Weeds

I am up a little later than normal this evening working on some clothing orders for work and decided that I "needed" an iced tea and a snack.  Since I am out of tea at the house, which never happens but seems it has, and have not been to the grocery store in weeks, I decided to go the convenience store down the street.  I went in and got the necessities, and then headed outside.  Another car was pulling up when I got to my car.  I looked over as I fastened my seat belt to notice that the two guys in the car were smoking.  This is nothing out of the ordinary for Oklahoma, especially my area, as it seems that everyone here smokes.  However, I did think it was weird that two men were sharing a cigarette in a car with all the windows rolled up.  You guessed it, not a cigarette!  They were sharing joint.  A joint!  Maybe I am a little naive, but I was shocked. Who drives around and smokes a joint?  Seems like that could be a little dangerous, not to mention stupid!  To tell you the truth, it also made me think of this comedy cd that I have listened to several times over the past couple of years.  In Daniel Tosh's routine, he does a bit about drugs, marijuana in particular.  As roughly as I can remember, he says "Legalize it!  That's right folks, I am an advocate for the legalization of marijuana.  Then all the lazy stoners in the world would not have anything else to complain about.  Most people don't see me taking this approach, but it's time to grow up and do coke like an adult!"  That last line always makes me laugh. Maybe it's because we all know someone who used to smoke a lot of pot, and maybe still does?  So what did I do?  Nothing.  Except drive in the opposite direction! 

Yep.....I'm a fan.

Previous to this last weekend I had not heard the new Miley Cyrus song "Party in the U.S.A."  I had heard a 30 second clip on iTunes, but that was enough to know I did not want to download it......or so I thought.   I was in Dallas this past weekend for a wedding, and stayed with a couple of friends of mine.  Margaret and Dana knew the song and played it no less than 20 times over the course of the weekend, with improvised choreography and top of your lungs singing.  You know, after hearing a song that many times, you either love it or hate it.  Turns out I love it.  Margaret made Dana and I travel cds so that we could listen to the song the whole way home.  I did not listen to the song the whole way home, but I have probably listened to it 15 times since I got home Sunday night.  I am now burning it to a cd to take to work, so I guess I can get my fix there too!

High School Reunion

So I went to my 10 year high school reunion last weekend and I could not have had more fun! I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about going, but probably because of the same reasons anyone gets nervous about going to a reunion.   I was 10 years older, so were they.  I gained weight, so did they.  I was pretty much the same person, and so were they. (for better or for worse!)  We had two parties, one Friday night after the game and another Saturday night.  Both parties were a lot of fun, but to tell you the truth I think I had more fun the second night when their were less people around.  Regardless, I got home after 3 a.m. both nights, so you know I had fun!

I am planning on going to the Denton High 10 year reunion in a couple of weeks.  I went to elementary school there and a had not thought a thing about their reunion until a couple of people on facebook asked me if I planned on going.  Now I am really excited about it!  

I do know these two reunions will be very different!  Our reunion in Panhandle was in a barn outside of town.  We had tables set up to sit, food around the sides on workbenches and beer and other beverages in various coolers.  We also charged $10 a person to cover the costs of food for two parties.  The second party was at a friends house and was just as fun!  Inversely, Denton is having their reunion at the Denton Country Club, planned by a party planner, with a DJ, a full buffet and a cash bar.  It also costs $55 to attend. Now to some people this might seem like a better option.  While I do agree that this party will be a lot of fun, I'll take a party in a barn in the country any day over that!

I think that is the beauty of growing up in a small town.  We went to a small school where we were actually able to get to know everyone in the school, not just in our own class!  We were missing information on 6 people in our class.  Now, 6 out of 52 is still 11% of our class missing, but it seems different when the Denton class facebook page has to send out four messages just listing names of people they have no contact info for.  I am not sure how many they were missing and how many graduated in the class, but I know it was more than 11%!

Every time I am in Panhandle I wish I had a job that would allow me to live, and maybe even work, in Panhandle.  I am, by no stretch, in a large town now, but 25,000 is certainly larger than 2,400!  Maybe someday I will have a job that allows me to live in Panhandle.  Right now I cannot imagine what it would be, but I guess time will tell!

Leprosy

I seriously doubt anyone likes having fever blisters, but I truly hate it!  Nothing makes me feel like more of a leper than having a fever blister staring back at people when they look at me.  I feel like I should be banished to a vacation on leper island with the other unwashed masses. When I was a kid I would stay home from school when I got a fever blister because I was so embarrassed about how I looked.  I would go to school sick, but not with a fever blister!  But now I have no choice but to go to work and pretend that my fever blister is not "that big" and people are "looking intently at me" and not my lip!  Most people are pretty nice about it.  I say, "Sorry, I have a fever blister."  As if I had some choice!  And they say, "Oh I didn't even notice."  I can almost convince myself of the fact that it is not that big until one person with verbal diarrhea looks at you and says, "What happened to your face?"  That's the reality check.  

