Professor You-Tube July 18, 2009

So, I am really proud of my D. I’ve always known he was a very handy guy to have around, but I never stopped to really think about and appreciate how clever he really is.

His dad needed some plumbing work done, and was going to call a plumber to do it.  “Don’t do that,” says D, “Let me look at it and see what I can do.”

So, D looks at it, develops a plan, and tries it.

It doesn’t work.

At this point, I would have felt I was out of my element, and called in a professional. Nope, not D.

He goes on YOU-TUBE to watch a video on how to do it!

Then he goes back to the hardware store, gets some more stuff, and does it!

I’m not totally sure what all they did, but it involved putting some sort of pressure regulator in and running a lot of new pipe for a new inside faucet in the basement. I might add that the water pressure dropped to a non-bullet pounding level immediately, and they only had ONE tiny little leak in all the new pipe that D had run all over the basement.

I was totally impressed. D, you are so smart, it never would have occured to me to watch a you-tube video of how to do something. (I mainly use my you-tube viewing for watching things like this, I am a shining example of maturity.)

D, I am so proud of you for wanting to learn so many new things and then just getting out there and trying them.

Yikes. July 16, 2009

Today, I decided to take a semi-short (not shorter in distance, but at least you don’t have to hit all the traffic lights in town)  cut through a highly populated subdivision near us.  I do this quite a bit, it is a busy road through this neighborhood.  It is a pretty packed place, the houses don’t have much lawn at all, and it is popular with people who don’t want to do a lot of yard work.

Anyway, I was driving through, and I saw 2 little boys playing in some sort of pushcar thing on the sidewalk.

By themselves.

It really unnerved me, they didn’t look older than 5 or 6, and I could see no adult in sight. They WERE in front of a house with the front door (barely)  cracked, but again, no grown-ups in sight. And yes, they WERE on the sidewalk, but this is a BUSY street.  I cannot pass total judgement, because for all I know there was a grown-up who was outside mowing the lawn or something, but again, I did not see anyone. The speed limit is pretty low through there, but that doesn’t mean that someone won’t speed.

I am not trying to judge their parents.  I am not a parent, but my goodness do I know what it is like to be responsible for someone.  I really do get it.  Last summer, I was the sole caregiver in the toddler room…with FIVE toddlers…all under the age of two. For several hours. Everyday. I get that every minute can be “look at me, look at me, look at me” or “I need this, or that”. I get that it can wear on you.  I know, these boys were older than toddlers, so how about my fourth grade class? Fourth graders can barely be trusted to go to the out of sight bathroom without causing mischief …(Don’t believe me?  How about the time that 2 kids decided to “chug” milk at breakfast and then, not surprisingly, puked it all up all over the bathroom…and then neglected to tell anyone. Yeah.)  I get that parents (or anyone exposed to small children for a long period of time, haha) need a little  break.  If the kids had been in the backyard with no adult, I would have thought nothing of it (ok, I am paranoid, I might have, but I would have assumed that someone could see them out of a window). If I had seen 2 little boys sitting on the bench outside the women’s bathroom at Dillard’s, I would have thought nothing of it .  But 2 little boys playing alone (albeit, on a sidewalk) right next to a VERY  busy street? Yeah, I thought something of it.

Maybe I am overreacting. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for kids playing outside, even alone. I just want them to do it in an area where they can be safe.

And to me, alone next to a busy street, is not safe when you are five.

Not crazy, I promise July 15, 2009

I really promise I am not nuts.

I am just prone to random fits of giggles.

Like, the other day, I had a laughing fit remembering something that happened with my first college roommate- One day we were doing some laundry when she stuck this neatly folded pair of panties on top of a stack of my folded stuff…..

“L, these are not my panties,” I say.

“Yes, they are,” she insists, “they have to be.”

“No, not mine. I have never seen them before. *Snicker* Did you forget what your own underwear looks like?”

“NO. I KNOW they are yours! They were in my laundry basket when I took them to wash!”

So apparently a stranger’s panties ended up in her laundry basket, along with the rest of her clothes. She swears that she had them before she put them into the washing machine, they weren’t something that just got stuck to the washer and mixed in with her clothes. We never did find out whose panties they were.

Anyway, the other day, I started remembering this and I just could NOT quit laughing. In the grocery store. I had to fight back snorts.

Or, how about the other recent giggle fit I had, remembering the first (and only) time D made tea with the coffee maker:

It was the first time we were cooking dinner together, and we wanted to have some really good stuff. D makes awesome tea on top of the stove, but we were running out of time and I told him just to make it in the coffee maker instead. Meaning, he should just put water in the coffee maker, and stick the tea bags in the coffee pot.

