The Friendly and Not-So Friendly Old Ones.

So I waitress part-time at a nice restaurant near my house. I deal with a lot of people- bad tippers, good tippers, business men and women, children, "rebellious" private school teenagers, parents who home school their kids, stay-at-home mothers, teachers, people who suck down iced-tea like its their job, or drink water with no ice and two lemons, people with weird food allergies...And finally, old people.
Now, I'm a people watcher. I can sit all day on a mall bench and observe the odd characters that walk by. I absolutely love it! Therefore, I'm really in my element when I'm serving.
However, it's the older clientel that fascinate and aggravate me the most. Just the other day, a bus load of elderly people came from a nursing home. There were about thirty of them all together. They slowly walked in with their canes and walkers, trying to figure out what was going on. When they finally decided where to sit, it was like witnessing a first grade class. One woman was screaming at another lady that she couldn't sit there because it was saved for Betty. Other ladies were yelling about how they wanted hot tea, and wondering where the servers were. It was absolute chaos.

Then there are the red hats... I don't know if you've seen 'em, but they are a a club of elderly women, and they all wear red hats! I haven't talked to any red hats yet, but I'm sure my day will come.

I really think that as you become older you revert to childish behavior. I waited on a photographer in his mid eighties. He met Mother Theresa and the Pope, and he has taken amazing pictures apparently. But the man talks with food in his mouth, usually spitting it everywhere. He has no table manners, and when he drinks his vodka martinis, things get real ugly!

Perhaps as you get older, you don't care what others think of you anymore. Either way these people have provided many with entertainment.


...Anyways thats all about the restaurant business for now..There are tons of other stories to tell. But I'll save them for another night.

Short Story Show and Tell

David Sedaris is a hilarious story teller, and by far my favorite author. I reccomend reading his book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. He tells a bunch of short stories about his unique family. He writes originally and honestly, never leaving embarrassing secrets out. He has no shame in his writing and that's what I love about him.

Picture Worth 1000 words

I meant to put this picture up last week.

This image is so powerful because of the subject matter. To be honest, I don't think I'd feel as moved if it was an older person. Seeing children in such despair really hits you hard because of their innocence. When you think of kids, you picture them with toys, laughing, a future ahead of them. You don't think of them feeling hunger and sadness.

Horoscopes

I don't usually follow my horoscope readings. But last week my horoscope said that I should save all of my files on disks and make backups because some strange things would be happening to me (something about mercury in retrogade). Anyways, I thought that was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, so I didn't pay any attention to it. But a couple days later...what do you know happened? My freakin imovie decided not to open. Some crap about it being "not readable."
Now I'm following my horoscopes down to a tee.

My cat

This is my cat. She's studious as you can see.

Warm Weather & Old Friends

I love when the sun is out and it's 70 degrees. It puts me in a wonderful mood. Feel like painting, but no time for that because of all the homework! I finally got in touch with some old friends of mine. It's been awhile. I guess that's what happens when you get older. But, I'm glad I played catch up with them.We are trying to get together again real soon... That's all for now.

My Favorite Words

I love the way these words sound--

marvel
compelling
passionate
lustful
bubble
itsy-bitsy
pudgy
subliminal
chilling
spunk
smidgen
crescendo
infectious
flowery
bruschetta
dicey
bella

Sunday Morning

I woke up to the shrill cries of my cat. I rushed to the window to see what the fuss was about. Staring at me was a medium-sized, golden dog, with perky ears. She was beautiful. I opened the door and she entered right away. The poor dog was probably outside all night. My cat flipped out so I quickly separated the two of them, as if young siblings fighting.
I fed the dog some Friskies and she drank some water. She was energetic, but didn't bark. Well-trained, she knew how to sit and give me her paw. As I was trying to get my stuff together for school , she followed me from one end of the house to the other, and when I left for class, she tried to go with me. I didn't want to abandon her! I figure the owner removed the dog's collar to bathe her, and soon after, the dog took her mad dash. Unfortunately, the dog was taken away today. Hopefully the owners will find her soon.
However, this morning's incident reminded me of my childhood. I used to want a puppy, but my parents never allowed us to get one because they were "messy and time-consuming." So, I always wished that a dog would magically appear in our backyard and I would hide her in the basement. I don't know how I wouldve snuck a dog in my house. But I guess I didn't think that part through too much. Anyways, I finally got my wish, but it's 18 years too late.

Quote of the Day

"Everything in life changes you in some way. Even the smallest things. If you do not accept these changes you do not accept yourself. For through these changes brings new and greater things to you, making you wiser, as time progresses. To avoid these changes is a loss. You only live life once. Do not waste a minute of it avoiding things. Let them come to you, and learn from them. There's always tomorrow."

Os

I was snooping through my brother's old room and I found some newspapers from 1992 to 94. My brother, a huge sports fan, saved all of the articles on Cal Ripken and the O's. I was just noticing the design layout, pictures, text, and everything. A lot of the titles were catchy, like "Let 'er Rip," with Cal's pic on the front page, "O, What a Winner: Pitcher-Perfect Day For SutCliffe," "Cal's 2000," "2,130 down, 1 to go," and "The New Baby Birds." These articles had really good pictures as well. It shows that the right photograph, catchy title, and good caption, make a huge difference. I also saw an article about Mike Jordan dated Oct. 1993, which is when he retired from basketball. Caption read: End of an Air-A." I thought that was another clever title.

Long Vs. Short Hair On Women (Show and Tell)

Bazaar had brief page on Long Vs. Short Hair. The benefit of having short hair is that it makes more of an impact, but the con is that it needs more maintenance. Long hair is "always sexy," says Sally Herhberger.
However the great stylists agree that the perfect hairdo is ultimately about confidence: "If you love it and feel good in it, it's for you."