Category: Random Babblings

Some people’s children

We had to run to the store for some items, and while we were waiting to check out the line got really long. I am talking there were 11 carts/baskets in line, counting the person at the check out.  That person was splitting the order on 3 tickets.  WIC, foodstamps, and check.  I have no problem with the programs, they are there for people who need them, I only mention them so you know how long it took, because there is paperwork involved.  There was only one cash register open.

Here is the point of this post.  As the lady is making her purchase, the kid with her was looking at the “impulse buy” items.  No big deal, I do it too.  That kid was probably about 15 years old.  The item he seemed to enjoy most was a laser pointer.  He would look around to see if anyone was watching, cover the pointer so people “couldn’t see what it was” and hold it up to his eye and push the button.  He did this a few times and then switched eyes.  Each time he grimaced in pain, then continued.  He ended up walking out of the store holding his eye in pain.

Do people not realize that a laser can be very bad for the eyes?  It even has warnings written on the product and the packaging.

How much of a nerd am I?

As many of you know, I have been on the road A LOT lately.  As I travel I try to keep my mind busy.

I started by playing the alphabet game.  you know you have to find words that start with each letter of the alphabet, in order.  This game started just before Columbia, Missouri; over 100 miles and more than two hours later it ended.  I will never play in that state again!  Who am I kidding, I will probably play it, and get just as frustrated too. Here are the words:
Authorized  Broyhill  Coil  Dining  Exit  Fedex  Ground  Hilton  Inn  Just  Kitchen  Limit  Marriott  Nostalgia  Omaha  Pier  Qualifying  Restaurant  Subaru  The  Used  Vandiver  Waffle  Xit  Yahweh’s  Zone

X was an exit sign missing the E.  Z was from Auto Zone, there are apparently no “No Passing Zone” signs in the state of Missouri, and we found Auto Zone in Hannibal as we were fixing to get on the bridge back to Illinois.  Q was actually easy to find.  I, J, T, U, and X all tool a long time to find also.  Y was easy.

Then for fear of not finding letters again, I decided instead of playing the alphabet game again, I would see how many license plates I could read.  here are all the license plates I could read from the time we got off the bridge into Illinois until we took the turn into Macomb:
YA4 W3K     H37 3428     391 7005     QP 20-11     MA4 V3V     39 283 L     BARB 680     HIO 3108     98 099 R

Yes, there were only nine distinct cars traveling the same direction as us that I saw.  So you can imagine how boring that game was for me.  I think I saw all those in the first 25 minutes of playing.  I decided to write down all the numbers I saw along the road.  Yes, I know it may be only interesting to myself.  Here goes:
336  65  55  4  45  336  65  55  4  1  61  336  61  1/2  61  336  4  61  50  61  001  0084  336  61  65  55  4  61  4  5  2353  9.00  61  336  65  55  2500  336  61  1/2  61  61  61  336  65  55  4  1500  1  99  3  71  4  2700  336  65  4  55  2735  13.00  336  336  1613  14.00  336  1600  912  336  65  55  4  1750  1820  3000  55  93  20  926  55  4  3.00  250  55  4  315  100  91  94  94  94  94  336  94  65  55  1706  445  336  94  65  55  4  555  643  595  650  65  55  61  69  61  69  9.15  40  336  911   4  4  55  1300  2000  1300  1350  136  94  1400  136  94  136  94  50  136  94  336  136  63  42  2015  65  136  336  18  23  2146  2200  63  42  2300  65  2.5  55  2350  217  357  0850  2450  150  55  375  1/2  1/2  55  5  5  174  5  1500  136  336  3600  2880  136  336  65  65  55  050  .58  55  1/4  61  61  1.09  136  336  55  55  1.6  55  225  1544  309  836  55  136  136  336  136  336  336  9 65  55  4  350  350  3.65  450  3  7  336  65  55  4  8  336  8  336  65  55 4  700  750  750  750  850  1500  50  136  10  45  45  20000 950  45  45  1000  45  309  837  45  4001  3136  837  45  1009  571  660  680  7575  837  4191  837  1625  1607  9642  30  1319  1301  1219  1025  1007  30  30  30  1  2  6694  836

If you add it all up it equals 160621.82.

27 times I saw 336.  26 times I saw 55.  17 times I saw 65 and 4.  16 times I saw 61.  13 times I saw 136.  Ten times I saw 94.  Eight times I saw 45.  Four times I saw 837, 30, 5, and 1/2.  Three times I saw 1500, 750, 50, and 1.  Two times I saw 1300, 850, 836, 350, 309, 69, 63, 42, 8, and 3.  Only once for the rest of the numbers.

There you go, the crazy world that is mine.

How do the rest of you pass your time on long car rides/trips?

Ok, here is a post

I have had many requests for a new post.  Even from the spammers:

even-spammers-want-me-to-post

I am amused at the spammers “understanding” of the posts. Granted I am sure they are generic comments, but these ones still make me laugh, because really they are not the other gross ones that think we need some “special help.”

spam2

spam4spam3spam-5

spam1

So there you go, I’ve posted.  Stay tuned for a quiz, and posts on camp, youth conference, and birthdays.

