Cindy

This is Cindy. We've worked together since prior to me killing her mother. Really. Well, not really, but that's what Cindy tells everyone. Actually, I only DROVE the ambulance to the hospital, where she later passed away, but Cindy loves to tell people that that's how bad my driving is. We worked together in our Glasgow branch before D. and I transferred to Lexington. The truth is, Cindy couldn't stand to be seperated from either one of us, and she came on over as the Teller Supervisor. Cindy is mother to James and Kayla, and Grandmother to Alison. You know what I love about Cindy? The big stuff? The baby, the drama, all of that, it doesn't faze her. But, if she can't find her favorite pen, the WORLD is going to come to an end. Also, she knows my secrets and doesn't judge me. Oh, and she drinks coffee like I drink water. 24 hours a day, no matter what, she's got to have her coffee. She's very proud of the fact that she works full time, has 2 kids, one grand baby, one husband, four cats, one dog, and still has some hair on her head! I think she's entitled to be proud . . . .

"My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3 a can. That's almost $21 in dog money."-Joe Weinstein

Back at It

It was an interesting weekend. Friday night was uneventful, and I headed to the Drag Strip on Saturday. We've got some new people up there that I started training for this summer. It'll be . . . . interesting. I am definately going to miss the rails though. Those are some QUICK cars! When I first started, D. would try to have some friendly wagers on the race, and I wouldn't do it. I've now learned something about the different cars and drivers, and now know that looks aren't everything. It's all about consistency and knowing your vehicle. I went from that to the pageant that L. was participating in. She was ADORABLE! K. was right - the dress she had was just perfect for her, and was the only one like it in the entire pageant. L. got 2nd runner up and best personality. It's so much fun to watch and interact with her. She's so precocious, but lovable at the same time. Some of the girls were just eerie to watch though - kind of like a "Night of the Living Dolls". Way over-processed! One girl walked by that I thought was really beautiful - figured she was in the teen division. No, she was ten. TEN! That's just crazy! And, when I heard the girls talking about much they had paid for their dresses?!?!? Yeah, if I ever have kids, and girls in particular, if I get to talking about pageants, please knock me up-side my head! Yesterday I was pretty lazy - enjoyed walking Britney and just having some down time. Today it's back to work. K. mentioned maybe going to Roanoke one night this week, so hopefully I can get some bones for Britney. That's one thing I definately don't want to run out of.

Oh, and a friend of mine mentioned he might be able to hook me up with some mulch. Here's where me and measurements part way. I thought maybe a trailer load would do it. Eh, not so much. After measuring said flower bed, it's 5'x25', and in some places, needs almost a foot of mulch to make it level! Sounds to me like I'm going to be needing a truck load! But, I bought some bulbs and flower seeds, so I'm hoping to get it looking good again. Have I mentioned how much I love spring flowers?

"Tranquilizers work only if you follow the advice on the bottle--keep away from children."-Phyllis Diller

Almost TGIF

Dave is giving me a hard time this morning. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Rather than come back to work for an hour, I'm just going to head home. Hey, I can't help it that it's going to be 70 and gorgeous today! Just luck of the draw, I reckon. I know I'll enjoy getting out in the sunshine with the mutt. I see green sprouts in my yard, so I'm hoping the blooms are not far behind.

Went to the Planning Committee meeting last night. It's been interesting to see how this whole process works. I really hope that everything goes the way that they are hoping.

Oh, and while I'm dancing around the subject, it's official. I'm not going to be at the NBDS on Saturday's. Number of reasons, but I had told Daniel back on March 1st that Annette wasn't going to be there, and that I would prefer to not work there on Sat.'s. I'm still going to be up there on Friday's, so I'll still get my drag racing fix, but I've had some other opportunities present themselves that I'm going to be taking advantage of. I've been at the Drag Strip for the past few years - it's time for a change. Girl's gotta spice things up, right?

I'm getting excited about my upcoming trip. Just wish the flight had worked out a bit differently, but when you're saving $400+, you kind of have to get when you can get. It'll be wonderful to visit Utah again, and I've never been to Houston, so that promises to be exciting. Do you have any tips/hints I might want to be aware of? I've never flown through JFK, or Houston, or Richmond, or Philadelphia, (Told you it was a crazy flight!), so any tips or suggestions would be MUCH appreciated. I just hate leaving Britney for so long. The great thing about puppies though, whether you leave to take the trash out, or come back after a week of vacation, they're still ecstatic to see you walk through that door!

