What a day for the record books!

August 16th

Elvis has been dead for 30 YEARS!!! I remember when he died. I was so sad. I was at the beach with all my cousins and they would laugh and talk about how he died taking a poop. I was mad at them for talking that way about the King.

We all got over it and sat down to have Othello marathons.

Today is also Madonna’s birthday she is 49. I can’t believe this woman will be 50 next year.

It is also Frank and Kathie Lee Giffords birthday’s. Yes both of them. He was born 1930 and she was born 1953. I find it odd to marry someone with the same birthday. They should have gotten married on August 16th too.

See today is a remarkable day.

Ohh yeah…

It’s my birthday too!

You've got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Today is Friday the 13th and supposedly a very unlucky day. There are a schloo of theories as to why this is such an unlucky day but nothing definite. There are certain things I tend to be superstitious about but this is one I have let go.

The number 13 has been considered bad luck for quite some time now and seems to be the center of all superstitions. This is one superstition that can be seen all around us such as in buildings that don’t have a thirteenth floor. I mean really… It IS the thirteenth floor they’ve just named it the fourteenth. Unless, they created some tiny floor in between that they can call the thirteen so the fourteenth is really the fourteenth. Kind of like floor 7½ in the movie “Being John Malkovich” where there is a floor between floors.

Baseball players seem to be a very superstitious group. I have to wonder though… When their lucky socks, which they refuse to wash, don’t seem to be lucky anymore… When do they finally break down and wash them?

There are so many superstitions out there and they could drive a superstitious person crazy. I don’t want to be superstitious so I just don’t listen to any of them. Some say it’s all in our freaky little heads and we make our own luck. Maybe the superstitious just want a little magical luck in their lives? I guess if something wonderful happens in your life and you can attribute it to some superstition you have then why wouldn’t you do everything you can to make more wonderful things happen in your life?

There are a few that do run through my mind:

See a penny, pick it up; all day long you will have good luck… But it has to be on heads.
Some say pick it up no matter what since money is money. Some won’t pick it up unless it’s on heads. For me it depends on my mood and if I feel like picking up the dirty thing off the ground. There are times I will pick it up and flip it over so someone can find it and have the luck. I’ve even been known to set up Mini Red to find one since she gets so excited over it. If it cost me a penny or two to put a smile
on someone face then why not?

A cricket in the house brings good luck. To kill it is bad luck.
This is why my marriage ended. Hahahaha. Our house was full of crickets and they drove me crazy. I became the world renowned “Cricket Killer”. Once I chased one down the stairs and I leaped four or five stairs down to land on it. Maybe that makes me a “Ninja Cricket Killer”?

A black cat crossing your path is bad luck. A white cat crossing you path is good luck.
Phooey! That’s bordering on racist! Hahaha. This one is different in different countries, e.g. in Britian and Ireland it’s the opposite.

Walking under a ladder is bad luck.
This is one I tend to adhere to and can’t bring myself to walk under a ladder. Even a leaning ladder forms a triangle. The superstition is based on the triangle and that triangles represent the Holy Trinity. By walking through the triangle you’re a violating the Holy Trinity and breaking it. If you violate the Holy Trinity then you are in league with the devil. So heed this one.

Knock on wood… Three times.
Yup, I do this one! It was believed that good spirits lived in trees, and that by knocking on anything made from wood, we could call upon these spirits for protection against misfortune. I think the three times is because three is lucky and goes back to the Holy Trinity thing.

I’ve also heard:

Don’t step on one of those painted handicap in the handicap parking space.
I used to adhere to this one but then thought “If I can step on it then I should thank God I can and don’t have to park there”. I step on them all the time now.

There are so many good luck superstitions that just don’t seem lucky to me such as:

A robin flying into the house.
Hello! I don’t see the luck in this plus there will probably be bird poop all over your house now.

A bird pooping on your head.
Ewww gross!

To pick up a piece of coal that has fallen in your path.
Now your hands are dirty and your getting it all over you.

Rain on your wedding day.
I guess this could be lucky because if you can deal with that than everything else, in married life, will be much easier.

Superstitions are pretty much all in your head and are based on what you believe in. So if you believe something is lucky then it will be and the same for bad luck. I have decided that Friday the 13th will be lucky days, hence forth, so for me they will be. I say any Friday is lucky because it means I made it through another week.

