What Did You Do Today? What are you doing today?

[DiO'Bolic]

As long as I get to use it too!

Sure... As long as I get to wear this whenever you're using it.

 

[skimom2]

LMAO. Every once in a while a neuron or three will fire and it seems like it might be a good idea at some point. I feel....I don't know, it's a bit of a strange feeling since I had such a crush on this girl in high school for about three years but never had the guts to ask her out. She's smart, capable, a very good mom to her son, but, she's going out with me so how smart can she truly be, ya' know? We have a good past as far as being a base to work from and I'm starting to like these weekends of doing family type things. It makes me feel a little more normal than how things have been the last few years, which is to say, pretty much chaos on the home front. My son likes her, which is a huge plus in my book, and she cares about him to. We've sort of discussed marriage in the abstract but it's starting to be something I think about quite a bit when thinking about her. I'd like to turn the corner on my previous marriage, nothing but ghosts that won't stay quiet and bad memories toward the end and I'd just soon start painting over the walls...

You're a smart guy to take your time. And a blessed guy to have found a smart woman who thinks the same way. You deserve every bit of good that's flowing to you right now.

 

[Sundrop]

Sure... As long as I get to wear this whenever you're using it.

You act as if I might be dangerous with a new wood lathe........I'm hurt, shocked and hurt......

 

[DiO'Bolic]

You act as if I might be dangerous with a new wood lathe........I'm hurt, shocked and hurt......

Do two hurts make a hug?

 

[skimom2]

Oh, please. I can't be the only one here who's interested in cemeteries?

i like traditional ones, with headstones. The new ones are like fields with rocks in the way--boring. My grandma's second husband was a sexton in one of the old-style cemeteries, and I grew up playing there--shady, cool, no traffic to speak of, and plenty of reading practice by means of headstone. It's the same cemetery where many of my ancestors are buried. I still love the place.

 

[Sundrop]

Do two hurts make a hug?

I know this is gonna come as a surprise, given my love for all things daisy, but I'm not really much of a hugger. I mentioned this at work on day, and I swear every client I worked on for the following two weeks had to give me a big hug as they left.....I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life!

 

[DiO'Bolic]

I know this is gonna come as a surprise, given my love for all things daisy, but I'm not really much of a hugger. I mentioned this at work on day, and I swear every client I worked on for the following two weeks had to give me a big hug as they left.....I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life!

Me, too! Hugging is just uncomfortable for me. And sometimes strangers at work want to give you kiss on the cheek for helping them out. What's up with that?

 

[skimom2]

Heading out to get a Rug Doctor to go over the carpets again before the new puppy arrives this weekend. Right near the end Lulu became incontinent and I don't want our new girl to be confused about where it's okay to relieve herself.

Then I'll get a start on DD#1's dress for the Renaissance Faire she will be attending in WI with her beau. We bought a wedding dress from a secondhand shop to give us a base (she decided she wanted this WAY to late to start from scratch), and we (read 'I', because she's still learning to sew/embellish) will be adding an overskirt, different sleeves, a lot more trim, a layer over the bodice, etc. Alex (the beau) has the full set of 14th century kit of chain mail and accoutrement, so the trick will be making the dress era appropriate. Having her try the dress on originally was a stunner--she looked like a Disney princess, in a good way (the dress is actually quite simple and lovely), with her waist length dark hair, and it was a jolt of reality that we will likely be doing this kind of shopping for real within the next couple of years.

Then I'll bake her favorite chocolate cake for her 21st birthday (tomorrow).

 

[Sundrop]

Me, too! Hugging is just uncomfortable for me. And sometimes strangers at work want to give you kiss on the cheek for helping them out. What's up with that?

I don't know, but when people hug me like that, I kind of get an idea of how Ralphie felt wearing those horrible pink bunny pajamas!

 

[skimom2]

I know this is gonna come as a surprise, given my love for all things daisy, but I'm not really much of a hugger. I mentioned this at work on day, and I swear every client I worked on for the following two weeks had to give me a big hug as they left.....I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life!

Same. I hug family and a few friends naturally (and little kids and dogs!), but have learned to just let it happen when I can't avoid it (little old ladies from church, some people I would consider acquaintances--not huggable--but whom I don't want to offend because they're nice people who hug everyone).

 

[DiO'Bolic]

With your new found spare time.... write the book. Adventures In Seasonal Part Time Land!

LOL... I probably could.

