March Photo-a-Day: Week 4

Last photos of the month.  Prompts by Fat Mum Slim.

March 26 - Something you did

26. When I walked through a new area of the Bronx, I saw these.  I love that mannequins are full figured, now.

March 27 - Pair

27. Went to a open-house of sorts for Girls Who Code - computer coding training for high school girls trying to get them to go into computer science fields.  These hs girls from last summer made some awesome apps, programs, and video games.  One pair made an app that helps disabled people find subway entrances, and facilities that are accessible.  Another pair made an app that helps people tell homeless people where the nearest soup kitchens and shelters are located.  Another pair made an app that lets you input the flavors of food you desire and it spits out the nearby restaurants that will match your tastes.

March 28 - In the mirror

28. I was happy to see my family and friends in St. Louis, I was also really happy to be reunited with my car in St. Louis for the extended weekend.  So nice.  And the weather was amazing - I was able to open the roof and put the windows down and see myself smile in the mirror.

March 29 - Goodnight

29. I don't watch tv in NYC.  I watch Scandal online on Saturdays.  It was nice to watch some tv in StL.  I watched a lot of House Hunters and caught some of the History Channel special The Bible that I kept seeing people talk about - good nights of tv watching.

March 30 - Relax

30. It was really nice to be able to get to easily accessible parks while in StL.  This was Forest Park by the Art Museum.  I went to a park three times over four days in town and did some running with fresh, clean air and not a lot of people around.  Relaxing.  If you look closely, you can still see the leftover snowmen that were made four days before my arrival to town on the hill.

March 31 - Stuff

31. The weather was amazing in StL.  Especially considering that it had snowed over 12" four days before I arrived.  The temperature reading in the car said this when I got in, but settled to about 69 while I was driving around doing stuff.

New Yorkers don't like straight lines

I don't know what it is about New Yorkers and the way they walk down a street.

I have never seen so many people that cannot walk in a straight line.

My mind has tried to come up with logical reasons for this occurrence.  Here are a few of my guesses:

• New Yorkers are so used to walking through big crowds in certain areas of the city that even when they are walking on a sidewalk with only three other people occupying the super-wide sidewalk with them, they wander in a zigzag motion out of habit.
• The city is has so few nearby parks and outside play areas that people don't learn coordination at a young age. 
• Along the previous note, I cannot for the life of me understand how so many people in a city lack the ability to turn their head to look at something and not have their body move in the same direction.  I knew a girl in college who did this when she drove, and it was frightening.  When walkers do it, it is not as much frightening as it is annoying as hell.  
• Another guess is that the advertisers in New York are so good that they really do create magnets that draws people to whatever they see.
• Some of the people I have seen will suddenly start walking from one side of the sidewalk all the way toward the store side, as though they are about to enter a store.  It is always to my chagrin that the person is not going into any store on either the current block or even the next five blocks.  There is, again, some sort of magnet drawing the person toward a store.  I guess the magnet is not strong enough to make them go inside.  Instead the person continues to walk close to the storefronts for  at least a block and them, of course, migrates back to the other side of the sidewalk and back again since it is impossible to continue to walk in a straight line.
• My final guess is that the people who walk in s-formations on the street actually really do have eyes on the back of their head.  When they see me coming behind them, they immediately start to walk in whatever direction I am moving to try and get around them.  When I finally do succeed, they proceed to laugh behind my back.

Kid Sis #1's dog is so 

incredibly cute and friendly!

I was in a Rite Aid the other day picking up some dog treats for Kid Sis #1's super-cute, new, Chihuahua dog she adopted.  While in the store, I saw a phenomenon that I have never witnessed before.

When I finished gathering the dog treats and a Snickers bar so I would not act like Betty White during the bout of hunger I was suffering, I went to get in line to check out.

I have never been in a store and had absolutely no clue what was going on with the checkout line.  I started to get in line behind a man who looked to be in the line.  Then I glanced to my left and saw three people who looked like they might also be in line and was totally confused.

Why was I confused?

WTF is up with the long break in the line?

Because the three people who looked to be in line were super far from the man who looked to be in the actual line.

I had to take a picture of this ish!

Help me understand what the reasoning was for this man to be standing so far back from the start of the line.

It's not like the man in blue was at an ATM and required some privacy so no one stole his pin number.  I have never even seen people at money machines give people this much room!

