Stuff and nothing...

Today was blah. Too hot to move much. They keep saying rain is coming, but so far not so much. The electricians did show up today. Yay! They didn't really do anything that I could see except to turn all of the electricity off in our house and neglect to turn it on before they left. DUH! I came home from errands and the garage door wouldn't open up. I thought maybe the button in my car had to be reprogrammed. I drove around front and parked on the street and went inside. Low and behold, no electricity at all. I mean how dumb can you be? What did they think we would do without electricity. I know, the problem is they didn't think. Started making the calls to get a hold of someone and finally they came back and turned it all back on. Normally I would have just gone out and checked the box, but with all of the work they are doing I didn't want to blow up the house or something.

Got this one from That Guy's Blog. His blog always makes me laugh and what in the world would I do without his Days updates?

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways. You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order. You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Lazy Monday with OCD

Not sure what I'm going to do today. Today is my Sunday and normally I would sleep in a little, putter around the house, bring my hubby some lunch at work, do some errands/shop or just sit around and read. Unfortunately, with the bathroom in shambles and no end in sight I can't do most of those things. One would assume that on a bright Monday morning that some contractor or another would show up to do some work to finish this monster, but no not yet. Every day I have to get up early in case they come and go find something to do that does not involve being in the house. Of course, I have been really tired this morning and it's taking me longer to get moving than normal. Good thing since they aren't here yet anyway. Who even knows if they will show up. I don't feel comfortable being here when they are working and it's very clear they don't either. They know how pissed off we are. You'd think that they would hurry it along and get it over with, but no apparently it's easier to ignore us and pretend we don't exist. How long do you wait? How many excuses do you have to hear before you get really mad? Hubby and I are not unreasonable people. In fact, we tend to be way to understanding, but even we are nearing our limit. Hubby finally installed the bathroom light himself so we could see what we are doing. When you keep seeing the fixture on the floor and keep hearing about how the electrician is coming and doesn't, you figure it out yourself.
Anyway, if I try to stay home and go about my normal routine they will naturally show up. If I go ahead and leave for the day we'll come home to nothing done. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Now of course you say, "Why can't you just go about your business and leave if/when they show up?". It's really not that easy for me to do that. I am a creature of habit and I have diagnosed OCD. Not the kind of OCD that makes you obsessively clean. I'd probably like to have that one. No, it's more about routines and doing things a certain way at certain times. I get very out of whack when my schedule is interrupted. I see a therapist for it and she has helped wonders, but I can't handle changes. I'm a planner. Every morning I must know what I am doing that day even if it just involves vegging and watching TV or something. It can't change or I get very agitated and start doing my repetitive compulsions. Crazy I know, but you can't get rid of OCD. You have to learn to control it, so it doesn't get out of hand, but certain things will always set it off. I refuse to be medicated for it, so I have to learn to deal with it.
After writing this I think I have decided to leave for the day anyway and get some stuff done. I just can't sit around here and be comfortable even if they don't show up.
Cheers!

Friday Five and my IQ

Friday Five

1. Are you named after anyone? If so, explain.
No
2. Do you have your children's names picked out already? If so, is there any significance? Yes, we had it picked out before we got her. Luna, which was the name of a character in a German film "Bandits".
3. If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name have been? I have no idea
4. If you could re-name yourself what name would you pick and why? Alexandra, I have always loved that name.
5. Are there any mispronunciations/typos that people do w/ your name constantly? Nope


Check out more Friday Fives

So, last night I couldn't sleep and I was poking around on the internet and came across this IQ test. Now up until now I have taken four IQ tests in my life. All of them at different times. One in high school, one in college and two on the internet.
I took the one last night, which was very different from the other ones and low and behold exactly the same score. All five times that I have taken it I have gotten a 142! How is that possible? I could understand if there was a 1 or 2 point difference, but exactly the same. I just don't get how that is possible. I was really tired last night and not on top of my game and yet still the same score. Anyway, I just found that really interesting. Click on the link below and see what you come up with.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Hate

1. People who talk in movies
2. People who kick the back of your seat in movies
3. People who are late
4. Contractors
5. Hair that's not attached to anyone's body, especially in the shower
6. Hollywood Eatin' (see earlier post)
7. Reality TV
8. Telemarketers
9. Hot weather
10. People who make illegal turns
11. People who leave there crap behind in movie theaters or who just don't clean up after themselves.
12. People who whistle/sing in public
13. People who talk loudly on their cellphones in a store


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

?????

