Customer Service, eh…OK…

I had to have AT&T Business come out to well, so business.  They had to install a line for me.

First, they guy pulled into the driveway and sat there.  And sat there. AND sat there.  I finally went outside and tapped on the window. He said that he was checking on availability.  Um…yeah, that has already happened.  I have AT&T, I just need another line added.  “Oh,” was his reply.

I went back in and watched him get out of his truck. It was reminiscent of sap or a belligerent child.  He was nice enough, but I could tell he was being paid by the hour for the install.  Dad could have taken care of it in about 1/4 of the time and would have done a better job.  And Dad is at least 2X as old as Corey the AT&T guy.

My friend was over while the install was going on.  She was amazed at how slow he was too. Then, he just left. we kind of looked at one another and watched out the window with a perplexed look on our faces. He pulled out of the driveway – to the front of my house where he sat in the van for 5 minutes and then pulled back into the driveway.  He never got out of the van. He came in, fuddled around, and then said he was done. He stood there awkwardly while I went up and looked at the work. We thought he would have followed me up, but no. Weird.  Then we realized, it would have just added another 1/2 hour to go up & down my 12 stairs, plus, there is a landing that would require him to turn right at the top of the stairs…may have been too much for him!

He then hands me the papers. This one is the order form. This one is to state that I tried to call before I arrived, but there was no answer.  “Ok. Wait, what? What number did you call?  I have all 3 phones right here!?”

He then reads off the number he just installed.

“Um. Yeah, that’s the number you just installed.  How could I have answered that line since, well, you just ADDED that line.  That’s why you were HERE.”

My reply from Corey: a shoulder shrug.  What an oaf.

All-in-all, I have had really good service from the U-Verse side of AT&T.  The Business side, well…that seems to be a lot less good so far.  At least they showed up and the line is working though. That’s more than I can say for my friend, Judy.  It took them something like 6 weeks to get hers up & running!

Christmas 2010

Huey, Dewy & Louie are now 8, 5, and 4.  This year, their names changed to Thing 1, Thing 2 & Thing 3, thanks to wonderfully Aunt that bought them the Seuss shirts when she was in Orlando.  I rock.

Thing 1 had expressed his desire for “the” present of all presents, the green beans.  Boy did he get them.  I found a HUGE can (gallon) at Baily’s in Toto.  It was the last gift he opened.  He, as usual, was overly dramatic about how excited he was.  Things 2 & 3 couldn’t even lift the can.  Mom & Dad just looked at the can with an expression that read “really, Aunt? What the heck are we going to do with a gallon of green beans?!”  - I later found out that they were supposed to bring a green bean casserole to their Christmas Day festivities.  Hello, I think we have a use for the gallon 'o beans!

Thing 3 was comically bratty.  He loves Dora the Explorer.  He, apparently, will not admit that outside of his immediate realm of Mommy, Daddy, Things 1 & 2.  His other Aunt got him a puzzle (I think it was the pink box that really did it though).  He opened the present, picked it up as if it was covered in toxic sludge and chucked it over to Aunt 2 and plainly stated “I do NOT want that, you can take it back.”  He hesitated a bit and then reestablished he didn’t want it, but might put it together once before she takes it back.

It is amazing that Thing 1 is 8 now.  We needed to run to the grocery store for last minute beef broth.  Thing 1 got to ride in the VW Beetle.  He was excited, he got to raise the seat, sit in the front, wear my glittens (look like mittens, but are actually gloves on the inside), but he also got to experience the glory that is “biscuit warmers.”  “Aunt, my seat is warm?!”  “Yes, Thing 1, that would be the biscuit warmer.” – hysterical laughter ensued.  He just thought that was THE funniest thing.  For me, it was the most fun I had ~ quality time alone with Thing 1.  It was just fun.

