Customer Service, where did you go?

So as the holidays approach I have been taking frequent shopping trips to buy, return, and exchange. One symptom that most likely has assisted our floudering economy is the complete lack of customer service. I spent 20 minutes standing in a group of Walmart employees yesterday waiting for one of them to help me return some broken Christmas lights. Once I was finally helped the young lady took 2 phone calls during the exchange and then attempted to play charades with me to finalize the transaction. All in all the event should have taken less than 5 minutes and ended with a salutation like, Thank You and have a nice day. Walmart certainly isn't the only culprit, I have had similar experiences in multiple stores like, Kohls, Old Navy, and Macys. Don't these employees understand that by making the consumers shopping experience a pleasant one that they are in essence ensuring the survival of there company...the answer is a resounding NOOOOOO! I guess pride in doing a good job only occurs above $8/hr.

Over Committed

So I usually have no problem saying no to things, but I have recently started a pattern of saying yes to almost anything. Can you make this really inconvenient Dr.'s appt? Can you please help set up XYZ meeting? Would you head up this community group? Honey, can you do all the housework, take care of the kids, and also be my secretary? I have, over the last month, said YES in some fashion to all of the above. Although, I still consider myself to be "above water", I know that I am close to drowning in responsibility. I know that when this happens I will have to yet again say yes! YES to committing myself to the looney bin. What the HAY, might as well, most people who know me well would say I'd fit right in! Cheers!

Apple Biter

I love having my 2 1/2 foot tall apple biter in the house! I have arranged a lovely center piece for my dining room table of fresh, crisp, and beautiful green apples. They are stacked in a wooden square bowl, which gives it the most perfect, cozy, earthen look. Now my table scape is complete because my daughter has taken mini bites out of almost each and every apple! Ahhh the hilarity of motherhood...I guess she really wants apple pie or something because now I am going to have to use them right away. Cheers!

Neanderthal Man and his Commrades

So I attended my very first NFL game yesterday. I have actually only seen a few college games prior to this one and I don't really know the game of football all that well, but my husband wanted to go for his birthday and so I gladly obliged. I really love going to MLB games so I thought this would be a similar experience...boy was I wrong. The stadium was packed full of people that literally had no filter. The raw testosterone grunts and yells created a cacophony of noise similar to something you might see on animal planet. I think the most entertaining part though was the complete usage of all the curse words known in the English language. I even heard some new ones (or at least I thought they were new, it's hard to tell with the slurring speech). They also used video clips from the greatest "Macho Man Movies" (Gladiator, Braveheart, Troy, 300, etc) between plays...that actually got me kind of pumped up! Overall, it was an entertaining if not educational experience that I will not allow my children to experience anytime soon! Cheers!

Here today gone tomorrow

I have to admit I love cliche's! I know they are somewhat trite, but I just can't help relishing in their truth. I mean that is how they became cliche to begin with right? I got to thinking how did these wonderful phrases come about so I set out to do a little online research. Here is what I found: "Pull out all the stops" - which basically means, gave it all your effort, derived from the stops placed in pipe organs...my grandmother would be so proud. Or how about the very American "It's as easy as pie" meaning it's very easy, but originally was meant to imply that it was as nice as eating pie...mmm, apple pie anyone? One of my personal favorites, "Keep your nose to the grindstone" which of course means to diligently keep working...it is thought to derive from the practice of grinding knives sharp by holding the tools to the stone with your nose...it was also considered a punishment. Just some fun facts for this blustery day in CT. Cheers!

Making Grateful

So I dropped off some clothes this morning at my local emergency shelter, and just driving through the neighborhood made me so grateful for my home. Yes, it has a leaking dining room, potential mold in the basement, and I can never seem to keep it clean, but it keeps my family warm and dry. It is a place that my friends can gather for a modest meal...and on occasion a fancy schmancy one! It is a place full of hope and laughter. I hope my old clothes hold on to some of that warmth and hope for the people that need the shelter and call it home. Cheers!

The sound of silence

I never appreciated silence, until I became a Mother. When the only noise that you hear is the sound of rain or wind it has a hypnotic soothing effect. I have become so accustomed to hearing crying, screaming, squeeling, giggles and the usual baby babble that I hardly get the chance to listen to absolutely nothing. Peace and quiet is so underrated...I hardly ever turn on the TV or radio because it is just more noise fading into the background without thought. My husband laughs at me when I listen to classical symphonies in the car, because he thinks it is so old fashioned. Maybe it is, but I love the order! I know that someday soon I will miss the sound of little feet and all the fussing...but for now I love the stolen moments of silence. Cheers!

Outrageous

So today I was sent a youtube video about stopping child pornography...www.lightamillioncandles.org. I also saw on the sidebar another video that talked about the same topic so I clicked to view. The video talked about a photographer who is world renown named Bill Hensen. He has been featured in such illustrious museums such as the Guggenheim in NYC! I checked out his "art" and found it to be completely sexual and offensive. Most of his models could not be older than 15 and were mostly or completely nude. This is not some cover shoot for Calvin Klein (Brooke Shields), it is a dark and seedy take on teenage sex and exploration. Bill Hensen has also used models as young as age 9 and I can honestly say that it is not art but pornography and the Australian police department evidently agrees. They were the only sane country that confiscated his kiddo porn and took him into custody. It is no wonder that our news is littered with stories of raped, beaten, and abused children...we not only tolerate it, we glorify it calling it "art". UGH! I was so horrified.