Vroom-Vroom-Vroom

Since very early Saturday morning, I have been listening to the incessant growling and grumbling of a go-kart engine. Apparently my neighbors (two houses down) decided that it would be a fabulous idea to buy a go-kart for their children. I'm not a scrooge -- I swear -- but for the love of all that is good, I would love nothing more than some peace and quiet, even if just for a few hours. Perhaps someone needs to remind them that gas still costs more than $3 per gallon!

Making a Difference

I'm setting a goal for myself. This time, my goal's not necessarily for personal improvement or personal gain. I'm setting a goal to do something to make a difference to someone at least once a week.

Surely I can find ways to make a difference in the lives of others through relatively simple means. I know that, at least to me, the things that make me the happiest are not always costly.

So, the search is on for this week!

Old Friends

When friends move apart, they always swear that they'll be friends forever. Unfortunately, that's not always true. It's usually not intentional, but it does happen -- we get busy with our jobs, our families, our friends...we don't forget those people, but communication falls by the wayside. Sometimes, though, you have that one friendship that never changes. It doesn't matter how far apart you live, and you maybe don't talk as often as you did when you lived close to each other, but you always can pick back up right where you left off. I'm so lucky to have a couple of friendships like this.

Back in college, during the second semester of my freshman year, I met a fellow freshman who quickly became one of my closest friends. Today, 12 years later, I truly believe that we're as close as we were all of those years back. In fact, I truly believe that we're closer. Because of careers (and my desire for something other than what I could find in Kansas), we now live several hours apart. When I moved, I was afraid it would change everything. Nope. Within a month, she was on my front doorstep for a weekend visit. In fact, she helped me unpack and clean my house. To be totally honest, when she had her first child, I was afraid that we would drift apart. Quite the opposite. I'm Aunt Meg to both of her children and love them as though they were my own. With every bump in the road of life, be it joyous or unhappy, she is one of the first people I call. I do have to admit that I really, really miss her!

After completing my first semester of grad school, I decided that I wanted a "real" job. I applied for one in Pratt, Kansas, of all places. When I was asked to come for an interview, there were two people who interviewed me -- the woman who would become my boss and a future co-worker. My interview was over, and my future co-worker took me on a tour of town and bought me lunch at one of Pratt's original restaurants. We spent a couple of hours together that day and I knew from then that a solid friendship was going to be formed. I've moved a couple of times since leaving Pratt, but she has always been there for me. Anytime I've needed a listening ear, a professional opinion, a kick in the butt for whatever random reason (and believe me, there have been plenty!), or a Halloween costume made, I've always been able to call her. I miss her and haven't seen her for about a year, but I know that next time I do, we'll pick right up where we were last time we saw each other.

Today, I've got a very good friend who I've met since moving to Oklahoma. I know that she's getting ready to move and it's really killing me because I don't know what I'll do without her. I know that moving is what's absolutely best for her and her daughters, though, so that helps. I believe, deep in my heart of hearts, that she and I have a friendship like this. I can't imagine that we won't talk constantly and that we won't see each other frequently.

Friends truly are a large part of what makes life worth living. I know, I know....I'm being ridiculously sappy today, but I just want these people to know how much they mean to me.

That's NOT a Green Bean!

Word of warning: this is disgusting!

Yesterday morning and friend and I were eating breakfast at the IHOP in Moore before a very stressful morning. I normally don't eat carbs, but decided to splurge and order their whole grain pancakes. HUGE mistake.

I had eaten quite a bit and was basically done when I saw what appeared to be the end of a green bean in my food. I used my fork and dug it out and soon learned that it wasn't a green bean -- it was a bug that was nearly twice the size of a pencil eraser. I headed straight for the bathroom where I promptly lost my breakfast. I gave the bug to our server on my way.

IHOP's response? They NEVER apologized! They went ahead and took my food off of the bill, but still made us pay for my drink and my friend's food. The manager treated us as if we were dirty, nasty crooks. He never said he was sorry and never offered to make anything right. Instead, he acted incredibly put off about removing a $6 charge from our bill.

Tonight, as I sit here, it still makes me incredibly nauseated. I have contacted the Cleveland County Health Department to file a complaint and request a restaurant inspection. I also have contacted IHOP's corporate offices, but have yet to receive a reply.

I'm relatively sure that this was an isolated incident (the bug), but I will NEVER return to that IHOP again. In fact, I'm going to be hard-pressed to return to any IHOP.

Lessons learned -- first, don't eat carbs; second, inspect food obsessively before eating.

Hey! You Used to be....

On Monday, I had a meeting over in the city with a woman who I first met a little more than three years ago. To her credit, I hadn't seen her since then, but when she walked in to meet me, she apparently remembered meeting me back in 2005, because she said, "Hey! I remember meeting you several years ago! You used to be fat and have dark, curly hair!"

Wow. I'm not sure if I should be flattered that she remembered me and now apparently thinks that I'm not fat (which I'm still overweight, but not that glaringly fat any longer, due to the 70 pound drop) or be amused by her lack of tact.

I thought about saying, "Hey! I remember you, too! You were kind of obnoxious then and it looks like things haven't changed much!", but I refrained. I deserve a medal.