Creatures of Habit

I get out of bed like clockwork at 7:40 each morning (Yes, even on Saturdays). I hit the shower at 7:41. Then get out of the shower at 7:51. I’m out the door by 8:05. This is my morning routine. Each day I walk into work with my Bible, water bottle, and a cloth jacket. I always have trouble carrying my jacket. I’m never quite sure how I should hold it. Whether I should fold it over my arm, throw it over my shoulder, or loosely carry it in my hand. Not that this matters in any way to the rest of the world. I still like to look composed when I make my way into the building. And I never think about this until I park my car and I’m walking into work. This is something that I probably focus on too much.

We are all creatures of habit. We all without thought have rituals that we follow. We get flustered when something interferes or throws us out of place. Our natural human habits make it very easy to get overwhelmed with worldly rituals. They cause us to lose focus on what we should do and point us to what we want to do. When the fact of the matter is that what we should do, should be the same thing that we want to do. We should pray each morning when wake up and each night before we go to sleep. But we should “what” to pray each morning and evening.

Does your morning ritual start with a prayer? When you go to bed at night; do you remember to thank God for the day he has blessed you with? I know that I’m not as focused as I could be. I think this is something that everyone could work on. We all have the opportunity to encourage others and treat people with kindness and love. We have all heard the saying “Kindness affects more than severity.” This is so true.

I want to encourage you to encourage others. Extend a helping hand when it’s needed. Be anxious to help and serve others and your life will be filled with joy and happiness. Break out of your routine and see something new. There is no telling what you might find.

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How much do I have left?

I passed a mother and son at the end of the checkout line. She was showing her son (who I guess is no more than 5 or 6 years old) the receipt of his recent purchase and very delicately trying to explain to him how much money he had left. I couldn’t help but smile when I walked by. I can remember when I was very young and how important a dollar was. Each penny found on the street was like winning the lottery. A few penny’s sometimes made the difference between a regular size or king size candy bar.

It reminded me of a time with my mother. She started teaching me at a very young age how to manage my money. I started around the age of 6 or 7 the 30, 30, 30, 10 system. It’s broken down like this.

After bills (which include gas and food):

30% of each paycheck goes into a “Long Term” savings account.
This is a savings account that you never touch. (I bought my first car with this account when I was 16.)

30% of each paycheck goes into a “Short Term” savings account.
This is a savings account that is set for small term goals. (Vacations, Emergencies, Christmas gifts, etc.)

30% of each paycheck is for “Quick Cash” or spending money.
This is cash that you can keep at home or in your pocket. (Eating out, going to the movies, hobbies)

10% is for the church.

This is a great system and really works if you can stick to it. You may have to shift around the percentages at first to see what you can work with. But the golden rule of this system is that the “Long Term” savings can never go under 30% and the “Short Term” savings can never go below 25%.

If you haven’t already worked out a system with your kids give this one a try. Get 4 different jars and put them in their room with labels “Long Term”, “Short Term”, Quick Cash”, and “Church” and see how well they stick to it. When their old enough to apply for a savings account I recommend moving the “Long Term” savings to a bank. This is just so you don’t have a crazy amount of cash sitting around the house.

I hope this helps and encourages you to start budget if you haven’t already done so. I can’t say I’m the best at this but I’m working on it. Have fun!

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Loss of Motor Functions Followed by Fatigue

You wake up to the sound of your alarm. You stretch in your bed with the motion that is very similar to the dance “Y.M.C.A.”. You step into a hot shower after which you brush your teeth with the anticipation of the fresh crisp feeling your mouth will have the moment you’re finished. You make your way to the kitchen for that first cup of coffee. You open your front door to the clean morning air. You can still smell the rain from the night before. You get in you car and head off to face the world.

Then it hits you. Whether you’re on city streets or the highway there it is. A WRECK!

Driving a car is not a difficult task. The right peddle makes the car move. The left peddle makes the car stop. If you turn the steering wheel to the right the car will go right. If you turn the steering wheel to the left the car will go to the left. It’s a very simple concept.