The other tradition at my brother & sister-in-laws house is the annual wrapping of the present.  Yes, not only do I generally have to wrap the presents that I bring, and the ones my Mom (and Dad) bring, but I typically have to help my s-i-l wrap the gifts, then, I help my brother wrap my s-i-l’s gifts too.  Like I said, it’s tradition.  I like to feel needed, so I enjoy it too

I decided to give the knitted blanket to my s-i-l, it was a good choice.  She was ever so grateful. Thing 2 likes to find hidden pictures, so I told her that she could make a game of the blanket & have Thing 2 find all the Amish parts.  My sister received a few handmade items for Christmas, including a lap quit that Mom made and a sewing caddy that is both a pincushion and scrap bag that sits on/hangs off the end of the sewing table.  She also got the “grass” rug I knitted, but technically that was for her birthday which is Wednesday.  I received a lovely woven scarf that my sister made; Mom received a table runner.  We are such the crafty bunch!

Aunt 2 & Uncle left at the same time I did.  Grandma & Grandpa stayed behind to wake up with the kids on Christmas morning. we chose a good time to leave, the kids were overtired and fast reaching meltdown mode.  So was I.

My New Relationship a/k/a Pity on the Uncoordinated

I got a Wii Fit Board (PLUS! – I can’t forget the “Plus” according to my nephew).  Funny thing was, I didn’t have the Wii Gaming System.  Yes, I wanted the WFB+, but it’s kind of important to have the gaming system too.  I opened the WFB+ on Christmas Eve and I would be opening my gift from my parents on Christmas Day, so I figured my sister-in-law spoke to Mom & they coordinated.  Nope.  I, of course, didn’t say anything.  I do, after all, want the WFB+.  On Christmas Day, I opened my 2 gifts – both of which were negative scanners.  Yes, Mom somehow didn’t coordinate with herself.  Hmm…OK…Umm… The explanation was that she had already purchased one and then I saw one on sale @ Meijer (Midwest version of Wal-Mart).  So, she purchased that one too.  I could then decide which I wanted and which I could return.

I decided to put the money for the returned scanner toward the Wii.

Today, I hooked it all up. Then, I just looked at it for awhile.  Visited with a friend.  Went to lunch. Watched some TV.  Alright, alright!!  I’ll play with you.

I only have the games that came with it, which is fine with me.  I will probably get some of those dance ones.  Problem is, I have digital confirmation that I am horribly uncoordinated. Desperately uncoordinated.  I mean…according to this piece of technology, I have no rhythm.  It was berating me. Taunting me even.  “Do you HEAR the music?  Seriously, are you deaf, if so, I apologize.”

Ok, so it was right to challenge my intelligence to some extent.  I was, after all, the one that had the balance board set up backwards so when I leaned left, it went right.  And, it was me, after all, that was blaming the board for being difficult and dare I say “stupid” for having the game set up so weird. 

BUT, how dare it tell me I have the Wii Fit Age of 55 just because  I am not use to playing on a game system.  Bollocks to you, Wii!  the funny thing is that the 1st time I did the Wii Age, I was 30Wii years old.  The next 2 times, I was 48 and 55.  Then, I was 29.  I have no balance, but I have excellent posture. Hmmm. 

And how can it be that this silly piece of plastic & wires can hurt my feelings.  Seriously!  “You’re OBESE” *giggle giggle* – whatever you techno-bitch.

How did it get to be December 23rd?

Seriously?  How did it get to be the end of 2010 already?  Not that I am complaining…I will be glad to see it go.  this year has sucked for me for the most part.  However, there have been a smattering of bright points.  I feel the need to recap the positives to get the nasty 2010 taste out of my mouth.

At least 10 (positive) things I want to remember in 2010:

1) my friend’s Aimee & Shaun’s wedding

2) my friends, Laura & Chris, having their 2nd child

3) my friends, Michele & Dave, having their 1st

4) finding out my dear friends, Chris & Steve, are going to be having their 1st

5) my Mom starting to be more like herself again after not having seen “her” for so long

6) there are a few (yes FEW) others that wed and/or are also expecting now too

7) winning an iPad from work

this is starting to get hard…

8) hearing my nephew ask for green beans for Christmas warmed my heart

stretching now…

9) oh! I lost +/-40 pounds this year.  I still have a way to go, but I have made such great progress!