Blame Drew’s Cancer

“On May 20th, 2009, Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer: Hodgkins Lymphoma.

“Ever since that day, Drew has blamed everything on his cancer. Losing his keys, misplacing his wallet, Twitter being slow, the Phillies losing, etc.

“Why? Because you have to beat up on Cancer to win… and you can help out.

“Blame Drew’s Cancer for everything you want….”

It takes a strong guy to take his cancer diagnosis and turn it into a viral internet phenomenon. People by the thousands are using twitter to blame Drew’s cancer for their problems, and we can see them all at http://blamedrewscancer.com.  They’re hoping that some nice companies will donate a dollar for every person that blames something on Drew’s cancer to the American Cancer Society or the Make a Wish Foundation. Sounds like a bit of fun and potentially a good cause….

Marcia blames Drew’s cancer for the squirrels that keep attacking our garden, and I blame Drew’s cancer for every software bug I’ve fixed since May 20th.

Thankfully, Hodgkins Lymphoma is one of the most curable kinds of cancer, with a 90%+ remission rate. Still, Drew will have a tough road ahead, and we wish him the best.

So if you use Twitter, go and #BlameDrewsCancer for something.  Then watch http://blamedrewscancer.com for yours to pop up (mine took about 10 minutes to show).

I did a risky thing

I bought black mulch.  I think I will like it, but with out the finished product, one can never really know.  It was not much more than the boring, cheep, no color kind, and all the colors cost the same.  Every one in town, it seems, uses red.  Everyone knows I have to be different.  So I picked black.  The house is white, so black mulch ought to be a good contrast, and it won’t clash with any color of flowers I will put out there, so I bought it.  I am not done because I had to go off to a “meeting” for camp.  It was very informal, and catch the girls as they come in and out from the fund raiser.  I love the young women.  They are young and fun!  Oh, back on topic.  Pictures are forthcoming as soon as I finish the project.


Another reason for a post, is that I feel a little queasy looking at that mouse every time I get on here.  I know, I put it on here.  But yuck!


A new quiz will return next week.  I know there are so many of you sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for a new one.  Since I think there are only about up to 10 people who read this.  I could be wrong, If you read this feel free to leave me a word in the comments.  Though I do ask that it not be a word I can/should not repeat to my friends’ kids.  I am not picky about who reads it, I am just curious.

I keep saying I will do it and finally I did it

What is it?

This morning I decided that since it did not look like rain, I would mow the yard. I got out the mower for the first time this season.

It has rained way too much.

The sun has been peeking through the clouds intermittently.

The grass has been growing. A lot.

So, out came the mower.

I checked the oil. Good. I checked the gas. Filled it up. I pulled the cord. No go.

I pulled again. It wouldn’t pull as far as the first time. With my right hand on the dead-man’s bar, left hand pulling the cord, I braced myself with my left foot on the ground, and my right foot on the lower handle bar to keep it from rolling backwards. The start cord pulled out, but would not start. A couple more tries and the handle on the start cord rips out of my hand and hits my right ankle. I may have chipped a bone in my ankle. I hope not. It may just be a bad bruise. It does hurt a lot. A lot!

I sat down and cried until I was able to talk myself into trying to walk on it. I got up and while it hurts, I still had to mow the yard.

There was a ton of grass. Here is a picture of the edge where I mowed, though it does not show just how steep the yard is.

2009-05-02-yard1

I finished and sat down. And it really baffles me how my ankle that hurts excruciatingly when I am sitting can be totally forgotten while I am mowing on steep inclines. I got out an ice-pack and put it on my ankle. I sat in a camping chair and propped my foot up on the other chair. The sun felt great and I relaxed.

And finally, I took a nap in the spring-time sun. Just makes me excited for the real summer sun.

What can I make for you?

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me!  My choice.  For you.  This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!  (Though I hope you will.)

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It’ll be done this year.  (Good thing I am starting this early, huh?)

4. You have no clue what it’s going to be.  I don’t even have a clue what it’s going to be.

5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch?  Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.  The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a homemade gift!  It may not be great, but it will be fun!!

* * *Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!* * *

Just for the trail of passage, I got this from Jessie’s Jabbers.

Random

One month ago I recieved a text message.  This is what it said:

Kayla it riff wat up?

That was it, I do not know the sender. But it does stir some questions in my mind.  Like, is riff the name of the guy?  Is that the whole name, or is it short for something?  What could it be short for?  And if it is the whole name, what were his parents smoking when they decided on that?  The world may never know.  Unless of course this guy happens upon my blog and answers the questions above, that too would help him know that he got the wrong number, and I (by “I” I mean Kayla) am not just ignoring him.

On yet another random tangent.  Every so often, on a Monday, I get a call for a Jane or Shayne.  It is hard to understand these guys in their weird hung-over states.  Some of them are still pretty drunk when making the calls.  So this girl is going out and giving out “her” number, which really happens to be mine.

I have had this same number since January 2004.  I doubt it is left over callings from the previous owner, especially since it started about a year and a half ago.  Though this was my first random text message.