This week's Pistol progress

Slow fire. So I'm working specifically on trigger control. I honestly think it's helping. The first 10 shots on this target landed 8 in the black and only 2 in the 4-6 rings. As you can see, that's when fatigue seems to set in. Still a tighter pattern than last week and NO fliers outside the rings. It's progress. OK, so I suspect the new RedDot scope probably helped a little too. 

Rapid fire, interesting how many double shots in there. Timed fire

Getting ready for the Holidays..

He laid her on the table.

So white clean and bare.

His forehead wet with beads of sweat.

He rubbed her here and there.

He touched her neck.

Then felt her breast.

Then drooling, felt her thigh.

The slit was wet and all was set.

He gave a joyous cry.

The hole was wide.......

He looked inside.

All was dark and murky.

He rubbed his hands.

And stretched his arms.......

And then he stuffed the turkey.

May I be the first to wish your dirty little mind a merry Christmas.

Barbie's Letter to Santa

Listen you fat little troll,

I've been helping you out every year, playing at being the perfect Christmas present, wearing skimpy bathing suits in frigid weather, and drowning in fake tea from one too many tea parties, and I hate to break it to ya Santa, but IT'S DEFINITELY PAYBACK TIME! There had better be some changes around here by next Christmas, or I'm gonna call for a nationwide meltdown and trust me, you won't wanna be around to smell it. So, here's my holiday wish list:

1. A nice, comfy pair of sweat pants and a frumpy, oversized sweat shirt. I'm sick of looking like a hooker. How much smaller are these bathing suits gonna get? Do you have any idea what it feels like to have nylon and Velcro crawling up your butt?

2. Real underwear that can be pulled on and off.
Preferably white. What bonehead at Mattel decided to cheap out and MOLD imitation underwear to my skin?!? It looks like cellulite!

3. A REAL man...maybe G.I. Joe.
Hell, I'd take Tickle-Me Elmo over that wimped-out excuse for a boyfriend Ken. And what's with that earring anyway? If I'm gonna have to suffer with him, at least make him and me anatomically correct.

4. Arms that actually bend so I can push the aforementioned Ken-wimp away once he is anatomically correct. 

5. Breast reduction surgery. I don't care whose arm you have to twist, just get it done.

6. A jogging bra. To wear until I get the surgery.

7. A new career. Pet doctor and school teacher just don't cut it. How about a systems analyst? Or better yet, an advertising account exec.

8. A new, more 90's persona. Maybe "PMS Barbie", complete with a miniature container of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and a bag of chips "Animal Rights Barbie", with my very own paint gun, outfitted with a fake fur coat and handcuffs or "Stop Smoking Barbie", sporting a removable Nicotrol patch and equipped with several packs of gum.

9. No more McDonald's endorsements.
The grease is wrecking my vinyl.

10. Mattel stock options. It's been 37 years. I think I deserve it.

Ok, Santa, that's it.

Considering my valuable contribution to society, I don't think these requests are out of line. If you disagree, then you can find yourself a new bimbo doll for next Christmas.
It's that simple.

