The dating deal

A few of you are interested in the dating game that I happen to be playing… well, not much time today to write, but thought I would give you a quick synopsis on things the past few days.

• Said guy from post below & I make plans to speak the other day.  I took your advice, and didnt want to push him off the bridge so quickly without REALLY having a valid reason, so I agreed to call him
• on Said day, Said guy receives a text from me saying that I would be calling at Said time.. does that work?
• Said guy responds with text saying he is out at the pub with mates and would get in contact with me tomorrow if that okay

Oh, this is not looking good here is it… I should have never listened to all of you ‘do- gooders and faithful in love people’

The Pub. With Mates. Eck.

Then.. tomorrow rolled around:

• Said guy sends a text that he ‘ has had such a social 3 days that he has shut down and probably not good for a chat tonight’ and asks if he can call me tomorrow.
• My immediate response is NO. YOU CAN NOT CALL ME TOMORROW. Afterall, we scheduled a tomorrow, and that be TODAY dumbass.. and you were too busy out drinking & socializing that no, I am unavailable to you at your desire of tomorrow….then I realize I have plans anyway, and the reality is tomorrow is NOT going to work for me as I made actual plans.
• I respond to Said guy that Im busy and maybe the night after.

Are you glad I listened to you y’all who were so quick to defend his side?

Other news.. this Italian man contacted me.. well, Im pretty sure he is Italian. I have dreamt him to be delish-ous! with lots  & lots of goodness.   So.. keep you posted on that one.. and hes closer to my age, lives a bit further, and oh yeah.. has a kid.. but better than Said guy who has 2 kids…

Either way, Italian man seems to intrigue me a little…

Ciao

hehe

Its just almost 8pm

I have turned the heat on in the house to take the chill out, and all rugged up in my pj’s and Im going to go lay in bed and drift into la-la land.

Why?

Because I live alone, and I can. And the cat has already warmed the foot part of the bed.  Thats why.

Hope all is well in your worlds.

Me :)

At it again

There are so many options. Too many choices. And yet, nothing which makes my heart go pitter patter.  I have re-joined an internet dating website. Im not sure that I really want to be ‘dating’ but Im maybe, MAYBE ok with giving it a go. I mean, I would date, if it was the Right sort of guy. And while there are options of every social class, colors, heights, professions, marital status… etc…  I just cant seem to find the Right sort of guy.

Grandma has always told me I am Picky. Now that shes older and loving being (hey, wait a minute.. how come the I before E except after C rule doesnt apply..I know why, but its funny that the slogan popped in my head there!). anyway. Grams loves being single. And so do I. But lets be honest. I need to get laid. And so, Im gonna be picky!

I went to many schools as a kid. It seemed as if we moved a lot . A LOT. And each new home came with a new school.  Here was ONE of my schools:

Its awkward to reminisce of days past. You think of all the places you have been, what you did, how you interacted with others, how much you have learned since those days… so on.

Its nice to know that I am comfortable with where I am now.

Im needing a fix

Need my weekly fix…

when oh when will it show in THIS country?

Hmmm

It was pointed out to me today that its been 17 years (June) that I graduated from High School. Holy Beejibbers… 17 years… wow.. that really flew by.

Here are a few snippets of what I have learned in 17 years since not being in High School (of course, its not everything, but I only have so much writing space so bear with me):

