Random Thoughts on Automation....

...I'm going to sound a little like Andy Rooney here for a minute, but bear with me. It's something I've been pondering for a bit, but haven't taken the time to share thoughts with...until now.

We, in this country, have a fascination with making everything automated. Very cool. But sometimes the best laid plans don't always work out quite the way we'd like them to. Example? Automation in the bathroom. The place I work has self-flushing toilets and automatic soap dispensers. So you should never have to flush the toilet again, and you should always be able to put your hand out and get the perfect amount of soap every time. Let me take you through a few scenarios that make this not such a great idea. And, because of my anal retentive nature, I shall put them in lists.

The self-flushing toilet:

1. Very nice that you never have to remember to flush the toilet at work, but we've not yet progressed to putting self-flushing toilets in every home. This is bad for the person who is a creature of habit. The potential for leaving an unwanted gift for friends and family is so not cool.
2. For whatever reason, if I should wear an all-black shirt, it messes up the sensors on the toilet, making it phantom flush while my ass is still seated. Again. So not cool.
3. Self-flushing toilets do not work well with small children. I've a four year-old that could easily pose as a two year-old, as she is so small. You know that problem with phantom flushing with the black shirt. Same thing for her. And so not cool.
4. Again with small children. Especially children with very anal rententive personalities. They WANT to flush their own deposit down. It's like a rite of passage for them. I hear enough crying for other things. Do I have to hear it about the toilet not letting them flush their own waste? Not cool.

The automatic soap dispenser:

1. Very fine indeed for getting soap out, when it works. I find that if the automatic lights kick on (this one is a cool thing), signaling that no one has been in the bathroom for a while, I'm not going to be able to get my perfectly-portioned allotment of soap. No matter how many times I wave my hand in front of the sensor. So not cool. Ewww.
2. Someone told me of a work-around for this little issue. There's a reset button. Yay! BUT, if you should actually PUSH that reset button, you get TEN helpings! What a freaking waste!

Anyway, some random ponderings..... What kinds of automated things make you think "so not cool?"

Bah-Humbug!

Yes, folks, I'm a Scrooge when it comes to the holidays. The holidays make me an unhappy bitch. First of all, there is the shopping. For as long as I'm paying more in daycare than for my house payment (it's preschool for two...shut up you, who think I should just go back to working out of my house to spare myself the expense...do you really want to read about me in the newspapers??), shopping will hold a financial stress. There's also that little bit about Black Friday shoppers being awful. Next year, I'll wear my brand-spanking-new karate black belt and dare someone to rip the five dollar pj's out of my hand! Why, oh, why didn't I start shopping earlier?? Oh, yes, I remember...it's because four year-olds are fickle, fickle humans, ready to change their minds on their likes within a moment's notice.



Secondly, there's the family aspect. It just stresses me out. And as soon as I try to do my best to do the right thing, it turns around and bites me in the ass. I always say that my family doesn't have the monopoly on dysfunction, but we could write a really damn good book about it! Suffice it to say that Thanksgiving held some interesting times for me, and that sometimes it makes me not even want to step foot in my home town. And what's funniest of all, is that there were so many redeeming qualities about the weekend. And the best times had by all were with people not related to me by blood. Family, yes. Just family that treats me better than those who are blood relation. Funny how that happens. I do take that back a bit.... we stayed with my brother and his new wife and it was very nice and relaxing. But it's funny that, aside from those in my immediate family, my blood relatives are nutso. Someone actually asked my husband what he sees in me.....

Anyway, speaking of people not related to me by blood who make my world a bit happier.... Judy. She, out of the blue, brought me Frango Mints. I love it that she remembers me for the idle pratter of things like one of my favorite chocolates.... Love ya, Judy!

Update....

....since I so rarely take the time to actually post....


....last Saturday was Collin's ELEVENTH birthday. I suppose this is what comes from being a teenage mother.... but still. Eleven? Where the hell has the time gone? Anyway, we attempted to go to BW's for dinner (a family favorite at the moment....can't get enough boneless wings with medium sauce, potato wedges with cheddar and diet Coke!), but the Oaken Bucket game was on, so no dice. So we went instead to a new little best-kept-secret restaurant called Big Hoffa for some barbeque. We got Collin a Colts jersey (Marvin Harrison, to be exact....), some books and a Nintendo DS game. At the moment, he's saving up for a Wii. Not something we can afford while still paying a mortgage equivalent in daycare each month, so he's saving up. So he got money from nearly everyone for his birthday, so he has about $160! Not too shabby. We also owe him $18 of retro-pay on allowance, so he's over half way to the goal.

