tiatiabobia

In Case You Were Wondering...

2008-07-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

I am still alive.

It has been a busy month. Sarrie and I just moved into a house at the beginning of the month... Long story. We just got our cable, internet and phone hooked up on Wednesday. It has been a long almost 3 weeks.

Things are moving along in my new life "back home". I am doing ok. Actually, for the most part, I am doing quite well. Just going with the flow.

I don't really have too much to share right now. I would share the nightmare of the move in to the house story, but it's still kind of painful.

I'll be in touch.

Don't ever stay with a man who says he just has a friend

2008-06-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

One year ago,
We took a vow.
To spend today like this,
I wanted not how.

"She's just a friend", you say.
"It's not what you think".
To question my intelligence,
Well, you're just a dink.

"They can get through it..."
"...if not then she's dumb."
Well, Critics, this is something
I can't overcome.

You wanted to work
On communication and interaction,
But guess what?
You can't work on you marriage
When you have a distraction.

I love you,
But I love me more.
You effed up,
So I walked out the door.

I thought we would grow old,
Like, into our 80's.
But you decided
To drive off in a Mercedes.

That was just an impromptu poem I decided to write. That's right... Today is my one year anniversary and how am I spending it? Filling out dissolution of marriage papers. And going to the funeral home. The two events are not connected.

I am a statistic. I am on the huge percentages of Americans that gets divorced in the first year of marriage. But as a friend of ~j's told me last night, "I'd rather be that statistic than the statistic of the ones that have no strength or mind of their own and stay with the guy knowing he's doing what he is doing and knowing they're unhappy for the rest of their lives."

There have been good days and there have been bad. But the good days totally outweigh the bad. But I also know that as time goes on, I know it will only get better and the bad days will get less and less. But I also know that the tears that come on those bad days are nothing compared to the tears that would fall if I had stayed.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive, and to those of you that don't get it, you can suck it.

ps: If you didn't get the last stanza of the poem... said car also shares a name with said "friend"

Bizarro de Mayo

2008-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Remember my post about Sarrie? (insert link here if I knew how to do so)

Sarrie and I have always had the joke that the month of May has always been crazy. Therefore, instead of Cinco de Mayo, we celebrate Bizarro de Mayo. Since 2005, May has always been the month we dreaded. We kept a log one year and read back on it and laugh our tooshes off. That month of May started early... April 28, I believe and ended on the best note, as the 31st of that year, my sweet sweet niece Eliza was born.

Each year since, we have always laughed at the month of May.

Well............................ Let ME tell YOU...

Bizarro de Mayo, as usual, started early this year. Way early. Like... 2 AM on Friday, April 25. I'll spare the details, but that's when it started.

Author's note: This is big reason behind why I haven't posted in a good month or so.

ANYWAY... April 25 was a crazy day. In laws were visiting, I had to go to work... blah blah blah. I came home for dinner and barely ate. The 26 was about the same. I had a protein bar and that was about it. Not much of an appetite. Then I went to a bachelorette party on the beach and stayed in a hotel with a girlfriend. The 27, I talked to Sarrie. She was planning a trip to come and visit on Wednesday, the 30 and we discussed aforementioned visit. Are you getting all this?

Sunday the 27 was also "Confrontation Day". That was the day I explained to New Mr. Tia my loss of appetite and sleeplessness and distance over a few days. I asked him who she was and why he was doing what he was doing. He was at a loss. Didn't know what to say. Did nothing to vindicate himself and instead of trying to explain, he protected her.

Wednesday, the 30 of April, New Mr. Tia left and went to NC for a golf trip. And Sarrie flew in. I picked her up at the airport and we had lunch. And then we went to my "house" and started packing my stuff.

Days went by, I went to my job and gave a very short notice where my boss was very supportive (thanks, Vin). And I said my goodbyes. Sunday, May 5th, Sarrie and I packed up my car and left before New Mr. Tia got back from NC.

He didn't believe it to be true and was sending me text messages telling me he'd see me soon. Little did he know I was almost to the Georgia border.

Cinco de Mayo... I pulled into my hometown. There's a lot to be said about the fact that I only cried when pulling out of my Florida driveway and pulling into the town I'm from.

May 10... I flew out to see ~j. and family. What a great time we had. I love my sister more than I can express. Her support and love is indescribable. That goes for the rest of my family as well.

I have had a pretty decent month if I do say so myself.

I am working to put my life back together right now. For the first time in a while I can say that May has treated me pretty well.

Everyone needs a family like mine and a Sarrie to boot.

Love ya!

Re-group

2008-05-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I know it has been almost a month since my last post. I have good reason. I am not ready to talk about it right now. Other posts would have been made, however, my mind has been basically consumed with one major thing. I will let you all know when I am back in action.

All four of you loyal readers. (*snicker snicker*)

But now, I have to resume my duty of cuddling ~j's kids. The best job ever.

Dear Prudence

2008-04-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

When I open up my Internet Explorer, msn.com is my home page. I like it because it has the latest headlines and then some. Sometimes it has Dear Prudie, an advice column of what is and what isn't prudent. I have clicked on the link because sometimes, the column is about things I am experiencing at the time... things like, how to deal with a difficult boss, how to deal with a bridesmaid that just isn't that into her duty as a bridesmaid... etc. However, the articles never really relate to exactly what I am dealing with, but they are entertaining to read.

So now, I ask you, my readers, all four of you, for advice on how to deal.

Dear Readers,

My husband has a friend that has been his friend since he moved here almost 13 years ago. I met friend... (we will call him "Crazy" for anonymity sake) years ago when I was dating my husband. Then, slowly, Crazy went through some issues that kept him highly medicated, hospitalized at one time and and he even went almost 2 and a half years without setting foot in a grocery store or pharmacy. His girlfriend stuck by his side through all of this.

Since his girlfriend had the ultimate goal of getting married and having children, when Crazy told her he was never marrying her or fathering her children, rightfully, she left. He has since moved back to our neck of the woods.

Now that Crazy is back, he has been stopping by our house. I hadn't seen him since before I had moved here. It was nice to see him and I am all about trying to help people overcome whatever may cause them sadness.

Long story short: He has not stopped stopping by. I frequently come home from work and he is here. One time my husband told him it wasn't a good time, that we were about to eat dinner and we didn't have enough for three. Not getting the hint, he offered to sit outside on the porch until we were done.

I like the golden rule. I like to treat people the way I want to be treated. HOWEVER... when I am nice to him, he takes it as an open invitation to be at our house whenever he wishes. When I am rude, he only comes over when I am not there and leaves before I get home.

I think the one thing that gets me is that when I do come home and he is there, he thinks it's funny to call me pet names. I have walked in the house hoping to see my husband and I hear a whiny voice say, "Hi honey". Not what I wanted to hear. I walked in the house the other day after receiving some upsetting news from my sister and I was crying. He said, "Baby, what's wrong?" This is terribly disturbing.

My husband has told him that it is inappropriate that he talks to me that way, but he doesn't seem to get the hint. My husband and I are all about helping others in need and we understand that Crazy just needs friends. But this is too much. I already have planned what I will say the next time he makes me uncomfortable, but I don't like being mean in order to get a point across.

What can I do?

Sincerely,
Throwing up in my Mouth in LA

To All You Diamonds Out There...

2008-04-10T03:39:00.000-07:00

I love April. It's a great month. I have always looked forward to April because that meant, the snow would melt after a harsh winter, spring break vacation, new fun clothes, driving with the windows down and the music up... you know what I mean.

Now that I live in Florida, I don't have to worry about the snow and all the months run together and I never really know what time of year it is, just the day of the week.

