Sunday, December 20, 2009

3 AM

A Time to vent


I have refrained from talking a lot about my new landlord out of fear that 1. He might find my blog and bet upset about what I have to say or 2. That I sound like a man-hating chick.

Well, I can no longer be silenced! Last night/Early this morning I draw the line at being polite and a good neighbor.

My friend was spending the night and we were talking. We’d just gotten done watching 17 again and were talking about High School and stuff. Well, we know it was late, around 3AM and we decided we weren’t super tired but we should really calm down. I had turned on the TV to play some video games and she was on her phone texting. Chill time.

Then there came a knock upon my door.

“That’s not your door,” my friend says.

“It’s 3AM , we’re the only ones awake. Whose else’s door would be knocked on but mine?”

“It’s not yours.”

Then the knocking happened again. I’d already had my coat on to cover up the fact I wasn’t wearing a bra. I had long pajama bottoms on so I was decent enough to answer the door. I turned on the outside light, checked through my peep-hole, and confirmed who it was. My landlord. Of course. 3AM and my landlord is banging on my door.

I open it up and the first thing out of my mouth is, “It’s 3 o’clock in the morning. What are you doing here?”

He kind of had this sick smile, his eyes were red and puffy, but at least he was fully clothed, “Now why would I be here at 3AM in the morning?” he sneered.

By the look of his eyes I thought he’d been crying or something. Red, bloodshot, and such. Remembering that his dad died like three weeks ago I asked, “You OK?”

“Why would I be OK?”

I gave him a look that probably made it clear that I was clueless about why he was on my doorstep at that hour.

“You two are being loud…” then he gets comfortable as he swings into lecture mode. Honestly, I felt like he was my dad lecturing me about life, “Now, I told you I would come and knock on your door whenever you were being loud. I woke up first at 12AM and then went back to bed. Now it’s 3AM and I’m woken up by talk about High School and laughter. Now, that is called negligence, I think.”

I give him another blank stare because I’m completely blown away by what he’s talking about, but I have enough sense to question, “Negligence? I don’t think so…”

“Oh, I mean disturbing the peace. Now, I could call the cops cause that’s against the law, to disturb the peace, but I told you I would knock first and tell you.”

“Well, you don’t have to call the cops. I didn’t think we were being that loud. I’ sorry.”

“Yeah well, I could call the cops you see, but I didn’t want them to come over for this. Just keep it down.”

“Ok, yeah, we’ll keep it down. Good night. Sorry we disturbed your sleep.”



So…he was threatening to call the cops because my friend and I were laughing too loudly. No booze, no drugs, TV was off, and no music was playing. He didn’t bother to call me when that would have been appropriate and such.

I feel like I have a right to be angry. I know I should have greeted him a bit nicer at the door but it was 3AM In the morning!

Also, how did he know what we were talking about and how thin are the walls? That’s just creepy.

 
 
I could see if I were a repeat offender that this would be such an issue but why so dramatic? Grrr.
 
I told mom I needed to pray for patience but mom said, "Don't do that, cause that means God will just throw people at you who frustrate you because the only way to get better at something is to practice."
 
Wise wise words, mom.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

THe last 48 hours=Snappish

So lately I've noticed an attitude change. Well, I didn't notice it, my friend Danna did and she pointed it out to me while she was here. What really brought it to my attention was when I was forced to deal with my landlord on a particularily cold night.

He'd been making comments about the size and thickness of my rug each and EVEYR time he came by to ask if I was cold or not. The apartment I am living in has radiant heat so it comes up through the floors. I tried to explain that a rug wouldn't stop the heat...but he doesn't believe me. Well, one night I finally was a little chilly and though I was tired I trudged over to knock on his door at 8:30 in the evening.

But he was dressed in his boxers. I had knocked on his door and he was wearing silk boxers and a tee and he invited me in...I was like "NO NO NO, this is NOT that IMPORTANT." I'd gone over in search of a heater he said I could have. SO It could have just been nervousness at talking to a older guy in his underwear...especially with my track record.

He then brought up my rug, again, and put on his coat and sandals and proceeded to walk over to my apartment. Did he bother to put on pants? No.

He then proceeded to get on his hands and knees and fold up a part of my rug, telling me to touch the floor and feel the heat. I'd already done this before with him so I growled, "No, that's OK. Already did that, remember the last time?"

SO then he suggested I roll up the rug and store it in the attic.

I snapped.

I finally told him flat out that I was keeping the rug because the floor is ugly. He then replied with a, "Then you can find another apartment with a prettier floor."
He apologized but it made me realize I was being a bitch.
In the end I ended up carrying my rug to the attic with my eyes shut since he had to go up before me. Use your imagination but for God's sake stop before you go too far!


