Random Rants

Okay, I normally try to post "funny" random things, because really....Do you want to read about all the crummy stuff in my life? I think a safe answer would be no, because it's obvious that you're blog reading because you are trying to avoid your own troubles. However, for assorted reasons I won't get into, my posting "topic tank" is empty. So I going to settle for random complaints. If you have any interesting topics that you'd like me to complain about, please post a response!



1) The evil Wal-Mart and its cashiers....I know people gotta work, but I really hate it when the cashier doesn't interact with me and then doesn't make sure that I leave with all my bags! I usually remember to do this myself, but occasionally I'll have Raelynn with me and I'm distracted. How awful it is to come home with hot dog buns but no actual hot dogs!

2) The parking lot near Lowe's and Kroger. Ever since Kroger put up their gas station, there's no rhyme or reason about how traffic is supposed to flow. My friend Ashley has an interesting name for this mess but I shouldn't repeat it 'cause I'm sure it's offensive to some folks. I hate that parking lot.

3) My daughter's pediatrician and my bank both moved locations this week. Apparently, I'm one of the last people to know. I hate driving up to a place and then having to get out of the car and walk up to the door to decipher the little handwritten note on the door.

4) Another evil Wal-Mart rant...I had to wait for Raelynn's prescriptions for an hour and forty minutes and they still didn't have one of them. Raelynn has bronchitis and has a horrible cough. Guess which medicine we don't have???? You betcha....cough medicine. We gotta go back tomorrow because they say it'll be in then. Yeah, right.

5) Commercials on TV for medication. Really people, I don't want to have to explain what Male Erectile Dysfunction is or explain what birth control is to Raelynn. Also for the record, I hate when medicine commercials start listing all the side effects...I think that if "death" is a possible side effect, you shouldn't take the medication.

6) DVD's that don't have the "English for the Hearing Impaired" subtitles. I'm going to post about this topic at a later time. FYI-I'm hearing impaired.

7) I'm in work denial. I refuse to think about or believe that I'll have to go back to work next week. Perhaps if I don't think about it, work will go away.

8) My STUPID DIAL-UP at home. That's all I'm going to say about that.

9) Art supplies that find their way into the wrong places at my house: Play-Doh in the carpet, markers in the bedroom with no caps, scissors used to cut doll hair....one guess as to who the culprit is (and no this isn't me.)

10) There is only one place to eat in this town that carries Diet 7-Up. I can't have sugar or caffeine. And I can only go to Sonic so much. Water isn't even an option.

11) The water in this town tastes horrible.

12) Losing my ring tones on my phone. I broke my phone a couple of weeks ago and all the cool ring tones were saved to the phone. I don't have the art of the "bluetooth" transfer mastered yet, so I'm looking for people that can hook me up.

13) Paper cuts.

14) I need a sink in my classroom. Stuff is never dusted there and every time I work in the room, I feel like my hands get really dirty. My progress is hindered when I have to go to the restroom to wash my hands.

15) In general, going to public restrooms that have no soap, paper towels, or toilet paper. There is no excuse for this.

16) The evil Wal-Mart shopping bags. They are everywhere. When I'm trying to tell David where something is, I usually say, "It's in the Wal-Mart bag." Sitting at my computer right now, I can count 7 bags that are holding various things. And yes, I already checked them to see if they had the missing items from my shopping trip today--They don't.

17) Mud--all this rain has caused everything to be muddy. When you live in the country like I do, mud gets tracked in the house and gets on everything.

18) Driving in my car without my sunglasses. I have to drive to work in the sun and it's in my windshield again on the way home. There's a point when the sun is in the sky and it's right in your line of vision. I hate that.

19) Weather that can't make up its mind--come on...either be hot or cold..not both within the same week. I can't keep pulling out both wardrobes.

20) Sensitive teeth. Apparently if you brush too hard, you wear away the gums right at the tooth level. This makes for difficultly when getting your teeth cleaned.

21) Getting my teeth cleaned.

22) Raelynn getting her teeth cleaned.

24) Those small paper clips and paper clips that get rusty. I use these all the time and I hate the small ones. The rusted ones make my hands dirty and I already talked about that issue.

25) Missing the coming attractions when I go to the movies. To me, that's missing part of the movie. However, I fast forward through them when I'm viewing a DVD.

26) I just saw a commercial for the movie, "Jumanji." I hate this movie. I like Bonnie Hunt, Robin Williams, and Kirsten Dunst. I just don't like this movie.

Okay....I'm starting to feel better. I think sometimes you just have to let all the crud out. Thanks for taking the time to listen. Reading about what people are thankful for is nice (it's always friends, family, health) but I really like reading what ticks people off (as long as it isn't me.)

