Are you a Wearer, a Feeler, a Sniffer, or a Licker?

A variety of classifications but believe me I have seen them all! For those of you that don't know me, I work part time in the lingerie department of a major department store. I must confess they hired me as Christmas help back in 2005 and for some strange reason they keep putting me on the schedule and I have just never told them to take me off.

We sell a LOT of panties and we offer them two different ways – either in a package (my selection is a little more limited here and they are mainly “granny panties”) or as a single. The singles we display either on a table or hanging.

While the majority of the panties I sell to women I sell a LOT to men. Now I know that is not my place to judge but believe me from the way they act and talk I can tell that some of these male purchasers are buying for themselves. Face it, when they bring them to the counter and make comments like “I hope the elastic in the legs don't itch” or “do these really hide muffin tops?”............they are buying them to wear. These are the Wearers.

Then there are the Feelers...........they go around “stroking” the material and the crotch of the panties. I have even caught a few who rubbed the crotch on their cheeks and the back of their hands. Now I can't really judge these guys to harsh because I have had females do the same thing, face it when it is going to be right next to a VERY sensitive area all day long.............you want it SOFT.

Now we get to the last two categories that just really kind of creep me out.

The Sniffer...........these are the guys that I have observed Sniffing the crotch of the pantie. They usual start with Feeling and move on to the Sniffing

And then there are the Lickers...........

Yep I have caught two over the years who went from Sniffing to Licking the crotch of the pantie! I have asked both to leave the department and I assure you that I have taken THOSE panties off the sales floor – never to be sold!

Now before you judge MY store............let me say that over the years I have talked to women who have worked in other stores...........if they were there very long they have ALL observed Wearer's, Feelers, Sniffers, and Licker's!

I know that many people now days buy article of clothing, take it home, and wear it without ever washing it. My advice when you buy new panties? WASH THEM FIRST! Just saying, cause................well face it...............I have no clue how many I HAVEN”T caught!

Connections...............Some Good, Some Bad, Some Don't Count!

Spoiler Alert

**Pulling up soapbox, stepping on it**

PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! STOP AND THINK!

Across this great big world we are ALL connected in some way or another. Sometimes we want to embrace these connections and sometimes we want to ignore or hide from these connections...........face it, Uncle Bill that likes to fart in a crowd of strangers is not really someone we want to claim all the time! 

Sometimes we want to distance ourselves are far as possible from certain people and things. I always laughed when my x would speak of a certain two children when someone would mention their relation to him...........his response was that they were his “Mother's Brother's Wife's Children from a PREVIOUS marriage and therefore not related to him”.

Sometimes we want the connection to certain people and things. I had a friend in college who's last name was Lincoln, anytime she was introduced to someone she would give a five minutes speech on how she was related to Abraham Lincoln............I am not going to retype that one – it is LONG!

AND sometimes we , as outsiders, we WANT to find a connection! I remember back several years ago when there was a hard push in the Baptist Church (yes I am a baptized Baptist) to show the evil in Rock and Roll music. There was an evangelist making the rounds of churches to show us the evil. Many of the examples he used “proved” his point by highlighting the third word of each song line or the second word of every six words...............he was NOT proud of me when I told the audience that if they picked 10 hymns out of the hymnal, and gave me some time, I could make at least ONE of them say bad things!

Why am I on this rant? Well because I am on Facebook and I see a LOT of those repost of “So and So has proof that So and So has ties to (or ) is behind (insert what ever you want cause they probably have).

All I am asking is that you STOP, THINK, and maybe – just maybe do a little RESEARCH of your own! And please for goodness sake do not use Wikipedia as your ONLY research source (unless you have been under a rock for the last 10 years you should know that anybody can go in and CHANGE/EDIT things in Wikipedia!).

Look for the most NEUTRAL source that you can find (yes I know that is very hard to do now days but they are still out there).

READ THE WHOLE STORY! Yeah I know that is a tough one but let's get real here – HEADLINES are written to get your attention................they are NOT written to tell the WHOLE story! And many times the headline can be misleading as to what the story is REALLY saying!

I am not trying to influence anyone to any certain way of thinking...........my ancestors have fought in just about every war this country has been a part of starting with the American Revolution (I think we skipped the war of 1812, but we were on both sides of the Civil War)........heck I even had them in the Texas Revolution). They all represented Freedom of Speech, Freedom to Think, Freedom to Express Yourself...............but I don't think any of them fought for the Freedom to Spread half truths, lies, and just made up stuff in general.

