Today’s question is:  Who comes out of a bathroom before buttoning his/her pants?

Background: In a church, no less?  Last week I had the pleasure of flying to New York City with a friend for a few days of unadulterated bliss.  Seriously, no husbands and no children, it was beyond fun.

My girlfriend had never been to NYC before so I took her around to about as many touristy places as I could handle.  On our drive down to battery park to get on the boat to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island we rounded a corner and right before our eyes was the very church which houses the Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton, First American born Saint.  I probably never would have noticed it but my girlfriend, let’s just say her name is long enough to include Elizabeth Ann Seton in it, spotted it right away.  This prompted a visit to the Shrine once our excursion over the water took place.

A lovely shrine it was, but made even lovelier by the crazy lady that exited the bathroom into the vestibule, just as we were leaving, with her pants unzipped and unbuttoned.  Who does that?  I mean, seriously, coming out of the bathroom with your pants unbuttoned, in a church?  My friend and I looked at each other and about died laughing.

Note to self, as if I need this one, don’t exit the bathroom until your pants are completely fastened, especially in a church.

In her defense she did appear ever so slightly embarrassed, but still, be sensible, button first.

Today’s question is:  Who loses weight in their wrists?

Background: About three weeks ago I started a sort of cleanse.  My trainer and I decided we needed to cleanse our bodies of all the bad things (I’ve been suffering from painful knees, of all things and I am convinced it’s from the bad and processed food I so love).  For a month we prepared ourselves, mentally.  We started May 1st, eating only things that grow in the ground.  Nothing processed and no flours (I already eat gluten free).  No sugar and no wine. No dairy, and I am a HUGE cheese lover.

Today is day 21.  Day 21 usually means you should be broken of all habits, yeah for that!

Anyway, my knees are starting to feel a bit better.  I think I can now get up the stairs without them completely hurting.  I’ve managed to lose a couple of pounds too.  The peculiar thing is, I’ve lost weight namely, in my wrists.  I’m not a big person to begin with and I wouldn’t have considered my wrists big.  However, I put my watch on the other day and it seems to no longer stay in place, it fits more like a loose bracelet.

The thing is my wrist is about the last place I’d have hoped to drop a few inches.  Why couldn’t it have been my muffin tops on my hips?  I mean seriously, who notices a wrist?  Muffin tops? totally noticeable, wrists? not so much.

I guess I can claim to have skinny wrists but I can’t say I’m overly proud of them!

Today’s question is: Why don’t people teach their kids to chew with their mouths closed?

Background:  This is a pet peeve of mine.  This is also something that has stumped me for quite some time.  I simply do not understand why people don’t encourage their children to chew with their mouths closed.  Have you ever gone to a business dinner or on a date and have the person next to you 1. talk with his/her mouth full of food? 2. Chew with his/her mouth open? or 3. Chomp so loudly and open that you can actually see what is in their mouth?  They are all distracting, all impolite, and very hard habits to break as an adult.

When we have other children over at the house I often have to say to them during our meals to please chew with their mouths closed and please do not speak with a full mouth of food.

Why don’t people teach their children this?  Can’t they picture them on dates or at business dinners like I can?

Do your kids a favor, encourage them to be conscience of their eating habits, it can’t hurt.

Today’s question is:  Why do we, sometimes, not listen to messages?

Background: Last night I was checking in in facebook and one of my friends posted a video called “Dear 16-year-old me“.  Here it is:

I will most definitely share it with my children and other friends but it brought me to today’s question.  Why don’t we listen?  Even when I was listening to it I knew that while some kids will definitely hear the message and be very careful there will be plenty that will simply say “it will never happen to me” and disregard the whole thing.  Why is our human nature like that sometimes?  Why are we some of us prone to simply not listen to the message?

Today’s question is:  Who keeps their Christmas tree up and lighted until March?

Yep that’s right, the first week of March, March!  Oh my!   Funny enough this is the very house where I witnessed the owner mowing the lawn The Bloggess style.

I know this isn’t the first year the house has been Christmas bright well after Christmas.  I remember driving a babysitter home one night and she gasped while we were traveling down the road.  I asked her what was wrong and she said, “that house had it’s Christmas tree lit!”, in February!

I drove by this past weekend during the day and I can report the tree is still standing in the same spot, in mid April!  I will have to do a night time check to see if it’s still lit.  All I can say is the owner must be a real Christmas lover.

Christmas in July, I can understand (sort of), but Christmas in March? Not so much!

People are so funny.

Today’s question is:  Why do people think it’s ok to park in front of someone else’s driveway?

Background:  I’m sure the answer to this is because they (the person that is parking) is much more important than the person who owns the driveway.  I am 100% sure of this, it’s called a heightened sense of entitlement.  I run into this often, like here, and here.  Entitlement is one of my favorite subjects.

Here are two people, that picked the same exact spot to park sometime in the last year.  One person, as you can plainly see, is encroaching on the driveway more than the other, but as far as entitlement goes, either one is making it difficult for the owner to move in or out of his/her driveway.  Now this is right next to our public school, so my guess is these cars aren’t parked here long.  I’m sure that’s what they tell themselves when they park,  they say “it’s ok, because I’m not going to be here long”.  I wish I could do that for things too, especially when I want a really good parking spot wherever I go, why not just take the handicap, I mean they hardly ever get used?

car 1

Makes you wonder what’s wrong with people doesn’t it?  Especially that second one, I mean she’s blocking half the drive!

