Zoltar, Take Two! This Time in Utah.

A few days ago, after walking through the Harley Davidson store, my Mom and I entered the slider restaurant.  And who was there to greet us?  Zoltar!!!

Honestly, I've never seen one in Utah.  The only two I've seen were at the Santa Barbara pier, which I blogged about last year, and I believe I saw one in the Pacific View mall in Ventura next to the food court, but that was ages ago and my memory is cloudy.  Anywho, I was just surprised to see Zoltar, and so close to home, too.

Who woulda thunk.

And so I did what any sensible person would do.

I paid a dollar and got my fortune told.

 "You are a very virtuous person.  You have chosen the path of righteousness and you will be very happy.  You are not easily influenced.  Your relatives have a great deal of respect for you.  They know that you have a keen mind and an understanding nature.  You have a good sense of values.  You love a beautiful home and one of these days you will be in possession of one."

:0)

Keeping It Real With A Fortune Cookie: Message of Love

Okay, so this is a little silly.

And I debated whether to share this or not.

But it's kinda funny, so why not.

On my parents cedar chest sat a Panda Express wrapped fortune cookie.  It's been there for several weeks, possibly a couple months.  Every time I go in there I see it and wonder when will it finally be gone?  When will one of my parents give in and eat it?  Why haven't they eaten it?  Seriously, fortune cookies are fun.  But for weeks it just sat there.  I was never tempted to take it.

Anywho, this has been a hard week for me.  Just normal good week/bad week stuff.  This was an off week, and I've been watching a lot of Hallmark.  I think it's getting to me.  Heh.  Well, to be honest I started watching the movies with my Grandma when I would visit.  It's a fun thing we do now.  And I watch them at home.  With all the news I watch, because I'm a current events addict, Hallmark movies are a nice break.  Dependable.  Predictable.  Highly unrealistic.  Good corny fun. 

And I've stopped watching Days of our Lives, which my Mom, Aunt, and Grandma still watch and talk often about, so Hallmark is my new bonding entertainment.  (Though I've gotten into Ros na Rún, an Irish soap opera that can be viewed on the TG4 app.  The show has English subtitles.)

So, with my 37th birthday coming up, and with it being Spring, I've been melancholy over my singleness.  Like I said, Hallmark ain't helping. :P

When I went into my Mom's room yesterday, and she was chatting up a storm on the phone, I suddenly had the urge to eat the fortune cookie and see what it says.  She let me, and I opened it: "True Love is Worth Waiting For."

Yeah, it is.  Thank you fortune cookie for the much needed reminder.  No, seriously, I'm glad for the reminder.

With it being on my mind, I have been reading and doing self-improvement stuff.  I don't have a "list" for what I want in a guy.  Honestly, that's not fair for who ever might be involved one day, but there are qualities I'm looking for, and I can't expect what I'm not able to give.  So I'm working on bettering myself.  Becoming a better person.  Also, I don't expect perfection--obviously silly and not realistic--but at the same time I have to remind myself not to stress about becoming perfect.  Just gradually improve step by step.

I'm not going to give up on the idea of love.  And I'm not going to lose hope that one day I'll be a Mom.  Can't lose hope.  I know people who have lost hope.  I will not.

And though I don't believe in soul mates, I do want to believe in love.  Though I know love is an action word that takes a lot of work, but nothing worth having should be easy.

I didn't plan to write all this!  Yeah.

So: True Love is Worth Waiting For.

And as I wait, I will grow.

(Last night I mentioned the fortune cookie to my Mom again, and she laughed: "It's perfect!  There's a reason I couldn't eat it, it was meant for you."

Getting My Fortune from Zoltar

 When I visited Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara last week, I found good ol' Zoltar hanging out in a shop on the pier. For fun I decided to get my fortune read.  After feeding him a dollar this card came out.

 My Fortune:

 "You've been wondering what to do with all those benefits you have or are about to receive.  Just remember as the branches of a tree return their sap to the root, from where it comes, as a river pours its streams to the sea, where its spring was supplied.  The heart of the grateful man is delighted to return a benefit received.  You are basically a kind and good person.  You may be pleased to know that there is many a good man to be found under a shabby hat."

So . . . a glorified fortune cookie, mixing fortune with good advice.

I'm going to receive a great benefit.  Be grateful.  Give back.  I'm a good person.

Not a shabby fortune.

And here's the shabby hat I was wearing when I read it.  Proof that good people wear shabby hats?  Just wearing my Cambria love.

In Which I Get A Very Slytherin Fortune Cookie . . .

Slytherin!

The Hogwarts house people love to hate in the Harry Potter books.  (It doesn't help that Slytherin was constantly being painted as the villains in the story.)

Known for being cunning, success seeking, loyal to a fault, but also ambitious.  

In truth there are a lot of really good people who are Slytherin, as they do have good traits.  Ambition is a good trait to have, but I've always felt ambition taken to the extreme is never good.  (Though most things taken to the extreme isn't good.)

This little fortune cookie highlights where I feel ambition can go wrong:

"Ambition knows no obstacles."

True, if one is truly ambitious they are ready and willing to weather any storm.  They are ready and willing to face and overcome any obstacle.  This is a good thing, but when these obstacles become people then it's good to pause and reflect.  I'm not talking about overcoming naysayers.  I'm talking about a persons willingness to hurt other people and/or stab others in the back to achieve what they wish.

No ambition is worth hurting another.

Best Fortune Cookie Ever

The year was around 2008-ish.  At least that's what I remember.  That's the problem with memories.  They're  blurred and sometimes hazy.  Only the punchline is clearly defined, such is the case here.

My Mom and I were getting ready to head towards California, car packed, running late for whatever reason, bracing for the 13 hour drive.  We decided to join my Dad for lunch at the Provo Town mall during his break.

We all had Panda Express, and as the American costume goes, we took turns opening our fortune cookies by meals end and read them each out loud.

"You are heading for a land of Sunshine and Relaxation."

When I read my fortune I burst out laughing.

For once my fortune spoke truth!

The California coast is definitely sunny and relaxing.

This is a story I've told several times, but forgot the exact wording of said fortune.  During dinner tonight we had a variety of Panda Express and KFC, satisfying my families different likes.  My Grandma got the fortune pictured above, the same one I got many years ago.  Unfortunately she isn't heading towards California, but we are heading into Summer, so that counts, too.

My fortune tonight said something about, "Soon being showered with good luck."  My Dad said I need a shower. -_-;;.  Regardless, I'll take all the good luck I can get!