I was slowly backing out of my driveway, checking the mirrors, when I suddenly felt and heard a loud crunch. Keep in mind, I was Still. In. My. Own. Driveway. Anyway, I heard shouting so I got out of the truck to assess the situation. I was afraid someone was injured, but what I encountered was an extremely livid young man calling me the nastiest names you can think of, and screaming that I should bleepity-bleep learn how to drive and yelling that he was going to sell his car today. After he was finished ranting at me, he yelled at me to move forward (again in my own driveway) because he didn't have any traction. I would like to point out that our driveway (which we share with our neighbors) is as clean as driveways can get in this weather. Also, his car was not damaged, but my license plate was torn off. The point is, if he wouldn't have been driving too fast for the conditions, this wouldn't have happened.
I was immediately on defense, and mad as hell. Who does he think he is, speeding into MY driveway? I understand turning around in someones driveway, but please, please, refrain from name-calling and shouting at me. Not to mention, you really should make sure that there isn't a car parked or backing up. I was completely in my space, and not on or even near the street.
Perhaps this is truly my fault and if so, I'm sorry. I offered to give him my insurance information three times, but he refused; "Too much hassle and not worth it", he said.
The funny thing is, when Craig came out of the house (brace and all), the guy calmed down and was quite pleasant, which makes me even more angry. You have to wonder what his opinion of women is, but then again, he made it obvious. It turns out that he's a friend of our neighbors across the street.
His moral of the story is "check your* &^%$#@ mirrors. My moral of the story is to be pleasant and discuss the situation in an appropriate manner. And get the heck out of my driveway.
Showing posts with label pet peeves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pet peeves. Show all posts
The Noisiest Birds On the Block
Lately, every morning, just before dawn, we are greeted by the very noisy call of some obnoxious birds. In fact, these so-called feathered friends are so loud that one day Murray woke up, climbed on his bed to look out the window and cried, "What's going on out there?!" This rude awakening prompted me to do some Googling. Here's what I found:
The bird in question is known as the Common Grackle. They are longer than a blackbird and smaller than the American Crow. They eat anything and love to congregate in trees and make people's lives miserable with their early morning parties.
After several crack-of-dawn observations, I've come to the conclusion that the Grackles are holding a sort of religious ceremony. The leader begins with a long, solo, cackle which includes variation in tone, pitch and timbre. When he/she is finished, hundreds of others reply by screeching as loud as they can; each seem to have a different call. If the leader goes on too long, his/her "congregation" cuts him/her off, only to cause a cacophony of very angered birds. I've noticed that they'll retreat only when you've finally managed to fall asleep again and just a few seconds before the alarm goes off.
Sheesh, and I thought the cat was annoying in the morning.
Has anyone else experienced the attack of the Grackles?
The bird in question is known as the Common Grackle. They are longer than a blackbird and smaller than the American Crow. They eat anything and love to congregate in trees and make people's lives miserable with their early morning parties.
After several crack-of-dawn observations, I've come to the conclusion that the Grackles are holding a sort of religious ceremony. The leader begins with a long, solo, cackle which includes variation in tone, pitch and timbre. When he/she is finished, hundreds of others reply by screeching as loud as they can; each seem to have a different call. If the leader goes on too long, his/her "congregation" cuts him/her off, only to cause a cacophony of very angered birds. I've noticed that they'll retreat only when you've finally managed to fall asleep again and just a few seconds before the alarm goes off.
Sheesh, and I thought the cat was annoying in the morning.
Has anyone else experienced the attack of the Grackles?
Scary Spiders
Thanks to those of you who responded to my last post - I appreciated your comments! Even yours, Brad. :)
What a weekend! Murray had a fever on Thursday and Friday, which finally broke on Friday night. With the big Gopher/Sioux rivalry, I didn't see much of Craig. Murray and I and Maggie went to the St. Patrick's Day parade yesterday; we watched it from the balcony of my temporary office building. Murray loved it, but I don't think Mags was all that impressed.
