There is a reason why...

they work at a small store in Springfield, Oregon, rather than in southern California for NASA.
I decided to rent a RUG DOCTOR this weekend to try and rid my dining room of the awful smell of cat urine that has lingered here since I moved in over a year ago. (This is number two on my list of why I can't stand cats.)
I used the stupid thing, it sucked, and was a waste of money in my opinion. It did appear to pull up some deep seeded dirt/dust, but did nothing for the smell. Grrrrrr. But in all fairness, I was told not to expect too much. So I chalked it up as a learning experience and took it back today.
The machine won't fit through he entrance (member only store) so I had to wait outside the exit until someone tripped the motion detector on the other side. I walked over to customer service, they told me to wait for housewares. Housewares had me sign a piece of paper and told me that I would get my $10.00 deposit back with one of the check out gals. I stand in line for the check out girl to tell me that I had to go back over to customer service to get another slip. I hand customer service my paper that housewares gave me and they tell me they need housewares to come back to verify the machine was clean before they could give me my 10.00 back. Housewares comes back and says yes, that is why she wrote 10.00 return on paper. Customer service writes me another slip of paper and tells me to take it to a cashier for the 10.00 back. So I stood in line again and gave my two slips of paper to the cashier. She gives me my 10.00 back and tells me to wait by the machine to have housewares sign off on it.
I left.

Uh, gee, thanks?

For any of you that may have forgotten or just didn't know, I work at an Urology Office. For any of you who don't know what we do there, we fix broken bladders, kidneys, who-ha's, and ding-dongs.
I know far more than I ever wanted to about why men's wankers don't work and what can be done to treat it. And it amazes me to what lengths a man will go to fix his floppie. There are all kinds of pills, you see most of them advertised during sporting events, and other forms of medication. One is called TRIMIX. We call it liquid gold. Because it is over $80.00 for a little bottle that has about 6-10 treatments in it.
Here is the amazing part. It is an injection. And I don't mean in your forearm. Nope. this must be injected directly into the target area. Yep. (You men can continue reading when you are done cringing.) It should have an immediate response and should last up to three hours. Or until successful release is achieved. Of course there are the men who decide more is better and end up in the ER with a stiffy that has lasted about 4 hours too long and face radical surgery and possible long term damage. But that is another story.
Today I was rather strongly hit on by a patient. Now he was very polite about it, probably because his generation (like my FATHER'S !!!!) was taught proper conduct when doing so. And I was very gracious in accepting his compliments and flattery. But, was not interested in the direction it was going. Even if the man was not MY FATHERS AGE, the bag of TRIMIX he was purchasing would have been a deterrent.
Why does this continue to happen to me? I have been hit on at the strangest times. While breast feeding my son, while handing the man my urine sample, while standing in line with tampons and chocolate, and now while I sold a man TRIMIX.
Uh guys, here's a hint, atmosphere and timing are HUGE in the decision to accept or not. PLEASE be more aware of the environment around you when coming on to a woman.
JEEZ! And my grandma wonders why I havn't settled down yet!

Why can't kids just be kids?

So, recently I have learned a couple of things about my son's school that I am not terribly pleased about.
1st, they have been restricted to SILENT lunch for two weeks now. This means no talking. NONE. I know this because I went to visit my son at lunch and was myself hushed and reprimanded for talking to Corey and the other kids. I got in trouble for whispering to my son at his lunch break. I had a real problem with this but was told by Corey that it was for one week because the kids had gotten too rowdy during lunch and were failing to use their manners. So they were restricted to silent lunch and lectures on the proper way to use a food tray (ie how to carry them, how to stack them, etc.) Then Corey tells me that it carried on for another week. If it is implemented again this week I will be having a meeting with the principle and formalizing a complaint with the school board. I think my reasons are obvious.
Children have to be quiet during class time. They must remain focused and patient to comprehend their lessons. This is understandable. But they are children and need time to burn energy and socialize. That is why they created recess. Why is it that we understood that hundreds of years ago and are failing to understand that today? I thought we were a country of forward thinkers, who took pride in developement and growth. It seems to me that we are regressing and stifling our future.
Then today, Corey explained to me that the children are not allowed to kick a ball on the school grounds unless it is an organized game of kick ball supervised by a teacher. Uhhh, excuse me? Because it is too likely to result in an injury. WHAT? My son can not kick a ball because it is too dangerous? Um, sorry you lost me on that one. They are allowed to walk home alone, but can not push a ball around with their feet. I am baffled by this one.
What happened to letting kids be kids? We are quietly approaching repression and a very Nazi military form of education. Show no feelings, refrain from communicating, retreat from physical play, hide from any form of competition, deny who you are, what you think, and how you feel. I may sound extreme here, but don't they?
Children should laugh loudly, play hard, express themselves boldly, and follow their hearts fully.
I have real concerns here. Don't you think? ooops ... sorry, I forgot that wasn't allowed. Go about your day blindly following dictated instructions, ignoring your potential, and numbing your soul. It seems to be the way of the future.