You never know what you had until it’s gone, that saying irritates me. How can one not know what they have? Are they living in a world so selfish that they can’t see what is right in front of them? Why do people feel the need to throw away everything for something that is fleeting?
I cut my teeth on science fiction; literally, the first television show I have the most vivid memory of is Star Trek, the original, just in case there were questions regarding my age. A follow up on that were old horror movies on Saturday afternoons, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff were the order of the day. I was transported to a different place, a different time. Both futuristic and in the past, different planets, different continents, it was a unique way to grow up.
I learned so much from watching these shows, differences were to be celebrated not feared, what some see as monstrous, others see as miraculous. Fear incites atrocious behavior, and being a blood-sucking creature is bad.
Being human has its downfalls, we are fraught with frailties beyond the physical, what we don’t understand we ridicule and sometimes literally beat to death. What a horrific way to live, constantly fearing what one doesn’t understand, what is different.
I, for one, don’t understand it, when I was in elementary school I didn’t think I was human due to what I had watched at an early age. I didn’t think like everyone else, I craved the unknown, I wanted to be different, I knew I didn’t want to be one of the villagers killing the “monster”. When all along the monster was inside of them, the villagers were the monster, as I got older I realized that as a human I have the ability to not become one of them. I had the ability to make a choice, to become something else, someone else, embracing differences.
Yes, I was the weird kid in school; never quite fitting in, I read a lot, A LOT, as Tammi can tell you. I have always said whatever popped into my head; I have learned to temper that with a little common sense. I wore what I wanted, I didn’t follow the crowd, I was a fully functioning human at a young age.
I wasn’t bullied, because, well honestly, I was a little scary, ok, more than a little, I could take up for myself and didn’t put up with anything. I didn’t care what people thought about me and didn’t care what they said about me.
I honestly don’t understand why parents are not teaching their children to stand up for themselves against bullies, and I don’t understand how I have digressed into this topic. However, while I am here, people, teach your children fortitude, teach them that their differences are to be celebrated and teach them to stand up for themselves, where they can. I am not speaking about children who have disabilities, I am talking about the children that are for all intents and purposes, “normal” I use quotation marks because I really have no definition of what normal is, but in this instance I am speaking to the ones that have no physical limitations, no emotional limitations and are not fighting a learning disability.
For the parents of the bullies, what is wrong with you? You know your kid is mean! They had to learn it somewhere, I am guessing at home, since that is where I learned to stand up for people who have a hard time standing up for themselves. My grandpa taught me that, take a stand, don’t allow anyone to run over you or anyone else.
Isn’t that what this country was founded on, taking a stand? Standing up for the “little” guy and ourselves?
Eat Some Worms
I was standing in the kitchen when I had a sudden memory of my grandmother, I was about 4 or 5 and I wanted something in the kitchen. I don’t remember what, but knowing me, it was probably a cake she had just made. She told me no, I told her she hated me, nobody loved me. She stopped, turned, looked at me and began to sing, Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, think I’ll go eat worms. I just stared at her, then burst out laughing and skipped outside to presumably find worms.
There is no one that loves us more when we are at our most ridiculous like family. I have since sung that song many times and it has always brought a smile to my face.
The more I look back, the more I know how my grandparents and great aunt Effie formed who I became in those first years they raised me. Yes, raised, I didn’t simply grow up; they raised me to become a responsible adult. A contributing member of society, a proud American, a vocal Christian and someone who stands up for those who can’t stand for themselves.
Someone who doesn’t back down from life, who faces the challenges head on and makes difficult decisions. I look at society today and wonder where the parents went? When did raising children to become adults go away? Where did these parents come from that believe children are born knowing all they need to know? Do they not realize if they don’t teach them morals, dignity, grace under pressure, how to think for themselves, no one will?
I take Tessa to places and am blown away by the way parents do not watch their children at these places. I am also blown away by the bad manners of these parents as well, their parents were also lacking in the skills necessary to raise adults, apparently.
