ALOT is not a word. I do not know what it means, as it is not in a dictionary. If you mean to say that there is a great quantity of something, you would use two words, a lot. Also, wikipedia is not a substitute for learned knowledge.
Furthermore, I do not understand the rampant use of abbreviations and purposeful misspellings. Please act like you have at least an elementary grasp of the English language.
Thank you. That is all.
P.S. Lawl. Iz onlee kddng? Kthxbai.
Back in Ought-Three, my sister rented a storage unit to store her belongings while she was working/living in India. The rental has remained in her name ever since and our family has used it to store various things along the way. It’s most recent contents were most of my belongings from my dorm room freshman year, a rolltop desk of my sister’s, and various textbooks/notes of my mother’s from her graduate days. We’ve never been very good at remembering to pay the bill on time or even the gate code, so we’ve had numerous lockouts and threats of auctions but we’ve always retained our property.
Until today.
My mom took me over to the unit because it had been in lien (yet again). We were going to buy a new lock and get some of the things from my dorm room, especially bedding, because it was all cute and pink and I thought it would look simply smashing in my daughter’s bedroom. We bought a new lock, they took us over to the unit, removed the company locks, I waited while the employee when to get wire cutters to remove the tag, blah blah blah. She opens the garage-style door and nothing. It’s completely empty except for the cut lock that they removed.
“So, where’s my stuff?”
About a week ago there was a number of break ins in that complex, all in the same building (mine!) and needless to say, my crap was stolen. The property manager showed me the video from break in while we waited for the cops and there in the back of one of the getaway cars was my sister’s rolltop desk. Of course we didn’t have any insurance to cover it. What really stings is that it wasn’t valuable stuff, not monetarily speaking anyway. This isn’t the first time that we’ve had something stolen from us and it just sucks. It makes you feel violated and vulnerable all in the worst way. I’m not worried about being compensated or anything like that and I realized that in the grand scheme of things, it was low on the radar of bad situations but why me? We got back to Phoenix very early in May and since then I have wanted to go get stuff from the unit. I didn’t have a gate-key and my name wasn’t on the lease so I was waiting for my sister to take me over there and she had no intention of going. I just feel stupid. I will never understand why people commit crimes. What drives a person to do something so depraved?
Let’s preface this with the fact that I work in a Safeway Starbucks. If you’re not familiar, we have to pay for our drinks, but the money we spend goes toward Safeway Fuel Rewards, after you spend so much ($100), you get a $.10 discount off every gallon of gas on your next fill-up (at a Safeway Filling Station, of course).
I worked this morning, it wasn’t overly busy but definitely steady. No time to just sit on my haunches. After work, my daughter and I checked out the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile that was parked outside, got our picture taken and of course, a wiener whistle. I wanted to run a few errands and I wanted to be quick about it since my daughter really needed a nap. So, what errands did I need to run? Well, I earned a fuel reward and I needed gas so I decided to go to the nearest Safeway Gas Station, which is not my store but a few miles away. So, I go to the pump first. I put in my club card, my credit card and am ready to fill up but notice the pump hasn’t given me my discount. So, I had to get the attendant to fix it for me. Okay, no problem. Then, I needed just a couple items (4 to be exact) from the grocery store, so I ran inside the store, picked up the items (especially buying Safeway-brand because I get a 10% discount, not much but hey, you take what you can get) and then I brought them over to that Safeway Starbucks (to get my Iced Grande 2= Room Americano) and pay for my selections.
Holy crap, you’d have thought that I ordered 27 drinks and had at least 50 items to ring up. The barista was alone (hey, the store was empty) and didn’t seem to be very uh, on top of things. I wanted to wring his neck, or maybe just shove him aside, grind my own beans (side note, I bought a pound of the Gazebo blend and I absolutely love this stuff! I’m not much of a drip coffee person, but I am learning so very much about it at my new job and I think it’s amazing), ring up my groceries, and make the damned Americano myself. First off, I had to ask him to put ice in the cup before he poured the shots. Uh, that’s the standard for making an iced Americano. If he was new, he shouldn’t have been alone, so there is no excuse for that. He took 2 years to grind the beans, and I’m not talking about the actual grind cycle, he obviously had trouble opening the bag and then as I was putting my groceries into my [REUSABLE!!] bag, he informed me that he hadn’t seen one of the items and therefore hadn’t rung it up.