10) I was able to see my Ana from Brazil along with my Uli!  It was only an evening, but I got to see them none-the-less.  All three of us together.  It was lovely.

and now the memories are flooding in!

11) a day with my friends at Frederick Meijer Gardens and the Chihuly Exhibit.  It was HOT (and I wasn’t uber pregnant like some were!), but great friends and an all around great day.

12) my almost daily walks with my friend, Jodie. For spring and summer we walked about 5 miles a day at least 4 days a week.

13) got to go to Hogwarts   when I was in Orlando on business. 

14) I do have a couple other memories, but I think there are some that I want to keep for myself.

12

False Increase

I weighed in today.  It wasn’t pretty, however, I am calling it a “false gain” because I know that a great deal of the gain was sodium based.  I had a pizza grinder for lunch yesterday and I am certain it inflated the numbers.  That’s my story & I am sticking to it!

The Annual Changing of the Blog Format

So, I get bored with the template.  I am not sure I am sold on this one, so I am going to try it on for a few days…we’ll see, but don’t be too terribly surprised if it changes again soon!

DONE!!

It’s tiny, but it’s done.  I may try to block it again now that it is all sewn together, but we’ll see…I don’t expect a miracle! So, without further adieu ~~ here is THE BLANKET!

And here is a close up of the December Square:

Of course, I screwed up.  I didn’t understand how to do the twists at first, so I just didn’t do it.  Then, I figured it out and then had to try to mimic the pattern on the other end.  I think I did quite well…for being a screw up!

I know my sister-in-law will appreciate it, but I feel bad that it’s the size of a baby blanket.

November in a week

I know time is running out, so I had to step it up & get caught up on the square of the month.  I was able to plug November’s out in a week.  Of course the trademark screw ups are in there…as I stated before, I am OK with that.  It’s a hobby and I am relatively new at it.

The flub up on this one stands out more in the picture than it does in person.  I have found that it the case with a few of the  screw ups I have had in these. Regardless, they are my screw ups and the end result is still going to be a (small) blanket.  Just one square away…now, to go shower so that I can head to the knit shop to pick up the pattern!

Down!

Yay! getting back on track after a few tough weeks. It was only 0.6lbs down, but it was DOWN!  Do I blame the program? Absolutely. Is it the program’s fault that I didn’t track my meals? Sure.  Is it the program’s fault that I “guesstimated”? Yep.  It is not my fault at all!

Of course I am being silly.  However, this is a common thing that does happen with Weight Watchers and any program.  “It doesn’t work” – No, that’s not the case.  The program works if you work the program.  I was lazy, lethargic.  I got bored, lost interest.  Then, whined when I wasn’t losing the weight.  What should I expect? I stopped walking the 5-7 miles 4-5 times a week.  I stopped tracking & just used the guessing game & mentally tracked.  I tell ya folks, that isn’t following the program!

This morning, my NMW (Naked Morning Weight) was down even more.  I am inspired to continue being a good girl so I have an even better weigh in this week. 

Amish October

Yes, so October started off promising… then it didn’t.  I really like the pattern too, darn it. It was the center portion that looks braided…except in the parts that it’s not!

I have decided that I am going to give the blanket to my sister-in-law.  She knits too and will appreciate all the work that went into it…regardless of how deformed it is!

Here is the almost finished thing.  I am hoping that blocking it will help it to uhm, well, not look goofy!  The one I am most worried about is “May” – the blue one (front & center) that knitted really tight & small!

September

Yes, it’s December.  Sue me.  I actually managed to make it through most of the square without messing up, but to keep in character, I didn’t cable the last row.

I was told by a “professional” knitter that I am like the Amish.  Apparently, they always make sure that there is some mis-stitch because only God is perfect.  I like their thinking!  I am 1/4 of the way through October and I seem to be VERY Amish in this square!

Darn it!

BOO, HISS – LOOK at that trend line!!  Yes, the last few weeks, I have been having trouble sticking with the program ~ I could blame the program and say that “pff, this Weight Watcher” stuff is bogus, but I truly know that it is MY setback because I haven’t been following the guidelines.  I didn’t track my food at all for the last few weeks.  It is tough to do so when traveling for work, especially with the conference where we pretty much had to eat what they gave us.  I thought the average of 7 miles per day would counteract the effects of the food, but apparently not…

I sat in the meeting almost in tears.  Very disappointed in myself.  I need to recommit to myself on this.  I have only gotten half way there and now I am slightly on the way up.  WRONG WAY, LADY!