My grandfather taught me such a strong sense of what it means to love this country, while my grandmother taught me how to wither someone with just a look, and that food meant love. My great-aunt Effie taught me that in all things love really is the answer. Whether it is to admonish someone for bad behavior or to simply helping a stray animal.
They were the first three adults in my life; the things I learned from them are standing the test of time.
My Life
So, the week after next I am taking a week of vacation, I am doing the most exciting thing I can think of. I am spending the week with Tessa, I have so much planned, ice-skating, bowling and a trip to the planetarium. It is going to be an awesome week!
I have never gotten to do this before with her, take a week off and take care of her while Jeffrey is at work. I am looking forward to it more than I can convey, I don’t have the proper words in my arsenal to properly express how happy this makes me.
Work is going well, I still love it, every day is something different, and every issue that comes across my phone is a challenge. I do so love a challenge.
Russ is here visiting for the week, Stormie loves when he comes to visit, I do believe he teaches her how to be a dog. She is surrounded by humans and at times she forgets that she is in fact canine. Russ is Jeffrey’s hairy beast, I can’t remember how old he is, but he is getting to be an old man, and however he still frolics with the best of them. Those two run and play hard while they are together, then Russ is ready to go home to be with his humans and feline companions once again.
There is so much going on in the world, so man sad and terrible things, planes being shot out of the sky, war in the middle east, children being left in cars. All of it is terrible, in the midst of it all I am reminded that God is on His throne, He does care about us and is ready for us when we are ready to accept Him.
I have an opinion on all of it; I just am choosing not to voice anything at this moment. I will say I land on the side of Israel on the whole Gaza strip conflict, I will always side with God’s chosen people. To not do so is folly; I firmly believe that with my whole being.
There I said it, let the chips fall where they may, other than that, I have lived with AT&T UVerse television for almost a week now and I LOVE it! The picture is so crisp and clear. The non-HD channels are clearer than Time Warner’s HD channels, it’s crazy nuts! I kind of with Time Warner had made me mad earlier than this, as I changed solely based on their customer service, or lack thereof.
I still have their Internet, as AT&T does not offer that speed in this area, as soon as Giga-power comes to this area I am totally on board.
I got to pick up Tess yesterday and see her and Jeffrey for a little bit before they took off on their trip. It was a nice visit, she is so funny, smart and caring, I cannot wait to spend the week with her!
I foresee trips to the pool in our future as well; I will go back to work the following week not so pale. Not exactly tan, however, I will no longer look like Casper the friendly ghost.
Speaking of weather, we have had the best weather here in Texas, yes I said Texas, in July! I have not had the air conditioner on in 4 days! Four days people!! That is so awesome! I was actually cold when I woke up this morning! This never happens in July in Texas!! I am totally loving this weather, I know God heard my cries and while it has not snowed in July He did cool things down a good bit. Because I am one of His favorite humans, I know that’s why this happened.
Amazon Update
Update on Amazon issue, I was sent an email, 15 hours after calling them and being told that my bank would just credit me any charges that were not mine, saying that all changes were being reversed. This email went on to tell me that the hijacking was my fault as I probably answered a phishing email or gave my password to someone.
Amazon, I work in tech support, I know what a phishing email is, I know not to give my password to random people. This was not my issue it was yours, because your customer service person was so inept when I called, I had to go through the inconvenience of canceling my credit cards and debit cards. Both banks I deal with were awesome by the way, you, not so much. You only responded after I went on twitter to state how unhelpful you were. Then to blame me for the whole mess, badly done Amazon, badly done.
I am now considering canceling the whole Amazon thing, I have Amazon Prime, it is good until February of next year, but I am just going to cut my losses and move on.
This experience has left a bad taste in my mouth and hard feelings towards them, it’s sad, because I was a fan.
On to other topics, yesterday my favorite girl cousins came to visit, Paula and Cindy, and it was the best time! We talked and talked, the only complaint I have is the visit was too short; they just came for the day. I fed them before they left; I hope they had a good time with me as well.
