Memorable customers

Yesterday, I told a 67-year old man that, no, I have to slide your card up here at my register for credit instead of in the card reader pad which was asking for his PIN.  He actually told me, "Whatever.  I'll just do debit."

Twice this afternoon, customers said to me, "Let me ask you a question," and I answered, "Deep fried!"  We laughed.

A middle aged dude commented on how some coupon wasn't working.  I told him it was just me being mean to people.  He told me, "You don't have a mean bone in your body."  I judo chopped his collarbone to prove him wrong.  No, I'm kidding; I smiled instead.  We actually had a fine time.

We found Michael Jackson's greatest hits on one of the computers we sell.  Naturally, we turn that up and the (lame) store music down so that we can enjoy ourselves a bit more.  This is awesome.

Today I saw one lady slightly grooving to the MJ music, one man start singing along, and one mother make her baby dance.  This is awesomer.

Link collection

If you're like me, you've probably been in love with the Batmobile at one time or another.  Some people have decided to make their own.  Awesome!

Here's a bit of a vintage fix.  First, a Popular Science bit from August 1925 about futuristic cities.  Second, "Tips for Single Dames" from February 1938 about how to act on a date.  Terribly sexist, but amusing.  This one's my "favorite:"

Yes, ladies, because a date is all about giving the man what he wants.
Image: selection from Slightly Warped

That story from NotAlwaysRight.com has 17,639 thumbs up.  The second most popular I've yet to see had 7,000-something.

Every (Bad) Crowd Has A Silver Lining
College Cafeteria | Kansas, USA
(When I was in college, I used to work in the cafeteria. On this day, two girls are making fun of a third.)
Mean Girl #1: “Oooooh, a hamburger? So much for that diet.”
Mean Girl #2: “Are you kidding? She’s never been on a diet in her life!”
(The third girl who they are talking to is, for the record, very nice looking.)
Girl #3: *taken aback* “I…I worked out today. I need the protein.”
Me: “Come on, leave her alone. She can eat whatever she wants!”
Mean Girl #1: “Yeah, I guess you don’t have to worry about what you eat if you’re already fat and ugly!”
(One of my coworkers has been listening from a distance. He walks over, looks all three girls up and down, and then turns to the third.)
Coworker: “Excuse me, miss, but do you think I could get your phone number?”
Girl #3: “Are you serious?”
Coworker: “Completely! Who wouldn’t want a date with a beautiful girl who knows how to take care of herself?”
(This was five years ago. I’m going to be the best man at their wedding.)

That story has 17,639 thumbs up.  The second most popular I've yet to see had 7,000-something.

I don't work at a clothing store, but I do work in retail, and that's enough to make me feel some pain when I read this comic strip.  It's totally funny but totally not.

A shark headband?!  Awesome!
For sale by Lindsayharmony on Etsy

Here's your Green Spot!  This one's super cool!  At GardenPool.org, you can see how a family has become self-sustainable by turning their pool into a garden for fruits and herbs, a coop for chickens, and a pond for tilapia!  Watch the short video explaining it all.  So radical!

Another funny retail comic strip.  I can totally resonate with this.

This is an aerial view of ruins of the medieval city of Shali, Egypt.  I really, really want to go exploring there now.

Image via JT Irregulars

As I've mentioned, I've been reading Captivating by the Eldredges (so good).  Therefore, I'm a little more keen to the very real onslaught against women and their precious femininity.  This article seems aware, too.

And, I'd like to save the best for last.  One of my friends wrote a post about worry.  It's very pertinent to where I am in faith, in time, in the work force, etc.  It'll probably speak to you, too, so I encourage you to check it out.

Not what I expected for a lovely first day of fall

Today has been unusual.  I'm going to tell you about it.

I haven't been doing exercising for the last two days because of sever pain in my left hip joint.  I've been going to the chiropractor to try and fix things.  What I've learned is my hips don't lie.  Sorry, no, my hips are misaligned.  Therefore, one of my legs is a tad shorter.  Who knew!?  Beyond this, though, when I start exercising after a long time of virtually no athletic activity, this left joint will hurt with either sharp or dull pain.