Scientists have proven that when the weather changes certain chemicals in the brain stop being produced. Brain cells actually start to degenerate and die. This causes a loss of motor functions followed by fatigue. Whether it’s rain, sleet, snow, high wind, or even the most harmless element FOG! This loss of motor functions followed by fatigue almost always occurs.

For years this was an unknown phenomenon. It was first discovered in 2011 by Professor John Huff. He realized there was an increase in car wrecks when the weather changed from the day before. Almost if the weather from the previous day was programmed into the brain, and because the weather was different then the day before the brain was unable to handle this change.

With this information we are able to understand that due to the change of weather followed by the loss of motor functions. The simplest of concepts (driving a car) becomes an impossible mission.

So, the next time you plan to wake up with hopes of getting to work on time or making that morning appointment. Be sure that you check the weather the night before. Because we know that wrecks will happen.

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The Unwritten Rule of the Public Restroom

There is an unwritten rule when a group of people of different sex go into a public place to use the restroom that which ever party gets done first they will wait on the others to finish. Here is an example.

An elderly man and his wife walk into a shopping mail. The first thing they do is the elderly man goes into the men’s room and his wife goes into the ladies room. In most cases everything works out fine because women tend to take longer then men. That is until when men reach the age where it becomes difficult to pee. But regardless of who takes longer it is out of courteously and duty that the person who finishes first is to wait outside for the other.

Where this concept gets tricky is when people are so distracted by their own thoughts and feelings that they forget about the person or persons that they arrived with.

Here is such a story. Using the same example as before an elderly man and his wife walk into a shopping mail and they both go to the restroom. The wife in this case is the first one done. You’d expect her to wait patiently for her husband. But instead she is drawn into the store across the hallway by a bright purple scarf. After looking at the scarf she continues into the store. Meanwhile her husband has finished his business and is standing outside the restroom waiting for her. But now she is across the hallway having the time of her life.

So he waits. And he waits. And he waits. Until finally he begins to worry.

A side note: If you've never had the opportunity to watch someone or see the expression on a persons face when they experience worry about someone they love, it's a very heartwarming experience. It helps you see the tenderness and love people have in their hearts for one another. This elderly man had such an expression.

It was an expression of deep love and fear. He knows that his health is not what it used to be. So the first thing that enters his mind is health of his wife. Did she fall down? Is she sick? Or worse Heart attack? Where o where is the woman that I love? He starts pacing back and forth in front of the restroom doors. Soon he can resist no more, he pokes his head into the restroom and yells for his wife. There is no answer but a loud scream. A younger woman pushes him out of her way as she exits the restroom. She accuses him of looking at her. He begs and pleads with her that that was not the case. That he is only looking for his wife. "Yea, Yea I have heard that one before. Dirty old man." she says, and then continues on her way.

The elderly man then asks the mall police to check the restroom for his wife. Of course the officer doesn't find her. This brings the elderly man some relief. His wife is not in the restroom so she must be in the mall somewhere. Right at that moment something catches his eye. He sees a bright purple scarf in the store across the hall. He slowly walks to the store and picks up the purple scarf. He continues into the store to buy the scarf.

When he comes out of the store he is greeted by his wife who had been two doors down at a candle store picking up some candles for their home. He stretches out his hand for hers. Then with her hand in his he gently lays the purple scarf in her palm. She looks up at him and tells him how she had been admiring that scarf earlier. She says thank you and asks what made him buy it? The elderly man said with tears in his eyes, "I was worried when I didn't see you come out of the restroom. When I saw this scarf and saw how beautiful and bright it was. It reminded me how thankful and blessed I am that you have been in my life these past 37 years." As they started to walk down the hall she asked him, "You got all that from a scarf?" He gave no reply, just smiled.

I have never been a victim of being left at a restroom. And it's not always a bad experience. But I want to encourage you to have the patients to wait for the other person. There is no telling what can take place if you don't. Obey the unwritten rules!!!

