Resolution Solution

I wanted to have a blog posting that was really deep today since it is the last day of 2010.  I wanted to wow you with my insight on 2010.  I tried reflecting back on my year and . . . well . . . there honestly wasn't that much to reflect on.  We went to Hometown a few times, Hubby went on a few business trips, our daughter did her thing with school activities but overall it was a rather uneventful year.  As I am typing this, I am looking at a sticky note stuck to my computer monitor with my resolutions for 2010 on it.  I didn't do bad at them but I guess I could have done better.  They were 1) Live simply, 2) Cherish that which cannot be seen, and 3) Find comfort in order and awareness.  When 2010 started, I was very proud of these what I considered deep, philosophical resolutions.  These were going to change my life I thought.  But while I have worked at these I realize that they should not be new year's resolutions - they should be a way of life period.  I should not think of it as what can I do to improve in this coming year.  I should think of it as what can I do to improve my life period.  I made some progress on those resolutions but not enough.  And I don't want to give up on them just yet.  I feel there is more work to be done in these areas and just because 2010 is ending doesn't mean I should just give up on them.  And it is not just making the same resolution year after year because I didn't fulfill it last year.  My life is a work in progress - something that is constantly changing and morphing.  I'm sure these ideas will be added on to as the year progresses but as far as new year's resolutions go, my resolution is to continue improving on my last year's resolutions . . . no . . . make that to continue with my new focuses in life - to live simply, to cherish that which cannot be seen, and to find comfort in order and awareness.  Happy New Year everyone!

Insuring a Perfect Holiday

Dear Nationwide Insurance,

I would like to thank you for covering the recent copper pipe theft we experienced in the house which we are trying to sell.  You handled our claim swiftly even promising us that we were paying too much and adjusting our policy.  We appreciate all you have done for us including opening our eyes to your ridiculous practices and idiotic procedures.  Not being able to talk to an actual person at your office has been a true delight.  There is nothing I enjoy more than pushing buttons trying to get a real person.  Your front office staff has been remarkably unhelpful.  It seems they really excel at taking customers money and, if they are calling for any other reason, making sure they get disconnected.  I myself got to experience this wonderful skill during three consecutive phone calls - all within a fifteen minute span.  Now that's talent.  But most of all I would like to thank you for the wonderful Christmas greeting that arrived in our post box yesterday.  Most Christmas mail simply says "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" but no, you went with the much more original "We sincerely regret we are unable to continue your Homeowner insurance protection at this time".  Wow.  Never has a more eloquent Christmas greeting been uttered.  What an amazing gift - adjusting our policy so that our payments will be zero.  I hope you all had a magnificent Christmas break of four and a half days out of the office.  Nothing beats spending time with family especially when you drive together to your agent's office to find it dark and vacant.  Your holiday spirit in unmatched and your new year will be prosperous, without you even having to do anything to deserve it.  Thank you for making this a craptastic Christmas for me and my family.

Sincerely,
quirky me

Happy Christmahanukwanzukah To You!

Today I have taken a break from all the wrapping and baking and planning and preparing to say Happy Whatever-It-Is-You-Celebrate to you!  I'm not sure with all of the excitement of the next few days that I will be able to get to blogging.  So I want to wish you, well, to be honest, a Merry Christmas.  Christmas is what I celebrate and I don't really understand what is so bad about saying Merry Christmas.  If I say Merry Christmas to someone who is Jewish are they going to slug me?  I doubt it.  If someone who is Jewish were to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, I would feel honored that they were sharing their celebration with me.  Same goes for Kwanzaa.  Same for the Winter Solstice.  Whatever you celebrate, you should be able to wish a friendly greeting to people in that time of year.  Its too hard to remember who to say what greeting to so as not to offend anyone.  Sharing your feelings of happiness shouldn't have to be politically correct.  Its all gotten way too out of hand.  My daughter came to me the other day confused.  She was wondering if Chanukah was a politically correct way to combine Christmas and Hanukkah.  After I set her straight (and had a quick chuckle), I really got to thinking about the term Happy Holidays.  I went from thinking of it as a polite way to encompass everyone's beliefs in one salutation to thinking of it as a forced means of regulating society into being too generic.  I think we've all just gotten a little too sensitive on the topic.  What's wrong with being proud of who you are and what you celebrate.  So to all of my peeps out there - Merry Christmas!  I send you a warm greeting inviting you to share in my celebration of the joy of the season.  Be proud.  Don't wimp out with Happy Holidays.  Share your feelings and if someone says "I don't celebrate that" then ask them what they do celebrate.  You may just learn something new about them and allow them to show their pride in their beliefs and celebrations.

Christmas Krogering

This Saturday is Christmas and yesterday I had to go to the grocery store.  I would have rather licked the parking lot pavement than gone into the actual Krogers but it had to be done.  I hadn't bought anything for Christmas dinner, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas baking or, well anything food-like remotely related to Christmas.  Not to mention the usual milk and bread staples.  I was amazed at the lack of courtesy that was on display within the super mega-sized store.  I should have known not to expect much but I wasn't prepared for what I encountered.  People were acting like they were the only ones in the store - blocking aisles, grabbing items, crashing carts and generally being obnoxious.  It was like a pack of rogue monkeys was let loose in the store.  I thought maybe since its Christmas everyone will be filled with the Christmas spirit.  Apparently they checked their Christmas spirit at the door because no such luck.  I followed one lady (because there wasn't space to get around her) for at least five minutes as she strolled along at a snail's pace just to have her decide at the end of the aisle that she needed to suddenly do a 180 and hit into my cart at which point she looked at me like I suddenly jumped in HER way.  It took a total of an hour and a half to get through the store and I left without some of the things that I needed (their stock was well picked over).  And the wonderful Christmas carols that we all love just add to the aggrivation.  I really enjoy the carols when I am shopping but not in those kinds of crowds.  One cannot be calmed by "Joy to the World" when there is no joy in your world because someone just snaked the last pouch of sugar cookie mix as you reached for it.  I should have known better than to try to go to a store this close to Christmas.  This is why I shop for my gifts in September.  Too bad food expires.  Oh well, at least I don't have to go to the Wal-mart this week.

