Blog it Forward

When you start a blog you start writing for yourself.  You dance like no one is watching, if you will.

Then there comes a point when that whole thing transforms.  You make a few friends, you gain a few readers, and your blog which was coming straight from your heart is now a part of someone else's life.  Then your blog changes.  You start to have a voice in the world.  You become someone's center of influence.  You somehow are put in the position to help someone else, just with your ability to write.

This time of year is always tough and we often lose the meaning of these holidays on shopping and worrying about company.  We never stop and think about all the people out there who are having a tough time.

Yesterday I saw a post from a fellow Clevelander and blogger Chef's Widow.  She told us a story of a 35 year old mother who is in the ICU fighting for her life after having a stroke.  The woman's name was Anissa and her blog that she writes is called Aiming Low.

The Widow decided that she needs to take action.  So she organized a benefit at her restaurant on December 3rd.

I am going to do my best to make sure I am there, and if you are in town, I would love to see you there as well.  It's a good cause and The Widow's husband can sure cook!  

The Blogging community in Cleveland is already spreading the word as I have seen reposts on Cleveland Foodie and Cleveland's A Plum. If you are in Cleveland, please get the word out!

See you there!

Life on Auto-Drip

It's that moment when you relinquish control.  You accept the madness that is coming to you.  You find your life is much easier to cope with when you have a routine.

Routine.

You wake up.  The darkness of the morning is blinding.  You are not sure if you are still asleep or if you are sleep walking.  The night before was a blur.  The only thing you can remember is the pot of coffee you have set up to start brewing precisely as you enter the shower to wash the smells of sleep or other extracurricular activities you happened to have partaken in off.

Routine.

Fill the pot with water.  3 scoops of coffee in a filter.  Set timer.

Routine.

You exit the shower still dripping.  Teeth brushed, face shaved, clothes on, and tie tied.

Routine.

You blankly kiss your spouse good by, just as you see the first peeks of sunlight over the roofs across the street out your second story window.

Routine.

The trek down the stairs is long.  Your back is still a little stiff.  Maybe you over did it last night?  Maybe you don't care.

Routine.

The cup is waiting on the counter for you.  Anxiously waiting to do it's duty.  A vessel of salvation.  You pour your coffee.  The rich smell of the Arabica beans.  The sound of the cup filling up.  The snap of the lid.  The first sip.

Routine.

You grab your car keys, jacket, and the lunch a certain 7 year old made for you on your way out the door.

Routine.

This is my life, on auto-drip.

*photo credit is here

Stressful

The holidays are bad enough.  With the stressing over cooking dinners, making sure the house is clean, and just living through the holidays in retail; we don't need anything else stressing us out. 

Unfortunately, for my family, the holidays are a mixed blessing.  On one hand, this is where I make most of my money for Christmas gifts, bills, and over all holiday cheer, but on the other hand I am never around.  On one hand the family gets together, but on the other hand we notice the ones we lost over the years.

The holidays are always a stressful time, but for me they are exceptionally stressful.  Back in 2000 I lost my 6 year old cousin to a brain aneurysm just a few short weeks after Thanksgiving.  In 2005 I lost my Grandfather just a few days before my Grandmother's birthday on December 12.  Two major unexpected deaths during the thick of the holiday season.  There was a time when I wished December would just be canceled.

Well today we can add one more to the mix.  My sister-in-law lost her Grandfather today.  A death felt very close to home.  It's never easy to say good-bye, and it's exceptionally difficult to watch it all happen in hospice at home, but as of today, her Grandfather is in a much better place.

He has been fighting a sickness for sometime and now he no longer has to fight.  He is comfortable.  He is at peace.

The bad side of all of this is the timing.  Just a few days away from Thanksgiving.  Needless to say, our Thanksgiving plans with my brother and his family have been canceled so that his family can mourn and heal.  Keeping it low key.  Trying to keep all that stress at bay.  It's hard enough to say good-bye, but let alone say good-bye and entertaining guests or trekking all over the city when all you want to do is cry.

Jenn and I are replanning Thanksgiving plans, and it gives us time to get the Christmas stuff out and put it all up, and to get the house cleaned up for our friends coming from out of town.  Our Thanksgiving plans really are on the Sunday following when we get to cook for our friends from Washington D.C. and also friends we don't get to see very often.

So let's hope my sister-in-law and her family can mourn peacefully and make the best out of the holiday season.

I'm not overly religious.  I could be considered as spiritual.  I don't subscribe to any particular school of thought, but it's days like today when I find myself thinking about mortality.  I wish my Brother and his family well.

Gearing Up

You can sense it as you walk through the mall.

Anticipation. 

The new holiday help as just started, the veterans are walking the floor with a calm and cool demeanor as they silently look over the displays.  They fold clothes.  Answer questions.  Ring people out.  Handle the crowds.  You can tell who was green and who was not.  The greenhorns are freaking about the lines.  The vets know that this is just the beginning.  The storm surge before the hurricane. 

The vets have a blank stare that only many holiday shopping seasons can bring.  The greenhorns have that naivety and have no clue what is in store for them. 

This is all a part of the week leading up to Black Friday.  Training the new people while making sure everything is in place. 

Retail.  They aren't gonna know what recession is.  The month leading up to Christmas Eve is a marathon.  Days will start to run together, everyone starts to look the same, and you still have a sense of calm in the chaos around you.  The retail machine is a well oiled one.  Supply chains are secured.  Headcount is accounted for.  Computer systems are double checked to make sure the flow of cash doesn't stop. 

