It's illegal to stab people for being Stupid!

House hunting

2011-05-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

We have been house hunting for what feels like FOREVER. It has taken so long I was beginning to think it was like Bigfoot, ya know, you hear about people finding the perfect house, but you can't find it yourself.

We've looked at houses so often that my daughter groans when we drive by a "for sale" sign. We found a few that we liked & when we'd go to make an offer they would already be pending. One of them went pending an hour after we saw it! It has been extremely frustrating. I thought there was a housing crisis and no one was buying houses, sheesh! Evidently, that must be everywhere BUT here.

Well, out of the blue we stumbled across the perfect house. Big enough for us, all hardwood floors, wonderful location, fenced yard, sun room, attached garage. Just beautiful. Unfortunately it was priced a bit above our price range, but something said "go for it". We prayed and made an offer, a bit under what they were asking, and they countered. In their counter-offer they gave us everything we asked for, plus all the appliances, but they wanted more than we offered, but less than they were asking. I called my mortgage specialist and have been waiting on pins & needles to find out if they will give it to me. Finally, I got the phone call, we are APPROVED! We have found BIGFOOT. My daughter thinks we need a sign made that says "Welcome to Bigfoot" to put on the door after we move in. I kinda agree with her.

I'm as excited as a squirrel on a trampoline!

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3

Do you feel supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Cause' I do! :-D

part-timers syndrome

2011-05-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

I seem to have this issue where I can't remember stuff.... well, part of the time. Like words for instance or in the most recent case; passwords.

I have had the same passwords forever and I go to sign into a website & they are all "sorry, um... wrong" and I was all WTH, I'm sure I typed it right. And besides what happened to saving that so I didn't have to type it in every time?
So I try again and again typing the EXACT same thing (because obviously the website is screwing with me) and third try it worked! So now I know the computer is just out for revenge or something. I think because I call it stupid all the time. Evidently my laptop is very touchy. Of course if it would just work properly I wouldn't threaten to beat it or throw it out the window or call it names. I'm just saying.

Oh, right, part-timers syndrome.

Anyone else have this problem of walking from one room to another, but when you get there you forgot why you got up in the first place, so you go, sit back down, get comfortable and then are all oh, crap, dinner needs o come out of the oven? Or you are having a conversation and someone asks a question that you KNOW you know the answer to, but can't come up with the word/name/event. Hours will go by and then you'll just blurt it out; probably to some complete stranger. That person is then all "WTH are you talking about" but when you try to explain it, you can't even remember what the original conversation was about, so they walk away thinking you are just freaking nuts. I'm pretty sure this is how it all begins. Before you know it I'll be showing up at work with only one shoe or no pants or something.

I'm fairly certain I had a point that I was going to make, but with the taunting from my laptop thing I totally forgot what it was. Part-timers strikes again.... I'll probably wake up out of a dead sleep at 3 in the morning and go "oh yeah, that's the point I was going to make".

Well, at least it keeps things new and interesting.... I think.......

Negativity....

2011-05-03T09:58:00.001-07:00

Negativity is a cancer that spreads like Flu.

I am so fed up with all of these people I know who cannot seem to see anything good in their lives.

It is like people WANT to be miserable. Well, I have about had it! I want to smack the shit out of people and scream "LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE!!!! Do you not SEE how wonderful your life is?!? There are people out there without homes, without jobs, whose families have died (natural or tragically) and they are not as miserable as you are! Can you really NOT see all that you have been given!!"

Why is it sooooooooooooo difficult to see the good? It's right there, but nooooooooo, they have to focus on the bad. Oh sure, I rant, but that is more for fun than because I'm actually that angry all the time (granted it loses a lot in text, but that is because I desperately need a sarcasm font)

It is all how you look at things. Be miserable (and keep it to yourself) or look at the bright side, I mean EVERYTHING has a reason. Sometimes I know it doesn't seem that way and I do get REALLY depressed at times and I can understand that. (I mean , I am a Gemini, I do things to extremes)

But this just seems to be people who just want to wallow in misery, not because there is something actually wrong, but because they (I don't know, why maybe) want people to feel bad for them?

So do you think I can just start popping these people in the forehead when they start wallowing? I'll claim it was a spider or something, think that'll work?

just one of those days...

