Author |
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Friday, December 22, 2006 - 4:26 pm
Thanks, y'all. I've been thinking about it and I think I know who those boys were. The one that spoke to me last may have been the boy who lives across the street from us (it was dark, but he had the same haircut). The boys across the street hang out with this other nasty boy who likes to attack strangers on the street. In the past they have thrown things at passing cars, played ding-dong-ditch with our doorbell at all hours, put things in the street for cars to run over, and even called my mom a mother f---er when she didn't say hello to them fast enough. It might explain why the boy looked a bit worried when he saw me looking at him. He probably assumed I recognized him and would tell his parents. We already had a run-in with that family when his sister did this to our house a few months ago:
The paint was all over the front step, the wall, and the mailbox. In the dim light of sunrise I went out to get the paper and saw what looked like a bloody crime scene. When I saw it was paint I then thought it was some kind of death threat. Then I found out that it was 3 eleven-year-old girls who were having a sleepover and decided to decorate the neighboring houses this way. The police weren't too anxious to do anything, so the neighbors decided not to press charges if the girls cleaned it all up. One of the girls who claimed she only watched took the opportunity to snitch on the boys, and that's how I found out all the nasty things they've been doing. The next time these kids do anything like that we're pressing charges for sure. Anyway, if this was the same boy who cussed out my mother and who leads these attacks on all the neighbors, at least I know it wasn't just me or the way I looked that prompted his nastiness.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Friday, December 22, 2006 - 4:49 pm
Curlyq, of course it isn't you. You are talking about teenage boys. The poor things have raging hormones. They are lucky to be able to string together a coherent sentence. They probably just learned the meaning of the word prostitute and are trying it out on random hapless women. Or maybe they don't even know what it means, just that it is something titillating. Hormones. Ignore it.
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Chiliwilli
Member
09-04-2006
| Friday, December 22, 2006 - 4:56 pm
Not to mention the video games they play with prostitutes in them.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Friday, December 22, 2006 - 5:43 pm
Thanks for that link Curlyq! I'll have to check it. Sometimes though I think I'm the only one on the planet with hair like this, especially when other people's remedies have no effect whatsoever on my hair! 
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Monday, December 25, 2006 - 12:37 am
Is it wrong for me to be a bit disappointed in UPS right now? The Denver blizzard put a stop to a lot of services Wednesday, including mail service and UPS/FedEx. Naturally nobody can control the weather, and I certainly wouldn't expect any of those services to keep operating at the height of the storm. The difference is, once the storm was over and the streets were getting cleared off, FedEx and USPS both got into the Holiday spirit and went the extra mile and started up operations on days that would not have been normal delivery days for them, just to try and get those Christmas packages to their destination in time. UPS gave me the "no guarantee" spiel in a form letter when I inquired, stating they had no control over the weather that disrupted services (oh, really? It was snowing? Gee, I had no idea.), and that because of that it was basically, "well, sorry but I guess you're just SOL for Christmas. Not our problem. Too bad for you." OK, it wasn't worded that way of course, but the tone of their reply pretty much said it. What really bugs me is my package was scanned in Commerce City (just a half hour drive from Longmont) Wednesday at midnight....six hours before the storm even began (not when it finally hit full force). Two days later when I guess everyone came back to work, it was re-scanned as an "arrival" scan (in the same place it had been sitting since before the storm hit). And now it is still sitting there untouched I suppose till Tuesday. How the darn thing "arrived" twice is beyond me!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Monday, December 25, 2006 - 5:30 am
DH and I are never be able to stay up past the children.......So Santa is doing his heavy work this morning. LOL I think we're done--can't wait to see what I forgot...... yesterday, I felt like Clark Griswald trying to have the perfect @#$#@#$@@%# Christmas and we are going to bond like the @#$#@#@$ happy family that we are!!! I got a stomach bug Saturday when we were at my inlaws,it hit dh on the way home yesterday so he didn't go to church. I realized that he had completely forgotten (blown off) doing the stocking stuffers. Thankfully, i had gotten the kids at least one thing. DS was just being a 17 year old snot who delights in torturing his sister just to see me get ticked off. Our family Christmas Eve dinner was completely blown cause, i had gotten the stomach bug yesterday and still was woozy, so i didn't cook, DH got it afterwards and didn't go get food before church and there was nothing open at 8 pm. found a Kroger that was closing in 9 minutes! LOL DS had pizza pockets and ravioli and DD had mac and cheese. DD and i did watch National Lampoon Christmas Vacation and made smores. that was fun. then i made dd cry she wanted to get up at 6:30 this am. i told her no cause i would like the kids to do Christmas together and there was no way DS was going to get up that early. (he had said for us to just start without him and he could open his presents when he got up...yeah right rme ) i have decided that Christmas with teenagers suck! LOL anyway, the stockings are sort of stuffed and hung by the tree...the clues from Saint Nick will hopefully cause glee......... hope you has a wonderful day! Merry Christmas!!!
