December 20th, 2011

Some Last Minute Shopping Do’s and Don’ts. Mostly Don’ts.

I’ve experienced some very strange things during the last few days of running errands. I thought I would put together a handy list of tips and tricks in case anyone isn’t sure what is or isn’t appropriate behavior when out in public.

In store:

• Don’t ram some one with your cart when you would like to move to the other side of them. Also, telling someone to move their “fat fucking ass” isn’t really fitting in with the whole holiday spirit. And combining these two? TOO FAR.*
• Do say “excuse me” or even “hey you” if someone is in your way.
• Don’t just abandon your cart in the center of the aisle. Push it to the side, it takes 4 seconds. See also: keep to the left or right when going down the aisle – not the middle.
• Do say please, thank you and have a nice day to your checker or anyone who helps you. Even if they seem less than enthused. Keep in mind, you just spent an hour dealing with assholes in Target. They have to spend 8.

In parking lot:

• Don’t park in someone else’s parking space at an angle, rendering them unable to back out and forcing them to sit in their car and cry.*
• Do follow posted parking lot signs. You know, like stop signs or fire lane. They are there for everyone’s safety.
• Don’t speed. Parking lots are not racetracks.
• Don’t make a trip to your car to drop off some of your purchases and return to the mall. People are watching for that and might rob you. (Or this is an urban myth, but this is reported in our paper every single year. I have not had it happen to me)
• Do be aware of your surroundings when using your phone in a parking lot. Multiple checkers told be about people who’s purses were stolen from their carts while they were pushing it and texting. Also, don’t leave your purse in your cart.

On the road:

• Don’t turn from the wrong lanes in heavy traffic. Go around the block if you missed your turn.*
• Do stay on your side of the road.
• Don’t use your cell phone and drive.
• Don’t drink and drive. Martinis and shopping are fun, but not if you have to drive home.
• Do pay extra attention. People are crazy.

*Same trip.

December 19th, 2011

Spence Day

I’ve discussed this in the past, but it bares repeating for my fives of new readers. Spencer was named after a boat, a destroyer, in fact. The USS Spence went down on December 18th, 1944 in a typhoon. My husband’s grandfather was serving on board and was not one of the 24 survivors. Twenty four. Out of over 300. And that is just that ship. Two more went down in the storm.

Every year we try and mark the day with something special, normally near the ocean. Today, we went down to the pier, walked to the end and stopped by to visit my dad’s memorial bench. It turned out to be windy and cold, but it is December. I’m not sure what we expected. It wasn’t too crowded, but a lot of people were still fishing. I have this irrational (but plausible) fear of being hooked in the face by someone fishing on the pier, so I was on high alert. We let Spencer run a bit, but mostly he stayed by us, which is awesome because it means he’s getting a little better. I thought I’d share some pictures from the outing.

Hold on tight!

Hard to see, but tons of surfers were out.

Sunset

Spence said this was his favorite picture.

My dad's bench.

December 18th, 2011

Olympus PEN Project

This post is sponsored by Olympus.

Photography has always been a part of my life. My mom was an avid photographer all through my childhood. I always loved going to pick up the pictures with her and we’d sit in the parking lot, open the envelope and flip through the pictures right away. There was something so fun about the suspense and waiting for film to be processed. At the same time, I love the immediacy of digital photography. I also love that the price of cameras have become so much more reasonable.

My first camera was used 110 film, later I had a Polaroid (because my uncle worked for them) and then finally, for my 16th birthday, I got a small 35 mm camera. It was a big deal for me at the time, cameras, even cheap point and shoots weren’t inexpensive. Plus, there was the expense of film and developing. Digital photography has really upped the quality and lowered the price and made photography accessible for a much larger range of prices. And photographs have become amazing, even in a point and shoot.

To illustrate this point, Olympus gave away 1000 new Olympus PEN® E-PM1 camera to people in 6 different cities. People then submitted their photos to penready.com. It is so much fun looking through the galleries.

Surprising people with a PEN camera

December 18th, 2011

Mini Yarn Wreath Madness

Wreath madness continued in December, but I branched out into mini wreaths.

Some were red:

For teachers!

My favorite from the trio (No clue why this photo turned this color)

Some were white:

Give peace a chance

And one was multicolored:

For the secret handmade exchange

Side view!

I would have more, but two of the wreath forms I ordered disappeared into the abyss that is the guest room. So, Spencer’s Toy Story wreath hasn’t happened. Yet. Maybe Micheal’s will get wreath forms back in stock.