I just felt like writing

It's close to the end of the day and I'm utterly exhausted, which frankly isn't atypical anymore. For some reason (which I'm currently blaming on a sinus infection that has been plaguing my body since 3 months now--and yes I'm on round four of antibiotics) I am insanely tired all the time. It's currently 7:28 and I could fall asleep right now. This is what my life has come to...27 and I'm in bed on a majority of the nights by 8:30, 9:30. In fact I attempted to stay up late the other night to see how my body would react...and the next day was full of irritation.
And for whatever reason today it became apparent that people often forget to be grateful for what others do. I try in my own work environment to go and talk to people and always thank them for what they do and let them know I appreciate them. But I do think people are under-appreciated. What happened to people saying a simple thank you? It's two simple words that take all of a few seconds to say and honestly means a ton and can change an attitude around.
I've wished many times people would just say a simple thank you for helping me, or thanks, or some form of gratitude. Having a thankless job is really difficult and quite discouraging at times. I try and say thanks to the custodians as I see them empty the trash or wash the windows, or scrape the gum off the floor, or other random things like that. I doubt they even know who I am, but I figure at least they got recognized for something albeit small.
I guess the brunt of what I'm trying to say is that I'm just glad for people who do their jobs and I wish more people would express it. Now I would really like to go to bed.

Who is your google?

I am a human google. Okay not really, but I swear to my family (and a few friends) I am their google. I have had several phone calls in the last twenty four hours that are quite random. First it was my little sister late afternoon yesterday calling me frantically wondering if it was our older sister's birthday. She had the right day, but hers is in October, not August. I informed her our brother has his birthday on the 23rd as well as our grandpa and our cousin is the 21st...and come to think of it it's our brother-in-laws on the 21st as well, but I had not remembered that at that moment.
I got a phone call from my brother today (conveniently while I was sitting at the doctor's office and the doctor had just walked in) and he wanted to know if I knew where a walgreens was. I told him of the one by mom's house, but I didn't know of another one other than that but that he could text google and find out.
This was my favorite one of the day: my mother called me and asked me if I knew if she had my littlest brother on her taxes. I did not keep tabs on her taxes this year (which I have in previous years due to filling out the fafsa...note the fafsa was not for me but rather for other siblings). She was quite confused because she was fairly sure I had helped both of my little sisters fill out the fafsa--which I'd done previous years, but this year I made them learn how to do it on their own.
I get phone calls like this on a consistent basis from my family members. I suppose it is because I have an interesting set of skills. To give you an idea of my set of skills I figured I'd list them and in no particular order:

• math
• computers
• filling out the fafsa (yeah I know...I've done it for me 4 times my other sister twice, my brother at least once and probably more like 3 times, and another sister once and I assisted a friend)
• troubleshooting internet
• getting my way at call centers
• finding dr offices
• medicines
• problem solving (they will vouch for me on this one)
• being near the internet 99% of the time
• finding and applying for applicable jobs for an individual
  

While I don't think any of those are astounding traits to have it does me that I get called upon frequently. I've had a plethora of unusual phone calls happen out of this.

• My dad called me one evening and said his internet wasn't working. I told him to unplug the modem and the router and turn his computer off. Then I told him to plug the modem in first and then the router and then turn the computer back on. He scoffed "this is what tech support has come to these days? Unplugging and plugging back in?" I simply said "Try and call me back if it doesn't work." I never received a phone call.
• My older sister called me and asked me how to get to her house from the city I lived in. (In her defense she only came from the north direction and I came from the south and she was fairly new to her home).
• My mother calls me quite frequently to ask me about cords and where they go and what device they go in. To assist her in her cord usage she has labeled plastic bags saying "camera cords" and other such things. She does now know what a usb end of a cord looks like which is leaps and bounds above where she used to be.
• My mother often calls wondering how to do simple tasks on the computer. My favorite was when she wrote a talk for church in her email so she could send it to my brother who lived far away and her email program timed out and when she hit send it gave an error. She called me frantically wondering how to get her talk back. The next time I went home I made an icon on her desktop for word so she could find it the next time she went to do that (she had told me that it wasn't there anymore).
• I get called frequently to interpret what in the world financial aid is trying to tell my sisters. Usually this entails a three way phone call with the most despised office on campus since they are so inept at doing anything except for screwing over whoever's financial aid life we are applying for at that point. And in the case of screwing things up, they should win an award. The three way call starts off on hold of course and then I explain the problem, introduce my sibling who then gives permission for me to know about their financial life and then they are silent while I hold back as much as possible on reaming the poor student who is employed there for whatever egregious mistake has been made this time. (And yes you do sense hostility).
• I get called to frequently look up items online when various family members are out and about and need to know something pertinent to their life right then and there.
  
