Bad Day

Can I just say that today takes the cake for bad days in the last few weeks? Let's start at the beginning...no wait...the beginning is too boring. You know, you have to have a "hook" (literary term) to get your reader's attention. Basically, my manager was not in the best of moods today. Thankfully, I successfully avoided talking to him all day. Stupid thing is, his mere emails are enough to get me riled up.

I don't think today could have progressed any slower.

The day ends with the following events...I leave to go meet the horseshoer at the barn so he can put shoes on my horse and I end up getting a ticket at the top of my street. Its the DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!!! and this cop with nothing better to do is sitting on a quiet residential street giving out tickets to honest, hardworking, very cautious (usually) drivers!! For the love!!!! Why isn't he out on the highways and byways doing what we PAY him to do and get the REAL bad guys, like the ones that are causing accidents all over the congested southern California freeway system? I know there are many out there because I spend enough time on the road to see it all. Yesterday I witnessed an almost accident (or "near miss" as our company calls it), where this guy careened across 2 lanes of traffic to ricochet off the curb on the side of the freeway, then overcompensate, burning his brakes and rubber all the way (smoke everywhere, and trickling through my vents to stink up my car), then careened back across those same 2 lanes to return to the heavy traffic and swerve on down the freeway! Where are the cops when THAT happens? But I digress.....

I arrive at the barn wiping tears out of my eyes and angry as all get out to stand there and listen to this horseshoer go on and on about the ways of shoeing horses and training them. Blah blah blah...Then he proceeds to tell me how to handle my horses. As if I didn't know!! I've only been working around them ALL MY LIFE!! Now, that is not to say that I don't think I could learn more, and I am always willing to learn more, but here I was being told why I have to hold the horse a certain way for him! I would go into detail, but I would probably confuse most and then I would have to explain other principles of horse training, and before long, you'd all be asleep. So, there I was, all angry and having to bite my tongue while he went on and on about what he knows. Then we started into horse feeds. Mind you, that IS my specialty. I only spent 6 years in college studying ANIMAL SCIENCE!!! Well, there I had to listen to him tell ME why corn is a great feed for horses. I won't go into the details of why it ISN'T, but I have the scientific journal articles to back me up. But of course, once again, I knew nothing and he knew all. Then (and here's where it gets REALLY good), he proceeded to start in about religion. Never start a conversation with an angry person about religion. He claimed his was the religion of "common sense and logic." Then he continued to explain that human beings are the result of cross-breeding between aliens and apes! Hmm...what's he smokin? Of couse, this conversation began soon after he told me to write the check out to "cash" so that he could take it to the liquor store and cash it there so the IRS didn't have to know about his side job of shoeing horses....I really want to call this guy out again. About the time that he offered to "show me one more thing...." I interrupted and told him I had to get going. I quickly got in my car and left. I am in the market for a good horseshoer...know of any? As far as his idea of creation goes, I sure prefer my belief in an omnipotent, omniscient, divine, loving God, and the fact that I was created by an eternal, holy being. At least that makes me more grand than being the result of a hybrid cross between an ape and a green thing with slanty, black eyes!

The drive home was icing on the cake, let me tell you. I get a call from some customer in Arizona telling me my products suck! I felt like saying, "Well, sorry, I guess you don't have to buy them anymore."

Is it time for bed yet?

Too late for Thanksgiving

So what’s the deal with the holidays anymore?

I mean, you can’t celebrate one without being completely and totally inundated with decorations, supplies, and useless items for the next. For example, let’s take this Thanksgiving. My mom and I went to the store two and a half weeks ago (mind you, that is three weeks before Thanksgiving) to get some decorations for the house. This year, I volunteered our house for the big family get-together. Being that lately I have had this terrible bout of domestic tendencies, I decided that we should go all out and have the dining room all decked out with matching placemats, napkins, candles, and anything else that would help to get us in the Thanksgiving spirit. Being also that we didn’t have unlimited resources for this seasonal purchase, my mother and I quickly agreed that we should visit the “bargain” stores…Big Lots here we come! (“Big Lots Dictionary” definition of bargain= cheap junk)

