Musing about raffles today.....
This past weekend our local hospital had a charity raffle as part of their fundraising gala. It was a huge raffle with 39 different prizes. I thought about not buying any tickets but decided that I could afford to lose a certain amount of money and not have any regrets. About 500 people were in attendance and everyone seemed to have their hands stuffed with tickets. This was the type of raffle where you had to choose which prize to drop your ticket.
I bought my 10 tickets and then my husband went and bought ten tickets. We laughed how we both had them not knowing that the other one was also doing the same thing. Before I approached the various items, I thought about how I never win and why was I bothering. But then another thought crept in and said - why not you? So right there and then, I changed my attitude and decided that I had at least one winner. As my perspective changed I zeroed in the red sox tickets, a clothing shopping spree, dining certificates and various items I thought would be fun to win. I happily dropped my tickets into the containers.
At the end of the night when the results were posted, guess what? I actually won the red sox tickets and the clothing shopping spree. Yahooo, people were congratulating me on winning, not once but twice. I was shocked, and said, who me - win? How exciting!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Swap Off Drop Off Day
Hi Everyone,
Today the town is having their twice a year - swap off drop off day. There is one in the Spring and Fall. Without a doubt it is one of the more social days in town. Our local Dept of Public Works hosts this event along with the town recycling group. The event has become a massive opportunity to do some spring cleaning and take things to the recycling center for proper disposal and disassembly. They take old computers, old electronics, tv's, mattresses, cardboard, foam, furniture, styrofoam, paint, etc. About 100 volunteers work the event.
I will try to paint you a mental picture of the scene downtown. There are people everywhere, traffic jams, pedestrians, drop off lines, people pushing old lawn mowers down the sidewalks, the place is swarming with people and cars. This is organized chaos at its' best. In the center of this giant drop off loop is a swap off drop off area where people take things they hate to throw away. You can find all kinds of items in this circle, all free for the taking. Furniture, bikes, lawn mowers, books, paint, lumber, tools, and more. There is a temporary fence surrounding the area and only town people can enter before noon. The police watch the entrance but they aren't rigid about checking identifications. You can sit in a car and observe people try to strategize how to get into the swap off arena with the town citizens and slip in undetected. It's kind a comical. After noon, all of the surrounding towns can come in and take what's left. Can you imagine how many out of towners are lined up outside the gate waiting for their chance to get good stuff for free?
Well, I think its time for me to go and get my front row seat and watch the fun. This is free entertainment at its best - people watching! I'm going to stop at the local coffee shop and bring a portable coffee carafe to provide coffee to my friends!
Today the town is having their twice a year - swap off drop off day. There is one in the Spring and Fall. Without a doubt it is one of the more social days in town. Our local Dept of Public Works hosts this event along with the town recycling group. The event has become a massive opportunity to do some spring cleaning and take things to the recycling center for proper disposal and disassembly. They take old computers, old electronics, tv's, mattresses, cardboard, foam, furniture, styrofoam, paint, etc. About 100 volunteers work the event.
I will try to paint you a mental picture of the scene downtown. There are people everywhere, traffic jams, pedestrians, drop off lines, people pushing old lawn mowers down the sidewalks, the place is swarming with people and cars. This is organized chaos at its' best. In the center of this giant drop off loop is a swap off drop off area where people take things they hate to throw away. You can find all kinds of items in this circle, all free for the taking. Furniture, bikes, lawn mowers, books, paint, lumber, tools, and more. There is a temporary fence surrounding the area and only town people can enter before noon. The police watch the entrance but they aren't rigid about checking identifications. You can sit in a car and observe people try to strategize how to get into the swap off arena with the town citizens and slip in undetected. It's kind a comical. After noon, all of the surrounding towns can come in and take what's left. Can you imagine how many out of towners are lined up outside the gate waiting for their chance to get good stuff for free?
Well, I think its time for me to go and get my front row seat and watch the fun. This is free entertainment at its best - people watching! I'm going to stop at the local coffee shop and bring a portable coffee carafe to provide coffee to my friends!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Taking time to enjoy Spring
My muse for today.....
Wow, the jingle April showers bring May flowers is certainly true here in New England. We had a wet spring, this week in particular, and it sure is having a great effect on the vegetation and flowers.