I asked the man in red twice if he was in line - I hoped that the second time I asked he would realize that he was too far back to make any sense, but he just stayed where he was until the man was finished.

When the man in red went to the counter to check out, the two women in front of me only moved forward to where the man in red had been standing.

Fortunately, a new checker came to the front about where you see the 75% off sign and I went into that line and no longer had to deal with the madness.

Saturday Quote: Let's go crazy!

Wordless Wednesday: Big things

I've heard that everything is bigger in TX, but some things are bigger in NYC.

Wood and wandering

I have internet and cable in my apartment!!!

I feel like a real human again!!!!

I have still been wandering the city, running errands, and sometimes, just wandering just to be wandering.

The other day I went into the downtown Macy's.

They has wooden escalators.  The actual steps used to be made of wood, as well, but now they are metal.

All the escalators in the 9 1/2 story building (the half story houses some of the men's items) are like this.

So cool!

While walking downtown, I also saw a little lapdog wearing sunglasses and a four-five year old boy still drinking from a baby bottle.

I have seen a man get hit by a car on a street corner.  I have been asked for money by an innumerable amount of people.  I have witnessed two block parties in Harlem.

I have eaten breakfast for dinner three times and have also managed to eat frozen yogurt from 16 Handles as a meal twice.

So far, I am adjusting to the City.

I have a retreat for the new teaching job I have secured starting on Wednesday through Friday and then start actual work on Tuesday if I can get all of my paperwork sent in from the Departments of Education of Missouri and New York.

Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Wordless Wednesday: Cute car

Semi-wordless...

I saw this Fiat in the Central West End of St. Louis while trying to sell (for store credit) some books as I minimize even more for the move from StL to NYC.

So freaking cute.  

And the weather was cooler than it has been, so it would actually be tolerable to ride in it.

I found Spidey

When my cute little four year old nephew found out that I was in New York City, the first thing he said was, "New York City!  That's where Spiderman lives!!"

He then proceeded to ask if me or Kid Sis #1 had seen him yet.

I can appreciate his love for the webbed-one.  When I was younger, I had a Spiderman stuffed toy, Spidey.  He was my favorite.  When he started to fall apart, I performed elaborate surgeries on him using my sewing skills - his neck, armpits, ankles, knees, and eventually his abdomen all were reconnected, refurbished, and reloved.  He is still somewhere in the depths of the storage of my parents' home, probably with my favorite Cabbage Patch Doll - Crandell.  I should find him and send him to Nephew #1.

I kept my eyes open during my time in New York for Spiderman.

Finally, on the way to the Mega Bus to DC, while I walked near 42nd street and near Times Square, I saw him.

It was as though my Spidey-sense from my childhood still worked because there he was, on one of the back streets, just perched on the side of a building looking at me.

I took the picture and sent it to Kid Sis #2 to show to her son.  It made him happy that I had finally found Spiderman in NYC.

Fortunately, he was not distracted by my reflection in the poster's window.

July fourth week photos

This is the last installation of July photo-a-day.  I used prompts from Fat Mum Slim's website.

25. Heart - The things I go through to try and help my body heal from the bad things I do to it.  If you look closely, you can see that my shirt is two different shades of blue.  The darker color is from all the sweat by body released during a run/walk session in the morning.  It was finished before 9 am, but was already 87 degrees.  If you look even more closely, you will see that I am developing a serious v-neck and partial farmers-arm tan.

26. Sunshine - This 60-70 something year-old ladies' outfit was really a ray of brightness and internal giggles for me as I walked through Harlem.  I had to slow my walk so that I could get behind her and conspicuously take a photo.  Wow!!  It was not only spandex-like, but also fairly translucent.  Wow!!

27. On the road - I could see the new World Trade Center building even when I flew over the city of New York.  Last time I was in town, it was nothing but a whole.  Now it is a really large building.  I think it is now the tallest building in NYC.  When it is complete, it's glass walls will be seen all throughout the city.

