Blue....

Welcome friends.  Today is a day of sorrow and a day of celebration.  I have to say goodbye to my trusty shovel, Blue, and welcome a new shovel friend to my home. 

Yep, I name my shovels.  Don't you?

I know that people name things for the sake of naming them.  It might be out of admiration, it might be out of respect, or it is named because you spend so much time with it.  My husband named his truck, Blackie, and his VW Beetle, Herbie.  Those are his inanimate friends that he named all on his own.  So what if the name Blackie came from the fact that his truck's color is black.  It is not like it was tied to a personality...  or is it.  Lately, that truck has been the black hole in needing repairs.  Needless to say, they have their names and that is just fine by me.  Luckily, my husband is a mechanic and can fix his own darn truck.

As for me, I rarely name inanimate things.  I am a hairdresser and I do not name my tools, I am a housewife and I do not name my cleaning supplies, but I have one area in my life that I have named something besides my daughter and the family pets....  I name my snow removal gear,  I have a collection of shovels, my husband has a small collection of snow blowers that I use and since I spend so much time with them in the winter, I decided to name them all.

Let me introduce you to my winter friends....

Lets start with the snow blowers.  There is Little First Blower, he is the first snowblower that I got my husband for our first Christmas together...  December of 1998.  That crazy little machine got it's workout a month later with a major snowfall.  Something like 21 inches in 24 hours.  What a trooper for a little machine. Then there is Big Red.  My husband found him in the garbage along the road on his way to work.  Darn thing looked like brand new and probably was, but needed one little part to make it work.  A $12.00 investment later and a about 20 minutes with it, it works like it just got out of the box.  Then there is Nelly.  This huge machine that we got from a friend that worked for the school district.  It just needs a muffler, but since my husband loves loud stuff, we never got her a muffler.  She is the only snow blower that has gears in order to get her to move.  Just to back her up, you need to put this thing in reverse.  Neutral to stay in one place and three gears ranging from a snails pace to a brisk walk to move forward.  Lousy on turns, quite big and a real pain for me to maneuver.  Got the name Nelly because my first time using that thing, I got dragged down the driveway and I started screaming, "Woah Nelly!"  I might not be a big fan of snow blowers because my driveway is old and uneven and they cannot get all the snow, but I appreciate them to do the real heavy work for me when I am not up to heaving heavy snow.  If they get most of the snow, I am happy, but I will go back with one of my trusty shovels to clean up what the snowblower missed.  Call it OCD, but I like a clean driveway and sidewalk.

Now, on to the trusty friends that I prefer to use....  My shovels.  Yes, I have had quite a few.  Most of them did not get names.  In the past 13 years I have lived in my home, I have probably gone through 3 or 4 shovels that I never named.  I am down to 4 in my garage, and their names are....  Busted Red, Hope, Bertha, and Blue.  Busted Red is my cracked shovel that my husband drove over, and now has the job of being a dustpan for leaves in the fall.  Have not parted with it, just changed it's career path.  Hope is another red shovel, but is really lousy at scraping to the bottom.  It's shape is not ergonomic for me.  Every time I use it, I 'hope' it can accomplish what I set it out to do.  Bertha is a solid metal snow shovel.  Weighs a ton.  We use her to scrape the compacted stuff off the driveway if it is really stubborn.  Then there is my trusty friend for the past 5 winters... Blue.  That shovel was perfect for me.  Completely ergonomic to my frame, was able to scrape off compacted snow with ease, lightweight so my back did not hurt, reliable and represents the color I feel when I have to do all the shoveling... Blue.  She was awesome!!  Sadly, since being a plastic shovel, I knew that it was only a matter of time that she would wear out.  He plastic edge that was sharp would become worn away.  I have hoped that she could finish the season out, but alas, she can't go no further.  So sad.