In no particular order of importance

• I love my life
• I know its important to enjoy life and live for what makes you content in your heart.. whatever that is
• You will never live up to the expectations set forth upon you
• You must live the path you choose, live it well
• You can live a really nice comfortable and happy life without having to be married or attached to another person
• I like making my own decisions.. however good or bad they may be
• I do not have to like everyone
• I do not need thousands of friends
• I enjoy my quality & quantity of great friendships
• I like spending time with my own company
• I am strong & independent. If you dont like it, not my problem
• If I dont like what I am doing, I can change it
• If I dont want to change what I am doing, I have learned how to justify it…yep.
• I love to travel & dive into new cultures. The whole armchair traveller is NOT me.  Give me experiences, let me speak to the people, I want to know how they live, I want to see their world thru their eyes.. not a thru a cabana lounge or lonely planet
• I spend money to travel rather than having the latest technology or newest car
• I am loved
• I love
• I give my love to those who are worthy of it. No need to waste my gifts on those otherwise
• I have learned to see who is worthy and who is not so worthy much quicker than I previously had
• I value myself more and more each day
• Its important to be honest, I cant lie for shit, and I dont really appreciate those who lie to themselves either
• If you dont love yourself…then why the hell not? Who else is gonna otherwise?
• I can have any job. I have had many jobs (just ask Sabrina.. she knows my resume) but as I get older, I give more thoughts to the ramifications of the economic condition before leaving one job for another
• Learn to analyze things
• Take risks
• Proceed with caution
• Somedays, run like hell towards whatever you choose. Dont think about it
• You will get hurt in life. You need to learn to overcome it. Cry it out, and move on
• Be true to yourself
• Protect yourself
• Find a moment each day that you can relish in and be in that moment, even if its just for a 30 second pause in your day
• Take care of your car – wash it, polish it, love it
• Out of sight, mostly out of mind.. it seems to be a general thing
• Most people who you believe should never lie to you, will.
• You can love a whole heap of people thru the years and still be happy that you come home to your house with just the cat waiting for you
• I am educated and can have thought provoking conversations
• I have true friends who know the real me
• I have secrets
• My experiences in life have not only taught me, but also others

Wow.. 17 years.. I always thought I had commitment issues, but after hearing that I have put 17 years into becoming the person I am, learning along the way, and showing the world what I am capable of as an independent adult… quite a good accomplishment if I do say so myself.

Funny thing is, I remember when I heard about the 5 year reunion… I laughed it off…today, the laughter was not my first response to the 17 years!

I can still remember those days. Filled with so much… of everything… and yet nothing… just new to the world… finding yourself… discovering the world…

And now, here i sit, ready to go to bed at 10 pm on a friday cuz work was crazy this week. Oh the times, they are a changing…

Its DONE!

I feel very accomplished in my task this weekend! Although my original plan was to tackle this project in stages (due to finances and time), I went ahead and did it all over the weekend!  A few minor body aches, a few scrapes on the legs, and finally free of white rock dust on my legs and face, and the project looks complete.  I would like to add a few more lanterns and one day eventually get a nice big outdoor canvas to hang over the fountain… all in time!

 

Thanks to those who have popped by to see my project, and given it 2 thumbs up.  I appreciate the kind words. And, Im in love with my new front courtyard!

Have a look…

The last photo is from the upstairs bedroom looking down onto the courtyard.. just for you Tilda…

A Weekend of Aches

For quite some time I have wanted to redo my front courtyard.  It was the basic look of concrete. Blah. Vanilla. Same as the others.  I had this great plan in mind, and with all hopes that it would work, I shared my idea amongst friends to see if it would be tacky looking or as nice as it was in my head.

 

I headed off to the store where they had some of my supplies needed. Costings. Done. Need Rock. Costings. Done. Finances… not so much.

 

After months of looking at my courtyard as it was:

This is the view from my front door (above)

This is my courtyard section (above)

This is the view from the gate to my front door (above)

So, after this magnificent idea in my head of what I wanted the area to look like, I finally bit the bullet and started on the project. I figured that although I couldnt really afford to do it all at once, I would do what I could and then get more rocks when I could. I knew the rocks would be spendy for the project, so I figured it would be done in a long drawn out process.

WRONG.

I bought my 18 packs of deck/wood materials which I needed.  I bought 2 bags of rocks, to make sure that the white color (it was a toss up between white or black rocks, but black rocks are much MUCH more expensive) and I was on my way.

 

I was so excited to begin the transformation, that I started in the late afternoon yesterday after getting off of work and buying my items.  I was determined to give it a go.

 

Here was the first photo after some gruelling body aches of bending down and picking up the decking material.

 

Not bad eh!

 

Morning came, and so did some unusual aches in my body.  I guess when your bending down and over and picking up and transporting.. it was something my body hadnt been use to in awhile.

 

So, I began right away this morning. Ok, not right away, but at a respectable time so that my horrid… eck I mean wonderful neighbors would not have a right to bitch.