I told this to the doctor on Tuesday when I was in for my adjustment, and he said, essentially, "well that's very odd considering all the adjustments and exercises we've been having you do.  Your hips should be strong enough and they shouldn't be hurting like this."  So he tried a couple new adjustments hoping that would work.  It didn't.  It got worse and ached for hours.  Yesterday, I was worried that I was going to have to go home from the pain.  I went in to see the doctor again today and he was very, very perplexed with my case.  Then, he said something that really scared me:  "Have you had any problems with your ovaries?"  Wha-hat?!  After some further discussion, I learned that problems with certain organs send what is called referred pain to other parts of the body.  For example, if your gall bladder isn't working properly, it can send referred pain to the lower section of your left shoulder blade.  (Cool!)  So the doctor thought that maybe, just maybe, something was wrong with my ovaries.  After me trying to not freak out and after further discussion, he was thankfully able to rule out that possibility.  He did, however, suggest that I get an MRI.  Yeah, that's about $1,000 which hurts more than my hip.  He showed me a pretty cool anatomy website that showed me what the MRI would be looking at.  This made me miss Andrew Sweeny, and I told the doctor about my friend who's in med school, but he didn't comment.  Ha.  He did, however, recognize that I'm a poor college grad without MRIs in my budget, so he recommended I get a deep tissue massage to see if that will release the muscles and smooth things out.  I'm to see him again in two weeks.

via Wikipedia

I didn't know there was so much wrong with me.  Maybe it will end up as nothing major and will go down in my archive of huge health scares.

When I got back into my car to leave the doctor's office, I went to turn my iPod on, but it didn't turn on!  What's this?  Wet?!  My water bottle which never spills had spilled onto it and so now it doesn't work.  It's sitting in rice right now on the kitchen counter.

The iPod was broken, so I turned to the radio.  I accidentally landed on our local Christian station which I have mercilessly bashed for four years.  It played exactly what I needed today.  The lyrics to the songs pointed my head and my heart in the right direction after they were scattered all over the maps of fear, worry, and discouragement from the doctor, the iPod, and the hefty price of a full tank of gas.

Next, I checked out some stores for a dress I might need but didn't end up getting anything.  I turned in an application for a Children's Services Librarian in my town at a very impressive building.  On my way back to my car, I noticed a pretty dress in a shop window of a consignment boutique I didn't even know existed.  I figured, why not, so I walked inside, found a lovely navy blouse, bought it for $10.69 (to make me feel better), and came home.  I've since realized that God is to be my comfort, not shopping, but it's ok.

Now I'm sitting on the couch in the living room with my beautiful sister.  Chili's on the stove, the parents are around, and I'm eating Phineas and Ferb fruit snacks.  I thank God for turning around this day that had great potential to be awful.  I'm even glad my iPod's broken, believe it or not, because of how the radio encouraged me earlier, though I would like it to be fixable.

Autumn!

Happy first day of autumn!

Here are some pictures of things I think of when I think of autumn.

Leaves!
Trees Nightstand by Velocity Art and Design

Orange!
Ceramic disc string lights, also from Velocity

Coats!
Adorable coat from Anthropologie!



Another amazing coat from Anthropologie

Barn owls via English Count

Log cabins via copendium blog

Kitschy pow wows and their wares
via Pow wow @ wikispaces



Then of course delicious stuff like this via Country Living



And chrysanthemums (thank you, Bryan College) and also pumpkins
via Activerain

And... that restaurant in Gatlinburg, TN with the wooden walls inside and the antler decorations and the smoked salmon and the Smokey Mountain woods outside and the skilled pianist providing the entertainment and that sense of adventure you get just by being seated in such a lovely, homey, yet wild, place.  I tried looking up the place online, but I don't want to get it wrong, and Google maps doesn't let you see inside restaurants.  Heh.

Contentment

Contentment is a choice.  Yes?

This idea slapped me in the face last night when my friend Nate told me so.  My former thoughts came rushing to attack this new idea with arguments about the facts of life, my relationship status, the job world, etc.  It all made sense, too.  For a little while.

