Wal-Mart Checkouts

The other day I made a trip to Wal-Mart, which by no means is unusual in any way, but this trip really irked me.

Well, not the trip, but just the checkout.

You see, I went in, got everything I needed, then I proceeded to the self-checkout.  {The self-checkouts usually do not have anyone waiting, and the other registers have long lines, so it only makes sense that I can get out of the store quicker by scanning my own purchases!}

Nothing unusual has happened to this point.  This trip to Wal-Mart seems to be going just as all the others go.

So, I start to scan all my purchases and the Wal-Mart sales associate/cashier {you know, the one that usually stands in front of the self-checkout registers, at the main register, in case the customers have problems}, she is standing about 3 to 4 feet behind me to the right.  I glance over my shoulder to see if she needs something, but she just smiles, or half-smiles I should say.  So, I go back to scanning my purchases, but the sales associate does not move.  She just stands there staring at me, the whole time.  {I can feel the holes that she is burning into my back.  I know you all know that feeling!}

 Since the sales associate is intent to stare at me, I am clumsily scanning the items in my shopping cart, which is slowing me down.  The self-checkout decides it wants to mess up, as it so often does, and I now need the sales associate to log-in, so that I can finish.  Well, wouldn't you know, it only takes her about 2 seconds to get to me, log-in, and I am back on my way.  It ends up taking me about 7 minutes {which doesn't seem like a long time, but if you are being stared at the whole time, it feels like forever!} to complete the scanning process, pay for my items, get my receipt, and leave.

As I am grabbing my bags and receipt, I turn around one more time, and sure enough the sales associate is still standing there, staring at me!  I say my typical "Have a nice day," turn around as quickly as possible, and speed walk all the way out of the store!

Main problems with this situation:

1. Personal space invasion - There was no reason for this sales associate to be standing so close to me.  There were no other customers around at the self-checkout, so there was plenty of room for her to stand elsewhere {at least 6 feet away is a good distance, unless we are talking}.
2. No assistance needed, yet - For the first 5 minutes or so, I was not in need of any help from the sales associate.  She could have easily stood at her main register and still been able to see me clearly!
3. I'm not a shoplifter! - During this brief time at the self-checkout register, I felt like a common criminal.  I seriously felt as if I was doing something wrong, when I knew that I was not.  I felt as if this sales associate had seen my picture on a "Wal-Mart Wanted" poster, and she was making sure that I scanned every item and paid for it all!

If you have never seen the "Wal-Mart Wanted" posters, this is my version of what they look like:

{Seriously!}

 I am not sure if your local Wal-Mart has these or not, but they are for real!  In my local store, if a person is caught shoplifting or otherwise breaking the law, there photo is taken from the security footage {or a copy of their license or ID}, then posted in the customer service area, so that the associates know who to keep an eye on or who is not allowed in the store!

They even have different degrees of punishment/reprimand for these individuals!  Some of them are just watched while they are in the store, some are followed around, and some are immediately asked to leave because they are not allowed in the store at all.

Spam Comments, in all their glory

I have talked about traffic sources before in this post, including referring sites and search words, but to date, I do not believe I have ever mentioned the spam comments that I receive.

I am extremely confused, though, by this comment that I received today.  Most of the spam comments I get mention how I do not have many followers {thanks for the update because I obviously could not see this myself}, how I do not get many views on my blog {again, I missed this, so thanks for letting me know}, and how I am not receiving comments {but, you just commented, doesn't that count?}!

This comment, on the other hand, mentioned none of that!

It was left on my "Blogging:  E is for Enthusiastic" blog post, which thoroughly confused me even more.

Here is the comment:

"The physical violence depicted from the human history is often a testament for the suffocating civilizations. Why provides it accomplished so the wrong way despite currently being told there're slowly profitable the war up against the disease? Later the word was helpful to describe people political communities that share a link with famous aristocrats, conservatives, reactionaries, monarchists along with nationalists."

{This comment was copied and pasted from my e-mail, and of course, it was left by Anonymous.  I really do dislike that person!}

Along with the comment were two ads.  One that is for "beach tents for  babies," and the other one is for "best family tent brands."

