It’s worse when two places in the state have to fight over the money. We’re (Norfolk, Chesapeake, Newport News, Va Beach, etc) are always butting heads with the DC area over funding.
Forgot that I wanted to add:
Yup. 
Swampy, are you still participating in the outrageous lies thread?
I think I’m going to have to bow out. It’s devolved into the usual suspects, and I’m running out of material…
I swear, I think last night at Taco Bell, I was served by uniformed sacks of dumb.
So I step up and place my order. The wife gets a few of bean burritos. I get a couple of burrito supremes.
She scans her screen and punches a few buttons and says, “A chicken burrito?”
I hate chicken burritos, and they’re like $160 more than a normal beef burrito. “No, a beef burrito,” I tell her.
She looks at her screen again, looking for it. Now, she has three options for burrito supremes here: Chicken, steak, and a regular (beef) burrito. But she can’t find my beef burrito. She goes to ask someone, but apparently thinks better of herself, and then just decides to punch a few more buttons and then confer with the one who makes the food, who nods. The total comes up. $15 and change.
No. No, that’s not right. “$15?” I say.
“Yes.”
"Three bean burritos. That’s $6.10, tax included.
“Okay.”
“And two burrito supremes.”
“Yes.”
“Two burrito supremes don’t total $9.”
She calls a manager over, who tells her that you don’t enter a chicken burrito supreme when you want a beef burrito supreme. If you want a beef burrito supreme, you choose the burrito supreme because they are, indeed, the same thing. :smack:
She apologizes and rings up the new, proper total: $12.96. That’s better. I hand her a $20, a loonie, and a twonie, for a total of $23, so she can give me back a $10 bill and four cents and I don’t have to add yet more big change to my pocket.
She looks at the $20 in one hand.
She looks at the two coins in the other.
She looks at me.
She looks bewildered.
She says, “It’s $12.96.”
“Yes,” I said patiently. I point at the bill. “$20.” I point at the coins. “And $3.”
She looks at the $20.
She looks at the coins.
She looks like I just asked her to recite Planck’s Constant to me. At gunpoint.
She looks at the till and punches in the numbers. Wonder of wonders, there’s change due! She hands me two fives and four pennies.
She looks relieved.
My food gets made, they hand it to me, I get home and we eat.
They made my burritos with rice. There is no rice in a burrito supreme. :smack: :smack:
Og help me, I weep for today’s youth. I also weep for my gastrointestinal system, but that’s another issue entirely.
Swampy - If you take up pole dancing, you will be required to post pics. Of you. Pole dancing. Not spiders. Okay? No spiders.
Tashii - No spiders! Oh, and if you’d like to turn the tables on her, all you need to do while she’s smacking away is fart. Loudly. Preferably after eating cabbage or Mexican. If that offends your sensibilities though, eat something smelly, like salami with a nice, ripe cheese. Then go over to her and start talking. Really close.
Puggy - And you! And I’d like to add that those blasted arachnids that like to spin across pathways in forests? They are the reason I hate spiders. I will wig straight the hell out if I walk into one.
Sean - Thank Og. I’m not th only one with a dirty mind. My first thought was, “Trained, eh? Trained? Eh? Know wot I mean? Eh? Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more!”
FCM - Mmm. Ice cream. I bought some caramel cashew crunch last weekend. It’s awesome.
Kai - See, it’s funny. I’m a city boy inside and out. I couldn’t imagine living away from the rush and the convenience of the big city. But when I have the time (which is, like, never) I love strolling through a nice quiet, thick wood. The complete serenity and being surrounded by all those trees and flora is just about the most soothing thing I can think of. I’d rather wander through a forest than laze on a beach, in fact.
Gotti - Holy. Jules Verne could write a sequel about that crab.
I’m blue because I don’t get visitors, and I want to go home, but I know I am not ready yet.
I am stressed because no one is available to help me get home on Tuesday. Everytime I think about it I start to cry (like now). It sucks being single. The strain of being away from home, away from Smokey, is getting to me big time. I will probably end up hiring an ambulette to get me home. But I’d much rather have a friend help - thing is, I also need someone or sometwo trained to help people up stairs. I am stressed and blue. And thank you but there really isn’t anything you folks can do to help.
happy birthday sean
I’ll see y’all tomorrow
First, I’ll do the next MMP so I can regale you with tales of the craft show. So that’s settled. I found out that I was assigned a space at the show without electricity, so I’m going to do coil building instead. It’s a relief, actually - I didn’t feel like dragging the wheel and everything with me this time, especially since it’s a smaller booth. So my demo will be hand-building. (How many times did I use *so * in that paragraph???
