Wow! This thread has been moving fast. I stayed home sick today after a bout with some minor food poisoning (the taqueria on Alma street in san jose? Just Say No.) I just realized that since TAR is starting earlier on the east coast today I had to do all my TWoP reading before then to keep myself from spoiling. I don't have much time left!

Having gone through the WW thing to lose my weight, I have very much been enjoying Miss Alli's entries.

Sparky I would name that salon. It doesn't matter how "nice " or "good" the people are, the management clearly doesn't give a rat's ass about their clients. Good stylists can find good salons. Bad management deserves to lose business. Are you going to follow up with your old stylist and find out where she winds up and take your business there? I would.

With me, it was a combination of exercise and clearing some of the overly processed foods out of my diet. I always exercised some, but I had drifted into eating too many junk carbs. Then I quit fitting into my jeans last winter, which was a shock because I'd always been thin and always thought of myself as thin, but my hips and thighs were no longer those of a thin person. So I gave up sugar completely in all its forms and lost 8 pounds in 6 days from that alone. Two weeks later, I quit eating anything with white flour in it, which meant I pretty much gave up all processed food. I lost another 18 pounds over the next 4 months, and then magically quit losing when I was within two pounds of the goal I'd set for myself. I readjusted the goal, since there's nothing inherently wonderful about numbers that end in zero. It wasn't easy at first -- I was a sugar-holic -- but it worked for me, and I feel a lot healthier than before. If I had it to do all over again, I'd do it the same way just for the sake of feeling more energetic. Now, instead of being driven by my insatiable appetite for sugar, I have strawberries or cantaloupe for dessert each evening. I also don't miss pasta, which is a huge surprise because I used to love it, but it doesn't even interest me anymore. As for the exercise, I go on a brisk walk for half an hour first thing in the morning at a minimum. I'm a lot more capable of a 6 to 8 hour weekend hike now, which is extremely gratifying because I enjoy that and don't like feeling winded or otherwise worn down.

OMG, Sparky-- that is a freaking NIGHTMARE. As one who is WAAAAAY too into her hair (and who was given a HIDEOUS $200 mullet not too long ago, from which I have only recovered by visiting SkaBaby's freaking AWESOME stylist), I completely sympathize, and I feel the urge to find and maim those who treated you that way. ASSHATS.

(And I have seen your hair-- it's funkaliciously adorable.)

With all of the diet/weight loss talk, has anyone else noticed the new Burger King "Angus Diet" commercial? It's almost Simpson-esque in that it is based on someone pitching a diet, with a written disclaimer to the effect that "the Angus diet is not really a diet." Well, duh.

Except when you consider that Burger King is facing lawsuits -- ridiculous as they may be -- over their marketing of fast food. It seems like a curiously inappropriate ad for them.

A couple more weight loss comments:

I read an article about a month or so ago that said the creator of Curves is a very right-wing conservative man who donates huge amounts of money to anti-choice organizations. I will try to find a link to post. Now if Curves works for people, great, I'm not judging your choice. Just fyi.

As far as WW is concerned, they recommend an average weight loss of no more than 2 lbs/wk - that's what they consider to be sustainable and healthy. I've been averaging about 1 lb/wk. Not much additional exercise, yet, just learning about portions and different food choices. For example, I used to eat those crazy haagen dazs bars covered in chocolate and almonds (or was it Ben & Jerry's?), which actually have like 35 grams of fat. Now I like Starbucks Mocha bars, or Tofutti fudge pops (tastes just like those old pudding pops), which are really comparitively low fat and low calories (can't remember the numbers, but they're 2 points). So I can still eat an ice cream munchie, but it's much less of an impact.

Also, I do give into junk food cravings sometimes, and mostly find that they're just not worth it. Your body gets used to eating healthier so when you give in to something crappy, it's like, ugggggggg, you can feel it. So sometimes giving in to cravings is better for you in the long run.

Zivra

Um....I think they were mesmerized.


