random thoughts

Stow away, go away

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Good evening fellow wonderers:

First, let me tell you my progress on my magnetic chalkboard wall. It’s magnetic!!!!! For some reason I didn’t think it was going to work. I was expecting the wall to crumble or something drastic to happen for my hubby to get angry about. But so far, so good. The magnets are sticking. Now I am at a crossroad. The sales girl at Lowes had to mention I could use any kind of paint over the magnetic primer so now I’m wavering between chalk paint and wall paint to minimize the chalkboard look. I’m gonna sleep on it. I’ll let you know tomorrow.

Now for my go away story.

I used to live in the country side of York county where I would see an occasional deer, rabbit, maybe a turtle or two during the twenty something years I lived out there but now that I’m in the city side of the country I have seen a crawfish in my yard, a black snake, a mole and today I don’t know what to call it but a creature I hope to never stow away with me again ever! That was a long sentence I know but I couldn’t break my chain of thought for fear.

I was driving to a school meeting, windows down, breeze blowing in my hair. (Yea, I signed up for celebration parent.) I was thinking on the way there how to NOT volunteer for too many things at once, you know, getting my excuses together when up popped the head of a monster at my driver’s window. I was trying desperately to close the window without killing myself in the process. It’s a new car and I don’t know how to work everything yet and under pressure I was pushing all the buttons on the door trying to keep my eyes on it and on the road. I yelled at it thinking I was going to scare it to jump off. I closed the window and sped up hoping it would blow off my car. He was riding like he was wind surfing. When I pulled into the parking lot I said to him, “Okay, you stowed away but I know where your not going back!” I got out the car and took his picture because my husband would never believe how big this thing was.

I feel like I need a body guard. Almost everyday something is lurking around my house but this villain has been removed. I hope his family doesn’t come looking for me! If I am missing, here is your number one suspect:

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Until next time, keep wondering!

Comporium Cable – I Holler at You

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I didn’t want to say the other “H” word but I’m really feeling it today. How’s about I upgraded my cable just to have my Internet knocked out. Oh I can get access it but it just keeps loading so I can’t go anywhere anytime soon. I was nominated for a blogger award by way of Bambileigh and can’t answer it. My first nomination at that. Let me tell you why I upgraded.

A year ago when we moved to Rock Hill and I was devastated to learn that my Uverse cable wouldn’t transfer (almost a deal breaker) we joined up with Comporium. The only cable company in York County. I could have gone with Direct tv except that we are feuding from 2009 and I swore I would never use them again. I realize now that I hurt myself with that one! Reminder, never say never.

Anyway, Comporium told me that video on demand was coming. A year later after I get a message that my cable was increasing because we are getting HBO on demand I was pissed but excited it was finally coming even with an extra price. I waited for the start and when it didn’t happen I called Comporium. Their response, ” You have to upgrade your box because you have fiber optic and you can’t get video on demand”. Well boshieky mostafa as my sister would say. When were they gonna tell me that bit of information. I hung up the phone. Two weeks later I go to them and ask that question again and because I wasn’t speaking the lingo of technology they tried to act like I I didn’t know what I was talking about. Somehow that sounds accurate but they knew what I was trying to say.

Anyway I got down to the bottom line by saying, “I want more bang for my bucks!!” That was understood. Enters the new home DVR device. Which is my old Uverse system, almost. I’m ranting but I’m a serious tv watcher, it’s all I got. Anyway, the new system is supposed to allow me to record on any tv and watch what I recorded on any tv up to five recordings at any given time. Okay now we are talking. The new system is supposed to let me selected videos from a massive library of prerecorded video. Okay, but it is not as massive as they claim, but okay. And guess what? The new system is less expensive than what I had. Why don’t companies advise their clients when they add new programs that might help are advanced. Maybe I need to watch the comporium solutions channel sometimes. Okay so I order the new system and have it installed. As the technician is demonstrating all that the new system can do I ask about HBO on demand that I might add I’m paying for. He calls Comporium because we can’t seem to find the channel. You know what they said, ” It’s coming!”

And my Internet is out!!!!!!!

Comporium I holler at you !!!!!

Until next time, keep wondering.

Life Lessons at a Yard Sale

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Hello fellow wonderers:

I did so much over the weekend and I have to tell you about our community yard sale. The subdivision has an annual yard sale. We missed it last year because we did not know about it. I had my eyes on alert for the notice this year and I was ready.

First let me state, I am not a yard sale person. I like to go junking as my pops would say but I don’t want to pay for it. But since, if you Remember, the caution tape is up and I have to get rid of some things. My daughter and her daughter’s other Grandmom (Big G) wanted to have the yard sale and I agreed if they sold my things also. My part was to straighten up the garage and I cleaned and oiled the bamboo papasan chairs for the sale.

Two days before the sale my daughter wanted to know why I did not want to do the sale. Here are my reasons(rules):
1. It is too hot to be in the garage and even hotter outside the garage.
2. Hagglers are not always sincere.
3. There is a reason people are selling that particular item.
4. If more than one person is in charge, conflict is pending.

The yard sale was to started at 8 a.m. I watched cars zooming up and down the street starting at 6 a.m., but Big G did not arrive until 8:30a.m. My child was getting mad because she wanted to open the garage early without her partner but there were no prices on anything and I knew that would be a problem so I made her wait. My chairs sold at 8:39 a.m. and I was gone ~ to the other yard sales.