Yours truly, Barbie

Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool

The festival was great. I've been away long enough to be MUCH more objective and made some interesting observations:
-Sherpa's work much harder when periodically fed blackout brownies, fresh hot cider, and lamb barbecue.
-Men never really stop..well...being men. They just look at you running from one shiny pretty to another as if you are a child at DisneyLand. It's spelled C O N D E S C E N D I N G and it's not your best look. Harumph.
-There are obviously NO mirrors to be found in the homes of most knitters. If there were they would NEVER be caught dead in some of those getups. Seriously...WHAT were you THINKING?!
-Don't wear a tophat with antlers and flowers on it and expect me not to stare. When you look at me indignantly and ask 'what are you looking at?' don't be surprised when I raise my voice and say 'Hey Lady! You got HORNS on your HAT!' you see, I can turn and walk away and the people surrounding us aren't looking at ME.
-Only a newby knitter would dare wear her first cabled sweater to stand in a line composed of other knitters and WAIT for anything. Darling, we have naught to do but count your cable errors and dropped stitches.
-It is extremely effective to peruse online to figure out what the current feeding frenzy item will be and who is selling it...so that you can head in the opposite direction to scoop up the real finds in peace and solitude.
-Men are soooooooooooooo easy to buy for. You stand them 15-20 feet away from a wall of choices, they point in a general direction and tell you a general color i.e. brown, blue, red ..as opposed to turquoise, chartreuse, sienna. You choose 3 options in their general color choice and bring one skein of each and they decide which they prefer up close and in the sunlight. and...DONE. 5 minutes at MOST.
-Let the diddle-heads spend all day holding skeins to their face IN THE DARK BUILDING no less to see which color brings out the blush in their cheek. Those of us who have made more than a potholder know damn good and well that the color you see now will a. change in the sunlight and b. fade in the first few washes.
-when some 'primitive purist' idiot starts on about how 'all these modern gadgets just do NOT exist in my world!' Wish her well in her world and leave. It's not worth the breath- TRUST ME.
-I am NOT impressed that you can knit without looking while leaning against the building in a prominent spot, wearing everything you knit in the past year (which looks like you didn't look while you were knitting BTW). I AM impressed at the woman who got her husband to take the squirming, screaming 3 year old to the animal exhibits while mommy uses the stroller as a giant shopping basket.
-Do not try to convince me that you actually LOVE the odor of Eau De Ram wafting off that fleece you want me to buy. This is not my first rodeo, you clown! I KNOW that vinegar will not remove that smell within the next decade and I don't care to be followed around by ewes.
-Do not...I repeat DO. NOT. expect to eat that chocolate dipped banana without drawing the gaze, snigger and outright guffaws of every adult near you. DO NOT be surprised when your photo performing fellatio on a big brown "banana" shows up on Facebook.
-If you are over the age of 50, have all white hair that you wear long, straight and unstyled, wear gauze skirts and desert boots and carry a huge hobo bag, please do not sit at the feet of the Peruvian music group and ogle their long hair and crotches. No matter how 'mystical' you find it, it makes them really nervous.
-If you are under the age of 25 (but older than 12), do not expect women who have spun the fine yarn, developed the complex cable pattern, and knit their jacket on size 1 needles to be impressed with your scarf and unshaped hand warmers that you spent 2 hours knitting out of LionBrand Super chunky yarn. Just don't.
-it is not true that dressing like a beatnik makes you look 40 years younger. No one wanted to see that view of your ass, trust me.
-it is also not true that everything matches as long as every piece is knitted in some type of variated yarn. Some things are so bad that they simply cannot be unseen.
-Do not try to impress me with your knowledge of 'all things sheep' after you just looked at my bag of raw wool and asked "what do you call that again?"
-If you raise Alpaca but do not take the effort to REALLY learn about Alpaca fiber, do not stand there and argue with me that YOUR Alpaca fiber is "finer than cashmere". I will choose not to resist the temptation to start pulling out not only the coarse guard hairs but the outright KEMP to be found in your yarn!
-Do not stand in a crowded sale barn, surrounded on every side by wool and proclaim that you are so allergic to "real" wool that you break out in hives at 30 feet. I will stare at your face and start asking 'WOW! did you have those welts when you left home? Trust me, I'm a nurse, I'd have that checked right away if I were you.' You leaving the building to examine your face will make more room for the rest of us.

Other than that...it was a perfectly lovely day. :)

Dumbasses...

Message to all the talking heads who are working sooooo hard to villainize the Health Insurance companies and force socialized medicine down our throats...when you make health insurance MANDATORY, just WHO do you think will profit? ...maybe the companies who sell it? ya think?
And when the govt contracts out the socialized portion just as they do Medicare and Medicaid...just WHO do you think will run it?....maybe the companies who do so now? ya think?
Dumbasses!
You call it socialized medicine...I call it job security. 

