Rest the Attitude

I was having a rough afternoon on Sunday. Lefty is moving in TODAY (read: in a few hours, WTF am I still doing awake?!?!) and this long weekend was supposed to be used to get both houses ready (the one he is leaving and the one he is moving into). I don't HATE cleaning, per se, but I do hate every aspect of moving-- even if it isn't me that is moving. You know why? Because it is a pain in the ass. You have to go through everything, throw shit away, pack shit, move it and then UNpack the shit that you just spent hours (weeks) packing up. When I moved from Chicago back to Columbus, I vowed that I would never move myself again-- and I am not going to. I don't care if I have to save for a year to afford movers, the most I am every going to do again is pack boxes and trust me, that is enough.

With my questionable attitude in mind, let's review what happened on Sunday, before I had to give myself a time out and take a nap.

Lefty and I went for brunch to discuss some last minute move stuff, he dropped off some stuff in the garage and planted some flowers in the yard and spent a couple of hours at my parents house, where we ate again. He left to finish packing and I went to make a couple of stops before heading back to the house to clean. My first stop was the neighborhood gas station to pick up a couple throwback Mountain Dews. Yeah, they don't sell the 12 pack in Ohio (WTF?!) but that is a whole other story. As I am waiting in the long ass line to get checked out, I witnessed a little verbal jab match between two elderly people. It really wasn't my business- they were arguing about their place in line- and I couldn't deal with that, so I turned my head and exhaled loudly. The very bright workers at the gas station opened up a second line, which I walked over to. The old lady, who had just finished her argument with the little old man in front of her and was in front of me at the first line, was now behind me in the second line. And I could not make up the next part... not in my wildest dreams.

I am standing in line, waiting for the jackass behind the counter to figure out change for the person in front of me, when this "lady" comes up to me. She says (with a chuckle) "so now you are in front of me, when I was JUST in front of you in that line. uh huh." Now listen, Momma and Poppa Hot, Black and Bitter raised me to have manners-- especially when dealing with the elderly. HOWEVER, I am a huge proponent of giving respect when I get it. I don't know this chick, I already had an attitude and her tone about having to stay in line for one minute longer while that dumb jackass rang up my soda made me want to punch her in her face. She was giving me attitude for absolutely no reason. Had she cut her argument with the old man short, then she could have been standing where I was, instead of complaining.  I'm good for making a scene... and that is exactly what I did.

Me: "Oh, you can feel free to get in front of me. I mean, I just came to this line when that young man announced he was open... but go ahead." 1- My tone mirrored hers, so it was not pleasant. 2- I said it SO loud that the entire store stood still. I didn't really care- she was being rude. If you are rude, you get rude in return. She did say thank you in a smart ass tone when she left... and I absolutely told her she was welcome. I need old people to know the following: Just because you have had a few decades of birthdays, does not mean that you get to treat people like trash with no repercussions. If you throw out attitude for no reason, please know that I am giving that shit right back to you-- 18, 25, 45 or 65+. If you want something from me, you better learn how to ask... or be prepared to be embarrassed in front of a whole gas station of people.

And let me just say: had she asked to get in front of me, I would have let her. All she had to do was ask, but instead she had to be an asshole. Even the caffeine that I purchased didn't make my disposition any more pleasant. I was so irritated that I gave myself a timeout and had to lay it down for a nap. I was a little better when I woke up (I stress a little better)... and then was up all night. Sigh. I can't wait until this move is over. Then I can return to my regular non pleasant self, instead of being the reigning Queen of Bitchland. Oh well, one day at a time...

Holy Moving Monday, Batman!!

Attention: If you are reading this, I am more than likely the sleep deprived zombie on the red (or brown) line that is speeding downtown. I may or may not have a coffee in my hand and daggers in my eyes, daring somebody to touch me or say something a little too loud. I probably have on matching shoes... and I am waiting for the day to end, before it even begins. Why? Because I moved out of the ghetto, bitches!!! :)

If you have been sleepwalking (like me) you may not have realized that I have not really been blogging as much as I usually do. I have been packing up my life, adopting out dogs and working like a crazy person. As I type this, I am tired. Like, eyes closing involuntarily tired. Ah well- I will sleep when I am dead.

Things have been a little weird, because I have been sad. Closing a chapter in your life is not easy- even if the chapter was AWFUL. I mean a few things have been going on and maybe that is why I am acting like I have some attachment to my little house in the middle of bastard-land? Whatever the case, it is over. These past three weeks I have been looking around and breathing in my old neighborhood, consuming its essence, allowing it to infiltrate my inner being and guess what? It sucks- like I thought it would... but honestly, not as bad as I thought. That said- my social experiment is over-- and I never want to live like that again. Ever. Ghetto living is SO not for this princess. Give me the preppiest part of the city any day (as long as there is parking) and I will be happy. Hey- it is all about knowing where you will be happy and I think we can all agree that the West Pullman neighborhood was not aligned with the workings of Miss Hot, Black and Bitter.

Unfortunately, in order to run away from the realities of West Pullman, I signed an agreement with the devil and... moved to the North Side of the city. No worries. There is no way in hell I'll ever become a cubs fan (because I actually like major league baseball versus the pee wee level that the cubs play on). In fact I think I will put up my White Sox flag for all to see... Right next to my Ohio State Buckeyes flag. Oh, that's right haters... Y'all went IN while I was on a blog vacation, but I will read you the riot act soon. Allow me to catch up over the next week-- I have a lot to say (as usual!)

I missed writing and I am glad for this new beginning. Happy June, more to come.

The Times, They are a-changing

There comes a time in every young woman's life... blah, blah, blah. Things are changing. The look of the blog is going to change and soon, the place where I sit when I type out my thoughts will change too. Where am I going? That is still up in the air. I love Chicago and will do whatever I can to stay here for as long as possible. I have built my own lovely life here; filled with friends and laughter. I love this city. I embrace almost all that it has to offer, but when the laughter starts to turn into tears priorities need to be reexamined, pros and cons need to be weighed. That is what I am in the process of doing.

I find it oddly comforting that I am not alone in this situation. Lots of young people are leaving familiar cities for foreign skylines for a brand new start. I must admit that any skyline I see at the end of this process will not be foreign to me. Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago- all familiar stomping grounds. All on the short list of cities to begin a new stage in my life. The city with the most lucrative job offer will win out. I will keep everyone updated and in the meantime I will be up to my same old shenanigans (blogging and what not). Exciting, right? For your listening pleasure- Eddie Vedder singing a classic. "You better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changing." and... GO! :)