The past few years I've begun actively recycling cans, glass, and bottles ... figured I could do something Green and make a little cash, right?  This and other apparent behaviors I display has earned me the code name "The Bohemian" by my father.

That's not what this blog is about though ... it's about my several years of charity work.  You know, collecting cans, stashing them in a trashcan until it's full, then letting some stranger into my yard in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping to take them away and make themselves a little bit of money.

I feel so violated.

The first time it was like, okay whatever - guess someone needs the money more than I do, and besides - my father had dumped the bags of cans I'd saved into the alley because he said they made my backyard look like a dump, yeah, he's a bit anal and doesn't come over anymore due to the fact I have 3 cans for recycling on top of a green waste and regular trash can.

Last night I felt a little angry, I'd been robbed!  Robbed of my aluminum cans!  What has the world come to?!  Are can collectors so lazy now they just scope out backyards for people who recycle and then wait to collect when they see the can is nearly full?  I wanted that can money!  That was my can money!  They also made off with my trashcan lid!

Then again, I guess someone needed it more than I did. 

Seconds, just seconds ago I realized how freakin dense I am.  Or maybe blonde?  No, I'll go with dense ... but I'll get back to that in a moment.

If you weren't at Fishlips last night, you missed out!  I reserved a table for 10, my best friend, a few of her friends, my sister, and some Couchsurfers joined me.  Or maybe it was just that much better after I'd had about as much beer as half my weight ... Oh the wonderful ways to drown out your single girl sorrows.

Which leads me back to being dense.  So once again I've proven my theory that I have awful luck in the dating department.  There was a guy I enjoyed spending time with, but he's a busy dude, so I figured the lack of hanging out was due to that.  I've bumped into him a couple times and each time I'm told how hot I am.  Um, thank you ... but why don't we hang out?  Hello?!  Earth to Kindra!  He has a freakin girlfriend now! 

Why can't guys just tell you these things?  Instead of making excuses just give it to me straight, "Yeah, so I met this girl and we've become more serious" ... it's that easy.  My feelings won't be hurt - what hurts is having my ego bruised when I figure out what's going on myself and feel like a complete dumbass for continuing to hit on the dude.  Just let me know so I can retreat back to friend mode.

Arrgh!  Men!  Haha!  Gotta love 'em ;)

Or not.  ;P

Some of you know that I am an ordained minister and have the honor and privilege of officiating wedding ceremonies ... anyway ... I'm trying to build a portfolio of different vendors for brides (and grooms) that ask if I recommend anyone.

Please contact me if you are interested in some free word of mouth advertisement: Reverend.Kindra(at)gmail.com.  All I ask in return is that you recommend me if you are asked if you know of an available minister.

Long story short, we were given a crummy boothing location that was double booked, so we were put into an uncomfortable situation of feeling as if we had to compete with another troop. Girl Scouting is not a competition, it's a sisterhood.

We have 175 boxes of cookies left! They need to be sold by this Friday!

Remember you can only get your favorite Girl Scout Cookies once a year!

Please call Kindra at (661) 900-0695 if you'd like to purchase some yummy Girl Scout Cookies!

As Ben Franklin said:

In wine there is wisdom,

in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria. 

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria  found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.  However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine and beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey, vodka, or o ther liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember:

Water = Poop,

Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,

than to drink water and be full of shit.

(There is no need to thank me for this valuable information...I'm doing it as a public service).

larger view

I'd like to thank my Sony Vaio for the current smile on my face.

I have an Fn key (seriously, "Fn" it's right below my enter key) that keeps falling off.  I have to put it back on and push it several times to stick.  Today I received an error message that had me laughing so hard I had to copy the screen and share it with everyone. 

To sum it up, my morning hasn't gone so smoothly.  I really need to get a cup of coffee before I freak out. 

I'm trying to cancel a trial advertising service that totally sucked, and return a product that was mailed to me used.  Neither company's customer rep would work with me so I'm waiting for supervisor's supervisors to call me back.

If all else fails I live with an attorney and I'm sure she wouldn't mind writing a few letters on my behalf.

Now ... the kicker of it all ... I figure, okay, I'll go to PostSecret.com, read some secrets, somehow they make me feel better.

Guess what?  My office has blocked it.

Are you freakin kidding me?!

Tonight The Garden Spot Restaurant, 3320 Truxtun Ave., is offering a free dinner of chicken, salad, pasta, muffins, bread and dessert bars to singles Thursday night. Beer and wine will be sold. It's from 6 to 9 p.m. and you need reservations. Call 323-3236.

larger view

I could be jaded, I could be cynical, I could be down right pouty - but guess what?  I like Valentine's Day.  Regardless of my mood or my dating situation I have never once viewed this holiday as it "sucking". 

Personally I think that people should show love to others each and every day of the year.  They should surprise each other randomly with little gifts of appreciation, love, and gratitude year round!  Unfortunately in this day and age we become busy, or comfortable (that folks is a four letter word in many relationships) and work into a mold where we forget to do these things, thinking to ourselves that the people we love in our lives already know, and we take this for granted.

So maybe they do know, but sometimes it's just nice to hear - I love you, I appreciate you, I'm grateful to have you in my life.  Valentine's Day, corporate holiday or not, is just one of those stupid little gentle reminders for us to say those things when we've forgotten to say them the rest of the year.

Kudos to those who do say these things on a regular basis!  I know I sure try to let my friends and family know regularly that I love and appreciate them.  I do have to admit that I feel a twinge of jealousy and if another bouquet of roses shows up for the same person in my office again I think I'm going to throw up.

larger view

One of life's little quirks is not being able to choose who you fall in love with.  Sadly, sometimes we fall in love with someone who loves us, but not enough ... you know, those, "But you're like a sibling to me" speeches.  Or you love each other but life just gets in the way - or an ocean.  Then we have to sit back and watch them love someone else.  Speaking from experience I know that is one of the most painful feelings in the world.

Twinkie's passion for a site called PostSecret has spread my direction, and I dutifully check it each week.  This week the secrets were all related to love and relationships.  There was a video made of many secrets that flashed before my eyes.  One postcard in particular stuck out, maybe because I've seen a similar illustration before by Jason Sho Green that for the life of me I can't find on his site (It was a gun with small hearts blasting from it), and also maybe because I've been there done that.

Love can be a gentle tormentor, she can make you her bitch, but just like how the cliche goes, "I'd rather have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."