The thing I love most about April... The birthdays. Yes, the birthdays. It starts on the 2nd and doesn't stop. And I am not saying, "Boo hoo, I have so many birthdays to remember this month." I remember all of them. Every year, at the end of March, I set out on a big shopping trip. New Mr. Tia laughs because it's like Christmas for us again. We have 10. That's right, ten birthdays to remember in April. And only 2 of those ten are close friends. The rest of those birthdays are family.

This, my friends, is the price I pay for having my birthday the same week as Christmas. That has always been my reasoning. That, and if you're into astrology, Aries and Capricorns are very compatible. All but one of my important birthdays to remember are Aries. (Sorry, Tito)

What month do you love?

Things that keep me up at night.

2008-04-03T03:24:00.000-07:00

It is 6:25 AM. And I have been up since 4:15. I can't sleep. You know what woke me up? My hands. They itch. Like a something that rhymes with itch.

I have had this condition for a little over 4 months now. It started as something small and has now spread down my wrists. I thought maybe I was allergic to the chemicals they cleaned my wedding ring with since this irritation was only confined to my left ring finger. Then is spread to my left little finger. Then my right middle finger. And down my wrists and to my arms. I have sought treatment at a local clinic and have gotten a steroid. When on the medication, I'm golden. The minute I discontinue it, the itching comes back.

Not so good for a Massage Therapist, you know? The thing is, it isn't contagious, so I can continue to work. I have been watching the different products I use at work and have kept an eye on the condition, but I can't pinpoint what it could be. It got to the point that my fingers itched so bad that my ring finger swelled and I had to have my wedding band cut off. I have now been on this medicine twice and was told if it acts up again, I will be referred to a dermatologist. So I have been online shopping for health insurance. That's right. I don't have any and just received word that I don't work enough to get it through my job.

The fact that I don't work enough is not by choice.

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago and have a $2500 estimate of work that needs to be done. Again, no insurance. Sweet.

When I go to work, I sometimes feel as though I am living my own real life version of the movie Mean Girls. I know that ~j. loves that movie, but to live it really hurts at times.

~j. has to take Bubbity Boo Bah to Salt Lake today. I really hope that things go well. It seems like forever ago she told me they were going for the test and now the time is here. I'll be impatiently waiting to hear how that goes.

Why does NMT have to snore like that all the time and why is it that when I get out of bed because I can't sleep from his snoring, he decides that's a good time to stop the snoring? And why am I noticing that that was a total run on sentence and I'm not going to do anything about it?

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

Did you know that that part of the U2 song is about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Friday marks the 40th anniversary of his death. Just a little random trivia for you.

My inlaws are coming. In two weeks. I have to get the house together. I don't want to rush around at the last minute trying to get everything together. Lists upon lists upon lists.

Sarrie comes right after that. I wish that I could take more time off of work to spend with her, but I can't and she is cool with that.

I am so glad that I don't have to work today so I can take a nap later. I know I'll be tired later on.

And there you have it folks, the things that run through my head when I can't sleep.

Haven't you always wanted a monkey?

2008-03-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

*All apologies, this spacing thing is driving me crazy. Also, the paragraphs were spaced and when I tried re-spacing them, Blogger didn't cooperate.

It's an age old question:

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
It's always a good question to ask, I guess if you run out of stuff to talk about. I always think about it when I pass billboards or see the new Florida Lottery commercials where they tell you that if you play an extra dollar, you can add 10 million dollars to the jackpot. If you play 2 extra dollars, you can add 25 million to the jackpot. Of course, adding that money would not increase your chances at winning.

You see shows about the "Curse of the Lottery", talking of people that win and lose the money within years of winning. You hear great stories of people winning with the last dollar they had to their name. I'm a normal hard working person and I wanna win.

If I won the lottery... just for numbers sake, we'll say 58 million dollars. The first thing I would do is quit my job. Not because I don't like working, but because I would like to open up my own place, use my own ideas and make my own rules.

Next, I would pay off my brother's mortgage, and my sister's mortgage as well as provide adequate vehicles for both them and their spouses.

I would purchase a home on the lake in Southwestern New York where I can go when I go back to visit and my family can stay there whenever they go too.

I would tell my parents to go anywhere... anywhere in the country and find exactly where they want to live. I would buy a lot and build them a house; one that has floors and a foundation that stands firm.

All of my nieces and nephews would want for nothing. They would not be spoiled by any means. However, I would be sure that they received the best education possible. This doesn't mean they will not understand the meaning of a dollar. I will pay for their education, but will ask for grades every semester. If they are not passing or if grades are slipping, they will be cut off.

If I had the money, I would also book flights whenever I wanted to go see my seester and brother as much as possible. I miss them like crazy. I would fly to see ~j. when things happen like Bubby breaking out into hives/rashes/delirium just to take the girls on a special date so she can have some respite.

I would buy my grandfather a driver to take him to and from anywhere he needs to go. I would also purchase said driver a home near Gramps so he is at his dispose whenever he needs.

I'd be sure my friends were taken care of.
These are a few things I would do. Of course, I would have to pay the taxes on the winnings, leaving me with probably only half of what the jackpot is, but still, I think I'll still have enough to do that.
I won't need to pay for a lawyer because his retainer will be taken care of when I pay off his mortgage.
I guess if I want to win, I better start playing.
What would you do?

Slow Week.

2008-03-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Not much has been going on here lately.

I have been busy with work and NMT and I have been picking out colors to paint our kitchen and to throw in a few accent walls.

I "guest bartended" at a St. Patrick's Day slash charity event at the bar I used to work at. It was a true testament as to why I don't work there anymore. Don't get me wrong, it was fun for a night. However, I can't decide which was more fun: seeing old faces or saying to certain people "Oh you don't like my attitude? You can complain, but it won't do anything. I'm only here for the night. I don't really work here."

We had a man come the other day to do some work on our floors the other day. He brought his lovely wife. So sweet. She was helping him with this and that, looked around our home and told me how nice it was. That was nice to hear because NMT and I aren't would like to get out of it. She was looking at pictures we have all over the house... our nieces and nephews, wedding pictures, my friends... and she turns and says to me,

"You know, you're really cute. I don't know if anyone has ever told you that. But you are just adorable." I replied with a thank you and no, I have never, in my 28 years on this Earth been told that I was cute.

I made myself disappear for a few hours, running to town looking for things to do. I went to a store to look for a new purse, you know, because that's exactly what I need. Upon my return, man and lovely wife were still working away at our floors.

Our house isn't very big so I didn't have anywhere to hide. Lovely turned and looked at me and out of nowhere says, "Yeah, I had therapy done on my finger... this one... "

Ah. NMT must have told her what I do for a living. For those of you that are not aware... Massage Therapy is NOT... I repeat... NOT the same as physical therapy. Just a little FYI.

That's about it. I just wanted all to know that I am still alive and delaying all my day off responsibilities. Hey, I may post later depending on what I see today. Have a great day!

Sorry, I'm Taken

2008-03-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

I like to shop. I love love love shopping for t-shirts. Anyone will tell you... t-shirts were actually the favor and centerpiece at my wedding. ANYWAY...

When I shop for t-shirts, I like to find the vintage ones; like my NBC peacock shirt, my Sugar Daddy shirt, Babelicious tee that is in the Bubbilicious logo and of course, Vote For Pedro.

What I don't like... Those stupid t shirts that are supposed to be worn by grown women that read things like, "I taught your boyfriend that thing you like" (I actually saw a young married mother wearing that shirt). One of my biggest annoyances is the t-shirts with matching jewelry that say just one word:

TAKEN.

