So What?

Linking up with Shannon for So What Wednesday!

This week I'm saying SO What if:

- I get really annoyed with poor customer service.  Two examples in the last week:  1)  Went through a drive-thru Starbucks the other day and ordered their new Chocolate Chai Latte.  I was given a regular coffee, but didn't notice it until I was several blocks away (I don't do coffee).  So, I turned around, went back through the drive-thru, explained that I got the wrong drink.  Their response "Yeah, we have that right here".  No, "Oh I'm sorry!" no "oh, here's a gift card for next time since we screwed up and made you drive back".  Argh.

Example number 2... about 3 weeks ago I sent a check into the community center to sign Emily up for swim lessons starting in late October.  The class is for 18 months - 3 year olds.  The class starts THREE DAYS before Emily hits the 18 month mark.  I didn't think it would be a big deal.  Well, a couple of days after I sent the check I got a call saying that she wasn't old enough and giving me the option to take the lower class (for the third time).  I explained the 3 day situation, they said that they would take care of it.  I thought we were good to go.  Yesterday (about THREE WEEKS LATER) I got a call from the community center again saying that they had found my check in the safe and that Emily wasn't old enough for the class.  Again I explained the situation.  However, this time I was told that they couldn't 'make the exception and that I'd had to talk to the aquatics staff.  They transferred me, I talked to the staff member, he said "no problem" however, the class I wanted to sign her up for (THREE WEEKS AGO) is now full and I'll have to go on a wait list.  SO FREAKING MAD!  Put one more kid in there!  What's the f'in big deal?  You all (and by you all I mean someone who works there that dropped the ball and the entire center's behalf), screwed me and my kid over.  My check has been sitting in your safe for THREE WEEKS.  FIX IT. 

OK... rant over.

- The above situation, which happened yesterday, on my birthday, ended with me being a giant, weeping mess.  It's been a rough few days, I was feeling well, and this was just the straw.

- I skipped dinner and crawled into bed at about 8:30 last night.  I was feeling well, the thought of food was not appealing, and, in addition to physical aches and pains, I was feeling pretty down in the dumps and wanted to craw into a little hole. 

- I stayed in my little hole until about 2 AM when I (thought) I had to use the bathroom.  Turns out the (very few) contents of my stomach decided that they no longer wanted anything to do with me.  Happy Freakin' Birthday.

- While I certainly didn't like the act of throwing up, I was glad for it, as it made my stomach feel much better... though left me feeling really weak and needing to stay home from work (who am I kidding, that may have actually been the silver lining. lol)  I can't even remember the last time that happened.  I wasn't nauseous at all during pregnancy.  It's probably been close to a decade. 

-This post really should have been titled "How My Birthday Blew Chunks".  lol

Pictures for Mom

My Mom is, for some reason, completely anti-Facebook.  She doesn't want to admit that she uses a computer (although, she has slowly inched from occasionally ordering clothes online to now Googling recipes and craft projects... I wonder if anyone has showed her Pinterest yet... lol).  One thing that she DOES do online is read my blog... and occasionally I get guff for not posting enough pictures of her granddaughter (which are, consequently, all on Facebook).  So, for my mom, and as a recap of the last few months, here are some of my favorite photos from the summer.

You're welcome, Mom.  =)

Memorial Day at the beach

With her friend Tim

With Aunt Brittney and Cousin Jordan

No better view than atop daddy's shoulders!

Learning the climb!

Robinhood Festival in Sherwood

Sportin' some cool shades!

We totally look alike. lol

Feeding Daddy goldfish

At the splash park

Such a happy water baby!

So What?

Linking up with Shannon for So What Wednesday!

This week I'm saying SO What if:

- I spent the weekend reading (and finished last night) Fifty Shades of Grey... or that I'm now on the waitlist for the next one (damn cliff hangers).

- I completely forgot that my birthday is next week until my boss mentioned it yesterday. I'm not a big birthday celebrater. It may be different if I was counting down the days until a midweek day off,  but no, I'm working.

- Consequently, I don't really have any plans for my birthday. Jacob's bday is 3 days later, so we are going to drop Em off with her grandparents and spend some time together... and alone.  :) I hope to get a pedicure and take a barre3 class. Woo! PARTY! Lol

- It took me 2 months to watch my last Netflix movie... I was enjoying my summer instead. :)

- I finally relented and bought another pair of post-pregnancy work pants. I've been living in skirts, dresses, and the one pair of pants that I bought last year because I "knew" that I'd be back down to my pre-prego size soon and didn't want to waste a bunch of money. 17 months later I've gotten tired of my skirts and am seriously wondering if I will ever get down to that size again. I think my whole stature has changed (like my feet... which grew a size.)