 

I then realize its looking good.  But, Im also realizing I didnt get enough decking materials, even with the extra pack Tilda told me to get. Shit. What to do. I also had an issue with the length of the walkway and the size of the decking material. It was either going to be just a tad too short or hang out the bottom of the gate. What to do…. so you compromise.   And then, after all this hard work, I started questioning whether or not it looked as nice as I thought it did. I think some of the questioning was in part ‘oh my gawd, I did this by myself… is it really THIS DAMN GOOD?’

 

Whats a girl to do? I had most of it done. Well, with what I could, I wanted more decking material to finish it to how I had modified my original plans of the area. And, I wanted more rock. I wanted this baby finished. But, I was still unsure if it looked ok. See, I can justify anything. I mean  ANYTHING. And, I was hoping that I wasnt sacrificing the aesthetics of the area just because my plan was now a bit different than the original plan. So, I called Tilda. She wasnt really thrilled about coming over as she had her own projects to do. But, after enough guilt trips (she attended Catholic School, so I knew they would work) and I think a bit of whining on my part, she succumbed to my begging and promised to drop by.

 

In the meantime, I ran to the local landscape store to get 6 more bags of rocks. As much as I originally thought I would do the rocks in a process, it was looking much to nice to not finish it.

 

Tilda arrives. She is really happy with the results so far. I tell her modifications, and she agrees that it will look nice. Whew! I really was glad to hear that she not only liked how it was looking, but thought my adjustments would look nice as well!  She helped me spread 2 bags of rocks, and a well deserved coffee break was had.

As of tonight, my body aches in places I forgot were there. Such as my butt checks. And my thighs. And my quads. And my arms. Its almost reminiscent of days gone by of great wild sex. But its not…

 

Its the glory of an ALMOST done project… to be continued tomorrow. And, for those of you curious… I put down 7 bags of 20 kg rocks. Oh my goodness. Thats a workout!  But, here is what it looks like…

 

 

What a difference!  Dad even called tonight to tell me how much he liked it. He sounded really pleased, and impressed! Always good when the landlords like what you have done with the place.

As for me, I am off to the tub. I hear epsom salts screaming my name!

Tell me your thoughts? Is it better than before? Do you like it? Remember, its not quite finished… YET.

Life is good :P

Life is good :P

Days of Past

 

When I was a kid I had so much fun with these little things. Our yard was full of them, and that was probably due to me blowing them all over the yard.. hehe. opps!

I have just discovered that my ex-fiancé has gotten married. And they are pregnant. WHAT THE FUCK? Serious?

Let’s get something straight before we go ANY further: I live in a diff country than he does. I have no feelings like that love crap towards him anymore. I was told by a dear friend that he felt I was ‘settling’ if I married said person. I ended the relationship, not the other way around. We caught up once, and it was apparent that no love was lost from either of us. I still smoked, that shit him and he still had some stupid arrogance about him that shitted me. So, this news isnt awkward to me cuz Im still in love or any of that crap.

 

But, when you make plans to share a life with someone, it still impacts you a little bit. It is weird to think that he is with someone else. It was supp to be my dream with him. Not HERS. Granted, it ended up not being a dream, more of a drain on my life.. but still.. the point is its strange to hear the news about your ex.

 

And than there is that part of me that goes.. Im still single. Hes not. No biggie. I actually LOVE being single. I havent stumbled upon anyone who really has changed my mind. Until they walk into my life, Im so in love with my life as a single person, and 100% happy with the choices I have made to stay single.

But holy shit, said person done got married, having ANOTHER kid… wow. Our lives are so different. The things that we ended up with or wanting are so different. It makes you wonder what the 2 of us saw as common in the first place. He said he wanted to travel. I love to travel. I have, he hasnt. Kids were never discussed really (we were young) and it was one of those things that if it happened, it was the way it was to be. But, now he has a kid by some accident (or so he told me of a drunken night with a girl he hates) and now hes gotten this one preggers. And married her.

 

Wow.

 

Our lives have taken way different journeys.