Now there’s a reason that I don’t shop at stores like Big Lots on a regular basis. It can be quite claustrophobic. You can’t help but to wonder where all the people have come from, because not once have you ever seen them step foot in your neighborhood. But here they are! They kind of just appear there pulling things off shelves, leaving discarded items on the floor, or any other convenient spot, and clogging up the aisles. It’s as if the mere cheapness beckons to these individuals and they travel from far and wide just to save a buck or two, which they happily spend on gas getting there! Anyway, we battled through the crowds deep into the depths of the shelves and racks of cheap, gaudy, “Made in China,” yard sale-quality items. We soon found that there was not a single Thanksgiving item in the store. That is, not a single one that was decent enough to be displayed on our dining room table that didn’t exude “Big Lot-ness.” All we could find were Christmas decorations. Hello…it’s not even Thanksgiving! I mean, we’re talking THREE WEEKS before Thanksgiving, and we can’t find any fall decorations for the house?! Fall just started, didn’t it? I actually thought that for the first time in my life, I wasn’t waiting until the last minute…when IS the last minute anymore? For the love…

So we moved on to another store, Rite Aid I believe it was (I had to pick up my prescription besides). No such luck there either. Christmas stuff was all we could find. We then decided to try our hand at the more upscale, trendy, expensive stores. We crossed the street to Pier One Imports. I love that place, but unfortunately cannot afford much of the stuff in there. Lucky for us, they had a sale rack of Thanksgiving stuff. You know, because the season had already passed. So we gathered up an armful of autumn colored and scented candles. I love candles! Then we found some matching table settings, and added those to the cart. Fortunately for us, we were able to get out of there before our purchases could have the chance to disappear into the dark recesses of the storage room and end up instead as Christmas items in our basket.

After Pier One, there were just a few small items we had left to get. So, yesterday (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) we headed out to Michaels to get some silk flower arrangements and silk fall leaves for decorations. How could we even think we would be so lucky as to find anything remotely pertaining to Thanksgiving? Fools that we were. The few things we did find were fortunately on clearance. We were able to buy 2 silk potted flower plants for…get this…90% off! Because, you know, the season had already passed. We took the items, paid, and quickly hurried out of the store, just in case we got jinxed or something. Then we headed to Target, searched high and low once again through all the Christmas stuff, finally found the last few things, and headed home. Whew! It was ridiculous I tell you!

My mom says she can still remember back when the day after Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the Christmas season, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade would have Santa bringing up the rear as to sort of ring in the new Christmas season. But alas, it is no longer. Some “brilliant” retailer one day a few years back, got the greedy idea that he could steal some more sales and make more money by bumping up the holiday season. Unfortunately, no store could afford to be left behind, so here we are today, and you know the rest of the story.

So here’s just a reminder for next year…buy your Christmas stuff over Labor Day weekend, and Easter stuff at New Years. But if you wait until the last minute (and may God help you), you might be fortunate to find great sales three weeks before the holiday! You might as well just shop the sales this year for the holidays next year!

Happy Holidays to one and all!

Budweiser

I know I must have thrown a few of you off with the title....but it's not what you think. I mean, I don't mind having a beer from time to time, but Budweiser? Come on!

Let me explain. As some might already know, I work for an animal nutrition company, so yesterday I had the wonderful pleasure of going to the Budweiser Clydesdales West Coast Team Breeding Facility. How cool is that? Well, it was! Those horses are so cool...so BIG....and just so...well ...cool! They're these big "gentle giants." They're such slow movers, they just kinda cruise around their little paddocks and seem to just be "chilling out" all the time. So I met with the guy who manages the team and we talked about horse feed. I can't really divulge the details, but let's just say that I may have the opportunity to service the most widely recognized horses in the united states! Everyone knows who the Budweiserr Clydesdales are! Even if you don't know the first thing about horses, you could probably tell me what a clydesdale looks like. So its all pretty exciting. Even if things don't go as planned, I still feel good about being able to go out there and visit with them and see the team. Yes, I know I sometimes complain about my job too much, but it does have its perks! I get to meet some interesting people and see some magnificent animals. Oh yeah, and if things DO work out....then I will have helped serve all the budweiser clydesdales nationwide, cuz all the horses across the US will end up using our products. Now that's cool!

Aside from that, yesterday was quite hectic. The phone was ringing off the hook and it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. Then as if that wasn't enough...I was an hour late for my dentist appointment, where I was scheduled to....(evil music please) get my wisdom teeth yanked from my mouth! I imagine everyone wishes they would be late for that appointment, but I really didn't mean it. Really!

For those who have had their teeth pulled, consider yourselves lucky if your dentist "puts you under." You can wake up and you don't remember a single thing that has happened. I, on the other hand, didn't get that privilege. My dentist doesn't like putting people to sleep, so he just numbs you up nice and good, and pulls out the big, scary tools, and pulls away. I won't go into the details, but lets just say that it wasn't very pleasant. Especially when he had to numb one side of my mouth THREE TIMES because every time he would proceed with pulling, the pain was unbearable. Buck up you say? Well, I say NO! Remember, you got to go to sleep. I won't even describe the sensation that you feel in your jaw as he yanks those suckers out. I'm just glad its done.

