Free Entertainment at the Service Lounge

At the Nissan Service waiting area (also known as the ‘lounge’) while I was patiently waiting for my car, with a protein bar, bottle of water, and my Kindle, I paid attention to the cast of characters that I was surrounded by.  First was the dad/husband, it was hard to tell exactly which he was, other than he stayed in his chair, didn’t bother anyone and read the paper.  Then there’s the 20 year old, baseball cap, brim not bent, iPad with ear buds, kept to himself, obviously a great choice to sound out the Plus Size Marge, but I’ll get to her in a bit.  We have the female with a heavy accent talking on the cell phone.  Sometimes I wonder if these people have hearing problems that they need to talk that loud.  Then the ‘pacer’, the guy who sits in a chair for maybe 15 minutes, gets up then walks around, sits down again, then gets up and walks around.  I’m not saying he was making me nervous, but pacing is not going to pressure the techs to work faster on your vehicle.  Sit down and read the paper!  The best was Plus Size Marge who took up just about the entire couch, and that did not include her huge purse that could fit a small dog, plus her coat. She occupied the entire thing, set up shop there, probably would have napped there if they let her.  She was annoying, another one who might have liked the sound of her voice when her phone with the numerous amount of ringtones just happened to continually ring at least 2 minutes after she hung up. (There was no way I couldn’t pay attention with her sitting next to me!)  Her big drama of the day was a fire hydrant on the corner of the street where she lived that someone slid into and now had flooded the entire street.  Yes I heard the whole thing, I heard her say she’d pick up water on the way home, I heard her tell someone else who called who had let her know what had happened, that her kids were home by themselves, that she could be another half hour.  I heard everything about this huge drama that was happening in her life today, multiple times if you count the amount of times her phone rang. Constantly huffing and puffing as if waiting for her car was interrupting her day.  As if her being in control of the remote for the TV wasn’t enough, she had to put on Dallas, long enough until it was her time to leave. I guess some people don’t respect their surroundings anymore, don’t anticipate that had any one of these strange characters in the lounge knew where she lived, they’d make a phone call and well, I’ll let you take it from there.  Lastly, the head turner, he sat down after Marge left and every time he heard footsteps his head turned in that direction, which was in my direction.  The service area is the other way, who knows who he had been expecting to walk up to him from that direction.  I wasn’t aware of any car giveaways from the showroom.  At least he had the decency to change the channel. 

Overall, no matter where you are some people do not think, nor use common sense.  I really need to download a ‘notepad’ app for Kindle because this would have been more entertaining than just me writing from my notes in my handy notepad I still carry with me.  And since when do sales guys walk around in doctor’s cloaks? 

To Gel or Not to Gel (Manicure)

Last month I went and got a gel manicure, actually over a month ago at the nail salon I somewhat frequent.  The manicure itself is supposed to last longer than a regular manicure, which I needed to get me through New Years, plus the following week and it was worth the $30 I paid.  Since I had a French manicure it actually lasted close to 3 weeks.  I returned to the salon to have them taken off because I failed miserably to soak them off myself (always keep regular acetone handy), little did I know the lady would use the dremel (i.e. weapon of choice to remove acrylics).  I haven’t had acrylics or LCN on in years, my real nails are in really good shape (at least they were).  She used the dremel to remove the top coat of gel and then soaked the rest of the gel off my nails.  I then had a regular manicure put on which lasted me a week.  I’m not sure what they do differently to my nails that the polish lasts longer than my home manicure but it lasted me almost over a week! Usually when I do my nails it lasts about 3 -4 days.  Now my nails are trying to grow out again and they are breaking like crazy (yes I do wear rubber gloves when I do the dishes).  To counteract that from happening and to help restrengthen them I am applying Sally Hansen’s Top Coat strengthener every other day.  I want my nails back!  If you want my advice on whether or not you should get a gel manicure, here goes

Pro’s for a gel manicure:

·         It lasts up to 2-3 weeks – no chipping

·         If you get a French it could last longer

·         No drying time which means no smudges

Con’s for a gel manicure:

·         They do use a dremel to smooth the nail prior to putting the gel on

·         They will use a dremel to take off the gel if you haven’t soaked it off with regular acetone

·         Your nails may be thin after removal (chances are they will be)

·         If its winter, they will break one right after the other

So moral of the story is: a gel manicure is great, it does last a long time, especially if you need it for multiple events in the same week.  I would definitely consider doing it again – sans the dremel and spend more time soaking in acetone!

