Missing

I had to make a quick run to the supermarket this morning.  While I was there, I saw a hand-written poster with a picture of a girl of about 14. It had her name and the simple phrase MISSING SINCE 1/15/2013.

God, things like that tear me up.

OMG

 http://notalwaysright.com/judge-a-sandwich-on-its-filling/27816

(A young girl that is about 14 years old walks in. She gets some looks from our other patrons, as she has bright purple hair, multiple piercings, a leather jacket, and ripped jeans. It is freezing outside and she has a scowl on her face that makes me nervous.)
Me: “Hello, welcome to [coffee shop]. How may I help you?”
Young Girl: “I’ll take five of the largest black coffees you have, and ten of your ham and cheese sandwiches.”
Me: “Okay, will that be all?”
Young Girl: “Yeah.”
Me: “Your total is [price].”
(To my surprise, she pulls out a $100 bill. I am suspicious, and I check to make sure it’s real. It checks out, and I give her a bag with her sandwiches.)
Me: “Here is your change. Your coffee will be ready in a moment.”
(I keep an eye on her as she stands around glaring at anyone who looks at her. I see her looking at the tip jar. When I hand her the coffees, she asks me about it.)
Young Girl: “Your tip jar says that the money goes to you guys. Are any of you in college?”
Me: “Yes, I’m going to Rochester Institute of Technology. A few others are in college as well.”
Young Girl: “Good for you.”
(She pulls out the change I gave her and a few more $20 dollar bills. She crams then in the jar and salutes me jokingly before walking out. I am stunned, and chase after her. I find her on the street corner talking to some homeless people and handing out the sandwiches and coffee.)
Me: “Excuse me!”
Young Girl: “I’m sorry, did I forget something?”
Me: “No, but you just tipped us over $100 dollars. You’re also giving away a lot of food.”
Young Girl: “Yeah, my dad is crazy rich. I feel like I can do more if I actually interact with people instead of signing a check to a charity. Every Friday I gather anyone I see who needs a good meal, and buy it for them.” *she smiles brightly* “I may be young, but I can make a difference. I usually hand out flyers for homeless shelters or soup kitchens, too.”
(Without another word, she walks off silently. I didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the week. It goes to show you that appearances aren’t everything!)

Nope, Not My Church

I think that the obviously pained guy at the end should get extra points.

Comments

I think that people who require you to sign in to a commenting service before you can leave a comment on their site don't actually want your comments.

Dental Pranks

I went to the same dentist for about 20 years.  Then he retired and sold the practice to a new guy.  I like the new guy, so, no problem.  Plus he started upgrading the practice, getting better equipment, remodeling it.  All good.

Yesterday we learned that after about 8 months of being solo, he's decided to go merge with an existing practice.  He'll close the existing office, taking some of the equipment, selling the rest. Kind of makes me wonder about his long term planning skills....

Electable

Jedi Gang Fight

Writing? Moi?

There are times when I think you know, I should write something about that.  I'm not talking The Great American Novel, just a quick blog post about something that caught my interest or I've wondered about.  Such as when I watch the cat twist its head completely around - body facing that way, face aimed back this way -  and I wonder if humans will ever be modified to have that kind of flexibility.  Or when I read about the horror because someone let a bra strap show, and I wonder why we don't outgrow that kind of angst. (Well, most of us do, but apparently, not everyone.) Or - well, you get the idea.  Stray things.  I used to do that all the time, and now days will go by without writing something.

I never quite get around to writing down that transient thought, because lately I do two things.  I study French.  Or I agonize about my inability to speak casually in French.  Oh, I do other things -- read a little, cook a little, even occasionally bake -- but French has taken over my life.  The other day I said to a conversation partner that I would know I was fluent in French when I could use the word neurocognition in French.  They laughed, which is good, because even I know that's an unattainable goal, not to mention a completely unreasonable one. And yet I think wouldn't it be nice?

There are times when I think that I ought to say you know what?  Screw it.  Stop. 

Zoe

Oddly enough, I never saw this one, at all.

Ship It

Last night, our daughter told us that she needed to have something shipped to her quickly. She's about five hours away. Immediately, the thought came to me. Overnight Express.

For the US Post Office, overnight apparently means yeah, it'll be in transit over at least one night.  Or in this case, two.

Pouring

It turns out that pouring a non-resealable five pound bag of coffee into a floppy but  resealable bag is not, strictly speaking, a one-person job.

Taxes

Les vetements Canadien

This idea tickles the hell out of me.  Thanks, Stag.

" Planning a European vacation and don’t want to talk American politics with an inquisitive foreigner? A New Mexico T-shirt company suggests going Canadian."

Je ne veux pas vraiment ressembler un homme Canadien...mais j'aime l'idee de cette chemise.  La plupart est parce que j'ai une bonne image de cette pays....

Druggie

I went to see the endocrinologist, and she started me on a new med to increase the effectiveness of my pancreatic function.  It does work, but it has some interesting side effects. For one, it reduces appetite (not a bad thing), so I've lost a couple of pounds.  It also leads me to sleep two to four hours more per day.

I've got a call into the doc.

Documentary - TWW

It's one of, I beleive, four.

Who?

More True Than Not

Operation Northern Lights

There are few things that I like better than re-watching West Wing.

Trades

Observation

Think I'm getting a cold.  Spent pretty much the entire day in bed with the room heat turned up, dozing and occasionally sleeping.  I didn't even have enough energy to watch a four minute video on French - how strange is that?  I'm going to sleep really well tonight.... or not.