• My sister texted me late one night and asked me what other medicine she could take with lortab. (mind you it was prescribed and no she is not addicted).
  
• I get called all the time to find out where stores are located or how to get to varying places.
  
• My parents often call me to find out where my siblings are. I'm not sure why they think that I will know their whereabouts frequently but it happens.
• My mom called me the other day to see if I knew if there was a way to find out who the owner was of an iphone based off the serial number. She was at the lost and found and was attempting to return it to the rightful owner.

I have my own google resource...Kenn (well and the real google). It's usually for computer questions above my knowledge level, webpage questions and car questions. He manages to answer the majority of my questions about as quick as google as well. I have a few others for varying other particular sets of knowledge and I'm quite grateful for Kenn in particular and all my other human googles I turn to when my knowledge is tapped.

So I ask you...who is your human google and what kinds of questions have you asked them? Maybe you should let them know how much you appreciate their google like capabilities. And for Kenn...I'm quite indebted to you for your google knowledge you have so graciously bestowed in my life.

The stupidity of the human race...

I have unfortunately been sick for two weeks now. I've been to the doctor, got my medicine, started and finished the course of medicine and still am exhausted by anything I do during they day including walking up my stairs. It's tragic really. I'm debating about going to the doctor and being like...umm...it didn't work and if it's a virus it should be over and done with now...so now what. I called my favorite doctor this morning (who is actually a physician's assist but whatever) and scheduled my appointment. I was on hold waiting to talk to the next available secretary to book my appointment (apparently so are many other people at 8:15 on Monday morning) and I hear the familiar hold warning:

"If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911."

Really? Honestly people? Do we really need to know that? Isn't that something you learn when you are five or younger? Even little rascals pokes fun at knowing 911 when they exclaim "quick what' the number for 911?" Do adults calling for a doctor's appointment really need to know that? One would think not, but apparently experience has told the doctor's offices differently.

I've realized that as a general rule that human beings are full of stupidity. This stupidity becomes apparent in the many signs I've seen posted in various locations to help people prevent their stupidity or in most cases an attempt of a highly irritated individual to forgo stupid questions and speed up the process of their job which often fails. In which case, I would only assume that stupid people then become the topic of conversation between co-workers and become the moment of humor due to complete lack of any brain activity.

I have started to mentally watch for these notices of human stupidity as I wander around doing whatever it is I'm doing. Among my findings are:

• The large purple sign in a parking garage to remind you that you should mentally make a note of where you parked so you can once again locate your car rapidly.
• The multiple signs hanging from the ceiling at the financial aid center at my university reminding students that they can apply for their loan online by filling out the fafsa.
• The sign on the front door of my local ihop telling me that their coupons are honored as it is written (to which I respond....uhh...aren't all coupons that way? Do people really try and pull off something where they bring in a coupon for another company or sit and bargain what their coupon should be for?)
• When you call into any company that has a waiting queue and they voice tells you that you can find most of your answers on the website by going to www.doyoureallyneedtoknowcausegoogleexits.com

My personal favorite of this notices is with the debit/credit card machines. Granted there are several different versions of them, but it still should not be so difficult to work a machine that probably has a total of 14 buttons--give or take some depending on the version at each store. At one store, which sadly enough I believe was a pharmacy, on the debit/credit card machine there was the button that said yes. Emphasizing this functionality of the button, there were three or four yellow taped arrows pointing to the apparently "difficult" yes button to find with pen engraving the tape saying "yes". We are supposed to be in the age of technology. And here we have a relatively simplistic machine with very few capabilities and very few user input buttons, yet one of the buttons still needs this mass attention grabbing scheme to allow customers to find the button so they can say yes the amount that they are being charged is fine. It cracks me up and every time I purchased there I chuckled to myself as I thought of the poor clerk who was irritated with the lack of sound individuals purchasing their products. My favorite is when the cashier realizes that the customer is lacking in skills and often awkwardly finagles their hand to blindly find the yes button from behind their station and push the button for the customer. Next time you are at the store notice if there has been enough stupid customers to warrant such labeling on that debit/credit machine.