I love AMAZON!!!

I believe in shouting to the rooftops when I get good service and Amazon just blew me away!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Kindle for reading. Even in a marketplace of cheaper competitors for e-readers, I find Amazon to have WAY more variety of books, mags, newspapers and even text books. But my Kindle is my baby. Well, my baby took a fall and broke. :( Being totally my fault, I put off contacting Amazon because I figured I was going to pay a pretty penny to get it fixed.  Here is the good part: not only is a fall covered under the basic one year warranty, but they are sending me a new kindle FIRST along with a shipping label to return the broken one! No questions asked, no hassle, no COST.  HOLY MOLY! I love outstanding service! 

Three Reported Missing After Animal Rights Activists Take "War on Leather" to Motorcycle Gang Rally.

Three Reported Missing After Animal Rights Activists Take "War on Leather" to Motorcycle Gang Rally.

ROFLMFAO. Enjoy All

Johnstown, PA: Local and state police scoured the hills outside rural Johnstown, Pennsylvania, after reports of three animal rights activists going missing after attempting to protest the wearing of leather at a large motorcycle gang rally this weekend. Two others, previously reported missing, were discovered by fast food workers "duct taped inside several fast food restaurant dumpsters," according to police officials.

"Something just went wrong," said a still visibly shaken organizer of the protest. "Something just went horribly, horribly, wrong."

The organizer said a group of concerned animal rights activist groups, "growing tired of throwing fake blood and shouting profanities at older women wearing leather or fur coats," decided to protest the annual motorcycle club event "in a hope to show them our outrage at their wanton use of leather in their clothing and motor bike seats." "In fact," said the organizer. "Motorcycle gangs are one of the biggest abusers of wearing leather, and we decided it was high time that we let them know that we disagree with them using it . . . Ergo, they should stop."

According to witnesses, protesters arrived at the event in a vintage 1960's era Volkswagen van and began to pelt the gang members with balloons filled with red colored water, simulating blood, and shouting "you're murderers" to passers by. This, evidently, is when the brouhaha began. They peed on me!!!" charged one activist. "They grabbed me, said I looked like I was French, started calling me 'La Trene', and duct taped me to a tree so they could pee on me all day!"

"I . . . I was trying to show my outrage at a man with a heavy leather jacket. And, he . . . he didn't even care. I called him a murderer, and all he said was, 'You can't prove that.' Next thing I know is he forced me to ride on the back of his motorcycle all day, and not left me off, because his girl friend was out of town and I was almost a woman."

Still others claimed they were forced to eat hamburgers and hot dogs under duress. Those who resisted were allegedly held down while several bikers "farted on their heads."

Police officials declined comments on any leads or arrests due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, however, organizers for the motorcycle club rally expressed "surprise" at the allegations.

"That's preposterous," said one high ranking member of the biker organizing committee. "We were having a party, and these people showed up and were very rude to us. They threw things at us, called us names, and tried to ruin the entire event. So, what did we do? We invited them to the party! What could be more friendly than that? You know, just because we are all members of motorcycle clubs does not mean we do not care about inclusiveness. Personally, I think it shows a lack of character for them to be saying such nasty things about us after we bent over backwards to make them feel welcome."

When confronted with the allegations of force feeding the activists meat, using them as ad hoc latrines, leaving them incapacitated in fast food restaurant dumpsters, and 'farting on their heads,' the organizer declined to comment in detail. "That's just our secret handshake," assured the organizer.

Military Life

  Marine Corps Rules:

  1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
  2. Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.
  3. Have a plan.
  4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably  won't work.
  5. Be polite.  Be professional.  But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
  6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a '4.'
  7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice.  Ammo is cheap.  Life is expensive.
  8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral & diagonal preferred.)
  9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible.  Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win.  The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics.  They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot.