Oh I am a lonely painter

I live in a box of paints

I'm living in my own creation but still I am not complete :(

Been listening to what I own of Joni Mitchell, NIN Something I can never have, White T's Delilah, Going Through Hell by some country singer, meh...and Swan Heart by Nighwish.

That was Monday night. Tuesday I missed my 12 o'clock bus so I had to catch the 1, which meant I might miss my transfer. I did...but not because the bus was LATE. No, it was on time. The other bus was early.
I saw it and hopped off the bus and RAN towards it. The busdriver of the bus I had just been on honked her horn, flashed her lights, everything...the bus kept going. I know he saw me. I saw him see me. He KNEW I was there...but he didn't stop.
 
That meant I had an hour, an entire hour, before I the next bus came. An hour of standing on the busy street in the cold freezing rain where I would be oggled and stared at. Horns honking, males hollering, and passer-by's staring. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR. SO I hid. Yes, I hid. I hid by some houses and called my mother.


after work I came home to my landlord in my apartment. I'd told him he could come in and check the thermostat to see if the heat had gone up during the day. No, I didn't get my heater. The rug was gone. The heat would go up then, right?
No, my rug was back in my apartment and everything was as I had left it this morning, plus my rug. It was a little bitter sweet and I graciously accepted his apology--and the heater. He talked and talked and talked and I listened...as per usual. Then he left, thankfully, after explaining what  I should do with the heater and where it should be. I nodded and pratically shoved him out the door. Two hours later, maybe three, he's knocking at my door again.

To check the thermometer. Yes, heat has gone up a few degrees. Good night. *shut door*

what...a...week....

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Upon Request

The Mighty Red Panda

As we approached the exhibit I knew it was going to be a good day because it was nice outside and there wasn't a blessed soul in sight outside of my mom, Danna, and Me.

Soon we see a little ball of brown, red, white, and black fluff come waltzing towards us, sniffing nonchalantly at various branches and food dishes. He stops, stares at us, and decides that playing coy isn't going to get him ANYWHERE with his visitors.

At the edge of the exhibit he stops and stares, I bend down to hide behind the people gate and he suddenly seems VERY interested in what I am doing. So much that he sticks his nose through the wire and licked the air. Then he proceeded to back up and start wiggling his tush at us.

He bumped into his dish and wiggled his tush.

He climbed the log...and wiggled his tush.

All the while taking the time to see if his lady-lookers liked what he was doing.

Oh yes, we did.

Then he proceeded to walk back to where we were, sit down, and pose for us.

Danna has the pictures and as soon as I'm able I will show you the adorableness that is our Red Panda.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

News about this weekend and later an entire synopsis of it :)

Keeper guy has a girlfriend =(

Could have given mom and Danna a golf-cart tour instead of making them walk all around

Red panda was FRIGGIN ADORABLE on Saturday

People at the zoo recognize me without my bright yellow shirt, which means there is something worth remembering, right? xD It was very flattering!

Awesome awesome weekend and I miss being home.

More to come laterz :)

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving

I just had the best Thanksgiving a girl could have so far away from family and home.

I spent it over at my neighbor's house. They host the house-church I go to on Sundays. Not only was the dinner fantastic but we all played Apples to Apples together afterwards.

The best part was when I had to pick which word or definition I liked best for the word "Courageous". I couldn't choose between Rosa Parks and My Friends when Ruth, the mom of the family, said to me, "Amanda, look around and then pick your answer." When I did I realized I was in a house full of African Americans and I started to laugh. I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes and when I slapped down "Rosa Parks" everyone joined with me. Some were saying it wasn't fair that Ruth had used 'white man's fear' of black people to influence my decision. It was all said and done with so much love and affection that none took offense and there was just happiness all around. I felt like I was a part of the family!

Their house is within walking distance from my place but Ruth insisted that one of her boys walk me home. Adam, who is closer to my age, was elected and as we walked he pointed out the stars and how bright they were. I smiled and looked up. We both just stood there in the cold night air and marveled at the beauty. I pointed out Orion and smiled over how easy it was to stand there with a man and not feel like anything was expected of me other than enjoying the night sky.

Those were two of many many fond memories I shall carry with me for a long time.


And later today my mom and Danna will be here for the weekend. I pray that my life continues to be blessed like this. I also pray that everyone's life could be like this every day. EVERY DAY!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Friday, November 20, 2009

What a way to end the day

Ok, readers digest version with a little back-story

When my friend and I were in college we made up code-names for the guys we liked. I have never shaken it off for code-names are SO much easier to remember since they usually embody the personality or looks of any given person. For example, "Bounty Guy" looks like the guy on the Paper Towels (lumberjack). "California" the guy looks like a sufer. You get it.

Well, this is a story about "Keeper Guy". Yes. A keeper. How creative. Don't get on my case, my creative juices were tapped out and I know which guy is keeper guy and that's all that matters!!

