I Hate Wrapping

I've been putting this off for a while now. I keep walking in the spare bedroom looking at all the bags of gifts I started purchasing early in November. They need to be wrapped. For the past month or so that room has been a major dumping ground. I don't know why I hate it so much ,as once I get going it's really not that bad. Is it that every decent scissors I purchase seems to disappear? Could it be that the I cannot locate the 4 rolls of tape I purchased just for the wrapping?

I purposely got my shopping done early so I wouldn't have to fight the crowds and I would have plenty of time to get everything wrapped up. All I have left to purchase is gift cards. I think that way back in my mind I am upset because I do 99.9% of the shopping and then also need to wrap it. If I were to take "Mr. Stroller" along with me we would need to mortgage the house to pay for what he'd all buy. In the past we've had some fun shopping especially in the toy department. He wants to buy the kids everything. But then he wants to play with it all also.

Maybe this procrastination comes from the left over effects of the Turkey. It has become traditional that I would attempt the wrap session the day after Thanksgiving, but it somehow gets pushed out to the next weekend. Not this year. I intend to bite the bullet and get on with it. Unless of course something more interesting comes up in the meantime.

Thankful

A Happy Thanksgiving to all my family, friends and relatives! I'm thankful for all of you.
I'm thankful that I have a loving family, great friends and a good life. I'm thankful that my parents can't fool me when something is amiss.

My parent's were planning a trip to Laughlin this Holiday weekend so when I received an email from my dad stating they were opting to stay home as mom didn't have itchy palms, I felt the need to investigate. I made two phone calls to their home and although my husband tried to shush me by saying they were probably shopping, I knew better. My parent's shopping trips are done in the morning. There were no doctors appointments that I knew of and they rarely go out to eat. Their cell phone went unanswered as did their car phone. I went to trivia with this feeling that something was not right. Got home around 10pm to find a voice mail from my dad stating that "He'd be gone for a few hours and would call me later". "He'd be gone"??? what about mom? Could she not answer the phone?? Bingo!! something was wrong. After calling my dad back I found out that Mom was in the hospital. Two weeks ago she had her thyroid removed and was having some complications. Calcium levels were down. she was having major leg cramps and the final straw was her not being able to finish shopping due to being dizzy. He then takes her to the hospital, as instructed by her doctor, and while waiting for test results she has a major panic attack. She scared the crap out of my dad. To make a long story short, she'll be in the hospital for a few days and is doing fine. There's a chemical imbalance due to her medication and they need to get that all adjusted. I would wager to say they have her on some damn good happy pills as this woman cannot stand to be in a hospital. When speaking to her today she said she'll stay a few days. Either the pills have taken over or whatever happened woke her up a little and she's scared.

So I am thankful that they are both okay. I'd be more thankful if I could convince them to come back here. Phoenix is a little far away to just hop in a car and check things out. Either that or I have to do some heavy duty coaxing of my husband to get him to start packing.

Once again...a Happy Thanksgiving to you All.

Two 1/2 Men vs. Packers

I had a major dilemma last night. What should I watch, Two 1/2 Men or the Packer Game. I don't record or dvr anything as I will never watch it. In fact I don't watch much television except the news right after work or when I'm falling asleep. Last night I was torn. Do I watch the Packer game hoping to catch sight of one lonely Cowboys fan in the stands or tune into my favorite weekly show?

I decided to watch the game until 8 and then switch over. In the 1/2 hour I didn't miss much as my husband kept bouncing up the stairs to let me in on the latest. He actually scolded me for not watching the game. I tuned back in right before 1/2 time and was awake long enough to see that I'd won the pool for the 1st half at work. Score!! When I got up this morning I checked the final and had to chuckle a little. I was going to tell my friend (the lonely Cowboys fan) that he's not allowed to attend any further Packer games but it wasn't him. From reading the sports today he's not at fault.

I think I made the wiser choice in my television selection last night. Watching the game may have cost me a good night's sleep.

On a lighter note , we are working 8 hour days this week. 5a.m to 1 p.m. You would think the 8 hour day would fly by. By ten a.m. this morning I felt like I'd been there ten hours. Makes you think back to school days when the week before Christmas felt like years. It must be the anticipation of having a four day weekend or just plain wanting to get the hell out of there.

Who Will Be The Next To Go

If it wasn't such a shitty subject, I would start a pool at work to see who will be the next to go. It could have a benefit if we all decided that whoever won would give it to the person who is cut. I'm figuring it will be me as I am now the oldest operator on the floor and probably one of the higher paid.

Last week they were all about working some overtime in December which several people, including myself were notified of. Today I got an email stating that this overtime is no longer necessary as several big orders have been canceled. We have a warehouse full of incoming material which usually is a good sign. Once the news of the nixed orders got out the rumors began to fly. Hopefully we won't see the Human Resource woman in the office , as she's the bearer of the bad news.