I wish I could remember more that have made me laugh throughout the years, but currently my mind is running a blank. But watch for them. It will definitely add a little spice to your life.

The things that come with being sick...

I'm laying in my bed sick again. It's summer...can't I catch a break? The highly irritating thing is I was just sick three weeks ago. Twice in one summer is less than inviting. My levels of productivity have gone out the window. I was happy to get my dishwasher loaded and unloaded.

I have become accustomed to being sick throughout the years. My immune system is apparently not that great, and I end up with weird things that intrigue or boggle doctors. However, among all the random sicknesses and intriguing things that have happened to me I have learned that good doctors and a good nurses are equivalent to tapping into a gold mine.

Nurses can pull off amazing things. They can get you in to see a specialist sooner--which you wouldn't think would be a big deal but oh it is, they can get you into the doctor sooner, they can sometimes pull off talking to the doctor and getting a prescription without you going in again or sometimes at all (that's usually when someone you live with has strep and then you start feeling sick). The things they pull off amaze me. But only if they are good. The stupid ones don't return your phone call, never offer to call the specialist and see if they can get you in sooner, just tell you they can't tell you anything over the phone and always come into the doctor, give you massive bruises when taking (mind you I'm not giving) blood...or worse yet they just miss and move the needle around in your arm--don't worry, it's a metal object in my body being shoved through parts that weren't supposed to have it shoved there--I'm sure I'll get over it.

As lame as this will sound I love my doctors, well only the good ones, and I have no qualms going to see them again and again...well maybe the gyno. I'm particular with my doctors. They need to have good bedside manners, which you wouldn't think would be the most difficult of tasks, but you'd be surprised by how many doctors will treat you like a chart number. I am not a number and if I'm going to be in and out of your office you better never treat me like just another chart. One doctor never looked at me and was typing on the computer notes about what I was saying until I said that I had had some suicidal thoughts and then turned and told me that I could call him if I ever needed anything. Why in the world did he think for any moment that I would in my lowest of moments call someone who never looked me in the eyes? Really? What did they forget to teach you about human interaction in medical school? Did you forget in your eight years or so of schooling that we are not a textbook? Hello?

The other kinds of doctors that drive me nuts are the ones who won't believe me. As I said I've been sick many times and it's just become something I live with. One year I got sick Oct, Nov, Dec Jan and March. Thus the pickiness with doctors. I know what usually happens to my body when I get sick. It starts out viral--or so that's what they'll tell me, then it goes into my chest, makes my asthma bad very slowly and then turns into a bacteria. The frustrating thing is this is what happens 98% of the time (and probably no exaggeration on that). But in order for the doctor to believe me I have to wait until my asthma is bad enough that they will give me the medicine I need to breathe which is usually accompanied by anti-biotics at that point in time. When I tell doctors that the asthma won't get better by itself they rarely believe me and come back with "your lungs sound fine there is no wheezing". Well thank you but I'll call you in a few days when I can't breathe. And call I do. Those equal dumb doctors. You can read all about me on my chart, but you usually only have from when I came to your office and past. What about the plethora of years and multiple other specialists I've seen that you have no idea about but I do? I'm not stupid. Trust me. Those are the doctors I ditch and don't go back to. And for all I care all of you who get sick once a year can land those appointments and I'll take the appointments of the good doctors.

I have plenty of good doctors that I love: my pulmenologist, my nureologist, my chiro, my rehab dr (that sounds bad but it was after a car accident), occupational therapist and several PA's (physician's assistant): Todd and Anna to be specific. I have several other doctors that I love as well that I'm sure I could list if it wasn't late and I was feeling better but those are my top favorites. I suppose it appears sad that I know that many varying doctors, but nonetheless I come full of good recommendations if you ever need one by where I live.