Now I have to go spit.

Who Needs an Olive Garden?

So last Sunday night was interesting.

It's taken me a while to get this on paper (er.....computer). A group of us went out for a friend's birthday dinner. What better place to celebrate than the Olive Garden? I mean, I really like the Olive Garden. I especially like the Tour of Italy and the chicken parmesan. mmm, mmm, good. The one complaint I have about OG, is that usually they take FOREVER to bring you your food. Sunday night was no different. My sister, Grace and I arrived later than everyone else cuz I got caught up working with my horse for longer than I intended....that's a horse for you! Anyway, we got there, but we had already eaten, thanks to Egyptian influence, so we were just going to snack on "Neverending Salad" and breadsticks. Oh, but then we decided that it wouldn't be right to eat the salad without buying anything, so we ordered an appetizer. I love Spinach-artichoke dip!

So after a good, long, healthy wait, we got our food, gave thanks, and began to eat. Then came the bill....(not right away of course). This is where it all began. Of course, whenever you get a rather large party together to go out to eat, it is often a challenge to organize the payment of the bill, what with some people putting in cash, others credit cards...it's a mess! For some odd reason, our esteemed server split the bill, rather haphazardly I might add, two ways. One had the majority of the meals on it...the other, only 4 or so. Mind you, there were about 13 of us. The smaller bill got tallied and paid right away....the second, not so easy. Somehow we came up short (typical, right?). But not short a few bucks....try $50.00! Whoa! So being the wonderful mathematician that I am, I decided to take control of the bill and money counting. I went down the list, and after putting initials by everyone's meal, I found that we were overcharged by 3 salads and one Stuffed Chicken Marsala. So I contested it, and that is where things started to go awry.

The server argued (unsuccessfully) that we were not mischarged and that the salad charges were because two people split a meal, and my sister and I ordered an appetizer (which doesn't include a salad). Well, excuse me, but when you place a HUGE bowl of neverending salad on the table, it only makes sense to share it with others. The point of the matter, which my friend Sonya was so quick to share with the server, was that we were not told that we were going to get charged for the salad. It was just placed in front of us and we started chowing, and then we ordered the appetizer cuz we wanted to justify eating the salad! Its NEVERENDING SALAD!!!! No one can finish it by themselves!!!!! There's no way that we even ATE $2.95 worth of that NEVERENDING SALAD. Did I make my point?

So she took the bill back and took off the few items that were mischarged. So we tallied up the cash again, and were still short. Then I did a double take....they had automatically included 18% gratuity (cuz we were a party of 8 or more), but what I found funny was that the 18% gratuity was the same on both bills, even though there was more than a $20.00 spread between the two bills. How does that work?

So I contested that. This seemed to put the icing on the cake for this server. She couldn't believe that I actually wanted to recalculate HER gratuity! Oh the nerve of some customers! Before long, the manager on duty came over to the table in a very defensive stance (hands in the air as if we were attacking him). He claimed he had "comped" us the 3 salads and extra chicken marsala. My friend, David, made the point clear to the manager that he didn't "comp" us the meals, but that he just credited back what was mischarged, and that the gratuity should have been adjusted as well. (In the meantime we recalculated the gratuity and realized that the difference was only a couple bucks so we thought we would pay it anyway.) We told the manager not to adjust anything, but just to take the bill and we'd be done. Of course he couldn't take it that minute (for some reason), and came back later with an adjusted bill....just what we DIDN'T want. Arggghhh...

We recalculated, David took the cash and threw in his credit card and we gave the bill to the server. She brought back our 3 cards and then realized that she had closed out someone else's bill with our cards!!! Wait...who hired this girl anyway? Anyway, I think she got the mess fixed (I'll check my bank statement online), and we got out of there. The whole ordeal took about 40 minutes!!! That's rediculous! Just to pay our bill? I never knew giving money to someone would be such a challenge!

Words to live by....Tour of Italy isn't that good.

