Elevator Etiquette

Now, who'd have thought that there would be etiquette issues with using the elevator? But, sadly, there are.

1) When waiting for the elevator to arrive, I don't care how many times you push the button. Go nuts, really. Play a song...whatever tickles your fancy. However, please manage to be ready when the elevator arrives! Don't be talking with your friend, who is leaving via the door of the building, and then have to yell to "hold the elevator!" while you perambulate your plentiful posterior to the elevator door! I have a life!

2) Also when waiting for the elevator, don't assume you are the only person on the planet. You're not. I'm here, for one. Remember that sometimes, those other people are in the elevator, waiting to get out once the doors open. Please don't stand front and center of the door, blocking the way for everyone else! It's cloddish and rude.

3) When you are a passenger on the elevator, remember where you're going...you won't be in the tiny room forever! You have to leave! So, watch that numerical readout. When it gets to your desired floor (remember where you're going?) be ready to leave the elevator. Don't hide in a corner and then dash out at the last moment, getting in the way of everyone who is waiting to get on, assuming the car is empty. Wake up! You're here!

4) If your office has space on two adjoining floors and stairs connecting them, and if you're not handicapped, would it really hurt to use the stairs once in awhile? For instance, I only work on the 5th floor, hardly a towering height, but I have been on the elevator many times with people who get on at floor 2 and get off at floor 3, making the elevator stop twice on a very short journey. And they have stairs! In this case, if you use the elevator to get a mere one floor up or down, you've invoked the "Dorkavator" rule, which is that some people don't understand how stairs work. These particular people in my building work in a law office...it explains a lot about the American legal "system," doesn't it?

5) There are limits, people! Jamming yourself into an already crowded elevator, between 2 people who are obviously having a discussion, is not acceptable. Most of us learned this in kindergarten or shortly thereafter. There is no need to jam yourself in...simply wait for the next elevator. I promise, there will be another one.

Ahh...I feel much better.

Reflections...

Hi, again. I've been re-reading past posts (ooh, I just LOVE alliteration, don't you?). In an attempt to do something besides complain about school, tonight I'm going to discuss something I'm learning about in school...the Constitution. Tonight I'm reading specifically about voting and voter turnout and voter rights. Very intersting. Here's a news flash for you...politicians lie a lot! Did you know that in other democracies, voter registration is automatic, meaning you are registered automatically as you pay taxes or register your car or whatever. It's just done...poof. No waiting period, no closing registration two weeks or more before the election. You're in. Simple as that. And, you vote on weekends in most other democracies, so everyone can play, not just those who can make it in either before or after work. A nice touch, I think. Many countries even vote on Sunday, or they actually declare a national holiday so everyone has the opportunity to vote. Amazing!

Did you know that in the way-behind-the-times-United States, only 6 states allow voters to register on voting day? Yep. You can walk in, register, and vote. Easy if you live in one of the six; not so easy if not. Here in Arizona, where I live, registration closes soemthing like 2 weeks before each election. You can register Motor-Voter, thanks to the U. S. Congress, but that's the only convenience. They keep the polls open until 7:00, which I thought was normal; but other states apparently let you vote longer.

And here's an idea for the news media. This one's mine. Quit the stupid polling, and report on the issues the candidates are running on! Okay! We don't care about the blue straw or the red straw! Tell us (or, better yet, let them tell us) their stand on a particular issue. All this polling just helps those too lazy to think on their own who is ahead in the polls, and who they should vote for if they want to be on the "winning team." Tell us the stats after the election if you want, but save voting day and the days before it for THE ISSUES.

By the way, the Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch of the government is quite interesting. To heck with your son or daughter growing up to be President, the real cake gig is the Supreme Court. Loads of responsibility, but very interesting work. Never a dull moment, I wouldn't think.

Some days I wish I had born British or Irish. I like the meter of the language as well as the accent. Oh, well. I'm also happy as a Midwesterner...

I miss my friend Rhonda and need to send her a card.

I was going to get my kids' pictures taken for school this past weekend (we do Sears; way more fun, cheaper, and better) but my daughter does indeed belong to my husband. She has a very practical way of doing things. Her bangs were in her face and irritating her, so she apparently grabbed them and lopped them off...right at the scalp. Nice touch! But hey, they're out of her face!

We got new cell phones over the weekend...those Razor ones. I must admit to having way too much fun with it. I have a camera phone! It's actually very nice to see my hubby and kids pics while I'm at work. Especially during a stressful moment.

