Hmmm...
Regarding my previous Wal-mart rant, I should point out that I don't think everyone who works there is incompetent. Obviously, Wal-mart would not be so successful if that were the case. I just seem to have more bad experiences there than anywhere else I go.
I've worked at McDonalds, Sears, and Kmart (over seven years collectively), so I know what it's like to deal with rude people all day long. I do respect Wal-mart for hiring handicapped people. That's the one nice thing I'll say about Wal-mart.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Why I Don't Shop At Wal-mart
I've read or heard about many complaints against Wal-mart... Wal-mart has been accused of paying employees less than its competitors in order to offer lower prices, they promote more men than women, they import everything from foreign countries, they contribute to the downfall of the environment, and so on... People have boycotted the stores because of these issues, but these are not the reasons I avoid shopping there. People are still willing to work at Wal-mart, and as long as people are willing to work for less pay or unequal benefits, why would Wal-mart change?
The reasons I avoid Wal-mart are more personal. The long lines, the incompetent check-out clerks, and the caliber of person who shops there all deter me from going in. We received two Wal-mart gift cards for Christmas last year, and it took three trips in to spend them. Each time I was reminded of the reasons I do not shop there.
After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity with screaming children all around, the check out person began scanning my items. He would scan something, and then instead of putting it in the bag, he would set it down on the counter in front of the scanner... I didn't think much of it, but when I got home and looked at my receipt, he had rung up some lotion twice. I made a second trip to the store in freezing rain and waited in line again at the customer service desk to get my $3.99 back. When I got back to my car, a shopping cart was against the hood of my car. I didn't see any damage, but I was annoyed.
Another trip to Wal-mart to spend more of the gift cards resulted in another long line with the most excruciatingly slow check-out person I've ever seen. We had many items, and she kept asking us if we wanted things in a bag. Finally, James said "Yes, we would like EVERYTHING in a bag."
There are many instances of rude shoppers with eight million kids who really annoy me. There was a woman who had lost her child and began screaming in the middle of the baby department, a man who had a crying baby who smacked the baby and told it to quit crying, a woman holding a toddler so close to me in the check-out that the kid was kicking me in the back, and there are so many people who lack enough basic social skills to simply say "excuse me" when they bump into you, butt in front of you, or nearly run you over with their cart. I'm sure not everyone who shops at Target is polite, but what is up with Wal-mart? Maybe the sheer brightness of the store drives everyone there crazy. I am a firm believer that fluorescent bulbs suck one's will to live. The Wal-mart near us is excessively bright.
When it comes to shopping, I'll pay the extra 30 cents to go to Target.
I've read or heard about many complaints against Wal-mart... Wal-mart has been accused of paying employees less than its competitors in order to offer lower prices, they promote more men than women, they import everything from foreign countries, they contribute to the downfall of the environment, and so on... People have boycotted the stores because of these issues, but these are not the reasons I avoid shopping there. People are still willing to work at Wal-mart, and as long as people are willing to work for less pay or unequal benefits, why would Wal-mart change?
The reasons I avoid Wal-mart are more personal. The long lines, the incompetent check-out clerks, and the caliber of person who shops there all deter me from going in. We received two Wal-mart gift cards for Christmas last year, and it took three trips in to spend them. Each time I was reminded of the reasons I do not shop there.
After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity with screaming children all around, the check out person began scanning my items. He would scan something, and then instead of putting it in the bag, he would set it down on the counter in front of the scanner... I didn't think much of it, but when I got home and looked at my receipt, he had rung up some lotion twice. I made a second trip to the store in freezing rain and waited in line again at the customer service desk to get my $3.99 back. When I got back to my car, a shopping cart was against the hood of my car. I didn't see any damage, but I was annoyed.
Another trip to Wal-mart to spend more of the gift cards resulted in another long line with the most excruciatingly slow check-out person I've ever seen. We had many items, and she kept asking us if we wanted things in a bag. Finally, James said "Yes, we would like EVERYTHING in a bag."
There are many instances of rude shoppers with eight million kids who really annoy me. There was a woman who had lost her child and began screaming in the middle of the baby department, a man who had a crying baby who smacked the baby and told it to quit crying, a woman holding a toddler so close to me in the check-out that the kid was kicking me in the back, and there are so many people who lack enough basic social skills to simply say "excuse me" when they bump into you, butt in front of you, or nearly run you over with their cart. I'm sure not everyone who shops at Target is polite, but what is up with Wal-mart? Maybe the sheer brightness of the store drives everyone there crazy. I am a firm believer that fluorescent bulbs suck one's will to live. The Wal-mart near us is excessively bright.
When it comes to shopping, I'll pay the extra 30 cents to go to Target.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Memoirs of a New World
I've seen two movies recently... Memoirs of a Geisha and The New World. I liked them both. Though they are very different movies, they both had gorgeous scenery, beautiful lead actresses, and a bit of controversy regarding their casting.
I have heard that people are upset because the two main actresses in Memoirs, Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh, are Chinese actresses playing Japanese Geishas. The main actress in The New World, Q'orianka Kilcher (had to look that one up on IMDB) is actually part Quechuan (South American Indian) and part Swiss (on a side note, she is also the singer Jewel's cousin), and she is playing a North American Indian.
Perhaps my opinion doesn't count on this matter, being that I am not Japanese but a mix of various European nationalities, Cherokee, and half of my heritage is a mystery, but I don't see what the big deal is. Actors are just that... ACTORS... playing a part. To me, a Chinese actress playing a Japanese person is no different than Renee Zellweger playing Bridget Jones or Jude Law playing an American. It is always arguable that someone else could have played a part better, whether they are of the same nationality as the character or not. People should just enjoy the story and the artistic interpretation of the people involved, in my opinion.
I've seen two movies recently... Memoirs of a Geisha and The New World. I liked them both. Though they are very different movies, they both had gorgeous scenery, beautiful lead actresses, and a bit of controversy regarding their casting.
I have heard that people are upset because the two main actresses in Memoirs, Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh, are Chinese actresses playing Japanese Geishas. The main actress in The New World, Q'orianka Kilcher (had to look that one up on IMDB) is actually part Quechuan (South American Indian) and part Swiss (on a side note, she is also the singer Jewel's cousin), and she is playing a North American Indian.