Okay..now it's your turn.....what's on YOUR mind?

I Swear They Multiply When I'm Not Looking

So tonight I spent some time doing something that I've been putting off for a couple of years. I took the time to sort out all of the Tupperware and other plastic storage containers. I made tacos for dinner tonight and was looking for some containers to put the rest of the leftovers in, when I became frustrated because I couldn't find a lid and bowl to match. So I sat on the floor in the kitchen with all the lids and bowls spread out around me and tried to match them. I ended up bagging some of the extra bowls and trashing them. It seems that the "Glad-ware" and "Ziploc-ware" containers are the ones that I have the most of. I managed to keep some of those too and got rid of the rest.



I really long to be organized like this in all areas. I've taken many personality and learning styles tests and they have all shown me that I'm in the structured/organized category. I do agree with that to a point. I like things to be orderly and neat, I just don't always succeed at putting stuff back. My mother fussed at me a lot growing up about that same thing. However, knowing my personality like I do and my tendency to go overboard with stuff, I'm afraid that if I try to get too organized, I'll take it too far and become unpleasant to be around. You know those sort of people, right? They're too busy straightening things up to have a good time. Scientists have said that it takes 21 times or about 3 weeks to make something a habit. I'm hoping that's true and I can spend the next few weeks getting everything around me to make more sense.



And when I get depressed that my progress isn't as speedy as it should be, I'll just look at my neatly organized storage bowls and tell myself "I think I can, I think I can."

My New Profession-Couch Potato

I don't think I can even describe how much I am loving the richness of my vacation. My family was here (they've left now) and I spend quality and quantity time with them. I don't think that in the last week I've cleaned house, graded a paper, or even thought about school a little bit. When I haven't been with my family, I've been enjoying my Netflix movies. I've watched Deja Vu twice, The House of Wax (the 1953 Vincent Price version), The Wedding Date, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Elf, Mamma Mia twice, and I currently have Victor/Victoria and We Are Marshall waiting for me. I could sit on my couch with potato chips and the remote all day. The only thing that would make this coming week better is if I could go and see Twilight again. If you're in the area and interested in seeing it, holla back!!!

Relishing The Decedence Of Nothingness

I am a self-diagnosed work-a-holic. I jokingly say that I'm looking for a good 12 step recovery program for that. Some people think that all teachers only work from 8-3 five days a week and get lots of time off. I would like to state here that I work 365 days a year. I only get paid for 198 days. Each vacation, you can find me hold up in the corner grading papers or planning lessons. Not so this year.



I've decided that this vacation, I'm out to perfect the fine art of doing nothing. That's right people, I'm quitting my work addiction cold turkey. So far, I'm doing well with no withdrawal symptoms.



During Christmas, my two main jobs are to eat and to be with family. My mother is the best cook in the world. Eating is something I don't have a problem doing. Family...well, that's another story. My family tree is intertwined. My brother is married to my husband's sister. A brother/sister married a brother/sister. Other families have to split their Christmas celebrations up, but in our family, we just have one big get together that lasts several days. I sometimes get anxious in large groups of people, so I have to pace myself to get through the holiday. So far, I'm doing well. No one has thrown anything at me, so we'll consider that a good thing.



Here are some of the people that I have encountered over the holiday so far...

