Mild Amusement

It's been a while since I've talked about the random compliments that people seem to throw my way, so I figure it's time to remedy that. I don't quite know what it is that leads to some of these comments, since it's not like I go out of my way to ask people to try to say nice things about me. Though "nice" might be a bit of a stretch, since some of these comments are so strange that they fall more into the category of "seriously?" than "wow, thanks." With that as a backdrop, though, let me get right to it: Me: "Eh, work's kinda lame right now" Friend: "What?! But you love your job, and you're always so happy about it" This is precisely what I mean. On the surface, that sounds like a good thing. Who doesn't want to do something they enjoy? But if you think about it, I think my friend just called me either gullible or a chump. I mean, everyone has bad days and there are always little frustrations that...

I've mentioned before that often my actions around my house are driven by the munchkins that happen to be walking around. Even simple little things like whether to leave the toilet seat up or down  and taking my temperature often involve a little kid. I've actually gotten used to it, and it's not a big deal, but it's changed how I act just a little bit. This time, however, I think someone else might have taken that to the next level for me. Allow me to explain. I'm very used to little kids wanting to play with the adults in the house ( I am no exception to this general attitude ), and even more importantly, them wanting to imitate all of the adults. That generally means that I have to be on my best behavior around the kids, so that I don't set a bad example. I don't swear when little ones are around, I make sure to say "please" and "thank you," I excuse myself from the table, and I generally act like a civilized person. They're lit...

For people that have known me for a while, there are a couple of stories that they are bound to have heard me tell. They're just amusing stories all around, so they're bound to come up eventually. Everyone involved always chuckles or flat out laughs, so in theory, it should be a win-win situation. Should be. As it turns out, though, I know a few jokers that have managed to use these stories to make fun of me . Let me start with one of these stories: a long time ago, a bunch of us were looking for a place to eat. These were friends I had known for a long time, and we'll all grown up together, so it was a very casual outing. In fact, it was so casual, that we didn't even have a destination in mind. The plan consisted of: "let's find food." So, we were driving around trying to find something to eat, when someone spotted a restaurant that looked promising: Friend #1: "Hey, what about that spot?" Friend #2: "Which one?" Friend #1: ...

No matter what you do, everyone always has distinctive tastes. My siblings and I were all more or less raised the same way, and we all steadfastly try to clear our plates . That doesn't mean that we all appreciate the same dishes, though, or that we approach meals the same way. Like I said, personal taste always factors in at some point, and different human beings are bound to have different predilections for food. It's just how it goes. Anyhow, that means that whenever we eat any kind of a bird (chicken, turkey, hen, you get the idea), everyone has their favorite part. For example, my sister has always been a fan of the drumsticks, I'm partial to the dark meat, and my mom generally prefers wings. We don't actually pick through the plate to ensure we get our favorite parts, since that's always been considered gauche at our dinner table. Still, if the nearest piece happens to line up with our preferences, we always grab it with glee and relish the food just a littl...