Better than I Had Expected

I am always amazed that I seem to go into every situation with some sort of expectations - I guess it makes sense, but I wonder if that by having that expectation in my mind before I do something if it alters the outcome of the event?

Okay, I don’t really know the answer to that thought, but I do know that today when I went out to the beauty school to see if I could get a hair cut, I expected it not to be good at all.

So, you might ask why I went over to the hair school to get a hair cut, but the answer was simple - I liked the price.  I guess I should admit here that I am cheap, but sometimes I have been burned because you get what you pay for.

But as it turned out, this was definitely more like a beauty academy than a school and I walked out of there with a stunning look - not what I was expecting at all.

Moving Away

When I was living in Washington, I was a member of one of the biggest Seattle larp clubs ever in the city. We got together to play every week and sometimes it was even several times during the week. It was the one thing that I looked forward to more than any other thing.

When I found out that my dad was being transferred and we were going to be leaving Washington, I was more than a little bit upset. I did not want to leave my friends or my life behind. I considered staying  on my own, but my parents would not let me.

My dad got me some information on Oregon larp clubs and it helped a little bit. It took some getting used to, being the new guy, but eventually I found my place in the group and was comfortable enough to start opening up to them.

Debt Solutions

I was very young, but I still remember the turmoil that my family went through when my parents had to undergo poor credit debt consolidation. From that day on, I vowed to learn everything that I could about spending wisely and not going into more debt than I could afford.

I took a course on debt diet plans, as I was hoping that I would be able to help other families not to have to endure the process of having poor credit and eventually having to go bankrupt. It was my mission in life and I took it very seriously.

I now teach a class on how to reduce credit card debt before it gets to the point where the family is feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. Many people have thanked me for changing their lives and my dad has said that if someone had been there to talk to them about some of the solutions I discuss with my clients, maybe it would have saved them a ton of grief.

Never Again

A few months ago, I had my identity stolen. We are not quite sure how, but it was suggested that it might have had something to do with cell phone interception when I was talking to my credit card company. I had never even considered something like this happening.

You can be assured that I asked about phone encryption when I was buying a new cell phone last week. I wanted to know what was available and why this was not made clear to me when I had purchased my previous one.

I now have a secure gsm and I will not let this happen again. I have always been diligent at shredding my mail before I toss it and I cover my pin number when I am using my ATM card. It pays to be informed about all of the ways identity theft can happen, because I never in a million years thought that it could happen to me.

My Summer Camp Days

I used to go to summer camp when I was a kid and I absolutely loved it. It surprises me now, as the camp did not even have showers on site and you basically had to clean yourself in the lake when you went swimming.

My son is old enough to go to camp this year and I thought it would be great if he could go to the same camp that I grew up attending. I was very nostalgic when I took him there and I was amazed at all of the changes that had been made since my own camping days. For one thing, they now have electric showers and plumbed in bathrooms.

I had to check it out for myself and I found the shower cubicles to be very modest, still giving the camp the rustic feeling that it should have. My son had a great time and is looking forward to going back next year. I hope he creates as many wonderful memories there as I did as a child.

Going Home

I went to Mexico for the first time when I was six years old. I am sure that is when I fell in love with everything there. We have been back several times and every time I discover something else about the country that makes me want to go back another time.

The great thing about going so often is that I have made several good friends and I am excited to go back and see them every year. I missed going two years in a row while I was in dental school and it was the longest two years of my life.

That is the reason I decided that I wanted to work in an office of Tijuana dentists. I did all of the paperwork and headed to Mexico to become a permanent resident. On the drive there, I finally felt like I was going home. I knew it was where I had always belonged.

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

When my boyfriend and I first moved in together, my best friend from high school found herself in a bit of hot water. She had been living with someone who was abusive and in order to get her out of the bad situation that she was in, we extended an invitation for her to come and live with us.

She was with us for several months before she decided that it was time to put herself back out there and meet someone who would treat her well. We told her that there were several ways to find local singles and that we would do whatever we could to help her out.

We made her some profiles on some free online dating sites and within a few days, she had several dates lined up. She met Adam and never looked back. He treats her very well and it is nice to know that she is being taken care of.

We Are the Champions

Your father in Southern California has had a bad fall. He will need extensive rehab before he regains enough mobility to get around on his own. Even then, his confidence will be low and his fear of falling will be high. What’s a good daughter to do?

You do an online search for Orange County physical therapy, that gives you far too many choices. How do you go about choosing?

You ask friends for recommendations or horror stories. Finally you narrow your search to two groups of 3. Five out of six have that dreadful industrial cleaner smell. The fifth raises your hopes, as it smells normal.

You talk with relatives of current residents. You scope out the security. Is someone at the nurse’s station at all times? Are residents having to wait to get help?

You revisit some of the smelly facilities. Their residents and families seem happier. You bring an air freshener to your dad’s room when he moves in.

Our “Amazing” Race

Our city has a big fundraiser every year for the children’s hospital and the one we had this past year was absolutely incredible. The foundation put on a big city-wide Amazing Race and we had so much fun. The clues were great and it was very well put together.

I have always been a big fan of obstacle courses and I thought that it was great that this was essentially a really big one. I loved figuring out the clues and doing the events in order to receive our next clue. The people who put it together were obviously very talented ad creative.

The hardest thing we had to do was go to an amusement park and proceed to try and climb up the inflatable slides while they were wet. It was definitely a lot harder than it looked. Our team of ten came in second place and I don’t know when I have ever had such a good time.

The Car

    "This is the hugest car I’ve ever seen, Elsie. It’s bigger than our house."

    Elsie was used to Jimmy wanting her to look at some kind of vehicle. She sighed. He wasn’t going to leave her alone until she looked.

    "See!" he declared, pointing out the window

    "That’s a limo," she whispered. "It’s her, Jimmy. Loretta Lynn. We must’ve won the dinner with her." No wonder Mama made them wash and put on their Sunday best on a Friday.

    Jimmy darted outside. Elsie followed. She hadn’t meant to run, but found her feet flying after him.

    "You must be Jimmy and Elsie," the country singer said with a warm smile. "How would y’all like to take a ride with me and get us something to eat? "

    Everyone was so stunned at meeting a real, live star that they all just nodded and smiled awkwardly — all except for Jimmy. He gave a whoop "Yes, indeedy, Miss Lynn! I could eat a horse!"

    The star threw back her head and laughed so hard she cried. "Come on, ya’ll. Pile in here."

    That night was an occasion Elsie never forgot. Her last memory was of being carried inside by Daddy after feeling a kiss on her cheek and smelling the star’s lovely scent  waft over her. Sweet dreams, Elsie," Loretta whispered. "You, too, Jimmy." And then Elsie slept.