Recent Observations

Just a few things that I have noticed lately!

1. Whenever something bad happens people tend to find ways to take advantage of it.

For Example:

We all know about the Peter Pan peanut butter recall. But I bet not everyone knows what happens when some of the people throw their peanut butter away rather than taking them back for a full refund. (yes if you got some some of that salmonella infested peanut butter {sluuurrrrppp} take it back) If you have a garbage can then you better keep it locked up because no one's garbage can is safe from the fingers of the bums (or should I call them hobo's, or maybe the homeless either way...) We have a couple of homeless people who come to my job regularly and turn in bottles and cans that they find on the ground or in the garbage, for the five cents bottle deposit. Now, with that Peanut butter recall these two guys seem to have figured out that its some kind of gold mine or something. I don't know how long they have been doing it, but today they have brought in three jars of peanut butter. How do I know they got them from out of the garbage? How many jars of peanut butter have you seen with slime on them? I will probably see them again tomorrow. It's probably easier to search for one jar of peanut butter (retail $2.29), in comparison to 45 bottles or cans @ five cents each.

Something else that I noticed.

2.

The Oscars! All of these people gathered there to see which movie, actor or actresses...etc is the best. Which movie is the best. Not to knock Jennifer Hudson or Forrest Whitaker because they are good at what they do, but who decides what movies are great and which are not. Whoever does, don't have the same taste as I do, or the average American. Half of the time, the movies I see nominated are movies that I haven't even heard of. I will be honest. I'm not interested in movies that are trying to be portrayed as a work of art. I like movies with explosions, one liners, and action.

"Thrill Ride"

I also like love stories, comedies, creative storylines. I will watch anything that will peak my interest, as long as it make sense. Some movies just hurt my brain (cough-Napoleon Dynamite-cough). Anyways these movies way off in wonderland get nominated and the ones I watch seem to be snubbed out as if they were something on the Jerry Springer show. All of these actors, actresses, producers, and directors are living there dream, but to put some on a pedestal and others underneath it seems unfair. Some people probably wouldn't agree with me, but I think Bill Murray deserved an award for Groundhog Day. I love that movie and it was hilarious. Has Bill Murray even won a Oscar yet...Probably not.

3 and Finally:

I see these so called experts on TV saying, "This is what people want". Or saying this the hot new colors of the year, or how fat people are, and how thin is in. Personally I'd take a 164 pound Tyra Banks any day. There not reaching out to the real consumer. It seems like they are trying to invent there own. These experts don't know what I want. They can't tell me what I want, and personally I don't think it helps either. It makes me want to change the channel, because it makes me feel like i'm not real to them. As if I don't exist? We are living on the same planet, are we not? Not everyone can afford to go to the Bahamas, eat caviar and drive a $100,000 car. The average American is probably in the range of a trip to Hawaii, eat at Red Lobster, and drive a Honda Accord. Today I watched Good Morning America and they were talking about Girls in a sorority who were kicked out because of there weight and race. Is this the kind of results that the "experts" want?

Lately

I logged onto my blog at about 9am. I swore up and down that I would write about something in my life, and then read some of my favorite blogs within an hour. I sat down an stared at my computer screen, looking at the blank "Create a post" page. Nothing came to me, so then I decided to check on the status of two video games that I'm dying to get my hands on. Like my mind, they are still up in Limbo somewhere.

So I was sort of happy to hear my mother ask me to do her driveway for her. I am still a little stiff from working six days straight, and walking to and from work in those six days, but I was up to it. I may have complained a little, about the pain, but it was a change of pace. Especially when I almost fell to the ground while I was playing with the shovel, as I was walking down the hill that is our driveway. Now that the bottom of my mother's car is safe, I came back here and stared at the screen some more, and I realized something. It's been a week since my last post. What happened in that last week that stopped me from posting.

First:

I bought a Nintendo DS and started playing Yugi'oh. Its kinda like chess, but better. The strategy in that game is WOW.

Second:

I have been reading a book called book called Decipher, written by Stel Pavlou

"Mankind had 12,000 years to crack the code. We have one week left."

