>Under penalty of law, tag is not to be removed except by the consumer.

>Well hell’s bells.

I lost my conversation buddy for the evening (Naiah’s laptop battery tanked), my husband is asleep, but dogs have followed suit, and I am anything but sleepy. Bollocks.

I suppose I could update my pissed off list. That was kinda fun. Until I can think of some more worthwhile shit to do, I’m afraid this is it. Abandon ship, if you can.

15. Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”. The woman is 36 for Chrissakes.

16. Volvos. Or “Volvi”. In my experience, people who drive “Volvi” don’t really know how to drive.

16. Pottery Barn. Overpriced pretentious bullshit furniture with no soul.

17. Political discussions. No good ever comes from them, no one ever leaves them with a warm, contented feeling, and no one ever agrees, so just read The Onion or the Drudge Report and be done with it there.

18. I might be crucified for saying this, but Starbucks. And I live in Seattle. It’s just coffee, people. Haven’t you heard of hypertension? Starbucks now has over six thousand retail stores in the United States and more than ten thousand worldwide. Coffee can contribute to anxiety and panic disorders, increases the risk of miscarriages and carpal tunnel syndrome. Of course, if you think about it, most everything is bad for you, so I suppose I don’t hate coffee per se, but dammit I do hate Starbucks.

19. How many fucking different flavors of soda do we need? Coke, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Lime Coke, Dr. Pepper, Vanilla Dr Pepper, Vanilla Cherry Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Pepsi Twist, Cherry Vanilla coke, Pepsi Lime, Sprite, Diet Sprite, Sprite Remix, Diet Coke, Diet Cherry coke, Diet Vanilla Coke, Diet Lime Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Vanilla Dr Pepper, Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr. Pepper, Diet Pepsi, Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, Diet Pepsi Twist, Diet Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Pepsi Lime…So I’m just waiting for Diet-Cherry-Vanilla-Lime-Avocado-Porterhouse-Graham-Cracker-Grapefruit-Coke. I think it’d be a hit.

20. Self-help books. If you are able to help yourself you don’t need a fucking book.

21. Spell-checkers. No child born after 1985 knows how to spell thanks to this bullshit technological marvel, and for adults who use it, they should go cold turkey and take their licks for being a bunch of lazy shits who won’t edit their own writing.

22. Stupid-ass cell-phone ring tones. Just a ring, that’s all you need. Why do we need a digitalized version of Nelly to alert us that our phone is ringing? Bloody stupid idea.

23. People who pronounce “often” “offen”, “library” “libary”, and “fifth” “fiff”. I don’t really feel I need to elaborate on this point.

24. People who still write checks at the grocery store. They should just wear a name tag that says, “Hi. My name is _______, and I am floating this check”. Ahem.

25. Carpeted stairs. They are a bitch to vacuum.

Okay, I’m 86-ing myself at 25.
Don’t want to elevate my “Pseudo-Bitch” status to “Full-on-no-holds-barred Bitch”.

Voulez-voulez-vous Bitch.

>Not today.

>
I planned on one of my usual random blogs today, but in light of events in Louisiana it just felt inappropriate when so many are experiencing the pain of loss and destruction due to Katrina. I pray for those in her path and for limited damage to a beautiful and historic city. When my family and I lived in Houston, we often took trips to Louisiana to visit the dozens of beuatiful plantation homes…it would be a true loss to the history of our country if these landmarks are felled by Katrina. May those in her path stay safe and well.

>In case of emergency, your seat may be used as a flotation device.

>My husband is watching Survivor. Which is fine, but it is a re-run. He is watching re-runs of a contest-reality-show. He is watching re-runs of a contest-reality-show of which he already knows the outcome. If you notice my previous post, reality shows are #11 on my list of what pisses me off. What makes these people so goddamned special? My reality is a hell of a lot more interesting. If you want to see a reality show, go sit in a restaurant, or a park, and people-watch for an hour. People being people and having discussions when they don’t know anyone is listening…THAT’S entertainment. That’s one thing I like about my job. It is full of people-watching. Reaching around a guest to pour champagne or clear a course…that’s when you get to hear some interesting shit. What’s so hilarious about it is that 20% of the time people at the table are talking shit about people at other tables.

“Oh my God; can you believe how she’s dressed?”

“I think the one on the left is gay…yep, definitely…he’s drinking a mimosa.”

