I knew I should have eaten a cookie…or Scientific American to the rescue

Jul 23rd 2008
Karen RoseOn Writing!

49 Responses to “I knew I should have eaten a cookie…or Scientific American to the rescue”

1. SheridanLA on 23 Jul 2008 at 3:18 am #

   My grandmother was bad at decisions…my dad is bad at decisions.. hence.. I can make them at the drop of a hat.. someone had to even it out. I think the longest I took to make a big decision was when I had the opportunity to move out here to LA.. took me 2 weeks or so.. I mean, I was packing up all my life and moving to a city I did not really like for a new job that was on a trial basis… once I did make the decision, everything fell right into place – one of the best decisions I have made.

   I can’t say I currently have any major decisions I have to deal with at work – it is mostly getting it done. Course, I sometimes have a different perspective on things – it just needs to get done, so decisions are just part of the flow.

   and every idea is a good idea for a cupcake

2. Margaret Garland on 23 Jul 2008 at 6:07 am #

   KarenR, your blog today reminds me of that old saying we’ve all heard. Life is short; eat dessert first. A fine saying, if I do say so.

   I don’t think I have trouble making decisions. You can drive yourself crazy trying to pick the “right” one. Only to find out there’s no such thing. We can look back at various points in our lives to see that a certain decision has brought us to the point we find ourselves now. We can only guess at what our lives might have been like w/o those decisions. Even tho I made a bad decision in marrying the practice DH, I can’t imagine my life w/o my daughter and her girls. The same goes for my seemingly rash decision to marry a guy I’d known 2 months & move from TX to PA in the blink of an eye. I’d have missed all these great adult kids/friends and grandchildren if I had chosen otherwise.

   So, eat the damn cookie! Just 1, mind you. It’ll be enough. *G*

3. Margaret Garland on 23 Jul 2008 at 6:10 am #

   BTW, I have a cousin who’s never been able to make decisions. So, ex-Marine DH has always been the leader. Worked for both of them.

   I used to work with a woman at Nieman-Marcus who’s life must have been a constant agony. I don’t know how she got dressed for work each day. Even the smallest decsion required much second guessing and hand-wringing. She looked old long before she actually was. She was a pathetic, gray sort of person.

4. LisaK on 23 Jul 2008 at 6:17 am #

   I’m very fast in making decisions. I think that’s because my subconscious mind makes decisions immediately after being faced with a problem. So I just have to listen to my subconsciousness – and mostly it turns out to be the right decision. Thinking about a problem all over again just confuses me and at the end I don’t know what to do, even more than before (yeah, yeah, my little brain can’t stand such extreme efforts).
   And KarenR, the braincupcake looks absolutely yummy! Just one question: Are you cleverer after having eaten it?

5. cail on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:00 am #

   ah, decisions. for me it really depends on what the decision is. Usually I just think, hm, should I or shouldn’t I, and then flip a coin if it’s taking too long. Heads is one thing, Tails is the other, and if i feel saddened by the result, then… I chose the other! It works really well. So does calling friends and complaining about the issue to them.

   As for cookies vs salad. I usually just go with both. or in the case of yesterday, the whole pan of brownies (and salad and asparagus… see it evens out!)

   Cutest cupcake ever. Although i’d probably make the icing more of a blue/gray.

6. Gannon on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:05 am #

   I make decisions fairly easily. If I waffle too much, I drive myself crazy. Remember taking a test in school and you changed your mind about the answer, and the first one was the correct one? Always listen to your gut instinct.

   My best friend has the hardest time making up her mind about anything. When we go shopping, she’ll ask me twenty times if I really like something before she buys it. By then I’m ready to say, “Just buy the damn thing!” I love her, and it’s a good thing we live far apart and don’t go shopping often.

   LisaK, wouldn’t it be great if you could get smarter after eating that brain cupcake?!

7. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:23 am #

   Just time for a quick one before I run off to the dentist (ACK, a blog for another day for sure!).

   Of course you have to be clever after having eaten the cupcake. Scientific American says so and we know they wouldn’t lie! Their SCIENTIFIC.

   Now off to the dentist. I can hear the whirring of that drill already. Hate the dentist office mumblemumblemumble.

   I’ll be back soon!

8. Freedom Writer on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:38 am #

   I sometimes get caught in the whirlpool of indecision of whether I should write, read, and if I read what should I read, and what to write or should I just go off and cross stitch. Lately the cross stitching has won out. I want to get my granddaughter’s stocking stitched by Christmas. However, the cookie versus salad decision is never difficult. I eat the cookies first and if I have room I’ll eat a salad.

