moaning meme monday
I’m sure that you, Dear Reader, get a certain impression of me from reading this here blog thingee. Perhaps because I tend to focus on the positive and keep it light, you, DR, think I’m like that in everyday, real life as well.
And to some extent, I am.
But truth be told, I’m not sure that “positive and light” is even the majority of my personality. I can be quite snarky, catty, and complainy, indeed–just ask P. But those aren’t traits I want to take over the other parts of my personality.
Why?
Because as fun as a smart ass remark is every now and again (*so* fun!), too many can add up a lot of negative energy that I don’t think will help me live a good, peaceful life–and I definitely want that–or help the world at large. There’s enough negativity out there without my adding to it.
And so I try to keep this little corner of these Internets mostly positive and light, hoping that maybe, just maybe that part will sink in, will become the norm inside of me, will bleed into my cynicism and negativity and at least counteract them a bit.
I wouldn’t want those baddies to disappear completely, though, because then I’m afraid I wouldn’t be me. In fact, I’d probably be more like the Dalai Lama (yes he has a website), and I’m just not up for that kind of responsibility.
Have you ever been told to act like you fit in and people will believe it, and eventually so will you? That’s kind of how I feel about this whole living and blogging process, within myself I mean. Over the past several months, I’ve been positive and looking on the bright side more than ever, sometimes even when I don’t *feel* it–and you know what?
I’m starting to believe it, to be it, and I’m really, truly happier.
But that doesn’t mean I have my moments.
So here (after the longest intro to a meme ever) is a great opportunity from The Freelance Cynic to share just one:
5 people who will be annoyed you tagged them.
- Paolo at World Citizen
- Nat at Marmite Breath Slept Here
- Ally at Crazy Dust in My Coffee
- Judith at Think on It!
- Sara at Moving Right Along
4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth.
- A certain administration of a certain “world power”
- Anyone who abuses other people or animals
- People who talk too loudly on public transportation
- People who troll the Internet looking to start trouble
3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently.
- Not re-evaluate their beliefs every once in a while, if not regularly
- Not simply appreciate being alive every day
- Get medically unnecessary plastic surgery
2 things you find yourself moaning about.
- How much I hate clothes shopping here
- How much I hate cleaning the house, especially as I’m packing
1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself.
- If I were omnipotent, I’d solve the problem of world overpopulation with those first four moans.
RULES
- Link to theoriginal meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it’s all about!
- Be as honest as possible. This is about letting people get to know the real you!
- Try not to insult anyone – unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
- Post these rules at the end of every meme!
Even if I haven’t tagged you, please feel free to play along. I see that my She Who Blogs buddy Jennie Boo has already played, and I hope you will too.
Misery loves company!
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[tags]memes, the moaning meme[/tags]
31 Beans of Wisdom to “moaning meme monday”
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
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Totally thrilled – IOW not at all annoyed – that you thought of me first when it came to a meme about bitching and moaning!
To return the compliment, I have never seen you as all “sweetness and light,” but rather I recognised fairly early on that you, too, were consciously pulling against the psychic drag of back-East cynicism and misanthropy. And, for what it is worth, I have always respected and supported the effort.
Tomorrow (or later today, CEST) is Interview Day so I may or may not get on this meme right away. But rest assured, it will get done.
As you clearly know, this is right up my alley…
ti ringrazio sinceramente
“If I were omnipotent, I’d solve the problem of world overpopulation with those first four moans.”
You see! It really helps you learn something new doesn’t it 🙂
“I’ve been positive and looking on the bright side more than ever…and you know what?
I’m starting to believe it, to be it, and I’m really, truly happier.” = THE LAW OF ATTRACTION (=
Dalai Lama and you do not spring together into my mind. I’m convinced that my moans are of little interest outside the international financial community, and they don’t seem to interest them, much, either!
And yesterday’s weather! I’m positive it hit 145°F in my garden at lunch and I was left with leftovers of everything but water. One bottle of wine for 6 people? 4.5 liters of water? In Italy?
I shall have to dig very deep to complain about things other than the US government and the fall of the dollar.
I read your story about trying to find pants in italy! its true, I don’t consider myself to be bigger but everything is cut so small! you know i found a shop near campo di fiori (in Roma)where all the jeans were 5-10 Euros. It is kind of a wierd process as they only let you try on one pair for size then u just pick the styles. In which case u have to remember if its strechy go down and a size and if its all cotton go up a size. lol however i bought 3 pairs of jeans for like 50 euro total I think and 2 fit me perfect. cmq buona fortuna!!