Since today is garbage day, and the weather channel predicts yet another barrage of snow to fall, I have to say goodbye to my trusty friend and let her legacy be recycled into something else.  Yes, a tear will be shed when the garbage truck makes its appearance.  I just might be playing TAPS as I send her off.  Memories will be all that is left of her, but I will have a new shovel friend to name today.  So goodbye trusty friend, shoveling might not be the same anymore.  I just hope that I can find another shovel that can do all that you have done for me for so many years.  You were the best shovel ever... remember that.  My garage will not feel the same.  Maybe I will send you off with Hope.  She needs a new lease on life, too.  Now, I am off to find a new shovel friend.....  Life goes on.....

Getting out of my comfort zone.....

Being the creative person that I am, I love my job as a hairdresser.  Not many people can say they love their job, but I do.  The satisfaction of seeing a person transform in front of my eyes is such a sight to see.  Seeing the smile on their face after I work on their hair is the biggest compliment I can get for a job well done.  Hey, tipping is always appreciated, but knowing that this person will come back to see me again is quite a reward for a job well done.  I just hate being a secret.

The service industry is in a pinch.  People have been losing their jobs, their homes and some seem to have lost hope.  When money is tight, people find ways to cut back and save money.  It could be clipping coupons, eating at home instead of out all the time, walking to work to save on gas for their car...  So many things change when you are required to be on a budget.  I see less and less regularity for my clients when it is time to get their hair done.  In fact, I have lost a few clients over the past year.  I miss each and every client that I have lost.

Since there is more time in the day that I have open for new clients, I try my hardest to "sell myself".  Nope, not pimping like a prostitute, but convincing people to come and see me for their haircare needs.  What makes it harder is that the salon I work for is considered a salon/spa combo.  Which means... we are not the cheapest, but we are not the most expensive.  Well, since money is a valued thing and it is not as abundant in anyone's checkbook or wallet, it is considered a luxury to go to where I work.  People are opting to go to those in and out chain salons that charge a small amount for haircuts, buying box color at the grocery store, and even trying to cut their own hair.  The ones that still make the investment to get their hair done by me have been waiting even longer to come and see me.  What was every 4-6 weeks has been stretched out to 2-3 months.  I love my job, but sitting around does not pay the bills....  Feast or famine, kiddo... Feast or famine is my world.

Now, since I take so much pride in what I do, I know that the clients I have will come back (unless they move away or die).  I have never been a pushy saleswoman, I do not demand that they pre-book their next appointment, and I only suggest what products they need to take care of their hair at home.  Sadly, I have a client base that cannot sell me to their friends and family.  Referrals are hard to come by if you are "their little secret to looking good".

But where do I go from here?  What do I need to do to rebuild my crumbling service job I love so much?  I have spent my time in those chain salons...  quantity over quality...  impersonal service...  selling my talents for mere pennies.  Call me a prude or a princess, but I prefer that I cut clean hair.  Those places just spray down dirty hair with water and cut away.  Just the thought of running my fingers through unwashed hair makes my skin crawl, but it is cheaper to not get shampooed and that is what people are doing...  skipping the shampoo to save some money.  People are willing to forgo personalized service, be treated like a number and sent on their way...  all for the low, low price of $8.00 for a haircut!  Maybe, if you are lucky, they might actually spring a dollar for a tip.  No wonder I have seen some really bad haircuts walk out of that place.  Those stylists have sold their soul.  If their work is any indication...  They hate where they work.

Every stylist, upon graduation from beauty school has put in some time in what other stylists call a "chop shop".  There are a select few that took the biggest risk and worked at a salon that you need to build a client base.  The difference between a chop shop and a salon is how you get paid.  Chop shops pay a meager hourly wage and one commission check (less your hourly wage) a month.  The more you bring in, the more money you can make.  A salon pays commission only; you get a percentage of what you do for a client, so sitting around earns you... nothing.  It is hard core, but it is worth it if you are always busy.  The cost for a haircut is totally different in each place; a chop shop charges under $10, a salon charges more.  The atmosphere is different, the service is different, and your end result is different. 

