I miss you
When I read this post from my friends FB page, it hit me, hit me hard actually. I can’t put a finger on it, but the literal translation from French seems to be so much more accurate when your heart is broken from missing someone…..
I just had to share.
— I saw that the geese were on the move again this morning and made me want to post this again because they make me smile….
It has been said that geese honk while in their formation to encourage the lead goose, for it is that one goose that bears the brunt of the work. What work – just flying is work in itself! The point goose is breaking the air surface and thereby spreading the air current outward. Each goose after the point goose has a lesser degree of air surface to break and makes it a bit easier for them to maintain flight. When the lead goose gets tired he falls to the back of the formation and another goose steps up (or flies up at the case may be). That’s what all the honking is about – working as a team, cheering each other on, sharing the work for the better of the group.
There is so much to learn from such a simple gesture. It goes beyond teamwork and beyond encouragement and it is all natural. They ‘get it’. There is nothing selfish or mean spirited in their quest to get from point A to point B. They don’t secretly wish for one of their feathered mates to fall from the sky so they can get a good laugh from it. They are just honestly praising the hard work and perseverance they are experiencing. What a great concept!
For me, listening to the geese is so self-indulgent I almost feel badly; they bring such a smile to my face while they are working so hard to stay aloft. HONK HONK
Quebec City
If you didn’t get the hint by now, I will just be blunt, I love to travel. (gasp!) So when it came down to my birthday this year, I wanted out; out of the country that is. So pack up the SpiceGurl Mini and off to Quebec City for some Maple Sugar Pie and all the poutine my stomach can handle. You haven’t had Maple Sugar Pie OR poutine before?! I am not sure we can be friends. Imagine the most perfect pecan pie, without the pecans just melting in your mouth… not sugary, but sweet, smooth, with a hint of butter…I can’t believe I fit into the Mini for the ride home after these four days….
Although not new to Quebec City, walking for me, is the only way to see everything a city has to offer (or public transportation if the city is just too spread out). As you can see from the photo above, this ‘joker’ jumped out at me in the alley and I had to get a photo. He didn’t seem to mind.
Although the Frontenac Hotel is plush, and if you are able to obtain a room facing the St. Lawrence, the view is indeed beautiful, but I prefer the cozy-homey feel to a small hotel. We had a great room on the main road just inside the ‘wall’ and with an amazing price. Open brick walls, wonderfully comfy bed, super clean, and the ceiling to floor side-by-side double window that open to a small courtyard – that’s for me! (I really wanted to just throw them open and start singing as if I were part of a movie, but the howling dogs would have given me away…)
Shopping is always a must so I bought a cute tunic dress in my favorite boutique found on the very lower level of Quebec. If I lived in the area I would be completely broke, as I love every piece of clothing in the shop and it all fits perfectly!
Lower Quebec City for shopping!
I had to take my hot boyfriend down the funicular because I do not know of too many places where you can have the opportunity to ride a ‘sideward elevator’ as I call it. As you can see this is no joke, its a rapid decent from upper to lower city, but the view is beautiful.
funicular to lower Quebec
Headed out to dinner one evening we found a Halloween scene and I thought this mummy was very creative! (Halloween seems to follow me wherever I go!)
It’s a light post that is covered as a mummy so it is much larger than it looks.
Sadly, I did not get to practice any of my French (sad face) although who knows, I may have spouted an insult and wound up in jail, so just as well.
If you have a chance to visit Quebec City, go…do it! Historical, romantic, food that will wake up even the sleepiest of taste buds, shopping….it has something for everyone.
What?! Is there someone behind me?
It’s October in New England, more specifically Salem, so how could Goose and I NOT go and enjoy one of the 31 days of festivities?
That’s right! Be very jealous! The spooky scary (and in this case a bit corny) festivities of Halloween last for the full month of October, and we enjoy every bit of it.