Navy SEAL's Rules:

1. Look very cool in sunglasses.
2. Kill every living thing within view.
3. Adjust Speedo.
4. Check hair in mirror.

US  Army Rangers Rules:

1. Walk in 50 miles wearing 75 pound rucksack while starving.
2. Locate individuals requiring killing.
3. Request permission via radio from 'Higher' to perform killing.
4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted.
5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound rucksack while starving.

US  Army Rules:

1. Curse bitterly when receiving operational order.
2. Make sure there is extra ammo and extra  coffee.
3. Curse bitterly.
4. Curse bitterly.
5. Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed.
6. Curse bitterly.

US  Air Force Rules:

  1. Have a cocktail.
  2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner.
  3. See what's on HBO.
  4. Ask 'What is a gunfight?'
  5. Request more funding from Congress with a 'killer' Power Point presentation.
  6. Wine & dine ''key' Congressmen, invite DOD & defense industry executives.
  7. Receive funding, set up new command and assemble  assets.
  8. Declare the assets 'strategic' and never deploy them  operationally.
  9. Hurry to make 13:45 tee-time.
10. Make sure the base is as far as possible from the conflict but close enough to have tax exemption.

( And I Love This Next One)

US Navy Rules:

1. Go to Sea.
2. Drink Coffee.
3. Deploy Marines

Go  Navy!

And the next ... (You've got to love the Navy, and God bless them all.)

U.S. Navy Directive 16134 (Inappropriate T-Shirts).

The following directive was issued by the commanding officer of all naval installations in the Middle East. (It was obviously directed at the Marines.)

To:  All Commands Subject: Inappropriate T-Shirts
Ref: ComMidEast For Inst 16134//24  K

All commanders promulgate upon receipt.
The following T-shirts are no longer to be worn on or off base by any military or civilian personnel serving in the Middle East:

1.   'Eat Pork or Die'  [both English and Arabic versions]
2.  'Shrine Busters' [Various.  Show burning minarets or bomb/artillery shells impacting Islamic shrines.  Some with unit  logos.]
3.  'Napalm, Sticks Like Crazy'  [Both English and Arabic versions]
4.  'Goat - it isn't just for breakfast any more.'  [Both English and Arabic versions]
5.  'The road to Paradise begins with me.'  [Mostly Arabic versions, but some in English.  Some show sniper scope  cross-hairs.]
6.  'Guns don't kill people.  I kill people.'  [Both  Arabic and English  versions]
7.  'Pork.  The other white meat.'  [Arabic version]
8.  'Infidel' [English, Arabic and other coalition force languages.]

The above T-shirts are to be removed from Post Exchanges upon receipt of this directive.  In addition, the following signs are to be removed  upon receipt of this message:

1. 'Islamic Religious Services Will Be Held at the Firing Range at 0800 Daily.'
2. 'Do we really need 'smart bombs' to drop on these dumb bastards?'

All commands are instructed to  implement sensitivity training upon receipt  

Amazing Navy logic ... sensitivity training in a combat  zone.

Stupidly Amusing

So apparently some ego-idiot thinks that I need to "make Jesus my friend" in reference to events surrounding my job change and "friendship" changes. As ridiculous a statement as this is to me, I'll spell it out for the simple minded...
First of all... If I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and therefore my Lord and Savior (and this is already presuming that this belief is my only choice) then He no more needs my "friendship" than my children need my "friendship". My children will have MANY many friends through their lifetimes many of which come and go and require real effort to remember 30 years later. I am the ONLY mother my children will ever have, that is unchangeable, unquestionable, unconditional and irrevocable no matter what transpires in their lives or mine, no matter how we feel about each other on the surface. Why, in the name of all that is holy, would one ever subjugate that to mere "friendship"??? Likewise, why would anyone subjugate the relationship of Lord and Savior to mere friendship? Isn't that just a bit insulting? overly familiar? egotistical? If He is my Lord and Savior, he expects my honor, worship and devotion...not a day at Old Navy shopping for party-cardi's. 
Second... No one has the right to judge another's heart. To make such a foolish comment as the one above takes real gonads if the person thinks they can take on the role of judge and prescriber. I do believe there is a verse or two about that, right? 
Third, and to my mind, most IMPORTANTLY in this specific case!... This person implies that I am not acting within God's Devine Will. How do I judge for myself if I am in His Will? God would NEVER ask me to remain in a position that would require me to LIE, CHEAT, STEAL, or commit FRAUD against man or government. He would never expect me to compromise moral or ethical standards no matter how large or small. If I find myself in a position where I am asked to do these things in order to receive approval, then it must not be God's Will huh? Maybe others know how to accomplish the same job without those compromises, then go for it! My experiences are mine and I own them. It remains the only reason I will leave any job in less than one year because I hate how it looks on my resume.


