I finally figured it out! I must be a princess. Oh, not a frog kissing princess or a princess that sings to animals in the woods (although, I've probably done that...ha!), but I must be the good ol' princess with the pea.
Why is that, you ask?
Simple - I haven't slept through the night in years - honestly, maybe never. ha! So, I'm thinking that maybe my problem is that there is a pea under my mattress and all I need to do is find it. Shoot, not only then will I be able to sleep, but all kinds of interesting things will happen.
Let's walk through some of the things I've done to get a full night's sleep:
I've bought new mattresses, upped my thread count on my sheets until I am now at 1000, bought a tempur-pedic mattress topper, drank warm milk, slept with the tv on, the light on, the tv off, the lights off, the pillows stacked, my head right on the mattress, the air turned down, the air turned up, I've even tried over the counter sleep aids (as encouraged by my doctor) they have the opposite effect on me - I end up WIRED for days, I've had a glass of wine before bed, I've turned the computer off, I've read the King James Version of the Bible, I've listened to music, I've listened to white noise - sometimes I've listened to the neighbors fight (ha!), I've counted sheep - no really, I've exercised before bed, I've done a whole routine of relaxation, I gave up watching Forensic Files and Criminal Minds before bed,.....I think you are getting the point.
The only theory I have left is the Princess and the Pea theory. That's got to be it, right? =)
I hope y'all have a great, sleep-filled night! If not, give me a call, I'm sure I'll be up.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Blind - Dates Wipe-Outs #3
The end of 2009 rolled around and I'm certain that almost everyone I know had decided I'm going to be single forever. I've decided that most people want for you the kind of things that make them happy. If they are happy and married, they want the same for you. I'm not going to sit here and say that I don't think that would be nice, but I'm also not going to sit here and say that I lie around all the time bemoaning the fact that I'm single. I don't. That being said...
One night, in October - I got a phone call from my friends Veronica and Derek. They explain to me that they've met this great guy, told him about me, and we are going out on Friday night. Oh goodness. Here we go. They promise me that he seems normal. A nice guy, looking for friends. Sweet. I am great at making friends. It's one of my finer qualities. ha! I clarified that this was a blind date and V and Derek both said yes - but this time I was going to double date with them. This made me feel a bit better. The only thing was that he and my ex-husband share the same name. I kind of laughed, and said okay, no big deal.
We go to the bowling alley - and once again, he's late. Not 45 mins late, or an hour late, just a few minutes late, so no big deal. He really isn't bad looking. We start to bowl and he starts talking about his cat, even shows me pictures. Well, I have two cats - Cheese and Crackers - so this is cool with me. The he starts talking about how bad his back is and how he is sucking at bowling (he was kicking our behinds) and how he used to play in a league. Then he starts talking about how he wishes he hadn't got out of the military, he would be retiring in a few years (he was 37). By the end of the night, he had said that so much that V says "We know, you really shouldn't have gotten out of the military, you would be retired by now." Things aren't going horrible, but he really was kind of a down person.
We go to dinner, and the check comes. We shared pizza and I had ordered water. As soon as the check comes out, he says "Yeah, I really wish I made more money. I only make 31K a year, my rent is $500 a month, and I am living paycheck to paycheck." I am reaching for my purse to pay for my portion because I was feeling HORRIBLE!!! We were supposed to go for ice cream later and I told everyone the only way we could go to Baskin Robbins is if they allowed me to pay for everyone. I could not let this poor man pay for one more thing. We decide to go back to Veronica and Derek's and watch a movie. He talks more about how he needs friends...and by this time, I'm starting to feel a little worn out. I need to insert here that if a guy makes 31k a year and is happy in his job, then I am happy with that - I am not all materialistic. I would rather be with someone who was fulfilled in their career, than to be with someone who was absolutely miserable, but was doing it for the money. The thing that made me the most nervous was that this guy was a corrections officer and he told us how he knew just how far to go with the prisoners. I know his job is very stressful, but that kind of talk makes a person nervous.
He says he'll take me to my car - which was down the street at V's sister's house. We get to her house and he turns the car off. I am uncertain what to do. I have my mace ready. He looks at me and says he thinks we should talk a while. He proceeds to tell me that every girl he's ever been with has cheated on him and he doesn't feel comfortable with his women having male friends. Then he wanted to know why I kept my ex husbands last name and if I would change it back to my maiden name if someone I dated had a problem with it. I told him no. It was easier to keep the last name Franklin, it was JD's last name, and I wasn't bothered by it at all.