Halloween is our favorite holiday. It’s the mystery, the unknown, the possibility of life beyond and not in the demonic way but simply our energy reforming into something else and lasting forever. Believe it, be a skeptic, don’t believe… we don’t judge, we are all here doing our own thing, and its all good…this just happens to be our thing.
So enjoy are few pictures from the most Halloweenie place in New England…
I made a new friend this day.
“Hmm, you would look like a good add to the recipe…come a bit closer”
Who says you can’t pick your friend’s nose?
And this my friends, is what happens when you misbehave….
Happy Halloween everyone, Happy New Year to those that celebrate, and of course –
Blessed Be.
I am a honking kind of girl; I give my car horn a workout daily. I want to be sure it will be in top condition should an ‘emergency’ ever arise. If I am not supposed to use it, why issue one in every vehicle, right?
Some people frown on honking as it brings attention to them, but really, isn’t that the point?
I give a honk if I am waving you through in front of me and it takes more than three of my hand waves to get your butt in gear. I am trying to be gracious and now you have made my arm ache… go already!
I give a honk if I have to wait more than 8 seconds at a green light and you are hopelessly staring at the light as if expecting a personal invitation be handed to you that it is safe to continue on your mind-numbing journey of life.
If you let me pass in front of you, I give the hand wave of thanks and a quick honk just to be sure you know I recognize your generosity. In these parts, if you don’t give the hand-wave-of-thanks you get the WTF buddy?!! Geeze you are welcome!! And then we take our anger out on the next innocent driver…so do society a solid and just give a quick wave of thanks. Even a half hand wave is acceptable.
If I see geese, turkey, or deer (pretty much any animal) look precariously from the side of the road as if they want to cross to see what is on the other side of the road, they get the honk to warn them to “back up buddy it is not safe, try again later”
Most importantly you will most definitely…without a doubt…get a honk, if, as in this past weekend for example, you are pulling out of the parking garage, stop and park just on the other side of the wooden arm, have everyone in the vehicle get out and change seats (no it was not one of those juvenile fire drills) and then have a discussion at the driver’s door about how the day was. People, there is a line forming behind you and by the looks of it, you are incapable of driving and talking at the same time, otherwise why would you be standing next to the vehicle? HONK!!
And then have the 20-something garage attendant school me on not using my horn because it was not an emergency!!? Oh no you di-int!! Since when does it have to be an emergency to use the horn? He obviously lives in a small town where honking is viewed as a nuisance not the vehicle’s voice. I didn’t give the long foghorn blast, just a quick honk to state; hurry it up ladies we are not getting any younger here and the world does not revolve around YOU.
Are YOU a honk, meep, beep type of person or the recipient of my honking??
(courtesy of the super nice peeps at clipart)
The back story: I placed an order on August 24 for a shredder (because I am a bit overly sensitive and probably a tad irrational about my personal information being stolen) and the receipt I printed stated “shipping in 3-5 business days”. Sound good, I can live for another week without shredding the last 15 years of bills, silly credit card company invitations that think I can actually afford a black am/ex, contracts, and the like (if it’s made from paper and has my name on it = shredded).
A week went by and no shredder. I called customer service and they stated that the order was showing on the computer to ship within 3 days, I should have it by the end of the week. I did explain that the original receipt stated 3-5 business days but the response was, it was back ordered, to which I replied, maybe that information should have been on the receipt or as I am checking out so that I am aware of the delay.
But I am practicing my patience…let’s give this waiting thing another shot! Days go by and still nothing, zilch, na-da, the big goose egg, ok you get the point. I call back and a new lovely woman in customer service agrees with me and she will escalate to the Special Order Liaison who sent me an email stating 3-5 business days (de ja vu). It was at THAT point, giving it the full 5 business days, that I sent the following:
(Sept. 17) Dear Customer Support:
Although I have sent this email directly to the Special Order Liaison, Mr. XXX, I have not heard back that the email was received nor that the order was cancelled. Therefore, I am sending it to you as another form of cancellation. Please take a moment to read below as to the history of this order and cancel immediately:
Mr. XXX
It is now 17 days since my original order of August 24 and I have STILL not received my product!
