So mad I don't know what to do with myself.

So, our new oven was delivered today, which should really make me very happy. But, well, here's the thing. So, originally my husband was not going to have the oven delivered. The fee for what he was told was delivery, installation, and hauling away the old oven. Way freaking cool. But my husband thought it would be best to find someone to pick it up, find someone else to install it and then wait until he returns from his road trip to Grand Rapids/Cleveland and then he would eventually find time to take the old one to the dump. Sounds truly ideal, doesn't it???

Ya, I didn't think so either. And it was becoming way to time consuming. So, instead, he called and set up the delivery. I love that husband of mine. So they were all set to come today between 12:30-2:30. They showed up at 11:30 - score one for Sears. Yay! One of the delivery guys came in to the house to check out the lay up, and , bam. "You're old stove is still hooked up ma'am?" (he totally lost that point for calling me ma'am) - What??? Why wouldn't my stove be hooked up? You have to have someone who is licensed come and unhook it and then we can take the old one. What!?!?!? Don't you think that is something that should have been told to me BEFORE the delivery was made? So, they left the new stove in my dining room, and told me to call Sears back and they will come pick up the old one after we hook it up. Oh, ok, sure. Sounds great ya, fabulous.

So, I get on the phone. I called the store number, and I don't know if you have ever tried to get a hold of an actual in store Sears employee before, but unless you have the number to the red phone, it's impossible. I spoke to tons of people employed my "corportate" Sears, all of whom said that I have to speak to someone at the store. I was on hold, mostly, for an hour. Seriously, an hour. I assume if you are reading this, that you know me, and my bull shit tolerence level, so you know that at the end of said hour I was not particularly happy. I spoke to several people, and went over my story several times, and the guy from the appliance department gets on with quite the attitude and says"This is Sears can I help you" Oh really, I'm talking to Sears? Well thanks for telling me cause I spent the last fucking hour thinking I was on hold for the queen! Fucker! So I go through my story again, and this guy tells me that he told Damien exactly what needed to be done. That's it dude, CYA. Now, I can't take it, and I yell. I yell loud, a lot. And he yelled back. Not cool. I have worked retail before, and never ever have I nor would I yell at a customer. So he's like..."you are going to have to call back and speak to the store manager." Seriously I was just on hold for an hour trying to get through to the fucking store and now you want me to call back. Seriously? So I explained again that I just want my delivery fee back, and I have no intention of hanging up until I get that. So he says that he is going to put me on hold and page the manager. Oh really, the one you just said wasnt' there, that manager? Please you do that. Jackass. So he pages him, a couple of times, but the guy doesn't answer so the dude says he will give the guy my name and number and have him call me back. And then, before I can answer, he hangs up.

I can not wait for the manager to call back. It's been a while since I have made a grown man cry.

Seriously?

So Damien was making dinner tonight, it's Taco Tuesday here, which falls into his realm of his responsibility. So, he was pre heating the oven to cook the shells, and well..nothing. Nope, nothing. It didn't heat up, there was no pre heating. Are you kidding me. Do you know how often I use my oven? Um, how about, every day???? So, as we speak, he is out buying a new one. Yay new appliance! Boo paying for new appliance.

Tonights the night the world begins again....

So, it's election day. I will say, quite proudly that I am a democrat. But that doesn't even begin to cover my feeling on this election day.

At the age of 31, this is clearly not my first election. It is after all my civic duty. As a news a political junkie, I take elections pretty seriously. That being said, I would like to say that I am more proud of our country tonight then I think I ever have been. (side note, I do not mean that in a I love terrorists kind of way) To think that my parents were alive in a time when black people were not granted the same basic rights as white people. To think that there was a time in recent history, relatively speaking, that black people could not drink out of the same water fountains, use the same public restrooms, go to the same schools, or the same restaurants, and we are on the verge, it would seem, of electing a President who is half black is truly amazing.

What I want, and have always wanted more than anything since I became a parent, was the chance to raise my son, and any future children, in a world where people didn't have to be black or white, but they are just people. I know, of course, that race will always be an issue to an extent. As long as racism exists in the world, there will come a time when I have to explain it to him. But he is going to grow up in a time where it doesn't seem like peoples' ethnic differences are a hindrance to them is a wonderful gift. It's a whole new ball game people, lets try to make a positive difference in this world, for the sake of our children, and our children's children.

Sometimes Life is Unfair

So, it's cancer awareness month, and I could go on a diatribe about the bazillion kinds of cancer that exsist that don't get all the attention but still take the lives of just as many people. But instead, I'd like to share something that happened to me today.