My garden looks great, with daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, forsythia, wild cherry blossoms, azaleas, phlox, candy tufts, violets, mountain laurel, and a few purple creeping flowers underneath the rhododendrons that have made themselves know this year. My other flowers are well on their way to blooming - stargazer lilies, mountain lilies, lady slippers, tiger lilies, peonies, bearded iris, hydrangeas, carnations, snapdragons, fox glove, and lavender.
What a lovely time to take a stroll around the yard and enjoy what beautiful flowers Spring has brought this year. Hmm, I think I should go get myself a rosebush, after writing this down it seems that they are the only one's missing!
Wow, the jingle April showers bring May flowers is certainly true here in New England. We had a wet spring, this week in particular, and it sure is having a great effect on the vegetation and flowers.
My garden looks great, with daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, forsythia, wild cherry blossoms, azaleas, phlox, candy tufts, violets, mountain laurel, and a few purple creeping flowers underneath the rhododendrons that have made themselves know this year. My other flowers are well on their way to blooming - stargazer lilies, mountain lilies, lady slippers, tiger lilies, peonies, bearded iris, hydrangeas, carnations, snapdragons, fox glove, and lavender.
What a lovely time to take a stroll around the yard and enjoy what beautiful flowers Spring has brought this year. Hmm, I think I should go get myself a rosebush, after writing this down it seems that they are the only one's missing!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Assume the Worst or Best - Your Choice
My muse for the day...
Why is it that some people like to assume the worst in other people? They jump on what ever comment or misinformation given to them and act as if it's the new truth gospel. What motivates people to want to think the worst in others? It's a bit of a mystery to me.
I tend to want to give people the benefit of the doubt. I am not quick to judge and if something seems "fishy" I try to get more facts BEFORE making assumptions and forming opinions. Maybe my reluctance to cut people down is why I can smell something fishy in the first place.
My recent experience with someone has shaken me a bit. They got their facts messed up, made assumptions, then fired off accusations and or/insults. In one instance, they even insulted my friends. I suppose if I had a dog they would have called her ugly.
My mother always told me when insulted or attacked to consider the source, but that doesn't take the sting away. Especially when everything said is false. How are you suppose to ignore lies? Not an easy task.
So here I sit trying to think of a positive from all of this. It is not always easy maintaining a cup is half full attitude. Perhaps, this is a good example of what NOT to do to people. I got a glimpse of what it was like to be be accused when innocent. I do not want to be the person who does this to someone else. I will be very careful to get my facts straight first before making assumptions and accusations.
Why is it that some people like to assume the worst in other people? They jump on what ever comment or misinformation given to them and act as if it's the new truth gospel. What motivates people to want to think the worst in others? It's a bit of a mystery to me.
I tend to want to give people the benefit of the doubt. I am not quick to judge and if something seems "fishy" I try to get more facts BEFORE making assumptions and forming opinions. Maybe my reluctance to cut people down is why I can smell something fishy in the first place.
My recent experience with someone has shaken me a bit. They got their facts messed up, made assumptions, then fired off accusations and or/insults. In one instance, they even insulted my friends. I suppose if I had a dog they would have called her ugly.
My mother always told me when insulted or attacked to consider the source, but that doesn't take the sting away. Especially when everything said is false. How are you suppose to ignore lies? Not an easy task.
So here I sit trying to think of a positive from all of this. It is not always easy maintaining a cup is half full attitude. Perhaps, this is a good example of what NOT to do to people. I got a glimpse of what it was like to be be accused when innocent. I do not want to be the person who does this to someone else. I will be very careful to get my facts straight first before making assumptions and accusations.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Birthday Thoughts
Here is the muse... birthdays!
Today is my birthday, a lot of my family and friends have remembered and communicated their well wishes. It amazes me how far saying happy birthday has progressed. It used to be someone had to send a card many days in advance in order for greetings to reach the intended recipients. There was always the hard wired phone call, but that meant the person had to be home. Email arrived on the scene and made saying happy birthday to someone almost instantaneous. The cell phone can now reach someone where ever they are, assuming of course the phone is on. Then texting came on the scene, if someone doesn't answer - just text them. Don't forget to turn on the skype feature on the computer and have a face to face video phone call. And if perhaps all of that fails you can twitter and let them know you are thinking of them.