I remember being told, back in beauty school, that the only maker of your destiny is... you.  I was under the impression that it was in regards to how hard you work, and how good you are at what you do.  I never was told that I had to sell myself.  Now I understand.  But, how do I do it?  How can I build a client base if the people are avoiding the salon to save some money?  I have cut prices, offered free stuff, asked for referrals and even offer discounts to new clients.  I even offer little freebies to the clients I already have to try to keep them coming back.  Since my selling abilities are nil, I need to find a solution.  I was talking to another stylist that is always busy and that the economy has not put a pinch in her paycheck.  Her suggestion is to "get out of my comfort zone".  

Okay little miss money maker, how does one get out of their comfort zone?  I am darn good at my job, I listen to my clients, and I always go the extra mile for them.  I don't sell.... I suggest.  How does one sell something if nobody is buying?

Her reply was....  Try harder.

HA!  This "old dog" has been trying for years.  It is a complete and utter failure.  I have ventured to trying things just shy of giving it all away for free.

Hmmm... Free.  Maybe I need to give away my services for free in order for someone to really offer to give out referrals.  My question is... Are people willing to follow through with the promise to get their friends and family in to see me if I give them something for free, or would they take the free services and run?  Do I take the chance and give my talents away for free with no guarantees that it will result in getting new clients?  Maybe that is what she meant by getting out of my comfort zone.  I have to admit, just thinking about doing that is way out of my comfort zone.  I guess I just have to try and see, huh?

Wish me luck :)

The Technicolor Monster.....

Well, the search of something in my mind to pop forward finally come to fruition...  Grab a coffee and a danish... here we go.........

Ever notice that we give names to undesirable traits?  Any amount of fat that happens to rest on the waistband of your jeans is called a "muffin top"?  How about those times you become jealous of another person, you hear the name of  "little green eyed monster" making its appearance?  Holding your breath usually constitutes to "turning blue"? Or even the term "feeling blue" means being sad or depressed?  Maybe you can be real colorful with other emotions or actions by even saying that a person gets so mad that they are "seeing red"?  I find it interesting the names we give to these things and realized that even though we are only human, we are the Technicolor Monsters.  Well, the 'muffin top' reference is not really a color, but just the thought of being compared to a pastry does make a person a "pale shade of green" from being so sickened by it.

We are the beasts of burden.  We deal with so much every day.  It is different for each person, but the results run pretty similar.  I just wonder why those "colorful" monsters that hide, deep within our skin exist?

Lets peel back a layer and see......

Since I am the blogger here, I can only use myself as an example, but if you can relate, then you can understand where I am coming from.....

Lately, I have been feeling a little Technicolor lately.  Mainly I have been just hitting the shades of red, green, pale green, maybe a touch of pink and then blue.  Let me elaborate...  The past couple of days I have been more in tune with what I feel at any given time.  It is kind of like getting the radio station so finely tuned that the music playing is crisp and clear.  The simplicity of telling about my Technicolor couple of days is easier said in outline form.....

• Seeing Red:  The BS I heard from the State of the Union Address and the false hope an out of touch president shoveling it to the masses.
• Seeing Red:  Dealing with an issue that my daughter had at school about a fellow classmate that is disruptive and destructive and the ignorance that is being used to somehow placate his behavior by the teacher.
• Seeing a pale shade of green:  Looking in the mirror at my curse of the muffin top and trying to find something that I can wear that hides my ugly little secret.
• Seeing a darker shade of green:  Getting jealous of others for so many different reasons.
• Seeing a bit of red again:  Getting frustrated because I hate putting myself out for the world to see and still get ignored. (it is only a slight shade because I should know better)
• Turning blue:  Waiting for that darn return call from the principal from the school.
• Feeling blue:  Lousy weather, lousy economy, and lousy sleep when you have a cold.
• A slight yellow streak:  Making the mad dash to get stuff done at home before the husband gets home so I can avoid a fight.
• A shade of pink:  Getting a compliment for a job well done, getting a compliment that I look nice, getting a compliment through being appreciated.

And coming soon......

The color of black:  Selling my soul at work to earn something for my paycheck.

Pretty amazing, huh?  Putting a color to a feeling makes for one colorful day.  Never figured that the think tank would hit this level of "odd".  Just the complexities of experiencing a day in the life of one person.  If I had to sum up my day to one color, it would have to be in the shade of....  mucky brown, I think.  Well after tomorrow's rainbow comes to the surface, it might be a shade of black (if you want to call that a color), since black on anything makes it...  black.