He then looks at me and says "Well, my biological clock is ticking, so I need to be with someone who can have kids". I almost died. I've heard that some women say that, but I didn't believe it and I've NEVER heard of a man saying that. If I have problems with fertility in the future - not that I am wishing it on myself by any means - I will swear that is because I felt my ovaries shrivel up right then at that moment. I was in shock.
He did end up calling me about a week later, I encouraged him to see a doctor. He said he felt like he should date 19-21 year old women and he knew that as a single mom I was waiting for someone to come "rescue" me from my situation. As nice as possible I explained to him that I was not waiting for someone to rescue me. I have been very blessed and I'm doing well with just me and JD. I explained that while I'm sure he was a nice man, that we wouldn't ever have a relationship and I really thought he needed to seek help for depression. He had told me that he had been in the bed with his cat, watching movies for four days.
At this time, I have renewed my vow to not go on blind dates. I wonder how long that will last. ha!
One night, in October - I got a phone call from my friends Veronica and Derek. They explain to me that they've met this great guy, told him about me, and we are going out on Friday night. Oh goodness. Here we go. They promise me that he seems normal. A nice guy, looking for friends. Sweet. I am great at making friends. It's one of my finer qualities. ha! I clarified that this was a blind date and V and Derek both said yes - but this time I was going to double date with them. This made me feel a bit better. The only thing was that he and my ex-husband share the same name. I kind of laughed, and said okay, no big deal.
We go to the bowling alley - and once again, he's late. Not 45 mins late, or an hour late, just a few minutes late, so no big deal. He really isn't bad looking. We start to bowl and he starts talking about his cat, even shows me pictures. Well, I have two cats - Cheese and Crackers - so this is cool with me. The he starts talking about how bad his back is and how he is sucking at bowling (he was kicking our behinds) and how he used to play in a league. Then he starts talking about how he wishes he hadn't got out of the military, he would be retiring in a few years (he was 37). By the end of the night, he had said that so much that V says "We know, you really shouldn't have gotten out of the military, you would be retired by now." Things aren't going horrible, but he really was kind of a down person.
We go to dinner, and the check comes. We shared pizza and I had ordered water. As soon as the check comes out, he says "Yeah, I really wish I made more money. I only make 31K a year, my rent is $500 a month, and I am living paycheck to paycheck." I am reaching for my purse to pay for my portion because I was feeling HORRIBLE!!! We were supposed to go for ice cream later and I told everyone the only way we could go to Baskin Robbins is if they allowed me to pay for everyone. I could not let this poor man pay for one more thing. We decide to go back to Veronica and Derek's and watch a movie. He talks more about how he needs friends...and by this time, I'm starting to feel a little worn out. I need to insert here that if a guy makes 31k a year and is happy in his job, then I am happy with that - I am not all materialistic. I would rather be with someone who was fulfilled in their career, than to be with someone who was absolutely miserable, but was doing it for the money. The thing that made me the most nervous was that this guy was a corrections officer and he told us how he knew just how far to go with the prisoners. I know his job is very stressful, but that kind of talk makes a person nervous.
He says he'll take me to my car - which was down the street at V's sister's house. We get to her house and he turns the car off. I am uncertain what to do. I have my mace ready. He looks at me and says he thinks we should talk a while. He proceeds to tell me that every girl he's ever been with has cheated on him and he doesn't feel comfortable with his women having male friends. Then he wanted to know why I kept my ex husbands last name and if I would change it back to my maiden name if someone I dated had a problem with it. I told him no. It was easier to keep the last name Franklin, it was JD's last name, and I wasn't bothered by it at all.
He then looks at me and says "Well, my biological clock is ticking, so I need to be with someone who can have kids". I almost died. I've heard that some women say that, but I didn't believe it and I've NEVER heard of a man saying that. If I have problems with fertility in the future - not that I am wishing it on myself by any means - I will swear that is because I felt my ovaries shrivel up right then at that moment. I was in shock.
He did end up calling me about a week later, I encouraged him to see a doctor. He said he felt like he should date 19-21 year old women and he knew that as a single mom I was waiting for someone to come "rescue" me from my situation. As nice as possible I explained to him that I was not waiting for someone to rescue me. I have been very blessed and I'm doing well with just me and JD. I explained that while I'm sure he was a nice man, that we wouldn't ever have a relationship and I really thought he needed to seek help for depression. He had told me that he had been in the bed with his cat, watching movies for four days.
At this time, I have renewed my vow to not go on blind dates. I wonder how long that will last. ha!
