"Good Mothers"

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted....But it definitely wasn't for lack of head shaking moments.

Today at work, I was helping a few customers when in walks a women and her young child. I would guess he was between 5 and 7 years old. Anyway, in his grubby little hand is a melting ice cream cone. It is all over his face, and hands. I do my standard greeting of 'hello' and then I added to him, "be very careful with that, okay?" He nodded and said he would...no problem. I turned to get him a paper towel.

Well apparently I was totally out of line.  His "GOOD MOTHER" threw a fit. According to her, she will never shop here again. (oh well) And she is his mother and it is her job to watch him. And she didn't appreciate a "salesperson" saying anything to her son.

Needless to say, I was dumbfounded as were the six customers in the store. They couldn't believe that she actually thought it was acceptable for her to even have food in a store, let alone her reaction. I think we are the only store on the street that doesn't have a sign that prohibits food and drink. Do I need to post one, just for people like her who apparently have no common sense?

Okay, so my other customers validated me, but why am I still fixated on it? What I really wanted to do was let into her, and tell her that she isn't doing her son any favors by teaching him that it is okay to bully people and disrespect them and their property. But I didn't, I held my tongue.

Is it wrong to speak up?

PS: I imagine she is the same mother that allows her kid to kick the back of the seat continuously for an entire flight while she takes a nap. Or the mother that lets her kids run around in restaurants while she talks with her friends. This is the same mother that runs out of a store when her child breaks something instead of paying for the item.

My Rant of the Day!

I work in a small retail store...privately owned. So far today, I have had eight sales ..all under $10 (averaging $4 per ticket)...all charged on a credit card. Do you people not realize that there are merchant fees?

Life is NOT Fair! Get Used to It!

When my oldest daughter was in second grade she brought home a questionnaire for me to fill out about her. There was the basic stuff: Name, birth date, likes, dislikes, strengths. (no space for weakness-bad for morale). And lastly was the question: 
What advice do you have for your child?


Well I took this to heart and my answer was: 
                           "Life is not fair so get used to it!"


I thought it was and still is good advice.  So time passes, the questionnaire is forgotten until the dreaded back to school night. And there they are for everyone to read! All the other parents (and I mean ALL) wrote nice sweet little tidbits about how little Johnny can and will do anything he wants. And how Susie is such an amazing human being she is sure to be the next queen of the world. And there was mine...yup just hang a sign around my neck that says "BAD PARENT"! 


My kids have never accused me of  giving them false hope which is why you don't see them making fools of themselves on American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance. I think they turned out okay.


PS....Little Johnny is in jail, and Susie is a prostitute. ;-)


This is what Bill Gates has to say on the issue..I think he is a pretty smart guy.

Bill Gates speech: 11 rules your kids did not and will not learn in school

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. 

Merry Christmas from the USA

The Washington Times reported:


"The State Department has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmasgratuities and stocking “key libraries” around the world with “Dreams From My Father” more than a decade after its release."


Who are these people that make these decisions? And how do we fire them?

Orrin Hatch Is Just Too Kind and Lovable (to be a terrorist)

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

"At least twice, Sen. Orrin Hatch has been forced to go through full-body scanners at the airport instead of walking through a regular metal detector. It’s a complaint he has heard from Utahns and one he recently pressed with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano."


Well...I have been forced to go through the full body scanners MORE than twice, as have countless other travelers, including my three daughters. I have asked them to decline the scanner and subject themselves to the humiliating and invasive hand search, because I just don't trust the safety of the scanners, and they just might want to have children one day.

Am I wrong not to take our governments assurances of safety at  face value? I am of an age that children hid under school desks for nuclear bomb drills! Fortunately (for me) I lived on the east coast or I may have been one to witness nuclear testing in the southwestern deserts for entertainment and paying for it with my life, literally.


Besides the safety issue, why shouldn't Orrin Hatch be subject to TSA security (just like everyone else) that he and the government has inflicted on us. While our civil rights are being abused, why shouldn't his? I can assure you that he will be spared the scans, now that he complained. And pretty sure I will be subject to tighter security now that I complained about him.

Utah Drivers

Where did you people learn how to drive? And why are you so rude?

• Did you know that when you come to a red light and want to turn right that you are still required to stop? And you are only supposed to proceed if no one is coming through their green light. In other words, it isn't your turn.

• Did you know that round abouts are not 4-way stops? You are supposed to merge into them. You people who are already in the circle are supposed to stay to the inside so that there is room for mergers. (Yes this maneuver requires some manners)

• Did you know that you are supposed to drive in the right lane? The left lane is the passing lane....MOVE over!

• Did you know that it is rude to tailgate? (If you want to pass, merge into the LEFT lane and do it!)

• Did you know that it is also rude to block people in a lane and not let them merge over so that they can pass a slower moving vehicle. (See above note about driving in the right lane)

• A yellow light is a warning that the light will turn red and that you should prepare to stop. It doesn't mean speed up. 

• There are some levers near your steering wheel. One is for your windshield wipers. The other is your turn signals. You should use it when you turn, change lanes, etc. Raise it up when you want to move to the right and down when you want to move to the left. It is simple..really, I promise.

• The shoulder or the center turn lane are not your own personal highway. Sorry, wait in traffic like everyone else. 

• How about you all get of the phone and pay attention! 

What Exactly IS Handmade? (More ranting about Etsy)

Any artist/craftsperson will tell you that the hardest part of creating art is getting an original idea. The skill part is that, a skill. Artists/crafters spend a lot of time coming up with a concept....usually much more time than actually creating a finished piece.
If you look through the items on Etsy, there is a lot of really nice work. There is also a lot of junk. And there is also a lot of stuff that in no way is "handmade". With all the junk and resellers it takes a lot of sifting though.
My latest obsession has been with the people that buy pashmina scarves from China and pin something on them and call it their own. They aren't "creating" anything....they are frauds. And real fiber artists should be outraged that they are getting away with it. Most buyers believe that they are getting something handmade, because that is how it is advertised. Real fiber artists can't compete with these shops.
Another category to check out is jewelry. Try doing a search for say "tree branch pendant". Wow look at all of them! So how are these sellers getting away with it? Apparently Etsy's policy says that you can "alter" something and call it your own as handmade. Altering in the art world means changing the original item or raw materials into something new and unique. (I am ok with beaders that buy beads and components and arrange them in a unique design. That is jewelry making at it's simplest but it is creative.) However I am not ok with someone buying a mass produced charm or pendant and putting a chain on it and calling it your own. There is zero creativity, and zero skill. I work in a store that sells jewely. Most of the pendants come in with out chains so we add them. I don't tell the customer that I made the necklace!
These sellers/resellers could make something if they wanted to...they are definitely creative enough to come up with ideas on how to scam people.