First, some background. I go to the grocery store a lot. In December the Salvation Army has a collection bucket and a bell ringer outside all the grocery stores. So, this month I have been dropping change and the occasional dollar into the Salvation army bucket for two reasons 1) because my mother taught me at a very young age that you should and 2) I am a nice person.
Earlier this week I literally did not have any change or small dollars and thus did not plan on depositing funds into the bucket on this particular trip.
Salvation Army Bell Ringer: Hello
Me: Good morning. How are you?
SABR: Would you like to make a contribution?
Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have any change today. But I have making contributions since Thanksgiving and I'm sure I'll be back again soon.
SABR: You don't have any change? Any amount you'd like to donate will help.
Me: You know, I don't have a bit of change today. I do make several trips to the store each week and have put in money in each time, but I can't donate today.
SABR: Every penny helps. And God will bless you!
Me: I'm sure He will, but I'm unable to donate at this time.
I now turn and walk into the store
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Driving Fiasco
When we got back from South Carolina I noticed my back left tire was low. It tends to get a little low when the car sits and we had suspected a leaky tire. Monday morning, around 9:45 on December 1 I decided I would go to the gas station and fill the tire with air and then drive to Wal-Mart down the road to get a new tire. In addition to the fix the tire plan, I also planned on going to the grocery store, since we had been gone for 5 days, making a trip to the storage center to pick up Christmas ornaments, and get a car wash. Unfortunately, that didn't so much work.
I was half way to Wal-Mart when the tire just blew out. Completely. As in, shredded and driving on hubcap. Luckily I was right next to the gas station so I pulled in and was not sitting on the side of the road. I pulled in and called for a tow truck to take me to Wal-Mart, literally 5 miles away. Meanwhile, as I waited for the truck, a nice man who had been sitting near a landscaping truck w/ a few other guys approached the car with a small air tank, to fill up the tire. As soon as he saw it shredded he shook his head and said "So do you have a spare?" and I checked and I did, but of course, I am stupid and don't know how to change the damn thing. His buddy Tyronne (who was eating a piece of pecan pie) walked over and we started to chat while Chris crawled around on the ground and changed the tire. Tyronne had just spent the holiday in Georgia with his family, and I suspect that's where the pie came from. The tow truck arrived just as Chris was tightening the last bolt on the tire, so I'm sure they saved me a pretty penny, not needing to pay for the tow. I offered them money but they refused and told me to 'drive carefully' and 'have a good holiday'. So nice!
In case you're wondering, I did make it to Wal-Mart, bought a new tire, and did my grocery shopping while I waited for the car service. Wal-Mart is CHEAP! Definitely reccomended for keeping the grocery bill down. I also fetched the ornaments (after moving several heavy pieces of furniture in the storage unit), did a little bit of Christmas shopping and got the car washed. Of course, the car wash wasn't smooth sailing, either. I didn't buy gas and they don't accept credit cars at the entrance, so I had to back up and go inside and pay. Seriously?! Grrrrrr. And, as icing on the cake, I did not wash my hair or put on makeup that day because I thought I would just be at Wal-Mart's car waiting area a short time to change the tire, no one would see me at the storage place, and the grocery run wouldn't take very long. But of course, since I looked kind of like hell, I ended up in 4 different counties over a 7 hour period (no, seriously) and I think half of Central Florida saw me!
I was half way to Wal-Mart when the tire just blew out. Completely. As in, shredded and driving on hubcap. Luckily I was right next to the gas station so I pulled in and was not sitting on the side of the road. I pulled in and called for a tow truck to take me to Wal-Mart, literally 5 miles away. Meanwhile, as I waited for the truck, a nice man who had been sitting near a landscaping truck w/ a few other guys approached the car with a small air tank, to fill up the tire. As soon as he saw it shredded he shook his head and said "So do you have a spare?" and I checked and I did, but of course, I am stupid and don't know how to change the damn thing. His buddy Tyronne (who was eating a piece of pecan pie) walked over and we started to chat while Chris crawled around on the ground and changed the tire. Tyronne had just spent the holiday in Georgia with his family, and I suspect that's where the pie came from. The tow truck arrived just as Chris was tightening the last bolt on the tire, so I'm sure they saved me a pretty penny, not needing to pay for the tow. I offered them money but they refused and told me to 'drive carefully' and 'have a good holiday'. So nice!
