Archive for June, 2008

I don’t have much to post about this week, I had to work for part of the weekend, making for a rather dull 2 days. However, I do have some notes on a post I’ve been meaning to write for quite some time. That topic would be common sense and courtesy, something that I find seriously lacking in recent times. Of course, since I work with the general public, I probably have more grievances to report than most others will see in months. These are just a few of the items I have made note of that greatly frustrate me on an everyday basis.

1. Please, I beg of you…GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE! I, being the person who is trying to provide you good customer service, would really like to talk to you…without yelling over Mindy What’s-Her-Face that totally thinks you would look awesome in a red bikini for next Friday’s shindig. I’m sure others who work in retail have this same complaint. With the increasing popularity of cell phones/text messaging machines, people have become more and more distracted from their everyday functions (i.e. driving!!). I don’t feel your full attention is too much to ask when I’m working with medication that could change your behavior and body!

2. This is strictly a drive-through issue. Hypothetical question: What happens when you put a piece of paper on the ground on a windy day? That’s right! It blows away! The same thing happens when you put your prescription (which is strangely enough, made of paper), personal check (surprise! also paper), or cash (looky there! it’s paper again) in the drawer of a drive-through window! We at the pharmacy have put several devices in the drawer for this very reason, a paper weight, a small clipboard, and a rubber tipped clip. Use them! Do not just stare at us in dismay when your very important piece of paper flies away! Even worse, do not yell at us if you’re the one that can’t figure out the function of a paperweight.

3. Simple concept, under no circumstances is it appropriate to swear or call an employee names. Sure, everyone thinks bad things when they’re getting horrible service, but don’t actually say what you’re thinking. Besides, it’s an unfair fight. You know very well we can’t say what we’re actually thinking, we have to smile and take whatever you dish out. Let’s just keep it even and try to remember we’re no longer in elementary school, bullying is really not acceptable.

4. Please don’t smoke or eat while you’re talking to me. It’s gross.

5. Don’t push the call button the second you reach the drive through window. Give us a chance to respond, most of the time we know you’re there. We’re just trying to finish what we’re doing/who we’re helping before getting to you. If we don’t appear or acknowledge you in a few minutes, sure, give that button a buzz.

6. Don’t cut in line. It wasn’t cool in first grade, it’s doubly irritating now.

7. Don’t hang up. I understand that you may think I’m a horrible person because the answer I gave you doesn’t please you, but hanging up on me doesn’t resolve the issue either.

8. Put your shopping cart in the appointed shopping cart corrals or back in the store. Don’t just leave it in the parking lot! It’s rude, disrespectful of other people’s cars, and just plain lazy!!

Okay, I’m done for the time being. I hate to rant, but I’ve been saving up for this entry for awhile. I hope something interesting happens in the next week…so I can go back to happy posting again!

I have now lived in Texas for three years, a revelation that I just recently became aware of. It has been a wonderful three years, but at the same time, I don’t feel like I’ve fully explored the state. There’s so many things left to experience: Schlitterbahn (by the by, looks like they’re building one of these widely bragged about parks in KC, take that TX!), Padre Island, the spring bluebonnets…etc. And this weekend we checked toobing down the Guadalupe River off our list.

We drove into Austin Friday night, and headed out to New Braunfels Saturday morning with Kat and Ethan. After a quick and convenient lunch, we headed to the river to start our toobin’ adventure. No, I have not become a terrible speller overnight. Apparently “toob” is how one spells “tube” when referring to the Texas pastime of floating down a river with massive amounts of alcohol. After a few logistical problems (where to park, how to get our cooler to the river, how to get ourselves to the river, what length of time to float for…), we decided upon Hideout at Whitewater Sports, rented our toobs, and got ourselves situated on the river. The water was COLD!!! However, since the sun was shining (yes mom, we did apply lots of sunscreen) the freezing coldness of the river didn’t seem too horrible.

I highly suggest Whitewater Sports if you’re planning on planning a toobin’ adventure yourself. They have easily recognizable red and blue toobs, the bottoms are covered to save your hiney from the inevitable rock protrusions, there are nice handles on the toobs so you can grab hold and hang on for dear life to your friends, and they’re the same price as all the other toobing companies. There were a few things I didn’t expect: 1. Alcoholic drinks are nice, but I was unaware of HOW much alcohol was going to be consumed. It was really just a floating college party, floating kegs and all! 2. There were mini-rapids that don’t seem so bad until you’re about to go over them! Unless you’re properly positioned, there is some definite butt scraping upon rock that will occur. 3. Hang on to your friends, once separated, it’s difficult to group back together, much yelling and paddling is necessary.