I will tell you that there was a time in my life when I was seeing multiple doctors for varying reasons who were all located in the same wing of the hospital. I was in and out of that place for a good amount of time. About a year after my visits had been scarce I went back for a checkup from one of the doctors. It was amid finals week and I was studying with a friend for a brutal final. As we were in the middle of being really productive and scared of failing I told her she could come with me to my doctors appointment and then when they came in it'd be like a ten min wait and then we could continue studying before the visit and then finish up studying afterwards. She came with me to the hospital and I we sat in the lounge of the doctor's office there were several nurses and several doctors that came by and saw me and all said hello and asked how I was doing. I think there was four at least and maybe another one that I can't entirely remember. I could see the look on her face when several of the staff and dr's remembered me by name and asked about my well being. She was obviously a little shocked about the amount in one area and their ability to remember after it being so long. But nonetheless it goes to show what a difference good doctors can make. It is frustrating when doctors don't realize what you are going through and treat you as a number. I read in a magazine that one of the top med schools was starting to have their residents follow a particular patient around and see what it was like to attend multiple doctor appointments from several different specialists. I'm all for that.

Have them get an idea of the wait time in the waiting room, dealing with the poking and the proding, the insane amount of questions sometimes, the looks of disbelief, the looks of I haven't the slightest idea what's wrong with you so let's try this...or I've even had a massive medical book pulled out and thumbed through in my presence. They should also get a feel for having to wait in the room where you are going to see the doctor and stare at the charts of the human bones, or the human heart, or all the ways things can go wrong with your lungs, or this that or the other while waiting for them to be done with the ones ahead of you. Not to mention if you ever have to put a gown on it's like they think it takes you as long to get a gown on as it does to get ready in the morning. I'm not showering, washing my hair, blow drying it, curling it and then tying the ties on the gown. Seriously, give me three min. maybe five for those who are older or lacking in motor abilities and then you can come back. I realize they use it as a tool to make you think they are coming or that there is some progress on your visit while they run off to fit another 10-15 min session with another patient but I already did my waiting--twice in fact. Once in the waiting room and then once after the nurse put me in this room and said "(s)he'll be right with you" which is almost always a lie. Then maybe when the resident is on the other side and being the doctor they will remember what it's like to be a patient. Maybe just maybe.

I suppose my rant should be over seeing as my eyes are starting to hurt, my headache is coming back and the pure exhaustion of being sick is starting to come. I didn't even get to the part of pharmacies. I suppose that will have to be saved for another day. I will however leave you with a picture of one of the reasons why I hate being sick. I took a picture of the medicines I've taken today. This does not include the anti-biotic which was haphazardly not filled today at the pharmacy. It is just sometimes irritating to take the medicines. This one with medicine, this one at morning and night, this one with food but don't eat grapefruit (one seriously said that), this one make sure you wash your mouth out afterwards or you could get a yeast infection in your mouth (that just brings a horrible horrible picture to mind). So I've taken all the medicines for the day, let's hope anyways, and now I am off to bed.

Rite of passage...

I was watching "Mental" the other night and the particular episode was about a girl who tried to commit suicide and through some investigation while she was being held at the hospital found out that she was really a boy whom during circumcision there was an accident and some psycho psychologist decided to have the parents bring him up as a her. Weird! But when she found this out they her go through a "rite of passage" and chose objects she had grown up with and burn those that she didn't feel like described her and keep the ones she thought did. This helped her to see more of who she was and get rid of the past and live with the present. This got me thinking about rites of passages and if I had any in my life. And there isn't one really, but there is this hidden rite of passage if you will that frankly bothers me. It's partially a religious one and probably much of a cultural one. The rite of passage is marriage. Now how in the world am I to know about a rite of passage I have yet to participate in by myself? Well I shall tell you.

I am 27 and still living single. I have a house that I and the bank own and I have for two years now. I have a job that I've held down for a full three and a half years that is a career if I chose to keep it as a career. I pay my bills, I have my own services and for most things I have broken free of my parents. However I have apparently missed the moving into adult social activities because of my lack of a significant other.

This is made fully aware to me at all family parties. They usually have some gathering with everyone, all cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents-- which is a lot of people on both sides of my family. Typically there is "adult dinner" or something adult that generally speaking includes food. However, what they really mean is "adult who is been married, has been married or has someone that's close enough to be married to that you are by all means invited as well" and does not include single individuals who live adult lives but are lacking and have always lacked a significant other.

