So, if you're a store employee, be nice to me.  Cause it's no skin off my nose if I don't actively make an effort to sell you out.

There you have it.  The trio of people that make my job hell.  I stand there for five to six hours, waiting to greet you with a smile.  The least you can do is be kind back.

So next time you're in the grocery store and see a sample person, my dear readers, at least smile and say hi.  It's the least you can do. =)

~Meaghan

Thursday, October 18, 2012

We Have Internet Again!

And it has never tasted so sweet.

I'm happy we have internet again.  As I sit here in bed, sick yet again with another stupid sinus infection possibly mingling with strep throat, I am able to communicate to all you lovely readers.

How's it going?

So yeah.  We have interwebs again.  Pretty sweet.

Know what else is awesome and sweet?

My Etsy shop. 

That's what's sweet.  You guys should all check it out.  It's called Birdie's Boutique 2012 and it's run by my mom and I.  Mom does all the crochet, I do all the knitting.  Most of what we aim for is custom orders, but we do have things already made that you can buy.

I love how everything is kind of falling into place.  I'm not a millionaire, and I more than likely will never be one, but I'm so happy doing what I'm doing.

That's the point of life, you know.  Be happy doing what you're doing, being who you are.

And now I'm going to bed.

~Meaghan

Monday, October 8, 2012

Need Some Gift Ideas?

Hi there, dear readers!

I've done it.  I've opened a small craft operation on Etsy selling my knitted goods.  Here's all you need if you're interested.

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/BirdiesBoutique

On Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/birdiesboutique2012

Feel free to give it a whirl. :)

Next entry will be more interesting, I promise. I'm just tired of staring at my computer screen today.

~Meaghan

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Holes

I woke up this morning, my dear readers, and had a bit of a surprise.  Not a good surprise, either. 

My favorite pair of knitted socks - the ones made last year with an autumn colorway of Koigu hand painted merino wool - has a hole in them.

Not like a little hole I can fix, either.  Like, a hole that requires making a new pair of socks.

(Which wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't lost the urge to knit for a few days.  Eventually this problem will be fixed and I'll be knitting again, but for now, I'm on a break.)

The whole thing - no pun intended - got me thinking.

Everything is made to wear out. 

Think about it.  Shoes wear out.  Socks wear out.  Animals and people wear out.  Furniture wears out.  Floors wear out.

And it goes beyond that.  Relationships get old and wear out.  Friendships get worn out.  Jobs and homes and families sometimes wear out.

Nothing is permanent.

But that's part of the beauty of it.  While they wear out, they usually just change.  Sometimes a friendship falls apart and a new one replaces it.  Sometimes a relationship wears out and becomes better for it.  Sometimes a job ends and a better one comes along.

Nothing is permanent.  Nothing here on Earth lasts forever.

No error is eternal.  No argument goes on for ever.  No mispoken word or wrong action will last. 

Instead, we learn from it.  We grow from it.  We let it fade and make new marks.

We weave new yarns together, so to speak.

And I, for one, am glad of that.

~Meaghan

Monday, October 1, 2012

Faith Without Dogma

I had a bit of a revelation this week, dear readers, and I've given it some serious thought before presenting it here.

I accepted Jesus.  I asked him to take over for me.  I had a conversation with God, if you will.  I felt the love, I felt the compassion, and I am so ready to be passing it on to others.

But there's a glitch in the system.  Maybe it's just me, maybe it's the whole system, maybe it's not a glitch at all.

I....have a mixed faith.

I believe in Jesus.  I believe in Grace.  I believe in the Christian view of compassion and love and caring for one another.

I don't believe in hell.  I don't believe in an angry God. I don't believe in strict rules with immediate punishment.

Which isn't to say I don't believe in evil.  I am very aware that there is evil in the world.  I see it every time I turn on the news and someone has been hurt by another for any given reason.  I see it every time a young person takes their life because they have been tormented for too long.  I see it every time there is war coverage.

I just don't see how there can be a hell for eternity.  That's all.

I still practice and love aspects of Wicca.  I love the respect and love for nature.  I love the energy that I can feel in my very veins.  I love the blessing of homes and of others.  I love the embracing of the feminine nature and of female energy.  I find it empowering and beautiful.

I still meditate sometimes.  I pray constantly.  I talk directly to God without going through saints or priests or mediators.  I still read everything I can get my hands onto.  I refuse to be narrow.

I believe in faith without dogma, in God without religion, in love and grace without exceptions.

By many definitions, I am not allowed to be called a Christian even though I accepted Jesus as my way.  Even though I've always talked with God and done what felt right in my gut.  Even though the Grace aspect comes from Jesus.

And in many ways, I am still conflicted about that, about names, about straight lines and fine print.  About the fact that I have to "define" myself through my personal journey.

Maybe it's no one's business.  Maybe it's just me, making it harder than it is, trying to voice what I can't understand, trying to understand a force and being that is beyond any of our mortal thoughts.

But I can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, there's some truth in there.  That if we were to stop pointing fingers and judging those around us, if we were to stop insisting that we are always the right ones and they (whoever the they may be) are the wrong ones, if we were to stop insisting in punishment if you don't belive one certain way,  that maybe we could focus on loving our fellow men and women.

 That maybe, we can focus on doing the right thing, on helping those who need us, on remembering to say a quiet prayer for those on the street corners and the woman in line behind us in the grocery store.

I am by no means an expert.  And maybe I'm wrong. I suspect there are many that think I am.  That's okay with me.

But I'm going to do exactly what I think.  No dogma, no pegging into holes, no pointing fingers. 

I'm going to love with my arms open and greet the new day without holding back from here on.  I will reflect that love, the love without a name, the love too great for me to even begin to explain. 

Will you join me?


~Meaghan