Ahem, to the story at hand.

Well during the summer I was a camp counselor and we got to go behind the scenes in one of the exhibits. THat is where I first met 'keeper guy'. I noticed him but didn't think he'd noticed me with a gaggle of kids surrounding me. How could he?

A couple of weeks ago he came into Petco and I was all flustered but by the time he came to the register I was cool. Very cool. Until I found out he worked at Petco, too. A different Petco, of course, but that meant we had TWO things in common. Squee!! (sound of joy). This is how the conversation went.

Me: "Do you have a Pet Pal's card?" (that's our promotion card)
Keeper Guy: "Yeah, and I work at Petco."
Me: "Oh, you do? Don't you work at the zoo too? You look familiar."
KG: "Yeah. You do too, right? In the Education Department."
Me: (all smiles) "Yeah, I do! You gave us that tour in the Tropics Building"

Needless to say I was all giggles after he left with his friend.

Now to the day I met Ramon.
I had been there since 7am and it was close to 5 when I was finished and I was sitting at the bus stop. Yes, sitting. On the ground. My poor legs couldn't do much more than that. In the distance I see a guy walking towards the stop. All I could think was, "Oh please God, not now."
Guess who it was?

Yeah...keeper guy!!

I said "Hey" to him and he answered back. I asked him if he rode the bus and he said no, he gets a ride from a friend in a different department.
Oh, I said. Then in my mind, about five seconds later, I said Oooooooooooooh.

See? The day ended very well. We chit-chatted and stuff and now whenever I see him at the zoo he gets a special smile and we talk for a bit. Yay.

See that sun rising over there? That's East.

Another bus story! You ready? This one is really good! My words can't do it justice.
Let me set the scene for you:

It is 5:30-6:00 in the morning, it is still semi-dark out and I'm waiting at the bus stop after just getting dropped off by one of the other buses. Yes, this is the ever elusive transfer. Knowing I'm going to be there for a while and the McDonalds across the street is closed until 7 or something crazy like that I have my iPod in my ears and I'm jammin'. The bus won't come until around 6:30 so I know i have a while when suddenly this car pulls over on the side street next to the bustop...
Now imagine me, I'm in a really baggy sweatshirt, my hood is up, and I'm pressed against a building jammin' away listening to Insyderz. Great song by the way, I was really jamming. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that I'm pretty observant when I'm at this particular bus stop I wouldn't have noticed the car slowing down and turning down the street. I really shouldn't have made a big deal about it but something just wasn't right. I whipped out my phone and had 911 ready, all I had to do was press the 'send' button.
Next thing I know this man appears from around the corner. I can kind of see the glow from his tail lights and I realize this guy pulled over to talk to me.
He's about 5'11, 250lbs with twin braids of glossy black hair that framed a round brown face. I'd say he was Mexican or Native American but I lean more towards Mexican. Anyways, he saunters up and asks me if I know where West Kansas City is.

Yeah right.

I point in the direction of the sun, where it is rising and say, "You see the sun right there? That is the East and that means that way (I moved my hand to point in the opposite direction) is west. That's all I can tell you."
He then proceeds to tell me he's been chillin' and drinkin' all night and got kind of turned around (he jiggled a beer can in his right hand in case I hadn't noticed). After he gets no response from me he THEN says, "I bet you get guys stoppin' all the time--"
"No..no actually they tend to just keep going." Hint hint
"Oh...well, my name is Ramon" He then extends a hand for me to shake it.

Ok, I'm not stupid. There is no way I'm going to let him get close enough that he can grab me and pull me into his car. There is little enough traffic and though the police station wasn't too far away no one would bother to wake up out of their beds on a Saturday morning because a white girl was hollering for help. So I did the next best thing: I took a few steps back and was fully surrounded by the street-lamp a few feet away from the bus stop, I held up my hand and said

"No, no, that's ok."

To end the story I'm obviously safe and he went back to his car though I really couldn't get back into the music. Ironically the song, "Rock-a-bye" came on and the singer was crooning in my ear, "Everything is gonna be alright".

Don't worry, this day had a happy ending but that will come later :)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Blessings

I have the best mom in the whole wide world and the world should be jealous too!

Also, I have to note that despite being sick God has blessed me with amazing weather too. I think it's His way of saying, "It could be worse and because I love you so much I won't push you THAT far...yet."

Health Insurance is a horrible thing to wrestle with too. Amazing how many phone calls one can make while eating lunch in a single half hour. More to do tomorrow!

Amusing stories? None so far and I'm going to count THAT as a blessing too!

Bing Crosby (I'm sure I have his name wrong but he's the one that sings the best version of White Christmas) has it right. It's time to start counting blessings instead of sheep.