I have a co worker with cancer. She has been undergoing chemo since Spring, and she has never once complained. The only time I have ever seen her truly upset was in the beginning, when she first got her diagnosis. Since then, the grace, strength and bravery I have seen from her has been inspiring. Never a complaint, rarely a moment where she is down. Until today.

I was dropping something off at her desk today and found her on the phone crying. She hasn't been feeling well lately, and I was afraid she was talking to a dr and that something was wrong. So I gave her a quick shoulder squeeze, brought her some tissues and walked away. When she got off the phone she came to my desk in tears, so I grabbed the kleenex, and like true chicks we went into the ladies room for a heart to heart. She was not talking to a doctor, but that did not make the news good. The type of cancer she has, will never go away. She is going on to a maintainence program essentially, so that they can try to keep it from killing her, but it will not go into remission. She will not be cancer free. There are times, I am sure, where she must wonder if it is worth it. In the end, it's going to kill her anyway, it's just a matter of when. But still, always a smile, always a kind word, never a complaint.

I did not ask any questions. Perhaps I should have, but I figured she needed to unload, and I let her. And then I made her laugh a little, cause that's what I do. I don't think she shared with anyone else at work that this is never going to go away. For her, cancer is life. She has to deal with it, treat it, maintain it, and try not to dwell on it. How does anyone manage to do that? How can we continue to let cancer destroy the lives of not just the people with the disease, but the people around them? Their children, their parents, their siblings, their friends are all effected by this in ways I can only begin to imagine. There is no rhyme or reason to it, it just is what it is, and people have to figure out how to deal with it and decide if they are ready to accept death as an option. Who can decide to leave their child motherless? Who wouldn't fight to stay with the people they love? What kind of choice is that to give to someone?

She is of course, fighting. But entitled I think to her moments of blueness. I am glad I was there for her today, but I feel like I should be able to do more. I wish I could do more.

So, my message for the day...stop complaining, your respective lives could always be worse. Appreciate the mundane everyday things that annoy you, and treat others the way you want to be treated. Everyone has a story, some are worse then others, and just because you don't know it doesn't mean it's not there.

Finally a weekend of rest

The past few weeks have been, well, crazy in my house to say the least. We have been readjusting to hockey season, we got a new puppy (Sophie), we had to go to Jersey...finally we have a weekend to stay home and relax. We are heading to Target today, as I realized that I still haven't gotten Alex a Halloween coustume. He requested a pirate coustume, I hope they have something in his size. Tonight, we are going to bake some Halloween cookies. I can't wait to use the cookie cutters I got. Alex, and possibly Isabel will have a blast decorating the cookies. Tomorrow Damien has a day off, and we are heading to the pumpkin patch to go for a hay ride and do some pumpkin picking. Alex is excited for that, and so he has been talking about it all morning.

Hopefully hiliarity wil ensue at some point this weekend, and I will have more to report, but only time will tell.

Today I fell in love.

This afternoon Alex and I got home at the same time as Damien, so we all took Lola for a walk together. We were walking our usual route, when I noticed one of our neighbors outside with the teeniest, most adorable little puppy. Of course Alex wanted to see the puppy, as did I. So we went over to say hi. Our neighbor told us that she is fostering the puppy, they are looking for a good home for her. She has been calling the puppy Chloe, so that is how I will refer to her for now. Chloe just got here last night, from Mexico. Before I go any further, please let me say right now that no, she is not a Chihuahua. There are other dogs in Mexico. Don't tell Lola. Anyway, Chloe was too cute. She is a rescue dog, apparently there are lots of rescue organizations that go to Mexico to safe the strays down there because there are so many, the little bits of things that she told me make life for a dog there sound horrible. Of course I fell in love with this dog right away, as did Alex and Lola seemed to like her too. After getting Damien's consent I gave the neighbor our number, and she had the lady who rescued the dog call me.

So the lady calls, and there are no adoption fees! What?!?!? She is coming to meet us this week, and I think we are really going to help save this poor little dog. Maybe it seems crazy, but wait until you see her....

A perfect New England Day

I have been extremely homesick lately, and it has been making me a little cranky. Well, a lot cranky. Then today happened. Nothing extraordinary happened. But while I was driving home today, the ordinary was what I found very comforting. It was one of those afternoons that was not hot, but not too cold. It was a little overcast, but the sun was peeking out here and there. On my way home I drive over a mountain. Literally, it's a mountain. And on the way up the mountain, I noticed how vibrant the trees were. The orange and the yellow like a canopy over the road. Then at the top of the mountain, the view was breathtaking. I wish there wasn't anyone behind me, I may have stopped to take it in.

This is my favorite time of year.

Happy Autumn!