....In other news (it's all about Collin this go, just so you know), Collin did get his Second Degree Black Belt a few weeks ago. This entitles him to go to the Black Belt Extravaganza, where everyone from the Shorei Goju Ryu style gets together to show off what they've learned and have a big graduation ceremony. Unfortunately, this also falls on the same day as the Boy Scout December lock-in. Typically, scheduling isn't so bad, but sometimes it really gets out of hand... and I only have ONE kid in activities right now.....sometimes the future scares the crap out of me!

....OK, back to Ozzy and reviewing leases..... Happy Thanksgiving to those who still stop by!

Love this Quote

...I hate forwarded emails. BUT, occasionally there are things worth reading. If anyone remembers me for something, I try to make this my motto in life......


Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle...

author unknown

Griffin....

......he's definitely my little guy. If I want some snuggling, he'll be the one to go to. He'll give me a hundred kisses.... One, two, free, foey, five, sthix, stheven.... And he'll just lay down and snuggle... he won't move around and put his elbows in my stomach and grind his little knees into my thighs. He'll just lay there with me. Just be. But I tell you what. He'll be the one that gets kicked out of preschool. Last night I went to pick him up from preschool to find a note in his cubby, telling me that he'd hit and kicked his teachers after they tried to get him to play a game of tag. It's been since the first two weeks of school that he's done this. So very strange how cyclical it is. And he's been acting up more at home, but it usually stays at home and he's great at school. I don't understand why it's starting up again. The teachers and I were just saying how happy we were that he HASN'T been doing this (shut up, you, I know all about jinxing myself!)...with how far he and Erin had both come.

....sigh...

Coors Light....

....my friend, but yet not my friend....gotta love Wednesdays, but I think I have to find me a new hangout. Firstly, they no longer have 1.50 wells... Secondly, my fave bartender gave his two weeks yesterday. This totally changes the dynamic of my Wednesday and I'm not one bit happy about it. On a lighter note, we did our first ever pub crawl last night.... went from one bar to the next! hehe

....So I'm all the way through Basa Dai (I think that's the spelling). I've realized that when it comes to kata, I'm all over it. When it comes to actually fighting, however, notsomuch. I've realized over the last few days that I think way too much about it. I've also realized that, while I do love my typical partner, she's not where I want to be as far as actually trying stuff out and testing the waters. I worked out with one of the guys last night who was very helpful as far as giving me some pointers for sparring. Very appreciative I was.... So I'm hoping that Sensei will teach me the other brown belt material so that I can progress to the next belt one month early. Not going to totally hold my breath on that one, but I really would love to learn the next kata. But if he feels that my sparring needs more work, then I will definitely wait the extra month. I'm not quitting karate anytime soon. Hell, maybe if he does start a competition team again, I'll try to do it.... could be fun once I get my act together with sparring!

....on a completely different note, go vote for your favorite NFL team by playing Kick for Cans. I do it every day. I, of course, vote for the Colts, hoping to dethrown the Packers, but I think that everyone in Wisconsin must be voting every day.....they have a substantial lead! lol

Why?

.... Why does coffee make your pee smell like SuperCrisp cereal?
.... Why does Griffin throw such huge fits when things don't go PRECISELY to his plan?
.... Why does no one take their job seriously?
.... Why can't people who graduated high school do elementary math?
.... Why do these people often make just as much or MORE than me?

Feeling Down....

.... Am feeling down in the dumps lately. Just feeling a bit fed up with life. I'm warning you all now so that you will be prepared if I ever do a runner.... I've already given Judy claim to my stash of craft supplies....

I Must Confess....

...that I'm a fan of the "Big Hair Heavy Metal." At work, I listen to Pandora, which lets you choose the artists you like to listen to, and will play songs that are in that same genre. LOVE it! Anyway, I put in Ozzy Osbourne, and it's been bringing up many selections from my middle and high school days.... *sigh* I'm so waxing nostalgic!

Trick-Or-Beer saves the day....

Beer, you ask? You, Stephanie, who has always proclaimed not to like it? Why yes, I had my very first Coors Light (in a can, no less) last night. And let me tell you... it made the trip of taking the twins around the 'hood for trick-or-treating a much more enjoyable experience. The beer came, along with a koozie, from one of my neighbors. I still need to give the koozie back! *grins*

I have also joined the dark side and have a cup of coffee each morning.... what will I try next?

And, no, I can't upload pics of the kids in their costumes. I didn't wind up taking any with my phone.....