Sparky1
Speaking as someone who's hair grows about an inch every three years or so, I can totally feel your pain with the bad haircut story. I've had exactly 1 good haircut from a salon. Ever. Which is why I now cut my own hair. It may look like crap the first attempt, but I never cut so much that it can't be fixed eventually.....in fact, sometimes it takes weeks to get it just right.
Hope your hair grows fast!!

WARNING WARNING WARNING:

Whoever this person is who opened up tonight's episode thread clearly watched the show in NYC and threw out a spoiler in their opening post! In fact, their entire post is a spoiler! So don't open that thread until you've seen the episode, unless the mods clean it up again first!

First, Sparky1, you have my sympathy. I've been wearing my hair about the same way for 23 (holy crap!) years, pretty well out of reaction to a bad perm incident.

Everyone I know who has an iPod loves theirs. But if you want something to hold digital photos rather than music, you might consider a couple of USB keys instead. Their price has really dropped through the floor, and they are even more portable than the 'pods.

I'm currently on that slow weight loss train. I was thin in my teens and twenties, and things just crept up on me in my thirties. I don't have a huge amount of weight to lose (I'm aiming for somewhere between 20-25 pounds), but since I'm very short, my basal metabolic rate is working against me.

Weirdly, I used almost the exact phrase that Miss Alli did ("simple to describe, really hard to do: eating between 1200-1500 calories a day, and biking 15-50 km a week for 17 weeks") when someone asked me what plan I was on. I could definitely lose it faster if I gave up alcohol for several months, but then I'd be a rather unpleasant person to be around. Sigh.

LawDog, I can't figure out what this commercial could be about from your brief description. Can someone describe it a bit more? -- I'm intrigued.

Well yes and no. I can think of two examples to illustrate my point. To start with we haven't used our stroller in over a year (our youngest is 4 and a half). That said, we were in Edmonton last November and said youngest was horribly ill. Zron and I were busy in meetings and our nanny had the choice of staying in a hotel room with a very active six-year-old and his miserable sister, or getting the boy out where he could burn off some energy. This meant that they went to the Museum, but that my daughter had to have a stroller, because otherwise she was going to lay on the floor and sleep. People actually commented to our nanny that our daughter was too old for a stroller. Frankly, I didn't think it was any of their business, particularly when they had no idea what they were talking about.

The other example involves my son. He has always been really big (28 pounds at a year). On the aforementioned trip to Australia, he was three and 3-and-a-half feet tall and 40 pounds. By the time we got to San Francisco on the way to, it was 3 a.m. on his body clock. It was much easier to put him in the stroller to get him through the airport and carry his sister, than vice versa. Again people commented that he should be walking, but again, hefting 40 pounds of boy, was not an option I was willing to consider.

On the subject of wrist straps, I have never found them to be very effective. I much prefer our proper European harness. We haven't used it in a long time but it was a very effective threat. We would often say to thew boy "stay where I can hold your hand, or you're wearing the harness". He disliked it so much he never wandered. In that case we also faced comments from people who didn't think our child should be on a "leash".

Anybody want a single ticket to the (duckin') Fodgers/Cubs game Friday night? Write me a twenty-five word statement called "Why the Dodgers Must Lose" and send it to me using the email link up there /// by 10PM Central tongiht. I'll stick the ticket in an envelope and put it in tomorrow's mail pick-up. It should arrive Friday, so if you would need it to come to your work, give me that address. Guaranteed no stalking at any addresses provided, winner or not. (Well, no stalking by me. Other people are anyone's guess.) The seat is in the Upper Deck, section 524.

This is the second year in a row in which I bought my ticket at the beginning at the season for the one game I could actually root for the Cubs at Wrigley*, and Something Came Up.

*Normal mood: indifferent, unless Zambrano's pitching, in which case raging hatred takes over

Well, there are always exceptions to every rule, and sometimes you just can't avoid situations like this one. And as I say, in the airport all bets are off, strollerwise. We're taking a trip in September, and I plan to haul out the stroller for that trip. But by and large, it seems to me that many kids stay in strollers much longer than particularly necessary. We went to a small amusement park in New Hampshire a couple weeks ago, and they had a fleet of little strollers you could borrow. We took one, thinking that a day spent walking all over said park and riding rides might tire out Littler Hildy. We ended up putting our backpack in the stroller for most of the day.

