I weep for America's future...

Forgot to take food to work with me, so I ran out to get dinner yesterday. My total was $6.50. I gave the cashier a quarter, 2 dimes, and a nickel for the change…and had this conversation:




Cashier: The change is 50 cents.



Me: That’s what I gave you.



Cashier: No, you need another quarter.



Me: Um, could you count the change I gave you again?



Cashier: You’re a quarter short.



Me: I gave you a quarter, 2 dimes, and a nickel.



Cashier: *looking at change* Ohhhhhh, sorry! *She then proceeds to try to give me back the nickel.*



Me: *dumbfounded*



Manager: (who had walked up when she heard the debate) Jesus Christ…no wonder your drawer keeps coming up wrong!

DVD- Disney's Tangled

Ok, as you may know, I LOVE fairy tales. I actually meant to go see this in the theater and never got around to it. (we all know this is probably a good thing) Then it kind of passed out of mind until I noticed it on the Library New DVD page. I've been trying to be good and not buy a whole lot of stuff, so I've been checking the library for movies fairly regularly and been pleased with some of the things I've gotten.

This take on Rapunzel is hilarious. A spunky princess (even if she doesn't know it), a charming rogue, and a horse & lizard who seem to know more of what's going on than their human sidekicks do, make for a good time. From Rapunzel's initial encounter with Flynn (watching her try to stuff his unconcious body in a wardrobe is priceless) to the Rogue's tavern singalong to the frying pan/sword duel ("This is probably the strangest thing I've ever done"), I laughed until I cried at the first half of this movie.

It got a little darker as the tale unfolds, and the final battle for Rapunzel's freedom from the wicked Gothel was VERY dark (funny how Disney throws traumatic events into all thier kiddie movies), but it all led up to a very HEA. Well worth watching, and try not to shoot Dr Pepper through your nose like I did when the little lizard tries to wake Flynn up. You'll see....

Questions I Find Myself Asking All Too Often

Some random, some with reason, all true...

FYI: W= asked at work, H= home, B= both

What's that smell? (B, and all too often, unfortunately)

How did my boobs get bigger when I've lost 47 pounds?!?

What's your name? (W)

Could you spell that, please? (W)

What's your report number? (W)

Was this anywhere that is going to require me to wear gloves BEFORE I touch it? (W)

WHY didn't you tell me that BEFORE I touched it?!? (W)

Do I have to? (B)

Where's your brother/sister? (usually a rhetorical question for the cats, but sometimes applies at work)

Did you see the new patterns by ?

Where is my stapler? (W)

Where are all of my pens? (B)

Why did I agree to this? (B)

When did I agree to this? (B)

Are you sure you turned it in? (W)

Do you speak English? (W)

Are you talking to me? (everywhere)

Do you know what you want yet? (usually to my father in a restaurant)

Do I look like an idiot? (B)

Are you hungry? (B)

Will you please go away? (B)

If I promise to miss you, will you go away? (W)

Can I go away?

What's that noise? (B)

Will you please go get me a Dr Pepper? (W)

Do I look/sound like I care? (B)


Is anyone reading this blog or am I just amusing myself? :-)

Libriomancer- Jim C Hines

What can I say? This book tapped into almost every geeky dream I've had. Imagine a world where a reader with the right power/imagination can pull things out of the books they read and into existance. Also, where paranormal beings come into existance based on how strongly the books they're from are read/believed in. (some of the vampire subspecies names are priceless)  In this book, those are the Libriomancers, and what they can do is amazing. Luckily, it's a rare talent, and closely monitored by a council to prevent the power from being abused. But what happens when someone goes rogue and starts a war between vampires & libriomancers? In this case, a downgraded libriomancer has to step in and save the day...and possibly the world.

Today's moment of amusement

A pair of my favorite officers wandered in. I put their evidence in, and as they were getting ready to go the conversation veered off-track and earned us an odd look from another officer who was waiting. V, who is a known goof, said " Don't mind me, my partner will tell you this is nothing unusual. I can show up wearing 2 shirts, 3 odd socks and no pants and he'll say it's one of my good days."

J, his parnter, chimed in with "I usually just say a prayer at the beginning of every shift that V not get us killed and we can go home without one or both of us going to the hospital."

The thrid officer is getting distinctly ansty at this point. I didn't help when I added "Hey, at least he got his shoes on the right feet today!"

The boys were heading out the door when I said that. V stumbled over the base of the doorway and J cracked up. "OMG, he actually looked to see if he did!"

It's the little things that amuse me.....