Perhaps my opinion doesn't count on this matter, being that I am not Japanese but a mix of various European nationalities, Cherokee, and half of my heritage is a mystery, but I don't see what the big deal is. Actors are just that... ACTORS... playing a part. To me, a Chinese actress playing a Japanese person is no different than Renee Zellweger playing Bridget Jones or Jude Law playing an American. It is always arguable that someone else could have played a part better, whether they are of the same nationality as the character or not. People should just enjoy the story and the artistic interpretation of the people involved, in my opinion.
The Trials (and Errors) of Feeding a Toddler
Tess has decided that she does not want to eat baby food anymore. I guess it is about that time... time for her to transition to table food. She's been eating some of the more mushy foods here and there (mashed potatoes, yogurt), but now she is gung-ho about eating whatever mommy and daddy are eating. When I tried to give her some Gerber sweet potatoes this week, which she normally loves, she swatted the spoon from my hand and sweet potatoes flew everywhere.
Trying to find things that she can feed herself is challenging. She gobbled up some chicken and cheesy noodles that we had for dinner this week. That seemed to make her very happy. This morning, I made her a scrambled egg, and it wound up all over her, the chair, and the floor. She didn't eat a single bite. So, no more eggs for awhile. If you've ever tried to sweep up scrambled eggs with a broom, you know what a pain that is...
I've also tried giving her a bite of orange, which she promptly spit out. She did eat several bites of a goat cheese pizza and some pumpkin ice cream (my lunch) the other day. It's going to be a long road to establishing a menu for her.
Another developmental milestone: Tess took her first steps a few days ago (February 4). She is changing so fast!
Tess has decided that she does not want to eat baby food anymore. I guess it is about that time... time for her to transition to table food. She's been eating some of the more mushy foods here and there (mashed potatoes, yogurt), but now she is gung-ho about eating whatever mommy and daddy are eating. When I tried to give her some Gerber sweet potatoes this week, which she normally loves, she swatted the spoon from my hand and sweet potatoes flew everywhere.
Trying to find things that she can feed herself is challenging. She gobbled up some chicken and cheesy noodles that we had for dinner this week. That seemed to make her very happy. This morning, I made her a scrambled egg, and it wound up all over her, the chair, and the floor. She didn't eat a single bite. So, no more eggs for awhile. If you've ever tried to sweep up scrambled eggs with a broom, you know what a pain that is...
I've also tried giving her a bite of orange, which she promptly spit out. She did eat several bites of a goat cheese pizza and some pumpkin ice cream (my lunch) the other day. It's going to be a long road to establishing a menu for her.
Another developmental milestone: Tess took her first steps a few days ago (February 4). She is changing so fast!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Happy Birthday, Tess!
Tess is one year old as of yesterday. Where does the time go? We went to see grandpa in the hospital (he had emergency heart surgery this week, which is a whole different story), and then Tess had a cupcake, which she didn't really like. She smeared it everywhere but didn't eat it. I guess she did not inherit mommy's sweet tooth, and believe me, that is a good thing!
Tess is one year old as of yesterday. Where does the time go? We went to see grandpa in the hospital (he had emergency heart surgery this week, which is a whole different story), and then Tess had a cupcake, which she didn't really like. She smeared it everywhere but didn't eat it. I guess she did not inherit mommy's sweet tooth, and believe me, that is a good thing!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
My Raging Tumor
I was reading my friend Leslie's blog about corn detasseling today, and I was reminded of my very angry past. I used to get mad, and I'm not talking throw a couple of cuss words around mad... this was full-on RAGE. I tore up many things. I remember being angry about something and picking up a piece of cloth and tearing it to shreds. I trashed my music stand once. I don't even remember what I was mad about. My friends dreaded my moodiness. I would go from happiness to complete depression or anger in seconds.
As it turned out, it wasn't just raging teenage hormones. I had an adrenal tumor that played with my emotions constantly. The tumor also caused me to have high blood pressure, and I couldn't do anything to raise my heart rate without having a horrible episode in which my head pounded, my heart palpitated, my whole body became weak, and then I would throw up. That went on from fourth grade until I was a senior in high school (the tumor wasn't found until I was 18). I was a fourth grader taking high blood pressure medicine and putting nitroglycerin pills under my tongue whenever I felt an episode come on. Yeah, our small town doctor was a quack and a half. He discouraged my mom from taking me to "the big city" for tests... "They'll just tell you the same thing and charge you a lot of money" he said. Over the years, the symptoms got worse, so finally I went to a specialist.
The specialists ran numerous tests on my heart and could not find anything wrong. Finally, one of the doctors insinuated to my mom that it was all in my head. I was sitting right there when he said it. Asshole!
One last test was performed (by a female doctor I might add) and the amount of catecholamines in my urine was high. They did an MRI, and sure enough, there was a fist size tumor growing on my adrenal gland. I was scheduled for surgery right away.
I spent spring break of my senior year in the hospital. I wasn't worried about the surgery, but I had no idea what to expect. No one prepared me for what I would wake up to find... tubes hanging out everywhere. I had medical students come to visit me and perform exams because my condition was so rare at the time.
When I woke up from the surgery, I was being moved to the ICU. My blood pressure dropped to 50/20. I was completely miserable. My throat ached from the tube going through my nose down to my stomach, but they couldn't give me any water. My whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I couldn't see anything because I didn't have my contacts in and my glasses were packed away somewhere where no one could find them. I have no idea what the nurse taking care of me looked like. They had to give me blood. I remember lying there watching the blurry blood drip into my arm. It was the early 90's, so not much was known about AIDS then. As I lay there I thought "God, please don't let me get AIDS."
The misery wasn't over yet... the next day I was moved back to a regular room. The surgeon informed me that the tumor had grown into my kidney, so he also had to remove my left kidney and adrenal gland with the tumor. I took the news just fine. I think my parents were surprised. I was just glad the tumor was out. That night, the IV site in my hand wore out. I felt like my hand was on fire. It was almost unbearable. Since it was the middle of the night and the hospital had less staff, an inexperienced nurse tried to put a new IV in my hand. I watched her wriggle the needle around under my skin. She finally gave up and said they'd have to wait for a certain guy who was busy. Meanwhile, I thought my hand was going to burn up. I don't know how long I waited before he finally showed up and took care of it.