Thanks Linda for mentioning Christmas music on her facebook. This song came to mind because of that. :)

When I'm worried and I can't sleep


I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings

When my bankroll is getting small

I think of when I had none at all

And I fall asleep counting my blessings


Blessings:
1. Mom is coming down for Thanks Giving Weekend (weather permitting)
2. I have internet
3. I have two jobs
4. The weather has been great (65 today)
5. Great people here in MO
6. Enough money to buy sweet potatoes
7. Danna might come down with mom
8. Dawn might come down with mom
9. Ticket home for Chistmas is paid for
10. I have a roof over my head and a great landlord (who tells me every week he's flexible and if I'm late we can work out something :) )
11. I have a great and understanding boss at the zoo
12. Um...I'm working at A ZOO!!!
13. Mom is proud of me
14. Aunt is proud of me
15. I'm kind of proud of me :)
16. Sara is proud of me <3

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Throwing in the towel

Ever have one of those days where you want to just throw in the towel?

Nov. 4th:
Horrible day.

I got on the bus in the morning and this guy who had talked to me mabye two weeks ago got on. I remembered him because he was the one that said he was a personal trainer but he liked women of my build, the husky kind. Sweet, huh? Well, I tried to make myself as small as possible so he wouldn't see me but no, he walked right up to me and sat behind me and started talking. I think he thought he was being pretty smooth and was completely clueless that I was annoyed with him. My short answers and refusal to give him my name signals he was completely unaware of. This time he tells me he's a lottery winner (who rides the bus?) and that he gets a check each month. I roll my eyes while he tries to remember our 'good' conversation we shared last time.

I get off the bus, ignoring his wave goodbye. I worked at petco and had to put the delivery of fish away. I didn't get done and I had told one of the managers this. Well, the other Manager stops me and acuses me of leaving with my job half done. I explain to him that I told someone. Whatever, he still seems upset but there is little I can do since I need to catch the bus.

The bus was late. So late taht I missed my first transfer which meant I'd be an hour late for work at the zoo. After taking a few new buses to attempt to get to my second transfer on time I'm trying to call people and see if they can give me a ride. No go. I get to my stop where I have to wait an hour. For that entire hour I'm getting honked at, people are slowing down to stare at me, and whistles are coming out when I think the horns in their cars don't work. Slowly I'm getting more and more upset. Almost close to tears I call mom and cry on her shoulder via the phone. Oh, did I mention I'm sick? Oh yes, been sick since Monday with something in my lungs that won't come out. I feel like there is fluid and a constant weight on my chest. Achy and feverish and I have to wait for the bus while getting harassed by damn horny males who think a girl like me LIKES that sort of attention.

This past weekend was halloween and I ended up NOT going out because they sold out on tickets so I volunteered to be the DD and dropped off my friends and had free use of the car while they partied. I took my happy self to the local bar and got hit on by men twice my age and had two beers.

Then I had a meeting with my landlord on Monday and he said I can't have my kitty come live with me.
Anyways, it got me thinking. I can't do this. I love my job I love the people I've met I like the place I'm living in but it doesn't seem to be working in my favor. I go as far as I can and am stopped because I can't drive myself where I need to be. Frustrating.

And I think my landlord has been coming into my house while I'm away at work. Just little things...you know that feeling where you feel like someone has been through your stuff?

I just feel like I'm not getting met half way. I'm doing everything right and I'm not getting anywhere! I talked to my boss about the idea of coming back to MI and getting a job there so I can save up for a car. But the jobs are so bad in MI I probably wouldn't get one even if I tried and that would eliminate me being able to get back here to MO.

My boss doesn't want me to leave and we talked it over for a while. She says there is a HUGE possibility of there being extra hours for the month of january and such and that she understands how it is to be working two jobs. I don't think she fully understands...because she's never had to ride the bus between two jobs. It's just maddening.

I refuse, however, to go home with "I Tried" tattooed on my soul and spirit. I just can't accept that. I don't want to, at least. I know I can make it here. I know it! I just wish it would be easier at times.

Oh well, perhaps santa will give me a car for christmas...

Friday, October 30, 2009

Joy of a Child's laughter outweighs the stares of a creepy man.

10/28/09


On the bus today, yes another bus story! I had begun to think that there would not be any more. What with Halloween coming up I thought they had all gone to the streets to pick up young girls in costumes. Apparently, not all of them have.

This update comes with two stories. One heartwarming and full of fuzzy feelings and the other filled with the usual creepy men and pick-up lines. I think I shall begin with the warm fuzzy one first, since that is the way it happened today.