Okay, I’m already ticked off at this point. My daughter starts running off toward the balls (plastic, inflated ones you sicko) and I’m trying to keep her in check while simultaneously trying to tell this kid how to do his job without being condescending, paying for the separate purchase (damn you, Red Baron Pizza!), and not losing it right there and then. And to add insult to injury, my 10% discount would not come up. I could have saved $.68 and now what will I do? Finally, we got out of there to run our last errand and finally go back home. We ran over to the Einstein Brother’s Bagels to pick up a half dozen and a sandwich for me, but it was so crowded that I 86-ed the sandwich and got out of there before my hair started to go grey (from stress mind you, not old age).
So, now I sit here, ever so more calm than before with my cinnamon-sugar bagel and a glass of ice water. You know, in hindsight, I probably didn’t need the Americano and it’s 225 mg of caffeine, nor the trouble it caused me buying my other items at that particular till. Live and learn they say, but I find way too many people not doing the latter, that poor barista for instance… Someone should tell him not to quit his day job. Or, wait, that he SHOULD quit. Just not me, I don’t want the bad karma but especially not the bad espresso shots.
I’ve often wondered this and about many things. But specifically I am referring to adults. That’s my main concern. At what age do you have to get your sh… uh, act together and stop acting like a dunce?
I don’t expect 18 year olds to act like fully grown adults. In most ways, they are not adults. While they have reached an age of maturity that is accepted by our government, most 18 year olds are not independent and rely quite heavily on their parents.
College students. Well, there are a lot of college students that make it on their own. They use loans, scholarships, grants, jobs, etc to pay for their books, housing, tuition, food, and whatever else. There are also a lot of college students that still expect their parents to do everything for them. Laundry, money, homework, what have you. I understand living at home. If you can manage it and your parents approve, why not save some money for later? But living at home just so you have someone to cook you dinner, do your laundry, make your bed, and save you money so you can go out partying every weekend, swear you won’t drink again, and then get wasted less than 24 hours later, is ridiculous.
I don’t think that every kid should go out and flip burgers or bag groceries as soon as s/he is able, but there does come a time when it’s appropriate to get a job and learn the glories of earning and spending money. That’s an important talk that parents should have with their children as well, long before the wonders of the birds and bees, mind you. I should have gotten a part time job before I did, at least a couple of years. Not only is it a good learning experience, but I’m quite social, and it gives you another outlet. Unless of course, you work somewhere where you hate everyone else or where they don’t speak English. I also wish my parents had taught me a thing or two about money, but honestly, I think when I was young, they didn’t really know that much about it either.
So, to bring me back to my point, when do we have to grow up? By what age do you think that it’s no longer acceptable to be living with mom & dad? Personally, I think 25 is the absolute latest. I mean, doesn’t it hurt your odds of getting laid? “We’ve got to be quiet, because my dad is a light sleeper…” is not exactly a turn-on.
I like to plan ahead. I feel better when I’ve mapped out a pretty clear stratagem. Obviously, I can’t account for all forces of nature and/or acts of God but at least if I am confronted with a nasty hail storm of fire, I can pull out my plan and watch as it turns to ash.
My point is that I love to be prepared but I keep it in mind that anything can change without so much as a moment’s notice. I do have obsessive compulsive personality disorder and that complicates things a bit considering I’m also a mother but I think it helps as well. I might not have known what to do with a newborn, but I knew how to make my house, car, and life ready for one. I don’t really have a motto, but if I did, it would be something like, “Prepare for what you can but be willing to adapt when necessary.”
I’m really pretty laid back. I have been described, on more than one occasion, as being a very passionate person. And I am. When something or someone strikes a chord with me, I am truly captivated. I will fight for what I believe in and I will admit when I realize that I’ve been holding onto something not because I understand it or agree with it but because it was comfortable. I can change, I can allow new forces into my life. I always thought that I was horrible with change. The funny thing is, you would think that after becoming a mother, I would try and beat it off with a baseball bat. But I welcome it with open arms now.
