So, yesterday I was out running some errands around town and meeting with a friend to help her with a knitting problem and I realized what a sorry state our country is in. The sense of entitlement begins very young.
Scene 1- I am at Michael's waiting for the Pier 1 to open and I am standing in line to make a purchase. Two customers in front of me is a late20/early 30ish woman and her pre-school daughter. The friendly cashier gives the child a free glow-in-the-dark bracelet (Halloween leftovers that can't get rid of??). Does this child say "Thank You?" Does the mom prompt the child to say "Thank You?" If you answered "No" to both questins, then you are correct. I was floored. I could not believe it. They walked out and said absolutely nothing to the nice lady behind the counter. WTF???
Scene 2- at the library. I met a friend at the library to help her with her knitting. There was a young (early 20's) woman at the computers with her toddler who was extremely fussy. She was totalyy ignoring this child who continued to fuss and carry on wanting attention. Another lady, once again late 20's/early 30's comes in with two preschool boys who are left unattended while she disappears into the stacks. These two little heathens begin to fight, wrestle, run-around, yell at each other and disturb all of the others who are tryong to be quiet. They are soon joined by a third boy whose mom is on the computer in Internet oblivion. I complain to the nice volunteer who tries to calm the children instead of finding the responsible adults and telling them to rein in their brats!!!
I have 2 kids- a 13 yo son, and a 7yo daughter. They can be a bit much at times and I have been known to call them the poster children for birth control, but I did teach them manneers and would have been mortified if my kiddos had acted like the ones mentioned above. If you don't say "Thank You," you must return the gift to the giver. You do not disrupt in a public place. If I was that desperate for a book, I would have either waited until mom's-day-out or my husband came home. I would not have taken such out-of-control brats to the library with me. Truthfully, my kids love books and woould have sat looking at them for ages, quietly. But, my kids are not perfect, either. Ages is about 15 minutes in reality, which is just enough time for me to find a book for me. They would also follow me into the stacks and sit at my feet looking at their books while I looked for mine.
So, Rome is burning, folks. Are you a fiddler or a fireman???
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
10 Reasons Why I Hate Houston
I've really had it with Houston today, but why should today be any different from any other day. So here are the Top 10 reasons why I wish my husband's company would send us somewhere else- anywhere else, even outer Mongolia!!
10. Pretentiousness- "THE" Woodlands- accent on "THE." Yup, one of the- excuse me, "THE"- suburbs of Houston is actually called "THE" Woodlands. I admit the capitalization and quotations are mine, but when they say it, it sounds like how I wrote it- "THE" Woodlands.
9. Smog- must I live in a city where the ozone alerts start in April and end in October??
8.Traffic- Names of the highways are crazy-weird here. Each highway has 3 identifications- the number, a North Houston name and a South Houston name. And don't get me started on the whole Kuykendall name, either. There is no "r" in the name, so why do people insist on calling that street Kirkendall??
7. Traffic- Stop signs were put up for a reason, and just because your car is bigger than mine, it still doesn't mean you have the right of way if I got to the Stop sign, first. Oh, and bicyclers, you ARE supposed to follow the rules of the road, too. You MUST stop at Stop signs, too, whether you like it or not. Same for you guys at the golf course. If the road you are crossing is a public access road, and NOT behind the gates, you have no right-of-way. Just ask any cop- I did.
6. Traffic- Speed Limits are there for our safety and just because I choose to go the speed limit and you are running late does not give you the right to tailgate me and almost cause an accident because you couldn't leave your house 5 minutes earlier.
5. Traffic- Most of the highways in all three of their personalities can be major parking lots at any time of the day anywhere in Texas. And FYI, if the guy in front of me is not moving, then neither am I, so quit honking and tailgating.
4. Traffic- the inability of those with large vehicles- Suburbans, Hummers, SUVs, pick-ups, mini-vans- to actually park their auto correctly. Sometimes they take up 2 spaces, or park at an angle in a non-angled slot. I was once blocked in by a guy in a pick-up who had parked his vehicle just as I was getting ready to leave. He became upset with me because I asked him to park a little straighter so I could get out. I even used the word "please." There is absolutely no reason to call me a *itch.