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Old Man

Published on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 3:38 pm

An elderly man was sitting in a booth across the room.
As I looked at him a feeling of compassion grew.
When looking into the eyes of wisdom you are filled with respect.
Seeing the habit that is ingrained in the soul and thinking of the time when you will be there.
You see the slow and steady movement. Movement thought about before put into action.
The movement set for the completion of a task that at one time was easier.
You see the skill used in these actions. The skill only acquired from time spent in the art of life.
You see and feel the sadness that comes from loss of strength.
In certain light, life is not as grand as it once was.
But life is brighter for the journey home is close to end.
Patience is no longer an action needing attention. Time passes to rapidly for its purpose.
Now the focus is kindness. Fully embracing each moment as it comes.
With the remaining strength focused on the happiness of others.
He has lived his life. Maybe a life lived lacking the childlike friendship he now shows.
For these are his last days and strives to make them better.
A preparation for his soul, a goal in the mind that should have been there year’s ago.
He rises from his seat. And with a smile glances in my direction.
A smile of understanding as if he knew my mind and my feelings.
As if he was remembering a time from his past similar to the current.
He turned and walked slowly out the door.

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Natural Progression

June 16, 2009 at 11:31 pm

I was held up by an elderly woman walking in front of me as I was coming out of Wal-Mart. I was doing the best job I could not to crowd her and to make sure everything goes smoothly for her from the store to her car. After watching her for a little while, I saw a young boy running in the parking lot. I think to myself “where o where is this child’s parents?” The old lady stops very suddenly and grabs her basket to keep form hitting the little boy. I am sure it took all her strength to stop the full basket.

After the boy goes by she takes a long deep breath and slowly continues on her way, eventually making it to her car. I see her husband waiting there help her with the groceries. Again I think to myself “Why was he not there to help her across the parking lot?” Because as far as I could tell he was in good health.

I stand there thinking how a person’s perception changes throughout their lifetime. For example, at that moment I was most concerned with the well being of the elderly woman. She on the other hand was most concerned with getting through the parking lot. The little boy had no concern at all, other than to scare the old woman and in turn make me very worried for her.

This is the natural progression in life where you go from being self serving to serving others, then in time back to self serving. But when you come full circle back to self serving it is now different. You're now serving yourself in a different way then before. You are trying to keep yourself healthy and safe and not for personal gain as when you were younger. In my adolescents I once asked an elderly man what his biggest hobby was. His reply was “Going to the Doctor.”

I am so thankful for the people that watch over me. To guide, protect, give me advice, and to make sure that I treat others the same way.

The love and care you receive from your friends and family can be one of the greatest blessing’s any person can have.

With that said, I want you to know that you will always have mine!

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Free Money What???

June 10, 2009 at 8:52 pm

We hear stories of people finding money on the street, or in the sand at a beach, or at a park in the grass, and most times it’s not a great amount. But people are happy what ever the case may be, whether its 5 cents or 5 dollars, finding money is great.

This past Sunday I was at a gas station putting gas in my car. As I went into pay I saw a thin green line on the concrete. I looked around for a minute to see if there was anyone else around me who might have dropped what I was about to pick up. I then made my way over to the small green stripe on the ground.

I bent down and picked it up. I put it in my pocket and went into the station to pay. As I stood in line I slowly reach into my pocket and pull out the green paper. It was folded into a small flat rectangle and I can’t tell what the dollar amount is. I un-wrapped the paper to find that it is a 100 dollar bill.

What the mess! This is crazy; I have never found or heard of someone finding something like that. I put in back in my pocket paid for my gas and headed home.

Man what a day!!!

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Little Boy and the Waitress

May 8, 2009 at 8:49 pm

Once there was a little boy that went to an ice-cream store. The little boy sat down at a booth waiting patiently for a waitress to come and take his order.

After a great deal of time, a waitress came over to the table and in a very stern and firm voice asked “WHAT DO YOU WANT!”

The little boy reached down into his pocket and pulled out some change and placed it on the table. The little boy then looked up to the waitress and said, “How much is a Chocolate Sunday?” The waitress then very quickly and with a snap of her voice said, “A DOLLAR FIFTY!” The little boy looked down at his change and began to count it. After a few minutes the little boy looked up to the waitress and asked, “How much is a small cup of chocolate ice-cream?” The waitress then made a long sigh and in a stronger and firmer voice then before said, “ONE DOLLAR!” The little boy looked down again and counted his money for a second time. The little boy then slid a dollar in change across the table to the waitress.

