The value of $0.49

So I am currently sitting at a fast-food-ish sandwich shop that I typically like, but at the moment I am currently somewhat irked. Instead of getting my chips and drink for the advertised 2.59, they were charged separately and ended up costing 3.08. I pointed this out to the person at the register after getting my receipt, and he informed me that I needed to ask for the combo - merely asking for chips and drink with my sandwich wasn't enough. Now I paid with a debit card, which makes the partial refund a bit more difficult, but not impossible. So now I'm somewhat irked - I probably have $0.49 sitting in the cushions of my couch at home right now, but the point is that the restaurant seems to have just snuck in and taken my money. That doesn't seem acceptable to me. I'm trying to decide if I want to go to the trouble actually filing a complaint online. Actually, I think I will. This way, I can either have my issue resolved or I can have the authority to say that a certain restaurant is just horrible.

My question is: when did this become the standard of service? I'm not demanding that you carry me inside, roll out a red carpet and have throngs of virgins throwing flowers at my feet. I just want you to at least admit when a mistake is made - an apology goes a long way!

Wow... How Time Flies

So it is the beginning of the year and I realize my last blog post was over a month ago. This is not acceptable. I'm thinking that the notion of me posting a DAILY blog post isn't going to happen, but I can certainly post more than one a week. So, this is part of my New Years Resolution.

I typically think that resolutions are a horrible excuse for people to try to make themselves better simply through the power of suggestion. Most resolutions go unrealized or abandoned: for this reason, my resolution will consist of a specific plan. As opposed to the notions of "lose some weight" or "exercise more," my resolution will have specific guidelines. That will make it easier for me to evaluate these notions in my head: either I achieve my goals or I fail miserably. However, as there are definite markers for success I'm hopeful that I will be able to accomplish them before I just give up.

As follows are the components of my resolution:

1) I will post blogs on either Wednesday/Thursday (the days that I am currently off work). My goal is to post a different blog on each day, but I will at the VERY least have a new blog posted weekly. If my days off change, I will be certain to let everyone who reads my blog know through the blog itself. (Amazing how that works, no?)

2) I will attend the monthly poetry meetings that I've recently been made aware of. I miss the notion of expression through poetry and see this as being a unique means of making myself a happier person. Notice now that I am not saying I will write/present poetry for every meeting... but I will at least go to all of them.

3) I will fully give up on people who do not want to be a part of my life. I've stated before how people in your life can easily fall into the metaphor of a tree. To add to this, some people are just like a hurricane: you can't hold on to them as they try to get away, it's best they go since they've left a trail of destruction in their wake, and going out into the storm to try to hold on to them only leaves you open for more insult and injury.

These are my resolutions for the new year, and I certainly hope that I am able to hold myself up to them.

A Few Words on Change

I am typically the kind of person who can think very well on his feet. In high school and college I competed in competitive speaking where I did well in debate, extemporaneous speaking (30 minute prep for 7 minute speech) and impromptu speaking (1 minute-ish prep for 5 minute-ish speech). I am no stranger to drastically changing topics and situations, and can typically deal with them without problem.

Today, I am feeling a bit nervous about change - I'm entering a new set of circumstances with next to no preparation and concerned I may not immediately be able to meet the high standards I have set for myself. I'm changing sections at work with no more guidance than the information in the protocols and the direction of "make it pretty." That's not to say I've been shunned to an area and have been forgotten - instead, I was moved because of a recognition of my obvious talents, ambitions and accomplishments. That's something to remember, I guess.

That being said - I'm still feeling a bit unsure about this change.

The Comeback Tour!

To my many readers who may have noticed, I have been gone for several weeks. My modem and my BlackBerry decided that they were going to simultaneously quit on me (I seem to recall mentioning this in an earlier post - now all the staples are gone from my staple gun. Coincidence? I think not...)

Needless to say I'm back and have some writing to make up for. I will do my best to get completely caught up and give you guys some excellent ideas for christmas!

Uh oh... Busted...

So today I was busted. I was pretty sure I was all alone in my section at work, and even though it isn't acceptable I decided that I would go ahead anyways: I broke out the Christmas music.

Now I do fully understand that it really isn't socially accepted to acknowledge Christmas before Thanksgiving has even passed. However, I'm in a blah mood and wanted to be cheered up. Much like the promise of a 12-year-old on cough syrup to R. Kelly, I can't help but get excited at the prospect of the holidays.

There are many things to be excited about, too. I am continuously chugging along with my Christmas knitting (which I may not be able to post right away, since it would ruin the surprise for Christmas!), I am eagerly anticipating the day after Thanksgiving to put up my lights and I can't wait to get a little tree to decorate! Supposedly Glee is putting out a holiday album (as long as Rachel isn't singing "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" I will be happy... Since I like that song, but increasingly not liking her). Oh, and my Christmas bonus this year will go towards my pet deposit... Since I'm getting a puppy shortly afterward.

Now, as far as being busted: well, a coworker just really liked the sound of my music and wanted to come ask who it was (Josh Groban Christmas Album). So it wasn't even as bad as it could have been... But yes, I am so ready for Christmas-time!

In short, there are so many things about the holiday season I love that I really don't understand how anyone could be unhappy at this time of year.