3. Traffic- Hummers. I have never seen so many Hummers in one place. It's no wonder we have all those ozone alerts. Oh, and to the guy in the olive green Hummer who called me a "fat *itch," sorry about your penis.
2. Traffic- Drivers on the phone. Honestly, people, haven't you heard of bluetooth??? Most cars come equipped with it and it goes through your speakers in your car. And, no, you cannot drive and talk on the phone at the same time. You've almost run me off the road on several occasions, hit me in the parking lot, and oh, yeah, blocked me into my parking space!!
1. Traffic (were you expecting something different??)- I have been tailgated by people on phones and was forced off the road on more than one occasion because they were encroaching on my tailgate. I have been almost hit by people who decide that they can make me speed up by tailgating. On the flip side, if everyone else, including me, is passing you, please move over to the far right lane. And, just because you drive a big-ass, flashy, pretentious, gas-guzzling, ozone deteriorating, over-priced vehicle and pull up to the stop sign after me does not give you the right of way. I do realize your huge car could crush my Prius, as could your carbon footprint, but I was there first.
Can you tell that despite that is absolutely gorgeous outside, I still have issues with Houston and it's traffic???
10. Pretentiousness- "THE" Woodlands- accent on "THE." Yup, one of the- excuse me, "THE"- suburbs of Houston is actually called "THE" Woodlands. I admit the capitalization and quotations are mine, but when they say it, it sounds like how I wrote it- "THE" Woodlands.
9. Smog- must I live in a city where the ozone alerts start in April and end in October??
8.Traffic- Names of the highways are crazy-weird here. Each highway has 3 identifications- the number, a North Houston name and a South Houston name. And don't get me started on the whole Kuykendall name, either. There is no "r" in the name, so why do people insist on calling that street Kirkendall??
7. Traffic- Stop signs were put up for a reason, and just because your car is bigger than mine, it still doesn't mean you have the right of way if I got to the Stop sign, first. Oh, and bicyclers, you ARE supposed to follow the rules of the road, too. You MUST stop at Stop signs, too, whether you like it or not. Same for you guys at the golf course. If the road you are crossing is a public access road, and NOT behind the gates, you have no right-of-way. Just ask any cop- I did.
6. Traffic- Speed Limits are there for our safety and just because I choose to go the speed limit and you are running late does not give you the right to tailgate me and almost cause an accident because you couldn't leave your house 5 minutes earlier.
5. Traffic- Most of the highways in all three of their personalities can be major parking lots at any time of the day anywhere in Texas. And FYI, if the guy in front of me is not moving, then neither am I, so quit honking and tailgating.
4. Traffic- the inability of those with large vehicles- Suburbans, Hummers, SUVs, pick-ups, mini-vans- to actually park their auto correctly. Sometimes they take up 2 spaces, or park at an angle in a non-angled slot. I was once blocked in by a guy in a pick-up who had parked his vehicle just as I was getting ready to leave. He became upset with me because I asked him to park a little straighter so I could get out. I even used the word "please." There is absolutely no reason to call me a *itch.
3. Traffic- Hummers. I have never seen so many Hummers in one place. It's no wonder we have all those ozone alerts. Oh, and to the guy in the olive green Hummer who called me a "fat *itch," sorry about your penis.
2. Traffic- Drivers on the phone. Honestly, people, haven't you heard of bluetooth??? Most cars come equipped with it and it goes through your speakers in your car. And, no, you cannot drive and talk on the phone at the same time. You've almost run me off the road on several occasions, hit me in the parking lot, and oh, yeah, blocked me into my parking space!!
1. Traffic (were you expecting something different??)- I have been tailgated by people on phones and was forced off the road on more than one occasion because they were encroaching on my tailgate. I have been almost hit by people who decide that they can make me speed up by tailgating. On the flip side, if everyone else, including me, is passing you, please move over to the far right lane. And, just because you drive a big-ass, flashy, pretentious, gas-guzzling, ozone deteriorating, over-priced vehicle and pull up to the stop sign after me does not give you the right of way. I do realize your huge car could crush my Prius, as could your carbon footprint, but I was there first.