The other thing that sends a bad signal out is how relaxed things are. In the past we were pushed to get up and running. It was all about numbers. Although the operators have kept on track we seem to be lacking the push we used to get. Of course we have an occasional appearance by an Engineer or management but not to the extent of a month or so ago. Then there's the finished product that has been sitting on the shipping dock for a few weeks. All these things add up to trouble in Production City.

We were conversing about this at work yesterday and came up with the plan that we should all make sure we say good-bye upon leaving each day. A joke was made about never knowing when you will be plucked from the floor. This is usually how it's done. Someone comes out and asks to have a moment with you and you never return. Maybe when asked it would be best to just say "No, now's not a good time". Hopefully things are just looking bad right now and within a few weeks will pick up again. As much as I'd like a vacation, it would be nice to assure I had a job to come back to.

It off the the annual Milwaukee Christmas Parade tomorrow morning. My family has been making the trek downtown for several years now to ring in Santa. As cold as it can be, it's always been a good time. The kids love it and the adults just manage to get into the spirit just watching the kids. My brother was pretty big on the parade and his girls had asked to go this year. I can't see there's is any way to bail out of this. Besides that we two celebrities in the family this year. Nanette and Ben will be assisting with the Journal's giant balloon. The kids haven't been told so I'm sure they'll get a big kick out of it. She just better have some good candy to throw our way as she's floating past us. I shall have the camera ready.

It's Soapbox Time

I just caught the woman on the news that turned in her 17 & 16 year old children for robbing a store. I applaud this woman. As I listened to her story and reasoning I thought about how hard that could be. She said she had spent some time in prison and didn't want her kids to go through what she did. She was trying to raise her six kids the right way. "You don't take what doesn't belong to you". She also said she had four younger kids at home and would have no tolerance for any of her kids committing such crimes. The woman closed her comments with saying she wished her parents would have turned her in the first time she did any wrong.

As a parent I've been blessed that my children have never gotten into any serious trouble. I received one call for a bailing out, to which I refused. His father ran down and bailed him out, but why wouldn't he...he had done the same thing years ago. I had warned my son, that if he wanted to play the big boy game to make sure he was careful. (I added that I don't bail foolish people out of jail). I can't imagine how I'd feel seeing one of my kids on captured by camera robbing a store. I know that first of all I'd be angry. Then a lot of questions would run through my mind. Would I harbor them? No. I'd urge them to turn themselves in. Then I'd refer them to my dad. This man has a way with words.

I was talking to him this afternoon regarding this woman. He gets the journal on-line and likes to keep up with the Milwaukee news. He then shared the story of the robber who attempted to steal the 70 year old woman's purse and was beat up by several people who came to her aide. Apparently people in Phoenix/Sun City areas have taken matters into their own hands. He said the police are warning people against it but they have continued to do some bodily injury to the would be robbers. Maybe this is something we should adopt around here. Be more aware of our surroundings and help people out. I'd be all for it except for not knowing if there was a gun involved.

I'm sure that we'll see a lot more of these crimes as the Holiday season approachs. It sucks when you have to be afraid to hit a mall past 6pm.

Heard It Through The Grapevine

It's official. The down spiraling economy has hit my family. Although my daughter has not told me yet...my son-in-law has lost his job. I did get a phone call from her the other night which was mostly regarding her being upset over my brother passing away. I had suspected there was a problem as he's been home a lot over the past few weeks. He did work from home a lot and they passed it off as him working from home to help out with her back surgery recovery. (Boy this is starting to sound like a Lifetime story now.) When him and I were sitting in the family surgery waiting area he was talking about how he had applied for several jobs, and I know he wasn't happy at his current job, and the thought had crossed my mind then but I didn't ask. There is a certain pride that prevents some people from stating the truth.

When I got this news this morning, at first I was upset that she didn't tell me. After a few hours of mulling it over, wondering if I should offer help and just wanting to talk to them and let them know things will work out, I had a flashback of twenty some years ago. My first husband and I were separated for a few weeks. The last thing I wanted to do was tell my parents. Not out of fright but more out of feeling like a failure. Here's some more Lifetime at your finger tips. I was 7 months pregnant and had a three year old. My husband opted for a single life verses the wife and kids. I didn't want to burden my parents with this as it wasn't their problem. I think it was my brother who finally let the cat out of the bag .

At first I was upset with him but also felt a bit of relief. A lot of my married life was hidden from my parents but I didn't have them fooled. They just butted out and figured when help or moral support was needed I'd call. The help they gave me will never be forgotten. I have to say, it was what changed my life. So as I sit here now pondering their situation I know that she'll tell me when she's ready. I have to many friends who had meddling parents and I swore I wouldn't do it. We'd only step in when asked or we felt someone was in harm's way. So far, so good.