This is beyond ridiculous. Your note, directly from YOU below, stated 3-5 business days and we are well outside that timeframe. To state that I have been ‘patient’ would be the understatement of the century.
Please cancel my order immediately and I can say with all the confidence in the world, that I will NEVER buy a product from your company and I will be sure to pass along my experience with OfficeMax to all my friends on social media, family, and work mates.
Good day.
Is this what has become of our customer service expectations? Does this happen to anyone else or just me? And if so, am I the only one losing my mind about it or is there an uprising and my invitation is 3-5 business days away?
So not only did I get blown off by the Special Order Liaison with HIS suggested date, I get blown off with any type of acknowledgement of my email and had to go through the general customer support to get a response the following day.
I realize things get held up, companies get bought out, taken over, and there is turmoil, I get it, I am sympathetic and understanding to it. What I don’t understand is the blatant lying to me. If the product was backordered, no biggie, I would have ordered one in stock and continued to do business with this company, easy-peasy. Now that lines in the sand have been drawn, i.e. being lied to on more than one occasion, not only will I never do business with them, I will be sure to pass along my poor customer service interaction to anyone who will listen (hopefully you are still paying attention…hello??).
Unfortunately this is becoming the norm (or maybe it is just my lovely disposition that brings out the best in companies) as I ordered new glasses, paid 100% up front, was told two weeks max and now well over the two week mark, am being told yet another week before they are ready (sigh?!).
Or how about the birthday present I purchased online with overnight shipping only to find out that overnight shipping is just that, only if the order was placed before noon (again, that information would have been helpful BEFORE I clicked purchase or how about maybe at the checkout area??!!). If you order at 2:00 pm, you pay for the overnight shipping but receive it two days later.
I am a customer with small orders but apparently my money would be welcomed elsewhere; challenge accepted.
I have played paintball and apparently I played the more painful but lame version because it had nothing to do with shooting at cars as they drove by. I walked away with welts and bruises that I was proud to show off for about a week.
My little Spicegurl didn’t sign up for a paintball session, she didn’t deserve this harassment! She was so happy this day; brand new brakes, oil change, soapy bath, and her only crime was to be driving in the wrong neighborhood (clearly all my fault and the guilt that goes with it).
How does this make some cowardly punk feel good? You don’t get to see my pissed off face when I finally notice the hit (that would at least give a person some satisfaction and a quick laugh). You don’t get to see me spend money on paint remover praying that it only takes off the paintball paint and not ruin the finish. You hit me and I drove off unknowingly. Big deal. Boring.
If you are such a great shot on a moving target with a crappy gun, do something courageous and useful, join the military or police. But you won’t. You will hide behind your laziness, your weakness, and never actually LIVE life, but just e x i s t for many years. Too bad for you; you are missing out on some great fun!
Midlife crisis in 3…2…1…which means I have to live to 100, otherwise I am late for my own midlife crisis and I hate being late for anything!
Change jobs, check. Cut off all my hair, check. Circa late 1980 aviator sunglasses, check. Hmm what’s next? Love the Mini, so sports car is out. Suggestions?
Although I am more than likely experiencing a midlife crisis, this is ‘technically’ not an Adventure in the Mini category. Goose and I took the train to a 2-hr harbor ride on a three mast schooner and the weather could not have been more perfect. A relaxing sail though Boston Harbor, meeting new people, sharing many laughs, and enjoying each other’s company was an exceptional way to spend one of the last remaining summer days in New England. The memories will last forever and that is what it is all about. Making memories with the ones you love.
Summer is all about beach, boating, and warmth, but my favorite season is autumn – so only a few more weeks and its off to Salem for some w i c k e d fun!
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