By CtH
The old saying about the road to hell used to really bother me, because I thought that surely God would know what’s in my heart when I do something with good intentions that goes horribly wrong. Even our flawed justice system considers a person’s motives before sentencing, you know?
Then I got to know people who have raised procrastination to an art form and I finally realized the saying was about something else entirely.
The number of times I had one of these people promise me with all sincerity that they’d do something, then never get a Round Tuit. Yet when I would ask again, they’d get all prickly about me being disappointed that they had not done whatever it was.
Usually it was “I’ve been so busy!” (Subtext: Doing stuff that is Much More Important than you.)
I can understand if, once in a while, something truly unexpected derails ones plans. But these people were chronic about it. So I got to thinking, “Hey, if you’re really so busy, you shouldn’t commit to stuff you can’t fit into your schedule. Tell me NO and let me find someone else. Cuz when you promise, you just leave me hanging with the job unassigned and undone. And real people get hurt.”
Another fave excuse was “I forgot.” This one inspired me to attempt gentle reminders, which only brought on temper tantrums on the order of, “I SAID I WAS GOING TO DO IT! DON’T NAG ME!” (Direct quote from a certain individual who I had reminded ONCE after 6 weeks of waiting. This is “nagging”? I don’t think so.)
Eventually, I began to understand what was really going on with these people. They like to think of themselves as GOOD people. And they present this image to others; why else would I ask them for favors or expect them to keep their word? I don’t bother ASKING the jerks and liars, you know what I mean?
But underneath the façade, these people are not deeply and truly committed to goodness. Saying YES makes them feel good; saying NO makes them feel bad. And that’s as far as it goes. They “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk.”
As for that part where I get yelled at for reminding them of their failed promises? I could really lose that, especially coming from people I can’t just drop from my social calendar. It’s so darned HARD to love the sinner who just keeps on sinning against you personally. Sigh.
CSB @ http://family.webshots.com/photo/1473114221056011884LnlsIw
polination.blog 
Tina’s road to hell is paved with snow and ice! 😎
http://westbylife.blogspot.com/2011/04/ghost-of-summer-past.html
And cobbled with chocolate chip cookie dough
http://westbylife.blogspot.com/2011/04/chocolate-chip-cookies-blech.html
Tina has more round tuits than anybody else I’ve ever met.
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Where does she get her energy??
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Not from me, that’s for doggone sure!! And she doesn’t even ingest caffeinated substances, either. My guess would be that she’s a lot like my mother was at that age, although I never knew my mother to be quite so playful. Of course, it’s possible that trying to keep me out of trouble ground a lot of the “playful” right out of her, but she was a Wisconsin farm girl, and her work ethic/drive was phenomenal in any other than a Wisconsin dairy farm setting.
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That Tina. The fun just never stops. This time she killed Big Bird.
http://westbylife.blogspot.com/
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THE THURSDAY GRUDGE
OBAMA BLAMES EVERYBODY BUT HIMSELF FOR HIGH GAS PRICES
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/04/obama_blames_everyone_but_hims.html
IF RICH AREN’T PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE,THEN WHAT’S FAIR?
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/04/if-rich-arent-paying-their-fair-share-then-whats-fair
THE LANDRIEU DANCE
Featuring a skinny Irishman named James O’Keede
THE TOLERANT LEFT
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/265303/tolerant-left-michael-walsh
VIRGINS RECRUITED TO PICK TEA WITH THEIR LIPS
Just checking to see if you’re paying attention
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8239867/virgins-recruited-to-pick-tea-with-their-lips
POLL FINDS MOST AMERICANS CAN’T NAME A GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
This explains Trump’s early popularity
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20055756-503544.html
BREITBART TO BASHIR:’YOU’RE INSINUATING I’M A RACIST,WHICH IS WHAT MSNBC DOES TO CONSERVATIVES EVERY DAY’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=awlzgkeraog
WISCONSIN BEGINS RECOUNT PROCESS IN SUPREME COURT RACE
How could we expect any less from liberals?
