In my last blog, I wrote about a negative experience at the park. So we went to a different park on Monday. This park was a much nicer park (better maintained, newer, better views, etc.) and I don’t know if that means nicer kids, but in this case it was true. Nicer parents too. All the parents were more involved with their children than their cell phones and/or cigarettes at this park. Although the day was not without incident.
The play structure there had a slide. Nothing special about this slide. One turn in it, about 6 feet of slide. Not exactly the kind of slide you can get up to Olympic bobsled type speeds where you have to worry about losing control. Jonah handled this slide with ease. I repeat, a 19 month old handled this slide with ease. A six year old girl, however, did not. I’m not sure what happened, but somehow she launched herself over the side of the slide and landed on the ground with a sickening thud. Granted, she was only about six feet off the ground, so there was no major injury, but it was pretty apparent this was the first time she’d ever had the wind knocked out of her. The reactions of everyone involved were awesome. The little girl has this terrified look on her face because she can’t breathe. Her older sister is rolling her eyes because little sis was embarrassing her. Dad is trying to figure out what happened and is trying to calm down his daughter, who is now breathing in very short, exaggerated gasps. Mom meanwhile seems more concerned with her daughter holding up the flow of playground traffic than with her daughter’s well-being, trying to usher everyone away from the bottom of the slide so other kids can continue to use it.
From the “kids say the darndest things” department, last night Jonah and I are swinging on the swings at our little neighborhood park. I’m pushing Jonah, and this little girl comes over and asks me how old Jonah is. Here’s the rest of our conversation:
Me: He’s about a year and a half old.
Little Girl: I’ll be five on my next birthday.
Me: Wow, when’s your birthday?
Girl: June.
Me: So you’ll be five soon. You’re birthday is coming up!
Girl: Yeah, but I don’t think my mom will make it.
Me: Oh yeah? Why won’t your mom be at your birthday?
Girl: She got arrested last night. (Note: I was unaware that kids could make the kinds of leading statements that goad you into engaging in a conversation you don’t really want to have. I thought this was something you develop over years and years of having people not be interested in what you have to say…apparently it’s ingrained from birth).
Me: Uh oh! That’s no good.
Girl: Yeah, she was driving without a license.
Me: Yep, that’ll happen.
Girl: Yep! (She said this like this wasn’t the first time her mom got arrested, which kind of scared me.)
Me: Ok, well I hope she makes it to your birthday.
Girl: Me too! Will you push me?
I gave her one push and then started muttering about how it was time to take Jonah home for dinner. Parks….never a dull moment!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Trip to the Park Gone Wrong
Yesterday, Rachel wanted to take Jonah to the park. We spent about half an hour researching parks with cool play structures for kids at the various parks in Albany before settling on Eleanor Hackleman Park. Off we go, armed with a picnic lunch and Jonah's favorite outdoor toy at the moment, a little tikes baseball set. This thing is a little advanced for an 18 month old...the bat's taller than Jonah and it actually pops the ball up so you can hit a moving pitch, but he loves the sound it makes and watching the balls pop up, so it serves its purpose.
At the park, there's a few kids playing on the swing set with their dad. All the kids are wearing cowboy boots. We start playing on the play structure with Jonah. One of the cowboy booted kids runs over and draws a line in the barkdust and says "you can't cross this line." I look over at the kid's dad, who is busy pushing four kids on the swings. Rachel just says "oops, looks like we just did," and continues walking Jonah over to the slide. Again the kid blocks our path. "This is my play structure, you can't use it," he says. This is the most stubborn four year old I've ever seen. He continues to harass us. Rachel tries to take a picture of Jonah, he gets between her and Jonah so she can't. He blocks the stairs, so I just lift Jonah onto the structure. He proceeds to knock my hat off with a stick.
There's another play structure there, so we head over to that one. There's a few other kids playing on it, so I figure this kid will get bored of harassing us and go after one of them. No luck. "You can't play here!" he says again. "Look kid," I say. "That girl just ran right behind you, why can she use it?" The kid looks at the girl and says "because she's family. She's one of us." I look around, and sure enough, every kid on the play structure is hispanic. "I think we've just been treated differently because of the color of our skin," I say to Rachel. Not wanting to get into some sort of racial talk with this kid or his dad, we just leave the play structure and go to play with the pitching machine.
