tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11386414613297054642024-03-05T13:39:52.917-08:00My VentAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-8396733651261564732012-10-05T21:07:00.001-07:002012-10-05T21:07:27.381-07:00It's Been 11 Long MonthsWow! It has been 11 long months since I last posted anything. In case you don't know me personally and, therefore, don't know what has been going on for the last (almost) year, I will try to fill in the blanks. I know, maybe most don't really want to know--but, in any case, here goes....
Shortly after my last post--just after Thanksgiving, in fact--my husband, Steven, started to say he just wasn't feeling well. He ached all over and was tired--a lot. His left leg started to throb just behind his knee. The pain was incredible, keeping him up a night. Of course, I tried to comfort him during the night, and he apologized for keeping me up, or waking me up during the night when he would get up and stand by the wall to straighten up his leg in the hope of stopping the pain. Or, getting up to take painkillers.
One day, he came home from work with what appeared to be a rash around his ankle, which was also swollen. While the swelling was common, due to a broken ankle many years ago, the "rash" was something entirely new. When he came home, he said that the "rash" was actually small broken blood vessels and nothing to worry about. He also said that they ran some other tests and it appeared that he may be diabetic. The doctors at Medpoint advised him to consult his family physician, to which he replied that he really didn't have a family physician and hadn't been to see a doctor in quite a few years (other than a medpoint). The doctor there asked "why not?" Steven told him "because I have not been sick".
Finally, he got an appointment with a family physician. She ran some tests. It turned out that he had diabetes, high blood pressure and Hepatitis B. Of course, he immediately began a diabetes diet and medication for the high blood pressure and Hepatitis. But, the pain in his legs persisted. He also developed nephrology,which, for those who haven't experienced it, is a loss of control of the feet and legs. This made it very, very difficult for him to walk. Nevertheless, he continued to try to work and shop for Christmas presents--just trying to be normal.
We made it through Christmas--which was, I admit, wonderful. There are pictures to prove it. Our oldest daughter was married shortly before, so we had a huge dinner at her home with the grandchildren, Steven's mother and sister, youngest daughter and son-in-law's parents. It was hectic, non-traditional meal (no turkey, stuffing, but Hungarian and American food). But, we were all together and, I must say, it was ...well, you get the picture.
In January, the 17nth (Yes, I remember the date...) to be precise, Steven called and said I was not to worry, but the doctor told him to go immediately to the hospital. She thought he might have Gillian--Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis if left untreated. I was NOT to leave work and go to the hospital--he would probably only be in for a day or so. After they ran more tests, they said he really had to get his diabetes under control--which they did. Also, they decided he didn't have Gillian Barre after all, but they thought he should have therapy for the nephrology. Also, he had a rapid pulse, so they transferred him to the cardiology floor. Then, he was transferred to the rehab floor for physical therapy.
After he came home, we followed all the doctor's instructions. He followed a diabetic diet, took his medication. After many adjustments in his medications and many doctor's visits, he did improve slightly. He used crutches to get around, but really couldn't do much.
One Saturday night, he had a rough time getting upstairs to go to bed. His blood pressure shot way up and he had completely lost control of his legs. He barely made it up the stairs with my help. I took his blood pressure after he got upstairs. It finally dropped. We went to sleep. I got up on Sunday and made breakfast. He came downstairs with effort, but seemed better. He said he had trouble with his arm. I gave him his breakfast. He said that he wanted to call our kids and his Mom. He wasn't feeling well, but knew that I had to go to work that day. While I was getting my breakfast, he called and left messages for them all, saying that he was sending me to work, but that he might have to have one of them take him to the hospital later. When I heard him, I talked to him and said "Wouldn't you like to have me stay with you--just in case?" He agreed. I noticed that his voice seemed slurred, but he said he was just really tired. When our oldest daughter called, she told him to give me the phone--which he did. She told me "take him to the hospital--NOW--he's slurring his words." We both thought he might have had a stroke. Turned out we were right.
After another week in the hospital, he was diagnosed w/a rare disease called Polyarteritis Nedosa. The veins in his body were thickening and his blood couldn't get through. There was a treatment for it, though. He'd have to undergo it at a different hospital, though. The treatment took another 2 weeks. They also said he needed more physical therapy. Alas, his insurance wouldn't pay for him to go to a rehabilitation facility. He did have a visiting nurse, though to help w/physical therapy. He was discharged and came home.
Again, we did everything we were supposed to do. He had some improvement, but still couldn't get around without a walker. We also moved him to a downstairs bedroom because he couldn't get up and down stairs.
One day, about 2-3 weeks after he got home, I was in a training class at work. The class was almost 4 hours long. After I got out of the class, I decided to take my afternoon break, 2 hours late. A co-worker from my department came and told me that I probably should call home. My husband had called 3 times. I couldn't believe that nobody had come to get me out of the class, but, I called home. Steven asked if I could come home and take him back to the hospital. His blood pressure had shot up, he had called the doctor, and he really felt lousy. I, of course, raced home. It turned out that he had also called our youngest daughter, who was also on her way to take him. She followed us to the hospital. After a couple of hours in the emergency room, he also complained of stomach pain. He was having a gallbladder attack. The following week, he had his gallbladder removed. The surgery went well, but he developed a fistula.
To make this very long story short, things went downhill from then on. Due to the fistula, he needed to be transferred to yet another hospital, four hours away from us. We made trips to visit during the week and on weekends. I cannot tell you how difficult it is to see someone you love go through this. Every time he had some improvement, he had a setback. He had C-dif--twice--highly contagious. We had to wear a gown and gloves every visit.
On a Wednesday, I got a call--my daughter was coming to get me--they were taking him to intensive care. They wanted to intubate him and sedate him to give his body a chance to heal while they also put him on a slow 24 hour a day dialysis. He had been in constant pain from the fistula. Also, his kidneys were not working and they thought the dialysis would help. We stayed with him until they put him out. It was so hard to leave him there again, but there really wasn't anything we could do for him.
On Saturday, my oldest daughter and I went back down. He was awake and well enough to eat a little broth. Plus, my sister and her husband got to visit with him. When we got down there, he asked me (typical) "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" "What are you girls doing down here?" But, he kind of smiled when he said it--we even joked. Our daughter said "Gee, Dad, I don't know. We were in the neighborhood and figured you are in intensive care. What the heck, why don't we pop in for a visit?"
We talked over treatment with his doctors--stayed for a few hours. When we left, I remember that we told him we loved him. I went back and hugged him--lightly--told him I loved him and would see him later. We had decided that I would come back and go to work. He seemed to be doing better.
During the next few days, he got to eat popsicles and broth. His nurses and doctors seemed optimistic. On Tuesday, they moved him out of ICU. His nurse said she couldn't believe how much he had improved. We decided it must be the popsicles.
I talked to him on Wednesday. He ended with the usual "have a wonderful day--love you."
Of course, the other shoe had to drop. On Thursday morning, I was up early, as usual. Doing the usual--e-mail, Facebook, coffee, breakfast. Planning to call Steven just before going to work. The phone rang--I remember thinking maybe he had decided to call me first, before I could call him. It was his nurse. There was a problem. Mr. Sharp's heart had stopped and they were trying to get it going again. She would call me back. I asked her to please call my daughters and I may have said we were on our way down. Then, I called my oldest daughter. She didn't answer, so I left a message, thinking she was probably talking to the nurse. I called our youngest daughter. She was actually on the phone w/the nurse and the doctor. She told me "they got it started again" Thank God--I hung up and called our oldest. She was upset that they hadn't called her first--she was supposed to be the medical contact. We hung up. I called my father-in-law and my mother-in-law (they are divorced)to alert them. Right after I got off the phone with them, the doctor called me and explained that they had done everything they could, but his heart had stopped again and he was gone. They had many people working on him, but he had made it clear that he didn't want any extreme measures to be taken, i.e. life support. Of course, I called our daughters and family back right away. It was the saddest thing I've had to do.
So, my life has changed--again. While I realize that my Steven is no longer sick and in pain, I miss him. I have gotten past the point of sleepless nights, although I sometimes sleep for awhile on the couch and wake up in the middle of the night thinking it is time to get up, I made it through summer and into the fall.
The last few months have made me stronger. I am more independent and, at times, I can honestly say that I am enjoying my life. If that sounds awful, I'm sorry. But, after what I've been through, enjoying the blessings that I have--my family, my friends, waking up, just living and breathing every day...well, that is amazing.
I have made some changes around here and am definitely getting used to my life. I rearranged my kitchen. Cleaned closets, learned to use the hedge trimmers, lured a bat out of my house, and, oh yes, acquired a cat. The cat has been a source of fun for me--I love animals and haven't had a pet in quite awhile. Also, I eat when I want to, go out when I want to and watch what I want to on TV. Chick flicks, NFL, college football (GO IRISH), golf, basketball, baseball. Also, I put a TV in the bedroom. When I can't seem to sleep, it helps me to sleep--kind of like white noise.
