I am tired....

Have you ever had one of those conversations that lasts literally for days?

The Squirrel has literally told me every fact in his brain about planets, volcanoes and a certain foreign country that his Father is in right now.

For the last 4 days......nonstop......several times....over and over and over and.....

well you get the picture...

You can't tune him out either. If you do not respond in the right time frames he will say the same thing over and over raising his volume slightly each time. Followed with a harsh little comment of, "Geezs would it kill you to offer a simple OK? so I know you are listening???"

The speech that follows about respect isn't worth it because he will just start over the entire conversation about the planets etc because he is "not sure which parts you heard".

One way or another you will hear what he has to say...

So I might as well listen half heartedly the first time and throw in a "uh huh" and a "really" every couple of minutes.

In fact I am surprised this post turned out this organized because I have a tendency to type what I hear and he has talked nonstop since I picked him up from school...

Of course I am not as tired as a fellow employee is as she sleeps half of the day every day at work . The boss is aware and I am sure plans are in the works to fix this problem....but more on that a different day....

Wisdom and a word to the wise

IF you date a married man and then he leaves his wife to date you.......

You are then dating a man who thinks it is OK to date other people while in a committed relationship.

Don't act surprised when it comes back to bite you in the end. You reap what you sow...

So if you want a relationship that works don't date the married man to begin with.

Just my thoughts...

Ode to the Bird...

From the area of Indiana this article caught my attention on the Associated Press:

Parrot mimics alarm, saves family

Associated Press

MUNCIE – A noisy parrot that likes to imitate sounds helped save a man and his son from a house fire by mocking a smoke alarm, the bird’s owner says.

Shannon Conwell, 33, said he and his 9-year-old son fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. They awoke about 3 a.m. Friday to find their home on fire after hearing the family’s Amazon parrot, Peanut, imitating a fire alarm.

“He was really screaming his head off,” Conwell said.

The smoke alarm had activated, but it was the bird’s call that caught Conwell’s attention. “I grabbed my son and my bird, and got out of the house,” he said.

The fire destroyed the home’s dining room, kitchen and bedroom, Muncie fire officials said. It remains under investigation.

Aside from Peanut, Conwell said the fact that he and his son fell asleep on the couch helped save them. They may not have heard the alarm or the bird had they been asleep in their bedrooms.

Conwell said he runs an air conditioner and a breathing machine in his bedroom that drown out a lot of noise around the house.

Can you imagine? I am not a big fan of Big Birds being in houses and my sister would have a coronary if I even suggested it... It's not that I don't like birds I just get a little nervous in enclosed places with them...not the same as my fear of bats...those are just N-A-S-T-Y.

With that being said...With the insurance money from the fire I am POSITIVE that bird would have the nicest cage and treats I could find!

On another note...

I found this trailer on YouTube for the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds.

I will warn you that it is mostly him talking but around the 4 minute mark a live bird makes an appearance and by around 4 1/2 minutes I was shuttering and my cat was batting at the computer screen...so if you do not like birds...DO NOT watch this video clip.

The dreaded temper tantrum

I know you have all seen a temper tantrum...a fit, if you will.


Here are a few definitions:


a loss of mental balance or composure, esp. by an outburst of anger or irritation; a violent demonstration of rage or frustration;

a sudden burst of ill temper....a display of bad temper; "he had a fit"; "she threw a tantrum"; "he made a scene"

Being in the business of daycare I have seen more than my fair share over the years.

I am sure you can visualize a child stomping feet, crying, yelling, shaking and maybe even throwing himself on the floor to spin, shake, spit and just generally writhe around on the floor.

Those I have seen...

I believe I witnessed my first adult temper tantrum this week...maybe we can call it a hissy fit.

When did it become acceptable to throw a fit at work?

I would post the details for the sake of venting but I wonder if she has discovered this blog somehow on the enormous web.

I am intimidated by her now. I never thought twice about it until this incident. She did not hurt me or threaten me but she approached me in an aggressive way that made me cringe on the inside. I don't think she will last much longer...if she even comes back...I don't know...

Just rambling I guess...

And so it goes...

So I am continuing the interviewing process...I have a full time person in mind that is only waiting for the board approval but I am still looking for the part time afternoon person...It would be so much easier if I could just throw them in a classroom and see what they do but Noooooooo that would violate so many rules...LOL

Annoyed

I have been generally annoyed the last few days. I am not sure what the deal is...but a few things I know have contributed to my mood...

