Monthly Archives: June 2012

Things Driving Me Crazy Today

On Tuesdays, things seem to perturb me much more quickly. No reason. Just Tuesday.

Here’s my latest list of head-banging-against-the-wall-of-life situations:

  • Trying to save gas by not running the AC in the car, only to arrive at my business meeting with my silk shirt stuck to my back.

(Literally.)

  • People who call and leave loooooooong, meandering, pointless voice messages, restating their question/comment/complaint over and over and over and over and over. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!
  • Dealing with health insurance companies. (“We know you’re paying overpriced premiums, but we don’t cover that procedure.”)
  • My psychopath neighbor mowing his lawn at 6 a.m.

(Consequence if he does it again. Burn, baby, burn.)

  • My psychopath neighbor who starts up his diesel-engine truck at 5:30 a.m. and lets it idle for 20 minutes.
  • Drivers who come to a COMPLETE STOP when making a right hand turn.
  • The idea that car headlights need big fake eyelashes.

(Do you also have to buy car mascara?)

  • People who talk into their iPhones like they’re eating a piece of pizza. How did this start? Who can we blame?

(Put the phone down. Or hold it up to your ear, for hell’s sake.)

4 Comments

Filed under Things Driving Me Crazy

Things My Dad Taught Me

While my mom taught me how to read, write and cheat at Skip-Bo, my dad also contributed to my up-bringing–whether he wants to admit it or not.

Here are some important things my dad taught me:

How to make Lumpy Dick (Real name. I swear): One of dad’s favorite snacks. Mix flour, boiling water, milk. Eat. (Same recipe for paste. Same flavor, too.)

(All this needs is chocolate, sugar, walnuts, oatmeal, coconut and cinnamon.)

How to solder circuit boards: Just in case this whole writing thing doesn’t work out.

How to catch Santa Claus: Each Christmas, dad would convince us he’d set the perfect trap for Santa, saying, ”So then we can take ALL his toys!” We’d stay up all night, fretting, knowing that Santa could be maimed or even killed. Thank heavens, Santa escaped every year, leaving my dad a stocking full of coal.

How to enjoy reading Sci-Fi: Whether it was mutant elephants from space or Amazon women abducted by aliens, my dad would pay me a penny-a-page to read his favorite science fiction novels. Not only did I learn a LOT about alien/human sex, I earned quite a bit o’ money. (BONUS: It made my mom mad because she didn’t think my dad’s books were appropriate. She was right.)

(Most of dad’s books had women in various states of undressedness. Makes for interesting reading when you’re in 5th grade.)

How to love pyrotechnics: My first “fireworks” were the black snake tablets my dad brought me home. He showed me how to stack the entire box of snakes and light them on fire. It was awesome watching the ash snakes slither out of the sidewalk. We moved on to firecrackers (illegal), Roman candles (illegal at the time) and his heavy, miniature cannon that blew out my eardrums. I still love fireworks.

Dad let me watch B horror movies, drink Coke (another thing my mom wouldn’t let me do), stay outside until it was dark and go to work with him, where I’m sure I drove him crazy.

(With his great-granddaughter. A whole new generation to corrupt!!!)

Happy Belated Father’s Day, Dad!

10 Comments

Filed under Daily Life

Top 5 Reasons To Become A Hermit

After dealing with the public for decades, I’m putting myself in time out. Forever. My husband thinks I might have a social disorder called Absolutely Sick of Dealing With People Who Piss Me Off. (Or ASODWPWPMO for short.)

(In Time Out with Ringo until we can behave properly. Might be a while.)

Hermiting (as it’s called by cool people) brings to mind a wild man/woman living in the Appalachian mountains, drinking moonshine, skinning raccoons for clothing and stealing apple pies from kitchen windows. Where do I sign up?

I’ve made a list of pros and cons of becoming a hermit, but since I couldn’t think of any cons, I thought I’d share my pro list:

1. Never worrying about fashion trends. Is color blocking the new style? Is yellow the new black? No need to care since I’m living in a cave wearing pajama bottoms and a comfy T-shirt for the rest of my life. BONUS: There’s no need for good grooming habits. I can let my beard/moustache grow and never shave my legs again!

2. Cool living locations. I have SO many places to choose from. I could camp out in a treehouse, a forest cave, an abandoned cabin, a movie star’s guest house or the trunk of my car. Possibilities are endless.

(Pantry or hermitage? Win-win.)

3. I’d get a cool reputation for being a fruitcake. Remember those crazy ladies in your neighborhood that were witches? That could be me! If people get too close to my lair, I can pop out, waving my saggy triceps, swearing in Ukrainian and biting the heads off Snickers bars.

4. No Training Required. Most careers take years of schooling, internships or licensing. Not hermiting! Just pack your favorite pillow, a stack of books, boxes of Wheat Thins and Hershey’s, and you’re good to go.

5. Reading with no interruptions. Have you ever been within 5 pages of finishing a great book when a 1) significant other, 2) child, 3) family dog or 4) co-worker stops by to talk? Can’t they see I’ve only got 5 pages left?!?!?! If they were a caring human (or dog), they would give me 10 minutes to bask in the glow of a finished novel. But, no. Everyone stops to chat, despite the mental daggers being thrown in their direction. But, as a hermit, I will finish EVERY book with no interruptions.

One thing I don’t understand: if men decide to wander off by themselves in the woods, it’s called “hunting.” When women do it, it’s called “irrational.” Not fair.

9 Comments

Filed under Top 5 Lists

Fifty Shades of Beige

The popularity of the pornographically-erotic book Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James indicates a high level of sexual frustration in women. The book follows the dark relationship between Ana and the hilariously-named Christian, with the expected amount of raw sex.

(His skirt looks a little too flowy to be a kilt.)

Bodice-rippers are not new to female literature. Fabio-esque male models have graced the pages of many a tantalizing book, usually grasping a well-cleavaged woman in a tattered green, velvet dress. Titles like Hearts in Heat or Blood Pumpin’ are full of throbbing pulses and heaving bosoms.

(This is why you shouldn’t play with Super Glue.)

If men are wondering how they compare to these sweaty sex-novel heroes, take a glance at the list below and see if your technique could use some fine tuning. (In the interest of full-disclosure, my husband is not guilty of MOST of these offenses.)

1. Foreplay does not consist of watching Sports Center and grabbing our boobs during commercials.

2. We have other body parts for you to fondle besides the aforementioned boobage.

3. If I’m snoring, it doesn’t mean I’m playing hard-to-get, it means I’m freakin’ SLEEPING! Touch me and die.

4. Just because men can be turned on by a toothpaste commercial doesn’t mean we’re ready to go once your belt hits the floor.

5. It’s NOT cool to mention how soft our bellies are, how you like the way our cellulite gleams in the moonlight or how you enjoy the feeling of leg stubble.

6. If we make the effort to dress in sexy lingerie, don’t make comments about a) beached whales, b) the full moon or c) how it looked so much different in the catalog.

7. Can you say “manscaping?”

8. Just because you read about it on the Internet does not mean it’s physically possible.

Adherence to the above “suggestions” could perhaps ensure a more compliant, and loving, partner.

9 Comments

Filed under Daily Life