This is where the rite of passage comes to play. Apparently, in order to participate in "adult" social activities I have to be married...or pretty dang close to it...which I'm not. I was quite offended. At first I thought when I was younger that it was just because I was 18-21. But now I'm past 21 and even the law calls me an adult and even gives me the option to drink...but I am not adult enough to be invited to the "adult dinners". My parents both have defended their families for lack of inviting but after I've increased in age and surpassed the age where my sister was married and invited to the "adult" social occasions I came to my own conclusion about their lack of inviting.

I'm sure some of you are defending my parents families but you should stop. There is no reason not to invite me. I can see if it were some couple activity...like lets say dancing or something that really requires two people that I can see why an invite would not be extended. However it's not. It's usually dinner. There is nothing wrong with me joining a dinner with my extended family without some other significant person attached to my side. If I had any qualms with me being single and by myself I could kindly decline the invitation but I don't and the invitation should have been extended.

My parents have tried to explain the lack of inviting me is because they say it's a brother and sister kind of gathering with their husbands and wives. Which also would be a fine reason not to invite me, but then you can't invite my older sister to come and participate with her husband without giving me reason to be offended or think that there is something wrong with me just because I'm not married yet. It's lame. Really it is. The other thing they try to tell me is that it's a couple thing...which is half understandable, but then there is usually someone there who is without spouse but has previously had one, or who is lacking the attendance of their significant other which means it's not really a couples thing and still brings the previous offenses back to the surface.

I apparently had talked about this enough to my sister that my brother-in-law decided they weren't going to go to an adult dinner unless I was invited. I got the invite to go to the adult dinner and I wasn't married, hadn't been married and wasn't even dating someone and therefore not even close to marriage. It was a shocking moment for sure. I was enjoying my time until everyone started to give me a hard time about if I was enjoying talking about "adult" things or if I was bored by the "adult" talk and other such things. This was just as irritating as not being invited. It was as if they took a pity case on inviting me because I haven't had this rite of passage into adulthood by getting married and there was no way that I could find any adult conversation intriguing or follow it. I can't decide what the lower blow is: not being invited or being invited and mocked.

I suppose I'm here to say that people should broaden their horizons...and maybe I'm really just talking to the culture that I live in which is deeply rooted religiously and heavily focuses on marriage and say you should change your views of "adult" to include those who have lives and aren't married and when you do to not mock their way of living or their level of intelligence.
"My first adult dinner"

Things I've learned from living with little kids...

I've been living with some friends for a summer getaway and they have a three year old and a 9 probably 10 month old by now. They are adorable kids. It's been quite awhile since I've been living with little kids. I had enough siblings when I was younger to have an idea of what it's like to live with little ones, but I've been reminded of so many aspects that I'd thought I'd share.

1) Your body is now a jungle gym and/or a toy. The three year old, Caleb, loves to be crawl all over me especially when I'm in the love sac. I've been jumped on, had balls thrown at me, ran into, hugged, and all sorts of other stunts done to me from Caleb. It's been a long time since I've been a jungle gym. Caleb frequently says "I want to come mer" and has pleading hands beckoning me to pick him up and hold him while I do whatever I am doing.

Beckett, the infant is a little different. My hair is a great toy and I'm still amazed at the grasp babies have. His legs kick into my stomach frequently when I'm holding on to him and he even hugged me back once and I've been the recipient of several open mouth kisses--which frankly is so precious even though it's slightly disgusting as slobber gets all over you. I can see why mom's usually go for the short hair...to bad husbands seem to like the long hair.

2) Expect interrogation. This only comes from Caleb as Beckett is really only saying a few words and attempting to communicate at this point. I am frequently asked by Caleb "What are you doing doing doing?" which is honor of the goose from Charlotte's Web and still makes me chuckle every time. There is now a barrage of questions "where are you going?" "is that your car?", "what's that?", "is that yours" and many others. It's humorous what he asks and he cracks me up when he responds to my answer with an emphatic "COOL!" or "Oh" as if he really cared that much about what I said.

3) Watch your mouth cause it'll be repeated. There have been multiple occasions of this where one of the adults will say something and Caleb will so willingly repeat everything we have said. There was one occasion where I had said something at dinner and had said "awkward" which Caleb mimicked to a t and then when I had finished a story about a late night at Denny's with a guy friend and a discussion of liking crunchy bacon and what that meant and the waitress staring at the two of us in disbelief Caleb piped in "Awkward" at just the right moment it sent the entire table in hysterics.