I can't get my scooter started. Yes it has gas , the battery is charged and I have checked all the filters etc which is about as far as I can go without taking the chance at seriously messing it up. My knuckles are sore from tinkering with it today.

The fireworks going off until 2 in the morning are wearing on my very last nerve. My cat is not thrilled with them either. Those screaming bottle rockets are about to get shoved somewhere the sun doesn't shine.

Sometimes working with a group of women can be wonderful. They can be the most supportive and caring people you will ever meet. Sometimes they only look out for themselves and can be the whiniest, nasty, caddy people you can ever meet. The whole "cycle" at the same time thing can really get UGLY.

Sometimes facing a problem can be heart wrenching.

I don't want to do that which I know I must do.

The crazy I call family

So my presence was required at the land up north for the birthday party of Beau...the man my Mom married last September.

• I did not go out on the jet ski because I was the only person present with the knowledge and/or skills to drive the jet ski. Therefore I would have been responsible for taking everyone else on the rides they would have wanted. Not usually a problem BUT there are two boys in this family that I do not trust and would not want to be stuck in the middle of the lake with them.
• One of the step sisters drives me nuts. She has never uttered the words Thank You but she orders everyone around down to the food we will serve her because she has MD and is in a wheelchair. Apparently she was this way before the wheelchair but now she milks it for all it is worth.
• She even drove back to the house because we didn't give her enough chocolate cake in her take home package, even though she had 4 pieces of white and 4 pieces of chocolate. She didn't get any more.
• Beau opened a card from Mom and Mom was honestly shocked. She addressed it and signed the card but has no memory of the card at all. She says it might be from his birthday last year....and it happened to be on the table with the other cards.... I wish she would talk to a doctor about this since HIPPA has our hands tied.
• Mom also tried giving away one of my favorite stuffed animals. The one my grandparents got me when I was in the hospital once. BUT NO...she insists that a neighbor bought it at a garage sale for her last weekend. This would be the equivalent of giving away your childhood blankie...(yes I know, sis, but it wasn't my fault!).

I am ready for sleep and off to work this week. I have more to share about the weekend but that is for another day.

A present for one of my stafff

I seriously want to get this shirt for one of my employees. On a small staff of 9 she is the one who constantly "stirs the pot"...my little nonconformist....she is the one I walk by a room and I hear her bad mouthing X, Y OR Z...well or me.

I know she is looking for another job and has had interviews. I would rather she quit than be fired BUT the documentation is piling up on her and she is bringing moral down... hugely.

It is all happy go lucky until she walks in the building and starts complaining. Within a matter of an hour she usually has started enough crap that at least 2 or 3 people are snapping at each other.

If she survives tomorrow it will be a miracle.

On a happier note...I have given up on the new car idea and I am looking at motorcycles while I prepare for my Motorcycle Permit Test.

I know I know... yes I will always wear a helmet. BUT I am ready for some fun!

The games are over....for now.

The car search is over for now...sigh. I waved Bye Bye as I could not get the deal I wanted. They did finally offer to pay off my car completely but...I got the actual payoff amount (from my bank) and the dealer had "inadvertently" added almost $300 in an overage.

Hmmmmmm...

They found out that my Credit Union would only finance the NADA value of the car and decided if I wanted the car I would have to go back up to 11.25% interest rate to be financed through them...well maybe they could get 10.25%....

Hmmmmmmmm.......


Then they started criticizing the credit union I work with. The CU that has walked me through other loans successfully... my student loans...my line of credit for surviving the divorce... helped guide me through "finances 101" after my Dad passed away.

And he had the nerve to tell me they weren't looking out for me like their dealership was?!!?

These people I have know less than 3 days were taking care of me better than the people who have known me by name and account numbers for the last 17 years? The people who pull my account up as I approach the window because they recognize me... The people who teared up at the window when they heard of a miscarriage... The people who helped me protect my accounts and assets before I filed for divorce so that Big Red couldn't take advantage of me....

I don't think the people at the dealership had my best interests in mind like my Credit Union does. I know some of you may think I am exaggerating but this truly is how my CU treats my family and I. Am I right sis?