In case you're wondering, I did make it to Wal-Mart, bought a new tire, and did my grocery shopping while I waited for the car service. Wal-Mart is CHEAP! Definitely reccomended for keeping the grocery bill down. I also fetched the ornaments (after moving several heavy pieces of furniture in the storage unit), did a little bit of Christmas shopping and got the car washed. Of course, the car wash wasn't smooth sailing, either. I didn't buy gas and they don't accept credit cars at the entrance, so I had to back up and go inside and pay. Seriously?! Grrrrrr. And, as icing on the cake, I did not wash my hair or put on makeup that day because I thought I would just be at Wal-Mart's car waiting area a short time to change the tire, no one would see me at the storage place, and the grocery run wouldn't take very long. But of course, since I looked kind of like hell, I ended up in 4 different counties over a 7 hour period (no, seriously) and I think half of Central Florida saw me!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A few things
No hot guys on Oprah today, but I still have a few items to share. One is actually (again) related to Brad Pitt! That was unplanned, but might as well tackle that first.
1) I am enjoying my December issue of In Style which is pretty much the size of a phonebook. There's a pic of Brad and Angelina with a caption "No, you don't have her husband or her wardrobe" and I paused and said Wait a second.... Brad Pitt is NOT her husband! They are not married. They have been dating since 2005 (I think) and he is the father of her kids, but that's nto the same as being her husband. It ticked me off that no one caught that factual error so I wrote to the editor! They really should proof-read better.
2) We are going "up" to South Carolina for Thanksgiving. It is strange to use "up" as the direction, but c'est la vie. SC is chillier than Florida so I have been looking through the suitcase of cold weather clothing we brought to the condo instead of putting in storage. We clearly didn't plan on being here through the fall/winter because there are very few appropriate items in said suitcase. In fact, a decent portion is just a stack of Hard Rock t-shirts. Very useful. However, after removing the HRC shirts and a pair of Curious George PJ pants (seriously) I discovered 2 pair of jeans that I completely forgot that I owned. I was just wondering today how I was going to make it for 4 days with the one pair I have been wearing here during the evenings, and now I don't have to worry! I realized I actually have 4 pair of jeans that FIT ME RIGHT NOW! They fit better today than they did mostly all of 2008 which makes me very happy. I almost want to celebrate with a brownie sundae but I realize that probably will make them fit less well.
3) Early Christmas decorations and celebrating is driving me crazy. We actually bought Christmas cards in Target this past weekend because I was afraid they would run out if we waited until after Thanksgiving. And truly, who wants to go into Target any day in December? To add to the madness, there is a radio station that has, no joke, been playing Christmas music since Halloween. Um- Thanksgiving, anyone? I, for one, love apple pie and turkey and mashed potatoes and corn and the Macy's parade. And especially apple pie. So let's let Thanksgiving and the parade to enjoy their one day of glory.
4) I am making two Thanksgiving desserts tomorrow and am very pumped. Guess what I am making? That's right. Apple pie. (Dessert #2 is pumpkin bread, in case you are wondering)
5) Happy Thanksgiving to my (probably less than 5) loyal readers. Or, as Pepe would say, FELIZ TURKEYS OHKEH!
1) I am enjoying my December issue of In Style which is pretty much the size of a phonebook. There's a pic of Brad and Angelina with a caption "No, you don't have her husband or her wardrobe" and I paused and said Wait a second.... Brad Pitt is NOT her husband! They are not married. They have been dating since 2005 (I think) and he is the father of her kids, but that's nto the same as being her husband. It ticked me off that no one caught that factual error so I wrote to the editor! They really should proof-read better.
2) We are going "up" to South Carolina for Thanksgiving. It is strange to use "up" as the direction, but c'est la vie. SC is chillier than Florida so I have been looking through the suitcase of cold weather clothing we brought to the condo instead of putting in storage. We clearly didn't plan on being here through the fall/winter because there are very few appropriate items in said suitcase. In fact, a decent portion is just a stack of Hard Rock t-shirts. Very useful. However, after removing the HRC shirts and a pair of Curious George PJ pants (seriously) I discovered 2 pair of jeans that I completely forgot that I owned. I was just wondering today how I was going to make it for 4 days with the one pair I have been wearing here during the evenings, and now I don't have to worry! I realized I actually have 4 pair of jeans that FIT ME RIGHT NOW! They fit better today than they did mostly all of 2008 which makes me very happy. I almost want to celebrate with a brownie sundae but I realize that probably will make them fit less well.