Confession

I have a confession to make.  I spent the entire weekend (and by "entire weekend" I meant during naps and after 8 o'clock bedtimes) reading "Fifty Shades of Grey".  At this point, I'm about half-way through.

I never planned to read the book.  I don't tend to jump on the band wagon when it comes to "literature" (I've yet to read a Harry Potter novel), and the book didn't really seem that interesting to me.

It all started when I saw an entertainment news article that they had made casting decisions for who would play Anastasia and Christian in the movie.  I had seen previously that Ian Somerhalder had wanted the role but hadn't gotten it.  Being a big Team Damen supporter I was pretty shocked.  From what I had heard about the book, and what I had seen of Ian's smoldering on-screen performances, I would have thought that he was a shoe-in.  So, I googled images of the actor that they DID choose (Charlie Hunnam) and was a bit surprised.  He looked too "nice" and not the bad-boy that I was picturing from what I had heard about the book.  Nor did Dakota Johnson look as mousy as I pictured Anastasia.  Again, just from what I heard/assumed about her character in the book.

The old "assume" adage came to me then and I realized that the only way to be truly justified in my belief that Ian should have gotten the role, was to READ THE BOOK.  So, I looked the e-book up in my library's digital collection and put it on hold.  I was told that I was patron number 138 on the waitlist, so I didn't expect to get it for awhile.

Two days later.  BAM!  There was a notice in my inbox that a copy was waiting for me to check out.  But, that I only had 7 days in which to read it.  So, that meant that the weekend would have to have some hard-core reading involved (pun intended).

The first quarter of the book was just BAD.  The writing was no good.  I mean, c'mon, lines like (not a direct quote): "'I'm going to make supper," I said, while I opened the cupboard to see what I could make for supper" are just hideous.  I was seriously hoping for a sex scene... not for the thrill of it, but because I was getting excessively bored with the rest of the narrative.  (Additionally, it seemed pretty obvious to me that the author didn't do a whole lot of research into the geography and culture of the Pacific Northwest...)

And then something happened.  The more and more that I read, the more sad that I got.  Last night I actually found myself crying.  Surprisingly, I wasn't crying at how bad the book is... but that I realized that once, just a few short years ago, I had been Anastasia and had had a Christian of my own. 

Not in the kinky bedroom manner.  I would not got there in a blog post that I suspect my mother to read. lol

The way that Christian speaks and presents himself... and the way that Anastasia feels about herself... these hit very close to home. Her insecurities, doubt in herself, belief that she wasn't good enough for a man... that was me.   I remembered all of my old feelings and insecurities as they came rushing back from somewhere deep down and hidden away... feelings that I haven't had in years since I "found myself".

Several years ago I was in a "relationship" with someone who came across very much like Christian Grey.  Arrogant, mysterious, smart, with a little something "off"... who I found very attractive and was shocked when he seemed to want to be in my company.  However, in his company I found myself feeling inferior, with the desire to please him so that he would continue to allow me in his presence.

And then, I started to wonder... is THIS why the book is so popular?  Not exclusively due to the sexual encounters described within and the mass amounts of publicity that the book has gotten, but rather because LOTS of women have once been Anastasia.  Am I not alone?  Are there many other Christian Grey's out there?  Do women relate?  Is that why they read?  Are they rooting for Anastasia to come into her own, as they did or hope to do one day? (I'm only half way through the book, so don't know what happens with their relationship)

OK.  That is all.  I was just so surprised by the effect that the book had on me, I felt the need to process and, perhaps, hear from others?

Now, I had a book to try to finish...

So What?

Linking up with Shannon for So What Wednesday!

This week I'm saying SO What if:

- One of my first thoughts when seeing that our neighborhood park had been tagged was, "well,  at least they had nice handwriting" (I work with teenagers... good penmanship is something to celebrate)

- I didn't pull out my camera to document our Labor Day weekend... I was enjoying experiencing it too much.

- I can't stop thinking about buying a house/moving to the beach. Jacob made a comment about it this weekend and now I can't get it out of my mind. We have lived in our house for almost 3 years now. That's longer than anywhere I've lived since moving out at 18. I'm getting restless. :)

- Today is the first day of school for Portland's public schools and I'm annoyed as now my morning bus ride is crowded with obnoxious teenagers and stops every two blocks to pick up more.  What happened to school buses?