Now, can someone please explain to me what this comment means?  And why were there ads for beach tents and family tents with the comment?  And why was it left on a post where I wrote about how people need to be enthusiastic with their blogging?

On a better note, I am receiving a lot of comments.  They are usually from Anonymous - you know that person that I do not like, and they usually have nothing to do with my blog posts or what I am writing, but at least I am getting exposure, right?

{No!  Oh well!  Back to my corner of the world!}

Road Rage

So, I have been told once or twice {or twenty times!} that I have road rage.

Which, every now and then, kinda makes me think that I do.
{You know, if you get told enough times that something is wrong with you, you start to believe it!}


When I was a sophomore in high school, I took a psychology class, and during that class we were required to take a quiz to determine if it was possible that we had road rage.  Yep!  It said that I had tendencies to be an aggressive driver and could have road rage.
{Not a good sign when you don't even have your license yet!}


So, back to the road rage.  I do not believe that I am aggressive when driving, and I don't think that I have road rage.  I may get upset, yell some, and call out some random "K" swears {"K" swears include but are not limited to:  son of a b, shiitake mushrooms, and effin - can you tell I do not like to curse?}, but I do not get aggressive or become reckless.


As a matter of fact, I am a very good driver, and I am extremely safe.  I have never been in an accident that was my fault, and I have never received an actual ticket {I have received a couple of warnings, both verbal and written - especially about my speed - though!}.  I may not follow all of the laws {Who can drive 20 MPH besides granny & papa on Sunday? Or any day for that matter?  Really!}, but I do take care not to do anything that will harm myself, my passengers, or any other drivers or people on the road.

And, I took another quiz {I couldn't find the same one from when I was in high school}.  And the results stated that I am an excellent driver.  

I guess my problem is that I just really, really hate stupid things that other drivers do.  Here are some of my biggest pet peeves:

• Driving under the speed limit without good cause, especially on the highway.  {The roads are dry, the sun is shining, and there are no other vehicles around; please at least do the speed limit!}
• Riding the bumper of the person in front of you.  {Really?  Do you want to be in a wreck, or are you just stupid?}
• Swerving in and out of traffic on the highway, going at least 10 MPH over the speed limit - so about 75 to 80 MPH.  {Not only is this reckless, but it's just plain stupid.  I do not want to die today!}
• Taking more than enough time to turn, especially if the driver is turning right. {I mean really, is there something there that I can't see?  Why is it taking you so effin long to turn?}
• Turning out in front of me, which causes me to slam on my brakes, only for you to turn 100 yards down the road.  {You really could have waited.  It's called patience.  And safety!}

 

So, that is all I can think of right now, but I'm sure I can come up with more after I have to drive again!

{Don't forget to swing by my About Me post, and ask me some questions.}

A to Z Reflections

Oh my, I thought I was done!

I mean, I wrote 26 posts about my thoughts about blogging, one for each letter of the alphabet.

Wasn't that good enough?

{Obviously not!}

Now they want me to write my thoughts about me writing 26 posts about my thoughts about blogging in the A to Z Challenge.  Whew, that was a mouth full!  But, not only do they want my thoughts about me blogging in the challenge, they also want to know how I felt about visiting other bloggers, commenting, if I enjoyed the challenge, and if I would participate again!

 So here goes my A to Z Challenge Reflections:

• I really enjoyed the challenge.  I did get a little behind, especially at the end because I went on vacation.  So, on Monday night, April 30th, I ended up writing 6 posts for the last 6 letters, but I did finish!  And, I do plan on participating in the challenge again next year!
• I enjoyed visiting other the other bloggers.  I was not able to visit all of the participants through the month of April, but as long as the participant list is up, I do plan on continuing to visit the other blogs.
• For every blog that I did visit, I did try to comment, although sometimes it was a pain.  I hate the word verification, although I did find a way to make it more interesting through a blog that I follow and read regularly {although she did not participate in the challenge!}. You can find the post here.
• I loved receiving all the readers, new followers, and comments on my posts throughout the challenge.  I tried my best to respond to all comments that I received either by e-mail (my preferred way to respond to comments), or by visiting the blog of the individual that commented and returning the favor!