Little did I know that this was not only Jonah's favorite toy, but apparently every other kid at the park too. As soon as I turned it on, three or four kids came running over, including the racist cowboy. "Can I have a turn?" he asks. I'm really not sure what to say at this point, but I say "Now why should we let you play with us when you wouldn't let us use the play structure?" He says "I'm sorry, you can play on it. Can I have a turn?" Meanwhile, Rachel's trying to keep another kid from getting to close to Jonah, who wields the bat sort of like a tomohawk and is liable to decapitate anyone who gets too close. This kid either can't understand Rachel, or doesn't listen, because he walks right up there. Jonah missed with the bat thankfully, but the kid took a whiffleball right to the face as he peered down the hole where the ball pops up. At that point I packed it up and took it back to the car, much to the dismay of Jonah, who was just starting to enjoy all the commotion. At this point cowboy's dad realizes his kid isn't by the swingset anymore and comes over and carts him off.
After that whole fiasco, it actually turned into a pretty nice day at the park, but from our first experience and stories I've heard from other parents about kids running around unsupervised while their parents smoke cigarettes, drink Double Big Gulps and text their friends, I'm not so sure I'm keen on making future public park visits.
At the park, there's a few kids playing on the swing set with their dad. All the kids are wearing cowboy boots. We start playing on the play structure with Jonah. One of the cowboy booted kids runs over and draws a line in the barkdust and says "you can't cross this line." I look over at the kid's dad, who is busy pushing four kids on the swings. Rachel just says "oops, looks like we just did," and continues walking Jonah over to the slide. Again the kid blocks our path. "This is my play structure, you can't use it," he says. This is the most stubborn four year old I've ever seen. He continues to harass us. Rachel tries to take a picture of Jonah, he gets between her and Jonah so she can't. He blocks the stairs, so I just lift Jonah onto the structure. He proceeds to knock my hat off with a stick.
There's another play structure there, so we head over to that one. There's a few other kids playing on it, so I figure this kid will get bored of harassing us and go after one of them. No luck. "You can't play here!" he says again. "Look kid," I say. "That girl just ran right behind you, why can she use it?" The kid looks at the girl and says "because she's family. She's one of us." I look around, and sure enough, every kid on the play structure is hispanic. "I think we've just been treated differently because of the color of our skin," I say to Rachel. Not wanting to get into some sort of racial talk with this kid or his dad, we just leave the play structure and go to play with the pitching machine.
Little did I know that this was not only Jonah's favorite toy, but apparently every other kid at the park too. As soon as I turned it on, three or four kids came running over, including the racist cowboy. "Can I have a turn?" he asks. I'm really not sure what to say at this point, but I say "Now why should we let you play with us when you wouldn't let us use the play structure?" He says "I'm sorry, you can play on it. Can I have a turn?" Meanwhile, Rachel's trying to keep another kid from getting to close to Jonah, who wields the bat sort of like a tomohawk and is liable to decapitate anyone who gets too close. This kid either can't understand Rachel, or doesn't listen, because he walks right up there. Jonah missed with the bat thankfully, but the kid took a whiffleball right to the face as he peered down the hole where the ball pops up. At that point I packed it up and took it back to the car, much to the dismay of Jonah, who was just starting to enjoy all the commotion. At this point cowboy's dad realizes his kid isn't by the swingset anymore and comes over and carts him off.
After that whole fiasco, it actually turned into a pretty nice day at the park, but from our first experience and stories I've heard from other parents about kids running around unsupervised while their parents smoke cigarettes, drink Double Big Gulps and text their friends, I'm not so sure I'm keen on making future public park visits.
Friday, May 8, 2009
More Things you Don't Need to Know
Things you really don't need to know about me. Share
1. Your ex is on the side of the road, on fire. What do you do?
I'd like to think that I'd grab the blanket in the backseat of my car and smother the flames, but really I don't know. Last week I thought there was a snake in our bed and I just jumped out and let Jonah sit there looking at me like I was crazy. Way to protect your son, Andy.
2. Your best friend tells you she is pregnant. What is your reaction?
I'd probably tell her congratulations and then start thinking about if Rachel and I are ready to go down that road again.
3. When is the last time you wanted to punch someone in their face?
See the last note I wrote....
4. What is the last thing you spent money on?
hamburger buns, milk, and bananas.
5. Who is the most attractive male on your facebook list?
Cazzey Cereghino, hands down. The man played Moses on the History Channel!
6. Do you think you gained or lost weight this past month?
I'd like to think that I've lost weight since I've started running more often, but I've also been eating more, so it's probably a toss up.