PUH-LEASE.

To let someone know that you are taken, don't waste your money on t-shirts and jewelry. Do what I do...

I was at the beach with some girlfriends last week. We parked ourselves in front of this popular hang out spot for spring breakers. My friends tease me for being the only married one. Yeah, I know it's funny. Since Spring Break runs for MONTHS here, there is no escaping the morons you run into.

It was rather hot that day so we decided to take a walk into the lukewarm Gulf to converse on a sandbar. A few yards away, there were some younger guys tossing the football around. The ball came near where I was standing and one of the young men dove for it, using the close proximity as an excuse to talk to me.

Not noticing the ring on my left hand, the boy says, "Hey." I reply with an annoyed "Hi." He asks, "What are yoouuu doin?" I looked at him and said, "Peeing." He asked me to repeat myself and again, "I'm peeing." Then he asked if I was serious. I told him if he wanted to come a little closer, the water is rather warm in my area.

I guess he wasn't impressed as he made his way to another cluster of young girls.

For the love

2008-03-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Have I ever told you about my bestie?

I call her Sarrie and she calls me BF. I know what you're thinking... aw, BF. How sweet. BF stands for Best Friend.

Kinda. Yes, we are BFFs. However, BF actually stands for Bran Flake. In high school, I had a friend and her mom called me Bran Flake. Sarrie calls me Bran Flake because I am wholesome yet, I have a tendency to be a little air headed at times.

One things she likes to pick on me about is my insistence on proper grammar. Quite the oxymoron since New Mr. Tia sometimes lacks in the grammar department. My brother and sister and I have always been sticklers for the subject.

One day, Sarrie and I were on our way to dinner with a friend and we passed a restaurant that had a sign reading "BE ARE VALENTINE". You can imagine my distress over this sign. Sarrie talked me out of calling the restaurant to alert them to the error. On our way back, the sign was changed and I was able to rest easy.

I was on my way home from visiting a friend the other day when I was at a stoplight only to fixate on the sign at Arby's reading "TRY AR FISH". I tried to take a picture with my camera phone but it didn't turn out. I then went home to retrieve my camera so I could capture this atrocity. Much to my dismay, the lighting was awful and I couldn't get the picture right.

When I called Sarrie to express my disgust, she tried to give Arby's the benefit of the doubt. She tried to explain maybe they were trying to be pirates and say, "Try AR Fish".

No bueno.

A) Arby's has a cowboy hat for a logo.
B) Even pirates know that you spell it AARRRRGGGHHHH.
C) That idea could only work for Long John Silver's.

New Mr. Tia got a kick out of the sign the next day as he was heading to work. I didn't have time to stop to take the picture before work therefore, leaving me another day without the picture.

Today, as I left the house, I specifically went OUT OF MY WAY to pass this Arby's to take the picture I longed for... It was a cloudy day so I didn't have to worry about the sun's position. What do you know? The sign read "TRY OUR FISH".

I wonder who called them.

Blah

2008-03-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling very blue right now. Trying to put together a good post. I'll let you know when I snap out of it.

Help

2008-02-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

I bought a few new shirts.

And I didn't read the care tags prior to the purchase.

They are handwash only. No washing machine.

But I have a handwash setting on my washer. I have delicate and handwash.

Should I chance it or just handwash?

Some Hump Day Humor

2008-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

*Author's note, there is a bad word in this post.

I have had some funny things happen to me over the past couple of days. I always think that I should share them on my blog and after calling ~j to report funny situations, the idea is right. Post it.

I fell in love with Costco while visiting ~j. Thing is: Costco there is nice. It is flooded with young mothers, cute children, happy staff. Last year, New Mr. Tia and I got a membership when he was Soon To Be New Mr. Tia. I love the deals there. I love the fact that I can buy 50 one hundred calorie Kudos for less than ten bucks. I love that they send me coupons that I use.

My friend told me about another new warehouse to go to... No, not Sam's Club. I will actually be going as her guest tomorrow to check it out. She made the point that this place has benefits, like, self checkout which means open lines which, in turn, means no more lines of 20 people deep at the TWO cash registers that are open.

So yesterday, needing oxi clean and bottled water, I head to Costco. The thing about Costco here is that you can't just go there for one thing unless that one thing is so important you will spend more time waiting in line to pay for said thing for almost as long as it took you to get there. I got my stuff, plus a way cute shirt to add to my "trying to be transformed wardrobe". I head to the line and wait.

And wait.

I am almost to the front of the line and my cart is pulled by a nice man with a nice smile and a name tag... "Follow me...", he says. So I follow, and he gets all my items turned so he can scan the barcodes and send me on my way. While turning my items, an older gentleman jumps in the line...

OG: "I have been waiting for chicken for an hour." (right now, I am wishing I could mock the voice he spoke in)

Cashier: "Oh yeah?"

OG: "A whole hour. How come she can go ahead of me?"

Cashier: "She was waiting in line sir. Longer than you. You just can't jump in front of her in line."

OG: "But I have been waiting. An hour. For that chicken."

Cashier: "I understand sir, but rules are rules. It's called courtesy."

OG: "I bet if I had tits and a nice face, I would get special treatment too."

At this point, I have cashed out and gotten everything in my cart and I turn and say... (with a sympathetic look on my face)

"Oh... But I like your face."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lap dog buckled into a cart at Target. Nuff said... yet brings me to another story....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Driving to work one morning and see a vehicle in front of me with a plastic bag hanging out of the passenger side door. Just waving in the wind. I pull up to the car to alert the driver only to see her. Sitting there. Smoking a cigarette. And petting her cat. That is sitting on her lap as she is driving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not all of us here in Southwest Florida have the luxury that New Mr. Tia has. He works two blocks from our house. Frequently, he will come home unannounced for this, that and the other. The door to our home is a large one that is heavy and you have to push hard to shut.

This morning, while showering, I heard the door slam. I said, "Honey?" No answer. "Babe?" Nothing. Remembering that it is Wednesday and Wednesday is the day we call each other Sugar Bear... ok not really... I called his name once more and no answer.

Did I mention I watch way too many crime shows?

Thinking the worst, I hurry to get out of the shower and try to figure out what I have in the bathroom to defend myself against who might be stealing my tv.

Oh wait, the tv is still on.

And I live in Florida.

And they are covering the landing of space shuttle Atlantis right now.

And the "door slamming" I heard was actually what we call down here a sonic boom.

Phew.

I take it back.

2008-02-11T07:06:00.000-08:00

Man. Did you read my previous post? Yeah? Well, I rescind my apology.

I still like the Wal*Mart up north by my parents' house. BUT... Read on.

Our friends at Wal*Mart had a deal going that if you purchased more than a certain amount, upon approval, you could get 0% financing for so many months. New Mr. Tia likes to do that. He opens a finance account, and pays it off before the certain months are up.

So we get the tv home. New Mr. Tia starts measuring and figuring and leveling to get the tv just right on the wall.

Did you know that when you buy a flat panel tv, you also have to spend almost another hundred dollars on the wall mount? And lo and behold, we bought the ONLY tv that required a ridiculous size wall mount. The holes on a standard flat panel are so many inches apart, but we bought the tv that requires a wall mount for holes that are many more inches apart. So we go back to Wal*Mart.

Ugh.

