Some of you asked me to keep you posted about the new job so here goes...

The first day went okay. Mostly just filling out forms and reading documentation. A lot of the people I'm going to be working with were out of the office by the time I got finished with all the formalities. Today was long and I was pretty overwhelmed with all the information being thrown at me. It's going to take a while for me to figure the system out, but I think in the end it will be a fun and challenging job.

*Waves to everyone while combing the sheep**

I finally reached level 3!

Cake and ice cream for everyone!

Anyone want to help decorate?

**cranks up the music and puts party hats on all the sheep**

The ShinyBlackSheep has turned into the Energizer Bunny!

I have been working on project after project non-stop since Saturday and my 'to do' list is getting shorter and shorter.  I've managed to clean and organize my home office, rearrange the living room and clean the carpet.  Rearrange and organize the toy room.  Buy new dressers and a bedframe for the bedroom.  Re-do the kids' closets with new rods at their height so they can hang their own clothes.  Install three new blinds.  And a bunch of other stuff that I am probably forgetting due to complete exhaustion.  Hopefully I will get everything done before Friday so I can take a day off before starting the new job.

Oh, and I knitted new wool socks for all of you.  Just in time for summer. ;)  Enjoy them everyone!

Hi everyone!  Not sure if I wrote this anywhere before, but I thought I should at least post a few things about me...

Sex - Female

Age - 29

Marital Status - Married

That's pretty basic but I don't have a lot of time to make a long blog right now.

Tomorrow is my last day at my current job.  I'll be off for a week and then start a new job on the 11th.  Kind of exciting and scary at the same time.

later

Okay, I have an obligatory trip that I have to make this weekend but I am really not looking forward to it.  Basically I just have to grin and bear it.  I hate pretending like I enjoy something and my real feelings almost always show through.  What I need is some ideas of positive thoughts to think while I'm on this trip just to keep my morale up.  Can anyone give me some positive thought recommendations?

Welcome the the ShinyBlackSheep blog to all my new friends: jb_lovergirl, JPPT1974, DarthLobster, diamond07, entity0, sluggmunki_tx, and kcohan1!  I hereby present each of you with a bag of shiny, black wool sheared from the ShinyBlackSheep.  I look forward to reading all of your blogs and I hope you enjoy mine as well.

To all of my friends: Lisa31468, spacedkane, db70905, kataang4eva081, and thirteenparrots... each of your blogs is unique and interesting and I have enjoyed reading them very much.  If I forgot anyone it was unintentional, please forgive me if that is the case.

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend to the fullest!

Sheep fact of the day...  In New Zealand, sheep outnumber the human population 12 to 1.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.   One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.   The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.   The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.   Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.   The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.   The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.   As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.   One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.   Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.   Days and weeks passed.   One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of  the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.   She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you." Epilogue:  There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

It would be an understatement to say I have a very busy life.  I haven't had a vacation for at least 3 years.  That said, I am now on vacation and enjoying it as much as possible.  I'm trying not to think about how long it will be before I have this chance again.  If you are reading this and you are still in the stage of life where you are in school and have regular breaks (spring break, xmas break, summer break, etc) be very grateful for them.  Once you start working full time, that's it folks.  Of course you will have some type of vacation, but believe me it is nothing in comparison to those long breaks and on top of that you will have a thousand times more responsibility.

Now, a few things that have been on my mind due to vacation activities.  First up, swimming pools.  Is it just me, or is the whole concept kind of gross.  A whole bunch of people in the same water sweating and spitting and of course the little kids are all peeing.  I was in the pool earlier today and I herd this little kid go up to his mom crying and saying "I threw up, mommy I threw up" in the pool.  Yuck!  That was my queue to get out of the pool and go take a shower.  I realize they treat the water with chlorine, but still when you think about all those gross butts in the water as you dunk your head in it makes you feel sick.

Second vacation woe, bathing suits.  Why do people feel the need to be nearly naked while swimming?  Is it really any different to wear something a little more modest in the water?  Like in the old days when bathing suits were kind of like shorts and tank tops.  It's not like the extra cloths will weigh you down because water makes you nearly weightless anyway, especially if the suit were made out of the right material.  I'm not one for forcing people to wear one thing or another, but I certainly don't see a 'modest' bathing suit being sold in stores.  At the most, every once in a while I'll see a suit with a little skirt or a tankini type thing.  I'm sure we've all seen quite a few people who could use a bit more cloth for their own comfort, and I don't necessarily mean just overweight people.  A lot of people just don't feel right being so exposed regardless of their weight.  You may be thinking that nobody is stopping you from wearing whatever you want and technically you are right, but it is certainly not easy to find said modest bathing suit.  It is also contrary to what this society considers beautiful.  By media standards for women at least, the more skin you show and still look like a barbie doll the more beautiful you are.  I said women earlier, but it's not really that much different for guys.  Guys have it a little easier because it is normal for them to wear baggy shorts, but still being completely exposed from the waist up can't be comfortable for everyone.  So let me go on record saying I would love to see bathing suit fashion expanded to include flattering, more modest suits for all body shapes and sizes, and I encourage people to dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable even if you are departing from the norm.  Besides, departing from the norm is what being ShinyBlackSheep is all about. :D

TV!!  I have been blogging here on tv.com, but I haven't really had time to watch tv lately.  Now that I have this vacation I have finally gotten to watch tv a bit.  I saw the show 'Deal or No Deal' last night for the first time and then played it online to figure out the details of the game.  I let my toddler son pick the suitcases in one game and he won $1,000,000!

Well, I have been busting my butt with yardwork all day today. Planting, mowing, building a wall, mowing the grass - which brings us to the sheep fact of the day...

"Even the White House changed with the onset of World War I. Sheep were brought to graze in the White House lawns in order to save the manpower required to mow the expansive grounds. Wool from the sheep was sold as a fundraiser for the Red Cross."

Here's a picture of the White House lawn being groomed by sheep...

http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/subs_pph/PresidentDetail.aspx?ID=28&imageID=1075

But I do love working in the garden. It's something I never really thought I would like, but I started doing it quite a bit last year and now stuff is growing and if is really fun to see my hard work pay off. I've got several big yard projects planned for this year including the wall I've already started building to make a level place to plant vegies. Okay, enough rambling about gardening. :)

Seems I have 2 new friends on this site. Nice to meet you both, and I hope more and more people will track my blogs because I enjoy writing them and reading other blogs too.

I haven't had much time to post in the forums, but hopefully that will change soon. Avatar: The Last Airbender is my favorite show on tv so I'll probably be spending a lot of time on that forum. Should be fun when the next season starts especially. Ahh - why can't it just start!!!

Hi everyone!

ShinyBlackSheep here.  I promise this blog will be extremely interesting, well thought out, and maybe even educational at times.  I'm a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender and lots of other anime.  Please add me to your watch list and I will befriend you in turn.  You will also receive a bag of shiny black wool to keep you warm this summer.