They will have to come back for a longer visit next time, I’ll take them to Costco, Cindy really wants to go. I think it’s because I talk about them all the time, was just there Friday and had a great customer service experience there as well. Love them!
Tomorrow is work, looking forward to that, I love my job and love going in, although I am only there for two weeks, then off for a week to spend it with Tessa!
So excited I can do this, I can’t wait to spend that much time with her, we are going to have fun!
Maybe we will go skating, she has been wanting to go and we never seem to find the time. I’ll get my skates out and we will go, maybe I can convince Elizabeth Anne to go with us.
Happy Birthday Alex!
I didn’t get to post yesterday as there was too much going on, so I want to take today to tell my youngest Alex, happy birthday!
Alex is a true blending of both his dad and myself, especially in personality, he is intelligent, his thought process is not like anyone else’s. He really thinks about things and comes to conclusions that are unique. I am so proud of the person he has become and continues to become.
He is caring and thoughtful, especially where his mother is concerned; he is funny and completely unique.
I have often said that I am so happy God gave me the children He did, because they are awesome. I cannot imagine being anyone else’s mother, watching them grow from children to adults has been the most incredible experience.
Alex came over yesterday, gave up his birthday day, to visit with my cousins, one he met when he was a baby (doesn’t remember) and another he has never met. He graciously came and visited with them and even entertained them with stories of his childhood.
Today he and I will go to lunch to celebrate his birthday; I am so excited to celebrate with him. I am so proud of the men he is becoming, he is honest, sometimes to a fault (gets that from me) he is stubborn (his dad) and he is incredible (himself).
Customer Service
Last night, this morning really at 2:00 AM I woke up, just woke up, as I was lying there, wide awake I decided to check my email. I saw an email from Amazon, strange since I haven’t ordered from them since roughly November. I open it and it is congratulating me on successfully changing my email address with them. I immediately ran to the pc and checked; sure enough that was not my email address.
I called Amazon, because I could not verify the mailing address, as the person who hijacked my account changed that, they would not help me. Never mind I could verify the credit card information and the billing address for the cards. The girl was very helpful when she said oh look you just bought a Kindle Fire. I exploded, woke up the Irishman, quickly told him what was going on, I handed him the phone and quickly called my banks to cancel the cards.
It happened so fast that the charge from Amazon had not even hit my bank, so maryjanenestor@outlook.com you are in for a nasty surprise. All charges will be rejected.
I was floored at the non-existent level of customer service provided by Amazon, they could clearly see that was not me. I seriously did not change my name to Mary Jane Nestor, and could verify the billing address and the cards on file. They refused to help, instead told me oh well, whatever is charged you can just tell your bank it is fraud and they will give it back to you. How ‘bout shutting it down before it hits my bank!
I am totally disgusted with them and will not be purchasing anything from them in the future.
My two banks on the other hand, were awesome! They quickly shut the cards down and issued me new ones before anything could be charged or debited. I am immensely grateful to them, Bank of America and Chase are my heroes, Amazon, not so much.
I am not a huge purchaser on Amazon so they were probably thrilled with the expensive purchase. Which is why they didn’t want to shut it down, but they did not get the funds in the long run as the cards are now defunct and will be rejected.
Good customer service is where it is all at these days, at the major telecommunications corporation I work for there is a huge push in my department to treat the customer the right way the first time.
I take that job seriously, we are what connects them to their world, grandmothers can now see grandchildren across the country grow up. In real time, with the advent of face time and Skype it is a great time to live apart and still be a part of your family’s lives. We enable them to watch a game that was typically only European; it literally connected the world. We enable a traveling parent to keep in contact with their spouse, children and family members. We enable immigrants to keep in contact with family members a world away.
I enjoy speaking to everyone that comes on my phone; I truly love being able to connect them to their world. I love the sound in their voice when their problems are resolved.
This is customer service mixed with technical knowledge and it is a beautiful blend. What I experienced last night was horrifying customer service on a level that can only be equated to the cable company.
