SAVE OFTEN!!!!

Anyone who has taken any computer class in the world has learned the first thing they teach you is to save often. You would think after all these years, I would remember that rule religiously but I guess you have to get screwed about 100 times before you learn.

Balancing the check book at my job can be a real challenge to say the least. I need to lock myself away in my office, undisturbed and really concentrate on it. I balance at least 6 checkbooks and the other 5 are a breeze in comparison to our main account. Problem is we take Visa, M/C and Discover, which can be processed together, Debit Cards which process separately, American Express which processes separately, Cash and Checks which go together, Instant Checks which process like credit cards but separately and Care Credit. Now some of these deposits like American Express, take their percentage right off of the sale before they deposit into your account, some of the Visa/MC/Discover cards, wait until Monday to deposit so they are batched together for up to three different days and you have to make sense of all the deposits and change the numbers from what you have put in daily to reflect their costs. Needless to say it takes awhile when there are five pages of deposits to confirm.

Today, I wanted to get caught up on everything so I could start next week off fresh with my piles of work trimmed down. I spent 2 1/2 hours working on the deposits and when I got the correct total the very first time, I jumped up and started flaunting it to my coworker. "I'm so good," etc., etc. Well what I didn't notice was, my mouse had moved and allowed the cursor to center over an area called, UNMARK. I took the heavy statement and put it down on my keyboard which somehow hit the enter key and as I watched in horror, it unchecked every single item I had just spent 2 1/2 hours marking off, right before my very eyes. You know the first sign of grief is denial.

NO NO NO, NO WAY did that all just unmark.... Awwwww yeah it did.....

What are you going to do, walk away, get some fresh air, put it back on your desk and worry about it tomorrow. I guess my boss is right when he says, I don't listen. If I did, I would have remembered to SAVE OFTEN but,

IT IS WHAT IT IS

and I am grateful I have a job and a good sense of humor. :-)

What's Wrong With People, Including Me?

Okay so I think I'm a pretty polite person in most circumstances unless of course you piss me off. What's wrong with people today, including me? How can one little incident start your lunch hour out with such stress?

I'm getting ready to turn left onto a busy street where I am at a stop sign, no signal. One car is traveling east bound down the street so I am waiting for her to go by. She put her blinker on like she was either going to pull to the curb to park or turn right at the intersection where I was trying to turn out of. So I began easing my way out more when she suddenly pulls back into the street and honks at me and waves an angry hand at me. So I put my hand up to wave and said "Opps - Sorry" through my window. BUT I guess that was not good enough for her. She positioned her car in front of my car, rolled down the window and said, "What did you say?" in an extremely confrontational tone. "I said Sorry I thought you were going to turn or park, you had your blinker on." She says, "Sorry! You're not sorry at all." Again I said, "I said I was sorry, what do you want me to do, get out of my car, come over there and kiss your ass to prove it? I'm sorry!" She said "Yes!!" as if I should get out of my car and kiss her ass. I noticed she had a temporary handicap plaque around her rear view mirror, so being the adult that I am, I yelled at her, "You'd better move your fucking car out from in front of me or you're going to need a permanent handicap sticker."


Okay, What's wrong with this picture? EVERYTHING!!!! First off, she didn't have to slam on brakes or anything like that, as this was at a slug pace maybe 5 miles per hour and no threat of our hitting each other. Second, you don't need to signal to turn right two blocks away from where you are going to turn right. Hey, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. I do it all the time. Third, it took both of us longer to yell at each other and make a scene that if she could have just accepted my hand wave, my embarrassed smile and my mouth gesture of "opps sorry." At that point we both wanted confrontation and to be tested of our macho-hood. And lord knows, I can't back down from a confrontation which will probably be the death of me. But alas,

IT IS WHAT IT IS...

I'm grateful for living so close to home from my work that I can go home and chill out mid day. I'm grateful that I did not have to get out of the car and kiss OR kick ass. And I'm grateful we didn't have an accident but I just wish people out there would have a little more respect for each other. I apologize for telling her she would need a permanent handicap sticker as I would never wish that on ANYONE and have much respect for anyone who is handicapped!!

Honest Abe I'm Not

I'd like to think I am a fairly honest trust worthy person. I believe in "What you do comes back to you", "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", and anything you dishonestly "get away with", you will pay back three fold in the future. If a local business I frequently visit gives me the wrong change I'd let them know without hesitation, if I saw someone drop something in front of me, I'd pick it up and alert them to it and if I found some one's wallet or purse with money in it, I'd at least take the cash out, sort of service fee for my putting it in the nearest mail box to get the important info contained back to it's owner. But I don't believe in stupidity.

