Yippee!!

Yee haw!! I'm a happy camper today. I've been very upset with my current career at the bank. I've been there a year and a half, been promoted and have not had one raise. It was really depressing me that I was working so hard, getting much more responsibility and yet nothing came of it. I was beginning to think I should look elsewhere. I was actually approached by a 'rival' bank, (yes, we have rivals in the banking industry...it's a cutthroat business lol).

As it goes, I was on my way to actually somewhat interview for a position at the other bank when I received a phone call from the courthouse, offering me a position that I had applied for several months ago.

I had given up the position since I was number 4 on the list and they only keep names on it for six months. It's been for. I wrote it off. But, lo and behold, they called and offered me a job. I jumped on it, as well as peed my pants. Well, not really, but I was really happy.

I start in two weeks and will be making $2 hour more, have benefits for the family, bonuses, retirement, vacations, as well as a lot of incentives. It's an amazing opportunity. It also will offer me a chance to use my criminal justice degree I worked so hard for. Now I am a Superior Court Clerk.

I'm soooooo happy!!

Let's hope I don't see any of you at work :-)
Sissy

My Bucket List

I saw the movie the Bucket List and even though it is so unrealistic it's almost ridiculous, it is still a fun, joyful, emotional movie that I really liked. So I got to thinking about what would be on my bucket list if I had one. Right away a million things come to mind: shop at mall with a no limit credit card, marry Brad Pitt :-), own a Corvette for every it's made, to name a few. But these are absurd. More like fantasy. What I wanted to think about is what would I TRULY want to put on that list. I imagined that I suddenly know my time is up, what is my next move? Other than spending every spare moment with my family, what would I want to do? Frankly, I really feel that having the luxury of being able to say goodbye is a bittersweet blessing that I think would make it easier. Yet that isn't DOING something, it isn't satisfying that need to have no regrets, the need to be able to say 'I did that'. So, I'm gonna try to keep it to a minimum. Here is my bucket list:

Parachute out of an airplane. That's right, I really do want to jump out of a perfectly good plane. I want to feel that rush of being weightless, free falling through the clouds and wind.

Follow Route 66 all the way from start to finish on the back of a motorcycle, arms around my favorite guy.

Go to Ireland. I don't know why, I just do. I'm certainly not Irish, at least not in this life.

Take my kids to Disney World. The way my life is going I'll never even make Disneyland, but Disney World would be the absolute best. Disney really is the happiest place on Earth.

Swim with dolphins. Ok, I'm terrified of the ocean. Well, not actually the ocean. It's beautiful, I love to swim and I love the beach. However, other than losing my kids, sharks are just about the one and only thing that really terrifies. I mean it. I hate them. I can't even see them on TV, even fake ones, without being scared and having nightmares. But I love dolphins and can't imagine the feel of one touching me as we glide effortlessly through the blue water. The clear water, so I can see what's coming.

Visit every inch of the Smithsonian. The history of this country: old and new, good and bad, fun and miserable can all be found at the Smithsonian. Every incredible and fascinating thing in our past, present and future is there and I want to see every bit of it.

Learn to ballroom dance. I love it. I love to see it and when I'm alone I love to pretend I know how to do it. In this lifetime, I'd like to more than pretend. Preferably, I'd like to learn with my husband, but that won't happen.

Make up with my dad. I miss him.

So, there it is. My bucket list. I suppose there is more, I'm sure of it. But I won't be greedy. I'll just keep it to a minimum and save some stuff for someone else's bucket list.

Here's to hoping I'll not be kicking any time soon,
Sissy

Today...I wear flip flops!!

That's right. Today is amazingly beautiful and I have the day off so it is my first dance with the liberating world of flip flop wearing. Granted, they often leave style to wind in exchange for breeziness and comfort, but who cares? They may not make my outfit but they are making my day. My dogs are happy and eating up the sunshine. They feel free. As it goes, I'm an extremely white, bordering on transparent, person and can stand nothing more than when my tan line ends at my ankles with a vivid stripe. Sorry, no I'm not wearing white booties, that's my horrendous tan line! Hence, I love the flip flop. Shall I continue on and also mention that I'm currently wearing, along with said flip flops, a wife beater and brown skirt, aching to feel the fresh air everywhere possible and still be legal. The skirt wearing is a feat I'm especially proud of as I have not worn one in about 8 years, due to being heavier and self conscious. But now, no longer being a size 20, I feel great. I'm a size 10 now and plan on wearing skirts and shorts all summer, along with the ever pleasant flip flops.

Happy Summer,
Sissy

Men are Ridiculous

I have to write about this because the absurdity of what goes on at the bank I work at is so hilarious. Let me just say that what I'm talking about is a daily where I work, daily. That means each day.

I'll start by saying that we are a small community, small bank. We have 10 employees, all of us are women. We range from 19-52. Mostly in the twentysomething range. I'm the third oldest at 33. Some of us are married, all are seriously involved. We range in many shapes and colors. Frankly, we are a beautiful team, inside and out. I love the girls I work with.

Ok, now for the beginning of my point...

One girl in particular, Katee, who is 22, 5 foot 8, 120 pounds, generous breasts, adorable freckles, long legs, small butt, long hair and perfect teeth, makes us all feel especially inferior. Just kidding, she is really extremely model stunning but she also happens to be very funny, witty and quite smart. She's a great package in and out. I love her.

Now that you know a little about Katee you should know that she has little competition in terms of stereotypical beauty. I think we have some really stunning girls, but Katee fits the mold society has created as being the epitome of beauty. That said, I'll move on.