I know it’s me and not WW.  For almost a year now, the program has clearly worked.  Now, I have to work the program!

The New Magic Kingdom

I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and YOUoouuu DIDN’T.  Ne-ner-ne-ner-ne-ner!

I have three words for you: UH MAY ZING!  Ok, one word, three syllables.  It was neat-o! I went with a friend that has neither read the books nor watched a movie, but she was a trooper!

We only had a couple of hours to spend there, we had to go to a staff meeting, but the 3.5 hours at the Island of Adventure was just right.  We probably could have stood a little more time, but all-in-all, we did everything we came to do: Visit Hogsmeade.  The fact that it was 20 degrees cooler than the seasonal average helped set the mood, as the village has fake snow on all the buildings.  I really wanted to warm up with a butterbeer, but alas, the stuff they had was cold (and tasted eerily like A & W Cream Soda topped with melted marshmallow, but about $9 more expensive).

The town was just fun. Check out the picture here – the owls – complete with fake (I hope?!) owl poop!  Zonkos, Honeydukes, Olivanders (which is really in Diagon Alley, but maybe he has a chain of stores now…?), but the really cool thing was Hogwarts.  Awww yeah, I have been in Hogwarts!  If you go, be aware that the ride through Hogwarts requires you to place your loose items in a locker (free for 30 minutes) OR, if you get motion sickness, you can still walk through the castle without getting on the ride.  The castle in-and-of-itself is fun to walk through.

I was getting giddy because, well, I could! My friend that was with me is 10 years younger (biologically) and about 20 years my senior maturity wise.  Yet, she did so well dealing with my goofiness and let me be me. I think she knew that if she didn’t, I would become even more obnoxious.  She was also smart enough to appreciate that she was on my turf and she was out numbered!  It was an expensive 3.5 hours ($92 including tax for a one day admission), but I am glad I went!  Word to the wise, stop after one butterbeer…

That Just Sounds Gross

“Mi Amore, please let me share my seeds of love with you”

eww

A Life In Motion

Everything just seems to be moving in every direction lately.  I’d be hard pressed to find a close friend that hasn’t had something life altering happening in their lives this year.  Some good, some bad, and some depends on the perspective.

I have lived in South Bend for about 14 years now.  In those 14 years, I have had 3 jobs (4 if you include Barnes & Noble, but that was just for a social life), 3 homes and countless friends.  There is one friend that has been there since day 1. She is and has been my closest friend for at least 13 of those 14 years.  For the last 7 or 8 years, we have had an amazing group of friends of which she & her husband are truly the nucleus.

We all started out single.  All but one of us are married (or engaged).  Ironically, it’s one of the most outgoing of us too…me.  It seems that South Bend hasn’t been the place for me to find my soul mate.  As it stands, there is really only one other friend who could potentially get married, but they haven’t set a date.  It is just me.  I did sorta date one guy a few years back, but realized that when it came to the kisses, that never happened.  Then one day, he declared his love…to a man named Josh.  Although he pronounced it “Yosh” since he had an accent.  The other sorta situation was with someone I had known for years and that was just all sorts of dysfunctional, “You misunderstood what I meant when I said I was falling in love with you, I meant as a friend all over again.”  Yeah…sure…

My company, which I love, has been encouraging us to work from home.  It really didn’t appeal to me since I live alone and am single.  But, all of my team are now working from home…I decided that if I can work from home, I would rather be in a place that has more to offer.  I had always loved Indianapolis and left under horrible circumstances.  I had tried to get back there when I was looking for all of the jobs that I have had in South Bend.  It’s not that the city has been bad to me.  Again, I have amazing friends, but they all have families that they have started and here I sit alone at home typing a blog.