Shout the Truth from the Rooftops...........and even if I do not agree with you..............I will defend your Right to do so.

**stepping off soapbox**

Have a Great Day! Everyday I wake up is an AWESOME one!

The Power of the Porch

Front or Back, screened in or open, the porch is one of the most influential pieces of architecture in the history of our country!

You think I am kidding don't you...........well I am not! Let's talk about the porch.

What is a porch? Well to start with it is attached to a home, doesn't matter if it is on the front or the back it is still a porch. Okay I confess I am partial to the front porch but the back will do in a pinch.

I can't tell you if it is an economic thing, a fashion thing, or what............but builders have steered away from porches for many years. Modern homes have been geared toward the “inside” world and their nod to the outside world has been a flat front or a tiny entry way where only one or two people can stand.

A true porch has a roof over it and a concrete, wood, or brick flooring. It has to be wide enough for at least a couple of chairs – a swing is even BETTER!

The porch serves as a Neutral zone between the outside world and the private world of our home. It is that gray area between home and work, between public and private...................it is the shallow end of the pool of our lives.

Think about it, when you go to someones home that has a porch..........when you step on the porch don't you feel welcome? Don't you start to feel at home before you ever knock on the door? Compare that feeling to the feeling you have when you walk straight up to someones house that has no porch? It is like a WALL..........that says your either “in or out”!

When you leave it is a place to transition from home to the outside.............not an abrupt departure but one that takes several steps and gives you time to adjust.

Add all this to the fact that is the inside/outside extension of your home and you have a winner deluxe. It is the place you can relax and feel at home with the shelter of a roof from the sun or rain while you enjoy the view. It is a place where you can hear the sounds and sights of the neighborhood while in your favorite chair.

A porch helps to keep you in touch with the outside world from the comfort of your private world.

We need to make porches the “fashion trend” again, I sincerely believe it would help with our connections and bring back our neighborhoods.

Change..................and I don't mean coins!

Change.................

Change – while it is not technically a “four letter word” (yes I can count) but for many people that put it in that category as BAD. I know you are setting there shouting at the screen that change can be GOOD and I agree with you............at least it can be good AFTER the change...............after you get adjusted, after you get used to it, AFTER you see that it works!

I like to talk a good talk.............I like to tell people that I LIKE change...........but in truth it is really a LIE that I tell to people and to myself.

I HATE change!

For years I have laughed and told people that I am like an old cow...........once I find a trail that works that is the way I go EVERYTIME! Now to me it makes total sense, after all I got to where I wanted successfully why on earth should I go to the trouble of finding a new way to go? Heck I might get lost, or be late, and just who would that benefit?

Now give me some credit here............my tolerance for change has several different levels and all of them begin with one simple question............

WHY? Why am I making this change? What is the reason? Why should I do this?

If the change makes sense, if it is going to make things easier (well after I struggle through LEARNING how to do it the new way), then my tolerance is pretty high – for the most part. Then I am willing to give it a try! I may be a little skeptical at first but depending on the outcome I may just embrace this change...............of course I may still hate it – I do have my reasons you know! Give me a break - I once spent 30 FRIKKEN hours trying to learn how to do a process that after I mastered it they sent out an update that made 90% of the process obsolete.

If there is no good reason, if it is going to make my life harder (or what I am doing harder to do) my tolerance level for the change is very low............in fact I can confess sometimes it is absolutely non existent.

I have ZERO tolerance for Change that is just for Change Sake! 

Now I must interject with a redeeming fact.............I can "tolerate" the Change at the end much better than I tolerate the PROCESS of making the change.  It is kind of like living in a house and remodelling it at the same time...........been there, done that and it was not pleasant!

Present Change to me...............then be prepared to give me Logical and Sound reasons as to WHY this is really a good thing.

If I still think it isn't...........I will tell you so

If I agree...............then we will both Live Long and Prosper! :)

Giraffes, Laughter, and Pooh Heads

Here is a riddle for you:

You log on to Facebook, you see a friends post about a riddle, you read the riddle and you private message the friend with the answer that you just KNOW is correct.............the friend says that you are WRONG and now you must change your profile pic to that of a Giraffe for three days. What do you do?

Laugh and change your profile pic?

Check Snopes to see if your friend has the correct answer?

Tell your friend that you are right and that they are wrong?

Make fun of the “stupid” game and the “stupid” people who play it?

