Giyen

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  1. I Promised Her I Would Take Better Care of Myself

    12/27/10 11:00am by Giyen
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    Margarine

    I’ve had an issue with food since I was about three years old. One of my earliest memories is sneaking into the kitchen, peeling away the gold foil on the stick of Blue Bonnet margarine and biting into it with reckless abandon. Yes, this is a true story. When you are left home with a schizophrenic mother while your siblings are off at school and your father is at work -- well, you find comfort where you can. Apparently, at three, you can find solace in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.  Read more >

  2. We Wear Short Shorts

    3/18/10 12:06pm by Giyen
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    Short Shorts

    During the month of March, all these emotions start percolating up to the surface. It's birthday month.  Read more >

  3. Somewhere Under A Rainbow: Mothering When You Didn't Have a Mother

    3/10/10 10:00am by Giyen
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    Seattle Rainbow

    I spent the whole of Wednesday buried under my covers feeling sorry for myself. My daughter Paige and I have been fighting like cats and dogs as of late, maneuvering our way through the typical mother-daughter dynamics (I hate you! I love you!). I'm not exaggerating when I say that there have been some knock-down, drag-out screaming matches and threats of boycotting each other -- 4-ever! It's completely unrelenting.  Read more >

  4. Parenting a Teen: A Little Glimpse of Hope

    3/2/10 12:00pm by Giyen
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    Collage

    There's a certain point at which you realize that everything left to do as a parent is pretty much small potatoes compared to all the work you did between the ages of zero and 12. Gone are the days when the definition of "mom" meant "center of the universe." Gone are the days when going to bed without snuggling seemed sacrilegious. You realize that window of opportunity for imparting your great nuggets of wisdom has mostly passed and that your job now is relegated to chauffeur and chef. And that's if you are lucky.  Read more >

  5. Registered Sex Offender Sites - Have you looked?

    3/1/10 1:01pm by Giyen in Family Connections Comments (10)
    • Discussion

    I love the Internet and the ability that it gives everyone to find out all kinds of information readily and easily. These days, I fashion myself as an amateur online Columbo - I can research and sleuth out all kinds of information about people. It's borderline "stalkeresque" but it has come in handy several times. For instance, I found the name and address of the horrible landlord's down the street and called them up to do something about the garbage emanating from their rental.  Read more >

  6. Calling Dr. Google. Calling Dr. Google.

    2/23/10 2:35pm by Giyen in Family Connections Comments (13)
    • Discussion

    I, like many people I know, have an aversion to going to see my doctor. It has nothing to do with a phobia, rather I feel like I am too busy to actually go. Everything from scheduling time off during a work day, figuring out how to get there and then waiting in the reception room with a bunch of contagious people seems like such a hassle that I try to avoid it at all costs. There have been quite a few times when I went to the doctor's office I ended up walking away with a "Yeah, you're sick but there's really nothing we can do. Go take some Tylenol and call me when you are dying."  Read more >

  7. Police Reports: One of Life's Little Pleasures

    2/11/10 5:00am by Giyen
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    I feel so much better about myself. ****  Read more >

  8. To Be Wired or Not To Be Wired?

    2/8/10 12:18pm by Giyen in Family Connections Comments (1)
    • Discussion

    Lately I have been discouraged about how the access to technology seems illicit the expectation of an instantaneous response. Perhaps I am just an old fuddy duddy, but I consciously try not to stay tethered to my phone. I find that the constant barrage of text messages and phone calls causes me to get distracted and sidetracked from the task at hand. Sadly, I feel exactly the same about email. I only check it once or twice a day. If I reviewed email as soon as it came in, I would get lost in conversations.Don't even get me started on "CC:" chains.  Read more >

  9. Parents Just Don't Understand

    2/1/10 5:00am by Giyen
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    The other day I got an email from the school district calling for an urgent meeting:11/07/09 Subject: VHS Dance Discussion All Welcome to Attend  Read more >

  10. Cash Vs. Debit

    1/31/10 11:23pm by Giyen in Family Connections Comments (1)
    • Discussion

    Now that Paige is getting older (three years till 18!), I've been trying to think of ways to shift her perceptions about money. I believe she still thinks that money either grows on trees or some happy fairy deposits money in my bank account whilst I spend days at leisure. Now I know that I am to blame for Paige's laissez faire approach to all matters financial but I have to believe that it's never too late to teach a young pup new tricks.  Read more >

Giyen Kim

Full Name
Giyen Kim
Member Since
October 2008
About Me: 

My name is Giyen - pronounced GEE-yen (which rhymes with pee-yin).  I am a 34 year-old single mum of a 15 year-old girl named Paige.  We live just outside the lovely city of Seattle, Washington where there are more dogs per capita than children and more bookstores per capita than anywhere else in the United States.  Paige and I have a sometimes contentious relationship due to the fact that she is a born litigator and likes to argue every angle until (a.) I mentally shut down, (b.) I bring out the ugly voice or (c.) I buckle under the pressure of her extreme cross-examination.  God, I love that child more than anything (but at this juncture I don't have a dog so things could change).

Sometime in late February 2008 I woke up after a few restless hours of sleep and made the decision to resign.  Instead of doing what most rational people do in this predicament - find another job and then quit - I ran to work, wrote my resignation that day and set it on my boss's chair before I turned chicken shit.  Aside from parenthood, this act is the most significant thing I have ever done in my adult life.  In fact, it is also the most selfish and rash decision I have ever made.  I can only sum up my actions by saying that it was the greatest demonstration of love I could ever fathom showing myself.  I deserve to be happy.

Instead of getting a real job, I now do freelance consulting.  I still chuckle to think that people pay me for my opinion on things, but I think I do a good job.  When I am not working, I am chronicling my journey in life in a blog called "Bacon Is My Enemy".  I find myself in unchartered territory here, learning how to be a happy person after years of being the contrary. I truly believe that if someone with as much emotional baggage as I have can break free and live a happy and authentic life, then just about anyone can do it.  It's hard work, but it's worth it. 

Just like the other 16 million bloggers out there I hope to make a living from writing and consulting.  I have a lot to learn but I am optimistic because I am having so much fun.

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