Best of all is that the more I learn about the place I find myself now, the more I appreciate it. I can clearly see how the past experiences do and will help me directly in many ways but this new job is soooooooo much more than the last one. Requires so much more intense nursing judgement, so much more PROFESSIONAL communication and relationship building and receives so much more professional recognition in exchange. I feel like a thinking, reasoning and challenged (not to mention respected; a sadly lacking factor in the recent past) nurse again instead of a glorified data collector serving at the whim and emotion of every Tom, Dick and Administrator. Is it a tough job? HELL YEAH! and thank goodness for it. 
So there you have it. My treatise on the ethics of jobs and friends. It's nothing more than my take on the matter but does anyone else's really matter to me? 
Peace Out! 

Fresh Start!

So it seems I haven't posted here since last April...which coincidentally is when life went downhill like an avalanche. I understand better now what happened and how to try to prevent that problem in the future. I'm not going to re-hash old offenses and wounds though. That would just give the people who tried to harm me more power and authority than they ever deserve. I'm going to use my lack of posting as a metaphor for my attitude: Look forward with a clean slate. :) I'll post more about my new job-adventure in the coming weeks once I jump in and get started. I will say that I am still happily driving my little sports car and now have added a sexy big motorcycle to the garage. The motorcycle riding has been FANTASTIC the past year and I'll blog on that more later.
Meanwhile, I've gotten back to some knitting and spinning! I'm surprised I actually remember how. I finished a simple scarf to wear on the motorcycle a couple of weeks ago (first FO in 2 years!!). It's a great, if painfully simple design that buttons into a double layer V over the front of the chest - right where the wind is most cold while riding. Now I'm finishing up a pair of socks in a great colorway of blues, golds and browns. I'm going to call them my New Beginning socks since I started them between jobs. Maybe I'll wear them my first day symbolically IF they go with the outfit. LOL They are from the "Hat-Heel Sock" pattern on Knitty Fall 09. Not a bad pattern, I liked the idea of a new way to knit the heel, but I doubt I'll do the pattern again. I do like the way the heel fits but I don't like the lump of seams in the instep. Now, if I could use that heal as an afterthought heel..... hmmm.
Then I'm toying with a couple of patterns I might start next. A heart cable sock out of some fantastic red yarn I bought with Judy last week or a scarf out of sock left-overs. We'll see what leaps onto my needles. LOL

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's a 2006 Mazda Miata with a Bose stereo, Leather seats, keyless entry and alarm and it's all mine! (ok, mine and the bank for now)

NOTICE!

To all who know and love me enough to call...
We are finally eliminating our land-line phone. We can still be reached on Ken's cell 717-821-2657 or my cell 717-644-1089
As always, if we can't talk, we won't answer, just leave a message. :)

Thought for the day

Thought for the day:

"No woman will ever be truly satisfied................ because no man will ever have a chocolate penis that ejaculates money."

Lent resolution

I'm not a big one for Lenten sacrifices but this year I decided to use the excuse to change a habit. So for Lent I'm giving up elevators and resolving to park farther away from stores and walk whenever reasonable in order to get a bit more excercise.

