The Power of Unintended Consequences

Mary Teague Mail, http://dwinger.wordpress.com/mary-teague-mail, was my attempt at blogging many years ago. I tried to write about things that I had been convicted of in my life and things going on in my family. These writings were “truth”, from my perspective. Unfortunately, I failed to consider the impact of those writings on those that were written about. Feelings were hurt.

I noticed in the news, that there was a woman who blogged about her daily life. She was a teacher, and she wrote about her students without mentioning their names or the name of the school at which she taught. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/ap_on_hi_te/us_teacher_suspended_blog
She was suspended with pay and is fighting to keep her job.

I was a guest speaker for Davin in his personal finance class on Tuesday. He asks me to come tell his class about financial products and services that are offered by banks. I offer my professional as well as personal experiences for explaining how and why they should take the time to know and understand such things. I was relating to them some facts of a lawsuit to make a point. I had trouble explaining the example because I had not prepared the workout in advance. I made a judgment that my whole presentation that day did not bode well for me or my bank from that point on. Normally, after such a presentation, Davin sends a thank you card signed by the whole class. Today, I got two. Awesome.

Papoo used to say that a boy’s poor attitude is directly proportional to the length of his hair. The longer it is, the worse it gets. Lots of haircuts lately. Life is good :)

A customer came into our bank after withdrawing money from our ATM. The ATM had incorrectly given them more than they were charged, and they were giving it back. Several months later this customer applied for a loan. They had no credit history, were barely old enough to qualify, and did not meet the ordinary credit requirements. They were shocked when I reminded them of the ATM incident. Needless to say, they got the loan.

Periodically I receive account levies at the bank from the IRS, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, SLMA (student loans), and other assorted governmental agencies. When they come, the monies in all accounts of persons named in the levy are immediately frozen. After a period of time, unless we receive a release of the levy from the agency that sent it, the monies that were frozen are remitted to the agency to satisfy a variety of delinquent obligations. Open your mail, especially from the government. Do not ignore or disregard what they say you owe. Heed their communications and warnings. In my opinion, it is much easier to work a resolution than it is to recover from the outcomes of a levy. The same can be said for personal relationships.

To the ZBags and Wingers: Please forgive me for hurting you in any way with my unkind words or deeds. Forgive me if I neglect you, or take you for granted. Forgive me for not saying that I love you often. Thank you for loving me.

Allergies

When I was young, I was sick often and my parents eventually found out that I had allergies to almost everything, no really. I was allergic to beef, milk, cheese, peanuts, tomatoes, pineapple, coconut, chocolate, and plenty of other things. Needless to say, our family adjusted accordingly until I was ten and outgrew all of my allergies; I was tested and was found to be allergic to nothing. My sophomore year I was tested again and they found that I was significantly allergic to trees, weeds, and grass. My allergies bother me more in the Texas Panhandle than in Austin where I have had no trouble, until now.

I hadn't been feeling very well so a couple of friends suggested that I drink an Odwalla Superfood.

After talking to my mom about my eye being swollen she asked me what was in the Odwalla that I had drank. In the superfood is a shot of wheatgrass and drinking it obviously doesn't make me immune to my grass allergy....no more Odwalla for me, good thing my mom has been dealing with my ridiculous allergies for a long time!

Blame It On My ADD

So for my birthday my parents got me a smartpen, sent me a care package, and money. The smart pen is way too cool! As for the money it is going to buy the vibrams that I want.

KTG called me last night wanting me to go with her to Dallas for a concert; I would but I'm a poor college kid and  as much as I'd like to see the band I had to decline her offer. I do hope she has fun though, maybe she will post a blog about it!

My mom and dad are coming down in two weeks for homecoming and I couldn't be more excited! I realize that it has only been like two months since I have seen them but still.

As for my life, it is wonderful and I couldn't be better! I am ready for tomorrow and what the day will bring!!!

The Heart of Friendship

Davin and I have been friends with Keith, Darlene, Buster and Krista for many years. We have experienced both the worst and the best that life has to offer over the years of our friendship. We don't like each other all of the time. We don't agree about everything. We know how to goad each other, and build each other up. We've laughed, cried, and hopefully matured a bit over the years. I can count on them to be there for me when I need them. I cherish their friendship.

Several times a year, usually for a holiday, we go out together to a nice place and eat dinner. I received an email from Melyn a few weeks ago telling me about a "Murder Mystery Dinner" fundraiser in Guymon. I remember thinking that kinda sounds like fun (my new year's resolution of stepping out of my box and saying yes to things is kicking in here). We bought tickets, got commitments from our cronies, and we were set. I must say that we had a great time. I think that even if it had been the worst show and food on earth, we would have had fun just hanging out with our cronies. On Valentine's Day, I am mindful that this is the heart of friendship.

Happy Birthday Snic!

There once was a girl.
Who had a little curl.
Right in the middle of her forehead
When she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid...

I couldn't tell you how many times I read this poem to Leigh Anne before she went to bed. It was a favorite of us both.

I like this snapshot Leigh Anne took of herself. It seems to exude the self confidence that she has. The other day I was visiting with a friend about Leigh Anne and telling her how she was doing in college. (It is always fun for me to talk about my children.)

My friend commented that Leigh Anne had the best of both Teague and I.

Hmmm...I'm thinking she has more than the best of me.

Happy Birthday Snic!

Love, Dad

The Brothers

"Is there any stew left?" was what Reid's text said. I told him, "Yes!" and that I was also making cornbread and that he and Ryan should come eat. I was excited both boys were coming over. Sure, they might track in a little snow because they didn't take off their shoes, but it's worth it. (I'm defiantly going to have to clean the floors Saturday.)

It was an enjoyable dinner. Reid ate the last of my honey, and the banter between the two is engaging and humorous. (At times, they sound like an old married couple.)

It's fun hearing what is going on in their lives and the ideas they have going. (Like getting a luxury suit at a Texas Rangers game. I'm down!)

One of the best things about them coming over though is that they leave. And Teague and I have a peaceful home to ourselves again.

Can You Hear Me now?

I am a little like my family of origin in that I seldom like to be told what to do. It should go without saying that trying to manipulate me into doing something usually doesn’t work well, and leaves me feeling cynical towards the manipulator. I have been doing some self-evaluation lately to try and change those behaviors that isolate me, and prevent personal growth in my life. With that in mind, I am posting today :)

As a general rule, I don’t like to talk on the phone. Before my dad died, I would talk to him several times a week. He loved to tell me what to do, argue, and play devil’s advocate about anything and everything. When dad and I would disagree during a phone conversation, one or the other of us would hang up. We would stew for a time and in a few days it would all be over. I miss hanging up on dad.

When dad died, I made an effort to call my mom several times a week to check on her. At first, this was hard for me because I needed to learn how to become “phone friends” with her. Although it was awkward, I persisted because I needed her to help me through this time of grieving, and vice versa. I called mom yesterday and we talked for a long time. I enjoy talking to mom. She does not gossip, will keep secrets, and listens well. She doesn’t argue for the sake of arguing, and she is kind and thoughtful. She doesn’t tell me what to do unless I ask her opinion, and she prays for my family regularly. I will never hang up on mom.

Sometimes doing things that are hard for you personally can pay huge dividends.

Today is mom’s birthday. I think I will call her.