Message

I get a message from my brother giving me copies of pamplets to explain why he didn't take communion at my sister's church yesterday. I took it to keep up appearances since I am my confirmed niece's godmother. I replied back that I was annoyed that he could not explain his beliefs from his heart himself and asked not to bore me with what other people had to say. I really don't care what so and so has to say about the proper way to do communion and the wrong ways to do it.

Besides he already explained it wasn't real communion cuz anyone calling themself a Christian could take it instead of real communion where only true beliers who confessed their faith through confirmation (excuse me but I was confirmed for a coat I wanted for xmas) should be allowed to take it.

Later.

Fun at sister's house

Rode to Nebraska squished in a car with my brother, Mom, sister, and niece. Reminds me of childhood vacations w/out the "Stop touching me" arguments children have, we are adults now except the niece enchanted by my portable DVD player plugged into the cigarette lighter. We arrive to eat supper and when digested visit the pool where sister and niece are staying. Another Niece works there at the front desk and grabbed the left behind stuffed animal from their room. I just recalled looking at my pics that I didn't get one of a certain niece. Oh well, she'll survive. Sister of confirmed picks up niece and I from the pool. Sleep with Mom in the couch wondering if Dad came back from the dead when I heard loud snoring, then figured it was someone upstairs.

Woke up bright and early to fight over the bathroom. Breakfast was served at church. Aunt came while I was putting on make-up in the kitchen, where everyone congregated to chitchat. Soon it was time to go. Eat breakfast at church and the confirmed persons show their decorated stoles and recite their Bible verse. Go to the sanctuary and sit down. Service starts and while the confirmed persons read their essay my brother-in-law's father faints. He came to and given juice thinking it was low blood sugar. He resisted going to the hospital, but the family overruled and away he went. Service continued and at the end they took photos.

Then to sister's house for the party. A neighbor came by and brother-in-law left to check on his dad. Nothing was clear with the tests, but he was still dizzy and so will stay overnight in hospital. Took more pics and soon were off.

Home sweet home we go and got dropped off. Took Precious for his walk and returned to snuggle Frodo all alone. Now watching Hocus Pocus. Later, B, P, F.

Announcement from niece

Babysat my niece yesterday. She announced to me that I have a sister named Mommy (Actually I have 2 sisters named Mommy). Then she asked who her nieces are, she has cousins and aunts. I explain she doesn't have nieces, she has to have a brother or sister and when they grow up and have babies like my cousin's wife is having a baby, then you have niece or nephew. She understands she has to grow up first to have a her own niece. Even further, she figures her cousins are my nieces too cuz their Mommy is my sister too. Ah, conversations with almost 6-year-olds are so much fun.

Then my brother-in-law gets a Slepping Beauty costume cuz niece wants to Sleeping Beauty from Halloween. Now she wants to be Ruby from Max and Ruby. But there are no Ruby costumes or even rabbit costumes beyond age 2. My sister buys face paint, but can't find the purple dress Ruby's wears or rabbit ears. I suggested she wears her Sleeping Beauty dress and paint her face like a rabbit, but nieces says no. My poor sister and brother-in-law.

Then my sister looks at pics of potential adoptees and discusses with hubby on the phone that I said they looked like cute kids (I will love anyone they adopt). Her adoption councilor said for a baby they might have to wait another year (they have waited for 2 already) so they said they would take a less than perfect child younger than their daughter. Many defects are minor and can be dealt with like my sister's diabetes or my uncle's deafness. My brother-in-law wants to rush cuz he is tired of all the questions from family and friends, but sister points out they are not buying a house, you can't give back the kid if it doesn't work out. Sister wants to look at the pics together and decide what is best for them as a family, not for everybody else. So hopefully within the next year I will have a niece or nephew.

Later.

Conversation

Had another boring weekend at work as usual. The only excitement was listening to three guys explain someone on the roadside assistance number told them to exchange cars here cuz their car kept stalling. I tried to explain I had no car available to exchange. I asked if they were in town overnight, they could try again tomorrow. Will we pay for their hotel? No. Then they won't be staying here. Call roadside myself and explain the situation. Nobody notified me (and I am it for people at this counter to pick up the phone) that these people were coming or I would have already explained I have nothing available. I have cars needing repairs and oil changes, but nothing I want to send into another state. Roadside called another location and they don't have cars either. Guys give up and pray the car doesn't break down on their way.

