Local woman lays down law

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — After months of chaos and compromise, Chattanooga woman Sarjen, 30, decided to enforce stricter rules in her suburban apartment home regarding her cousin, Joseph, 14, who moved into the apartment Aug. from Mich.

Photo of Chattanooga woman, Sarjen, at her wits end. Note
her disheveled appearance and angry expression.
Cameraman Mike had to dodge a fist after taking this photo.

     Sarjen, who had previously given the only bedroom to Joseph, took the room back and reorganized the apartment furniture. She cleaned the kitchen and sorted laundry as a start to what she called, "The new clean regime." 

      The regime was her carefully constructed plan to maintain a clean living space and would require regular chores by Joseph.

     "I love Joe," Sarjen said, "And these chore requirements aren't a punishment for his hurtful disrespect towards me, but a plan for a clean home that will make him happy and comfortable living here."

     There has been no word yet from Joseph on how he feels about the new changes. 

     "That's probably because he doesn't know about them yet," Sarjen added.

     In addition to the added chores, Joseph will lose computer and phone privileges until they have been earned. A new incentive program Sarjen calls, "Responsible parenting for the good of the child." Earning of these privileges will be outlined at a later date, but Sarjen feels optimistic about the success.

     "I don't know if things will work out with Joe living here for long, but while he's here I plan on finding things for him to do with his time besides staring at screens. He has so many opportunities for a better life here, but now he's going to have to earn them."

I Triple Dog Dare Ya!

I really like getting feedback here. So far, my thanks to Theresa for chiming in. I'm trying to think of how I can make this thing more interactive. I like the idea of challenges that push me past my boundaries. I'm thinking of soliciting requests - dares, if you will, to get me out there. It actually makes me a little sick to my stomach if I think about it too long. That's a good sign, right?

What's Next?

That was fun, now I need a new challenge. Any ideas? I still have to warm up to speaking in front of people. How can I arrange a small engagement to prepare for? I'm not really sure who I can speak to and what to speak about. A small speaking opportunity would be a perfect challenge for me, though. I'll need to look around for something . . .

I actually wanted to go to the gym this morning but it was closed for the holiday weekend. I hope I still have this motivation next week.

Next week my classes will be tough. Two weeks left in this semester, so profs are expecting everything they assigned for the end of the semester to get to them now. I'm not making progress on my anthropology papers so I have to work hard on those. I'm going to enjoy the long weekend though. The weather is beautiful!