Next: {{{{rosie}}}} Hang in there, sweetie!
I’m home a bit early - I get to go get 2 teeth drilled in a little while. Stoopit cavities. Then I need to get some milk, and maybe something for supper if I’m motivated enough.
Class tonight is supposed to be just cleaning the studio. I may finish putting my portfolio together, since it’s due on Tuesday. Then class is all done - whew. I get my Tuesday and Thursday nights back. And sleep. Yay.
I really have nothing to contribute here.
rosie!! I wish there were something we could do.
haze Line me up for a dance too. I tip well. Hey, are you on a team doing the scavenger hunt?
Ok, I’m leaving again.
But Mork, spiders are so neat! And I don’t think I could fart on command. I’m not some fart performance monkey. Either way, one more day and she’s gone for the day already! ::happy dance::
{{{rosie}}} Things will be over soon enough, and I hope you don’t feel so lonely in the meantime.
FCM, that craft show sounds neat. I’m looking forward to the new MMP… that is, if I get a chance to read it in time.
I like your eviltude, nashi! 
Don’t those guys look like lil UFOs?? I agree with you that spiders are awesome. I will never forget one I saw on a wildflower in upstate NY that was the same gorgeous matching shade of blushing pink as the flower.
I once farted on my sister BarbeeDoll[sup]TM[/sup] when we were sharing a one-seater restroom. She didn’t think it was nearly as funny as I did. Do I get the TMI award this week?
I hope it doesn’t rain as predicted Saturday, FCM! I’m still contemplating going to the craft show; email me with the particulars, por favor, to help me make up my mind. It partly depends on whether I get most of the rest of the way through this godawful pile of work I’ve been faced with recently; I’d rather not spend the whole weekend working, but if I don’t get my ass in gear tomorrow, I’ll probably have to put in a bunch of hours. 
Oh well, come August I’ll be whining about not being busy enough. It’s either feast or famine.
Sorry you’re blue, rosie – I know how frustrated you must be feeling. Take heart, you’re at the point where you’ll start improving more rapidly and you’ll feel a lot better for it. It’s all uphill from here! Do you have any friend close enough by who could take a couple hours and help you get home? If I was closer, I’d do it myself, or send Lapin Blanc.
Today it’s so pretty out it oughtta be illegal. I washed my hair and then sat outside throwing Isaac’s Kong for him while it dried/ I really, really hated to come back in and chain myself back to my 'puter I’m seriously contemplating playing hooky tonight – call it a mental health session. This weather doesn’t help any, either!
Papa Tigs talks about banana spiders a lot. Their legs are pretty long, aren’t they? Although their bodies are smaller than I expected. Speaking of spiders, I remember when Lapin Blanc was younger and we’d take her Girl Scout troop camping at the Girl Scout camp on Lake Travis outside Austin. The daddy longlegs loved to clump up on the interior roofs of the cabins; at certain times of the year, they’d look almost like the roof had sprouted fur! Even I, a non-arachnophobe, found it disturbing. Albeit really, really cool!
Scavenger hunt is probably only for undergrads. Undergrads get to do all the fun stuff. That notwithstanding, I still thank my stars that I was never an undergrad here. Half of them seem to be normal, functioning human beings - the other half are clearly on the brink of academically-induced insanity.
rosie, I’m sorry we can’t help you from where we all are. Hope things get better soon. :: hug ::
Such nice weather! A bunch of us are having a barbeque tomorrow - I’m making a salad, yay. But first, must do work.
I can certainly understand the bitching that the big cities take all the tax money. We have it even worse here - Atlanta takes all the tax money and is trying their dead level best to take all of the water out of the Chattahoochee River.
I took my resume to Pet Cremation Services today. The owner was very, very nice - he’s actually a licensed funeral director (for humans) so he knows what he is doing. He showed me around their place; the crematorium is state of the art, designed for him and cost $850,000. It is set up so the owners can see their pets being placed into it if they so desire. We chatted a bit and I tried to sell myself, which I have never been very good at. I hope business picks up so they can hire me!