Thank goodness I am on the path I am on.  So, said person, I wish you well. I wish you happiness and contentment in your life. I hope you find everything you were looking for (and lost). 

Rainy Days

It was a perfect rainy type of day here. It rained most of last night and until just after 8ish this morning. I had actually gotten to sleep in a bit this morning too. Nothing like hearing rain drops to keep you in bed on a saturday morning!

After a few adventures for the day, I settled in for a movie. I picked up the movie “Henry Lee Lucas”.  I was in the video store wandering thru a bunch of titles and came across this movie. I picked it up in my hands, and it instantly reminded me of reading the book – as a teenager. It was gruesome and full of anything you wanted, to take your imagination to various depths.

 

I really liked stories about crime back then (still do). I remember wanting to be a crime forensics investigator or a lawyer … anything along those lines. I was intrigued by WHAT made people do certain things. I was bewildered HOW some people thought. I was amazed by the REASONS people gave for doing things.

 

When I read about Henry Lee Lucas, I was still in high school. The book told of his life and his murders that he committed. Some of the murders were with a man named Otis Toole. Others, he committed solely by himself. He confessed to over 3000 murders in the USA, but many people didnt really believe that he killed most of them. Some people thought it was for the thrill of being given attention, something Henry Lee Lucas hadnt had as a child. Some people are really convinced that he killed all those people. Whatever the case, he is known for being one of the most notorious Serial Killers to this day.

Whether he actually killed all those people or not will only be known to him. It is certain that he killed his mother when she was 64 years of age.  As for the others, its really a mystery. He was sentenced to death in Texas. Otis was sentenced to six life sentences in Florida.

 

So.. back to the movie store.. while the video is in my hands, I get this urge to want to see the movie. What would I have forgotten? What was it about this story that intrigued me at the library to read it? And then, the thought of ‘shit this is messed up and I read it as a kid?’ came into my head too.

 

I rented it. Got home and watched it. There were a few things I had forgotten about in the story. I must admit, it was a good movie. Mr. Antonio hunkalot is in it too… as Henry Lee Lucas!

At the end of the movie, it states that Otis died in prison and that one of the Presidents of the Bush entourage changed Henry Lee Lucas’ sentence to life in prison. He died in a Texas prison in 2001.  Somehow, during the movie, I still couldnt come up with a verdict on whether or not he did indeed kill all those people. I remember reading the book thinking he must of, but I was a bit naive at the time too due to age.  So, I guess it still remains a bit of a mystery.

Now you want to?

I dont really like to do jump on the celebrity bandwagon and blog about it, but when I stumbled upon this photo, I feel the need to say something.

First off, its Miley Cyrus (sp?) and her dad Billy Ray. Some may be more familiar with this description: its the dad who whored out his kid so he could still have money. Daddy spent all his money from that achey breaky heart ‘tune’ doing all sorts of things, and once his daughter was old enough to exploit (he watched McCauley Caulkins family and decided to wait a few more years then they did) daddy threw the kid into the spotlight and renamed her. Hannah Montana. 

It sickens me how many people know this crap. It sickens me that I know this crap. It sickens me more that the guy at my local IGA deli was telling me about his kids fascination with the show and music of H.M. 

Do I look like I care? No. NO. NO. Anyway, back to the funny… so while daddy & moneytree are wandering the beach and moneytree is wearing a skimpy bikini (of course, NOT looking for attention or anything) daddy FINALLY becomes protective…. have a looksy:

 

Isnt that cute? After all that exploitation, err, um… advancement of your kids career, you FINALLY decide to get serious and point at people with that stern look. Cracks me up!  I am sure he will now try to charge, err, um, ask his kid for more financial support, err, um rent due to his great bodyguard techniques.

I am in love

all over again!

I finally bit the bullet and bought myself a weber grill. I had one years ago, but not for the last 10 years that I have lived in this country.

So I was set that I was going to get me a grill. A charcoal grill. One to love & to make me happy. One to have my tastebuds satisfied each time.

 

I did get a Weber (very important) and although I was set on getting a standard standing Weber, I walked out the door with this one:

Its perfect and I am in love! I can take it with me to the beach, out by the pool, to a friends place, or tuck it in the garage so that it stays in good condition and doesnt make my backyard look cluttered… cuz there is no giant BBQ standing around!