This morning I hopped on the bus and I was on my first transfer to my other place of work. I had to drop off my availability and was dressed casually. No need to get all dressed up for the zoo when I had most of my day available to me to do some bus hopping, right? The bus is almost empty with maybe another person on the back riding and keeping to his or herself. The bus stops and suddenly this little kid appeared. He hops on, looks around, and spots me sitting all by myself. Apparently, this is not to be for he looked over his shoulder to make sure his dad was with him and he immediately walked over to me and literally hopped onto the seat next to mine. His dad, a little embarrassed that his little boy (I am guessing he w as around 6) had decided to take up the seat next to me instead of any of the other open and available seats. Unaware of his dad’s embarrassment the cute little boy quickly looks up with, stares for a moment, and then unleashes a killer smile. All white teeth complete with dimples; I was hooked. Leave it to the smallest rider on the bus to point out all the small things on and outside the bus. I ended up making it a game until the usual attention span of a boy his age ended and I had to come up with something else. I noticed his socks had a red car on it, the character from Cars. The name escapes me but I quietly ask him if he likes Cars. Then the boy was off like a…well, a racecar, spitting out the entire story line (just in case I had not seen the movie). He then turned to his dad and said, “My daddy got it for me.” Then “I love you, daddy.” Awww, moment. The dad promptly smiled and said, “I love you, too.” Same smile, I might add. After a while, his dad told him to be quiet, thinking his little boy was bothering me, but the little boy kept looking at me with a sly smile. He would brush up against me to get my attention, smile, and start giggling once I smiled back. I could not help it! I wanted to help the dad with his discipline, but the boy was just too cute! When they had to leave (sadness) the little boy hollered, “BYE! I Will MISS YOU!” then just as loudly to his dad, “She’s nice, Daddy. Can I see her again?”

AWWW I WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN TOO!



Story 2

After going to my other job and doing my stuff there, I hopped back onto the next bus to my favorite place in the world, the zoo! I am sitting there, minding my own business because I had decided not to look up every time someone hopped on and smile (See, I listen to the advice of others! Anyways…) I didn’t notice if this guy was already there when I sat down or if he hopped on the bus after me but what I do remember is the talking. At first, I thought he was on the phone or something so I tuned him out. I had no reason to suspect that he would be talking to ME! Well, apparently, he was and I think he noticed I was not talking back or responding to the things he was saying for the next thing that I know I have some guy whispering in my ear, “Can I ask you a question?”

To my credit, I did not jump.

“Um...sure?” I was a little unsure but I thought maybe he needed to know where the bus was headed or something like that and because I was the closest to him, he thought he could ask me. Makes sense, right?

“Can I get your number?” SERIOUSLY?! I turn to get a better look at him and I am met with watery black eyes and brown skin. Brown as in tan, I think he is Asian or a mixture of some kind.

“No.” I turned around, huddled closer into my corner, and tried to tune him out. Of course, I could not and he started apologizing repeatedly for asking the question. He leaned forward to whisper that he was sorry, I nodded, and he went back to talking to me…to himself…not sure. Thinking it was over a few minutes pass and he pressed forward again to say,

“I’m going to close my eyes, then, so I will stop staring at you. I can’t stop so I’m going to close my eyes.”

What the Hell? I nod and say, “That would be nice,” and crane my neck to see if my stop has miraculously changed places and that it was the next one and not the one a mile or so down the road. No such luck. Damn. So I wait and wait with the sick knowledge that there is the watery-eyed creep behind me staring (Or not staring, I am not going to look to find out), behind me. Needless to say, the muttering continued nothing I could honestly understand so I am not going to post my thoughts on what he was saying.

Yes, I am unharmed and have lived to tell another story. Thank you.

Monday, October 26, 2009

But I just moved here!!

YES! It is official. I have moved everything into my new place. Sadly, once everything was unpacked and put away I was reminded by how little I have.

But there is a reason behind this topic and I'll not keep you waiting.
My landlord may have been struck by my charms and has come by to visit with me every day since I moved in. I know it's him when someone is knocking upon my door since I really don't know anyone yet.

He's a sweet old guy, though. How many times have I said THAT before? This time, however, I'm stuck. He's my neighbor and landlord. I think I'm safe, though, because he's really a sweet guy. He gives the lady across from me a ride to her hair appointments and grocery store because he doesn't want her walking. She's 80 and her name is Guatelupe (I'm sure I spelled that wrong), but we all affectionately call her Lupe.

My other neighbor is an old man with snow colored hair. The color I'd want my hair to be when I get old and senile.
Haven't met the other neighbors, yet. I'm the youngest, as I've been told. The only reason why I was even able to move here is because my old landlord knew the guy and they told him I was quiet and not likely to get into any sort of trouble.

Tom, my landlord, has told me this plenty of times. The day I moved in, the first time he came to visit me that night, he reminded me. First day, three visits, I was a little worried. Oh well. I'll keep you updated as best as I can.

My internet was supposed be turned on this wednesday but ATT screwed me adn it won't be available until next week. Oh well, I'm getting a free motem since they really screwed me over. Free motem taht woudl have cost me 100. NICE.