Some superstition references obtained from oldsuperstitions.com

Walking Man

Lately, I've seen Walking Man more and more. Two weeks ago I saw him walking from P Street down to Rock Creek Parkway around 7:45 in the AM. A few days later I saw him walking out of Old Town Alexandria towards the airport around 5pm.

Today I saw him on Connecticut Avenue around noon and at a bus stop no less! This explains so much but I thought he walked everywhere. He was wearing his usual red shorts and yellow shirt. This time we got a photo:

Photo credit: Mini Red and Mom's cell phone.

Guest Post: IT Support May I Help You?

A friend at work has a second job in the evenings supporting a help desk. He’s been working help desks for 8 years now and gets all sorts of strange calls as I’m sure you can imagine. The other day he told me one and I thought it was so funny I asked him to be a guest blogger.

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When working in technical support I assist different types people. I assist the person who works in IT and swears they know everything, and wants to call just tell me how our system should work. I assist the person who knows damn well they shouldn’t even be near a damn computer.

I even assist the person just learning how to speak English. I have no problem assisting these people; it's my job to help those that are in need.

I calmly do my job until I get a person who simply wants to waste my time; even though I spend my spare time between calls is sleeping or playing PSP. These people are bored and have nothing better to do such as this woman:

Me: Tech support, how may I assist you?

Woman: HELLO?

Me: Tech support, how may I help you?

Woman: Where are you located?

Me: Virginia

Woman: Where in Virginia?

Me: _______, Virginia

Woman: No your not! Most companies like yours outsource overseas, I know you’re located in India or China.

Me: What? No. I’m an American, and we are not located in India I can assure you. Do you have a question?

Woman: They trained you well, you even sound like an American. You even sound black.

Me: What? Huh?

Woman: What's your name, not your fake American name but your real name?

Me: Goodbye douche.

A little while later she called back and spoke with co-worker, who happens to be Asian with a thick accent. He hung up on her when she wanted to know where in china he is located. What a crazy lady.

How do YOU spell Happyness?

If you’re familiar with this blog then you are aware that I commute through DC everyday and I have found Connecticut Avenue can be very interesting. I don’t think anything will ever beat the afro mullet I saw in Cleveland Park years ago but it encouraged me to finally purchase a camera-phone.

I know I’ve mentioned some characters I’ve seen in my travels such as Walking Man, who I saw this week on Cathedral Avenue. Another one is Grandma Dressing Man who I saw just yesterday. He was wearing a floral matching skirt and top and it got me thinking… How does someone get to that point? He walks to and from Cleveland Park to work, in Van Ness, everyday wearing women’s clothing. What do his co-workers say? What does he do for a living that his job can look past what he wears and take him seriously?

I have so many questions and would love to be a fly on his wall. Well maybe just his wall at work. I can’t help but think he would have to be so incredibly confident and secure in himself to just do what makes him happy, which is wearing women’s clothing. This is the epitome of not caring what other people think and to a point that it may exclude people out of his life. I’m impressed that he is secure enough to do what it takes have happiness in his life, but I guess that depends on what makes a person happy. Isn’t one of the goals in life to just be happy?

Happiness is something I’ve contemplated for sometime now. What makes each of us happy is so incredibly different. When you’re feeling low what do you do to make yourself happy? My Mom knits and she’s spoken of my Sister’s “Happy Place” as the Starboard in Dewey. For me, often times its music and usually Bob Marley’s Could You Be Loved does wonders for me. Then again a hug from Mini Red will cure anything.

The other thing that does wonders for my state of mind is running. One day I hope to complete a marathon but for right now my schedule allows for once a week if I’m lucky. I’m not a great runner but if something is bothering me running is the best way to clear my head. When I first started running I hated it and it took a while to be more comfortable and figure out the form, pace and breathing. People always say you don’t need much to run and you don’t need any special equipment but you do. For women you need a really good sports bra. Then there are the clothes that wick away moisture to make you more comfortable but most importantly are the shoes. Personally, I have gotten over what I look like when I’m running and I’m not out to impress anyone because my goal is how I feel at the end of my run. Each person has their own way of doing all of this but can be interesting is to see what people wear when they run.

This morning I saw two women running on Connecticut Avenue that were stopped at a intersection. One was in spandex leggings and the other was in running shorts but both had short tops on bearing their middles. Now don’t get me wrong because I, definitely, don’t have a runner’s body but I could have pulled of those tops better than them.