New Chair and Pony

I would like to announce that I FINALLY got a new office chair. Amazing. Well, its amazing considering the chair that I had been using (or trying to use, considering its condition) was probably about 15 years old. I think I got it when I was in 5th grade and it has since been well-used and abused. Let's see...the back was barely hanging on, and the seat itself tilted at this dangerous angle. All the cushioning was completely gone, which made your rear end fall asleep rather quickly, making for a miserable "day at the office." On more than one occasion, I would find myself sitting, working at my computer, and all of a sudden, it would jerk sideways and the back of the chair would fall away from my back and I would feel like I am falling rather violently towards the ground. Of course, I wouldn't hit the ground, but imagine the scare! How we all take for granted the simple things in life...like expecting a chair to hold you up when you sit down.

So this new chair is great. It has lots of cushioning for my poor bottom, and has a tall back with lumbar support! It even has armrests! Of course, those don't do me a whole lot of good because I cannot scoot the chair all the way in under the desk cuz the armrests get in the way...guess its time for a new desk too! It's on the list. Of course, I love the up and down feature as well. And its got a great swivel which keeps things exciting on those days that you just can't seem to focus on work. The best part about the whole thing was that it was on sale! Yes siree folks! Office Depot can be a wonderful place to shop...mail-in rebates are a good thing. I have learned that you have to take care of the mail-in rebates right away, or you never do anything about it, and there goes the money that you COULD have saved. So I quickly sealed up a copy of my receipt, UPC symbol, and required form in an envelope, stamped it, and placed it in the "Outgoing Mail" stack on the kitchen counter. Ahhh...now if only I could pay my bills as promptly! he he he...

Did I mention yet that I bought a horse? She's nothing fantastic to brag about, except that I got her at a screaming good deal. Just to bring her into the world, the original owners (breeders) paid $25,000 for her. Of course that was just the stud fee, not including mare care, vet bills, feed, and other incidentals of horse ownership. I, of course, did NOT pay $25,000. I almost feel guilty for the amount that I paid, but such is life.

So why the sudden change of subject? Well, I cantered the little filly today. She was actually pretty good, except for when she tried to swing her head around to bite my foot when I tapped her in the sides. If anyone knows anything about horses, they'll understand when I talk about training a two year old....filly......thoroughbred. I think I am just a glutton for punishment. Not only did I take the more moody of the two sexes (sorry ladies!), but I topped it off with a flighty, hot-blooded breed!

So why did I get this horse, you ask? She was definitely investment material. If all goes well (and I'm praying it does), I will be able to sell her in a few months for around $10,000. Not too bad of an investment. And all that time, I am having fun. I am always in a good mood when I get to work around horses, even when they don't do what I want. I know that I can always come back the next day, after we both have had time to "sleep on it" and usually things work out just fine. If you have not ever had the privilege to work around horses (and I don't mean just going for a trail ride), I highly recommend giving it a try. Take a lesson, or two, or five. Start from the ground up; grooming, saddling, bridling, cleaning the stalls, working them on the ground....you can learn a lot from a horse! And you learn a different means of communication. Body language means a lot. I could go on about the philosophy and joys of training horses, but I'll spare you. I'm sure you'll hear plenty before I have exhausted this blogspot.

So I leave you with one thought:
If you ever get the chance to go to the races, go. Bet on a horse...just one. It's kinda fun! But leave your ATM card at home.

Until next time....Happy Trails.

Friday Night

Ahhhh...home at last. It was a rather long drive, strangely enough. Usually the drive from Phoenix to LA takes about 6-6.5 hours, but it seems like it took forever today. I started to fall asleep about 1 hour outside of Phoenix so I quickly pulled over in a rest stop to catch a few zzzz's. That's a new one for me. I used to just get it in my mind that I would get to my destination at all costs, but I am slowly learning that it is OKAY to pull over and get some shut eye. I hope the world is a much safer place because I do that.

Driving across the wide expanse of desert called Arizona gives you lots to think about, but I find it funny that I have nothing really to write about tonight. But then again....I do.

So I was watching some Phoenix news channel last night in my hotel room. There was an extremely interesting and shocking story. They were unveiling something dispicable that is happening right here in our country. Polygamy. I'm sure many are aware that it exists, but I know there are laws governing its legality. Anyway, the story overall was a sad one. It told of an "underground railroad" type system, where young girls (usually age 13-16) are "smuggled" across the border into Canada and start a new life as one of the many wives of a polygamist. They interviewed one woman who admitted that she was one of 26 wives! That's incredible! I didn't even know what to think while I watched the story on TV. I was truly shocked. 26 wives?!?!?!?! What do you DO with 26 wives? Don't answer that.