As the Ball Turns

The roster for spring softball came around today and they were trying to find my name on the list.  I said “Nope, I’m not on there” and of course I got asked “Why?” Truthfully, I only signed up last year to be a sub, and ended having to play more than I wanted, having to endure the pain of watching people who can sit at the bar and watch a MLB game, but don’t know the basics to play their position.  Granted the ladies give their all, they show up to practice, they try, they get better every year.  But the men have no excuse, especially the one without the cleats, who shows up in sneakers to play, who claims he plays on multiple teams.  So, 'no' I will not be playing this year on that team, I am saving myself the heartache, heartburn and extra energy spent playing 110% on a team that only shows up 50% of the time (unless its to drink afterwards).  There will be a lot of changes this year to my repertoire of sports, many changes for the better.  I’ve been playing the same sport too long to just play for fun, if I can’t compete, if I can’t play on a team that gives their all like the Ball Busters, then “Thank you, but no thank you”.  

Cupid’s Markup

Hello Valentine’s Day, or shall I say the holiday that starts on December 26^th when the Christmas decorations are put away in the stores.  Yes I’m mocking it, mocking a holiday we celebrate to show our loved ones we appreciate them, on a day where 7 gang members were murdered in Chicago.  I don’t quite see the similarity there.

Anyway, when we were in grade school it was neat to go out and get the assorted Valentine’s and secretly or not so secretly give them to your classmates.  You were heartbroken if your box didn’t contain as many as your classmate sitting next to you.  As we got older society started to make it more commercial, more advertisements to get us to buy things, cars, jewelry, dinner reservations, chocolates, flowers, flowers and more flowers.  Flowers which are marked up almost 50% by retailers on one day of the year.  Do we need one day during the year as a reminder to show our love and appreciation?  I’m not opposed to the day at all, but I do not think one should not waste their hard earned money on a $50 bouquet of a dozen roses, when the following week they are normal price.  I won’t deny that I did buy a card, I think of it as I donated to Hallmark and after standing in that card aisle reading all the sappy, pathetic cards that we choose to buy to say the words we should be saying everyday I left the store puzzled.  We spend $2.99 on a pink or red card that says “I love you, Happy Valentine’s Day” with a nicely printed design on the cover.  It doesn’t cost us anything to say that to our loved ones, it doesn’t cost money to show our love and appreciation whether it be that day or any other day.  I guess what I’m grappling with is why we need to be reminded, are we that one sided where we need society to tell us what day to express our feelings?  I doubt that, but some are stupid, insecure and shy, they need that yearly reminder to dish out $$$ because they can’t be creative enough to do so.

I wrote a similar blog back in college called “Down with Cupid”, it was indeed one sided, and my views are quite the same.  Yes, I love flowers, I’d love to get flowers, I’d love to get a gorgeous pendant necklace but it doesn’t have to be on the 14^th. 

So I challenge my readers to do something else, be creative, spend the entire month of February doing little acts of love and appreciation, because it’s the simple things that mean the most, that could put a smile on your loved ones face, a memory forever in their heart.  One can’t put a price on love.