This morning at 3:30am, Murray felt he should get out of bed and sleep with us. We don't let him do that unless he's sick, so since he was feeling better, we let him cry it out. I got up an hour later to check on him. He wasn't in his bed, so I panicked until I found him passed out on the dining room floor. It was so funny and with Rudy was nearby, not taking his eyes off Murray - no doubt doing his security duty - we let him stay there until morning.
Tomorrow is my first day flying solo at work. Lacy will be back in May, so until then, I'm on my own. She is an amazing person - she created tutorials complete with screen shots for everything I need to know as far as running reports, the daily deposit, etc. I have loved working beside her these last weeks, and wish her the best as she and her husband prepare to bring their first child into the world.
Last night was the first time I've been out of the house on my own in a very long time. Craig took Murray to the Fink's to watch the game and I went to play bingo with Craig's Mom and Dad. While we didn't bingo, it was a fun evening out.
The events of the weekend are not in the order I'd prefer, but I'm too lazy to change it. For some odd reason, Blogger doesn't have a cut and paste option, so my thoughts are typed as I write them, not necessarily sequentially.
I can't sign off without the following anecdote frome today: This afternoon, I asked Murray if he wanted to help me water the plants. As I filled up my watering can, a spider the size of a silver dollar tried to climb out. I panicked and ran to the other side of the kitchen while yelling for Craig to come and help get rid of the thing. He told me to get over it and continued folding the laundry. Realizing I was on my own, I decided to suck it up and turn the whole episode into a science lesson for Murray. I set the watering can (full of water) on the floor and Murray and I waited for the spider to climb out, at which point I had planned to dispose of it with the nearest heavy object (sorry P.E.T.A.). Before I could pounce though, the spider poked his huge and hairy head out of the can and Murray ran screaming and crying for cover. The sight of the spider again, in combination with Murray tearing out of the room like a frighented rabbit, sent me scrambling for cover too. Craig just shook his head at both of us, calmly disposed of the spider, called us both fruitcakes, and went on with the day. I still have the heebie-jeebies.
With that, I'm off to bed, hopefully not to have nightmares about spiders.
What a weekend! Murray had a fever on Thursday and Friday, which finally broke on Friday night. With the big Gopher/Sioux rivalry, I didn't see much of Craig. Murray and I and Maggie went to the St. Patrick's Day parade yesterday; we watched it from the balcony of my temporary office building. Murray loved it, but I don't think Mags was all that impressed.
This morning at 3:30am, Murray felt he should get out of bed and sleep with us. We don't let him do that unless he's sick, so since he was feeling better, we let him cry it out. I got up an hour later to check on him. He wasn't in his bed, so I panicked until I found him passed out on the dining room floor. It was so funny and with Rudy was nearby, not taking his eyes off Murray - no doubt doing his security duty - we let him stay there until morning.
Tomorrow is my first day flying solo at work. Lacy will be back in May, so until then, I'm on my own. She is an amazing person - she created tutorials complete with screen shots for everything I need to know as far as running reports, the daily deposit, etc. I have loved working beside her these last weeks, and wish her the best as she and her husband prepare to bring their first child into the world.
Last night was the first time I've been out of the house on my own in a very long time. Craig took Murray to the Fink's to watch the game and I went to play bingo with Craig's Mom and Dad. While we didn't bingo, it was a fun evening out.
The events of the weekend are not in the order I'd prefer, but I'm too lazy to change it. For some odd reason, Blogger doesn't have a cut and paste option, so my thoughts are typed as I write them, not necessarily sequentially.
