skategreen

I used to carry money in my cig pack - never carried a purse. (I can't even stand the word) I once lost the pack on Granville Street in Vancouver. This is where the homeless and young run-aways hang out cuz it's a great street. (or was) So I lose a pretty full pack of Player's Light..with about 120.00 in it. At the time I was totally pissed - now I like to think of some homeless guy reaching for the pack..and getting this huge bonus. I hope I made someone's day. Week. (then again, maybe they took it and bought drugs and died of an overdose. I could be responsible for a death)

Happy Birthday to you and me. Which reminds me, I gotta go call Kandy. It's her birthday too. She's been a close friend for forever and a bit. and Robyn Stacey - we share this birthday with her too - but since I haven't seen her in 30 years..it doesn't much matter. There's one other person I know..but I can't think of them now. ... someone random. anyway Happy Birthday to Us. and anyone else you know that shares it.

Christ, we really have a lot of quitters here. Kinda surprising to me. I miss smoking. I don't miss the smell on my body, breath, clothes, hair, in the house. I don't miss constantly airing out the house. I don't miss the expense, the stigma..the looks, the comments..the niggling feelings.. I don't miss the cough, the hack, the slight stains on my teeth, the drives to the store late at night so I would have enough in the morning. I don't miss the health concerns. I don't miss having to go out-fucking-side to smoke and freezing my ass off at work/events, etc..smoking..out-fucking-side. I don't miss driving with all my windows down so my car wouldn't stink up. I don't miss saving the butts to throw out so I don't dirty my ashtray and make the car stink. I don't miss sometimes accidently burning something. I don't miss cleaning dirty ashtrays constantly. I don't miss the feeling of asking for "smoking section" in a restaurant, the cranky feeling of visiting a non-fucking-smoking house. I don't miss that shamed feeling at the counter as I handed over the money. I don't miss the Dentist Guilt, the Dr. Guilt, the daughter Guilt, the Walking Down the Street Guilt, I don't miss all the million ways every day I felt guilty for smoking. I just MISS SMOKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of my reading these days is spent on articles on the internet... "how to hang kichen cupboards", "the basics of drywalling" "how to lay concrete".. and research of everything from yard tractor reviews, treadmills, to water purifying systems. BUT I just bought a couple books from Amazon and will be re-reading a couple books by Billie Letts. "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon" "Shoot the Moon" These are easy, engaging, and comfortable reads. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed her, "Where the Heart Is". So I looked up what else she'd written. In "Where the Heart Is", you have this young gal abandoned by her boyfriend at a Walmart in the middle of no where, and she ends up living in the Walmart and gives birth there. An old childhood fantasy..being locked in a department store all night and all the fun that would be had.... .. I only assume I'm not the only one with such a fantasy. So these will be in my Morning Reading Bowl soon. In the meantime...back to "How to Install Gutters, 101".

Start lookin out for it, pay attention, and I betcha a dollar that you see it happen within a week. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but I'd swear that it's just a matter of noticing and listening.

You tore it apart just fine. and I AM paying attention..so what's with this? You "quote" me in your response, to something I sure as hell didn't say in my post: Were you toying with me, or did something else happen to the posts whilst I was away? I've been known to use the words, "masses" and "Plebs" but not in this post! ........ I do think everyone has all the abilities, and that it's just a matter of paying attention, practicing, and also - not being dulled by drugs, booze, meds, lack of food/sleep. ..... Lemme tell ya about one of my favorite "pulled it in". Back when I first started teaching Kindergarten (1987) I suddenly had a brain storm and decided I wanted a Spirit Duplicator. In the 70's these were really big in schools and everything was "run off" on them. (as opposed to photocopiers) they were very ooooold school. On the next break I went and told my senior, the current Lower School Head, that I wanted to get one and described all the ways we could use it, how much fun it would be for the kids. Her response? "oh, you can't get those anymore, they don't even make them I think, you'll never find one". I said, "oh SURE I CAN!! It's easy, you just look in the 'Buy -n Sell', they have EVERYTHING there..." (the B&S was a classified paper, sold for a buck and a half or so, people could advertise anything in it for free - only businesses paid - very popular- garage sale ads, cars, trucks, furniture, computers, etc etc. It was about 100 pages or more of ads. A big thick booklet published weekly. A forerunner of Craigslist) There was a Buy 'n Sell in the break room. I grabbed it, and demonstrated, I told her, "you just open it up, and look, and there it is!", and as I was saying this I was opening the paper, flipped it open at random, and just pointed down at an ad, without even looking at what I was doing. (yeah, yeah, you're already there aren't'cha? You know what happened?) Yep. Out of 60 pages or more, out of thousands of little classified ads..I was pointing to.... an ad for a Spirit Duplicator. "50.00, works well, comes with paper and gallon of spirit" Penny, my boss lady, was floored. So was I. I actually found 2 ads in the same section and my Petty Cash request met no resistance - I think everyone was floored by the story of how I found them. We used those machines for a zillion things over the next ten years. Kids loved them, all the teachers did... and I loved how I got them.

I get this all the time. I find when I listen to it, when I pay attention, the same type of thing happens. When I ignore it, I end up shaking my head with some type of regret. You know what else I find? The more I listen, the more I pay attention, the more it happens. I put it down to and ability - "knowingness". and the cause? Well, then we jump over to "religion" - we're spiritual beings with abilities. If we cultivate them and practice them, they improve. If I remember to acknowledge it and pay attention, it happens more often - the ability "seems to improve". (maybe I'm just paying attention) I can know who's calling, who wants to talk to me..how someone far away is doing. Not all the time, not always reliable - but startling accurate quite often. I can also find "lost things", whether I've lost them or someone else has. It's also an ability - is it merely an extension of knowingness? Dunno. I sorta "feel out there" for where it is. Then I get, "it feels like it's over here/there" ... look ... and often - find it! (used to joke with Ex- "the uterus is a homing device, which is why women can find things) I have found things in very oddball places for people - just by "feeling that it's over there" Also, I can "find" or "pull in" what I need. I decided I needed a picnic table, 2 days later a neighbor 6 houses down puts one out with sign on it, "picnic table, ten bucks". This sort of thing happens all the time - if I remember to decide "I need it". (it hasn't yet worked on "I need the lottery numbers") That's my take on it. Take a look buildy, can you also pull in what you need, find things?

