TO TV OR NOT TO TV

“Christmas is a time for forgiveness.  Christmas is something that we carry in our hearts.”  This came from the TV Christmas program “The Elf on the Shelf” that I watched earlier this evening.

                The subject was Santa, naturally. It was 30 minutes of remembering what it was like to believe and for me when I decided to stop (believing in Santa that is).  I was ten years old and my gift from Santa was a Barbie doll with beautiful black hair coiffed into a ponytail, the case and outfits that screamed of style and a one piece swimsuit.  Yes, it was 1959.  Belief is a choice and in beautiful script was written “Merry Christmas Linda. Love you,  Santa” in MY DAD’S HANDWRITING. 

                Those who know me well can attest to my preference for rated “G” programs/movies and without apology. I can repeat anything heard and it is an escape from my daily diet of facts and figures.  It is also encouraging and makes me feel good for longer periods of time than the questionable choices made available on TV.  When I went to see my son and his fiance’ over Thanksgiving, I got to watch Toy Story 3 and Kungfu Panda.  What a treat!

When it comes to TV, I actually prefer reading.  However, truthfully I would always prefer reading above all other choices EXCEPT ON TUESDAY EVENINGS.  I have a thirst for knowledge and feel that to learn is to grow and if you are not growing, you are dying.  Sounds odd but think about it anyway, please.

Yep, I skipped a spot. On Tuesday’s comes my weakness for three programs: NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles and Unforgettable. It is not rated “G” but the logic, reasoning, and knowledge called upon to solve the cases holds my attention each week.  I even watch the reruns on cable. I am watching NCIS again right now on cable.

PLEASE DON’T STOP ME…. Enjoy your evening. 

Hello. Is anyone there?

That is what it feels like lately.  My primary responsibilities are great and technology can be your friend except when it isn't.  C taught me to blog and it really is a good tool to vent without the threat of becoming a target, at least not right away.  You cannot speak your mind at work because there is so much to learn that I am beginning to have flashbacks to kindergarten.  Except now it is not learning to read (my favorite pastime), writing and  how to communicate in an acceptable/reasonable way to make your point or be understood.   Now you better feel lucky to have a 1-800 #, an option for an option # and a wait time less than 30 minutes on a perfect day and/or the ability to understand the person that eventually answers the phone if you don't get hung up on first. The classic prerecorded computer generated catch praise: "We are experiencing a heavy volume of calls and your call will be answered in the order it was received." Jack Benny comes to mind: "Well!" I want to pull my hair out by the dark blonde and grey roots. 
Technology has come a long way but it is really money that determines the level of technology that will be made available to anyone or any company.  It creates efficiency at the office/customer level that I truly appreciated but now is another story.  At the office now I feel like there is an elephant in the room but the indigestion, stomach pains, etc. are now the new norm as we make it disappear one bite/byte at a time. 
I heard one manager say that we were spoiled when it came to technology but I say that the company recognized early on/budgeted for and spent the money to provide the service customers come to expect especially in the 21st century. We resolved issues quickly, efficiently, and within seconds of the request made by customers as well as those by staff who were handling internal customers/other staff.
In the name of progress we have regressed. Changes/improvements/upgrades will come in time but until then I need to keep in close contact the four or is it five pages of codes and the operating instructions for the systems that do not communcate with each other.
Yes, you really can teach an old dog new tricks.  I am doing it every day.  RUFF RUFF

Drafting Grandchildren

 Sounds odd for a title but there is a really, really good reason behind the title.  I have no grandchildren (that I know of anyway) and enjoy outtings like the circus, Disney, ice capades ('60s term), etc.  Just because you may not be blessed with them does not mean that you cannot "grandmother" one of your choosing.     
My eldest son is newly engaged.  Good for him!  She is precious and would have made my youngest son so proud to have her in the family. She makes him happy and they already married in their hearts. I borrowed this phrase from one of my customers and it speaks well to my son's relationship.  Their plans are to start a family as soon as they are married.  YEAH!!!  However if God does not bless them with children, I can deal with that.  In the meantime, I have a backup plan, hence drafting one or two on an as needs basis. 
With that in mind, I am going to the circus tomorrow.  A  friend from work had never been to a circus and she has three precious children - one son, and two daughters.  I am so excited that sleeping tonight may become a challenge.  I received a discount pricing offer at work and thought of her immediately. Before hitting the "buy" button I walked (borderline skipped) to the opposite end of the office to see if she and her children would like to go.  She is married and so naturally had to ask her husband if they had plans and that it was okay to go.  He agreed and now does not know what he is going to do tomorrow while we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the "Greatest Show on Earth:.  BUT he is a big boy and can figure that our for himself. 
Bottom line is that we all have opportunities to have some fun regardless of our age.  I am 61 and have no intention of allowing my calendar years to dictate my choices. Find children to share your life.  The conversations are never boring and their honesty is refreshing.  While they try to learn from adults, we can learn so much from them.  Try it, you will like it. 

