Monday, May 18, 2009

A Case Of Monday Morning RUDE

Deep breathing.. not letting others dictate the nature of my day... in through the nose.. out through the mouth....

People can be nice. People can be weird. People can be just plain RUDE. Especially when it comes to driving. This morning as I was driving to work, I stopped at a 4 way stop waiting to turn right in a neighborhood section of town. Beginning to cross the street where I would turn, I see what appears to be a homeless man, with TWO BROKEN FEET. As he starts his slow hobble.. I groan. Greeaaat... But I wait patiently. I mean jeez, the guy has two broken feet and probably no stable source of food or shelter.. I'll let him have the extra minute.

As I'm patiently waiting, some bitty with long dark hair in a light teal Honda Civic (did you CHOOSE that car?) decides that she will not follow the RIGHT OF WAY rule that dictates it is MY turn to go through the intersection and bolts thru. Practically taking out homeless broken foot man. First I'm bugged because did you not see the man has TWO BROKEN FEET and second, IT WAS MY TURN. No really. I was AT THE INTERSECTION BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP.

So then I'm fired up and make my right hand turn to follow this ugly rude car and make sure she is enjoying her usurped right of way. Funny how when the kids are in the car, the potty mouth words sometimes slip out.. but when I'm alone.. I sign language the word RUDE angrily so she can see it in her rear view mirror. (Really? What IS that?)

She turns right a block before I do... and as I secretly try to race to beat her to the next intersection, find myself behind a bus. That is behind a garbage truck. That is stopped to pick up garbage. Alright, alright.. let the rude car go.....

I'll put some hope in karma.

Happy Monday!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Dog Poop Etiquette and Other Things That Keep Me Up

Jeff often says that he is boggled by the things I spend time thinking about. I can't help it. I just see stuff and it makes me think and then that takes me to another thought... and yes, I have a hard time sleeping. (Unless it's finale night of a great show and them I'm out early. What gives?)

Driving home the other night with the girls, I see a woman walking her dog in a neighborhood. Her dog stops to take a poop on a very nicely groomed lawn. I'm pretty positive it was not the dog's lawn. Yes, yes, the woman was responsible and had her little plastic sack poised to snatch up the poo after her dog finished (I can't help but wonder, does this make dogs think they are in charge when we follow after them picking up their crap? Okay, just a side note.) But if I were the home owner with the nice lawn, I'd be bugged. It's my lawn and I don't want your dog's poop on my lawn. Regardless as to whether or not you pick it up afterwards.

I personally currently do not have a dog. I like dogs, I grew up with dogs, I'd like to eventually get a dog, but I'm lazy. I don't want to have to do 'dog patrol' in the backyard or redo the hardwoods after they've been tapdanced on by little dog nails, or sweep and vacuum more, or pay more vet bills. I'd rather just host my family's dogs a few times a year instead. But the point is, I like dogs and I get that dogs have to poop.

So then this morning I see the SAME scenario. Different neighborhood, different dog and different owner..but the dog is clearly taking his morning constitutional on someone else's lawn. Yes, diligent owner is waiting to pick it up. But I just don't like this. I don't think this is okay! I don't even let my girls walk on our neighbor's yards in our neighborhood, much less fertilize. It's not your property. It's rude. It makes spots in your lawn.

Am I alone in this? Do I not 'get it' because we've never owned a dog that we had to walk for it to get exercise? Pooping on other people's lawns - not okay in my book.
Phew.. now I can let that one go.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Inadvertent Social Experiment?


With kids, our weekends are packed with stuff, not necessarily of our choosing. Sunday was a run for Mom, followed by swimming lessons for the girls, with as small window for lunch before going to a festive art show birthday gathering for Riley's teacher.


After swimming, we may or may not on a regular basis, stop for a little Mickey D's. Today Riley wanted "chicken nuggets" (I use the term loosely), Kate did not. Mommy likes to do quality control on the french fries.


Festive party was very near a Whole Foods in our old pre kids neighborhood. After Kate, Jeff and I all picked out our healthy lunch choices loaded in compostable containers, we hit the cafe area to dine. I KNEW that Riley would want more of her lunch.. so I had 'hidden' it in my reusable grocery sack for just this moment. I put out the 2 chicken nuggets that were left onto a whole foods napkin, hoping it would blend in... and no sirens would go off or preservative/trans fat/bad for you stuff police would show up in sustainable hemp and bamboo outfits to confiscate our lunch. "I want the box Mommy!!" Why yes, of course you do.


I will not be judged by these people I boldly think to myself as I pull out the McDonalds Chicken Nugget box AND chocolate milk with red and yellow straw and settle it in front of her. These are community style tables and we were sharing ours with two older women.... and then it came.


I got it. The updown. The scowl. I kind of wished I was taking video of this. And then mentally decided I was taking the approach of this being a purposeful social experiment.


Yeah. Okay. (That's kind of the look Jeff gave me as I tried to get rid of all the left over french fry evidence in the car afterwards..)

Friday, May 1, 2009

Real People Who Do Really Nice Things

I was flying back from a work meeting in Dallas yesterday. I had changed my flight to an earlier one, so I had the 2nd to the last seat.... you know, the one where everyone stands with their butt in your face while waiting for the bathroom.

Oh and then there was the 5 year old who walked by on his way to try and make it to the bathroom to throw up, but the bathrooms were full. Sweet. My favorite. Puke in enclosed spaces. My (free!) bloody mary didn't go down so well after that.

BUT as we were settling into our seats, a couple in the row behind me and across the aisle, was buckling in with their 14 month old (under 2, kids can travel on your lap.) They looked kinda wiped out and were hunkering down for the 4 hour flight ahead. Across the row from them there were only two folks in the three seat row. A man and a woman who were not traveling together.

Totally unprompted, the man asks the couple if they'd like to trade and take the 3 seater so they could stretch out with their little one. The Mom practically cried and was so thankful. Eavesdropper that I am, I got huge lump in my throat listening to this exchange.

The woman goes on to say that they'd had a 9 hour delay of some kind in Dallas and all kinds of traveling issues. And it was her birthday. And this was the nicest thing that happened to her all day.

Me too.