Here's the thing. I had a topic to discuss, I swear I did, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. I was pretty busy all day and something happened with a customer that just drove me nuts, not sure what it was though. Yes, that sounds odd, but trust me in the used book business your day is filled with oddball customers and strange occurrences. I kept thinking that I would discuss this at length later when I had some time, but I just don't remember what it was. Am I crazy? Or just old? It's just silly that I can't remember!
One thing happened yesterday though. Mr. Zombie story dude came back. I had been desperately trying to avoid him, but he caught me by surprise. Again, I was getting ready to leave. So, I tried to let him down easy and explain that we didn't really have any use for his story, but that it was an interesting story (not even a little). Of course he let that go easily enough, but decided he had found another way for us to....Actually I really don't know what he thought this would do. Basically it was just a lame idea. Okay, well if we could pull it off maybe, but not really possible. You'll understand once I tell you. So, he says, you do have a Grim Reaper right? Well, yes, any self respecting haunted store would. ;-). He had seen it the last time he was in. He went on to tell us his idea. Now keep in mind we are basically half ignoring him by now, but he just doesn't get a hint. Anyway, here's the idea. This is how he put it to us anyway. "You know what you should do? You should get famous authors and personalities in here and have them pose for a picture with the Grim Reaper. Then you could put them in a photo album and put it on the table in the sitting area and people could look through it. That would get more people in here for sure." At this point I know I am just giving him the blankest stare. He pays no attention and keeps talking. "You could advertise that you have this book with famous people posing with the Grim Reaper. You'd be so busy!" So, he stops and we just continue to stare at him blankly. I really didn't know what to say. So how do you suppose we would get the "famous" people to take time out from their day to come into the store to get their picture taken with the Reaper? Now, if we were a new bookstore, then maybe it would be in their best interest to come in while promoting some new book, but we are a USED bookstore. We probably don't even have their latest book. We have tried author signings in the past, but it's hard to get anyone besides local "nobodies" in to the store. Sorry to put it that way, but nobodies are called nobodies for a reason. Very few, if anyone, would show up. This would cost us money and time. I can't really blame the authors, it's the agents that book their time. They are only interested in having their authors speak where they know that they can pack the customers in. Anyway, we tried to explain this to him. He then told us he had a friend that had just written a book that would be glad to come in to pose with the Grim Reaper to get us started. Yeah, that'll definitely get covered in the newspaper and have them lined up at the door! Here's our one picture! A dude that you don't know posing with the Grim Reaper! Woo Hoo! Now, since you are all here, buy some books! Ha Ha! What is up with this guy? Why has he taken it upon himself to promote our store. I mean I guess it's nice, kinda, but weird. At least have a decent idea anyway. He's been in the store 3 times. How could he possibly know what would work for the store and what wouldn't? Again, I just want to say, "Go sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up." Oy!

So here's something that did make me laugh today, since it's from my favorite show.




Which Buffy Character Are You?

this quiz was made by Selena

Sick as a dog!

So, normally I would not want to wait this long to make a post, but I have just been miserable. Sunday I started getting a headache. One of those that starts at the back of your head and moves forward over your eyes so that you can barely open your eyes. I could not sleep that night and it continued all day Monday. Add to that food poisoning from lunch at Arby's and I was in great shape the whole day.
Today, I woke up feeling fine, but it got me to thinking about something. What in the world does "sick as a dog" mean anyway? I have had dogs all my life and I have never noticed them be particularly miserable when they have been sick. Actually, I can't really remember them being sick very often. How do these sayings start anyway? Like "the bee's knees", what's that about? Is it just because it rhymes and sounds cute? Someone who used to work for me had a real thing about that saying. She'd get very irritated every time someone said it. I didn't think it was that bad, but she would go bonkers when she heard it. I guess everybody has something. I don't have much to say on this subject (I know surprising!), but I just want to know who comes up with these things?
Here is something that made me giggle today, though.

