Today’s question is: What is a snollygoster?

Background: Ok, I know it sounds like a made up word, doesn’t is? About a year ago I bought this interesting book called Weird and Wonderful Words. It’s filled with words you probably have never heard.

I found snollygoster today and it gave me quite a chuckle. Here’s why:

snollygoster: a dishonest politician, especially a shrewd or calculating one.

Can you picture the media using this word to describe half the politicians in our society? It’s too funny. I wish the book gave more of a background as to when the word was used, all I know is it’s no longer used and hasn’t been for quite some time.

It is a cool word though, don’t you think? He’s such a snollygoster!

today’s question is: why don’t doctors and nurses set your expectations for the worse?

Background: I’ve wondered about this seriously for 6 years. 6 years ago pw had cancer. (he’s totally fine, now.) When we finally saw the oncologist he told us to expect, at the most, about 4 hours of chemo infusions a day. When we started treatment 3 days later the first day took 8 hours. I was a little upset. When every day proved to be 8 hours, I was really upset. I couldn’t figure out why the doctor didn’t say “expect your chemo treatments to take 9 hours” instead. See, if he would have aimed a little bit higher, 9 hours, and then pw finished up in 8 I would have been happy. It’s all about expectations. You know, expect 9 hours get 8 and feel good about it. Expect 4 hours and get 8 and you’re feeling kind of bad. It’s an interesting thing, expectations.

So, yesterday, I had a very small procedure to fix some scarring that got infected on a surgical wound I had from last year. After the mother load of lidocane was injected into me and I still could feel part of the procedure I asked on the way out how much the nurse thought it might hurt. She said take tylenol and it will probably feel like a dull headache.

Boy was she WAY off.

It feels more like a freaking migraine and that’s with 3 tylenol. I feel like I don’t want to move. It is absolutely killing me. I’ve called to see if I can switch over to advil because anything is better than the way I’m feeling now.

Anyway, the whole thing reminds me of 6 years ago and how I just wish the doctors and nurses would set my expectations for worse than I get. I’d feel so much better getting less than I expected in this sort of case.

Today’s question is: Why are some people so easy to make fun of?

Background: This is me. I’m easy to make fun of and I have been ever since I can remember. I’m not sure what it is exactly about me that cries out “you can make fun of me, you can joke around with me” but it’s there. I’ve sort of always wondered what it is about me that makes me like that. And I still don’t know.

All I know is a couple of summers ago, my friends brother said to me “something about you tells me it’s ok to make fun with you, do people do that a lot?”. I was a little taken aback, but I said that yes, people do do that.

There must be something people like me have in our demeanor that lets others know we can handle it? I don’t know. Any ideas?

Today’s question is: Why do people feel the need to criticize others?

Background: I have this friend that is very, and I mean very fashionable. She always looks put together, always. She always looks very nice. I have a bit of fashion envy in that regard.

I can be fashionable, I could show you pictures to that effect, but as a general rule I just look like any other mom out there. A pair of jeans, some cool shoes, a t-shirt, the regular attire.

My friend is different. She doesn’t wear the mommy uniform too often. She’s always got some cute skirt, jacket, shoes and her purses are gorgeous (but I’m not so into those cool purses, I just don’t really care about that stuff).

Anyway, the point is that my friend has this other friend that is constantly criticizing her choice of clothes, shoes and purses. Now maybe she doesn’t criticize outright, I’ve not been there, but she will tell her when she doesn’t like something. It seems the items that are criticized most often are items the other woman wouldn’t buy for herself. This is where my issues arise.

Why do people do that? I mean, so what if you don’t like it for yourself? Does that make it ok for you to put down someone else for buying or wearing it? I can not imagine doing that. I mean, my friends may have some items I wouldn’t ever buy or wear but, I would never tell them it looked bad just because I wouldn’t wear it. I think it’s mean to tell someone you don’t like their clothes, shoes, hair, or purse. I mean what does anyone gain from that? Making people feel bad is just not kind. I don’t even like hearing about it second hand. It’s mean.

I wish people just wouldn’t put others down. I suppose this is something we could all strive for. Maybe some people put others down without even knowing it? Maybe some people do it to make themselves feel better. I don’t know, but it really bugs me.

Today’s question is: How did I become the mother of a 9 year old?

Background: Self explanatory. Obviously, I know how it happened. But today is my oldest turkeys birthday. I still don’t know how I moved from being a first time mom of a new born to this person I am today. I don’t know how I could have a child that is 9 years old. I just don’t know how it happened. I think I blinked and before I knew it she was a big girl.

here she is, she’s such a great kid.

It all started a week before it was supposed to. She wasn’t due until the 17th. I went to bed on the 9th and fell fast to sleep. Then at about 11:30pm I woke and had to go to the bathroom. I went felt a little strange, but got back in bed. I got up about 4 times in the next 30 minutes and I finally decided this must be the beginning of something so I woke up PW who thought I had lost my mind. Having a baby on or around November 10th was totally off his radar. I think he thought I was crazy. After a little while of trying to explain to him that I indeed wasn’t joking I finally just got up and told him I was going to the tub. The contractions started at 1 minute apart and never let up. After a couple of hours we decided to call the doc. I was a little scared since I wasn’t following a normal pattern. We finally went to the hospital around 2 or 3 am. I caved and got the epidural around 5 am (remember my contractions started 1 minute apart and never gave me more than one minute break during the whole experience, unfair!).

My little sweetie pie joined our family at 10:07 am. We weren’t sure what her name was going to be. We finally decided it would be Celeste Elizabeth. It’s the perfect name for her. She’s really turned in to a great kid.

Happy Birthday (not so) little girl.

Today’s question is: Why do drive thru ATM’s have braille?

