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?”

The Haircut

Ever have a great idea that about 2 minutes into it you decided that this was not so brilliant and maybe one of the stupidest things you have ever done?

Hair...............sometimes it is great and other times a baseball cap won't even cover up the disaster! There are all different types of hair color and hair types...........and just like people they cannot be treated the same!

Now I have very special hair...........it is blond (with natural platinum highlights) and it is FINE! I mean whisper fine..........I mean the type of fine that NASA would think was awesome! Over the years I have had many different types of hair styles from short boys cut to below my shoulders! And even when it was below my shoulders, if you fixed it into a ponytail – the “tail” was no bigger around than my pinkie finger!

There is only ONE way my hair can be cut – and that is with a total – complete – razor cut! That means from start to finish all the stylist can use on my hair is a razor.........no scissors because every scissor snip shows the next day as a jagged or straight cut line. Now I have a LOT of experience in this, heck I have been wearing this hair for 54 years! Over that time I have had great hair cuts, good hair cuts, and some pretty BAD hair cuts!

About 20 years ago hair schools decided to quit teaching razor cuts (I personally think it is because it takes some skill to do the cut........also the fact that it takes a little more time than using scissors and beauticians want to get you in and out). Anyway, when I find an operator that can do a razor cut I stick with them...........and when they are gone it is a major hunt to find a new one!

I have an operator that I have used for the last five years and recently when I decided it was haircut time............darn her! She had decided it was time to have that baby she was carrying! I thought that I could survive six weeks but obligations and the insanity of trying to do something with my hair drove me to hunt someone down.

I stopped in a salon and said “Can ANYONE in here do a COMPLETE razor hair cut?” I had a volunteer...........but still I quizzed........”I mean a COMPLETE razor cut! No scissors, all with the razor!” she assured me she could..............yes I took an idiot pill today.............

And the adventure began...........she began by spaying HAIRSPRAY on my hair, now this was a first for me...................second, well I will just say it...........I have NEVER had my hair cut when it was dry............at least not by a professional! I cut my own bangs more than once when I was little..............it was never a good result.

Do you know that a razor sliding (and I am using that term loosely) through your dry/hair sprayed hair sounds just like walking on dry grass? Besides the fact that the tugging of a semi dull razor through your dry/sprayed hair pulls at the roots! Now she did try a NEW razor first but she decided that the OLD razor cut better...........hell I couldn't tell the difference, they both tugged and hurt the same!

Occasionally she would stop with the razor, tell me not to freak out, and grab the scissors. Each time assuring me that I would never know where she had cut.............yeah right...........I looked in the mirror – I can spot every cut mark. The only bonus was that these were the few times she wasn't pulling my hair out by the roots.

After the cut (torture session) was over she decided that I needed a treat! When it comes to treats humans and dogs are on the same level, we LIKE them! 

She grabbed the towel that she had wiped the razor with................and from several more haircuts judging from the long black strands on it - seriously folks I have seen some hairy backs before that looked clean shaven compared to this towel! :(....................wrapped it around my head and face and rubbed my head. 

This might have been a better experience IF the towel had been clean and IF the rubbing action had not sent countless hairs (many of which were not mine) up my nose and in my mouth. Yes my mouth was closed but she was rubbing all over my head and face!

At last we were done with that and she wanted ME to style my hair with my finger tips. Then she put a gel in it that she assured me would not make it stiff. After this she spotted a hair on my nose and used the previous towel to swat at my face (aka more self and foreign hair up my nose and in my mouth).

We are DONE! Yeah! Oh hell, wait – I get out of the chair and she spots some hairs on my black pants..............here come that damn towel again! I could so commit a crime right now...........the CSI lab folks will go crazy, I am pretty sure I have DNA from at least 50 people clinging to me! My regular operator is in so much trouble! She had better get back from maternity leave soon.............she has a LOT of fixing to do!

By Hand Plus Love Equals Peace

The headlines scream it............people say it...........and we practice it – Face it folks we ARE a “disposable society”. If you don't believe it then just take a little shopping trip and look around, better yet take a tour of your local dumpster or landfill (IF you can even go to your landfill!). Everything today seems to be made to throw away and we compound the problem by tossing things out. We are in a time where it is many times cheaper to replace something then it is to fix it.

Heck depending on how much your computer printer cost – it is cheaper to buy a new one then to replace both ink cartridges! :(

In my opinion there is another scary side affect of our disposable society...........While we seem to value more the beauty and originality of something that is made by hand there are fewer and fewer people have the ability or take the time to create these works.