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/157093-challenger-requests-recount-in-wis-supreme-court-race
HERMAN CAIN AT THE 2011 CHICAGO TAX DAY TEA RALLY
GOP INCREASES DEMANDS ON DEBT LIMIT INCREASE
In other news,a pig just flew over my garage
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53501.html
OBAMA SHORES UP SOCIAL MEDIA BASE
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/21/3568636/obama-shores-up-social-media-base.html
EPA:LETS RAP ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
UNBELIEVABLE
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I tried watching the MSNBC clip with Breitbart – couldn’t watch the whole thing. I’ll try again later. I don’t think that reporter was expecting Breitbart to have such a great response to the Sherrod question.
Thanks for the Cain link – that man is awesome. I don’t see a teleprompter in sight, either……
ETA – if you don’t know Cain, you should really watch this video (please!) 😀 I believe, that if, IF, Palin doesn’t run, she’ll endorse Cain.
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I started with the O’Keefe video – whoo, boy that is so comical! I loved in the credits when it said “Lightly Edited by …” That kid is so creative and I hope he is earning some money for all the good that he and his friends have accomplished.
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And also, I can’t think of anyone I know who could pick those tea leaves!
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The work-related injuries could be truly mind-boggling, but I don’t think China has an equivalent to OSHA. Poor girls!
To make matters worse, China already suffers from a shortage of women, thanks to their official one-child-per-family policy. They really can’t afford for any of the women they do have to be injured or disabled.
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I’m one of those people who gets paranoid with posts like this – you haven’t asked me to do something and I’ve flaked on it, right?
I’m one of those naturally guilty sorts – someone accuses someone else of something and I start racking my brain trying to figure out if it’s me!
As far as pet peeves, don’t get me started on people being late or meetings starting late because they are waiting for more people to show.
But then again, I’m horrible about returning phone calls, so I guess we all have our areas on which we need to work!
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Returning phone calls is one of my worst failings. Half the time I don’t even remember to check the answering machine for messages. My friends (the few I still have) wonder why I even HAVE an answering machine, since I hardly ever check it. And when I do, the messages on it are usually ancient and obsolete.
I also have a terrible memory and NEED to be reminded of stuff. Some people won’t do it because they don’t want to be accused of nagging, but I am grateful for nagging, since without it my chances of remembering things are slim. I have been forgetful all my life. It runs in the family — my mom was a total scatterbrain, and unfortunately so are most of my kids. I tell them they came by it honestly.
I go through stacks and stacks of post-it notes, trying to keep myself from forgetting important things. I also warn people, when they ask me to do something, that they will probably have to remind me, probably more than once. The smart ones take me at my word. The others eventually stop asking me to do things. It works either way.
I’ve been told my absent-mindedness is just a form of thinly-veiled hostility, but I don’t think it is; I think it’s just a handicap I have to live with, like poor eyesight and being hard of hearing (two other handicaps I live with). The few friends I still have understand my limitations and don’t take it personally when my natural flakiness manifests itself.
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I have a terrible memory too! It used to be quite good, though, not sure what happened to it….
When I was younger I’d get annoyed if someone reminded me to do something, it felt like nagging. But now, I thank them for reminding me because often I really have forgotten. Some people are naturally organized and have a better memory – we really are sort of handicapped in this way!
Have you ever tried Flylady.net? It works really well for me when I remember to do it! Ha!
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LOL … Relax, Dee. As a fellow “naturally guilty” type, I was most definitely NOT speaking to you or anyone else like us. We’re the ones who over-extend ourselves with promises AND doing everything we promised. (See my previous post about me working on balance in my life! LOL)
I chose this because I was (a) looking for something spiritually penitential for Holy Thursday and (b) following up on a snarky letter I sent to Dearest’s printer about the raccoons nesting right above my head.
Umpty ump years ago, Dearest did some of his famous “partial projects” on the house and one or two of them resulted in gaping holes into the space under the roof.
Naturally, wildlife began nesting up there. One of them dug a hole through the sheet rock one blistering cold day and we have been heating them ever since through said hole, which is big enough to comfortably shove a pencil through AND right above my computer.
I got some big bucks once upon a time and thought to use it for something that would save us in the long run. My all-electric, princess-allergy body is very expensive, so I researched and determined that the single most economical way to lower our bills would be to properly insulate and ventilate that area under the roof.
I bought the materials and Dearest piled them up against the back of the house, where they sat year after year after year, in the wind and rain and snow and summer sun. Meanwhile, starlings and squirrels made the most of our accommodations.