So what is the result of this technology? I get to hear from a lot more of my family and friends. No more being tethered to the mail and phone systems. It is so much fun to hear from people in whatever manner they wish to communicate. The exciting part is hearing from them at all. It really is a blessing to hear from my family and friends.
I now see that if I forget to tell someone happy birthday most of the old excuses are gone. Can't blame it on the mail, can't blame it on the answering machine, can't blame it on the computer not working, and I certainly can't blame it on the phone. So, I suppose it leaves it back to me. For my birthday resolution, I am going to make an effort to be better at remembering other people on their birthday. After all, what excuse do I have for not staying in touch??
Today is my birthday, a lot of my family and friends have remembered and communicated their well wishes. It amazes me how far saying happy birthday has progressed. It used to be someone had to send a card many days in advance in order for greetings to reach the intended recipients. There was always the hard wired phone call, but that meant the person had to be home. Email arrived on the scene and made saying happy birthday to someone almost instantaneous. The cell phone can now reach someone where ever they are, assuming of course the phone is on. Then texting came on the scene, if someone doesn't answer - just text them. Don't forget to turn on the skype feature on the computer and have a face to face video phone call. And if perhaps all of that fails you can twitter and let them know you are thinking of them.
So what is the result of this technology? I get to hear from a lot more of my family and friends. No more being tethered to the mail and phone systems. It is so much fun to hear from people in whatever manner they wish to communicate. The exciting part is hearing from them at all. It really is a blessing to hear from my family and friends.
I now see that if I forget to tell someone happy birthday most of the old excuses are gone. Can't blame it on the mail, can't blame it on the answering machine, can't blame it on the computer not working, and I certainly can't blame it on the phone. So, I suppose it leaves it back to me. For my birthday resolution, I am going to make an effort to be better at remembering other people on their birthday. After all, what excuse do I have for not staying in touch??
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Fare Hikes, Rising Fees, Shrinking Paycheck
The muse for today.....
It seems that everywhere I turn, fees, prices, and fares are going up. Yet at the same time paychecks are shrinking. Why is it okay for the local towns and state governments to institute 100% price increases? What ever happened to the reasonable price hikes, you know the kind that are linked to inflation?
I will give you an example, a permit in my town cost $35 last week, this week the price was raised to $75. Why is a more than 100% price increase necessary? The town's other sneaky increase was raising the blue book value of used cars so that the excise taxes could be raised. Here's another example, a 17 year old car with 185K miles was worth $950 last year, but this year the value went to $1800. Huh - another sneaky 100% price increase.
The turnpike tolls are another area, for example - let's say last week you paid $4 to use the tunnel, in just a few short weeks the price is scheduled to go to $7, nearly double. If you are a smoker perhaps you noticed the federal tax for cigarettes just about doubled a couple of weeks back. Then the banks are chiming in with hiked fees, most likely to pay those bonuses to the non performers. It's not bad enough that we as taxpayers are paying for the bailout, now the banks are hitting us again. Our state wants to double the gas tax to pay for out of control state spending. Gee, there's a surprise.
Let's not forget that the postage stamp is going up in price in a week. Another price increase that was based on the cost of fuel, but wait, didn't fuel prices go down, so logically shouldn't the price go down or stay the same?
At the grocery store things are no better. The sizes are shrinking! Have you noticed? I have. The prices are still going up or remaining the same. The box or package looks like the same size but the weights are saying otherwise. Why is it okay to push sneaky price increases on consumers? Our local big box warehouse store reduced the cookie package by 6 and still upped the price 30%. Wow, another sneaky price increase. Have we numbed ourselves to think that this is just the way it is?
Maybe some of you have actually gotten a pay raise so that you can pay for some of these new fee hikes and sneaky increases. I know we certainly haven't, as a matter of fact, we have a pay cut. In truth most of us are thankful to still have a job.
Good thing I won't be need a permit for anything this year, and that with a bit of creativity I can find ways to get where I want to go without using the turnpike. I can do without cookies, a sacrifice, but worth it to make a statement. Perhaps a few more payments on-line will help take the sting out of the postage budget. I know that a brand new car is out of the question, who can afford the excise taxes?