Apparently the wires got crossed, because a few minutes later I looked over and D was cutting the tops of the tea bags off and dumping them into a coffee filter.

*Snicker*

Remembering that gave me the giggles the other day too, also in public.

Do you ever get random memories that bring on giggle fits?

The Difference… July 6, 2009

D and I may be very similar (likes: good food, the outdoors, hiking, wii… dislikes: being stuck inside,  stupid movies, and uptight people…) but we are also very different.

Example, last night, sitting on the couch:

D: I want a new pressure washer.

Me: I want a new red lipstick.

D, while surfing the net, researching said pressure washer:  I know, I could make my own! All I would need is a motor and 1008098908 little pieces and some crazy glue and a hose pipe.*

Me: One time, I ran out of glitter nail polish and I had to make my own.

Another example:

D: Look at this car, it has 1 billion horsepower and it can go from 0 to 60 in 1.5 seconds.**

Me: I like it because it’s shiny and red.

Yet again:

D: I’m going to wash my car.

Me: Why? You just washed it last week.

D: Because the paint should be kept clean! When is the last time you washed your car?

Me: The last time I washed it was probably like 3 years ago. The last time you washed it because you were sick of how dirty it looked was probably a year ago. I’ll just let the rain take care of it. ***

I guess there really is a reason why they say men are from a different planet.

* This is not actually what he said. I wasn’t paying real attention to what he said, as I was watching HGTV at the time.

**Again, this is not really what he said. I was admiring the shiny red paint on the car.

***How eco-friendly of me.

Fight Night July 3, 2009

So, D and I had a little tiff yesterday. Over something stupid. (Aren’t all arguments usually about something stupid?) Don’t worry, everything’s fine now. Actually, looking back at it, it is more funny now than anything else.
It all started when I got defensive about something and sort of went overboard. D took offense at that, and thus an argument was born.
Let me tell you this, I could argue with a fence post. Don’t get me wrong, I think I am very easy to get along with, but I could argue about something til I was blue in the face. (I think I should have been a politician, haha.)
D is the opposite. He just ignores. Then he cools down and forgets about it.
We argued. D went outside. I decided that I must go outside too, because IT WAS SO NOT OVER! (Typical female much?)
So, we argued outside. If the neighbors had popped outside, they would have gotten a free show, this stuff is better than television. Plus, they could have interjected their opinions about who was right, adding a whole other element to the argument. (It would also make up for the time that D and I got to watch the guy’s old girlfriend throw his stuff into the pool.)
We argued. Words were exchanged.
Then, we realized how stupid it was.
And started to laugh.
Argument over.
We apologized, and laughed some more.
Have you ever noticed that you aren’t exactly at your most clever when you are angry? You tend to say things that, upon reflection, are pretty funny.
D and I really don’t argue that much. But when we do, we try to do these things:
1. Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight, you can sleep later. No, no, I am kidding! I know it sounds cliched, but seriously, agree to disagree before you go to sleep. You won’t sleep well anyway if you don’t, and when you wake up in the morning it will feel so much better to not have to re-hash all the details of what happened.
2. Don’t call each other names. Seriously, I know that sounds like something to tell a five year old, but just don’t. Sure, it may make you feel better at the time, but it doesn’t really add a whole lot of credit to your side of the argument if every other word is “asshole”.
3. Don’t make empty threats. Don’t say things like “I am leaving” or “Don’t ever talk to me again.” You will regret it instantly AND you have just made yourself look like a jerk.
4.Don’t bring other people into it. I mean, if we were arguing about whether “mary had a little lamb” and “jingle bells” were the same tune, it wouldn’t be a REAL argument and ok to ask someone else’s opinion. (Yes, that really happened once, and D, I don’t care what you say, they ARE NOT THE SAME TUNE. : )  ) When you bring other people into it, it not only makes them very uncomfortable, they might not take the side you thought they would, which will probably result in ANOTHER argument, with that person.

5. If you have to say “I’m sorry” do it sincerely and mean it.  Don’t snarl a “Sorry!” at the other person, that just pisses them off more.

So, that’s Dr. Rachel’s unsolicited advice for the day.

And to you D, I love you you big lug!

Coming Soon To A State Near You…. June 30, 2009

I’ve always wanted to see all 50 states.    Here is a list of all the states I’ve visited:

1. Tennessee (born here, lived here entire life)

2. Kentucky

3. Georgia

4. Alabama

5. Florida

6. West Virginia

7. Maryland

8. Illinois

9. Pennsylvania

10.  New Jersey

11. New York

12. Virginia

So, so far I’ve seen a little more than 1/5 of the states.  I want to work in some more this summer. Some states I think I can feasibly go to this summer are:

1. Mississippi. It’s not that far, and we have family in Memphis, so  I’m not terribly sure why I’ve never been there before?

