Outback and the tire rut appology

We returned the Dodge Magnum to the airport today. We went to Outback on the way home. Middle Child was very adamant that she did NOT want to eat at Outback. I informed her she could starve while she watched us eat. Or not. Her choice.

Heather the Waitress was taking our order when disaster struck. One girl knocked the other girl's glass over. It sloshed all over the table. Heather the Waitress ran to grab towels. As we tried to be helpful, I came to the conclusion that it was a good time to make a potty run.

"Mommy," asked Middlest, "why do the doors say 'blokes' and 'sheilas'?"

I explained it was Australian slang for guys and gals. Middlest picked a stall, so I went to the other two to check. There wasn't toilet paper hung in any of the stalls. Middlest's stall had two rolls perched on the toilet tank. I opted to wait for her to get done and use that stall. I locked the door and started to bend over, my eyes on my jeans front.

I connected with the coat hanger on the back of the door. If I don't have a bruise in my hairline tomorrow, it'll be a miracle.

I walked Middlest back to the table and told Charles I needed to go speak with a manager. I headed back towards the door and spoke with the (rather pregnant) hostess. She was indeed some version of manager and she appoligized for my bathroom experience. I complained politely about the toilet paper situation, then quietly whispered, "And it really stinks in there..." Right at that moment, a guy in a blue shirt walked up.

"This is Chris, our store owner. He's the one that can do anything to the building," Pregnant Hostess/Manager began to explain.

I quickly repeated to Chris the Owner what had happened. His jaw dropped. He promised "as soon as the customers clear out tonight, that hook is GONE." Then he mentioned that they would soon be renovating the restrooms.

"If that's the case, the best thing you can do for your ladies' room is to have stalls that open OUT," I suggested.

Pregnant Hostess/Manager nodded her agreement. Chris the Owner stared at us blankly.

"When doors open inward, you have to dance around to get inside and close the door," I explained.

"You have to rub up against the toilets in there just to get in," Pregnant Hostess/Manager added helpfully.

"And if you have a small child with you," I continued, "it's even more complicated."

Pregnant Hostess/Manager offered to go show Chris the Owner right that moment what we were talking about. He caught on that she was joking and thanked me for "the very good input" about the bathrooms. I returned to our table and gave Charles the Headline version of the story. Oldest looked up and stared at Chris the Owner as he arranged tables for a party near us.

"That guy looks like Uncle Jim!"

Having seen Chris the Owner straight on, I didn't notice it. Viewing him from the side, he looked a LOT like my brother. I caught his attention as he neared our table and told him he favored my brother quite a bit.

"Then your brother must be a very fine looking fellow!"

The rest of dinner progressed without drama. The Boy Child not only tore into the Blooming Onion, he ate ALL of his cheeseburger. Wonders will never cease.

Once we got home, I decided to accomplish two things I had put off all day. I headed to Sally Beauty Supply and Wal-mart.

At Sally I got the necessary things for fixing my broken nails. "You don't need all that stuff," the manager said when I came to the checkout. "Put all that back. Buy this stuff. It's what I use." One bottle for $3 versus a handful of items for about $20... SOLD. This super-glue in a nail polish bottle is called "Brush-On Gel Resin", apparently by "ibd" company. It dries a little rough, so there will be buffing/sanding later.

At Wal-mart I assembled the "I'm sorry the tow truck driver left ruts in your yard" basket. The neighbor is diabetic, so I got some fruit, "Motts Healthy Harvest" apple sauce ("with no added sugar!"), three kinds of Gevalia coffee, and six kinds of sugar free candy. I placed it all in a bright red dish pan. I wrapped it all in "Saran Wrap Holiday Colors" green plastic wrap and enclosed a card.

I left it on their front stoop without ringing the bell. I'll let you know if anything is said.

It was one of those days where little goes right

Today was picture day for the younger set, so last night I stayed up ironing shirts for The Boy Child. This morning he agreed that the blue shirt was the one to wear. We put on the spiffy new "zipper" tie. Less than two minutes later, I took the tie back. "You are NOT wearing that to school if you're going to act like that." I was seriously afriad the kid was going to choke himself.

I needed to get some groceries. Instead of spending 20 minutes at the bus stop, I had them load up into Karl the Wonder Truck. Getting out of Karl, TBC fell and got his tan pants muddy. Proving how insensitive and evil I am, I told him to go into school. He wasn't bloodied and I needed to get those groceries and get home before Oldest did. According to The Informant (Middlest) "he cried the whole way inside." At some point during the day his teacher had him change into his emergency pants. He came home wearing camo pants with the tan pants in his book bag.

I arrived at the gate and the guard acted funny. I rolled my window all the way down. The male guard took my ID card away. "Ma'am, we can't let you through the gate," said the female guard. "Your inspection sticker expired... in September." My mouth fell open. How the hell could I have missed that?