What is your biggest complaint on price and fare increases?
It seems that everywhere I turn, fees, prices, and fares are going up. Yet at the same time paychecks are shrinking. Why is it okay for the local towns and state governments to institute 100% price increases? What ever happened to the reasonable price hikes, you know the kind that are linked to inflation?
I will give you an example, a permit in my town cost $35 last week, this week the price was raised to $75. Why is a more than 100% price increase necessary? The town's other sneaky increase was raising the blue book value of used cars so that the excise taxes could be raised. Here's another example, a 17 year old car with 185K miles was worth $950 last year, but this year the value went to $1800. Huh - another sneaky 100% price increase.
The turnpike tolls are another area, for example - let's say last week you paid $4 to use the tunnel, in just a few short weeks the price is scheduled to go to $7, nearly double. If you are a smoker perhaps you noticed the federal tax for cigarettes just about doubled a couple of weeks back. Then the banks are chiming in with hiked fees, most likely to pay those bonuses to the non performers. It's not bad enough that we as taxpayers are paying for the bailout, now the banks are hitting us again. Our state wants to double the gas tax to pay for out of control state spending. Gee, there's a surprise.
Let's not forget that the postage stamp is going up in price in a week. Another price increase that was based on the cost of fuel, but wait, didn't fuel prices go down, so logically shouldn't the price go down or stay the same?
At the grocery store things are no better. The sizes are shrinking! Have you noticed? I have. The prices are still going up or remaining the same. The box or package looks like the same size but the weights are saying otherwise. Why is it okay to push sneaky price increases on consumers? Our local big box warehouse store reduced the cookie package by 6 and still upped the price 30%. Wow, another sneaky price increase. Have we numbed ourselves to think that this is just the way it is?
Maybe some of you have actually gotten a pay raise so that you can pay for some of these new fee hikes and sneaky increases. I know we certainly haven't, as a matter of fact, we have a pay cut. In truth most of us are thankful to still have a job.
Good thing I won't be need a permit for anything this year, and that with a bit of creativity I can find ways to get where I want to go without using the turnpike. I can do without cookies, a sacrifice, but worth it to make a statement. Perhaps a few more payments on-line will help take the sting out of the postage budget. I know that a brand new car is out of the question, who can afford the excise taxes?
What is your biggest complaint on price and fare increases?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Type A/B Fundraising
Here is the muse for the day....
Volunteering can be an interesting activity especially when it involves fundraising with other people who are different from yourself. It can really stretch one's comfort zone to let other's take the reigns. I tend to be more of a type A personality, who enjoys making lists and work plans. I like having the tasks set before me so I can plan out my time into "bit sized pieces" this also helps me see the priorities, like which task has to come before another. Some people are the more creative type who like to do things a different way. It does not necessarily mean that we won't end up at the same place in the end, it just means we have different ways of getting there.
In the end I find it helpful to split up tasks. As an example, you handle publicity, and I will handle the set up and food. I like the set up part of an event because I can run in my own lane with my charts, diagrams and plans while the others can be creative and make the place look pretty!
My hat's off to everyone who volunteers to help out. Whether you are a Type A or B, you're input is necessary. After all, what good is a perfect set up if the flowers don't look good!?
Volunteering can be an interesting activity especially when it involves fundraising with other people who are different from yourself. It can really stretch one's comfort zone to let other's take the reigns. I tend to be more of a type A personality, who enjoys making lists and work plans. I like having the tasks set before me so I can plan out my time into "bit sized pieces" this also helps me see the priorities, like which task has to come before another. Some people are the more creative type who like to do things a different way. It does not necessarily mean that we won't end up at the same place in the end, it just means we have different ways of getting there.
In the end I find it helpful to split up tasks. As an example, you handle publicity, and I will handle the set up and food. I like the set up part of an event because I can run in my own lane with my charts, diagrams and plans while the others can be creative and make the place look pretty!
My hat's off to everyone who volunteers to help out. Whether you are a Type A or B, you're input is necessary. After all, what good is a perfect set up if the flowers don't look good!?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