As for myself, I laughed (actually I posted back “crap, I was sure I had it right”), then I hunted for an awesome giraffe photo and changed my profile pic............then I reposted the riddle to see how many others I could “catch”. For the next three days I laughed when I spotted a new giraffe, I teased friends who got it wrong (I had the right...........I had my own giraffe). All along I still contended that my answer was valid but I played along and enjoyed the game.

When I reposted the riddle private messages began popping up so fast I could not even read them all (hey to save time I actually copied and pasted “You are WRONG, it is your EYES!”). Some friends said YEAH I got it right! (Marceita Dorsey was the first and boy did she gloat about it! ;) lol ), Some friends said something similar to my response (Oh crud, I thought I had it right), and Some argued (gotta love the fact that the majority of the ones doing the arguing were engineers – boy can they get technical! Lol). I put a few of these on my list to never go to a magic show with...........they will totally spoil every trick!

Some of the ones that argued the answer still changed their pics and others did not.  I had one that got it wrong and even told me that they were not going to change their pic because the riddle and the game was stupid.............okay.........why did you even play to start with? 

A day or so ago the “memes” began, and believe me I laughed at all of them. I also noticed a few of the “spoilers”, someone would post the riddle and instead of private message someone would post their answer on the thread........the real pooh heads would post “they are going to tell you that the correct answer is EYES but they are wrong” or something similar to give away the answer.

This morning I read an article about the riddle game in the Chicago Tribune – WOW this game has really spread!

I must note that I have a VERY “melting pot” group of Facebook friends.............if there is a “label” they are probably on my list – Straight, Gay, Conservative, Liberal, Christian, Atheist, Witch, Pretty well every color combination, Employed, Unemployed, Retired..............well you get the picture

My point and observation is this................

Whether the answer is right or wrong does not really matter to me................what matters to me is that 

For a few days I had some fun, some laughs, and I talked to a lot of people.

For a few days I saw riddles and laughter instead of steady stream of Negative Things, we argued about a riddle or the best giraffe instead politics and religion...........

For a few days one of the most beautiful, peaceful, and unusual animals on the planet graced my news feed............in every size, shape, and pose that you can think of............................

Now what is so bad about that?

Death, Dying, and Relationships

Okay “touchy” subject here but it has been on my mind a lot lately................someone very close to me is going through a break up and she has called on me for some support and advice (well maybe not advice so much as someone to vent to who understands and that is totally okay with me). It has brought back a lot of memories of my own experience and I have decided that this is something that I need to share.

Divorce or the End of a long Relationship is a lot like someone dying..........the biggest problems are the fact that there is no body to bury and nobody comes around to tell you how wonderful the other person was or how much they will be missed. Well I guess there is a third problem, the fact that this “ghost” is still walking around and unless you jump into witness protection you constantly have the chance of running into them or seeing reminders of them. I resisted the temptation of cutting my x's face out of all the family photos.........so far.

Particularly with Divorce (or the end of a LONG relationship), you have to divide things. I know you already knew you would have to divide stuff..............but what about the friends? Or the favorite place to go after the theater? Or the town celebration that you both loved to volunteer at the gate for?

Sometimes you get to make these decisions, sometimes your x does, and sometimes others do this for you. The fact is that you have to work through these “decisions”, you have to except them and move on. I know, it is easy enough for me to say.............but believe me I have been through it and honestly sometimes it just flat out STINKS but you have to go on.

Other things you may not even think about...............well how about your phone number? I know that in this day of cell phones many people do not have a land line............but back in my day we did. The fact is that it was actually MY phone number that I had (and made the deposit on) before I met him, but since I had added his name to the bill I had to get HIM to call the phone company and okay releasing it back into my name only. Fast forward to today...........what about the cable bill? Or the gym membership? All things you have to decide.

With divorce you go through the SAME stages of grieving that you go through when someone has died. I think this is true whether you were the one that decided to leave or if you were the one that was left. Even the one who “wants out” will have moments of regret, moments of loneliness where they will think of the other, and moments where they will remember the good times and wish they had those times again. And just as in death everyone goes through theses stages differently and for different lengths of time.

It would be awesome if there was a set schedule – you know maybe one week in each stage and your done! The problem, and the heartache of it is that sometimes you slip back into a stage you thought you had passed. The good news is that if you did that stage right the first time you won't be there long.

You just have to keep going forward, even if once in a while you take a step back.............the important thing is to keep moving. The life you were meant to be a part of will find you, I promise.

Caffeine.............Love It, Hate It............Do I need it?

Ever have one of those little Epiphany’s?........you know the one where you are doing something and all at once a thought flashes in your brain and you say “Whoa..........Maybe I should think about this further!” and then suddenly your brain goes into high gear and you start thinking of random things that have happened and they all validate your little Epiphany!