Background: This is something I’ve wondered for quite some time. I mean really, can you ever imagine the scenario where some one who can not see actually pulls up to the drive thru ATM and uses it?

I wonder the same thing about the walk ups. Do people whom can not see use them? There are so many scenarios that go through my mind about why they never would. I mean anyone could be looking over their shoulder. I know they would feel another persons presence, but when you can not see you can not gauge the level of intrusion, can you? And how would they know the machine spit out the right amount of money? It seems wrong on so many levels, I just don’t understand it.

If you were blind would you use an ATM?

I think if I were blind I’d only have my friends and/or family get my money for me. Maybe that makes me not very trusting, I don’t know, but it seems like it would be easy for some people to scam a blind person.

Today’s question is: Why is laser hair removal such an appealing idea?

Background: About 4 months ago I had a friend tell me that she had laser hair removal of her bikini line. I was all bright eyed over the whole idea. I started asking questions right away about how it felt and how long it took and how much she liked it. I found the entire idea totally appealing. Never having to shave your bikini line again? No painful wax jobs? OMG, this could be heaven.

I thought about it for months. And months, and months. I finally decided I could drag myself in for a consultation. Guess what? When you go for a consult and you are really prepared to do it regardless of the cost, you can start your first session right away. So I did. And you know what I discovered? It’s kind of painful. However, the pain doesn’t last long and the whole idea of having smooth and nice skin in my bikini line is just too good to be true.

The treatments are once every 6 weeks for 6 times total. So by summer I should never have to shave my bikini line again. How awesome is that? I wish the bikini laser was popular when I was 20 and I had enough money to afford it!

So if any of you are asking yourself, should I do it? or why would I do it? I’ll tell you, yes because you’ll be so much happier with smooth skin. It’s worth it.

I’m even thinking of doing my underarms.

Today’s question is: Why do people get the ‘one foota disease’?

Background: What? you don’t know about the one foota disease? It’s a pw named disease for wanting something more than what you already have. Kind of like getting a new purse and then seeing an even better one on a friends arm and in turn thinking yours isn’t good enough and wanting another new one. This is the one foota disease. You’ve got one foot out the door going to get the next desired item before you even get a chance to enjoy the first.

I think it’s a problem in our society. I think that’s why so many people are in debt up to their ears. Everyone wants a little bit more.

I was reading a blog I like called Humble Origins and found this quote:

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
Epicurus Greek philosopher (341 BC – 270 BC)

Pretty amazing that the quote came from so long ago and is still relevant today. Perhaps people are no different as the times change? What do you think?

Today’s question is: Why on earth would anyone go dryer riding?

Background: OK, when I was a kid my brother and sisters and I used to like to take rides in the dryer. I know it sounds crazy, but it wasn’t, it was F U N fun, fun, fun. I remember laughing my head off with those bars in my back and my body all curled up in there spinning around and around. Oh those were the days.

However, we never managed to ride without breaking the thing. I distinctly remember my dad dumbfounded over the dryer trying to figure out how it broke. I have no idea how my sisters and brother and I kept a straight face while he’d take the thing apart and fix it. NO IDEA.

When we were all in our twenties we finally told my poor dad that we used to go dryer riding. We were all laughing so hard telling him the story of our antics. Luckily he laughed too, how could he not?

A few years after our confession, I was talking to a guy I worked with about how as kids we rode in the dryer. This guy told me that when he was in college him and his friends would dryer ride after a night of drinking. The difference was that they would ride in the commercial laundromat dryers. And they would SHUT THE DOORS! Now that is scary. As kids we never shut the door, and we turned it to air fluff to so we wouldn’t get all hot.

Some days I wish I could still dryer ride. I saw a ‘toy‘ in one of the millions of catalogs that have been arriving at the house that reminded me of dryer riding. I just might have to get that for the kids for Christmas this year.

Today’s question is: Why do we get lucky sometimes and escape a terrible accident?

Background: As usual, I was rushing around the other day. I had to get the little buddy from one birthday party to another because I had rsvp’d yes to two parties that overlapped times. The parties were at opposite ends of town. And, me being me, I felt bad that he was missing parts of both parties, so I was trying to hurry a little (but not a lot).

It’s hard to say exactly what happened. I was most likely following to close, I have a small problem with that, just ask pw. I know my mind was on how late we were for the second party. I think I may have even looked away for a slight second too. That’s when it happened. The car in front of me was screeching to a halt. I went for the brakes as fast as I could and I was pressing with all my might.

I was driving our old car, a 1997 suv, the brakes are good but they aren’t as strong as some of the newer models. But the car is like wearing an old glove and I try to drive it around as much as possible. In this moment though, I realized that had I had the newer car, a 2003, I could have stopped on a dime.

As it was, I was pressing with all my might and I was going to hit the car in front of me. There was no doubt in my mind that we were about to be seriously hurt. I about burst out crying in that split second. However, inches before impact I decided it was better for me and the little buddy to side swipe another car than to hit one from the front (rear to front in this case). So in that last second I swerved over to the right, not having enough time to check where the car next to me was but feeling confident that I’d rather side swipe it than hit the other one from the front.

I swerved.

I braced myself for impact.

We didn’t hit anything. I started tearing up, and breathing deeply knowing how lucky we just were. I was shaking a bit too. It was a very scary few seconds.

The car that was next to me at the light must have had to wait for someone to make a right turn in front of him and that’s why he wasn’t next to me when I swerved. We couldn’t have been luckier.

I’ve vowed to keep my distance to the car in front of me in check. I never wish to be in that type of situation again. Especially with one of my little turks in the car. We were so close to being hurt. I can hardly get the thought of that accident out of my head.

Why did we get so lucky??