It was a tough decision.  Not only do I love my friends, but my house is quite fabulous too.  It’s nothing fancy, but it has everything I wanted, except a dishwasher.  But, it is just a house; the home I get to take with me.

Right after I declared my intention to move, my dear friend of 14 years told me that she was expecting her 1st child.  My heart sank.  Now? Really?  It has complicated the decision, but I know she wouldn’t expect or want me to stay for her if it is what I feel that I need to do. 

Once I mentioned it to my neighbor, her friend’s kid came to my door and asked to buy my house.  For real.  I agreed to the price.  And almost a  month later, I haven’t heard a word from them.  This is frustrating because I found a house that I fell in love with in Indy.  So, I have contacted a realtor and have asked them to put my house on the market, a few months before I had intended.  But, I don’t want to miss out on that house now.

I am not sure what the future holds or how much longer I will be able to look out the beautiful picture bay window while sitting by the fire in my navy living room.  And, I don’t know what adventures Indy may hold for me.  And I wonder how soon I will find out…

Thank You, but No, I Prefer Not to Smoke Your Crack Cocaine.

For many a year, I had the email address “the freak magnet @ something dot something” I retired it because it was inundated with SPAM, not because the name was no longer applicable.

As was displayed last night.

I met up with a dear friend at a bar for some quality time.  She and I have never really spent time outside of work alone and we decided it was high time to change that.  She is such a kind soul and it is impossible to not feel as though you are the most important person in the room when you are with her.  You know these kinds of people; no matter how many individuals are there with you, every single one of them feels that they themselves are the closest person to her.  I admire (and am slightly jealous of) her for this, but it is just who she is.

I was lucky to have her all to myself for the evening.  Such a full and interesting life she’s had so far and the adventures she’s planning.  A truly beautiful woman.  (She, at the age of 14 was clubbed over the head at the peaceful protest @ Kent State!  I KNOW, I wasn’t kidding! She’s got life stories to be in awe of!).

She and I are still excited that we were able to meet up.  The bartenders had just set our drinks down and all of the sudden, I have about 200 lbs of smelly man leaning on me. He was about 65ish, wearing a blue sweat suit, and wreaked of tobacco. His elbow was digging into my upper inner arm and his forearm was pressing across my chest, hand extending toward my friend. He asked if my friend was my sister.  We smiled and said, “of course” and tried to go back to our private conversation.

He was having none of that.

It seems that I was direct, yet polite, in again telling him that I was going to turn my back to him so I could have a private conversation with my friend.  I then proceeded to tell my friend about the inappropriate touching that happened on my Delta flight (http://but-i-dont-think-so.blogspot.com/2010/10/lt-wallaby-and-ipod-of-death.html).  To which he stated “You should NEVER touch someone without their consent!” …as he was touching me, emphasizing each word with a painful prod in the arm.  My friend didn’t miss a beat and stated “It’s a lesson to keep with you always…always” – he didn’t pick up on it.  He was still touching me.

I flatly, yet politely told the man to move off of me. He was still in my personal space.  The bartenders were still hovering and keeping an eye on the situation and at that point told the man to move further away from me. He finally obliged, but was still quite close, but at least I wasn’t supporting the man’s weight any longer.

He then started talking about how he loves crack cocaine. “I am not quite certain why you would think that I have any interest in speaking to you about anything, much less drugs.  There is nothing I would like to discuss about them and would like for you to stop as well.” He didn’t.

The interaction went on like that for at least 20 minutes. He was harmless and there was no need to be rude to him.  He was harmless in the state he was in and I was concerned that if I were to be nasty, his demeanor would change and that wouldn’t have been nice for anyone.  And, again, there really was no threat, just annoyance that he was taking away from the quality time with my friend.

Thankfully, he decided that he needed a cigarette, so he was then escorted out of the establishment.

I was very impressed with the professionalism and kindness shown by the bartenders (Nate & Chris K?) at Trios.  While they couldn't get me the baked brie, I knew that they had my back in a much more important way in the event that the man did get any more forceful.

In the end, my friend and I were able to spend a delightful evening listening to some wonderful music and even more delightful conversation…and a fun story to tell.