For a weekend, retail workers are going to forget that there is recession.

Today I could sense all of it as I walked the mall with the Wife to do Christmas shopping recon. 

I have gotten 2 of the 5 blogs to be posted during the Black Friday weekend.  I must say, they are fantastic, and I cannot wait to introduce you to the soon to be famous bloggers who are going to fill in. 

Stay tuned.

Thanksgiving plans and an Invitation

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

How does one who works in retail answer that?  Do they think they are going to get a crazy awesome story on how they go through Thanksgiving with a smile on their face and a thankfulness that they have the long weekend to stay at home and veg out, maybe do some Christmas shopping?

No.

My plans for Thanksgiving [as of right now] are to get up extra early to start prepping the bird for the oven.  Then I go through the day, glad to have the family and friends over, and I listen to everyone else make plans for shopping, hanging out, and sleeping in all weekend.  My plans are not nearly as exciting.  I will kick my family out of the house around 8-ish so that I can get to bed early, because my alarm is going to be going off very very early in the morning so I can get to work the next day by 5:30am. 

I work in retail.  While many families may go out and have their Christmas shopping bonanza, Christmas decoration hanging parties, and singing with canned laugher and happy Christmas Carols, I am at work, listening to the same 15 Christmas tunes our Musak will play over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....

You forget about the workers in retail this time of year. You see us all as punk kids working their way through college without a vested interest in you.  You think we don't care.  You think we are there to abuse. 

"Do you know how long I stood outside?" or "Do you know how long I waited?"  you'll say.  In the back of my head I want to shake you and tell you that there is more to life than shopping on Christmas, and that you take yourself WAY too seriously.  But nontheless I won't.  I will smile, apologize for your wait, and give you my undivided attention.  I take it upon myself to make sure your family has a nice Christmas present, and I ask you a lot of questions to make sure that the product you pick out is going to make your little Johnny smile in delight and tell you that you are the best mother/father in the world.  I am going to take your snide remarks, your shit eating grins, and overall grumpiness, and let it roll off my back, because frowns don't sell people, I sell people.

We are a week from Thanksgiving here in America.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Oh and I am looking for a few good bloggers.  Because I am going to be pulling some crazy hours next week, I would like to have you guest post throughout the weekend.  Shoot me over an e-mail at throwing25s [at] gmail [dot] com.  There is no theme, but I would love to have you on.  Just let me know if you want to come on and blog.  I have 5 spots open starting on Black Friday to December 1st. 

I'm Suing The Clevelnd Browns

So, it being Wednesday and a day AFTER Justifiable Homicide Tuesday, I figured I would chime in on a hot subject.  Frivolous lawsuits.

If I see one more ad on daytime television talking about how this lawyer will "make them pay" I will slit my wrists and bleed on the 1000 thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets I might find somewhere..  The modern day advertising equivalent to ambulance chasers. So while people are having lawyers sue companies for whatever, I am making a list of people to sue.

Today, my target is my beloved Browns.

In 1964 The Cleveland Browns were tops in football.  It was the pre-merger days.  Paul Brown was winning championships with the Cleveland Browns on the legs of Jim Brown.  Cleveland was the mecca of all things pro-football.  With the Pro Football Hall of Fame just a short drive from downtown Cleveland, we would be considered the cradle of professional football.

All you football fans out there, Cleveland says you're welcome.

Then the 80's happened.  The Drive, The Fumble.  Just mentioning these things in front of me makes me want to find a high ledge and just jump off to a nasty death.  Just a side note, I hope I would make a mess. 

In 1995, Cleveland lost its team as they knew it.  Art Modell lacked the business acumen to secure a new stadium and the political clout to get the help to make it happen, but I am pretty sure he just never asked for help either, so he moved the team to Baltimore.  He was forced to leave the team color, name, and history at the door, and Cleveland said, with a middle finger up, "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."

In 1999, the Cleveland Browns came back.  With an expansion draft under its belt, they came back to a sold out stadium.  But what they didn't have were the ticks in the win column.

Flash forward.  Its now 2009.  A decade later and the Browns have yet to make it past a division playoff game.  Shit, I would like to string together 2 winning seasons.

So I'm suing the Cleveland Browns.  When I have the opportunity, I will devoutly watch the Browns consistently lose on Sunday.  According to my wife, it seems as though I developed a drinking habit.  When they lose I tend to have more than 3 drinks and when they win, I am too excited to drink, or confused because frankly, it doesn't happen all that often.

I'm filing suit on the Cleveland Browns for leading me to drink.  Start winning, I might settle out of court.

Taking up space

I am going to be honest.  I have been having fun these past few weeks.  I have been making appearances on friends blogs as of late. 

I have only shared with you 2 of those guest posts.  All of the other one's are secret.  No, you will not find the links here.  So that's my story.  I have been taking up space on other blogs. 

That's not to say I have been neglecting my blog.  I am working on some awesome blogs.  I want to introduce you to some other good bloggers out there, and I have one hell of an opportunity to win a fabulous prize from a prominent Cleveland blogger and so do you.  Go over and check out her blog now and find out what she is giving away for shopping here in Cleveland.  Here's the link!  Go!

So that being said.  So troll the internet and look for those guest posts [there is even one out there today] if you dare, but don't ask me where they are, I'm not telling.  Just know that they are pretty awesome.