Year after year, I asked Dearest when he was going to deal with the vermin and wasted electricity. And year after year, he got progressively testier about it until I gave up and used the foil insulation stuff to create a cozy aviary in the basement for my bird-loving daughter.
This year, things above my head changed when I heard the most gawdawful noises one night. Way too loud for squirrels, but I had no clue what else could be up there as I’d never seen anything bigger that could get up there.
Then one night, I saw some shadowy movement on the lattice outside the living room window (near one of the gaping holes) and looked out. Very disturbing experience, let me tell you, to be home alone at night and find myself about 18″ from a big raccoon staring at me through the window!
We’re pretty sure it’s a mama and nest of babes and that the noise was birthing. She goes out repeatedly every night to get food and the babies sound like they’re getting bigger and more active. The noise drives the poodles NUTS.
And I’m frankly terrified of what would happen to my darling little poos if one or more of those increasingly heavy ‘coons comes crashing through the sheet rock that is all that separates us from them. The female, Daisey, might run and hide. But our male, Dewey the Occasionally All-White Master of All He Surveys (or so he thinks) would go straight to battle and probably lose spectacularly … with lots of blood, flying fur and a dead poodle at the end.
Dearest has yet to do anything more about the problem than make a phone call and read an article our daughter found for him online. I love the man, but I am really REALLY pissed about this.
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Andrew Breitbart – his brain splinter (thanks to Chrissy for our new word!) and who he likes for 2012 – I love hearing Andrew Breitbart’s voice.
http://radio.nationalreview.com/betweenthecovers/post/?q=MGQzMTE0YjBlNTA5YWQwOTQ3ZmRhNjVkMmFiYWY2MjE=
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Ohhhh, don’t have time to listen…..who does he like ?
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Cain or West. I like ’em both.
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Me too. Cain/West would be unbeatable because the Obots couldn’t call them raaaaaaaaaaaacists. 😀 AND the experience between the two of them is very impressive.
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That has a lot to do with why he chose them, as well (he points out in the recording). But don’t kid yourself…I’m sure they’d still find a way to call them racist!
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They’ll call them Uncle Toms, which in their mind is worse than racist. Let them! West and Cain are big boys and they can take care of themselves. They would be terrific candidates and terrific in office.
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Right. Also watch for references to porches. I’ve heard in the black community, this is a major insult, I think because in slave days, the house slaves had much easier lives than the field slaves, who only saw them – clean, well dressed and well fed – when they were on the porches of the master’s house.
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That term (“porch negro” or “porch n****r”) was a new one to me — heard it for the first time just a short while ago, but I understand it’s considered the ultimate insult. West and Cain are in for a tarring and feathering from the media that will make what Clarence Thomas went through look like a walk in the park.
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I think there’s a little confusion here between “porch monkey,” a term used to refers to blacks due to their propensity to hang out on porches during the hotter months to cool off, and “house n****r,” as explained above. The porch thing is an insult, because it implies (1) they can’t afford air conditioning to cool off and (2) they have nothing better to do with their time. The monkey part is self-explanatory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs
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The California legislature is considering a law requiring hotels to use fitted sheets on all mattresses. I kid you not. California is drowning in red ink and its economy is in the toilet, and this is what the lawmakers in that state consider vital legislation. Read all about it:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/14/3551386/bill-targeting-hotel-worker-injuries.html
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My husband told me once that we should have shorter legislative sessions, because lawmakers in the states with the least bologna like this meet for shorter sessions than the states (and feds) with the most bologna.
I didn’t really get what he was talking about at the time, but his comment was a brain splinter that made me notice this kind of stupid law-making.
When I saw this bill, I thought, “Don’t these people have better things to do?” Apparently not. So maybe Dearest is right. They should have to get their real work (mostly the budgets) done faster and then go HOME.
Besides keeping them from having time to make dumb laws, spending half a year or so at HOME would also mitigate the influence of living amongst the political classes when they’re in session.
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I agree! These guys have way too much time to spend conjuring up new ways to interfere in the lives of us poor hapless working stiffs. They tell us what kind of light bulbs we can and can’t have, what kind of toilets we can and can’t have, whether or not our kids can play Red Rover or kickball or whiffle ball, and now they’re going to tell hotels what kind of sheets they can use on the beds??? AARRGGHH!!
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