2.  Arkansas. Again, not that far.

3. Missouri. Not too far and there are some interesting things there, like St. Louis and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum.

4. North Carolina (I’ll for sure be passing through here in the fall)

5. South Carolina (Ditto, I’ll be going here in the fall too.)

So if I visit all those states this year, I will have seen 17 states, not too bad.

The states I want to visit MOST( but probably won’t get there THIS summer) are:

1. Washington State

2. Oregon

3. Hawaii

Some interesting places I want to visit soon:

1. Washington D.C.-I would LOVE to go here and I’ve never been. It actually wouldn’t make a bad road trip though….I really would love to see the Smithsonian. And of course the White House.

2. Chicago, IL-Again, it wouldn’t be a bad road trip (Closer than D.C.) and there are lots of things I would like to see…and D has really been wanting to take me to a baseball game (yeah, I’ve never been, it’s not a big thing around here)…so maybe I could persuade D into taking a road trip soon….

3.  The beach…ok, so I’ve been to the beach too many times to count, but who doesn’t want to go to the beach?!

4. The Corvette Plant in KY. Vroom vroom.

5.  The Smoky Mountains…this is in my home state, and yet I have never been there, a for sure must do on my list.

There are many, many, MANY more places and states I want to visit, but these are the ones that I want to get to soon.

Where have you been?

Where are you going this summer?

I Need To Write My Own Prescription June 29, 2009

I went to the doctor today for what I think is some sort of spider bite.

The doctor agreed,  saying that there was no way to know for sure what got ahold of me, but some sort of creepy crawly. (Creepy-crawlies are rampant in Tennessee, home to 2 kinds of poisonous spiders (black widows and brown recluses), four kinds of poisonous snakes (including a type of rattlesnake), bees, wasps, hornets,  two kinds of scorpions, fireants, stinging caterpillars, and conenose beetles. Want to come visit me?)

Don’t get me wrong, I am greatful for the antibiotic prescription for the bite (which he said was getting infected) but it is slightly irritating to me that I had to pay a $25 co-pay and then be examined for approximately 45 seconds to be told that it indeed was some sort of insect bite (or sting, he said it could have been a sting, but I don’t remember being stung recently), and that I needed to take some antibiotics and allergy medicine, along with putting neosporin on it.

I mean, I already had been taking benadryl. I already put neosporin on it.  All I needed was the prescription.  (And ok, having the doctor look at it got my mom off my back about it, she was worried about it.)

So, I have arrived at the conclusion that I just need my own prescription pad…..and a medical degree to know which prescriptions to write.

Then What Is The Point? June 25, 2009

Ok, so I am attempting to make a dermatologist’s appointment, nothing major, but something I would rather have addressed sooner than later. So, I do what most reasonable people in need of an appointment do: I call them on the telephone, which I foolishly believed was customary in this neck of the woods.

Here is how the conversation follows:

Derm’s Office: “HELLO. DOCTAH’S OWFICE. HOW MAY I HELP YEW?” (NASAL!)

Me: “Hello. I would like to make an appoinment to be seen. I-”

Derm’s Office: “THIS IS AN ANSWERING SERVICE! WE CAN’T DO THAT! CALL BACK AT ONE-THIRTY! THANK YEW!”

Me: “Oh. Ok. Tha-”

Derm’s Office: Click.

Forgive me, but I don’t get the whole answering service thing. I think if they are going to pick up the phone, then they should be able to schedule an appointment or two. Ya know, just for shits and giggles?

Fast forward to scene two, in which I decide to call my ob/gyn’s office for an appointment. You know, just because no one has scraped my cervix with a spatula in awhile, and it’s feeling a little lonely.

Dudes! I am not kidding! THE SAME WOMAN ANSWERED THE PHONE, OR MAYBE HER CLONE!

Ob/Gyn’s Office: “DOCTAH’S OWFICE. CAN YA HOLD?”

Me: giggle-snort laughing, can’t manage to mutter more than a “uh-huh”

Ob/Gyn’s Office: Retaliates by putting me on hold for SEVEN MINUTES.

Not to be a bother, but uh, if a baby was about to come shooting out my cooch, this would have been enough wait-time  to cause alarm.   Luckily, no such baby shall be sliding down that chute today, so I didn’t really care all that much.  Plus I did laugh, so I’m sure I deserved some sort of punishment.