I can't sign off without the following anecdote frome today: This afternoon, I asked Murray if he wanted to help me water the plants. As I filled up my watering can, a spider the size of a silver dollar tried to climb out. I panicked and ran to the other side of the kitchen while yelling for Craig to come and help get rid of the thing. He told me to get over it and continued folding the laundry. Realizing I was on my own, I decided to suck it up and turn the whole episode into a science lesson for Murray. I set the watering can (full of water) on the floor and Murray and I waited for the spider to climb out, at which point I had planned to dispose of it with the nearest heavy object (sorry P.E.T.A.). Before I could pounce though, the spider poked his huge and hairy head out of the can and Murray ran screaming and crying for cover. The sight of the spider again, in combination with Murray tearing out of the room like a frighented rabbit, sent me scrambling for cover too. Craig just shook his head at both of us, calmly disposed of the spider, called us both fruitcakes, and went on with the day. I still have the heebie-jeebies.
With that, I'm off to bed, hopefully not to have nightmares about spiders.
Paris and Pigs
What has this world come to? Really, Paris Hilton and her pets and hair products? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE animals and would own a farm if I could, but is this really all she has to discuss? Aren't there more important things in the world? Honestly, I'm so annoyed I had to turn the channel. At least she got me motivated to do something productive. I'm off to go clean something that I never otherwise would have. Thanks, Paris. You are truly an inspiration. Oh, and NINE fragrences?
P.S. I just realized how annoyed I am. I have a few questions that are supposed to be statements. I guess I'm guilty of my own pet peeves.
P.S. I just realized how annoyed I am. I have a few questions that are supposed to be statements. I guess I'm guilty of my own pet peeves.
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
I think our neighbors are wondering where "Mr. and Mrs. Scrooge" (a.k.a. Craig and Marie Beckerleg) moved to. For ten years of living in the same home, Craig has never put Christmas lights on the house. This year, he discovered a great bunch of brand new lights and those clippy-things that help keep the lights stay put. My mom must have purchased them after Christmas one year and never used them. So while I was napping on Saturday, I woke to discover Craig on the roof hanging beautiful white lights. I am thrilled! I had to take a picture from across the street - he did such a great job. There are 4 bulbs that aren't working, but we'll replace those soon. Murray lit up like the Fourth of July (no pun intended) when he first saw them; "WHOA!" was his response.
I'm reading a book by Wally Lamb, "The Hour I First Believed" (I can't find the underline button). This book is beautifully written and captivated me from the very first sentence. There is one thing about Mr. Lamb's writing style that is driving me bonkers, however. At least once per page, he begins the monologue with a question. For example, he'll write: "This one time? I got off the train at Grand Central? I raced to her apartment. . .". I have no idea why this is bothering me. I pose this question to my talented writer-friends: Is this a common writing technique that I'm unaware of? I realize that my writing needs a lot of work, so I hate to criticize a well-known and published author. I've just never come across anything like this.
I hope that everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We certainly did. We spent the day at Maggie's and I'm positive that I haven't laughed so hard or so often in a long time. I even helped her put up her Christmas villages, decorations, and lights. Decorating for any holiday is never high on my priority list, but Mag loves it so I acquiesced and ended up having a ball. Helping her upped my Christmas spirit a notch too. Thanks, sister!
The countdown is on: 24 days until Santa visits!
"One cannot have wisdom without living life."
--Dorothy McCall
Let's Talk Seriously (and please,wash your hands)
Before we even thought or knew about H1N1, we were aware that we needed to stop spreading germs. Now that things have become more serious than ever, we MUST take every precaution. I've preached about this before, but I have two issues that need to be taken vitally:
1. Washing hands. Yes, I know this is common knowledge, but many people don't understand proper hand washing technique. One of my very close friends is a health inspector. The rules are to scrub VIGOROUSLY; underneath nails and jewlery (especially rings), on top and bottom of hands, between fingers and up to the elbows (pretend you are a surgeon). Then completely dry and use a paper towel to touch the faucet, door knob, etc. on your way out of whereever you washed.