Blind Date - Wipe - Outs #2
Fast forward to almost exactly one year later. This time it was Laura's dad who was certain he had found the perfect guy for me. Hard working, single dad, cute little girl and Tom was sure he needed a great woman in his life -and that woman had to be me.
I had just gotten over my nightmares from my first blind date, and I really do love Tom and I know he really loves me, so I gave in. He tells me the guy's name and then explains that he has the same first and last name. I will call him Mark Mark. Obviously that is not his real name, but you get the point.
Having learned some lessons from the first blind date, I decided that we could meet at a location that he chose. He chose bowling. I'm a good sport. I suck at all things sports-like, but I have fun playing so it doesn't bother me to do things like that on a first date.
It was pouring down rain that day. I mean a deluge of water. I get to the bowling alley, slosh my way inside, and he's not there, yet. I called Tom. About an hour later, the guy shows up. Why can't people be on time? No, why? However, it was raining so I thought maybe he got hung up in the rain.
He brought his daughter along with him. Once again, that really was okay. I mean, he's a single dad after all. The only problem is that his daughter really didn't want him to date, so she proceeded to tell me that she was the only girl for her daddy and then threw herself on the floor. Oh goodness, I felt so bad for him. Really really bad. He calls his mom, and about 30 minutes later she came to pick his little girl up.
We start bowling and we are talking. He was very nice - I wasn't really feeling anything, but he was very nice. Then he says "I need to be honest about something". Uh oh. First he tells me that he has recently started smoking again. Okay. Then he says, "Well, the biggest thing is that I am really attracted to Filipino women. My daughter's mom was Filipino and I just love those women." Y'all I am completely okay with that. However, I'm about as far from Filipino as you can get with my blue eyes and bleached blond hair. ha!
He told me that even though Tom said I wasn't Filipino, he was hoping I would show up and have some Filipino in me. I said "Are you sure Tom didn't lead you to believe in any way that I was Filipino, because if he did I am so sorry." He says "Nope. He was honest - blond hair, big blue eyes, but I thought I'd see for myself." I smiled and said "I can honestly say that I don't believe I am even a little bit Filipino. We finished up our bowling and called it a day.
To this day, I'm still not Filipino. ha! However, Mae-Beth's Scott is, so I wonder if that would count now since he's going to be my brother-in-law. Probably not. =)
I once again swore off blind dates and once again kept my promise...for two years this time.
I had just gotten over my nightmares from my first blind date, and I really do love Tom and I know he really loves me, so I gave in. He tells me the guy's name and then explains that he has the same first and last name. I will call him Mark Mark. Obviously that is not his real name, but you get the point.
Having learned some lessons from the first blind date, I decided that we could meet at a location that he chose. He chose bowling. I'm a good sport. I suck at all things sports-like, but I have fun playing so it doesn't bother me to do things like that on a first date.
It was pouring down rain that day. I mean a deluge of water. I get to the bowling alley, slosh my way inside, and he's not there, yet. I called Tom. About an hour later, the guy shows up. Why can't people be on time? No, why? However, it was raining so I thought maybe he got hung up in the rain.
He brought his daughter along with him. Once again, that really was okay. I mean, he's a single dad after all. The only problem is that his daughter really didn't want him to date, so she proceeded to tell me that she was the only girl for her daddy and then threw herself on the floor. Oh goodness, I felt so bad for him. Really really bad. He calls his mom, and about 30 minutes later she came to pick his little girl up.
We start bowling and we are talking. He was very nice - I wasn't really feeling anything, but he was very nice. Then he says "I need to be honest about something". Uh oh. First he tells me that he has recently started smoking again. Okay. Then he says, "Well, the biggest thing is that I am really attracted to Filipino women. My daughter's mom was Filipino and I just love those women." Y'all I am completely okay with that. However, I'm about as far from Filipino as you can get with my blue eyes and bleached blond hair. ha!
He told me that even though Tom said I wasn't Filipino, he was hoping I would show up and have some Filipino in me. I said "Are you sure Tom didn't lead you to believe in any way that I was Filipino, because if he did I am so sorry." He says "Nope. He was honest - blond hair, big blue eyes, but I thought I'd see for myself." I smiled and said "I can honestly say that I don't believe I am even a little bit Filipino. We finished up our bowling and called it a day.
To this day, I'm still not Filipino. ha! However, Mae-Beth's Scott is, so I wonder if that would count now since he's going to be my brother-in-law. Probably not. =)
I once again swore off blind dates and once again kept my promise...for two years this time.