We always have a choice.  Emotions come unbidden, but we choose what we do with them.  We can control our attitudes, and, as a Christian and lover of Jesus Christ, I can even bring my attitudes under His dominion.  I can tell Him, "Lord, I don't like this right now, but I want that joy You promise.  Please help me work through and out of this unrest and bring me back to Your peace."

This isn't a magic charm, but it does help me focus and refocus and refocus again on what, Who, is really important.  Then the things of earth grow strangely dim.

Fill in the Blank Friday!

This week's theme from The Little Things We Do is "Random" (used as a noun, not an adjective).  To celebrate, I've tried to find a random photo to show.  This one's pretty good.  It's from when I was cleaning out my closet earlier this month.  This is a card a classmate gave me.  It's probably in the top 5 of awesome cards I've ever received.  I'm pretty sure it's from when I lived in Puerto Rico, maybe even as far back as California.  As you can see, there's a super cool holographic Diplodocus sticker in the center of a prehistoric background.  How much amazing can you get on a postcard?!

Image: me

1. When I get a day to myself I like to feel productive at the end of the day.  My days off from work feel very precious, and I try to keep from driving out to town or wherever as much as possible.  I usually make a checklist of little errands around the internet or chores around the house to get done, and then make sure I set aside time for playing music and reading and journaling.  I also usually take the time to make my own breakfast instead of having toaster waffles.

2. High school was book smarts, no street smarts.  I was definitely the unpopular goody-two-shoes with very few friends, but things started to get better the last two years.  I was pretty good friends with everyone (all 40 of us in my small, private Christian high school) and got to plan our Variety Show and ended up having influence and respect in the end.


3. A little dream I have is designing an effective short hand for my own use.  I'm working on it now, but it'll take more thought than I thought.  And, I'd love to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef one day.

4. A big dream I have is seriously?  Getting married and being a mother one day.

5. If I could drive any car I would pick a retro VW van.  Hands down.  Well, ok, or the Batmobile.

6. A time that I felt really and truly beautiful was this last year's JR/SR banquet.  I was borrowing a flattering dress that was a great color on me, a friend had done my hair up in curls, and my make up looked great.  I was with great friends who complimented me and made me feel loved.  I was very happy that night.  There was another time last fall when I was just starting to put together outfits that actually displayed some fashion sense.  I wore a tu-tu like white skirt, a friend's borrowed cerulean 3-quarter sleeved top, her necklace, my roommate's white headband, and black tights and boots.  My hair behaved especially well that day.  It was a new look, I loved it, and lots of other people did, too.  I was proud and happy to be able to totally pull off an outfit from my own creativity.

7. Tomorrow I will go to work.  3-9.  I haven't thought about tomorrow beyond that.

Why going to Antarctica with nothing but a can opener is a bad idea

For all of you who care about what's chic and trendy in the Green world (because I know I'm not the only one): A tutorial on making a "green curtain," essentially a handy trellis to place against your outside wall.  It cuts way down on cooling costs, and some in Japan use it for planting edible fruit-bearing plants.

 Totally unrelated:

I like these guys.
via XKCD

 I was reminded recently of how much I adore these umbrella skirts this evening. 

via Misstrendy.it

Designed by Cecilia Felli, I totally want one.  I wonder if I could make one?  I'm going to need to get much better at this sewing machine thing. (Boy, oh boy, do I have something crazy to show you soon!)  This blog shows how to make something similar.  One day, one day, one day!

---



This exchange happened today between a 57-ish year old man and myself as we were finishing up his transaction.

Him: "...Oh my PIN number.  (To me): What's my PIN number?"
Me: "Well, I don't know!"
"You don't know?! You mean, you forgot?"
He puts in his PIN and continues.  I ask him if he wants any cash back.
"Cash back?  Oh, no.  I'll just go to the bank.  I've been running errands all day.  Lessee...  I got my hair cut, I went to the hardware store...  Next I'm going to the library."
"Your hair looks good."
"Well thank you.  Now don't be snickering when I leave, though."  He pretends to be me snickering.  
"Nah, nah, I really do like it.  But, now, my mom got her hair done yesterday.  She tried to get some red highlights in it, but when she got home, her hair was orange!  What was I supposed to say?!"
"Haha!  Nothing!  Haha...  Now, are you married yet?"  He looks toward my ring finger.
"No, I'm not."
"Well, your husband will mess up.  When stuff like that happens, and you say, 'how do you like my hair?' ...well, maybe just don't ask him right away."
"Haha, ok, I'll keep that in mind."
"Now, he will mess up.  Just try not to get too mad."
Priceless.