Bring on issue number 2: IF YOU ARE SICK, DO NOT GO TO WORK, DO NOT GO ANYWHERE! For crying out loud, stay home, rest and heal, and then disinfect your home, and again, DO NOT COME TO WORK! I know the guilty feeling about not reporting to your job, but really, our safety is at risk. My co-w0rker decided she should come t0 the office on Monday (she's famous for coming to work hacking, sneezing,etc) and I explained to her that the next time she shows up at work ill, I will go home.
Another easy idea is to always keep antibacterial lotion in your purse, car, and home. It's not always the best source, but will make a big difference.
I realize that this is a crabby post, but health is so important to me. Please help stop the germs.
On that note, I do hope you all remain healthy. More to come. . .
Ree
1. Washing hands. Yes, I know this is common knowledge, but many people don't understand proper hand washing technique. One of my very close friends is a health inspector. The rules are to scrub VIGOROUSLY; underneath nails and jewlery (especially rings), on top and bottom of hands, between fingers and up to the elbows (pretend you are a surgeon). Then completely dry and use a paper towel to touch the faucet, door knob, etc. on your way out of whereever you washed.
Bring on issue number 2: IF YOU ARE SICK, DO NOT GO TO WORK, DO NOT GO ANYWHERE! For crying out loud, stay home, rest and heal, and then disinfect your home, and again, DO NOT COME TO WORK! I know the guilty feeling about not reporting to your job, but really, our safety is at risk. My co-w0rker decided she should come t0 the office on Monday (she's famous for coming to work hacking, sneezing,etc) and I explained to her that the next time she shows up at work ill, I will go home.
Another easy idea is to always keep antibacterial lotion in your purse, car, and home. It's not always the best source, but will make a big difference.
I realize that this is a crabby post, but health is so important to me. Please help stop the germs.
On that note, I do hope you all remain healthy. More to come. . .
Ree
Off Come the Rose Colored Glasses
I have been unable to write lately. Every time I sit down to post, I end up staring blankly at the screen, fingers poised over the keys, ready to type something, anything. At first I thought it was a simple case of writer's block, because it's extremely rare that I don't have something to yap about. This morning I realized that I'm stuck because I'm dealing with some tough stuff right now, and I needed some time to come to terms with what's happening.
My appointment with the cardiologist went well, but it certainly wasn't what we expected. Dr. Otero believes that the high, tachy heart rates are caused by stress and anxiety, not an arrhythmia, which was the affliction in 2006. I realize that this is good news, but it was a huge blow to me and my perception of how things are. Ever since my mom was diagnosed with cancer last July, I have held it together, been strong, kept going, one foot in front of the other, determined not to let myself fall apart. You know, the "pillar of strength" type. Yes, there have been some bad days, but bad days are healthy once in a while. For the most part, I thought that I was handling things in a way that would have made mom proud. We were raised to be strong women, of the "pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on" variety. No feeling sorry for yourself! Now, I just feel weak, and humiliated, and let down. I SHOULD be able to handle this, I WANT to handle this, and I still don't want to fall apart, but apparently that is what is happening when I have these so-called "attacks". I am beginning to grasp that this has been a slow decline, one I didn't realize was happening. It began in my heart, and has steadily moved right down to my toes. I used to be a morning person, and lately it's hard to drag myself out of bed. I used to care about how I was dressed and how my hair looked, now, I have to force myself to get in the shower in the morning (don't worry, I do shower at least once a day). My whole body hurts most days, which can be chalked up to the evil D-word I'm not ready to say (or type). I'm just so tired. I want to surround myself in the cozy blanket of family until this passes, but I can't just lie down and let it take over. I will keep fighting, and fighting and fighting, and I will be okay. I have to get the following off my chest:
This whole post probably sounds incredibly selfish and self-pitying. That may be true. It may not. Right now, I just don't know. I do know that I don't want to feel this way (who does), and that I'm trying to fix it. It's time to take off the rose colored glasses and realize that maybe, just maybe, I don't have to be strong all the time. Maybe it's okay to be sad right now. The question is, how do you do that?
