I know you’re not going to understand this, but….

My dad, who happens to be the owner of this little blog, used to say this all the time, it would infuriate me. It made me feel like such a dumb ass. “I know you’re not going to understand this, but that’s gonna be hot” he’d say after I touched a hot pan. With my wounded finger in the in my mouth (something about my saliva has healing powers) I’d hang my head in shame, or so he thought. Really I was just lowering my eyes so I could roll them at him without him seeing, he hated that. He would use that phrase in all sorts of my less then intelligent moments. So it surprised me the other day when I used that very same phrase myself, but I said it in my head. Now I can see its appeal. I was walking through the weight room in my gym I saw two, not one like normal but two, guys wearing flip-flops.

“I know you’re not going to understand this, but you could lose a toe” I really don’t understand this trend. Are you too cool/sexy for proper shoes? It’s a gym not at Right Said Fred song. That is just as bad as the men who stand around by the equipment just to look “hot”. With their tight shorts and oddly hanging tank tops, they just confuse me. Or the women you see wearing a ton’o make-up and froofed up hair. Isn’t the point of going to the gym to work out, to sweat, and to stink? Not to pick up on or be picked up on. I have a wonderful idea, and if I can find financing for it, this idea will solve this annoyance of mine, and I highly doubt I am alone on it. I will open a fake gym. A pseudo-gym if you prefer. It will look like a gym; you won’t be able to tell a difference by walking in the door. But pick up a weight and you’ll see the point here isn’t to work out. In fact sweating will not be allowed. Our weights will be made of Styrofoam, our machines of plastic. The treadmills won’t work either, and the Stairmaster- for decoration. This will set the perfect scene for all those flip-flop wearing non-workouter workouters and lingering picker-upers. That way they can get out of the gym and let the rest of us, serious about fitness, get back to work and be less annoyed.

If you are interested in backing this I-can’t-believe-someone-hasn’t-thought-of-this-yet idea, please contact me. Let’s get the ball rolling!

Confession

Ok, I have a confession. This is hard to admit, but this is a blog about life and changes so here it goes. I recently told you that I can feel a change coming. Well it has started and that is what my confession is about. I have made a decision that may haunt me for the rest of my days. It has the ability to shake my beliefs down to their very core. This change will affect how I interact with the people in my life and the world around me in general. Once I have started this transformation it will either open the door to new possibilities in my life or it could very easily cause my world to come crashing down around me.

Now, don’t think I am rushing into the decision carelessly or without a great deal of thought, prayer and gnashing of teeth. I have been thinking about this new direction in my life for years, at least 15 years as I remember it. I remember thinking during a quiet moment, “Have I made the right choice? When I came to that crossroad in my path should I have taken the road less traveled and embarked on an adventure?"

At this point there is no other way to confess my mistakes or to admit my failings but to come right out and say it……..

I bought an iMac.

All I can say is please forgive me.


It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory. - W. Edwards Deming

Change in the Air

Ever come to a point in your life when you know a change is coming? It might be a small change like a new favorite shirt or a new show on TV that you like to watch. But what if it is a big change like a new direction in life? Well, today I feel that there is a change in the air. I am not sure what it is or from what direction the change will come from but I can feel it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a big fan of change. I, like most people, enjoy a certain amount of predictability to my life. But I need change in my life every once and awhile to let me know I am alive. Most of us resist any kind of change; even the smallest of changes can drive us crazy.

These days it seems as if change is all around us and that the only way to not lose your mind is to hold on to something. Well maybe today is the day to let go of something. Could be something small (good bye favorite shirt) or something big (hello new direction) but it might lead you to where you should have been all along.

There is change in the air……you first.

Words to Live By

You know those gems, those words of wisdom passed down through your family tree all the way to your grandpa. You know, the ones he just loves to share with you as if you were still a young whippersnapper sitting on his knee. “If life hands you lemons; make lemonade” or “the grass is always greener in someone else’s pasture.” to name only a couple out of thousands. All of which are great words to live by or to keep in mind, but rather cliché don’t you think? Well I certainly do. So I offer you, here today a new pearl. Something I live by on a daily basis, and have for many years now. You wouldn’t think a few words strung together could have such an impact on one’s life, but these three simple words have given me strength and motivation when I had none. It just doesn’t seem right to keep such a secret.

So here it is, are you ready for this? “Rain brings Rainbows”. Simple, right? When I say that to people I get one of two responses. Either they say “what? That’s the silliest (dumbest, lamest, etc..) thing I have ever heard” or they just smile and say something like “oh wow I really like that” or some other form of positive feedback. But if you take a minute to think about it, I mean really think about it, it makes perfect sense. You can’t have a rainbow without rain, just like you can’t have light without dark, good without bad, ups without downs. Life is all about balance; ying and yang. Now if you are asking so how does that help you in your daily life? Let me let you inside my head for just a minute, much longer you might go insane, and I would hate to be responsible for that.

This whole way of thinking came to me during a pretty rough breakup. I was always sad, depressed, locked away in my room, not living. And it hit me, out of nowhere, maybe a gift from God. The thought entered my head and I just perked right up. If you never endure hardship how would you know what happiness is? If my life was easy and breezy, how in the world, would I know how good I have it? And since that day, when anything seemingly negative happens to me, I view it as a positive thing. Yea, okay, I might not be happy with my current job, relationship, weight, car, etc... but its only temporary. I know things are going to get better for me. And when they do, they will be that much better. I will appreciate it so much more now that I understand the struggle it took to get here.