I commend anyone for getting out there and exercising but their midriffs should NOT have been showing. There was a decent amount and it was jiggling all over the place. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had both recently given birth. Seems to be another case of being secure with yourself and I’m all for self confidence. So if you want to let it all hang out that’s cool too but I would think on the busy streets of DC some form of modesty should be maintained.

Maybe it’s all in the eye of the beholder? I find Grandma Dressing Man fascinating and I felt a little embarrassed for the Big Midriff Running Chicks. Others might feel completely different and be bothered by the likes of one or the other.

It boils down to everyone is trying to find their own happiness, people are fascinating creatures and the city seems to bring it all out. I guess I’ll sit back and watch it all because it seems to be something that makes me happy.

Are you ever amazed when you realize what's going around you?

Thursday, I was working out of my office in Alexandria. One of my co-workers was looking out my window and saw this site:

He couldn’t understand why this guy was sitting on this dumpster spraying every last bit of debris that was coming down the shoot.

I said, “It’s their asbestos control.”

“What is it they’re spraying? It couldn’t be just water?”

I told him, “Yup, its just water. When I was at the Pentagon they were doing some renovations outside my office. There were complaints about the asbestos so they put a guy in the dumpster to spray down all the debris so no one would inhale it. The dude standing in the dumpster told me it only helped somewhat but it’s less expensive this way and appeased worries about the asbestos.”

Shortie added, "Our health is in the hands of a garden hose!"

As we were watching this guy straddle and spray another dude comes walking out, stands next to the dumpster to smoke. Unbelievable!

Even more amazing, than the dude smoking next to the make-shift asbestos abatement, is they are open for business. Guests are even in the rooms just below the construction.

I understand sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get the job done as in this case controlling this asbestos. I don't know if it's better to know what is going on and be afraid of how it's being handled or if it's better to be oblivious. I guess this can apply this to many other situations such as politics or is it all considered politics of one sort or another?

How positive is your thinking? Maybe you need to take the challenge too?

Today a discussion ensued regarding positive thinking. One of my co-workers tends to be a bit negative when it comes to herself and I am often the same way. I like to think of myself as a positive person but again that is different when it comes to me. I think this goes back to “We’re our own worst critic”.

I remember hearing that studies have been done showing that positive thinking can be life changing. So much so that it can help heal you and live a longer life. Google it and you will find a million articles.

Study Verifies Power of Positive Thinking
Optimism and the Immune System
Positive Thinking Can Help You Feel Better, Longer
The Power of Positive Thinking
The Power of Positive Thinking, Psychology Today

In our discussion today I said, “So you start seeing someone and he says something has happened and he can’t talk. He will call you as soon as he can. It was all going so well and you know he is/was into you. Do you hold out hope to hear from him again or write him off? This way if you don’t hear from him then you’re prepared for the worst and protect your heart. If not and you hold out hope and are let down then it’s more difficult to take.”

MB chimed in and said, “Either way you have the chance of being let down so why not be happy during some of that time? If you’re happy then it makes it easier to take the bad.”

Jay’s theory is not that it’s a negative thing it’s just being prepared. She believes there's a fine line between negativity and preparedness.

We have decided to challenge ourselves and invite others to join us. Starting April 15th we begin the month long Positive Thinking Challenge.

We are going to make great efforts not to have the negative thoughts and really concentrate on the positive. We want to see how changing our thought patterns influence our lives.

The hardest part might first be recognizing those negative thoughts.

I mentioned this to Trish back at the office and she loved the idea. All of us briefly discussed that we needed to set up parameters for ourselves or rather consequences for negative thoughts to encourage the positive. We soon realized we were being negative and instead of consequences we need to reward ourselves for the positive.

I don’t think parameters or rewards can be generalized for everyone. For me I have decided to put aside a dollar for every time I turn a negative thought around. After May 15th I will take that money and buy Trish lunch. Why? Because she suggested it.

So who wants to join us in this quest for a month? It could possibly change your life.

We are our own worst critic aren't we?

Thanks for all the great comments on the last post.

Since I started blogging Velvet was always been a big local presence. Her boldness to speak her mind is wonderful and I have loved and admired her writing. I knew it was coming to an end but when I read “I’m done” I knew she meant it and it hit me and really made me think.

There are times I was obsessed about posting but I realize I want quality instead of quantity.

The obsessing to write has chilled out and the purpose for the blog has changed but now I need to figure out the purpose. Who am I writing for? What does blogworthy mean for Life of Red?