The waitress reached down and took his money. After 10 minutes or so the waitress returned with a small cup of chocolate ice-cream. The little boy said, “Thank You!” and began to eat.

The little boy sat at the booth eating his ice-cream, enjoying each and every bite. Once the little boy had finished, he got up from the booth and headed to the door. The little boy stopped and told the waitress, “Thank You!” a second time then left.

The waitress then headed over to the booth to clean up. When she came to the booth she noticed that there were 2 quarters next to the empty cup.

The waitress was over whelmed; she had been so rude and short with the little boy. Yet the little boy still showed her the compassion and care that he knew was right.

She then slowly put the 2 quarters in her pocket, and walked from the booth saddened and disappointed with her self. The waitress from that day always kept 2 quarters in her pocket, to remind her of the little boy and the compassion he showed her.

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The Screaming Alarm

February 12, 2009 at 12:38 am

As long as I can remember and up until I was around 20 I had an alarm clock that would wake me up every morning with a horrible buzzing sound. I eventually gave it to someone else, so that they may enjoy it as mush as I did.

SO the day begins…

I am asleep in my bed and for some reason dreaming about the time when I was living at my mothers house and feeling like I am back in high school. I can’t tell you all the ends and outs of the dream but it was not as bad as you might think. The dream by no measure deserves to be classified as a nightmare, but it was a little discomforting being back at home and in high school. I do remember getting home from school and going about my day as if it were any other day. Then I remember dreaming about getting ready for bed and then going to sleep.

So now I am at the point where I am asleep and dreaming that I am asleep. It was ever so peaceful…

THEN IT CAME…

It came at me like a memory of a wound that once caused pain. The memory came like a bad sun burn you had forgotten about while sleeping until you rolled over and rubbed it against the sheets and now caused the once subdued burning feeling to rise like a mountain. Burn……Burn……BURN……BURN. Over and over again, until you wake up in pain and cry towards the heavens for relief. That is what this lost memory felt like.

What was this memory you ask. It was the once forgotten alarm clock, now singing with all the volume in the world.

At first I remember waking up in my dream and reaching over to the near by window sill to turn it off. But then the oddest thing happened. The moment I turned it off in my dream it came right back on. I even remember pulling the cord out of the wall and still nothing. It still made the horrible buzzing sound that I so hated. I was helpless to make this noise stop. This dream had now turned into a nightmare. A nightmare with no end.

Until I realized that I was dreaming. I told myself to wake up. Wake up Daniel, Wake up now!!!

I woke up and began to lift my head off of my pillow. Then it happens. Then sound is back. But how? And why? Where is it coming from? I am awake? How can this be? The sound has followed me from the dream world to this world. Am I going mad? Has this sound some how been imprinted on to my brain and now is slowly driving me insane?

After I calmed down and tried and look at this with some reasoning I came to find out that the sound is not in my head but coming from inside the house.

Now it is all clear.

Paul. Paul and his horrible alarm clock.

For those of you that do not know Paul has an alarm clock identical to the one I had previously. And this particular morning Paul has decide to leave it going. To make it better he is not asleep in his room. He has fallen asleep in the living room.

So I lay back down and tell myself if he can handle sleeping through that crap then I can. This is no longer about stopping some horrible noise. It is now an endurance contest. Who will turn off the clock first?

BUZZ….BUZZ…. BUZZ…. BUZZ…. BUZZ…. BUZZ…. BUZZ…. BUZZ….

Over and over, for 15 minutes this goes on, and I keep thinking to myself that the alarm has a self timer and will soon stop.

But it doesn’t.

So I choose another tactic. I reach over and grab my phone. If I know Paul and I do. He will have his phone some where next to where he is sleeping. I call him and he doesn’t answer. I call him again and this time I hear, “helllooo”. (In a sleepy voice.) “Hey man, your alarm has been going off for about 15 minutes or so, were you planning on turning it off?” I said, “O really, I can’t hear it.” At that point I just hung up the phone.