Blind Date - Wipe-Outs #1
Tonight, JD and I were watching the show Wipe-Out and it was the Blind Date edition. JD looks at me and tells me that maybe I should try this approach - after all, according to him, in the animated version of Spiderman it worked for Peter and Mary Jane. I kind of laughed and told him that I actually had been on a few blind dates and they would definitely be considered "wipe-outs". He was surprised to hear that I had been on blind dates - probably because I don't discuss dating with him - EVER. He's a kid, I'm his mom, some things you just don't need to share.
That being said, it did remind me of the three blind dates I've been on. Kind of like - three strikes you're out. Each time, I promised that I was not going out on another one, and somehow I ended up trying it again.
For your reading pleasure, I will tell about those three blind dates. Please know, I am sure that each gentleman is perfect for someone else, and I'm sure they could probably tell their own stories of the date, but this is my story.
Date #1:
This one happened about two years after I was divorced. I was 26, almost 27 and I had not dated much - okay at all - since the divorce. I had been busy being a mom, working two jobs at times, and pretty much was just tired. Well, my co-workers at the hospital thought that was not acceptable.
My supervisor came to me and said that her daughter had a friend. They worked together at the Sheriff's Department and they thought we would like to go out. Mistake #1 - feeling pressured by my boss to date her daughter's friend. She explained that he was 40, but was looking for a younger woman because he had a young daughter. I was very nervous, but my co-workers assured me that was because I hadn't dated. I figured if this guy was nice enough to ask, I needed to go. I'm not going to say his real name, because there is no telling who knows him, but let's just say he was named after an animal that you might hunt in the winter. They assured me that was his birth name.
So, he calls me on a Sunday night and ask me to dinner and a movie for the next night. Before I could even answer he says "I know you don't have your son tomorrow night, so there is no reason to turn me down." I told it would be fine to pick me up that next evening. He goes to hang up and I asked "Um, don't you need directions to my house?" He says "Nope, I already know where you live". At this point I was VERY nervous. Being as he was a Sheriff's Deputy, I would completely expect for him to look me up, but please be a little better at hiding it than that.
Monday evening, I will admit that I had a bad headache, but once again chalked it up to being nervous. He shows up - 45 minutes late and when I opened the door, I almost died. Here stood a man who had his shirt unbuttoned to about the 4th button, gold medallions around his neck, and gray chest hair all hanging out. Turns out he was 47. No big deal. I understand he might be nervous, so let's go give it the good old college try.
We get out to the car, I open the door for myself and realized that he had clothes, hangers, and various other items in the front passenger seat. I move those to the back and get in. My head is really hurting now. He tells me that he knows I enjoy action movies - which is true - so he's picked out the perfect movie. I must insert here that at this time, if it didn't come on the Disney Channel or CMT, I had not seen the previews for it. We ride over to the theatre and he purchases two tickets to a movie called Hostel. It was not an action flick. It was a horror movie.
I am a people watcher, so as we are waiting for the movie to start, I am watching the people coming in. He looks at me and says "Were you wanting some popcorn?" Me "No, I'm fine, thanks". He says, "Well, you are looking at those people like you want to steal their popcorn." I just smiled. I was speechless - and that was before the movie even began. I really WAS speechless after that. Really. I couldn't think of a word to say.
My head was now into full migraine mode. He offers to take me to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. Which by this time, I was really at a loss as to what to say. Then he says "I thought maybe we could get an appetizer because I get indigestion this late at night". Y'all that is no joke. I just smiled. We go to dinner, he orders an appetizer for us to share and I excuse myself to the restroom. I was nearly in tears when I called my best friend, Laura, and explained to her that I really needed her to stay up until I called because she wasn't going to believe this.
I went back out to the table, determined to make small talk and finish the evening with a smile. Once again, I'm sure he was nervous, too. I sit down and he says "Well, I want you to tell me about your divorce." I was stunned. See, I don't really air my laundry in public - especially on a first date. So, I said "there really isn't much to tell". He says "No, really, tell me about it. I know all about how someone can ruin your life for the rest of your life." I just smiled and said "I really don't like to discuss my divorce and I don't feel the same way." He says "Of course you do. I'll be honest enough to say that my ex ruined my life and I'll never be the same." Thankfully, our waitress showed up about that time. She walks off and he says "My ex was a lazy stay at home mom and everyone knows stay at home moms only spend money and sit around all day. She gave me a daughter and I'll be honest, I love my daughter, but she got all of my ex-wife's worst qualities."
Okay, at this point, I was having a hard time biting my tongue. I kindly explained to him that I had been a stay at home mom for five and a half years and it was wonderful, but hard - and that I would go back to it in a heartbeat. I also explained that I love my son beyond words, and I'm pretty certain he got every good gene his dad and I have. Yeah, that pretty much ended the conversation.