I think just keeping busy helps.
Well, I know this in ridiculously long--I'll stop for now. Who knows when I'll write again. Maybe when the fancy strikes me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-55523208652631856212011-11-02T13:16:00.000-07:002011-11-02T13:49:13.312-07:00Fun work storySince I really want to remember this I'm going to write it down.<br /><br />Yesterday, I had an amazing occurance at work, of all places. I spent the first hour or hour and half consoling a new employee who was having a really rough day. She had returned from lunch when one of our rudest supervisors yelled at her for not helping a customer. She tried to explain that she had just gotten back from lunch and didn't see the customer. The supervisor said "No, you were just standing behind the register doing nothing." Jamie told her, again, that she had just gotten back and punched in from lunch. Of course, the supervisor went to our supervisor and complained about Jamie's "attitude". As I came in, I saw Jamie and a group of customers looking at some dishes. The customers had some questions, which Jamie answered. Since Jamie is new (her 1st day), she asked me for an opinion on the dishes. The customers apparently didn't believe her when she also explained (correctly, I might add) how the discount coupons work. They also insulted Jamie by asking her "when are you due?" Jamie isn't pregnant, so she told them she isn't They had the nerve to say "Are you sure? Maybe you should go to the doctor." I swear some people are really nervy. By the time we finished with the customers, our department manager came and asked to talk to her. He talked to her about her "attitude" She tried to explain what had happened with the other supervisor. Our supervisor asked if, maybe, the other supervisor wasn't doing what they refer to as "fast feedback" Jamie told him she didn't think so. She just thought the other supervisor was incredibly rude. I had to smile later because, as Jamie was taking care of another customer, the customer told our supervisor how much Jamie had helped her and that she was just wonderful. Honestly, that whole "fast feedback" garbage is just that--garbage. As Jamie was leaving for the day, she started to cry a little and said that she didn't think she would be coming back. She needs a job, but not bad enough to be treated the way she was.<br /><br />Later, something really nice happened to me. I waited on a young man who needed help buying a gift for his friend's wedding. we found the items he wanted and he told me how much he appreciated my help. As I was ringing him up, his name came up on my register screen. This happens if you pay with a credit card. I noticed that he had the same last name as my late cousin. I politely asked him what his father's name was. It wasn't the first name of my counsin's husband, so I asked him if he had a relative by that name. He told me the man is his grandfather (Made me feel old, but--o.k.) I explained that his grandfather was once married to my cousin. He said, of course--she was his grandmother. It turns out, we are distant cousins. Imagine that, a total stranger who turns out to be my cousin. His aunt is my first cousin and, I told him that he should say hello to his Dad and Aunt for me. He said, "Wow--I need to give you a hug!" So, of course, we hugged and said keep and touch and all. Later, I was thinking how cool it was that I had just met my grandfather's great grandson! How cool is that?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-88958196237454867432011-05-15T11:42:00.000-07:002011-05-15T12:02:10.319-07:00Rainy SundayWell, at least this time it isn't the same old "been a long time" opening. <br /><br />The rain continues. But, I always keep in mind "it isn't snowing." <br /><br />This is my 3rd or 4th Sunday off in a row. I will definitely make up for it because, after Wednesday, I will work 7 days in a row. Then, I will have a day off, work a day and be off for 4 days. That is just how my rotation is working out--at least for this month. I also scheduled a day off because my youngest granddaughter will be graduating from kindergarten. I know---I'm a true grandmother. And, how crazy--a graduation ceremony? But, it makes the kids feel good. And how many chances do you get to feel really, really good?<br /><br />We got another piece of good news about a week ago, too. My extended family is growing. Something I have been praying for for many months (almost a year, actually) will finally occur in about two weeks. The little girl that my daughter's sister and brother-in-law adopted from Uganda is finally coming home. Her name is Fiona. She is two days older than my youngest granddaughter Paige. We are VERY EXCITED! This has been a long journey, especially for her parents. It is truly God's Blessing that it is finally going to be over. I can't wait to meet her for the first time. I hope she will come to think of us as part of her family, too. We love her already. As far as I am concerned, blood ties are not the only thing that makes a family. Are we not all part of God's family? Yes--we are!<br /><br />Well, on another note, I did get some things done today. Laundry--mostly put away. Another load in the washer ready to be dried. Chocolate ice cream done. Leftover hamburger to be made into sloppy joes for supper. Maybe some German potato salad along with it. And a salad, if the veggies in the fridge are still fresh. Sound good? Sure, it does. Just agree with me. Remember the correct answer is always--"Yes, dear". Okay, only for husbands and wives. But others should agree too. Just to make my day, right?<br /><br />Hopefully, the weather will improve the rest of the week. And remember, it <em>will</em> be Summmertime eventually!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-16043107425328218612011-05-10T07:14:00.001-07:002011-05-10T07:29:03.711-07:00Naturally--been a long time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Di4bfAfftRRfy3jJK7pZGM_Snr9RL7VUTBtXOV3s5knBCrwBfMfxDtBOGoFhXkLntilU9LjpCcvmI4o5BTcclsbWuXzL-Ug4lSu8z2ymFHxzfUzJjDETCErmTXsWxuurWasHoiQXyjI/s1600/Casi+and+Paige+on+Easter.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605094294380004770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Di4bfAfftRRfy3jJK7pZGM_Snr9RL7VUTBtXOV3s5knBCrwBfMfxDtBOGoFhXkLntilU9LjpCcvmI4o5BTcclsbWuXzL-Ug4lSu8z2ymFHxzfUzJjDETCErmTXsWxuurWasHoiQXyjI/s320/Casi+and+Paige+on+Easter.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHRwO7iwNiclNlYJQTwNpCeZ2XaOMNce198durQU9g2Kbfsb-tmfTV4Lb-e7K1YptD7UzVreE7hJMuvAD7tNVz06gol5PawmuLtj4ahqI5_LCB_eXrTGSNnEDV-dFlJlA7lKgrQm07no/s1600/Winter+Storm+this+week+001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605093266834746258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHRwO7iwNiclNlYJQTwNpCeZ2XaOMNce198durQU9g2Kbfsb-tmfTV4Lb-e7K1YptD7UzVreE7hJMuvAD7tNVz06gol5PawmuLtj4ahqI5_LCB_eXrTGSNnEDV-dFlJlA7lKgrQm07no/s320/Winter+Storm+this+week+001.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Well--why do I write the same thing when I start out. Been a long time since I last wrote, I know.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I suppose that since it is so easy to update on Facebook, this blog is just too much trouble to get to. But, I still feel like it is good for me to do. It helps clear the mind.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>So--here's whats been happening. Made it through another Indiana winter--thank God! It seemed like it took forever, but then, it always does. Then, when it's over, it really doesn't seem to have at all. I still remember that it didn't snow in October and was really warm (I think) at some point just before the snow hit the fan (HA--you thought I was going to write something else, didn't you?). Then, of course, just like it always does, it snowed and snowed and snowed. We finally got it cleared away and then it just snowed again. The last time was at the beginning of Spring. When it started to snow, my Granddaughter Casi said, "I'm not shoveling"! I explained that it would probably be melted by the time she got home from school. Fortunately, I was right.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Now--in true Spring fashion--it just rains and rains and rains. We do have green grass, tho. And flowers and leaves on the trees. They blend in so nice with our puddles. We did have beautiful weather this past weekend and on Easter weekend. I actually mowed our lawn yesterday. Good thing, too, because it will probably rain the rest of the week.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-7328560160706767492011-02-23T06:53:00.000-08:002011-02-23T07:05:26.474-08:00I can't believe its been so long--againHey--just want to say, it's good to write. This is like writing a letter to my family, or best friend, or someone. I'm not a regular at this anymore, sad to say. I think it would be great if I was, but, something always gets in the way and then I decide it really isn't that important anymore.<br /><br />Made it through the Christmas shopping season--again. Didn't think I would, but with the help of my co-workers (God Bless them--really!) I did. Then, the inevitable January of returns and inventory, etc. Every year I say never, never, NEVER, again and every year I do it. I don't know--my Mom was right, I guess. She always said what doesn't kill us makes us strong.<br /><br />So now--I just want to make it through winter, which has been dragging on and on for us in the Midwest. Just like it does every year. How do we do it? I think its a combination of finding the humor when necessary, working through the anger we feel when it snows--again --and ruins any plans we may have had for the day (yes--I'm talking about now) and finding beauty in life anyway. I guess that's the "make lemonade" idea.<br /><br />That and a lot of chocolate. And a little alcohol, possibly. Or hot tea. Or a hug. All of it works.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-6699456866413216082010-11-21T15:19:00.000-08:002010-11-21T15:48:17.326-08:00Once Again, over a month<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1Y1wWlxEHREIxJwvPUQwmEblFPzymNlKgu5xxOr0_pcGfVR8lPMUCEKmGWaQF1OCdkREKowrkLHal_YXj5EM4BXaBl4Xcd18YPOmIJi2TYOAi0pT8TJutP1xwk5632fBuTiroOnTSMo/s1600/PICT0094.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542149006835981666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1Y1wWlxEHREIxJwvPUQwmEblFPzymNlKgu5xxOr0_pcGfVR8lPMUCEKmGWaQF1OCdkREKowrkLHal_YXj5EM4BXaBl4Xcd18YPOmIJi2TYOAi0pT8TJutP1xwk5632fBuTiroOnTSMo/s320/PICT0094.