Day 14: Life Keeps getting in the way

Life keeps getting in the way in more ways than I thought. I refuse to give up this project even when it looks like I already have.

This super long weekend I had to work and even though I am very disorganized in my personal life my work related events run like clockwork. I am very anal about the pre cooking process and how timed my mise en place should be. Due to this obsession I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning shopping for everything I would need for an event I had scheduled for all day Monday.

Sunday night all hell broke loose.

My client calls me up and lets me know that everything we had planned will need to be rearranged. The first coffee break will just be cheese, muffins, a variety of breads, coffee, tea and Juice. I didn’t have muffins or a variety of breads, so I had to run out Monday morning, an off day, to get it. The lunch was changed twice before finally settling on what I had first offered minus one dish. The last dish was to be used for dinner and we would need to add two salads and an upgrade to the dessert.

The entire day was chaos. I ran late all day and to top it all off at the last minute I had to add an extra item because of the guest couldn’t eat eggplant!! It was not a good day for me. I am grateful I’m a fair enough cook to pull it off without anyone puking or hating everything, but I still did not have fun.

This has officially turned into a rant and I don’t like the fact that is my second one in less than two weeks. I guess I whine a lot more than thought. I shouldn’t be complaining at all. I understand how blessed I am, specially lately.

My brother left for Haiti last Saturday. He is working at a campsite providing food and health care to anyone that goes there. Yesterday he finally wrote an email and even though he didn’t go into much detail he let us know that the people of Haiti are going through so much and that every little thing helps. So if anyone is able to get off work for a week please contact 

CAMPAMENTO COMISIÓN DE SALUD DE LA PLATAFORMA DE AYUDA A HAITÍ DE LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL DOMINICANA

La Comisión de Salud ha establecido un campamento médico en Puerto Príncipe que está necesitando personal:

SE NECESITA VOLUNTARIADO!!:

-Personal Médico: Médicos generales, psicólogos, pediatras, ortopedas y  ginecólogas.

-Traductores y Apoyo logístico (que sean proactivos, con capacidad para coordinar, ofrecer todo tipo de soporte, que busquen soluciones a situaciones de búsqueda de alternativas).

INTERESADOS:

Por favor enviar su nombre, cédula y pasaporte (dominicanos, si tienen  y extranjeros obligatorio), e-mail, teléfono formación y área de apoyo en el que puedan ser útiles) a los siguientes correos electrónicos:

n.camino@codetel.net.do
estibalizladron@yahoo.es
Chelsea.mcguire@gmail.com

I will follow my brother later this week and even though I won’t have internet access, I’ll take my notebook and lots of pens so that I can try and write my five hundred words every day I’m there. As soon as I’m back ill try to type everything and post it.

Tomorrow I have to get everything ready but I’ll try to post again before I leave. If not, be well, laugh hard, love without strings and enjoy every moment of your life.

                                                                                                                                                                      Word Count: 576

Day 3: The Motherhood Gene

I think I was born lacking the motherhood gene, and despite what Dominican society thinks, that doesn’t make me less of a woman. I can appreciate  a cute kid as much as the next person, I can be awed by a smart two year old or charmed by a smiling toddler but honestly I don’t yearn for a child and for the first time ever I feel annoyed by the pressures of society. I’m old enough and smart enough not to care what people think, I know, and it’s not that I care what they think, it’s more a case of annoyance that in the year 2010 it’s still hard for people to understand that not everyone has the same dreams.

When I was overweight and people told “oh you’d be so pretty if you’d only loss a couple of pounds” it didn’t bother me as much as when people say “you better get started soon on having those babies or you’ll never be happy” ok so they aren’t that harsh, but that is all I hear when people ask me how old I am (31 and proud of each and every one of those years) and I tell them I don’t want kids.

 Please don’t get me wrong, I love kids especially between the ages of zero and seven because after that they become pre-teens and teens that are so angsty and restless I can’t stand them. I was an angsty teenager once, a bratty one from what I can recall and I really don’t have the patience or the tolerance to deal with that. But kids, with their innocence and trusting, and free smiles and hugs, those kids I love. In fact some of my favorite people in the world are under seven years old. But then they throw a tantrum in the middle of a supermarket, or scream at the top of their lungs at the movie theater, or break everything in sight and I’m so grateful that when I go home none of that will follow me.

I understand that children are, up to a point, a reflection of their parents parenting (is that the correct way to say it?) and I’m not trying to be modest or pretentious but I think I’d be a really good mom, I just don’t want to be one.

Life is all about choices, and I’ve learned that making decisions about my life based on other people’s expectation is a bad idea. I don’t want to say I’ll never have kids because I honestly don’t know what the future holds and maybe tomorrow I’ll change my mind (I am a woman after all and it’s my prerogative) but today I know that I don’t want children and that doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with me, it just means that I don’t want to be responsible of any life other than my own.

"People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Word Count: 507

Day 2 : A rant sponsored by lazy people who annoy me

People need to take responsibility for their life. I’m not saying you need to have your act entirely together (because honestly who does?), but you need to accept what’s on your plate and your role in creating it. I am tired of the excuses of rough childhoods, how long is that allowed ‘till? Huh? There has to be a limit to that excuse, or do I need to forgive the stupid actions of a grown ass fifty year old man because he had a rough childhood? Really? I don’t think so.

If things aren’t going right for you, question the reasons behind the failure don’t dwell on your frustration. Figure out what the problem is and fix it. Will it be hard? Yes of course it will, but it’s not impossible so there’s still a chance that all will be well.

So in case it isn’t clear yet, I hate whiners! I don’t mean someone that complains about the heat after an eighteen hour black out, I’m talking about that person who complains about everything. You know them, she works with you, he is married to your sister, she’s your great aunt twice removed, he used to date your best friend. They spend the entire day talking about how hard their life is while actually doing nothing to change their circumstances! Wake up call: If your life sucks, sitting on your ass doing nothing about it won’t change it, so just get up and do something, anything but please, please Shut UP!! I don’t want to hear it.

I sound like a cold heart bitch but I’m not, honestly! I have people that can vouch for me without me giving them a cent! But I have learned that the older I get the less tolerant I am towards those who ask for help while refusing to help themselves. Not having a blackberry doesn’t mean you can’t communicate properly, alcatel is cheaper and it makes the same calls plus you don’t have to pay extra (money that you don’t have) to use it. Ok, so you don’t like second hand clothing, fine, go shop at Sema or Jumbo not at Zara or Mango.

I can understand the just-got-laid-off blues or the im-so-tired-from-handing-out-resumes-in this-bad-economy downers but how long can one person milk those two excuses before it gets sour?

Different things, work for different people, but don’t tell me whining is the only way. There are thousands and thousands of self help books, (I won’t say therapy cause your broke, right?) there are some good online resources for free you can use, take advantage of them but please don’t call me unless is to tell me you got a job or that you are happily unemployed, enjoy your life, is the only one you have. See the positive things in it and embrace them.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  Johannes A. Gaer

P.S I feel so much better now; in the future I’ll try to refrain from so much whining

Word Count: 516

P.S + Moral Support, Self Help Books, Life Coach