Farewell to a Unique Man

Things have been a bit hectic as of late. My husbands Step-Father passed away. He was a funny man who loved his grandchildren so much. He even seemed to take pleasure when they were being naughty or mischievous.

Mind you, he wasn't perfect. Being 84 years old, he's from a different time. My Father-in-law was nothing if not politically incorrect. He occasionally brought up incredibly inappropriate topics at the dinner table or made comments about people who were sometimes well within earshot. More than once I remember the ol' face palm at something he said.

Frank seemed to live by the motto, "If it's free, it's for me." Last time I saw him at his home, he showed me a book of matches he had from the restaurant where Glenn and I had our wedding rehearsal dinner! That was 10 years ago! Whenever we went to dinner he would grab a handful of mints or toothpicks (which I found hilarious since he had dentures).

During the Pastors homily at the funeral service this past Saturday, he said Frank was a character. That was so true. He would have you angry one minute and then laughing the next.

Frank will be missed, by me, by his grandchildren and by any life he's touched. He was a dear sweet, funny man who made an impression on you no matter how long you knew him.

Goodbye Pop-pop Hill, we love you.

Telecommunications are a wonderful thing. Unless of course the person using it is a complete jackass. I work in a contact center for Johnson and Johnson. It is not a hard job. In fact once you've been doing it a while, it's rather easy. The stress level on the other hand is unbelievable. I'm glad I only work part time. I don't think I could handle being on the phone for eight hours a day dealing with the general public. The four hours that I am working are more than enough for me.


While working in the office today, a co-worker of mine had to deal with a small minded person who also works for the J&J Companies. I would name him, but I just might email him a link to my blog instead. It wasn't off color, but it was very condescending.

I've done a lot of work on the phones. I worked as a telephone operator for AT&T and and for an answering service as well. If there's one thing that I've learned it's people are extremely brave when they have the safety of distance. What I don't understand is, if you want me to help you, why be a jerk?

Next time you're on the phone, remember you aren't talking to a computer but a human being who has been on the phone all day and probably abused by someone else. Be patient and state your issue no matter how upset you are. The nicer you are, the more willing the customer service person on the other endo fo the phone will be willing to help you.

Parallel Parking and Common Courtesy

Now as many of you know, I am proud to be a born and bred Jersey Girl. Love the Springsteen Song and adore the Kevin Smith flick. One of the few skills that is not used very often in my neck of the 'burbs is parallel parking. I can do it, even with my mini-van I am capable. Anyone who has taken the road test in NJ to get their driver's license must pass this particular portion of the test. I spent hours practicing in front of my parents house with two garbage cans and their Old Buick (AKA Land Yacht).

Now here's the next part of the equation. Many of my local friends will attest to this. Picking up your child at the local elementary school is hell. Pure, unadulterated HELL. Why you ask? Parking is limited. Usually it's not a major issue, however with the snow still piled high and not going anywhere anytime soon, it is a bigger hassle than usual.

Now why am I talking about afterschool pick-ups and parallel parking? Here's why. Because of the parking conditions, in order to get a decent spot where walking to the school with my three year old is minimal I had to get there 45 minutes early. Now, in Dunellen, there is an ordinance where parking 50 feet from the corner is prohibited. They are even kind enough to mark it with a sign that says, "No Parking Here to Corner". Pretty simple to understand.

Here is where the parallel parking comes in, I know my limitations. My patience was running at a bare minimum today. Patience is a virtue, got that. Understand today is the first day of Lent and being kinder to my fellow man is needed. Again, I will reiterate, my patience level is LOW, like running on fumes low. I was dealing with my three year old in the car who wanted 'out'. There was TONS of space when I parked right at the "No Parking Here to Corner" sign. I guess-timated about four to five car lengths. A woman in a min-van older than mine (and that is saying A LOT) pulls up next to me. Then she honks and makes a vague hand gesture. She EXPECTED me to move down. She honked a second time and gives me a dirty look. Mind you, my son was playing with my keys so I was trying to locate them. Finally I get my car moved back and she pulls in (Poorly I might add). As she gets out, all I get is a dirty look, not a thank you, not a wave, not a smile.

