Holidays

We spent two weeks during the holidays in South Carolina with family. The weather was great. The temperature the first week was mid to high 70s. It got chilly the 2nd week, but it was still nice - no lower than 50s.

Last Christmas Mini Man was only 2 months old, so he pretty much slept through the whole thing, but this Christmas he really enjoyed himself. Of course every toy he received was a noise-making toy - an annoying noise-making toy. You know the kind of toy that you eventually have to take the batteries out of for a couple hours to gain a little sanity back. His favorite gift is a little push car he received. Unfortunately, I have to do the pushing. He had me pushing him around for what seemed like hours. Then, he would start crying everytime I told him mommy was tired and needed to rest. The little booger had me pooped!

I doubt he'll get much use out of it up here before April though, and by then he'll probably be too big for it. It's already a tight fit for him.





He also enjoyed the light show at the park.


What is Elmo doing there?


Backyardigans


I enjoyed being with family again. It is always great to see family, especially when you only get to see them maybe twice a year. It is even more special during the holidays when those long lost cousins or aunts or uncles show up - the ones you talk to regularly, but haven't seen in years or those you always hear other family members talking about, but you haven't talked to or seen in years. It can be a little bittersweet, realizing all that you miss out on by being so far away from family. The little cousins whose diapers you use to change now have kids of their own - other little cousins are highschool sports stars or have graduated highschool - older cousins' kids are about to graduate highschool - aunts are now divorced or separated - some family is noticeably missing and no one wants to discuss where they are and why they aren't with the family during the holidays. A lot of life happens when you are apart from family. Sometimes after visiting them, I wish time could stand still until we see each other again, so I don't miss one word, not one breath, not one insignificant moment that manages to become hours, then days, then months. So they don't miss another of Mini Man's firsts. Life. It goes on. I just have to keep up with it as best I can.

I'd like to thank the producers, writers, fans...

Thank you Lola, from Lola's Diner, for the Proximidade Award:

The award states "This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I'm passing the award to the following eight bloggers, in no particular order:

• Callie Ann at Scrappin' with life
• Regina at Regina's Family Seasons
• Lainy at Lainy's Musings
• Valerie at ThinkingOutLoudBlog.com
• Yummy! at YummY! Down on This
• Davida at Glue 4 Families
• Janice at Mom on The Run
• Candle at Both Ends (not an Entrecard user, but I like visiting her.)

I enjoy reading all of your blogs and though we are strangers, I do have a relationship with your written words and the you I have created in my head based on those words. Keep writing your little hearts out!

Tamika

Senseless

With additional responsibilities and preparing for the holidays, I have not been able to devote a lot of time to blogging. I have a few minutes to spend with my computer now and I know this is an old story, but I have been wanting to speak on the Black Friday tragedy at Wal-Mart, in which a Wal-Mart worker, Jdimytai Damour, was trampled to death.

What is wrong with people? What in the world is in that store that you want that bad -- that you would stand in line for hours on end and you have to get in the store so badly and are in such a need to spend your money that you bumrush the door when it opens?! I hope those involved in the senseless death of this man have a conscience and will forever be haunted by this -knowing you had a hand in killing a man, all behind a friggin sale. It is ridiculous for grown folk to act this way. Is anyone lining up to apologize to this man's family - is there a mad rush to step up?

I never understood the madness behind Black Friday shopping. Sure, you can get some items at deep discounts, but it's not like that stuff is free. I'm not standing in line in the cold for hours no matter how deeply discounted an item is. It is not worth it to me. Besides, in most cases, I can sit in the comfort and warmth of my home and get the same items online that the Crazies are running each other over for. I did go out on Black Friday this year, but we went out around 1:00p.m., when hopefully all the Crazies were back at home.

Now to the lawsuit -- I saw on the news last week that the worker's family is suing Wal-Mart, which was not a surprise.

I would sue Wal-Mart as well. Every single year, it's the same exact story on Black Friday - somebody at Wal-Mart got trampled. Sure, it probably happens at other stores as well, but Wal-Mart is always the featured retailer. So, it is not a surprise. They can't say they were unaware, because it's on the news every single year and they never do anything as far as security or crowd control -unfortunately a man lost his life this time. I believe they have a duty to protect their workers when they know that Black Friday conditions can potentially be dangerous. They just sit back and watch the dough roll in. But I guess the other side of the coin is that shoppers also know that Black Friday at Wal-Mart is a mad house (I don't go anywhere near a Wal-Mart on Black Friday). Jdimytai Damour was a worker,though. Wal-Mart should have taken measures to protect him..