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Barbie is not a slut - her legs won't open

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

Friday Five

1. What talent(s) do you have that could make you famous?
I'm supposedly funny enough to be a stand-up comic. Not sure I agree.
2. If you could be famous for one day, what would you do?
State my political views, so that it would get covered in the news. I'm really tired of hearing Hollywood's opinions on world affairs and no one elses.
3. If you were so famous that money was no object, where would you live?
England in a castle
4. If you could meet any famous person, who would it be?
Joss Whedon
5. What would be your famous catch phrase/quote/motto/last words?
That's an eighteen double do-ya.

Devil worshipers!

Okay, so as I mentioned yesterday, we have a theme in the store. It's a "haunted" bookstore, so there are creepy props everywhere.
When we set up the store we tried to stay away from gross bloody type props and stick with the more traditional creepy stuff like you'd find in an old weird attic. Hence the name "Attic Bookstore". Lots of skulls and bones, a mummy, a suit of armor etc. So, like some outrageous restaurants we have a theme too. There is something odd everywhere you look. It's a hook to get people in. In most cases this works great. People over all love it and thinks it's really cool. We do however get the odd customer that is horrified by it all. One such customer was in yesterday.He was about 50ish, nicely dressed like he had just come from work. At first he didn't say much. He then asked for some good book recommendations and kept us hopping for a little while. After about an hour he came up to the counter as if to purchase something. We asked if he was ready to check out and then we realized he had nothing in his hands. He then asked "What's with all of the bones?" We explained it to him and he wandered off to poke around some more. Finally, he came up to the counter and said, "I just have to tell you that I need to get out of here. Your store is just too scary!" We were dumbfounded. How old are you? 10? I mean come on.....have a sense of humor! We discussed if maybe he was kidding, but he looked very serious when he said it. We have had this happen in the past. I have been accused of being a devil worshiper, a witch and just plain crazy since we opened this store. Here is what made this incident even more funny, though. Earlier in the day two little old ladies came in for the first time. I'm talking like 80+ years old. Very sweet ladies. They went on and on about how much they LOVED the store and giggled like school girls every time they happened upon something particularly scary. They bought a lot of books and said that they couldn't wait to come in again. Now that's my kind a customer. People! Have a sense of humor! Enjoy yourself a little. I half expect to come in one day and see some crazy people picketing outside telling us "devil worshipers" to go away.

