Thursday, March 11, 2010

That's Some Serious Bling!

Don't ever buy me any jewelry. I'll either lose it, or it will get stolen. It's inevitable. Now, it's up to you to decide what happened to my wedding ring. Guess correctly and your name will be entered into a drawing for an I-Tunes gift card. (Yes, I finally decided on the prize.) So, here are the scenarios: #1: My wedding ring was stolen from a Dallas hotel room when my husband and I were there for the Cotton Bowl. I thought I'd never see the thing again, but much to my surprise, the maid who stole it returned it the next day. She hardly spoke any English, but from what I gathered, she was terribly sorry and begged us not to report her to authorities. My husband insisted that we should, but I talked him out of it. I have a pretty strong power of persuasion when it comes to him. Besides, the poor girl must have had a darn good reason for taking it, and she did apologize, right? #2: I'm not real sure what happened to my wedding ring. I think I inadvertently gave it to Goodwill just six weeks after my husband had a new diamond put in it. I've never seen it again, and my husband's never bought me a new one. Seriously, you'd think he'd get over it by now. But no! He insists on bringing it up about every other day. "What kind of a person loses a wedding ring?" he says. The cad! Leave your guess for which one is true in the comments. Now, for yesterday's statements. About half of you guessed correctly. I was not, nor will I ever be, a hand model. If you could only see my hands, you'd know why. My parents paid for my college, and I graduated with a degree in Accounting. Shortly after I passed the CPA exam, I found out I was pregnant with my third child. My priorities changed, and I became a stay at home mom. I did some contract Accounting work from home, but other than that, I've never used the degree. I wonder these days if I'd have been better off pursuing my passion for writing back then. Would a writing-related degree help me out in my journey to publication? What do you think?

42 comments:

Heckety said...

Ok, so I was wrong yesterday but think I'd still go for #1 true #2 lie. You're awfully clever you know? You've the knack of plausibility!

J.B. Chicoine said...

You're just too good at this and I haven't guess correctly yet. I want that iPod gift card, so I'm taking another shot today.

#2 is correct. I mean who would leave their wedding ring in a hotel room?

Deb said...

I was all set to make an almost identical comment to Bridget's. So just to be somewhat original.. I'll guess #1. You are very good at this :)

Natalie said...

I'd say #2 is true (but sad!) I'm terrible with jewelry too. The only reason I haven't lost my wedding ring is that I've never taken it off. It's nasty dirty and fused to my finger, but at least I still have it!

Mary E Campbell said...

I think #1 is true. I wouldn't have turned her in either - it would have been so hard to return it. I think it's good that you got your degree in something useful - something to fall back on if you need it. You can be a good writer without the degree, but that doesn't mean you'll have any security. My father died when I was young and my mom at least had her secretarial skills to fall back on. You never know what life will bring you.

Roni Loren said...

I'll guess #1 is the lie.

And as for the writing degree, I'm sure it doesn't hurt things, but from what I've heard from agents at conferences and such, they don't give much weight to it. It still all comes down to the writing.

Anonymous said...

Omg! I am losing so badly. This time I am going to go with story number 1 - even though it sounds outrageous. I have an English degree with a writing minor. It was a blessing to graduate college and it did help to expand me some, but I don't feel that you need a degree in writing to write. I had been writing way before I ever went to college. :o)

Sarah Simas said...

Wah-hoo! I guessed right! That never happens--seriously. :)

I'm going to go with #2. That is exactly what my hubby would do. Exactly! Now, he did buy me a $35 gold band from Wal-mart when I was preggo with kiddo #2 and got too fat to wear my diamond. *sigh* That's love for ya! lol

Kristi Faith said...

You are good at this!! I'm going to go with #2 as your truth. That is something I would do!

Tere Kirkland said...

I can't even guess. You ARE very persuasive!

I'll say tails! ;)

MG Higgins said...

Um . . . #2 is true. I think. I've wondered about the writing degree thing myself, but I'm overeducated and won't go back to school. It might be fun, though. And you'd learn a lot.

Dara said...

Guessing #2.

I don't think a writing related degree would do much. I mean I majored in English and (don't tell my parents this...) but I don't really think it helped all that much. I guess it has to some degree since we analyzed and overanalyzed every "great" piece of literature to see what worked and what didn't, but I'm not entirely sure that's helped me on my own path. Maybe it helped me see how stories are woven together, but I certainly don't think it's needed or has contributed a great deal to my own writing process. I think that has come through my own experience, especially participating online.

Patti said...

I'm guessing #2.

I'm not sure about the writing related degree, but I've often thought of that myself. I was an English major like Dara and that doesn't teach you to write, it teaches you to analyze what other people write. You'd have to get a creative writing something.

Abby Annis said...

Yea! I got it right. :)

Today I'm thinking #2 is truth, but that's just a guess.

As far as a writing degree goes, I've read a couple of places that it can actually be a deterrent to good writing. But I don't have a degree in anything, so what do I know? ;)

Jody Hedlund said...

Yep. I'm going with number 2--that you lost it, but don't really remember how. Because that's exactly what I did one time. I took it off and I couldn't remember where I'd left it!

And no, I don't think you'd have been better off pursuing a writing degree. I think if you really want to write, you'll do just fine, degree or not!

Kathy said...

Well I am batting zero so far! You are really good at this.

Today I am guessing that #1 is a lie and #2 is the truth.

