Bits and Pieces

There was a guy sleeping on the train this morning when I got on. Now the train I get on comes from the city, stops at my station, then reverses direction and goes back to the city so this sleeping guy probably wanted to got off by now...

I could have waken him....

but I didn't....

And when the train conductor came into my carriage he saw him but he didn't wake him either!

I could tell he was thinking about it though!

The sleeping guy looked so out of it! He was sprawled out over three seats, with one arm flung out onto the floor.The train started moving and more and more people got on but no one went near the sleeping guy and the motion and commotion about him didn't wake him...

neither did the sun that was now shining brightly onto his face.

It wasn't until we were almost into the city that I wondered if he was even alive! Can you imagine if something had happened to him and we were all ignoring him? I tried to see if he was breathing but by that time too many people haad boarded and I couldn't see him. How horrible if we'd all just ignored him and he really needed help.

As I got off though I saw the train driver approach him so I guess whatever needed to be done was done at that point...

Speaking of the train, on the way home I saw two people speaking in sign language on the train. I used to know quite a bit of sign language but it's been years and I'm unpracticed and they were going WAY fast! But the funny thing was, it was a male and female that were talking and the female was going for AGES, signing her words, while the guy only put in a few sentences here and there. Made me realise that even in sign language, women outspeak men!

And then when I got to work....

I had a customer today who said "Hi, I've got an en-queer-ee about my account"

Yes, I'm sure it was queer indeed!

As part of our call quality we have to ask at the end of each call "Is there anything else I can help you with?"And you can bet there'll be at least one customer a week who'll come back with a smart arse reply.

Today a customer said "How about a $100 note?"

Aiming low I thought, but I replied "Sure, I'll just pluck one out of fairlyland for you."

Luckily he laughed!

Running Through The Pain Barrier

Well I just completed a fifteen kilometre run. It's the longest single run I've done in a while, making my total for the last four days, 42kms. Now I have a three day break!


Last week, I bought a new pair of shoes that I wanted to set aside for all road running (I also run on the treadmill) The first time I used these shoes, I developed HUGE blisters on the insides of my feet... The next two runs were on the treadmill so I ran in my regular shoes...
Today was on the road again so I put my road shoes on. I thought I'd left enough time for the blisters to heal. I put a few bandaids and wrapping on them so they wouldn't blister again in that spot and off I went.

The shoes were a little uncomfortable in the blister area while I was still walking around, but I thought that was because the area was still a little raw and would go away the more I walked in them.

When I started running, they were quite sore but I knew the more I ran, the less the pain would be. It was pretty sore up until six kms into my run. After that, it went to a dull ache, and by the time I was finishing, I was so euphoric at approaching the finish line, that I didn't even notice the pain.

When I got home and finally took off my shoes I was SHOCKED!
(Right foot is pictured above, left foot is to the right.)

And do you know what worries me the most?? Is this going to be healed enough before I run again?? It better be because I'm not missing my next run!! Guess I just have to go back to the old shoes...

It's All In The Family

Miss 15 is going to kill me for writing this...

But we were all sitting around the dining table the other night when out of the blue she says "you know, a lot of people in our family are related"

And there wasn't much else we could say to that!

Now That's Embarrassing

Recently I saw an acquaintance of mine, having not seen him for a few days.


In that time, a cold sore had bubbled and festered on his top lip.


At the time that I saw him, I didn't realise it was a cold sore and ALMOST said "oh you've got a bit of something there" thinking he'd caught some of his lunch on his top lip.


Wow... can you imagine if I'd said that! Now THAT would have been embarrassing!

Sayings/Words/Phrases I hate

Miss fifteen is still rolling her eyes over my last blog entry. Apparently that is so "yesterday". Everyone knows the "waaaaambulance" line...
Well shame on me for not being up with the vocab times!

So that got me thinking about other phrases and words I hate hearing... maybe you can think of a few yourself?


Some Phrases/words I wish would be banned



1. "Do you know what I mean?"
Not bad when said once, but some people insist on using it after ever second or third sentence.

2. "What not"
As in, "We stayed there and and talked about life and what not". Often used instead of "etc."


3. *Overuse of personal name.*
Don't you hate it when you just meet someone, and they insist on using your name in every sentence? I guess that might be how "That's my name, don't wear it out" might have originated!!

4. Speaking about yourself in the third person.
Please... didn't everyone see that Seinfeld episode!! Don't do it!! It's NOT cool!

5. "Right love?"
It doesn't offend me but I still think that only female workers at truckstops over the age of 55 should be able to use the word 'love' when calling someone by a pet name and then ONLY if they have a fag hanging out of their mouth.