Lt. Wallaby and the iPod of Death

Here I sit almost 24 hours after I returned home on a flight between Detroit and South Bend, on my way home from a long week in NY.

I am still amazed at the treatment from the flight attendant, as were other passengers that witnessed the encounter that I am about to describe.  Let me state that I am still a devoted Delta Airlines passenger, but their response to the following encounter may impact that relationship.

Let me establish a couple of things first:

1) I travel a lot.  And when I travel, I try to always fly Delta.

2) I travel the same route a lot. SBN>DTW (or CVG)>LGA.

3) Having traveled this route for 5+ years, there are certain aspects that you pick up on:

a) there is a double ding that alerts the flight attendant that passengers can power up their electronics

b) this double ding typically occurs 15 minutes after wheels up

Another typical behavior for me is that I doze off during pre-flight and take off.  This was a typical trip.  I was out before the door shut.

I looked at my watch when I woke up; about 15 minutes from wheels up. another typical occurrence is that the double ding is often what wakes me up. Feeling that we had leveled off, I assumed this was the situation.  I powered up my iPod Touch.  Next thing I know, I have a hand crushing down on both my hands around the iPod and being shaken aggressively with 3-5 forceful jerks.  My reflex was to strike out at my seatmate, but my hands were bound.  I look up and it's the flight attendant!!  His  resemblance to Captain Kangaroo ended there.  He was Captain Kangaroo’s evil lesser known twin: Lt. Wallaby.  Lt. Wallaby then speaks to me in a tone that was just as unnecessary as the physical assault that just occurred. 

I was made to look and feel like a criminal for a simple oversight; as though I was trying to take a plane down by powering up my iPod.  He came at me with the attitude that he wanted a fight.  This infuriated me even more. If I were to have reacted in kind, I would have been cuffed and escorted off the plane by South Bend's finest. All I mustered up the courage to say back was "Touch me again" in a threatening tone.  He then proceeded to berate me on how conceited I was and that there were 50-something other people on the plane and how dare I feel so entitled to be above them. 

The man was out of line and, as I mention, came at me with an incredible attitude.  I had no interaction with the man before this instance and gave him no reason to believe that the powering up of my iPod was an act of defiance.  He gripped my hand and shook my arm with enough force that my hand is still sore today. I know it's not injured, but WOW, my opinion of this man as a representative of Delta sure is.

And oh yeah, the "double ding" happened as he was walking away from me.  I had just mentioned to my boss what a perfect travel experience we had been having before we got on that flight. Boy did that change quickly!

Always Something There to Remind Me

Not only a good 80’s song, but also relevant to my shopping experience yesterday.

There are some things that you just associate with people or places.  I was at the grocery store and decided to go down the snack aisle.  I needed snacks.  Every time I see the Nilla Wafers, I think of my Grandpa.  Yesterday, I had to give in and buy a box.  Yum.  Another thing that reminds me of Grandpa is angelfood cake.  He had a heart problems and I remember visiting him in the hospital.  They always gave him angelfood cake and if we were visiting, he shared it with us.  Sometimes he’d even save it just for us; he was a wonderful Grandpa.

I recently wrote about the Grandpa chair that I am currently sitting in while typing this and remembering him sitting in the chair, my Dad (his son-in-law) pretending to sit on his lap.  I can hear his donkey-esque laugh and the punctuated way that he & Grandma said my Mom’s name.  I can’t hear his voice any longer, just the laugh and they way he said her name.  Makes me a little sad, but it has been almost 20 years since he went to Heaven; I think he’d forgive me that, he was, after all, a wonderful Grandpa!

Get to Gettin’

I don’t like the word “get” and it’s past tense “got.”

It seems like a lazy verb to use. Think about it really. Today, I purchased a few tops for my friend. I went to relay this message and stated that I got her a few tops. There are so many better verbs to describe the transaction: purchased, bought, acquired, just to name a few.

I’ve got to try to stop using that word so much.  (get it…heh…I just used it 2X in my declaration to try and stop using it!  I am funny).

Now that statement revised:

I really would like to try and utilize better verbs to express myself.  See, doesn’t that sound a little more clear and educated?