So, we finally start to head back home, and he pops in a tape of Irish love songs and proceeds to sing to me. By this point, I honestly was looking for the candid camera. My co-workers had given me tips on how to let a guy know you are not interested and one of the ways was to go ahead and have your house keys ready. I had those out halfway through the movie. Okay, not really, but I definitely had them in my hand the closer to the house we got.
We pull up to the apartments, and he parked in the handicap parking spot. The signs had been blown down sometime before during hurricane Ivan and never replaced, so I wasn't sure he could see that he had parked in the wrong spot. So, me being the law abiding citizen I am said "Oh, I think you parked in the handicap parking spot." No joke, he looks right at me and says "I imagine I'll be gone before the police get here...oh wait - I am the police". At this point, inner Kim barfed. Picture a small animated inner Kim losing her shared appetizer all over the place. Yep, that's what I pictured.
Needless to say, he walked me to the door, and went in for the goodnight send off - to which I put my hand out in the classic stop sign, smiled and said "Well, you be real careful going home now - okay?" I opened my door - ran up my stairs - called my best friend and swore I would NEVER go on a blind date again.
The next day my co-worker informed me that she had found out the day before the last time he had been on a date, I was in the second grade. I did feel a little bit bad for him after that. I did make it clear though that I couldn't see him again.
I promised I wan't going on another blind date, and I didn't....for another year.
That being said, it did remind me of the three blind dates I've been on. Kind of like - three strikes you're out. Each time, I promised that I was not going out on another one, and somehow I ended up trying it again.
For your reading pleasure, I will tell about those three blind dates. Please know, I am sure that each gentleman is perfect for someone else, and I'm sure they could probably tell their own stories of the date, but this is my story.
Date #1:
This one happened about two years after I was divorced. I was 26, almost 27 and I had not dated much - okay at all - since the divorce. I had been busy being a mom, working two jobs at times, and pretty much was just tired. Well, my co-workers at the hospital thought that was not acceptable.
My supervisor came to me and said that her daughter had a friend. They worked together at the Sheriff's Department and they thought we would like to go out. Mistake #1 - feeling pressured by my boss to date her daughter's friend. She explained that he was 40, but was looking for a younger woman because he had a young daughter. I was very nervous, but my co-workers assured me that was because I hadn't dated. I figured if this guy was nice enough to ask, I needed to go. I'm not going to say his real name, because there is no telling who knows him, but let's just say he was named after an animal that you might hunt in the winter. They assured me that was his birth name.
So, he calls me on a Sunday night and ask me to dinner and a movie for the next night. Before I could even answer he says "I know you don't have your son tomorrow night, so there is no reason to turn me down." I told it would be fine to pick me up that next evening. He goes to hang up and I asked "Um, don't you need directions to my house?" He says "Nope, I already know where you live". At this point I was VERY nervous. Being as he was a Sheriff's Deputy, I would completely expect for him to look me up, but please be a little better at hiding it than that.
Monday evening, I will admit that I had a bad headache, but once again chalked it up to being nervous. He shows up - 45 minutes late and when I opened the door, I almost died. Here stood a man who had his shirt unbuttoned to about the 4th button, gold medallions around his neck, and gray chest hair all hanging out. Turns out he was 47. No big deal. I understand he might be nervous, so let's go give it the good old college try.
We get out to the car, I open the door for myself and realized that he had clothes, hangers, and various other items in the front passenger seat. I move those to the back and get in. My head is really hurting now. He tells me that he knows I enjoy action movies - which is true - so he's picked out the perfect movie. I must insert here that at this time, if it didn't come on the Disney Channel or CMT, I had not seen the previews for it. We ride over to the theatre and he purchases two tickets to a movie called Hostel. It was not an action flick. It was a horror movie.
I am a people watcher, so as we are waiting for the movie to start, I am watching the people coming in. He looks at me and says "Were you wanting some popcorn?" Me "No, I'm fine, thanks". He says, "Well, you are looking at those people like you want to steal their popcorn." I just smiled. I was speechless - and that was before the movie even began. I really WAS speechless after that. Really. I couldn't think of a word to say.
My head was now into full migraine mode. He offers to take me to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. Which by this time, I was really at a loss as to what to say. Then he says "I thought maybe we could get an appetizer because I get indigestion this late at night". Y'all that is no joke. I just smiled. We go to dinner, he orders an appetizer for us to share and I excuse myself to the restroom. I was nearly in tears when I called my best friend, Laura, and explained to her that I really needed her to stay up until I called because she wasn't going to believe this.