The dealership was kind enough..cough cough...to give me back the deposit check and tell me I could change my mind at any time...or talk my credit union into "working with such a valued member" to get a higher loan amount...but the car is not worth $$ the loan amount...

I should have stuck with my gut instinct to stay away from this particular dealership.

Lesson learned.

I started some research again and discovered I can buy a 2006/2007 car for about the same payment because the loan time is longer.

Who knows.......All I know is I am done looking this week.

Let the games begin!

So I wasted a few gallons of that precious commodity we call gas to drive around to a car lot or two searching for the next One4JC vehicle.

I feel like I am getting hosed because they see me walk on the lot and play rock paper scissors to see who gets to take a crack at me.

I was chased down on 2 different lots as they tried to talk to me but on the 3rd lot my escape route was blocked by an oncoming car.

Crap!

I found a car that I love at this lot. I found a black bug in my price range with everything except the moon roof. He, the dealer who caught me, did talk me into a test drive.

Next thing I know he has whisked me into the showroom to talk prices, relieved of my keys to appraise the "trade-in" and pulled out paperwork to start the financing process.

I humored him to see what he could offer me.

Just because I am a female doesn't mean I am totally ignorant about the price of cars, trade in values and other testosterone laden things.

He came back with a payment of $350.00/month at 11.25% interest rate for an $8500.00 car!

I laughed at him and asked for my keys back.

He started back tracking and negotiating. I did get the loan lengthened, my trade-in value upped and the interest rate down to 7.5%. However it is still out of my price range. I told him I needed to have someone come look at the car. He offered me a phone. I said I needed to crunch numbers and pray about it and he still tried to get me to put a refundable deposit down on the car. I didn't.

We left it that he will call me Monday morning and I will work on my own financing and person to look at the car. However I do not like the pressure he tried to use. He wanted me sign the paperwork and drive away with the car within an hour of the first test drive.

I don't think so.

Ribbons galore!

Do you know they have a ribbon for almost everything? Here are a few:

Awareness ribbon magnets promoting Greyhound adoption

Autism awareness

Breast Cancer awareness

Support our troops

The purple Domestic Violence Awareness Ribbon

Aids Awareness

Lime is for Lymphoma Awareness Bracelets

Life with Adhesion Related Disorder

Pregnancy & Infant Loss

Eating Disorder: Purple & Teal Double Ribbon on White

Wild Pacific Salmon: Metallic Silver Ribbon on Black

Chron's Colitis: Brown & Red Double Ribbon on White

Animal Protection Awareness

APS Awareness Ribbon~~ Burgundy is also the ribbon color of the following causes: Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, Brain Aneurysm, Cesarean (worn upside down), Factor V Leiden, Headaches, Hemangioma and Vascular Malformation, Hospice Care, Multiple Myeloma, Thrombophilia, William's Syndrome.


GREEN RIBBON
TO PROMOTE DONOR AWARENESS

The Cesarean Awareness Ribbon

Pediatric Bipolar Magnetic Awareness Ribbon

I did some handy dandy cut and paste moves and this is only a partial list off the first 4 pages of what I am sure are thousands of pages of images and websites.


I am all for advocating causes. I am very passionate about a few of these issues as well. But have you ever driven down the road behind a car and wondered what the magnetic ribbon on the person's car in front of you stands for?

I think maybe we have overused this particular form of awareness education and it may be time to move on to T-Shirts, key chains or something else?

This thought comes from seeing a car with at least 8 ribbons on it. Pick a cause but 8? That seems a bit much!

The gang that almost took me out!

So on Sunday I was out riding "Tinkerbell" aka the scooter when I turn onto a road at a light and hear a plethora of little horns honking that are not that all dissimilar to mine. Not wanting to be even more of a geek I chose not to turn around and look but I had a feeling.

At the next light I suddenly hear a LOT OF LOUD motorcycle engines pull up behind me. Between the revving engines I hear that "cutsy girly" laughter that used to make my stomach turn in High school and some deep belly laughter.

I swallowed hard and took off when it turned green.
ZIP! ZIP! ZIP! ZIP!

Vroom! ZIP! ZIP! ZIP! ZIP!

No less than 8 sport motorcycles with tan college aged guys zip by with about 6 girls with the shortest shorts legal (at least I think they are legal).

