randomly chaotic and frequently mundane

Ok, so I don’t know that you’d call it a “date” in the traditional sense, since neither of us is looking for a relationship.  It was somewhere between a date and two friends going out.  It was nice, a lot of fun.  I had a really great time.  C is a hell of a nice guy, very comfortable to be around.  I don’t feel like I should act “more ladylike” around him.  He seems totally cool with the fact that I tend to behave more like a guy than a girl a lot of the time.  That’s a good thing.  It was and evening of good company and good conversation.  I was even comfortable with him driving… and those who know me and cars, well… you know that’s saying something.  Of course, he could have been driving so carefully because he was driving someone else’s car.  In his own car he might be a paranoid passenger’s personal hell, LOL.

Date this evening… I’m nervous as hell.  Seriously.  Shaking, heart pounding, stomach doing cartwheels.

Yay.

I’ve had a few conversations with the aforementioned tres cute gentleman from work.  I’ll call him “C.”  Included was one in which we laid out what we want/don’t want in any kind of involvement.  Friendship, yes.  A little dating, yes.  Great sex, yes.  Serious relationship, no.  So we’re on the same page.  We’ve talked about all kinds of things from movies to our kids to work.  We have great conversations, and that’s nice.  Again, nothing wrong with the people I usually have conversations with or spend time with, but I can’t go out on dates or have sex with those people.  I’m definitely interested in those things with C.  He’s a really nice guy, very like-minded and he makes me laugh.  I can definitely have a good time with him, I’ve been attracted to him since we met.  I look forward to going out with him for the first time.  That’ll be nice, no matter what it is we do.

I went over to my god daughter’s house tonight and helped her make dinner.  It was yummy.  What’s more important is that she had a great time.  She loves to cook, and it was so nice to be able to give her so much joy, just by coming over and helping her to make a nice dinner and dessert.  I should go over there and cook with her more often.  I bet she’d love it.  She also benefits by learning more techniques and stuff.  Of course, I hear that she cooks pretty good on her own.

So… one of the guys at work (tres cute, in case you were wondering) has been very flirty since he started working there.  Really nice guy… we’re now in posession of one anothers phone numbers.  Question is, am I really ready to start dating?  I don’t know if I’m interested in anything serious, but I suppose going out occasionally and having a good time with someone whose company I enjoy would be nice.  Who knows where things could go from there.  Not that I don’t have great times with the people I do spend time with regularly, of course.  But something in the romantic vein wouldn’t be all that unpleasant, ya know?  There IS an age gap… but as far as I can tell he doesn’t act his age — perhaps because he’s a dad, that tends to make most people grow up.  Of course, people do act differently at work than they do outside of work… well, most people.  I’m just as bizarre at work as I am at home, he he.

I think it’s a path worth exploring, and so I shall…

Now… how does one go about this dating business, anyway?

contemplating school choices, job versus career.  I’d like to go to school and acquire some specific skills so I can get a better paying job.  Just a matter of how I’d want to do it and what I’d want to study.  There are many things I’m interested in, things I think I would be good at and enjoy doing for a living.  It’s just a matter of finding schools here that I could attend.  People keep saying “oh, you should go to school to be an MA.”  Yes, and with so many people going to school right now to be MA’s, what are the chances of getting a good paying job with so many people looking for the same thing in that market?  There’s not a lot of negotiating room when there’s a line of people out the door applying for the same position.  Of course there’s also the schedule thing — all the MA programs here would take place 5 days a week while Gage is in school… you know, when I work.  I could do the online thing, and that’s apparently not a bad way to go from what I understand.  But you can’t train in a job like that online.

Way too many options to consider.  I have to narrow the field.  I think my next day off I’m going to the community college for a course catalog to check out.  Losing 2 days’ pay per week would be better than losing 5.

For another 40 minutes or so (in this time zone, anyway).  33 today.  Or, as I like to call it Roy (as in, Patrick Roy) - he wore the #33, so I’ll be Roy this year.  Last year I was Budaj plus Aebi.  Why goalies?  That’s how the numbers worked out.  But it makes getting older a little easier when you think of your age in terms of favorite hockey players numbers, he he.  I don’t feel old though.  Especially since almost no one at work believes that I’m this old unless I show them ID.  They’re all convinced that I’m around 26 or 27.  I’m not complaining.  As Jared put it, I’ve always looked younger than my age unless I wanted to look older.

I took myself out for a little shopping today.  Picked up Corpse Bride, which I’ve only seen bits and pieces of, but I loved what I saw and I love Johnny Depp.  Also picked up a small pilates ball — for abs and thighs.  Mom’s got a large one I can borrow, so I didn’t need to get one of those.  Wanting to get into better shape and all that.  What else did I get myself for my birthday?  An ice scraper for my car.  I know, I went way overboard, eh?  Actually, I WAS going to use a spa gift certificate mom got me for Christmas today, but didn’t have a chance to make an appointment.  I’m think next month sometime.  Gotta act fast though, expires in March.  But I plan on going for a nice day of pampering which will include a hair cut, massage, facial and assorted other treats.  I look forward to that. 