I don't remember exactly what day this happened, but suddenly I was freezing cold and couldn't stop shaking. I called the nurse, and she found that someone had mistakenly raised the level of one of my IV's (it was one of the other nurses).
One of the highlights of my stay in the hospital was when they pulled the tube out of my stomach. Gag! The staff at St. Vincent's also pumped me so full of fluids that I gained 10 pounds overnight. When I left the hospital, I had stretch marks on my legs from all the fluid gain, huge purple bruises on my arms and hands, not to mention a giant scar (about 15 inches long) on my abdomen.
That was a horrible experience, but thankfully the outcome is that I remain tumor free. My blood pressure has actually been on the low side for the last 14 years. I am glad my friends stuck through the rage and mood swings. Since the tumor was removed, I have been a very laid back person. People who didn't know me then would find it hard to believe that I had such rage.
Living with one kidney is no different than living with two. I'm not bitter about it, but I have to wonder if my kidney could have been saved if the idiot doctor had sent me for tests earlier.
I was reading my friend Leslie's blog about corn detasseling today, and I was reminded of my very angry past. I used to get mad, and I'm not talking throw a couple of cuss words around mad... this was full-on RAGE. I tore up many things. I remember being angry about something and picking up a piece of cloth and tearing it to shreds. I trashed my music stand once. I don't even remember what I was mad about. My friends dreaded my moodiness. I would go from happiness to complete depression or anger in seconds.
As it turned out, it wasn't just raging teenage hormones. I had an adrenal tumor that played with my emotions constantly. The tumor also caused me to have high blood pressure, and I couldn't do anything to raise my heart rate without having a horrible episode in which my head pounded, my heart palpitated, my whole body became weak, and then I would throw up. That went on from fourth grade until I was a senior in high school (the tumor wasn't found until I was 18). I was a fourth grader taking high blood pressure medicine and putting nitroglycerin pills under my tongue whenever I felt an episode come on. Yeah, our small town doctor was a quack and a half. He discouraged my mom from taking me to "the big city" for tests... "They'll just tell you the same thing and charge you a lot of money" he said. Over the years, the symptoms got worse, so finally I went to a specialist.
The specialists ran numerous tests on my heart and could not find anything wrong. Finally, one of the doctors insinuated to my mom that it was all in my head. I was sitting right there when he said it. Asshole!
One last test was performed (by a female doctor I might add) and the amount of catecholamines in my urine was high. They did an MRI, and sure enough, there was a fist size tumor growing on my adrenal gland. I was scheduled for surgery right away.
I spent spring break of my senior year in the hospital. I wasn't worried about the surgery, but I had no idea what to expect. No one prepared me for what I would wake up to find... tubes hanging out everywhere. I had medical students come to visit me and perform exams because my condition was so rare at the time.
When I woke up from the surgery, I was being moved to the ICU. My blood pressure dropped to 50/20. I was completely miserable. My throat ached from the tube going through my nose down to my stomach, but they couldn't give me any water. My whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck. I couldn't see anything because I didn't have my contacts in and my glasses were packed away somewhere where no one could find them. I have no idea what the nurse taking care of me looked like. They had to give me blood. I remember lying there watching the blurry blood drip into my arm. It was the early 90's, so not much was known about AIDS then. As I lay there I thought "God, please don't let me get AIDS."
The misery wasn't over yet... the next day I was moved back to a regular room. The surgeon informed me that the tumor had grown into my kidney, so he also had to remove my left kidney and adrenal gland with the tumor. I took the news just fine. I think my parents were surprised. I was just glad the tumor was out. That night, the IV site in my hand wore out. I felt like my hand was on fire. It was almost unbearable. Since it was the middle of the night and the hospital had less staff, an inexperienced nurse tried to put a new IV in my hand. I watched her wriggle the needle around under my skin. She finally gave up and said they'd have to wait for a certain guy who was busy. Meanwhile, I thought my hand was going to burn up. I don't know how long I waited before he finally showed up and took care of it.
I don't remember exactly what day this happened, but suddenly I was freezing cold and couldn't stop shaking. I called the nurse, and she found that someone had mistakenly raised the level of one of my IV's (it was one of the other nurses).
One of the highlights of my stay in the hospital was when they pulled the tube out of my stomach. Gag! The staff at St. Vincent's also pumped me so full of fluids that I gained 10 pounds overnight. When I left the hospital, I had stretch marks on my legs from all the fluid gain, huge purple bruises on my arms and hands, not to mention a giant scar (about 15 inches long) on my abdomen.
That was a horrible experience, but thankfully the outcome is that I remain tumor free. My blood pressure has actually been on the low side for the last 14 years. I am glad my friends stuck through the rage and mood swings. Since the tumor was removed, I have been a very laid back person. People who didn't know me then would find it hard to believe that I had such rage.
Living with one kidney is no different than living with two. I'm not bitter about it, but I have to wonder if my kidney could have been saved if the idiot doctor had sent me for tests earlier.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Happy New Year
James and I actually went to a party this year for New Year's Eve. It was lots of fun. We drank, we danced, we yelled at passing cars...
On New Year's Day we ate our traditional meal of Reuben sandwiches and cooked cabbage. It's tradition in my family to eat corned beef and cabbage on New Year's Day for prosperity in the new year. We laid around all day and watched movies.
I had a great 2005 because I had Tess and was able to work from home all year so that I could take care of her. I am not sure what 2006 has in store. I'll be returning to the office (part time in the office and part time at home), so we'll see how it goes. I don't have any resolutions because I think I would just be setting myself up for failure; however, I'm going to try to eat less sugar and save more money.
Happy 2006!
James and I actually went to a party this year for New Year's Eve. It was lots of fun. We drank, we danced, we yelled at passing cars...
On New Year's Day we ate our traditional meal of Reuben sandwiches and cooked cabbage. It's tradition in my family to eat corned beef and cabbage on New Year's Day for prosperity in the new year. We laid around all day and watched movies.