   As for big decisions I try to not make them too impulsively. I sometimes waffle between the “I don’t want tos” and the “I shoulds”, but in the end I do what I feel is best at the time.

   Making other people’s decisions, however is easy. I am real good at telling other what to do.

9. Kim on 23 Jul 2008 at 8:15 am #

   *groans* I’m horrible at decisions for my family. Its really weird. For work, I have no problem making decisions. Its very clear to me and easy. If it involves my family I can’t decide what to make for dinner. Its SO annoying and one of the things I dislike about myself most.

   KarenR–Good luck at the dentist!

10. Lisa H on 23 Jul 2008 at 8:17 am #

    Karen, I read something simaler in one of my Psychology books. It said if you are focusing alot of energy on dieting, other areas of your life will suffer. Whenever you are using so much will power and energy in one area other areas suffer. (my paraphrase of course) Anyway I really believe it and I also believe dieting is one of the hardest things people do. Think about it, how many people have the will power and perseverence to become doctors? They workd dilligently forgoing sleep and personal lives…yet how many of those very same people are overweight.

    Therefore, my conclusion is it is easier to become a doctor than to lose weight. (Lots of caffeine this morning)

11. Louisa Cornell on 23 Jul 2008 at 8:48 am #

    Commiserations on the dentist office, Karen R. I HATE going to the dentist!

    Easy decision there!

    I make hundreds of decisions at work every day and I really don’t think about them too much as I have been doing this job (managing a bakery at Wal-Mart) WAY too long.

    You want to see a quick decision? Let some published offer me a contract with just enough money to cover my Wal-Mart salary and DO NOT get between me and the door greeter /door. I will be OUTTA there!

    I think clothes for this conference has been the hardest decision for me to make lately.

    Funny, when I’m writing I don’t ponder over stuff too long once I sit down to write. Is that good or bad?

12. colinfirthfan on 23 Jul 2008 at 8:59 am #

    Depends on the decision. Some are easy. Some need a little bit more though. I very rarely waffle about clothes and food.

    Since I couldn’t post yesterday – SF weather : I was in SF on Saturday and it was COLD and FOGGY the entire day!! It is warming up here now so I am sure that it will be warmer…. all depends on the fog.

    Wish I could drop in at the SF Marriott and visit with all of you…. Unfortunately with two crazy schedules I don’t think I can manage it. (Sigh… all the sacrifices I make for my family…)

13. colinfirthfan on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:00 am #

    I meant .. “thought” (very early here… it’s just 7:00 AM)

14. Claudia Dain on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:23 am #

    Colinfirthfan, thanks for the weather update in SF! Now I can make my decision: I’ll be bringing a minimum of 3 blazers to SF next week. Plus the trench. And maybe a hooded windbreaker. And definitely a light sweater.

    See? Decisive. All I need is enough information to make the decision.

    Next decision: where to go to buy a larger suitcase.

15. Claudia Dain on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:25 am #

    And I LOVE the dentist! Just imagine what your teeth would be like without one.

    Rotting slowly, breaking off and falling out painfully. Brown stained enamel and black spots around the gum line. Stinky. Oozing gums.

    Let’s hear it for modern dental care! Can I get a hip, hip, hooray?

16. dbrown3400 on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:31 am #

    Karen R, I’ve always been decisive about pretty much everything — except going to the dentist. I don’t like to go there!

    One thing I’ve made good quick decisions regarding is places to live. I’ve picked apartments and rental houses on the first showing and they’ve turned out as perfect as I thought they’d be. I looked at several more to humor the realtor and always went back to the first one.

    I don’t shop with other people because I know what I want and don’t take much time. I went shopping once with a girlfriend who took an hour to pick something out, and then she took it back the next day. I’ve also shopped with someone who bought a dress, wore it, and then took it back. I’d just as soon not know these things.

17. Julia London on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:35 am #

    Claudia, anyone who does a hip hip hooray for the dentist’s chair deserves to be the one to have their ass kicked today. Don’t make me come up there…

    I have no trouble making decisions. What irks me is that no one else in this house will make them (Jack) and when I do make them, he likes to second guess them. (He’s in line to have his ass-kicked, too).

    I have to say that all this talk of ass-kicking I’ve done the last two days has not helped one bit toward finishing the book, but makes me feel loads better!

