I can't lie and say that I was inspired enough by my own inner thoughts to write this particular post...my dear cousin (inspiration behind my blog in itself) recently posted 30 things about herself; and I shall now do the same. Enjoy.
1. I have an obsession with clean faces/good skin. I would be willing to bet that even if you added up all the nights when I was so exhausted I could barely stand with those nights when I maybe had a little too much fun and cleanliness wasn't the first thing on my mind, I still at least took eye makeup off and washed my face with hand soap.
2. I hate makeup. This is like a part B to number 1...it makes my face feel clogged up. I would never wear it if I didn't look like a 12-year-old without it.
3. I have two pups with Brady; Hailey and Comet. But my first and favorite (shhh) will always be my little Gigi. She is living with grandma/grandpa now, but she holds a special place in my heart.
4. I graduated from Oklahoma State University. I didn't like it that much during my studies there, but now that I'm graduated, I feel so proud when I go back.
5. Some people say I got married too young, but I found my soulmate and absolute best friend in the WORLD at a young age...and didn't see the point in not being married when I knew we would spend forever together. Plus, he is a really good snuggler and it's fun playing house with him.
6. I love sandwiches. I try to make each of my Subway sandwiches different every time I go. The possibilities are endless! (Which excites me)
7. I wear my heart on my sleeve. Being in sales has forced me to grow out of that a little, but for the most part, I take things very personally and sometimes can't see the difference between joking and seriousness.
8. I used to be very one-sided about religion and God, but now I try to see and accept other people's beliefs. Although I know where my heart lies, I think it's interesting learning where others' do.
9. I love my family. I know that seems obvious, but from my adorable niece Shelby, to my amazing grandfather, to my cousin-in-law who inspired me to write this very blog, I love every single one of them in a completely separate and personal way.
10. I miss music every day. To me, it is my outlet; my release. It makes me sad that it's such a small part of my life now.
11. My hubby got me started working out right after I graduated high school, and I am soooo grateful. It has inspired me to run a few 5Ks, one sprint triathlon, and several bike races...and I hope there are more of those to come. There is nothing more rewarding than finishing a race.
12. I had severe ingrown toenails on my left foot in middle school. I had to have two minor procedures, and a surgery to fix it. If you look very closely at my big toe on the left, you will notice.
13. I have a lot of close, good friends, but no one compares to my sister. I have three incredible sisters, but Betsy is only 16 months older than I so we grew up together. She moved back from California a few months ago, and it makes me feel complete. I joke about it, but I seriously would collapse into a black hole of misery if she ever moved away again.
14. I don't know what I want to do with my life. I don't have one thing I'm passionate about and determined to do, and I'm OK with that.
15. Am I really only halfway through?
16. I have really weird eyebrows; they are very light and appear to only grow halfway across my eyes. I hate pictures of myself, because it looks like I shaved them off.
17. One of my pet peeves is people who don't take care of their bodies. I get annoyed at people who work out for a month, and then stop going altogether. I know that's judgy, but I don't care.
18. I miss my belly button ring.
19. I have a deep fear of grasshoppers and crickets (mostly grasshoppers). I'm not sure if this started after seeing the huge, creepy grasshoppers on Bug's Life, but I do know that they give me panic attacks.
20. I freak out about spending money. This can be backed up by looking in my closet and seeing the measly amount of clothes hanging in there. I always worry about the future and not having enough money for my kids or unexpected emergencies. I'm working on it, though.
21. I love sports. I wish I knew everything about everything, like hubby does. Sports are like an intricate science to me.
22. More importantly, I love the Texas Rangers. Although football is a part of my life from August to (hopefully) December every year, I absolutely love baseball and the Rangers. I would go to every single game if I could.
23. I am naive sometimes. I always ask Brady if we can give people rides when I see them walking on the street, and get scolded nearly every time. I have a hard time believing that some people in this world are deceptive and evil at their core. I think everyone has at least a morsel of good in them.
24. I am always cold. I will wear a sweater and sweatpants in August sometimes.
25. If I could work anywhere in the world, it would be at Dunder Mifflin with Jim, Michael and Dwight. (Not Pam, because I would be her.)