I went back out to the table, determined to make small talk and finish the evening with a smile. Once again, I'm sure he was nervous, too. I sit down and he says "Well, I want you to tell me about your divorce." I was stunned. See, I don't really air my laundry in public - especially on a first date. So, I said "there really isn't much to tell". He says "No, really, tell me about it. I know all about how someone can ruin your life for the rest of your life." I just smiled and said "I really don't like to discuss my divorce and I don't feel the same way." He says "Of course you do. I'll be honest enough to say that my ex ruined my life and I'll never be the same." Thankfully, our waitress showed up about that time. She walks off and he says "My ex was a lazy stay at home mom and everyone knows stay at home moms only spend money and sit around all day. She gave me a daughter and I'll be honest, I love my daughter, but she got all of my ex-wife's worst qualities."
Okay, at this point, I was having a hard time biting my tongue. I kindly explained to him that I had been a stay at home mom for five and a half years and it was wonderful, but hard - and that I would go back to it in a heartbeat. I also explained that I love my son beyond words, and I'm pretty certain he got every good gene his dad and I have. Yeah, that pretty much ended the conversation.
So, we finally start to head back home, and he pops in a tape of Irish love songs and proceeds to sing to me. By this point, I honestly was looking for the candid camera. My co-workers had given me tips on how to let a guy know you are not interested and one of the ways was to go ahead and have your house keys ready. I had those out halfway through the movie. Okay, not really, but I definitely had them in my hand the closer to the house we got.
We pull up to the apartments, and he parked in the handicap parking spot. The signs had been blown down sometime before during hurricane Ivan and never replaced, so I wasn't sure he could see that he had parked in the wrong spot. So, me being the law abiding citizen I am said "Oh, I think you parked in the handicap parking spot." No joke, he looks right at me and says "I imagine I'll be gone before the police get here...oh wait - I am the police". At this point, inner Kim barfed. Picture a small animated inner Kim losing her shared appetizer all over the place. Yep, that's what I pictured.
Needless to say, he walked me to the door, and went in for the goodnight send off - to which I put my hand out in the classic stop sign, smiled and said "Well, you be real careful going home now - okay?" I opened my door - ran up my stairs - called my best friend and swore I would NEVER go on a blind date again.
The next day my co-worker informed me that she had found out the day before the last time he had been on a date, I was in the second grade. I did feel a little bit bad for him after that. I did make it clear though that I couldn't see him again.
I promised I wan't going on another blind date, and I didn't....for another year.
Monday, May 31, 2010
The 75 Degree Challenge
It's no secret that I LOVE to keep my air turned down to 65 or below at night. Since I do not have a programmable thermostat, that means I've also kept the air that low for the whole day sometimes because I can forget to turn it up. As you can imagine, in the winter my power bills are low and in the summer - yeah, not so much. =)
So, I have decided to keep my air at 75 all day and all night - no touchy - for a whole month. I've made it a week now, and it hasn't been that bad. I mean, once again, this is the girl who grew up without central heat or air, so this really shouldn't be so hard. I want to see what the difference in my kwh is on my next bill. Does it make a difference to keep it at 75 all day, or is it about the same as 65 at night and 78 during the day? We shall see.
Needless to say, I had to buy JD new pj's. He's used to wearing long sleeved pajamas all year long. I bought him several new pairs, and he said he was comfortable the whole night. Today was my first day at the house the entire day and it wasn't bad at all. When you think about the fact that we had days in the 90's last week, 75 is still pretty cool.
I'll post back when the month is up.
So, I have decided to keep my air at 75 all day and all night - no touchy - for a whole month. I've made it a week now, and it hasn't been that bad. I mean, once again, this is the girl who grew up without central heat or air, so this really shouldn't be so hard. I want to see what the difference in my kwh is on my next bill. Does it make a difference to keep it at 75 all day, or is it about the same as 65 at night and 78 during the day? We shall see.
Needless to say, I had to buy JD new pj's. He's used to wearing long sleeved pajamas all year long. I bought him several new pairs, and he said he was comfortable the whole night. Today was my first day at the house the entire day and it wasn't bad at all. When you think about the fact that we had days in the 90's last week, 75 is still pretty cool.
I'll post back when the month is up.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tips, Please!
