Do You Have 'Repeat Customers?'

The other day I decided to 'drop off' my comforter & pillow shams for a washing. I had seen an advertisement 'Drop Off Cleaning' from the street a few weeks earlier. & remembered the location. I enter the building, & there were about 30 machines in site and only one person using said machines. The premises had a less than a favorable odor, the trash cans were full, & only one patron in sight. I approached the counter & before I could speak, the woman behind the counter states 'over there, you go over there to wash big'....pointing to some machines. 'Excuse me, don't you have a 'drop off service' ?

'Oh ya, we have drop off service, you want drop off service?' 'Yes, please. I want this comforter & pillow shams washed' 'OK, you pick up tomorrow @6 o'clock. 'Six o clock? It is not even noon, how long does it take to wash'? 'OK, for you, I will have ready @ 10 o'clock....OK, good, thanks. As I turn to leave, she says 'you pay first'! Okay....I hand her my debit card.......'No, I don't take...only cash' so I only have $10........'OK, I take ten & you bring $10. tomorrow'....okay.

Next morning, (closer to noon), I return. The same trash cans are still full, the building still stinks & miss personality is still behind the counter.

Hi, I am Ms. King....here to pick up my comforter (I see it behind the counter). 'Yes, I need you ticket', so I look for it, to no avail..... sorry, I don't have my ticket.. 'I need ticket'.....'Don't you remember me?, I was just here............'yes, I remember, but I need you ticket.. (OMG! are you kidding me)........no, she wasn't, she didn't want to budge.....we went back & forth for @least 5 minutes.................'My God! remember, I still owe you $10.? 'Yes, but I need you ticket...... I just glared @her...'OK, let me see you drivers license' I hand it to her, she copies down my # and hands it back. 'You need to sign here' she says as she slides the ticket towards me. My signature is illegible, & looks like I'm scratching something out as I sign. She just stares at me & doesn't turn to get my comforter. Without speaking, I reach for my wallet, show her my signature on my DL, & then she handed over my comforter.

'Do you have much repeat business? I asked....she didn't even get the question, but the one & only man customer got it & roared!

For those who don't remember the '70's

I had the 'best hour of TV' tonite as I watched a Dean Martin Variety Show filmed in the '70's'. I literally laughed my ass off. What a treat! Those old shows were a hoot! Total entertainment on each show. Dean Martin had a variety show that ran for nine seasons. He never rehearsed a single show, and his spontaneous humor was hilarious, as was the action, or reaction, from all his guests. It was very entertaining to see & remember Frank Sinatra, Dom DeLuise, John Wayne Orson Wells, and several more. I've ordered a collection of his shows to dwindle in one by one every six weeks. Bonnie Hunt has a daytime show now & uses a replica of his old set for her show. She is dedicated to him & is rising in her ratings. I think she is very funny and fresh. Then jump to present day television.......I watched the Dr. Phil show today, & they were talking about teenagers & how they view sex. Absolutely shocking. He was promoting a new book entitled 'Oral Sex Is The New Goodnite Kiss'....And that it is common for teenagers to have sex on the dance floor @senior proms. Several teenagers in the audience were asked if they knew about this & some said yes & some nodded & smiled with the DUH! look............Give me a friggin break!

How Many Ways Does Love Have?

I went thru some old emails today looking for our Stallman Family Reunion information sent to me from my sister Barbara. I stumbled across an email I had sent her regarding a conversation between Gerald and I several months ago.

I had picked him up to take him to one of his procedures @the VA hospital. As we were driving, and engaged in conversation, he was telling me that he had been to a week-end outing at an antique mall. He said that on Sunday's, this particular mall had a cook out & 'live music'. He said that on the Sunday he participated, it was special for him because the band was playing all the good tunes that reminded him of us during our youth.

I asked 'what were they playing'? 'Oh, you know, Pennies From Heaven, You Are My Everything, Don't You Know, and all those good songs that we used to love & dance too, remember'?....'Yes, I remember'. 'And, I still love you'....I'm silent. 'You don't have to respond, fran.......I know you still love me too'.

'You know Gerald, that I do love you, but, not in the same way as I did back then'...then there was a silence, & he responded. 'How many ways does love have, fran'? I was speechless for a minute. Then I told him that there are all ways.... I just loved him..........and I still do.

Are You Making Good Choices, Jason?

OMG! I wasn't even ready to see or hear this! So, I am sitting in my pedicure chair @Walmart today, enjoying this week's National Enquirer...(yes, I read it every week)..........any way, all of a sudden I hear this blood curdling scream from what looks to be a little boy around two or two & a half years old, @a check out register. His big sister (around 10) is trying to calm him down, and being very patient with him. THEN appears his Mother, breaking her concentration from the 'check out person'. She stops everything in progress to bend over, point her finger in his face, & exclaim LOUDLY ...'Jason, are you making GOOD CHOICES right now? Jason does not respond. 'JASON, ARE YOU MAKING GOOD CHOICES RIGHT NOW...........LOOK @ ME, JASON.' His big sister is totally humiliated & only looks at the floor. Jason never responds, & the mother gives up the confrontation. I wanted to jump out of my chair and knock Big Mama to the ground, but she was bigger than me.

What the Hell.............he is two!!!!......are you making good choices? I just do not understand parenting these days. Who is the one NOT making good choices here?

They wheeled away with mama still screaming @the child. Mama, are YOU making good choices today? No, you, my dear, are an idiot!