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQ4RoIqPDFtxDfR5ebKVdmRW2EVXEEDtnvORdOIeRMBXQ0EWVOp1Qe-x8BW0JhmvDvXz_eQ1fc5Xeeao0I8N_QEZxJ6PDRWdhXgFv4gd5kXeIeM3hsIX9PVmq0l191s-dfPc_bAlge6o/s1600/PICT0093.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542148243010070818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQ4RoIqPDFtxDfR5ebKVdmRW2EVXEEDtnvORdOIeRMBXQ0EWVOp1Qe-x8BW0JhmvDvXz_eQ1fc5Xeeao0I8N_QEZxJ6PDRWdhXgFv4gd5kXeIeM3hsIX9PVmq0l191s-dfPc_bAlge6o/s320/PICT0093.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>So--try as I might to write something every day or at least every other day--I have failed and it's been over a month. I guess the truth is I'm just not that motivated to write something. Sometimes, I start to write in my mind, but never quite get around to actually writing.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>So--what have I been up to? Nothing, really. Well, nothing unusual, that is. I finished off October with Halloween fun. We actually get to dress up at work. This year we got to dress up 2 days in a row. The first day, I dressed like a typical ND football fan (I know, what a stretch, right?) The second day, my co-worker and I dressed as Macy's Bridal Registry gifts--those are gift bags we give out to people who purchase gifts for couples who register at Macy's. We had a terrific time.</div><div> </div><div>My granddaughters dressed as bags of JellyBelly jellybeans. I wish I had a pic of them to post. They were too cute! Of course, I am their Nana, so I'm very prejudiced.</div><div> </div><div>This month, the shopping has commenced! It is great to be busy once again. Especially since it has been soooo sloww. I think people were just getting in gear for the upcoming season. Which brings up the belabored point of why wait? Why wait until it is so crowded and things are so crazy? Shop all year around instead of waiting. Then again, most of us have other things to shop for during the year--i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, mothers day, fathers day, etc. So, it really is difficult for us to just shop for Christmas too early. Then again, it probably wouldn't be half as much fun for some. There is the thrill of making it through "Black Friday" and the rest of the Holiday shopping. My daughter loves it. I actually do too, but for a different reason. Since I work retail, it provides me with a lot of stress and fun. That's right, I said fun.</div><div> </div><div>For example, I took care of a very nice man who wanted to buy tablecloths for the diningroom table he and his wife are having built for his daughter. The table is finished and will be delivered this week. He wanted to buy 2 Lenox tablecloths because the table has leaves. We unfortunately didn't have the right sizes in stock. Neither did our warehouse. I was able to do a search and found that the Macy's in Chicago had the right sizes. They will be shipping them to him so he and his wife can present them to his daughter. Thank goodness for overnight shipping. It made me happy to see him so excited. They are doing this because it is his daughter's first Thanksgiving as a married woman and she is cooking her first turkey so the family will all be together. </div><div> </div><div>Then there is the inevitable stress. I accidentally put a customer's coupon in my register drawer after using it. Naturally, the register picked that time to go crazy on me. Plus, it had been awhile since the customer had been in the department, so she was stressed. I was really ready to die. She was so mad. I tried to apologize, but I don't think she was really happy with me. I wasn't happy with me, either. She left without getting the coupon back because the register wouldn't open. It had to be re-booted and she definitely didn't want to wait.</div><div> </div><div>Oh well. There's always the end of the shopping season to look forward to.</div><div> </div><div> </div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-84563997586745494842010-10-10T17:30:00.000-07:002010-10-10T17:56:17.673-07:00My "Zelig" Life<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81eIWIx8QgDPzEOPk6ZNBfhlOC2gNYiffguTXAYMIuWIwfSCZM9oA78hNjXz_gH2aHUHvkFvfbRM1iNikp9uhdIUq_Kq0uRUM1ZSwFGKiO5xgesFzhsOJc0P9qApl6-FVxOwV34r5nps/s1600/photos+42+013.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526584416662625890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81eIWIx8QgDPzEOPk6ZNBfhlOC2gNYiffguTXAYMIuWIwfSCZM9oA78hNjXz_gH2aHUHvkFvfbRM1iNikp9uhdIUq_Kq0uRUM1ZSwFGKiO5xgesFzhsOJc0P9qApl6-FVxOwV34r5nps/s320/photos+42+013.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Well, it's been a month, as usual, so here is my monthly post. I really need to do this more often. It's a lot like my pledge to walk and exercise more. Not working out lately like I want it to, but improving slightly.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The thing is, I always seem to be composing these blogs in my head, but getting it down on "paper" is something else.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This past month has been eventful, if not for me, then friends and family members. Along with work, there have been a lot of events going on. Some fun--some not so fun.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A friend of mine had major surgery this month. I was really worried about her. She has been really sick for a long time now. However, the surgery has gone well and it seems she is well on the road to recovery (had to re-type--otherwise would really look like I can't spell at all). Thank God for the ability to pray and put things in his hands. It works.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Other friends are going thru some tough times right now, so I am once again praying that all goes well for them and all their troubles will soon be ending. They are part of my extended family, so it really is hard to watch them go through this. The fact that part of their originally troubles has ended makes it really hard to wait for the rest of this all to end. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Other than that, this month has just plain been fun. Big football fan that I am, I really loved this weekend. Spent it with my eldest Granddaughter doing the whole football weekend at our "local university" as my co-worker refers to it. Just a hint--GO IRISH! (Sorry, couldn't resist).</div><br /><div>We loved the whole thing--especially the part about winning. I'm including a picture of her with a past coach. Sorry to say, I wasn't one of his biggest supporters during the time he coached--losing clouded my opinion then. However, he is apparently still a huge fan and came to the bookstore to sign copies of one of his books. Plus, he was really nice about just taking a picture without our buying any of his books (which I still intend to read). Thanks to Coach Faust--he made my Granddaughter's and my day!</div><div> </div><div>Plus, bandmembers and other fans and great pep rally that really made it extra fun. The "zelig" ( I can only hope I'm spelling that right) part is that every time I go to any event at ND I somehow end up meeting with famous or locally famous people, i.e. Coach Faust, players, band members (America's First University Marching Band, by the way) or someone like that. I don't really plan it, it just happens.</div><div> </div><div>Well, another end to another post. Till next time.</div><div> </div><div> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-932424804282552822010-09-17T19:34:00.000-07:002010-09-17T19:49:21.258-07:00What not to do with spare timeO.K. I really like having the evening off and am looking forward to tomorrow when I will be off all day long. No having to get up early (I probably will anyway, tho.), no having to take kids to school, no having to get ready to go to work. <br /><br />What I will do will probably be pretty boring, tho. My day off usually goes something like this--library, grocery shopping, Facebook, e-mail, cooking or baking something because I have time. Eat too much.<br /><br />Enough, already! I WILL do SOMETHING different!! O.K.--maybe football. Who am I kidding? Maybe? Make that DEFINITELY! Even if only t.v.--not live. I did go to a high school football game tonight. I haven't done that in awhile. O.K--I admit it--my granddaughters were involved. I missed it tho, because nobody told me they were going to run on the field. If I wouldn't have gone on Facebook, I never would've known. Totally not a good thing. If I would've known, I would've gone. Of course, it could've been they didn't want me to know. That is a possibility. I just got the distinct impression that nobody told me on purpose. Maybe they thought I was working, though. Or, maybe (and this is ENTIRELY possible, trust me) I was told and just forgot about it. Knowing me, this is a distinct possibility.<br /><br />That said, I did eat something different than a grilled cheese sandwich (my usual dinner when home alone). The pizza I picked up after work was still yummy. Plus, I have plenty left for dinners the rest of the weekend. The dessert I made--not as good as I wanted. Homemade chocolate almond ice cream got icy--yuck. I am leaving it out to thaw a little. Will find out if its as bad as I think it is.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I also want to take a walk. I really need to start walking regularly again. It helps me clear my head and lose weight. Pants getting too tight--need to walk and walk often. The funny thing is, I almost walked to the game tonight. Next time its at Mishawaka, I will. It really isn't that far and would do me good. Maybe I'll walk to the high school tomorrow and see how long it takes me. Also, there is a great sale tomorrow for the Junior League. Maybe I'll go there.<br /><br />Then--football. GO IRISH!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-45857092092335428822010-09-01T14:57:00.000-07:002010-09-01T15:28:35.387-07:00Just Some ThoughtsHere is another attempt to make this more of a journal. It probably won't happen, but this <em>is </em>my second post in three weeks, so I am getting better. Sort of. <br /><br />I just think that if I wrote more, I would personally feel better. I mean, it is supposed to be a vent, right?