I keep getting these $15 off $15 coupons in the mail and I try to use them - after all, that is like throwing money away. What I do is go to the clearance section, find one or two things on clearance and then use my coupon. Usually, I end up spending about $2 and walk away with clothes that were once priced at $80 or more. Obviously, the more money you spend they give you a great discount, but it's become a game to me to go in and only use the $15 off $15. Anyways, that is not my story...that just got me to the mall. =)
Before I even went to the mall today, I was craving a pretzel. I cannot even remember the last time I had a pretzel, but I'm certain it's been a couple of years - at least. Now, I'm not supposed to have pretzels on P90X, and I'll admit that, but I'm battling my hormones today and obviously losing. ha! So I walk down to Pretzel Time order a small order of pretzel bites and a drink. I pay the girl, and I'm fumbling to get napkins as she walks away. There are three workers present - one sitting on a chair, one just took care of a customer, and the girl who took my order.
As I'm trying to get napkins out of the dispenser, the girl in the chair looks up and says:
"I don't know what the deal is with these people!!! How many tips did y'all get yesterday?"
One girl responds back "Not much, obviously people are cheap."
The girl who waited on me, kind of glances back at me and says "I just waited on that lady and I didn't get tipped anything."
Chair girls says "Wow! Un-freaking-believable".
At this point I did look around for a tip jar, but didn't see one at the register I was at, so I took my napkins and walked away. Who knew you were supposed to tip at the pretzel stand? I certainly didn't. I felt a little bad, but I will be honest to say that I also felt a little like telling those three girls they needed to get up, quit complaining - "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean" and realize they work at a pretzel stand - not a sit down restaurant.
At this point I feel the need to defend myself and say I am known as the queen of the over tippers. Yes, I tip in the drive-thru if there is a place for it. Yes, I tip the pizza guy - even if a fee has already been charged. Subway has started asking for tips, and I tip at Subway. If there is a tip jar, I'm going to try and put something in. I was like that before I waitressed, but will admit to being even worse after having waitressed for a living. I can get horrible service and still tip 20% because I realize the server might be having a rough day and they still need to pay their bills. However, I am so confused on when I should and should not tip now. It's like every place you go people are asking for tips. I certainly don't mind paying it, but when I worked at McDonald's in high school, we never go tips. We would've been fired for accepting tips.
So, I guess that is my question. Who gets tipped? Y'all should have been there the time I first realized I was supposed to tip the person who did my hair. Oh wow....I felt horrible. No one ever mentioned I was to tip - I thought they got paid to do my hair and that was all I needed to pay. Any suggestions?
Needless to say, I won't be going to Pretzel Time again anytime soon.
Before I even went to the mall today, I was craving a pretzel. I cannot even remember the last time I had a pretzel, but I'm certain it's been a couple of years - at least. Now, I'm not supposed to have pretzels on P90X, and I'll admit that, but I'm battling my hormones today and obviously losing. ha! So I walk down to Pretzel Time order a small order of pretzel bites and a drink. I pay the girl, and I'm fumbling to get napkins as she walks away. There are three workers present - one sitting on a chair, one just took care of a customer, and the girl who took my order.
As I'm trying to get napkins out of the dispenser, the girl in the chair looks up and says:
"I don't know what the deal is with these people!!! How many tips did y'all get yesterday?"
One girl responds back "Not much, obviously people are cheap."
The girl who waited on me, kind of glances back at me and says "I just waited on that lady and I didn't get tipped anything."
Chair girls says "Wow! Un-freaking-believable".
At this point I did look around for a tip jar, but didn't see one at the register I was at, so I took my napkins and walked away. Who knew you were supposed to tip at the pretzel stand? I certainly didn't. I felt a little bad, but I will be honest to say that I also felt a little like telling those three girls they needed to get up, quit complaining - "If you've got time to lean, you've got time to clean" and realize they work at a pretzel stand - not a sit down restaurant.
At this point I feel the need to defend myself and say I am known as the queen of the over tippers. Yes, I tip in the drive-thru if there is a place for it. Yes, I tip the pizza guy - even if a fee has already been charged. Subway has started asking for tips, and I tip at Subway. If there is a tip jar, I'm going to try and put something in. I was like that before I waitressed, but will admit to being even worse after having waitressed for a living. I can get horrible service and still tip 20% because I realize the server might be having a rough day and they still need to pay their bills. However, I am so confused on when I should and should not tip now. It's like every place you go people are asking for tips. I certainly don't mind paying it, but when I worked at McDonald's in high school, we never go tips. We would've been fired for accepting tips.
So, I guess that is my question. Who gets tipped? Y'all should have been there the time I first realized I was supposed to tip the person who did my hair. Oh wow....I felt horrible. No one ever mentioned I was to tip - I thought they got paid to do my hair and that was all I needed to pay. Any suggestions?