The other week a stunning beautiful girl, probably in her mid twenties, came into the store. I would have rated her a 12 out of 10. She was like a magnet for guys wanting to help her. She obviously was accustomed to the attention and was very polite dealing with it. She eventually came over to me and wanted help picking out a piece of outdoor power equipment. I said sure, but first wanted to know what the heck she had been trampling though. She looked at me like I was crazy. I pointed to her feet (she was wearing flip flops) which were covered in mud. She laughed and said her neighbor had rain runoff that was getting into her yard and the dogs were making a mess in it. She had gone out to get them and didn’t realize before coming to the store how muddy her feet were (I think something was obstructing her view of her feet ). I gave her some paper towels and water from my water bottle for her to clean them up. I then helped her with her purchase, and she asked me if I could help her out with the other purchases in the store. So I did. I guess I come off as completely harmless... which is freakin' TERRIBLE!

 

[Spideyman]

LOL... I probably could.

The other week a stunning beautiful girl, probably in her mid twenties, came into the store. I would have rated her a 12 out of 10. She was like a magnet for guys wanting to help her. She obviously was accustomed to the attention and was very polite dealing with it. She eventually came over to me and wanted help picking out a piece of outdoor power equipment. I said sure, but first wanted to know what the heck she had been trampling though. She looked at me like I was crazy. I pointed to her feet (she was wearing flip flops) which were covered in mud. She laughed and said her neighbor had rain runoff that was getting into her yard and the dogs were making a mess in it. She had gone out to get them and didn’t realize before coming to the store how muddy her feet were (I think something was obstructing her view of her feet ). I gave her some paper towels and water from my water bottle for her to clean them up. I then helped her with her purchase, and she asked me if I could help her out with the other purchases in the store. So I did. I guess I come off as completely harmless... which is freakin' TERRIBLE!

You do have a way with words.

 

[Shoesalesman]

I'm at work. Listening to Alice Cooper's new album, Paranormal. Coffee in hand. Reading reports. Erm... on this site.

 

[Sundrop]

I'm at work. Listening to Alice Cooper's new album, Paranormal. Coffee in hand. Reading reports. Erm... on this site.

How's the new album? I haven't had a chance to give it a listen yet.

 

[Shoesalesman]

How's the new album? I haven't had a chance to give it a listen yet.

I'm on the third track now. Very diverse. Just like his last couple releases.

 

[swiftdog2.0]

I don't know, but when people hug me like that, I kind of get an idea of how Ralphie felt wearing those horrible pink bunny pajamas!

I hear you.

SwiftDogs are not huggers either. We don't like it when you get in our personal space uninvited. Unless it's Heidi Klum. She can hug 'ole SwiftDog all she wants

 

[GNTLGNT]

At my part-time job I have some very interesting regular customers.

The Imam from the local mosque who always brings young men in and looks for me (knowing I will joke around with him) to show them they need not always be apprehensive because of their religion, and that they can relax and have some fun with other people about everyday experiences. I remember once when he was looking for a snowblower for the mosque’s parking lot. I showed him one and told him it’s powerful enough to throw the snow over into the Christian church’s parking lot. The younger guys he had with him suddenly became concerned and said that they would never want to do anything like that. The Imam took the opportunity to teach them that they don’t always need to be so serious about their religion. That they need to ‘read’ the person they were interacting with to know how to communicate in kind.

There’s Crazy Mary who comes in 15 minutes before closing almost 4 days a week, heads straight for my department, and always causes us to close late and hold up our power equipment usage.

There’s Big Bob the retired Marine who buys inner tubes almost every week for his tractor. The contractor who built his house left nails all over his property. He would rather buy countless inner tubes and fight for months on end with the contractor rather then get a magnet dragging tool I showed him that contractors use clean up nails after a job. Whenever I see him I shake my head an ask... Not another inner tube? He laughs and says, yeah, it may be stupid but its become a matter of principle.

Isabelle, who will only deal with me because she thinks I’m the only non-racist person in the store and because I treat her like one of my family.