I had a great 2005 because I had Tess and was able to work from home all year so that I could take care of her. I am not sure what 2006 has in store. I'll be returning to the office (part time in the office and part time at home), so we'll see how it goes. I don't have any resolutions because I think I would just be setting myself up for failure; however, I'm going to try to eat less sugar and save more money.
Happy 2006!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Baby Tess Update
My niece calls Tess "Baby Tess"... it's pretty cute. Tess won't be a baby much longer though. She is fast approaching toddlerhood. She is walking around the furniture. She will let go for a few seconds, but she has not taken those monumental first steps yet. Soon!
She has six teeth and more appear to be right below the surface. She's still nursing, which actually is going pretty good despite her teeth. I plan to start weaning her at one year because I will be going back to the office part time (and working from home part time), and I am ready to have my body back to myself. It has been a rewarding experience... one of the most important things I've ever done. I'm proud that I stuck with it.
Tess's first Christmas was fun, but she was quite fussy. I guess she did not like so many people disrupting her daily routine. We had a great time eating and opening gifts with family. Only 363 shopping days left until Christmas!
My niece calls Tess "Baby Tess"... it's pretty cute. Tess won't be a baby much longer though. She is fast approaching toddlerhood. She is walking around the furniture. She will let go for a few seconds, but she has not taken those monumental first steps yet. Soon!
She has six teeth and more appear to be right below the surface. She's still nursing, which actually is going pretty good despite her teeth. I plan to start weaning her at one year because I will be going back to the office part time (and working from home part time), and I am ready to have my body back to myself. It has been a rewarding experience... one of the most important things I've ever done. I'm proud that I stuck with it.
Tess's first Christmas was fun, but she was quite fussy. I guess she did not like so many people disrupting her daily routine. We had a great time eating and opening gifts with family. Only 363 shopping days left until Christmas!
Happy Whatever-It-Is-You-Celebrate
I'm writing this a little late because Christmas is already over... this season the Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas stuff has gotten out of hand. Stores have made official policies stating that their employees should say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" so that no one gets offended. I hate political correctness. It is my general opinion that people are too uptight in this country. I am not even Christian and I do not get offended when people tell me "Merry Christmas". Hell, I even sent out some Christmas cards that said "Merry Christmas" in big, shiny letters. If someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Hanukkah I wouldn't care either. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. There are more important things to be concerned about! Pretty soon, someone is going to get lynched for saying "bless you" after some uptight a-hole sneezes. The longer I live in the USA, the more I want to move to Canada.
I'm writing this a little late because Christmas is already over... this season the Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas stuff has gotten out of hand. Stores have made official policies stating that their employees should say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" so that no one gets offended. I hate political correctness. It is my general opinion that people are too uptight in this country. I am not even Christian and I do not get offended when people tell me "Merry Christmas". Hell, I even sent out some Christmas cards that said "Merry Christmas" in big, shiny letters. If someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Hanukkah I wouldn't care either. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal. There are more important things to be concerned about! Pretty soon, someone is going to get lynched for saying "bless you" after some uptight a-hole sneezes. The longer I live in the USA, the more I want to move to Canada.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Not Enough Hours In The Day
Lately I've been so busy with work that I'm working at night and on weekends to keep up. During the day, it is sometimes hard to focus on programming because I am taking care of Tess, so that pushes my work to after she goes to bed. In turn, that takes away my "fun" time, which sucks because I haven't been able to see my friends very much and there are two new games out that I would very much like to be playing.
Christmas also throws a wrench into my schedule because I just don't have much time to prepare. I haven't made a single holiday treat yet, and Christmas is just 11 days away. The shopping needs finished, presents wrapped, cookies baked, and house cleaned, not to mention the rest of the food I will be preparing for all of our guests. Somewhere in there I also intend to take Tess to Olan Mills for pictures in her Christmas dress.
Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of my daughter, but my work has to get done so that the bills will be paid. I miss hanging out with friends, going out to lunch, and just basically doing what I want when I want.
Lately I've been so busy with work that I'm working at night and on weekends to keep up. During the day, it is sometimes hard to focus on programming because I am taking care of Tess, so that pushes my work to after she goes to bed. In turn, that takes away my "fun" time, which sucks because I haven't been able to see my friends very much and there are two new games out that I would very much like to be playing.
Christmas also throws a wrench into my schedule because I just don't have much time to prepare. I haven't made a single holiday treat yet, and Christmas is just 11 days away. The shopping needs finished, presents wrapped, cookies baked, and house cleaned, not to mention the rest of the food I will be preparing for all of our guests. Somewhere in there I also intend to take Tess to Olan Mills for pictures in her Christmas dress.
Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of my daughter, but my work has to get done so that the bills will be paid. I miss hanging out with friends, going out to lunch, and just basically doing what I want when I want.
Monday, December 05, 2005
A Day Late And A Dollar Short
I went out to get some stuff today, and nothing went right. The long anticipated sequel to Animal Crossing (a video game) was supposed to be on shelves today, so I went to Toys R Us to get it. After weaving my way through the zillions of people with carts of crap stacked up to the ceiling (what are people doing out on a Monday anyway?) I found out that they did not have the game. So, I looked for this toy that Tess likes (a LeapStart table), but they did not have that either. I looked all over the store because it appeared that they had Leap products in several different locations. I started feeling claustrophobic after getting trapped in an aisle by carts and mothers with multiple kids, so I ditched my empty cart and Tess and I hightailed it out of there, no merchandise in hand.
Then we went to Walgreens to get some bubble wrap. They wanted $7.99 for a roll of bubble wrap. What the [insert expletive]?! Why is it that during the year you come across bubble wrap in the house, you throw it away with the box when you receive a shipment, but when you need some, it is nowhere to be found? I can't believe it was that expensive when it probably costs 2 cents to make. As James told me, they must blow up each bubble individually for that price. I'm telling you, people, keep your bubble wrap. You might need it!
