Randomness

Two blogs in one day?! Goodness gracious, I must be on some kind of kick, huh?

Anyway, I'm not sure what I want to write tonight - only that I just want to talk.  I've been deprived of real adult conversation for most of the afternoon and evening.  I know that many of you are aware that I truly enjoy my personal space and quiet time when Tommy works late and that I generally like having a few evenings a week to myself.  Having said that, he has worked such ridiculous hours this last week and a half that I actually miss having him around in the evenings.  I'm counting on a nice family weekend to help us all reconnect after what will have been 2 very busy weeks. 

So I guess the point of this blog is just to "talk" for a few minutes.  I started to write up a whole thing about our weekend and how crazy it was, but that was boring even me so I deleted it.  Instead I found a little survey to fill out and keep me busy.  Before I fill this out, let me make a small public service announcement.  I clipped off the portions of the survey that asked for my full name, birthdate, birth place, etc.  Please be cautious about posting all of that information anywhere.  Often those surveys can be used by unsavory types who might want to steal your identity.  Just a friendly suggestion :-)

So, without further adieu, here are some things you might not know about me!

How many & what kind of pets do you have?	We have a yorkie-poo named Ringo.  He's very sweet and a wonderful watch dog for our family.
What's your job?	I'm the branch broker of a real estate company and work as a full-time Realtor myself.
What's your Dream Job?	I'm doing it!
Who is your best friend?	Gosh, I've got so many.  The primary ones are Tommy, Celeste, Deanna.  But I have so many amazing friends!
What instruments do you play?	I played the flute in high school and college.  Not once since then ;-)
What are your hobbies?	Reading, dancing, signing at the top of my lungs as I drive around town!
Would you ever sky dive or bungee jump?	I would love to!  But haven't yet and as I get older I think it's less and less likely to happen.
What kind of books and/or magazines do you read?	All different kinds.  But my favorite author is and always will be Dean Koontz (even though I like his older books more than his new)
How would do describe yourself?	Optimistic, friendly, outgoing
What is a topic you wish you knew more about?	The good news about liking reading is that I can look up anything I want to know more about :-)
What do you daydream about?	A day without any responsibilities at all.  Not likely to ever happen!
What are your religious/spiritual beliefs?	I believe in Christ.  I believe that in him all things are possible and that we must do our best to live in his image.
List 3 Things You Would Change About Yourself:
One:	Be more patient with the girls.
Two:	Not argue so much.  I love to debate just for the sake of debating - Tommy doesn't like it so much ;-)
Three:	I wish I was more motivated to exercise.
Either / Or
Shy or Outgoing?	Have we met? Outgoing
Spender or Saver?	I'm pretty cheap but have a hard time saying no to Tommy or the girls so I'm a saver when it comes to me and a spender when it comes to them.
Truth or Dare?	Truth.  I'm a pretty open book.
Books or Movies?	Both.  Depending on the day.
Romantic Comedy or Action Adventure?	Neither is my favorite but if I had to choose I guess it'd be romantic comedy.
Cats or Dogs?	Both.  I like both for very different reasons.
Mountain or Beach?	Mountain.  I hate summer heat.  The beach in the early spring or late fall is nice though.
Sweet or Salty?	Sweet
Do You...
Smoke?	No.  Not ever.
Drink?	Yes.  A glass of wine or a beer a couple of nights a week.
Get annoyed easily?	Sometimes
Like to travel?	Absolutely.  But it's hard with kids.
Like to drive fast?	Uh, yeah.  Too fast.
Sing well?	I think I do, but who knows?
Want kids?	I love the ones I've got - don't want any more.
-----What would you name a boy?	I liked the name Anthony but never got to use it.
-----What would you name a girl?	If I could have picked another name I loved the combination of Katherine Elizabeth.  So many potential nicknames!
Have You Ever...
Performed on stage? In what?	Yes.  Choir and band in high school and college.  In college I went to NYC w/ the choir and sang at Carnegie Hall, which was very cool.
Been in a car accident?	Yes.  Again in college I once had a period where I was in 3 within 2 weeks of each other.  None were my fault (seriously!)
Been out of the country? Where?	Yes.  S Korea and Ireland
What Is...
The last CD you bought?	Gosh.  The last actual CD?  I think it was the first Glee soundtrack and I bought it on the drive back from my grandmother's funeral in AZ.  It was a long drive!
The last movie you saw in the theater?	Hop.  I was not a fan - but I still love James Marsden.
The last movie you rented?	The Switch.  I rented it a few days ago and still haven't watched it.
Your greatest fear?	Something happening to one of the girls.
Your greatest strength?	My optimism
Your greatest weakness?	My imagination.  It causes me to worry too much about my greatest fear.
Your happiest memory?	I don't think I could pick just one.  I've been so blessed in this life.
Your Favorite...
Movie:	A Walk to Remember, The Family Stone, Meet Me In St Louis.  I can't choose between those 3.
TV Show:	Brothers and Sisters, The Good Wife
Actor:	Shane West - Love him!
Actress:	Sandra Bullock
Food:	Tex Mex.  From Texas, not the Oklahoma kind.
Drink:	Wine, Coffee
Color:	Green
Scent:	Depends on my mood
Season & WHY:	Fall.  You can just feel winter coming and I love it!
Day of the week & WHY:	Friday.  Does it really need explaining?
Store:	Target
Quote:	"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again." -- Og Mandino, The Greatest Miracle in the World ."You pile up enough tomorrows and you'll be left with nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays...I'd like to make today worth remembering." - Meredith Willson, The Music Man

Hate Crime?