Of course when you have a return they have that nice person at the door that greets you and gives you a pink sticker to indicate that it is a return. We of course cannot go to electronics to return said wall mount, but we have to go to the conventional return line that was seriously stretched to the other entrance of the store. I waited in line while New Mr. Tia went to electronics to see if they even had the wall mount we needed. When he came back, I still hadn't moved in line. There was only one cashier at the returns desk. We saw a faint glimmer of hope when another cashier came to her aid only to help about two, maybe three people and then return to her post of doing nothing but swinging keys and looking official.

We finally get to the sweet little lady that was so beaten down by the overwhelming amount of returns. She asks if we would just like a credit back to the account in which we used to purchase the item. We say sure. I love that now when you return something you don't have to pull out your credit card, they have it on record.

We go back to electronics. They don't have it. So we leave and New Mr. Tia says he is going to Home Depot to look for one. Nothing. Lowe's. Nothing. I get on Target.com and that's right. Nothing.

So we decide to give up for the night and assemble the tv on the stand and set it on the new chest we got.

Then we turned on the tv.

And we see a tiny green dot smack dab in the middle of the screen.

Next morning New Mr. Tia calls the company and they say a pixel is out and it is not covered under warranty unless a certain percentage of pixels are out. So guess what we did?

Head back to Wal*Mart. I decided to get a pedicure. Yes, Wal*Mart has pedicure people. Again, another dumb idea. I still have a nice scab from where my cuticle was yanked from my toe.

New Mr. Tia returned the tv and asked if he could just exchange it for a different tv. They told him it would be better to just return the tv and go back to electronics to get the new tv and do seperate transactions. Again, they just credited the account back.

We decided on a different tv with the standard wall mount measurements and the cost of the tv was cheaper and the quality of the product was better.

I was walking around looking at the new gps systems and accessories when I hear New Mr. Tia's voice. He doesn't deal well with bad situatins and poor customer service.

Upon approaching the cash register the girl says his account is not valid. You know when you apply for a store charge account, they give you a receipt with your account information for you to use until your physical card comes in the mail? And you can use that receipt over and over and if it expires before you get your card in the mail, you can give them some information, they can pull it up?

Not at Wal*Mart.

Supposedly, your receipt is only valid for 24 hours and we were passed the 24 hour period. They could not pull up the account information and said we had to wait until the card came in the mail. EVEN MANAGEMENT told us that.

As New Mr. Tia's face got more and more red, I asked the lady, "you have a $... sale in front of you and you're telling us that we can't get it on the deal you are offering us and we have to wait? That is ridiculous. I have never heard of a store doing such a thing."

So now what happened? I applied for the financing so we could get the tv and everyone was happy.

But now, I'm back to boycotting Wal*Mart. Starting tomorrow. I have to get a few things today and don't have time to go back to Target. And Target doesn't carry the things I need.

In other topics...

Anyone watch the Grammys? Or is it Grammies? Anyway, How do you feel about them turning the music on during Kanye West's acceptance speech? And they wouldn't turn it off until he said that it would be in good taste to turn off the music when he started talking about his recently departed mother? How could they think he wasn't going to say something about her?

a time to repent.

2008-01-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Not until I moved down here have I had such a deep loathing for Wal*Mart. Down here, the store is completely different. Matter of fact, every time I go back to my hometown and I visit the Wal*Mart there (because Target is too far away), I notice the difference. Believe it or not, there is a difference.

Up north, the cashiers are friendly. They converse with you. The lines are basically bare... EVEN at Christmas time. Down here, not so much. I dread the Wal*Mart down here. The cashiers are rude, the stores are messy and down right dirty. One time, I went to get some things and spent more time waiting in line than I did actually shopping. One of the items I purchased was a 6 pack of beer that I contemplated opening while in line.

Apparently, in the town I live in, there is an unwritten rule that if you consume a product while in the store, it is not considered stealing. Sure, I have opened a soda while at the store, but at least I still have the cashier scan the empty bottle. But really, folks, nothing makes me want to throw up more than when I'm looking at accessories for my bathroom and I come across an eaten apple core that is all brown and mushy sitting on the shelf next to the display of bath rugs. Ew.

I have made a silent resolution to not shop at Wal* Mart anymore. The kicker is, if I drive on the right road, I can find 3 Wal*Marts within MILES of each other. And they are all the same. I have come to peace with the fact that I am willing to spend the extra dollar and drive the extra miles to go to Target where the store is clean, the quality of the product is better, and well, they have a Starbucks.

Sunday, I thought would be a quiet day at home. New Mr. Tia was sick with some bug that he is convinced his mother passed to him via the telephone. I was tidying up the house and putting off vacuuming until he woke up. He asked what we were going to do and I told him I thought he could use the rest so I didn't want to plan anything. He decided to act on my recent nagging of rearranging our bedroom. Yes, I just admitted that I nagged my husband. You see, we have a television in our bedroom. It sits against the side wall on his side of the bed. Since New Mr. Tia usually falls asleep before I do... and he snores, I like to watch tv to fall asleep. However, when he rolls over, I can't see the tv. I can't really bring myself to push him over. Because when he rolls over, he usually stops snoring. Can you feel my double edged sword? I just think we should move the tv to a more neutral place where we can both see it equally.

Rearranging the room should be cake right? And cheap, right?

Have you ever met New Mr. Tia?

We spent our Sunday afternoon driving from store to store to store looking for a lingerie type dresser/chest to match our bedroom furniture since our bedroom furniture is discontinued. We also were out pricing flat panel tvs that we could hang on the wall. All I wanted was to move a few things in the room. Our tv is fine. But now, different plans have been made.

After visiting Best Buy, Target, Costco, and a few other stores, we didn't have any luck. Afterall, we were just pricing things. Not buying them. We were pleased that all we spent was money to fill up on gas.

Then yesterday, I got the text message... "Wal*Mart has a 26" flat panel with a built in dvd player for $..."

So we went. I could feel my shoulders tensing as we walked in the store. As we made our way towards electronics to look at the merchandise, we passed the furniture. And guess what we found? For a good price. And it was good quality. Real wood. Not laminate.

We both were in awe that we found what we were looking for and more for a cheaper price and a better financing deal at this place. We wasted our Sunday afternoon looking for something that was right in our backyard the entire time.

Sorry, Wal*Mart.

(side note: while we were looking at the tvs, I heard the loud speaker... "attention Wal*Mart shoppers, registers 23 and 25 are now open with NO LINES. I couldn't believe it myself)

This is a tribute of sorts

2008-01-10T05:10:00.000-08:00

When I first moved here, I had a really hard time. It's almost been 18 months and I still am having a hard time, but that's a different post for a different time. I was going through a song and dance with the state to get my massage therapy license so in the mean time, I waited tables and bartended at a restaurant.

I remember it well, it was my second week of work and my last table of the night. Two girls walked in and sat in my section. They were so sweet. Bright smiles and contagious laughs. After I served their dinners to them I remember saying, "Thanks for being so friendly. You girls have really made my day. As a matter of fact, you are really making me miss my sister." I said this because as I watched their interactions, it reminded me of me and my sister. I told them that my sister was due in a few weeks with a baby and I wanted to be with her badly. It was nice to see them and talk to them because I was still fresh to the area and really, wasn't sure what I was doing here. They made me feel better.

Fast forward a year. Again, my second week of work, but at my new salon and spa. When I don't have any clients, I walk around the salon and nail room and talk to clients and offer complimentary neck and shoulder massages while they wait for their colors to process and their nails to dry.

That's when I saw her.

The girl from the year before that was in my restaurant with her sister. She didn't remember me at first. I approached her and offered her neck and shoulders some lovin'. And again, she had the big smile and the contagious laugh as she talked to her nail tech. Then she started asking me about myself. I told her we'd met before. When I jogged her memory a bit, she remembered. It was a joyous reunion.