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Monday, December 25, 2006 - 4:40 pm
Merry, Christmas! My goodness, that sounds stressful. Texannie, your kids sound like my sister and I at that age. When she hit her teens she started sleeping in late on Christmas day, and we'd have to wait for her to get up. Then she'd make us wait even longer while she got showered, dressed, and coiffed (she knew there'd be photos taken). After a few years we got used to just opening our gifts without her. I think it was when she started working that she began getting up early for Christmas again. I hope you and your husband are feeling better soon. Whoami, I don't think you're wrong to be disappointed in UPS. It stinks when you're relying on a business that doesn't put in the same efforts their competitors do.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, December 25, 2006 - 5:19 pm
UPS has never delivered on Sat and holidays, though.. they hate to break their tradition..
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, December 25, 2006 - 8:13 pm
My parents solved the "sleeping teen" dilemma by having late night Christmas Eves. We were usually with family or friends, so we'd play games into the wee hours of the morning. Then, since it was technically Christmas, we'd open all our presents and sleep in on Christmas morning. We usually enjoyed a late brunch, and no one was grumpy b/c they "had" to get up early. My gripe -- I've turned into an idjit over the holidays!! I order DH ceramic village pieces on ebay and the past two years have gotten the pieces for NEXT Christmas a year early. I'd found two this year I really liked, so I got them both. Fast forward three days, and when I go to wrap his village piece for THIS year -- it's a duplicate of one of them I've just "won" on ebay! DUH!!! Add that to forgetting my nephew's BEST gifts (cozy chic and LG) in the darn closet, not even wrapped or thought about, and I'm starting to think my brain has taken a permanent vacation!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 6:34 am
well, everything turned out ok. we made ds get up at 9.."grumble, grumble, i am going back to bed as soon as all this is over" we send them on the scavenger hunt..."grumble, grumble, why is Santa doing this?" slowly we start to see that elusive teenage smile, then a giggle slowly emerges and lo and behold, he gets into the fun of the scavenger hunt!!! the kids open their Santa gifts, and he sees his Wii and is very excited. we tell him, it's ok, if he wants to go back to bed now. he slyly smiles and says 'well...since i am up.....'
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 8:11 am
annie, my SIL sounds as good as your DIL! she was exactly the same way!
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Rissa
Member
03-20-2006
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 8:37 am
I have a seventeen year old too Annie, my condolances. LOL I have two teenagers and although every weekend is a battle of compromise between our wanting to start the day and their wanting to sleep in... Christmas morning is still torture. This year we were woken up at FOUR!!! Our ten year old was standing over us with tea (she figured it was a good bribe). We told her there was NO WAY and sent her back to bed. We then spent the next three hours trying to get back to sleep while listening to her and her two sisters going through the stockings, watching their new movies, listening to music, etc. At about 7 my hubby told them we gave up and to go reheat the tea. Teach, I have a twist on your problem. My MIL thinks boxing day is a great time to get a jump on next years gift shopping. She buys the most adorable outfits for my girls at amazing prices. The problem? For about the third year in a row I have an outfit my daughter LOVES but has long since outgrown and have zero chance of finding in a bigger size. We will have to replace it with something using the lowest ever sales price which usually means we turn in this beautifull three piece outfit and am able to get a single shirt in exchange. And then my MIL whose memory is failing will spend the next 6 months asking why my DD isnt wearing the outfit everytime we get together. It's hard because her heart is in the right place, if it was anything else I could at least enjoy being annoyed about it. 