Then I heard Paul go into his room and turn it off.

What a way to start the day. But this does make of a great addition to the blog that is my life. Stay tuned.

BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ…

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Drunk Driving on 2 wheels

December 28, 2008 at 9:12 pm

Drinking is terrible. Tons of people each day are affected in someway by drinking. People who drink should always have a designated driver to keep everyone safe. But worst case scenario they end up just driving home their self and possibly getting in a wreck and killing someone. Not all people are as smart as others when it comes to making preparations for being under the influence. This is why!

It was late in the evening, around 10:30 or 11. I was on my way home from Wal-Mart Super Center. For those of you that don’t know what a Wal-Mart Super Center is I will spare you. I will spare you because it is a heart pumping, mind blowing, sweat raging siege that I will never fully tell you about. But to be short it is a large grocery store.

I was on my way home and as I was driving down the road I saw flashing lights in front of me. It appears that a Police officer has pulled someone over in a near by parking lot for what I can only hope to be speeding. As I drive by I notice an older looking man on a motorcycle start to pull out into the street. He starts to pull out but before he can move the bike and the man come crashing down to the ground. He just falls over; his body bounces up and down as it hits the concrete. I immediately pull over and run to go help him. As I approach him he was still struggling to stand up. I helped him raise his motorcycle and get back on, all the while keeping my distance from the gaping wound that is spread across his face and spilling blood everywhere. I knew the moment I got out of my car he was not himself because the fumes of strong drink were poring off him like a bad cologne. I asked him if he knew where he was and if he was OK. The police officer that had pulled over the other car in the lot started to make her way over to us. (OK I HAVE TO PAUSE FOR A MOMENT……..) Let me just say she was the best looking police officer I had ever seen!!!

Once she had her hand on the motorcycle she motioned me to go on and that she had it under control. I slowly backed away and went to my car, all the time wishing she had pulled me over instead. (just kidding… but not really) I continued on my way home still in disbelief of seeing a grown man fall over on a motorcycle.

How often does that happen? If you are drunk why on earth would you drive anything with fewer than 4 wheels? It doesn’t make since, but then again… He is drunk!!!

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The Ringing Phone

December 2, 2008 at 8:17 pm

“No matter what the circumstance is a ringing phone must be answered. It’s like when you’re told a wall has just been painted and you proceed to touch it anyway, even when you know full well that it’s wet.” (I do it every time)

I was coming out of Wal-Mart and standing by the entrance for Paul to come pick me up. He had been waiting in the parking lot. I stand outside Wal-Mart waiting; I hear a phone start to ring. I look all around me trying to find out where this ringing is coming from. I look over in a trash can that is near by and see that someone has accidentally thrown their cell phone in the trash. I reach down, pick it up. “Hello”

A woman answers. After talking to her for a minute or so I find out that a few days ago her phone had been stolen. I tell her that I am not the thief. I agree to wait for her at Wal-Mart so that I can give her back the phone. Once she arrives she thanks me again and again for finding it, we then shake hands and go our separate way.

It is a great feeling to help someone and know that you have made their day better by your actions. I pray that people try to help others more and more. Whether it is giving someone a ride, pushing someone’s car off the road after it has ran out of gas, or just being there to listen. As long as this world exists there will be people that need help in some way or another. So I encourage you to always be willing to lend your hand, even when you think it is not needed, because I assure you that it will be.

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The Shopping Season, and the day of Hell

October 26, 2008 at 6:36 pm

As time draws near to the holidays we begin to grow with anticipation on what this year will bring. Who is going where and what parties do I get to attend, or (“For those of us who still have that little kid in us?) What will Santa bring me? As Christmas draws close I find myself rushing to get all of my Christmas shopping done.

As a family we draw names every year for those we will shop for. This year I drew my Grandpa’s name.

First I head to Home Depot to get some wood and nails for a box I am going to build to put my Grandpa’s gift in. Once inside Home Depot I look at this huge store and say to myself, “How am I going to find what I need?” after 30 minutes of running up and down the aisles I finally find what I am looking for. I measure out some wood and how much I will need. I take the wood to the back of the store and get it cut. After wards I go out to my car with a huge headache and mark the wood off my list.