<br /><br />Right. So now, I'm venting a lot of pent up stuff. You can stop reading here right now, if you want to. <br /><br />There is a reason I don't write more often tho. I have several blogs I read myself and I've decided that mine aren't nearly as interesting as the ones I read. Truly. I think they are just something I wouldn't personally read.<br /><br />That said, here is my vent for today. I had the day off again and planned to go to the movies or do something different than what I usually do on my day off. Generally, my days off are about as interesting as watching grass grow. The routine is usually like this lately. First, stop granddaughters from fighting and attempting to kill each other before taking them to school. Oh, wait, no, actually--first is get up before anyone else--normally 6:15 a.m.--make coffee, read e-mail and check Facebook (naturally--who doesn't?). Then, take my husband a cup of coffee. Then, I go back downstairs, open my back door and turn on lights so my granddaughters can see. Then, I make sure my husband is awake by the time the girls get here. When the kids are here, I usually have a little time to drink my coffee and we decide what to have for breakfast. In the midst of this, I sometimes have to break up an argument or two between the girls and remind them to please, <em>please, be quiet!</em> Also, making sure my husband is definitely up and dressed and ready to go by about 7:30 is a must. He's generally a sleepyhead and has trouble waking up so early in the morning. After he leaves (and sometimes a little bit before) I start breakfast for the girls and myself. They usually like pancakes (Paige especially like chocolate chip ones) or oatmeal. Sometimes eggs. While we eat, we usually watch a movie or television. Or read a book. Or they play with dolls. Or do homework. During this time, another fight usually breaks out. Paige generally wants to talk to her Mom then. Sometimes, I call her, sometimes not. Those two can fight like crazy one minute and be quiet as mice the next.<br />After about an hour, I take them to school. If I have to go to the grocery store or need to be back home in a hurry, I drive them and then come back home or run the errand.<br /><br />Today, though, I was off and had decided to go to the movies. I am such an idiot, I actually thought this was going to happen. I looked at the schedule and decided to do a little window shopping and birthday shopping before the movie. I did that, went to the theater. However, the movie that I thought started at 12:45 didn't start until 1:55. It wouldn't have ended until 4:30 and I really needed to be home by about 4:00 at the very latest. I was so disappointed. The only time I can go to a movie that I want to see is during the day, by myself. If I go to a movie with Steven, it's always something he wants to see. Sometimes I do too, so I don't mind. It's just that anything I really want to see, I have to see alone. This goes for any theater performance (unless its Shakespeare), too. We don't really go to a play together anymore. God forbid we should go to what he terms "chick flicks". I can't watch anything remotely "chick flicky" at home, either. I mean, how many times have I watched some ridiculous science fiction movie or opera just because he wants to? However, we do watch some shows together. Currently, we are (along with most teenage girls in America) on a vampire movie kick. Right now, for instance, he's watching (and I am listening to) "TrueBlood" Maybe it is the theme song, maybe the fact that it is both gory and funny or maybe I'm just crazy. I really love that show. And the books that inspired it.<br /><br />Well--that's it. I gotta go--TrueBlood is on.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-32338071518038727582010-08-11T05:05:00.000-07:002010-08-11T05:26:08.341-07:00Just some thoughtsWell, ok, don't hit the enter button right away after typing the title. That would be my first new thought. Also, practice typing as it is getting pretty bad. <br /><br />I haven't really had anything new to add lately. The last day at work was awesome, especially for a Monday. For some reason unknown to me, people decided to buy things and a lot of them. As the old father-in-law says in "Moonstruck", I'm confused. Especially since Monday is generally return day and basically a non-sale day. Holy Cow, I had a $900.00 sale and the day was busy with other sales on top of that. I couldn't believe it. It did wonders for raising my spirits, since not a lot of good has been going on at work or on a personal level for awhile.<br /><br />If you think I've been upbeat and don't realize things aren't so good, I'm a better actress than I think I am. Maybe I'm just stressed--I don't know. To start with, my weight loss is pretty much stalled. Been too hot to walk or exercise much and once I stop exercising, I eat due to boredom or whatever. Also, I think I drink way much more than I did last year at this time. O.K., I'm stopping.<br /><br />Also, worried about my oldest daughter. She isn't feeling well and doctors don't seem to know what is wrong. She has had so many tests and basically feels like a pincushion. Whenever she seems to come to a conclusion about what it is, she is proven wrong. Hopefully, something will come of all the tests soon. <br /><br />Another bright spot though is getting to spend quite a bit of time with my family lately. Naturally, the granddaughters are always around and good for either a laugh or good talk. Or just plain fun. Yesterday, we enjoyed a movie together. Had some great time with my daughters also. Just family stuff--dinners and talks and hugs, etc.<br /><br />So--that brings us to just what is up with me. Naturally, money still seems to be the biggest thing. My car definitely needs repair, or I need a new one soon. Credit is so bad, though. I'm taking it in to see if it will be worth a repair job today. How I'm going to afford that, I don't know. Might be better just to trash it and do without for awhile. Difficult to decide, too. <br /><br />Job is decidedly difficult, too. Other than Monday's good day, there really isn't much good to report. I'm just not good enough, and probably never will be. I really can't get excited about it anymore. Not really even enough to stress about it, tho. I guess it's when you really don't care that you probably need to think about doing something about not caring or do something else. Will see.<br /><br />I did decide to put aside money for rainy days, so that is good. Probably only a small amount. At least it'll be something, tho. And, concentrate more on paying off some old stuff. I say that now until something else comes up and I need to spend everthing I have on it.<br /><br />Sorry it sounds so depressing--that's the way today is, tho.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-22695951750595400132010-08-01T05:10:00.000-07:002010-08-01T05:39:11.578-07:00Just musingsHey--singing along with songs you know, even if just in your mind and not out loud (cuz nobody wants to hear my voice--even me) is just a great way to lift the spirits. Currently, I'm listening to the Beatles Revolver album. Is it still and album on cd? I think so, so that's what I'm callin' it, no matter what.<br /><br />"Good Day Sunshine" is currently playing. So much fun, so many memories. Thanks, guys. I mean to 'the boys' of course. Last Wednesday, I watched the Paul McCartney special on PBS (he got the Gershwin Award for popular music, if you didn't know). The concert was great and included many other talented performers other than McCartney himself. It was great to see and hear so many people having a great time at the White House and just having fun instead of politicaly bickering. Just proves that music does indeed have the power to soothe people. <br /><br />The only other thing I would've loved to have seen more of was the concert at the Library of Congress itself. They apparently did tape bits and pieces of it, because you can see parts of it online at PBS.org, along with a wonderful interview with Paul himself.<br /><br />Of course, watching it online was great because I could then go to the McCartney website and catch up on all the other things going on right now. Apparently, fans who went to Ringo Starr's concert last week at Madison Square Garden got a great surprise because who should show up to wish his friend and former bandmate a Happy Birthday, but --tah-dah--Paul. I wish I'd been a fly on the wall, or a little mouse--but, you get my drift. It must've been wild, because several others showed up, as well!<br /><br />Where was I? Oh, yes. So, this explains why the Beatles are currently playing on my cd player--very loudly, I might add!<br /><br />It's a good thing I'm by myself until after 4!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-86623144164954271032010-07-13T16:08:00.000-07:002010-07-13T16:27:01.610-07:00Crummy Day OffJust had a sort of crummy day off and thought writing it all down would be the best thing to do. I know, what was I thinking? Instead of spending the day at the beach with my granddaughters, I spent it weeding in my garden, mowing and watering my grass and generally not getting much done other than that. The only good thing was that I got to make homemade, from scratch, chocolate pudding and chocolate chip cookies. Since I'm into that sort of thing, I loved it.<br /><br />The cookies were a request from the grandkids, so of course, I had to do it. I had to borrow the chocolate mini chips from their mother and use whole wheat flour instead of regular flour, but the girls liked them. The chocolate pudding was fun to do because the kids had never heard of someone making real pudding. The only thing was, I used Stevia instead of sugar and I don't think it went over as well as the real thing. Trouble is, sugar in the summer raises my temperature too much. It's like a little furnace goes on when I eat it. I might as well stand over an open fire. Try explaining this to someone sometime. <br /><br />I did o.k. with dinner, though. grilled chicken and salad greens. Not to bad, I must say.<br /><br />The rest of the day was pretty crummy. I decided the weather wasn't going to co-operate, so we didn't go to the beach today. It looked like thundershowers were on the way and by the time it was apparent that, other than a little rain this morning, no rain was coming later, it was too late to go. There...I go...trusting the radar again.