Important reminder

Coming from a Florida friend.

Be the change you wish to see in the world
~ Gandhi ~

Happiness is

It's been a while since I posted something from Gapingvoid. This one I just love...

By Hugh McLeod at Gapingvoid

I am my father's daughter

It's funny. My father has been dead for more than 20 years and I have lived most of my life without him, but sometimes it really hits me how much I am my father's daughter.

Yesterday mum and I was doing some errands together before we ended up at one of those big shopping centres located in the outskirts of the city. Neither mum or I could remember the last time we were there so it was kind of fun just browsing the stores.

I have been on the outlook for something new to wear on all my travels in May, but haven't really found anything. Everything just look the same. But there it is was in one store – a black and white short jacket with a 60's style pattern. Trying it on I just knew it was me. Ten minutes later I had also bought a green top and fuchsia top to go underneath the jacket. (Good saleswoman.)

Sitting down for coffee a little later I told mum how happy I was having bought the jacket, since this was surely something that not everybody would wear or buy. I want my cloths to stand out and I don't mind wearing bold colours but still in a classical way. Then just mum smiled and looked at me and said: "Do you have any idea how much your father's daughter you are right now?" And then it hit me. I'm exactly like my father. He wore jeans, boots and flannel shirts to work everyday running a construction business, but when he could dress up he sure did. The cloths had to stand out both in colour and design, but still in a classical way. Just like me.

There is no doubt about it, I am my father's daughter.

Quote of the day

Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.

~ Cullen Hightower ~

Third week of running

I'm so proud. I've now been running twice a week for three weeks. Yeah! Still no very fast, but I'm doing it and it feels great. Time just fly when I'm out there along with all thoughts and musts. There is no change on the scale (probably because I eat out a lot), but I think that a couple of trousers aren't as snug as they used. Or maybe it's just my imagination to make me happy so I'll continue. The same goes for my upper arms. They are not as flabby as they used to.

Anyhow I feel a lot better about myself then a couple of weeks ago and that's the most important of all.

All booked for Scotland

I must be getting old because I have just booked my summer holiday and that with three months advance. Travelling to Dublin solo last summer really gave me kick so I'm doing it again. This time I'm going to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Since I love everything British I'm pretty sure I'm going to love this as well. Also both cities have a lot to see and do so I can spend my days walking and exploring. Hopefully the weather will be a bit better than Dublin where it poured the whole time, but other than that I'm just looking forward very much to some exciting and interesting days.

Back to my roots

One of my very first jobs was as trainer in Microsoft Office and now I'm about to do it again. Well, not become a trainer full time for more than a year, but starting next week and for the next three weeks I will travel to most of our offices and train people in our new Content Management System and new web statistic tool.

Before putting together the last of the training material today I was actually a bit nervous. It has been 12 years since I worked as a trainer, and this time I'm actually doing it to people I know. But finishing up I could feel the adrenalin hitting me and now I'm actually a bit excited.

As one of my managers says: You are just going to talk about what you love and what your heart is full of – The Internet. True and that's why I'm so excited.

Off to Stockholm

And Microsoft early tomorrow morning for a long day and evening of inspiring seminars as it said in the invitation. Talking to the boys at IT before leaving the office I was told that I just have to kneel when entering the building. I am after all entering the big kingdom of Microsoft... We'll see how inspired I get. Maybe I'll come back a changed person...

Freemales

That's what it's called being a woman, single and enjoying it.

'Freemales' - manless women who are happy to remain so for the present at least - are now a force to be reckoned with and are overturning the dated Bridget Jones image of the lonely woman staring despondently at an empty Chardonnay bottle. They are too busy living life to the full to make time for 'Mr Mediocre' and the last thing on their minds is, 'Will I find Mr Right today?' Instead, they are juggling careers with busy social lives and if they happen to bump into him, all well and good, but they are not going hunting.

I have always wonder if there is something wrong with me since I enjoy being single, but now I know I'm just a freemale. Sometimes I wonder if it is a little bit selfish, just to think about myself and what I want to do. I also wonder if I'm getting to comfortable being by myself and getting too set in ways. But there is really nothing I can't do without a man. OK, babies then. And yes I have to admit that the thought of babies crosses my mind every now and then. (I think all childless women do from time to time) But then the next minute I think "it happens if it happens". "I'm not going hunting for a man."

So I guess I'm very much a freemale who enjoys her career, friends, travel and hobbies and can't see the need of having a man under the same roof. Looks like I'm actually very modern then...

Heartbreaking tragedy

I think most Swedes went to bad last night with a broken heart. A truck driver suspected of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl had just confessed to killing the girl and hiding her body. During the questioning he also admitted another murder back in 2000. Totally unbelievable!

