Wednesday, February 27, 2013

AAARGH!!

That about sums up my last few weeks.
Not a lot happening here, working mostly. Miranda Lambert came here last Thursday, I worked her concert, that was fun. Lots of people, lots of people looking for a smoking patio (we don't have one), a couple people annoyed because they left and I wouldn't let them back in (it's policy). Lots of drunks at the end of the night.
We also got some snow that night. I got 6.5 hours of sleep and had to go to work at 8 the next morning. I did not have to shovel, thankfully, but I still had my mother complain to me. Sunday, was my day off in about 2 weeks, my plan was to sit and do nothing, but then I got a phone call from my mother saying I needed to pick at the snow on the driveway. I did, but apparently didn't do a good enough job for her, when I left Monday morning, I saw someone had done more. And then they left it in a pile on the sidewalk.
I've been trying to get over a cold/flu/who knows what lately, but since I've been working so much, my body has been having a very hard time fighting it. Yesterday, it snowed ALL day, it didn't stop until some time this afternoon. I'm not sure how much we got, but I'm pretty sure I shoveled 6 inches total yesterday, and probably a couple more this morning. The first time I went out about noon, it was heavy, took me about an hour. I went out a couple hours later and shoveled a couple more inches. This morning I was out at 7AM shoveling some more. I fully expected to get home from work and shovel some more. When I got home, my parents had done it, thankfully, I asked my dad if I needed to change and come help, he said no, but I bet I'll hear about it from my mother. Back to that pile on the sidewalk, my mother was working on that when I got home, I'll probably hear about that too. Something about how I didn't clear it off, that's what happens when you leave a pile and it freezes to the concrete.
My dad called me at work today saying some of my mail got in their mailbox. I get home and he says he was in my mailbox, because mine was in theirs, so some of theirs was probably in mine. I told him I'd rather he wasn't in my mailbox, and he got mad at me. It's mail fraud to be in someone's mailbox if they didn't ask you to. I don't understand why he couldn't wait for me to clean out my mailbox and give them their mail.
My arms and back hurt from shoveling, so everytime I bent over to clean out the drop boxes at work, my back hurt more. I love how my mom always has some reason for not shoveling (I was very surprised to see her out there today), but if I happened to mention that my back bothers every time I shovel, it would be an excuse and no one would care.

Sorry about the venting post, but I needed to.
Go over to The Frog Palace, for something neat.

Friday, February 08, 2013

Stressful Week

I'm not entirely sure why this week was so stressful, but it has been the most stressful week I've had in awhile.
I have a muscle somewhere near my shoulder that has been giving me fits lately, I have no idea why. This morning it was hurting, it usually doesn't bother me when I get up, just after moving in certain ways. I mentioned this to a co-worker, and he started to massage the knot out, and then the phone rang, and we had to work. After I was done with work, I went to find my boss, she's given me a massage before, when my back was bothering me at work. She told me I had two knots, one that was lower and felt like a pencil, and one that was higher and more like a ball. Apparently, I'm so stressed with my knots, I made her thumb numb, and I still have one of the knots. I'd love to know what's making me stressed, so I can stop knotting up my back.
It still hurts now, there's a couple spots that are actually tender to the touch. I'm not entirely sure if that's from the knots, or her massaging them out, she said I'd hurt when she was done.
 
To combat my stress, I have started a new project: a fabric book:

Head over to my art blog to read more about it.

What do you guys do to de-stress yourselves?

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

I'm so disappointed

After reading on other blogs about their great finds at stores and estate sales, I went to our two antique/consignment stores today. Unfortunately, I didn't find much. My first stop is a small antique store. I try not to go in there frequently because she doesn't move stuff out if it doesn't sell fast, I feel like I see the same stuff in there all the time. I did take in a Mason jar of buttons for her.
My second stop is a consignment store that has a lot of cool stuff. It's got 3 floors of stuff and they move it in and out, and stage things for holidays. Unfortunately, I didn't find much there either. Here's what I picked up:
 A green silk scarf, and a creamer. I plan on using the scarf to make something else. I found some cute hankies, but I can't justify spending more than $1, when I know when it's garage sale season, I can find them for cheaper. The creamer was just too cute to pass up.  I'm very spoiled by garage sale season, but I really liked it, plus it had already been there for a month.


