STYLE
Quiet
Loud
Muted
Whisper
Scream


RECENT ENTRIES







ARCHIVES
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000


OTHER VOICES


MISCELLANEOUS
Webcam

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone has a really great year :) To my family and friends, I love you and I hope you are all having a great time!

Posted by gwendolyn on December 31, 2000 at 11:40 PM

I have added some of my writing projects to ebb in nonsense. I cannot promise you that they will be grammatically correct. I'm not an editor. In fact, it has been a very long time since high school English, so please forgive my errors. I try to figure that part of the process out as I read, reread, and eventually revise. Writing is kind of my dream. I have so many thoughts and stories and ideas to share, yet I rarely have the time to put "pen to paper". So when I do, it is primarily an outpouring of my heart and mind. That makes it simply mine...which may not be necessarily perfect.

Posted by gwendolyn on at 11:36 PM

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... I wonder what that section of my site will say to the people who will look at it? I think that the pictures that were added are all really representative of me evolving and growing as a person, so I am really pleased. For me, they reflect a lot of positive things about my self image and my growing confidence and about being comfortable in my own skin.

Posted by gwendolyn on at 01:23 PM

My essay on why FedEx sucks today

*clear throat* *shuffle papers*
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls...we are going to discuss the fact that FedEx blows a big goat today. I say "today" because I have been informed, by a reliable source, that they are usually a really good company that always gets everything where it is supposed to be when it is supposed to be there. But my friends, today they failed miserably.
Why do they bother to give people the zillion different shipping options they offer, if they really have no intention of making sure that they hold up on their end of the bargain? That is just stupid.

Here is my story.

I ordered a Visor from Handspring. It was supposed to be here by today. How do I know this? Because I checkmarked the little box on the shipping portion of the order that said it would be. Without fail, a confirmation window popped up showing me that a significant dollar amount got tacked on to my bill for the guarantee that I would be totally organized and ready to get on with my high tech housewifery duties by today. I was fine with that.

Today comes and I get a wake up call from an out of breath FedEx employee that sounded like she was standing in the middle of I-75, during rush hour, screaming into a really crappy cell phone. She was requesting that I call FedEx and give them my correct address information, as I didn't quite make it down the stairs fast enough to take her call. So, continuing to do MY part, I called.

A request was sent by the customer service representitive to her for redelivery to the correct address. By the way, the address mistake was made by FedEx, not Handspring. So, I waited for a while longer. Putting all of my important wifely duties (showering and running to the Victorias Secret Semi-Annual Clearance Sale) on hold so that I could continue to do MY part and wait patiently for the delivery. After lunch we called again, with no progress.

I made a call to Handspring to ensure that if I didn't receive it today, I would be refunded my overnight shipping charge. Handspring didn't understand why FedEx wasn't going to just deliver it today. The package was only approximatly fifteen miles from my house. Handspring then called FedEx to request that FedEx definately deliver it today. They insisted FedEx would have to make the shipping refund also. FedEx said they couldn't make sure it got delivered today, but that they would "try".

At that point my husband called FedEx back and insisted that we get the package today or that we would come pick it up ourselves. The latter being a last resort. And shortly before I started typing this I received a call saying that they just weren't going to do it today, but we could come get it ourselves. I guess on a Friday at 2p.m. that was just an unreasonable request to ask them to fix their own mistake. So basically, I paid overnight shipping charges for a package that I have to go pick up myself, on my time, with my own vehicle, with gas that I paid for, with three screaming children in tow! And if that isn't a kick in the face, I am still not sure if they are going to refund my shipping charge. Bastards.

So the lesson we all learned today is...
FedEx lies. If they don't feel like getting it to you on time, they won't. It doesn't matter how much you paid them.
thankyouverymuch

Posted by gwendolyn on December 29, 2000 at 02:55 PM

When you have been with someone you love for a very long time, I believe it is as natural to expect them to say "I love you" as it is to say it yourself. I have never given much thought to the concept that using that phrase too often leads to the point when it becomes just words you say so much that it loses meaning to person you said them to. I guess that is because if I say it...I mean it. No matter how many times I have said it before. I say it without hesitation because that is the thought in my mind at the moment. That isn't really the issue I am trying to figure out though. The issue is why do I automatically expect to hear it back. I must be extremely naive and insecure to think that just because I feel the need to verbally confirm my feelings as I am feeling them, everyone else does too. It makes me appear childish and silly. I also wonder why it hurts so much to have that fact pointed out to me. Maybe because up until now I didn't realize it was an issue at all.