ETA: I don't dare check out any other thread besides this one. I'm scared now.

I think Miss Alli has cleaned the boards up, bless her heart.

She's fast!

Does anyone know when it is safe to post about the 6th episode? Is it 11pm like usual. I am just asking because I don't know what the show time is like for other parts of the country. I am very impatient tonight and am dying to get my thoughts in on the latest episode.

Ok, I know I'm going to sound really dense but is this the same thing as a flash drive? Because I googled USB keys and that is what I got. But the prices are much more reasonable than the 'pods. I could get him both an mp3 player and a USB thingy for about what it would cost to get an iPod. So he'd get 2 techie gadgets and be very happy.

Yeah, I really got to get back on the healthy eating train. I've allowed having the bf and now fiance to be an excuse for lots of eating out with dessert, etc. Besides I want to drop the 10 pounds I have gained this year before I get married in '05. Hanging out here will probably help with my motivation.

I didn't answer the first concert question because I honestly don't remember. I grew up in the middle of BFE so even getting to a town on a tour would be a 2 hour drive. Although I was never into NKOTB, I think I might have gone to see Tiffany sing [i]I Think We're Alone Now[/b] in the mall and I know it was the song that I first made out to in jr. high. *cringe* Best concert is a toss-up...U2 Elevation tour in Oct. 2001; very moving! Or Bon Jovi on the one Wild Night Tour (SHUT UP!) I paid a ridiculous amount of money to sit 3rd row center for the fav band during my formative years and it was worth every penny. Of course the KC Jazz and Blues festival where I saw Jimmie Vaughn, Taj Mahal and Johnny Lang is right up there. Why yes I do have insanely electic tastes in music!

On another note, my sucky mood has dissipated as the guy at the liquor store insisted on carding me (I'm 31) and now I have some light Mike's Hard Lemonade. YUMMY!

Usual time. As I just got through telling you, it wasn't a special time for anyone else, so it stands to reason that it would be the usual time.

And if you're impatient? Take a sedative, because you're going to have to wait until the episode's regular running time has passed.

I just replied over on the C&M thread, too. The show is on at the usual time in the rest of the country; I'm on Central time, and it won't start for 45 minutes here. So 11 Eastern/10 Central is safe posting time, same as always. Put your words down in Word or Notepad and cut and paste 'em in when the rest of us can join you!

There was quite a bit of discussion and clarification in the TAR in the Media thread the past couple of days about NYC's special air time. So that's a good place to go check if you're not sure. Or you can email a mod to be safe, since they keep up on stuff like local odd airtimes.

I feel sorry for you Mama Tiger having to wait. Just one thought though, perhaps impatient was a bad choice of words. I think excited better suits it. To me there is no better night of the week than Tuesday during TAR time.

I was just looking at fall schedules. The Apprentice starts Sept. 9; Survivor: Vanuatu starts Sept. 16; and TAR6 starts Sept. 25. Talk about an abundance of riches!

Heh. One person's riches, another person's carpal tunnel syndrome.

That's right. Don't you recap all three? Or will that change with all three runngin together?

Thanks for the wishes guys. I actually calmed down a bunch since saturday, and once I got to attack it myself, it was a little better, but I still cringe when I look too closely in the mirror. Luckily, my hair does grow like a weed, so in about a week it'll be fine (well, except for the color, but that can be fixed).

off to the chat.

Mama Tiger, you failed to note that Miss Alli abundance of riches is even more -- she has the TAR 5 finale and the TAR 6 premiere in the same week. I don;t know how she'll handle that and TARcon, too; I don;t know how I'll handle two different TARs in the same week yet!

Since she is the best recapper in the world I am sure she will manage. It will definitely take a lot of work though, that is for sure:)

I'll manage. It will be very busy, though.