The Life of a Tree

For those who are unfamiliar with his work, Tyler Perry uses the character Mabel Simmons (or "Madea" to those who know her best) to provide a bit of wisdom in terms of what to actually expect out of life. While I've read numerous reviews that chastize Perry for this portrayal since it often plays upon existing stereotypes, yet I can't help but fall in love with the wisdom of Madea. It may have a bit to do with the fact that I feel Madea typically approaches issues in the way I was raised to believe is appropriate with my family - tackle issues head-on with some genuine common sense, a blunt (almost brutal) sense of honesty and the love and support of a family that is there for you.

While reflecting on a couple things today, I remembered something that Madea once said people in your life. All people in your life can be categorized in terms of a tree. Now since I actually bear the common name of a tree from the western US and Canada, this particularly resonates with me and I wanted to share it with you.



However, I feel that this needs to be expanded upon. Madea establishes a notion that people can fall into the category of leaves, branches or roots. However, since even the leaves are able to give a bit of shade this leads to the belief that all people are beneficial to the tree. It is this notion that I strongly disagree with, and offer the following additional categories

Locusts: In your life, some people are locusts. They do nothing but sap your strength, take what they can from you and attempt to drive you insane with their incessant chirping. Locusts are bad since they are able to hone in on you when you are weakest, and they return time and time again to try and take what they can from the tree. Nothing you can do will keep them away indefinitely, and there is no way of exterminating them all. Even if a tree hardens itself to their advances, there is usually one locust that can find it's way in to attack the tree. Many of my exes are locusts.

Frost: There are people in your life that can sneak up on you and do their best to do immense damage; these people are a frost to the tree. They can creep up in the dead of night without warning and do their best to create an environment so inhospitable to the tree that it is pushed to the point of using it's energy just to survive. The good thing about a frost is that it doesn't last forever. The frost may cause scarring, but if the tree survives it will be that much more unique and appealing to someone genuinely ready to appreciate and care for the tree. My father is a frost.

Bees: Some people in your life are like bees. They flit around from tree to tree, and typically are just trying to get at your nectar. I'm happy to say that I was raised to be a tree that doesn't bloom (my name is the common name of a conifer, actually), so no matter how hard a bee may try they aren't going to get anything from me. That being said, they still try. Bees can be annoying and potentially dangerous to the well-wisher that wants to appreciate the tree. Many of the people who didn't even get a chance to be exes are bees.

There are undoubtedly a great many other categories that could be added, but those are the additions that I think need to be made. Luckily however, I am named after a very good tree - and I share similar traits. My tree is one of the first to recover after a natural disaster, and I can indeed recover from trauma very quickly. My tree is one of the first to grow, able to develop an decent root system to support itself, and I'm glad to say that I have an exceptional support system as well - people who actually earn the title of "my friend" are truthfully very good people.

Two Storage Tubs...

My friend Leigh posed this idea to me, and it seemed like a really good notion for assessing what is actually important to me. It's actually played like something of a game, but it goes a bit like this: Say that somebody who is FABULOUSLY wealthy falls madly in love with you (and of course, you with them... otherwise the game makes no sense :p). Said person desperately wants you to come and live with them, but you can only bring 2 rubbermaid storage tubs of your stuff with you; what do you bring? Of course, anything you need can be bought when you arrive at your destination on the other side of the world, but what things are important enough that you actually need to bring them? So this is what I decided:



I'm reasonably certain if I bare-root packed all of my plants, I could get them into a single storage tub... well, most of them anyways. Now don't run away with some foolish notion that this is all of my plants... or even most of them... or even half of them. But yea, I'm pretty sure I could do it. They'd be packed into one tub so tightly they wouldn't even need any packing material. :)



This is Melville. He's a jewish moose who dreams of one day growing up to become a tiger. I got Melville at one of the hardest points in my life and he's been with me ever since. He also has a friend, Coco the Gorilla, that would have to come as well... but she's camera shy. Well, Coco likes my regular camera but didn't really show up at all with the camera on my phone (my real camera is dead... and I didn't feel like going to the store to get new batteries).



An ex-coworker of mine did this painting for me, an oil on canvas painting of a bonded pair of Great Indian Hornbills. I really like this painting, since it was made based on a pair of birds I actually work with; the painting itself seems to have a sense of life I haven't really seen in other artwork.



Now we start with a bit of Grandma's stuff. I inherited a pretty substantial elephant collection (she absolutely loved them), especially considering then mom and I got grandma elephants at every possible opportunity; these ones are special. The brass elephants are ones that my mother got my grandma long ago, and I would actually play with them as a kid; rearranging them, imaginatively coming up with stories as to where they were going. The carved soapstone elephants are actually the last ones I ever got my grandmother, got them for her birthday almost 2 years ago. I wouldn't go anywhere without these elephants.



This was Grandma's crucifix, from around the 1930's. It currently sits over my bed.



There are a couple things in this picture that would have to come with me, and again, both belonging to grandma. First, the pink vase in the background. I realize that it's not particularly hard to do and that I'm pretty good with plants, but every bit of ivy I put to root in that vase takes off and thrives. I also have Irish Crystal glasses that are very important. When I was a kid we would order chinese food, drink Sprite out of those glasses and feel fancy. It's not included in this picture or in the plant picture above, but I also still have the ivy my grandmother grew in an olive oil bottle for me... needless to say, that would come too.

So there you have it, those are the things that are important to me. Oh, it should go without saying that you get to take any pets you have with you, Leigh determined that to be part of the rules since she was not going to go anywhere without her animals and I must say I am very happy with that since Reptar (my iguana) is not particularly fond of other people. So there you have it... why not take the time to contemplate what is particularly important to you. What would you take if you only had two storage tubs?