Each day we are faced with knowledge that we are no Katee!! Sir, I'd be happy to help you. Thanks, but I'm waiting for Katee! Go ahead of me ma'am, I'm waiting for Katee. Hey, where is Katee? I haven't seen Katee, where is she? Does Katee have a boyfriend? "how would you like your change sir?" What? Oh, sorry I was looking at Katee. Can you get me Katee's phone number?

Believe me, I know how it sounds. It sounds like an exaggeration. But it isn't, I kid you not. We have one man who slips his wedding ring off when he enters the bank and will only go to Katee. There is another who spends every minute talking about her beauty, only to add half heartedly as he leaves that we're pretty too. Gee, thanks buddy. Our Brinks truck driver radios his partner inside the vault so he can tell Katee how pretty she is and she should be on the Next Top Model. One guy physically leaned across two customers to get close to her and had to be snapped at twice to get back to business. Another, much older, man looks in every corner for her, and grills us as to where she is. Is she with a boy? And so on and so and scooby dooby doo....

The behavior these men and boys revert to is incredible and ridiculous. I wonder if these guys realize the way they are acting. It's hilarious. I told her today that I'm really glad she uses her super powers for good. She laughs. Frankly, I think she herself is sick of it. She is really smart, but men treat her like that doesn't matter. In that sense, I feel bad for her.

Having stated all that I will add that is in fact quite true that Katee could be the next top model, if she wanted to, but she doesn't and I think that earns her some points in my book....

I love ya Katee.
Sissy

Flirting, Or Friendly Conversation??

Last night me and the husband and kids went to good old Wal-Mart. Hey, we need excitement too! As well as toothpaste. Anyway, we managed to accumulate all of our necessities, which always seem to total at least a hundred dollars, which we can ill afford. We proceed to checkout.

Ox and kids stand idly by while I control the debit machine. Our checker is a young man about 20ish. He is very nice. Comments on my movie purchase (The Princess Bride, love it). He loves it too! Insert shared laughter about key film parts. Now we discuss the crazy weather. It's hot, it's cold. Dang, I had to start a fire last night, and was wearing cutoffs yesterday, what's up with the bipolar weather??

Purchases made, leave the store. Now we are driving home. Yee Haw...Def Leppard concert on the radio. Wait, no, he's turning it off. I was listening to that you know.

"It was fun watching that kid hit on you," he tells me. What? He was not!! "Yes, he was," says the peanut gallery in the backseat (thanks Slim). I explain we were simply having a friendly conversation and no one was hitting on anyone. I proceed to say that I have conversations such as those several times a day with customers at work. "So, guys hit on you all day?" he asks. Ummm...ok, now what do I say? NO ONE hit on me!! He insists differently. Well, I say, if he was flirting with me than I was flirting with him too as were both enjoying the conversation. "Yes, you were flirting too," he says.

Now what do I say? I thought it was a nice, fun conversation. The boy was young enough to almost be my son. Well, not quite, but young anyway.

So, my question is this: what's the difference between flirting and friendly conversation? Is there a difference? If so, am I skanky and flirty with the boys/men? Where's the dang line? How do I know when I cross it?

So, then I had to do a repair job. He's wondering why his wife and the Wal-Mart clerk are flirting right in front of him. And I'm wondering why he's so uptight because I enjoy conversing with people. And if the conversation I had with that person was flirtatious then I am sorry to say I do flirt daily, and not only with the boys!!

Sissy

A small laugh

I have a friend here that is a writer. He frequents the bank and we have many conversations about great literature and films and so on. In reality, if he comes in I often neglect other work. It's true. I'm ashamed!! Anyway, he's very clever and I like talking to him. He's older and has been around. He even knew Harper Lee, who wrote the amazing novel "To Kill a Mockingbird". Well, this author friend of mine wrote a book called "The Court of the Lion". It's a very long, intense novel about the Tang dynasty. Very serious and detailed. Not a light read. Anyway, I digress. He came in today and we were talking about his current venture, a new book. He decided to share a funny story. He had written a few chapters and sent them to his editor who wrote back, wanting to know why he finds it necessary to write about a crap filled lake. Huh??? Dan is thinking wtf is she talking about??? Long story short, he meant to write about the CARP filled lake!!! But spell check didn't catch it because crap is a word!! Ok, maybe it's not as funny writing or reading about it as it was when he was telling me today, but I think if you use your imagination you can picture the scenario. I busted out laughing!! I couldn't stop and had to actually take a break to calm down. I don't know if it was the way he told it, or the idea of a crap filled lake, but it struck me as hilarious. Just thought I'd share some humor....
Sissy

Why do I bother??

I've went on strike about 75 times this year. Really. I will walk into my daughters bathroom and see the caked on toothpaste in the sink, the disgusting bathtub ring, fourteen pairs of pants piled in the corner and a myriad of products littering every empty space and I think: "If I can dig my way out back into the light, I'm never coming in to this hurricane again."

I vow that I will never step foot into the dark abyss known as my daughters bathroom. There is so much crap in it that I feel fairly certain there are some new species or lifeforms growing in my very own house. Do I throw up, or call NASA with the great new discovery, hoping they'll name it after me?

However, my disgust and horror and the utter depravity subsides and find myself on my hands and knees, clawing my way through the clothes piles, scrubbing my way through the grime...leaving a glowing, sanitized bathing area in its place.

Why do I do it? Why do I vow to not do it ever again and let them deal with their own messes and then clean it anyway? What is wrong with me? Am I defective? Do I have the Donna Reed gene that forces me to clean, even when I don't want to?

I know what you're saying, make those little buggers do it themselves. Honestly, they made the mess. They make it, I clean it. I cook it, they eat. They wear it, I wash it. Do you see the pattern?

Ok, I'm totally serious now. I will not clean that filthy, disgusting pigsty of a bathroom again, regardless of what might be growing underneath the clothes pile. I won't do it!!!

Staying strong,
Sissy