Several weeks ago I had just such a thought..............it was actually about 11:30 and I was heating a cup of coffee in the microwave. No it wasn't because I had forgotten the coffee and it had gone cold it was because my coffee pot only stays on for two hours and then shuts off...........and since the coffee in the pot had cooled down.........it meant I had been sipping on coffee for over two hours. I looked around and saw an empty Chicken Express cup from the day before – yes I do love their ice tea.

I have always been a “drinker”, meaning I have a drink all the time.............and it hit me that no matter what the drink was that I had in hand.............it had caffeine in it!

This lead me to the thought that I had spent half the night before out of bed dancing.............not fun dancing but “dancing” trying to get rid of a leg cramp that had woke me up in the middle of the night..............and this was not a new experience, I had been having leg cramps a LOT lately. My daddy's cure for leg cramps was to drink a big glass of water, and that was what I had done to finally get to sleep.

Recently I had also read an article that said that to much caffeine actually interfered with ones ability to concentrate................and I have to be honest in saying that I have really been having some problems doing that of late, to the point it has scared me a little.

I vowed right then and there that maybe it would be a good idea to cut back on my caffeine intact during the day light hours. Notice that I did not say Give Up caffeine..........face it folks I am STILL not ready to cut Coffee, Tea, or Cokes out of my life! Although I will say that the other day I looked at a can of Coke in my fridge and it dawned on me that I had not had one in several days.............splurge time! I popped the top............... (insert frowny face)........... it just didn't taste that good............. I didn't finish it and I haven't had one since.

Now there is a down side to all of this............yeah I know, everything has a downside. Yes I have had way more headaches than normal, I have been achy, tired, and yes pretty irritable............ I so do not tolerate things very well right now – but I have high hopes that THAT will get better!

I find it ironic that many of the Symptoms or Side Affects of Caffeine "overload" are the SAME as Caffeine Withdrawal!  

During this past month I am proud to say that I have conservatively cut my caffeine intact in half............and I have inserted WATER in it's place.............course at my age that means I have also doubled or tripled my trips to the bathroom but that is another story.

This past Friday I attended the Amarillo Women's Network Professional Development Luncheon, the speaker talked about stress and how to control your stress for a better life. And Oh My! She talked about CAFFEINE! In fact she even talked about a study where scientists feed spiders caffeine and photographed their webs...............

Scary right? What is really scary is that I looked at the Caffeine web and thought “that is exactly how my mind seems to work lately!”

Before that meeting was done I vowed that what I had cut in half.............was going to be cut in half again..............and BEFORE Thanksgiving!

Hope I still have some friends left by then....................and that I can pay my water bill!

The Need to Aim

Shooters and archers aim at targets, that's the point right? They want to hit what they are aiming at! Golfers keep their eye on the ball but they look at the flag on the green before they look down at the ball because the flag(at least the hole under the flag) is what they are aiming at.

Heck even dogs aim when they pee............I know, you thought they were marking their territory but in truth they actually just need that blade of grass for a target! Seriously, when it comes to peeing we ALL aim, male and female both..............although I think guys sometimes aim to miss just to drive us crazy...........and I still totally resent the fact that they can write their name in the snow.

We ALL have the need to AIM at something..............every day we have to aim, some times are target are big goals like a promotion at work..........other times they are small targets such as aiming for the refridgerator to get a drink of water (I must confess that many times I get in the kitchen and forget what my target was............got to work on focusing on what I am aiming at)

Aim=Goal – Target=Finish

We all set goals and we aim for them...........................our target is where we want to finish. This need to AIM at something is not even a self imposed trait............it is built into our DNA – we have to reach (aim) for something every day of our lives. Moses may have wandered the desert for 40 years but he STILL was aiming for the promised land. Columbas may have aimed for China and missed by hitting the America's but he STILL was aiming for a specific target.

(yes I am going to resist mentioning the fact that they should have stopped and asked for directions but I will not bow to stereotyping)

I personally need to set a LOT of small goals and a big goal. I need to plan my steps and each goal I reach is a point of “reward” for me and brings me closer to my big goal.

The hockey legend, Wayne Gretsky said "You miss 100% of the goals that you don't try for".

Many times our “finish line” is also our “starting line” for the next adventure. I am aiming for my next adventure.............now if I can just remember what I wanted from the kitchen..............