28. Cup - I made it to Chinatown in NYC during one of my solo wandering adventures.  I really liked it, especially after I got off of the main tourist streets.  I wandered through different areas and neighborhoods and, in one area, I found this park.  It was full of Chinese people speaking their languages, playing card and board games, chatting, biking, as well as small groups singing and playing instruments.  Somehow, hearing nothing but foreign languages was relaxing and made me feel at home.   In the pictures, the group on the right was playing some kind of card game and it seemed to get intense as two people started pointing and talking to the people on the other side of the table.  The men on the left were playing a version of "The Star-spangled Banner" with their Chinese string instruments.  It was different than anything I have heard and it was lovely.  I sat back on a rock and did a lot of people watching while sipping water from my canister/cup.  I would have stayed longer if there weren't birds shitting all over the place.  I have not quite over come that fear.

29. Last thing you bought - While in NYC for a week, I stopped at 16 Handles for ice cream at least four times.  I loved it each and every time.  This was my cookies and cream creation with Heath Bars and a little dash of cookie dough mixed in.  So good.  Kid Sis #1 even got me layering the toppings so it is easier to have them all throughout.  I put a little bit of topping, ice cream, more topping, more ice cream, and then finish off with another layer of toppings.

30. Calm - As I waited in line for the Mega Bus to DC from NYC, I tried to remain calm in the hope that I would not have to sit to the left of this man's dandruff-ridden self.  I've never seen a person with so much dandruff flaked off onto their shirt.  The bus ride worked out, and I had a pleasant trip sitting next to people who did not make it snow all over me.

31. Toothbrush - I always keep a spare toothbrush in the drawer.

You can see the images I took in the first, second, and third weeks of July, too.

July third week photos

Here is my third week of July set of photos.  I used the prompts from Fat Mama Slim's July Photo-a-Day Challenge.

18. Plate - This is an amazing table that I would love to have in my home, if I had space enough and cool enough furniture to go with it.  I would love to just sit back and have people over to chill and use the table to place some plates and drinks and later behinds and feet on.  It is huge.  I hope I was able to put it into proportion with my leg and the regular-sized magazine on the edge there.

19. Animal/Insect/Pet - This is my dog.  Really it is my parents' dog, but I also claim her as mine, even though I don't live there and haven't lived there during any part of the dog's life.  She is awesome.  This Australian Shepard was first in her class during doggie training, but you might not be able to tell the way she runs toward you and wants to jump on you if she knows you and missed you in any way (even if she just saw you 30 minutes ago).  She has calmed down in her older age, but still loves to run around and show me she loves me each time she sees me.  That is love.

20. Eyes - I have gotten to the point where my Lasik surgery is starting to expire (it's supposed to, possibly, start getting worse after 5 years).  I am still 20/20, but I can tell my vision is starting to lessen.  I also have noticed that my eyes are getting dryer than usual.  I have started to sleep with eyedrops on the bed post so that I can put them in my eyes before bed and when I inevitably wake up in the middle of the night and my eyes are super dry.

21. 9 o'clock - One of the beautiful parts of Forest Park (a park that is actually larger and cooler and contains more things to do - many free - than Central Park in NYC).  Behind the biker on the left side is a really awesome fountain that also has a waterfall on the back side of the pond.  I have started trying to run/walk each morning and this is one of the areas of the trail that I run/walk on.  On this day, it was fortunately not already in the upper 80s.  If I go any later than 8:30, it will be too hot in StL.   It was only in the mid 80s on this day.

22. Upside down - While sprawled out on the table getting electrical stim treatment on my tendonitis-troubled elbow, I looked up and saw this picture.  I had to sit up to make sure I was reading it correctly since I was initially looking at it upside down.  It is dated as 1979 and on the left, you can see that it says that part of the plan for playing tennis is to have "sweat sox (height optional) (snappy little stripes optional)".  It also says that you should have "rubber soled (tennis) shoes with another snappy set of emblems (optional)".  I'm not sure if this is really from the 70s, but I find it hilarious.  On another wall is one for skiing and on another wall is one for weight lifting.

23. Mirror - My reflection as I stood on the 2 Train riding to Manhattan from Brooklyn.  Excuse my pore posture and the shine of my face, I was slouching from the heat and being tired and trying to make the lining of my skirt not stick to seemingly every part of my legs and rear.  My face felt like it was doing more than showing a healthy glow.  It was so hot outside and the AC of the train felt really nice.

24. A stranger - I found this item for sale stranger than any of the other hipster items for sale in a little coffee shop in downtown St. Charles.  What exactly is one to do with a burlap sack?  Besides having a three-legged race.  And why is this type of bag better than any other type of bag that store could have sold in their establishment?