I feel like an idiot, Miss Alli when I read the Losing the Cow stuff at work, I didn't realise that was your blog. It's very inspirational. Is it OK if I forward it to a non-TWOP friend (she rarely watches TV)who is very, very discouraged about her weight?

Myself, I'm planning to create a commemorative dance. Whee!

ETA:
Suzikins: Yes, USB "keys" are also called flash drives. They are tiny little hard drives (about the size of a key -- hence the name) that plug into the USB port of a computer. If your bf has a laptop it won't matter much, but if he has a desktop computer, make sure that you buy a USB key that comes with a USB extension cable, because believe me, there are few things more irritating than having to crawl under your desk and plug that damn thing in.

If your bf likes to listen to music more than he wants something to store photos, I should say that an iPod is a much more beautifully designed thing than most other MP3 players. But you're likely right that he might enjoy 2 techie gadgets more. Good luck with it.

Of course, AnneH. It's not TWoP-related, and if it were supposed to be a secret, the internet would be a bad place for it, heh.

I know how much you guys love idiot phone calls, so I have to fill you in on today's gem.

Caller: So where do you want me to send the items?

Me: Could you hand deliver them down to the [company] trailer?

Caller: Is that a person or a thing?

Me: It's a thing with people in it.

Caller: Well, if you say so.........

Hee. my first rule of thumb is to never write anything I wouldn't be willing to have printed on the first page of the New York Times (subject matter, not quality-wise). Not that I would ever be printed there, but it's a good rule of thumb.

I never understand people who write to advice columnists with the dilemma that they wrote something horribly nasty about another person in their blog, and that person found out about it. Dude, seriously. Even if only 3 people read your blog, you can bet one of them is going to be the one you wrote about...

Heh. Maybe they thought "(company) trailer" was an employee that is paid to trail behind everyone else.

Moron. (Not you, the idiot on the phone)

We keep the front door of our office locked. There is a sign on the door that says, "We keep the door locked at all times. To your right, just below the planter box, is a doorbell. Please ring it and someone will answer the door."

The doorbell is actually kind of hard to find, and without the instructions, I doubt many people would find it. Especially not stupid people.

Today, I was wandering by the lobby when the doorbell rang, so I answered it.

Visitor: The door was locked.

Sorch: Yeh, we keep it locked all the time.

Visitor: How am I supposed to get into the building?

Sorch: Well, when you ring the doorbell, someone like me answers it.

Visitor: Oh. Can you hear it in here?

I wish I had amusing tales of idiots I have to deal with to tell. Alas, I just have to deal with the clerks at the Civil District Court in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, who are without a doubt the most annoyingly useless civil servants I have ever seen. Even in a state known for patronage and graft, these peoples' sheer ineptness is truly astonishing.

As an example, we were trying to find out if one of the judges had signed an order. So I call his chambers. Now, you'd think a judge's clerks would have two main tasks, right, keeping track of the paper that flows in and out of the office, and keeping track of the judge's calendar? Ha! That's because you don't deal with CDC. They put the things needing signature in his office every morning, and when he signs them they ship them off to the main clerk's office, with nary a record kept of who, what, where, when, why, or how. And as for his calendar? "He keeps that." Can't tell me when a motion is set for hearing. Can't tell me anything.

You may well ask what they do. As far as we can tell, absolutely nothing. Man, I need a job like that.

See, this is the sort of thing I want my daughters to realize. As long as they're active, capable, and happy, it doesn't matter much what they weigh. Besides, I never liked those skinny girls, anyway; it always looked like sex would break them in half.

I was always skinny as a rail growing up. 6 foot 1 and 185 pounds; I ran the half-mile in 2 minutes. Then I went to college, ate whatever I wanted, and stopped exercising. I eventually hit 350. I'm fudging along on the hacker's diet: garbage in, garbage out, compare your inputs and your outputs. I don't eat anything too extreme, and my weight has dropped and hovers around 285. I'm sure once I start exercising (increasing my output), I'll be dropping even more. Meanwhile, I'm not too concerned.