Cooking, Cleaning, Sewing...............The Power of Self Reliance

Can you cook? Can you do laundry? Can you sew on a button? If you can I personally think your survival chances just went up 50% over those who can't. Last week a friend shared a blog link “Be a GD Adult. Learn To Cook” from the Jezebel blog (yes I appreviated the GD word, I don't really like it). I shared it on my page and OH the party began, lol..............after my “storm” I went back and read some of the comments on the original blog and found that the majority of the comments there were Pro for these skills.

I agreed with a LOT of what Jezebel said and a LOT of the commentors...............cooking, laundry, and sewing are what I consider basic skills of survival in life. Now I raised two boys and a girl, they are not that old but even when they were in school any Home Ec or Life Skills class was basically non-existant.

Home Ec was a staple when I was in school but I have to say that I did not learn much from these classes.............in fact the dress that I had to make ended up going OUT the class room window three times and to this day I shudder in fear and avoid if all possible putting in a ZIPPER! Okay to be honest I totally avoid any pattern that calls for an evil zipper – I put it right up there with having to get a shot! :(

Now this does NOT mean that I did not have these skills at the time, I learned to cook at home...........which was always an adventure since I am more of a “dump cook” and my mom is an “exact measure”. Oh and for the record, my mom couldn't boil water when she got married, daddy taught her to cook and he did a mighty fine job too!

I think I only did one load of laundry while at home and ever bit of that one turned purple...........but my mom was a smart woman and she sent me to college with a box of Cheer which had the instructions on the back. 

Lol, I still remember setting on the dorm laundry room floor with Cheryl Williams reading the instructions and trying to figure out how to sort. Enter the angel known as the cleaning lady and she helped us with that first venture.................btw, later I found out that my grandmother sent mom to college with a box of Cheer AND the cleaning lady there helped her sort her laundry!

As for sewing, well a needle and thread and I have a LONG history! I was helping my Granny quilt when I was four, I always loved sewing...........to the point that it did get me in trouble a couple of times. My favorite actually didn't ME in trouble but it got Papa in trouble! Lol, he kept me while granny was working, I made the most AWESOME dress from one of her big quilt scraps..........she wasn't real happy when she got home and found out what I had done. Come to think of it, I put a ZIPPER in that dress and it totally worked...........but I guess it is much easier when you are five years old and using just a needle and thread.

Fast forward a few years and I have children of my own...........from the day the boys were born I vowed that before they left my house they would know how to cook somethng besides a ham sandwich, do a load of laundry without turning everything purple, AND be able to sew on a button...........then if they could find some stinking girl to do it so be it! At least they would have the skills if they needed them. I did the same thing with my daughter.........and yes she will probably be that “stinky girl” some boy finds some day, lol.

Not only did we work on these things at home, my kids were very active in 4-H, not only learning but also competing in cooking, sewing, and other contests. Now some people do not see a pride or value in a male knowing how to sew..........lol.......in fact one year when my oldest son was about 10 and had just competed in the District competition for sewing, we were at a local pizza place with my parents and some friends of theirs. The gentleman is a “man's man”, former military – oilfield – rancher..............he leaned over to my dad and said “He is proud of his sewing, don't you have a problem with that?”............quick note here, my dad was a BIG STRONG guy – 6'2” and he could pick up anything he wanted to pick up. My dad leaned in and said “I know how to SEW, I helped my mother quilt when I was little and I quilted part of each of my grandkids baby blankets.........you got a problem with THAT?”...............btw, the answer was a hurried “No, no problem”.

My point of this long story is short.................Cooking, Cleaning, and Sewing are basic skills that EVERYONE should know and I truly believe for several years we have not given them the value that they deserve.

The list of BLAME is long:

Budget cuts

The push toward technology learning in school (something always has to give)

Woman's rights (don't barbeque me on this one – I KNOW females that refused to learn to cook so that they would never be “stuck” in a kitchen)

Gender roles (face it we still are biased towards cooking, cleaning, and sewing being a “womans job”)

Sterotypes (again there are people – male and female – that think if a guy is cutting out a pattern he must be gay)

Well the list is longer than you have time to read. I think we need to get back to the teaching and nurtoring of these basic skills for BOTH genders and at a school age or younger! These are skills that you can set aside and pick up when they are needed..............even years down the road!

I read several comments about the fact of TIME and the LACK of it (mainly with cooking)...........and I do agree.............but I also argue that is what freezers (my aunt used spend Sunday making meals for the rest of the week), crock pots (oh Lord Bless the person that invented these beauties - there are some great websites devoted to crock pot cooking), and leftovers (cook it once eat it twice!).