You can see images from weeks one and two, if you are interested.

Thick and full of body

During my 12-hour adventure in hairdressing, the lady repeatedly told me that I have more hair on my head than anyone she has ever seen.  I still don't fully understand this.  My head is not much larger than others.  I have discovered that I sometimes have three hairs seeming to come out of one follicle - I guess others just have one in all of theirs.  This is why my hair is so thick - I guess.

I remember in my youth, I was helping Kid Sis #2 with some sort of assignment she was doing for school.  She had to create a commercial and I still don't remember what the class was, but I helped.  The product was the A.H.C. - I don't remember what that stood for, but I was one of the voices of the commercial that used the product successfully.  I just remember using a strong Nigerian accent and saying something about how the A.H.C. would make your hair "teeek and full of bo-deeee!"  We all still laugh at that commercial.

I think I have been secretly using this product since my hair is so thick and full of body requiring me to use more of the extensions than other people for the twists.  Despite getting the amount she said that everyone needs, we ran out before my hair was 3/4 finished.

I had to go to the store with 3/4 of my hair completed in braids and a small afro puff.

I looked crazy.

Two good things did happen, though.

1. There was no one else in the store when I went in there, so no one except the cashier saw me looking crazy.
2. The hairdresser put my hair in an afropuff, so I now know I can rock a bunch of those when the twists eventually come out.

A third thing happened about 3 hours after the store run... she finished the twists and I was able to go home, clean up, and sleep.  Fourth good thing that happened is that I slammed down some diner pancakes, bacon, and eggs the next morning to make up for not eating much during the marathon twisting session.

Straight up, now tell me

For some reason, this morning, I was taken back in the shower.

I started singing, "Straight up, now tell me... tell me.  A-do-do you love me? Do you love me?  Bay-bee!"

Image source

That song always reminds me of my childhood and riding my bike to a classmates house after school so she could dub that tape onto a blank tape for me.

It was my first dubbed tape from an original tape - rather than off the radio.

It was always so annoying to tape off the radio since DJs must have been paid by the record companies to talk over parts of the song so that you couldn't get a good recording.

I loved that song and loved to dance to it in my room.

I loved feeling high tech when I finally got a radio with two tape decks so I could dub my own tapes and make mix tapes.

June fourth photos

Here is my fourth week of somewhat random photos I'm taking to participate in Fat Mum Slim's Photo-A-Day-Challenge.

21. Where you slept - I love gathering together with family.  We are so accustomed to all being in the same house that we are pretty good at finding places to sleep.  There was a time when we would all visit my parents' house and a few of the five children would be sleeping on couches.  Somehow, the dog had earned a bed in my sister's room, but we were on couches.  Go figure.  My place for the past week was this couch.  It is so comfortable that I even slept on it after all the bedrooms and the air mattress were free when everyone left before me.

22. From a high angle - This was an easy, not very creative one this week since I was flying.  This is taken somewhere over the land between Atlanta and Houston.

23. Movement - Nephew #1 is trying to be paparazzi to Kid Sis #3 during a car ride in Houston.  It still amazes me how easily young kids adapt to technology that we never had as kids.  This kid is so into his technology that the other day he was watching television and Kid Sis #3 told him he had to go to the bathroom to clean off his face and blow his nose.  His response was that he had to wait for the commercial because the television he was watching didn't have a pause button.  Seriously, kid?!?

24. On your mind - I have been having pain in my elbows for some time now.  About a month ago, it became unbearable in my right arm.  It hurt to squeeze soap from the dispenser, to turn my wrist, to lift anything off the ground, or to push my self up from a chair.  I finally gave in and went to the doctor who diagnosed me with tennis elbow (which is apparently common even if you don't play tennis, which I don't).  The treatment includes deep tissue massages to work out any scar tissue.  These hurt like a mother.  After two treatments, I'm not sure if it is improving yet, but I do think I have figured out that the twisting of my hair (like little braids all over my head) has caused the pain in my elbows.  I guess I may have to give in and pay to get my hair done.  It's been over a decade and a half since I have regularly gone to someone and paid to do my hair.  There have been two times that I have paid.  I'm really not trying to pay to have someone do my hair, but I guess I may have no other option if I want my arms to heal.