Our next stop was EB Games, where I reserved a copy of Animal Crossing. Since it has already shipped, the clerk said I am not guaranteed a copy tomorrow. I reserved one anyway, counting on the fact that they'll have plenty. I put Tess on the counter while I paid. When I picked her up and headed out the door, I realized that her diaper had leaked. Her pants were soaked, but I had no choice but to put her in her car seat anyway. Now I sit writing this while the car seat cover is in the washer. I am pretty sure she left a pee spot on the counter at EB. Oops. Well, that's what they get for telling me that a game was still packed and to come back later when the Harry Potter game came out recently. I ended up buying that game at Target since they couldn't take three minutes to dig the game out of the box for me.
To top off today's annoyances, I just found out that there was a pink Nintendo DS that was bundled with Nintendogs and sold exclusively at Target and Toys R Us. How did I miss it? I thought the bundled version was only available in teal. I really want a pink one. Of course, it is now sold out and is selling on eBay for over $200 a pop. I guess it is a message that I should not be so materialistic and appreciate the things I have... a healthy family, good friends, a roof over my head, plenty of food... I'm really feeling the holiday spirit today!
I went out to get some stuff today, and nothing went right. The long anticipated sequel to Animal Crossing (a video game) was supposed to be on shelves today, so I went to Toys R Us to get it. After weaving my way through the zillions of people with carts of crap stacked up to the ceiling (what are people doing out on a Monday anyway?) I found out that they did not have the game. So, I looked for this toy that Tess likes (a LeapStart table), but they did not have that either. I looked all over the store because it appeared that they had Leap products in several different locations. I started feeling claustrophobic after getting trapped in an aisle by carts and mothers with multiple kids, so I ditched my empty cart and Tess and I hightailed it out of there, no merchandise in hand.
Then we went to Walgreens to get some bubble wrap. They wanted $7.99 for a roll of bubble wrap. What the [insert expletive]?! Why is it that during the year you come across bubble wrap in the house, you throw it away with the box when you receive a shipment, but when you need some, it is nowhere to be found? I can't believe it was that expensive when it probably costs 2 cents to make. As James told me, they must blow up each bubble individually for that price. I'm telling you, people, keep your bubble wrap. You might need it!
Our next stop was EB Games, where I reserved a copy of Animal Crossing. Since it has already shipped, the clerk said I am not guaranteed a copy tomorrow. I reserved one anyway, counting on the fact that they'll have plenty. I put Tess on the counter while I paid. When I picked her up and headed out the door, I realized that her diaper had leaked. Her pants were soaked, but I had no choice but to put her in her car seat anyway. Now I sit writing this while the car seat cover is in the washer. I am pretty sure she left a pee spot on the counter at EB. Oops. Well, that's what they get for telling me that a game was still packed and to come back later when the Harry Potter game came out recently. I ended up buying that game at Target since they couldn't take three minutes to dig the game out of the box for me.
To top off today's annoyances, I just found out that there was a pink Nintendo DS that was bundled with Nintendogs and sold exclusively at Target and Toys R Us. How did I miss it? I thought the bundled version was only available in teal. I really want a pink one. Of course, it is now sold out and is selling on eBay for over $200 a pop. I guess it is a message that I should not be so materialistic and appreciate the things I have... a healthy family, good friends, a roof over my head, plenty of food... I'm really feeling the holiday spirit today!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Caffeinated Christmas Cheer
December got off to the right start thanks to Starbucks. I received an invitation from Starbucks to attend a preview of the Yuletide Celebration show at the Hilbert Circle Theater. It was a good show. I had seen it once before (also free) courtesy of my workplace. They had drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the show. Leslie and I loaded up on gingerbread lattes, peppermint cocoa, chocolate martinis, and coffee. I kept grabbing food every time a tray passed me by...breaded mushrooms, cheese and pear pastries, beef tenderloin...delicious! At one point, I had three drinks in my hands. Hey, we know how to work the free stuff! The chocolate martinis had little coffee beans floating in them. Starbucks also passed out little snow globes.
Everyone seemed to be at least partially inebriated when the show started. There was an exorbitant amount of cheering and guffawing at the show. Of course, who wouldn't be in a good mood after receiving free food and drinks. I am not a fan of Sandi Patty's music outside of the Yuletide Celebration, but she and her husband did an awesome opera number. It was one of the highlights of the show, and she wore a gorgeous pink gown during the number that Leslie and I just gushed over.
I am totally impressed! All that coffee I bought really paid off. Thank you, Starbucks!
December got off to the right start thanks to Starbucks. I received an invitation from Starbucks to attend a preview of the Yuletide Celebration show at the Hilbert Circle Theater. It was a good show. I had seen it once before (also free) courtesy of my workplace. They had drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the show. Leslie and I loaded up on gingerbread lattes, peppermint cocoa, chocolate martinis, and coffee. I kept grabbing food every time a tray passed me by...breaded mushrooms, cheese and pear pastries, beef tenderloin...delicious! At one point, I had three drinks in my hands. Hey, we know how to work the free stuff! The chocolate martinis had little coffee beans floating in them. Starbucks also passed out little snow globes.
Everyone seemed to be at least partially inebriated when the show started. There was an exorbitant amount of cheering and guffawing at the show. Of course, who wouldn't be in a good mood after receiving free food and drinks. I am not a fan of Sandi Patty's music outside of the Yuletide Celebration, but she and her husband did an awesome opera number. It was one of the highlights of the show, and she wore a gorgeous pink gown during the number that Leslie and I just gushed over.
I am totally impressed! All that coffee I bought really paid off. Thank you, Starbucks!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
I was President of NASA
I have to write about something that occasionally creeps up from the depths of my brain and annoys the hell out of me. Everytime I think about this I get angry. It is one hour I wish I could go back and redo. It's going to be a bit long-winded, but I just want to get it off my chest and hopefully expel some of the anger I carry around about this.
In 1996-1997, I was in my fifth and final year at Ball State University. The previous year, I had attended a few meetings for the Native American Student Association. They were a very small group. After attending only a few meetings, they elected me as president for the following year. I was surprised and excited that I would be leading this group, even if it were a small one. We were one of four groups in the House of Multicultural Affairs. The other three were the Asian American group, Black Student Association, and Latino student group. They all had fairly high membership numbers, especially BSA.
Being president was a lot of work. Besides leading the meetings, I had to coordinate events, print flyers and post them, make phone calls, attend Ball State functions, and I even gave presentations to a couple of classes. I had help of course... from our secretary, treasurer, and vice president. The names of the active members were Tom, Beth, Scott, and Steve. The five of us were sometimes the only ones who showed up for meetings.