6. "How about the lotto numbers?" Followed by a hearty chuckle.
This is in reference to my particular job. I have to ask "is there anything else I can do for you" and the customer invariably come back with this line which I'm sure they think is original and it just cracks them up.

7. "Right" or "ok"
When this word is spoken after a statement that the speaker wants you to believe, it really irks me. Just the fact that you have said "right" or "ok" doesn't mean I automatically am going to believe what you've said. You still have to make your case.
eg. "I told you not to do that (pause) right! I've told you to not call me anymore (pause) right. I'm not going to stand for this anymore, OK?"
Well geez... I'm convinced. That put the stalker right in his place!


8. "No offense, but..."
No offense?? If you have to say it, you can bet offense is appropriate... you're just saying it as an out for YOURSELF! If you tihnk you have to say it, then please DONT say it and choose different, non offending words instead!


9. "Everything happens for a reason"
Yeah and that reason is random chance and life choices. Maybe it makes some people feel better if they think there is a purpose to something.Happens for a reason? Maybe it does, or maybe an invisible chain of events occured right before it

10. "My bad"
Makes me want to show the person who spoke it, how bad it really can be!


11. "I slept like a baby"
You mean you slept for 30 minutes then cried your lungs off until someone fed you and cuddled you back to sleep then started that cycle again?


12. "Hot/Cold enough for ya?"
No, actually, the more extreme the more I like it. I regularly sleep in my fridge or my oven just so I can feel it that bit warmer or colder...
I know it's just a conversation opener but really? Don't we know by now NOT to talk about the weather?

13. "I/You deserve this" or "I/You don't deserve this"
Really? And where is the rule book that states when someone does or doesn't deserve something? When someone wins the lottery, what did they do to deserve that? when a great tragedy happens to a person, what did they do to deserve that? Sometimes shit just happens and to think you're above it is to have a little too many tickets on yourself!





So there's just a few that I've thought off from the top of my head.
Can you think of anymore?

What? Are you going to cry now?

Oh maybe this is old and I've only just seen it for the first time but it made me laugh!

When someone is getting upset over something for whatever reason, can you say "ohhh, do you want me to call for a waaaambulance?"

I can't wait to use that line!!

Can we ban xmas please?

I feel really evil just thinking about writing this but I think I'm beginning to really hate xmas!
It's the commercialism and greed that I'm completely against because if we're honest with ourselves, that's really what xmas has become.

I hadn't put up a tree last year and was ribbed about it a bit so this year I asked the kids if they wanted to put a tree up. I thought it might be something nice that we could all do together. They were giving me half hearted yes answers until they realised that I meant for ALL of us to do it together. They then thought it better to just give it a miss.
There was no argument from me!

And then there's the crowds!

I can't go to my shopping mall because it's too stressful to try to find a car park... and if I do manage to find one, I have to fight through the crowds. Many people line the mall's aisle ways loaded with shopping bags. Can they buy enough 'stuff'?
Do we really need so much stuff??? What are we doing with it all??

I hear it said "oh it's for the kids. " Is it really? Do the kids know the value of the xmas presents you're giving them? Or are the gifts really for you? So the kids know how cool Auntie X is? Auntie X gives better presents than anyone else! And what are we teaching these kids? We're not teaching them how good it is to give!!! We're teaching them how good it is to GET!!! And not only that, but that they SHOULD GET!!! It's their right as cute little kids (and holders of our DNA) to GET! At the cost of everyone else!
How many families do you know where they "just buy for the kids"?

It's like we get caught up in this frenzy of "how much money can I spend" all the while complaining how much xmas is costing us.

I walk into the mall and I swear I can hear "buy now, NOW. You're running out of time!! XMAS is almost here!!!"

And forget about any religious meaning! Sure, people can sprout off a few words about the religious aspect of xmas but we all know, it's really about presents and time off work!

How did we turn something so pure and good, into something so stressful and costly?

What do I like about xmas? I like being with my family. That part can't be replaced. I like taking time to appreciate and value the people who mean the most to me in the world.

So for the next three weeks I'm going to shut my eyes and stick my fingers in my ear and pretend nothing out of the ordinary is happening at all!!

Perils of Public Transport

I don't understand why a person would think it was ok to squash their large frame, complete with bulky back pack and biker jacket, through a bunch of people to sit at the furthest possible point from the door in the train.

Unfortunately I was sitting opposite this seat when she came in.

Now really, I wouldn't have minded so much if she didn't stink to high heaven.
I hate saying that, I really do, but I don't understand how people cannot be aware of it. I'll bet anything that those clothes she had one were not freshly washed!
And it's not like I could sit there with my fingers to my nose for the rest of the train journey....

And to manoeuvre herself into such a specific and unreachable seat!!
I have to ask WHY!!!
There were other seats available!

I don't get it...