As a single Mom and now having this class time is limited. As a Blogger I sometimes sit behind the computer for a really long time. Monday night I had a kick ass run with Mrs. M, ran some errands and chilled on the couch with Mini Red. I didn’t touch the computer all evening. It was kinda nice. The weather is getting beautiful and that’s another factor in less blogging.

Life of Red won’t end and I won’t stop blogging but some re-evaluating is definitely going on.

In the meantime... Tish is doing the Self Portrait Challenge again and found this fun thing to do:

Create your own mosaic here.

**Click the photo to see closer

It’s that time of year again when the Catholics stick out like marked people

Ash Wednesday is upon us once again and I find myself contemplating what to give up for Lent. I usually give up chocolate, which is not as easy as it seems since it is also Girl Scout Cookie season.

I am also reminded of last year’s homily where the priest said, "We all give up candy and that’s easy but who can go home after a bad day at work and be Joyful?" That made such a difference in my life and changed the way I viewed Lent. Mini Red enjoyed it too!

I believe I have kept up with the “Joyful After Work” theme but now is the time to stop and re-evaluate. Then every year can just become better and better, right?

I have decided to take on a bit more and this one is a toughie. No cussing in the car or rather no Road Rageous cussing. I am, however, allowing myself to say “POOP”.

Mini Red has been encouraged to choose something in her life to eliminate or improve and really stick to it. Last year she didn’t do so well but at 12 I believe she can learn a thing or two.

What are all you Catholics out there planning on giving up?

Oh and if there is abundance of “Ode De Fish” on Friday’s it’s us Catholics.

Things aren’t always as they seem

I’ve come across several blogs in the last week that mentioned men’s dress shirts and in particular women in men’s dress shirts. Yes I think it can be sexy but I have to say that a man in a dress shirt can look pretty hot. Don’t get me wrong I believe a flannel shirt and jeans on a man are hot too, especially, if the jeans fit just right in the rear.

So last night I had this dream about a dude who took his white dress shirt off and his back was covered in tattoos. It was like this other side of him was hidden beneath that dress shirt. I couldn’t help but think this was a dude who is a professional but when he is away from his office he’s his own person and he can shake off that skin, that’s his work, and just be him.

Isn’t this what most of us strive for? I think this is in all of us and no matter what you think you see in a person underneath there is something completely different when you peel those layers away.

I have a tattoo on the inside of my ankle. I didn’t want a girlie flower or anything and I couldn’t even tell you what the symbol represents. I can, however, tell you that for me it represents that nothing is as it seems and don’t judge a book by it cover. When winter is over and my pants get shorter and shorter the tattoo gets noticed and those who hadn’t seen it before are surprised. I guess they wouldn’t expect me to have a tattoo. You just never know what you’ll get when you peel away the layers.

What A Kiss Means

I found this on Craigslist:

Kiss on the stomach-----"lets have sex"

Kiss on the Forehead ----"Forever you will be mine"

Kiss on the Ear ---"I'm horny"

Kiss on the Cheek ---"We're friends"

Kiss on the Hand ---"I adore you"

Kiss on the Neck ---"We belong together"

Kiss on the Shoulder ---"I want you"

Kiss on the Lips ---"I love you" OR "I want you"

Holding Hands ---"We can learn to love each other"

Slap on the Butt ---"That's mine"

Playing with the Ear ---"I can't live without you"

Holding on tight ---"Don't let go"

Looking into each other's Eyes ---"Don't leave me"

Playing with Hair on Head ---"Tell me you love me"

Arms around the Waist ---"I love you too much to let go"

Laughing while Kissing ---"I am completely Comfortable with you"


Advice

Don't ask for a kiss, take one.

If you were thinking about someone while reading this, you're definitely in Love (or strong like).

How do you kiss?

You're too funny!

Trish and I were having a conversation, about something I can't remember, when I said, "You're too funny!"

This led Trish to say, "You know Red… how come I get the feeling that when you say "You're too funny" what you're really saying is "You're such an idiot"?

I just laughed and for the rest of the day whenever I could I would say, "Trish, you're too funny".

I got to thinking about this and realized I say this a lot and to a lot of people. Trish might be on to something because whenever I don't know what to say or my ADD kicks in and I'm not really listening I tend to say, "You're too funny" or "That's too funny".

I know for sure I have used this on bad past dates and but just realized that Trish is right. What I was really saying to those guys was, "You're such an idiot".