L. T. Host said...

Today I guess #2 is true. And yeah, you're very good at this. Makes me want to do that second-guess thing where I start rationalizing that based on my responses so far, I should pick #1 because it's probably true, but you'd be expecting that so I should stick with #2, but you might be expecting that, too...

I'm sticking with #2.

Mrs. Major said...

I'd say both are true. Figured I'd guess a little differently.

And, I have an English Writing degree then wasted all my young adult life in real estate instead of writing so don't sweat it!

Karen M. Peterson said...

I'm going to say that #1 is just crazy enough to be true!

Karen M. Peterson said...

Oh, and I LOVE those shoes you posted today!

Janna Leadbetter said...

You're great with these scenarios!

I think a degree in writing can get you only so far, beyond that, it's inherent gift. And one certainly doesn't have to have a diploma to succeed!

Stina said...

Considering I have a physical education degree and a Master's in exercise physiology, I hope the answer is no. But I will admit those degrees have been helpful with my storylines. ;)

SoulSearching said...

I'm guessing that #1 is true but because of personal experience. My cousin had something very similar happen on her honeymoon only it wasn't her wedding ring, it was two heirlooms (rings) given to her by her mother as a wedding gift. Unfortunately, the rings were never returned to her and she is yet to tell her mother. She knows it would break her heart. And this is why I obsessively tear any hotel room apart before checking out.

Joshua McCune said...

These are brilliant -- I'm going w/ number 2... just last night my wife took off her rings while asleep... she blames our resident ghost, of course.

Danyelle L. said...

I'm opting for the first one. :)

Either way, I love the voice of the second one. :)

Carolyn V. said...

I knew it! Hee hee. The writing thing hit me after I was 2/3 through college. But there was no turning back on the degree.

Today, Is the truth #2?

Jade said...

I'm guessing you gave it to Goodwill. I can't understand why the maid would return it after stealing it and risk arrest.

Cassandra Frear said...

I'm guessing it went down the sink. That's because I have lost earrings that way.

K. M. Walton said...

I think #1 is TRUE and #2 is FALSE. I hope.

And I'm bummed I missed yesterday's!!

Suzanne Casamento said...

I'm guessing it's number 2. My girlfriend lost her engagement ring and her husband reminds her all the time, "Who would lose an engagement ring?"

As for the writing degree question - I went to Emerson College for writing and it's very hands on. For example, I had to pitch stories to magazines as class assignments. So, by the time I graduated, I already knew how to do a lot of publishing legwork.

But does anyone ever ask if I have a degree in writing? No. The paper itself isn't that hepful. But what they taught me was.

David F. Weisman said...

I couldn't guess for sure which one was true, but I'm still broken up about your insistence we buy you no jewelry. I wish you'd said that before I signed the financing agreement!

Terri Tiffany said...

#2 but we've got to work on that husband of yours. LOL I lost my diamond from the setting when we were moving--put it in a pill bottle then tossed it! Years later, he replaced it at the same place he'd given me the first one!

Kelly H-Y said...

One of those is true?! Oh goodness ... which one ... I can't decide .... OK, I'm going with #2. :-)

Name: Holly Bowne said...

Hmmmm...I'm going to have to go with answer #2 here.

And Susan, we have a lot in common it seems. I believe we're the same height (5-ft. tall?), I could NEVER be mistaken for a hand model (I've had old hands since I was a kid!) and my degree has absolutely nothing to do with writing--aside from an internship, I've never worked in my major field of study.

I've often wondered the same thing, whether I would have been better off with a degree in something journalism related.

But I look at it this way, we wouldn't be the people we are today, if we'd majored in something different, right? (Uh...I hope that's a good thing! ;o)

AiringMyLaundry said...

I'll go with number 2.

Heather Sunseri said...

I'm going with number 2, but reluctantly because that is so sad. Although a maid stealing it would be sad as well.

I know so many people who have accounting degrees that feel like they don't use them, but you never know when those tools might become useful again.

Sherrie Petersen said...

Ha! I lost my wedding ring. Twice! The first time I dropped it off a pier. My husband rented dive equipment but before he got in the water, some other divers found it and gave it back to me. Amazing, but true. The second time it got lost in a move. I wasn't wearing it because I was pregnant and bloated. He replaced it for me a couple years later and I'm crazy anal about it now because I'm terrified something will happen to it too!

Robyn Campbell said...

This post is super funny.(Well not the part about the ring being gone. That's awful) The part about that husband. The CAD! I know how you feel. Humph. MEN! And they really think aluminum foil burns too. =)

Sorry about your ring. He should definitely replace it. That's all there is to it.

Lillian Robinson said...

The first story was nice, but I'll go with losing it.

I don't know if a writing degree would have helped you directly, but it certainly would have turned your focus in that direction.

whitewitch said...

I would go for number one. It sounds more likely than the second although it could also be possible. I'm not really sure if I'm following my gut here. From the way I see it, I'm using my reasoning in choosing 1. But I'll stick by it anyway.

Jen said...

Oh so sad! I hate it when I lose something. I had this coat in college that I LOVED, and I have no idea where it disappeared to, besides possibly a roommate with hot fingers. (She always had tons of cool clothes and was always saying people "gave" them to her. Uh huh.) Anyways, to this day I wonder if she stole it or if I just left it somewhere.

I know that doesn't compare to a wedding ring, but I can empathize. That stinks!

Glynis Peters said...

#2...Or you put it in jewellery cleaner, and it dissolved the outer coating as happened to mine on our 25th Ann. Got a new one with compensation, but sad about the first.

If you enjoy courses go for it, if not I am certain you will do a grand job without.