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 11:43 am
Why is it that people stress so much over the holidays? Why do folks keep track of what they gave versus what they got like it was some kind of score sheet for a contest? It makes me crazy. My sister sent me some books on knitted lace, a DVD, a cookbook, and an iTunes gift card. I love it all. I would have been happy with just one of the lace books; I'm overwhelmed with gratitude at her generosity. So I call her on Christmas morning to express my thanks and see if she likes the lace shawl I made for her. She sounds terrible on the phone. I ask if she's sick. She says yes, then says she's fine. I press a bit. She's a five-year cancer survivor and I worry when she gets sick. Turns out she's not sick -- physically anyway. She's disappointed in her Christmas gifts. I say that I thought the shawl would keep her warm and toasty while she does the books for her business. She says she keeps her house warm and toasty. She then expresses dismay at some of the other little, what I thought were fun, things I sent as well as griping about some of the things she received from a stepson and from our brother (he sends us wine and always gets it backwards -- she likes white and gets red, I like red and get white). Finally, she says she's in a bad mood and will call me back later. Of course she never called. Geez. Her life has been hard and I know holidays are difficult since her husband died (14 years go), combined with a bunch of other things, but come on. She's got lots of blessings in her life. Nothing was given to her with the intention of upsetting her, but with love. She just can't seem to receive it that way. Contrast that with my experience on Christmas Eve, spent with a friend and her family. Her son's girlfriend was there. I didn't know what to get for her or several of the other family members, so I made miniature Christmas stockings and put lottery tickets in them. The girlfriend was SO excited by those lottery tickets! She got one that was worth $1 and was JOYFUL about that! She admired the little stocking. She made me feel like that was one of the best gifts ever and she wasn't being fake. I marvel how some people can be so full of wonder and gratitude at small things while others constantly focus on the negative and feel bad about those same small things. I just wish I could help my sister find that wonder and gratitude. Me? I think I'm totally blessed. I don't have a husband or kids, but I have great friends. I don't have a high-paying job anymore, but I have a job that pays my bills. I don't have perfect health, but I'm not bedridden by any means. The blessings I have far outweigh the burdens. My life is not a Hallmark card or a Rockwell painting, but it's full of blessings every day and I choose to view the world as a place of wonder and joy. Happy Boxing Day to all!
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Baby
Member
01-08-2006
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 12:33 pm
Max, just wanted you to know I read your post and love what you had to say! I wish all of us could look at the holidays like you do! Thank you!
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Landi
Member
07-29-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 1:37 pm
max, you are a "glass half-full" kind of person... your sister is a "glass half-empty" kind of person. never going to mesh. but it doesn't mean you don't love one another.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 1:42 pm
I'm very disappointed but not quite angry today. We have 2 checks that were mailed to us, supposedly, at the beginning of last week and we still didn't get them today. We knew when they didn't come by Sat that we'd have to postpone our Christmas but we fully expected they would be here at least by today. But nope. No checks so no shopping today. I really wanted to get hubby something I know he's been wanting and I know there's a couple of things he had planned for me but I guess we'll just have to be a little more patient. Its kinda dreary anyway when its just the 2 of us for Christmas. No family get together this year at his sister's and we don't know why. This is the first year she hasn't called to invite us. I wish we could be with my family in FL.
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Retired
Member
07-11-2001
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 2:24 pm
Max, I have a sister like that. What landi said, we're "glass half full" and they are "glass half empty." I find I have to distance myself from her. It's not good for my health.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 2:36 pm
Hmmm must be a thing about sisters. I'm thankful that I don't have to spend anymore Christmas's at my sister's. They were always so stressful and hurtful for me and my daughter. Mandy and I are both thankful those years are long gone.