Happy Birthday Tessa!
Happy Birthday to my beautiful granddaughter, Tessa is 7! The day she was born was one of the best days in our family. She has brought laughter, love and great joy into our lives.
One day, when she is older, if she reads this, I would like her to know how much she is loved. She is smart, funny, beautiful and a ray of sunshine, she seems to have inherited the very best of both of her families.
I love getting to spend time with her, it never get tired of being with her, I love the fact I get to pick her up on Jeffrey’s weekends and spend a little time with her before he gets off work.
We won’t get to celebrate until tomorrow, I am going to get to Jeffrey’s early and decorate for her celebration. Turning seven doesn’t happen every day, we must celebrate and of course have cake!
Months ago she asked me for something specific for her birthday, of course Gigi is coming through. I got her a giant stuffed tiger, she asked for a stuffed animal, she was not specific in what kind. So a giant stuffed tiger it is, her Aunt Elizabeth had one as a young girl, it is only fitting she have one as well.
I can hardly wait to see the look on her face when she opens it! I hope she loves it, even just liking it would be nice.
I am incredibly blessed to have such an awesome granddaughter, once again, I don’t how God chooses which child goes where, I just know that His decisions are greatness. I cannot imagine a like that does not include this little bundle of energy. She is always on the go, wanting to be in motion, not content to just sit, she is a lot like her dad. He was the same way, curious, full of questions and always wanted to be outside.
I look forward to watching her grow and change in the coming years, it will only get better and better.
Happy Birthday Tessa, Gigi loves you an beyond the universe!
Owasso Thoughts
So, my friend Billy G. from Owasso said something provocative on Facebook (of course) the other day. He said “Facebook is a great place to be friends with people who didn’t like you in high school.” Well, I don’t have to tell you that set off a firestorm of comments.
I am going to add my own here, I came to Owasso in the 8th grade, actually the summer before 8th grade. Since I lived in the country I really only got to meet one person in my grade before school started. She has turned out to be my best friend, Tammi; she lived up the hill from me. Literally up the hill.
People in Owasso had been together already since Kindergarten, those cliques are not easy to infiltrate, so we began our own, some, like us, came to Owasso late, others had been there all their lives.
Not everyone gave me a warm welcome; I’m good with that, they already had their friend cards filled with others. Some were downright mean, I’m good with that as well, I can give as well as receive, and I really could then.
I was pretty snobby back then, total defensive mechanism, because the reality of it is I am the least snobby person alive. Well, certain things I am incredibly snobby about, crocs, hate them, judge people who wear them. Especially if you are not a worker that stands on your feet a lot or do not have health issues that require you to wear them. If you wear them to a sedentary job and wear socks with them, you will feel my ridicule. You all can judge me for judging others on that point.
I met a woman yesterday, who after speaking with me for a total of 5 minutes said, “you’re one of those people that make friends wherever you are, aren’t you?” Yes, yes I am, I am friendly by nature, I smile a lot and will talk to anyone.
However, that does not mean I tell my life story, that you will never get out of me, it’s mine, I choose very carefully who I share that with.
But back to Billy’s provocative posting, he was joking, because that is who he is, a jokester, and I love that about him. But the post struck a nerve with some people; it probably dredged up memories of meanness that one does not really get over. They get past it, but not over it, not me, I didn’t care if they were mean to me then and I really don’t care now.
If I had made friends with the really popular people I seriously cannot imagine the trouble I would have gotten into. I found enough trouble on my own, I heard about the parties that the popular people were having and believe you me, I was tame in comparison. My parents would have really disowned me if I had been involved with those!
Owasso was a great place for me, I came into my own there, I found acceptance in a family there, I found lifelong friends. I found my best friend there, who knows all there is to know about me and still loves me.
As for being friends with people who didn’t like me in high school, I’m not, I’m picky about my Facebook friends, I reserve it for people I would want to hang out with in person.