My appointment with the cardiologist went well, but it certainly wasn't what we expected. Dr. Otero believes that the high, tachy heart rates are caused by stress and anxiety, not an arrhythmia, which was the affliction in 2006. I realize that this is good news, but it was a huge blow to me and my perception of how things are. Ever since my mom was diagnosed with cancer last July, I have held it together, been strong, kept going, one foot in front of the other, determined not to let myself fall apart. You know, the "pillar of strength" type. Yes, there have been some bad days, but bad days are healthy once in a while. For the most part, I thought that I was handling things in a way that would have made mom proud. We were raised to be strong women, of the "pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on" variety. No feeling sorry for yourself! Now, I just feel weak, and humiliated, and let down. I SHOULD be able to handle this, I WANT to handle this, and I still don't want to fall apart, but apparently that is what is happening when I have these so-called "attacks". I am beginning to grasp that this has been a slow decline, one I didn't realize was happening. It began in my heart, and has steadily moved right down to my toes. I used to be a morning person, and lately it's hard to drag myself out of bed. I used to care about how I was dressed and how my hair looked, now, I have to force myself to get in the shower in the morning (don't worry, I do shower at least once a day). My whole body hurts most days, which can be chalked up to the evil D-word I'm not ready to say (or type). I'm just so tired. I want to surround myself in the cozy blanket of family until this passes, but I can't just lie down and let it take over. I will keep fighting, and fighting and fighting, and I will be okay. I have to get the following off my chest:
The number one thing never to say to a person who is grieving:
1. "I know how you feel, I felt like that when so and so insert illness/death here "
NO, you DON'T know how I feel. It's different for everyone, and comparing your situation to mine only makes me feel worse. I'm sure you did feel similar feelings, and I'm sure that your situation is/was just as tragic, but right now, I need be selfish and feel what I need to feel, and sometimes, that is indescribable. It's not that I don't care, really, if you know me, you know that I DO care, probably too much sometimes. I just need to deal with me first.1. "I know how you feel, I felt like that when so and so insert illness/death here "
This whole post probably sounds incredibly selfish and self-pitying. That may be true. It may not. Right now, I just don't know. I do know that I don't want to feel this way (who does), and that I'm trying to fix it. It's time to take off the rose colored glasses and realize that maybe, just maybe, I don't have to be strong all the time. Maybe it's okay to be sad right now. The question is, how do you do that?
Gossip Scmossip
I am so tired of gossip. For crying out loud, can't we just keep our information to ourselves?????? The reason that I have not posted anything about the potential new house is because nothing is final and we didn't want anyone to know until it was. Lots of things can happen between now and then. We have no idea how so many people suddenly know that we have a particular house in mind when ours sells, but it's out there. So, instead of crazy rumors getting started, here it is:
We were looking for a lot to build on when we found a house pretty much exactly what we wanted to build. It was a complete fluke, and we were very lucky to find it. However, it's owned by a relocation company, and it's company policy that they won't accept an offer based on a contingency. Our offer was based on the sale of our home, which is standard when you are moving from one house to another. Anyway, even if we would have offered more than the asking price, it wouldn't have mattered. So now we wait for our home to sell, and then we can make an offer. If something doesn't work out, then we go back to plan A and build. No big deal, we were just trying to keep things private.
The reason that I'm so upset is that I'm so tired of gossip. It's like when I was pregnant, and everyone knew way before we were even ready to tell anyone. This is just the straw that broke the camel's back. Nothing is sacred anymore.
Anyway, we'll get over it, and it's not that big of a deal, but again, I needed to vent. Maybe I should just look at like people aren't nosy, just excited for us. That's what I'll do. Yes, the cup is half full, and I will try to give the benefit of the doubt. I"ll sleep on it and decide tomorrow.
