Gimme A Break

An old girl friend of mine is in town from halfway across the world. I’m not sure what her schedule is like as I haven’t had a chance to speak to her yet.

I’m waiting for her to call and I hope she does soon and I’ll get to see her before she leaves this weekend.

Our friendship has been solid as ball lock pins since forever. But somehow over the years, distance got in the way and we both got busy with work and kids and life, so our friendship has suffered as a result.

It sure would be great catching up to chat over old times. We did have a lot of fun back there and we used to travel and dine like there was no tomorrow.

I still think about those times we had, hanging out, laughing, just being crazy. I sometimes wish we could go back in time, you know and live those carefree days again. Do you ever feel that way?

• island days
• all set to go again!
• when the travel bug bites
• yoga tomorrow
• Happy New Year 2008

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I was surprised to see my neighbor’s daughter home on a week day and casually inquired why she wasn’t in school. I know her quite well and we often ask after each other’s kids so I didn’t think she’d mind me asking.

She happily told me that her daughter is attending university online so she can help her look after her youngest son who is still a baby.

My neighbor is a single mom who works outside the home and she doesn’t have a maid to look after the little one.

So I guess it makes sense for her oldest daughter to babysit at home while pursuing a degree since online universities like Capella are not only accredited but they also have lots of degree programs to choose from.

This blog post was is based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

• a degree from home
• no need to quit
• going online to save money
• distance learning through appreciative coaching
• banish that self-limiting mindset

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I met my neighbor for the first time after we’ve been living on the same street for the past ten years. Yes, strange, isn’t it? All these years, we’ve been waving and smiling at each other whenever we passed each other. But we’ve never spoken.

Like me, she’s always busy running Mom’s taxi. And so we’ve never had the chance to actually meet face to face. Until today, that is.

I was waiting for my kids to pile into the car and I waved as she was just driving by. Suddenly she slowed down, wound down her window and we started talking.

It was so cool. She’s such a nice lady but we only got to talk for a few minutes as she had to drop off her youngest son at school.

Over the years, I’ve seen her kids grow and heard about their academic achievements and football trophies from the other neighbors, and she too apparently knows a little about my kids.

I can’t wait for another opportunity to catch her and have another friendly chat. I feel like I know her just from having waved at her all this while. Ever felt this way about someone?

• talking to your teens
• came to visit me, did you?
• the boy at school
• ami-chan blogs
• our project runway (2)

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My friend text messaged me from Las Vegas this morning to say she’s arrived safely and has checked into one of her favorite las vegas hotels. She didn’t mention which one but I’m sure I’ll hear all about it when she gets back.

Of course, I’m all envious and everything but what can I do? It’s not like I can do like she does. As far as I’m concerned, I’m grounded till the kids are old enough to take care of themselves.

Then I might be able to join her on her travels and send messages to my other friends to tell them I’ve checked into my favorite hotel and will be dining at the restaurant downstairs soon.

• tongues on fire
• month-long escapade?
• fullmoon party
• constant traveler
• every daughter’s dream mom

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One of my friends has just had twins. Ahh, how cute is that! A few of the other girls have asked to join me in getting her a really nice, big, expensive gift.

That’s an idea . I love shopping and it would certainly be a challenge looking for unique baby gifts that will have my dear friend grinning from ear to ear!

And my two daughters would absolutely jump at the chance to shop for cute things. I just have to remember to buy two of whatever I’m buying. Twins, remember?

• what do gym freaks want?
• more baby gifts?
• of parenting and pacifiers
• my little pen collectors
• the more watches, the merrier

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My girl friend who is a doctor proclaims she’s “the most ungeeky person you ever met”. Yet I’m pretty sure she’s hiding something in those huge white pockets of hers.

I’m pretty sure she has an online drug guide hidden away on a Blackberry or a pocket PC somewhere. Doctors aren’t tech idiots any more, you know. They just want you to think they are .

With free medical software easily and freely available online, they are anything but tech idiots and they can get a hold of medical information faster than you think.

Well, I can safely tell you my doctor friend there is as tech savvy as anyone. She just likes to put on a poor puppy dog face about how technologically behind she is so I’ll feed her more cookies, that’s all.

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

• Dumbledores no more
• doc goes geeky
• shocking pet tale
• a-choo…
• one boo-boo makes two

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I met up with an old friend for breakfast this morning. She has recently left her job and is thinking of starting her own business. She doesn’t have a lot of capital but was hoping to at least start off on a small scale.

She admits that running a business is something very new to her and that she’s a little nervous to make the jump. It’s entirely understandable. I’d be apprehensive too if I were in her shoes.

But like I told her, there’s always going to be a learning curve, and whatever she can’t handle, she should consider farming it out. The important stuff like Branding, she should probably just leave it to the experts, you know, people like the Brand Identity Guru who have been helping companies, big and small, to establish their brand.

Sure, she’ll have to budget it in as an expense but I think, in the long run, it’ll be money well spent if she can create an image that her market can associate her with. Well, I don’t know when she’ll be ready to kickstart her plans. But she’s spending a lot of time researching the market right now. I hope things work out well for her.

• fulltime maybe?
• two kids and a job
• a fun way to make money on the weekends
• one lucky girl
• constant traveler

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I walked past the bead shop yesterday and was reminded of this short-lived beading hobby of mine. I was so crazy about it at the time that I went hunting all over town for the tools and supplies.

Night after night, I would struggle to stay awake just to finish up one more accessory. Eventually I made so many earrings and necklaces I started giving them away to my friends.

Soon I started getting orders from them. Not big orders, just a few here and there, enough to make me happy that there was a demand for my creations.

But this little small business opportunity didn’t last long. Pretty soon, some ladies were asking for small favors. They asked me to modify the designs after they got bored with one design after a few wears. Others came to me with broken jewelry to be repaired and redesigned.

Soon I got stuck redoing and repairing stuff for free late into the night. When I couldn’t deliver on time for some event they wanted to wear the jewelry to, these witches (I would swap the “w” with a capital ‘B’ but I’ll be nice this time) gave me hell and set me deadlines!!

Hey, I was just doing them a favor. And for free, darn it!!! What ungracious creatures!! Finally it became such a pain I just gave up beading altogether.

• contemporary gold
• stretch your creativity with Aqua Dots
• trying to keep awake all night
• staying up late
• bedtime

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One of my neighbors will be moving away soon to a new house her daughter has bought. She’s not happy about it at all. You know how senior folks are. They get used to a place and they know the neighbors well, they just don’t want to move.

But her daughter is a control freak who doesn’t live with her but comes in and calls the shots anyways. So the poor old lady has no choice but to move to where her daughter wants her to go.

The new place is rather off the beaten path and it won’t be as convenient for her to get around. There won’t be any familiar faces. She’s alone at home most of the time while her other daughter is at work.

She’s the quiet type so it’ll probably take her a while to find new friends. I’m rather sad to see her move away. She’s been one of my nicer neighbors for many years.

• stress-free long distance moving
• Cinderella’s stepmother
• the boy at school
• constant traveler
• coffee break

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I got a postcard yesterday from my gal pal who has gone home to Scotland to visit her folks. She’s so lucky, that girl! Married with no kids to a wonderful man, she’s free to jetset all year with or without him.

I want to have coffee with her and she’s at Wimbledon or the Melbourne Cup. She hops on planes like you’d hop on a bus.

I mean, how do you keep up with a woman like that? Honestly . I’m green with envy, of course. She leads a life that I can only dream about.

• an enviable social life
• travel at leisure
• before her trip
• dream home
• moody Melbourne

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