Second I need to go to Wal-Mart because I bought my Uncle a picture on eBay and I need a frame to put it in. I enter Wal-Mart I make my way through the massive crowd to the picture frames. I stand for a good 15 minutes or so trying to find the right one. Once I do, I find that there is a little crack in the wood of the frame. So I put it back on the shelf and pick up another one just like it and in good condition. I am lucky because Wal-Mart only had 2 left.

Next I need to go to my Grandma’s to use her printer to make some iron on’s for a stocking. Once I get to her house I realize that the pictures I wanted to print were not the right ones. So after an hour of fixing the problem I print them off and then start home. “I am done. I told myself.” But as my luck would have it that was not the case, the real fun was about to begin.

I got home and started to build the wooden box I have been waiting a month to build. I soon realize the wood I got cut was the wrong size. I was so mad. I had just spent an hour and a half nailing the sides together to find out that the top and bottom were too big. I stand up and walk over to the couch to rest. I sit down and hear a crack. I slowly stand up and look at what I had just sat on. I see it; it was the picture frame I had bought for my Uncle totally broke. In mass frustration I go to my room and lay down.

After I cool off I decide to make my stocking. I stand up the ironing board and plug in the iron. I place the pictures on the stocking in the position I want them. Then I take the iron and begin to iron the to the stocking. I soon smell burning plastic. I pick up the iron and see that all of the pictures that I tried to iron on the stocking have just melted all over and ruined it. NO!!! I scream. What in the world went wrong?

It is times like this, in the wonderful holiday season that you truly come to realize that the old saying may not be true. How can so much work and frustration be good for someone’s health?

Is giving truly better than receiving?

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Buying Memory Just Became Fun

September 9, 2008 at 11:49 pm

I was sitting at my desk working on something very hard, when my phone rings. “Hello”

It’s Mitch, and he needs me to tell him what type of memory he needs to buy to upgrade his home computer. I ask him for the brand and model of his computer so that I can look it up. After 5 minutes of checking prices, I tell him that I have found the correct memory for $44.95 at Circuit City on 74th and Penn and when I get off work I will come pick him up and we will go together. Once we get to the store we ask one of the salesmen if they have any memory and the type we need. The salesman looks for about 15 minutes and informs us that they are sold out, but that the computer says that the store on Northwest Express Way has 2 of them. I ask the salesmen “Can you call the store and tell them to hold them?” he says “NO”.

Mitch and I jump back in the car and start the long journey to the north store. We arrive at the North store and head inside to buy the sticks of memory. We soon come to find that they don’t have the memory sticks but are willing to lower the price on some other ones to match the website pricing.

The only way to get the discount is to buy the sticks online and pick them up in the store, but Mitch only had cash! And in order to buy online you have to have a credit card. They told us that we could put some money on a gift card then use that card online to order the sticks. Mitch goes to the counter and puts some money on a gift card. Once he has this done I login to a computer that Circuit City had available and started the 5 year long online purchase. After I made the purchase and closed down the computer I headed back to the front desk to tell the saleswoman that I am done. The saleswoman says we have to wait a few minutes for the order to print and come through. 15 minutes later she tells us that everything is good to go and she needs our conformation number before she can release the memory sticks to us.

(In my mind I was telling myself that if Mitch had not been here I would have grabbed the memory and made a run for the door.)

I ask her if she is really serious, because she clearly saw me order the sticks in the store. But of course she was. So instead of logging on to their computer that is slower than all get out. I turn on my iPhone and login to my email account to read off the conformation number to her. After I have spoken the last digit of the 15 digit conformation number and repeated it 3 times, she tells me that she just realized that the conformation number was on the receipt that had printed earlier. (O MAN)

I make my way over to the salesman that had the memory. He told me to hang on while he took his time to write down some information about the product and then pretended to swipe the memory across the counter a few times to deactivate the security bar on the package. But the package did not have a security bar and the counter was just a plain counter. I know this because the memory was previously in a large plastic container so that it couldn’t be stolen. He was doing this to make me wait a little longer and to make himself feel a little bigger. That was the last straw I reached out and he handed me the memory but as I pulled away he held a strong grasp on the package so that it fell out of my hands and on to the floor, maybe breaking it. I picked it up and walked out.

