"The amazing IN has graced us with another guest entry, now Mr. IN and I have been friends for quite awhile, and we share a common ability to turn any normal activity into a trip to the emergency room. We both also have a stubborn streak a mile wide."

I’ve got more than a few odd quirks. Some are just me being silly, and some have actual reasoning behind them. When it comes to leaving to go places, I have one of each. I am completely adamant about making sure the last thing I tell those closest to me before I leave is that I love them.

It’s something my mom taught me – to always have that peace of mind that no matter what they’ll know it, and it’ll always be the last thing you said to them. On a far, far less serious and sentimental note, I also typically end saying what I’m going to do with “or die trying!”

As in, “I’m off to go pick up dinner, or die trying!” The funny part is, I’m such a completely, absurdly stubborn person that it might have more meaning than I previously thought.

Ah yes, stubbornness. Allow me to give you my qualifications to speak on the subject! I have only called out sick from work once. In my entire life, that is.

It’s all about not letting some wimpy germs or injuries that can easily be “walked off” defeat me. Let me tell you about some of the things that have been unable to prevent me from doing my job…

I’d once developed some bizarre allergy / immune system problem which was causing me to fall apart completely, develop major respiratory and digestive issues, and then contract pink-eye to boot.

I was unloading pallets at my old warehouse job when my supervisor saw me, stopped dead in his tracks, pointed towards the exit, and told me to get out.

I once gave myself a major concussion by falling out of a Mack truck after moving it. I don’t remember the next few hours, but I’m told I went back to my desk, sat down, and did my paperwork until we closed.

They said that I was speaking complete gibberish and talking to myself, but apparently I’m weird enough that this didn’t really surprise or alarm anyone. The staff at the local emergency clinic didn’t find it quite as funny as I did.

Most of the safety improvements implemented here were due to me injuring myself via issues they weren’t aware of. Like the concrete staircase outside the office that didn’t have any security lighting.

I’d decided that carrying a large, heavy box of paperwork down a pitch-black staircase after-hours was a perfectly logical thing to do. As you’ve probably predicted by now, I succeeded in missing the bottom step, and somehow managed to catch all of my weight with the top of my left foot.

After rolling on the ground and yelling obscenities for a few minutes, I then proceeded to limp the 100 or so yards to my car, with the heavy box no less, load it up, drive the hour home, and wait, it gets better!

I’d been quite happy about being asked to stop and pick up delicious Panda takeout, so guess what I did next? Why yes, I hopped my way across another parking lot, stood in line, and hopped my way down to the register, then back out to the car again, and then went home for real.

Got home, discovered everything below my left shin had turned all sorts of horrifying shades of blue and black, and wound up going in to work the next day anyway.

These doctors I eventually wound up seeing also didn’t find it as amusing as I did, surprisingly enough. Six weeks in a boot and a doctor’s note forbidding me from going to work didn’t stop me either.

There was also this time I was told that I needed to do all of the monthly processing and closing quite a few days before it’d typically be done.

A normal person would’ve pointed out that it wasn’t possible, done what they could, and then went home. I, on the other hand, decided that I wasn’t going to back down from a challenge, and needed to defend my Invoice Ninja pride, and was determined to pull it off one way or another.

So… I worked for 34 hours straight.

The openers came in the next morning and thought that I’d started extra early or something. It wasn’t until I started going all loony and randomly dozing off that they figured it out… and promptly sent me home. I felt completely victorious – after all, I pulled off what should have been impossible, right?

Honorable mentions go out to the assortment of burns, lacerations, deadly diseases, and other fun things I’ve completely ignored. The sheered-off toe nail was a blast too.

At this point, I bet you’re really intrigued as to what form of divine intervention was enough to cause me to call in sick? I’m sure you’re imagining something along the lines of getting hit by a stray meteor, right?

No. It’s not that exciting, I’m afraid. I’ll tell you one thing though – there are few things in this world scarier than simultaneously having asthma and viral bronchitis. When I realized that I couldn’t actually draw in enough air to get the strength to stand up to get ready for work, I ultimately had to surrender.