25. Something cute - Nephew #2.  So freakin' cute!!  It was awesome to get to finally meet him and so fun to make him smile.  He is wearing a onesie from the place of work of Big Bro and his girlfriend.  She shot this picture of him looking totes adorbs!!

26. Where you shop - I've been meeting my boo for lunch each day.  It's a nice little thirty minutes of us time in the middle of the day.  Some days I make lunch from home and supplement it with some food from this fancy grocery store in the middle of downtown.  It's a Schnucks (if you know the store) but goes by a much fancier sounding name.  It is pretty nice on the inside and makes me feel like I need to dress up like all the business people that shop in there at lunch time.  Instead, I typically have on a pair of jeans and a blouse - casual Friday everyday for me, right?

27. Bathroom - I was living out of a three bags all week: one for clothes, one with laptop, and one with toiletries.  I am organized enough to make it work and fortunate that Kid Sis #2 allowed me to use her washing machine a few times during the visit since I pack very lightly when I travel and reuse outfits.

You can see pictures from the first, second, and third week, too.

Next installation will be abbreviated since June ends before next Wednesday.

Draw Something!

With my new phone, I am able to do so much more than with the old one.  

In addition to my playing WWF and Hanging With Friends, I have found a new game: Draw Something.

It's basically dictionary with friends and random people.  Kind of takes a bit to get used to drawing on the screen, but it is fun to try and guess others' drawings and to find new ways to draw the words you are given to draw.

I have decreased the amount of play time with each of my games so that I don't have to write a letter to my dear friend anymore.  I am being productive with my time and only play when I have a free moment that is not needing time for other necessary activities.

But, just like learning to type faster, these are excellent time eaters that are entertaining at the same time.

June second photos

I'm taking part in Photo-A-Day-June Challenge hosted by Fat Mum Slim.  I added each day throughout the week and now present images from my second week of June.

I'm very much enjoying the different tricks my new phone can do with its camera - it basically has Instagram tricks built into the phone.  My old phone was so old that I couldn't download anything or store any pictures or have any games on it or have too many text messages or it would freak out on me.

7. Drink - Watching the Stanley Cup game four was even better with a little cheap dranky-drank.  I always wonder about games when they have all of the paraphernalia ready to go and the team doesn't win (Picture the Super Bowl... they have hats and t-shirts ready for BOTH teams since they always don them right after the game).  Turns out they are sent to "third world" nations and sold in markets to the people there.  So, you can go to one of these countries and see people who have bought and are wearing Super Bowl Championship shirts with the winner identified as the team that was actually the runner up (and donated old school/team shirts).  With all the clothes I have donated from schools I have worked in, there are indubitably people rocking those, too.  Remember, your donations are not necessarily DONATED to the people that they are supposed to be benefiting.  Everyone has to make a profit.  The picture of the wine bottle is a little off kilter on purpose, right?  My attempt at art... or maybe just too much wine.

8. 6 o'clock - I was going downtown to pick up the boo from work.  I was waiting in my car, windows down since it was cool in the shade and their was a slight breeze.  Suddenly, I heard the click, clopping that can only be a horse walking.  I looked in the rearview mirror and saw it coming.  Took this picture with some kind of camera effect.  I momentarily wondered if they still use the little baggies for horse carriages - the ones so that horse shit is not littered in the street.  The smell, and my involuntary gagging, as soon as the carriage passed let me know that there had to be a collection of its defecation being carried behind that big clunker.

9. Your view today - This isn't something I saw today, but it is part of my mental view today.  I know that love can't cure all, but if people really love each other and love life and love to see others do well/better, then the world would be a different place.  (That was my hippy-give-peace-a-chance moment.)  Plus, baby monkeys and puppies are some of my fave animals!  Saw this picture posted on someones FB wall - I don't even remember who posted it - but I love it!

10. Best bit of your weekend - I always love talking with my sisters and brother.  I especially love talking with my little 4-year old nephew (I have two nephews, but the second one doesn't seem to like talking to me in our Skype meetings.  He can't seem to find the words and the concentration level to carry on a conversation with me.  I sometimes blame it on the fact that I have not met him in person.  I sometimes blame it on the fact that he is still young - four months right now.  He is really cute!)  Friday, Nephew #1's father scared him by chasing him around the house doing a monster face with his eyes like in the picture.  Saturday, we Skyped.  Nephew #1 could not stop showing me the new trick he had learned that was no longer scary to him.  I don't know how many times he asked me if I could do it and asked me to look at his eyes.  No matter what the conversation turned to, he found a way to weave it back to doing his eyes inside out.  But, I loved each time he did it and loved feigning disgust and fear when he did the face.