Can you tell that despite that is absolutely gorgeous outside, I still have issues with Houston and it's traffic???
Sunday, February 8, 2009
It's Genetic!!
About a week ago, my 7 year-old daughter came and asked me to teach her to knit. She had a skein of bulky weight yarn in her favorite colors- pink and purple. I dug out a pair of US 13 needles and commenced to teach her how to knit. She caught on like a champ and is now got about 10" done on a scarf. She loves it. there have been a few errors along the way, but she is doing great. I am so proud.
She did take it to show her 1st grade teacher and a couple of kids tried their hand at "knitting." Their version was to slip the stitches from one needle to the next without making a new loop through the loop on the previous row. DD waited patiently while I undid the errors and I made her promise not to take it to school again- or at least let anyone else try to knit her scarf.
During all this, we found out that my niece's babysitter is trying to teach her to crochet. the niece is on my husband's side, so no genes from me! After a lesson or two, the babysitter was off for a few days and Grandma was watching her and her sister. Niece asked grandma to help her with the crochet. Now, my MIL is creative in other ways, but not knitting or crochet. She told niece to wait until she saw Aunt Terri again to help her learn some more crochet!! Hopefully we'll be able to get together over the summer so I can help her and maybe teach her to knit, too.
And, I am working diligently on my handmade pledge for this year. I have completed 2 washcloths, some scarves and various other things. Now, if I would just stay off Etsy, I wouldn't have so many pattens and great ideas!! I made the mistake of looking at their sewing patterns and now I've got a stack of those and a hundred new ideas!!
She did take it to show her 1st grade teacher and a couple of kids tried their hand at "knitting." Their version was to slip the stitches from one needle to the next without making a new loop through the loop on the previous row. DD waited patiently while I undid the errors and I made her promise not to take it to school again- or at least let anyone else try to knit her scarf.
During all this, we found out that my niece's babysitter is trying to teach her to crochet. the niece is on my husband's side, so no genes from me! After a lesson or two, the babysitter was off for a few days and Grandma was watching her and her sister. Niece asked grandma to help her with the crochet. Now, my MIL is creative in other ways, but not knitting or crochet. She told niece to wait until she saw Aunt Terri again to help her learn some more crochet!! Hopefully we'll be able to get together over the summer so I can help her and maybe teach her to knit, too.
And, I am working diligently on my handmade pledge for this year. I have completed 2 washcloths, some scarves and various other things. Now, if I would just stay off Etsy, I wouldn't have so many pattens and great ideas!! I made the mistake of looking at their sewing patterns and now I've got a stack of those and a hundred new ideas!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
February Rant
And, no, it's not about Valentine's Day. I married my forever Valentine almost 17 years ago and am very happy;-)
This is about cell phones and driving. In the last week, I have seen too many people almost have accidents because they were on the phone while driving. One of these people was in an SUV and trying to turn and hold the phone and chat. I'll admit, I have driven and yakked before, but after a near miss, I activated my Bluetooth. It comes through the speakers on my car and can be a little annoying for the person on the other end, but at least I am somewhat safe.
And, what about those speaker phones? I hate those. I really don't want to hear both sides of your conversation. And, if you have to yell to be heard, please step out of the restaurant so the rest of us can enjoy our meal in peace.
I also thinks it's funny when 2 people are on the phone at the same table. You just want to ask them why they can't speak directly to each other since they are sitting so close. I know, they are usually talking to someone else, but is that really the point of the date- to spend it on the phone with your BFF's???
As for me, the tendinitis is clearing up, but my right shoulder is about jammed into my ear. The in-laws are coming in a couple of weeks and I am frantically cleaning house.
This is about cell phones and driving. In the last week, I have seen too many people almost have accidents because they were on the phone while driving. One of these people was in an SUV and trying to turn and hold the phone and chat. I'll admit, I have driven and yakked before, but after a near miss, I activated my Bluetooth. It comes through the speakers on my car and can be a little annoying for the person on the other end, but at least I am somewhat safe.
