photos

I never take photographs, not even on trips. I do this for a lot of reasons. I find that if I'm taking pictures, I'm looking for angles, trying to get a good shot, I just don't enjoy the trip.

If you are enjoying the trip, you'll remember the mountain, the tilting narrow road, the lady in the 'Asstastic' t-shirt.

I don't take pictures of family and kids because people change and you shouldn't hold onto perceptions of them. I mean it's cute to see a picture of your niece when she's three but do you need a hundred different photos of that age? Not really. And their parents take photos, I don't need to.

I have a couple pictures of my dogs. Mostly taken by other people. :-)

It's not that I don't like artistic photos or cute photos, I'm just not interested in taking them. Have you ever seen someone's trip photos? A hundred pics of nothing in particular.

I love art photos when there's a story in the picture.

I like photos with lively color.

But regular ole snap it at the BBQ picture? I don't see the point. And I hate being in photos. Yet no one ever respects my right to refuse to be photoed. Most take it as a laughing challenge to take as many snaps of me as they can. THose people I usually don't speak to again.

When you ask someone politely not to do something and they take great pleasure in making you miserable, you should avoid those people. They have no respect for you.

I'm grumpy today.

Sorry the post doesn't have any humor. I'm just not feeling humorous.

Gee-Gee the Wonder Dog

I have a foster puppy. This is Gee-Gee. No I didn't name her and that name is silly, she sounds like a poodle.

Gee-Gee is always hungry. She is always ready play, my poor male dog is very tired of this. He has a 15 hour nap he's trying to get in today.

And I've not convinced her yet that one should not chew first and ask questions later.

I forgot how much work puppies were.

However, she's getting housebreaking quickly. She's getting barking too. She didn't bark when she first moved in, she figured that out fairly quickly.

LOL.

Tirz

Why Sonic Sucks as a Food Choice...

I rarely come out and say a restaurant sucks but I think I have to make an exception for Sonic. I keep giving them new chances but I think I'm done trying to 'make it work'.

If you've never been to a Sonic, it's a great idea that doesn't quite work in reality. You can pull up to one of the outdoor spots with a electronic menu and order from the window of your car. A person in roller blades brings your food out to your car.

If you want to be fancy, you can go through the drive-thru or sit on one of the patio tables.

Why does it suck?

First, the service is always terrible. The wait to get your food is always horrendously long. It's not usually the waiter/waitresses fault. They are almost notoriously understaffed at the one by where I work. I had a 30 minute lunch break and Sonic is less than two minutes away. It took 35 minutes to just get my food today (without eating).

Second, the credit card machine NEVER works. You are supposed to be able to pay with your card (debit or credit) but it's never possible. You usually have to send your card with the waiter/waitress into to the building, they'll bring it back in 10 to 15 minutes if they have time. And they NEVER offer to let you put the tip on your debit card so if you have no cash, expect to be digging under your seat for change. I hate that.

Third, the food isn't that good. Every time I get the popcorn chicken something new has been wrong with it. It has been extremely salty (and I like salt), stale, or hot and mushy when I've ordered it. I've heard the milkshakes are good but I'm lactose intolerant. You think if it took 20 minutes to make, it'd be decent. It isn't.

Fourth, it's expensive. For a small popcorn chicken and a regular milkshake, it's $5.19 without tip. I have no idea what that is in pounds, sorry.

Five, you never get condiments on the first try. You can ask for ketchup but expect to ask for it again and again and to WAIT for it.

Six, the waiter will never know what your order is. You'll usually see some confused waiter with a tray of food standing in roller skates, yelling out is, 'Is the Diet Cherry Coke and the Tots yours? Is it Yours?'

Geez.

So if you get a chance, just say no to Sonic. I suppose if you just wanted a milkshake and you had all the time in the world, it might be okay. I hope the waiter finds you, listen for her to yell...'IS THIS YOURS?' and take CASH.

Tirz

On a Mini-Break....

I'll be mostly gone for the next week, finishing up a few projects and running head long for the busy season at work.

Sorry I've been so absent lately. March, April, and August are my busy, busy months of the year and I had hoped to keep up with everything. But I just can't.

Be back in a week or so.

Tirz

Come on, Baby, Estimate Me...

Join me on my adventure. Here was my week.

I've been gone again. Did you miss me? I spent last weekend at my mother's house and learned how I'm disappointing everyone. Since no new disappointments reared their ugly heads, I consider the weekend a success.

I had three birthdays. Daisy is one. Carter is six and Adrianna is 11. These are only the birthdays for the under 18 set. I had to shop. I hate to shop but I am rather good at it. Which reminds me, I forgot to give Adrianna her little karoke player and now I have to ship it. :-( She wasn't home and I didn't want to leave it on the porch.

And I only yelled at my mother once. Really, just once. I'm so proud of myself.

So what have I been doing since? Work, work, and more work.

But I also took my car into the mechanic. The pesky engine light was on and a horrid knocking sound was rumbling under the seat. I had hope that all I needed was a new muffler, some aspirin, and an adjustment of the vent again. Alas, it was not to be.

I drop my sad little car off at the first mechanic on Tuesday at 7:30am. I called a cab to take me to work, only the cab number was disconnected. How odd. It's the one I have programmed into my phone and I didn't have another. I call directory assistance who gave me another disconnected number.

I call back. They hang up.

I call back. They hang up.

When the phone company has phone issues, the irony is not much fun to those of us needing help.

The mechanic didn't have a phone book because a previous patron had spilled coffee all over it and he had tossed it.

I have no way to work.

Hmmm.

I finally call my sister who is getting ready for rough day of working from home in her pajamas. She couldn't take me, she had a conference call. But she did Google me some numbers. Finally.

Thank the heavans for Google.

I get to work by cab and the shop calls back with the estimate.

$1,498 American dollars. I'm not sure what that is in pounds but let me tell you it's a crapload of money.

My converter is broken. This is the thingie (you notice the scientific terms) that keeps my car from spitting nasty toxins in the air. It, by itself, was 680 dollars.

I say screw the environment, I don't need it.

The mechanic assures me I do. Local laws require it.

Screw the law.

Ewww...actually no, that last cop that gave me a warning about speeding looked a bit like the twelve-year-old Opie from Mayberry. I just can't do it. Maybe if he was grown but not that version. Then again, that was six or seven years ago, maybe the puberty kicked in but I doubt it.

After many calls, a bubble of hysterical laughter, and most of a Diet Mt. Dew, I find that the converter might, just might be under warranty through the dealership.

So on Wednesday, I get to figure out how to drop the car off and get to work AGAIN.

The converter is covered (Yeah me). But the cluster that controls all my gauges in my dash is shot. This was the other $5oo+dollars of the first estimate. However, they don't have that part in stock and can't get it for a week or two. Which means I'll have to bring the car in again.

Then they told me...my brake pads needed replacing.

Sigh.

I authorized the brake pads. They assure me the rotors are fine and don't need replaced.

Then they call me back. The rotors are bent. They must be replaced. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Okay.

So my car is finally done (except for the cluster that tells me if I have any fuel) but my ride to take me to pick it up---cancels.

Then my back-up can't do it.

Then my back-up, back-up has plans.

So...I have to call people randomly and beg for a ride. Again.

I now have my car and I still have no idea if I have any gas.

So...how was your week?