Chatter Boxes

I will be leaving for Africa on Sunday morning so I'll be away from blogging until I return. But never fear...there will be lots to write about when I get back in two weeks.

I'm looking forward to it for a few reasons...the work we're doing, the chance to visit a new place, and I won't have to hear this song in every store, on every tv show, and on the radio every time I turn it on.

I'm not looking forward to wearing the same clothes for two weeks, showering with cold water, getting the inevitable "traveler's sickness" (yes, I'm speaking in code), and being away from John (I don't care if it's sappy...roll your eyes all you want...I won't apologize!).

So farewell faithful blog readers until next time...

I love going to the dentist. I had my six month cleaning yesterday afternoon. I've been looking forward to it for weeks. I love that clean slippery feeling after they scrape and polish my teeth.

I particularly like my dentist. He's the only one I remember going to. His office was in our neighborhood...we could walk if we wanted to. My elementary school is right across the railroad tracks.

We've long since moved but I have been loyal to my dentist. He remembers who I am, where I work, where I went to college. He scolds me repeatedly for brushing my teeth too much. We've negotiated and I'm allowed to brush three times a day but only if I use the proper "frequent brushing technique".

I see the same dental hygienist every time and I thought yesterday, she has the perfect job! Not because she gets to clean mouths all day (yuck!) but because she likes to talk. A lot! What better job for someone who likes to talk a lot than a job where you can stifle the other person's response?

Here's a brief rundown of topics during my 30 minute appointment.

* Her parent's divorced two weeks after their 25th wedding anniversary.
* They each have new boy/girlfriends one of whom smokes a pipe (I don't remember which one).
* She likes her father's girlfriend better than her mother's boyfriend. But she invited all four of them for Christmas last year and they came because "they're all adults afterall."
* They're going to St. Louis for the 4th of July because they've never seen the arch.
* She is more afraid of traveling in a car over a bridge than she is flying in an airplane over the ocean.
* Her husband had temporary paralysis after getting a typhoid shot in his arm.
* Her sister doesn't like being on birth control.
* She grinds her teeth at night too.
* Her favorite color is blue.
* The four year old patient she had earlier in the day would do much better if his mother didn't try to "calm him down".

It was also perfect for me because she didn't expect a response...in fact, she'd rather not have one. So she got to talk for 30 minutes straight. And I got to prop my feet up, watch HGTV where a couple tore down and rebuilt their fireplace, and walk out with sparkling white teeth.

Everybody wins!

In college my roommate Christi and I had a running list of "things to smile about". Some of them were obvious, things like sunshine and rainbows. Other list items were known only to us, like Chi Chi. I can't tell you what Chi Chi is because then it would no longer be known only to us.

The list was on our refrigerator and could be added to at any time. Since then we've both moved a lot and far away from each other so the list has been lost. I don't remember most of it and wish so much that I could. It would be an interesting commentary of our college life and of how much things have changed. Christi and I resurrected the list a while back and this time I saved it. (And Christi, I hope it's okay that I share it.)

I'm now inviting you to play along. Add as many as you like. Don't think about it too much. It doesn't have to make sense...it just has to make you smile.

1. Babies dressed as animals
2. Trick-or-Treaters
3. Cream Cheese Frosting
4. Saying to a salesperson, "Can you get me a size 6?" - Wahoo!!!
5. Surprise phone calls
6. Puppy snuggles
7. High Speed Internet (I'm pretty sure this wasn't on the first list!)
8. The day after laundry day
9. Things that sparkle
10. Knowing you'll see your friends soon
11. The smell of something yummy baking
12. GIANT snowflakes
13. Going to bed with warm feet
14. Getting to sleep in until 8 or 9AM
15. Having a reason to clean (friends coming over)
16. Belly laughs from kids
17. When toddlers randomly break out in song
18. The power of kissing a youngster's owie
19. Having a comfy bed with a love(night)/hate(morning) relationship
20. Starbucks and Moxie Java
21. Thank you's for something you did, not something you gave
22. "Just because" flowers
23. A free lunch
24. The color purple (not the movie, the actual color)
25. Counting down work days before a vacation
26. Freshly vacuumed carpet
27. Clearance sales
28. Thunderstorms
29. Funny friends
30. The word "blog"

I read today that General Motors is discontinuing their production of the Hummer H1.

For anyone that has had the experience of riding in my car anywhere close to my house, you know how I feel about this particular socially irresponsible vehicle (and if not, you know now!)

Now, if you have been deemed the task of guarding the good people of southern Johnson County from military attacks (and must bring 32 people along for the ride)...fine, drive your Hummer and god speed. But I don't think shopping at Town Center Plaza and grabbing lunch at Dean and Deluca constitutes a military operation and does not require the all-terrain maneuverability that the Hummer H1 offers.

So rest in peace you 4-ton gas hog...and take your offspring with you!

Last weekend I spent time doing two of my favorite summer activities. I hung out with friends while we listened to live music. Jazz In The Woods is a fundraiser for several non-profit agencies in Kansas City.

Enjoy the pictures...

Notice the addition to my "links" section? The roommate has joined the blogging trend...check it out!

I stopped at my neighborhood drug store this morning to "pick up a few things." Upon entering the door I glance to see who is at the register.

It's inevitable when girls go to "pick up a few things" that there will be one of two people working the cash register, 1) a dreamy young man who looks like he jumped off the cover of Teen People just in time to check you out. And not in the "Hey-baby-check-you-out!" way...I mean to scan your "few things" while you die a slow humiliating social death or 2) a burly, often hairy, gentlemen with tattoos and piercings in places my mother would not approve.

Today it was bachelor #2. His name is Larry. I'm not actually sure if he is a bachelor. He had a ring on his ring-finger but it was of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. I don't know if that means he's married (to Satan perhaps) or if that's the only finger that would fit.

But this morning I had a plan. It's called "Self-Checkout". At this moment I would like to pause and say a quick thank you to Mr. or Ms. Self-Checkout Creator. It makes trips to "pick up a few things" much less embarrassing.

That is, of course, if they work correctly. I scanned my item and it rang up at twice the price. I try to click cancel to scan it again when the machine says out loud, "Please contact an associate for assistance." I don't want to...that's why I chose the self-check option!

I ponder whether it's worth paying double not to have to talk to anyone, when Larry dutifully makes his way to my side and I explain the problem. Larry picked up the phone and pushed a couple buttons. Then it happened. What every girl from the age of 13 fears the most.....