For so long I protected myself from the world because I had been hurt. I had felt so much pain that I decided I didn’t want to feel anything. Then, I got to a point where I was just a zombie–no relationships, no feelings, and a real, desperate desire to bite human flesh… I wanted to feel anything even if it was heartache and loves lost. Pain brought me back from my state of zomboid and pain is what makes me a better person. When I can feel my heart aching, I can feel it expanding.
How have I changed since motherhood? How haven’t I changed? My life began and ended at the same time. I grew up, I knew that I couldn’t put myself first anymore. I knew that everything was going to change. And the funny thing is that I have never been that great with change. Was I afraid? Of course, but my desire for a family outweighed my fears. I was relatively calm and serene while I was pregnant, the only thing that truly scared me was the idea of labor and delivery but I knew that one day, the baby was going to come out so I just had to deal with it.
I haven’t read a lot of parenting books. And the ones I have, I haven’t read from cover to cover. I haven’t had a lot of questions over the last couple of years about my baby’s eating or sleeping or pooping habits. When my daughter would get sick, I had questions, so I would call the doctor or my mother but I was never terribly worried. I’ve never felt the need to join a bunch of playgroups or Mommy and Me classes, I haven’t spent a bunch of time in Mommy blogrings or chatboards (do those still exist?).
I’m not saying that I’m a perfect mom or that I have all the answers but I have just never felt so unsure or uneasy that I needed a lot of help. Part of who I am is a loner, I have done and will continue to do most things on my own. Though I take my daughter with me now, I still see it as being alone because she is an extension of me. I think that I was waiting my whole life to have her. Don’t get me wrong, my life hasn’t always been about having babies and it still isn’t all about having babies. But my life was definitely incomplete before. And in many ways, it still is. I have yet to fill my life with all the things that I truly care about, but at least I have gotten started.
In many ways, I have felt alienated from other mothers. Either because of my age (I was 20 when my daughter was born, you should have seen some of the looks I’ve gotten) or because I chose to stay at home instead of going back to work. Being a mother means making a choice between something bad and something unpleasant. There are no black and white, right and wrong choices.
This is my story. I met my husband on May 28, 2005. We dated off and on all during that summer and come mid-August we were very much together and going back to college. We celebrated my birthday together (September 17th) and by mid-October I found out I was pregnant. We decided to move back to our homes (away from the University in Tempe), drop out of school and get full-time jobs. I was working by December and him by January. We moved in together mid-February, had our baby in June and were married by August. That’s it. I’ve known him 3 years and we’ve been married almost 2. I’m not particularly proud of this story (as it shows a lack of discretion) but I wouldn’t have it any other way. One change, and I probably wouldn’t have my beautiful daughter with me now.
What do you think about mistakes in your life that have led to wonderful outcomes?
Subject: Help solve high energy costs
Hi,
Al Gore took a big risk when he called on us to get 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean sources within 10 years.
I just signed a petition to support Al Gore’s ambitious challenge. Together, we’ll urge Obama, McCain, and Congress to get on board.
Can you join me? Just click here:
Thanks!
400 pennies. It seems like a lot, and it surely is if you actually do have 400 pennies lying around. Depending on where you go, it can buy you some pretty cool stuff. For instance, you could buy a couple items from a fast food dollar menu. You could buy an EP on iTunes or a number of books off of half.com. You could go to your local Starbucks and buy a tall Frappuccino for $3.74 (with tax, that’s what it costs at my store), but Frappuccinos are probably one of the most expensive drinks — though when you add syrup, breve, and 4 extra shots, it’s going to be expensive no matter what you order.
I am actually employed by Safeway, not Starbucks, so I don’t get free drinks or even a discount! Of course, being around coffee all day makes me want to have a drink of my own, but how do I choose a tasty drink without immediately handing over my paycheck?
First off, I never buy drip coffee. It’s just a waste, instead, buy yourself a home brewer and your own beans. Second, no Frappuccinos ever. Not only are they high on the price scale but high on the caloric intake scale as well. Side note, don’t kid yourself into ordering a Frappuccino Light. Most of the calories saved come from not getting the whipped cream. Thirdly, I stay away from the syrups. I don’t really enjoy my coffee when it’s really sweet, I prefer it with milk. That brings me to my last point, if you get a cold drink, you can add milk to your liking for free — we always have milk out with the sugar. Say for instance, I wanted an iced latte. I would order an iced Americano, whatever size in the next larger cup (i.e. the grande in a venti) and add the milk myself. That trick alone saves you over a dollar.