This is really not much of a story.  People get fever blisters every day.  I am trying to blog more, but maybe this one could have been left out.  Maybe not.

Test: Do Something Truly Good! Result: Total Failure!

I have had a lot of interesting things happen to me in the bookstore over the past 8 years.  I have seen customers who were happy, sad, crying, angry, irate, lackadaisical, drunk, stoned, and homeless, although technically the bum was not a customer.  I have had people arrested in the store and even had someone threaten me with a knife once when I blocked the door when they were stealing a book.  I suppose the better end to that story would be that I fought him for the knife and the book and won, and then said "and don't come back!" as he scurried away.  However, it was only a book, so I let him pass.  I did follow him into the parking lot to get his license plate number.  He got his!

However, I have never had the opportunity to do something really great!  I have certainly gone above and beyond for people before, but the opportunity that presented itself last week would truly have topped them all.  

I got a call last week from a police officer on campus.  She introduced herself and then said these exact words, "I'm calling you in regards to an open murder investigation from 2005."  WHAT?  I'm pretty sure I have never killed anyone, and certainly not in 2005.  I lived in Las Vegas then.  If anybody was going down it was the hick in Sin City!  I stayed quiet on the phone, thinking I was about to be accused or punk'd.  After an absurdly long pause, she kind of laughed and said, "I bet you are wondering how this pertains to you?"  It was like she was reading my mind!  I laughed too, and agreed that I was, indeed, interested to know how this pertained to me.  She explained that a student had gone missing in September of 2005 and his body was never found.  She continued, explaining that his then girlfriend had stolen books out of his truck and sold them back at the bookstore.  They knew she had done it, but needed paper proof in order to solidify their case and charge her with his murder.  Obviously, they had more than this on her, but were trying to gather as much proof as they could. We talked a little more and agreed that we would talk again soon after I tried to find out some information.  

This may not have been an appropriate response to a request to help with a murder investigation, but I was stoked!  My mind immediately ran away with this one!  All those years of mystery novels and who-dun-it television were finally going to pay off!  I was going to do James Patterson, Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark all proud!  I was going to be Matlock's assistant sleuth or one of Angela Lansbury's junior detectives!  Even Perry Mason would have been impressed with this one!  

I'm sure this will surprise all two of you reading this blog, but things did not turn out how they would have on Murder, She Wrote.  First of all, we are a new B&N store and our systems do not have any information from before this past June.  Secondly, the previous computer system has been totally wiped clean.  Even CSI couldn't crack this one!  And lastly, the whole case hinges on whether or not an audit trail from December 2005 was even printed.  If it was, it is filed somewhere among 30 or so banker boxes spread out in storage closets all over campus.  

Quite anticlimactic, huh?  That's what I thought!  Hopefully something will come to fruition with the files.  Until then, my one change to do something good that could have truly long lasting effects was an utter failure!  Maybe next time!

Age is a state of mind?

I have never been one to whine about my age and needlessly worry about my impending 30th birthday, which happens to be only 11 months away, but I suppose that is what this post will be.  The whole thing just does not bother me.  My sister loves to comment on the fact that I will be 30 a year and half before her.  The joke, however is on her!  She is 27 and is more worried about turning 30 than I am!  However, I have begun to notice that my age is coming in to play.

I have no problem with people calling me sir.  I was brought up to say sir and ma'am, so that is really just a sign of respect.  However, I have never had anyone call me mister.....until today.  I was in line at the drive up at the bank when this college student in the car behind me leaned out the window and said, "Hey Mister, your tire is low."  As much as I appreciate him letting me know that my tire was low, I could not help but think of all the other ways he could have gotten my attention.  "Hey Dude" or "Bro" or even "Hey Man" would have all been appropriate.  I would have even been fine with a honk of his horn, but perhaps he thought it would jump start my pacemaker and decided not to risk it.  

It really is amazing how one little word can make you wonder about things like your age.  This, coupled with my 10 year high school reunion later this month, have really had me thinking.  A lot of things have changed over the last 10 years since I left high school.  I don't drive a beat up car anymore, but I pay the price for that.  I don't drink as much beer anymore, instead turning to a delicious gin and tonic.  (However, I do still enjoy beer, let's call a spade a spade!) My taste in jokes has certainly changed, but I think I will still laugh at fart jokes when I am 80!  

Their are advantages to becoming older though.   I do not get carded for alcohol anymore, which drives some people nuts.  One less thing to pull out of my wallet!  I get a better price on car insurance, which is always a bonus! I seem to have more spending money these days, although I'm sure that will change once I settle down and start having kids. (keep your fingers crossed!) I'm sure I could find more practical things to do with this money, but I do enjoy a yearly Vegasfest trip! So really, things are not that bad!  

I guess all in all, I still really don't care about turning 30.  My close group of friends are all turning 30 this year or next, so at least misery can enjoy some company, right?