Reminds me of myself…

Our potential Little Brother is ready and eager to meet us, and I can’t wait! We just received an e-mail from the BBBS case manager. I’m so happy! And did you know Big Brothers Big Sisters of KC was named Best Philanthropic Organization of 2008? So proud!

If you are interested, check these local events:

TeamSmile Event - Saturday, Sept. 13: A free event for the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Receive free dental care by TeamSmile and participate in fun activities at Arrowhead Stadium.

Boulevard Recruitment Event - Thursday, Sept. 18: Thinking about being a Big? Or know someone who is considering it? Join us at our Recruitment Event at the Boulevard Brewing Company. Learn what it’s like to be a Big and network with other Bigs in a happy hour setting.

Friendship Foundation Breakfast - Thursday, October 30: Want to find out how you can help support BBBS-KC financially? Join us for a one-hour inspirational breakfast.

Tuesday August 26th @ 5pm
75TH STREET BREWERY
520 W 75th St
Kansas City, MO 64114

Like Spyder said: Be there, or be talked about.

I got the re-designing bug. Blame Daniel, who did the same over the past week. I got tired of the raspberry or whatever the other color was.

Now I have to wrap it up and join the husband and his friends at the bar to celebrate a birthday.

I get all kinds of stories at work. I don’t post about them because… well, it’s work (I don’t want to get Dooced). But something happened last week that left me thinking. A Hispanic woman called the office, and the person who answered the phone didn’t even say hello. It was an automatic “Un momento, por favor.” and that called was transferred to me: “Bea, Spanish person, line 1.” Next thing I know, there was a lady almost yelling, and asking why the heck our CS rep didn’t talk to her in English.

The big deal about it is that some people will immediately assume someone doesn’t speak their language when they hear an accent. Wrong! We are, after all, in the United States of America, and while there are many immigrants who don’t acquire English as a second language, most of us learn to speak it. I could understand the lady’s frustration about it; I apologized several times, and the lady added something along the lines of “At least I can speak English. Does she speak Spanish?”

It also made me think about the countless times when I haven’t said more than just hello and I have people looking at me and saying “Pardon me?” — Dude! I just said hello, just because I don’t look American, doesn’t mean you can’t understand me. And it happens everywhere, but more so here in this melting pot where everyone comes to try to make a living.

And then, on another occasion, I will post about how much I disagree with moving to America and not making an effort to learn English. But what do I know? Nobody’s perfect.

Because my husband made fun of me when I mentioned the words Sleep Hygiene, I found this on Yahoo! News today. According the study mentioned (that is not new, of course), a good night’s sleep is within the reach of most of us if we follow common-sense guidelines for sleep hygiene:

• Go to bed at the same time nightly.
• Set aside enough time to hit that golden 7 hours of sleep.
• Refrain from caffeine, heavy or spicy foods, and alcohol and other optional medications that might keep you awake, four to six hours before bed-time.
• Have a pre-sleep routine so you wind down before you hop in.
• Block out distracting lights and noises.
• Only engage in sleep and sex in bed (no TV-watching, reading or eating).
• Exercise regularly but not right before bed.

I’m addicted to books. I buy them just for the simple pleasure of knowing I have them. I don’t read as much as I used to, but it’s improving. And of course, I visit the bookstore religiously. While browsing the best-selling section at Borders a couple of weeks ago, a book titled “Such a Pretty Fat” caught my eye, although I had the feeling it was just another one of those about a fat chick who becomes thin and then successful. And then I read the back cover. I brought it home.

If I count the time I have actually spent reading the book, I can say I was done with it in less than two days. It is hilarious, non-full of crap, and the fat chick is/was actually fat and starts changing that because of health reasons. In fact, she claims her high self-esteem can be dangerous. It is also a real character, the author herself, Jen Lancaster. Her books are her memoirs, and I have fallen in love with them. Last night I braved into a Borders full of hysterical teenagers (the new Stephanie Meyer book was coming out, and there were vampire lovers running all over the place), with the sole purpose of getting “Bright Lights, Big Ass.” — The nicest surprise was when the clerk girl told me I could find it in the humor section. Clever!

I finished reading “Such a Pretty Fat” tonight. It didn’t change my life or brought endless enlightenment. It just made me realize that sometimes we can’t take life too seriously if we want to achieve something. It also made me learn I will never join Weight Watchers because I cannot stand someone who thinks cake is evil.