 Here are some great blogs that I found to read and follow somehow because of the challenge {either they were participants or they were reading and commenting on posts or they found me or something}:
  

•  ~*~Whatever~*~...
• My Write Spot
• mothersofbrothersblog
• Good Youngman Brown
•  Keeping up with The Pickles 

Now, you may have noticed I didn't post descriptions of these blogs.  Well, that is because they are all great, and I want you to go read them for yourself!  I really do think you will like them!

And, if you missed any of my A to Z Challenge blog posts, here they are:

 

Blogging:  A is for Angle

Blogging:  B = Bold

Blogging:  C is for Comments

Blogging:  D = Dream 

Blogging:  E is for Enthusiastic

Blogging:  F = Followers 

Blogging:  G is for Giveaways
Blogging:  H = Headline 
Blogging:  I is for Images
Blogging:  J = Journal 
Blogging:  K is for Keep
Blogging:  L = Link-ups {Blog hops} 
Blogging:  M is for Money 
Blogging:  N = New 
Blogging:  O is for Organized
Blogging:  P = Public or Private
Blogging:  Q is for Quest
Blogging:  R = Reading 
Blogging:  S is for Search {labels}
Blogging:  T = Time 
Blogging:  U is for Unique
Blogging:  V = Vlog
Blogging:  W is for When & Where
Blogging:  X = Xtreme
Blogging:  Y is for You 

Blogging:  Z is for Zealous

{Don't forget to swing by my About Me post, and ask me some questions.}

#101 of My 101 in 1001

#101 - Complete 7 goals in a week

From Friday, April 27 to Tuesday, May 1 (not a full week), I completed 7 goals.

Here is the list of the 7 goals that I completed: 

1. #9 of My 101 in 1001 - Write a list of inspirational things, one for each letter of the alphabet

2.   #40 of My 101 in 1001 - Visit another state

3. #51 of My 101 in 1001 - Go to the beach

4. #57 of My 101 in 1001 - Try a new restaurant

5.  #55 of My 101 in 1001 - Go to a festival 

6. #74 of My 101 in 1001 - Build a sandcastle 

7. #93 of My 101 in 1001 - Take a bubble bath 

And, if you count this goal, then technically I completed 8 goals in a week! 

#93 of My 101 in 1001

#93 - Take a bubble bath

Well, obviously I couldn't take a picture of this, so this post is just to confirm that this item has been completed.

I can tell you that it was nice to relax, though.

:)

#74 of My 101 in 1001

#74 - Build a sandcastle

As you know if you have been reading my most recent posts, I spent 5 days at the beach recently.

Well, my younger cousin wanted some beach toys and someone to play on the beach with her.

Guess who volunteered to do this?

Yep, you guessed right!

Me, me, me!

So, I decided to build a sandcastle while we were hanging out on the beach.  It wasn't much, but I was proud of my creation.

My cousin wasn't as happy as me with what I built.

So, this is what happened to my sandcastle before I could get my camera out and take a picture:

Yea, she smashed it!

And, after sitting out there for an hour, playing in the sand with her, and building stuff just so she could smash it, I was not building anymore.

So, what I have now is memories and this pic, which is good enough for me!

#55 of My 101 in 1001

#55 - Go to a festival

While I was on vacation, I went to a wine festival.

We just happened to be walking down Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, SC, and we saw a festival.

Now, of course, as my luck would have it, I did not have my camera, or if I did, I did not think to take pictures.

So, I took pictures of the wrist bands they made us wear to show we were 21 years of age or older.

Coastal Uncorked

 While we didn't do much at the festival, we did walk around, listen to the live band, and dance some.

It was good fun with family, and it was free!

You can't beat that!

#57 of My 101 in 1001

#57 - Try a new restaurant

 While on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC, my mom, Nancy, and I went to eat breakfast at the Pier House Restaurant on the 2nd Avenue Pier, which happened to be right next to our hotel!

I didn't get a picture of the restaurant sign or anything, but I did happen to snap some pics of the view from our table.

Looking straight out onto the beach and pier.

Same pic as above, but zoomed in.

View to the right of the table.

I wish I could eat breakfast everyday looking at these views.  I would be more willing to get up in the morning!

#40 & #51 of My 101 in 1001

#40 - Visit another state

I went to South Carolina on vacation.

#51 - Go to the beach

I spent 5 days in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with some of my wonderful family members.

