What would you do?

Last night after my bike ride, I was gracing Wal-Mart with my presence and buying birthday cards. When standing in line behind a woman, a boy who was about 10 and a small child (maybe 2?), the woman was holding a soft, squishy Beauty and the Beast (hi Disney!) and playing with the 2 year old. She asked the 2 year old if she wanted the ball and they kept playing.

She put her stuff on the conveyor belt, letting the child hold the ball, and paid for her items, EXCEPT FOR THE BALL. The 10 year old said "that's not ours, we didn't pay for it." The mother (guardian, adult figure - I never assume any more), gave the kid a dirty look, grabbed her cart and they walked out.

This woman STOLE from Wal-Mart and I watched it happen. Now, big deal, it's Wal-Mart right, they're a literal giant in retail. That's not the point. The point is, she stole something. I mean I've forgotten to put things on the belt before, but when I have I stop myself and go right back and pay for it. But not her, she just kept walking.

But I didn't say anything, not a word. And why do you ask? Why??? Because I'm not about to get my ass beat in a Wal-Mart or anyplace else for that matter.

So, what would you do?

Do you believe???

This is an email I sent to someone recently to get their thoughts.

Hi,
I found you through the website mentioned in the subject line and I saw the link for the paranormal site via a comment you left for (name removed). Maybe you can help.

I live with roommates and a 14 year old in a house in Stone Mountain, GA that was built in the 60s, the house it approximately 40 years old.

The 14 year old has seen on 2 separate occassions a "black mist" - the second time he saw it, he said that he felt scared and paniced. He also said that whatever it was was angry. When his mother asked him how he knew that, he said "I just felt it mom, it was very angry." Of course he's a little scared now.

To the best of everyone's knowledge, no one has died in this house. an elderly couple lived here and the husband passed in a hospital, the wife moved to the Mother in Law suite as she had difficulty getting up and down the stairs. I live in the Mother in Law suite as it's like a studio apartment and I don't feel uncomfortable. I have had trouble sleeping but i think its due to an incredible amount of stress right now.

There are 5 dogs that live in the house as well. Not sure if that matters or not, I've just always known that animals can sense things humans cannot.

Can you give any thoughts or suggestions? We are having a Buddhist Monk or a Raike (sp?) master come bless the house very soon.

I'd appreciate any thoughts that you might have.

So...thoughts, opinions, etc? Do you believe? I certainly don't think we walk this earth alone and really if there is something there that can't seem to make it to the other side, I want to either a) help it on it's journey or b) let it know that the home and the land is in good, caring hands.

What in the hell?

I read this article posted here,
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/CaringForParents/
and couldn't believe what I was reading. I wonder what makes these kids (even "adult kids") think they have any rigth whatsoever to take money from the very same people who raised them.

This blows my mind.

Some things about me

This won't be one of those 100 Things About Me lists, but just a few things to pass the downtime at work.

-I'm 34
-I'm gay
-I'm 5'6 with hazel eyes and brown hair that I dye auburn
-I have a Westie named Maximus (Max for short) - I adopted him, he's a good boy
-I'm a first time aunt
-I like kids, alot, but don't have any of my own
-I have good friends
-I live in Atlanta, in a MIL Suite, which is bigger than any studio apartment in Atlanta, I only have to share the kitchen area.
-I love shoes
-I play softball and like to be active
-I cycle almost daily. Small rides during the week (6 miles or so) and longer rides (30 miles or so) on Saturday or Sunday
-I'm a former English teacher
-I now work in IT
-I prefer protein over carbs
-I LOVE unsweet tea
-I was born and raised in NY
-I've lived in NYC and Boston
-I've had 2 serious relationships
-They ended poorly
-I like burnt toast, I will purposefully burn it, this is the only way I'll eat white bread
-I wear glasses and look damn good in them
-I like to laugh
-I like wine
-Mean people piss me off
-I am OCD about cleaning
-I starch and iron ALL of my work shirts
-I fold my laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer
-I drive a Mustang
-Cockroaches gross me out
-Snakes, spiders and other bugs don't bother me at all
-My parents are still married....to each other
-I have a brother and a sister, I'm the oldest
-I have no living grandparents
-That makes me sad, sometimes
-Sometimes I am overly sensitive, sometimes I don't care
-I am a Pisces (maybe I spelled that wrong)
-I use the "F" word far to often, but I'm getting better with it
-I love to cook
-Passive-aggressive people bother me
-One of my favorite quotes is this: "Expecting the world to treat you well because you think you're a good person, is like asking the bull to stop charging because you're a vegetarian."
-I try to lead a good life and be kind to everyone
-I hold people to very high standards, because I do the same for myself
-I won't ever wear a dress
-I love FLIP FLOPS
-Vanilla and lavender are 2 of my favorite scents
-Autumn is my favorite season
-I was told once, by a friend of a friend, who I'd never met, "you have the most beautiful eyes, so full of life."
-This compliment bothered my partner of the time so much that she made fun of me, then didn't speak to me for a week.
-I have a bad habit of taking care of everyone else before I take care of myself
-I chew gum like a madman

That's all for now. If there's anything you'd like to know, please ask.