It is a clever book. It's a great book. I have had it for a couple of years and I never finished reading it. One day I saw it while I was rearranging my bedroom for Feng Shui (or at least what I am hoping pass for it), and I decided to give it one more shot. When I got to the part that I left of at (In the Amazon where the character Maple shot the two guides) I continued to read on. The last time I read it, I stopped because of the violent nature of that scene. When I saw the book again, I realized that it wasn't the book, it was me. Whenever I see something or someone I don't like, I never give it a chance. Well based on that realization I picked up the book again and I am glad I did. It had everything from Atlantis to Nanomachines. It was awesome! The characters, the plot, even the descriptions of the things we are supposed to see. It could be a freaking movie.

I'm reading another favorite book of mines called Prey. I heard that they are making a movie about it so I wanted to re-read it as a "refresher" before it comes out. I like sci-fi stuff. If anyone has any suggestions about some other books let me know.

Before I Forget

I don't know if it was a miracle or the fact I posted how I felt here out of frustration for what had happened to my co-worker. Whatever the reason, my co-workers baby started breathing on his own, and he also cried. This is what I was told by some fellow co-workers anyways. I prayed for a miracle for her. Maybe it is because I posted about this in my journal, whenever something happens, it totally flips and becomes the exact opposite on me within a few hours of a few days.

For instance my brother's new car was hit on the drivers side when he had the light and the other people ran there's. At first his car was going to be totaled than they changed there mind and said they would repair the damaged. Then they changed there mind again, then finally settled on repairing the car. I kept telling people on thing, and I ended up having to change what I said, over and over again.
Maybe I should just wait for the fat lady to sing next time. On the other hand babies heal up better than adults, so maybe this was a case of his body healing. Whatever the reason, I am glad that this ended up happily. I just hope that the baby doesn't have any damage to his brain.

I've failed! (Well Sort of)

I was trying to go 365 days without eating certain bad foods. For the last week or so, I have eaten stouffers microwavable t.v. dinners. That was on the list. I'm kind of upset with myself, but they had a good sale for them, and the Marie Callanders dinners too. Okay i'm not really upset with myself. I added it knowing that I would possibly change my mind. Like Chris said if I do slip up, I am still compliant with 95% of the goal. So I am not going to let that get me down.

Anyways the real goal was not to eat junkfood like my Achilles heel (Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies) and fast foods from McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's. Those I have fought hard within to keep at bay. I honestly wanted to stop eating those TV dinners, but with the erratic hours I get at work, it's hard to come home and cook dinner. Sometimes I just want something quick so I can go to bed.

I might just start eating sandwiches, but I need to find a substitute for Miracle Whip and Mayonnaise. ->Help<-.

Today I went and caught the bus to go to see the movie "Ghost Rider", but when I got out to my destination, I realized that I wasn't going to make it to the theater from the mall. A couple of days ago we got hit with a snow storm that dumped about 20 inches of snow here. The roads are perfectly fine. It's the Sidewalks that suck. It's a little complicated to explain. I could have taken a bus that would have gotten me closer to the theater, but it doesn't run within the time frame that would get me to the theater on time to see the movie. I only like to go and see a movie when its starting between 12 and 2pm, because I don't have a car yet and the buses don't run as frequent after 11:30am.

So I took a bus that would take me to the near by Mall (town of Irondequoit), and I decided to walk from there. I made a quick stop at a video game store and made a purchase that I had been waiting weeks for, and then when I walked up to the side walk I saw snow that would have been up to my kneecaps. I wasn't going to walk in the street in Irondequoit either. There was and is a lot of traffic out there, and people drive crazy on a busy road. So I turned back and caught the bus home.

Maybe next time!

Our store took another big blow. I not sure I should even post this, but it's been on my mind a lot. One of my co-workers was pregnant. I was told that she always wanted to have children. Well She gave birth on Sunday. She was actually due on Groundhog Day, but for some reason she surpassed that date.

By nine days.