"I think it's really important to maintain a positive attitude. It might not solve all your problems, but keep it up long enough and it will piss off enough people to make it worthwhile." -Margot Black, TV Producer

Rant for 03 07 2008

Let me preface this by saying, I love my job. I love what I do, I enjoy helping people, and I'm pretty darn good at it. Lately, however, I have noticed a lack of manners. And the kicker? It's not from the "younger" generation that you would think. It's typically older people. My desk is out in the lobby. It's not particularly conducive to privacy, and it is a struggle. I find it extremely rude when people figure that since there isn't a person physically there, you aren't doing anything. For example. I'm working on one issue for person A. Person B just sits right down and then gets offended that I'm not instantly available! Same thing goes for the telephone. My friends know that I may have to hang up quickly, but if I'm talking to another client, that invades THEIR privacy by having someone sit down. I've had to excuse myself, and go find someplace where I can continue the conversation. Believe me, I saw you come in the door and I will get to you as quickly as possible, and then afford you the same level of attention I gave the previous person! Hey - I've even had Person A sitting with me, and person B come up and sit down in the other seat!

While I'm on "things that bug", how about this. People whose dentures don't fit quite right. Then, while they are sitting there talking to you, the dentures are smacking and sliding around. Ugh . . . . makes my skin crawl! It's right up there with people who chew with their mouths open.

It's a cold, drizzly day here - which I love. You need a grey day every now and then to remind you how nice the sun-shiney ones are. And, the water is good for the flowers that I hope are in my flower bed. I can't wait for the dogwood trees to bloom. It's officeial: I have Spring Fever.

This weekend promises to be very tame. Racing on Saturday, girls night out Saturday night, then a peaceful Sunday. My kinda weekend. Do you have anything planned? What kind of things bug you?

"I like to have nice conversations with a man that teach me something, make me mad, make me curious. Then I find him attractive." -Renee Zellweger in Cosmopolitan

Routine and OCD

This morning, we got to talking about routines. I am stuck on my morning deal. I get up, turn the 'puter on, let the dog out, check my email, CNN.com, Hamstertime, and a few other various sites. Then, I put away any dishes or clean clothes from the night before, give Britney breakfast, let her back in, then get in the shower. Once in the shower, I wash my hair, then condition. Then, I wash my face. THEN, I wash - left to right. You know, left arm, left leg, right arm, right leg. Shave, same way. Left, then right. Get out, trip over Britney, and then lotion up. Face, legs, you get the idea. THEN, I get dressed, do my hair, brush my teeth, put on my make-up. Creature of habit. I'm also fairly organized. Only in certain things, though. I LOVE a clean house. It bothers me to leave in the morning and know that I left socks laying on the floor. So far, pretty normal, right?

See the Smarties above? Here's where I get a little . . . well, OCD, I guess. If I have something multi-colored (M&M's, Skittles, etc), I organize them by color, and then eat them 1) to get equal numbers of all color, and then 2) in order from my LEAST favorite to MOST favorite. Yes, I realize that M&M's are all the same flavor, but it's the theory there. When it comes to food, I'll also eat from least to most favorite. It's not to say I don't like the first thing, I just like it less than the next. And, there's none of this, a bite of this, a bite of that. I'll eat ALL the salad, then ALL the meat, you get the idea. Cindy has also noticed that I open things from the bottom. Chips, candy, bags get opened from the bottom. I also use things in equal amounts. It's not 3 shakes of the salt shaker, it's 2, or 4. Paper towels to dry hands? 2, or 4. When I walk/run, I count in my head in increments of 10. I can't end on 993 steps - I'll make it be 1000. Hey, I'm not completely strange - Everytime Stacey leaves the house, she flushes all the toilets in the house. What kind of weird quirks do you have?

"The opposite of love isn't hate--it's indifference. And if you hate me, that means you still care."--Marcia Cross on Desperate Housewives

Weekend and Drag Racing 101

Good morning! And, it is a GORGEOUS day out there! In fact, since I'm going to have OT this week, I get to leave at 2 today! Won't that make the puppy happy. I'm really looking forward to opening the house up, running with Britney, and just enjoying this spring day. This weekend was fairly tame. I cleaned house Friday night, and then worked at the track on Saturday.

For those of you NOT familiar with Drag Racing, and that must mean you're not from Rockbridge County, but it's two cars, racing side by side, down a track. There's what they call the "Christmas" tree, and for you novices, let me explain the basics. Only the basics, because that's about all I understand. Cars "stage" at the line. Saturday, people were driving me NUTS with this. We have courtesy staging. Basically, you turn on the top lights, the 0ther guy turns on his, and then you each turn on your next set, within 10 seconds. Then, the lights come down, it turns green, and ideally, you react within .500 of a second. The basics. Saturday, there were LOTS of new people there. I have no problem with new people, it's great for business. BUT. If it's your first time, watch. Ask. Get a feel for what needs to happen to race. You'd think that standing there, watching guys race straight down a track can be awfully boring, but once you realize that races are won or lost by mere hundredths of a second, it can get pretty intense. I espescially enjoy watching the Saturday racers, the ones that put a lot of time and effort into building and tweaking their cars.

This week is shaping up to be yet another ordinary week, with some training thrown in for good measure. Saturday is the race, and then maybe, I can get in on a girls night out going to see the Worx. Fun times, hopefully!