It may be very difficult to make individual shoppers accountable, but what about those who actually knocked the man down and ran over him? They need to be prosecuted. They acted recklessly and with deliberate disregard for the safety of the worker and for each other, for that matter. If I ran into someone or caused someone to fall, I would not keep going on about my business. I would stop, apologize, and help them, but I'm a sane, rational person.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that shoppers should be prosecuted? Do you agree with the lawsuit?

Thanks for the Comment

Glitter Text Generator

Natural was the very first commenter on randomchitchat.com, so I've decided to make her an honorary chit-chatter (yip, I just made that up). I was so happy to get that first comment one week ago today! Please stop by her space and visit for a while. You're sure to enjoy your stay.

Tamika

Citigroup to Lay off 50,000+

Crap! That's a whole lot of people. Isn't this the same company that was trying to buy Wachovia about a month or so ago? If they have problems now, I'm sure those same problems existed a month ago. Why in the world were they trying to buy another company that was itself in financial distress? The Wachovia employees must be breathing a sigh of relief right about now.

I don't understand how these companies let their situations get so dire. If we ran our households like these businesses are run, we'd be on the street...with no bailout. I just hope that CEOs, CFOs, and any other big O that signed off on whatever deals caused this company to have to lay off 50,000 peple will get fired. Some people other than the rank and file need to suffer for this. I'm sure the mortgage mess will get blamed, but I hate that the secretary in human resources, or the IT manager, or the marketing associate has to get laid off and the CEO and CFO usually keep their jobs paying millions a year.

All I can do is vent my frustration, which won't save anyone's job. The whole thing just stinks! Ughhhh!

Courtesy Call

How many times do I have to say I'm not interested?

Here I am thinking a courtesy call would involve thanking me for my business or making sure I'm satisfied with the service or maybe even offering me something for free, but I've found out this is not at all what it involves.

The mortgage company's number has been showing on the caller id for the past few weeks, but there is never a message. I happened to be home today when they called and thought good let me see why these people keep calling me. The rep indicates she is making a courtesy call and goes through this long spiel about mortgage insurance. After the spiel the convo went something as follows:

Rep: I will put the packet in the mail to you and I just need to connect you to a licensed agent...

Me: Actually, we're not interested. We have life insurance to pay the mortgage off if something should happen to one of us.

Rep: We've anticipated that you would have life insurance in place, but this insurance would allow your beneficiaries to use the life insurance on other things (In my head: other things??). I will put the packet in the mail and I just need to connect you to a licensed agent.

Me: I have received several mailings from you about the insurance, but we're not interested.

Rep: Yes, but that information really doesn't go into detail. This packet lays out everything for you and has the application that you fill out. I just need to connect you to a licensed agent.

Me: No, we're not interested.

Rep: This is really a valuable program...

Me: (cutting her off and fighting to keep the bass out of my voice): No, we are not interested. We really don't need extra insurance. We're good.

Rep: Okay, well you have a nice day.

Me: Thank you. You, too.

I hate getting telemarketing calls, but I know people have a job to do. That's why I try to be as nice as I can, but I mean come on, you really start to work a nerve after about the second "not interested".

I know lots of people have a short fuse when it comes to telemarketers (hence the do-not-call list). How do you normally handle sales calls? When you're not interested, do you hang up the phone the minute you realize it's a sales call, sit through the pitch then let them know you're not interested, or do you mess with their heads a little first then turn them down?

Over or Under

As I was putting the paper towel on the roll in the kitchen this morning, I stopped to think. Is it better with the paper hanging over or with the paper hanging under? Is there a proper way? I always place the paper towels and tissue on the roll with the paper hanging over. That's the way I've always done it. There is a memory in my mind of watching Knots Landing when I was younger and remembering one of the characters on there saying the toilet paper should hang over. I don't know what the whole conversation was about, but I remember this little piece of it. So, it stands to reason that since it was said on this show, that it must be the proper way, correct? Who knows - I could have been dreaming, but the point is this is the way I've done it forever, so I don't know why I stopped and thought about it this morning and actually placed the paper towel so it hang under. My husband always replaces the roll with the paper hanging under and it has always irked me. I fuss at him and tell him to put it over, but he never listens. He just yells back at me and says he's not paying attention to which way he's hanging the paper and it doesn't matter. Ah, but it does matter. It matters to me. I'm also remembering a get-together we had at the house for a few members of hubby's track team and afterwards I noticed the bathroom tissue hanging under instead of over (I put a new roll of tissue in there myself, so I know it was hanging over before anyone else went in the bathroom). Was over incorrect? Why would someone take the time to turn my toilet paper around? Anyway, just wondered if it matters and how everyone else hangs their paper or do you not even realize how you're hanging the paper and just put it on the roll....cuz you have much bigger fish to fry......

Thanks,
Tamika