4) Sometime eating in secret is necessary. This is especially true of Caleb as he is allergic to beef, dairy and eggs and thus we eat things he can't. Chocolate is one of those things you have to eat in secret so he doesn't get jealous and if he happens to see you have to explain how he will get sick from it. Popcorn is another. I patiently waited one night when I was craving kettle corn popcorn for him to be put to bed. He can't have butter and thus they have to pop their own popcorn. But it was so close to bedtime I respectfully waited for him to be in bed and then pulled out the popcorn...to which my friends laughed at me for.

Then there are things that you should hid because he's a kid and doesn't know how to monitor his eating yet. Fruit snacks is one of those. I've found that if you can surreptitiously make it over to the pantry and grab the fruit snacks, cross the kitchen to the other side, open the pack and throw away the evidence of a blue fruit snack bag and sneakily put the fruit snacks in your mouth one at a time. But you must be careful that he doesn't catch you putting something in your mouth because then you will be interrogated.

5) Watch out for sneezing. I was feeding Beckett green beans and put a spoonful in his mouth and watched his face turn to a weird face and then suddenly the green beans came flying back out of his mouth as he sneezed. Not a great thing to experience.

6) Laundry is more frequent. I can manage to wear a shirt a few times before it's truly dirty. However I have found that now that I'm a jungle gym and that I'm holding babies that inevitably that I end up getting spit up, or some kind of baby food on my shirts much more frequently thus creating much more laundry than I am used to doing.

7) Crying and excitement. I have been here long enough that both the kids get excited when they see me. Beckett kicks his legs in pure excitement any time I go to get him and Caleb is always excited when I wake up in the morning. It's endearing how excited they get to see me. It makes me feel so loved. I had the flip side of excitement happen the other day. When I went to go somewhere and Caleb wasn't coming with me, he suddenly started crying and was really upset that he couldn't come with me. I felt bad as I walked out the door making sure he didn't somehow follow me, but there was it was nonetheless really touching when a little child cries that you are leaving them and they are not going to come.

Opening IHOP mayhem

It's a Thursday late morning and I'm shocked as I get shown to my seat just how busy IHOP actually is. I realize that it just opened on Saturday and my friends I'm living with were overly stoked about the grand opening and often drove by to check the status of the switch from village inn to IHOP, but still it's IHOP. I had a relatively sleepless night the night before and at 4:00 am was craving hash browns and bacon. I almost got out of bed and went to IHOP then, but I told myself to turn over and try one last time to sleep and if 4:30 came that I would then go to IHOP and miraculously sleep came.

Hours later I was now at IHOP still craving hash browns and bacon being seated at a table of four. It seemed a little hectic so I chose the inside seat to avoid people brushing past and started my observations as I sat looking at the menu. Conveniently, I was seated by the kitchen and was at a prime location for watching the inner workings day 6 of IHOP being open.

The lady nearby is who I only can assume is the manager or the owner of the new IHOP. She stood there overlooking what was going on and appeared to be doing nothing at all. After several minutes of watching workers go in and out and trying to remember what table matched which number, she noticed that I was sitting there unattended and asked me if someone had come over yet at all. I replied no and told her I was in no rush. She got me a drink--apple juice of course for me--and apologized and said someone would be right over.

My waitress came by and looked slightly frazzled but managed to get the order taken down and I resumed my people watching. After a min I noticed that those in black shirts were from some other IHOP and were training those in the normal IHOP attire. Same with those in red but I'm not sure what distinguished the reds from the blacks, except that the trainers in red stood and watched and the trainers in black walked around and fixed things.

The manager asked who had just given her money and one server pointed to another girl who came over and said that she had given her the money and it was from table....uh....that one over there with the two ladies...table 48. To which the other server said "no that's table...40, 41, 42, 43." It took them a good minute and half to resolve whose money that was and what bill it came with.

Moments later a male server walked up to the manager and asked if she had change for $100--which she did not. He walked around in the small area trying to locate the "cash register" man and came back moments later and asked one of the trainers in a red shirt who was just standing if she had change for a $100--which she did not. He mumbled under his breathe that he couldn't find so and so and didn't know what to do. He disappeared momentarily and came back asking yet another person if they had change for $100. The result was the same and once again he expressed his frustration to no one in particular that so and so who is supposed to have the money wasn't where he was supposed to be and what was he supposed to do.

