Sunday, August 22, 2010

To Blog Or Not to Blog, That is the Question

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows from people you don't want reading your blog....

Ok, I took a little liberty with that quote but you get the point.

You are not anonymous on the internet.  In fact, you are not anonymous on my blog.  If you have ever scrolled down to the bottom of my page, you'll notice a "stat counter."  This is a very handy little gaget and you can find out a LOT about the people who are reading your blog....where they logged in from (city and state and country), how long they stayed on, if they clicked on any of your links or read any of your comments among other things....it really is handy.  I can't find out your home address nor who you are for sure, but it doesn't take a lot of deductive skills to figure out some things.

For example, my "troll" I call her, who has posted some, ummm, argumentative comments on my blog before.  Yep, 99.9% sure I know who she is based on where she's logging in from and how she "found" my blog in the first place.  Or, the co-worker who checked my blog while she was on vacation.  Pretty sure sure she was the only one in Mexico checking my blog that week.  Yes, co worker, I know you're reading my blog too. 

So, these things have made me stop and ponder....what I write down and publish here is really out there for the world to find, if they want to.  I mean, I even have a link on my facebook page should anyone do any investigating there.  The question I am asking is: what am I really willing to have available for anyone to read? And, do I care if people I might not want reading my personal stuff read my personal stuff.  I mean, my blogs are pretty darn personal.  Do I really want people who are only casually in my life getting insite into the private inner workings of my heart?  I am just not sure.

Most people who blog have some sort of "theme" they go with: they blog about politics or scrap-booking or movies or...well, you get the picture.  Thus far the "theme" of my blog is, obviously, me.

So, readers....would love your thoughts on this subject and what you think about blogging even though people to whom you might not want to reveal the inner workings of your heart are reading....

Blessings,
Erin

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Every Once in a While Things Go Your Way


As every homeowner knows, a house is a never-ending project list.  Sometimes those projects are as simple as a twice-yearly cleaning of the gutters or replacing the furnace filters.  Other times the projects are more complicated.

Recently, in anticipation of renting my house (which may or may not be happening depending on what I decide to do), I undertook a few medium-sized projects such as replacing a few light fixtures, regrouting some tile and replacing a faucet that whose handle had broken.  In the replacement of the faucet, the handyman who was helping me out ran across a problem....in reconnecting the sink, a leak formed between the plumbing and the wall.  This, in true older home form, led to a larger problem.  It seems that the connection between the plastic of the p-trap and the metal drain pipe had corroded and could not be reconnected.  This was beyond the scope of what my handyman could fix and he suggested calling a plumber.  He gave me the name of a man he had used before and told me to call him.

Facing life without a bathroom sink in a one-bathroom house, I gulped (thinking of the cost for plumbers), did a quick mental calculation in my head (which involved the use of some negative balances) and called the number he'd given me.  The next day, Ron the plumber came out to take a look and quoted me a price of $250.  After picking myself up off the floor I smiled politely and asked how to contact him if I decided to go with him, thinking I'd get a few more quotes.

Ron smiled back and basically said, "Tell you what, since Bryan has sent so much business my way, I can give you a discount and go with $200."  Still knowing this was a lot of money, but knowing how much plumbers charge an hour I decided to just go for it.  I asked how it worked to book him....did I schedule now for a later date?  I also explained that I didn't have the money right now and wouldn't for a few more weeks until payday (and even then it would mean eating top ramen and instant oatmeal for a month)....he said he could come out on Sunday and just send me a bill later.

So, today Ron and his co-worker James came out.  They were in and out very quickly and the job was done thoroughly and cleanly.  As they were leaving I asked Ron if he had my address so that he could send me an invoice.

He then said, "I do, and I think just with the cost of the part and gas to come out here it will come to about $20."  I about fell over again!  Making sure I'd heard him correctly I asked, "You aren't going to charge me for labor?"  He repeated the line about Bryan sending him a lot of work and he said..."and clearly you needed help."

After they left and I shut the door I about broke down. 

Sometimes, just sometimes in life, things go your way, praise the Lord.

Now, onto the rest of my honey-do list.

Erin

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Sheesh

It is the cowardly road to take potshots at an organization or group of people...anyone can lob "bombs" from a distance, and everyone's a critic.  It takes real courage and sacrifice to change an organization from the inside out.  It's the men and women who do the back-breaking and sometimes heartbreaking labor of seeing an something change who should be applauded, not those who sit from their couches and nit pick everything apart.

Monday, August 02, 2010

No More Facebook

I have decided to delete my facebook page.  I am not sure yet whether this will be a temporary thing, or permanent.  I will have to see how it goes.

Facebook has increasingly become an area of pain for me.  It has become another forum for rejection for me.  In the last week, two people I used to be close with have unfriended me.  I don't bat an eye any  more when someone I wasn't that close to unfriends me, but when it starts to become people I have hung out with, spent time with and generally had a good time with I just don't understand.  Additionally, seeing pictures of things I have not been invited to, or hearing about all the great times everyone is having with everyone else is starting to take its toll.

Granted, I have not spent a lot of time with either of the people that unfriended me recently, but then I look at their current friend list and I could say the same thing about most of the people on there that we have in common.  So, I just am going to chose not to be a part of it for a while and see if that helps.

Additionally, there is a lot of "noise" and "clutter" in my life and hearing the voice of the Lord in the midst of all of this for what He wants for my life has become almost impossible.  Think about having a meal with a friend at the noisiest bar you can think of, or trying to hear a friend talk to you while the crowd is cheering its loudest at a Mariners or Seahawks game....it is almost impossible.  So, I just need to de-clutter and shut off some of the noise in my life right now. Facebook has to go.

Blessings,
Erin