iwant2beaskinnybitch

After a lifetime of depending on the auto industry to put food on my table, I have finally snapped.  My Dad was a GM worker in the 70s and 80s and my boyfriend-turned- husband hired in at Chrysler in the early 90s.  Or maybe the tail end of the 80s, too pissed to think right now.  I remember strikes and picket lines as a kid but if there was stress in the Big Three like there is today, I wasn’t aware of it.  Life today, as a Chrysler employee’s wife, is miserable.  Let me tell you about it.

First of all, when he was offered the job with Chrysler I begged him not to take it.  He had a college education and I thought this job was too short sighted.  The starting wage was almost double that of the drafting jobs at the time, though, and the lure of the high starting wage won.

Since then, I don’t think a day has passed that he hasn’t muttered the words, “I’m probably going to lose my job.” Rumors spread like wildfire in this industry and you just learn to ignore it until it comes from the source.

The last few years have been especially brutal for Chrysler and I don’t understand why.  Their designs and concept are cooler, edgier, and light years ahead of General Motors.  First we merged with Daimler.  Then Cerebrus bought us using words like, “family”, “patriotic”, and “global”.  Looks like those buzz words might have just been distractions to keep everybody showing up at work and doing a good job.

Now there are rumors using words like “cut throat” to describe the 30,000 layoffs that would occur as a result of GM acquiring Chrysler.

Are you kidding me?  So this is the thanks we get for urging our friends and family to buy American?  Which, by the way, our situation might not be so bad if so many of you assholes were not out buying Toyotas without first at least researching to find that there is an American car that offers the same price and quality, based on what you’ve “heard”.

But then again, I am basing all my hostility toward the Big Three based on what I have been “hearing” from the media.  At Chrysler Dashboard Anywhere there is no mention of 30,000 employees facing unemployment.  There is only talk of “stamping out diabetes” and Chrysler building playgrounds around the community.  If Chrysler is not releasing any information, who is?  Where does the media get their information that they ruin our days with year after year?

They CONCOCT it.  They only have snippets because there has been no confirmed information yet. In fact, in a memo on Dashboard Anywhere we are told that Chrysler does not discuss with the public the details of negotiations. So the media must infuse their own opinions into it driven by the doom and gloom that they know sells! They use buzz words and key phrases.  (We know about that, don’t we Bloggers?) Then they dress it up with their own attention getting words like, “brutal”, “vaporize”, and “cutthroat.”

Well while you guys are doing your jobs and plumping up your facts, here is what goes on at my house.

My husband comes home after a long day spent in a dark factory with no fresh air, surrounded by argumentative people trying to find ways NOT to have to do their jobs.  No this isn’t the majority, despite what you’ve “heard” about shop rats, but it only takes one or two around you to zap your energy for the day, as well as create a stereotype.  The hour and a half drive home fighting traffic leaves his mind plenty of time to think and contemplate and worry.

He walks in the door exhausted and stressed.  We eat dinner and he hops on the computer and finds a handful of bullshit stories.  He groans a little bit, sends out some bills, and sits with me at the table purging his concerns.

He gets texts and phone calls from people wanting “the scoop.”  “So are you losing your job or what?”  WTF kind of question is that?

I assure my husband that regardless what happens we will be fine.  I can go back to work full time and he has many interests and skills that help him find a new job.  Then I tell him that it is probably just irresponsible media running off at the mouth trying to make a story out of the morsels of information they have.

As an example I remind him that Barack Obama committed billions of dollars to the automakers.  And just last month GM invested 370m. dollars in a plant in our hometown FLINT, MI!  That’s amazing stuff.  Awesome CONFIRMED hard facts that are already old news and barely made a blip.

He says, “You’re right, thanks.” And heads to bed where he worries off into slumber and starts all over again at 3am.

Afterward I tuck the kids in, close down the house and sit by myself to cry at the kitchen table.   I am not sure if it’s out of worry or simple exhaustion from forcing a smile throughout the day and keeping everyone “up” and maintaining business as usual.  I used to drink a mojito to help me get to sleep but we can’t afford those anymore.

And what has me pisssed off most of all is that it is not even necessary.  Yes, we are involved in an industry where people have been losing jobs for years.  Fine.  When that happens we will make our next move.  But to the people who “leak” information from meetings, fluff up their stories, and talk about that which they have no authority, this Chrysler Wife, Mother of Special Needs kids, Blogger/Realtor is asking you to shut the fuck up if you don’t know what you’re talking about.  We don’t need your worries, we have enough already.

Did I mention I am a Realtor?  Yes, the Detroit factory worker and the Realtor in Flint, Michigan  have had our share of crisis.  We don’t need your drama.

I am not sure whether or not this is going to be a compliment to Justin Timberlake, considering I am a 39 year old mother of two, but I just have to say that I still think he is the most exciting musician out there.

When Justin Timberlake came out with SEXY BACK I thought he wrote it for me.  I probably interpreted it a little differently than it was intended.  Having recently adopted two children at the time of the song’s release and struggling financially, emotionally, and romantically, I was feeling anything but sexy. I was so distracted and overwhelmed by all that I had to do being a Mom that I forgot I was a “woman”.  I identified with the words and the music made me move my hips like I hadn’t in a while.  I felt alive and still do.  His music gives me the energy to clean house after a long day and  “What Goes Around” gives me strength I didn’t know I had to go that extra on the treadmill.

For bonus points … J.T. Madonna collabo! ’nuff said.

I simply love me some J.T. and I don’t appreciate the less than favorable comparisons to Chris Brown.