Having been an expecting dad four times now (thrice successfully), I can definitely vouch for the effectiveness of both the pregnant and parent spaces. A woman's body changes rapidly during pregnancy, and she has hardly any time to get accustomed to it. There is a litany of pains and inconveniences that are eased by a shorter walk.

As to the parents' parking places, anyone who has had to deal with a two-year old understands that we don't want to expose them to the dangers of a parking lot any longer than necessary. I mean, really, have you seen how people drive in parking lots? It actually drives me to curse, and I gave that up after my oldest started repeating everything I said. (A lady cut me off in traffic; I muttered, "Bitch." From the back seat, my 18-month old starts chanting, "Bitch! Bitch, bitch bitch!" My wife shot me such a look. Now I'm much more expressive.)

Now that the kids are older, I don't use the parents' spaces. They can walk, and they know how to obey. But when I take the 2-year-old, I need a bit more security while we teach her the ins and outs of public safety. And yes, I'm upset when I see people using the things designated for special purposes. After all, I don't even use the double-seat carts unless I've got all three kids with me. Someone else (like a lady I know with two sets of twins) might actually need them. What gives everyone else the right to be so inconsiderate?

You want idiot tales, Mama Tiger? I got idiot tales. You see, when I went to college, I figured maybe 10% of the world was idiots. When I graduated, I got a job selling Amiga computers. Now the idiots could just walk into my shop. I figured the fraction of idiots in the world was more like 50% or so.

Of course, after that I got a job doing telephone tech support for a popular art / drawing program. Now the idiots could just call me up on the phone. I now know that the idiot ratio is about 90%.

One of my favorites was the guy who came to our shop after hours. The door was closed and locked; the big "CLOSED" sign was posted, right at eye level; the cash register was open, being counted; the sign lights were dark. He walks up to the door, looks around the sign to see if anyone is there, and starts knocking. We shake our heads at him, but he keeps right on knocking.

Eventually the boss goes over to talk with him. He opens the door. The guy says, "Are you open?"

"No, we're closed," says the boss, glancing at the sign.

"Oh," the guy replies, dejected. "When do you open?"

The boss points to the "Hours of Operation" sign, in plain sight on the other door. "10 AM tomorrow," he says.

"Do you sell radios?" asks the guy. I'm wondering how clueless he can possibly be; there are tables of software, three computers, and not another electronic device in sight. The signs all read, "Amiga Computers and Software". The name of the place is "Amazing Computers". I'm actually wondering if we're about to be robbed.

"No," replies the boss, "we sell computers. Amiga computers."

As the guy walks off, the boss locks the door, and comes back chuckling. "Come right in, sir!" he laughs. "No, those signs are only for people who can read."

Ah, how many times I've had the opportunity to use that line, since.

I just don't understand the logic in that. I don't see how giving a pregnant woman a closer parking spot will ease her litany of pains when she's going shopping. The way I see it is that, if she's fit enough to spend all that time walking around a mall, then she's fit enough to walk an extra minute in the parking lot.


Again, how is that my problem? If someone is so worried about exposing their child to the dangers of a parking lot, they can pick them up and carry them, or hold their hand. Or better yet, leave them at home!

My personal phone pet peeve is those people who call you at home:

Me: Hello

Caller: (with a deep Jamaican accent) Can I speak to Elbert?

Me: I'm sorry you have the wrong number

Caller: Who dis?

Me: Who are you trying to reach?

Caller: Elbert

Me: There's no Elbert here, you have the wrong number

Caller: Who dis?

Me: It's not Elbert

Caller: Well is he in?

Me: Aaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhh

ETA: Although I can spell I can't type

At the mall? I agree with you. At the grocery store? That's pretty much unavoidable.

I mean, so far as I know these aren't ticketed spots. These are like the "reserved for employee of the month" spots some places have. It's a courtesy the store wants to extend. No one considers it a right. If you want to park there, that's your business. If you want to play along with the store, that's your business, too.

I've never seen a place (other than my church) that has more than about 4 spaces so dedicated, and that's in large places.