26. If I won the lottery, I would donate HALF to different charities. I'm not sure how I would pick which ones....maybe have each of my friends request one? I haven't decided on the specifics yet, but I know I would do it. Mark my words!
27. I hate getting up early. I may snap out of it pretty quick, but every single morning when I get up for work, I contemplate calling in sick.
28. I wish I didn't curse. At all. I think it's so ugly for women to do; and yet I do it!
29. I think my husband's greenish/hazel eyes are literally the prettiest things in the world. They melt me.
30. If I could make any wish come true, it would be that Hogwarts were real and I was enrolled to attend soon.
Well...maybe not the most insightful of blog entries, but at least you can say you learned something new today. I'm not the most interested (wo)man in the world, but I'm trying to be a close second. ;-)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
15 - 20 Percent....For WHAT?!
I have always felt a tad bit guilty when I get my hair done...and by done, I mean anything from touching up my roots, to full-on highlights, haircut and styling. The reason? Well, my hair is a bit like a rat's nest, I often say....a rather large, mangled rat's nest. So I literally feel the exhaustion as my hairdressers near the end of their voyage through my massive amounts of tresses...their arms having been raised and moving for nearly an hour at the end of the dying part, not even having enough time to rest before it's back to the mounds for a cut and style. It's an arm workout in itself! Therefore, I have no problem giving each stylist a 15 - 20 percent tip. It's my way of saying "Thank you, and sorry about the pain I have caused." I think the extra few bucks is worth it; not only does it ensure that at my next appointment, the stylist will be especially attentive, knowing that 20% extra is on the line, but it also makes the guilt a little more subtle, now that I have shown my appreciation for her time and effort in the form of some extra green.
Now, there are not many services where it's common practice to leave a percentage tip: waiters, nail/hair services, taxi drivers, housekeepers, valet drivers...compared to the great number of professions out there, the percentage of those who accept tips is relatively small.
Sooooo.....who ever decided that these professions are worthy of a little something extra than their hourly rate/salary?? Some would argue that in these professions, the hourly rate is normally smaller; benefits may not be included; hours are less than appealing, etc., etc. While this may be true (I know I personally wouldn't want to file blemishes off stinky feet all day, or run around like a bat out of hell at 2 a.m. every weekend to find some drunkard's vehicle) I don't know what justifies these people getting a little something extra.
Take for example the guys who pick up my trash/recycling. Although our household trash pile usually doesn't consist of anything extraordinarily disgusting or inconvenient, sometimes on my morning commute, I find myself feeling horrible for the poor gal/guy who will come upon that particular pile of junk in a few hours. Some mornings this sympathy stems from seeing disheveled, uncoordinated trash bags strewn carelessly around someone's mailbox, with random pieces of garbage spilling out from each container. Other mornings, it's because someone decided to empty what appears to be an entire garage-full of old furniture, random boxes and other over-sized knick knacks. I remember as a kid, my mom used to leave fresh baked goodies on the mailbox near the holidays with notes thanking the trash men/women for their services, and wishing them a happy holiday. No doubt, nowadays if I left cookies on my mailbox for the servicemen and women of Waste Management, they would probably report me to the police for suspected poisoning. Regardless of what efforts used to be made to thank these people who tirelessly pick up stinky, old, dirty trash every week, the fact remains that whatever they are getting paid for this service, it's probably not enough. So why not tip them? Why don't I leave a crisp $10 in the mailbox every week, thanking them for taking my garbage away? Or report to the city every month, and inform them how much extra I would like to give to the men and women of Waste Management? Trash men/women is not even the worst of it....what about plumbers? What about the firefighters who came to my house to put out a fire in the hottest part of the day during Texas summer, with no air conditioning in my cramped laundry room, wearing layers upon layers of heavy gear? What about the people at the laundromat who get hubby's pants so fresh and so clean clean (and pressed) every week? It's not like they're rolling in Benjamins....why don't they include a "Tip" line on the bottom of their receipts? Are their services not appreciated enough, or unappealing enough, to warrant a few bucks extra for their time and effort?!