"Can I have my ID card back?" I asked. The male guard was walking off with it.

"Yes, ma'am. Turn your truck around and he'll give it to you."

Karl obliged the U-turn and the guard handed over my card. "There's a place across the street that will inspect it for you." He was just trying to be helpful.

"No thank you. I have a place that does that for me." No one was behind me, so I pulled out the cell phone and "parked" at the red light. "Hi, Diane. This is Janie. Can you inspect my truck this morning?"

"Sure, how quick can you get here?" Diane the Office Manager asked sweetly.

"I'm driving straight there."

Diane, the business owner, and I had a lovely conversation. They had just had a customer whose inspection sticker had expired in August, so I was instructed to "don't feel so bad." I asked them to change the oil since I was there. "Mrs. B, the time is up but you haven't driven the miles yet. We checked the viscosity and the oil is still good. Wouldn't you rather wait another month or two?" I LOVE this repair shop. They won't try to get you to pay for something unneccessary. With Karl inspected, I headed home.

Oldest had not beaten me home. I didn't feel like I should go shopping and leave her home alone. Instead, I started work on the tunic-chemise I had cut out early in the morning. The sewing was coming along nicely when Oldest started rattling the door knob. By the time I made it to the foyer, she had it unlocked. "Weren't you supposed to get home earlier from exams?" I asked after she had a minute to unwind.

"The substitute bus driver said, 'No problem, I'll take the Peachtree kids home and be right back for you.' We stood out in the bugs for TWENTY MINUTES!!!"

I waited for the complaining to stop. "In 20 minutes you could have walked home."

I took a break from the sewing and read emails and such on the computer for a bit. I even carried the laptop to the bathroom for several minutes. Hubby finally walked in. "Are you ready to go?"

"No, because you didn't call me."

"Oh yeah??? Check your voice mail..."

I ignored the invitation to fight and got ready to run out the door. I called Oldest to the top of the stairs. "Go into my bedroom and take the portable phone off its charger. Keep it beside you."

"Oh, are you going somewhere?"

I have positively BRILLIANT children.

Hubby drove out to the antique and reproduction store. When the owner saw me, his face lit up. "You're BACK! I'll be with you in just a minute."

I turned to Hubby. "He's happy because he just *knows* he's going to make a sale." We wandered around and decided on a couple of styles. The owner checked to see how we were doing. We went to the catalogue table and flipped through books. The owner was finally done with the other customers, so he turned his full attention to us. We were once again warned that it could take more than two months to get an order shipped. He wrote down numbers, then went to his office to check prices.

The first bedroom set was, ahem, prohibitively expensive. The other two sets were discontinued by their manufacturers. However, one set was on the show room floor. We walked back and looked at it again. "There aren't any bed-side tables," I noted.

"But these coordinate wonderfully," the owner said as he walked to another set, "...with THIS set, which has also been discontinued. I can take the night-stands from this set and sell them to you." We decided this was indeed acceptable.

"So if we buy these discontinued things from the show room.... when can we have them?" I asked cautiously.

"TODAY, if you want them." He agreed to hold them for a few days for us and ran to get tags. We measured the pieces. We agreed to let him know for sure in a couple of days that we wanted them. We'll set up delivery arrangements at that time.

Think that was a nice resolution to a shopping trip? Hah. Now is when things take a down-turn. Hubby was hungry, but didn't want to eat. "I'm going to be driving with Bill. He might want to stop and eat then."

"Honey," I said, "I think you need to stop making excuses for not eating. *IF* Bill wants to eat, I'm sure he'll understand if you're not hungry because you had a late lunch. You need to eat now." We headed to the Wendy's closest to the house. Orders placed and filled, we returned to the car... that would not start.

Halloween mini-Frostys melting in the back seat, I called AAA. I ate the kid's fries. Hubby used his I-Phone to see if Enterprise had a car he could rent, but the on-line service wouldn't allow him to order. It was too close to closing time. "Call them," I said as I handed over my phone. "Ask them to come pick you up," I suggested once he was on the line with an employee.

The Enterprise employee arrived just before the AAA guy. Hubby went to rent a car and I rode back to the house in the tow truck. Since loading a car takes several minutes, especially in the MIDDLE of Wendy's parking lot, Hubby beat me home. He has a Dodge Magnum, so he's happy.

The tow truck driver insisted upon backing up across the NEIGHBOR'S grass. This is the same neighbor that spends all his time working on his yard. This is the same neighbor that build a gazebo in the back yard to keep the herons out of his Koi pond. I wonder what kind of gift basket I can assemble to appologize for the tire ruts.

If you are wondering, the AAA guy thinks it's the starter. I'll worry about that on Monday. In the meantime, I have to order the mattress. It would be a waste to get the nice furniture and not be able to sleep on it.