Since then, this girl has become a regular client of mine. She and I know each other. I know her husband's name. I know about her childhood. I know how much family means to her. She has said on more than one occasion that her family is her rock.

I think this is where she and I connect so well. I LOVE my family. I miss my family. I talk to my sister several times a week. She and I have conversations that I guess only sisters can understand. We laugh and we cry together. I'd talk to my brother probably about the same amount of time, but he's very busy and will be for the next two and a half years or so. To have siblings like I have, is the best gift ever. They are my support and my rocks. Their spouses and their children are just as wonderful. I'm such a nerd, I have tears welling up as I type this.

My parents are the best. Not only do I have a great mom and a great dad, my mom remarried to a wonderful man who loves me and my siblings as if we were his own. We are so fortunate to have a "bonus dad" like him. I'm grateful for my parents everyday.

Words cannot describe the love I have for my family. I miss them all the time and especially as of late.

If only every kid could be as lucky as me.

Say You Want a Resolution Well You Know...

2008-01-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Everyone! How was your holiday season? Good? Good.

New Mr. Tia and I went to our hometown in Western New York and spent time with both families. It was joyous. Hardly stressful. We flew out of an airport about 3 hours away from where we live because a) we saved almost $300-$400 by flying out of there b) I have family there so we didn't have to pay for parking or a hotel and c) it was a direct flight. We came home on New Year's Eve and spent the Eve with my aunt, uncle and their two girls.

My aunt kept asking what my resolution for 2008 was. I'm not one that is big on resolutions. I used to write pages after pages of things I would do differently for the new year and of course, I never followed through. A lot of times, I never set realistic goals for myself, hence the failed follow through. I have, however thought of some things that I can do this year that I can achieve.

Drink more water. Water is so good for me and sometimes I don't feel that I am drinking enough of it. I do notice a difference when I drink more of it.
Focus on my new career. I just started a new job and I love it. I get frustrated at times and I have realized that my frustrations don't help matters. My new philosophy is "Tomorrow is a new day".
Self Preservation. Early to bed, early to rise. Just returning from a week away, I have gotten into the habit of sleeping in and staying up late. Having healthy sleeping habits can help me to be more alert to get through my work day.
Along with the preservation, I am also going to focus on my self confidence. I have been struggling with this since I have moved here. My best friend finally told me that I cannot expect others to perceive me as confident until I am in fact, confident. I have had a hard time at my new job with that. I went in yesterday with a new attitude and I am hoping my project works. One day down and it has.
Follow through on things. Everytime I go out of town, I get this bug in my butt to get home and get on the stick. I want to reorganize, clean out the closet, clean clean clean... you get the idea. Thanks to my parents, I got a brand spanking new dated organizer complete with a task master that I can use to help me get this stuff done.
Spend more time with my iPod and my digital camera. They deserve more lovin'.
And of course...
BLOG MORE. I know I have talked about this before, but I really am going to try. We'll see how it goes.
I wish you all a wonderful 2008.

*side note: See that big space in between the title and the beginning of the post? That happens whenever I start a post and save it to finish later. How can I stop that?

Better than me

2007-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I have done a lot of jobs in my past. Anything you put in front of me, I'll try it.

After my long struggle of becoming an LMT here and finally finding a job, I only work part time at my new spa. So to make up for some lost time, I have been bartending a couple nights a week. I used to bar tend for a corporate restaurant but then have moved to a new place that opened up and the money to be made has been, well, quite phenomenal to say the least.

Let me tell you about new place. It is a wine bar. And a cigar bar. There are leather sofas and chairs for our guests to sit and enjoy their cigars and cocktails and on the weekends we have live jazz and blues. On one end of the bar, there is a walk in humidor with every kind of cigar you can imagine and on the other side, there is a liquor store.

There are two sides to the bar. One is for the public and the other side is for members. You have a thumbprint identifier to let you in to the "Members Only" area. You get many benefits for being a member... 10% off purchases, access to the conference room, a free cigar and bottle of wine a month... and depending on the level of membership, the more benefits you have. But mainly what does your membership get you? Status. "Hey lady, wanna come join me for a cocktail? I am VIP at this club down the street. That's right, I said VIP. I have money."

These members love their liquor and they love to drop their money like no body's business. It is actually quite sickening. I guess that is because I'm from a place that drinks cost a quarter of what they cost in these parts and well, I most of the time got them for free anyway. Bartenders of a feather flock together.

I have been nominated by my colleagues to be the member 'tender. Most members like me. Others don't get my sense of humor. I'm ok with that. I have been known to make almost $200 in tips off of only TWO PEOPLE.

I have now asked to be taken off the member bar for only a couple days. That's all I want. I need a TV timeout. I'm surprised I haven't lost my job yet. If any of you reading know anything about me, you know that I am not one to be talked down to without having something to say back.

Let me set the scene for you...

*about a year ago when I was waiting tables, I waited on some gentlemen that worked for one of the largest car dealerships down here. They tried recruiting me to come to their place and sell cars. I ran into one of the people a few weeks ago while bartending a private party in someones home. I didn't know at that time how he looked familiar and just thought I knew him from the wine bar. Until he came in wearing the dealership's t shirt, did I then put it all together. Read on.

Me: Now I know how you look familiar to me. I served you and some of your colleagues last year at SB.

Him: And we tried to get you to come sell cars with us.

Me: That's right!

Him: If I remember correctly, you had a lot going on then, you were getting married... (he goes on and on)

Me: Yep!

(interrupted by friend of man... aka: I'm With The Guy With The Membership)

IWTGWTM: Wait, let me get this straight... you met her LAST YEAR when she was waiting tables at SB.

Him: Yes.

IWTGWTM: And you tried to get her to come sell cars with you.

Him: Uh-huh.

IWTGWTM: And now here you are, a year later, in another bar, realizing how you met in the first place.

Him: That's right.

IWTGWTM: Well, I can certainly say that I'm glad that in that last year having a job offer fall in her lap like that, she has really moved on to bigger and better things. Way to reach for the stars.

Now, the member that I knew from back when was offended as was I. I looked at him and said:

With the economy being the way it is right now, I am probably making more money bartending than selling cars. And I like to make my money honestly, not by lying through my teeth to sell all the bells and whistles.

You know, some people. Then, my favorite:

Member: Miss? (finger snap) Miss?

Me: You know my name, you can call me by my name.

Member: Oh, well, I prefer to call all who serve me Miss.

Me: Oh? Really? I didn't know we could do that. If that's the case, I prefer to call all who I serve Douchebag. So, what'll it be Douche?

Now, this kid has been up my butt the last few times I have worked. The best part is: I think his parents bought his membership or he saved his allowance. He is younger than me and is the worst of them all. When it's time to close his tab, he always says, "Give yourself 20%". Yessir. I'll be right on that. Thanks for nothing. Douche.

Moral of this post folks, please don't think you are better than anyone else. Treat your servers with respect. They work hard for their money.

Handle With Care

2007-10-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

First of all HAPPY HALLOWEEN and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NEW MR. TIA.

I had a great weekend. Wanna know what I did? I'll tell ya.

My aunt and uncle live 3 hours north of here in beautiful Orlando. They went out of town... actually, they went out of country for a few days, leaving their 8 & 10 year old daughters in my care. The best part was that my parents were also vacationing up there at the same time so I got to hang out with them. We had a great time. My mom went to my cousin's little league game and joined us for lunch and my bonus dad sent treats for the girls while he stayed back to study hard for an exam he had to take.