We're getting a big storm here tonight. I keep praying the drought will be over. God knows best.

And now you know the contents of my brain this evening. I hope it's been a pleasant journey for you. Take care, and by all means, be careful out there!

Back to School

Well, the kids go back to school tomorrow. Did I get the whole house organized over the summer? No. It's just like it was on the last day of last school year. Did we take a genuine family vacation? Not really; we did do some camping. Did I save up our $1000 emergency fund as I had planned? Nope. $150.00. Woo-friggin'-hoo. After a day of near-constant interruption and being flung into volcanoes I have no idea how to solve, I left work 1/2 hour late to pick up the kids from grandma's house. Luckily, it's grandma's house. No big. But I had stressed all the way there, 40 minutes to cover six miles because of traffic. I seriously hate this city. Very much.

Then we went to Wal-Mart to get some fruit cups for the kids' school lunches, and some ink cartridges for my printer. I also found "The Dark Crystal," the Jim Henson movie from the 80's that they had seen part of, but not all of, and ice cream to bribe them to let me finish my paper for school. $70 later, we went to check out and waited in line. Several lines, actually. Only a very few "regular" registers were open; most of the open ones were those irritating self-check lanes. They never seem to work for me, and I always end up with a "helper" coming over to fix their dumb computer. We crept along like everyone else, and twenty minutes later we finally left the store. The schedule for the night was hopelessly behind at this point, and we drove through McDonald's for dinner. I just now got the kids to bed; it's 9:49 p.m. There goes that damn Mother of the Year award again!

Wow. Is this all there is? Just being behind and not meeting goals?

The sound of my head exploding

School is absolutely driving me nuts! I'm back in a study group with someone from a previous group I was in, and she seems pretty much bent on drumming up conflict. Maybe it was on purpose, maybe it was a mishap but last week, I was the only one whose stuff got put into a group paper that was due. I wrote what I was supposed to and sent it to the guy (also in our group) who was responsible for putting it together. He only put my stuff in because he said it flowed better. Maybe he and person #4 didn't write anything, and maybe they did. I don't know. We can't go back and change last week, and we can't endlessly worry that we might not get an "A" in every course. A "B" is acceptable, I would hope! I am totally exhausted and burned out and I have no desire to continue my education at the University of Phoenix. I am tired to death of learning teams. People either don't care at all whether they participate, or they have a freaking hissy fit if everything doesn't go their way...what a bunch of third graders! This girl wanted to be on my learning team next class...I doubt it! I can't take this again! I guess the only thing to do is ignore the frigging learning team and learn anyway, without them.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before on here, but I have depression. That is not helping this week, either, although I have been learning lots of new coping skills. I haven't seen my husband in a social setting in weeks and weeks, and tomorrow night we ARE going out for dinner, either with or without friends. I'm not feeling guilty every moment that I'm not slaving over the books. The whole point of U of P is supposed to be that they understand you have a life. Three more classes, then I think I'm out the door at U of P and will go to a regular university or college. Life is too short for this bull.

I think my tired eyes are going to go to bed now and maybe have the luxury of reading something for entertainment. Perhaps a novel...what a novel idea! (:-)

And I even screwed that up...It's Wednesday, for cryinoutloud!

Which, of course, I tried to fix, and now both posts below say Wednesday, making me look even crazier than I really am. What a fabulicious day!

It's a Monday...even though it's Wednesday!

I have had the kind of day today where I want to blow things up. I won't of course, so if you're reading, "President" Bush, I'm just kidding. I'm frustrated beyond bearing and so damn tired I feel like I can't go on.

I tried to break a plate, but it didn't...damn Corelle! This is a day when I want mounds of chocolate, mounds of ice cream, and some wine wouldn't hurt, too.

I think of women in my past who were an inspiration to me...my "grandma" (because she wasn't really my grandma, just a lady I grew up next door to) Hiatt, Mrs. Jenckes, Connie Brigham, my mother, my grandmother. Did they ever feel out of control? How can I learn to get as organized and calm as they were? No one in my generation of parents is...we're all desperately trying to hang on, trying not to implode. It's crazy. They were totally calm, or totally deceiving, one of the two.

My kids are currently sitting on the couch eating ice cream while I type this, which is a break from my homework. Is school worth them being alone in the next room? Am I a good mother if I let them eat and watch TV while I'm in here? Shouldn't I be filling their minds with wisdom or playing a game with them or cleaning up after them?

But alas, my homework waits.