So, I'm standing in the check out line with my shopping cart of goodies along with a 20 pound container of cat liter. When I approach the counter, I ask the checker if I need to put it on the counter or can she scan it in my basket. "No, leave it as I can scan it there," I am assured. After everything is rung up, I never saw her come to the cart and again asked her if that included my cat liter. "Opps no it does not" and I tell her, "Cause there is no way I want free cat liter as I will pay for it later in some other form." She smiles and proceeds back to her register hits enter and tells me to swipe my card. But the price is exactly what she told me 15 seconds ago, so I politely keep my mouth shut and agree to my purchase.

Now I have asked her twice to charge me for my cat liter and even explained how I don't want it free and she still gives it to me free. I guess "Honest Abe" I am not and as I walk away with my purchase as I felt her stupidity shouldn't be rewarded with my honesty. But,

It Is What it Is....

and now I am wondering if I just "shop lifted." I'm grateful for the free kitty liter as my three little ones will make good use of it but I don't feel good for getting away with it as I know that's why everything costs more in stores as items are stolen or even in this case, given away.

Chasing For Wild Geese In The Rain

So I walk into my neighborhood Sports Store and see the perfect jacket. Problem is, it's not the size my boyfriend can wear so what to do? Ask the front counter if there are more in stock in my size or what other stores might have one.

The front counter checked her computer and found one about 30 miles away and they were willing to put it on hold for me. At least three times I asked is it the same color and make just in a larger size. "Yes, of course yes.. same skew number, same color, just a larger size and they will hold it for 24 hours for you." So I reply, "Yes please!!!" Now, it's pouring down rain as I ponder what to do as far as venturing out in rain slick streets tonight, Friday in rush hour traffic or wait until Saturday morning where we are expecting a larger storm. I opted for going now and making sure I have the jacket to complete my surprise present.



The normal 45 minute drive turned into an hour and a half as I fight my way across flooded surface streets and hundreds of cars. Looking for signs and addresses in the dark, Awwwww there it is. But where do you park as Wilshire Boulevard doesn't sport many street parking spaces and high rises want a minimum of $5.00 to park. But after a few circles around the block, waaa laaa.. a space opens up. I'm exciting approach the front counter and explain who I am and how my local store has called to hold my jacket. The woman goes into her secret stash in the back and pulls out my jacket very politely. But wait, what's this???? Yes it is the same similar jacket but in a gawd awful color. So I explained how I was reassured that they had the one I wanted in stock and this is NOT it. They really were not all that helpful as my disappointment grew.

WHAT HAPPENED TO COMMUNICATION??

So I decide on my own to do a tedious search through every jacket there thinking maybe they missed it. Holy shit, I almost shouted as I find the one I want but now it's twice I big as I needed. Hmmmmmm, my visualization goes into effect to try and imagine if this will fit my boyfriend so what to do. I start scanning the store for any man who looks as tall and same build but doesn't speak English so I felt like I was on an episode of "I survived a Japanese Game Show," as I try to ask a non English speaking Korean man to take off his jacket and put this one on. His face was skeptical and non friendly but after my award winning smile visually convinced him, he undressed and tried my jacket on. So trying to visualize your man in another man's body, I think it will work and after all I drove all this way to not come home with something would be self defeating so I made my purchase and fought another over an hours worth of traffic. Now if it doesn't fit him, there's no where else to buy one in the Los Angeles area. My question is, should I have bought it since if it doesn't fit he can't exchange it anywhere for one that does as no one has one, and how disappointed will I be if his reaction doesn't meet or exceed the trouble it took me to get it?

But it IS WHAT IT IS.....

And I am grateful I had a friend to tag along with me on the ride, I didn't get into one of the many weather related accidents recorded last night, I had the money and gas to spend as many don't have that luxury and it's the first time in 7 years I actually have a man to buy something for anyway. :-)

Does It Matter If You Paint Around Your Furniture?

We all know how hard it is to get things accomplished when working a full schedule. It's been about 8 years now since I painted the inside of my home and after the kitchen came out so nicely, the rest of the house now needs to come up to standards. But who has the time to move everything, put down plastic and get out the old paint rollers, to accomplish the job in a weekend.



So for me, I've done the next best thing. I don't care what anyone says or thinks but I find that painting with a 2" brush gets the paint on the wall the nicest. I did my entire kitchen this way and now almost finished the rest of the house. But I've gotten eager to see results as soon as possible, so instead of finishing one room at a time, when I feel the mood, I do an area regardless of where it is.

Can you believe I choose "Mickey Sailor" for the bedroom trimmed in bright white and bright white for front room and hall. Oasis green is the kitchen and bathroom and I just found out the semi gloss cleans up nicely, saving me the hassle of painting it again.

My big question is.... If you are renting, does it make a big difference if you don't move the heavy furniture in some areas and just paint around it? I'm sure it will when I move but some of the stuff I just can't manage on my own. Soooo.....

IT IS WHAT IT IS