<br /><br />We did finish watching the movie we essentially missed last Friday night--very funny Eddie Murphy that the girls loved. I love having the girls over, I just wish they would not fight all the time. Kids--typical of them, I know.<br /><br />Tomorrow and the rest of the week is back to work. It's just one of those days when just thinking about it really brings me down. I'll probably be o.k. with it once I'm there, but lately I just can't seem to get enthused at all. I have a regular late night shift tomorrow, a later night shift on Thursday with some kind of extra training thrown in and an early day on Friday. The training is called "Magic". I have no idea what that means--probably just some other stupid things they want. More changes. At least I have a job, tho.<br /><br />All for now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-5111390555637355392010-07-02T07:48:00.000-07:002010-07-02T08:19:54.633-07:00Twice in the Same Week! Wow!O.K. this is my attempt to start blogging every day or every other day or just more often. Even tho I think that nobody is paying any attention to it, anyway. It's funny I read other people's blogs and just love them...I just have a little problem doing my own, I guess.<br /><br />This morning, I got up at my usual time, thinking that I had to hurry and get dressed because my youngest granddaughter, Paige, would be coming over in a short time. Lo and behold, 7 a.m. came and went and NO Paige! So, I called her mom, my daughter. She honestly thought she had told me that the girls were spending the night at their cousin's house last night. My poor kid--she really didn't tell me in her phone message. In her defense, she really has had a tough time lately. I'd forget things too if I were in her shoes. Lisa--if you read this--I love you so much and I really wish I could make things better for you.<br /><br />So--since I have a whole morning with nothing to do, of course I got into baking trouble. I have an excuse--really. Let me just think what it might be. Hmm..... Ah--yesss! The 4th of July I need a dessert or snack for. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I decided to doctor a chocolate cake mix just a little bit. I took a mix and added hot black coffee to it and a wee bit of rum. They're really good--I just had a sample. The only thing left to do is frost them. I may just top them with something simple. Right now whipped topping and chocolate shavings sounds good. Or just whipped topping w/ a shake of cocoa powder. I can't decide.<br /><br />Also, since the weather is nice, it is tempting to play hookey. Not going to, but the thought is there, just the same.<br /><br />At work, we have to fill out an annoying slip everyday. We have to put our sales amount along with our sales goal (figured out by someone who cannot possibly be actually out on the floor selling, of course), a good sale story and a customer service story. Most of the things I do really don't merit a special story. I mean, seriously, who doesn't interact with customers? If you don't you won't be selling anything for very long. Granted, I do have some really crazy stories. But it takes longer to write them down than it does to actually experience them. Everyone always asks if I'm writing a book when i fill them out. It's ridiculous! I'm soooo tempted to just start making up ridiculous stories. I mean, really, how difficult is it to come up with something <em>every day</em>? It's CRAZY difficult! Some days, we really don't have that many customers--it's really, really difficult not to write something like "nobody cares--this is a stupid idea". I wonder what would happen if I did that? Hmm.....<br /><br />They did seem to do away with one ridiculous thing at work, though. On our receipt, at the bottom, there was our website address and a dotted line. We had to sign the receipt and tell the customer to visit our website and let our company know about the OUTSTANDING customer service we gave them. Apparently, they did some sort of ridiculous study that said constantly talking about our OUTSTANDING service would sort of work like subliminal messaging for the customer and they would automatically give us an "outstanding" rating. Thus, our customer service rating would go up. Blah, blah, blah.... The thing is, the online rating doesn't really determine our customer service score. The only thing that does is done through snail mail and mailed back into our corporate office. Supposedly, the customer receives one of these forms after they have returned whatever item they bought from us. There is a rating scorecard on the form. Of course, the top is OUTSTANDING and it goes downhill from there, i.e. good, adequate, poor...you get the message. Anyway (I know, I am going on and on and on) yesterday, to my surprise, there was no sign on line and no website listed. Hopefully it's gone, gone, gone! Yeah!!<br /><br />Along with that, we had to say we were outstanding every time someone asked how we were! Really! Nobody can be outstanding every fricking day!<br /><br />Well--time to quit for now--maybe tomorrow. For now I will just be --fine, thank-you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-40081923093807173162010-06-29T05:35:00.000-07:002010-06-29T06:03:13.870-07:00New Stuff<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ma6hIZQTWVp6vsyXw-ipYr0aV1j6bgurHAq289IRMPt5eNj3FhsVgktAUB8j9el9jKlT_EWgmP0_0_MquxGFbti9sO-ZGADpyH1sKhNBxwiyy1JzpXyzUvv4U0uNd_YIS4nwg20I67s/s1600/photos+42+032.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488176538866687426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ma6hIZQTWVp6vsyXw-ipYr0aV1j6bgurHAq289IRMPt5eNj3FhsVgktAUB8j9el9jKlT_EWgmP0_0_MquxGFbti9sO-ZGADpyH1sKhNBxwiyy1JzpXyzUvv4U0uNd_YIS4nwg20I67s/s320/photos+42+032.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwwIpQVuxr6T-G87mApamJXjysvtQqLb7GXoYjzgsHtPuW8hAnyResnzHZjSq5rL_KIlvTOWRKTeND1RCWqK77pDkaCeweotWvlajCRZ1kCA09v8H09-AcY2YdkpO50BfdytHImbxOfI/s1600/photos+42+062.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488174779039682834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwwIpQVuxr6T-G87mApamJXjysvtQqLb7GXoYjzgsHtPuW8hAnyResnzHZjSq5rL_KIlvTOWRKTeND1RCWqK77pDkaCeweotWvlajCRZ1kCA09v8H09-AcY2YdkpO50BfdytHImbxOfI/s320/photos+42+062.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYVXs3dyoUtpKkpP4EzFaUsQMnH1ihcqXzxVso-6HXGiH_9qBeSxM7-K0bU2HvWuIPcMzJ7zihrNM5jp5p0zZ28wAVc5AZs3dOtR_oAaH__j46LH-wZ78HdoPTujno6_TzYWpTkD_lt4/s1600/photos+42+035.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488174466582960706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYVXs3dyoUtpKkpP4EzFaUsQMnH1ihcqXzxVso-6HXGiH_9qBeSxM7-K0bU2HvWuIPcMzJ7zihrNM5jp5p0zZ28wAVc5AZs3dOtR_oAaH__j46LH-wZ78HdoPTujno6_TzYWpTkD_lt4/s320/photos+42+035.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>I think I just may have to start doing this more often. I may consider just adding things I do during the day--just like journaling. This is the second time I wrote that, I think.</div><div></div><div></div><div>Today is the 2nd day of 2 days off in a row. Yesterday, I took my granddaughters to Potato Creek State Park (in Indiana, in case you don't live here). We had a terrific time--I mostly read a magazine and took pictures while they swam. We had a terrific time, though. A quick dip in the lake was enough for me.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today, we plan on going back. Not until we get some chores done around the house, tho. I still have laundry to finish, breakfast dishes and a shower to take before we leave.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I also plan to take more of a walk around the park itself today and possibly take more pictures. One other thing we need to do is go to the grocery store for some bread for sandwiches. No sandwiches yesterday--not much of a lunch, either. We still will take some punch for drinking and grapes, too. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Yesterday, before my eldest granddaughter got up, my youngest granddaughter and I went to Beutter Park here in Mishawaka and had a great fun walk. We met up with some ducks, which Paige really loved and saw the beautiful flowers. It is really a beautiful walk and can be long or short, depending on what way you turn on the path. The other nice thing is that the path connects to 3 (I think) other parks, so you can just go from one to another. In Central Park, there is a playground for kids and picnic area for eating. On Kamm's Island there are great places to just sit and watch the water for awhile.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>This past Saturday Mishawaka had our annual summer celebration appropriately called "Summerfest". This year it was basically held on Kamm's Island, which is smaller than its usual location of Merrifield Park. It was still a fun time for all! There were activities for the kids, crafts and live performances, also a 5k walk/run and lots of food. Something for everyone! The entire festival was capped off by fireworks on Saturday night. Best view from Beutter Park! A great time w/family!</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Since I had such a good time, I'm going to make sure I have Summerfest day off every year. Also, there are various outdoor concerts and things going on during the summer here in Mishawaka/South Bend that I'm planning on attending. I love Summer!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-36690206648265226022010-05-24T13:21:00.000-07:002010-05-24T13:35:13.328-07:00Pretty Good 3 Days OffO.K. so here is my attempt to blog some more and more often. We all get a 3 day weekend off every 4 weeks. This month, I really had a good 3 days. Usually, I just spend them running errands, cleaning up, etc. This time, I actually got to do some fun things. On Saturday, we went to a "People Fest". This was a fundraiser for a local Catholic School in our area--basically food and music. I must say, it was a good sampling of food--something for everyone. Since I am Hungarian, it was nice to have someone cook Hungarian without having to do the clean-up. They also had Mexican Bunuelos, Burritos, Polish sausage, cabbage and noodles, Ribs, baked beans, collards, bratwurst, Bavarian food and even American hot dogs. Plus, it was great to hear live music and spend time with my husband.<br /><br />On Sunday night, I went to a party to say good-bye to a good friend from work--sad to say. We had a wonderful turnout--about 40 people in all--and it was nice to bet together outside of work. We all had a great time. He was really amazed that so many people cared so much. A real "Mr. Holland's Opus" moment.