1) My husband David--I encounter him all the time so this isn't a surprise
2) My daughter Raelynn--see explanation for number 1
3) My mother Beverly--she keeps us fed, overfed, and then nauseated from eating too much good food.
4) My dad Omis--he never sits still. He just had knee surgery, so he's been sitting more still than normal. He watches the Fox News Channel 24 hours a day.
5)My older brother Hugh--he lives in Denver and is married to my husband's sister Melissa. He hurt his back again so he's been to the doctor twice and spends time icing down his back. He thinks he has now burned his back from the ice and is on his way to frostbite.
6) My sister-in-law Melissa--she is married to Hugh (see #5) and is missing her grandson, Jayden. He's six months old and very cute. They've been married for over 22 years. She's as close to a sister as I've ever had.
7) My nephew Christian--he is Hugh and Melissa's son and is moving here to live with my parents for awhile. He's 20.
8) My father-in-law Leland--he is David's best friend. We see him at least once a week. He lives over an hour away.
9) My father-in-law's wife Mary Ellen: David's mother died right before we got married. Mary Ellen loves Christmas and gets along with Raelynn real well.
10) My sister-in-law Beth: David and Melissa's youngest sister. She lives an hour away. We've seen her at a family dinner and we met her family for bowling the other day.
11) My sister-in-law's husband Roy: I don't know if I would call him my brother-in-law yet. You'd have to meet him to understand what I mean. He works on an oil rig on the coast.
12) My niece Allison: Beth's oldest daughter. Allison's father is John. I haven't seen him yet this trip. Allison is in the ninth grade.
13) My niece Caitlyn: Beth's middle daughter. She is in the seventh grade.
14) My nephew Conner: Beth's youngest child. He is in the fifth grade. I got to be in the delivery room when he was born. That was an amazing experience.
15) Jason: Jason is my niece Allison's boyfriend. I don't know much about him. I only shook his hand when I met him.
16) Miranda: She is my nephew Christian's girlfriend that lives in Oklahoma. She came to visit and spent the night at my parents' house.
17) My sister-in-law Jo: She is the oldest child in David's family. She lives in Texas.
18) My brother-in-law Jack: He is married to Jo. My brother introduced him to Jo.
19) My nephew Richie: He's Jo and Jack's only child. He works at a rubber making plant and lives in Texas.
20) Nikki: She is Richie's wife. I've only met her twice and haven't spoken to her much so it feels funny calling her my niece.
21) Kennedi and Dylan: These are Richie and Nikki's kids. They are 5 and 4.
22)Lacey: She is a friend of Richie and Nikki's and lives with them. I didn't get a chance to speak to her.
23) My uncle Robert: He lives next door to my parents. He is my dad's older brother. He likes to come over and play cards.
24) My aunt Mary: She's married to my Uncle Robert. I can't describe her. You'd have to meet her to get the full experience.
25) My uncle Tommy: He is the brother closest in age to my dad. He dropped by for just a few minutes. He lives outside of town but I don't see him very much.
26) My aunt Dicie: She's married to my Uncle Tommy. I see her even less than Uncle Tommy.
27) Shirley: She lives next door to my parents too. She comes to all of our family functions.
28) Michelle: Some random renter of a house my parents' own. She asked to talk to my dad outside so I didn't get a chance to wish her a Merry Christmas.
29) Assorted family members: We had a catfish dinner the other night for family from David's mother's side of the family. There were assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins there. A lot of the people I've already mentioned were there too.


I'm sure there are some folks that I've forgotten. I've sat around and done a whole lot of nothing so my mind has turned to mush. I think another week of this and I may have the nasty work-a-holic addiction broken.


Let's hope so....cause breaking it is the only thing that I'm working hard at.

Peppermint: A Good Way To Mess Up Perfectly Good Food

Ahhhh....mint. Tis the season for candy canes. I like candy canes. The traditional ones. These new fangled candy canes in assorted colors and flavors just do not bode well with me. I'll take the traditional J-shaped red and white peppermint candy cane, thank you. Given this devout feeling for this holiday staple, you might be surprised to know that I only eat about one candy cane a year. I'll have my obligatory cane, and then that will be that. I don't need to have anymore to make me get into the Christmas spirit. I have a jingle bells on my shoes, people. In case you haven't noticed, I'm clothed in holiday cheer. In my book, this is the only time peppermint should make an appearance outside of gum, toothpaste, and breath mints. There's a reason why it's the most popular breath freshening flavor. It's just too nasty to eat, otherwise.



Some of you out there are cheering with me and are glad someone else said it. I've gotten lots of amens on the Frosty issue..of which if you did not know...I detest him. But that was an earlier post. Mint is used in lots of things that I just consider wrong. Like mint chocolate chip. To me, that kind of ice cream tastes like someone just couldn't decide what flavor they wanted so they randomly started putting things together. And no, I do not like York Peppermint Patties. Again, why go and ruin perfectly good chocolate by adding mint? I don't like mint in my ice tea and I've never had a mint julep, but I'm positive I wouldn't like it if I did. Another annoying place I see peppermint is in the ever popular round peppermint candies that they give you each time you go to Sonic. You know the ones...they are basically cylinder shaped candy canes. I can't stand these. If I need a breath freshener, I'll pop in a Tic Tac. It has fewer calories, doesn't leave that nasty sugary aftertaste, and takes less time to consume. Also, if you carry a pack of Tic Tacs in your purse, they won't melt and leave a mess. And they sound so cool when you shake the box. Try shaking a candy cane or a round peppermint. They make no sound at all. That's no fun.



People know that I'm right, yet they keep coming up with new and random peppermint pairings. Hershey Kisses has a version called Candy Cane Kisses. Basically, it's white chocolate with little bits of candy cane mixed in. This isn't the best candy they make by a long run. Another ridiculous pairing is with Oreo cookies. Come on, people! What's the matter with the regular Oreo cookies? Why are you messing with perfection? I just don't understand it. There is a reason that peppermint is seasonal....it's just not good enough to have around all the time.