Independence Day
Independence Day. This is the Day that we, as a people, declared our Independence from England. What a day that was, I would love to be able to time travel and witness it, the men who signed it were all different personalities, had different ideologies, yet came together for one common goal. To fight for the freedom to become a country, a stand-alone country, with unalienable rights, the right to pursue happiness, the right to bear arms, the right to say whatever comes into our heads.
This is a day we must all, as Americans; take a day to not only celebrate those beginnings but to celebrate how far we have come as a nation since then.
Our country, The United States of America, is the only country on earth that is truly an amalgamation of other nations.
That formation began a long time before 1776, people of different nationalities were drawn here for centuries. The Spanish, the Vikings and yes the English, all were here long before we all came together to fight for our freedom to form our country.
The gracious mountains, the earth that was so rich to grow good food was a drawing card for humans all over the planet.
This day, of all the days on the calendar, we, as Americans, should take the time to not only celebrate, but to reflect on the lives that were given so we can be here today. Never forget the ones that came before us, never forget what they were fighting so hard to have.
Freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to defend not only our nation; but also our very homes, freedom to explore, to find our inner peace. Freedom to worship God, not only worship, but also worship the way we want to. To practice our religion, Freedom of Religion, I think in this day we forget that.
Christianity itself is under attack, sometimes, as I read the news, and read Facebook, I believe Christians themselves have forgotten what we are supposed to be. Faithful, Hopeful, Loving, those are the things we are supposed to be as Christians. Just in case you are wondering where I am getting my information, straight from the Bible itself. 1st Corinthians 13:13 (interesting side note, 13 is a much beloved number in my family) “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I think we, as Christians, forget that Love is the greatest of these things that are left.
So, today, as we ponder our independence, let’s declare a new independence, one free from hate, prejudice, hopelessness, faithlessness, let’s declare a dependence on faith, hope and love.
As a country we has so much to be proud of, today we focus on that, and rightfully so, tomorrow, let’s focus on building up our country to being even greater than it ever has been before.
Ponderings
Once again I find myself having a love/hate relationship with Facebook and the internet in general. First I will address the love aspect, I absolutely love getting up in the morning, having my coffee and reading Dear Abby and the “funny paper”, as it were, without getting newsprint on my hands. Don’t forget shopping, I love that I can order shoes and they just show up on my doorstep, incredibly awesome.
I love reconnecting with old friends from Owasso, churches I have attended and cousins I was separated from at a young age. I cannot tell you how much joy I have found in seeing Cindy, Pat, Paula, Larry, Albert and the list goes on, way too numerous to mention as it would take up all of angieworld for all time. I love the fact that it has brought friends back into my life that I had lost contact with; it really has been an incredible tool.
I love that I get to keep in contact and see what is going on with children, who are now adults, that have been friends of my children since they were all young.
I love all of that, what I hate, with a passion, is the fact that one cannot voice their opinion on political matters or even non-political without someone being insulting.
I have seen it over and over, someone posts something, and if another person disagrees with them, even in a respectful way, posting facts and counterpoints. The other person becomes vicious, name-calling ensues and we have an internet brawl.
These are adults, I have never seen adults behave in such a fashion; it’s embarrassing. If you do this, please stop, it’s insane behavior, we are all allowed to have opinions and as long as they are expressed in a respectful manner why the viciousness?
If someone has a different view than mine, I welcome it, because it makes life interesting, I believe, at that point, we can have a spirited debate and walk away friends. Because I learned that behavior from my dad, he and I always had great debates on many topics. I learned from him, to research a topic, in the days before the internet, if I were going to go toe to toe with my dad, I needed to be well informed. There was never a more well read man than my dad, well, my grandpa, he totally rocked in that area.
I come from a long line of people that love debate, that are avid readers and researchers. People on the internet typically don’t research, they just love to belittle and attack on a personal level.
Do not wonder any longer why the younger generation is bullying more frequently on social media, they learned it honestly, by watching the adults.
Angie World 