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With $40 in my hand Alex and I went Around the neighborhood. His money was burning a hole in his hand and he kept walking off to the next house. Me I was talking to everybody and looking through their stuff looking for something unusual but did not buy a thing. I guess all the good stuff was being acquired at 6 a.m. By the time I caught up with Alex for $5 he had brought a digital portable color television to put in his clubhouse that hasn’t been built yet. He came to me complaining it didn’t work to good and he tried to take it back but my neighbor said, “no refund”. Rule 3 there is a reason That item was out there. I was proud of him for trying. My children would have just threw it away without even muttering a complaint. He at least wanted his money back.

Rule 2 hagglers are not always sincere. I asked my neighbor to let him trade it back for something else she had worth $5 or less. She rolled her eyes at me and repeated no refunds. I tried to console him by doing an auto tune which yielded 3 channels. He might can get more channels if he can get cable in his fantasy clubhouse. Lesson learned-plug in the electronics at the site before you buy.

Around 12 When I got back to my house, the look on Nena’s face told the whole story. She was fed up with all of it. Rule 1 she was hot and aggravated. Rule 2 No matter what price she quoted they wanted to negotiate. There was a brand new Calvin Klein denim jacket with the price tag still on it that Nena was asking $4 a women wanted to give her .50. Rule 4 Every time she had a sale Big G wanted half the proceeds. Lesson learned, you have to negotiate the terms of your partnership before an event. I stayed out of that one because after all, everyone made a little profit and had some fun at our first yard sale.

I wondered if Nena would do it next year and she replied, “Yes. Alone”. I’m glad she did not become totally turned off by the experience. I’m sure the caution tape will go up again and she can sell my junk. Until then, I hurried up and moved my car into the garage to hold my empty space.

Time

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3

I don’t know where time goes but its going fast. I spent the last few weeks playing cab driver to camp.

Reading camp ~ money well spent! Alex started reading 144 words a minute now he’s reading 405 words a minute.

Art camp ~ money well spent!
Alex’s self portrait.

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He was ten last week when he drew this portrait.

Basketball camp ~ two out of three ain’t bad. What can I say, the boy is not athletic. But we went in knowing that. Even though he says he didn’t like it, overall I think he had fun. For me it’s all about exposure. Atlas, when somebody says basketball he can always recount his experience at camp.

Gymnastic camp ~ the winner!
J loves it!

I don’t know where times goes but I know money travels with it!

Room With a View

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I’ve never been an outdoors person. I’ve never even like the word picnic unless it was from hearing Yogi Bear pronouncing picinic basket. My idea of ruffing it is continental breakfast at a 5 star hotel. So I’m wondering what made my husband think I wanted a patio built in the back of my new home. I never went out on the deck of my old house or the porch of our first home. What could have possibly been the clue?

Could it have been my love to take naps in the sunshine of a window? Or maybe sending my grandchildren outside to play? Maybe it was my disdain of being in the grass at anytime or not being able to see bugs or anything else lurking in it. Maybe.

Now, even though it may sound like it, I am not complaining. How else could I have come up with such a gorgeous view without him building this patio. So as I lay on the couch about to take my sunshine nap I just started wondering. How did I get to be so lucky? For Mother’s Day my sensitive husband built himself a patio but gave me a room with a view! It’s all in how you look at things I guess.

Thanks honey, love you too.. Just wondering.

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Games with Friends, Right!

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I’ve never been into video games. Not in the 80’s, PAC man was boring; 90’s Nintendo games were to fast for me. I could only make the characters moonwalk and advance at the same time. The 2000’s let’s just say I was handicapped at best. My most skilled move was tripping over the cords and sabotage the game completely. But 2013 I have become a gamer!

My transformation start with scrabble. I was having fun. Then it went to words with friends where I discovered something I didn’t know about games with adults. They still don’t like to lose! I mean people would stall and make me wait for days to play again. They forfeit because they know they can’t win. I always play to the end (hey Will Smith I heard a rap forming). But my personal favorite – hubby is mad because I’m playing with someone else. So much for games with friends. I was forced to find a game I can play by myself. The answer – Candy Crush Saga!

OMG it was on from the first game. I didn’t have to wait for nobody to play. The puzzles are fun and not too time consuming and the music is mesmerizing. Atleast until it became time consuming. I couldn’t stop playing. My husband would enter a room and give me that look and I would reply, “it’s all I got -five minutes of happiness”. Now at level 180 sometimes even when I’m not playing I hear that music. Sometimes it’s calling me, other times its laughing at me. I know I’m not alone everywhere I go people are playing talking about how addictive it is. I may have to come out of retirement and form a support group.

What’s even more concerning to me is since I’ve been neglecting the hubby he’s now playing Gems with Friends with other people! This is a person that doesn’t do any kind of social networking. No emails, facebook-ing, nothing and now he’s cheating on me with friends! Whahhhhhhh!!!

Until next time, keeping wondering.

Always Blue Skies

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On vacation with my big brother he tries to take a jab at me by saying (in the middle of a conversation that had nothing to do with this random thought), “You live your life like everything is perfect”. WTF does that mean? And if that’s the worst he could say about me why did it sound so offensive?

True I do always find the humor in my situations. True I do seem to think money grows on trees. True I do know that tomorrow is another day. Never go to bed angry, karma is a power tool, justice will prevail and so on and so on and so on!

When I get home what’s the first thing I see, a picture I had purchased a week earlier thinking it sums me up pretty well. I really remember thinking how I liked the ideal of the sentiment. So he says he knows me.

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Be good to your children

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I think the biggest failure of our lives as parents is if your children do not want to have anything to do with you when they are grown. Really, what possibly could have happened? Children are so open to forgiveness. As I grow older I see it more and more especially with fathers and the mother category is catching up fast.

Be good to your children. I’m not a perfect parent but I have learned that children should be seen and heard, they do have feelings and your never to big or old to apologize.

Remember we’ll all be old someday and that goes out to you too – children!