Observations of a Grumpy Hobbit

Hey Humble Readers...

I don't know if it's because it's September (I always get a little bit cranky as the anniversary of my nativity approaches), or because we've been trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of our budget, or just a tad bit of lingering hormonal changes (my hair has only just started falling out post-pregnancy, and my skin is going through yet another transition... aka more acne).  Whatever it is, I've been a bit of a grump the past few days. 

I have been watchful for signs of PPD, but so far nothing as serious as after I stopped bf-ing Ginny.  I'm just grumpy.  Hoping it passes soon. 

But because of the grumpies, I've been noticing a lot of little annoyances lately.  Can you relate to any of these?

• Why don't all websites have that handy little 'scroll to top' button that lives on my Pinterest screen?  It would be so handy, particularly on long blog posts where the comment link is at the top. 
• I love grocery shopping.  It gets me out of the house, on my own, for a little while every week.  And yet, I have come to despise grocery stores, or rather the people in them.  Clerks who bag my groceries in the most nonsensical manner possible, shoppers who feel the need to ram the back of my ankles with their cart, and store employees who park their massive pallets of boxes in front of the one stretch of shelving where my needed item resides. 
• Also grocery related... a store offering certain products seasonally, when there really is nothing at all seasonal about the product.  I have recently fallen in love with a couple of new condiments (sofrito and caramelized onion jam... and if you're Canadian you likely know what store I shop at) and they are only going to be available during the summer months.  Grrr...
• Last grocery shopping annoyance (I promise)... when the store changes their layout.  I've worked in retail, I know the deal, but really... Did Cost.co really need to hide the pork chops on me?  Really?
• Captcha codes.  Need I say more?  (and to my knowledge, I don't have them activated on this blog, but for the love of pete, if I'm forcing you to try to decipher nonsensical blurry words, please let me know.  I will do everything in my power to remove them.)
• Going to the movies and only seeing one good preview out of three.  I know, they're just commercials, but I love the anticipation, the wondering what might be coming out that I haven't heard of yet. 
• Getting an invite to the wedding of a distant cousin (as in, I've only been in the same room with her three times in my life). 
• Fitted sheets that don't stay on the mattress. 
• The fact that I just spent a lot of time on Thursday cleaning my house, and now, two days later, my living room is dusty again. 

Ok... enough of my griping.  Is there anything bugging you a bit tonight?

Whatever Happened To Miss Manners?

I have been growing more and more cynical about our society over recent years. Maybe I'm hitting that age where everything isn't as good as it was when I was a kid. Maybe I'm destined to be a grouchy old bat who yells at little kids (please God, I hope not!). Maybe my expectations are just too high. Maybe I've just worked in retail too long.

What is wrong with people? Where have all their manners gone?

No one says thank you. No one says excuse me. No one picks up after themselves.

Let me give you an example of how far our society has fallen. A few nights ago, Valentine's Day actually, my Beloved and I went to a movie. I knew that the main theater in our small city has notoriously slow lines for tickets and concessions, so I planned accordingly. We arrived early and my Darling One got in the concession line while I stood in the ticket holders line outside the theater. While in line people pushed past me to get to the ladies room without so much as an 'excuse me' or a 'sorry'.

Then there were the 'crowders'. You know who they are. The people who have no understanding of personal space and persist in bumping you with their elbows or purse or whatever while they are in line behind you. No matter how many half-steps forward you take to move away from them, they just take it as a cue to move even closer.

And once I was finally in the theater, things went from bad to worse. First there was the man behind us who was loudly shoveling popcorn into his mouth... and chewing with his mouth open. *ICK* There were the two teenage girls sitting two rows in front of us texting each other throughout the entire movie. Then we were serenaded by a chorus of burps and belches and other disgusting chewing sounds from every side. And finally, there was the I-need-to-pee-every-ten-minutes-because-I-just-drank-a-large-Coke girl in our row.

People, the movie theater is not your living room! If you are that free with your bodily functions in the privacy of your own home, that's one thing. But please, don't subject the rest of us to it!

Another area that continues to shock me is people's behavior in a retail environment. I know that I am jaded in this area but sometimes people can still amaze me in their lack of manners. People interupt conversations, they snap their fingers at me when they want assistance, they pull product off the shelf and leave it on the floor. They get grumpy at me when I ask that they return to the coffee shop in our store to get a lid for their drink (Hello... our product is paper... one drop of your venti half-caff mocha with extra caramel drizzle and a book is ruined!). Then there are the ones refuse to get a lid, spill their coffee, and don't bother to clean it up or even ask for help in cleaning it up. People use language that twenty years ago would have had them banned from any store, and they verbally abuse my staff (no, a 16 year old cashier is not resposible for the difference in Canadian and American pricing and calling her a b*tch isn't going to get you anywhere except escorted out of my store).

And my personal favorite... parents who bring their children into our store, plunk them down in front of the toy table in our kids department, and then wander off to go look for something on the other side of the store. We are not babysitters! Heaven help us if something happens to one of these little abandoned angels while mommy is off perusing Oprah's latest pick.

Ok, so this post has wandered a bit. Basically, it comes down to three things...

Say Please!

Say Thank you!

Live the Golden Rule!

(And for those who have forgotten... Do unto others as you would have done unto you!)

Ok, rant over... for now.

Oh My Aching Feet... or You-Know-You've-Had-Too-Much-Vacation-When..

Ok... first day back at work in ten days.

It was a good day. Spent an hour getting caught up on staffing changes, events missed, and new computer protocols. My desk was a mess (I left it tidy and clear), but that's to be expected. Got to check back in with my staff and it was fun hearing everything I had missed.

It was a rough day. I'm out of shape... ok, that's the understatement of the year, but it's true. I can tell that I have spent too much time lazing around in recent weeks. At first I was trying to 'take it easy' and not do anything overly strenuous that might hurt the baby. Let me tell you, unless you are told by your doctor to sit on your butt, don't! (My great-grandmother had 21 kids and never spent a day resting because she was pregnant) Then, I allowed myself to wallow. Sitting on the couch, up to my eyes in grief, staying active was the last thing on my mind. And now I have just spent a week playing too many video games! Argh!

I felt it all today when I spent several hours on my feet, moving product from this display to that display, trying to make room for the six skids of product we are scheduled to receive in addition to our usual shipments before the weekend. I have until Sunday to get my body back into work mode... we have a major merchandising change-over and I have to be able to pull my own (considerable) weight.

I am aching. My feet, my back, my shoulders... my whole body hurts. But at the same time, it feels good to actually be feeling a bit more like me. I know that I've been in a daze since the beginning of December. Maybe the fog is lifting... maybe.