2011-04-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

Ever just have one of those challenging weeks where you really just can't express it or have no one to express to?

It's been one of those for me.

Just about everyone I know seems to only call when they need something (money, babysitter, to bitch, etc) sometimes that gets really old. I don't mind helping out my friends and family and they all know that. They know that no matter what time, day or night, if they call, I'll be willing to help. It has always been that way and I never thought twice about it, until a friend pointed it out to me. So I realized that just about the only time they call is when things go wrong, like I'm supposed to fix it.

However if I am having a problem, pretty much everyone will just leave me to deal alone. I'll admit, I tend to be a little more self-reliant and closed off than most people. I've learned year after year, the only person I can count on is me. I can take care of myself and I do. It'd just be nice to get a call every once in a blue freaking moon telling me something good had happened as opposed to needing my help, when they have no clue as to what the hell has been going on with me.

I've joked that when things are going well no one calls, but it's turned out to be more truth than joke and this week has really proven that.

Maybe it's the lack of sunshine and all the rain lately, maybe it's the fact that I'm so overworked because some people can't seem to get their head out of their ass and do their work or hell, maybe it is just that my friends and family are all assholes who take advantage and I just need to change my number.

OK, I guess I'm gonna just be done bitching and quit answering my phone...

2010-04-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume

Working on my halloween costume already. Trying to figure out how to make it. But in doing my research I have discovered that Xena has more than one costume. I think I want to do #2 or #5, but it is A LOT of detail work. Which one do you think?

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

cleanliness sucks

2009-10-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm doing laundry (totally sucks by the way). Whoever decided we can only wear clothes for one day needs to be stung up in the street! How do we get dirty? Most of us don't work out in the fields, we work in a nice clean office (or vehicle). There are "dirty jobs" (I love that show), but for most of us don't come home covered in filth. So I ask again why do we wash clothes every single time we wear them?

The conclusion I have come to is this... to drive mother's crazy. I spend 40 hours a week working, every lunch break picking up the house and thawing out dinner and then most every weekend cleaning the house and doing laundry. I have two kids, the amount of laundry they produce, you'd think I have five. I had shirts STILL FOLDED in their basket. My 7-year-old daughter tells me "it fell on the floor". I about blew a fuse. The floor is CARPETED and I just swept! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!

So it's 10:15 at night, I have a load in the washer and a load in the dryer and one I should be folding and yet still one more to wash. Where does it come from?!?!?!?

Ah well, I suppose I have a whole lot more respect for my mom and all the laundry she did. My dad HAS a job where he comes home dirty and there are four of us kids and we were rough and tumble playing outside all the time and getting dirty, so I guess by comparison I have it easy.

I think I used to like stuff clean, but since I had kids cleaning is about last on my list. But with shcool, sports, homework, church, choir, work, dinner and construction on the basement; my house is in a perpetual state of chaos and I rather enjoy it. If it comes down to making the bed or playing "monster under the cover" with my daughter, monster wins everytime and it takes an hour to make the bed. If I have laundry to get out of the dryer and my kids are sitting in the laundry baskets pretending they are flying jets or sailing ships then laundry will sit in the dryer for while.

I guess that's what happens when you become a parent. You forgo cleanliness for all the little fun things. Cause after all when I'm 80, I won't think about how clean my house was at 30, I'll remember all the times I played hide and go seek with my kids or let my son cheat at board games.

So I guess, all I need is a house in chaos and happy kids. I'll clean when they move out, they'll be less laundry then too.

Don't be mean to meter maids!

2009-08-01T18:28:00.001-07:00

OK,well that pretty much says it all.

Except I'm not really a meter maid, I'm a Parking Enforcement Officer.

Parking Officer's have a job to do. It's crappy, but someone's gotta do it. We don't just patrol meters either. My job is to patrol shopping center's for handicap and fire lane violators and to respond to citizen complaints in neighborhoods. for instance, let's say there is a car parked in front of your house that hasn't moved in awhile, you'd call it in and I would get dispatched. If it doesn't have valid plates it gets ticketed and towed, if it does have valid plates then it gets red tagged and they have 72 hours to drive the vehicle or it gets towed. If it's blocking someone's driveway it's get ticketed and an automatic tow (that's just rude!)