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 2:46 pm
I am a glass half empty person A glass that is half full was never full. A glass that is half empty was full and half of it got used. I think the half empty glass has gotten a bad rep.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 2:47 pm
Yep, you guys nailed the issue. Retired, I totally agree. I'm glad she lives in Spokane and I'm in Portland. With the way winter weather is between here and there, she totally understands that I don't want to travel at Christmas -- she doesn't want to either. Makes it a lot easier to avoid her stress-out sessions at the holidays. It's hard to understand how we can be so completely different -- until I remember that we're both adopted from different gene pools. That makes the whole "nurture versus nature" thing very apparent to me. We share some of the same values because of the nurture part, but the nature part sure makes us different! Same with my brother. Dad always shook his head and wondered how his three kids turned out so darned different from each other. Nature must certainly play a part in that! 
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 3:08 pm
Max, I like your attitude! My dh and I have one son. He is our biological child and so different from either of us in several ways. DH and I are both very creative and bad-bad-bad at math, whereas Ryan is very analytical, mathematical, logical, etc. ('Course he is only 7, so that may change). We are currently trying to adopt and I laugh and say that whatever child we end up adopting will most likely be much more like my dh and I than our biological son is.
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Curlyq
Member
07-10-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 3:10 pm
Max, I think the stress is all about unrealistic expectations. We go into the holidays with high hopes of an experience that's never realized and then get disappointed, or we're brought down by others who have those impossible expectations and turn into wet blankets when they're disappointed. The people who receive their gifts with sincere gratitude make up for the ones who measure their worth by how much money people spend on them. In your shoes I would've felt horrible after that conversation, especially after you took all the time to make her that gift yourself only to have it disregarded as unnecessary. I probably would've brought her back everything but the lace books and encouraged her to enjoy those other gifts for herself. Maybe instituting a spending limit might prevent future holiday disappointments. In our family the eldest generation decided to skip gift-giving and have a pot luck dinner instead, exchanging food instead of presents. Twinkie, I'm sorry your Christmas has been delayed. If it's any consolation, you might not have enjoyed a great holiday here in Florida, either. We had some terrible weather for Christmas. There were something like 200 houses hit by tornadoes, and it rained all day. It was eery to look outside on Christmas day and not see children playing and riding their new bikes. My poor Grandpa had to stay alone in his condo because it was too dangerous to drive.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 3:18 pm
I know, Curly! Fortunately my daughter didn't have any problems with the weather, but I heard all about the tornadoes. All those homes and planes! I'm sorry your grandpa had to stay home alone. That's so sad. But I'm glad none of you had any damage to property.
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Cndeariso
Member
06-28-2004
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 3:32 pm
max, when you get the shawl back, please send it to me. anyone that would put so much of themselves into a gift is a treasure to me. i'd love anything like that.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - 5:03 pm
I wrote sis a letter today expressing that I'm sorry her Christmas felt so bad and saying that no hurt was intended, only loving thoughts. I also thanked her again for the wonderful gifts and told her that more than covered CHristmas, my birthday, valentines, and at least one 'just because' gift. Oh, and I told her that if she really doesn't like shawls she better let me know or else she may end up getting a lovely lace one from the books she sent me. It only put a small damper on my holiday because that's all I'll allow it to do. I suppose I should have called her today, but I couldn't face that, so the letter got posted instead. I just choose not to get sucked into the drama. She is six years older than me and I swear sometimes it seems like she's sixteen years younger! Speaking of mail being delayed, I made the bonehead mistake of leaving a number off the address of the package I sent to my friend. She's not worried about it (she's very cool), but it ticks me off. I called and corrected the address with FedEx and hopefully they'll deliver the box to her tomorrow or the next day. My senior moment of the holidays! Twinkie, I hope the mail comes through for you tomorrow! 
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