Her and I just had a long talk the other day about how Christmas may be a little difficult this year. The sheltered family has never tragically lost a member before. In past week or so the same conversation has come up with other family members. I think we'll have some moments, but we'll be okay. I reminded her that as down on his luck as David was, he always had a sense of humor. He would tell me things that were going on, make a joke and state that life goes on. Christmas was always very special to him.

You know how they always say something will come up. Everything happens for a reason. He'll find a job and maybe it'll be a better one. At any rate, nothing comes without a little struggle.

Is There Stock In Wiper Blades

I've come to the conclusion that I have no luck with wiper blades. I was certain that the blades that were on my truck were purchased within the last 6 months. A complaint had been lodged with my husband that I couldn't see out the drivers side as there was always a huge streak right across my vision area. I recall that this was ignored until he drove my truck in the rain and had the same issue.

Yesterday on my way home in the rain this problem arose again. I looked over at the other wiper blade to find the window clear, but a nice piece torn away and flapping with each wipe. When I got home I mentioned it to Barney who replied "I just bought you new blades a few months ago". I figured it could wait until the weekend, so didn't press the issue. I forgot about it until this morning when I got to the corner and turned on the wipers only to watch the drivers side wiper take off into the unknown. There I was with one blade. Unfortunately I do not sit on that side to drive. Like a dork I got out and retrieved the blade. Threw it on the seat as it was to dark to see anything.

My ride to work was fine until the semi passed me. I was going about 15-20 over the limit just to stay in front of him to avoid the splatter that he would leave on my windshield. We all know that switching lanes does no good . After work one of the maintenance guys was kind enough to stop by my car as I was trying to get the thing back on. We came to the decision that it was screwed. The pin was broke and there was no attaching it. The nice guy just happened to have a new blade that he had picked up the night before. The agreement was made to "borrow" the blade and return it tomorrow. We both had a good chuckle as the borrowed blade was from a jeep so it was about 6 inches shorter than my blade. No problem, as long as I can see on the way home. I got in my car, turned on the wipers and just had a good laugh. Right in my vision area was none other than a large streak not being taken care of by the wipers.

This now prompted me to call my husband for a lead on the best wipers to get. Of course, Mr. I Don't Answer My Cell Phone, could not be reached. Finally after three calls he returned my call to let me know he was at Menard's purchasing wiper blades for my truck. Said he noticed they were bad when he moved my truck last night.

I must ask all of you...How often do you replace your wiper blades? How much do you pay for them? How many of you, no matter what blades you get , still have a streak? This whole wiper blade thing just seems like a gimmick to me.

Herbie Is a Crabby Old Man

Being off on Friday's has allowed me to see what the rest of the world does on a weekday. Most of my experiences with the general public have been either on the road or shopping. I'm all about getting up and out early to avoid any type of crowd. I think this has been the key to me noticing much more than I do in crowded after 5 or weekend shopping.

I'm finding that early morning shopping has been left to parent's with small children, seniors or the other few of us that are blessed with this day off. The day time parent's with small children seem to be very patient with the child that is starting to act up. There is usually a comment in a stern but patient voice asking the child to nicely sit down or stay right by me. It's not like the weekend Walmart shoppers that threaten to "bitch slap your little ass if you don't sit down right now". I've found that shopping in jeans and a sweater is not the style. I would fit in more if I had a lime green or bright pink nylon jogging suit and my hair was done up in a high pony tail and maybe bleached blond. Oh, and flip flops. Who the heck walks around in flip flops in 45 degree weather.

I've come to find that seniors are always in a hurry. The men folk are practically pushing down anyone who gets in their way. If they are in an aisle and blocking someone from getting around them, they will not budge. They act like you may get to the end of the aisle before them. This I do not understand as if you are retired then what the heck else do you have to do all day? I observed the impatience of one man at the deli counter as there were two other people before him. He huffed and puffed and rolled his eyes for each thing one customer ordered. Just to tick him off I thought about ordering two slices of about 10 different meats. I'm sure he would have kicked my butt on the spot.

Seniors in the parking lots are another story. First off the women usually cannot see over the steering wheel and they come in pairs. Two chatty little old ladies looking for the best spot, driving right down the middle of the aisle and damn you if you are coming with a cart. Just get out of the way as they can't see you. They can see a bingo number from across a bingo hall, but they won't see you. The men drivers will honk if you're in their way. Not just a little tap but a full blown honk and a fist waving just in case you didn't get the picture.