7. Crunchy or Puffy Cheetos?
Never had the crunchy ones.
8. A person on your facebook list just called you. What do you have to say to them?
Depends on the person. If it's Grant, I probably say, "No, I didn't watch the Laker game." If it's Dave, I probably say "you know you're not supposed to call between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am." If it's anyone else, I'm probably happy to hear from them.
9. What are you craving right now?
Food, but that's like a constant. From the moment I wake up til the moment I go to sleep, I'm almost constantly thinking about what's next on the menu.
11. When you buy something and your change is 2 cents, do you keep it or tell the cashier to keep it?
Keep it. Never know when you're going to buy something that costs $4.02.
12. What color is your tissue box?
Gray. It's boring, the way a tissue box should be.
13. Do you have a ceiling fan in your room, and if so, is there dust on that fan?
Absolutely there is dust on it. We got this fan that's controlled by a remote control only, and the remote doesn't work. I need to start working on that here pretty soon.
14. What is the last voice mail you received about?
Dad confirming that he was coming down on Saturday to help plant arbor vitae in the backyard. No more looking at the crazy neighbor that accused Rachel and I of stealing his rocks!
15. Have you blocked someone on Facebook before?
Not that I can remember. I've hidden a few people's posts, but not outright blocked anyone.
16. Scariest thing you've experienced in the last year?
Probably when that giant branch broke off a tree on highway 20 during a windstorm and just missed slamming into our car.
17. Do you wear a nametag at work?
Thankfully no, but I have a nameplate on the outside of my cubicle.
18. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell?
Probably just a Pepsi...not a huge Taco Bell fan. Though I used to like those caesar crunch wraps or whatever they were called.
19. Have you ever had a garage sale?
Our neighborhood has a huge one every year. I think my Xbox has gone unbought for two straight years. Might have to lower the price again this year. $50 anyone?
20. What color is your iPod?
I don't own an iPod. But if I had one, it'd probably be orange or red.
21. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had?
Haven't had one. Ever.
22. Are you happy right now?
For the most part, yes. I'd be happier if my typing wasn't making the cord on the lamp jingle and I didn't have to leave for work in 20 minutes.
23. Who came over last?
My mom and grandma. We don't get a whole lot of non-family visitors around here. One of the drawbacks of living in Albany.
24. Do you drink beer?
See question 21.
25. What is your favorite key on your key chain?
Probably the one to the door to our garage. I don't think I've ever used it. It's shiny.
26. What was the last movie you watched at home?
X-Men II. I have Close Encounters of the Third Kind DVR'ed and a free preview of HBO this weekend, so that's about to change.
27. What is in your pocket?
My keys in the left, my cell phone in the right, and my wallet in the back right.
28. Where do you hurt?
My toes. They're not really loving the extra running I've been doing. Perhaps I shouldn't tell them about the 3.5 miles I'm planning on putting them through this afternoon.
29. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear?
Ha. Yes I have. My aunt made Rachel and I make one right after we got engaged. He's a monkey wearing a baseball uniform, and he's got two hearts...one from each of us. His name is Wootie, and he's in Jonah's room now.
30. What's something fun you did today?
Well, it's 6:40 am, so filling out this thing is about the high point so far. I'm singing along to Sammy Kershaw's "Queen of my Double Wide Trailer" right now, so that's pretty fun too.
31. What is your favorite aisle at Wal-Mart?
The garden area. It's about the only place you can escape the NASCAR influence.
32. When is your birthday?
August 8th. Last year, my birthday was 08-08-08. This year I turn 30. Talk about going from a high to a low.
33. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror?
Nope. My wife does not tolerate clutter. Of any kind.
34. What kind of milk do you drink?
Non-fat.
35. What is something you need to go shopping for?
Arbor Vitae and quite possibly a new ceiling fan.
36. What is your favorite item at Costco?
Aidells pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs. Amazing!
1. Your ex is on the side of the road, on fire. What do you do?
I'd like to think that I'd grab the blanket in the backseat of my car and smother the flames, but really I don't know. Last week I thought there was a snake in our bed and I just jumped out and let Jonah sit there looking at me like I was crazy. Way to protect your son, Andy.
2. Your best friend tells you she is pregnant. What is your reaction?
I'd probably tell her congratulations and then start thinking about if Rachel and I are ready to go down that road again.
3. When is the last time you wanted to punch someone in their face?
See the last note I wrote....
4. What is the last thing you spent money on?
hamburger buns, milk, and bananas.