Have I ever told you about some of my baby/house sitting stories? I have a few. Like the time I was 19 and watched a set of 7 year old triplets for 18 days while their parents went to Hawaii. And then I also took on house sitting as a side gig before moving down here. There was about a month a few springs ago when I wasn't home. I went from one house to the next watching animals and houses while the owners went on their vacations.

Each time I did these jobs, I had special instructions from each parent. Example: "Every Sunday, I get the dogs cheeseburgers from McDonalds" ... "This dog has to go out before this dog. If Said dog goes out at the same time as the other dog, well, they won't go to the bathroom, they'll just sniff each other's butts" ... "I set out all the clothes for the kids (that's right, 18 outfits... multiplied by 3, well, 54 outfits) with the days I want them to wear them." That last one was really tough. I started to panic when Valentine's day was a snow day and the kids had to wear their Valentine's Day outfits on the 15th.

I'm glad to say that this job was easy. My cousins were great for me. No special instructions. Just the basics: Feed them, get them to school on time, minimal tv watching, get them to bed on time and help them with their homework. Easy enough.

I too, have learned a thing of two about my jobs for myself. Here's one of them.

Be prepared because you never know. I have always had the attitude, "Nobody knows me, I don't care what I look like right now because I am not from here, therefore, I will never see these people again." What do I mean by this? Example: It used to drive New Mr. Tia bananas when I would run to the grocery store in my flaming bright pajama bottoms and ratty t shirt. What do I care? I don't know anyone, right?

In my adventure, I had to leave the house at 7:30 am to get the girls to school on time. Dropping them off, you don't get out of the car. Their teachers come to get them. So what do I do? Naturally, I didn't do my hair, threw on my tank top and gauchos and headed out the door. We pulled into the school behind a Cadillac Escalade. When we came to the drop off stop, the girls gave me their hugs good bye and the driver of the Escalade got out to hug his children and send them on their way. Driver then turned smiled and waved at me. Who was this person? Only Johnny Damon. I wanted to get out and ask him for an autograph, but the girls were embarrassed by my ensemble. I also decided against it since his former team had just won the World Series in a 4 game sweep the night before.

It has been a great story to tell since I have been back. The next morning I got up to get ready to take the girls and looked presentable in case Johnny and I (because I'm on a first name basis with him) had another encounter. I also had my Sharpie and paper. And camera. Only this time I was also hoping to catch Joey Fatone. Much to my dismay, it didn't happen.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Try and try as I might.

2007-09-28T07:51:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying this blog thing and made numerous attempts many times to stay at it. Things happen to me that make me think, "this would be a cool post". Then I sit at the computer and it's almost like my brain quits on me.

Now, I figure this: My sister, recently revealing she is expecting numero seis can manage to maintain her blog. My brother, attending law school and his wife, attending to their two beautiful, very active children, can manage to maintain their blog. Why the eff can't I?

Things here in Lehigh Acres (LA, as I like to call it) have been crazy. I recently quit my job that I have had for over a year and have taken 2 new positions: LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) and CM (Certified Mixologist) at an upper scale, less corporate than my current job, watering hole. New Mr. Tia is still working hard in the furniture industry and we are both working hard so we can start saving money to build a newer, bigger house. It is amazing that our 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bathroom home is too small for us. We just have a lot of crap. But it's all important crap, mind you.

We also just returned from our honeymoon a few weeks ago. We boarded the Carnival Valor and set sail for Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We had a fabulous time and between his blackjacking and my bingo playing abilities, we won $1000. I bet you didn't know there was a method to playing bingo, huh?

I know in my last post that I mentioned that I was going to talk about the no Gatorade in my house. Well, that post was a while ago and we still have not had Gatorade in the house. For those that don't know, New Mr. Tia LOVES his Gatorade. I used to buy 3 gallons at a time and that would MAYBE last a week and a half. He has recently developed some body issues and health issues, resulting in him cutting out Gatorade after reading the nutrition label. I'm very proud of him because if he had the option of having an IV of the stuff hooked up, he'd do it. Next step, quitting smoking. I think he's ready. If he's ready and can do it, so can I. We are going to do it together. Then I can spend less time sitting outside by my pool and more time in front of my computer, honing my blogging skills.

Time for me to go now, but I just wanted to create a new post in a third attempt to maintain my blog. Thanks for your patience.

2007-07-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I passed!!

Have you ever taken a test and come out of it KNOWING you failed? Or, have you ever come out of a test KNOWING that you kicked butt? Yeah... I came out knowing that I did horribly and found out shortly after that I didn't do as bad as I thought. They're sending the official score in the mail. I think I like it better just knowing if I passed or failed. But hey, I passed.

So now I just wait to see if the Department of Health will approve my license application and everything will be good.

*coming soon... we haven't had gatorade in our home for almost 2 whole weeks!!!

i'm so excited. i'm so excited. i'm so... so... so scared.

2007-07-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

So I have to take this test today. And I am scared. It will be THE LONGEST 3 hours of my life, thus far. If it was a practical test, I know I would kick butt. However, I'm not so lucky. It's a computer test and the one good thing is that I find out if i pass right there when I'm done.

I'll keep you posted on how I do.

Well, they said you had a big appetite, but BOTH feet in your mouth at ONCE?

2007-07-20T04:30:00.001-07:00

Some people.

I am trying to get my license to practice my field in the state of Florida. It has been a headache. But I am glad to say that now I have all my requirements done and I am just sitting and waiting.

New Mr. Tia and I were talking about me going back to school. I mentioned that I'd like to go back and get trained in another field... you know, add to my repertoire. Well, after going to take a couple classes that were required for my license I realized I wasn't ready to go back to school.

Ever go to a trade like school? Where you have class Monday through Friday? 5 to 6 hours a day? With... the... same... people. Every. Day. Some people are great. And then other people you cannot stand and you focus all your energy trying to get away from them.

Being in this class I watched alot of the students and related alot of them to my classmates that I graduated with just a year ago this weekend. I had the fortune of sitting next to a nice lady with a warm smile. She was older, had graying hair and a fanny pack.

During these classes, frequently we get breaks. Being in these classes can be very monotonous and trying on someone's patience. During break, nice lady and I had a conversation like this:

Lady: This is effing ridiculous. I feel like I'm in effing detention. Tomorrow is going to be an effing cluster-eff... (turning to face me and seeing fear on my face...) Sorry, I had a bad night at work last night and I'm just effing frustrated. (She mentioned her bad night at work about 5 times.)

Tia: Hey it's cool. You know, everyone has their days. Bad night at work? Are you a trucker? (I understand her feeling like she's in detention. A lot of time is a wasted.)

Lady: So why are you here?

Tia: I have to take care of a class before I get licensed. I went to school up north and they say I have to do a few more things before I can practice. That's amazing that you said the eff word as many times as you did in that short amount of time.

Lady: How many hours have you trained?

Tia: By the time all is said and done, I'll have over 1400 hours. (side note: That's alot of hours. the average amount required by a state is about 600)

This is where it gets good.

Lady: Wow. That's alot. There's a thing over there.... (her voice drifts off as she walks me over to a chart of sorts that had every state listed with the hours they require)... North Carolina... so and so many hours... California... Holy Eff! That's a lot of hours!... ... UTAH... Utah... (turns to look at me) WHO. THE. EFF. WANTS. TO. GO. TO. UTAH. ANYWAY? You think those Effing Mormons really want massages anyway? Who would want to massage those effing Mormons?