Don’t get me wrong, I think that Chris Brown is an amazing creative performer.  Wow!  To be so young and multitalented is amazing.  But to say things like he is replacing Justin Timberlake or Chris Brown makes Justin Timberlake feel his age, is preposterous!  The music and the moves that Justin was making with FUTURE SEX was fresh and original.  What Chris Brown is doing is an extension of that.  He is bringing all new freshness to be sure, but it still is a variation.

But I guess what it really comes down to as far as the difference between the two amazing artists is that at the end of the day I want to pinch Chris Brown’s cheeks and tuck him in, and I want to grab Justin Timberlake’s ass and take him to bed.

Does that Make me a Cougar?

I eat too much.  There could also be an issue with the fact that I don’t get enough exercise.  What do you guys think?

There are so many excuses for not eating right and working out.  Expense is probably the biggest one right now.  In addition to my food journals, mood journals, and secret journals, I have started keeping track of grocery shopping, how much I spend, how much I get, and where I go.  I have discovered some things that will help me eliminate expense as a hurdle in eating right.

First of all, Kroger by far has offered me the most food for my buck.  Meijer is more convenient and I often go there because I am tired and just want to get it over with, but Kroger’s sales, on top of their prices, are significantly better than anybody else.

Next, when I started adding all the good and healthy fresh foods and organics to  my cart my orders became so much more expensive.  The big problem here, though, is that I was trying to work all that fresh and specialty food into my “monthly” shopping trip.  Of course those foods don’t last a month so I was throwing it away after a week or so and THEN having to spend even more money to replace it.  Dumb dumb dumb.   So they key for me is to shop  more frequently.

The last big no brainer for me was realizing if I am going to make the commitment to eat this fresh, organic stuff, I shouldn’t be stocking up on my favorite dill pickle chips, soda, and spice drops.  Another cut to my grocery bill.

I think there remains room to organize and improve because I  still end up throwing stuff away that I shouldn’t.

If you want to take it a step further, check out the efficiency of the other items on your shopping list.  I discovered that the kids were eating 2 weeks worth of lunch snacks in a matter of days and neglecting the grapes and cucumbers.  That equals wasted produce and more money spent to replenish the lunch crackers.  Our other biggie was toilet paper and paper towels.  I spend a fortune on those and have always “felt” that something wasn’t right but never took the time to examine it.  I found gigantic wads of toilet paper in the trash where people blow their nose -or who knows what- and don’t pay attention to what they use.  Wasteful and bad for the environment and the bank account.

So before you dismiss healthy eating as too expensive, take a look at your current buying and spending habits.  I bet you’ll find some fat you can trim.

Thanks to Eat Right Ontario for the cool pic!

Today is the day in 1996 that I learned that my Mother had died. She was healthy and vibrant, silly, and strong. Even when I am not aware of the date, which is often, since I don’t have that kind of job anymore, my insides know. My body is sensitive to the similarity of the feelings from one early October to the next. The smell of the air, the changing of the leaves, the rain, the sun, the everything. My body senses it before my mind even makes the connection.

I spent all day yesterday being happy, productive and enjoying the day, but also busting in and out of tears. Neither I nor my husband made the connection. I told him, “I have always felt connected to the changing seasons, I guess it just fucks me up.” The statement, delivered to shock him out of being concerned for me, sent us both to the giggle farm. Still not realizing the source of the swirling emotions.

I am reading a book right now called EATING FOR ENERGY by Yuri Elkaim. It ties together eating the right foods, having the right attitude, doing the right things, as being the the key to perfect health, fitness, and happiness. Somewhere between my last reading and this morning my page got lost. I wasn’t that far into it so I just started over and a particular passage grabbed me.

“When you strive to become better yourself, everything around you will become better as well. The environment in which you live, the people that surround you and all of life’s situations will improve as you do. By working on yourself, focusing on maintaining a healthy, positive outlook, and being happy, you can begin to experience health, joy, and energy in endless abundance.”

I thought of my Mom. I had never actually heard her say those words, but that is how I have always lived my life and that has to be a direct reflection on how I was raised, even when I can’t pinpoint the exact lesson. For the last few years I have strayed a bit from that way of thinking that was mine for all those years. It appeared she was sending me a message. A reminder to keep on with my focus and direction back to positivity. I said aloud, “Thanks for the message Mom”.

It was then that the date occurred to me. “Of course”, I acknowledged.

At my Mommy Blog I wrote a post in honor of my Mom and my “step” Mom, about the inner conflict involved with losing an amazing Mother, then being gifted with an incredible step Mom. You can find it here at Her Family Blog. I hope you like it.

After all the crazy Sarah Palin interviews that have been circulating I am just stunned that I continue to run into people and posts that talk about her as if she has a clue and would make just a SUPER vice president!Tina Fey, God bless her, is not making things any better.  If you haven’t seen the fictional exchange between Palin and Clinton that aired a couple of weeks ago you can easily find it on YouTube.  The latest one, based on the Katie Couric interview, is extra funny once you realize that Fey did not even create any new material.  The sketch is almost word for word.  And hilarious.

SNL is devilishly good at turning people into characters.  To this day I can not look at George W. giving a speech without giggling and seeing Will Ferrell in his place.  Some folks take it well.  The Clintons have been such good sports!  I heard that Palin was not tickled pink by the first Tina Fey performance.  I wonder if she is getting used to it.  (I hope so, Fey plans to continue up until the election).  And I wonder how she will react to it.  I for one, know that I am going to giggle all through the VP debate Thursday imaging Palin delivering that famous line, “Live From New York It’s Saturday Night!”

That said, it would be pretty incredible to see her do a good job.  I don’t rule out either scenario, although I am leaning heavily toward the former.

Here’s a clip showcasing the Couric interview side by side with the SNL sketch.  It is pretty hilarious to see.

I dearly love Will Ferrell and Tina Fey but over the years there have been some amazing political impersonations.  Do you have a favorite?