Sognatrice negative? I can’t believe it! I’m just kidding. I keep my blog upbeat for the same reasons- it reminds me of things to be positive about and it keeps me from bringing other people down. But deep down I’m really just a curmudgeon. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little complaining or anger now and then. It’s nice to see your edgier side.
Now I’m depressed.
yes, we are all human & have those attributes of which we are not proud. nice thing about a blog is that you can really filter out the uglies – really, the world has enough of them, so why not do a positive, upbeat blog. but, that said, public cleansing/confession can be quite refreshing too!
sognatrice – great post. I am trying to be less negative but living in shallow, ugly, cold, fake, full of too much bad plastic surgery Los Angeles is working my last nerve.
have a great day. 🙂
I have lots of catching up to do, lots of back reading to do on this wonderful blog (been on vacation for the past week and a half).
First of all, congrulations on your Lion award. I didn’t read the others, but I loved your poem.
I know that you while you try to keep things “positive and light” here on your blog, you are a human, an Italian. We, your faithful readers, will take you however we can.
Romerican took the words right out of my mouth. Your post has law of attraction written all over it! Oh, and you should read the book “Eat Pray Love” (Elizabeth Gilbert is the author).
Paolo, I’m glad you took the tag as a compliment, because it certainly wasn’t intended any other way. I thank you for your continued support, and I wish you the best of luck on Interview Day. May the winning bidder have an office in Italy 🙂
Freelance Cynic, very enlightening meme–bravo!
Romerican, you know a lot of people dog “The Secret,” and maybe I don’t completely think that I’ll win the lottery if only I think hard enough, but results are hard to argue with–and hey, whatever works, right?
Judith, really? Me and the DL? Nothing? Mah. Anyway, I’m sure you can come up with enough beefs just about the US govt and the state of the dollar to fill this up. I know I could 🙁
Italiana, it’s so true that all pants just do not fit the same even if they’re the same size. P’s mom asked me once if I wanted her to pick up some pants for me, to just tell her the size. Yeah. That’d go well!
KC, ooh, I definitely have my curmudgeonly days, weeks even. Glad you like me even when I whine 😉
TheOG, you’re just lucky you aren’t blogging right now (unless you are again and haven’t told me!) or else you *so* would’ve been tagged. Then you’d be annoyed *and* depressed 😉
Qualcosa, I absolutely have rants, but I tend to do those over the phone with my mom, or less frequently with P (they’re often about something here or a member of his family, so I spare him and our relationship) 😉
NYC, I really hope you get to get away for a little while and out of the plastic. Blech.
gt, grazie e grazie ancora 🙂
Goodthomas took the words right out of my mouth! We’ll take you as you are and how you feel on certain days. Some days are harder than others. No matter how you try to be positive and not nag, people and situations around you are fighting you every inch of the way.
You’ve already touched our lives and that’s why we keep coming back.
Remember how we missed you that week you didn’t blog because telecom was down.
I do think there’s something to that whole “focus on the positive and as a result FEEL more positive” thing, but I still find it hard to abandon my snarky nature, and it’s good to know you have a bit of that not so deep within yourself as well.
I might play along with this meme. But then, I say, “Cool idea; I am going to steal that!” fairly regularly and then do not follow through, so I reserve the right to promptly forget about this one as well. 🙂
Caroline, I finished “Eat Pray Love” a little while ago–sooner or later I’ll have a book review up. But a sneak preview: I rather enjoyed it 🙂
Carole D, sorry, but I have to do it–you like me! You really like me! OK, that said, ooh are people always trying to mess with our sanity. I should put them in Room 101 too….
Stefanie, believe me, being positive and cheery only comes natural to me in small spurts; it’s definitely a full-time job, especially when sometimes you find yourself surrounded by….
OK, anyway, I do hope you’ll do the meme. It’s fun to moan, er, you know what I mean 😉
Okay, you’re just brilliant – loved that!
This is a very interesting meme.
Have to go check out Jennie Boo’s answers too.
I would love to post Meet Luna on the shewhoblogs site.
She’s really something.
Drop me an email.
Waving at you from NYC,
Frances
FUN!
Honestly, you answered jusst how I thought you would.
I’m really enjoying getting to know you! 😀
Hope you’re having a blessed Monday!