Sorry no interesting bus riding tales. I think they're on to me!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Some observations I had while on the bus today

I've always been a pretty observant person mainly because I enjoy making up little stories for each individual by how they are dressed, how they act, and basically the things they do and say.
I think I'm quite accurate unless I'm in a strange mood and I have my characters somehow mingling together among ponies and flappers.

Don't ask. You had to be there, sorry.

I realized today that a smile was the key to all my problems on the bus. And this troubles me.

Are we so jaded that a smile can only mean that a girl is interested in you? Could it be too hard to imagine that the girl is just happy to be alive and working that morning and wants to spread a little joy?
Is it so hard to believe that no intentions are meant behind that smile except for the small hope of getting one in return?

It really really saddened me, people. I thought maybe, just maybe, I was wrong. Today's observations did not disprove my 'theory'.

Obviously the women who boarded the bus smiled in return for there was a small chance a young girl (me) would be coming on to them with a smile. But all the men, young and old, gave me a funny look at first and then continued to stare at me the whole duration of the bus ride. Some of them tried to strike up a conversation, which I didn't mind too much, but they all ended up down the same road, "You got a man?" Or "What does your boyfriend have to say about you riding the bus all by yourself?" or "Can I getcher numbah?"

You'll have to trust me on this that they were all pretty damn flirtatious with me. Instead of flattering I thought it was really sad.

I don't want to stop smiling :( I guess I was just brought up to be friendly and you do that with a smile. I think it's rude to avoid eye contact and frown. Or if someone enters the room you should acknowledge their presence.

Am I wrong?

Friday, October 16, 2009

My Birthday

So yeah, what would I usually be doing on this special day. Well, one thing for sure is this: I'd be going out to eat with my mom and probably Dawn (sister); visiting Logan, Lyndsay, and Manlee; Probably had lunch with Linda xD; and FOR SURE NOT WORKING!!

What did I end up doing? I woke up at 5:45am and hopped on the bus at 7:00 to be to work at 8:30am. Did a program where the snake was NOT happy to be out among the developementally challenged children. Pine Snakes...grr. Mr. Wiggly Worm is what I shall call him. Oh, and striker mc. strikey fits as well :)

Then I hopped on the bus, had McDonalds at the transfer (I wait 1 hour here), and called my other job to get my hours, got home, took a bath, and Passed Out.

Actually, I have no real complaints about this since thi is my usual day. If I didn't love my job I wouldn't be here and I would have had the lunch, dinner, and companionship.

Thankfully I am blessed to have my old roommate and she is taking me shopping. She has had a bad week so I hope we can keep each other company on this chilly day.

I am sorry that I cannot give you a funny story today. Perhaps something will happen tonight!? Or Tomorrow at the renaissance festival! If not I'll just make something up :)



Edit:

I fell on the escalator and busted my knee. WHO DOES THAT?!?!

BUT...it was after shopping for and getting a new pair of jeans! It was paid for, mostly, by my dear friend here in MO. Thank you!!
I also have new dishes!! SO CUTE!! I got 4 plates, bowls, and desert plates, silverware, plastic big spoons for stirring hot stuff (is there a name for these?), a tea pot, a pan, and a steamer for 13.33!! I love the Salvation Army. Now all I need are cups :) and my kitchen is almost kinda complete-ish.

Hopefully i will have pictures of my new place soon!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Books I've read while here

Eric Brende: Better Off
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Scarlet Letter

The books listed below were found so I could read something like Juliet Marrillier's epic books! I was not disappointed with my findings :)

Jules Watson :White Mare and Dawn Stag--GREAT BOOKS!! Kind of slow at first but they really pick up and then suddenly...they're done. It's almost sad :(
Jacqueline Carey: Kusheil's Dart, Kusheil's Chosen, Kusheil's Avatar...etc. Her books are edgy and not for someone who is sensitive to what they read. There is a lot of war, love, and ugly things about the world. I have only read the first one but I plan on reading the others. I have to know what happens to Phedre!! If anything does (I haven't finished it) But I absolutely enjoyed the plot twists and the dangers in this book!

For fun:

Gregory Maguire: Wicked, Mirror Mirror, Confessions of the Ugly Step Sister

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Sweet baby Ray

"You know what time the 24 comes in?"

You may not know this, but this is one epic pick-up line. Men of all ages approach me, out of many and ask me this question. Wanna know how I know its a pick-up line? Cause after I tell them they start to ask about my personal life. Not the, "So you don't have a car either, huh?" No it's straight to the point, "Ya gotta man?"

Honestly, I have to give these people credit. They are pretty straight forward.

Today was no exception. His name is Ray.