Another mint that I'm not fond of is wintergreen. Luckily, they haven't tried to pair this with anything food related. You'll see this mostly in gum and mints. Where it belongs. A similar issue I have is these toothpastes that are flavored with things like vanilla. But that's a different post for a different time. I just had some wonderful dinner at my mom's and since I don't want to offend...I'm off to get a Tic Tac from my purse. Notice I didn't say a York Peppermint Patty or mint chocolate chip ice cream. They'd just melt and make a big ole mess. Power to the Tic Tac!

Festive-ness Drips From My Fingers

So today I took part in another Christmas tradition--I gave Raelynn "Christmas nails." I can't pinpoint the time this tradition started, but I know that it's been going strong for at least as long as Raelynn has been around.



As I have posted before, I really like Christmas...and tacky. And I really love anything that is Christmas and tacky together. On top of the annoying (to everyone else but not me) jingle bells that I have tied to my sneakers, I also decorate my nails for the holiday. Over the years, I've been in and out of "nail rehab." Before I had a child, I considered my bi-monthly appointments a part of my therapy. Now when I have to choose between getting my nails done or buying groceries, I tend to lean towards the groceries, so I guess I found the rehab that works. But I digress.



In the picture above the nail polish on the left looks exactly like my "Jingle Belle" polish by Sally Hansen. You know Sally...she's "hard as nails." I think I found this polish at a Walgreens, because Walgreens is the place where I find great stuff and then when I return to find it again, it's gone. I always keep my eyes open for this polish, but I haven't lucky enough to locate another bottle. This polish encapsulates everything I love about Christmas...it has all the Christmas colors: red, green, silver, and gold and it's GLITTER!!!! Yay for sparkle!!!



Before finding Sally Hansen's Jingle Belle polish, I would paint my finger and toenails a bright red and then cover that with either a red glitter or green glitter topcoat. On top of that, I would add a silver glitter topcoat. At this point my nails were pretty thick with many layers of lacquer. And let me just tell you, it was ugly. I lied to myself that it looked "festive." I noticed that no one else commented on it. I'm guessing since they couldn't find anything nice to say, they chose to say nothing at all.



Before I became "clean" of my nail habit, I took my Jingle Belle polish to my nail tech and asked her to incorporate it into the Christmas nails she was about to give me. She really thought that the polish was tacky and added as little of it to my nails as possible. She didn't want people asking who did her nails if they looked bad. I guess what's important here is that I liked it and I didn't buckle to the opinions of others. I'm getting better at this all the time.



So tonight Raelynn asked for her yearly Christmas nails. I got out my Jingle Belle polish and painted one of my fingernails so she could see it. She immediately told me that she didn't like it. I was afraid at this point that she was going to ask for some Christmas nail art....which I can't do. Imagine my surprise when she asked for red nail polish with a red and green glitter topcoat. She couldn't decide which one she wanted to she asked for both: one finger red, one finger green.
She also wanted this same pattern repeated on her toenails. When I was doing painting, she asked me if I liked the way they looked. And I of course told her, "They are just beautiful, sweetie!" Which I swear is totally true...and thus the tradition is carried on to the next generation.

A Ceramic Christmas Tree Makes For A Great Nightlight

I must start this post with a disclaimer. I am not old enough to remember when these ceramic Christmas trees were hip. All I know is that my grandmother had one and as she got older, it became the Christmas tree under which my family placed their gifts. Mana (Mah Nah) has been gone for many years now and I have no idea what happened to her tree. I'm guessing that my Aunt Artimease (yes, that's her real name) has it since I think she's the one that made it for Mana.

I love Christmas. I have a Christmas tree in each room of my house. Even the bathrooms. I think that this addiction (see the post right before this one) has trickled down to my daughter. An old friend of the family recently had to move away from home to live with distant relatives and she gave Raelynn her ceramic Christmas tree. (I think anyone over the age of 60 has one or their parents did.) We set it up in her bedroom during the Christmas season and it was a very festive thing for her. After the holidays, she really wanted to keep it in her room. So we traded it for the night light. She has a healthy fear of the dark and this tree has scared away many of her worries.
It looks so pretty.....I wonder if there is a way to get one and attach it to my dashboard so I can enjoy it as I drive. I've tried decorating the car by putting up a tree, but found that David wasn't as up for it as I was. So whenever I feel a little nostalgic, I go sit in the dark in my daughter's room and remember simplier times at my grandmother's house. Merry Christmas Mana.