So, on any given day I will get between 8 and 10 vehicle complaints. My complaints tell me the location, vehicle description and how long it's been there. I go out and tag or tow the vehicle. Not complicated, right?

WRONG!

I get accused DAILY of being racist. I'm sorry, maybe I'm missing something. Can YOU tell what color a person is by the kind of car they drive? What color is the person who drives silver Chrysler? I sure can't.

Sometimes people tell me to watch my back or I'm gonna get beat up/shot and sometimes people just try to hit me with their car. I had a guy hock a loogie on my truck (let me say EWWWWWWWWW! I had to go through the car wash TWICE to get it off!!) A lot of the time people will just drive by and call me names or yell at me to get a real job (I like my pretend job, it pays pretty well). It really gets old.

Let me just say this. If I'm out for your vehicle it is because someone in your neighborhood called it in. If it's being towed then IT IS YOUR FAULT, NOT MINE!
If it was tagged, then you were given fair warning. 72 hours is plenty of time to drive your vehicle, have it towed somewhere or push it in the driveway. If you get towed because your plates are expired, then you are a moron. Plates in Indiana are due the same time EVERY year. You get a notice from the BMV to tell you that they are due. I am NOT going to hold your hand and take you to get plates. It is your PRIVILEGE to drive not your RIGHT. It is your RESPONSIBILITY to make sure you have VALID registration for EACH car you own, not one plate for all five vehicles.

I had a lady today screaming obscenities at me for towing her Blue Pont 4d. The plate expired 5/7/09 AND it belonged to a Red Olds 4d. I received a complaint. Whose fault is it her car was towed?

Parking Officers are just doing a job, not harassing people. I have the entire south side of the city. Everything south of the River, City Limits to City Limits. And, I don't care if you live in the really rich area (southwest) or the lower to middle class area (southeast), if you are in violation of a parking ordinance and I receive a complaint you will be ticketed and/or towed. Don't believe me? Ask the ex-mayor. I've written him several tickets for being illegally parked. I have a job to do. I am impartial at work. I've written tickets to both Friends and Family, I have had to tow a family friend's car for expired plates. They understand at work I have to enforce the law equally for everyone in my district.

So to reiterate, don't be mean to Parking Officers, they are just doing their job. Do you want someone to come to your work and scream obscenities at you?

Now do you see why Stupid people REALLY annoy me and there is a Law AGAINST stabbing them?

What would you do?

2009-06-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

Let's give a scenario.

Say you are at a party with friends and family. There are about 40-50 people there. You know a lot of them, but not all.

Party is going great. There are four people in the hot tub, three women and one man. The women are in bathing suits or just bar and underwear. The man is in regular shorts. Someone outside the hottub talking finds a mostly empty container that had cocain in it.

Your mom gets pissed. No one in the hot tub will confess.

Now you walk in and without knowing the back story are just told to make sure the one girl leaves. You don't know this girl (she is a friend of a family friend you have known for 20 years or so) you only know that your mom believes it is hers.

Then you find out that she was in the hottub in her bra and underwear and that the only reason your mom thinks it is this girls is because the other three in the hottub got together and told your mom it belonged to the girl.

Would you stand up to your mom for a girl you do not know or would you sit quietly by while an innocent girl is persecuted?

I know what I did, I'm just curious as to what others would do.

Sissy

2009-05-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I was waiting to update until I knew really what was going on, but that could be never. So anyway....

She kicked the X out last week. Although she's still scared and confused, she's struggling to take control of her life. She said she kicked X out for her, not for C (which I thought was a better reason and told her so).

She says she loves C and that they are going to "see what happens". (Again another good idea in my book, no need to rush.)

So now it's waiting and being here if needed. Being here to remind her that she needs to live he life for herself, not for anyone else.

Well, that's all I got right now... I'll keep ya posted.

dogs

2009-05-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so my little brother has this dog (OK, I have him right now). His name is Koby, he's almost 8 and he is just the best dog. He's a chocolate Lab, he's very well trained and loves everyone. My brother is a... let's say irresponsible hen it comes to responsibility.
Last time I had Koby he was injured and I took him in and got him patched up. At that point I refused to give him back. But eventually I did.
Well my little brother is taking steps to get his life on track. He is leaving for boot camp in June (good for him) and I have his dog right now.
My husband is having a cow over having Koby here. My kids love him and my dog does better when he's here. He's a lot of fun and protective.
So any ideas on how to keep the dog without fighting or should I cave and call my brother?

update on sissy

2009-05-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know for sure yet, but i think that...