5. Who is the most attractive male on your facebook list?
Cazzey Cereghino, hands down. The man played Moses on the History Channel!
6. Do you think you gained or lost weight this past month?
I'd like to think that I've lost weight since I've started running more often, but I've also been eating more, so it's probably a toss up.
7. Crunchy or Puffy Cheetos?
Never had the crunchy ones.
8. A person on your facebook list just called you. What do you have to say to them?
Depends on the person. If it's Grant, I probably say, "No, I didn't watch the Laker game." If it's Dave, I probably say "you know you're not supposed to call between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am." If it's anyone else, I'm probably happy to hear from them.
9. What are you craving right now?
Food, but that's like a constant. From the moment I wake up til the moment I go to sleep, I'm almost constantly thinking about what's next on the menu.
11. When you buy something and your change is 2 cents, do you keep it or tell the cashier to keep it?
Keep it. Never know when you're going to buy something that costs $4.02.
12. What color is your tissue box?
Gray. It's boring, the way a tissue box should be.
13. Do you have a ceiling fan in your room, and if so, is there dust on that fan?
Absolutely there is dust on it. We got this fan that's controlled by a remote control only, and the remote doesn't work. I need to start working on that here pretty soon.
14. What is the last voice mail you received about?
Dad confirming that he was coming down on Saturday to help plant arbor vitae in the backyard. No more looking at the crazy neighbor that accused Rachel and I of stealing his rocks!
15. Have you blocked someone on Facebook before?
Not that I can remember. I've hidden a few people's posts, but not outright blocked anyone.
16. Scariest thing you've experienced in the last year?
Probably when that giant branch broke off a tree on highway 20 during a windstorm and just missed slamming into our car.
17. Do you wear a nametag at work?
Thankfully no, but I have a nameplate on the outside of my cubicle.
18. What do you order when you go to Taco Bell?
Probably just a Pepsi...not a huge Taco Bell fan. Though I used to like those caesar crunch wraps or whatever they were called.
19. Have you ever had a garage sale?
Our neighborhood has a huge one every year. I think my Xbox has gone unbought for two straight years. Might have to lower the price again this year. $50 anyone?
20. What color is your iPod?
I don't own an iPod. But if I had one, it'd probably be orange or red.
21. What is the last alcoholic beverage you had?
Haven't had one. Ever.
22. Are you happy right now?
For the most part, yes. I'd be happier if my typing wasn't making the cord on the lamp jingle and I didn't have to leave for work in 20 minutes.
23. Who came over last?
My mom and grandma. We don't get a whole lot of non-family visitors around here. One of the drawbacks of living in Albany.
24. Do you drink beer?
See question 21.
25. What is your favorite key on your key chain?
Probably the one to the door to our garage. I don't think I've ever used it. It's shiny.
26. What was the last movie you watched at home?
X-Men II. I have Close Encounters of the Third Kind DVR'ed and a free preview of HBO this weekend, so that's about to change.
27. What is in your pocket?
My keys in the left, my cell phone in the right, and my wallet in the back right.
28. Where do you hurt?
My toes. They're not really loving the extra running I've been doing. Perhaps I shouldn't tell them about the 3.5 miles I'm planning on putting them through this afternoon.
29. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear?
Ha. Yes I have. My aunt made Rachel and I make one right after we got engaged. He's a monkey wearing a baseball uniform, and he's got two hearts...one from each of us. His name is Wootie, and he's in Jonah's room now.
30. What's something fun you did today?
Well, it's 6:40 am, so filling out this thing is about the high point so far. I'm singing along to Sammy Kershaw's "Queen of my Double Wide Trailer" right now, so that's pretty fun too.
31. What is your favorite aisle at Wal-Mart?
The garden area. It's about the only place you can escape the NASCAR influence.
32. When is your birthday?
August 8th. Last year, my birthday was 08-08-08. This year I turn 30. Talk about going from a high to a low.
33. Is there anything hanging from your rear view mirror?
Nope. My wife does not tolerate clutter. Of any kind.
34. What kind of milk do you drink?
Non-fat.
35. What is something you need to go shopping for?
Arbor Vitae and quite possibly a new ceiling fan.
36. What is your favorite item at Costco?
Aidells pineapple teriyaki chicken meatballs. Amazing!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Think people!
Most days I really have no problem with my job. My job asks very little of me, and as a result I live a very stress free existence. Sure my days are filled with minor annoyances like any other job, but for the most part, I just kind of keep to my cube, get my work done, and surf the 'net.