Makes me wonder....  What color would represent a moment of contentment?

Maybe, I need to broaden my spectrum of colors a bit.  Go out and seek new colors to my Technicolor Monster.  Maybe even stop mixing those colors together.  A rainbow is not one color, but many.  They blend and meld together into other pretty colors...  Oh, such a sight to see when it is seen.

May today be a rainbow of your color choices :)

Have a great day!

Finding inspiration....

Ever have one of those days you feel like doing absolutely nothing, but you know that you have things to do?

Finding that bit of inspiration is the thing we all need.  Like an artist needs a muse, we strive to find something... anything...  to give us the drive to keep moving, to keep creating, and even to accomplish what we need to accomplish.

Today, I seem to have misplaced my muse.  I have so many things running through my mind that I have become overwhelmed.  In my mind, I am hearing that inner voice screaming to have one... just one thought, idea, concept, or random wondering come forward and stake its claim for today's blog.  Yesterday's release was one perfect example of something stepping forward and running free.  Somehow, today, everything has melded into a murmur of thought.  A tidbit of something here, a tidbit of something there.  I just hate when the flow of conscious thought becomes blocked.  It is like having a lot to say, but not knowing where to start.

Being inspired to write something is one thing...  Finding the inspiration to fight a losing battle is another.  Combine the two and that is my day.  I see my list of things to accomplish getting longer.  Like a bottomless cup, I get up every day to try to find enjoyment in being that domestic goddess that I am.  Cooking, cleaning and laundry... oh my!  I can only imagine the feeling I am having to face this from day to day is just like being a dog.  Hopefully, my furry little friends do not take offense to my analogy.

Being a dog is probably a great thing.  You get to eat, sleep, be petted from time to time, bark when you want to and at those special times...  just stick your head out the window of the car and let the wind blow through your fur.  Those, I can see is being the great thing about being a dog.  Where my analogy is coming from is the choice in food.  Getting the same thing... day in and day out... no variety.  Yep, a dog gets excited about feeding time, but you can see the glimmer in their eye go to a dim glow when the same, dry kibble goes in that bowl.

That is like my day... that same thing over and over again.  Cook, clean, do the laundry, and at certain seasons like winter in Illinois... shoveling the snow.  Where is the excitement in that?  I don't travel (can't afford that), I am too much of a tomboy to go get my nails done (I am a hairdresser, so I can definitely do that myself if I really want my nails painted), and being a domestic goddess entails the same thing... day in and day out... I have lost that glowing glimmer and I only have that dim flicker left in my eyes.  As for the food I prepare?  Well, deal with a couple of really picky eaters and it is quite obvious we lack culinary finesse.

I wonder where a person who has so much to offer, to share and to create find their muse?  Sometimes, it is an event or experience I get blessed with that can stir those creative juices.  Other times, it just comes to me.  I just wonder why it is so inconsistent.  I guess being inconsistent is actually the only consistent thing going for me.  I just never know when the muse of mine decides to make an appearance.  Kind of makes a thrilling kind of ride, I guess.  I would just love to find that damn muse to get my butt up and finish my to do list in my house.  That, or solve the mystery of the missing fairies that do this stuff.  Nope, I not a princess... I am a goddess, so those wonderful forest creatures that help those like Snow White and Cinderella do not apply in my world.  Heck, my blog today is lacking finesse, but I did it.  Like it or not...  that is my thought process today...

Thanks for reading :)

Simple Suburban Wife.....

Hello folks!  Sorry I was late in blogging today.  I had to give myself a little more time to think this topic over.  Actually, it was between melding movie concepts like Back to the Future and Groundhog Day for getting those do-over's we so desperately wish we can have in life.  Well, it is a better choice compared what you would get if you blended two movies together to get a new movie idea.  You know, movie makers are running out of ideas and feel remakes are the way to go.  Could you just imagine mixing the movie Taps and the movie Stripes?  Imagine the synopsis to sell that load of entertainment?  "Military school meets Saturday Night Live"... "A must see"...  It is quite obvious that movie makers are scraping the bottom of the think tank these days.

