MORE ON COMMON SENSE

.....or morons with no common sense.

Maybe this post doesn't have as much to do with common sense as just an observation of the "changing of the times."

One day I might say to my children (if I ever have any, but we'll save that one for a whole separate post), that when I was a child, people could actually do math......without a calculator. Yes, can you believe it!

I love the strange looks I get when I go to check out at a store and my purchase comes to $16.53 but I hand the clerk $22.03 so that I can get $5.50 back. I don't like pennies and I don't like $1's. So I can get rid of some of these and not get any back as change.

However, this really confuses this new generation of kids. They always try to give me back the $2 and just use the $20. All they have to do is punch the number into the cash register and it does the math for them. It tells them exactly how much they should give me back.

Maybe I am the strange one here, and nobody else does this. I don't know??

People don't count money back to you anymore either. They just hand it to you, and half the time you have to pick up your own change out of that dispenser shoot. Maybe they don't know how to count back change or maybe it is just laziness.

PAPER (FABRIC) OR PLASTIC??

First, I just want to say that this post was in no way influenced by "EARTH DAY," nor am I campaigning for any environmental cause. This is strictly an observation that makes me wonder about the common sense of some people.

As I am sure you know, right now there is a big push to buy and reuse fabric grocery bags in place of using so many plastic bags in an attempt to help the envrionment.

I continue to use the plastic sacks. (but I believe that I am still a good person).

Okay so here is what baffles me........

In high school I worked at a grocery store. Before working the customer service/video rental counter, I was a "bagger," and I think I was a pretty good one at that. What I don't understand is ........ if we are using way too many plastic sacks, why is there no effort being made by the store's baggers to use less bags??

I try my very best to help out the baggers by grouping all of my items as I pull them out of my cart. I put all of the produce, cans, boxes, chips, non-food items, etc. together to try and make things easier.
So why is it that..........

• my hamburger buns were in a bag getting smashed with an onion and a bottle of salsa
• there were only 3 items in said bag.
• one bag only had a box of crackers and some cheese in it.
• one bag only had a box of Q-tips in it....I get the whole "don't combine non-food items with food" thing, but I really don't think Q-tips will contaminate a box of Rice-A-Roni??

Are ya kiddin' me??? I could have fit everything that I bought tonight in 1/2 (or less) than the number of bags that I brought home AND I wouldn't have flattened hamburger buns or smashed chips.

MALE VS. FEMALE

There are mainly 3 times in life when I wish I were a man......

CAMPiNG, HAiR & SHOPPiNG

The CAMPiNG part is pretty self-explanatory and mostly has to do with the plumbing differences, but also involves the HAiR issue. Guys can just throw on a hat and look cute. Many girls can also do the hat thing, but not me!! If a guy has hair issues (thinning, bald spots, weird calics, etc) he can just shave it off. I have actually had that hairdo and it is a pretty sweet one as far as maintenance goes, but I don't think that guys really dig bald chics.

As for the SHOPPiNG thing, I spent today in Park City at the outlets and like MOST of my shopping experiences, I found myself walking around, going into EVERY store, trying on MANY clothing items and returning home with not much to show for the 4 hours or so spent. I am trying to do my part to stimulate the economy and am willing to throw money at anyone that will make some clothing items that I want to and can wear.

(**I get ADD with long postings, so I will try to keep this one as short as possible**)

Maybe I am wrong (I don't have a brothers, a husband or any little boys running around), but from how I see it, shopping would be a lot easier and more successful if I were a guy. Aside from small differences, men's styles haven't changed that much, but the styles for women seem to change every season. For starters that means that to be in style, I have to buy a new wardrobe every year. The G's add a whole extra layer of complication to this whole process that I don't think affect the male wardrobe much.

SWiMWeAR--
Aside from the Speedo, guys don't have to worry about exposing too much of themselves to the world in their swimwear. A guy can just grab a pair of board shorts, throw on some flip-flops and is ready for the beach or pool at a moments notice. Ladies, on the other hand, have certain areas in which a razor might be appreciated before being pool ready. It is also a difficult task to find a swimsuit to accomodate my top half without too much hanging out and still fitting everywhere else.

CHURCH CLOTHeS--

I get that guys don't enjoy wearing a tie, but every Sunday morning I wake up....oh how I wish I could just throw on a button up shirt, some pants and pick a tie....any tie. Same outfit, different tie and BAM....next week you have a whole new ensemble.

eVeRYDAY CLOTHeS--

Be it summer or winter, a guy can pair a button up, polo or t-shirt (or a combination) with dress pants, khaki's, jeans or shorts and there you have it. They don't have the following issues to deal with:
--Is this shirt cut too low (would I have to find another shirt to wear under it)?
--Does this shirt have too wide of a neck or go too low in the back?
--Is this skirt too short?
--Are these shorts long enough? and the list goes on......

My last issue for this post is the generational clothing dilema. As a man, most clothing options are the same whether you are 12, 25, 40 or 60. As a female though, it is much different. You can either dress way too young for your age like the high school girls, like your mother, or grandmother. Sometimes it is hard to find anything in between.

MARCH MADNESS/BRACKETOLOGY

I work in an office where myself and the receptionst are the only females.
With that said.....there is a lot of testosterone flowing in the office and and a lot of talk about sports.

Now that March Madness (NCAA National Championship) had begun, that is pretty much the only topic for discussion lately. In fact, this talk started a couple of weeks ago just in anticipation of this event.

About a month ago the bosses decided it would be a great idea to sign up for DirectTV and to install a 42" flat panel television in the kitchen. Let's just say that I am not sure that has increased productivity in the office. Yesterday half of the office was in the kitchen glued to the Utah State game (I work with a lot of Aggies). Too bad they lost by 1 point!
Every year they guys at work put together their brackets. They always invite me to participate, but this year is the first year that I have actually submitted a bracket. If nothing else, it makes the games more exciting to watch because I actually care who wins. For not knowing much about the different teams, I am actually doing pretty well. Right now I am tied for 2nd place. There are still a lot of games to be played and anything can happen, but Go me!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, REALLY???

Thank you, I think????
My sweet mother gave me laser hair removal for my birthday last October and I have been going every six weeks since then. Tonight I just finished my 5th appointment. I refer to it as my "taser" appointment.
As a cancer survivor, I have been through a lot, but I think that all of my pain tolerance was used up years ago. Next to a bone marrow aspiration I think that this might possibly be the most painful thing I have ever had to endure. It is good that I have six weeks to forget exactly HOW painful it is before I return for my next appointment.
I was talking to my mom right before I left for my appointment tonight and she said "be brave....at least it is not a spinal tap." (as a cancer kid, I had a spinal tap ever two weeks for two years). For the record....I think I would pick a spinal tap over this. Yes, a spinal tap is painful, but it is quick.
It is hard to describe exactly what the laser feels like, but I have heard it described as being snapped with a rubber band....okay, maybe if you consider being snapped REALLY HARD, with a REALLY BIG rubber band over and over again for about 30 minutes and without too much information, certain areas hurt worse than others.
I have also heard it described as a hot, serrated knife being dragged over your skin, feeling like your body is on fire and even child birth. Having not experienced any of these, I can't really comment on how accurate those descriptions are,

I am just hoping that a shave-free swimsuit season will make the gain worth the pain.

Now I just need to shed some pounds to look great in that swimsuit.