A Great Birthday Party

Today I went for fun coffee drinks to Shirley Ks in Cambridge with 6 friends. We had the best time. That is a group of my favorite people and we all laughed and had a terrific time. There were no games and no one dominated the conversation. Thank you to them for such a nice time. I am dealing with this birthday as best I can. I really am having a mid-live crisis. If I could afford it, I would just head out and see where I landed. I do understand why people try new things. I thought about the Bucket List. On that email that was going around, I had really done quite a few of the things. What do I still have to do? I would like to live in a house that I chose and helped plan. I would like to spend time at the beach with my feet in the water. I have done that in Maine and would love to do it again. I would like to see the Grand Cranyon and Yellowstone Park, and Glacier National Park. I would like to see a Polar bear in the wild. I would like to sleep in a lighthouse. I want to play with grand nieces and nephews. I would like to not be worried about money. I would like to be able to stand up to people. I would like to have my college gang get together again. I would like to attend a Broncos game in Denver. I guess I'd better start saving my money.

Getting Older

I am about to change decades in my age and I am not very excited about it. I have nothing to show for anything! I have not accomplished all that much, in fact, I have accomplished nothing. I have had the same job for the last 27 years! What does that say? I do not own a home, or a car, or have children or go on great vacations. I do have a job and a roof over my head and a car that is almost paid for...... I have a great family, but that is none of my doing. I have some terrific friends, but I also have some "friends" that weigh me down. But I just put up with it. Why? I suppose because I think that I can "help" them? I enjoy them sometimes but how much do you have to put up with before you call it quits. Just this week two of them sat here in my house and lied to me. Then they expect me to be their great friend. I am a good friend to them, but they are not to me. On the up beat I heard from two friends that I haven't heard from for years. One of them is a college friend that I worked with at Goodrich Dairy Store in Kearney. He called me and told me that in all the years and all the people that he has met there are just a handful that even if you do not see them ever again, are in your heart and you love them. He told me that I was one of those to him, as he is to me. I wanted to plan a get together for my college friends that are the same age as me, we all turn within 6 weeks of each other. One of them can't come because of a wedding, her nephew's so of course that is understandable. One can't come because she has a meeting at work, one can't come because she was the last one to ask for it off of work and she isn't feeling well. So, it isn't because they don't want to come but what I find so sad, is that all of us are in the same boat. When we were young and in college we swore we would take a cruise when we turned 50. Now we can't even all make it to McCook because we are still working away at jobs that we can't just take off. I know, I know that I have a great life. I do But it just isn't what I always pictured.

Shop Fee???

I recently had my car aligned in a local dealer's garage. First of all, I had an appointment with the Chevy garage but the guy who does the alignments was sick that day I had the appointment. Since I had had the appointment for a week, they took it to the Ford garage to have it done. They are both owned by the same company. I had a quote from the Chevy garage and went with them over some of the independent guys because they were a few dollars cheaper. Anyway, I knew there were going to be a few extra things they needed to do like put on a tie rod and perhaps an axle with the boot. When the called to ask me if they could do those things, I said yes, do whatever needs to be done for the least amount of money you can do it. I went down to pay my bill and they were $5 more on the alignment than the Chevy garage but OK. Then I see a $10 misc charge. I asked them what that was for. "OH, it is just a shop fee. We put it on every ticket. It is a percentage of your bill." I ask, "What is it for?" "It is just a shop fee." Again, "What is it for?" At this time they started to get very impatient and I think, rude, "Well, it is for shop supplies." Me:"Isn't that the parts charge?" They: "NO, that is for the parts." ME:"Isn't that included in the labor fee?" Which by the way is $75 an hour. They: "NO, it is for things like" and I am telling the truth."ELECTRICITY, and oil and shop rags."
I am not kidding. I think they should have said coffee and rolls. Anyway, I think that should be included in the quote of price because that made them much higher than the independent guy. If they need to do it then they should put it on the labor charge and I would not know how to question it.

Why Is It?

Why is it that people are always playing head games with each other? I remember a song from when I was a kid, Oh the Games People Play Now. How true.
This gal I know called me the other day and she was so upset. She had just read a book by Steve Harvey called something like How to Think Like a Man. In this book he says that to please and keep your man you have to do certain things. He said that men like clean houses so you need to keep your house very clean. Men like good meals at mealtime so you need to make great meals, and men like the "cookie" all the time, so you had better be prepared to give your man "cookies" whenever he wants. All I can say is WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS? Excuse me!!!! I want a clean house and good meals too and I would really like some care and devotion too. How is that thinking like a man. When I am working 12 long hours, 5 days a week, I don't think it is entirely up to me to make sure the house is clean and the food is prepared and purchased. He said that if your man isn't getting "cookies" from you, he will go elsewhere to find it. Excuse Me again!! What kind of a person is that? I only read a few excerpts from this book and I was so mad I couldn't see straight for a little bit. I just think we have bought into the idea that we have to please someone and those someones have gotten into the ideas that they have to be pleased and that may be why the divorce rate is so high.
Another friend was telling me about a book she read about how to please your partner. It said that men want to be respected and women want to be loved. That kind of thinking is a little better. I think that may be true and maybe if we look at the things we do and say, we aren't treating each other in those ways and with a little bit of tweaking, we can improve our relationships.
My relationship with my man is fine. I am not reading these books or having these conversations looking for advice but I do know that the respect is definitely a key area of our relationship. HE wants to be respected and can handle a dirty house and toast to eat if he feels that he is respected.
Going back to Steve Harvey. Why do (does?) all the media think this is talk show material? I think he has been on every talk show there is. Do people really buy into this? Don't you think that in a relationship that is working, both of those people will work to make things the way they want them, IE a clean house or fancy meals or whatever?! Steve Harvey is the same age as me so I don't understand how he missed the women's movement or how he cannot see that in the real world most women are going to an outside job as well as keeping house, taking care of kids and meals, as well as having a husband or partner.
I think I will write a book, What Women Want and How to Make Sure Your Woman is Fulfilled. In it I will put that women want a clean house with new furniture, no TV noise, good food and a clean kitchen,shopping done, car gassed and tires up, time for an uninterrupted bubble bath, beautiful clothes, and the "cookie" only when she wants it. For you see, everyone has their wants but unfortunately we have to live in a society that may not allow us to have everything we want, exactly when and how we want it. As a teacher, I see the results of this kind of thinking every day. There are some people that just think that the world is going to revolve around them and if it doesn't then someone is going to pay. The media should not encourage this type of thinking. Someone should tell Steve Harvey that he, and no person, is the center of the world and that we don't get everything we want but that we go on and we work at compromise and getting along and SHARING. I wonder what he was like in kindergarten?

Neighbors

Last night the wind came up something fierce and my outside cat was still outside. She sleeps in the basement. Anyway, I went out to find her and the neighbor came to the fence to visit. We were talking about all the cats in the neighborhood and how I feed his cat every night. ( His cat,Cody, has semi-adopted me. Everynight he comes and cries at my door and I take him a scoop of either Iams or Science Diet hairball food because earlier in the summer he was throwing up hairballs and otherwise getting rid of hairballs on my step and sidewalk. They feed him the WalMart brand that the vet told me has no nutrition.) He was telling me that he usually leaves his garage door open a little bit so the cats can go in there if it storms. He said the cats really like his garage. I asked him why they would like his garage. The answer: I keep the rats and mice I breed in the garage in cages! Oh great. Now, not only does he have enemies that kicked in his garage door but he also has rats and mice. Why do you have rats and mice? To feed my snake. He has a 6 foot Python in his house!!!! What a great place to live.