Personal Soundtrack

Everyone should have a personal soundtrack. Bill Cosby mentions in some of his early routines that "the monsters can't get you if you have your own music" and Keenan Ivory Wayans gets his own soundtrack at the end of "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka!"  I loved making mix-tapes (anyone else remember those or am I just old?) and still rip mix-cd's from my MP3 player. Some songs seem to make it onto nearly every tape/cd, others rotate in and out.  Here's a random list of 'my' songs for your amusement:

1. Nobody's Girl- Bonnie Raitt

2. Damn Your Eyes- Etta James

3. Tonight Is What it Means To Be Young- Fire Inc (from the Streets of Fire soundtrack)

4. Whenever I Call You Friend- Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks

5. The KKK Took My Baby Away- The Ramones (remind me to post the toll collector story someday)

6. You Never Even Called Me By My Name- David Allen Coe

7. Friends Don't Friends Dial Drunk- Plain White T's

8. Twilight Zone- Golden Earring

9. The Reflex- Duran Duran

10. Something of a Dreamer- Mary Chapin Carpenter

11. I've Done Everything For You- Rick Springfield

12. Friends in Low Places- Garth Brooks

13. I Feel Lucky- Mary Chapin Carpenter

14. Love Don't Roam- Neil Hannon (from the Doctor Who soundtrack)

15. What Makes You Beautiful- One Direction (ok, so that's a new one)

16. Enter Sandman- Metallica

17. Dragula- Rob Zombie

18. Fallen Angel- Poison

19. Headed For a Heartbreak- Winger

20. The Way That I Am- Martina McBride

21. I Drove All Night- Cyndi Lauper

22. She's In Love With the Boy- Trisha Yearwood

23. I Know Him So Well- from the original Chess soundtrack

24. Meaning of Life- Faith Hill

25. Save Up All Your Tears- Cher


This is by NO means a complete list  (obviously) and as soon as I hit publish on this I'm sure I'll think of another dozen songs that should have been included, but it gives you an idea of how eclectic my tastes are. (and how weird I am, but if you've been reading my blog, you probably already had a good idea of that) What are soem of the songs you'd include on YOUR personal soundtrack?

I love this!

A Surrey State of Affairs- Ceri Radford

I liked this one. Mind you, it was slightly predictable, but it was a fun light read. Especially for those of us with a fondness for British chick lit.

Constance is a middle aged woman whose life revolves around her family and her bell-ringing society and the blog where she records the goings on. She battles with her Lithuanian housekeeper, and makes several attempts at match-making for her children and acquaintances with spectacularly bad results. She doesn't understand her son at all, and her daughter drives her to the brink of despair by joining the cast of an awful reality show before running off with her husband's best friend.

The affair with the father's friend sends Constance's life into a major tailspin. Her husband becomes the target of a police investigation, admits to an affair, and they separate for a time while on a South American vacation. Constance throws caution to the wind and has the adventure of a lifetime traveling by herself for a time, and there is an ultimately happy ending.

It's the little things...

Ok, in the hopes of cheering myself up, I am posting a list of a few things that make me happy. I think I've done this before, but that's ok. It's my blog and I can do that. LOL

1. My grumpy little black cat being affectionate and cuddly.

2. My big fat gray cat flopping down and showing me his belly in an attempt to entice me to play with him.

3. Turkey Hill Coffee Ice Cream (one of my newer addictions)

4. Getting packages in the mail.

5. Finding DVD's I really want to watch or books I want to read on serious sale on Amazon!

6. Getting new issues of my British Cross Stitching magazines

7. Playing Bewjeweled 3 & Jewel Quest on my cellphone

8. Selling books at the used book store and getting more money for them than expected

9. BACON!!!

10. That relaxed feeling when I wake up and realize it's a day off and I don't HAVE to get up and do anything if I don't want to

11. Finding new patterns by one of my favorite cross stitch designers

12. Mentally designing/decorating my dream house & planning the extensive trip I intend to take once I win the lottery


So what makes YOU happy? Leave a comment and let me know!

Well, that was new!

After 7 years, it's rare to get something in at work that we haven't encountered at least once before, but an officer brought me something new today! A medical marijuana lollipop from a California dispensary. Still illegal to have here, but interesting. The wrapper said it would take 45-60 minutes to feel the effects after consumption. LOL

Frumpy The Clown- Judd Winick

 

I didn't watch MTV's The Real World, so I had no idea who Judd Winick was. I don't even remember how I found these books, but I'm SO glad I did. Frumpy is a 6 ft, chain smoking clown with anarchist tendencies. He moves in with a quasi-typical suburban family and proceeds to make everyone's life a litle more surreal. If you liked Bloom County, the Far Side, and Calvin & Hobbes, you'll probably love Frumpy!

Still hating my job

The vacation didn't help, although having 10 days away from the pit was lovely. More BS going on, starting the instant I walked back through the door. I didn't do myself any favors by losing my temper, which led to my bosses declaring open season on me. I have reached the point where I am seriously considering quitting, cashing in my retirement fund and living on it while I look for something else. If I have to give up my insurance, oh well. It's not like the meds are helping and the doctors refuse to treat the chronic pain and can't figure out what's causing it and my other problems. The medical bills I've racked up are adding to my stress levels, so why bother?

Maybe I'll be back on form next week. Until then, dear readers...