Well, after last night's State of the Union Address fiasco, which I fell asleep after about 30 minutes of it, I took the time to do a little research via the mainstream media today.  It is not like I had to try real hard to hear about and get perspectives of the speech our current president made about the current state of affairs.  I think the falling asleep after 30 minutes of a glorified campaign speech is a record for me.  Apparently, my BS meter went into overdrive, knocking me completely out.

Here is the Simple Suburban Wife's take on all of this.....

Well, lets start off with the obvious.  We have a major economic crisis on our hands.  It really does not matter who started it, but we want an end to it.  Keep in mind that I did not vote for this man because I felt that regardless of how well he dressed, how well he can speak publicly, or even the "promises" he touted of "hope" and "change" that the United States so desperately needed, he just is not qualified for the job.  He was streamlined through the government levels from a lawyer/professor of law to a Senator and straight to being a president.  He never made a blip on the media scene as a senator.  He might actually be the first politician from Illinois that does not have a tarnished reputation and has not been sent to prison.  When he decided to run for President, a large mass of uneducated voters came forward and said very loudly that they wanted this man to run our country.  The snowball effect of every shoot from the hip decision he has made has this country in an uproar.  Sadly, there are quite a few that still believe that his "plans" for this great land will work, but seem to forget that this man really has zero clue about reality.

In his long winded speech to lift the spirits of the people that HE is to represent hit some sour notes in my way of thinking.  Apparently, we are on the rise!  The recession is just about over! We can stop worrying if we can afford to live in the grand old U S of A.  We made it!  REALLY?!?!?!  Apparently, with his nice high-paying job that consists of vacations at 5 star resorts paid by us, the taxpayers, the free room and board at the most prestigious mansion in America, a staff to cook and clean for them, a secret service to protect them from harm, and fame has really knocked this supposed hard working AMERICAN (no, I am not calling him African-American because he was not born in Africa) into some kind of la-la land where all he sees is unicorns and rainbows.  Just because he says we are in the clear does not necessarily make it true.  Come over to my house, Mr. President, and I can show you what your spending has done to my family.  You might actually see someone struggling for once.  Oh, can you being your staff over?  I am way too tired of cooking and cleaning and I would really love to have one of those fancy vacations that you get for FREE.  Maybe, you would like to pay for my insurance and cover the difference when my PPO refuses to cover everything.  How about give me a staff job that does absolutely NOTHING and cannot be justified as a real job, so I can get huge cost of living increases and a really nice retirement plan.  Hey!  While you are at it, could you give my daughter FREE education?  You know, that supposed $10,000 tax credit (or so you call that) for going to college for 4 years is really just a drop in the bucket of a peace offering.  I know it has been a while that you have been in college, but the cost for one semester is averaging  30-40K.  Hmmm.... 10K out of roughly a 160K education really is nothing in my book.

Don't get me started with your innovative idea to have America re-invent itself to become the next generation Sputnik.  Every one of you politicians seemed to forget that the USA was an innovator and manufacturer at one time.  Your greed, previous presidents greed,  and the greed of the major fortune 500 companies sent all that wonderful work overseas for cheap labor.  Looking to save a buck to overcharge in the end put us on the path to self destruction.  The actual promise that our food and water is safe to consume even scares me.  It looks like the FDA allows steroids, biochemistry and lack of competition create our fate of being a chemically enhanced population.  Farmers have sold their souls to the big wigs in order to even afford to exist, and even struggle to this day.  Going "green" is admirable, but I am not seeing you set the example in the people's house.  Get yourself an electric car and tell me if that has enough power to drive through winter snow in the Midwest.  The day you can make a decent 4WD vehicle that uses only renewable power, I will truly think that you are serious.