I had a cousin (forgive me, he died long before I was born and I can't remember his name) who was well over six feet tall in an age where that was rare. One day he got tired of chairs that were to short for him and his feet hanging off the bed so he decided to make his own furniture. There are still pieces of his furniture scattered through the family and each piece is treasured.

Do you eat at a table that you purchased on sale? Or do you eat at a table that you cut the boards for, that you sanded and polished? Which table feels more like home?

I can remember wearing my first “store bought” dress to school. We were not what you considered poor, I was just lucky enough to have a mother and a grandmother who could have made a living sewing for the public. Lol, my dad used to call my mom Peggy Pattern! She would go window shopping, see an outfit that she liked...........go to the fabric store, come home, spread out newspapers to cut her pattern, and in a day or two she had that outfit made!

Do you go through your closet and toss out things that you bought just a few months ago because you are tired of it? Or do you go through your closet and think about doing that handwork while watching TV with the kids?

My Granny, Chessie Emilie James Bailey, began quilting when she first married. Her mother-in-law told her that if she made a quilt a year her family would never be cold at night. All of her quilts were “scrap quilts”, lol, I can remember getting so excited when I would see one of her quilts and spot material from one of my own outfits! It was like a treasure hunt! I still sleep under her quilts, and even though she has been gone over 20 years she is still keeping her grand baby warm.

Do you crawl into bed and turn up the electric blanket? Or do you snuggle under those quilts and let out that sigh of comfort as the warmth begins to surround you?

Make it by hand, make it with love, and there is a Peace to a part of your day – everyday...........................and Peace is only disposable if you let it be.

My Weekly Therapy Session

We are living in a day and age when it seems that just about everyone has some form of psychological “problem”, and a LOT of people take medication and a LOT of people see counselors or psychiatrists to help them with their problems. I am all for people seeking help when they believe that they need it, I think it makes their world and in part our world a better place.

While I have never been diagnosed with a psychological problem I must say that it doesn't make me any better than those that have. If actually probably means that I haven't been diagnosed because I have never gone to a counselor or psychiatrist to determine if I HAVE a problem!

Even “un-diagnosed” I still make time each week to attend my own special therapy session................I play 42 once a week with three great ladies! Now I am guessing you would find us a little bit of an eclectic group but we totally work together!

Norma is a corner stone of the group and also the elder of our bunch........lol, she is in her eighties but she runs rings around many 40 year olds that I know! She is a little hard to describe............she is kind of a cross between the Fruitcake Lady and the Where's the Beef lady. I am telling you – she calls it like it is and makes no bones about it! Part of the reason that she is so awesome!

Judy is Norma's niece, she raised her three kids on her own and has owned her own bail bond company for several years. Judy is also awesome, is quick on a comeback or a joke, and when a friend needs help she is the first to volunteer........heck sometimes she volunteers before you even knew you needed help! And I know she has the patience of a saint because she is STILL my partner and if you could see some of the hands I have bid on..............lol, well when I don't make it she just says "okay we will get them next time".

Dana and Judy have been friends since sixth grade.  As a non traditional student (aka she wasn't 22 for sure) Dana went to college and got her law degree. She had planned on making a fortune as a lawyer but while going to school she clerked at the local Legal Aid and decided she would rather spend her time helping people. She is now a lawyer at Legal Aid.

And then there is me! I got in the group because back in 2007 I sold Judy a sponsorship to the independent baseball team I worked for, we became friends and the rest is history on that. I do a lot of things but mainly my forte is sales and marketing.

We always start the evening with a meal, usually we pick a restaurant but sometimes one of us gets the urge to cook and we eat at the house we are playing at. After a great meal it is time to play! We always play three games of 42 and then we either play a game of Spades or Oh Hell.

To be honest the therapy is NOT about the meal or the games............it is about the company, the conversation, and the honesty.

We laugh – a LOT! We giggle, we jab at each other, we talk. Most of the time it is light hearted conversation, sometimes things turn serious when there is something serious going on in our lives. But when it is serious and you “lay it out there”............I am telling you a gal could not have a better team behind her! The group is a cheering section, a leg breaking if you need it squad, and a “will tell you if you are being stupid” crew............all rolled into one!

It doesn't matter how bad my day (or week) has gone............I leave the evening feeling light hearted and ready to tackle the world!

Recently I have added ANOTHER weekly therapy session, a coffee group on Friday mornings..........but I think that group is just going to lead me straight into trouble! Lol, but oh what fun that trouble is going to be! Good thing I know a lawyer and a bail bondsman! :)