 

Road Trip...............It is NOT the Destination................

It is Not the Destination, but rather the journey that made this road trip (an many others) so special. For some the destination is just the icing on the cake, for others it can be just a sidenote or largely forgotten............it is the conversation, the laughter, and the stops along the way that implants it in our memory banks to be drawn from as life goes on.

Our road trip started weeks ago when the news broke about the two cars and six bodies being found in FossLake. The discussion at our coffee meeting was of shock in the discovery and shock at how this could have happened 40 years ago and them just being found. For some coffee groups this would have been a quick converation.........lol, well Laura is a writter and a journalist, I dabble at writing and am a journlist, Marceita is into ghosts and all things spooky, and Becca is into mysterys and spooky things..............so this event was a hot topic for us!

The trip started off in sunshine but the clouds (in the sky) quickly moved in...........or I should say we drove into them. That didn't stop the sunshine in the car though............if a car could run on laughter we could have driven around the world on the giggles that insued! We took a lesson from CARS and we stopped along the way, first at the Groom cross

Then in Shamrock, Texas to visit the U-Drop-Inn. The wonderful lady manning the gift shop there told us that if we were going to Elk City, Oklahoma we should just drive a little further to Clinton and go to the casino. That prospect was discussed but Laura and I didn't really feel up to donating to the casino fund.

Part of our plan was to visit the Route66 Museum in Elk City............wait...............this has gone from a Mystery Trip to a Route 66 Trip ..........oh well, every good journey should have some twists! The rain continued, the cold set in, and still we laughed and drove.........and did I mention that we got lost?

Getting lost can lead to some wonderful discoveries, course in our case it also led to the fact that we were almost out of gas. We ended up at the only quick stop in Hammon, Oklahoma complete with (in our minds) antique gas pumps and strange surroundings.............

so of course the group voted to sacrifice Marceita to ask for directions. Becca was a little worried for her safety when she stayed so long inside, Laura and I were more concerned for the locals inside! Lol

(and yes I had to drive over the Foss Lake dam, I hate that drive even on a clear day!)

We finally got to the lake, we got colder and wet! After that it was time to eat! Thanks to a friends recommendation we ate at Pedro's in Elk City...........the food was great and we all loved the tables and chairs............well except one booth, I was really worried about the artist's mind set when he/she did this one!

By the time we finished eating it was 3:30 and we decided to skip the museum and call it a day. All in all we only did TWO things that we had actually planned to do.............and a WHOLE BUNCH that was unplanned. In some books this would have made the trip a failure. But for us it was a complete and total success!

We laughed, we giggled, we solved the worlds problems...........we saw old things, new things, and did a whole bunch of things we had not planned to do.

The Journey was AWESOME! :)

Redskins, Browns, Buffaloes – Insult? Or Flattery

Okay bear with me............I am back on the “label thing”, yep I can't help it with all of this brew ha going on concerning the Washington Redskins and whether or not it is an insult to Native Americans.

First, we ALL have labels that we assign to other races or skin colors, and in my raising and opinion it boils down to the “feeling” we put behind that name..............is it Hate?.........is it Honour?...........or is it just a label to define that person, place, or thing?

Yes I do remember the definition of a noun, thank you very much

Many years ago in a galaxy far, far away..............well face it, Higgins Texas, population 464 (at that time) is a world's difference from life in Amarillo! There was a group of Native Americans doing a walk, or ride.........I apologise that I cannot remember all the details, I am sure it was to raise awareness about Native Americans – especially since I wrote a story for the Golden Spread News about it. Anyway the group stopped for the night in Higgins, the town put them up in the school and feed them supper in the cafeteria.

During my interviewing several of the participants I became part of a conversation about the town of Shattuck and their mascot the Indians. Some of the participants had taken offence of Shattuck's mascot choice and the silhouette of an Indian on the water tower. Since I have never been one to set on the sidelines – and the interviews were basically over – I weighed in on the conversation. At the end several of the people there told me that they had never thought of the mascot choice in that light and it had made a difference.

Which brings me to my second point. Do you truly understand WHY/HOW a mascot is chosen? What the purpose of a mascot/label of a team is?