There was Jell-o cake, a tradition dating back to my 9th birthday.  And I got some cuddle time with one of my best friends little buddies… his rats.  Well, some of his rats.  There are about a dozen.  I had to get my Gizmo time.  He’s the oldest and wisest.  He’s also the fattest and one of the sweetest animals I’ve ever met.  Then there was some time with some new boys — little ones, babies still.  Angel and Bandit.  Oh god were they cute.  I’d like to get some pet rats at some point.

When everyone was singing “Happy Birthday” Gage told me “Star!  You’re a star!”  Which I think is something they say at school to the birthday boy/girl when they celebrate in class.  Too CUTE.

Gage is doing really good.  Making all kinds of progress and the patch is helping a lot.  He’s not as aggressive as he was, not nearly.  He now knows his address and he’s working on his phone number and his birthday.  He’s writing better and hold onto your socks… READING.

We sit and read books all the time.  He sounds out the words, even the hard ones and when I correct his pronounciation, he repeats the word as I said it.  The first time he did it, I cried my eyes out.  I was so happy and proud.  Even now, I want to cry when he brings me a book and says “greed” (that’s how he says read).

I work at a grocery store.  Glamourous, I know.  I have to say though, every day I’m astounded by the number of adults who either can’t read or can’t count.  Maybe it doesn’t matter to you if you take your overflowing cart through the express lane, but it DOES matter to the people behind you who actually READ the sign that says 20 items or less.  And while we’re on the subject of folk who don’t bother to read the sign (which is right next to the light that tells ya the lane is open), don’t yell at the cashier for pointing out that you’re about to take about $300 worth of groceries through the express lane.  “Like anyone bothers to count” is not a valid arguement.  23 items is fine.  Hell, I don’t really have a problem with 30 or 40 small items — you know, the kind of stuff that you can fit a lot of in those hand baskets?  Yeah, no problem there.  20 big items?  Great.  Don’t bring your overflowing cart, with enough food to feed a small army for 3 days through the express.  ESPECIALLY when there are 3 OTHER cashiers available who are NOT express.

While we’re at it, U-scan does not mean that you can bring as much crap through as you want, since you’re scanning it yourself.  It’s still an EXPRESS LANE.  Everytime you take something off the bagging area, the person manning the U-scans has to hit a button so you can continue your order.  While that doen’t sound too difficult (as a matter of fact a monkey could probably do it), it does take that persons time away from assisting other customers in that area.  Just go to the regular cashiers.  You want it bagged a certain way?  Let the cashier or bagger know.  They’ll be more than happy to step back and let you bag your own damn groceries.

Speaking of bagging.  Why the hell are you standing there watching the cashier bag your $400 grocery purchase?  You have two arms and if you are capable of putting it in a cart, you’re capable of putting it in a bag.  HELP.  Didn’t your parents teach you any kind of courtesy?  When you just stand there and watch us bag your phenomenally HUGE order, you make the people behind you wait longer.  Nothing amuses me more than the person who bitches about the order before them taking so long, and then not helping to bag.  It would piss you off to wait forever for the cashier to do all the bagging for an order before you.  So why the hell are you not helping with your own order?  Are you that rude and inconciderate?  Now I understand that some people have issues that limit or prohibit them helping — wrangling small children, etc.  But I’ve also seen people in mobility carts with oxygen tanks stand up and help me bag their groceries.  I’ve seen women holding babies bag with one hand.  I even have a customer who is in a wheelchair help bag what she can reach.  You who appear to be in good health with two able arms can certainly put your eggs and ramen noodles in a bag while I scan the 5,000 coupons you just handed me.

This rampage is going so well, let me discuss another issue that bothers the crap out of me.  WHY for the love of god do you need me to put a paper bag into a plastic bag… and then put ONE TINY ITEM INTO IT??????????????  If you want extra paper bags, just ask for them.  We’ll give them to you.  I don’t get the paper in plastic thing anyway.  People say that the plastic bags break, the paper reinforces them.  Yeah, ok, then why are you holding it with the plastic bags handles?  All that’s going to happen is the plastic is going to break and the paper AND all the groceries are going to fall out.  Of course, I’ve never had a bag break when I did my grocery shopping.  Paper or plastic.  And I’ve had a bagger put a 5-lb bag of potatoes in a bag with a gallon of milk.  One bag, lots of weight and still it did not break.  Must be magic.

So, after work on Thursday, I’m driving home and I notice that the ride is especially bouncy.  I’m talking the boobs on Baywatch when they’re running bouncy.  Get home, get out of the car and the ground is quite a bit closer than it was in the morning.  What the????  Ok, so I take a walk around the car… what looks different?  Ah-HA!  The wheel well over the rear, drivers side tire is only an inch or so away from the tire.  CRAP.  So I talk to my step-dad and tell him what’s up.  Sounds like you’ve got a busted shock.  Double CRAP.

Fast forward to today.  I go out to my car to get some firewood.  Yes, it sounds bizarre, but there’s the remainder of a load of firewood in my trunk.  As of Thursday we were talking 15-20 pieces of wood, so that’s not what the issue was.  Anyhoo… I take a look at the car while I’m out there.  All wheel wells are equal and normal distance from the tires.  I got in, got out, ground is the normal distance.

HUH?

Dude, my car is Christine or something.