<br /><br />Today, I babysat for my granddaughter. We had a splendid time. For lunch, we hit McDonald's. This morning, we did errands. Then, we had chores to do. The laundry and vacuuming went much faster with her help. She is such a hoot! I didn't think she'd be able to handle the hanging of the towels on a clothesline, but what a trooper!<br /><br />Well, back to work tomorrow! I probably won't get a chance to blog for awhile. Until next time.<br />'Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-30379105558349938002010-04-26T04:49:00.000-07:002010-04-26T05:13:49.699-07:00Just a new postWell, it's my once a month post again. I think I'll just remind myself to turn this more into a journal and not an actual vent. I'm on a stacation again, so it should be fairly easy this week.<br /><br />The last few days have really been busy but fun. I live in a city in northern Indiana and am a big football fan, so this weekend was great. My girls and I went to the unveiling of a certain university's alumni shirt. If you live in northern Indiana you probably know what I'm talking about. If not--I'm sorry for you. <br /><br />The event was just part of a big week at the university. It's actually part of a large convention of alumni clubs that meet there once a year. Other than the unveiling of 'the shirt' and 'the Blue/Gold game festival, the alumni association hosts an event called "senate". Officers of the various ND clubs from around the world congregate for seminars and good times. I'm only aware of this because of a temporary job I had about 10 years ago. It was the best job I've ever had. period. I have gone on record to say (at least among my friends and family) that I would almost consider doing it again for free. The people were wonderful--especially since they had to put up with a crazy fan. Of course, getting to go to my favorite place played a big part in loving the job.<br /><br />So--back to my original subject. My girls and I went to that unveiling Friday night. On Saturday morning I participated in the March of Dimes walk for premature babies. I do this every year. The walk itself was well attended--lots of people walking for babies. But, the company I work for didn't do well at all as far as attendance. In fact, I was the only participant. It was a drag to walk by myself. In the past, we had a really large group. However, this year there wasn't any special mention in the weeks leading up to the walk, so I don't think many remembered that it was this weekend. Nevertheless, there really should have been more participation. Boo to all those who didn't show.<br /><br />On Saturday afternoon, my oldest daughter and granddaughters went to the Blue/Gold football game at ND. We are diehard fans who sat in the rain for the entire game. We saw a terrific practice and know that the potential for a wonderful season is there. New coach, new game!<br />We're really looking forward to this fall, I must say.<br /><br />This morning, I will be taking one of my granddaughters to school and one granddaughter to her aunt (and my youngest daughter). We are taking turns with her this week, so I will get a stacation. Thanks Vicki!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-18309201845325335492010-03-27T10:25:00.001-07:002010-03-27T10:42:28.521-07:00I Really Need to Do This More OftenI was just looking at my last blog and realized the date is last month's. When I first started writing this, I think I did it almost every day. Now I'm lucky if it's once a month. Geez! Writing doesn't really improve if it's only done once a month.<br /><br />So many little things keep me from doing this. My typing isn't really good...I'm too tired at the end of the day....nothing to say....etc. Still, it's a little like letter writing in the past. Only now, it's to whoever will stop to read it. <br /><br />We finally have a manager in our department. She doesn't seem to have much experience managing and it seems like she is majorly overwhelmed. The department is actually a combination of many departments, so it is overwhelming. It's a huge undertaking. There is so much for her to learn, she says. I don't think she realized what it was going to entail when she applied for the position. I give her credit, though. I know I wouldn't want to do it.<br /><br />Our business still seems slow at times. There are days when nobody is shopping. Period. Then, there are times when one wonders what on earth these people are doing in our store. They literally buy anything and everything. Amazing!<br /><br />We have some good news in our extended family. My son-in-law's sister and her husband are adopting a daughter from Uganda. They have a son who is my eldest granddaughter's age. The girl they are adopting is 2 days older than my youngest granddaughter. We are all very excited and can't wait to meet her. Although not related by blood, we are all close and related in heart.<br /><br />This does feel almost like a letter to a friend--hopefully friends are reading this. I will close by saying that's all for now. (See--just like a letter)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-27453453331857670122010-02-21T06:33:00.000-08:002010-02-21T06:44:13.802-08:00Baking and thinking about itFor some reason, I cannot stop thinking about food. It's all we talk about at work and all I think about. We are currently getting recipes together for a company cookbook. Also, this past week we had 2 birthdays in our department, so I decided to bake one cake for both girls (ladies, women..whatever). It has been quite awhile since I attempted to bake this particular recipe, but it really turned out nice. The chocolate frosting is absolutely delicious. I made extra, thinking I would need it to frost the cake, but I didn't so I actually had enought to freeze it. I hope it is okay for the next attempt. The cake I baked is a Hungarian Dobos Torte. Quite involved because it is a scratch cake. Although many make a round version, you can also make a "log" square version. I think the square version is easier. Also, I frosted the entire cake in chocolate frosting. The original version has one layer topped with carmalized sugar topping. Since I have never attempted to do that, I opted not to attempt it. Maybe next time. I think it turned out o.k. My co-workers liked it.<br /><br />Also, we had a tremendous meal on Valentine's Day at my daughter's house. Chicken Paprikas (another Hungarian favorite) with Tarhonya (Hungarian pasta). Chocolate Trifle for dessert. Yum!!<br /><br />That's all for now, I'm off to eat breakfast and get ready for work.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-63509924301843244832010-01-14T08:37:00.000-08:002010-01-14T08:49:43.047-08:00Ice, ice, iceJust came in from trying (unsuccessfully, I might add) to get the ice off of the top steps on my front porch. Although we faithfully shoveled the snow off of our steps and sidewalks, we still got about 2 inches of ice on our porch steps. Since the temperature is a little warmer today, I decided to try and get rid of the ice. I tried salt, a shovel etc. Only a little came off. It is just too frozen up to do anything with. Hopefully, the extra salt I put on top will help some. Maybe tomorrow and this weekend, it will improve.<br /><br />There is also ice buildup on my driveway, which will probably just melt once it turns warmer. I think I'll just leave it since I can drive o.k. on it. My driveway is only ten feet long at the very most. The ice isn't actually that thick. Most of what is there is only unmelted snow.<br /><br />I hope for warmer temps as spring gets closer.<br /><br />Now, it's off to get ready for work. I hope this night passes quickly. If not, it's another boring night at work. However, I also hope we aren't horrendously busy. I will be by myself again tonight, so if it's busy, there won't be anyone to help me with cranky customers who are just <em>too busy </em>to wait. Hey--if you're that impatient, please, do us both a favor and go to a different store. Same goes if you feel like trashing my department or shopping at 9:55 p.m. Seriously. There is simply no excuse for idiots who take things out of packages and then--hmm--can't put them back in, so let's just wad them up and throw them on the floor. Better yet, let's tear open all the packages. That way, the company can lose money on all the stuff you tore up because, face it, someone <em>must </em>have returned it. The package is all torn up! There MUST be something wrong with it--it's all torn up! <br /><br />There--I'm done venting for today. Later.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-20556190037813359042009-12-14T22:29:00.000-08:002009-12-14T23:30:25.274-08:00What the...?I'm really not having a good week. On top of being busy with work, I've had 2 people die in my family. The first was last sunday. My aunt Sue just recently made it through emergency surgery only to die about a week and a half later (I think). Although I actually live closer, my sister, who lives in Indianapolis, actually called me with the news. I was very sad to learn that she had made it through and was getting ready to go through rehab, but then died. As I told her children, I will miss her, even though we didn't see each other often. When we did meet, she always made me laugh. Truly, she was one of the most honest people I knew. I didn't always agree with her, but it didn't matter. She was Aunt Sue. I still remember many times when she and my uncle Ed and their kids would come over. I always hurt from laughing. She always had such funny stories. Her funeral was the kind I would want. Laughter through tears. And her children, my cousins, are just as ornery as she was. We told stories and talked of things we would remember about our times together.<br /><br />The second sudden passing was my Uncle Jim, husband of my Father's sister, Gazella. He really has been well in years and I haven't seen him for quite awhile. He and my aunt lived close to us for a few years. Once I married and moved away, though, I didn't see him at all. Still, I have fond memories of him. When I was a child, my Mother kept my curly hair short. I believe the hairstyle was called a pixie. My uncle always thought I looked more like a boy and called me 'George'. Anytime I would get a pixie haircut, he called my that. He was teasing, of course, and I knew that he knew I was really a girl. Once I was an adult, he and my aunt moved a couple of blocks away from us. They had a dog named Sugar. Sugar got his name because he loved candy. Uncle Jim would go for afternoon walks and sometimes stop for a visit, always bringing the dog with him. My father would give Sugar Starlight mints (those red and white peppermints).