Another sweet man around the same age came up to my register later.
"I need some... guess what I need," he says.
"Ink?"
"Yes!  Man, you can read my mind!  You should have your own show!"
"Haha, well, you know..."
"Naw, don't sell yourself short.  You don't think much of your talent?"

"Well, it's just so rare to find people who appreciate it, you know?  So when I find somebody like you, I just don't know how to respond."

It takes her an hour to get her hair that big.
Image via People

There's another story that came about, but, bummer, I'm pretty sure it needs nonverbals to be appreciated in its full.  But, I'm sure some more will come along.  I'm actually surprised at how few I've had to share this summer.  Only in the last couple weeks have I had any of note, it seems.  And, I don't believe it, a second customer has told me I look like the Progressive lady. She even said, "I know I'm not the first person to tell you that." Maybe she and the first customer are in cahoots to make me go crazy over worry that I freak people out with my extroversion?

---

I was thinking about the smells and feels of the air today as I was driving with the windows down.  The air here is just on the brink of autumn.  It's got the tinge of chill and it was sneaking in the smells of turning leaves.  I thought of the air in Pennsylvania.  When we visit my dad's family there, the air is wonderful.  Really, I mean wonderful.  It reminds me of silos, horse-drawn buggies, tree-bordered windy roads, the occasional creek, pastures of cattle, open skies, freshness at its best.  I love it.  Sometimes I get a whiff of it here in the South.  Those times are precious.  On the way home I drove with the windows down again.  At one point I distinctly smelled the River section of the Chattanooga Aquarium.  That was weird, but, yes, that's exactly the smell.  Hum.

I don't think that monologue is going anywhere exciting, so I'll stop there and wrap things up.  I intend to post some heavy introspection soon, but I may chicken out or just not figure out how to say what I mean.  I've been reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, and it's very, very poignant.  My heart and my mind are trying to wrap themselves around some radical ideas, and I hope that I grasp them because they seem so good.

Putting things in order

Woah-ho-ho! I just found my new favorite therapy website!  When I stress out from the chaos and clutter around me (like in the kitchen junk drawer), I can go to Things Organized Neatly which is a picture blog that is exactly what it sounds like.  Seriously, I'm very happy that I discovered this.

A reader submission to Things Organized Neatly

I'm working on reorganizing the whole house, it seems.  All 3 floors.  Yes.  My sister and I deep cleaned our rooms (closets and underneath the beds included) and are still in the process of getting rid of those 20 give-away/throw-away bags.  Taylor still has a bit farther to go, but, just tonight, I can say that my entire room is in order!  Ok, except for the bottom left drawer of my dresser.  It's neat and tidy, but I need to go through it and clear out some stuff.  This is my drawer that holds papers and drawings and notes all the way back from kindergarten to high school.  It's very difficult to get rid of things I've had for as long as I can remember -I've been a collector most of my life- but I thought about taking pictures and writing about the things I'm getting rid of, so I started a second blog to help me cope with freeing myself of stuff.  (I'm certain there's a metaphor here for how becoming better often hurts first.)

The next project after mine and my sister's rooms was the piano bench my dad made.  I took the music books out of it so that I could use it as a desk/coffee table in my room (my own old desk broke recently (as in: while Taylor and I were moving it).)  After this, I'd like to conquer the toy cubbies in the den that should really just be a game and book case.  Next will be the cupboards under the plant counter in the kitchen/casual dining room, and then onward to a secret project that Mom might freak out about.  She doesn't like it when I go berserk and reorganize and throw things out.  Understandable.  She's had a few things accidentally trashed before, like her Masters certificate.  Yikes.  The two of us did share a dream of taking the books on the book cases in the basement (where no one sees them) and moving them to the finished room in the basement and maybe refurbishing the old book cases.  All of this gets me super excited.  (Mom's almost used to that crazed I-must-make-better-and-beautiful look I get.)  In fact, I nearly drooled over a recent blog post by Oh, Hello Friend.  So divine.