A Relationship is not a 5 year goal

Recently I had a conversation with one of the “Angels” (are I refer to my girlfriends as “Angels” in reference to “Charlie’s Angels” since we all are one in the same) about relationships.  Remember in our 20’s we’d daydream that we’d be married by such and such age, have kids by such and such age, etc.  How it had to be planned just so, that we’d waste too much time if we waited til our 30’s to do anything because we’d be too old and tired to chase around our children.  Back then we were impatient, we had it all wrong.  Back then we were trying to play catch up with the rest of our friends, to comply with societies standards “must get married in 20s and have kids before 30”.  Back then getting married was every girls dream (with subconscious peer pressure applied).  Don’t misquote me because I would get married again, (the dress, the party, the bridal party, etc – I loved planning my wedding) but not to play catch up with the rest of my friends.  I don’t feel the pressure that I felt back then.  Now it’s different, maybe because I’ve ‘been there, done that’, the premise is different.  She mentioned how she spent an hour talking (not texting) with the guy she recently met and how different that was compared to others she met in the past (maybe the romantic gesture of a conversation via phone call is coming back after all these years).  That when they went out to dinner it felt as if they were the only people in the room.  She wants to get married, but its not #1 on her list, it’s not a 5 year goal.   We agreed that the pressure of getting married (aka finding the one) is different, its not about starting a family anymore, but being happy in one’s life, being with someone who makes you happy, who ‘gets you’, who you are in love with, having the independence to still have your own life (meaning go out with your friends whether single or married) and to come home to that person, wrap your arms around them, plant a huge kiss and say “I missed you”.  Sharing interests and learning new ones, spending a life together not a life dictated because its what your families would want, but what you as a couple want.  

Granted in our 30’s its a lot harder to find someone without an agenda, that fits our dummied down list of requirements, someone we can’t wait to see again.  Once you do, once you are comfortable with that relationship (ring or not), there shouldn’t be a ‘when are we getting married?” dark cloud hanging over that relationship imposed by anyone.  If you both put in the effort to be together, to make each other happy, fill each other’s lives with surprises, laughter, love and the occasional bad hair day then you don’t need a wedding ring to express that.  To roll over in the morning and see that groggy smile followed by a ‘good morning’ is all I need.  I don’t need society to imply rules on how I should go about my relationship as long as I am happy.

A Week with the Little Man

I spent a week at my sisters, not only help her out but to spend time with my new nephew (happy 2 weeks old!)  I haven’t been around a newborn in a while, and anything that I had learned from previously being around them or having to watch them as a babysitter was not too far off in the distance tucked away in my mind of experience.  I had changed diapers before, fed a baby, I wasn’t completely foreign to the idea.  He’s cute, and I’m not just saying that to be polite because it’s my sister’s kid, he is cute.  You’ve been there, you’ve heard people say ‘oh he’s/she’s such a cute baby’ when indeed they are not.  But he is and his cry does not annoy me like some other babies cries you may hear in the supermarket when you know Little Johnny is not happy.  He’d be one of the many few babies I would hear cry and it wouldn’t phase me.  He has many cries, he has the ‘change my diaper’ cry which is accompanied by a scrunchy face if its #2, he has the ‘I don’t like this at all’ cry when we tried to put him in the swing with 6 different speed settings (does a baby need to go that fast?), he has the ‘I’m hungry’ cry and then there’s the ‘I’m still hungry’ mini-cry.  It was a very fun week with him, even at 2 weeks to see how alert he was and responding to Miguel the “French” Monkey who seemed to calm him during diaper changing until he figured out he should get used to diaper changes.  He even attempted a few pushups during ‘tummy time’! (Must have been all the protein my sister consumed.) 

I thought I had a lot of clothes, or at least a variety, but I now understand babies go through 2-4 changes of clothes a day, depending if the diaper wasn’t put on correctly or if he just decided to pee right through so the need to have an extensive wardrobe is a must at 2 weeks old.  I even got the distinction he didn’t enjoy wearing the froggy onesie, he seemed to cry most of the day with it on. (That’s ok, I didn’t like it either.)