Sarah, Kay, Nancy, Momma, & Me

TK & Mel

And, it was fabulous.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

I went swimming in the hotel pool and the ocean (the pool was warmer, but the ocean was great as well).  I went shopping, and I played mini-golf.  I got a sunburn.


I also ended up with three huge bruises, a pair of broke sunglasses, and a broke camera, which led to me getting some ibuprofen, a bottle of wine, two {2} new pair of sunglasses and a new camera.


With the sunburn and the three bruises {one on each elbow & one on my right knee}, I had to have some ibuprofen & a bottle of wine is always good.  Take ibuprofen during the day, and drink wine at night - sounded like a good prescription for pain relief!


As I am in Wal-Mart, my sunglasses fell off of my head, and at first, I thought that the lenses had just popped out, but after picking them up, I figured out they were no good anymore!  The frames had cracked, so when we went to Tanger Outlets, I found two cute & inexpensive pairs {one black & one brown - only $3.80 each} at Forever 21.


Now to the broken camera.  My camera was already broke {I had to tape the little door shut that hold the batteries and memory card in place}!  But, this time it was not fixable, no matter how much tape I had.  

My old camera had a timer on it {as most cameras do}, so that I could set the timer, and it would take the picture in 10 seconds {giving me just enough time to run back and get in the picture}!  I set the timer, placed the camera on a railing {first idiot mistake}, the pressed the shutter button so it would begin the 10 second countdown to when the picture would be taken {second idiot mistake}!  The railing was curved, so the camera was not very stable to begin with, and when I pressed the shutter button, the camera tipped and fell down to the concrete sidewalk.

Now the came lens won't even go in all the way!

Also, when I turn the camera on, all it will say is "System Error!"

My new camera!  Awesome!  It is just as good as my old camera, and I don't need tape! :)

So, my time at the beach was great.  Although there were some times that I just wanted to scream, I had a blast.  And, I ended up with a nice base tan, two new pair of sunglasses, a new camera, some new shirts and tanks, and a new pair of flip-flops!


And best of all, I got to spend some great quality time with my family!

Picture taken at Broadway at the Beach.

#9 of My 101 in 1001

#9 - Write a list of inspirational things, one for each letter of the alphabet

A -  Angels

B - Bible, books, & butterflies

C - Children & caterpillars

D - Dreams & dancing

E - Earth & exercise

F - Friends & fire

G - Grandparents

H - Hummingbirds

I - Igloos

J - Jesus

K - Keepsakes

L - Love

M - Music & mountains

N - Notes

O - Ocean

P - Parents & pearls

Q - Quotes

R - Rain

S - Siblings, stars, sunsets, & sunrises

T - Teachers

U - Unicorns

V - Vegetarians

W - Wildflowers

X - Xenodochial

Y - Yoga & the color "yellow"

Z - Zebras

Yes, I chose more than one for some letters because it was just so hard to choose!

Vacation

[So, I was supposed to finish this post last night and publish it, but I couldn't.  If you read it, you will understand why!]

I have been missing from the blogging world, and it feels a little weird even though I am on vacation.

I have technically been on vacation since noon on Friday, but I didn't actually get to the beach until around 6 PM Friday.

So, I have been relaxing as much as possible, while I can.

And, I have horrible internet access in my hotel room {actually, it's not even in the hotel room - ha ha}.

You see, I am actually on the balcony, overlooking the ocean!

This is what it looks like during the day....

And, at night! [I can actually see it better, but I couldn't get a good pic on the camera!]

But, even on the balcony my internet connection speed is only 12.0 Mbps.  For those of you that don't understand what that means, I will explain it as simply as possible:  It S.U.C.K.S.  It takes a couple of minutes for the websites to load, then to log on, etc., etc.

So, since my internet connection sucks, I am cheering myself up with some wine, but we don't have wine glasses, so here is how I am drinking it:

My blackberry wine in a Dixie cup!

 I am so tired now though (and hurting - notice the pic below), and I can't upload my pics because the internet connection sucks, and I have already written 6 posts tonight, so I am going to bed!  I will upload the pics tomorrow and publish this post then.

Notice the Rudolph nose?!  Yea, I got some sunburn, and it hurts a little!