3) Early Christmas decorations and celebrating is driving me crazy. We actually bought Christmas cards in Target this past weekend because I was afraid they would run out if we waited until after Thanksgiving. And truly, who wants to go into Target any day in December? To add to the madness, there is a radio station that has, no joke, been playing Christmas music since Halloween. Um- Thanksgiving, anyone? I, for one, love apple pie and turkey and mashed potatoes and corn and the Macy's parade. And especially apple pie. So let's let Thanksgiving and the parade to enjoy their one day of glory.
4) I am making two Thanksgiving desserts tomorrow and am very pumped. Guess what I am making? That's right. Apple pie. (Dessert #2 is pumpkin bread, in case you are wondering)
5) Happy Thanksgiving to my (probably less than 5) loyal readers. Or, as Pepe would say, FELIZ TURKEYS OHKEH!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Brad Pitt
I am watching Oprah this afternoon. I tend to watch when it's a happy or frivolous topic (in other words, I avoid the child molester and other depressing social issue shows) and today Brad is promoting his new movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It looks super super good and I want to see it (hint to Michael). What I have observed today, just as I observe every time I see Brad in print, on TV or in a film, is that he is hot. He is perhaps the most attractive human being on the planet. Everything about him is beautiful. Hair, eyes, nose, lips, cheekbones, etc. etc. etc. I do have one question: do they make Brad Pitt wallpaper?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A Nice Surprise
So today I got a phone call from the pharmacy telling me the price on my Rx had changed and they would be refunding $58. Woo-hoo! And then they saw that I ordered it 3 months ago also and they adjusted THAT price, too. In short, I am getting $116 back. AWESOME! That's almost enough to get my hair highlighted and cut tomorrow- such excellent timing!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
VOTE!
Dear Readers,
On this election day, I am first reminding you all to vote. I don't care what political party you support (well, I do, but that's not the point), just get out there and cast your ballot. I voted in person for the first time today- it was pretty cool. In 2004 I was at AU and cast an absentee ballot, which was not nearly as exciting as exiting the polling station and sticking my ballot into what looked like a huge laser printer. Key difference is this machine eats your ballot, it doesn't spew paper out. I waited in line for an hour this morning and I got an awesome "My vote counts" sticker that not only coordinates with my red t-shirt, it also will get me a free cup of Starbucks coffee, a free krispy kreme donut, and free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. Which got me to thinking... Americans are such pigs; why doesn't it get you a free turkey sandwich or a free apple? I digress.
This is also a good time to share with you a photo I took last weekend and a political rally for a certain VP candidate. Maybe you've heard of her? She's pretty cool.
In the spirit of my first, and likely last, politically focused blog, I now leave you with a quote from my favorite president (for those of you who don't know, it's Ronald Reagan):
The most terrifying words in the English langauge are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
Happy Election Day!
Love,
Alex Keaton
On this election day, I am first reminding you all to vote. I don't care what political party you support (well, I do, but that's not the point), just get out there and cast your ballot. I voted in person for the first time today- it was pretty cool. In 2004 I was at AU and cast an absentee ballot, which was not nearly as exciting as exiting the polling station and sticking my ballot into what looked like a huge laser printer. Key difference is this machine eats your ballot, it doesn't spew paper out. I waited in line for an hour this morning and I got an awesome "My vote counts" sticker that not only coordinates with my red t-shirt, it also will get me a free cup of Starbucks coffee, a free krispy kreme donut, and free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. Which got me to thinking... Americans are such pigs; why doesn't it get you a free turkey sandwich or a free apple? I digress.
This is also a good time to share with you a photo I took last weekend and a political rally for a certain VP candidate. Maybe you've heard of her? She's pretty cool.
In the spirit of my first, and likely last, politically focused blog, I now leave you with a quote from my favorite president (for those of you who don't know, it's Ronald Reagan):
The most terrifying words in the English langauge are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
Happy Election Day!
Love,
Alex Keaton
Motownphilly's back again
Ladies and gentlemen, my life is now complete. I saw Boyz II Men live in concert last week. It was only for a half hour at EPCOT, but each minute was blissfully wonderful. I shall now stalk their touring schedule to be able to see them again. They were fantastic. I had a ridiculous grin on my face the entire time and took a ton of pictures and was generally more excited than I have been in a good while. They were, after all, my first tape (Cooleyhighharmony, 1991. I was 7) which I still have! I probably should buy a digital copy at some point.... So. Last Thursday was awesome all because of Boyz II Men. I love them. In case you're wondering, that's (L-R) Shawn Stockman, Wanya (pronounced Juan-yay) Morris and Nathan Morris in the above photo.
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