My new office space

Welcome to my new office! I'm currently sharing space with the bookkeeper and her assistant, both very nice ladies. This works out great for me as I learn my way around the building and all the systems like the phone, fax, and computer. I have the big copier in the next room, the office supplies in the closet and all the advise I can beg from my office mates. I also have an entire wall of windows behind me which is a god-send in the winter months. (note to self: buy a small fan) I don't get my computer and phone until Friday when the case manager using them is finished so probably Monday will be spent arranging my desk and supplies to my liking. My boss and I worked out my building assignment and he helped me pick some really cherry facilities where I've already met lots of terrific folks and will follow some good CM's making my transition easier. It doesn't hurt that those facilities are exceeding budget projections and are in some very nice areas of the city.
The folks in this facility are sooooooooooooooo nice. The administrator must have asked me at least 4 times if there was anything he could do to make me feel at home. The PT/OT/ST folks were also very welcoming at the meeting today and the Liason is an absolute delight who says she can't wait for me to teach her more ways to manipulate her poor unsuspecting husband. Yes, my influence is on the move again. :)
So far this job REALLY feels like my reward for the past 16 months of giving my 150% at work. It feels like I'm gonna like this job very much.

The first day on the new job...

....and I had a great time! My first two days are spent with Nnenna who is the friend who encouraged me to apply for the job in the first place and today will be spent with her in Lebanon. What a great way to start out. With an encouraging friend in familiar surroundings with people who like you. Awesome.
In case anyone is wondering, I've carefully refrained from blogging about my last 2 -turned into 3 - weeks on my old job because I CHOSE not to go there. If you can't say anything nice..... right? Let's just say that I had my eyes opened to some unpleasant aspects of my supervisors and their attitude towards other employees and even their parent corporation itself. Rather unflattering. I've written no fewer than 4 posts about the subject but wisely chose not to publish them. So I'll try to let that be that and move on and up.
I'm still trying to get that bird's eye view of the process that makes up my new job. Lots of learning to do! Just how I like it. :)
For those who find such things important - and you know who you are - I wore light brown pants and a fantastic green sweater top.

The big reveal!

So FINALLY I can reveal what has had me on pins and needles and keeping to myself a bit more than usual. I HAVE A NEW JOB! I've received a promotion from Hospice RN Case Manager to General Case Manager working for HCR ManorCare Corporate. So the questions ensue...

1. What the heck is a Case Manager? The CM is the hub in the center of the health care universe (how's that for pretentious?). She(he) stands as the moderator between the patient, the payer source (insurance) and the provider (doctor, therapist, facility) to assure that the patient receives the highest level of care that his insurance can (will) pay and that the provider is fairly compensated so that they can provide the best care.
   
2. Isn't that the same thing you have been doing for Hospice? Well, yes, and no. The hospice Case Manager coordinates the care as it is delivered to the patient, but there are layers of administration preventing the CM from directly negotiating better rates or more service. The hospice CM is also directly responsible for providing a significant amount of that care herself. General Case Management is pretty much hands-off. Because she provides hands on care to specific patients, the CM also must serve on-call time to cover services 24/7/365. A general CM basically works when the insurance companies are open.
3. But I thought you loved hospice! I do! And I sincerely hope that this career path brings me back to hospice at some point. For now, I have tons to learn that I can't access in my current hospice position.

What real world differences are there?

• REAL girl clothes instead of fancy pajamas.
• Business hours instead of lost sleep.
• A COMPUTER instead of carpal tunnel inducing paperwork!
  
• An office!
  
• Being responsible for my own work, my own results and my own SCHEDULE!
• NOT having to clean up other CM's messes every Monday. grrrrrrrrrrrr
• Not having to clean up patient messes any day. (no, I will not miss that aspect of direct patient care...are you serious? yuck!)
  
• Did I mention no call, no holidays and no sleepless nights?
  