We worked very hard not only to set up events but to also reach out to American Indian students on campus and encourage them to get involved. We sent them notices of our meetings, and we advertised our major events to them. Still, no one came to our meetings.
We had Mary Brave Bird, author of Lakota Woman, come and speak (her book made me cry; her name on the book is actually Mary Crow Dog). We also had a clothes and food drive for the Lakota of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, who are among the poorest of people living on reservations. Our biggest event was a powwow, held in the spring. I was working two jobs and attending full time classes. When I look back, I don't know how I did it all.
When the end of the year rolled around, there was some discussion in the House of Multicultural Affairs about whether our group should call it quits for the following year or keep going. None of our members wanted the group to quit, except one as it turns out.
Just a few days before graduation, we had a guest speaker, and afterwards we gathered in the student center to take a vote on whether or not to keep going. This is where I'd like to start my "do over". There were many people there, including the HMA personnel, the founder of the Native American Student Association (which was originally called Students of Native American Cultures but we renamed it because too many people thought it was a group of people interested in the culture rather than actual American Indian students), and even our guest speaker hung around for the meeting.
A girl was there who had attended one or two of our meetings during the year. She was African American and claimed to have some Indian heritage. I never doubted people because you really can't tell by looking at someone. I cannot remember her name (I think I blocked it from memory). Before our vote there was some discussion. I had observed in the past that this girl had a particularly nasty temperament, and she demonstrated it here. She was really down on our group and the main thing I remember her saying was "Well, I just didn't see any Native American leadership in this group." To top it off, the vice-president of our group was sitting right next to her and said "I just didn't feel like my voice was heard." I could not believe he said that because I would always ask him... "Scott, what do you think?" and he would usually respond with "I don't care". He rarely spoke up, and I wanted to make sure he had the chance because he was one of the few "legitimate" students in the group (he is part of the Delaware Indians, and I still see him around once in awhile, though I have not talked to him. He even had a display in the Eiteljorg museum).
I was quite emotional that day for many reasons. I didn't want the group to quit, I didn't like being criticized when we had worked so hard, I was about to graduate and move to Indy with no job, and I was going through major relationship changes. So, I cried. In front of all those people I sat there and cried and didn't yell what I wanted to yell at those two. At the time, the American Indian heritage in my family was mostly based on speculation. In the meeting I muttered something about how I didn't really know if I was Indian or not. Oh, how I wish I could take that back! Now I know it's in my blood for sure (see previous post)!
I said "Let's just vote", and unfortunately the vote was to disband the group. I was not the only one who cried... Beth did too. All of the hard-working people in the group were upset. I hugged Steve, and some Indian woman whom I didn't know hugged me. She was very nice and said "I didn't know you weren't Indian.", and I said "That's just it... I don't know." That was comment number two I want to take back. I left the student center in tears and somewhat humiliated, and the whole event has bothered me since.
If I could go back, I would say to the girl "First of all, you only came to two meetings, so your opinion about this group's leadership is meaningless. Also, we tried to reach out to students through the year. They did not respond, but we tried. So I didn't grow up on a reservation, and my family may not practice any of the culture, but I have Cherokee ancestry. I was elected by the group, and I did my best. I didn't see YOU trying." And to Scott, I would say "I asked you if you had any input or opinion on things and most of the time you didn't. How can you say your voice was not heard? If you really wanted to say something, you should have spoken up."
I recently contacted the House of Multicultural Affairs out of curiosity, to see if they had reestablished a group. They have not done so yet, but the current organizer said they are looking into it.
Well, it was certainly a learning experience. I lost touch with all of the group members after that day. I wish I could talk to them again. It really sucked to end that way after working together all year.
I have to write about something that occasionally creeps up from the depths of my brain and annoys the hell out of me. Everytime I think about this I get angry. It is one hour I wish I could go back and redo. It's going to be a bit long-winded, but I just want to get it off my chest and hopefully expel some of the anger I carry around about this.
In 1996-1997, I was in my fifth and final year at Ball State University. The previous year, I had attended a few meetings for the Native American Student Association. They were a very small group. After attending only a few meetings, they elected me as president for the following year. I was surprised and excited that I would be leading this group, even if it were a small one. We were one of four groups in the House of Multicultural Affairs. The other three were the Asian American group, Black Student Association, and Latino student group. They all had fairly high membership numbers, especially BSA.
Being president was a lot of work. Besides leading the meetings, I had to coordinate events, print flyers and post them, make phone calls, attend Ball State functions, and I even gave presentations to a couple of classes. I had help of course... from our secretary, treasurer, and vice president. The names of the active members were Tom, Beth, Scott, and Steve. The five of us were sometimes the only ones who showed up for meetings.
We worked very hard not only to set up events but to also reach out to American Indian students on campus and encourage them to get involved. We sent them notices of our meetings, and we advertised our major events to them. Still, no one came to our meetings.
We had Mary Brave Bird, author of Lakota Woman, come and speak (her book made me cry; her name on the book is actually Mary Crow Dog). We also had a clothes and food drive for the Lakota of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, who are among the poorest of people living on reservations. Our biggest event was a powwow, held in the spring. I was working two jobs and attending full time classes. When I look back, I don't know how I did it all.
When the end of the year rolled around, there was some discussion in the House of Multicultural Affairs about whether our group should call it quits for the following year or keep going. None of our members wanted the group to quit, except one as it turns out.
Just a few days before graduation, we had a guest speaker, and afterwards we gathered in the student center to take a vote on whether or not to keep going. This is where I'd like to start my "do over". There were many people there, including the HMA personnel, the founder of the Native American Student Association (which was originally called Students of Native American Cultures but we renamed it because too many people thought it was a group of people interested in the culture rather than actual American Indian students), and even our guest speaker hung around for the meeting.