He starts off with the usual, "What time does the 24 come in?" I tell him that it pulls out every hour on the hour so it should be here about 10 mintues beforehand. Thinking we're done I go back to the book I'm reading, trying my best to think of warm things since I'm freezing my butt off.
Suddenly I hear, "You're really pretty." I mumble a thanks but I guess he didn't hear because next thing I know he's sitting next to me and he not only repeats himself but says, "I told you you're pretty, don't I get a thank you?"

I have to admit, he has my attention. I close my book and look up at him. "I did, I said thank you."

He then proceeds to talk to me about where he's going and asking me about routes. I really have no idea about it and I tell him this. He then smiles at me and asks if he can sit next to me on the bus. I POLITELY tell him "no".

Once the bus pulls up I hop to my feet and walk there, Ray following close behind and still talking. Usually I have patience but I was cold and tired and knew I had a long day of bus-riding to do.

He then began to annoy the bus driver with directions since he really didn't know where he was going. He looked at me and asked me where I was going.

To my surprise I found myself replying, "The Zoo." He smiled, "Can I go with you?" The bus driver, to his credit, hid his smile before Ray could see it.
"No"
"Oh, what about dinner some time?"
"No."
"I work, make a lot of money. Almost made it into the KC Royals"
(KC Royals is the baseball team...I think)
"Almost."

The bus driver isn't even trying to hide his smile now as he gains the attention of Ray with a polite question about where exactly he is going...other than the zoo.

Needless to say they figured it out and Ray talked to me the entire time until I hopped off.



Just to put this on the record, I would have been a tid bit more interested if
1. I was attracted
2. I was warm and comfortable

Only two variables...not bad. I'm not desperate!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Babies and Old Men: Both require diaper changes and can't seem to resist me!

Edit: I got my names confused!! Sorry! That's what I get for making them up to protect their identities.

Most of you know of my ability to attract old men. In fact I hold true to the belief that if he hasn't been introduced to me then he'll probably either Hate me or Like me too much. Here is one story that sticks out from the others.

For sake of privacy I'll leave out any real names other than my own!

I'll entitle this story: Cowboy Busdriver

Background:
Where work, for a time, we had to work with a lot of bus drivers. I ended up working a bit closer with them because of the job I chose. I mainly did it because I felt it was a lower-stressed part of the job and I could get to know my co-worker better since we were the only ones out there for a time. Waiting for the bus drivers to park we'd talk a lot but once that bright yellow vehicle came roaring towards us we were all business!
Over the month or two you start to get to know the bus drivers, one in particular, made himself known to me. He even spoke to my co-worker (lets name him Hank) about me and when I'd returned after a lunch break Hank told me there was a bus driver asking about me. I didn't believe him at first. I didn't think I was really worth remembering, to be honest. I was just doing my job. After much convincing I asked where the bus was and he pointed me in the right direction.
Once I saw the bright white cowboy hat I smiled upon recognition. The most memorable and recognizeable bus driver (I will call him Ted)! Walking up to the bus I hollered up to him asking if it was him who'd asked to see me! It was. He and I talked, he had a horse and we talked about that. I freely admitted to knowing nothing about horses. He seemed like a sweet old guy. He actually told me about a job opening up as a bus aid. It would have benefits!

Long story short we exchanged numbers so he could keep me up to date about the job openings.

He called me every once in a while to chat. I chalked it up to lonely old man syndrom. I even talked to Hank about it and he told me the guy was harmless. You see, I'd already had some run-ins with older men liking me. But with the assurance of my friend backing me up I didn't see any problem continuing the friendship with the old guy.

Plus Ted was always telling me "You gotta be a friend to have a friend" so when he invited me to dinner I was a little worried but I told myself he was just a friend and that everything would be OK.

Can you guess where this went?

ON the way to the restaurant he told me how beautiful I was and that any guy my age who didn't return such feelings, for I'd told him about a crush I had, was stupid. He then proceeded to proposition himself to me. This is how the conversation went, as best as I can remember it:

Ted: You are a beautiful girl...
Me: (a little uncomfortable) Thank you.
Ted: And we're friends, right? I'd like to think we are.
Me: Of course! (I felt a little better now)
Ted: But, you are a beautiful lady and if you ever wanted to be more than friends, well, I have to tell you, I'd be open to it.

At this point my heart sunk to my stomach. Oh Hell.

I told him that I wasn't open to it

He expressed concern that he'd ruined our friendship because of what he'd said. I, wanting to go home, told him that we were still friends. Basically I said this because I wanted to make sure he woudln't leave me stranded. I had no idea where we were!