I had the best piece of chicken in YEARS. Mouthwatering! Oh, did I forget to mention its a charcoal grill? LOVING THIS!

Stick it there please

So, I am going to acupuncture and physio to help my knees and avoid surgery. So far, good progress. However, the last few weeks, I seem to have this feeling where I want to grab my foot and pull it behind me up to my ear. To stretch my muscles in my leg. I just can not get satisfied with a normal stretch. And, lets be honest, I can not, under any circumstances bend my foot to my ear behind me.

Today I had an acupuncture appt. I told my situation and although its not a setback, its not progressing like we all wish it would. Ugh.

Over 50 needles into my legs today. The needles look something like this: 

And then for more effectiveness, we have this machine which attaches to 12 of the needles to create a stronger effect. Its similar to a TENS machine in that it pulses and can be adjusted with the levels of strengths or weakness to which is most comfortable.

So, my legs look like this colorful picture:

I couldnt feel one of the pulses connected to the needle. She would turn it up a bit more. Nothing. Bit more. Nothing. More. Nothing. Mind you, the other needles attached to the machine were pulsing away to the most strength I could have handled for the 25 minutes duration. Except this one. So, she cranks it up… a bit too much and sends my arms waving, blood rushing to my head and a slight scream came out to which she panicked and turned it down. Hilarious. Probably doesnt sound hilarious, but when your waiting for the sensation to happen, and you get nodda.. and then you do and its way more powerful than you expected or can handle, holy sheet… mama look out! We finally got it sorted and at the right strength, but not after both of us had a minor heart attack. Remember, my legs are FULL of needles and I can not move them. 

Goodness!

Well, we will see if 50 needles in the leg does any wonders this week. They are feeling wonderful at the moment, so can only go one day at a time. As I am learning, this is not going to be a quick process. However, its not as painful as it use to be. I can walk much better and stronger than I could before, and its really nice to not buckle at the knees for no reason now. One day at a time folks. One day at a time.

Just a little bit homesick

 

I am a bit homesick at the moment.

Why? I am homesick for what use to be. I was listening online to my ‘old radio station from back home’ and while quietly giggling to myself about how some of the people who called in on the station sounded Oh So MinnESOOOOTAN, the radio station announced a concert coming up.  In July.

Right around the time of my birthday.

It brought back the idea of what I could be doing on my birthday. If I was back home. I imagined we would pack up the cars and head to the campsite and party hard to the 80’s hair bands which were playing the weekend of my birthday. Just like we use to do in the olden days.  It didnt matter who was with who. Where you were sleeping, or even if you had a tent of your own. You knew you could fall into someones tent at the end of the party and all would be fine. You would wake up, start the bonfire, and then make your way to the concerts after you had your breakfast and chatted about all the stuff that happened once you passed out.

 

Good times. Great memories.  Thats what makes me homesick today. Thinking of back then.  Some of the bands who are playing are: Dust n Bones (tribute band), Warrant, Winger (remember them!), LA Guns, Blimp, Vince Neil, Tesla (OMG!) and Dokken. Ah, I can just imagine the moments to be had that weekend.

 

To add to the fire, my friend wrote on that gawdforbidden networking site how she drove past our old apartment, and couldnt help but think of all the memories of that place. And that was one wild place. I think the neighbors were glad to see my lease up. Or did I get kicked out? ha. just kidding.  It brought tears to my eyes reading her words.

 

But, life is different now. Im different. But yet Im the same. I miss the ability to do those things here in this country. Yeah, to a point I can still go camping (amongst the dunes with snakes) and listen to bands (most of them I have no clue who they are) but its different. Its different than getting together with the gang and screaming out “shes my cherry pie” and “kickstart my heart” with your best friends who have seen you thru thick and thin (and probably helped get me into most of the thick spots).

 

Its just a passing thing. I think its healthy to some point to be homesick. It helps remind you of all sorts of things. Memories. Moments. Friends. Drama. Blah blah blah. You get the point. And really, its probably only because its near my birthday and all that makes me feel this way. Knowing what could have been, and where most of them will be that weekend. Hopefully, they party hard, and think of me.