Needless to say, I won't be going to Pretzel Time again anytime soon.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I Have The Freedom To Stink
Originally Posted January 17, 2009
Yesterday I left work sick. My throat had started hurting and I was very achy and decided that I could be miserable at home instead of at work...that is why we have sick leave. =) So, I left work, went to Wal-Mart to get some medicine, came home and put on my pajamas. My ex-mother in law dropped JD off when he got out of school. Which, was very nice because I didn't have to leave to go get him. I took some liquid Tylenol medicine, drank a large coffee cup of hot water, lemon, and honey and proceeded to fall asleep on the couch.
Needless to say, JD pretty much had a free for all night. He got to eat frozen pizza, play Nintendo for hours, and sleep on the couch. For a kid, that is a great time. I was hurting for real by 8, so I went and got in the bed. Now, if y'all didn't know, I keep my house at about 65-67 degrees all the time. JD wears winter pj's in the summer. In the summer, the power company loves me...in the winter, not so much. Well, last night, I had my heat turned up to 75, my long sleeve, long pant pj's on, and my heating pad plugged in. Oh yeah....nice. JD was in his underwear...once again, thinking that was cool. =) I slept off and on and at midnight wake up to hear the tv still on in the living room. I didn't even have the energy to do anything about it. I woke up about 1 and it was off, so he was asleep by then. I woke up for good about 5:00. I laid in bed until 6:15 when my best friend called to check on me. She is a nurse and was on her way to work. JD gets up and is back to his Nintendo marathon.
Anyways, JD was going back to his dad's this morning, so I told him he needed to go get a shower. No joke...my kid looks at me and says "I have the freedom to stink...I'm pretty certain it is on of the amendments." Huh? I just started laughing. This is the kid who takes showers longer than a teenage girl. He was just being funny. I told him I think he was mistaken and he says "Have you read all the amendments to the Constitution? I pretty certain it is around #100." I responded back with "I'm pretty certain the only freedom you get is what your mom gives you, so you better amend yourself to the shower." He laughed and agreed that in this house, mom is the law. Man, I love being a mom. Someone on this planet has to listen to me! Ah, the power. hehehehehe
I still pretty much feel like crap, but maybe a tad less like crap than last night. I've taken up residence on the couch with my diet ginger ale, Tylenol, and cough drops.
Yesterday I left work sick. My throat had started hurting and I was very achy and decided that I could be miserable at home instead of at work...that is why we have sick leave. =) So, I left work, went to Wal-Mart to get some medicine, came home and put on my pajamas. My ex-mother in law dropped JD off when he got out of school. Which, was very nice because I didn't have to leave to go get him. I took some liquid Tylenol medicine, drank a large coffee cup of hot water, lemon, and honey and proceeded to fall asleep on the couch.
Needless to say, JD pretty much had a free for all night. He got to eat frozen pizza, play Nintendo for hours, and sleep on the couch. For a kid, that is a great time. I was hurting for real by 8, so I went and got in the bed. Now, if y'all didn't know, I keep my house at about 65-67 degrees all the time. JD wears winter pj's in the summer. In the summer, the power company loves me...in the winter, not so much. Well, last night, I had my heat turned up to 75, my long sleeve, long pant pj's on, and my heating pad plugged in. Oh yeah....nice. JD was in his underwear...once again, thinking that was cool. =) I slept off and on and at midnight wake up to hear the tv still on in the living room. I didn't even have the energy to do anything about it. I woke up about 1 and it was off, so he was asleep by then. I woke up for good about 5:00. I laid in bed until 6:15 when my best friend called to check on me. She is a nurse and was on her way to work. JD gets up and is back to his Nintendo marathon.
Anyways, JD was going back to his dad's this morning, so I told him he needed to go get a shower. No joke...my kid looks at me and says "I have the freedom to stink...I'm pretty certain it is on of the amendments." Huh? I just started laughing. This is the kid who takes showers longer than a teenage girl. He was just being funny. I told him I think he was mistaken and he says "Have you read all the amendments to the Constitution? I pretty certain it is around #100." I responded back with "I'm pretty certain the only freedom you get is what your mom gives you, so you better amend yourself to the shower." He laughed and agreed that in this house, mom is the law. Man, I love being a mom. Someone on this planet has to listen to me! Ah, the power. hehehehehe
I still pretty much feel like crap, but maybe a tad less like crap than last night. I've taken up residence on the couch with my diet ginger ale, Tylenol, and cough drops.
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