Mascots/Labels are chosen for two reasons - 

1. Most often the choice of a mascot is a reflection of a desired quality and a desire to emulate that particular animal or person. West Texas (now West Texas A&M University) did not pick Prairie Dogs as their mascot.........they picked the Buffalo! Now besides being a very large animal they can be pretty darn fierce if you cross their path! (yes I am a WT graduate, so sue me – I love my school!).  The Cleveland Browns honoured legendary Ohio coach Paul Brown by naming their team the Browns.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. The Atlanta Braves chose their name to emulate a warrior with a fighting spirit on the field.To symbolize or honour a local or regional trait or person...........such as the Pampa Harvesters to represent the agriculture influence in the area (particularly wheat).

Now what about Washington and those Redskins? Well I may have a lot of anger right now towards Washington but it is NOT towards a team that chose Redskins as their mascot!

In 1932 the team was called the Boston Braves and they actually played at Braves Field along with the Boston Braves BASEBALL team. The next year they moved to Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) and changed their name to the Boston Redskins. When they left Boston in 1937 and moved to Washington they changed their name again, this time to the Washington Redskins.....and NO even though they shared the new field with the Washington Senators baseball team they didn't change their name to the Washington Senators. I am guessing that a combination of it being post Depression economy and a “we need to keep something the same” aided in this decision.

Now you can choose to decide that a label/name is an insult to someone or to yourself OR you can choose to consider it an honour or point of pride.

Some people take offense at being called ornery, and by the strictest definition it could be considered an insult -

Ornery – bad-tempered and combative........ OR .........stubborn

In MY family, it is a point of PRIDE! Yep, you know you have made it when Mama Joe says you're being ornery and giggles!

Now I go back to the first and say again..............it all depends on the “feeling” we put behind a label or name.............. kind of like – Excuse me............

There is excuse me? - “I didn't hear what you said”

And there is Excuse Me? - “I think I heard what you said but is so I don't think I liked it”

And there is EXCUSE ME? - “I HEARD what you said and oh hell no!”

EVERY generation takes words and phrases and assigns new meanings to them, don't assign a meaning to something unless you are sure that is EXACTLY what the originator meant to say.

I doubt very seriously if any team has adopted a mascot in the spirit of Degrading their "namesake" or to hold the namesake up for ridicule.  Rather I think it is an adoption of honor and a source of pride.

Can I Start This Day Over?

Go Back To Bed? Or Not

I may just flip a coin, I cannot decide whether to go back to bed and start the day over or just ride out the rest of the day and hope things get a little less chaotic!

Today was a day that I have been waiting on for several weeks...........time to get my car fixed! YAY!

Things started off great, I headed to Amarillo in plenty of time to make my appointment, in fact I arrived 10 minutes early! And then things just got squirrelly from there

First bobble in the day:

The manager that I had been dealing with was not there and I talked to the owner, whose first question was “How long did he say this would take?” I said 2-3 days and he smiled and said “oh it will probably take longer than that.......fact is 3 days would be pushing it” Oh Great! I replied that not only was that what his manager had said but also what the insurance company had estimated...........he replied “Oh the insurance company always low balls things, this will probably take longer and cost more”. Oh Great!

The car rental people arrived on time, YAY! They picked me up and we went back to the rental office.

Second bobble in the day:

During the “check out” process they discovered that my drivers license had expired! Oh great and I am two miles or more from the DL office. They were kind enough to take me there and told me to call as soon as I was done and they would pick me back up! YAY!

Third bobble in the day:

At the DL office I am in and out in less then 15 minutes! It was a miracle! I have been there before and it is usually an hour or more! I called the rental place and they tell me they will tell my agent and she will be right there to pick me up....................45 minutes later, I call again – she answers the phone and says “are you done?” I said yes, and I was done when I called 45 minutes ago...........oops she didn't get the message. Five minutes later she is there to get me, YAY! Especially since by this time I am cold and I need a bathroom!

Fourth bobble in the day:

We get back to the rental place and while finishing up the processing I find out since I have liablity only insurance I need to purchase full coverage from them at $19.99 a day (don't forget the body shop just informed me that it is going to take LONGER than 3 days to fix my car!), Now since this accident was not my fault and the other drivers insurance is paying for repairs and the rental...........we call them to see if they will cover the insurance................oops! They forgot to read me the part of the script that says they will NOT pay for any additional insurance! And since my car is already at the body shop and I am TECHNICALLY stranded at the rental car place and 15 miles from my house...............yep I get to PAY for the insurance!

While I can't really start the day OVER............I so think I will take a nap!

My Car Has a SPECIAL Feature!

Today I am going to spend some time going through my car manual! I have looked at this before – okay I will be honest I think I flipped through it the day I bought the car and the rest of the time it is just something I move when I am digging in the glove compartment.............on a side note I DO have a pair of gloves in there!

