My day | Peaches Prattlings

{March 4, 2016} Waiting ok…but for how long?

Here I sit, waiting…and waiting…and waiting…

We landed over 30 minutes ago, first, we circled in the air, a little snow in Boston and everyone was circling and diverting. Now, we’re finally on tree ground and we wait.

There is some de-icing happening, I think…but we sit. Don’t you just love this? I did, however, get up to use the facilities because, as I told the flight attendants, and it made them laugh heartily…”I’m trying to avoid a very different type of cleanup” when we get off the plane.

Ok, it’s been 45 minutes, are we there yet? Ooh, here comes the de-icing truck! Now, just the food trucks for the other planes.

Why couldn’t I be stuck in first class for this leg of my trip?

I hope I get off the plane soon, I don’t want to be blogging from here tomorrow!!! Ha ha ha!

See…so close!

{March 2, 2016} Did I just date myself?

Oh yeah, but I do it all the time! Don’t you?

When I teach, I bring stuff up I know people will laugh about, or at least get a chuckle. This is also dependent on their ages.

It was really funny yesterday because the class was full of women, 40s and up, I knew they would know what I was taking about. But I also knew that the intern, very young guy, wouldn’t have a clue!

Do you remember the old Prell commercial “and they told two friends, and they told two friends and so on, and so on”.

My favorite is talking about the records I had a kid, one in particular. So, now, we’re talking 45s and LPs.

But my favorite is talking about the story albums I had as a kid.

The reason I bring it up is depending on where I am teaching, I might need someone to navigate from my pc as I am at the front of the room where the slide deck is showing.

So, I ask the class if they remember those albums we had as kids, sometime’s 45s and others the LPs. Do they remember the stories that you would read along with? “When you hear this sound, turn the page” “ding”. My favorite, Cinderella.

So, the class laughs with great memories and nostalgia and then I say “ding” and the navigator goes to the next slide. And when I don’t say it, the class does!

A long way to go for that one!

{February 29, 2016} Ouch…that hurts!

What’s a reasonable number of times to hit your head? In a day!

Yesterday was the day and three is the number, boo and ouch!

The first was in the shower, I dropped something, picked it up and went to stand up again and smack! Hairline, ouch!

The second, I was loading the trunk, went to put a bag in and apparently the trunk door wasn’t up all the way and I hit the latch, about the same place. Owwwww! That actually required a few choice words! There were even a few tears.

Last one, doesn’t seem possible, but I was on a flight, stood up too fast, and wham!

Needless to say, head hurts still, very tender right there. I only have one request…

Daddy, please come kiss my keepe and make it all better!

{February 28, 2016} What a weekend!

As promised, my weekend, I’m more awake now!

I got to Colorado on Friday, found a hotel, chilled out, talked to you and crashed out. Apparently my body thought I only needed about four hours of sleep, wide awake at 4:15am, seriously?

I finally got up about 5:45, dressed and breakfast and out the door by 6:20am, at AM’s house to get my skis, head up to the mountains. What a view, breathtaking, peaceful, calming, I’m glad I had the opportunity to live in Colorado and go back and visit.

I decided to go to Breckinridge for the day and I’m so glad I did, beautiful weather, never got very cold and warmed up towards the end of the day. It was about 60 when I left.

I got to the top for my first run of the day and woosh, away I went. There was good powder, groomed and smooth. It really was a pleasure being out there, I am definitely a west coast over east coast skier. I’m more confident there than back east and that’s ok, everyone has their skills and what they’re comfortable with. Some people are east over west, that’s why you see those bumper stickers “Ski the East “.

I took a few breaks, including one for lunch. I accidentally spilled two drops of vegetables soup on my goggles, it got into the foam so every time I pulled them down, I smelled soup! Especially when I pulled my face guard up! Had to wash them pretty fast, I couldn’t take it!

In all, I skied for about four and a half hours, it was invigorating and exhausting! I didn’t even have to trick myself into the last run!

I left Breck and headed to AM’s house to visit with him and the family. I love spending time with his wife, N and their daughter A, she is a spitfire and adorable.