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A BRAIN!!!!!!!!

I'll post more when I have details. All I know is that when I was on my way to a check a run I saw her car at C's house. Hopefully GOOD news! Keep praying.

2009-05-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

So far the day has been pretty good. My neice stayed the night with me last night. My son and her watched me win "The Tale of Desperaux" on the PS2 (that ended about 1:30 this morning). You know every once in a while it's nice to sit down and play video games and act like a little kid.

So I got all three kids up for church this morning. My husband actually went with us. That's two weeks in a row, maybe I'm wearing him down! Of course we were late (I think if I was actually on time for something then everyone would die of a heat attack right then and there). After church we went to Kohl's and I got new work shoes (Sketcher's- oh yeah I'm a hip mom now!)

I came home, started laundry, did a couple things for my brothers and started picking up the house. Been a pretty nice day.

My kids gave me some really neat presents.

My 7 year old daughter made me a "make mom happy game", it's got things like "messy room - lose a turn" and "took out the garbage without being asked - Take another turn". She worked really hard on it and is very proud.

My 10 year old son gave me a "recepie for a great mom" card. He made the whole thing himself, he even drew a picture of a dragon on the back.
They both did such wonderful jobs.

And after a minor disagreement with my husband, he called me to apologize and tell me he wouldn't love me so much if I wasn't the person I am. He says he wouldn't have done what I did, but that's what makes me me. (I may or may not blog about that later. Let's just put it this way. I helped a friend out that maybe not everyone would)

Over all it has been a really nice mother's day. Sad to think that in just a few years I wont be getting thoughtful handmade presents. I'll be getting last minute store bought stuff. Anyone figure out how to keep them from growing up yet?

So to all you Mom's out there

Kicka$$ video...

2009-05-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

Cafeteria(caffeine). It makes me all over the place.

2009-05-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

OK. Really, I'm always all over the place. Some people (My "Emma" - you know who you are) can keep up with me and have a conversation of three subjects at once and even understand me when things like cafeteria comes out instead of caffeine. Actually I think she said cafeteria and I just agreed... whatever.

Oh, yeah. I started writing because I was looking at other people's blogs and why is it that when I see one I like (you know with a pretty picture or something) it's is a different language!?!?!? I mean I'm interested and all, but I don't want to have to translate it to read it. That is WAAAAAAY too much work for me.

And another thing (totally different subject), does anyone else have a thing with smelling hair?
OK, the boys in my family are all very, very weird. My husband will hug me and I'll catch him smelling my hair. My son does the same thing. And when my nephew was littler (maybe two or three) he refused to come to me.... OK, I'll tell the story.

I did not know it was the shampoo until later. Just so you know...

I ran out of my regular shampoo and I bought this shampoo that was Peach scented (I thought it smelled nice, I guess I was wrong). A couple days later I went to my sister's house. My nephew usually would fly up to me a fling himself in my arms to give me a hug. This day was no different, except that when he gave me a hug this time he stiffened up and pulled away. His eyes were as big as saucers and he asked me who I was. I thought it was a game and so I told him Bob or Josephine or something along those lines. Well he wanted to know where his Aunt Tessie was and he started to cry and ran away from me. He hid in his room and would not talk to me the entire time I was there.

This went on for several weeks. I was getting irritated.

Anyways, I ran out of the peach shampoo and got my regular shampoo back- Pantene, cause it leaves my hair soft and bouncy :-). So, I stopped at my sister's house and my nephew was in the backyard. I snuck up behind him and snatched him up off the ground. At first he struggled, but then he leaned in real close. He threw his arms around my neck and yelled in my ear (I think I'm still half deaf BTW) "Aunt Tessie, YOU'RE BACK!" He then squirmed out of my arms and led me into the house to "show" my sister that I was back. He was very excited.

After I listened to him tell me all the stuff that happened while I was "gone", I finally got to ask him how he knew it wasn't me (he thinks I was an alien transformed- great imagination that kid). He tells me Aliens smell different.

Goes to show you, Aliens would have to REALLY know about your life in order to fool a toddler who loves you.

No, really, does anyone else have people who smell their hair?