• More money.
  
• A CLEAN uncluttered car. (Imagine that! I no longer have to explain to guests why I have 3 sizes of incontinence briefs in my back-seat.)
• Working for Corporate which opens up all sorts of doors.
  
• Trips to Toledo for training and inservicing. (Toledo night life. woot.)
• MARKETING! My job actually falls under the marketing department and I'll be responsible for visiting and marketing to hospitals, doctors, nursing homes and other providers. LOVE. IT.
  

So that's my big news. I start my new job February 9. My "home" facility will be in Camp Hill PA and eventually I'll probably have 4+ buildings throughout York and Carlisle. I'm really excited! This is going to be a really intense year learning the ins and outs of insurance and medical compensation and I just can't wait!
Edit: Now I won't be starting my new job until Feb 12. Not my choice nor my new boss's choice, don't even ask. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Personality typing

Every so often, usually when I am questioning my place in the universe (i.e. I feel antsy...usually somewhere between January and March) I take another of those online personality type tests. Philosophically I do tend to lean to Jung so it's not surprising that these tests intrigue me. So tonight, when I should have been working diligently, I took a brain-break and completed yet another. And I got the same answer I always do: ENTP Here's an explanation:

ENTPs value their ability to use imagination and innovation to deal with problems. Trusting in their ingenuity to get them out of trouble, they often neglect to prepare sufficiently for any given situation. This characteristic, combined with their tendency to underestimate the time needed to complete a project, may cause the ENTP to become over-extended, and to work frequently beyond expected time limits. Complicating this situation is their predisposition to experiment with new solutions. This makes them eager to move on to the next challenge when things get boring. ENTPs become stressed when their improvisational abilities are ineffective and they will avoid circumstances where they might fail.
If stress continues, ENTPs become distracted and their "can do" attitude is threatened. Feelings of incompetence, ineptness, and inadequacy take over. They need to escape situations that are associated with anxiety is more prominent for the ENTP than for any other personality type. Doubtful of whether they will have what it takes to accomplish a task, they displace their fears onto situations they can elude. Panic, fear, and anxiety then block the expression of their creativity. Defensive phobic reactions cause the ENTP to circumvent achievement in other areas and prevent the success they strive on.

I'm honestly not sure why it surprises me that I always get the same answer.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein

And there you have it.

Merry Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the garages
Not a motorcycle was rumbling, except for Santa Claus's;
The leather was hung in the closet with care
In hopes that nice weather, soon would be there.
Our bikes were all nestled snug in their covers
With visions of blacktop and burning up rubber.
With momma in her bandana and I in my skull cap
We had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn, arose such a rumble
I sprang from the bed as I started to grumble,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But, a pack of motorcycles, with riders and gear,
With one old driver so lively and quick
I knew in a moment it must be Biker Nick,
He was dressed all in Leather, from his head to his foot
And his clothes were all tarnished with bugs and road soot,
A bundle of chrome he had flung on his back
Down the chimney he came, carrying a big red sack,
He spoke not a word but went straight to his work
As he filled all the riding boots, then turned with a jerk,
And laying a finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose,
He sprang to his motorcycle, to his team gave a sign
As they all cracked their throttles and got into a line,
Now Honda, Now Harley, Now Triumph and Indian,
On Kawi, On Suzuki, On Yamaha and Victory,
But I heard him exclaim as he roared out of sight
"Keep the rubber side down and have a good ride.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

What has happened to me?

You know, I'm a girl - not in the chronological sense of the word but in the shopping preference sense of the word. I like pretty, shiny expensive things. I love shopping for clothes and trying on shoes and picking out accessories that sparkle and glitter. So at what point did this happen?
I pay more than $100 for shoes that could look like this:
But instead look like this:
I could buy jewelry that shines like this:
But instead I end up with shiny stuff like this:

We won't even go into my Christmas wish list which includes a scissor lift and motorcycle work stand. Oh my.