11. Door - I know this is not the most impressive door you have ever seen, but to me it is.  In my last place the laundry was in the unfinished, leaky, damp, moldy, dusty, ground-opens-up-to-dirt-outside basement.  I hated doing laundry.  I hated going into the basement - I always feared that an R.O.U.S. like from The Princess Bride would pop out at me and chew off my face.  On top of the grossness of the basement, the washing machine was on one side of the basement and the dryer was literally 22 paces away on the other side of the basement. (Yes, I count my steps... I do it often and don't always realize it.  You should try it to see just how far away 22 steps is... it was ridiculous!)  Now, I have the two laundry machines side by side and right off of the kitchen, so I can do laundry without feeling gross, without having to change into my "basement" shoes, without having to count steps from one machine to the other.  This door has simplified my life.

12. From a low angle - Another day picking up the boo from work downtown.  I took this picture between some buildings.  Don't fret... it was not the makings of a tornado.  I took it with a bunch of different effects, and liked the green sky better than the normal blue.  All the different lines and framing reminded me of my photography class years.

13. Art - This is the only really artistic thing in my place right now.  I think my apartment was one of the "show" apartments before I moved in.  There were nice candles, fake plants, floor mats, and cooking mitts in the kitchen, matching towels, an ugly shower curtain and gross rugs that I got rid of in the bathroom.  This piece was left as well.  I haven't put any scented oil in the container, but I still like how it all comes together with the rocks and the tumbleweed-looking things.

You can see the first photos from June.

More photos to come next week...

Kids say the darndest things

Kids say the darndest things.

My nephew, besides being super cute since birth (I still can't believe that man thought I was his grandmother), is also pretty clever - though not quite able to pick up on  his mother's and is aunts' inside jokes.

I never really understood the whole "yo mamma" craze with people.  Why is it ok to joke about people's mothers and why, for some, is it the most offensive thing you can say to a person?  Why are some people, who don't like their mothers, instantly offended when their mother is brought up?  I may never know.

Because I don't get the yo mamma jokes, years ago, I started saying yo mamma to all my siblings.  Being that we all have the same parents, I thought it was pretty funny.  Most of the time, it would actually be used in context: Who is going to make dinner tonight? Yo mamma.  Who are you talking to on the phone? Yo mamma.  That woman is really pretty!  So is yo mamma.

We started saying it so much and we got so comfortable with it that we sometimes forgot NOT to say it when our mother was around.  At first, we thought she didn't hear.  Then we started trying to play it off, "Yo mamma... gram is going to happen sooner than you think."  "Yo mamma... is such a wonderful woman, isn't she?"

Sometimes, she would give us The Look.

But, now, sometimes, she actually says it herself, too.  Which is often absolutely hilarious!!

The other day, Kid Sis #2 was driving home from a water park with her son.  The young four year old asked where they were going, as many kids tend to ask when riding in a car.  KS#2 said, "We're going to the house."  Nephew, "Who's house?" KS#2, "Yo mamma's house."

Being the clever one that he is, Nephew thought for a moment, and then proceeded to tell my sister that, "Actually, Mommy, it's my house and Daddy's house, too."

Here's another great one from a child:

Image taken from this post

I thought I'd never catch my breath

Today, I almost cried.

Thrice.

For some reason, many people think teachers have it so easy.

Summers off are a blessing for teachers, right?  That there are no curriculum revisions, workshops in other cities, setting up classrooms, learning how to teach new classes, lesson planning, learning how to use the new technology given to us, etc.  Many think that we get paid regularly throughout the summer to just do nothing.

Today, I had to budget my last check of the school year (yes, it is a bit larger than my usual bi-monthly check, but far from magnificent in its amount).  In order to live responsibly throughout my non-teaching months, I try to pay forward all my bills so that I don't have to pay any again until my first check of the school year in mid-August.  (Just writing that I won't see any income for twelve weeks is really frightening.  Each summer it brings me dread.)