Weird customer #5016

So, obviously owning a used bookstore you run into a few weird customers. I couldn't even begin to remember all of the strange things I have heard or seen in this store. Here is the latest weirdo:
Last Thursday a new customer came into the store. He seemed very normal and nice. He had seen our website and was very curious about the theme. We have a haunted theme even though we carry all books. Anyway, he bought a few Sci-Fi books and commented on our great selection. He said he would definitely be back. Great! Always nice to get new customers, right? The next day was Friday and he showed up at our door again. We were working at the front counter and said hello when he walked in. At that point most customers start wandering around or ask about a specific book. He came up to the counter and just stood there and stared at us. I asked if he had a question, but he didn't respond at first. Finally, after a minute or two, he asked if I was Debby, the owner of the store. I said yes and then there was silence again. I then asked if there was something I could help him with. He reached out with a stack of papers in his hand and said "read this". Well, over the years people have handed me many things to read. I have learned the hard way to ask what it is first. He said, "Well, it's a story." Now, it just so happens that I was leaving in about ten minutes and I said this to him. He then said that it wouldn't take but a few minutes. I went on to tell him that I had some things I needed to finish before I left. He kept insisting that it would take no time at all. I asked if he could maybe leave a copy with me and I'd get to it later (NOT!). Of course that was his only copy. "Will you be in tomorrow?" he asked. Then he realized he had a writing class that day. Could he come in Monday? No we're closed. What about Tuesday? He said, he'd come then. Oh goody! We then tried to get him to tell us why he wanted us to read it. He said he did not want it critiqued, because he already knew that it was great. That was a first. What did he want? This went on and on for a ridiculous amount of time. It was like pulling teeth to get him to tell us what it was about or why he wanted me to read it so desperately. Finally he admitted it was a zombie obituary. Well, that's a new one. Sounds like maybe it could be interesting, but still WHY? "So", he says, "maybe you could hang it up in the store. You could direct people to various parts of the store to read the rest." Uh...okay, not going to happen. At that point the phone rang. I was late getting out of there, so during one of the many lulls in conversation I went to get my stuff. He kind of wandered off and I got out fast.
Of course, Tuesday afternoon he shows up. Luckily enough I was in my office on the phone, but I could see and hear him on the security TV. He asked for me and was told I was on the phone. I was not going to come out until he had left. He then starts badgering Sarah about reading it then she could recommend it to me. Finally, she talks him into leaving it. As soon as he left I came out of my hole and read the thing. I just did not want to read it with him breathing down my neck. Thank goodness I did, because it was horrible! We all read it and agreed that it was pretty bad. Funny concept, but badly written. I'm no expert, I can't write at all(obviously!) but a 12 year old could have done better. It was supposed to be an obituary for a dead? zombie, but it was realllly long and was hard to follow. He's called twice today to talk to me, but of course I'm "not in" when he calls. He said he would come in today, which I have been dreading, but he never showed up. How do you tell somebody like that to take a hike? He's a customer and I don't want to lose him, but please, go sell crazy someplace else.

Remodeling nightmares

Where to start? I guess at the beginning. So, back in February we decided it was time to remodel our main bathroom upstairs. Our house is more than 100 years old and our bathroom had not been updated for probably 30 years. It was not done well at that time either. Someone told us that our house was split into apartments in the 60s and from what we can tell converted back sometime in the 80s. No one seems to be able to tell exactly how it was split up, but when we moved in we found lots of left over fixtures from a kitchen(s). Anyway, our bathroom still had the old clawfoot tub (not in good condition at all). The bathroom had carpeting, which is just gross. We got a great recommendation for a contractor/architect from some friends and we went ahead and called him. He came out and measured and we talked about what we wanted and everything seemed great. We should have gotten a clue when he said he'd get back in touch in a day or two and we didn't hear from him for 2 weeks. From that point on it was a struggle to get him to our house. For a job that should have started (according to him) sometime in March it didn't start until the first week of May. We had to fight him to even start then. We were leaving for a trip to Disneyland and thought it would be easier if the demolition was while we were gone. He told us back then that it would all take about a month. We came back after a week and everything was destroyed including the bathroom on the main floor which is just below the one upstairs. They had to tear out the entire flooring which included the ceiling of the bathroom below. There were 4 layers of vinyl underneath the carpet and 6 layers of wallpaper between layers of paint on the walls. Everything had to be removed. It was just a bare bones shell.Now I understand that this added to their timeline, but we are now the middle of July (our third month) with no end in sight. Every day becomes a question of whether anyone showed up. Each day we are promised that the tile guy will be there, or the painter or the electrician and almost every day no one shows up. We call him practically every day and he makes so many promises, but very little results. I am just so frustrated. When we are told that they'll be there at 8 am (I don't start work until 10 am) and you make plans to be out of the house and then find out that no one ever showed up, you get a little pissy. We feel like we have no privacy anymore. They are always there when you don't want them to be, but you don't want to complain because you are just so happy work is being done.
Today was on of those days. Monday is my day of and naturally I like to sleep in. We were told the electrician would be there and probably the tile guy, so I was out of there at 8:30. Came home tonight and low and behold no one had been here. I know big surprise, but you hope that you'll be wrong. The bathroom is looking really good, which gets us really excited, but it's just taking soooo long! How do these people stay in business? You hear about how bad contractors are all of the time. If there was a guy that did what he said he would do and showed up when he said he would he would be soooooo busy. If I ran my business like these people I'd be out of business. I don't know how they get away with it.