"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it." -Jonathan Winters

Friday

I just got my L. fix! K. came by to make some copies and had her rugrats with her. You know, if I could have kids like that . . . I could almost be convinced I'm missing out on something. L. is just so, cute.

I have gotten SO many compliments on my digital photo frame, that K. gave me for Christmas this past year. People are amazed with my Africa pics. I love the memories it brings back. It was truly a once in a lifetime experiance.

Cindy called this morning while I was getting ready for work, and asked me to stop by and bring donuts. For future reference, Stacey has a 3 donut limit. That girl is wired when she has too much sugar. Adorable, but wired.

I got up nice and early this morning and got the dishes done, clothes folded, dog walked, and still on time to work. This means that tonight I just get to do some light cleaning, and I'm done! Hard to believe I was once ok with just letting my clothes be whereever they landed! Mom, ya done good.

I'm getting ready to book my trip to TX/UT to visit family. Not that I don't want to visit family, but daggone it, I like my life! I don't like leaving Britney for that much time. I'm so grateful for the amazing people that will help me out in taking care of her and my plants! No way I could do it without them.

Can you tell it's been another slow day here? Slow enough even that I'm not even interested in digging out another Journal question, so I'll just have to end with a quote. Happy weekend, everyone.

"It's hard to do nothing because you tend to do something and then you have to drop everything." - Jerry Seinfeld

Journal Entry #4

Ok, this whole slow thing is driving me crazy! Or, as Drew would put it, more like a short walk. Either way, this is not how I like to spend my day. So, I blog.

How, when, and where did you learn to drive? Any funny memories of that day?

I remember the first time Dad let me drive. We had a Mitsubishi Truck, stick shift, and Dad asked me to go to the landfill with him. Of course, being an almost 16 y/o girl, I had MUCH better things to do, but he insisted. On the way back, he pulled into a large open field. "What are you doing?" "Well, you're going to drive." That's where he attempted to teach me the concept of a clutch. I'm not sure if he discussed doing this with Mom or not, but they also insisted that I be able to drive a stick shift without spilling a glass of water set on the dash. At the time, I was convinced it was an impossible task! And, while the NCDMV didn't require parallel parking, Dad sure did! Also, they were certain that I needed to be able to drive our 78 VW bus. Have you tried one of those? Dad's theory was that if you can handle a stick on a VW, you can drive anything. It's another case of, "They were right." Fast forward a few years, and the parents decide that I'M going to teach Brad how to drive. Yeah. Me. Brad. Brad with the ADD/Hyperactivity, gonna figure out how to drive a VW stick. Guess what? Didn't happen. In fact, we did something to it that had it all screwed up and Dad had to come tow it home! We had that VW nearly my entire life. I cried when I found out that they sold it! While I acted like I didn't want to drive it, it was FUN to drive! I could load up all of my friends, their friends, coupla dogs, and be on our way. In fact, we drove the VW to a singles conference once. Me, Mendi, Kathi, and . . . . Sammi, maybe? Man, this memory thing gets harder and harder. All I remember was that there was no radio in the VW, so Kathi brought a boom box along. It was awesome times . . .

Of course, driving was cool and all that, but I still wasn't "allowed" initially out on my own. Mom or Dad would meet me after work, and if all went my way, I could drive home. Dad was really cool about it - he'd put the passenger seat down and "sleep" on the way. Only later did I realize that he was actually praying, not sleeping! Mom, as mom's are allowed to do, tended to be a little more, er, high strung. I don't even remember the first time I got to go somewhere on my own. You would think that this would be one of those "moments" that you remember, but this sure wasn't one of them.

My first car, that was mine, was a 74 Chevy Malibu. 64k original miles, and I sold that thing for $400. I had no idea what I had. It was the hoop-ti-mo-bile, and the first time I tried to put gas in it, I walked around that stupid thing half a dozen times before some kind hearted man came to see if he could help. My friend couldn't figure it out either! Who the heck puts a GAS tank BEHIND the license plate?!?!? I hadn't ever heard of such a creature. I was convinced that with the exception of a gauge inside, my car obviously didn't need fuel. Still remember the gas station: A Maverick in Rexburg. My friend and I were headed to Yellowstone, and thought that we were just all that, cool and stuff. As we got to Yellowstone, there was this horrendous knocking/bubble-ing sound coming from under the hood. The sign at the local repair shop said "$50 to pop the hood, non-negotiable." To a couple of college girls? Outrageous! Still, what were we going to do? I laid on the southern belle, batting of the eye lashes, and the mechanic took pity. Did you know that radiator caps need to actually fit on TIGHTLY? He laughed, tightened it up, and no, didn't charge me the $50.

What about you? First time stories re: your vehicles? Any special memories? I've always had adventures with vehicles . . . but I'll same something else for another day!

Quote:

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -Josh Billings