So if rain brings rainbows, what does that mean for you? You may be holding tight to a tiny dingy in the middle of a hurricane now, but just think of the front row seat you will have when the storm fades and your giant, wonderful, God given rainbow appears. Just keep in mind, your rainbow will be directly comparable in size to your storm. Have faith my friends, and hold tight knowing things will only get better, more beautiful, if you just hang on a little longer.

Erin

To Facebook or Not to Facebook

Ok, let me start off by saying that I am a computer person, geek, nerd or whatever you want to call me. I use a computer every day and can get my way around most applications, games, sites or whatever I come across. That being said there are a couple things I would like to say about facebook. Don’t get me wrong I like facebook, or the idea of facebook but the way some people use it is wrong. Let me give you a couple examples.

Facebook at work is a very tricky thing. First of all, do you friend your boss? My suggestion is no do not and here is why. If your boss is on facebook and you like to update your status, comment on other’s status, or photos during the work day, guess what? They know about it. They know that you are on facebook during work hours and now wonder if you are busy enough. Obviously not if you have time to update your status every 15 minutes. So be careful when friending your boss or updating your status at work. People who you work with are watching and some are wondering if you are really working hard or hardly working.

The other is facebook during a breakup. Man this is a touchy area that needs to be thought through before you post anything. Remember what you post is seen by all of your friends and now they know that you are fighting with your significant other. If you decide to post about your breakup, please, and I can’t say this strongly enough, please do not make people choose sides in the fight. If you do, you might be very surprised at the result. There is no good outcome to this: If they pick your side and you later get back together, your friends will wonder why? If they pick the other side, well, enough said, they picked the other side.
Remember facebook is a fun tool for keeping up to date with the lives of your family and friends, but don’t keep them too update.


Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none. - Benjamin Franklin

Back To School

No other words caused more dread when I was a child or signaled the end of my summer of fun than "Back To School". How in the world could it be time to go back when we just got out what seems only a week ago (at least it felt that way to me).

This time of year, as the sun is still blazing hot, it's hard to think that before the month is out children will be heading back to school. Back to sending them to bed early, and the fights - I mean conversations that will results. I remember arguing like a seasoned trial attorney (at least I remember it that way) about how and why I should be able to stay up later and how it was a gross miscarriage of justice if I of all people had to go to bed when it was still light out. But as well planned out my closing argument was, the judge (Mom) never seem to decide in my favor. Now that I am older, going to bed early sounds like a wonderful idea (Thanks Mom).

As we look forward to this time of year once again here are some wonderful quotes that put the idea of going back to school into perspective:

• I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain
• Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. - Albert Einstein
• Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog. - Doug Larson

Thanksgiving in July

We always hear about “Christmas in July” well, what about Thanksgiving in July? I personally love turkey and could eat it about once a week. So here is an idea we call “Turkey Rollups”. Get about 1 pound of turkey sliced from the deli. You are going to want this to be thicker than for sandwiches, but not too thick (after you have done this once you will determine what you like for thickness). Now get about ½ pound of Monterey Jack cheese sliced thin for sandwiches. You will also need a box of Stove Top stuffing mix (I like either chicken or turkey – stay away from pork and cornbread) and a large can of cream of chicken soup (here again any kind will work however Campbell’s is great).

Now, fix the stuffing per the box and then set aside and let it cool a little. Once you feel you can handle it, you can start. You start by laying out one piece of turkey on a cutting board. Then you put one slice of the cheese on the turkey (in the middle of the slice). Once they are together, you add a spoon full of stuffing on the cheese. Then you rollup the turkey/cheese/stuffing and place them into a pan for the oven (I use a lasagna pan or a glass casserole pan will work great). You repeat this process until the pan is full, or the turkey is gone (I love leftovers so I will do two pans if able).

Open the can of soup and pour into a bowl. Add just enough water or milk to be able to thin the mixture enough to be able to pour it out (I use about 1/3 of the can as a measure). Then take the thinned soup mixture and pour it over the turkey rolls. From here you just cover it with foil (if you are baking it) or wrap (if you are microwaving it – either way works but baking is better) and cook it. Since the stuffing is already done you just need to heat the turkey rollups and they are done. I normally do about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven this way the house smells like Thanksgiving.

Now just open a can of cranberry sauce and you are set and ready to go, just don’t get too disappointed that you can’t spend the day watching football.

Enjoy

Greetings and Welcome to Simply Quotable's blog. This is going to be a place where you will see things from the humorous to the touching. We will have postings on quotations, things in the kitchen (cooking) and other areas of life we are involved with.

Simply Quotable was started as a way for friends to share our thoughts (funny, serious and scary) with others. We have a wide area of interest from hobbies, business and families. We have families and friends just like a lot of people and from them we are able to draw out ideas for postings, quotations and things to share your thoughts with others. So please come and enjoy.

If you have ideas, suggestions, quotations, concerns, death threats (well maybe not death threats) please share them with us.

Thanks
Gerald