Let's talk about one of them being in the check out line behind you. My cart was not yet unloaded as I was waiting for Harriet in front of me to find her wallet, when Herbie who was behind me started putting his stuff on the belt. In trying to be polite I said "I still have things in my cart. I'm waiting for her to finish and move". I heard a grunt. He then made a comment that she needed to move as this wasn't a social hour here. Couldn't believe he turned on one of his own.

Cashier's are politer in the morning. They haven't had a full day of crap yet. Therefore they are nicer to your groceries and won't throw your bread down to be squished by can foods. Sometimes they even put the bread to the side. If you are lucky enough to have a bagger, they pack sensibly, meaning there will be more then one thing packed in a bag and your eggs will not be on the bottom of the 2 liter bottle of soda.

There is a whole different world out there on a weekday. After the holidays are over and the Christmas bargin shopping is out of the way, I'm going to work on having to go the the grocery store only once every two weeks.

So Burp Already

Since midnight Sunday I have been suffering the effects of some type of stomach ailment. Since both my husband woke up around the same time Sunday night with bad stomach pain we at first blamed it on the pizza we got on the way home. At first bite this pizza did not taste right to me. He commented on the sauce being a bit sweet. I quit after the first piece and proceeded to eat the deep fried mushrooms instead. He ate another slice and called it quits.

I was up from midnight until 3:30 am when I called in sick. There was no way this body was going in to work with the constant urge of having to up-chuck all day. As the day progressed so did the stomach pain along with some chills. I tried pepto-tums , Maalox and 7 Up. Nothing seemed to help. By Tuesday morning I still wasn't feeling any better but went in to work. I must say the 10 hours seemed like 40. 7 up was my only friend. It at least was working on what ever acid was gurgling around in my stomach. I was close to stopping for Alka Seltzer but if I wanted to throw up I had other ways to do that. Today brought on some relief. The sharp stabbing pains were down to a minimum and I could eat without thoughts of it coming back up.
I opted out of Trivia tonight to stay home and try and let whatever this is out of my system. Barney is still a little queasy but not as bad as me. He didn't seem to have any problems eating. As a joke yesterday I asked him if he wanted pizza. The problem is, the thought made my stomach curl more than it did his. I need to get this over with before Saturday where the promise of Bonnie and Dick's fish fry awaits.

I made a good investment this weekend. When one's Christmas shops they always need to pick up a little something for themselves also. While at Toys R Us I happened upon some boxing gloves for the Wii system. This just seemed like the obvious thing to purchase for myself. Since my husband accused me of boxing like a girl, I intend to prove him wrong. After messing around with getting the remote hooked into the gloves I was off. I had to stop once as the remote went flying out of the glove. This problem was quickly resolved and I was on my way . 1/2 hour later I had to call it quits. My arms were sore and I had mastered my stance and never went down. I'm telling you that this may be my release. I'm thinking of putting a punching bag and decent gloves on my Christmas list.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

I've grown tired of the same old grocery store. Pick & Save is convenient, but it burns me that they carry the same old stuff and the prices keep going up. I was up for a change in shopping scenery so today I decided to try "The Pig". Besides they had diet coke on sale and I seem to be addicted to it. I had to make sure that I wasn't going out of my way to shop so I did this today when I had another errand to run in the same area.

I expected more than I actually saw. Immediately upon entering the store I grabbed a flyer and noticed that I needed a club card for many of the on sale items. This called for a detour to the courtesy counter. I waited in line as the woman at the counter finished her conversation with who appeared to be her neighbor. They chatted about another neighbor and a school function they were both going to on Monday. I think my sigh may have cut their conversation short. Got the card and went on my way. The store was clean enough but it lacked stock. It's a smaller store so I liked the fact that I didn't have to maneuver around to many people. About the time I hit the third aisle I realized that this store had the feeling of a small town store. People were walking by greeting each other by name. I waited at the deli while deli girl finished up her conversation with a friend. Yes, this was defiantly a friendly store with a gift of gab.

My normal time spent for weekly shopping from entrance to check-out is usually no longer than 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I noted the time as I made my way to the check-out. I was under the wire. I spent 10 minutes at the check-out with only one person in front of me. Of course, the cashier knew the woman and they chatted. By this time I was finding this all very humorous and the want to sigh had disappeared from my mind. Finally it was my turn and things were going well until the bagger, an elderly man, was engrossed in conversation with a customer. I watched as my groceries started to pile up and he made no attempt to bag them. I stepped over and began to bag my own. It was like a clip from a horror movie when the entire place seemed to go silent. This must have been unheard of. I am now a marked woman. I think I will forever be remembered as the woman who tried to bag her own.

I will probably return to "The Pig" if I'm in the area. What the heck..I'm sure that I've made a few friends there, and I did make it out within my alloted time.