If prenant people and parents of the world (or of America, where entitlement seems to run higher) were trying to push for legislation that these were required spaces (as handicapped spaces are, and rightly so), then I would drop a line to my representatives to let them know I thought the idea was a crock. But if the store wants to put the signs out? I'll curse the store maybe, but not the parents.

I gained 15 lbs when I went on the BC pill, but my skin cleared up and I get a lot less painful cramps, so I guess that's the trade-off I made. I'm hoping to lose 20 lbs, 25 if I'm really lucky. When I move next month, I'll actually be able to go to the gym (there isn't one in my town), so that should help me out a whole lot. I think my problem is I just like food too much. I don't eat a whole lot of processed stuff, but I can't live without carbs. I could live off mashed potatoes and die a happy woman.

Another idiot story:

I work at a chip wagon, and I frequently scoop ice cream there. The sign with our ice cream flavours is displayed prominently beside the window. There are so many times when people come up, look at the sign, and ask for a flavour that's not listed. I tell them we don't have that. So they ask for another flavour, and I'll tell them we don't have that either, only what is on the sign. And then they proceed to say, "So you don't have [flavour NOT ON THE SIGN]?" No, dammit!

I also got a phone call once asking what size of fries we had, so I told the woman, "small, medium and large". Then she asks, "Well, how big's a medium?" What, does she expect me to show her through the phone? If I had been ruder, I would have told her it's bigger than a asmall but smaller than a large. Grr.

This is not fair! I'm going to Greece for the Paralympic Games and am going to be away from September 9th - 30th. I knew I was going to miss TARCON, but the beginning of TAR 6 and Survivor? Not fair! Add this to the already large number of things the Athen's Organizing Committee has done to annoy me. Then again maybe I shouldbe mad at CBS.

With respect to people who call you at home, when I first lived in Toronto we had a number that had previously been listed to Ticketmaster or a similar company. We used to get calls all the time asking if we were selling tickets. My favourite went something like this:

Phone rings at 6:30 on Sunday morning

Me: Hello??

Caller: Hi, I'd like to get tickets to the Bare Naked Ladies Concert.

Me: Sorry this is the wrong number.

Caller: This isn't Ticketmaster?

Me: No.

Caller: Are you sure??

Me: Absolutely.

Caller: Well who should I call to get tickets??

Me: I have no idea.

Caller: You don't have to be rude!

Me: Goodbye now <click>

Even if it had been the right number I still can't figure out why they thought Ticketmaster would answer the phone at 6:30 a.m. At times the urge to take the credit card number and order their tickets and some for me too was almost overwhelming.

Another idiot caller story. When I worked at Chrysler, we used to keep information on Chrysler's "Idea Cars" -- one-of-a-kind vehicles that were built for display at auto shows in the 1950s and 1960s (much like they have today). One such car was the Chrysler Norseman of the 1950s. It was never shown because, when it was being shipped back from Italy (where it was built), it sank on the Andria Doria (the ship that sank after colliding with the Stockholm). Sometime in the mid-1980s, I got the following call:

Caller: Do you have information on the Norseman?
Me: Yes, we have photos and press information.
Caller: Well, actually I'd like to buy it.
Me: Ummm, you do know it went down on the Andria Doria, don't you?
Caller: Yes, I know. I want to buy it.
Me: It's at the bottom of the ocean.
Caller: Yeah. I want to buy it.
Me: Ummm, it's still there! You know, at the bottom of the Atlantic.
Caller: Yeah. I want to buy it.
Me: It doesn't exist anymore!
Caller: So I can't buy it?
Me: No!
Caller: Can I at least go to see it?
Me: Not unless you want to sponsor an expedition to dive to the site of the sinking.
Caller: Oh, okay. Bye.

What I should have said was "Sure, you can buy it. Just make out a check for $500,000 to me personally. I'll see that you get a title stating that you are the owner of the Norseman. But delivery is your problem." (I've always liked this story because it has everything -- history, automotive trivia, and stupid human tricks.)