Then the new kid at the car rental next door has a confrontation with a customer whose car is broken down 20 miles out of town. Someone told him they would exchange cars for him and someone gave him a ride to the counter. Like me, the new guy was never notified this person was coming and has no car to give him. What does he do now? Somebody told him he would get another car from the counter. New guy doesn't know who told him that and all he can do is return the car. But he can't return a car not present on the property. The customer very upset starts shouting at him and new guy tells him to leave cuz now new guy is PO'ed. Now customer is more upset being cussed at and more shouting comes loud enough for the cop walking by to stop at the counter and ask what the problem is. Eventually guy leaves his keys behind and walks away. I got hear the new guy defend that the actually words in PO are not cuss words. I explained some people outside the big city hood he grew up in believe they are cuss words. In the ghetto he grew up in cuss words are normal. Yes, but this is not the hood or ghetto, and many customers get upset about bad words spoken by sales clerks. We shall how long this guy keeps his job.

Later.

Babysitting niece

Had a fun filled day with niece. First she was napping on the couch so took to mopping her kitchen floor for their adoption home study next week. Oops, I left my mop at my sister's house (I placed it right next to the door). Anyway, she wakes up when I start the water running. She had a lovely dream of playing with her cousins in her backyard. After mopping, we watch the Halloween specials I brought over. She actually picked Charlie Brown before Winnie the Pooh so her Pooh addiction must be over. Then we watched a Christmas Pooh special she had. Then I didn't want to cook so took her out to the car to take her to Wendy's. Then my sister comes home so we stay and have spaghetti for dinner sister cooked. Found out my cousin's wife is pregnant. Then my sister and I and niece in my car go to the book fair at niece's school. Sister was volunteering. We listened to Beverly Hills Chihuahua opening song, niece calls it Chloe's song, in my car to niece's delight. Niece took me to see her classroom and saw her desk and locker. She almost refused to step into the classroom until her teacher started talking to her. Then we went to the book fair and niece picked out a book. She was ready to get a book she already had but we said no. Then back home to read her new book, watched a TV program, and sister came home. Now it is time for bed and time for me to leave.

One the way home, 2 police cars are parked along the road. I sit waiting for traffic to pass to go around. While I'm waiting, cops move around and pray it is not another, "Why are sitting here" situation I've had before. How do you explain to a cop "You are in my way or I wouldn't be sitting here". Sorry I prefer not to crash head on into oncoming traffic. I bet cops wouldn't like that either cuz then the whole street would be blocked. I took off when a short opening came and left the cops behind. Came home and snuggled with kitties. Later.

New kid's 1st emergency

New kid at the car rental next door was typing in a guy's car number and asked for a license. The guy bends over but doesn't come back up. He was on the floor with his head cut and having a heart attack. I get a crazy lady asking for a first aid kit. I get mine thinking someone cut their finger and she screams at me "That's all you have!" She starts yelling at everybody demanding an oxygen mask. Um, oxygen masks are not in first aid kits. I move to other end of the counter to see the guy on the floor and someone doing compressions. New kid is on the phone with our airport book of numbers, but he is not hooked up to the airport line. Call airport operations and look around to see if anyone else is calling. There is a airline guy on his phone. Operations told me he already sent someone for the heart attack. Ok. I go grab my first aid kit back. Two janitors appear. Cop shows up with the defibulator and a recording gives directions then everyone stands back for the shock. He was shocked twice. Other cops show up and Guy comes to. Cops inform everyone paramedics are coming. Paramedics come and take guy away and wife goes with them. Janitor cleans up the blood off the tiles. All this took place in about 5 minutes, it is good to know the airport fire department is so prompt. I get a car return and explained she missed excitement as she looked at the crowd of cops. She replied she saw the fire trucks and wondered if it was safe to come in. Oh, yes it is safe for the rest of us. Ask the new kid if he was alright, first emergency can be a shock for some people. He is fine. He said he was trying to call the paramedics and got put on hold. I told him all he has to do is holler over to me to call Airport Operations. He never wants to do that, he can handle anything by himself. Apparently not in this case. His coworker coming in later says, Next time call 911.

Altercation on walk

Took out Precious for his walk and 2 neighbors' dogs in the distance almost got a dogfight on their hands. Precious was further away so the dogs never noticed him even after he meowed. One large dog on a leash came around the corner and bumped into a little dog not on a leash. Big dog owner holds back his dog and turns the other direction. Little dog owner calls back his dog but the dog ignores him following the big dog leaving. Both dogs go behind a building so can't report anything afterwards, but there much shouting I assume trying to break up the dogs. Then the little dog owner comes back walking down the sidewalk, but no little dog. He then turns around and goes around the corner again. Then two other dogs come out of buildings and Precious decides he had enough of dogs in this courtyard. So since we have front and back doors, he goes in the door to exit out of the other side. Gets to the window of the door, hunches up with fur standing straight up, and takes off upstairs. The big dog lives on the ground floor so assume it is him coming inside. End of our walk. Later.

What the?

I woke up this morning with white stuff falling from the sky. Why is it snowing, it is mid-October? Well it melted by noon.

Today I casually asked a guy why his customer was yelling at him. It is his fault the customer's credit card declined. Well they just charge too much for their cars, that's the problem. Oh she expected a car for free and maybe she will pay for the rental IF she returns it. Exactly.