To the lady with the green mini-van. Do what I did when I was 17, get a couple of garbage cans, put them at the curb and practice with your crappy car. Next time, I'm not moving when I am parked legally and you can't parallel park your crap-mobile.

School is IN!

If you haven't been living under a rock the last week you know that the North East has been pounded with snow. It was so bad last week that we had TWO snow days.

Dunellen almost NEVER has snow days. We're a one square mile town that's really, really flat. We have delayed openings and maybe a snow day once a year.

On top of the two snow days was the four day weekend for President's Day. Yay. Six whole days of being cooped up with my boys. Inside. SIX DAYS. I love them but I was googling "Safe Haven" and "Adoption" by Sunday afternoon.

But today is Tuesday and we're still under a weather advisory but school is in. It had better be! With my kids, routine is everything. Getting away from their regular routine is horrendous! There's tears, stress and fighting. Some people state that living a daily routine is boring. They've never had young kids. Sorry, kids need routine. It is a comfort for them. And frankly, it's a comfort for me.

The Cost of My Education

My next midterm exam is looming ahead of me. For those of you who don't know me, I am in school working on completing my bachelors in business. The course work is done online through Thomas Edison State College, located in the NJ State Capital, Trenton.

I should give thanks to my employer, Johnson & Johnson as they are reimbursing me for the classes I pass. I'm so nervous about having to shell out the bucks for the class, that me not passing has yet to be an issue.

The midterm is this Saturday, 8:30 in the morning in Trenton. The exam has to be proctored to guarantee we don't cheat. Makes perfect sense to me. But I have to get up at 6 on a Saturday morning. SIX! The only good thing about this is there's no traffic!

Some people who know me don't have to ask. But why am I doing this? Because I've always wanted a college education. I'll be one of the few women in my family to have a 4 year degree. That's really important. I also want to teach my kids the value of an education and that sometimes sacrifices need to be made for a better future.

I know I won't be a captain of industrty. I won't be the next Chairperson of the board. But I'll have something that I worked for and I earned through my hard work and effort. A price could never be put on that.

Missing the Potty Train

Potty training. Michael isn't showing any interest after a minor success last year. I'm not pushing him but I thought he would want to try on "big boy" pants. Nope. He was dead set against it. I tried to wrestle them on him but that little booger is wiry. He's got moves that would make an Olympic figure skater jealous.

The first time around on the Potty Training Merry-Go-Round with Daniel was awful. There was crying, tears and accidents. Daniel didn't fare so well either. This time I'm just gonna let it happen. I thought we might switch Michael from regular diapers to the Pull-up kind. You really don't want to know what happens if they seem like the right size but aren't. Really. You don't. Seriously.

So, I plan on rolling with it. Encourage the interest and not pushing anymore. I MIGHT show him the cool Toy Story underwear at Target and Wal-Mart when we go shopping, but that's it! Nothing more! It will happen when it happens. I know I'll probably have to resort to some sort of bribery to get him to use the toilet. I had to with Daniel. It's as my Mother says, just find his currency and results will be seen.

A Pleasure That's Not a Vice

One of my pleasures in life is going to church. ALONE. Yup, people like to go with their families all dressed up in their Sunday best. I personally think it's to show off. Me? I actually go to church to get something out of it and I try to apply it to my daily life.

When I first started attending church alone it was when Daniel was a bit too rambunctious and we spent the entire mass trying to keep him quiet. Needless to say we never got anything out of it. Not to mention, that feeling of wanting to crawl under the pew is the most horrible thing in the world! So Glenn and I decided to split shifts. I hated going alone. I was fairly new to the congregation and when it came time for the sign of peace it felt awkward. (For those of you who aren't Catholic, we shake hands with our family and those who are sitting near us)

Now, I jump at the chance to go to church alone. For me it's just about spending time with a very important person in my life. Going to church and feeling close to God is the best feeling in the world for me.