You mention "investing" in education, that education is the key to success.  Well, riddle me this, Batman, if you cannot afford a better education to get a job so you can waste our tax dollars on overpaid administrative personnel, then how can the dwindling middle class that graduated from high school with a degree in the school of hard knocks even get a job in the first place to afford a higher education?  We have too many teachers graduating college that cannot land a teaching job and schools that where the teachers have jobs are incapable of actually teaching overstuffed classrooms.  The day that one administrative exec that is in charge of a school district can get by with only one secretary will be the day that the education system is not bunk.

Please, oh please, Mr. President....  Think before making a statement that gives us answers to the current dilemmas.  Try to find where the waste is happening and get rid of it instead of creating false hope and a band-aid solution.  You wanted the small businesses to thrive, but managed to destroy the service industry.  Back in 2008 (the beginning of your term), you created the cash for clunkers program; get rid of your old car and buy a new one.  Well, that shoot from the hip plan almost closed my husband's automotive repair business.  New cars really do not need to be repaired.  If my husband can't be fixing cars, he cannot afford to have employees, he cannot keep the lights on at that garage.  He took a major pay cut in order to keep his lights on and keep the people that work for him... working.  That pay cut has caused some serious damage to our existence.  Buying food on borrowed money is not the American Dream, Mr. President.  I guess you never experienced that, sir.  Maybe you should get a real taste of dismay, then, only then you might take those rose colored glasses off and think of an attainable solution that helps everyone.

Oh, I could go on for hours and hours, but why?  I am so disappointed in where this country is and obviously, this simple suburban wife and mother has zero impact in the thinking of an out of touch famous president, the houses of government, and the big wigs of the corporate realm.  I guess that I should be easily convinced that all is well when obviously it is far from it.

So, if any of you out there have a spare pair of rose-colored glasses laying around, could you please lend me a pair?  I would just love to be in a stupidity induced haze so I don't see the other shoe drop.....

What if and the time machine.....

Everyone knows that we have choices in life.  To be or not to be; to act or remain passive; to turn left or to turn right.  Our choices are based on our feelings and beliefs.  We hope we made the right choices, but if we did not, we work that much harder to make it work.  It is all about moving forward in life.

Ever wonder if you made the right choices?  Would you want to take a trip back in time to see what could have been?  Would choosing against what you believed was the best choice, change who you are today?

I believe that every person in your life has a story about the "what if" factor.  Seeing what could have been your life seen through the eyes of who you are now is quite intriguing to me.  I have my serious doubts that the end result would be the same in your mind because it is the experiences that we have that shape us into who we are.  These experiences were chosen after changing your path, but if everything else in life remained the same, but one thing was different... maybe, just maybe you could get a desirable result?

I guess this blog is about something I read last night.  You see, since I started blogging, I was not sure if I had a raw talent for it and looked at some other blogs on the site I use for blogging.  There are a few fellow bloggers that I enjoy reading.  The first one is my friend, Steve.  He is a dear friend from my childhood and a Facebook friend that suggested for me to start blogging.  His writing style is raw thought; the release of thoughts regardless of what others think.  He's quirky and honest about himself.  I just love that!  Another blogger who goes by the blogger name of Suldog has a deeper approach that tells me that she can definitely write a novel.  Mixing character quirks from a time long ago into the here and now makes for an interesting read.  Then there is this one blogger that I started reading his blogs.  He goes with the title of "Simple Dude in a Complex World".  I just love his title because it definitely sets you up for some funny commentary, and who is not up for a good laugh, right?

Well, today's blog is my take on Simple Dude's blog yesterday.  What if you could go back in time and give yourself advice about what your life is going to be like; if you could go back in time to give your 20 year old some 30 or 40 year old knowledge.  If hindsight is 20/20, would you tell your clueless 20 year old self what you should do or choose to do?  Would you really want to change the course of your life?  He and I agree that life changes all the time.  The advice you gave your 20 year old self from your 40's will change once you get to your 50's and so on.  So the concept of telling your younger self to push harder or to ease up really is irrelevant because that one change will change everything.  The good and bad will change, the friends we attained would change, the experiences would have changed, thus who we are would change.