Seriously, I don't get it

Okay, I know I've said it before, but I'm beginning to wonder if something's wrong with me in terms of dating several people, finding a partner (I'm in no hurry), or dating someone exclusively.

Here's what I know. I'm picky, not picky to the point where I think no one is good enough for me, but picky to the point where the other person must be able to carry a conversation, be semi-intelligent, think on their own, employed and I don't care what you do, I'm not looking for someone to take care of me, nor am I currently looking to financially support someone either, should be kind to others, especially animals, elderly and children and generally be a good person. They don't have to be HOT, but they have to care enough about themselves to keep themselves up. Make sense? I mean this emotionally, spiritually and yes, physically. I'm not a bombshell, but I'm not a slob either.

I've tried the dating sites, match.com, singlesnet.com, you name it, I'm pretty sure I've tried it. Now have I met people, yes, I've met 3 people and we are friends, just friends and I'm okay with that, but....there's one of the 3 that I really like and I have to shove those feelings down for fear of things being awkward or for losing a good, dare I say great, friend.

I'm educated, smart, successful, keep my finances in order, pay my bills, make time for friends and family, not too shabby looking and yet....nothing. It's been almost 4 years that I've been single and I can't figure it out, I really can't.

The lesbian scene in Atlanta is BRUTAL, in my opinion. Very pretentious and I'm just not that way. Don't get me wrong, I can and have hung with the best of them, but I'm so not impressed with where you live, what you live in, what you drive, how much money you make, etc, etc.

If anyone can shed some light on this, feel free, I'll take all the advice I can get.

Just sayin...

Fish does not belong in the office EVER!!!!! Now the whole office stinks like ass and GUESS who sits right next to the breakroom? Yep, yours truly.

Lamb Chop Part Deux?

I thought I had seen everything. I mean teaching in the Bronx, living in NYC, living in Boston and now Atlanta, but oh no, no I had not seen everything until last night.

Last night I had to make a pit stop at the QT (it's a gas station), because as the commercial says, "I had to go right now". So I walk into the bathroom and I hear this mom talking to her kid, but she's talking in this real funny, high-pitched voice. I didn't think much of it, because I thought, well maybe that's how she really sounds, she was in a stall, so who knows. And she's saying things like, "flush that toilet, boy, now let's go wash our hands". Normal, right?

But, nooooo, she comes out of the stall with her kid and she has a RACOON PUPPET on her hand. And she's talking THROUGH the puppet, thus, the higher-pitched voice. Although my raccon would have been all manly and kick-ass like. But I digress.

We looked right at each other, I said, "hi", she said "hi" (via the puppet) and I went into the stall. When she was gone, I laughed to hard, I was choking. It gets better.

She was still in the QT with her kid, getting a Coke or something and she's STILL talking through the puppet, the kid is about 5 or 6 and he's encouraging her. I couldn't help but simultaneously think, "okay, weirdo" and "wow, you got alot of cajones for doing that in public." I wasn't really embarrassed for her, I was sort of envious, you know?

But funny? Oh my HELL it was funny and something I'll never forget.

One of My Favorite Songs - Says Things Nicely

It's amazing to me
but I can't Seem to say
what I'm doing here
My tongue is all twisted around the air
I'm looking for words that were so well rehearsed
But I can't find them anywhere
With you there's no easy answer
It's true

You change the equation that I add up to
And all of the things I thought I knew
You turn it around
I'm amazed
When push comes to shove what I'd give to you
Everything I'm amazed

The hallways I wouldn't mind crawling through
And I'd do it for days and days
I'm amazed, I'm amazed
That places your taking me to

Wait, I thought I had this downI built all my cages and my hide outI covered all my bases
But you
You creep in like a whisper
I try not to listen but I hear you
I don't know just what it is you do
But do it again

I'm amazed
When push comes to shove what I'd give to you
Everything
I'm amazed
The walls that I wouldn't mind crashing through
And I'd do it for days and days
I'm amazed, I'm amazed
At all of the things I know you have done
Cause this time I think we've really won
That tables have turned

Now I'm taking my hat off to you
You said "we'll see"
But darling it's all clear to me
I'm amazed

And here in the foyer the hallway is small
I don't really think it's a hallway at all
It's a maze
Johnny your suitcase was finally received
She's packed up her things and she's ready to leave
It's amazing

All of the ink that was bled from your hands
Has painted a picture that she understands
It's amazed

And here by the ocean the sky's full of leaves
And what they can tell you depends on what you believe
It's a maze
The ass is a tree and the voices were three
And all that is gone is here sweeping through me
It's amazing
The voice of my father still loud as before
It used to scare me but not anymore

The hell which is Delta and the Atlanta airport

So yep, I made the mistake of traveling on Thursday, the 10th, when all that stuff came down about the 11 planes headed to the US from London. Did I do this on purpose? No. but yes, that is my luck. Unfortuneately, I flew, or attempted to fly Delta.