My stubborn pride still kept me from actually going to see a doctor or taking more than one day off though. And if you think I’m bad, you should meet my mother. I will never be able to top her attempt at do-it-yourself dental surgery, nor do I ever want to. Can you see where I got it from?

I’m sure I’ve just inspired Boshie to do a “the stupid lessons we teach our kids without realizing it” entry…

Although the whole work thing makes for the best stories and examples, it doesn’t end there. Amazingly stubborn people are that way with everything. When we set out to do something, we refuse to let anything stop us. Hence the “…or die trying.”

The thing about stubbornness is that it’s a double-edged sword. If I had to classify it as anything, I’d say it’s both a blessing and a curse. Always being able to find a way to achieve what you set off to accomplish is a pretty commendable thing.

Not being a quitter is a virtue too in my book. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with being determined to finish the jobs you start.

The problem comes with moderation. There’s a certain point where stubbornness ceases to be helping you, and instead it’s causing you to completely defeat yourself.

Some of us, like me, are completely missing that little voice that goes “You know… this just isn’t happening. Maybe we should stop and come up with a Plan B, eh?”

And there we are, still attempting to fix our own cars after six hours because we didn’t want to pay a mechanic, or trying to get the html on our websites to cooperate with us at 3am because it still isn’t quite perfect in our eyes yet, or working until 8pm because we were so hell-bent on having the project done that day.

The other problem is that stubbornness has a best friend named perfectionism. They go hand-in-hand, and complement each other perfectly. When you’re both stubborn and a perfectionist, you constantly find yourself in these situations.

Whatever the underlying cause for them is, be it pride or just feeling this need to be successful, they can easily get you in trouble.

It’d be pretty awesome if I could end this entry with some concise, convenient paragraph that sums up how to find that balance and not run into these problems.

Unfortunately that sort of thing’s not my specialty. Your usual, favorite author here is good at it. I prefer the “Here’s what not to do” route. Besides, I’d be the supreme reigning online king of hypocrisy if I tried to tell you how to handle something I still struggle with on a daily basis. So instead, I’ll leave you with some different advice…

Don’t be like me! These things I’ve told you about make amusing stories, but they’re not a good way to live your life! Aim to find that perfect balance of being stubborn and determined, yet still able to know when to call it quits.

While the Invoice Ninjas of the world are trying in vain for hours to shove a boulder up a hill, you should instead find an easier solution, or just skip it entirely.

While we’re having to accept defeat after having accomplished nothing and experienced getting squished by the aforementioned boulder, you’ll have moved on to far more achievable goals.

As for the rest of you… c’mon! We’ll get it up that hill or die trying!

Science has taught us that we are all carbon based life forms, science also speculates about the possibility of silicon based life. (Besides Pamela Anderson) but that’s all I’ve ever heard about, yet I know for a fact that other possibilities exist.

You see, I married a testosterone based life form, to make this even more interesting I know nothing at all about men. I am the type of person who studies what I don't understand. It hasn't helped with him.

I come from the isle of estrogen, a family of strong, independent, stubborn women. For a good portion of my life males were mostly the things legends were made of. I am the fourth generation of women raised without a father in the home. Females outnumber males in my family five to one.

Those few males who survived this dynamic have adapted, they are still all male, most of them work in construction or other manly type fields. They fix things around the house, they have manly hobbies. Yet they also do dishes, clean the house, and help with the children. Many of the men in our family are better cooks than the women.

Then I met my husband.

He isn’t just a manly man, he is the poster child for all that is male. His favorite hobbies all seem to involve adrenaline in one form or another. From motocross to snow boarding, the more danger to life and limb the better. Extreme is just a way of life for him. He even drinks Mountain Dew, albeit the Code Red variety.

The closest I’ve ever been to extreme sports is watching X-Games on television. I am not your average girl, but underneath it all I am still a girl. To me, a truck is a truck is a truck. To him a truck is not a truck unless it is tall enough that I need a boost just to reach the seat.

I’m perfectly comfortable with tools. I can use a drill, read a tape measure, and run a phone line. Yet the look he gets on his face when I grab a butter knife because I can’t find a screwdriver is priceless. Why a mallet can’t be used as a hammer in a pinch is beyond me.