I do wonder, though, if changing one choice in life would have made an improvement or a setback.  I do believe that there are things that we wished we tried before making our choices.  You know, kind of like a 30-day trial before buying.  Yet again, it is irrelevant because life moves forward all the time.  I guess that is why I would think a time machine is in order.  The movie Back to the Future was a perfect example.  When Doc Brown gets shot at the beginning, Marty McFly goes back in time to warn his friend about his impending doom.  His existence in the past changes the future of all those around him.  Of course, in the movie, the choices are resulting in a plus instead of a minus, but there are no guarantees that will always happen.  At least, with unlimited use of a time machine, you can keep going back until you get it right, or what is right for you.

Would you take that chance if it was offered to you?  What would be your reason to do it?  Do you think you would be truly happier?  What are you willing to sacrifice and what are you willing to fight for to keep?

Of course, Simple Dude's spin was funnier on the subject, but it definitely made me wonder.  I guess that is why I see myself as more insightful than humorous in my writing.  Maybe a trip in a time machine would make my writing funnier... Probably not.  This is who I am and I am okay with that.

As for those "what if's" in life....  I like them just the way they are.  It gives my imagination something to do ;)

Have a great day :)

just a few annoyances today.....

Oh Mondays, how I feel so torn.  The weekends are much more fun than you, but the fact that I can get some peace and quiet on your day is so welcoming.  It is just so sad that you are the one day that I appear to have the shortest fuse on.  Maybe the forces that be can change so that I am not so short tempered at the following annoyances that I have experienced today.....

I appreciate that there are really good schools in my area for my daughter to learn, but could you PLEASE re-educate some of these parents on how to drive?  The drop off lane is just that.... a lane to drop off your child.  I see every day, the same people being completely clueless about the drop off lane concept.  I can only gather that dropping off means to sit and watch your child go into line and eventually go into the school to these people.  Regardless that they do this on a daily basis it seems that on Mondays, it is just that more annoying.

Another driving issue I see is the inability to realize that blocking access to getting out of the school parking lot does not make room for others to get their child to school.  I can see that there is such a mad rush to get the day going, but cutting people off, blocking the flow, and complete ignorance of others in the same general area is just a recipe for road rage from those that actually KNOW how to DRIVE.

Please, oh please let the forces that be get those damn cell phone talking lunatics off the road.  I am actually starting to really appreciate those "back in the day" moments when cell phones did not exist because I see more and more people that feel the need to reach out and talk to someone when they should be paying attention to the road.  I actually had to honk at some idiot at the light to stop reading their Twitter updates and GO because the light is not going to stay green forever.  It is quite obvious that they forget that there are others that need to get someplace, too.  I just hate being the one to tell them that.

Seeing the doctor is a real pain in the butt when you know that you have a sinus infection and just need a prescription to make it all better.  Those days of telling the doctor what you know is happening because of multiple experiences over many years is no longer acceptable.  You need to make an appointment, sit in a room with other sick people, look at old magazines in boredom, and wait to be called into a room for a whole 2 minutes with the nurse and a whole 2 minutes with the doctor.  All the while, you still wait in that darn room for at least 45 minutes between seeing the nurse and seeing the doctor.  I just wonder why it takes so long if there are only 3 rooms you are working out of.  3 rooms, 3 people, 2 minutes spent.  How does that become a 45 minute wait alone in a room?  Needless to say, after an hour and a half for that trip, I was told what I already knew and finally got the prescription I needed.  If they just wanted money, I could have just given them the $30.00 copay when I walked in the door, grabbed the prescription and left.  That would have saved me loads of time today.

As I was standing in line to get my prescription filled of antibiotics for my sinus infection, I actually can see that cell phones are more than just for emergencies.  Apparently, this one chick felt the need to call her BFF to tell her that she is standing in line at the pharmacy and that she was BORED.  REALLY?  Just having a quiet moment, waiting in line is so boring that you need to fill in those moments that you could be actually thinking about things, you decide to fill the silence with your babble about nothing?  Apparently, I lack the frivolity of wasting minutes.

Driving back home, I experience more bad drivers....

At least I finally made it home, unscathed.  Now, I can enjoy my peace and quiet.....