The doctor was going to induce the labor, but they kept saying, "if she doesn't go into labor, then they would induce it". One day turned into two and two turned into nine. The baby was 7lbs. 3oz., and it turned out that he was too big for her birth canal. The doctors had to perform a C-section. When they did this they found out that the baby's life signs were unstable. So they had to put him in an ICU. That was what I was told by a co-worker the first day that I heard the news. Yesterday when I came to work, I was told that the baby has no brain activity whatsoever. For all intents and purposes the baby is dead, albeit his body is alive and on life support. I can describe how much sadness I feel for her, just thinking about it now makes me want to cry for her. I can't imagine what she is going through, I just know she doesn't want to give up on her son. She gave life to him for nine months, just to lose him because of a doctors decision. I wouldn't wish this kind of sorrow on my worse enemy.

I don't even know what to say to her when I see her again. Everything in my life seems so trivial at this point and I don't want to say anything to upset her. Honestly I'm scared my heart is there, but my words get jumbled when I am nervous and then my good intentions turned to an insensitive comment. "How are you doing", is the worst thing you can say to a parent who has lost a child. I said that once to someone and I didn't realize how stupid a question it was. The best thing I can to is say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope that God will bless you.

I sincerely hope that this experience doesn't stop her from trying again. I hope that she can be happy.

Sigh...

I'm kind of sad right now. One of my favorite managers (assistant manager) ever is being transferred to another store. He has been there for at our store for almost as long as I have.

He's cool, the hardest worker in the store, and he's a manager (<--I'm surprised about that part). If you could see the displays he puts up at our store, especially the one for Valentines Day you'd want to hire him too. Everyone at our store likes him. I have never heard any complaints about him whatsoever. Now everyone is going to miss him, myself included. Just about everyone at our store wish that we could, go where he is going. I hope the store he is going at knows how good of a manager they are getting. They better not give him no trouble, or we will come over and straighten them out (LOL).

I normally keep to myself and not express my feelings, but yesterday and today I let it be known that I feel that he should stay. But who am I to tell the higher ups. I'm just a lowly employee who wishes that he had "manager like power". Then again he has been there for seven years, and the last time he was going to be transferred, one of our previous store manager (oh yeah our store manager is gone too) asked that he stay. You don't know how happy we were to here that. But now...now he is leaving us. Today is his last day here, and I have the Blues.

I dunno, it seems like the sunshine isn't as bright as it use to be. He truly is one of a kind and he will be missed. His replacement has awfully big shoes to fill.

Next Time, Carry Me Home

As he is walking to the front of the store he is thinking about what is going on outside.
As he walks to the front door he begins to tremble inside. He remember hearing how bad its going to be and he begins to get prepared. He takes a step out and oh Yeah, it is as bad as he thought.

Maybe even worse.

He hasn't even left the parking lot yet and it's already getting to him. An invisible yet intangible thing streaking across the planet at a great speed. At least it would be invisible, if it wasn't for all of the snow being carried with it. To make matters worse the temperature is about 5 degrees and dropping.

Wind

Blow after blow, gust after gust he's taking a pounding. Two coats, two pairs of pants, a scarf and a hat, and it's still bone chilling cold. Before he knows it, he thinks that he may not make it home, and he wished he had called a cab. Breathing has been a problem for him ever since he was a child. Sometimes deep breaths still didn't satisfy his need for air. Sometimes he needed more than he was getting. Sometimes it hurt to take in deep breaths he was inhaling so hard.

Now as he is walking he is getting TOO much air blown at him, causing his breathing to become erratic, making him feel as if he is going to suffocate from it.

He starts to panic.
He starts thinking negatively.
He wants to give up and just stop, but then something inside reminds him that if there is one good thing about himself. One thing he has always been able to do no matter what obstacle was in his path. He always was able to get wherever he wanted to go on foot. So he mustered together some energy and some determination and kept at it.

He gets past the halfway point to his home and he comes a cross "Snow dunes" blocking a portion of the sidewalk. They would have been a challenge for him, so the street became a new "sidewalk". He remembers how the last few times he walked in the street, cars would drive by him cautiously, partially across the yellow line, almost driving in the other lane. He laughed thinking it was unnecessary . Now as a few cars pass by him doing the exact same thing, he is pleased that they are thinking about him. Between the cars and the wind he thought, he may have ended up lying on the ground. Almost home the wind eases up because of the houses to his left. Thankfully he makes it to his nice and warm comfy abode, and thanks his lucky stars that he is still in one piece.