<br /><br />I will miss both my aunt and uncle. I truly wish we had all spent more time together, but, of course, our lives became busy with other obligations. Just like my cousin Susie said on Sunday, maybe we'd see each other at the next major holiday, funeral, or wedding.<br /><br />There are many other things that have happened with the last couple of days. I'm still waking up way too early and going to sleep either too early or too late. I blame this on the time change and the crazy hours at work. Americans need to get over the idea that they need to shop at such ridiculous hours. When I was younger, stores were only open one night a week until 9 p.m. Even at Christmastime. There wasn't a sale every week--heck there wasn't even a sale every month! I can recall so clearly the jingle for a store called Robertson's in downtown South Bend. They had what they called remnant days every six months. It went something like "save a third, save a fourth, save a half in every department on every floor." Now, it's every weekend during the regular season and almost every day during the Christmas season. And the shopping hours--along with the regular 24 hour stores, during the Christmas season, so many stores are open from early, early morning until 11 or 12 o'clock at night. I always wonder, don't people have something else to do? Where are their children while the parents are out shopping? If the kids come along, they are usually so tired they're screaming or crying. How ridiculous! I talked to one customer about how so many people shop during the day--one wonders how they are working if they have time and money to shop.<br /><br />Another strange thing that is happening to me lately is that I seem to be missplacing things. A lot. They other day, I lost one of my debit cards. Naturally, I called the debit card company to report it lost. Now, I happen to have 2 separate debit cards with this company. When I spoke to the customer service representative, I told her that one of my cards was missing. She asked for the account number. Since the card is missing, I don't have a clue what the entire number is. I was able to tell her what card wasn't missing and asked if she could please transfer the funds from the missing cards to the account with the nonmissing card. Oh no, she couldn't do that, but she could cancel the missing account and issue a new card with a new account number. It would take about 7 days for me to get my new card. I told her I would need money sooner than 7 days. She couldn't transfer any of the funds to the card I wasn't missing, so no access to funds for 7 days. Irritating as that was, I told her to go ahead and issue a new card. The only problem was that she cancelled the wrong account, so when I attempted to use the card that wasn't lost, it was declined. I called the company back only to be informed that the original lost card wasn't cancelled, but that the nonmissing card was. I told them to please, please, cancel the other card too and send me new cards for both accounts. Apparently, both cards are on their way.<br /><br />Now, to today's occurences. I went out to my car and found an "abandoned vehicle" on it. I wrote down the phone number, which turned out to be code inforcement. The only thing that was wrong is that I was driving on an expired license plate. I would have 10 days to get it renewed, which I assured the code enforcement officer I would do immediately (at least by Friday when I get paid). He said that would be fine and asked if I lived at the address listed. I told him I did. He said that it looked like we had painted one side of our garage and asked when we were going to get around to painting the other side. Code enforcement had notified us this past summer that we needed to bring the garage up to code, which included fixing the roof and painting. My husband and father-in-law and a friend of ours spent almost 2 months this summer making the necessary repairs and painting both the garage our house. A couple of weeks later, the code enforcement officer called and left a message on our answering machine to tell us what a nice job we had done on the house and the garage. When the officer (who, I swear sounded just like the same person that left the message on the answering machine this summer) asked me when we were going to finish painting the garage, I told him we had already finished it this summer, along with the house. He told me he will be by later to take a look. I swear, if he says it needs painting again, I'm going to go get the paint and the brush and tell him to have a whack at it. While he's at it, he can clean up the mess this time. I am so done with public officials.<br /><br />Now--on to the next task of finding the driver's license I missplaced while getting my license plate renewed.<br /><br />Naw--I better get some sleep first. This was just too long a day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-16485159349839014022009-11-28T01:00:00.000-08:002009-11-28T01:19:06.570-08:00Early, Early, Early MorningI can't believe how ridiculous my sleep habits are getting. I mean, just because I had to get up early yesterday doesn't mean I always have to get up, does it? Of course, I did actually get to bed early again (due to being exhausted from getting up so early) but why am I wide awake at 3:15 this morning, too. Granted, 24 hours ago I was actually driving to work. That's amazing to me! The fact that I am now sitting at my computer at 4 a.m. is crazy. However, I will probably not even stay up thru tonight's football game. It doesn't even start until around 8:30, I think, so I will probably be asleep again by that time.<br /><br />The crowds were crazy yesterday, but it actually seemed more manangeable than in the past. We had employees who were just bagging yesterday--a great idea! If we can keep this up, this year should be fairly calm. We really only had one rude customer yesterday. This was because another clerk (oops--I mean sales associate) bent the rules a bit and gave a discount that they shouldn't have. Naturally, the customer demanded the same from my co-worker who was then deemed rude because she simply pointed out that a mistake was made by the other associate. Really, people--YOU NEED TO LEARN TO READ YOUR DAMN COUPONS! Seriously, the first person who acts like that customer did will be told no. I'm really sick of the "customer is always right" attitude. If you are always right, you must be a robot.<br /><br />But--that was, as I said, only one customer. Out of all the people we took care of yesterday--only 1! The day was really, really, fun and the customers were absolutely terrific! Also, my co-workers rock! I think that they all deserve some kind of award for doing this each and every year. Mostly for having a sense of humor and fun. If any of them are going to read this--(and some will), I want you all to know you made my day by just being you! We laughed much, much more than we cried. Even if some of us were still sleepy by the end of the day. Maybe we should fire up one of the coffeemakers. Hmmm--that's a thought.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-38056733527563948582009-11-22T03:59:00.000-08:002009-11-22T04:33:28.700-08:00Crazy (not too, crazy) Random ThoughtsS0, I'm sitting at my computer wondering why on earth I am wide awake at such a ridiculous hour (5:00 a.m) when it occurs to me that maybe I would like to make a new stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving. I am roasting the bird this year. I love to roast the turkey--that's actually the easiest part. The other day, my husband and I were talking and I decided to make the stuffing separately from the bird. Today, I remembered (at 5 a.m., no less) that I'd seen a recipe for crockpot stuffing somewhere. An internet search turned up all kinds of recipes, none of them for a crockpot cooking method. Then, I remembered where I saw the recipe. It was from Suzanne Beecher. Suzanne is an extremely talented writer from Sarasota FL. She supplies my daily bookclub e-mails. I hope I am right and that she is the one who put the recipe in her daily column for us faithful bookclub readers. I have sent her an e-mail thru Facebook requesting her recipe.<br /><br />Now what is my problem, you may ask. I really don't have much of one except to find a little fault with search engine results. I clearly typed in 'crockpot stuffing recipe'. What came up led me to a myriad of crockpot recipes and stuffing recipes--none of which combined the two. One search actually led me from crockpot stuffing recipe results to just crockpot recipes. I finally decided to e-mail Suzanne and ask for her recipe.<br /><br />Once I did this, I decided to give it one last try (just in case Suzanne didn't actually have a recipe after all). Naturally, a recipe finally appeared. Now, I will probably end up with a zillion recipes for the same dish! This kind of ridiculous stuff always happens to me!<br /><br />On to something else.<br /><br />I know I will probably be going against the grain for saying this. Why on earth do the stores insist on doing the same stupid things holiday season after holiday season? Naturally, I'm going to be a bit biased since I work retail, so bear with me. I realize all you shoppers love the Black Friday early morning thing. However, it is possible to shop regular store hours and get good deals. Keep in mind that the things on sale will probably not be that great a deal because they will probably be gone within the first twenty minutes to half an hour after the store opens. Also, we only receive a certain amount of items per store. We have NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER over how many we get <em>or </em>if we get any. DO NOT scream at me because we are out of the item you absolutely must have!!! Trust me, some other stores probably have the same thing at the same price. Also, these same items have probably been on sale all month long! <br /><br />Remember one other thing, please, --READ THE ADS AND COUPONS CAREFULLY!! There are many, many exclusions depending on the brand. I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER WHAT IS EXCLUDED. I also could care less about what other stores do. Trust me. All I want to do is help you get your stuff and get out of my store in a timely manner. <br /><br />I would also like to thank in advance all the customers who are funny, have a heartwarming story, are so, so, so patient (God Bless you!) and genuinely great to take care of. There will be many, I know. My co-workers and I love you!