Last night I vowed that I need to thoroughly READ and STUDY this book! I have decided that I have a special feature on my car that I was unaware of AND that I have accidentally engaged...............I am of the firm belief that my car has an INVISIBLITY CLOAK! I am not talking a Harry Potter drape it around the car cloak 

but a Romulan flip a switch and nobody can detect you cloak!

Now right now you probably think I have lost my mind or else I have been drinking (oh come on! It is 9am on a Sunday morning...........and it is not Rodeo weekend! Okay for some of you that reference went right over your head, but if you are a Stinnett Rattler or a cowboy you totally get it).

Let's go over the facts:

I drive a Kia Sportage – no it is not a Suburban but it is not a Smart Car either.........it has some size to it!

It isn't white or black – it is RED! Hello! Red Light – Stop Sign – Danger................it is RED!

I bought the car Brand New in 2007.........so I have had it for SIX years!

Let me present the evidence:

In August I rushed the car to the tire store because I had a roofing nail in the front tire – they said it would be two hours to fix the flat because the “flat” line was so long! Thank you May hail storm damage from which there are STILL houses waiting on roofs in Amarillo. When I came back to pick up the car it was parked at the side, I backed out and looked up to see a Suburban BACKING down the drive and WHAM! BIG dent in my drivers door! Driver said............”I didn't see you”

(I think I handled this one pretty calmly, turned out the driver was a former student of mine AND he worked for the tire place............his insurance is footing the bill for the repairs)

In September I was walking out of the mall and watched a man and woman walking across the parking lot between the cars. WHAM! The guy walked right into the back of my car, I heard him say to the lady, “I didn't even see that car”.

(I laughed my head off over this one, kinda made my day)

Last night I got off work, stopped by McDonald's (on Coulter, yes it was a rough night I need some cheering up). They have a two window drive up – first pay, then product. The car in front of me paid and they brought her stuff and gave it to her through the pay window. She decided it was time to leave..................you guessed it, she put it in reverse and WHAM backed right into me! What did she say....................yep -  “I didn't see you back there!”

(This one I was not so calm about at the start..........you have to understand, I have an appointment at 9am Monday morning to FINALLY get my door fixed...........yes thank you again May hail storm! But after looking at the car and realizing there was no damage I was much better)

The final result is I have decided that some way or another I have accidentally activated my cars Invisibility Cloak and now I need to spend some time figuring out how to DE-ACTIVATE it!

I think I will write KIA a letter, they should put a warning sticker on any vehicle they install this feature on!

The Energy and Power of - “How are you doing today?”

Since I haven't been living in a cave for 54 years it stands to reason that I have been out and about. And since my main business is sales I have probably been in more places of employment than a lot of people.

Whether I am “working” or just a consumer, I notice the energy of the business.............okay now you think I have lost it...............but think about it -

How do you feel when you walk in the door?

What is your impression of the place?

How do you feel when you walk out the door?

I have walked in places in a good mood and walked out the door in a blah mood …........... and it all goes back to the customer service that I received. I have literally been in stores where not a single employee spoke to me, including the person that checked me out!

Most checkers are trained (or at least SUPPOSED to be trained) to say either “Is that everything for you?” or “Did you find everything okay?” These phrases are pretty standard and sometimes that is all you get out of the person taking your money.............

But oh what a difference when they take the time to ENGAGE in a conversation...........when they take the time to say “How are you doing today?”!

“HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?”

Think about it...........that phrase isn't trying to sell you anything else, that phrase doesn't make them any more money, that phrase is PERSONAL! And when they take the time to LISTEN to your answer............look out!..............cause your day just got better!

I have a list, yes a list, of places I know that if my day is not going well or if I just need an “injection” of energy, that I can stop – spend a dollar or two – and walk out feeling great! All because the employees ask “How are you doing today?” or a similar question to ENGAGE me in conversation.

My top three are:

Chick-fil-A (I don't care which location it is, heck even the drive up people are awesome!)

Pak-A-Sak on Coulter

McDonald's on Coulter (I am going to have to add that I only stop by there in the evenings so I don't know about any other than the night crew)

If they EVER establish a checker/clerk training university then they so need to tap the managers of these places to be the professors...............then every place I go would be a shot of GREAT energy!

Now I also advocate returning the favor................and asking THEM how they are doing! In addition I have been known to look a sullen clerk in the eye and ask THEM “How are you doing today?”, and many times – by the time I have my money in my purse we have had a conversation and they have a smile on their face..........

and my day is just a little better.............

So.......................

“HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?”