*This is where I start to get annoyed. I had to think quickly. Do I tell her I'm Mormon just not active? No. That's none of her business. However. She made me uncomfortable this whole time by being in my face, having offensive breath and saying the eff word on a consistent basis. AND she is one of those people that asks you a question but they don't really care to hear the answer because they are so concerned about hearing their own voice to boot. So, there was no place else to sit in the classroom, and now it was my turn to make her a little uncomfortable.

Tia: Actually, we LOVE massages. And when I GO to UTAH to visit my brother and sister, I like to rub their shoulders. And when my brother from Utah came to visit me up north, I gave him a massage and also, his wife. The one he married in a Mormon temple. And my mom... my Mormon mom. She loves massage. She was always hounding me for one while I was in school. My sister... in Utah... works at a spa where they offer massage. There's actually Massage Schools IN UTAH. And the guys that wrote the review book for that National Board you have to take to get your license? Yeah. Guess what? Mormon.

The whole time I'm talking to lady like this I am right in her face. Making sure she can't cut me off or walk away. Looking her right in the eye. There were a few hours left in the class and she had to sit next to me knowing that she had upset me. Tee hee.

Lady: Well, they're ok I guess.

That's all she had. They're ok I guess. Good come back lady. Nice fanny pack.

Let me try this again

2007-07-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Most of you have probably given up on me because I haven't been up on my blogging. There are a few reasons. a) I got married and that was a busy time. b) I can't think of things to blog about and when I do think of things, I always get nervous that people will be offended. c) When I do think of things to blog about, I can never word the blogs correctly so you may enjoy them. As I have mentioned before, I am ~j's little sister (I'd have a link to her blog here but I don't know how to do that and those of you that are visiting my blog, most likely got here from being on her blog). Anyway, I am ~j's little sister and she has an awesome blog. She is creative and always has great topics to write about and when I read her posts, it's as if I can actually hear her telling a story. Me? Not so much. Sometimes I don't feel as though I am blog material. Believe it or not, I have written a lot more posts, but I always delete them. What is this? Blog fright? Fear? Am I still 7 years old wanting to be like my big sister?

Anyway, I will try to be more dillegent about blogging because quite frequently things happen that I would love to share with people. Like this:

Last night, I dragged the New Mr. Tia to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy trivets. We thought we would just pick up a few things for the house. Well, sometimes a husband can be like a child. Case in point: I mention I want a spice rack. (Not right now, but maybe for Christmas or perhaps when we buy a new house) He starts laughing hysterically at the display pointing at the jar marked "Dill Weed".

Then we looked for an ice cube bucket for the freezer. We couldn't find one anywhere. That store can be sensory overload sometimes. I looked high and I looked low. And then as I looked, I walked toward my husband. I lightly stroked his arm and said, "Looks like they don't sell them here... Oh, you're not my husband."

And that's my story.

And here's a question for discussion: The color Aqua- is it predominately blue or green? I mean, I know it's blue-green but would you say it's more blue or more green?

are we there yet?

2007-05-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Folks, I'm getting married in 39 days. That's right. 39. All the hard work I've been putting in over the last 9 months is finally all coming together. I'm not nervous. I'm not scared. I don't have anxiety. I'm excited. I can't wait. I. Can't. Wait.

I also can't sleep. This is killing me. I have been having the hardest time sleeping. I'll exhaust myself during the day to try to get to sleep at night and I usually crash between 11-11:30. But it doesn't last long. I'm awakened by nightmares of the wedding. I guess I shouldn't say nightmares. More or less they're dreams of possible things that could go wrong. Last night's dream was that I was walking around telling everyone I was getting married tomorrow when inactuality, it was still a week away. So everyone was getting ready for my wedding that I was a week early for.

I've had dreams that I didn't get alterations done on my dress on time, so I was wearing a mini skirt and a jean jacket for Sean at the altar. Because, you know, a mini skirt and jean jacket closely resemble a Michaelangelo wedding gown.

Then there was the one where nobody showed up because I forgot to send the invitations.

These are all things that I have done. Things that won't happen. My gown is being altered right now. The invitations were sent and the reponses are coming in. And I'm well aware of my wedding date. But these dreams won't stop. And the sleeplessness won't either.

It doesn't help when I hardly get any sleep, and I do things all day... (because that's the other thing that keeps me up... planning on what planning to get done the next day). I also have a job, people. And I am exhausted by the time I get there.

I'm hoping that I am able to get sleep the night before this wedding. I'm also hoping that this will get better after everything is said and done. Although the driving thought that will keep me up then will be... "you need to send out thank yous NOW."

Anybody feel me?

needing inspiration

2007-04-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you suffer from the same thing I do... enlighten me.

I have to clean my house. I have clutter to get rid of. I have mounds of paper to shred. Dirty floors to be swept and mopped and vaccuumed... (dirty in MY eyes. Not so much in S's) Countertops that need to be 409'd... (not because they're sticky or messy, but because I'm slightly OCD about that). Laundry that needs to be washed. You get the jist.

But I don't want to. I don't get the bug to start doing such chores until about an hour before leaving for work and then EVERYDAY on my drive to work I chant in my head, "Tomorrow I will get up, and pick up the clutter. I will sort through the papers I don't need and organize my bills. I will do all the laundry so I'm not waiting til the last minute to have that clean cute outfit."

Instead, I get up, read the paper online, have my coffee, check my email... I procrastinate. I have 2 days off now and want to want to want to so bad get these things done. But it's not fun.

Please don't get me wrong, we are not slobs. I, for one, like my beeg seester, am a recovering pack rat. It's a disease that haunts many. Do I really need my pay stubs from my first job in 1996? Probably not. And what about those pants that just might make a comeback next season? I should just probably get a new pair when they do.

There are so many things I want to get done. But I'd rather, oh, I don't know, check my email numerous times a day just to verify how unpopular I am. Check my myspace for the same reasons.

I'm going to try to get started. Just blogging about it has motivated me a little.

...but I have to check my email first.

Enter-what?

2007-03-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, I had a man friend. He traveled 6 months out of the year for work. It just so happened that his birthday fell into those 6 months. So, I decide I want to go surprise him. I found a cheap ticket, I got his business partners involved on the surprise and I even had a corporate discount for a rental car company. I was set.

After confirming all my arrangements, I called the rental car company to make sure they were going to be there to, as they say in their ads "and we'll pick you up".

tia: "I see that your office closes at 9:00pm. My flight gets in at 8:50. I know that's cutting it close. Will I still be able to get my car?"

operator: "Oh yeah. We'll make a note in your file and we'll get you taken care of."

tia: "Great"

So I arrive. And I go to the rental shuttle service. No pick up. I call the office. No answer. I call the 800 number and get "That office is closed. I don't know what else you want me to do. It reopens at 6am."

So I decide to take a shuttle to another company and get the cheapest car I could find. When I initially was going to spend $50 on a rental for 2 days, I ended up spending 250 and some odd dollars.

I called the rental company the next day and they wouldn't do anything. Long story short- I ended up getting my money refunded to me in the end. After all was said and done, bad taste in the mouth of that company.

One week after moving to Lehigh Acres (I call it LA), I was in a car accident. A 4 car accident. Much damage was done to the ol' Focus o' mine. The accident happened on the same day S and I were to leave for vacation to Ocean City, MD. You see, rain in the south, is like ice in the north. There's no irrigation therefore, the rain ain't got nowhere to go. Hydroplaning is a big problem. I learned that the hard way. That, and Florida driver's are much to be desired.

So my insurance company covers rental cars up to $30 a day. Seeing that I needed one, I find out that my insurance company has a deal with the same company as my aforementioned tale. Great.