Once inside the car I told Mitch that I was thankful that he was there, to keep me calm and respectful, because I might not have been otherwise.

I have learned that if you own a business you need to make it as easy as possible to sell a product.

Not tell a customer to drive across town, then to use there form of payment, (when you have CAS, THE AMERICAN GREEN DOLLAR FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE), and then to make them order it online.

O……. MY……. MESS…….

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Rain What A Goober

April 15, 2008 at 8:12 pm

As everyone does when it starts raining they turn on their windshield wipers. But for me it couldn’t be that easy. I can’t see five feet in front of me. So that must mean its time for some new wipers.

I arrive at Wal-Mart get out of my car and begin to remove one of the wipers. I want to take the wiper in with me so I can compare and know what to buy. As I am standing there in the rain and having a hard time getting off the wiper I come to find that the wipers are screwed on and I have no screwdriver. I head into Wal-Mart to buy a screwdriver.

I pick up a small set of screwdrivers and go back outside in the rain. I start to unscrew the wipers only to notice that the screwdrivers I bought were too small. I couldn’t get enough leverage to unscrew the wiper. In frustration I head back inside to buy a wrench. Once back outside I use the wrench to hold the screwdriver to unscrew the wiper.

Now that the wiper is no longer attached to my car I once again head into Wal-Mart. I walk to the windshield wiper section. I try and compare my wiper with the ones in the aisle but the packaging is too thick and I cannot tell the size. I pick up a pair of 22-inch wipers. I go to the counter, buy the wipers, and head back outside. I get back to the car and realize the wipers I have just purchased are too big. I am really mad now! I go back inside and buy some 20-inch wipers. And guess what? Yea your right, they were still too big. I once again went back inside and had to explain myself to the cashier that I have again bought the wrong pair of windshield wipers. After finally getting the right pair put on my car I get in and turn the key. I thought to myself here is the moment of truth. I turn on the wipers and they work! Or they did for the time being.

I leave Wal-Mart and they soon begin too look a little loose. Suddenly one of the wipers comes flying off. I stop on the side of the road and pick it up. In desperation I call my mom to see if she can give me some advice on the current situation. She tells me I should head to O’Rileys to see what they can do for me.

I get to O’Rileys and after about 30 minutes or so I find out that I must order two parts that will connect the wipers to my car and those parts will come in the following day. So I still had no fix to the problem of driving without wipers. But I am thankful that O’Rileys is here for us.

What would we do with out them? We would live in the dark not knowing where to go.

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Snow

December 01, 2006 at 6:35 pm

I woke up this morning to get ready for class. The first thing I notices as I check my email is that a wonderful woman; Dr. Jeanine Varner has sent me a message. I read the email expecting to see something about OC’s upcoming events. Instead I see those beautiful words “Canceled Classes”. And my heart stops. I fall to the ground and on my knees I put my face into my hands and begin to cry. I look up to the heavens thanking God for the day of freedom he has given me.

The email read: “Because of sleet, rain, and heavy snow expected throughout the day, we have made the decision to cancel classes today. The cafeteria will be open. We are urging everyone to stay home and stay indoors (and study!). Please be safe.

Dr. Jeanine Varner Vice President for Academic Affairs

I have such great love for weather that comes to save all students from the horror that is class.

I go through the day doing a whole lot of nothing and later that night I check my email only to see another email that reads:

“It’s a tough call . . . but we have decided that there will be no classes or chapel on Friday. The cafeteria will be open, however, and the library will be open from 10:00 to 5:00.

Please be very careful if you do get out on campus or off campus.

Dr. Jeanine Varner Vice President for Academic Affairs

I slowly wake up, and realize that I am lying on my back in the middle of my room. My roommate is standing over me and asking me if I am ok. I rise to my feet and tell him I am ok. I looked at my computer screen and saw the email that had knocked me off my feet. I sat down in my chair and looked up to the ceiling and then suddenly peaceful.

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