One of those days

I have shed tears after a days work in a long time. They werent painful tears, but tears of complete exhaustion. I had absol no more to give. In fact, I wanted to cry at my desk at work. Frustrated and wanting to just throw something (out of my character) I had a few moments were I said my peace, loudly, and one of the times it just so happened the boss heard. Normally, I would have tried to compose myself. Or, IF I really wanted to say my bit, I would have made sure the boss wasnt there so I could just vent. But I had no more to give. I didnt care if he heard me. Honestly, you reach that point where you just think, “F**K it, deal with it, you dont like it, well today I dont give a shit. You need to know how this is going”

And he heard.

And pretended like nothing was happening. In fact, in some bizarre twist to my day, he went and screwed with EVERYTHING I had organized for a smooth sailing at work tomorrow. You know, deliveries scheduled and contacted; drivers booked for particular jobs; employees knowing what was happening so that everyone was properly informed; etc.

Im not sure if I bruised his ego or he was shitty with my comments, and this was his way of getting back at me. I dont know. And I almost didnt care. I had, for lack of better terms, given up for the day. I was fighting every urge in me to not lay in the fetal position at work and cry myself into a nice calming place. I dont get like that often, and for those of you who read this that know me in real life, you know that I had reached my peak. I can not give anymore. I couldnt muster a nice word or smile. I couldnt hear another bullshit reason for anything.

So, I left work 15 minutes past my normal knock off time. I got to the end of the street (ironically, there is a cemetery at the corner) and turned right and let the tears flow.

My salvation tonight was one man.

This man:
  

Thank you Captain!

One would think I should know by now…

So, the guy at work who is supp to be in charge of things tells me to cancel the phone account for the cell phones. I wait 3 weeks after he tells me. Often times, he says things on a whim, and then decides to not do the task, making me do the job unnecessarily or waste precious time doing something which later gets the axe. For example, pulling data for the last 4 months regarding a particular project, then to decide, the info isnt necessary, a guess by someone who HAS NO INVOLVEMENT in the situation will provide figures. Eh.

So, I send him on the mission to wait on the phone line for approx 30 minutes all so he can cancel the phones. See, I have waited the approx timeline and apparently he still wants to cancel them. But, in the meantime, I have a heap of other tasks to do, so I ask if he wants to sit on the phone and wait for the non-understandable person to help us cancel the account.

He thinks he has become the new super hero. Great! Certainly! Not A Problem!  So, he calls the company exactly 8 days ago. Apparently, according to him, we dont have an account with the phone company anymore. He is thrilled and protruding out his chest at such good work and such a simple task completed. By him.

So, 8 days later, the phones still work. What the? I call the phone company today and after a few minutes, they tell me that I need to fax a letterhead and so forth. Now, Im on hold with the cancellation department. I have enquired about our May 10 phone call which states that we didnt have an account, and that I certainly dont want any cancellation fees from this. (Our contract actually ended on the 13 & 15th). This little tasks has had me on hold for 14 minutes and 36 seconds so far. Eh.

Why didnt I learn in the first place that the job would not have been completed in full to an acceptable term? Why oh why, did I think ONE BLOODY TASK COULD BE HANDLED WITHOUT A HASSLE? STupid!

Bird Spotting

All pictures are property of the owner of this blog. Copying, Saving, or using without written permission of me (owner of blog) will get you hung in a tree and most likely cost you a bucket load of money. Well, just enough to buy a holiday around the world, for the rest of my life!

Saturday Snippets

So, today brought me to a great day off! The weather was gorgeous, and I was so in love with having time to just be.  I wandered to a small town which was hosting a “body art” festival.  I had been in previous years, but heard this year was to bigger and better than before. WRONG. It was still good to see people showcasing their talent, but as for bigger. No. WRONG. Instead of the previous years where there was ample room for spectators as well as the artists to walk the area and look at the event, the organizers put them in one area. Similar to a corral, spectators could only see if the person if front of decided to move or leave their area. And, you couldnt stand there for an amount of time and watch the creation unfold, because you were being nudged in the back by people trying to get around the event. Oh, did I forget to mention that while this event was on, the usual Saturday markets (which draws 1000’s of people on a busy) was also on. Einstein move? Not so much.  More like Charlie Brown.