My next disappointment is people. I watched the movie Compliance today, it is fictional, but it's based on true events. It's about this 19 year old girl working in a fast food joint. Someone calls saying they're a police officer and tells her manager that she stole money from a customer's purse. The "police officer" says they need to search her clothes and belongings, and then strip search her, and then says she needs to sit in the office naked until they come to get her. As time passes, the "police officer" on the phone asks the manager to have a male sit with her, the manager first gets another employee, who decides he won't do it, and then calls in her fiancee (who is probably in his 40's), to sit with her. When the manager leaves the caller tells the guy he needs to inspect her, have her bend over, spank her and then have her perform oral sex on him. This causes the fiancee to leave, and the manager brings in a much older worker, probably close to 60's, who finally says he won't do anything. The manager calls her regional manager, who the caller said he was talking to on another line, finds out he hasn't talked to anyone, and finally hangs up on the caller and calls the real police.
Apparently, this actually happened, a prank caller would call fast food places and say that someone stole something and then assault these girls over the phone. And nobody ever questioned him because he said he was a police officer. Unfortunately, I believe it happened, even as I'm sitting there yelling at the TV.
Studies by Stanley Milgram in the 60's found that people will follow directions if somone identifies themselves as authority figures. I guess they believe that people wouldn't lie about that and just follow blindly. I read about these studies when I took psychology in college, it's sad but it happens. I find it hard to believe though, that as your listening to someone giving you directions that make you ask multiple times if you should be doing it, and cause you to cry, that you wouldn't stop for a second and think about it.
I can't say what I'd do in that kind of situation, but I'd like to think my common sense would kick in. I know the police wouldn't call an establishment and have them strip search anyone. They wouldn't keep you on the phone for hours telling you to do things that you think are wrong. I'd hope I'd realize this, hang up and call the actual police line and ask for whoever I was talking to.


Back to happier news, if you're interested in some lace, I listed some on my Etsy store yesterday. It's a mix of mostly vintage lace, with a few pieces of newer trim thrown in as well. Go here, if you're interested. I don't usually promote my Etsy store on here, but I think it's a great deal (of course I'm a little biased).

Please post more of your finds, I hope to live vicarously through you guys until garage sale season starts in a few months.

Friday, February 01, 2013

Who's sick of winter?

I'm sick of winter and cold and snow, so here's some pretty warm pictures from my vacation to Hawaii in 2010. Enjoy!
 I learned today, that people are nicer than I give them credit for. I grew up being wary of people, and then majored in criminal justice in college, which made me suspicious of people. I don't have a driver's license. I really don't need one here, and I'm kinda scared of driving. So, I walk pretty much everywhere, anywhere I can't get to, or is too far, I take the bus. My mother always makes it a big deal to give me a ride anywhere, so I never ask (plus I like walking). In the past year, I've had people give me rides to places they aren't going, and even pick me up and take me back to where they started, and then of course back after, and they're not bothered by it. I generally don't ask for rides anywhere. This past May, a neighboring town was having their annual city-wide garage sale. I really wanted to go, I went with my aunts the year before, but they were busy last year. My co-worker who lives in this neighboring town, said she'd go with me. I mentioned I didn't have a way to get there, she said it was no problem coming to get me, driving around with me and then taking me home.
 Tonight, I was working a wrestling event, and would have had to wait for the bus for 40 minutes, or walk home in 15 degree weather, with who knows what wind chill (it's been below 0 all day). I don't mind waiting for the bus. I mentioned casually to my co-worker that I had to wait for the bus, and she offered to give me a ride home. She does live close by, but not that much. She also said, if we were ever working the same shift, she'd be glad to give me a ride.
 I'm not used to that. Like I said, I've always been wary of people. I keep my guard up when I meet new people and it takes a while before I'm comfortable enough to call someone my friend. I like that people are interested in me, and want to do nice things for me.
 I also learned, I like uplifting songs. Right now, one of my favorites is Firework by Katy Perry. I'm not a huge fan of her, but I like the song. Here's the lyrics, if you've never heard it:

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep six feet under?
Scream but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
 'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

You don't have to feel like a wasted space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
 Maybe you reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe
 Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough

'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
 It's all about how wonderful YOU are. I like that message, I'm gonna have to find more uplifting songs.
 holding seahorses
 our cruise ship
and here's a picture of me, with my Hawaii sunburn