When he dropped me off he asked me if he could see me again. Safe in the knowledge that i was home safe I turned to him and we had a little talk:

Ted: I'd hate it if I ruined our friendship. You are a very beautiful young woman and...
Me: How old are you? (I had cut him off)
Ted: Well, I know I'm a bit older than you--
Me: Well, how old are you? You know how old I am.
Ted: I turned 70 this year, But--
Me: My grandpa is 70. You're old enough to be my grandpa. And that story you told me about driving to California in 58, all by yourself. My mom was born that year.
Ted: We are still friends, though. Right?
Me: Ted, I'm sorry, but the moment you thought we could be more than friends we could no longer be friends. Have a good night.

I hopped out of the truck and walked in the house, making sure to lock the door behind me.

70 years old. Gotta be a record or something.

Bus Ride- One story of many

Alright, so if any of you have EVER ridden on a public bus before you will probably feel my pain. Espeically if you're female and breathing. Really, it seems like that's all you have to be in order to attract the most attention. I'm sure it helps if you're young...

Anyways, story 1:

I was late, again, but it wasn't MY fault! It was because of this particular bus lady. She always left 5 minutes late and that meant I would miss my transfer, again. So I had already called and reported her (again) but as per usual I felt that my complaint was falling onto a desk of other complaints against other bus drivers. All destined for some paper shredder or perhaps a good laugh. I do not know. But that's not important.

It seemed the woman was in rare form that day for when a mom with a baby in a sling (the hand-free carrying device that reminds me of old-school pictures of the women in the fields forced to carry the burden of plant life on top of human life). Apparently it's all the rage. She also had a 18 month old in a stroller, the sweet little boy was fast alseep sure in the knowlege that mama bear would protect him from any harm.

The bus lady decided to not allow the mom with two kids to stay in the handi-capped area.

There was a gentleman waiting to get on in a wheel chair but there are two designated spots for such cases. The woman with the stroller was told to keep going to the back of the bus and angle the stroller towards the back door.

If any of you have seen a big bus you know about the second door, added for the ease of the people in the back of the bus to get off quicker. Now, from how the bus driver told the woman carrying the baby, she'd have to not only stand for the remainder of the ride but also have her child in the stroller facing the door to the outside.

Adults aren't even allowed to stand near these doors for they aren't really locked. If need be you could push really hard to get them open. Thus, this was not an entirely safe option.

So this called chaos between the mama and the driver. They continued to argue as the lady left the bus station, late again. It got so bad that multiple people got involved and soon the bus lady told the mama that she could go ahead and call her supervisor.

She did.

That meant the bus had to come to a COMPLETE stop so the bus driver could wait for the supervisor to come and solve the problem. Great. Even later than before we were forced to wait for an hour.

A waiting bus could only mean one thing to one of the young fellas on the bus: Love Connection.

He sat in the empty seat behind me and proceeded to talk to me. Now, I'm already a little agitated about the wait but I know that he's probably bored and I don't want to be rude so I carry on a conversation with him. I found out his baby's mama's name is Amanda. I hold back the comment about the ease of remembering my name, then. He tells me he's 22 and going off to a friend's house to collect on money his friend owes him. The rest is the best:

Boy: You gonna call your boyfriend to let him know you're gonna be late?
Me: I'm on my way to work.
Boy: Yeah, but ain't ya gonna call your boyfriend to let him know where you is?
Me: Why would I do that? I'm on my way to work.
Boy: Yeah, but you ain't gonna call him?

Of course I knew what he was trying to find out about me so I sighed, loudly, and smiled while praying for patience and the grace to humor him.

Me: You could just ask me if I have a boyfriend. The answer is No, I do not. But if I did I would still not call him over something like this. Cause if I'm on the bus that would mean he didn't have a car and there would be little he could do for me other than say 'aww, I'm sorry.'

After a pause (I could see the gears in his head cranking)

Boy: You're lookin' pretty good, today.
Me: I'm in my work clothes...(look of disbelief on my face)
Boy: Well, some women look good in their work clothes.
Me: Only cause we're going to make money, I'm sure.
Boy: So you's gonna be like that, right? Kinda cold.
Me: I'm sorry (not really), I didn't mean to be cold. I was just telling you why I believed some men think women look good in work clothes.

My bus starts to move and we talk about stuff and finally my stop comes up. Before I can move he holds up his phone.

Boy: You wanna put your number in this phone? (He holds up his phone)
Me: No
Boy: Can I give you mine?
Me: No, I dont' take or give numbers on the bus. Sorry. Bye.

To start

Hey all! This is the start of my new blog.
I've had a lot of things happen to me ever since I moved from home and started out on my own in Kansas City, Missouri. Some of them are quite funny and I've decided to document them here so that you may enjoy them as well.

OF course it would take a long time for me to bring you up to speed on some of the many things that has happened to me so I think I'll spread it out through a couple of posts. That way if one in particular interests you it will be easy for you to find it over and over again. Like that idea?

I will go in order the best I can. :) I hope you enjoy!

<3

Amanda