All was nice in the river…until we heard a clap of thunder. The clouds rolled in faster than one could possibly imagine. The skies were completely clear until then! The forecast only predicted a 20% chance of rain and the temperature was at 97 degrees F! Then the rain came. Though the river ducks seemed pleased, we were less than thrilled. Yes, to be practical, we were already wet and in the river…what difference does it make if the rain makes us wetter, right? Well, the temperature dropped down to a chilly 70 something degrees, and the fear of being struck by lightning made us a little apprehensive, to say the least. We contemplated getting out of the river and walking back, but the banks of the river were lined by trees. My elementary school education couldn’t help me decide whether standing under a tall tree or sitting in a river during a storm seemed like the safer option.

Well, thanks to our diligent paddling and Ethan’s mighty strong back stroke, we managed to get ourselves to the end rather quickly. As soon as we got on the bus back to the parking lot…the hail began. Talk about good timing!! Okay, the hail only lasted a few seconds and it was tiny…but I guarantee it wouldn’t have been fun sitting on the river in your skimpy bathing suit being hailed upon. I did have a good time, despite the weather change. Will I go toobin’ again anytime soon? Probably not, but at least my one toob adventure was very memorable…and I can stop saying toob!

After some hot showers at Kat’s apartment, we met up with Josh for dinner at Z Tejas. Yum! The food is delicious and the view of the hill country was pleasant. It’s so nice being around friends our age, we’ve missed going out with people!

After dinner, Josh had to go back to work (poor guy) and we headed to Mozart’s Coffee on Lake Austin for dessert and coffee. I had the fresh fruit cheesecake with an iced latte. Yum again! We’ve missed Kat and wish we could visit more often!

Sunday was spent with the Trommer parents and grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa Trommer are moving into a new house next month and were very excited to show us the construction progress. It’s a very pretty 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 HUGE veranda (for Sam the cat) house about 1-2 miles away from the parents.

Dad Trommer, as usual, made a fantastic meal of smoked chicken, fresh bread, smoked veggies, potato salad…etc. Time with friends is awesome, but much can also be said for time with family. It’s nice to have so many people that like us!

All too soon, Ethan, Andy, Jabber, and I were headed back to Fort Worth. It was a great weekend, packed with fun activities and even better company. Here is the link to the photos I took, not a lot this time, I was told it was a bad idea to take my expensive digital camera on the river. And here I sit, wishing it weren’t over yet, waiting to go to work (at 3 pm). Sigh…if it could only be weekends everyday!

As mentioned before, I get the pleasure of working this weekend…Father’s Day weekend. So, I don’t have a huge amount of time for posting this weekend. This also means that I get all the winners that have forgotten that it’s Father’s Day and are buying last minute cards and even more last minute/terribly cheap gifts at the 24 hour drug store. I know dad has always wanted this…pop-up laundry hamper and generic microwave popcorn!! No matter what the present may be, we’re wishing all the Dads out there a Happy Daddy’s Day!

p.s. Yes, that’s my dad and me in hospital gowns in my mom’s hospital room after she had Cathy. And I believe that pink bundle in the plastic tub is Cathy!

It’s another weekend of calm, quiet, and peaceful relaxation. It’s something we really don’t see very often, and the fact that we have two in a row…is just about unheard of! Which by the way, will end very soon, since I have to work next weekend. Blech!

Saturday was spent grocery shopping (a task I dislike and always wait for Andy to accompany me), reading, playing with Jabber, watching television, and we even ventured out to our neighborhood pool!! We’ve been in our house for almost 2 years, and we’ve barely even walked past the pool, let alone go inside it! Our neighborhood actually has two pools. The brand new one is right down the street from us. It has a little kid’s wading pool and a big splashy fountain…which attracts just about all the screaming kids in the neighborhood. This is probably why pool time hasn’t been exactly enticing up to this point. However, I discovered recently that while most of the kids are at the more exciting new pool, the older pool (across the street) is pretty much completely empty.