“SHE doesn’t need a dessert menu; she needs a treadmill…”

“Those have GOT to be fake…”

In case you haven’t noticed my excessive use of feminine pronouns above, it is usually women I hear this from. I classify myself as the biggest traitor to female gender. There’s nothing funnier than 5 or 6 women at one of my tables having a “girls day out”, trying to out-do one another with their Tiffany collection and seeing who can eat the least.

“Oh! I can’t possibly finish this…”

“I know, I’ve had two whole bites! Ugh; I’m so full!”

“See what my husband bought me for my birthday? I picked it out!”

“Oh, I got one just like it from mine…only mine’s bigger.”

People with priorities this fucked up should be sterilized.

I had a couple at a table today ask me if I believed in an afterlife. I told them it was a conversation much to grandiose to fit between taking their order and dropping their check. But in short I said that I hope so, otherwise death would be damn boring.

I’ve had some odd questions from some of my tables. I’ve been asked to help build a church, what I think of the war in Iraq, how often my husband and I have sex; even asked if I would partake in a threesome. I’ve been hugged and kissed. Once on the lips from this 95-year old woman. People are just so grateful for awesome service. I’ve had people cry as they thank me for making their cancer-survivor mother’s birthday special.

The most memorable guest I ever had was this woman who came in for breakfast about a year ago. She was alone, and not that I judge by appearances, but from looking at her you could tell that she was a person of very little means. She was celebrating a year of sobriety, and had saved up for 2 months to have breakfast at the restaurant I work in. She ordered the grand four-course breakfast, which runs about $45.00 for one person. She was just so humble and so sincere, and loved that someone was actually taking the time to talk to her. After she finished the last course, I boxed up some extra scones from the kitchen and snuck them to her so she could take them home. When I went to print her check, I could not in good conscience drop it on her table. So I wrote her a gift card saying “Congratulations on your year of sobriety! Please accept breakfast as a gift from us to celebrate your accomplishment.”
What I love about doing things like that for people is to sort of sneak away so that I can watch their faces. This poor woman broke into tears. As I was bustling around the dining room, she came up to me and asked if she could give me a hug, and I obliged. She sobbed, saying how no one had ever done anything like that for her before, and how she was so touched and grateful for what we did, and she was thankful that there were still kind people in the world. After she left, I relayed the story to one of my friends I work with, and teared up as I told it. I went to clear her table, and I found a $100 bill with a note, explaining that she came that day to spend that money, that she had saved it for something special, and she said that my co-worker and I were that something special. It was overwhelming. I tried to find her, to tell her that seeing her joy was gratuity enough for me…I know she needed that money. But she was nowhere to be found. Her reservation had no information, no phone number, nothing. It was one of the most touching moments I ever had with a guest.

So even though there are a lot of shallow, self-centered, judgmental elitist people out there, it’s the ones who live to be kind and grateful who renew your faith in the human race.

Wow. That post ended very differently from how it began. Tangent!

Voulez-voulez-vous tangent.

>It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes.

>Ahem.

I have come to the conclusion that some people get off on being miserable.

Just an observation.

I have also noticed that the gender most predominantly affected by this phenomenon is female. This is not a broad generalization (no pun intended), it is only pertaining to people that I am around on a daily basis. I have learned, through these findings, that this is a major part of my potential life that I have not seriously indulged in.

Damn. Now I have to think of some things to get really bummed about. Ah! I shall make a list. Of things that piss me off. This may be lengthy and arbitrary, but I really can’t think of what else to write about today, so my contribution is limited.

1. Velour jogging suits. What sort of Mickey mouse bullshit is this? Is it the official uniform of soccer moms nationwide? Grow the fuck up and quit trying to look like you’re 21.

2. Spoiled children in the grocery store. Granted, I realize I as of yet have no children of my own, and as such you may deem me supremely unqualified to make this observation, but having lived and worked in a daycare environment for almost 10 years, I know how children will behave for their teachers and daycare providers then become these loathsome, uncontrollable demanding creatures the moment their parents arrive. THAT is why it pisses me off. Pussy-ass parenting. Get some balls, people.

3. People who wear too much perfume and cologne. Just makes you wonder what they smell like without it.

4. The entire Generation Y.

5. Those channel-specific ads with the sound effects that pop up during the show you are currently watching advertising a show you are not currently watching and thus refuse to watch on the basis that it interrupted the show you were watching. This really pisses me off when I’m watching TNG on Spike. Bastards.