We chatted for a bit, then headed out to their favorite local sushi restaurant, at least I think it was a favorite, they knew the staff, which is nice and they were happy to see the family.

We had a very nice dinner, she drew me this picture on the back of a sushi menu. Isn’t it fabulous! You know it’s going on my fridge!

Back to the house, the younger A went to bed and A, N and I watched Lucy, interesting. It was great to hang out with them. Over dinner and beyond, we talked about movies, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Star Trek, and more and more and books and… It was a lot of fun, I’m looking forward to next time.

Back to the hotel, chilled a bit, barely talked to you and then passed out, as you know.

This morning, I got up leisurely, it was nice, breakfast and eventually head out. I visited my storage units, got some stuff and headed to the airport.

I had enough time when I returned the car, then sat on the bus for about 10/15 minutes waiting to head to the airport. My bags made it by the skin of their teeth, but they made it. They made it to my first stop, Minneapolis, but somehow got routed wrong and they didn’t make it to Buffalo with me.

Luckily…I left a bag with the hotel last week because I didn’t want to take it with me and I’m so glad I did! The Delta luggage agent gave me a kit that had a t-shirt, tooth brush, the essentials. Good thing, my jammies and essentials are still in flight! They should be here tomorrow about noon. I’m just glad I have something to wear to teach class!

And now that are caught up, I will say goodnight and pleasant dreams.

{February 28, 2016} Woosh…zzzz

It was a great day!

It was so great, that with permission, I will crash and tell you about my day tomorrow.

Promise.

{February 27, 2016} Excuse…rude…much?

Shut it already!

I was traveling to Denver today with a layover in Atlanta. I wanted to get some lunch, so I decide on PF Chang’s, vegetable lettuce wrap, score!

I sit down and wait, eventually the server comes over and we hit it off, of course, but while I am waiting to order and then get my food, this woman was on the phone, speaking VERY loudly.

You know, it’s the airport, it’s a crowded restaurant, but that doesn’t give you the right to disrupt everyone else in the place! I asked the woman at the next table if she had been doing that a long time, yup, since she had been there.

Everyone keeps looking over at her, more like shooting death rays in her direction. She isn’t alone! I thought she was! Her husband, or traveling companion, at one point stands up and then he stands there while she talks and yells at the person on the phone, over the railing for at least another 20 minutes!!!

She finally cleared the table and about ten minutes later they left.

What I really felt bad about was that the waitress was missing out on making more money, so I left her a tip on my corporate credit card, since it’s a travel day and then left her twenty dollars cash, I know how hard it was waiting tables. She really was great.

So, come on people, have some common courtesy, seriously. Maybe karma will come around and the person who sits next to her on her flight does that to her!

{February 25, 2016} I think I almost got IRS scammed!

Shame on them!

I don’t normally answer calls from numbers I don’t know. They must have called three or four times, so I finally answered.

This angry man with a very thick accent told me he was with the IRS and I had been audited for a certain time period. I said I hadn’t been notified, they said they sent papers to my Georgia address. I wasn’t thinking about the scam yet and then…ding..ding..ding.

If they were looking at the years they said, they would know I didn’t live there. He proceeded to get more angry and yell at me and then said “do you think this is a joke?!”

I then said, this sounds like and I’m hanging up now. Click…never heard from them again. Then I checked, the number is close to the ones on the IRS website. Hmmm…

{February 24, 2016} Why, yes, I am the energizer bunny…

Thank you for noticing.

I have been compared to the energizer bunny on more than one occasion. There are times it feels like I never stop moving, going, doing.

But when I teach, that’s what I feel like! I am on, I am going, I am all over the place, a bundle of energy, it’s awesome!

Hey, I have to keep you engaged, energized, entertained, we’re going to be together for two to four to maybe even sixteen hours, it doesn’t have to be a downer.

But sometimes, as soon as I’m done with a class, I’m done! I could probably take a nap!

I sit down and think about not getting up, maybe if I put my head down for just a minute…but then, the next class comes in and it’s like I’m starting all over, I’m up, I’m on, let’s go! Sort of wash, rinse, repeat.

