pet peeves

in no particular order...

1. running wind shield wipers when it's not raining. do you need an explanation? it's not raining. STOP.
2. snow getting in my shoes (i know, i should have been wearing my snow boots.)
3. my pots and pans being out of sorts - i don't know why this matters. but when my kitchen is in order, i'm much happier.
4. yell-talking into the phone - it's a telephone. technology developed so you don't have to scream across a thousand miles. you can even whisper, and they'll still hear you!
5. "you probably saw on facebook..." - you are re-sharing information that you're assuming i already know. this is inefficient and ineffective as a method of connecting with me. as soon as this statement comes out of your mouth, you might as well stop and give us 30 seconds of silence. you'll get about the same response as if you continued that thought, and i'll be less annoyed. the only time this is acceptable, is if you frame it as "what did you think of the picture/comment i posted?" and even then, it had better be a really good topic, because if you posted it, and i saw it, and i thought it were worth mentioning, i would have commented or at LEAST given you attention using the thumbs-up like button. please do not regurgitate what you've already shared with your 300 closest friends.
6. that damn air bubble under the cell phone's screen protector.
7. pit stains. get it out or buy a new shirt.
8. the word "selfie", and all derivations. it's a picture of yourself that you took of yourself or of yourselves, or of your group... do we need to slaughter the english language to identify who took a picture and the picture's subject?
9. using "simply" to respond to a question, especially in an faq page. If it were "simple" it shouldn't be frequently asked. easy and simple are not the SAME.
10. fork biting - i despise the sound, the concept, and the image i have of what it's doing to your teeth over time. 

reactions

over the weekend a couple weeks ago, M got a new wireless router. instead of first noticing that he was trying to do something nice, i noticed that more money was spent than we have.
..i reacted harshly.

we went apple picking--fresh apples off the tree. beautiful day. random activity. a lovely way to spend a sunday.
..i reacted positively.

someone said "i wasn't sure it would get done", after me saying i would do it.
..i reacted negatively.

stupid wisdom. who needs it anyway? ...i wasn't sure i reacted well to the surgery, but everyone tells me it was ok. either they're nice, or i was tolerable.

last week i made a concerted effort to react positively to good things, and try to let the negatives pass. i didn't have the energy to pick fights. even when i did have the energy, thought it would be a good time to try to appreciate the good stuff. so far i've been reacting better. it makes him happier, which makes me happier... not focusing on negatives. doesn't mean shove other stuff under the rug, just handle it differently.

being better doesn't have to be a negative uphill battle.

mantras

be deliberate

i don't care what game we play, as long as we all play by the same rules

try harder tomorrow

presenting you with a hopechest, to fill with all of those dreams you pulled out of your pocket and plucked from your sleep.