While my sister was going about her daily routine (or trying to get into one) and I finished feeding him, we had a karaoke moment together.   Matthew enjoys the Disney classics so far and a few TV show theme songs, but do not sing the Brady Bunch theme song to him, he will cry immediately.  We went through Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World”, “Under the Sea”, The Monkees theme song, Snow White’s “ Someday my prince will come” (I hummed a few bars) until he nodded off to sleep.  He sleeps so soundly, and falls asleep semi-easy (to be that young again and not have to take a sleeping pill to find zzz’s).  Now what will his first words be? or first sentence?  My sister seems to think it will be “No Chi Chi” or “Down Chi Chi”, referring to the dog, instead of Mommy and Daddy.  But who knows, if I can spend more time up there I can work on him saying “Go Big Blue” instead. J

My sister and her husband sure made a handsome little man, I told him to behave for Mommy and Daddy and I’d give him a $1 next time I saw him.  Now that I think about it starting at $1 might have been too high, by the time he’s able to talk and remember what I said he’d be negotiating for $10s and $20s.  I enjoyed my time with my little All-Star, I can’t wait for him to be more interactive!  

Pregnancy from the Mind of a Clock that Once Ticked

Most of my friends got pregnant early on in their marriages, they had one, they had another, some are still reproducing today.  After an influx of marriages and babies my clock ticked.  My ex sister-in-law had 4 in a row, and that was a nice dose of birth control for me at that time.  In a past life, the subject of raising kids was always easy to talk about with my ex-husband, planning it had to be around softball season, at least at the end of the season to start trying.  And that one time when I was surely ready to forego the pills and try, the response I received was one of hesitation (he hesitated!).  As if his mind was preoccupied with something else at the time, and then that’s when it was no longer on the table.  I wiped the thought from my mind and went on with my life. 

Now some of my friends and family are still having kids, just starting to have kids, not having kids and my sister and her husband just welcomed a baby boy, my nephew.  Out of all of my friends who have gone through this once, twice, multiple times I never knew what they told you in Lamaze class, at the OBGYN, etc.  I never took into consideration how insensitive asking a pregnant woman certain questions could be.  I became one of the fearful insensitive ones and started phrasing my questions to my sister as ‘you could add this one to your list of things you shouldn’t ask a pregnant lady…’.    Being an outsider, knowing how many strangers are in the delivery room is enough to keep my legs crossed (give or take a dozen strangers), they do come in to your prep room and meet you first, but they haven’t been with you through the 9 months and you find yourself saying ‘who are these people? They are going to see my va-jay-jay and who knows what else!’. 

My sister had a c section which is quite painful and can take weeks to heal, I’m not sure if natural birth would be any better.  Picture this as I did: You’ve just ‘scheduled’ your c section to deliver your baby similar to scheduling a ‘meeting’ at work.  You show up on time, you’ve fasted from the night before, then you are told to wait because they’ve ‘had a busy morning of deliveries’.  Oh really? What happened to scheduling this?  So you wait, having not eaten for the last 12 hours and counting, patiently for them to come in and give the green light.  Then after the baby is born, you are supposed to ‘rest’.  I had difficulty in understanding the ‘rest’ portion of it when numerous visitors lingered for hours.  Something in me snapped, the protective older sister kicked in. “It’s time for Mommy  who has just been through major surgery to rest, say hello and meet the little man and be on your way” I felt like saying.  I truly didn’t know how to react, if only to think if it was me, they’d be banned until I was home, it’s how I always pictured it.  There wouldn’t be a parade of visitors lingering for hours in a hospital room looking at me with a bad hair day, no makeup, in a hospital gown without anything to eat or drink in the last 12 plus hours.  I would have a list at the door of who’d be allowed in and they’d have to answer to “Are you on the guest list?”

I sat in the waiting room for quite some time prior to meeting my new nephew, so I had plenty to absorb.  After watching all the new mommy’s  and daddy’s leave the hospital with the look of ‘OMG what just happened’, I can only express the same for myself if that day ever came to pass.  My nephew is my little all-star, and my clock isn’t ticking again as it did once before or screaming “I want one of those!”