People are crazy.

Today’s question is: Who lets their 5th grade girl wear shorts with a questionable saying on them out in public?

Background: A couple of months ago I went to my 5th grade daughters basketball game.  Shortly after it started I noticed one of the girls on the other team had an iron on saying on the ‘butt’ of her shorts.  It read “magically delicious”.  I took a picture, because I was so shocked:

Anyone else find this a little much for a 10 or 11 year old?  Anyone else wonder why the parents would let the kid wear (or have for that matter) these shorts.  I don’t even think these are appropriate for an older girl.  Maybe I’m old fashioned but these are little girls?  What’s the rush?  Seriously?

Today’s question is: if you find something you’re not supposed to, and you don’t want it to be what scares you, does it go away if you ignore it?

Background: I’ve put off posting this for a good month.  Probably because I’d love to live in denial.  I kind of like denial but I’m not good at it.  I’m so much more of a realist.  I realize life happens, my part is just riding out what I can, I have no control, it controls me.

9 years ago my man had cancer.  It wasn’t his first time.  Testicular cancer was his original diagnosis when he was 28 years old.  That was a year before he met me.  He went through a battery of tests and surgeries back then and came out on top, all was clear.  I never really gave it that much thought, he was healthy, hardy and happy when I met him.  I wrote about his relapse a few years ago, briefly, and again last year.  It was everything you’d expect, complicated by the fact that we had small children and I was pregnant.  All has been well since his second treatment.  He beat the beast and recovered fabulously.

In January, he had his annual check up and they found a very small spot on his lung, 2mm.  In the world of nodules 2mm is nothing.  They don’t consider it a problem at all. Many of us have 2mm nodules on our lungs due to colds that run through the air.  This is not a big deal for most people in the world and I completely understand this.  As a general rule when a patient has been under close observation over a number of years and there is nothing in a ct scan (or chest xray) and then something shows up it’s somewhat remarkable.  This would classify as somewhat remarkable.  So the follow up is:  new ct in 3 months.

I’ve been quite about this because, while I am totally freaked out, I completely understand that this could be totally normal.  I also understand that by telling Paul that it could be totally normal, he has viewed it as  completely normal.  Personally, I do not think this is completely normal.  I absolutely think he needs his follow up ct scan on April 18th.  The main reason I am even writing about this is he informed me tonight that he had no intention of going to his appointment on the 18th.  He said he feels fine and he can’t think of why he should go.  Boy, am I glad I asked.  I’ve been walking on eggshells about this subject, but no longer.

I told him flat out that not going was not an option.  Finding out sooner rather than later is about 300 times better with regards to this kind of cancer.   Knowing it’s nothing earlier is priceless (if it doesn’t grow at all, or very little, between when he had the original ct and now, it is highly unlikely that it is the same kind of cancer.)!

I am fairly sure that our quick conversation tonight aligned him in the belief that the ct scan is the way to go (oh how he hates them).  I know that if he doesn’t go, I will be all over him to reschedule within days and I will have his doctor all over him.  Most of me believes this is nothing, I pray it is nothing.  My hope is you, my friends, will pray the same.  I will keep you posted, please just keep us in your prayers and don’t let paul know I’m stressed by telling you (he hardly ever reads this).  He’s probably stressed enough on his own.

Love, colette

Today’s question is: Why do people make such a mess in the bathrooms on airplanes?

Background: This is not the first time I’ve asked myself this question, and I’m fairly certain it won’t be the last.  Why do people not wipe up their pee on the toilet seat when they are finished on an airplane?  Do they seriously think others on the plane have options when it comes to using a toilet?  And what about the pee on the floor?  Have people no manners?

Being a short person, I find using the toilets on the plane a challenge.  I refuse to sit,  and balancing above proves to be quite a challenge on the airplane (especially if there is turbulence).  It is so hard to avoid pee down the front of the toilet and on the seat, I regularly have to clean it up first.  I often wonder why people don’t just clean up after themselves so that when others follow, they don’t have to do their dirty work.  I don’t want to clean up pee after other people!

I think if everyone imagined the person they respected most entering the bathroom after them, they just might do what’s right and keep it clean.

It’s really not all that hard to look down and see if you’ve left anything behind.  Just do it!

Today’s question is:  Why are tweens so emotional?

Background:  This is a rhetorical question.  I know why, hormones.  But seriously, did you know that I am  the worst mom ever?  I’m serious, THE WORST.

I have singlehandedly caused my lovely daughter to tell me that she “hates her life”.  Why?, why do you think she hates her life exactly?  Well, it’s because 1. I asked (ok I told) her to clean her room and 2. I made her practice her piano, which, for the record, she claimed she didn’t remember and then played perfectly for 10 minutes straight.  Go figure.

Ahh the life of the tween.  Mean mom, checking her email and making her clean her room and practice her piano.  I just need to remind myself that “this too shall pass”.

I have found that whenever I let her yell and scream and slam her door and tell me what a horrible mother I am, she takes some time to herself, calms down and always comes down to apologize.  I know it’s all part of growing up.  Somedays it is just harder than others.