However, today I was verbally abused by a lady who thought I had screwed up, when, in fact, it was her own mistake. I was so taken aback by her anger that I didn't really even acknowledge it to her face. I kept thinking she was joking.
So here's the story. This lady brings over a cash deposit from the university. Part of my job duties are to receipt any cash that comes to the building. She has two checks for $10 each, and $100 in cash. Her deposit form says there is $110 total, but it's unclear if that's the cash total or the overall total. So here's the conversaton
Me: There's only $100 here
Her: Yeah and?
Me: Your form says $110
Her: Well maybe you should add the checks then.
(I can't state how angrily and holier than thou she was when making this statement. It was as if she thought I had no clue how to count.)
Me: Well the checks are $10 each, so that would bring the total to $120, which still doesn't equal $110
Her: Well where's the error then?
(This was almost said as a challenge.....along the lines of "I dare you to show me how I screwed up")
Me: I don't know, you made up the form.
Her: Well, someone's missing and I don't know who it is.
Me: Neither do I.
Her: So you're telling me that I have to take this whole deposit back to my office, then bring it all the way back over here?
Me: Or you could leave the deposit here and email me the name of who the $10 belongs to so I can receipt them.
(I'm not sure where she got that I told her to do anything. People are always annoyed that they have to bring currency to the foundation...they'd much rather stick it in the mail. Which is fine if it's your own personal money...you can trust the campus mail people. But when it's a donor's money.....I think you better make sure it gets where it needs to go. At any rate, her mood did a 180 at this point)
Her: Alright, thanks for your help! Sorry about the mix-up!
Me: No problem, have a good evening.
I mean seriously....before you start going off on someone, shouldn't be 100% sure that they made the mistake? I learned this lesson a long time ago, when I challenged a Carl's Jr. employee as to why he kept serving the people behind me and not calling my order. It was at that point that he explained to me that my order included onion rings, which were still cooking. I'm pretty sure my burger was spit on that day.
Anyways, it was a perfectly horrible way to end my work day, and now I'm all fired up and feel like I need to go Randy "Macho Man" Savage on someone and drop a flying elbow right in their solar plexus. Instead I think I'll just go for a jog when I get home.
However, today I was verbally abused by a lady who thought I had screwed up, when, in fact, it was her own mistake. I was so taken aback by her anger that I didn't really even acknowledge it to her face. I kept thinking she was joking.
So here's the story. This lady brings over a cash deposit from the university. Part of my job duties are to receipt any cash that comes to the building. She has two checks for $10 each, and $100 in cash. Her deposit form says there is $110 total, but it's unclear if that's the cash total or the overall total. So here's the conversaton
Me: There's only $100 here
Her: Yeah and?
Me: Your form says $110
Her: Well maybe you should add the checks then.
(I can't state how angrily and holier than thou she was when making this statement. It was as if she thought I had no clue how to count.)
Me: Well the checks are $10 each, so that would bring the total to $120, which still doesn't equal $110
Her: Well where's the error then?
(This was almost said as a challenge.....along the lines of "I dare you to show me how I screwed up")
Me: I don't know, you made up the form.
Her: Well, someone's missing and I don't know who it is.
Me: Neither do I.
Her: So you're telling me that I have to take this whole deposit back to my office, then bring it all the way back over here?
Me: Or you could leave the deposit here and email me the name of who the $10 belongs to so I can receipt them.
(I'm not sure where she got that I told her to do anything. People are always annoyed that they have to bring currency to the foundation...they'd much rather stick it in the mail. Which is fine if it's your own personal money...you can trust the campus mail people. But when it's a donor's money.....I think you better make sure it gets where it needs to go. At any rate, her mood did a 180 at this point)
Her: Alright, thanks for your help! Sorry about the mix-up!
Me: No problem, have a good evening.
I mean seriously....before you start going off on someone, shouldn't be 100% sure that they made the mistake? I learned this lesson a long time ago, when I challenged a Carl's Jr. employee as to why he kept serving the people behind me and not calling my order. It was at that point that he explained to me that my order included onion rings, which were still cooking. I'm pretty sure my burger was spit on that day.
Anyways, it was a perfectly horrible way to end my work day, and now I'm all fired up and feel like I need to go Randy "Macho Man" Savage on someone and drop a flying elbow right in their solar plexus. Instead I think I'll just go for a jog when I get home.
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