Here I am. Just in a car accident in a new place, not sure about myself and my move to begin with and then this happens now leaving me with the doubt of myself as a driver. I didn't even want to get into a car let alone drive one.

I drop my car off at the auto body shop and the man was kind enough to call the company because as they state in their ads "they'll pick you up". They did pick me up. So that made me feel better.

I arrive at the office and meet with SB. That's what we'll call him. He's the manager and he seemed very kind... at first. Our convo:

SB: "Would you like to take out the Collision Damage Waiver for $14.99 a day?"

tia: "I have renter's insurance on my policy so that should cover it. No thank you."

SB: "Well, most people in your situation would think so. However, should something happen... something as little as a grocery cart dinging it in the parking lot of a store , that will be another claim on your insurance within 30 days and your insurance will drop you."

Good scare tactic huh? It worked. I was scared.

I didn't think my car was going to be in repair for 16 days bringing my total for the collision damage blah blah blah to $240+.

Oh yeah, did I mention that S didn't know about it and when he found out he flipped his lid? Yeah... so he calls my claims adjuster and tells him what happened and my claims adjuster said that was a buncha crap.

So here we go, back to the rental office to talk to SB. And he says, there's nothing he can do about it. Everything was said and done. After some banter, he says, he'll refund half of the money "so everyone walks away happy." And then he says, "After all, we're all adults here and can make our own decisions." At that point S thought I was going to leap across the counter and use SB's necktie as a lethal weapon.

The end result after making phone calls and such, I got 100% of the collision blah blah fees back.

So last night, I am working and this guy comes to the bar and he looks ragged. Typical case of the Mondays. His buddies showed up and he starts to loosen up a little bit. As I'm clearing dishes from his place at the bar, I see he had torn the cocktail napkins into little pieces all over the bartop. He says, "Sorry. I made a mess." I said, "It's ok. Tomorrow, I'm going to go to your office tomorrow with all the pieces from my paper shredder and sprinkle them all over the place." He says, "Go right on ahead." Then I asked him where he worked......

.... you'll never believe it. Not only the company but the same office. He said SB might be coming into the bar actually. We discussed SB and the other associates involved in my situation. I shared my other story with him too. Then I told him that I was getting married out of town and have lots of friends and family that will be renting cars, but not from his company.

But then after he apologized, he asked if there was anything he could do for me. I mentioned the chance of redemption was in April when I have to go back to Jamestown for my bridal shower and my sister will be flying in too. A rental car sure would help.

He'll be getting back to me later today with a confirmation number.

I'm back baby

2007-03-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Looks like I'm back! I can post again! I don't know how I did it but I am signed into blogger and we'll see how this goes.

Lots has happened since I last posted. The main thing is that my wedding date is creeping up on me like no other. 78 days and I'll be "Mrs. Hags." Hags is Sean's nickname and therefore, I'll be the Mrs.

I am so tired of hearing "the secret to a good marriage is..." The best part is is that the "advice" is coming from mainly people who are in the midst of a seperation or are divorced. Obviously, you know what the secret is because it was so successful for you, right?

That's all I have for now. I'll be back later to blog when I have a good idea for a post. Suggestions are welcome.

live from the request line

2006-12-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

since i've moved into the blog world, i've thought about lots of things to blog about. to answer some requests from my first post:

la yen- i'll have to think of some good stories before i just spew them out... my 2 balls... they ain't workin' right. did you ever hear that one?

cw- i'm ~j's younger sister and tito's older sister. i live in florida and have been here for 4 months almost. it's an adjustment to say the least. i could write for days about the experiences i've gone through down here. i'm a massage therapist, just not licensed for florida. i'm trying to earn my keep so i can get licensed. i love ~j's & tito's children with all my heart and try to spoil them royally. i'm getting married in june and i'm marrying the reason i moved to florida in the first place. i like to write poems for ~j & tito for birthdays and holidays. i haven't done that for a while. that's it for now, i guess. stay tuned...

la yen- right now all i can think of for horrible things is that one christmas, tito got a guitar from santa and within minutes of opening it, he nailed me in the face with it. jerry took it away. and one year ~j got a cabbage patch koosa and i asked if i could play with it. she let me. then she said "now you've done it. now that you've played with my koosa, you'll have to touch it everyday for the rest of your life or you'll die". i freaked when she would take it with her to sleepovers at her friends' houses. looking back now, ~j and tito weren't too horrible to me. i love them so much and i'm so lucky to have siblings like them.

stay tuned...

jack of all

2006-12-16T05:50:00.000-08:00

i work a lot. ~j and tito will tell you that. what i love about them is that they say that i can do any type of job and be good at it.

i have worked since i was 15 and i have worked in all areas of customer service. customer service, if you will, is my forte. i started waiting tables the summer i graduated from high school. i worked at this old victorian hotel with no air conditioning and had to wear the the most hideous, uncomfortable cookie cutter maid's uniform. that's where i learned the basics of serving.

since then, i have served (that's the pc term... no longer do we call it waiting) in many different restaurants, bars, things of the like. although i have graduated from school and have a degree, i am having difficulties getting licensed in my profession here in the lovely state of florida. so i am back to serving. the only difference is now i'm a corporate server. that's a first. i have been with this company for 3 months and they have already offered me a position as a five star certified trainer. lots of people don't get the opportunity for that until after a year or so with the company.

last tuesday, i went to a trainer meeting and decided to finish christmas shopping afterward. my mom was also christmas shopping all day, but she was 1300 miles away in erie. she called to tell me about her experience at the outback steakhouse... in case you didn't know, she loves that place. she had been out all day and decided to treat herself to a delicious meal. she went in with the mindset of "it's the holidays. i'm going to take care of my server and make her day." she had the most horrible service. the server did not introduce herself, did not take the time to talk to my mom, basically "plopped" her food in front of her and pretty much dropped her change in front of her without saying good bye.

mom's bill was 20 and some change. regardless of her experience, she still tipped the server 100% of the bill and said "merry christmas" as she left. however, my mom didn't inform management of the service she received.

after hanging up the phone, i called the outback in erie. this is how the conversation went:

mgr: "how can i help you?"

tia: "i felt it was necessary to inform you of an experience in your restaurant today... (i proceeded to tell him the aforementioned details)... now, i don't know the server's name, because as i said, she didn't introduce herself. but i just want her to know that she only got a 100% tip because it's the holidays and not because of her exemplar service. i don't know how many servers got a 100% tip within the last 45 minutes, but maybe you can use that to figure out who it was. also, i am a server and have been for 8 years. i now am a trainer for a corporation and would be mortified if i learned that one of my trainees or servers treated a guest like that."

mgr: "can i have contact information for your mom?"

and the rest is history. i wasn't trying to be a jerk or sound like a parent calling a teacher about a class bully, but i just wanted the server to know that she's not going to get 100% tips for that type of service. it's just because my mom was feeling generous and knows what it's like to work for tips.

if it were me that went through that experience, and if i ever go through that experience, i've decided that i'm going to tell the server "i came in here with the plan to tip you well. you treated me like crap. so now, i'm giving your tip to the busser."

i shared this story with some people at work and they looked at me like i was the biggest b*&!h in all of lee county. i shared this stary with my sister and my best friends and they said, "good for you". what do you think?

mmmmmmkkkk let's see how this goes.

2006-12-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

so, my sister and many of her other friends in blog land have mentioned that i should start a blog. i go through many expreiences in life and after sharing them with ~j and ~j sharing them with others, it's been concluded that i should just put them out there for all to hear.

if anyone has any good stories for me to start with, let me know.

tia out.