I got the greatest compliment once, I was told that I made what could have been the longest sixteen hours of someone’s life fun and entertaining. That meant so much to me!

When will I see you in one of my classes?!

{February 23, 2016} Gotcha!

It wasn’t me this time!

Ever think “I can’t believe that driver did that, where is a cop?” Well, he did and there was.

I was pulling out of the hotel, stopped at the light and watched a car drive up bedside me and then go through the light, it’s not like the light had just changed.

Two seconds later, the officer who had been sitting right there at the intersection took off, lights and siren going. Took about 10 seconds, but he was pulled over.

Serves him right. And it wasn’t me!

{February 21, 2016} Stuff…Random stuff

Just a few things that have stuck in my head.

Not sure if they all deserved a full blog, some of it might be a vent or a rant, how many of those do you really want to read? I know you care, but uplifting, not a downer, do I want to be!

Hmmm…where to start…I went to Best Buy to return something that didn’t work for me. When I bought this item it came with a $10 Best Buy gift card. Goody, I like gift cards. This one came with a catch they do not tell you when you receive it. If you return whatever you bought, to get the full refund, you need to return the gift card. Makes sense, I get it, but tell me when I buy it that I need to return both and I would keep them together. As it is, I put the gift card in with my other gift cards when I first got home and didn’t think about it again when I put the item in my bag and traveled the country waiting for the opportunity to go to a Best Buy and return it.

So, I got most of my money back and I still have a $10 gift card, whoopee.

If I walk into your store and you ask me a question, listen to my answer. I said I’m not a fan of a designer, but I know someone who is. I asked if she was a fan and her answer “No, not like you are”. Huh? Really? It gets better, she did it three times, I should have walked out after two times, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

When I rent a car, if I tell you I am not going to take the extra insurance, you can ask are you sure, not “oh really? How do you plan to conver it?” Really? I’m a grown woman. I already told you I’ll take care of getting the gas myself, “oh, but it’s only $25”, yes, but you don’t know how much or how little gas I am going to use. And when I tell you that I rent cars every week for work keep after me. When I ask if you have a certain car because that’s what the receipt says I might get and you tell me that you have BMWs and they’re only $15 extra a day. Oh really? Are you going to pay for it out of your pocket? It always feels very condescending talking to them, if they weren’t the cheapest that weekend, I wouldn’t rent from them again.

Silver lining, so to speak. When I rented on Thursday from Enterprise, she was very pleasant and not condescending and when I told her that before she asks, I don’t need extra insurance or pre-pay for gas, she laughed and said “you’ve done this before I see”.

If you’re sick, I sympathize, but you don’t have to sit right in the middle of everyone and possibly get everyone else sick, but more than that, besides the blowing, having to glance over and watch you stick the nasal stick thing up your nose, really? While you’re talking a little loud on your phone, ragging on stuff. Thanks for including the rest of us.

Ok, enough already! I think there are others, but I don’t feel like dumping anymore. So, I will end on a happy note.

This weekend, on the way to the house in NH, I stopped at an LL Bean Outlet to return some items I bought before PSM and I went to Europe. I love that I could return them four months later and without a receipt!

Do you feel like when you return things, especially after a long time period it’s like found money? I do! So you feel ok spending some of that? Come on, I’m not the only one! Now, I didn’t feel that way at Best Buy, but it was over $100 at LL Bean, so…just being fair, I had to look to see if there was anything I just had to have.

I bought a really cute fleece, I tried to find one for GES, I always do that when I’m shopping, especially if I find something adorable I know she’d like. Isn’t that what big sister’s are for? I also bought one of their large, very sturdy canvas bags, I’ve always wanted one, so sue me! Monogrammed would be even better, but I’m happy.

Speaking of monogramming, I don’t know if you knew this, but at the outlets, and the regular retail stores I think, sell monogramned retruns. I look, because who knows. Maybe I’ll see my name or initials or someone else’s I know.

I see this bag that I like, first for the color combinations and then I saw the monogramming and I thought, I must have this. “AAA….Amazingly Awesome Aunt!” How perfect is that?

Good happy note to end on?

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What was I thinking?