You’re probably thinking, “umm, doesn’t an Americano have water added to it?” If you order it hot, yes the espresso is combined with hot water. Now, as far as the iced version is concerned, there is some controversy. Some say the ice acts as the water, and others will still add cold water to the ice and espresso. As for me, only ice please.
So basically, while I am at work, I think up ways to order something cheap while still getting a deliciously refreshing drink. Actually, we have a promotion going on right now where if you come in the morning, we give you a special receipt that will give you a dollar off any cold beverage if you come back after 1 PM. So, instead of spending $10 a day, you’ll only spend $9. Isn’t that nifty? If you ask me, if Starbucks were to lower the price of their coffees and pastries just a small amount, people might come back in the same day.
I bet you thought I was going to talk about gas prices or groceries. Admittedly, I was going to. But I thought, what good is it to gripe about the high cost of food considering I am going to pay that amount no matter what I do. But see, coffee is a luxury. No one needs to get their caffeine jolt everyday, but they WANT it. And so do I, so why not find a way to buy my coffee and drink it too.
It’s been a month now since my little girl turned 2. She has a very sweet disposition and is prone to cuddling, hugs and kisses, and now that she’s got more than 5 words to her vocabulary, she can answer my “I love you” with an “I love you too, Momma!” So, I never thought much of those dreaded terrible twos. If only I had known.
There are so many things that are changing and developing with Gigi right now that I can hardly blame her for the occasional fusses and tantrums, but I think I am about to pull my hair out.
She has always been a very talented and faithful eater (she gets this from me, no doubt!) but recently she has started to get picky. Now, I wasn’t very worried about it because most child-rearing books will tell you that even a picky eater is getting enough to eat. But then, she started to play with the food she didn’t want to eat. At that, she succeeded in making an even larger mess than if she had attempted to eat it. The pickiness comes and goes, there is no certain food that she will or will not eat, but just depending on her mood or even the time of day, something she might ordinarily love she will throw on the floor. Cute, isn’t it?
Now, however, she doesn’t seem to be getting enough. Every time I turn around, she is rifling through our cabinets or trying to open the fridge. I woke up at 3:15 the other morning to the sound of her crying and when I went in to check on her she greeted me with an, “EAT! EAT!” I made pancakes at 3:30 AM while watching Harry Potter on DVD (which, by the way, she is completely obsessed with, and will watch with more rapt and attention than any animated Disney Film or dreaded Barbie Princess movie).
The latest installment of this oh-so-lovely stage is her strike on sleep. She has been refusing to nap and screaming till she’s blue in the face when we put her down at night. Nothing in our normal bedtime routine has changed lately, so I can only imagine that something is going on with her. My husband and I have decided that it’s time for not only a nightlight but perhaps a small radio or CD player so she can drift off to dreamland to the sleepy, soulful sounds of Brahms, Mozart, and other such nursery lullabies.
We are also trying to potty train right now, but with no enforced emphasis. My goal in that area is to have her completely out of diapers by age 3. I’m taking it slow so as not to scare her. I know I can’t remember when I was being toilet-trained but from what I have heard, it can be quite a traumatic and detrimental experience (but where does the poopy go?).
So, I have lost a bit of sleep lately (and perhaps my patience, on the rare occasion) but all-in-all, the terrible-ness has been quite tame. Hopefully, this isn’t just the tip of the iceberg and that I haven’t just jinxed myself!
As with all things, the good comes hand-in-hand with the not-so-good. Probably the cutest thing to come out of her growing independence is her newfound obsession with shoes and has been caught walking around the house in both our shoes!
I received this message when I logged into Xanga, it read,
“i would like to secretly adore you from afar.
If you like erotica then we have two things in common!
Rush”
So, thinking that instead of blocking, I would try my hand at the anti-spam. Here is my reply,
“Dear Rush, that is sweet. But you have already blown the secret!”
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