Ok, I've go no time today and meetings non-stop but I ran by the office for 20 minutes so I could write this blog and get it off my chest.  I'm hoping to squeeze my thoughts into this post before I have to head out to the next appointment.  Please excuse any rambling or unpolished thoughts - I won't have much time to proof this before posting.

So, unless you live under a rock you have heard about the possible hate crime at a McDonalds in Baltimore on April 18.  If you haven't, here's the long and short of it.  A transgender woman, Chrissy Lee Polis went to use the women's restroom at a McDonalds and was attacked by two teenagers as she exited the rstroom after having done her business.  For the duration of the attack an employee of the store recorded the whole event and can be heard laughing on the video. 

At first glance this looks like it could have definitely been a hate crime.  But something bothered me about the whole thing when I read a news article today in the Norman Transcript about this particular case.  Polis stated in a couple of different articles I've seen that the fight started because the attacker didn't want Polis talking to the attacker's boyfriend.  So I wanted the full story and kept digging.  I found this video on youtube and if you scroll to the 5 minute, 45 second time stamp you can see an interview given by Polis accounting the events leading up to the beating.  In it she says that the attackers assaulted her because of the fact that she had previously spoken for a few seconds with one of their boyfriends.  At no time does she mention that they said anything about her transgender status.  Take a look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMjqxMrIRtA

The entire video is worth watching but the Polis's interview is most interesting to me.  I'm not saying that what happened to this young woman wasn't horrible.  And I'm not saying that the attackers (as well as any employees who stood by and didn't do so much as call the police) shouldn't be held responsible but I really think that the punishment should fit the crime.  But based on the victim's own statement this was not a hate crime. 

Now, I will add a caveat that I've heard that Miss Polis has changed her story a couple of times so maybe this isn't a full accounting of the events.  But I think law enforcement should certainly tread lightly and that we as a public should not be so quick to jump on this "hate crime" bandwagon simply because the victim happened to be transgender.  If the clip above is to be believed, her transgender status had nothing to do with the attack - and it's Polis herself telling us that. 

Anyway, I can't claim to know what actually happened at the store.  All I intend for anyone to take from this blog (which is really me just rambling because I had to get this off my chest) is that there are actual hate crimes occuring all the time in our country and around the world.  I don't want to see us trivialize the hate crime status by attaching it to every victim who happens to be gay, or black, or transgender or muslim.  Let's make sure we respect the actual victims of hate crimes enough to scrutinize these cases before labeling them as such.

Blessed

I know it's been quite some time since I last updated my blog.  There's so much to say but seems so little time to actually sit down and put it into words.  I have a list of blog topics that's half a page long and keep thinking that I will find time to actually write some of them. 

However, today I'm skipping all of those topics so that I can share with you an epiphany that I had this evening.  As many of you know, a dear friend (and one of my mentors) lost her husband last weekend.  It has been a difficult week for her obviously, and I've been going crazy trying to think of ways to help her.  This evening the family received visitors at the funeral home before tomorrow's memorial service.  As I was looking at the slide show of pictures and listening to Betty's fond stories of their life together,  I realized that this woman is more than a mentor in the professional sense.  She is the kind of person I aspire to be and has lived a life so full of love that it almost literally takes my breath away.  She is one of the best people I know.

Then I realized that the same can be said for all of the owners of Metro Brokers.  These 5 couples comprised of 7 Realtors and 3 spouses who aren't Realtors have set an amazing example not only in the way they handle their business but also in the way they handle their lives in general.  They are genuine and caring and committed to each other in a way that is rarely found anymore.  This circle of 10 are there to support and hold each other up through the bad times - and to share in the victories during the good.  And even more important, they welcome the rest of us in as well. 

I have never been at a loss for words when asked why I chose to open my office with this company.  There are so many redeeming qualities that I can always find something to say.  But beyond the superficiality of business reasons lies the real answer.  I choose to work with these people because we truly are a family, in every sense of the word.  I know that my colleagues at this amazing company genuinely care about me and my well being, both professionally and personally.  They share stories about my children.  They recognize when I need a helping hand, without me ever having to say a word.  They call me just to say hi if we haven't seen each other in awhile.  And all of that comes from the environment that 10 incredible people created when they came together to form a new and exciting real estate company.  It's not just a place where I work, it's become a part of who I am.  And I'm a better person for having known every one of them.

In conclusion, I just want to take this opportunity to publicly thank each of these 10 pioneers.
Gwen and Scott Arveson
Jim and Sherry Gottschalk
Sharon and Bob Hobbs
Walt and JoAnne Terrell
And finally, Betty and Darrel Goss.  Darrel's physical presence will be missed, but (as corny as it sounds) his spirit will continue on in Betty and everyone who knew him. 

Thank you all.