At this time I see my plate of food walk right past me and the deliverer trying to locate where in the world is this plate of food is supposed to go. He turns around and rushes back towards the kitchen and I am about to say something, but he starts talking to the manager and in angst says he doesn't know where this food goes. The manager tells him to find out who put the order in and then they can find out where it went. He disappears with my food and I see my waitress half walk out of the kitchen and then back in and saying to the man holding my food...the one right there and half pointing in my direction. He comes out and seems slightly embarrassed that I witnessed the entire event of him not knowing where the food went when it was right in front of him and stammers a small apology of "sorry ma'am" and presents my food to me.

The bacon looks amazing and I dive in for my bacon and devour it in a matter of probably a minute...which should astound no one as I have a habit of eating rapidly that according to my brother-in-law could prevent second dates for me. My waitress comes walking by and stops on her way to her next spot to see how my food is. I tell her it's great and she just stares at my food trying to figure out if that is what I got. After a moment of her staring and tallying what's on my plate I reassure her that the order is correct and she questions if they forgot the bacon. To which I have to reply that I already consumed it all.

I'm eating my hash browns...which taste particularly good today and a man who is a trainer in red--who decided that the best spot for him to stand would be right behind my seat to observe whatever he was supposed to be observing--asks me how my food is. "Good" I respond. "You've probably had about ten people ask you I'm sure you just want to be left alone to enjoy your food," he apologized. Which is true, I had been asked by multiple people if I enjoyed my food or if I needed anything else as there were at least five people who were standing right near my table "over-seeing" what was going on.

Amoung all of this I was not irritated in the least. I could have been. On many days I would have been. They took forever to get my syrup, missed getting my drink rapidly and managed to forget I was there until the manager found me observing the mayhem. I could have been disgusted that they almost lost a customers payment, that they didn't have the slightest idea what table was which number, that no one had change for $100 for the poor server who was trying so desparately to get the change needed, or that it was entirely obvious that no one knew how to use the computer to make payments, including the manager and it would have been easy to decide never to come back to IHOP. I was, however, in absolutely no rush that day and had been in a house sick all by myself for multiple days and was enjoying being around people again and it was a great break from watching people on t.v. So instead of being annoyed and irritated with the circumstances all I found was pure humor and was delighted that I had craved hash browns and bacon at 4:00 that morning and decided that visiting IHOP on the 6th opening day was a good plan.

So thank you IHOP for allowing me to be an outsider with an insiders view on a day when I really needed some good humor.

I hate blogs, but I'm giving it a second go...

I hate blogging for a simple reason: I hate the mouse. I'm a keyboard girl. I don't like to have to use the mouse if at all possible. I love keyboard shortcuts. It makes everything so much faster. Now what in the world does this have to do with hating blogs you may ask. I will answer: everything. Most blogs I read (which frankly haven't been many due to this annoyance) you have to scroll down for an eternity to read a small portion of anything that is said on it. And this I find highly annoying. And annoying enough I set one up and didn't touch it for a really, really long time.

I've worked with websites...not really by choice and I'm fully aware of the capacity I have to edit the html. The problems comes in I don't speak html and if I was going to be fiddling with html it wasn't going to be for some blog for myself but to make certain annoying individuals stop calling my business and complaining something wasn't right on the website (as a side note that was only my job cause someone found out I was good at technology...it is not my main job by any stretch). Alas, my extra fiddling with html or php (and to be truthful I'm not sure which one it was) was spent on a far bigger project that got thrown out when I stuck it to my boss--who frankly has no idea that I stuck it to her.

Thus, I avoided at all costs the blogging. The incessant scrolling was frustrating and it made me angry to think about trying to adjust it while staring at a language I knew nothing about except that it includes a lot of < > and a br and p's for breaks. But it turns out today I had enough gumption to fiddle long enough that I got this template fixed. I did this by the great brilliance of looking at the page source of several bloggers who have successfully made their so that you can expand the text area and not just expand the pretty background that is all fluff and forces my hand to go to my mouse. The template I really wanted didn't like the code I stole...so now I have dots. It's much better than I expected it to turn out but it's still dots.

So here it try two to blogging!