JudyZ, are you competing in the Games? That's fabulous! I was volunteering at a Special Olympics track meet a couple of months ago, and during our lunch break a paralympic athlete was going around the track, trying to get some practice in. All the athletes cheered him when he went by, they were so excited to be watching someone in person who was going to Athens.

Does anyone have any exercise ideas that work with a 7 year old that hates to walk? Not for her, but for me! I'm a single parent, and I work full time, so anything I do after work I like to have her with me, but I find it's very difficult to get some real exercise and not have her complain constantly. That kind of takes the fun out of it.

It was just your typical faux testimonial/infomercial format for an "Angus Diet" that is a pitch for Burger King's new beef. (Kind of makes you wonder about the quality of their other beef when you have to pitch something that is better).

I just find it interesting that a company faced with lawsuits for falsely advertising that their food is healthy would, you know, run a spoof of false advertising that suggests that it's now diet food. Because while the vast majority of viewers will undoubtedly get the point -- that it's a spoof -- the segment of viewers who might not get the point are the pool of folks that are most likely to sue.

Maybe you could take a long walk to the closest Baskin Robbins? Kids who hate to exercise don't seem to mind the walk if they know there's ice cream waiting at the other end.

My idiot story isn't about a phone call. This was in person.

I was working in the Eaton's (dept store) cash office taking account payments.

Idiot: Here's my account payment. (Hands me her Simpsons (another dept store) bill and a cheque made out to Simpsons)

Me: I'm sorry, but this is Eaton's. You'll have to go to Simpsons to pay this.

Idiot: Are you sure this is Eaton's?

Me: (looking at my name badge with Eatons in big letters) Yes, I'm very sure. My pay cheque says Eatons every week.

Idiot: Well, if you're sure then. I guess I'll have to take your word for it.

Twenty years later and I still shake my head.

Ooooo! :::holds up hand::: I've got a stupid person story!

Working at a photo-lab years ago, a lady walks in with a snapshot she wants copied.
Her...pointing to picture: "See the door, here?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Can you remove it? When I took this picture, my husband was standing behind the door and I'd really like to be able to see him."


Then there was the lady that accused us of making her pictures go out of focus 'cause we had dropped the roll of film when putting it in the order envelope.

I get calls all the time for organizations or groups with some of the words of our name in it - sometimes I'm very sympathetic because an old directory from the city had us listed as a legal provider (we have lawyers, but we don't practice) so I do have a list of a couple of legal services or drop in centers that I'll give because usually the person on the other end is a youth or someone in tears.

But, when I get the "Aren't you XYZ Group?" and I explain, "No, the ABC, Inc. is not the same as XYZ" & I can't make rhyme or reason, I start pulling out my hair. And though I'm very polite, they get mad & keep calling back!!! It's a YELLOW PAGES...we get like 4 a year!!!

Another phone thing, over the weekend both Roommate & I got telemarketing calls on our cell phones! I've gotten accustomed to putting my cell on things I fill out, knowing I can screen & check voicemail. However I do pick it up if the number looks somewhat familiar. We get calls about 2 hours apart, some sassy lady's voice, "You are invited to the hottest nightclub in New York! Come out tonight for 3 levels of slamming..." Both of us were dumbfounded & stayed on for a second but how odd. I thought cells were the last beacons of no-spam/unwanted marketing!

No, I don't have that kind of time anymore. I compete at Paralympics in 84, 88, and 92. Then I got married and competed at World Championships in 95. Then I had kids. Between the full time job, marriage and two kids I can't seem to find an extra 18 hours a week to train. Who knew?

Anyway, now I bvolunteer with a National Sports Organization and an International Sports Federation. As a result, I get all the benefits of going to International Events without having to train. On the other hand, I have to sit through interminable meetings with annoying people, but that's only for three days while I'm there.



My son loves to ride his bike. Not only if we're going somewhere, but also in 'round the block time trials. He always wants to beat his last time. Consequently, even if the rest of us are walking somewhere, he'll ride. He often rides ahead and then comes back. I figure he rides two to three times further than I walk. Especially up hills.