6. People who refuse to leash their dogs. I have two dogs, and they are on a leash at all times save for trips to the dog park. The kicker is when people get pissed at me when my leashed-dog snaps at their un-leashed dog when their un-leashed dog gallops up and jumps all over the damn place. I think some people should be leashed.

7. Those damn stuffers in the mail with grocery store ads and pizza coupons that fall apart the minute you take them out of the mailbox.

8. Dead watch batteries.

9. Being called a “microsoft wife”. Fuckers.

10. Women’s magazines. They should include antidepressant prescriptions and self-image therapy with the subscription.

11. Reality shows.

12. When they re-make a movie and it sucks ass (i.e., The Ring 1&2, the Grudge; pretty much any Americanized-remake of brilliant Japanese horror films…)

13. Opinionated judgmental sensationalist self-important brainwashing documentary filmmakers.

14. People who make lists of what pisses them off.

Okay, that’s enough for today. Spending a considerable amount of time thinking about what pisses you off is not a very constructive way to spend your time. Now go away so I can find something else to do. Like clam-digging.

Voulez-voulez-vous clam-digging.

>Ode to my foot

>Unfortunate of all events;
My bone’s in disrepair.
The twinge-y pain, Oh I’m pissed off;
But not quite in despair.

For I am not to be bested
Met-a-tar-sal or no.
Bad-ass am I, bum foot and all,
No heel nor arch nor toe.

So ’tis come to this calamity
A battle for all time
The boots are off, the gauntlet’s thrown…
Victory is MINE!

(devilish laugh…)

Voulez-voulez-vous devilish laugh

>我无法领会我自己的词。

>我想知道如果这甚而将运作。如果它, 那会是冷却。好, 如此, 到目前为止, 它似乎运作相当很好。我不打算为任何人了解这, 但是, 它是性交令人敬畏无论如何。如此, 这写在希腊吗? 噢它呀! 我想知道如果任何人能读希腊语。我能转换字母表的各自的信函, 但不是语言。我不设法是任何人除什么之外我被设法是婴孩。什么呀是稀释哼? 它是绝对必要的, 我的脚愈合。是。好。这个看板卡这是是伞过帐饥饿的脾气坏的人头的结

构树顶层您的狗地点的名字。

Voulez-voulez-vous 的名字.

>Peligro! Piso Mojado.

>Slurping on a cosmic dart
Twirling on a pear…
Thinking twill be yet a knave
Larkspur’s not quite there.

Armadillo winking orange;
What be this odd-tee?
Powder’d turtle sliding fuzz
Noisy crumb-tee-pee

Dainty not quite upsy-doo
Inky sun-shades wince
Keyhole shows a porpoise fair
I’ve not been there since.

Largely lace-tinged mustard books
Quickly stemming forth.
But what can a horsefly swim
Be he headed north?

Alas, tis this which startled thee
Pine-app-les shake hands.
Exploding jelly-gourds abound
Violet rubber bands.

Voulez-voulez-vous what the fuck?

>Himpy jousting canine flapjack.

>Ahhhh. Got back to work today. Missed it. Alot. Was nice to be missed. Nice to be told I was needed. Ugh. I like validation way too much. Makes me all warm and fuzzy to be earning a paycheck again.

Did you know that the mantis shrimp has the most advanced/evolved eyes on earth?

They do.

Duke’s licking my toes. He has a foot fetish.

I am going to go do…something. Read a book, paint, study glagolitic, contemlate the trillions of quantum dots, Fingerprints, Nanolithography with diblock copolymers, Annealing and alignment of striped and hexatic phases that plague my daily existence.

Voulez-voulez-vous existence.

>Immoblie Sturgeon Conundrum.

>Well damn it all.

So, we get the old bed frame disassembled. Current bed and new bed are both kings so the transition from one to the other was to be no problem.

Save for this: There is, ladies and gentlemen, a difference between king and California King.

We realized this after the new frame was assembled. Naturally. This, for lack of a better term, sucks ass.

So now we’re just going to give up and buy a new mattress since we’ve had the current one for 9 years, and it’s a bit tired.

Damn the bed, damn the mattress, and damn California. I’ve actually never been to California. I’d rather go to New England anyway. Or Old England for that matter. Austria. Hagia Sofia. Taj Majal. Notre Dame, Reims, Chartres, Ste. Chappelle. World’s largest Ball of Twine. I’ve got lot’s of stuff to do.

Voulez-voulez-vous California.