Flower trickle down...

Valentine's Day. It's among us. If you've ever thought about complaining about the price of a bouquet of flowers for your dear loved ones, I would suggest one thing. SUCK IT UP AND BUY THE SHIT. Here's the break down of the whole process from grower to you:

1. Grower - Farms, processing, machinery, sales, people.

(sometimes broker)

2. Wholesale - Transport to warehouse, processing, sales, people.

3. Store - Flower shop, grocery stores, people.

4. You.

This whole process can include many, many people. That is the one thing they all include. Growing flowers in your own personal garden takes work. It takes attention, love, and nurturing. Imagine doing that for millions and millions in a farm. After that, they have to be cut, checked, packaged, and shipped. Then, they go to a wholesale house that checks them, cuts and processes them all over again. After they have repacked them, shipped them, then delivered them, they are received by the place you buy them from, where guess what? They are examined, processed, cut again, and designed into pretty little arrangements. Sounds like a bitch of a process. That is exactly what it is. Celebrate love with flowers, just don't bitch about the price.

What makes people self centered?

How does it happen? Some people can take anything, and run with it, and make it about them. It is truly amazing. The end.

Do you stop to pick it up?

What makes a person stop to pick up something they dropped? Who do you think instills those morals in us? Does it come from our parents, or do some people just naturally like to leave a trail of filth behind them. What do you do if you throw something at the trash and miss, or pee on a toilet seat. Do you leave it? I often wonder if people ever stop to think about the person that has to clean up after them. If I am not the one responsible for cleaning a place, I have always made sure that I picked up after myself. Why does that seem like such a difficult concept for some people? People who clean see things that most people never want to see. Things are smelled that no human or animal should ever encounter. Unless you happen to land a cleaning account for a very wealthy person, odds are, you're not making too much money either.

Check this out...

May 2008

Local government
$12.82
Elementary and secondary schools
12.45
General medical and surgical hospitals
11.42
Colleges, universities, and professional schools
11.90
Services to buildings and dwellings
9.31

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos174.htm#oes_links

Really. I can't think of one single person in my life, that would want to scrape up your used gum, or pick the staples out of your carpet for $9.31 an hour. So when you dribble a little, wipe it up. If you see a trash bag has slipped down into a trashcan, it'll take you 5 seconds to pull it out. Most of all...just think for a second when you're feeling lazy about a mess you have created, more importantly, notice the mess you've made and don't act like you didn't see it. You saw it. Remind yourself, some poor schmuck that may be even worse off than me has to clean up after me. There's enough Pigpens in the world, don't be one of them. You think messing with people who make your food could be bad for your health. Consider what ways a cleaning person could pay you back.

Laudrymats

Who decided it was ok for everyone to have to work so damn hard for a washer and a dryer? If you're lucky enough to obtain one, why is it that not all homes are equipped for them? It seems like there are more washers and dryers in the world than homes, so why couldn't it be a fixture in every home? The toilet and tub aren't "options" in a household, why should washing your clothes be something that we all have to work so hard for. I often wonder if people who are not so pleasing to my olfactory senses are struggling too. Budgeting for clean clothes I feel is a necessity, but do others? You don't look around a laundry mat and see wealthy people, so why is it the lower income folks have to pay out the nose just to please the world with clean clothes? I'll be joining the washer and dryer in working order society in a few weeks, but that doesn't keep my heart from going out to those schlepping giant loads of clothes around town. It also seems like people in laundry mats look out for each other. It's almost a sense of family. People hold doors for each other, return dropped socks, lend soap, and even help corral other people's kids. Tell me you can find that anywhere else!

Trainwreck.

What do you do when you see someone you love going down a path of destruction with someone you can see is obviously wrong for them? He's dumped this guy once, what would make him think he's gonna be right now. Well, I've been there. I can say, from experience, that sometimes we see the silver lining and think that there is something better the second time around. For his sake I hope there is, but I just don't see it. He loves you, we get it. Love doesn't mean advertising you're going to beat someone's ass and making sure everyone around you knows you're a jealous meathead. Another wise voice says, "we'll just be there for him when the time comes." That's the complete truth. That's what we'll do, but the anticipation as to the crumble is the worst. Yes, I'll be there.

Cold nights warm hearts.

After a completely draining emotional weekend there's something to be said for a LARGE glass of wine and a nice warm fire. I spent last night reflecting on what it was I had just seen and been a part of. Thinking that kids would touch my heart has never really been a thought in the front of my mind. I have always seen kids, and been more of an observer. I'm not sure when or where it happened, but I think I missed some of my childhood. I look back to my child years and think about all of the serious thoughts I had then. When did I ever relax and make kid memories? I'm sure they're in there somewhere. What do you say to a kid that's having the roughest time of their life? When their guardian is a bully and all they really want is to go home to their mom. I guess I'm still processing how I feel, but all I can say is that my heart was touched in a way that I'm not sure I ever felt. That doesn't come along often enough.

My new favorite discovery.

Vihno Verde. De-lic-ious. Haven't ever found a wine that I'm so excited about. Have to do some research on this one. Hopefully it's not equivalent to Boone's Farm. That'd be about right.