I have the money deposited in my bank and decided it would be best to send money orders or direct transfer from my account rather than checks or using a credit card.

The withdrawal to pay for my rent, my cell phone, my internet/cable, my electric, my gas, my bi-yearly car insurance (Why does insurance cost so much?? And why haven't I moved to a place where I don't need a car?), my AAA, my credit card balance, and my car payments for three months was so large that I almost cried when I wrote out the withdrawal amount on the slip in the bank.

I felt like I had these sort of stacks
for a brief moment.

I almost cried and had a panic attack when I went to the teller and told her in which denominations I wanted the money back.

I shoved the money into my front pocket so I could see and feel the large bulging money that barely fit into my tiny pocket.  So I could know that for that brief moment between the bank and the post office I felt like a really rich person who just carries stacks on stacks on stacks (man I hate that Soulja Boy song!) of money daily.

I thought I was going to be fine at the post office when I had the money orders made.  The lady was really nice.  We talked about my hair and how she wants to see what it looks like in certain styles I described to her.

It was friendly banter even as I was telling her the dollar amounts for each of the money orders I needed.

It was friendly banter even as she started printing the first money order.

Then she read the total amount of money I owed.  And then I passed her the massive stack from my bulging pocket.

What she gave me back in change was not even enough to buy a fast food value meal.

At that point I took a deep breath and let it out.  She said that she always feels really bad giving people change after they pay for large money orders.

At that point I almost cried.

This is all I have left on my dresser.
I wish I could turn the smile on
my eraser upside down for effect.

To hold the tears and feelings of angst in, I explained to her my situation.  She explained to me that she thought all teachers get paid throughout the summer - she has a friend who has it that way for his teaching job.  We talked about the differences in school districts.  We talked about what I teach and why I like it.  As she continued to print off my money orders, I continued to answer her questions so that I would not cry.

When we finished, like Lauryn said, "I compared myself to Tony Braxton, thought I'd never catch my breath."

I walked over to the post office table in the middle and started filling in money orders and addressing envelopes to be sent to businesses so that I can live the rest of the summer in peace.  Well, at least not worrying about whether I have money to pay my bills.

I do have money left that is not being moved over to my do-not-touch-savings.  I will, hopefully, not starve.  I just have to budget the rest of the summer and make sure that whatever I do with my money is worthwhile.

I guess I won't be going to any celebrations where I have to make it rain.  Unless they want it to hail when I throw up coins instead of dollars.

Even the old stay hip!

I love Michael Jackson's music.  Ever since I was a child and was jealous of my brother's red jacket.  Ever since he was so smooth in his videos that were so hard that they premiered on prime time television.

In fact, go ahead and start playing this song as you read through the rest of this post...



This is what I heard blasting from a car in a parking lot this weekend.  It was not unlike when MJ died and people were singing all his songs loudly in their cars wherever they drove.  I loved it!

I know that a lot of different people liked MJ for different reasons and during different eras.

I also know that looks can be deceiving. 

I truly know that you can't judge a book by its cover and can't tell what a person is like based on your first impressions.

Even still, I was in shock when I walked through a parking lot this weekend and heard a car blaring Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" super loud through the car speakers.

I was shocked because I was in Mid-Missouri and the eating locale just didn't seem like the place where MJs fans would be hanging out.

I was shocked because the super-loud music was coming from a black Lincoln Towncar with blacked out windows.  Yes, the type of car that is seen as luxury and is used as a limo for the rich in major cities, like NYC.

I was even more shocked when the car parked just to my left and out came a 70+ year old white man dressed in a salmon colored polo shirt and some khaki pants.

Get it, old man!!

I have fallen in love with hammocks!

Track season is officially over!

It went out with more of a whimper than a bang, but the State trip was hopefully worthwhile to the athletes I took.  I always take the participants and then pay myself for at least two extra kids to go who look promising for next season.  This way, they are not shocked by the atmosphere and the competition when they get there and compete.

One of the highlights of the trip, aside from some teams' excellent performances, was going to the local mall.  I am not really one to go into sports stores (I love some sports, but would rather look online for anything I want), but with three male coaches there with me, we ended up in a sports store.  Just as the conversation during a couple meals turned to football.  No big, deal, I can hang with guys.  I tried to hula hoop (why am I so unable to do this activity?).  I goofed around in a kayak.  I played with frisbees.  I feigned interest in golf clubs.  I made fun of tall tees.