In regards to my flight time, I call a Delta rep (HA HA HA) and say, "in your expert opinion, given that my flight is later tonight, would it be in my best interest to be at the airport 3 hours early"?. His response (by the way, I LOVE outsourced help), "well you could do that". THAT was an EXPERT opinion. Well, no shit, Sherlock, I COULD do that but would you recommend it? Of course I didn't ask that aloud, my hell, it would have shut his brain down for a good 10 minutes.

So, I get to the airport, 3 hours early, it's 4 p.m., I breeze through security, shoes off, ready to go, get my shoes back on and get to the gate, it's 4:30. My flight leaves at 7:30 and I'm okay with that, I start to read Eat, Pray, Love. Good book by the way.

We get bumped from 7:30 to 8:25, the gate agent who looks and sounds like the little black woman from Police Academy is saying something that is barely understandable into the microphone about why the flight is canceled. Someone yells, "speak up, please". Her response to this is to stop talking and hang the "mic" up. I thought, NOW is not the TIME for your fear of crowds to kick IN, dammit. We get bumped to 9:35. First we get told, by a different person that it's because of the weather and yes it was raining and YES the Atlanta airport loses thier shit when it rains, good thing it doesn't SNOW.

We get bumped to 10:25, by now people are getting that "red rum" look in their eyes, because NO ONE that works for Delta is communicating with us, not ONE PERSON. The rain has now stopped. We get bumped to 11:35. By this point I've been in the airport for 7 hours and 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes counts!

At 11:50 the CANCEL the flight, here's the reason. "The FAA sets forth regualtions that states that pilots can't fly beyond 8 hours a day and now we can't find a crew to fly the plane." I'm ready to fly that bitch myself. I find this hard to believe as a Delta flight to Tennessee leaves right behind us and I'm only going to OHIO.

People were pissed and that's an understatement. By this time, any viable option that people had to catch other flights has long passed, the airport is shutting down. Don't bother to go to baggage claim, there's 2000, yes 2000 people down there and security isn't letting anyone back up. ALL the hotels in Atlanta near the airport were booked solid, but on behalf of Delta, let us offer you this see-through, flimsy, couldn't wipe your butt with it, blanket, because, folks, Welcome to CHEZ HARTSFIELD. (that's the name of the Atlanta airport).

Oh right, I had been up since 5 a.m. so by this time, I've been awake for 17 hours and have been in the airport for 7 of those hours.

I stand in 3 different lines trying to get the first fight out that I can and only when I get a 10:12 on Friday morning do I attempt to find a nice, quiet corner to close my eyes. I find this corner on the floor of the "D" terminal that they are remodeling, but I'm in the ghetto section, because as you are walking to the gate I was leaving from, they had only gotten half-way with the remodeling and it's like walking from Park Avenue into the GHETTO complete with nasty ass carpet that you PRAY is stained by soda, coffee, etc. This is at 3 a.m. I've now been awake for 20 hours to go to OHIO to surprise my friend for her birthday. I lay down on my "blanket" and...

I just get my eyes closed and this piercing alarm goes off. They decided to test the alarms in the airport at 3:15 a.m. From that point on I was awake.

At 10:12 a.m. Friday morning I board my flight to OHIO. I've been awake for 29 hours and at the airport for who frikken CARES, I've been awake for 29 hours. We leave, I sleep for 1 hour on the plane, so now I've been awake for 28 hours. I get off the plane, they've LOST my luggage, I have a concert to go to that night for my friend. I have to buy new clothing. Everything, from the panties to the shoes AND toiletries because I checked all that in. Hell no, I'm not throwing that stuff away via carry-on.

I do not get a nap before the concert. It starts at 8 p.m. I stay awake for 42 hours, car ride to show, show, car ride home.

I collapse into bed.

-42 hours to get to Ohio (250.00 bucks)
-spending the night in the ghetto part of the Atlanta airport to surprise a friend of 6 years for her birthday and then having to replace lost luggage (200.00)
-actually having a good time at the American Idol Concert (because it's HER birthday, you hate that show) (60.oo bucks)
-friend being pissy because she doesn't like surprises (PRICELESS)

I hope this never ever ever happens to any of you.