Stuff

My Grandmother was a pack rat. Made sense…she grew up in The Great Depression.  Many people that remember having nothing ended up keeping everything. So, when Grandma passed away, we had a LOT of junk to sort through. So many years upon years of stuff.  None of which was worth much at all.

There were a couple of items that were sentimental and maybe one or 2 pieces that may be worth something that I now have in my home.  I have a beautiful steamer trunk (navy blue to boot!), a really comfortable chair that I call my Grandpa Chair and a lot of kitchen gadgetry.  Some of the gadgets I yet to use ~ I have had them for at least 8 years.

I have been watching Clean House and Hoarders lately.  Makes me feel really good about my house, but it also makes me want to thin out what I DO have.  I can understand how the people feel attached to the objects.  I don’t understand how they can feel connected to every object though.  I would be heartbroken to give up the Grandpa chair, but when it comes down to it, it’s just furniture.  It’s not like if I were to sell the chair, I am selling the memories of my Grandpa away too.

On those shows, I have noticed that they “make” these hoarders/excessively disorganized people get rid of everything.  At first, I thought that was excessive too, but then I realized that their collecting is a condition/disorder and they pretty much need to make the people have a clean break so that they can see that they can still live without having the crap surrounding them.

It’s also sad because it’s obvious that these people have such low self worth and self esteem. The clutter is an outwardly expression of how they see themselves.  It’s heartbreaking.

I am contemplating relocating back to Indianapolis. I will need to pack life away and I need to now start sifting through my possessions and wondering what is worthy of the move.  The last thing I want to have happen is for people to hang on to worthless stuff just because I once owned it. Although, I really don’t know who would have that sort of need ~ I am single and my dog doesn't really have any use for anything other than a good t-r-e-a-t or a nice good belly rub.  Plus, chances are, I will outlive her anyway.

Over the course of the next few months, I will have to sort through want versus need, sentimental value versus monetary value.  I am certain that I will find the sentimental value will win out more than I anticipate, but I’ll just put Miss Niecy Nash and have her “OH!” the decision for me.

Classic Ads that Would Insight Riots Today

Lovely Day!

This summer, Mom & I went on a little trip. It wasn’t what we had been planning, but circumstances as they were, we had to modify our plans for the larger good.

Our trip took us to Buffalo, New York for a quick dinner at “Chef’s” (famous local Italian restaurant that I have been hearing about for 14 years from my dear friend that has family in the area) followed by checking into the Hilton in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

We stayed there for 2 nights and had a lovely time walking around. The view from the hotel was phenomenal; we could see both the Canadian and American Falls through our full wall of windows. This was especially nice on Canada Day when there was a spectacular fireworks show. It went on too long though, we both ended up going to bed before the finale.

We also went to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and stopped at a few vineyards on the way. I also got sick that day. It was a nice little town, but it was quite touristy.

Where we really had a blast was in Sparta, Ontario. Who knew?! We decided to stay in London for the night and then check out what was around in the area. There was a little ad for a Lavender Farm in the little brochure. We thought we’d go check it out. SO GLAD we did! The name, Lavender Blue, the website: http://www.lavenderblue.ca/index.htm ~ but if you want to order anything, call them versus using the website, the international aspect makes it a bit tough for them via the web.

It was this little tucked away place that was amazing. It was relaxing and fragrant (duh…). The lavender was still blooming, but just past it’s prime (sorta like me :P). We could have relaxed there all day, except Mom’s allergic to bees and as you can imagine, there were copious amounts of bees. While we were there, a film crew was also there trying to film a “staycation” tourism video. Mom and I are in the video – it may be a 3 second blip, but hey, I am famous in Sparta, Canada now!

They had a little shop with the most amazing products: dressings, chocolates, honey, linen sprays, lotions, soaps…we could have bought the shop out of everything and between Mom and me, I think we did purchase about one of everything.

We asked the owners of the place where else we should check out. They said we couldn’t miss Winter Wheat. We had no clue what the place was…a shop? a farm? So, on we trekked: http://www.winter-wheat.com/

How quaint and relaxing!! it was so fun. One of those places that no matter how many times you walk around, you don’t see everything. Stating that this was a store is an understatement. It was a destination, an art gallery, a park, a concert venue.