I need to be more positive…yet, this moaning meme is much more my style!
I may just have to try it…but I have SO much to do….and I am really tired..and stressed…and the kids are getting on my nerves! 🙂 (hee-hee)
Ahhh Sognatrice…
But you ARE omnipotent! In a technological world wide webby way.
You have begun reaching much farther than you ever could have, if you were without your computer, brilliant mind and your wonderful wit.
You are already making differences… and yes, even the small ones count.
We are all the better for it.
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
Honestly– I’d think that you’d have something better to do than bother me with a meme. I’ll do it, of course. But it’s going to be a few days from now cause I’m busy with other stuff. Thanks for thinking of me. 😉
It’s very funny that you tagged me with this, seeing as how I’ve been madly procrastinating a big, fat, bloggery moan all about applying for state-funded insurance. See, the problem is that I don’t mean it to be a moan, just a story, a true story, something reflecting the state of my state, my state of being and my state of the union, but I can’t even talk about it without, oh, moaning isn’t even the word. Shrieking? Entering a fugue state? Mimicking demonic possession? Something like that.
I will do this after I blog that, then blog some pretty things to look at to take the edge off, then blog a perfect blueberry pie recipe, and then talk a little more about shoes. Okay? It’s on the list.
I don’t actually know if I can come up with anything better than, or even additional to, the list of four you came up with, though. That there’s a pretty good list, except for the talking too loud. I do that sometimes. I get excited, but I am not a rotten person, and even if I am it’s not on the same level with puppy kickers and certain government officials who start wars for fun and profit, and besides, I will always apologize and lower my voice when asked. Same with my boyfriend, so don’t you dare put him in that room, either.
Of course, if you mean people who are yelling self-importantly into a cell phone, which I didn’t know ever happened in Calabria, well, that’s a different story. But really, maybe try shushing them first and see what they do, ‘k? No need to get all hasty with the trigger finger, now. 😉
Kimberly, wow, what a lovely comment–I hope you stop by more often 😉
Frances, I’ll be emailing you shortly. Luna would love to be introduced!
Jennie, oh no! I’m getting predictable? Hmm….
Queen, you’re halfway there! Thanks so much for stopping by; glad you’re back 🙂
Scarlett, don’t make me add “people who make me teary-eyed with blog comments” to my moans. I can only be pushed so far 😉 Seriously, thank you for your kind words, as always 🙂
Ally, what can I say, anyone who gets me thinking about the great water bug vs. cockroach debate deserves a meme tag 😉
Sara, so sorry to hear about the insurance fiasco (two words that should forever be linked IMHO). If you do simulate demonic possession, though, could you get that up on YouTube or something? I’d release you from any meme obligations 😉
I will be absolutely drooling over your blueberry pie–one of my most favorite Mom treats. We don’t have blueberries here though, and I don’t care what anyone says, nothing substitutes. But I will cyber-enjoy, rest assured.
As for the talking too loud thing, you know what it is? The morning. That kills me. I don’t need to hear entire conversations from many, many seats away at 7 a.m. I just don’t. Part of it too is that (generalization alert!) many Italians have loud voices. I’m not going to say they talk loudly, but….
On the bright side, if I put both you and your man in the room, you’d at least have each other. I’d even throw in the painkillers of your choice b/c surely a headache would arise sooner or later from all the rest of the yakking. But think of all the fun you’d have with the others on the list!
That’s actually a pretty cool meme! I may have to try it.
I totally believe in positive thinking. Good thoughts brings good things.
Kailani, I thought this was a fun concept too–gives us a little bit of an excuse to moan without seeming, oh, moany.
I hope you play along; I’m thinking positive thoughts that you will! 😉
“Because as fun as a smart ass remark is every now and again (*so* fun!), too many can add up a lot of negative energy that I don’t think will help me live a good, peaceful life–and I definitely want that–or help the world at large.”
I have to agree. My negativity really has brought me down in the past. It always starts out directed at people who deserve it, but sooner or later it is directed at those who you love.
JKaiserEsq, agreed. A little negativity is natural, but when it affects personal relationships, well, that’s too much. Thanks for your visit and comment 🙂
LOL you were right! We DO have a lot in common. 🙂
Skittles, need I also say that I *really* love Skittles? Original flavors mostly, though–not too fond of the tropical and whatnot.
Done!
Cheers!
Sara, brava! And thanks for playing 🙂