Jingle Fails

So I realized today that its the last day before Christmas break.  I remember when I was in school and it felt like we went to school all the way up to December 23rd every year.  But no, our daughter gets out of school on December 17th for Christmas.  That's over a week before Christmas actually happens.  But whatever, my complaining isn't going to change the school calendar.  It'll just make me feel better for about 2 seconds.  There - back to being annoyed.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my daughter and love spending time with her.  I just have way too much left to do before Christmas to have break start already.  I was so proud because my tree was up early but other than the tree, there's not a speck of Christmas to be seen.  Creating a holiday wonderland - Fail.  See once Christmas break starts, wrapping presents for her is not an option during the day.  So today, after my great realization, I spent over 2 hours wrapping Christmas gifts in every shape and size imaginable.  Now my shoulders hurt, my neck hurts, and I'm still not done.  Wrapping gifts early - Fail.  But hey, 2 hours now is 2 hours I don't have to spend wrapping in the middle of the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  But there is still so much more to be done.  There are still a few more presents to buy.  Shopping ahead of time - Fail.  It was much easier last year when we spent the week before Christmas in Florida at Disney World.  Everyone who wasn't bought for ahead of time got something cool from Mickey himself.  Then I had an excuse.  Most things were done well in advance and the things that weren't done ahead of time just didn't get done under the guise of "we weren't home".  Baking being one of them.  This year, I still haven't even bought the ingredients to bake anything.  Yummy Christmas cookies - Fail.  This year its back to the same old last minute wrapping and shopping and baking and decorating.  At the rate I'm going, I think I'll be done some time in - February!  But I love Christmas and I will make it happen and what doesn't happen oh well.  Christmas is about family and love and much more than cookies and presents and decorations.  Whatever happens I need to remember its my book and I write my own ending and I say it ends like this: Failing at having a wonderful Christmas - FAIL!

Wanted: Family - Must LOVE Horses

Apparently, all children in foster care get ponies for Christmas.  I don't intend to sound mean but this is my first impression of searching for children in the foster care system to adopt.  75% of the children I have found LOVE horses and enjoy riding horses and delight in tending to horses and want to live with horses.  I'm not kidding.  I have a severe allergy to horses.  So do I immediately rule these children out?  What if they seem perfect for our family in every other way except the horses?  Do you give the child an ultimatum of forever family or horse?  Should I even do that to a child?  By expressing interest am I putting them in a horrible situation?  Another 15% on top of the 75% want to be veterinarians when they grow up.  Again, allergic to animal fur here.  This is not a career choice that I can exactly promote.  Its probably the people at the stables where their ponies are kept that are encouraging this occupational path.  Wherever it is coming from its definitely not helping me.  I'm just feeling discouraged at the moment.  The whole process is frustrating.  There are so many children out there that seem like a good fit until I get to the horse and/or vet portion of their little bio.  I know they won't all become vets or olympic equestrians but how are you supposed to know which ones are truly in love with the idea and which ones said it just to have something in their bio.  Hubby came up with the idea that the horses may be a therapy thing.  Since many of the children have been through traumatic experiences or have disabilities this may be the situation, but that doesn't help me any.  Oh, and they apparently all get trampolines for their birthdays.  I don't have one of those either.

Right On Target

This is just a message for all you shoppers out there looking for those last minute Christmas prezzies.  Go to Target and then check your receipt.  It is apparently name your price time at Target.  At least it is at our Target.  We went the other night and bought two things.  When we got to the cashier with our items, he scanned the first one.  Ok fine.  He scanned the second one and it didn't come up in the system.  So he goes "Do you remember how much this costs?  Just take a guess."  Well, having the memory of an elephant and some morals worked against me this time and I answered with the correct price which he quickly typed in and charged me for the item.  Then he told us our total and it didn't sound quite right.  When I looked at the receipt on the way out, we had been charged ten dollars too much for item number one.  Before we even left the store we headed to customer service/returns and told the woman we had been overcharged by ten dollars for an item.  She said "Ok", hit a few buttons and ta-da ten dollars back in my pocket!  No questions.  No price check.  No problem.  I thought "Wow.  What a nice employee." as I left the store.  Then today we had to return something to the Target.  The people in front of us had the same problem.  They had been overcharged for something too.  Without even blinking an eye the employee (a different one than the one we had) refunded them their money.  Two theories on this - either A) Target is going with a "the customer is always right" motto for the holidays or B) Target knows that their items are scanning for the wrong prices and are trying to overcharge people without them noticing.  If they notice, good for them.  They get their money back.  If they don't, all the more money for Target.  Either way, the moral of the story is if you want to get a good Christmas deal, go to Target.  You may get to name your price.  But beware and check your receipt, or you may be out of luck!  Happy Shopping Everyone!