I love my big sis, but I want to beat the hell out of her

2009-05-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

My sister is married to a crack addict. I can't count the number of times she's started the process to divorce him and then backed out.

Over and over she says she's leaving him only to allow him back in the house. She has three kids by him (16, 13, and 6) and he steals her stuff and the kids stuff.

He goes to jail, gets clean, get out and she takes him back. After a while- could be weeks, months or once it was almost 2 years-he goes back on he crack. Stealing and God knows what else.

She's miserable, but can't seem to break the cycle.

While he was locked up this last time (she had him arrested, he went to prison for eighteen months I think it was), She met this wonderful man. He's completely different from my brother-in-law. This man is sweet, is good with the kids, has a good job, and he loves her. She has been a completely different person. She apologized to him for being a bitch (if you knew my sister, you'd know that is a HUGE deal because even when she's wrong she does NOT apologize). She was the person she used to be before all the drugs and chaos made her miserable and depressed. They were even looking for a house for all of them (my sister, her three, her boyfriend and his daughter) and then my brother-in-law gets out of prison and she takes him back and breaks up with the good guy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK I started this yesterday and I have since talked to my sister... anyone got any advice? Let me continue first...

I talked to both my sister and her boyfriend. We'll call the boyfriend (or ex since she broke up with him) "C".

C says that he loves my sister and that he'll wait for her. He is crushed by this, but is being understanding and loving.

My sister loves C. She told me that. She says she does not feel anything when hugged by her husband. But she is scared. She can't "do it" on her own. What if C leaves her? She can't "do it". She said that if they had found a house and were living together, then she would be with C and not have gone back to the crack-addict. But shes scared and she says what if? What if C decides he doesn't love her etc. etc.

I made her cry. I feel bad, kinda. She loves C and he loves her, why go back to a miserable life.
I was pretty blunt, but I can't see why she'd stay where she's miserable.

I think that my sister thinks she doesn't deserve to be happy. That she is having abandonment issues and she thinks that even though my brother-in-law is a crack addict he'll never leave her.

So, do I tell C that my sister DOES love him and want to be with him, but she's terrified or do I keep my nose out and let my sister go back to a life where she is depressed and miserable ALL THE TIME?

HELP!

I'm so bored.

2009-04-30T16:17:00.001-07:00

I should be doing laundry, but that doesn't sound like fun. I could be finishing my book (Stephan King- The Dead Zone), but I am getting the impression that they are going to kill off Johnny Smith and I like him, so I don't want him to die. So if I quit reading now then he is still alive. He is still hiding up there with the gun waiting to kill Greg Stillson, but he is not dead. Yeah, yeah, whatever, I never claimed I was normal. I'm a Gemini... sheesh!

What else can I do to entertain me? It's raining and the kids are watching a movie with Mike and it's one of those movies that suck your IQ down by 20 points if you watch it so... not interested. Maybe I should drink a couple glasses of wine, then I can watch the movie with them. At least Miss K is only half watching, she's on the computer (probably looking up sharks and stuff).

I'm just sitting here watching it rain and the sun is kinda out. What the heck!?!? I wish the rain would just go away already. I want that eighty degree weather from last weekend back, then I can be outside and be bored.

I got conned into being a chaperone for the lock in at the school tomorrow, so I get to watch a bunch of 4th-8th graders from 7pm Friday to 7am Saturday. How will I survive? Nah, I like kids, they aren't as big of jerks as most adults. Maybe it's going to be entertaining at least.

Ok, ok, I guess I put off laundry long enough. Michael has a shirt that has to be washed by tomorrow, cuz no other shirt will be good enough. Oh how I love my 10 year old! Were we all like this at that age? I sure don't remember that.

Oh oh.... ADOS moment

On my way to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives, his seven wives had seven sacks, in seven sacks were seven cats, the seven cats had seven kittens. Kittens, cats, sacks and wives, how many were going to St Ives?

Ok I'm done now.

Ok, I totally stole this, but it's SOOOOOOO beautiful

2009-04-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

There was a Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a college in the western United States . Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular he was well liked and he was an imposing physical specimen.

He was now the starting center on the school football team and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.

“How many push-ups can you do?”

Steve said “I do about 200 every night.”

“200? That's pretty good Steve” Dr. Christianson said. “Do you think you could do 300?”