Now picture this...I am a white almost transparent skinned lady on a scooter that tops out at 35 MPH with a helmet on...and the studly eight have just flown by me like I am standing still.

Here is the point....

Several years ago this would have made me cower inside and perhaps put away the scooter for a couple weeks...heck even last summer this might have happened.

Now it didn't really bug me. Of course I was bothered by the dust the bikes kicked up into my face as they were speeding past me but I chalked it up to them being immature youngsters with a case of spring fever.

Then it clicked. A light bulb went off. Big Red has one of these sport bikes. He says he has been borrowing it from a neighbor but.... the neighbor must never need it because Big Red is on it a lot. (I only know this because we only live a mile or so apart)

Big Red still has the immaturity that sometimes goes along with owning one of these motorcycles.

I have grown past this. Yes I am still a kid at heart but through the process of the divorce I have matured and grown past all this foolishness. I don't really care too much what people think.

I do have a few friends whose opinions mean a great deal to me. Some I have known only a year, 5 years and even one left over from before I was a Christian who I have known for over 11 years. Their opinions matter when it comes to issues of faith and friendship.

But a stranger or a gang of college aged motorcyclists have no effect on what they think of me. If they were to actually speak to me then I hope they would see that there is something different about me because of God. But to judge me, make fun of me or look down on me without speaking to me....ehhhhh what am I to do? Nothing. Doesn't phase me at all.

Not now anyway.

I'm back from the edge of insanity...Part 2

After some well deserved sleep I have a little different perspective on things. Not really a better perspective just different.

I slept 9 hours last night...still exhausted I came home from work early and took a 3 hour nap today. The only thing that could make this better would be if I had my ankles back. Even with the MANY...MANY times we stopped to stretch and potty my ankles and calves are still one...cankles I believe they are called. After much soaking and elevation I believe the only thing that will bring back "my" ankles is a hot tub.

Nope don't see one in the backyard....out of luck I guess.

So back to the trip...

Beau has racist tendencies. I was unaware of this before the trip. We could not eat at certain places because they were "too dark"... If you aren't born here then go home... I just don't like "them"... I actually heard the word "coloreds"... Women should not drive after dark or alone (oh wait that would be his chauvinistic side).

After I came out of a store and he accused 2 guys of "casing the place" because they were walking around inside up and down the aisles I explained that they were talking about legs hurting etc. He turned and sneered a little disbelievingly "Oh you speak Spanish now?"

"Yes I do, enough to understand that...You have enough children in your classroom that speak Spanish you tend to pick up the language...oh and I had 3 years in high school....not to mention that my ex husband is Puerto Rican."

His response??? "Well I still just don't like them!" Someone piped up that Big Red is Hispanic again..."Yeah...I wouldn't have known that until I met his Mother." I asked "What did you think he was?"

"Oh I don't know I guess them Puerto Ricans can be that dark too. "

WHAT!!!!!!!!!

OK fine. You don't like Big Red. Fine. Don't like him because he cheated on me...don't like him because he's a jerk...don't like him because of something he has control over...

To not like him simply because of the color of his skin is ridiculous, ignorant and just wrong. I lost a lot of respect for him.

Over the course of this trip we heard many comments like this...he had numerous opportunities to back track out of or clarify his position. He never did. He never stopped to think that Sister's husband was not born in the USA either.

My parents did not raise us this way. I was raised ignorant of other cultures simply because we did not live in a town big enough to have much diversity. Everyone was equal and judged on their own actions and merit...not skin color.

Where in the H-E-L-L did Mom find this guy? And this has suddenly become OK with her?!? It seems as if she is slowly turning her back on everything that was important to her...

Pet Peeves Part 3

I am really annoyed by people who do not seem to realize that when you are in a car other people can still see you. Therefore please do not partcipate in any of the following if you happen to be in a car next to me...

1. Do NOT pick your nose.
2. Do not wipe booger from #1 on the seat of your car or your door.
3. Please try to remain fully clothed at all times. I do not want or need to see a shirtless man with back hair at the light smiling at me. By the way it is only 50 degrees outside not 95.
4. I am all for hands free headsets for cell phones in the car. However this does not mean your hands are therefore free to continue to apply your makeup because you are running late.

Whew I feel better now...although it would be nice if people actually read this and took the advice.