Thanks. - I usually don't pipe up - it's the Canadian in me. Manners and social niceties and all that rot. But I'm also American, so I CAN pipe up if need be. That time..was one of those "last straw" days. I'd previously vowed that I wouldn't silently put up with it "next time" nor simply move or stand. I've stood on the train rather than be squished by a stranger - which ALSO PISSES ME OFF. The last time it happened...I was in the section of the train where they have 2 seats facing 3 seats - all the other seats were taken, and there was an empty seat between me and the wall seat. The lady on the wall seat wasn't small, quite large, but not the slop over size. Then this GUY comes huffing and puffing along, he's squishing in cuz the train is CROWDED. It's rush hour, and there are these business suits all about me. This guy musta weighed about 450 lbs. He was one of those sweaty greasy ones..oh ...oh it's nasty...(I'm having dinner, yuck) ... So he SPIES the "empty seat" between me and the wall seat ..(the one the business suited guys are ignoring cuz that's what you do! You ignore it unless you're REALLY small cuz there are 2 people already there) and LARDO..spies it and goes for it, PUSHING aside the suits.. My eyes BUGGED. I know they did, I saw the reaction on a suit's face. Sweaty Lardo starts squishing in, and I suddenly yelp, "WAIT!!! WAIT!! LEMME OUT!!!!" He PLUNKS down and takes up all of his seat (squishing wall lady) and 3/4 of MY seat. It...was ...just... covered. I pointedly looked down at "my seat" and then pointedly looked at him. He shuffled his weight about, as if to "make room". I just shook my head, and turned away.. to be greeted by... the sympathetic faces of 4-5 business suits... This guy had no right to my seat. He had no right to expect to take it. He had no manners. Period. It was simply rude. and I......? I was left to either be very rude to him or to stand. (2 hour ride home) .......... Give us more Flying Stories Please. I bet you have lots. Will you return to it? Once Pumpkin is in school? Or later? (of course, I dreamed of your job all through my childhood) "protected disorder" my ass.

AND THANKS for the stories. Love stories. Here's my first post as an unregistered guest and later quoted on an updated thread. ...ie. one of my fat stories. http://Off Topic Forum.com/showpost.php?p=416867&postcount=4 Cheers

You're a flight attendant? OH Lord! Do I have questions for YOU! So? What's the deal? What's the policy? What are a passengers rights when it comes to their seat and a fattie beside? I'd heard of one airline, (SW?) that makes people buy two seats.. but I don't think it's standard. I think it should be like the suitcase thing - they have that rack and sign, something to the effect that, "your carry on must fit in here". They oughta have a seat and a sign, "your ass must be able to fit in here". Are you still flying and if so, which airline? What's their policy on on it? (Maybe you'll be working the flight that brings my Boogaloo (daughter) in 2 weeks!) (Yippeee)

Anna Dawling, I have a question (or two) for you........ Have you ever had to sit next to a fattie on an airplane? Ever had one sit next to you on the train/bus? Ever had one break/weaken your furniture? Ever had them blocking the way and too slow to move? .... I don't like fat for a myriad of reasons, and I'm quiet about it unless someone asks my opinion. But the one that really pisses me off is that I've too often experienced discomfort due to someone else's weight. I HATE having a fattie next to me on a plane - it's INSANE. I MOVED rather than put up with it. I also hate having to put up with it on trains. My attitude is, "I bought my seat, GET THE FUCK OUTTA IT". Fatties slop over, steal my seat and squish me. I also can't stand having large people blocking the way - when I'm out and about I MOVE...but that's a small one. The biggie is the seat stealing. Ever had it happen?

Yep Bravo. Now ditch the weed. You're a dad.

I loved the season where Jack had to take his boss, the head of CTU, out to a deserted area, have him kneel, and put a bullet through his head. To save the world, of course. You don't watch the show because it's real. You watch it for JACK BAUER!

That's amazing. That's absolutely amazing. For some reason, I'm laughing. Ohhhh I have questions. Does she do this in restaurants? At her Mother's Thanksgiving Table? In the car? At her desk at work? Does she do this in front of people? I'd bet not. I'd bet ..this is Lunch Time Alone. That's the only way you could do it without horrifying everyone around you. Oh my gawd. Imagine. You end up with this extra plate (oooh, let's hope she puts it on an extra plate) ..of Nasty Pukey Chewed Food. Oh Christ. What a way to start a Saturday. (my imagination is wayyyyy too vivid) As for curves/fat etc. As I've posted long before, I think people eat crap. Almost everything in the grocery store is crap, and all fast food is crap. I always wonder, "who buys this shit?" "who the hell is buying all the Twinkies? Why do they still make those?". Who's buying all the pop, chips, cookies, caramel apples, and Pirates Booty? Frozen dinners, canned "vegetables" and "soup".(AKA old grey salt in a can) It's all crap. All that crap is what makes all the crap ugly bodies crowding my planet. Curves are fine - on a healthy body. Exercise and good food give us nice looking bodies. Flaccid untoned bodies stuffed with twinkies and chips are ugly, no matter what size. Skin texture and tone, color...it's all greyed out and nasty from crap diets. Jellied flesh beneath rubbery skin oh gak.