For more than a week the whole country had been on the outlook for Engla and wondered what could have happened to her after talking to her mum on the phone with only five more minutes to bike before being home. A short ride that was interrupted by a 42-year-old man which criminal records included three three cases of violent, unwanted sexual advances toward young women.

In 1995, he was sentenced to prison for attempted rape. When he tried to drag the woman into his car he said that it was because he "never got any girls".

The same year he attacked and abused a highly intoxicated 16-year-old girl by putting his hands around her throat and covering her mouth.

Three years later, in 1998, he tried to force another 16-year-old girl to have sex with him, later being convicted for sexual coercion. The man has also been convicted for having exposed himself and for a number of other minor offences.

It makes you speechless doesn't it? And heartbroken that a little girl just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Another run

I went for another run today. Still three laps, but it didn't take as long as on Thursday. I also think I ran more, even though just a little bit more, this time. From time to time I could also feel how my breath and stride just went on and on without me thinking. Always a marvellous feeling. Seems like this old girl still knows how to do it. Yeah!

Friendship

Friendship is an art, few people have a natural talent for it.

Beautiful day

Having spent the evening with Dubliners I guess it's in order to mention the best band ever to come out of Dublin and Ireland - U2. Still after more than 30 years as a band they know how to make the world rock.

High on running

Just back from my first run outside this year and I feel marvellous. All high on those running endorphins.

OK, so my three laps on the trail took a lot longer than usual and I did walk some, but the feeling of hearing the birds sing, feel the sun and get my heart pumping beats everything else. It's those small things make all the difference.

Fingers crossed now I'll come back to the habit of going running 2-3 times a week. I sooo need it both physical and mentally.

Pizza.com

The domain name Pizza.com was sold for $2,6 million last week. The seller Chris Clark bought the name back in 1994 hoping to get a contract with a pizza firm for his consulting company. Maintaining the domain for only $20 a year he can now call him self a millionaire.

Hm, why didn't I think about this back in the mid 90's when I started using the Internet?!

You can't buy happiness, or?

According to a recent study money does actually make you happy. Two US economists says that the richer country the happier inhabitants.

The research contradicts several earlier findings, which have suggested that higher national earnings do not translate to a happier populace - a belief which led French president Nicolas Sarkozy to announce an effort to find other ways of measuring national success that takes in to account quality of life.

However, a paper by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, economists at the Wharton business school at the University of Pennsylvania, suggests that this somewhat paradoxical state of affairs is not actually true.

Basing their findings on improved statistics covering more countries, the researchers claim that the higher your GDP, the wider your smile.

Of course it's always easier to be happy with money, but with money comes also grief. So as always too much of a good thing isn't good for you.

What were they thinking?

In my opinion one of the worse things a woman can do is to criticise what other women are wearing or how they look like. I would like to believe that we all try very hard to look our best, but sometimes... Take a look at these women and what they are wearing. There are some real nice ones (Wayne Rooney's girlfriend Coleen for example), but most of them really make me wonder what the heck were they thinking.

I always laugh (since I believe it's a flattering chat up line) when my male friends in the UK tell me they think most British women are ugly, have no style and should dress according to size and age. Hate to say it, but I think they are on to something. This is not fashion, it's just bad taste.

Quote of the day

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
~ Confucius ~

One of my all time favourite quotes. Well worth thinking about every now and then.

Feelings of stress

With with both yesterday and today's morning out of the office I returned to tons of emails and long lists of things to do. Quite normal I would say. Late in the afternoon things were really piling up and when I suddenly had about five fires to put out I immediately wanted to run away. My first instinct was just to get up and leave. I do not want to deal with this. But as the good girl of course I stayed. Because really what would people had said if I left...

I could then feel how all of my body was gearing up for a fight. My adrenaline was pumping and I could feel my heart beating faster. As people came into my office I could feel that all I wanted to do was to attack and if there was just a hint of something negative or criticism I was ready to defend myself.

When it was time to leave for the gym I didn't go. Instead I worked until late and fixed that, and that, and that, and that... Now finally home I can still feel how worked up I am and I hate the feeling very much. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! It also makes me feel both scared and angry. I sooo just don't want to go down this road again...

Chubby or stout?

A friend of mine in Florida sent me this link to Dietblog – Are you chubby or stout? That's what Lane Bryant called plus size clothing back in the 1950's.

I'm so happy things have changed since the 1950's. Even though I've been buying "normal" size clothes for five years now some scars and bad memories of buying and trying on cloths as big will always haunt me. Calling it clothes for chubby and stout would definitely not have helped that experience.