A saw is a saw as far as I’m concerned as long as it cuts, which always leads to a serious discussion about which saws are to be used where. I keep explaining that I am a girl, if a tool works, then it is the right tool for the job, and he vehemently disagrees.

Then, there are the movies. I prefer movies that stimulate me visually, intellectually, or emotionally. He prefers movies that involve body function humor, and lots of explosions and somehow always leave me with a feeling that my IQ is slowly draining out through my nostrils.

I am also a crier, he not only knows this, he thrives on it. He waits for the sad parts in movies and then stops watching the movie and starts watching me. As the tears start rolling his grin starts spreading. He doesn’t say anything, just watches me and smiles.

Our marriage has been an education for both of us.

He was a confirmed bachelor at the age of 26, though he had a daughter from a previous relationship he really didn’t understand girls any better than I understood boys. I came with three kids, two girls and a boy. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t witness at least one female crying.

My poor husband could advertise anything from car parts to Marlboro, he is THAT manly and must share his life with four women. To add insult to injury, two of our three pets are female. Add to that my grandmother, my mother, dozens of aunts, and female cousins and he doesn’t stand a chance. We have him surrounded.

Women are a lot like the Borg, we kind of insist you assimilate eventually.

He has held out remarkably well. In a few weeks we will be celebrating seven years together, and he has managed to hold on to most of his man sanity. True he does dishes now, goes to girl doctor appointments with me, and has learned not to ask if we are PMS’ing or just being bitchy.

I’ve learned to love X-Games, to crawl into trucks that are taller than I am, and to not ask why he felt the need to park the dirt bike in the living room. I’ve since read Mars - Venus, and I’m beginning to understand that we really do come from different planets.

He does at least get bonus points for finally adapting to all things geeky. He's almost as bad about computers as I am now. He isn't exactly a geek, he's far to manly for that, but my friend and I decided he does deserve honorary geek status for the effort.

I have also learned to appreciate those differences. I don’t know if a non-testosterone based life form could have survived the estrogen island without running screaming. He not only puts up with me, he loves me, and that makes spending an hour in the tool section just watching him drool totally worth it.

But... Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

98% OF AMERICANS SCREAM BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A SLIPPERY ROAD. THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM COLORADO AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY BEER AND WATCH THIS!’

After working so hard to convince people we aren’t just a bunch of redneck hicks, I’m going to backtrack and admit that some hick-like behaviors do exist among us. Country does not equal dumb, but we do have our own way of living life in Colorado. Not that I have actually been in a vehicle when someone handed over their beer for this stunt , but just the same it has a ring of truth to it.

I hate forwards, if it were up to me “Thou shalt not forward” would be the eleventh commandment, followed closely by “Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.” I have been an internet junkie for nearly ten years now, and trust me, it doesn’t matter how cute it is I’ve probably already seen it in ten different forms, and on twenty different forums.

Still, when this one was sent to me I had to stop and laugh at myself. I have been to Casa Bonita’s, as a kid I lived across the street from it for a little while, and I’ve been back as an adult as well. It's the closest thing Colorado has to a Vegas casino, minus the gambling, you have to drive a few more miles to do that.

So if you are from Colorado, join me for a little laugh at ourselves. If you aren’t from Colorado, just sit back and enjoy, you can laugh at us too. We don’t mind.

You Know You're from Colorado if :

You'll eat ice cream in the winter.

When the weather report says it's going to be 65 degrees, you shave your legs and wear a skirt.

It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be canceled.

You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of temperature.

You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.

'Humid' is over 25%.

Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.

You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.

You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.

You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's day.

You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat.

You know what the Continental Divide is.

You don't think Coors beer is that big a deal.

You went to Casa Bonita as a kid, and as an adult.

You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.

You always know the elevation of where you are.

You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow tomorrow.

You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High

Every movie theater has military and student discounts.

Everybody wears jeans to church.

You actually know that ** South Park ** is a real place not just a show on TV.

You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder .

You know you're talking to a fellow Coloradoan when they call it Elitches, not Six Flags.

A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you.

Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the tar out of the Raiders.

When people out East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.

You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky' and you notice the sky is no longer blue.