Wow!! I feel like I'm in school again

This was cool -- copied from my friends Kate/Susan, and The Glecks (on each of their blogs). I figured, why not? Pretty cool idea!

1) As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2) Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don’t want to play on your blog, or if you don’t have a blog, I’ll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Have at it!

Monday Miscellanea

• Maddox has expensive tastes. He certainly liked the taste of the $5 bill that fell out of my pocket Saturday night. I was lucky to find the pieces -- "There's a green 5 and -- HEY! THAT'S MY MONEY!") It was taped back together (at least the pieces we found) and the bank was kind enough to exchange it. Needless to say, lots of jokes were made about me taking it out of his rear end and "this too shall pass." Hey, while I hated it, it was a good laugh.
• Cold fronts make my eyes, face, and head ache miserably. I have had a headache ALL afternoon, and I know it's the cold front moving through. It's pouring rain right now (thank you, thank you, merciful God!), and I'm so grateful this front will head southward through the night! Plus, we need the rain soooooo badly......
• Did you ever notice..... sometimes when things go well for you, there's something around the corner that's not so good for someone else? Got a little of that going on in my life right now. It's not my usual MO, but if you have a moment, say a prayer that things turn out fine for one of my loved ones. I'd certainly appreciate it!
  
• Good friends make the world a much better place..... take time to tell yours how much they mean to you!
  

Things I Just Don't Get.

What was (person) thinking? It's a question I find that I ask myself far too often these days. And today is no exception. I have a whole list of Things I Just Don't Get.

• There's a story in our local news about someone from my hometown arrested for sexual battery against a minor (under age 11, at that). I want to know -- what in hell makes an adult believe that being sexual with a child is okay? I mean, truly..... it's a bizarre mental twist that I will never ever understand. I know that in some cases, they cannot comprehend that they are harming a child. There are some who do and just don't give a damn, and there's a special level of hell reserved just for them. But what makes an otherwise normal person (we assume, anyway) think that it's okay to take a little 11-year-old girl to a motel room? My heart breaks for victims of sexual abuse or violence. I occasionally catch an episode of Dateline: To Catch a Predator, and I find myself wanting to go through the screen and bitchslap these people.

• Animal cruelty is another thing I just don't get. Even before I was a pet owner, I just couldn't comprehend how someone could neglect an animal or deliberately mistreat it. Most nights at 10, I faithfully watch Animal Planet because they show a variety of "Animal Cops" from different cities -- New York, Houston, Miami, Philly, Detroit, even one from South Africa. I was speaking one day with a person from the ASPCA (they called me for a fundraising campaign), and I mentioned that I watch it all the time. He said, "WOW! You have a pretty strong constitution!" I replied, "It doesn't turn my stomach as much as break my heart and make me angry." (Of course, I signed up for this fundraising program - what did you think?) I don't get it at all --- pets are completely dependent upon us and ask for nothing but our love and care. It's hardly enough to pay back everything they give us -- love and affection, sweet kissies, a walking partner, laughter and tears, so many good things.
  
• I also don't get the appeal of a lot of modern music. But that's a whole blog to itself.
  

Signed,
Grumpy Old Lady

A tale of two Wallys

There are two Wallys within about 10 miles of my domicile.

One is pure hell on earth. When it was constructed, it was a huge Wally. Today, it's a SmallMart. It is the place where scientists should converge to study the vast genetic mutation that occurs in mothers and children who pass through the doors. Something in the metal framing, or the glass itself (who knows), causes children to lose their minds and their common sense, and causes mothers to yell something about beating them senseless. This phenomenon isn't limited simply to this particular Wally. God knows I've seen it happen in many others. I used to shop regularly at this Wally, but I have decided the only way I will shop there now is if I happen to be driving by at 3:00 AM, with a wound so severe that Wally is the only place I can buy a dressing for it. Or I am in dire need of auto parts at that hour. Otherwise, I avoid it like the plague.

The other is one of the nicer Wallys ever. It's in a small town, but it's a nice SuperCenter. The aisles are mostly spacious. It doesn't seem to be as crowded. I can't vouch for the genetic mutation factor either -- never seen it happen. It's in proximity to two college towns and is usually home to students, faculty and the general public (where the other .... well .... isn't). That might be a factor in the decided lack of WT population there, at least as a percentage.

Any surprise why I love the 2nd Wally more?

Don't get me (BOOM) started.

It's been one of those weeks when I have been itching for a fight. I don't know why. Some sort of brain-chemical thing either on overload or not enough ...... but I think I have a good reason.

Fireworks.

I'm not opposed to fireworks in general. On the contrary, I love a big display of them -- done by professionals. There's something about the technique and precision of a good pyro display that's almost as cool as the display itself. I haven't seen it in person, but I have seen tape of a Labor Day fireworks show on the Ohio River in Cincinnati which was completely phenomenal -- set to music and done SO well, it was mind-boggling.

What makes me less-than-happy is the fireworks done by amateurs in their front yards, just for the annoyance of everyone around. And even those aren't so bad all the time. The problem for us this year in particular is this: we're in an extreme drought!!!!!!!!!

Our county was one of five in the entire state recently bumped up to the worst status possible. Five counties, all in a row, all the furthest inland, and all with man-made lakes which are way below full capacity. The local newspaper has had a week-long series about the drought, the water issues with it, etc. There are two major problems that people discuss here: gas prices and the lack of rain. What little rain we've gotten has been just enough to settle the dust, enough to make the windshield wet but that's it. I doubt the last two sudden showers/drizzles we've had measured a total of one-tenth of an inch. This is truly trouble.

Why, why, why the city didn't come out with a quickie ordinance saying, "Listen, this year, no fireworks. We know you'll understand" --- well, I don't know why. It certainly would have made sense. And it hits fairly close to home.... there's an unoccupied house next to ours. While the structure itself is cinder block, the roof isn't. The front and back yards aren't. All it would take would be one errant firework, and.....WOOOSH!!!! Same goes for a huge open field that abuts the entire block. It's a big gulley with nothing but vegetation -- most of it desperately dry. Again, all it would take is one bottle rocket to go off-course.......

I'm not even going to discuss what it must have been like for the dogs in the neighborhood. Suffice to say we gave Maddox a couple of calming tablets and he STILL didn't go to sleep until after midnight, when they mercifully decided to pack it in for the night.

What are people thinking? Or more to the point, why aren't people thinking?