Steve replied “I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time.”

“Do you think you could?” again asked Dr. Christianson.

“Well I can try” said Steve.

“Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it” said the professor.

Steve said “Well... I think I can... Yeah, I can do it.”

Dr. Christianson said “Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.”

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. These weren't the normal kinds of donuts. They were the extra fancy BIG kind with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday the last class of the day and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson’s class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked “Cynthia do you want to have one of these donuts?”

Cynthia said “Yes.”

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked “Steve would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”

“Sure!” Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk.

Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe the next person and asked “Joe do you want a donut?”

Joe said “Yes.”

Dr. Christianson asked “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?” Steve did ten push-ups. Joe got a donut. And so it went down the first aisle. Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle Dr. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was on the basketball team and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. The professor asked “Scott do you want a donut?”

Scott's reply was “Well can I do my own push-ups?”

Dr. Christianson said “No Steve has to do them.”

Then Scott said “Well, I don't want one then.”

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked “Steve would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?”

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said “HEY! I said I didn't want one!”

Dr. Christianson said “Look this is my class room my class my desks and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.” And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

By this time Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked “Jenny do you want a donut?”

Sternly Jenny said “No.”

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, Steve would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?”

Steve did ten. Jenny got a donut.

By now a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say “No!” and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class however some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?”

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment “Well they're your push-ups. You can do them any way that you want.” And Dr. Christianson went on.

Moments later, Jason a recent transfer student came to the room and was about to come in, when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don't come in! Stay out!”

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said “No let him come.”

Dr. Christianson said “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?”

Steve said “Yes let him come in. Give him a donut.”

Dr. Christianson said “Okay Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason do you want a donut?”

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. “Yes” he said “give me a donut.”

“Steve will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?”

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort.

Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr Christianson finished the fourth row and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters.
Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face. There was no sound except his heavy breathing. There was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked "Linda do you want a doughnut?”

Linda said very sadly “No thank you.”

Professor Christianson quietly asked “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?”

Grunting from the effort Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl Susan and said “'Susan do you want a donut?”

Susan with tears flowing down her face began to cry. “Dr. Christianson can I help him?”

Dr Christianson with tears of his own said “No Steve has to do it alone. I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test skipped class or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.”

“Steve, would you do ten push-ups, so Susan can have a donut?”

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him having done 350 push-ups his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said “And so it was that our Savior Jesus Christ on the cross said to the Father "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that Jesus had done everything that was required of him he yielded up his life. And like some of those in this room many of us leave the gift on the desk uneaten.”

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat physically exhausted but wearing a thin smile.

“Well done good and faithful servant," said the professor adding not all sermons are preached in words.”

Turning to his class the professor said my wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God spared not his only begotten son but gave him up for us all for the whole Church now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept God's gift to us the price has been paid.”

Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?

What happened to common courtesy?!?!?!?

2009-04-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, when did it become uncommon to be nice to people?

In traffic, someone stops to let you out or slows down and lets you get over or waves you on so you can turn across traffic; WAVE. It's not that hard. Take you hand put it up in the air and wiggle it or hell don't wiggle it just lift it to the roof of your car. That let's the other driver know that you appreciate the fact that they thought of someone else and they were COSIDERATE. Why is that so complicated?!?!? It doesn't take any time or really any effort. I bet if some jerk cuts you off you're gonna flip them off to let them know they're a jerk, so why not let someone know they're a nice guy by waving?

And what the hell happened to holding the door or the elevator? If I see someone coming as I'm exiting and they have their hands full or they have a couple of kids trying to corral them through the door, I'll stand there and hold it open. Why not hold the door open, I remember having a 3 year old and an infant, any help is always appreciated. Besides, most of the time you'll get a grateful smile and even a thank you.

If you're at the grocery and you have a cart overflowing and the person behind you has a gallon of milk a loaf of bread and a hyper child, why not let them cut in front of you? What? You'll have to wait a couple extra minutes? Who cares! You may be helping a frazzeled parent who works two jobs just to make ends meet.

Why not smile at a stranger, say hi, take a frigging intrest. What's it gonna hurt? You might just brighten someone's day. You never know that person could be having a hard time a friendly smile goes a hell of a long way.

Society wouldn't be going to hell in a hand basket if common Courtesy was just a little more common.