Mama Tigs, a banana spider in Hawai’i caused me to leave my car without opening the door; I went out through the window. It was as big around as a salad plate, but it was all legs. Still scared the crap out of me to look up from putting stuff on the seat to see it displayed in all it’s glory on the steering wheel.
Rosie, I’m sorry you are feeling so blue. I wish I could help. You are in my thoughts.
rosie, that’s a tough row to hoe. You might check to see if the hospital social worker might have some suggestions on your transportation. Just think how glad your kitty is going to be to see you. Good vibes headed your way.
I’m back from the dentist, and my face is still half numb - it’s such a bizarre feeling… But my teeth are filled and I remembered to make an appointment for my kid for her 6-month check and clean.
**MamaTigs ** - I sent you a link that should have all the info you need. Can’t tell you anything else because I’ve never been there before myself. We get to show up at 7 to set up and we can’t take down till 5. It’s gonna be a looooooong day. Glad my sweetie will be with me. Even if I don’t have my wheel, I can play with clay doing some of the stuff I learned in class.
Speaking of banana spiders, one of our houses in FL had a long driveway bordered by big, gorgeous azaleas. One night, **FCD ** was taking the trash up the driveway and he walked smack-dab into the middle of a 'nanner spider web, getting a face full of silk and spider. He was not pleased. Just hearing about it oogied me out - and I always looked very carefully when walking up the drive at night. I’m not a’skeert of spiders - I just don’t like creepy crawly critters walking on me. <shudder>
I’m hungry, but I’m afraid to try to eat till my face un-numbs. A person could do some serious damage, I tells ya!
My husband is so crazy. They’re releasing new die-cast cars from the movie Cars, and he just read them all to me over the phone. He is particularly enthused about the red and while Ramone, from the flashback scene when Radiator Springs was a going place. We already have Blue Mater. Tell me this stuff is for the children, go on, tell me. Yes, the little darling does play with them, but Daddy gets an awful lot of enjoyment too. And yes, I do have two of them on my desk, that are mineminemine.
I love that orb weaver spider. We have a spider children’s book and it was one of our favorite. There’s one that’s called a pink toe spider that we’ve longed to see for years, but I don’t even know if it’s native to this continent.
{{{Rosie}}}
I’ve been running since I was out the door this morning…
I took Dad to the charter bus stop so he could go over to Lake Charles and gamble away my inheritance! He’s meeting a friend, and they’re going to spend the night on friend’s dime in a luxury suite hotel. Must be nice… I’ll pick him tomorrow evening. I hope he’s having a ball.
So I rushed into work late, and have now just finished up checking some stuff that had to be finished today. We had a meeting with HR about how the merger is a good thing, and that things will be changing for the better. Then we took a long lunch for another co-worker who’s leaving us for greener pastures. 
Though HR did mention that it could be Christmas in June - some money heading our way to keep up with the market? Woo-hoo! Mo’ money, mo’ money…
:: does the happy dance::
So I finally have a chance to catch up on the MMP, and I’m off to read the Idol thread.
You guys…you know who you are, are all on The Freakin’ List!!! You have infected my keyboard with spiders! Fortunately I have to watch my fingers while I type, or else I wouldn’t have seen the HUGE black spider crawl out between the H and the U, and I woulda probably touched it…shudder…as it was, I simply screamed, unlocked the brakes on the chair and pushed myself as far away as I could. Fortunately skiffman was here to kill it, but…how freakin’ oogy! shudder
As far as I am concerned, the aliens are here, and they are all in the form of spiders. If you can stand it, look closely, that is an alien species to this planet. shudder
My cat is not wet, but if it doesn’t stop biting the beagle, it’s going to go live with Luca Brazzi. I’m home, the dog is walked, and I am contemplating dinner. An employee brought in her puppy today, a Jack Russell/German Shepard cross. Very mellow little pup. I am going to listen to the Slugs/Senators game tonight, then bed.
BooFae, Haze, I’d like to see some pole dancing pics, please.
Hang in there, Rosie!!
Holy crap! The raise came through today, and I got 7%!!!
It’s Christmas in May!
Yay for Christmas in May, Rebo! And 7% is most excellent indeed!
Can someone please find my motivation for me? It seems to have crawled off into a corner somewhere and left me completely, and it’s simply not to be found.