We were looking for a lot to build on when we found a house pretty much exactly what we wanted to build. It was a complete fluke, and we were very lucky to find it. However, it's owned by a relocation company, and it's company policy that they won't accept an offer based on a contingency. Our offer was based on the sale of our home, which is standard when you are moving from one house to another. Anyway, even if we would have offered more than the asking price, it wouldn't have mattered. So now we wait for our home to sell, and then we can make an offer. If something doesn't work out, then we go back to plan A and build. No big deal, we were just trying to keep things private.
The reason that I'm so upset is that I'm so tired of gossip. It's like when I was pregnant, and everyone knew way before we were even ready to tell anyone. This is just the straw that broke the camel's back. Nothing is sacred anymore.
Anyway, we'll get over it, and it's not that big of a deal, but again, I needed to vent. Maybe I should just look at like people aren't nosy, just excited for us. That's what I'll do. Yes, the cup is half full, and I will try to give the benefit of the doubt. I"ll sleep on it and decide tomorrow.
The Great Outdoors
Well, camping wasn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be, and I actually enjoyed myself. The best part was watching Craig relax and have a good time. I'm glad we went for his sake - he deserves to do something he really enjoys, even if it's not my cup of tea. We were home, unpacked and showered by 11:00am on Sunday and then raced over to get Murray. We both missed him SO MUCH and decided that it's just too soon to leave him over night. I had a complete melt down on Saturday morning before we left and almost stayed home. But I'm still glad that we went. It was fun to relax and visit and the food was great!
Back to reality today. The next two weeks will be wonderful at work, because the mean woman that I work with is on vacation. It's so hard to go to work (even if you love your job, like I do) when you have to deal with people like her. If she could just be nice it would help, but I will never change her. I always say that working with her on a daily basis teaches me a lot about the type of person I want to be (and don't want to be). Every cloud has a silver lining.
My soap box of the week is this: Please, do not tell me how to raise our pets or our children. Keep your opinions to yourself. Every situation is different, and you may not know the full extent of ours. Belief and moral foundations are different for everyone. I do not criticize the way you do things, so please leave us alone. It's just not nice to tell others that what you are doing is wrong. I work hard every day to be a good person and do what I think is best for my family and our situation. I am doing the best I can.
The zoo was a huge disappointment. Murray loved it, so it was worth going, but I wouldn't ever go there again. He especially loved the goats and the ducks. We forgot our camera, so we didn't get any good shots, but the vision of Murray getting so excited will be burned in my memory forever. It was hilarious. The zoo itself actually made us sad. The animals are so cooped up and have no room to move in their natural habitat like you would see in big zoos. There isn't much room for the zoo to expand, so I don't see the situation improving. I wanted to run around and open all the gates for the animals to be free. Anyway, it was fun for Murray.
Happy Monday!
Back to reality today. The next two weeks will be wonderful at work, because the mean woman that I work with is on vacation. It's so hard to go to work (even if you love your job, like I do) when you have to deal with people like her. If she could just be nice it would help, but I will never change her. I always say that working with her on a daily basis teaches me a lot about the type of person I want to be (and don't want to be). Every cloud has a silver lining.
My soap box of the week is this: Please, do not tell me how to raise our pets or our children. Keep your opinions to yourself. Every situation is different, and you may not know the full extent of ours. Belief and moral foundations are different for everyone. I do not criticize the way you do things, so please leave us alone. It's just not nice to tell others that what you are doing is wrong. I work hard every day to be a good person and do what I think is best for my family and our situation. I am doing the best I can.
The zoo was a huge disappointment. Murray loved it, so it was worth going, but I wouldn't ever go there again. He especially loved the goats and the ducks. We forgot our camera, so we didn't get any good shots, but the vision of Murray getting so excited will be burned in my memory forever. It was hilarious. The zoo itself actually made us sad. The animals are so cooped up and have no room to move in their natural habitat like you would see in big zoos. There isn't much room for the zoo to expand, so I don't see the situation improving. I wanted to run around and open all the gates for the animals to be free. Anyway, it was fun for Murray.
Happy Monday!
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