Bankers Shoes and Women R Us

This is not the original blog topic for today but must be addressed here and now!  Like fountain pens, I have a strong affection that some think borders on obsession with shoes. They are in fact my third favorite thing behind # 1 reading and # 2 my fountain pens.  I am not especially fond of sandals yet have close to 20 pair. Go figure.
C will be so proud of me that I used my blog to express myself  (or vent) even though she knows my intended blog was Priority vs. Preoccupied. However, I digress and here goes.
I do have my favorites in the line of shoes brands which is equally as important to me as fountain pens. Keep in mind that I have well over 100 pairs so no sympathy is expected for the remarks to follow.
Shoes can be fashionable and comfortable as evidenced by Nine West, Bandolino, Enzo Angiolini, Chinese Laundry, Stuart Weitzman, Steve Madden and now even Life Stride or Mootsie Tootsie. 
As you probably have guessed these are my personal favorites.  However I was tempted by an absolutely beautiful pair of black pumps two years ago and we all know that multiples of the same are a given.  It was a brand that was recommended to me and this pair displayed the magic word "Sale" which should really have read "Buyers Beware" and included a warning label. 
My sisters and I had completed a full 12+ hour day of fun-filled holiday shopping and I just had to try on these bankers black pair of heels that were calling my name. They actually felt good and one would think that after that many hours in the upright position moving gingerly through the Woodlands Mall and taking into consideration some possible swelling that buying the next half-size made sense.  Yes, I actually listened to a shoe salesman and for that I ask your forgiveness.
They are not the "rich Corinthian leather" made a household word years ago by Ricardo Montalban but they are leather and anyway the kind he suggested was for sitting on or admiring on a dashboard.  Again I digress. The label clearly (still) shows leather and alas they were made in China (what isn't these days) and my husband says that in itself should have been my first clue when my first complaint was registered with him many months ago.
I am convinced there is a naked elephant somewhere in China because of the "leather" used to make these shoes. Leather should be soft, somewhat supple or reasonably so and forgiving of ones feet plus include that smell/fragrance/aroma/scent that only fine leather can gift to any woman. Just like banks, all things are not equal regardless of what it says in the fine print.
After two years of attempting to break in these shoes, I am the one that is broken in a figure of speech. I do not give up easily particularly when it comes to shoes and my shoes are probably appreciated more than some people appreciate friends, family or a man his car. During lunch I literally "threw" these into my car and tenderly collected my favorite pair of black pumps.
The moral of this saga is "I have purchased my first and last pair of shoes by Alfani". They are not foot friendly.
By the way, the shoes that I carry in my car for foot emergencies like today are made by Chinese Laundry.  I have purchased this particular style twice in black and once in navy.  I do not, repeat do not, wait for a sale for this particlar shoe or  even that brand.  If I see it, like it, then they go in my shopping bag or are protectively cradled in my arms to the cash register. 
I am of Dutch heritage and we have been called "square headed". I wonder if that translates to feet as well which really speaks volumes for those wooden shoes. 

colder than ...???

Mercy sakes it is cold today.  My exhusband had an extremely naughty way to describe a day like this but please do not expect me to repeat the various phrases heard over our 14 year marriage. 
It is odd that this would come to mind today since there have been many cold days since back in 1983. I guess because I am concerned about our oldest son who lives north of Dallas, works in Denton, and his fiance' works in Dallas. The weather was so extreme yesterday that neither was able to work and I have been worried about both of them.  His house is all electric so being a mother, my thoughts include: How is he going to stay warm? Do I need to buy him so heavy blankets? How he is going to eat today? Did he eat today? Did he get to work safely? Did she have to go to work which is 45 minutes away and arrive safely? How is she going to get home if the weather gets worse? Does she have enough money with her to get a hotel if the weather worsens when she gets off work? Does she have a heavy enough coat? Did he remember to leave faucets dripping during the night? Did  they do laundry over the weekend so that they would  have clean clothes this week? Did he go to the store to buy something easy to open, not requiring a can opener? Does he even have a regular can opener?
He is 36 years and she is 26 years, two precious adults.   Will I always worry about them?   ABSOLUTELY BECAUSE I WILL ALSO BE A MOTHER WHICH BY THE WAY IS THE BEST TITLE THAT COULD EVER BE BESTOWED.

day off

C gave me some helpful tips for linking various blogs, etc. which I will try this weekend.  Having said that  Saturday is usually wife duty and Sunday is my church and family day.  However, since he (the husband) gets sleepy way before me perhaps I can sneek in some computer time. 
I am working for a half day today so am sneeking in two minutes before the phone rings.  I am feeling guilty for skipping yesterday after the commitment to blog but business comes first.
OOPS, two minutes gone and I am beginnng to feel like a thief ............. stealing minutes from my job.
Toodles ...............