18. Michelle B on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:35 am #

    This actually makes sense. I started Weight Watchers in January and up to the end of May had lost 23 pounds. Then I started a job, love the job, but it’s like my focus has been diverted and what was easy with the weight loss is now so hard. It is so frustrating because I am sliding back up the scale.

19. dbrown3400 on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:36 am #

    >>>Even tho I made a bad decision in marrying the practice DH, I can’t imagine my life w/o my daughter

    Margaret, I feel the same way about my ex sometimes because I wouldn’t have my beautiful girls and granddaughter, although our life together wasn’t all bad.

20. Claudia Dain on 23 Jul 2008 at 9:53 am #

    Ooh, Julia. Anyone who wants to kick butt as much as you do (particularly on as innocent a party as *I* am) must be in serious deadline hysteria. You might need a trip to the dentist to refocus your energy.

21. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:15 am #

    Well, I’m back from the dentist and it wasn’t so bad this time. Today was part deux of my kind of regular (not so much) teeth cleaning.

    I never used to be afraid of the dentist until about 10 years ago I had a root canal and the Novacaine never took. I’d rather give birth through a tear duct than go through that pain again. Anyway, ever since I’ve had this semi-hysteria about the dentist. I have to take deep breaths and think soothing words. Like Get-Me-Out-Of-Here.

    Last week the hygenist hurt me with some drill thingy they apparently use for cleaning now, but this week I think he got with the program and did it the old fashioned way. Scrape, scrape, you should floss more, Now I’ll polish, see you in 6 months. Yep.

    So net, I’m back, in one piece and after Julia gets done kicking Claudia’s ass for being so dang chipper and perky about the dentist, I’m next in line.

    Except Claudia’s going to take me shopping in SF, so I guess I should be nice to her

22. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:21 am #

    I guess I have trouble with decisions. I have a criteria based approach, but sometimes that doesn’t cover all the bases.

    Like yesterday, I went to the Coach store at the outlet mall. It’s almost my birthday, you see, plus I’d promised myself when I lost 20 pounds I’d get myself the Coach bag I’d been eyeing for nearly 2 years.

    So I took DH with me shopping. I do enjoy his company even if he makes unsavory remarks in Victoria’s Secret. The kind lady at VS told me I am not the only one with an errant husband in this regard, which made me feel the tiniest bit better.

    Anyway, I was at Coach with DH. I knew I needed a bigger bag, so I can fit my Tide stick in there for when I inevitably spill something on myself in SF. I also want to be able to fit my mini-computer in there and my wallet and makeup and my 26volume Encylopedia Britannica (just teasing on that last one).
    cont…

23. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:22 am #

    It took me an hour to choose the right bag, even though there were only really six that fit my criteria of size. Finally I picked one that was on uber sale (even DH didn’t quail at the price) and I like. I sweetened the deal by throwing in a new wallet that was also on uber sale and still spent less than I’d planned, woot!

    But that’s one hour of my life I will never get back, making that decision.

24. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:28 am #

    Claudia, I’m with you. SF is sounding rather brisk at the moment. I got a fleece in Edinburgh I can wear. Altho when the hot flashes kick in all you cold folks can hold my hand for an instant warmup. So not fun…

    Michelle B – congrats on your 23 pounds with WW! And hugs on trying to maintain your path on a new job. Been there done that, too.

    DBrown – I know what you mean. I know when I see a house if it’s the one I want. Once I goofed up, but mostly I’ve made fast good decisions.

    The big stuff isn’t so hard. I guess it’s sweating the small stuff that’s taxing my poor brain.

25. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:31 am #

    Lisa H – I like your logic. It’s harder to lose weight than become a doctor. I wonder if my doctor would agree

    Kim – my decision on what to make for dinner is very simple. I type in http://www.pizzahut.com and place my order, LOL! If I cook, I become the Wicked Witch of the north south east and west. It’s not pretty…

26. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:33 am #

    Cail – again, I like your logic, although I think you’d need to eat a lot of asparagus to balance out brownies I actually like asparagus, so that’s kind of a treat.

27. Karen Hawkins on 23 Jul 2008 at 10:41 am #

    Claudia . . . that is wrong. So wrong. Like someone who shows up at an electrocution with a bar-b-que grill and a beach blanket.

    Karen, that’s a great article! I’ve never had problems making decisions. Some, of course, are harder than others. But I make ‘em, some good and some bad, and go from there. Frankly, I like being responsible for myself and I enjoy making decisions.

    My daughter is funny about decisions. She can make up her mind about huge things — careers objectives, which guy to date, etc — but she can’t order at a drive-thru menu to save her soul.
    