But, really, what kind of sick, perverted, disgusting person desires more than one "love" in their life? What a sad individual. But what was even more sick and disgusting, was the fact that these young women very often look forward to it. Although some were saying that the young girls were forced across the border, others said that the majority stayed of their own accord. It was a "better life" for them. Why would any woman WANT to be one of many wives? What's in it for them? Sounds like they just become childbearing machines for the sick man of the house. When this one particular woman was asked about the "trafficking" of young women across the border, she responded with, "Well, it all depends on what you mean by trafficking." Her brothers back home in Arizona had deserted their previous life of bigamy and wished that their sister would come home. Unfortunately, she seemd perfectly content where she was. How sad.

Then to top it off, they started going through the statistics of the results of inbreeding in this small community in Arizona that sends its young women north. The frequency of handicapped/or disabled (whichever is PC today), was more than 2 times the national average! That's AMAZING! By the way, the name of the city is Colorado City way up on the border of Arizona and Utah. They even showed a small, quaint cemetery with many fresh graves, the eternal homes of the bodies of young, stillborn children; a result of the disgusting inbreeding that was taking place.

I don't really know what to say about the whole thing, but I thought that I would share what I learned with other people. I don't know if there is anything anyone can do, but something like this needs to be stopped. God did not create us to destroy ourselves like this. This is moral and physical destruction. I guess I live a sheltered life and didn't think that anything like this existed, but unfortunately, I was wrong.

So there are some happy thoughts to leave you with. Just when you think you have seen all of the sadness and corruption in the world, something else pops up and blindsides you. I guess all we can do is continue to pray.

Until next time...happy trails....

Singing the Hotel Blues

Okay Grace, you win. You won me over and now I am sucked into the world of blogging. Wow. I can see her now...evil smile of victory creeps across her face. Yeah, yeah....I give you the credit, older sis.

So here it is! Sue's first blog. This blank page is just waiting to be filled with juicy tidbits of Sue. So where shall I begin? Well, I am currently spending my evening in a boring hotel room in Arizona. You know the thing about hotel rooms is that they all look the same. Boring, neutral wallpaper, neutral curtains, ugly bedspreads that don't really keep you warm, and old bathrooms. The temperature is never right either. Its either way too hot, or way too cold. And what about those light switches? Why are none of them actually connected to a single light in the room? I mean, they are randomly placed in awkward spaces on the wall, and you end up having to go and actually turn the switch on the light itself. What's up with that? Then to top it off, they don't put off much light anyway! You have to turn all the lights on just to see where you're going!

I come here about every 5-6 weeks. The less the better, I think. The first hotel in Tucson was just fine, as usual. Phoenix is a different story, though. I took my socks and shoes off last night and was walking around the room, but the floor felt strangely cold. Didn't think anything of it at first until I stood in the same place for a while. The floor was actually WET. I don't really know why. And I still don't, cuz I didn't bother to call the front desk and say anything. I was simply too tired. In addition to a wet carpet, I got another little surprise. Oh these hotel people are just finding new ways to entice guests to return to THEIR hotel. You know, they throw in little things like mints on the bed, or nice shampoos/conditioners. This was a new one, however. On the back of the toilet, I discovered a complimentary tube of.....caulk. Yep! You heard me right....adhesive caulk. What does that say about hotel maintenance? Well, I guess it means that they are maintaining it. But of course it made me notice the sloppy caulking job anyway. And then the best part is that I came back this evening after being gone all day only to find the caulk still there on the back of the toilet! And get this...they even replaced the towel that sits on the back of the toilet (the towel for your feet when you get out of the shower), which means they had to pick up the caulk, set it aside, fold the towel, place it on the toilet, and put the caulk back on the towel! Wow!!! Did they happen to notice a tube of ADHESIVE CAULK??? Did they think it was MINE? (Hmm...I think I had better pack some adhesive caulk in my suitcase, cuz I might need to fix a leaky seal around the bathtub in the hotel. )

Well, tonight is my last night on the road. I expect to be home tomorrow night. I don't really like this part of the job all that much. I used to think that the traveling would be fun, but when its not on your own terms, then it just doesn't seem to be that fun. And for someone like me who is mostly outgoing, it can be extremely lonely. The TV and cell phone become your best friends. Oh yeah, and going to bed early is a lot easier cuz you don't have much else to do! I usually skip dinner. Eating by yourself on the road is the ultimate in lonely. I try to bring a book along or something to read so I don't look like a loser at the restaurant staring off into space, but sometimes I do just sit there. People watching can be fun, but before long, people notice that you are staring at them and they have no problem staring back, cuz after all, you're the one who is alone! Well, 6 hours on the road tomorrow and I'll be home. Thank the Lordy.

And maybe during that time...I'll think of something else!