As you drive in, there are sculptures everywhere, but these are all made from existing trees that have lived their lives. Every direction, something to see!

There was a quiet little cabin that use to be the art studio for one of the owners that is now a sitting room with coffee and cookies (there was a requested donation for the yummies that would be donated to a local animal rescue). I really liked the greenhouse (pictured left). It was cool but sunny and we could hear the harpist playing a few yards away.

I didn’t want to leave. The owners of this place sent us to a restaurant that also contained a pottery studio, Green Frog Tearoom, http://users.iglide.net/pinecroft/GiftShop.htm. Glad to say, there were no frogs on the menu. After lunch, we walked around the pond there and saw the namesake, a green stone frog that was used as a step for carriages. It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, but so did EVERYTHING that day…why should the frog be different.

We then ventured along to try and find the 2nd lavender place. It was a disappointment. We decided it was time to drive back over to the US. That was an adventure too, but I think I will leave that for another blog.

I Never Said I Was Smart!

uhm…uh…sigh…uh…excuse me Avis man that can’t speak English, but I don’t seem to understand the “push here to start,” maybe I will have better luck understanding you? One would think it’s fairly straight forward.  I mean, even Ren & Stimpy knew how to push the shiny red button (don’t push it!") ~ and their button worked.  I seem to be simplistically challenged.  Make it too simple and I can’t handle it.  THAT’S IT!  I am too intelligent for the car!

The fob was in there (cool, you mean i can have the fob in my POCKET and the car will (supposedly) still start?!  Nuts, you say!

I am pushing the button that states “push here to start”…the electronics come on…but what the heck, the engine wont engage?!  Do I have to stroke it’s ego? Buy it dinner?  What?  Is it like the horse I rode once that decided that I wasn’t worthy and would only walk straight into the thorn bush?  Bastard horse.  You ruined a good bra that day, Mister Ed.  Not all of us have thick hides…especially not Victoria and her secrets.

I have a college degree.  I like to think I have common sense.  Guess not, at least when it comes to automotive and electronics…case in point (and no one needs to bring up the Honda Paperweight and VW Fritzmobile).

So I sit. I sit defeated by a Nisson.  A NISSON!  Not even a manual transmission or a BMW… or a Porche, but an automatic NISSON?

I give u…wait, what’s this little illustration over here?  A brake pedal PLUS the start button?  Huh…OK…I’ll try the instructions.  Imagine that…it worked!  (Mental note, next time look for instructions and follow!  …Thank God, I am pretty…although I thought I was smart too…guess the Ugly Blog will be coming soon too…)

Now, on to the Long Island Expressway where I haven’t thought to check whether or not Avis has reprogrammed the navigational system to the defaults and I get to try to reset them on one of the busiest highways in the country because some ya-hoo has told it to avoid highways, u-turns, traffic (seriously…avoid traffic?!  it’s a NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM…fairly certain there will be “traffic” everywhere…you’re on STREETS), tolls, trolls, blue cars, green rusty trucks, and people with white shirts.  Just a thought…if you need to avoid all of that stuff, you should take a taxi or hire a service in NYC.  Just saying.

The National Rental Agent: “Pick any car from the ‘Fullsize’ row..”

Uh…

…how about the white Chevy?

In the Water

Seriously, be careful. There seems to be something in the water in South Bend. I have held 2 newborns this summer. There were 2 others within the past year and now, there are 2 more close friend expecting. One of which is my dearest friend.

I am very excited for all of them and love the fact that these amazing couples are or are going to be the type of people that should have kids (oh, you know that there are plenty of people out there that shouldn't be in public, much less pro-create!). I did find it tough to be sitting there listening to the pregnancy tales. Not because I can't/don't want to hear about it, but simply because I know I have nothing to contribute to the conversation. I felt that way about the wedding plans too... and the woes of married life...the silly things their spouses do...the sweet things they do.

I can talk about my dog.

Pretty Sunset, Cedar Lake, IN