Fountain Pens

When creating a name for my blog, my friend C encouraged me to use something in line with what I like or enjoy, something that says it is me.  We talked about my preferred beverage which is a cup of hot tea (preferably Sadaf), my drinking water without ice (I detest cold beverages) and ultimately my affection for fountain pens.  In fact what I said was that I preferred either a fountain pen or pencil, and nothing in between. 
I really do have an appreciation of fine writing instruments which in my opinion do not include ballpoint pens, rollerballs, gel pens, and the like. However, I do like a pencil, even a mechanical one, especially a Pentel.
There is just something about the balance of a fountain pen in your hand as you write and the way the ink flows through the beautifully detailed nib and it just seems to gift itself to the paper. 
I own over 100 fountain pens, some as old as 1874, and actually have two vintage fountain pen desk sets in my office. They are both from the 1960's when most professionals used them and at the time probably meant "I have arrived.  See the matching pens on my desk?"
You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a good to great pen.  It would be hard to beat a Schaefer for dependability, reliability and smooth writing. I own several. Another excellent choice would be Waterman or Pelikan. 
My favorite is the Visconti that I received for my 20th anniversary from my employer who has a "Sterling" reputation. The Italians make some of the best pens even though as a young woman years ago recognized them only for making a fine pair of shoes.
I even have fountain pens to match my suits along with a great pair of shoes of course.  In fact today I had a choice of pens to match my silver and mother of pearl earrings: Dani Trio and Pelikan. 
I prefer my Dupont over my Mont Blanc, both are quality and pricey but people tend to name drop both brands or in a meeting angle the pen to show the logo.
The Dupont writes beautifully but I did not have to buy it.  The person to whom it was given really did not prefer fountain pens and knowing that I did, passed it along to me.  I will always appreciate his thoughfulness and do not care that it has another banks name on it. 
You may recall that I am a banker and if my bank with the sterling reputation had fountain pens available with their logo, I would proudly angle it while writing to make sure "everyone" could read the name of "MY" bank of choice. 

twitter

Well I am off to a running start, sort of.  I moved onward to open a Twitter account to attach to my Linkedin.com account.  I officially have an account but now must contact C again. She is the wonderful and most gracious trainer to which I referred yesterday who from now on I will affectionately refer to as C in my blog.  C says that a blog is a web log which really makes sense as do most things after the fact.  I figured out the log part but the "b" was bologna until yesterday.
On the way to work this morning, I saw a most beautiful sight worthy to include on a site design or atleast on a calendar somewhere.  I saw two full grown deer standing beneath a small tree and near an even smaller bush.  You might know that traffic was flowing nicely for a change and I could not take a picture with my camera. You may say how does this relate to blogging or twitter.  Well, this sight was in the middle of a large gravel parking area with piles of gravel and stone along the parameters.  I was immediately reminded of all things natural vs technology and the manufacturing facility a few yards from these beautiful creatures.
Technology and I have become friends over the years but this picture seemed almost of contradiction of terms for my eyes.  Here it is eleven hours later and still lingers.
Maybe I should bank the manufacturing facilty and feed the deer. I know what they eat because they used my newly landscaped yard as a buffet a few years ago.  :))

Blogging

Blogging is a new venture for me but once started will require commitment and considerable discipline. This is actually my first one and wouldn't you know, I could not figure out how to edit the one started at work so it is now deleted and started here again.  My instructor from the office who volunteered to help could not have been more kind or patient with me.  I now freely admit to being "old school" when it comes to technology.  However, since I am on this side of dirt as Roger Bennett so wonderfully sang with the Legacy 5, I have decided to tag along.
I was so excited and anxious when she volunteered to help me last week when we were at the Junior League attending the quarterly Sterling Bank WBI luncheon (more about this in a future blog). We had a speaker last year with the topic being social media and I could feel myself being reeled into to the 21st century.  Having been a teenager in the '60s my first thought when hearing the term "social media" was date night and telephone calls(probably won't see anything about this in a future blog :)).  Anyway back to business, the speaker was engaging to say the least and since being a typical banker to boot, this required me to think it to death before reaching the point that it became a 2011 New Years resolution. Please note that this is the only resolution that I made personally or professionally.
With regards to the blogging, my mind had created this concept of a remake of War and Peace for banking or slings and arrows in my direction because I am still a banker or some weirdo personal question from computer la-la land.  However, my friend told me that it is really just a conversation.  Imagine that....so stay tuned for whatever might chase itself between my two ears to the point that it must find it's way to print HERE.