One-quarter Inch Thinner Toilet Paper

It’s not your imagination that the toilet paper seems to be getting smaller. I recently noticed the new toilet paper roll had a lot of play on its holder. I compared it to the empty discarded roll and it is, in fact, one-quarter inch narrower. Manufacturers are smart in that they don’t raise the price, but give you less for the same price. This has been happening for years, if not decades, but this was noticeably smaller. You get fewer tissues in a box; less coffee in a bag; and now thinner toilet tissue. There were no announcements either. No “new and improved.” No “smaller and better.” No mention of it. Just wanted you to know I noticed. Can you think of any other examples?

Facebook Is A Soap Opera!

As I was signing onto my Facebook account, I wondered what drama I might find today. Some people spill their whole lives out there while others just like to let us know their eating and sleeping habits. Sometimes I feel like I’m eavesdropping on a telephone conversation or maybe they should be texting instead of putting it out on Facebook for everyone to see. Some people announce job interviews, negative opinions about people, personal surgeries, and use unnecessary cuss words that I don’t think need airing. So, I think it’s like watching a TV soap opera. By signing on, you get a glimpse of what’s going on in other people's lives, but not enough to draw conclusions and just enough to tune in the next time. Oh, there are commercials: the sidebars with sponsors, suggestions, and invitations to play Farmville.

Pennies from Heaven

Not too many people pick up pennies these days, but I still do. I remember the saying “Find a penny, pick it up, all the day have good luck,” but that was only if it was heads up. The other day, I received an email about a wealthy man who picked up pennies. He said since each one carries the phrase “In God We Trust,” it was a reminder that God is always there. I’ve heard of people who think it’s a sign from their deceased loved one reminding them that they’re around. My brother used to turn over the tails-up pennies that he found for the next person to find for good luck. On the evening that I heard these stories, I was at home turning on our PC controller (which is on the floor) and found a penny next to it--heads up. I think that was a reminder from my departed brother. If it was face down, I would have had to turn it over.

Do Unto Others

Voice a loud outburst during a speech. Defend yourself using vulgar and threatening words. Denounce someone’s award by interrupting with your own opinion. These three incidents in the last week display an extreme lack of manners by well known people (SC Rep. Joe Wilson, tennis player Serena Williams, and singer Kanye West). Just because they happen to be rich, successful or famous doesn’t give them the right to treat other people badly. The unfortunate thing is these negative comments have appeared all over the news and gave further publicity to people who probably love all the attention anyway they can get it. It reminds me of an old adage “bad publicity is better than no publicity at all.” It seems that these people are used to having their way and don’t care who they have to trample to get it, but now we’ve seen what kind of people they really are. So, what kind of person are you, really? Do you do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12)?

Poor Customer Service & Lousy Food--OK

Maybe we’ve come to accept poor customer service and lousy food from “fast-food restaurants.” Now that’s an oxymoron since it’s neither fast nor a restaurant in my experience. Recently, a friend and I stopped to get coffee and a chicken biscuit at a McDonald’s drive-through in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The clerk practically threw my change into my hand so that most of it ended up outside my car. She didn’t apologize or offer to give me correct change and closed her window. I nudged open my car door to see what I could reach and managed to salvage a quarter. I figured if she does that enough, she can gather up a good tip at the end of her shift. Then, while waiting in line to pick up my food, we heard the occupant in the car ahead loudly ranting at the clerk several times, “I saw what you did. Where’s your manager?” So, we’re beginning to think all of the employees at this location must have poor attitudes. Anyway, when I got to eat my sandwich at my destination, the chicken was burned and tasted pretty greasy.
Next time, I will examine my sandwich before I leave the parking lot and I’ll hold up traffic getting my change. Or maybe I just won’t eat there again.

Frolicking Manatees in the Indian River Lagoon

Each morning when I arrive at the office, I look for manatees and dolphins near the Indian River seawall. One June morning, a family of four manatees was frolicking including a young one. I grabbed my camera and was mesmerized by these prehistoric-looking creatures. They bobbed up and down and tumbled across each other in the water. They continue to amaze me.

Broken Things

Why does everything break? And it happens in threes? In the past week, our air conditioner, our pool chlorinator, and our toilet broke. First I thought I could blame it on a lightning strike, but that wouldn’t cause the toilet to leak. Fortunately, two of these things are under warranty. But the warranty doesn’t cover labor. So, to avoid future unexpected costs, we sprung for an extended warranty on the A/C. My mother keeps telling me “You shoulda bought a Trane.”
My husband, handyman that he is, and unemployed right now, is scheduling the repairmen and trying to fix the toilet himself. We were without A/C for 3 days, but our electric bill didn’t go down. We had a window unit in our bedroom which probably wasn’t the most energy efficient. But at least we were comfortable. We’re using chlorine and tablets in the pool until Tuesday.
Things are gradually getting fixed until the next lightning strike.