But the best was yet to come...

Someone please explain to me why it took me three decades to lay in a hammock for the first time!

Even in a sports stores tent sale in the parking lot it was a beautiful feeling to lay on those ropes.

I stayed in it for at least five minutes as the guys continued looking at whatever they were looking at and I loved every minute of it.  I even loved the slight difficulty of trying to get out of the hammock.

After that whimsical experience, we walked more through the mall and came across some masseurs.  Of course I had to continue the tradition of associating track meets with massages, so I was in for a $12, 10 minute massage.  It was bliss!  It was fabulous!  It was much needed!

And it reminded me that I should still have a coupon from the place a few weeks ago that I can use for a discounted, full, 30 minute massage.

Must. Find. Coupon.

SAHMs keeping up with the Joneses?

I know that the main question I pose on this post will step on some toes.

How is it that so many women (and some men) are able to afford staying at home with their children?

The past three days I have been to various department stores between 9 and 11 in the morning and seen so many women with their small children.  I know that some of my teaching colleagues take care of their children during the summer, but most schools are not out and I am assuming that this is a regular thing where these mothers are with their children most of the day.

On day two of seeing SAHMs, I did find out from one lady that she was actually a nanny that was hired to watch the children during the day.

This, helped me understand what was going on with some of the younger women, but at the same time, it opened up more questions for me.

Image source

Are these people really able to pay a person as much as many nannies make?  Do they really make enough on one salary to be able to live comfortably and pay their mortgages and entertain and educate their children?

Or are they struggling?

Are they trying hard to fulfill the "American dream" of the man working and the woman being able to stay at home with the children while steadily getting into debt because they are on one income?  Are these the people that were in foreclosure the past few years?  I know that a lot of people put up a good face for others when they are really not doing as well as people think they are.

Are they living on tight budgets in order to make the one worker family successful?  Or are they just getting by with the basics?  Are they the coupon cutters that we see tv shows about?  Are they trying to find the best deals around?  If so, why are they shopping at stores that are definitely not the cheapest around?  If so, why are they wearing clothes that are clearly name brand and pushing their kids in what even I know to be luxury strollers?  Are they living tightly, but still trying to keep up with the Joneses?

Or are they the lucky ones that can afford to have only one partner work and still be able to afford their homes and the fancy SUVs with the fancy private school bumper stickers that I saw in the parking lots?  Are they the lucky ones that take magnificent vacations and don't have to worry about how their child will pay for its education since there are trust funds for that?

Not sure, but I am quite curious.

No shakes, but I'll take the assistant

Yesterday morning, I returned my school-issued iPad.

Since I wanted to make sure that I did not go through the shakes due to withdrawal, I decided to go ahead and purchase a new phone.  A phone with enough memory to be able to hold more than two pictures in my gallery and enough memory to actually play games and basically be a real smartphone.

I went to a local phone store after stopping off to return some items at Target.

The two workers were standing outside when I rolled up in my Mini.  I knew it was going to be a good excursion when the male worker asked me if he could see if his big self could fit in my car.  I had a really great time chatting it up with the two of them.  It was like visiting old friends, or something.  They didn't even pressure me to buy anything.

I was in there for about forty-five minutes looking at phones and talking about a lot of random things.

Once they showed me the features on one of the phones, I was hooked.  Now, I can play games, take pictures and keep them on my phone, have apps on my phone, and much more.

I even have a personal assistant that can help me with various things.

He is great so far.

This morning, I had to go back to the phone store to see if they could help me get some notes off of my old phone transferred over to the new one.

The lady worker was really cool again.  She talked about how great it was having me as a customer, how much fun she had, and how she tried to explain to the afternoon workers yesterday how great a time she and the man had with me.

We talked about how much difference the first people you see in the day can make on your feelings and your outlook on the rest of the day.

So true.  I know there have been days when I started off bad for some reason and that really put a damper on my day.  I have tried to consciously start my day in a positive mood thinking about the good things and thinking about solutions to any possible troubles that I know will come up.  It has really helped.

One thing that I think will help me in my days is making this end-of-the-school-year-gift a regular occurrence.  I don't know that I will spend this much on myself each year, but I am really digging the idea.