<br /><br />Now, one other thing. I think it would be a great idea for stores to have evening specials also. This would be for people who must work the day after Thanksgiving (yes, there are some) and can't be at a store at 3, 4, or 5 in the morning. The store doesn't necessarily have to stay open late, just have specials from 6 until 10, or something. That way, people would still have a chance to shop, just not at such a ridiculous hour. The one thing customers complain about most is missing the early morning specials because they have to go to work to pay for all their Christmas presents.<br /><br /><br />That's all. At least for now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-68452316912227415812009-11-08T12:07:00.000-08:002009-11-08T12:21:23.259-08:00Great Fall DayWell, this is probably the last nice weekend we will get for awhile, weather-wise. I got so much accomplished this afternoon, mainly the leaves from our huge oak tree in the back yard. Thank goodness for leaf blowers. What I wasn't able to blow, I vacuumed up, since my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">leaf blower</span> is both a blower and vacuum. This sure beats raking. Granted, not each and every leaf was picked up, but what was left isn't much.<br /><br />I had a wonderful breakfast with my girls this morning. We went to IHOP where, naturally, I ate way too much. Why is it that breakfast, no matter what you eat, is always better in a restaurant? I mean, I can make my own pancakes, eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Somehow, it always seems better if someone else makes it. Plus, my kids and grandkids were there, for, I swear, entertainment. They had me laughing till it hurt.<br /><br />Well, I'd better stop all this for now. I really need to go downstairs and get the clean clothes up from the basement. I know that this time next week, I'll probably still be doing catch-up laundry. O.K.--maybe after work next week.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-5583996114989741482009-10-07T08:09:00.000-07:002009-10-07T08:34:27.101-07:00Last Day of This Year's Vacation ThoughtsThis is my last final day of vacation for this year. However, I should note that next year's vacation is probably a mere 6 months away. We are able to put in for vacation at Macy's beginning the first part of the year. I always take one of the last weeks of April off so my granddaughter and I can go to the Blue and Gold Game at Notre Dame. We also walk in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies at that time. Plus, the weather is usually good. It's a great time to take a vacation, providing you like football and walking.<br /><br />This year, I'm going to try to plan to vacation in August and September, I think. Of course, I also have to plan to take one weekend off in October (I think) because that's usually the time when I go to my only actual ND football game. So, that's pretty much what my entire vacation time is planned around--so far. I got to thinking this year that I'd like to plan a vacation around something other than football. Sooo--this year's vacation will be planned around next year's birthdays--hopefully. I'd really love to take the weekend off when my oldest granddaughter has her birthday, but, I'm never sure when my daughter will be having her actual party. This year, I missed the entire thing due to work. <br /><br />Work definitely gets in the way of life. It's intruding more and more, it seems. This year, instead of hiring a sufficient amount of people to staff our store during the holiday season, they have asked us to sign up for extra hours during the two weeks before Christmas. The worst possible time, of course. They are paying extra, so I was really tempted. The only thought I had was that this would severely curtail any extra shopping and preparation time I have. (Not that I actually have any, of course) Plus, the only thing I want to do is leave immediately from work when my shift ends. Putting in extra time seems like a good idea now. However, I'm sure that when the time comes, I'm sure I'd be thinking 'why, why, <em>why did I say I'd stay extra?'</em><br /><br />Needless to say, I decided not to commit to any extra hours. Plus, I did say I might be willing to stay extra on the spur of the moment if I am needed.<br /><br />I also can't help thinking that they really should just go ahead and hire the extra people. True, we do have to train them and put up with babysitting them, but, we may also end up with some pretty terrific employees. This has been the case in the past couple of years. I can think of at least 2 people who really worked out for us. These employees stayed on after Christmas and have proven to be an asset to our company. <br /><br />Also, our company seems to pride itself on helping out in the community, what with various plans to donate to charities. What better way to help out the community than to put people to work. That way, instead of having to go to the food pantry for groceries, they could actually earn money to buy the groceries. I'm just giving my opinion here, but wouldn't most people rather work than not work? Why not offer them work? Makes more sense to me.<br /><br />Geez--I've really gotten off my original subject. Sorry.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1138641461329705464.post-74606206073257603662009-09-14T06:22:00.000-07:002009-09-14T07:00:05.660-07:00Shopping Thoughts, etc.It's fairly early in the morning for some people, but for people like me it's mid-morning. My day starts at 6:15 a.m. when my alarm goes off. Sometimes I turn it off and return to bed to finish waking up. Other times, I may be wide awake way before it goes off, so I may decide to get up anyway, especially if it's fairly close to the time when it will go off anyway.<br /><br />Today was a day when I didn't wake up before the alarm went off, so I find myself still a little sleepy even though I've been awake and active for at least 3 hours. So, this is just fair warning, just in case anyone reading this wonders "what is she going on about?" I'm really still trying to wake up completely.<br /><br />Although, I did take a mile walk already and drink at cup of coffee. That's more than some people do first thing in the morning. I also, got my husband's coffee for him and my granddaughter off to school before walking.<br /><br />On my way home from my walk, I stopped at my friend and co-worker's car to chat with her. She had a birthday party for her daughter this weekend that my granddaughters went to. She told me how funny my youngest granddaughter was and what fun all the kids had. That was nice--I'm glad they all had a good time. While we were talking, she told me how work was on Saturday and that I should be glad I missed it. This gets me to thinking about a few things I want to get off my chest, so bear with me while I vent about things that go on during a sale.<br /><br />The first thing I would like to say is READ ALL SALE COUPONS COMPLETELY! This is for those customers who only read the large print and not the fine print. I realize the print is small, but, like all contracts, it should still be read. If there are exclusions on the front or the back of the coupon or if the coupon is only good during a certain time frame, you will be expected to know this, since these things are on the coupon. PAY ATTENTION! Although it is always assumed by shoppers that the customer is always right, that isn't always true. On the other hand--employees should also READ THE EXCLUSIONS. That way, employees don't give out discounts on things that are not supposed to be discounted.<br /><br />Also, on major sale days, people have to wait in line. That is just a fact of life. If you are on a lunch break or have an appointment in fifteen minutes, don't shop. Period. We have other customers who also need things <em>right now!!</em> Also, don't expect people to just cater to your every whim, especially if we are already with another customer. I realize you would all love it if you had a personal shopper, but big sale days this just isn't possible. It's very rude to just barge in on another person's time with a sales associate. Especially if you have been told someone will be with you just as soon as possible.<br /><br />Sometimes I wonder--am I the only person who can shop by themselves without having someone hold their hand and lead them through the store? I have been able to do this since I was 12 <em>years old! </em>Isn't there anyone else out there who is capable of this?<br /><br />Also, I want to tell people--we <em>do not</em> have everything that Macy's carries in our store. Space-wise, this would be impossible. Especially in the department I work in. For many, many, many years you MUST order things like china, crystal and flatware. Even when I got married 29 years ago, all of our dishes had to be ordered--and they weren't china, they were porcelain. You can't go into a store the day before the wedding or bridal shower and expect to get these things right off of the shelf.<br /><br />And--surprise--we do have problems with stock that isn't carried by our store at all. Since the advertising is not for only your local store, we may not have the picture item. This is just a fact of life--get over it. We also run out of things, especially if it is within the last few minutes of the sale. Trust me, those same items will be on sale during the next "big sale" again. <br /><br />Last (but definitely not least) those coming into a store five minutes before closing with a big shopping list should be aware that when the store closes the lights go out and you CANNOT go out the employee entrance or the mall doors. Also--you are a MORON! If you didn't shop early--come back tomorrow.<br /><br />That is all. Enough said.<br /><br />ThanksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16425664329736900433noreply@blogger.com0