One is a guy who has moved here from India for a high level tech job. He was completely unfamiliar with American’s obsession with their yards. He didn’t know anything about yard work nor had any equipment. But he was fascinated with the whole thing and has taken the maintenance of his yard to the extreme. Originally, he wanted the biggest and best of everything. I convinced him he didn’t need everything and should only spend his money on things that matches the needs to the needs and size of his property. He came in religiously every Saturday or Sunday with questions and new needs. He had taken to calling me “Mr Google” because he thinks I know everything about lawns, chemicals and outdoor power equipment. He came in this past Saturday and headed straight for me. He showed me pictures of his immaculate pampered lawn with patches of light green grass that was driving him crazy, and wanted something to get rid of it. He even brought in some of the grass to show me. He thought it was crabgrass but I told him it looked and felt more like poa annua or poa trivialis, and is near impossible to get rid of (I know because my acre lawn is loaded with it and I’ve declared defeat... and have come to like the light grassy weed). He didn’t like my answer. I told him his best bet, if he wanted a quick fix, was to cut out the invasive grass (and don’t use something like Roundup because nothing will grow in that area for months) and then reseed it. Then use a pre-emergent herbicide in the fall to prevent germination, which takes place at this time and spreads the grassy weed. Or if he had lots of money he could order a herbicide called ‘Certainty’ over the Internet, which specifically targets that type of grassy week, but it’s almost $100 for a little over an ounce. He said he was going to order it. I told him this was my last day here as seasonal employment was coming to an end. He said... ‘Oh, no, what am I going to do without Mr Google?’ He reached into his pocket and wanted to give me a sizable tip for all the help I’ve provide him this season. I said I never take tips but (as I tell everyone who offers me a tip) if he was in a giving mood to donate it to some charity.

The man and woman who came in looking for a lawn mower for their 12 year old son who was going to mow lawns over the summer as his summer job. I asked about the terrain of their neighbor’s properties and made a recommendation of a Husqvarna RWD mower with a Honda engine that was solidly built, had large rear wheels, that would require little maintenance, had the Autowalk feature that matches the users desired walking speed, had a good warranty, and would handle the variety of properties best. He wanted his son to get a cheap bottom-of-the-line push mower just like he had. She told him it was their only child and she was not about to make him suffer 6-8 hours a day mowing laws because he was a cheap SOB. He walked away mad and she purchased the model I suggested. A few days later she came back in and told me that mower almost caused them a divorce. It seems when her husband took the mower home he got it ready and used it on his yard in order to test it out. He loved it. Afterward, he made an announcement that it was now HIS mower and their son could have his cheap push mower to mow lawns. She said it got real ugly, real fast. She had come in to buy another one of those mowers for their son. She said her husband asked before she came in... 'what would they do with his old mower?' She said she told him where he could stick his old mower.

The couple on Friday evening that couldn’t agree on anything. I told the guy to just go with his wife’s recommendation because it was sound and her choice in lawn tractors met their needs better because of the size and the terrain of the property, and why it was easier to use. And if he got the one he wanted and it didn’t meet their needs, she would probably make his life a living hell. She said “I like this guy." He conceded and got her choice. A few weeks later he came in and thanked me... saying in the end she was absolutely right but would never tell her that. I said go out an buy her some flowers or chocolate and thank her for convincing you to go with her choice... because, believe me, it will buy you some good mojo for years to come.

I could go on with story after story. I think what I am going to miss most until next spring is the great cast of characters, regulars, and helping them out.

....dang!...you CAN be apolitical and entertaining Mr. Google.....

 

[GNTLGNT]

 

[osnafrank]

I had a very...Different Telephone Call this Morning.

Picked up a colleague and we drove to Work.
It was 6:10 a.m. (not my favorite time for a conversation) as the Smart Phone rings
It was an Unknown number.

Me: Hello ?
Hello, i just called to Thank you, for this Wonderfull Evennig yesterday.
Me: Silence
It was really exciting to meet you after all these Weeks, we just wrote Messages
Me: Silence,Sideglance to my Colleague, Sideglance with astupidly grin back
And thank you, for bringing me back home, i....
Me: Hey, sorry....but who are you ?
Are you Kidding me ?!? *laugh* I know you are a Funny Guy
Me: Ahmmmm,i am not Kiddin you, i have no clou who i`m Talking to
Ja ja, *laugh* I wanted to ask you, if we could meet tonight , i have Tickets for
"Dunkirk"
Me: Would like to Watch it.....but who are you and where did you get this Number from ?
You annoy me gradual
Meitto, so i`m not the Guy you think i am
Screw you, yesterday after the Party, behind the Tent you knew my Name

My Colleague bit in his Hands, because he didn´t wants to
explode with Laughter

Me: I don`t know what to say...Sorry
That sound better. Ok can you pick me up at 7 p.m ?


Me:Of course
Great, excited to see you again, bye bye.


I was Driving on the Autobahn with 110 Mp/H, my Colleague nearly wetted his Pants
after she ended the Call.

What was that ?
Me: I have no Clue

I´m soooo Sorry for the Guy, she really wants to Talk to.
If he called her Today...

 

[danie]

I was Driving on the Autobahn with 110 Mp/H

Great story! This is my favorite part.