A girl was there who had attended one or two of our meetings during the year. She was African American and claimed to have some Indian heritage. I never doubted people because you really can't tell by looking at someone. I cannot remember her name (I think I blocked it from memory). Before our vote there was some discussion. I had observed in the past that this girl had a particularly nasty temperament, and she demonstrated it here. She was really down on our group and the main thing I remember her saying was "Well, I just didn't see any Native American leadership in this group." To top it off, the vice-president of our group was sitting right next to her and said "I just didn't feel like my voice was heard." I could not believe he said that because I would always ask him... "Scott, what do you think?" and he would usually respond with "I don't care". He rarely spoke up, and I wanted to make sure he had the chance because he was one of the few "legitimate" students in the group (he is part of the Delaware Indians, and I still see him around once in awhile, though I have not talked to him. He even had a display in the Eiteljorg museum).
I was quite emotional that day for many reasons. I didn't want the group to quit, I didn't like being criticized when we had worked so hard, I was about to graduate and move to Indy with no job, and I was going through major relationship changes. So, I cried. In front of all those people I sat there and cried and didn't yell what I wanted to yell at those two. At the time, the American Indian heritage in my family was mostly based on speculation. In the meeting I muttered something about how I didn't really know if I was Indian or not. Oh, how I wish I could take that back! Now I know it's in my blood for sure (see previous post)!
I said "Let's just vote", and unfortunately the vote was to disband the group. I was not the only one who cried... Beth did too. All of the hard-working people in the group were upset. I hugged Steve, and some Indian woman whom I didn't know hugged me. She was very nice and said "I didn't know you weren't Indian.", and I said "That's just it... I don't know." That was comment number two I want to take back. I left the student center in tears and somewhat humiliated, and the whole event has bothered me since.
If I could go back, I would say to the girl "First of all, you only came to two meetings, so your opinion about this group's leadership is meaningless. Also, we tried to reach out to students through the year. They did not respond, but we tried. So I didn't grow up on a reservation, and my family may not practice any of the culture, but I have Cherokee ancestry. I was elected by the group, and I did my best. I didn't see YOU trying." And to Scott, I would say "I asked you if you had any input or opinion on things and most of the time you didn't. How can you say your voice was not heard? If you really wanted to say something, you should have spoken up."
I recently contacted the House of Multicultural Affairs out of curiosity, to see if they had reestablished a group. They have not done so yet, but the current organizer said they are looking into it.
Well, it was certainly a learning experience. I lost touch with all of the group members after that day. I wish I could talk to them again. It really sucked to end that way after working together all year.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thankful It's Over
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, but I'm glad the driving is over. We travelled over four hours... first to see my mom and step-dad and that side of the family and second to see my dad and step-mom and her three daughters (two of whom I had never met). We spent 3 hours in each location. Tomorrow I will cook turkey and all the trimmings for James's side of our family. It was great to see everyone... and Christmas is just around the corner, so we'll see most of them again soon!
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, but I'm glad the driving is over. We travelled over four hours... first to see my mom and step-dad and that side of the family and second to see my dad and step-mom and her three daughters (two of whom I had never met). We spent 3 hours in each location. Tomorrow I will cook turkey and all the trimmings for James's side of our family. It was great to see everyone... and Christmas is just around the corner, so we'll see most of them again soon!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Harry Potter!!
I took a half day off of work on Friday to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my friends. It was awesome! They really condensed the book down, but they did a great job of it. It is a huge book and I wondered where they would cut corners. Goblet had everything you could want in a movie... drama, humor, action, and even romance. It is now my favorite HP movie so far, followed by Prisoner of Azkaban, Sorcerer's Stone, and Chamber of Secrets. Chamber is still excellent, but it's my least favorite. I am still trying to figure out why Harry heard the basilisk speaking Parseltongue from inside the water pipes all year, yet when he met him face to serpenty face, the basilisk didn't say a single thing.
I am playing the Goblet of Fire video game... can't get enough Harry Potter.
I took a half day off of work on Friday to go see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with my friends. It was awesome! They really condensed the book down, but they did a great job of it. It is a huge book and I wondered where they would cut corners. Goblet had everything you could want in a movie... drama, humor, action, and even romance. It is now my favorite HP movie so far, followed by Prisoner of Azkaban, Sorcerer's Stone, and Chamber of Secrets. Chamber is still excellent, but it's my least favorite. I am still trying to figure out why Harry heard the basilisk speaking Parseltongue from inside the water pipes all year, yet when he met him face to serpenty face, the basilisk didn't say a single thing.
I am playing the Goblet of Fire video game... can't get enough Harry Potter.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
November Already?
Halloween came and went in a flash. Tess was the cutest witch! Now Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's going to be a busy one. It all starts on Wednesday, when I will be preparing dishes to take with me the following day. On Thanksgiving day we will travel down towards Bloomington to my mom's (a 1 hour, 20 minute drive), where we will eat Thanksgiving lunch (and a lot of dessert). At 3pm, we will depart mom's and head to Rushville (a 2 hour drive) to see my dad. His wife's three daughters will be there, and I have never met two of them. We will have Thanksgiving dinner there (and more dessert). Then we will head back home to Indianapolis (1 more hour in the car) that night. But it doesn't end there...
The next day, I will get up at 6am to dress yet another turkey and put it in the oven. James's parents, two siblings and their kids, and grandma are coming over for Thanksgiving at our house. Let's see, that's a total of 14 people. I will make potatoes and gravy, oyster dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, and probably some deviled eggs. Good thing I like to cook.
Ah, the holidays... so relaxing...
Halloween came and went in a flash. Tess was the cutest witch! Now Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's going to be a busy one. It all starts on Wednesday, when I will be preparing dishes to take with me the following day. On Thanksgiving day we will travel down towards Bloomington to my mom's (a 1 hour, 20 minute drive), where we will eat Thanksgiving lunch (and a lot of dessert). At 3pm, we will depart mom's and head to Rushville (a 2 hour drive) to see my dad. His wife's three daughters will be there, and I have never met two of them. We will have Thanksgiving dinner there (and more dessert). Then we will head back home to Indianapolis (1 more hour in the car) that night. But it doesn't end there...
The next day, I will get up at 6am to dress yet another turkey and put it in the oven. James's parents, two siblings and their kids, and grandma are coming over for Thanksgiving at our house. Let's see, that's a total of 14 people. I will make potatoes and gravy, oyster dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, and probably some deviled eggs. Good thing I like to cook.