Posted by gwendolyn on December 28, 2000 at 03:44 PM

I have a million things to do today and no ambition to do them. None. I could be packing all of the Christmas cheer away for the year. I could be conquering Mt. Bigasspileoflaundry. I could be baking pie. But noooooo, I am sitting here on my big leather couch, hair still wrapped in a towel, plunking away on this keyboard, as usual.
I am stir crazy. I don't want to be a domestic goddess today. I want a vacation. I want to get in the car and drive far from here. I want to just stay away for a little while, just until I miss my own bed again. Isn't it nice to go away for a little while and then absolutely love your bed when you get back? That rocks. I am going to look into vacation spots for the coming year. That would be a fun project. I like to have things to look forward to...new adventures.
I want to strap all of my children into seatbelts where they can't get into cabinets that contain cleaning agent cocktails and toilet paper confetti. Yes, that is what my children think those things are for.
I want my house to be "spring cleaned". But I don't want to do it.
I want the five basic outfits every girl needs to have in her closet. But I don't want to drag the double stroller and screaming kids to the mall to try everything on and make sure it doesn't make my butt look like a bus.

Yay! I am getting a visor! That rocks as well.

Posted by gwendolyn on December 27, 2000 at 03:50 PM

Christmas went pretty well considering we trashed the house, didn't have a traditional meal, and the children kept asking if they had anymore gifts to unwrap. I don't think that they were in any way disappointed or ungrateful for what they received. I think that they were just caught up in the excitement of shiny bows and the glorious sound of the ripping of wrapping paper. Today, I stumbled out of bed and made my way through the mine field of Little People toys to the stairs. As I descended to begin my morning ritual of playing Cinderella, I realized that the entire first floor of the house was covered with barbie dreamhouse equipment, half opened boxes and presents that are just not going to fit into any closet in this apartment. Any domestic goddess would sympathize as to why this didn't thrill me.

Instead of immediately trying to conquer the situation, I just turned back around, shuffled back upstairs, tiptoed through the little people and hid under my covers until the chorus of "moooommmy" in three different voices prompted me to venture once again into the oblivion that is my home. I guess the upside to the situation is that the children are completely self entertained this morning.

Posted by gwendolyn on December 26, 2000 at 09:18 AM

What do you suppose happens to you when you are in the hospital and you are unconscious? Do you think they lift up your gown and check out all of your naked parts? Why do you think that if you are having surgery on your abdomen that they don't let you wear your panties in the operating room? Don't you think that is a little odd? I just think maybe some girlie little boxer number would have been in order. I'll bet the fluorescent lights make my skin look really gross. I guess it could have been worse....I could have been in labor...again. Everyone gets to look at your stuff then. Modesty is pretty much tossed out the window in that situation. If you were a shy girl before, you won't be after you do that a few times.

Posted by gwendolyn on December 21, 2000 at 11:28 PM

I am finding it incredibly hard to start out with a blank screen. Why? Not sure. Maybe it's because it would be really easy for me to start where I left off on the old site with tales of the trials and tribulations of educating the minds of my offspring or scouring the shower while mentally composing a 2000 word essay on how my family could straighten out their lives and all of the reasons why they should. Sure, it would be incredibly easy to go on and on about the beautiful weather here. Because it is always beautiful...always. Is that really a good thing? I guess. But at Christmas time there is supposed to be snow, right? Not that I am complaining. I could sit on the beach on Christmas Eve with a nice bottle of whatever and be completely content. But these thoughts of wearing my favorite winter clothes and snuggling up by the fireplace keep creeping into my head and I keep pushing them down and they keep climbing back out. Maybe I should plan a vacation from paradise. So I guess I am complaining. It is so like me too. I should be punished.

Posted by gwendolyn on December 20, 2000 at 02:40 PM

Welcome to my newest online abode. Hope you like what you find here. Since it is new...old pictures will be added as I incorporate new ones, the journal portion of the site will start fresh because everyone needs a clean slate once in a while. I have my brilliant husband to thank for the new look! Dig my bravery on the bikini picture!!!

Posted by gwendolyn on at 12:04 AM