    “Your order, please?”
    “Ah, yes. I’ll have the uh, the roasted–no, make that a breaded chidken with–wait, does that have mayo on it?”
    “It’s up to you, ma’am.”
    “Oh. Ok then. I’ll have the breaded– oh, you have hot dogs! I didn’t know you had hotdogs!”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Wow. I’ve never seen–yes, I’ll have one–no, two hot dogs and–No, wait. I haven’t had a burger in a while, so–”
    etc etc etc

28. Kay on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:13 am #

    This article explains why I’m so TIRED after just an hour of shopping–it’s the decisions. Yesterday, I bought two pair of shoes, no problem. I knew what I wanted and they first–and were on sale. I was in and out of the store in 10 min.

    Then I tried to find a blouse to go with my black skirt. A blouse that wasn’t white–my default choice of tops this summer. Well, it took me 4 stores and 2 hours. I was ready to collapse. Had to treat myself with a dark chocolate truffle.

    No wonder I’m not loosing weight. LOL

29. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:25 am #

    I’m terrible about shopping for clothes, especially if there is a large selection. I see all those colors and tags and it paralyzes me – what if I pick the wrong thing or completely miss the right thing?

    The world could end. No, really.

    Shoes aren’t that difficult – my feet don’t work with most of the really extreme shoes (read high heels and skinny straps), so I go for comfort usually. If my feet feel good and the shoe isn’t too terribly ugly, I pay and I’m outa there.

30. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:26 am #

    Kay, hugs on the blouse experience. Same thing happened to me yesterday and I left with something cute – in the same colors I always buy.

    Claudia, you’ll have your hands full with me!

31. Margaret Garland on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:31 am #

    If I could lift my foot that high, I’d be joining you in kicking Claudia’s derry-air.

    Thanks for the dental visual, Claudia. I was just enjoying my tomato/cuke sandwich at the time. Urk!

    KarenH, so funny about your DD at the drive thru. I can just see the poor person taking the order rolling her/his eyes. I wonder if your DD ever receives her order as she ordered it? I never do & I’m darned decisive in placing it. I’ve learned to never drive away from the pickup window w/o checking the bag contents.

    And, just when is get away day for you SF bound goddesses?

32. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:35 am #

    Margaret, I fly out Sunday. I’m getting in a little early to meet with old friends and play a little.

33. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:38 am #

    Karen H – Your daughter sounds like mine. Going through the drive-thru is an experience, especially as I usually am the one placing the order for her. I expect they’re rolling their eyes at me, which doesn’t seem fair. Then I roll up to pay and they see the teenager in the passenger seat and the eye rolling becomes pity.

34. dbrown3400 on 23 Jul 2008 at 12:08 pm #

    >>>I went shopping once with a girlfriend who took an hour to pick something out, and then she took it back the next day.

    What I meant to say is she tried on the same outfit for an hour, waffling back and forth, not shopped for an hour. Does that make more sense? Then she took that outfit back the next day. I would HATE to take her to the drive-through.

35. colinfirthfan on 23 Jul 2008 at 12:16 pm #

    I would definitely bring a jacket to SF. Even if it is warm in the daytime, I guarantee by evening it would’ve started cooling off.

    I found a hole in my crown so it is back to the dentist (and this is my one and only crown but it has been so much trouble). I HATE going to the dentist……

    I am also off to the oral surgeon to laser off a growth inside my cheek. I have postponed it for 7 months…..

    I am picky … so I normally stick with the safe options regarding food. Clothes and shoes are easy. If they are comfortable fit well and the price isn’t too much.. I’ll get it. I can always return it. I don’t return a lot of clothes!

36. Claudia Dain on 23 Jul 2008 at 12:30 pm #

    Karen, I will *not* have trouble with you. Are we clear on that? If you are indecisive about which blouse looks best, perhaps a trip to the dentist’s chair is in order to refocus your priorities.

    Think about it.

    Now, really, shopping is work. No doubt. But what to buy? Easy peasy. You buy what looks good on you and is in style and you don’t buy what looks bad on you and is matronly. The rule about price is that cheaper is always better. I start at the sales rack and move through the store from there.

    Rule of thumb: you’re not buying clothes, you’re building a wardrobe.

    BTW, I’m leaving for SF on Monday AM. I think I will be bringing a steamer trunk for all my layers.

37. Kim on 23 Jul 2008 at 3:26 pm #

    Karen R–I AM SO JEALOUS! Yes, I’m screaming that. You got a new Coach bag!?!? Which one? I wanna see. I lurves Coach.