Ah, the holidays... so relaxing...
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Baby Talk
Tess is 9 months old today. She's been out of the womb for as long as she was in. She's getting such a personality now... perhaps a bit of an attitude. She's adding more sounds to her vocabulary. She's crawling and pulling herself up. It's amazing how fast babies develop. I never knew that babies laughed so much. Tess laughs hysterically at the puppets in her Baby Einstein videos and at her daddy's antics. When she's happy, she says "da da da", but when she's mad, she says "ma ma ma". What a daddy's girl.
Tess is 9 months old today. She's been out of the womb for as long as she was in. She's getting such a personality now... perhaps a bit of an attitude. She's adding more sounds to her vocabulary. She's crawling and pulling herself up. It's amazing how fast babies develop. I never knew that babies laughed so much. Tess laughs hysterically at the puppets in her Baby Einstein videos and at her daddy's antics. When she's happy, she says "da da da", but when she's mad, she says "ma ma ma". What a daddy's girl.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
A Piece of My Ancestry Confirmed
One of my aunts (on my mother's side) recently took a trip to the Smokey Mountains and visited Cherokee, North Carolina. She did some research and found out what my family has long suspected: We are indeed part Cherokee... Western Cherokee to be specific. My aunt found the names of both Indian women in our family. I think she must have been looking at census records. Very cool!
One of my aunts (on my mother's side) recently took a trip to the Smokey Mountains and visited Cherokee, North Carolina. She did some research and found out what my family has long suspected: We are indeed part Cherokee... Western Cherokee to be specific. My aunt found the names of both Indian women in our family. I think she must have been looking at census records. Very cool!
Sammy Terry
horseman either. Kids were all over the place. It was like Chuck E Cheese in the woods.
Somewhere around 20 years ago I met Sammy Terry when he came to the Rushville movie theatre. He introduced a cheesy vampire movie, and after it was over, he signed autographs. I still have the poster that he signed. My mom said she also watched him when she was a kid, so he must be getting up there in age. This time I got a picture, although it was with my cell phone. His trademark laugh is still cool.
 | I met local TV legend Sammy Terry for the second time in my life tonight. At Conner Prairie (a living history museum) they have a Halloween event each year called The Headless Horseman. Sammy was there telling scary stories. There were so many people (mostly kids) that you could barely hear him. There was no way we were getting on the hayride to see the headless |
Somewhere around 20 years ago I met Sammy Terry when he came to the Rushville movie theatre. He introduced a cheesy vampire movie, and after it was over, he signed autographs. I still have the poster that he signed. My mom said she also watched him when she was a kid, so he must be getting up there in age. This time I got a picture, although it was with my cell phone. His trademark laugh is still cool.
Monday, October 17, 2005
The Greatest Inventions In My Lifetime
Ok, they may not be the greatest, but they have certainly improved my life...
1. Pay at the pump gasoline. No more waiting behind some guy with a mullet buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. In fact, you don't even have to go in! Pay at the pump has added hours to my life.
2. Remote control television. I remember sitting directly in front of the television and turning the knob between our five stations... that was channel hopping. I don't watch much television, but when I do, it's really nice to flip channels or activate the Xbox or DVD player from the couch.
3. The microwave. Ah... who could ever forget boiling water on the stove, reheating leftovers in the oven, and making popcorn in those little foil skillets? Those were the good old days. Actually, I hate microwave popcorn, but I have to admit that the microwave does make cooking easier.
4. The Internet (and wireless access). Not only does my career revolve around it, but it's a big part of my personal life. I stay in touch with friends through the Internet, and I can keep James informed on the baby's activities throughout the day. Wireless lets me work right where the baby is playing.
5. Debit cards. I remember my parents writing checks for EVERYTHING. Now, when someone is writing a check at the grocery store, you can see everyone behind them rolling their eyes and sighing. The debit card is so much faster!
6. Cell phones. Of course, I cannot leave this one off the list. My dad came to pick me up from the airport once at about 1:00 AM in the dead of winter. The car decided to break down on the way home. We were stuck on the side of a deserted highway in the snow. A cell phone would have been real handy right about then. Luckily, a tow truck eventually passed by and stopped to see if we needed help. Another time, I had a tire blow out on I-69. I had to walk at least a mile in the dark, which included hobbling down a steep downgrade by an on-ramp, to get to a pay phone. I was alone, and I had two different creepy people stop to see if I needed help. Again, a cell phone would have been nice. Never leave home without it!
Ok, they may not be the greatest, but they have certainly improved my life...
1. Pay at the pump gasoline. No more waiting behind some guy with a mullet buying cigarettes and lottery tickets. In fact, you don't even have to go in! Pay at the pump has added hours to my life.
2. Remote control television. I remember sitting directly in front of the television and turning the knob between our five stations... that was channel hopping. I don't watch much television, but when I do, it's really nice to flip channels or activate the Xbox or DVD player from the couch.
3. The microwave. Ah... who could ever forget boiling water on the stove, reheating leftovers in the oven, and making popcorn in those little foil skillets? Those were the good old days. Actually, I hate microwave popcorn, but I have to admit that the microwave does make cooking easier.
4. The Internet (and wireless access). Not only does my career revolve around it, but it's a big part of my personal life. I stay in touch with friends through the Internet, and I can keep James informed on the baby's activities throughout the day. Wireless lets me work right where the baby is playing.
5. Debit cards. I remember my parents writing checks for EVERYTHING. Now, when someone is writing a check at the grocery store, you can see everyone behind them rolling their eyes and sighing. The debit card is so much faster!
6. Cell phones. Of course, I cannot leave this one off the list. My dad came to pick me up from the airport once at about 1:00 AM in the dead of winter. The car decided to break down on the way home. We were stuck on the side of a deserted highway in the snow. A cell phone would have been real handy right about then. Luckily, a tow truck eventually passed by and stopped to see if we needed help. Another time, I had a tire blow out on I-69. I had to walk at least a mile in the dark, which included hobbling down a steep downgrade by an on-ramp, to get to a pay phone. I was alone, and I had two different creepy people stop to see if I needed help. Again, a cell phone would have been nice. Never leave home without it!
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