HOT Sunday afternoon

Okay, so I just looked at the temperature outside. It is 100.2! Apparently we broke a record today at DIA with 103. Yikes, that can't be good. It is just too hot to move today. We wasted most of the day sitting in the basement watching the Rockies game, but it even got too hot there. We then retired to our bedroom, which is the only room with air conditioning and wasted more of the day watching TV. Cooking dinner was completely out of the question. Turning on the stove is just not something I'm interested in doing today. We decided to hit Soup or Salad for dinner. A nice cold salad was just what the doctor ordered, unfortunately everyone else seemed to have the same idea that we did. It was quite crowded, but worth waiting for.
I just can't believe how lazy we were today. I had so many things planned for today, but very few of them got done. We did work on the banner for my blog, though. Do you like it? I love it! Luna, our 4 year old daughter, said it looked like me and our cat, which was the intention, but not exactly a realistic likeness. It would be more realistic if she were crocheting rather then knitting, which I don't do as often. It was originally a very brown picture, but my favorite color is blue, so we changed it to shades of blue instead. Very cool I think. I also finished crocheting a baby blanket & hat for Hubby's cousin, who just had a very cute little girl.
Not much to complain about today, except the heat and honestly I don't even have the energy for that! Maybe I'll be inspired tomorrow. Heat just takes all of the bite out of you.
Here's a little blog thing quiz I did that seemed to fit the day.

You Should Spend Your Summer in Europe

You're in to almost all forms of culture - art, music, architecture, food... And spending a summer at the beach sounds pretty darn boring to you. So head off to Europe, where you can have your tiramisu (and even eat it on the beach!)

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

Friday Five and Hollywood Eatin'

So, today is Friday. Most people would be quite excited about that fact, but for us at the bookstore it is just Thursday. We are open on Saturdays. :( I guess I have myself to blame for that, since I am the one that set the hours. You can't have a bookstore and not be open on Saturdays. That would just be stupid.

So here's my answers to the Friday Five:

1. What about you makes you unique?
Not the slightest clue. I'll have to give it some thought.
2. What aspect of your physical appearance do you think makes you stick out from the crowd?
I'm pretty tall.
3. What do you always have with you while out in public? (for example, earrings, purse, wallet, watch, etc.)
My purse.
4. Is there anything about your body that you think isn't normal?
Does my voice count? I've been told that it is not exactly pleasant sounding.
5. What are you complimented on (looks, smarts, anything) the most? Why do you think that's the case?
I get told that I'm very funny a lot.