So, Andy pumped air in our bike tires and we rode our bikes (with all our gear) to the old pool.

Andy bought me a bike several years ago…and I haven’t touched it since. *hanging head in shame* We had such lofty goals to bike every weekend, and think of the fun and exercise we’d get…yeah, didn’t happen. I blame it on the fact that the seat is WAY too high for me. Andy wouldn’t let me get the bike I wanted…the purple sparkly one with streamers, a horn, and the little clinky beads in the spokes of the wheels. Something about it not being appropriate for me to get a kid’s bike…but at least I wouldn’t have to immediately leap off my bike after stopping for fear of crashing to the ground, a feeling I’m too familiar with and would like to avoid from now on. (Cathy will remember at this point of the post that I was, and apparently still am, a very very paranoid/cautious bike rider as a child and chuckle to herself.)

Anyhow, after the life-threatening ride across the street, we proceeded to get ourselves all set up at the nice quiet pool. It’s nice and clean, the water is a good temperature, the chairs are still pretty new (not all old and slimy like some of the shadier pools I’ve been to), and the bathrooms looked decent. We got some time in the sun (yes mom, we put on lots of sunscreen), dipped in the pool (I had forgotten how much I hate getting water in my ears), and laid back in our pool chairs to read/nap/enjoy the day. Soon enough, the after dinner kiddie crowd hit and we packed up our stuff and biked back home.

Today was spent running some minor errands: Jabber’s bath at Petsmart, puppy laundry, odds and ends to buy at Target, and a few chores around the house. For dinner tonight, I made chicken paprikas with herbed spaetzle. Our friends Anni and David brought us back a spaetzle maker and fresh paprika from their trip to Hungary. Since we didn’t have major plans, I figured I had enough time to make some fresh spaetzle. I’m rather proud of myself! I think this counts as me making fresh pasta!

Oh yeah, and Jabber got a new toy…apparently a post can’t end without a goofy picture of our dog. Enjoy!

We planned this weekend to be a quiet and relaxing two days, it’s something we don’t actually see very often. We’re usually running around finishing chores, entertaining, traveling, or working frantically (actually at work or just around the house). It was very refreshing just to take a break.

On Saturday, we went to the gym (Yay us!), stopped by the Grapevine Mills Mall to shop for Father’s Day/my dad’s birthday, ate dinner at La Madeleine (yum! I do love their french vanilla tart with berries), and spent the rest of the night catching up to the season finale of Lost. I have absolutely no patience for watching the Lost episodes week by week. I’d much rather save up 4-5 episodes, and watch them all at once. Getting only one episode makes me anxious and impatient. If you are a Lost fan, you understand. If you aren’t…you should really give the show a try. Make sure you start at the very beginning, don’t try to catch one of the later episodes. Trust me, it’s worth it!

We got to sleep in today, had a nice leisurely lunch (I made salmon cakes, that’s a first!), and wandered down to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens…again. It was a decent day outside, sunny and warm with a nice breeze. Plus, there were a few additional things we didn’t get a chance to see last time we were there. It seemed like a perfect afternoon to meander through some gardens. Of course, pictures were taken…as you will see below.

Andy and I in front of the Rose Gardens. Sorry…couldn’t go inside, it was closed off for the fireworks display tonight.

One of my favorite flowers, the hydrangea

The gardens have a nice plaque for each flower/plant. Here are a few that I found amusing/disturbing.

Can you imagine? Yeah, our garden is pretty this time of year. We have some Little Freaks, a few Holy Cows, and I planted a few Sinisters last weekend. Wacky!

When we got home, Andy mowed the yard while I walked the puppy. Then we worked on cleaning out our closet and now have a huge pile of stuff for Goodwill. I love a good thorough junk purge. My philosophy is if you haven’t used/worn/touched an item for 2 years, you probably won’t anytime soon. May as well get rid of it! Of course, Jabber was very very interested in the process and even more intrigued by my silk scarves…which is how she became a little old Russian lady wearing a babushka…

Ha! That picture just makes me giggle. Hope it brightens your day as well. Click here for all the pictures I took this weekend, including more garden photos, and one of the little old Russian Jabberwocky trying to lick her way out of her babushka. Fun times!