Either way, it was still good to be there and support it. Will I be going back next year? Im not sure. This year sort of turned me off the whole thing. If I can not stand and enjoy the artists work and watch the talent of the creation before unfold as a story, Im not sure I need to see it. I will just read about it the paper. Afterall, the photos the journos take will probably be better than what I can see from my 4th person deep, tippy toe raised viewing spot. All because some organizer couldnt keep it the way it was before. Look, if its working, why change it? Serious.

I did get a few shots of the event. I couldnt be bothered cropping or touching anything up for any of you. BUT, please remember, These photos are listed to my rights. Copyrighted for my own use. Any copying or saving for your own use without my written permission is ILLEGAL.

OK. Now that the mean parts done…

What a great idea! Certainly were a huge hit, there was a line up for these things.

Corset.. complete with FULL toe stockings!

 

 

I LOVED photographing this girl.. she had such great energy about her.. from the makeup to the hair to the look in her eyes… but I only took a few, I didnt want her to think I was stalking her!

 

So.. which one do you think is best?

How Nice…

Originally, I lived in Minnesota. I now live in the ‘land down under’.

In Minnesota, there was always this saying once people knew from other states knew you were from there. They would all say… “Oh, Minnesota Nice” cuz if you listen to the hype, and stumble upon a few good ol Minnesotans… you kinda feel like you have known them your whole life. Whether you wanted to or not, we are just that damn nice that they gave us a special term.

Minnesota Nice

Sometimes I have seen this extend to stopping in the middle of the your hurried drive home in a blizzard to help a fellow motorists get his car back on the road rather than the giant 10 foot snowbank its stuck in, –10 degrees windchill… you get the idea

Sometimes, the lady you run into whom you havent seen for years asks “How are you” and actually gives a shit. She stands there long enough to listen. With concern, she may even ask a few more questions about you since you last saw each other.

Sometimes, a Minnesotan will offer to pick up your relatives at the airport (even tho they have never met them) and if the Minnesota Nice really comes out, might get an invite for dinner (casserole or def a meat and potatoes kinda thing) or the classic "you dont need to get a hotel room, heck Joe, your family can stay at our place, plentya room for ‘em all”.

Anyway, you get the point. Where I come from its just plain nice. Nice folks. Nice cattle. Nice pets. Nice everything. I sometimes believe its due to the winter lasting forever that our brains freeze in that Nice mode… we dont know any better.

So, I move to Australia. The land down under. Here is the biggest thing that really, i mean REALLY shits me. Always has. But for some reason this week, its just irking underneath my skin.

Scenario: Im at work. Pass a fellow co-worker (using the term lightly here) for the first time of the day.

Me: “Morning (name), how are you?”

It: “Hi, hows things?” and walks away.

WHAT? Now: A- you didnt respond to the question asked. And then, B- you ask me a question and then leave sight.

Now, in MN, we would pull you up for being rude. Not answering a question is just plain rude. Walking away after asking a question is liable to get you shot by a hunting rifle in MN. And, in MN, we would probably follow you around (while you were walking away from us) to answer YOUR question to us. For goodness sakes, we dont want to be seen as rude, and you asked us a question, therefore, goes to reason you were looking for an answer.

Here? Here its the norm! Im not sure if it cuz they dont really care how I am, or if they have super slack listening and communicating skills, or if they are just plain RUDE.

But, for this week, its really shitting me. And so today I gave it back to them. I asked a question about them, and walked away before they could answer it. I figure if I do it to those who do it to me, thats alright. But, Im not gonna get rid of this MN NICE… Im just going to bring it out for good, nice, and kind people… and for those who shower…. and wear cologne or perfume rather than adorn their body with smelly clothes and funky BO smells. Yep. Thats the plan. Keep the MN NICE for people who deserve it.

So, tell me… “HOW ARE YOU?”