    KarenH–um, probably shouldn’t tell you this but your daughter at the drive through? Yeah, that’s me.

    Claudia–I adore you but being that happy about the dentist is just wrong.

    Will somebody give Julia a brownie? Pretty please before she goes on an ass kicking rampage.

38. Suzanne Enoch on 23 Jul 2008 at 3:36 pm #

    Brain fatigue. That explains SO much about my life. And now I can justify all those cookies and chocolate I went ahead and ate.

39. Paula on 23 Jul 2008 at 3:51 pm #

    I can make decisions fairly easily. At work it is slighty harder to know if I’ve made the right one, eg if a certain peice of equipment is broken do we throw it away or do we send it for repair? It is getting easier. My DH can be very indecisive at time and it drives me mad.

40. Paula on 23 Jul 2008 at 4:45 pm #

    Karen at halloween in the Uk I’ve seen cupcakes like those in Asda(walmart), when I got some my boys looked and said yuk what is on the top of those? andwouldn’t eat them until I’d scrapped off the icing!!

41. Kay on 23 Jul 2008 at 5:54 pm #

    Paula, that is so funny. My kids would think it tastes better with a “brain” topping, LOL

42. evlqn on 23 Jul 2008 at 6:09 pm #

    Personally I prefer the “hail Mary” approach to discision making, I throw it up in th eair and see how catches it. I am pretty straight forward in my discisions.
    My sister however makes me crazy with her waffling back and forth. I say make up your mind and live with the results. Nine times outta ten it will be the right one for you at that moment. And if someone is goning hate you for your choice, they were going to hate you anyway, you just gave them an excuse.
    EAT THE COOKIE!!!

43. Sabrina Jeffries on 23 Jul 2008 at 6:59 pm #

    I hate and loathe decision-making. I usually end up waffling until something happens to take the decision out of my hands. Isn’t that sad? But I’m delighted to hear that eating a cookie could solve my problem.

    Seriously, though, this explains SO much about my writing process. I recently realized that the reason the first half of a book is agony to write is I have so many choices. Point of view choices, character choices, relationship choices. Although my synopsis provides a framework, I don’t know my characters well until I write them, so all the choices paralyzes me. As I work through the choices and grow to know my characters and write more, the available choices dwindle until I know exactly where I’m going. The last part of the book then FLIES by.

    So now I know why I’m so exhausted at the beginning!

44. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:10 pm #

    Sabrina, you are absolutely right about this! I hadn’t considered the fatigue my poor brain endures trying to set up a book. It sometimes paralyzes me, too.

    Glad to know I am in such sublime company

    Kim, I will gladly show you my new bag! See you in SF!

45. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:12 pm #

    Claudia, threatening me with the dentist when I can’t make up my mind is so wrong. Diabolical even. Whoda thunk you had it in you? I am duly impressed

46. kendra on 23 Jul 2008 at 7:23 pm #

    I wish Claudia was one of my patients. The secret to pain free dental hygiene visits? SONICARE!!! And proper floss use, of course.

    Karen R, I feel your pain with the root canal. I’ve been there, too. The problem is anesthetic does not work well in the presence of infection, which is one reason for needing a root canal.

    Sabrina, this makes so much sense to me. I hate to make early decisions about my characters, terrified I’ll limit my character or pick an utterly wrong attribute. I start off not ruling out enough characteristics and flounder until I know them better.

    I have an Oreo in my hand. Well, three actually.

47. Karen Rose on 23 Jul 2008 at 8:00 pm #

    Kendra, that’s exactly what happened to me re the root canal. 3 oreos = Very Good Start

48. Nicole Jordan on 23 Jul 2008 at 11:09 pm #

    Wow, very interesting article, KarenR! Makes my brain hurt to think of it, lol. And I would have said something sooner but I’ve been running all day — trying to make decisions! Fortunately for a few of them, I had the help of friends to make up my mind for me, so I didn’t waste too many brain cells, hopefully *BG*

49. Karen Rose on 24 Jul 2008 at 1:01 am #

    Paula – your kids wouldn’t eat the brain cupcakes?!? Mine would have! Unfortunately they’re too old to be excited about such things anymore – and schools won’t let you bring in home-baked goods anyway.

    I’m very familiar with ASDA in the UK! I stopped there a couple of times in my UK journey.

    Evqln – you’re probably right about people looking for an excuse to not like you. Still doesn’t stop me from agonizing over the cookie