So here starts my general complaints area of the post. Okay, so last night we were watching "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". *Sidetrack for clarification* We usually pick a show during the summer to watch on DVD. Sometimes a new show we haven't seen and sometimes an old favorite. This year we decided it was time to revisit our favorite show. *End sidetrack* Well, we are well into the second season. Basically we were at the episode, I believe it's called "Surprise", where Buffy sleeps with Angel. Angel changes into Angelus and becomes evil again...yada, yada, yada. This is NOT a favorite storyline of mine. I don't really enjoy Angel and Buffy together. I'm more of a Spike and Buffy kinda girl. Though I do enjoy Angel's character more when he is evil. Anyway, here is my complaint. In the episode there is an inordinate amount of kissing between Angel and Buffy. Why does Hollywood insist on inserting very loud kissing/sucking noises when actors are making out? Who makes these sounds when they are kissing? I've kissed many bad kissers in my time and who knows maybe I'm bad too, but I have never come across anyone who makes those sucking wet sounds that they do on TV/movies. Growing up my father always called it "Hollywood Eatin'". I still use the term myself (actually so does he). It just seems to fit. Why is this sound necessary? Are they afraid we won't be able to tell what is going on? We won't be clued in by the faces smashed together? The heavy breathing? Maybe the guy is just looking for her contact lens or her earing in her mouth or up her nose. They always say that they make it as romantic as can be. That they want it to be like our dreams of how sex should be. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to make that sound when I am kissing my husband. So, where do they get the sounds for that anyway? The actors don't make the sounds, they are put in later. Do they use a little wet plunger on a tile floor? What about squeezing a really wet sponge? Oh, I know! Wet sneakers on a linoleum floor! Maybe they just get an actor and tell him/her to make the most disgusting sound that they can with their mouth. Everytime that comes on I tend to mute the TV. There was a lot of muting last night. I just don't understand the need to do this. Who made this rule anyway? Some shows are worse than others. I don't mind them kissing or doing the nasty, but we do not need sound effects!
Sorry, just needed to vent. I'm pissed about the chocolate cake. When we came in this morning there was just enough for Sarah and I to split and get a little piece each. We decided to wait an hour or two. Later Sarah went to get her piece and found that someone had cut that piece and left a tiny piece behind. She thought it had been me. Obviously, it was not. Someone from downstairs (the people who originally thought it was in the way) decided they wanted a piece. In the end Sarah shared hers with me, but we did not end up with the piece that we were depending on. I guess now that the cake is gone I'll finally be able to get some work done.

So....here it goes.

So, how do you start out a blog anyway? Do I tell you endless things about myself first? Do I just jump right in and tell you what I did today? Who knows?
I guess I'll just talk about the chocolate cake I just had. Can I just say that bringing chocolate cake to work should be outlawed? Last Friday a chocolate cake appeared at work (actually downstairs in Hubby's office).*Sidetrack for clarification* I own a bookstore on the main floor and my husband owns a computer company on the garden level of our building. His employees and mine share a breakroom at the back of the bookstore. *End sidetrack* Supposedly left over from someone's birthday. This was a complete chocolate bundt cake, so how could it be left over? No one ate any at the party? I was then told that this was an "extra" cake. How can that be? Anyway, it appeared. We all looked at it, but no one would take the first piece. Finally, on Saturday, someone (me) decided enough was enough and cut into this cake. It was needless to say amazing! Incredibly moist! Knowing that it was downstairs helped me stay away from it. Periodically during the day I go downstairs to visit my husband or just to talk about something unimportant. I of course found an excuse on Monday to go down and visit. Of course I couldn't leave before I had another piece. Still yummy! Tuesday, I convinced myself that I would not go visit the cake. We were so busy, that I actually forgot about it. Yay! On Wednesday morning it appeared in the breakroom upstairs! This was just awful! Mainly guys work downstairs and it was apparently getting in their way. Huh? They do not seem to have the chocolate weakness that we do. Sarah, a co-worker and myself decided we needed breakfast dessert. Incredibly still delicious. We discussed throwing it away, but that would be wrong! Aren't there starving children in China or somewhere? That's what I was told as a child so I would finish my plate. Why this was a common thing to tell children I'll never understand. How would not clearing my plate help the starving children of the world? Oh well it came in handy for us. This morning it was still there. How could it still be good? It's been a week! I tried to control myself all day, but had to finally give in after being told by Sarah, who had it for breakfast dessert, that it was still yummy. What is up with this cake? We looked at the nutrition label (big mistake!) and discovered that it serves 30! On what miniature planet? In the whole cake is 7000 calories! That is not a typo!! What devil baker person made this cake? It lasts forever and tastes amazing! It's still in there taunting me right now. I must find out where this cake was purchased, so that I never make the mistake of buying from them. I depend on cake going bad, so that I don't have to finish it. Please people DO NOT bring leftover chocolate cake into your place of business! It distracts you way too much from your job. I have not gotten a thing done all week! I wish I had the strength to throw it away.....