Fifteen days till autumn begins!

This one chick seemed normal enough while going through my register (as if I'm the one to judge), but I could tell that there was definitely something abnormal going on when she started going a little beyond the "very freindly" level of chatter.  "Isn't this notebook cute?" she said.  I had to agree, it's a nice notebook, after all.  She told me why she was buying it and then moved on to what she appreciated about the notebook's design.  "It has this slot for a picture in the front!  You know what I'm going to put there?  A picture of my squirrel!  Wanna see a picture of him?  His name?  Oh, it's Naptime.  Yep.  And he calls me his girl.  He tells me he wants me to change my last name to "Friend" so that I can be his girlfriend."   o_O

Another abnormal thing at work today: a gentleman purchased around $851 worth of school supplies (binders, scientific calculators, 50 packs of tabbed dividers, huge notecards, etc.)  When I asked him what it was for, he told me it was all a donation for one of the local high schools.  Wow.

One last abnormal thing (yep, 3 in one night!) happened when the man purchasing an external hardrive suddenly pointed to his companion 2 yards away.  I didn't understand what was going on, so I look to his friend who tells me, "he doesn't speak English."  Oh, ok, well I didn't really have anything to communicate at the time because my manager needed to go and get the hardrive out of the locked case.  I told the American companion this and he translated to the first man.  I recognized some of the words he was saying!  No... no, that's not Spanish.  It must be... Russian!  "Is that Russian," I ask.
"Yes!  Do you speak?"
"Choot choot," I respond, meaning that I spoke very little Russian.
I was ecstatic to have a Russian man in my store!  I love that culture and was all too happy to chat when the American asked if I was Russian.  No, I explained, but I was there for a whole week and we hosted a Russian girl in our home for two weeks.

When the Russian man was paying for his hardrive, I tried to communicate a little in his language.  I realized too late that I said the wrong word at the wrong time, but he was very understanding, and I think he appreciated it.  Oh, how I wish I knew more!  Even though I didn't understand all he said, I could feel his happiness and gratitude for the good customer service and all, but I was enamored by the language he spoke.  I've really forgotten what a beautiful language that is!  Listening to him took my mind back to the wonder and excitement and the culture and the people.  Sigh.

There I am in Moscow in 2005.

Fill in the Blank Friday - Vacation

Again, from The Little Things We Do:

1. If I didn't have to work anymore I would play piano whenever I felt like it, be outside more, and I would spend a lot more money on gas going to visit friends.

 2. My favorite thing about a vacation is maybe getting to try the different foods but definitely spending time with people I love.

3. When packing for a trip I compartmentalize my suitcase and keep everything very organized.  Very organized.

4. If I could go on a road trip with anyone (dead OR alive) I would choose probably Millie Jones and my sister because they're both my first choice and the three of us get along pretty well and they're both two of favorite girls in the whole world and we would go to Canada because I always talk about going on a road trip up there with each of them but I never have.

5. My top 3 absolute travel essentials are my journal and my Bible (I kinda count them as one item), the small blanket I curl up with when I sleep, and my key earrings (which go with almost everything).

6. Vacations are great fodder for blogging.  I always come up with some crazy stories.

7. On vacation you always must take at least one wrong turn.  As I've heard many say: "It's not an adventure unless you get lost."

I'm on a vacation right now.  I'm back at my Alma Mater hanging out with some of my favorites.  It's great, and I feel the pull to stay here forever where life is easy (especially if I can keep my no-homework gig.  After graduating and talking to others about it, though, I've learned that there is definitely an unhealthy stage when it comes to not letting go of this nurturing environment.  The time has come to move on, this chapter has finished, and it's a good thing, not a bad or a sad thing.  Visiting friends here is fine, but I know that I don't belong here anymore.