"My way is the best way!"

I'm sure everyone knows someone who acts this way. Their ways are set in stone and they think their way is the ONLY way. It's pretty aggravating to the rest of the world. Especially when they start preaching...without being asked.

I have my own ways of doing things, whether it be cooking, cleaning, parenting, exercising, whatever. I do the things the way I do them because I feel it's best FOR ME. It works FOR ME. But I never try and tell people my way is the only way. I thoroughly believe everyone needs to find their own ways of doing everything and they won't be the same as my ways. And that is 100% okay. If someone asks me for advice, I will tell them what I do and what works for me. But I in no way try and convince them it's the only way. Everyone needs to figure out their lives by trial and error.

Even my kids. Yeah, my daughter is only 9, but even now I try to make her figure things out for herself. Me telling her the answers to everything, or forcing her to do everything my way, only stunts her creativity and individuality. I don't want a clone of a daughter. I want to raise an independent woman. My parents always encouraged me to become my own person and I've loved them for that. I am pretty different from them, and that's okay. I'm still a responsible adult even though I do things differently from them.

Irritated and hurt and just plain angry...

Just participated in an online debate on Facebook about digital publishing with three fellow writers (who I know in real life) who claim to be my friends but completely shun eReaders and all forms of digital publishing. Well, gee, thanks guys....I guess that means I can count on you for ZERO support when my book is released as a digital book later this year.

If someone wants no part in digital media, fine, do what you want. I like paper books just as much as the next person, but I have accepted the fact that publishing is changing.

Technology is happening...you can't sit back and refuse to take part in it...if you refuse today's advances, you may as well reject yesterdays advances, like computers, the internet, telephones, microwaves, tv, refrigerators, even cars! It's hypocritical to say the advances of the 21st century are crap, but things we have come to know as life, advances of our grandfathers in the 19th and 20th century, those are okay.

Let's face it, digital media is here to stay. Look at music....do you think kids are going to one day shun the ipods they've known for years and years?? No, of course not. And it's all just getting bigger and better. I think that's exactly what will happen with eReaders.

I know I can't change people's minds...they'll think what they want to think, but why such negativity? Like I said....our world is built on technology...is all of it great, no, but why are digital books considered evil??

I kissed the feet of technology the day my ePublishing contract arrived...and in an email, no less. So a question to all these anti-ebook people....should I have never submitted to a digital publisher? Should I have turned down a contract for my book....a contract for the electronic publishing of my novel, my baby, the project I dedicated so much if my time to? Should I have rejected the chance to start my career???? Just curious as to what the eBook scoffers would say to those questions.

All I'm asking for is a little bit of open-mindedness. This "nope, nadda, NEVER gonna do it" attitude does not work for me....in regard to eReaders or anything else in life.

Ever feel like this???

Really excited about something but you just keep it to yourself because you're sick and tired of hearing the thoughts that everyone else feels compelled to express about said topic.

This is happening to me right now.

We live within a budget. I do not work a regular job. We are not swimming in money. But come tax return time, we have some money and we like to splurge on ourselves. No one has issues with that fact....but everyone has a comment for what we actually do with our money.

We like to take trips and that time together is very precious to us. It's an escape from bills, work, school, responsibilities...everything. We treasure that time as a family and the rare chance that hubby and I can get away on our own.

So that's what we're doing. Hubby and I booked an extra long weekend away but we dread telling family and friends where we're going. I know we'll get the "AGAIN?" and "You were just there!" and "Don't you get sick of that place?"

At this point in our lives, no, we are not sick of it. It's what we like. I'm not siting here telling someone they can't eat steak more than once a week if that's what they like. Or what about people who buy season tickets to sporting events...I'm not asking them: "Aren't you sick of going to football games?" I would never do that. If people find joy and happiness from something...more power to them. Life is about being happy and finding it wherever you can.

Why can't people just be happy for others who are able to do the things they enjoy???

I HATE when I screw up!!!

Anything. It's not that I need to be perfect...but when I screw up something simple that I really shouldn't have..it's aggravating.

I take a dance class...all adults...this is my tenth year at this studio. I danced when I was a kid, got away from it for a while, then went back when I was 22. I love it...so so much. So much that I had a window of a few months to get pregnant in so as to not have to drop out of dance class (luckily I am a fertile myrtle and both pregnancies happened the first month trying so I did not have to miss a year of dance for either baby.)

So anyway...tonight was dress rehearsal and I screwed up something as simple as walking!! Well, maybe not quite that simple. We're very business like this year...we have two songs- that 'Money, money, money, money' song...the Apprentice theme song and then 'Taking Care of Business' mixes in. We're wearing hounds tooth blazer type coats with either black pants or skirts. The beginning of the routine is us kinda walking across stage like we're on our way to work..some of us have briefcases, coffee mugs..I have a cell phone. We walk off stage then come back and into our starting formation- a triangle/pyramid.

The stage is MUCH larger than our classroom....I basically stayed off stage too long and could not get to my pyramid spot on time. RRRRRRRRR!!!

Lesson learned......no dilly dallying for the real show.....off, then right back on!!

Thanks for reading to my rant!