When was the last time you felt lucky?

Looking at this question, you might really have to think about the answer, I know I did. The first thing that popped into my head was an event several years ago. My family had gone to a small Nascar race just outside of Savannah, Georgia. There was a contest to win a 7 day cruise for 4 people. Well, who could pass that up? Not me. At that time, I had never been on a cruise, but knew it was something I wanted to do.
For this particular contest, there was no purchase necessary and you could enter as many times as you wanted, so I grabbed a stack of the entry forms, headed back to my seat and proceeded to fill out about 100 entries (with help of course). They made the last call for entries and I took all the ones I had complete and put them in the box with the thought that I never win anything so I wasn’t holding my breath.
Imagine the thrill I got when I heard my name! I was so excited I screamed and stomped, much to the dismay of those around me. I didn’t care, I had actually won something major and I was thrilled! I think I screamed so much I lost my voice and the stomping on the metal bleachers hurt my foot after a bit. I started making plans right away. I knew who I was going to take with me, when and where we were going to go and everything else. I had all plans made on the 40 minute ride home. I WAS EXCITED!
Well, you know they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions? I’m not sure about hell, but it could certainly be the road to disappointment. In one week I went from on top of the world to feeling like smacking the crap out of someone. Just one short week after winning my first cruise, the cruise liner that was supposed to be my ship of dreams, declared bankruptcy and stranded a whole ship full of passengers in another country to find their own way home. WHAT?!? You read it right; they just left them there with no regard for their well being. Why? Because, since they were out of the country, if they didn’t return they wouldn’t have to give up the ship due to the bankruptcy. Pretty crappy customer service, huh?
Well, that’s not the end of that story. NASCAR, in their infinite wisdom, sent out a “replacement” prize. Before I tell you what it was, let me just break down the dollar value of my cruise. For a week long cruise for 4 adults, to the Caribbean, the prize package was estimated at $4000! Not too shabby. Now, back to NASCAR – since they co-sponsored the contest, they provided a prize that was supposed to replace the cruise, so I thought, okay something else real cool, right? WRONG!
I received a certificate for entrance into any NASCAR race I chose for 4 people. Cool, NOT! Here’s the deal, I could go to any race I wanted, BUT I had to get myself there and pay for my hotel and food. SO, basically NASCAR was getting by with offering me about $200 worth of tickets to “replace” my $4000 cruise. I don’t think so! What the heck are they thinking? So, I called them to try and get an answer. Well, wouldn’t you know crappy customer service again!
Needless to say, I basically told them there was a place I’d like to deliver their tickets to and hung up the phone. Why do I mention this event when talking about feeling lucky? Because it’s events like this that can really put things into perspective for some people, myself included.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to be lucky and win the lottery, or have my photos published in National Geographic or Rolling Stone or some other really cool magazine, but those aren’t things I usually think about when I think about being lucky, not anymore. Lately when I think about being lucky, those things pop in and out of my head I barely give them a second thought. The things that pop in my head and stay are the things that make me feel lucky all the time and make me grateful for what I have.
So, now if I ask myself “When was the last time you felt lucky” I can honestly reply that I feel lucky today. Today, I heard the alarm clock because I’m not deaf, I was able to get out of my awesome bed because I’m not incapacitated, take a hot shower because I pay my water bill, talk to my husband and son because I have them in my life, see the sun come up because I’m not blind, go to work because I have a job, etc. etc. etc. I can go on and on, but I think by now you probably understand where I’m going with this. Sure, I’d like to win the lottery and look like a model and stuff, but having that other stuff in my life is what makes me truly lucky, the rest is just extra.

Bieber Fever? Who cares?

Let me just start by saying that I don’t have Bieber fever, I don’t even like him a little, it’s just that I’m not at all surprised about the success of Justin Bieber’s documentary. As an “expired” teenage girl, I remember how much money I used to spend on magazines, movies, TV and other merchandise, just as long as my favorite guy of the moment was involved in any way. Having said that, it’s not surprising to me at all that this movie is the #1 concert movie ever and I am VERY glad that I don’t have teenage daughters so I don’t have to be infected vicariously with Bieber fever.

So, why are teenage girls such a driving force for consumerism? Who knows really? Maybe it’s because they are “daddy’s little girl” and they don’t get told no, or it might be that there are more girls than boys, but I think it’s because teenage girls are more driven to get what they want and to either fit in with the crowd or to start their own trends. Who doesn’t want to start something that will have lasting effects and essentially make their mark on the world? You’d be lying if you said “not me” because everyone wants to leave a mark of some kind. It’s why we all strive for that illusive 15 minutes of fame.

I don’t get it, this Bieber fever thing. What makes him so wonderful? Okay, I can give the kid “props” for getting out there and chasing his dream, AND using social media to do so, that’s kind of cool, but other than that, I still don’t get it. I mean, let’s start with the hair, what’s up with that? It’s the new style, right? Wrong, it’s not a style for pete’s sake. He doesn’t even do his own hair I’ll bet. I’m sure there is some stylist that just got lazy one day and decided to flatten his hair down to his head from the crown out and they said “voila” and a new hairstyle was born and now you see it EVERYWHERE! Wow!

And, how can a 16-year-old singer have enough story to tell to create documentary about their life? What life, he’s 16! Most famous people don’t get their life story told until their old or dead. Again, I just don’t understand why this one is so special?

Okay, I’m rambling again. That’s what I get for shooting from the hip and just writing. Sometimes the thoughts just flow too quickly for me to organize. Oh well, maybe I’ll make a youtube video of me typing my blog and then I can be famous too!