He goes on how people are stupid buying things they don't need, he never does that. Really? I found he has 3 cars. I ask why he needed 3 cars. To get around. I need to get around and have 1 car. Oh one is his girlfriend's. Can't your girlfriend buy her own car. Oh he just put down a down payment, she pays the rest. Hope he didn't cosign from my coworker's bad experience with his girlfriend defaulting on the loan after they broke up and bank went after him. Oh, they been together for years so she will never leave him. Ok he still hasn't answered my question, Why does he need 3 cars. Oh, he never drives 1. Why does he need a car he doesn't drive. Oh he drives it once a month and not letting go of a Caprice. I finally give up on Mr. Hypercrite. He is not answering my question.

Then I get a severe overreaction from an email pal. She first informs bootleg DVD's are a federal crime. I email back to inform her that I was aware of that, which is why I don't pirate movies among other reasons (I have no money, they don't play on my player, my coworkers get pirated movies from someone else). Well from a guy's dishonest insistance of starting my own bootleg movie business and I keep declining, that he is pirating movies and I need to turn him in to the police before I get arrested for association. I think I have to cut her out cuz she can't stop giving advice and exploding with emotion over the stupidest stuff. I don't know he is bootlegging movies or what he does away from the counter. And I emailed back, my airport is full of cops walking by every 5 minutes. Trust me, they watch suspicious behavior since my airport is very boring to patrol. Hey they caught a drug dealing car rental agent a few years ago after watching her for a while.

Now I'm back home wrapped in a vomited on blanket. Precious puked on my grandma's quilt this morning. Later.

Another day

Well I know the new neighbors smoke in their apartment, my living room, bedroom, and kitchen reek of cigarettes and not before this week. In Iowa we have a new Iowa Smokefree Air Law when you can't smoke inside apartment buildings. Yeah, that is easy to enforce. I keep hearing a baby cry down there too.

I'm borrowing Kill Bill movies from a coworker. I saw the first before only once but never saw the 2nd. Blood spirting everywhere is not my favorite type of movie. He told me what happens Vol. 2. Bill dies and she gets her daughter back. I said I love him when he handed me the DVD's, then said That is temporary of course. He laughed. I watched the first again tonight and will finish tomorrow.

That is all my exciting news for today. Oh, yeah, Precious got chased away by a tiny dog, 1/4 his size. Frodo is bigger than this dog. Precious is no prizewinner and I prefer him that way. But the dog was running up to him barking, no leash but with its owner calling it so he ran to the door and jumped inside. Once certain the dog was gone, he came out to be chased back inside by the loud lawnmower. Poor baby.

Later.

Excitement of the night

Things always happen when you are by yourself.

Get a guy I explain ever so politely that we are sold out this week. What, Am I Joking, That's Impossible, Never Had That Experience Before. No, not joking. Why is it that 3 car rentals have "Cars Available" sign out on their counters and I'm the one who gets harassed for cars. We are not a car dealership where we order new cars from the factory when we run out, we are like an airplane where there is a set number of seats and when they are all reserved, we are sold out.

Then get a guy calling to make a reservation in another state so send him to reservation line. He calls back PO'ed I sent him to the wrong company's line. He wanted (said company) not (my company). Um sir, I begin, This is (my company), Did you need (said company)'s number. Usually I don't give out the competition's number since I am not a telephone operator, but to get him off the phone I will make an exception. Oh he called the wrong number he says and hangs up. Yes he did.

Had a guy rent a car and when he arrived at his destination, the door won't shut. Is anything blocking it. Nope. Ok, let me see what I can do, you want to exchange cars. Yes. Call tow truck company and inform them to park in the return lot, not in front of the airport cuz the cops get real bitchy about that. Take the exchange car in a gated lot to the return lot. Then when he returns I go to the locked up wash bay and open the gate. I left a note for manager saying I can't wait to see the owner's face when he finds yet another car needs fixing (when we are short on cars). Then said, Oh wait that would be you. I've got my exercise for the day. While I was out there I put on a new registration sticker on a returned car. My car washers seem to refuse to do this chore though unsure why. It takes 2 seconds and no heavy lifting.

Had a gal say I was mighty chipper for so late of night. I'm going home in an hour and 20 minutes so yes, I'm chipper.

And finally I get a customer returning his car in another's company spot in the wrong lot. So had to move it so the other company's morning people didn't tow it away.

Later.

Today's aventure

My excitement of the day was taking my car to the shop for new brake pads and rotors, something greased, and something smoothed. And rear brakes whatever was done, I'll say fixed. When the guy was explaining what they did I wanted to reply "I have no idea what you just said", but instead nodded with a smile and paid the bill. Plus my muffler will need replacing in the next few months. Ain't life wonderful now? With new tires and practically new brakes it feels weird driving my car. Later.