And, what about those speaker phones? I hate those. I really don't want to hear both sides of your conversation. And, if you have to yell to be heard, please step out of the restaurant so the rest of us can enjoy our meal in peace.
I also thinks it's funny when 2 people are on the phone at the same table. You just want to ask them why they can't speak directly to each other since they are sitting so close. I know, they are usually talking to someone else, but is that really the point of the date- to spend it on the phone with your BFF's???
As for me, the tendinitis is clearing up, but my right shoulder is about jammed into my ear. The in-laws are coming in a couple of weeks and I am frantically cleaning house.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Inauguration Knitting
If you watched the Inauguration on CNN yesterday, you probably saw some pretty cool knitting, amongst other things. Mrs. Robinson, the First Grandmother and President Obama's MIL, was wearing a beautiful ribbed knit scarf and matching hat. One of the First Daughters' escorts was wearing a beautiful fuchsia knit shoulder shawl that made me wonder if it was handmade. Can you tell that Wolf Blitzer's constant commentary was driving me insane???
As for the First Daughters, Malia and Sascha- I sure hope they become role models for the young ladies of America. They were dressed demurely and seemed oh so sweet. It was truly refreshing to see young girls dressed in that manner.
As for me, knitting is on the back burner until my tendinitis in my right shoulder clears up.
As for the First Daughters, Malia and Sascha- I sure hope they become role models for the young ladies of America. They were dressed demurely and seemed oh so sweet. It was truly refreshing to see young girls dressed in that manner.
As for me, knitting is on the back burner until my tendinitis in my right shoulder clears up.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
It's Gonna Be a Long Week
I injured my shoulder somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Despite the pain, I continued to work on my many projects. I knit, crocheted and sewed away the holidays. After the New Year, hubby and I were goofing around and I sprained it again. Get your mind out of the gutter. We were acting like HS teenagers before the discovery of sex;-) So, I made an appointment with my doctor and now I have been banned from every activity that requires the use of my shoulder- most especially knitting, crocheting and sewing.
It's only 3 pm and I feel like I am going insane. My furry babies did entertain me for about 5 minutes, but then quit fighting when the cat got the upper hand and fled. DS isn't due home for another 30 minutes. Maybe I should go lie back down.
It's only 3 pm and I feel like I am going insane. My furry babies did entertain me for about 5 minutes, but then quit fighting when the cat got the upper hand and fled. DS isn't due home for another 30 minutes. Maybe I should go lie back down.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Tech Socks Done!!
Huge sigh of relief over here!! The red yarn came on the 31st, so I immediately cast on for the socks. By midnight, I had half a pair done!! Then I drank some Champagne with the hubby and decided not to try to knit another sock while slightly buzzed.
Babysitter came over yesterday to watch kids so hubby and I could have a quiet dinner out and saw the one sock. She said she would take it and hop around the dorm if she had to. We got home early and sat down to watch the "Twilight Zone" marathon on SciFi and since I was tired from staying until 2 am the night before, I decided to get through the heel turn and then go to bed. Well, first it was Burgess Meredith breaking his glasses and then it was Telly Savalas- with hair!!- getting killed by a doll. Before I knew it, I had not only turned the heel, but finished the heel gusset. Got up this am and by 10 am, the socks were completely finished. EB can now have nice warm feet back at school. LB, her mom has been threatened with bodily harm if she goes anywhere near the darn things!!
Babysitter came over yesterday to watch kids so hubby and I could have a quiet dinner out and saw the one sock. She said she would take it and hop around the dorm if she had to. We got home early and sat down to watch the "Twilight Zone" marathon on SciFi and since I was tired from staying until 2 am the night before, I decided to get through the heel turn and then go to bed. Well, first it was Burgess Meredith breaking his glasses and then it was Telly Savalas- with hair!!- getting killed by a doll. Before I knew it, I had not only turned the heel, but finished the heel gusset. Got up this am and by 10 am, the socks were completely finished. EB can now have nice warm feet back at school. LB, her mom has been threatened with bodily harm if she goes anywhere near the darn things!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