I won't even get into the fact that although dentists, doctors, lawyers and the like make a whole heck of a lot more than the guy who picks up my trash every week, they still have years of loans to pay off, and have devoted a good chunk of time and energy into becoming an expert at their profession (and let us not forget that doctors and dentists have to do some pretty disgusting things from time to time). Why don't I slip my gynecologist a $20 bill after my exam so she can buy herself something nice in exchange for attributing to my good health?
You see my point? Why do I tip a waitress for letting my drink sit empty for five minutes and not bringing me the extra jalapenos that I requested twice already, but I can't find the extra couple bucks in my pocket book for the electrician who trudged through the snow last winter to fix our power so that (Heaven forbid) we didn't go a day without electricity.
I realize that now I have to start tipping every person whose job seems slightly less than charming....maybe I shouldn't have taken the time to write this particular post. I feel that nothing will be accomplished now except for the dwindling of my petty cash and the spare change my hubby and I keep in the "Baby Jar."
Now, there are not many services where it's common practice to leave a percentage tip: waiters, nail/hair services, taxi drivers, housekeepers, valet drivers...compared to the great number of professions out there, the percentage of those who accept tips is relatively small.
Sooooo.....who ever decided that these professions are worthy of a little something extra than their hourly rate/salary?? Some would argue that in these professions, the hourly rate is normally smaller; benefits may not be included; hours are less than appealing, etc., etc. While this may be true (I know I personally wouldn't want to file blemishes off stinky feet all day, or run around like a bat out of hell at 2 a.m. every weekend to find some drunkard's vehicle) I don't know what justifies these people getting a little something extra.
Take for example the guys who pick up my trash/recycling. Although our household trash pile usually doesn't consist of anything extraordinarily disgusting or inconvenient, sometimes on my morning commute, I find myself feeling horrible for the poor gal/guy who will come upon that particular pile of junk in a few hours. Some mornings this sympathy stems from seeing disheveled, uncoordinated trash bags strewn carelessly around someone's mailbox, with random pieces of garbage spilling out from each container. Other mornings, it's because someone decided to empty what appears to be an entire garage-full of old furniture, random boxes and other over-sized knick knacks. I remember as a kid, my mom used to leave fresh baked goodies on the mailbox near the holidays with notes thanking the trash men/women for their services, and wishing them a happy holiday. No doubt, nowadays if I left cookies on my mailbox for the servicemen and women of Waste Management, they would probably report me to the police for suspected poisoning. Regardless of what efforts used to be made to thank these people who tirelessly pick up stinky, old, dirty trash every week, the fact remains that whatever they are getting paid for this service, it's probably not enough. So why not tip them? Why don't I leave a crisp $10 in the mailbox every week, thanking them for taking my garbage away? Or report to the city every month, and inform them how much extra I would like to give to the men and women of Waste Management? Trash men/women is not even the worst of it....what about plumbers? What about the firefighters who came to my house to put out a fire in the hottest part of the day during Texas summer, with no air conditioning in my cramped laundry room, wearing layers upon layers of heavy gear? What about the people at the laundromat who get hubby's pants so fresh and so clean clean (and pressed) every week? It's not like they're rolling in Benjamins....why don't they include a "Tip" line on the bottom of their receipts? Are their services not appreciated enough, or unappealing enough, to warrant a few bucks extra for their time and effort?!
I won't even get into the fact that although dentists, doctors, lawyers and the like make a whole heck of a lot more than the guy who picks up my trash every week, they still have years of loans to pay off, and have devoted a good chunk of time and energy into becoming an expert at their profession (and let us not forget that doctors and dentists have to do some pretty disgusting things from time to time). Why don't I slip my gynecologist a $20 bill after my exam so she can buy herself something nice in exchange for attributing to my good health?
You see my point? Why do I tip a waitress for letting my drink sit empty for five minutes and not bringing me the extra jalapenos that I requested twice already, but I can't find the extra couple bucks in my pocket book for the electrician who trudged through the snow last winter to fix our power so that (Heaven forbid) we didn't go a day without electricity.
I realize that now I have to start tipping every person whose job seems slightly less than charming....maybe I shouldn't have taken the time to write this particular post. I feel that nothing will be accomplished now except for the dwindling of my petty cash and the spare change my hubby and I keep in the "Baby Jar."
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