To be fair though, the phone was picked back up by a very nice young man, who I thankfully did not have to regale with any horror stories of my reproductive system. (Remember last summer and the cyst THAT WOULD NOT DIE? I really would have hated to have had to tell this nice polite man that I thought my ovary was about to pop off.)

Apparently both offices will be back in at one-thirty.  I predict I will forget and not call for another month.

Numerous Things, None of Which Really Have Anything To Do With One Another April 23, 2009

So,  even though I don’t really watch that much tv (don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with tv, but I just never seem to be around/awake when the shows I like come on) I do watch the news in the mornings. Which, really, half the time, is not so much for the news factor, but it helps me manage my time better, i.e., if I see that the local news is going off and Good Morning America is coming on, then I know that I only have about 30 minutes or so til I need to be out the door).

One thing that caught my attention the other day was the big drama between Miss Cali and Perez Hilton. Now if  you know me, you probably already know what I think, but hey, it’s my blog, I can write what I want.  I’m going to have to agree with the Perez Hilton side of this.  I am a supporter of gay rights, but even if I was not, I would still say that she should have lost the competition (how I feel about beauty pageants is a whole ‘nother rant entirely, maybe for another day), strictly on the basis of just flat out prejudice/bigotry.  Why do I feel this way? Ok, what if she made a discriminatory remark about a person that is black? or Asian? Native American? Indian? Whatever?  It’s the same deal….she blatantly discriminated against a group of people, and that is just not cool.  I agree that you have a right to voice your opinions, but you never have the right to discriminate against anyone, and I don’t care who you are.  Not cool Miss Cali, not cool at all.  In my own humble opinion, I think it’s terrible that we’ve turned marriage into something that is all about sex, and not love. Everyone has a right to love and be loved, and that’s all I have to say about that.

Second order of business…so I know this woman is getting love from everywhere, but I just have to give her a shout out to- Susan Boyle! I think she is a fabulous singer, I hope to hear more from her soon.

Now onto my next controversial topic- Today I heard that the FDA just recently approved the morning-after (plan B) pills for 17 year olds without a prescription. What do I think? I think it’s a good thing, and I don’t know why anyone could be up in arms about this. Seriously. There are too many unwanted pregnancies/children, and if we can do something to help prevent this, then I say kudos to that.  Some people say that it will cause teenagers to be more promiscuous, and to that I say, “for real?” Maybe you don’t know this but, uh, a LOT of teenagers are ALREADY promiscuous, I don’t think the avaliablity of another form of birth control is going to change this. Anyone can walk into a store and buy condoms and yet, lots of teenagers don’t use them! Some people say that it’s keeping their parents from being informed about the welfare of their children. What seventeen year old would ever tell their parents they were having sex? Probably only one that was already pregnant/had gotten someone pregnant. I guess my point is that 17 year olds are not very different from 18 year olds, and are fully capable of doing whatever they want anyway. My feeling is that if we can prevent unwanted pregnancies, it’s better for everyone.

Damn It February 12, 2009

I try not to feel guilty about many things,  and honestly, I don’t.

There is no point in it, and I always know that even if I didn’t make the best decision at a certain point in time, that it is ok, because I can learn from it.

However, there are a few things that, while I don’t feel guilty about them, I wish that I had the guts to be more upfront about them, and then I end up feeling guilty because I wasn’t upfront with them in the first place.

For example: I had a friend that I met a few years ago, and we were good friends for awhile.  I mean, this wasn’t like “talk everyday, hang out all the time” friend, but a friend that was good for hanging out with sometimes. I don’t know, I guess at the peak of our friendship we might have hung out once or twice a week, but I really could not say.

Anyway, this certain friend started giving me grief a few months ago, and I chose to end the friendship. Only I did not say “I can’t be friends with you anymore, I’m sorry.”  because I thought it sounded childish.

So, I just quit talking, calling, texting, etc.  Which, I realize now, was childish.

I don’t know, I hate causing “drama” so that is why I did not come out and say anything.  I guess there is no nice way to break off a friendship, and I am not sure why this is considered so societally unacceptable.

Think about it, really, it is.  Saying “We are not friends anymore” is considered childish, a middle school girl’s threat. But honestly, who among us hasn’t had a friendship that just wasn’t working out anymore?

I am sure that the majority of  us do the same thing that I did- just stop communicating.

Somehow, we think that is more polite.  But think about it- is it really?

I don’t think so. Sure, it might cause less hurt feelings initially, but really, it’s not a clean break.  And the party at fault (ok, maybe not at fault, but the person that is being essentially dropped) still doesn’t know why you feel that way.

I’m not sure what the best solution for any of this would be, because really, you are between a rock and a hard place either way.

What do you think? Just stop talking or let them know exactly why you are choosing to end that friendship?