I'm fighting off an illness this weekend, which leaves me with lots of time to sit around and moan. Or, blog/mess about on the interwebs (while I have internet, which is spotty at best).
Yahoo is reporting that Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory is dating the newest Superman actor, Henry Cavill. I find this funny in a life-imitates-art sort of way.
I had a wonderful time at my conference in Chicago. It was super cool and I wrote a lot about it on my actual travel blog: GadaboutGetaways.wordpress.com. I decided to move to another blog site for the travel stuff because I might share that more than I want to share this with some folks.
Returning to work yesterday wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was really really quiet, except for a woman from the "God, Please Don't Ever Let Me Be Like This" file: a woman (probably in her mid-to-late 30s) came in and threw a temper tantrum that would have made any teenager envious. She was upset about our 'no bags or purses in the research center' policy. She had told me when she signed in that she'd been here before and she flashed a patron card at me, which means she signed a sheet saying she'd read and agreed to our policies. I always try not to laugh at people when they throw tantrums, because it seems like it would only make things worse. But, God, it's hard to hide my amusement sometimes. Especially when it's something so petty as the fact that she had to put her purse in a locker. She stomped out of the research center and down the hall about halfway, before stomping back in and dramatically scratching her name off the sign-in sheet at the front desk and then stomping back down the hall and then doing her best to slam the swinging door to leave. It was all hilarious. I figured she'd be back though, because people who come to us usually need us for some reason. The things we have, other places don't. You can't just leave and go to another library to get it. Sure enough, about five minutes later she slinks back in (without her purse) and uses the computer for a while and then leaves, without throwing another tantrum. We were all laughing about it later. I think I generally have a higher tolerance for people younger than me throwing tantrums about stuff. But, when you're older than me, I find you really ridiculous, but also really amusing. Especially ones like this woman, who become so dramatic, you want to rush after them with an Oscar for their performance.
I won't have a Throwback Movie Night review to share tonight, but while in Chicago, I caught the middle of the movie "Marilyn and Me" with Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe. The little bit I saw wasn't awful. It did make me want to see the real Marilyn Monroe in a movie, so I'm going to add that to the list of possible upcoming TMNs.
I think I'm going to go back to sleep and see if I can get over this cold or whatever it is. I hate being sick, but especially when it's really nice weather outside.
Showing posts with label sick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sick. Show all posts
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Monday, January 23, 2012
Another time when medicine head got me all riled up.
Why are some medicine gel caps so huge? I know I'm not the only person who gets intimidated by the size of medicine tablets. And the dose over the age of 12 is so rarely one giant-sized tablet. No, you have to take at least two of those monsters if you're an adult. So, if you manage to stare down the fear of choking on one, you have to face it all over again on the second. It's doubly wretched. I sometimes look at what I am about to take and measure in my mind just how sick I feel and whether this giant-sized medicine capsule is worth the risk of choking to death in order to feel better. Or shall I just hold out and get better on my own sans horse tablet by drinking water, eating an orange, etc? I felt sick enough to attempt to take the medicine this afternoon. I managed to swallow one of the two tablets. I figure a half dose is better than no dose. I don't really mind having colds. I don't like being sick, but if I have to be sick, a cold is (I suppose) better than most other possibilities. But, medicine head is always rough on me. That's what I have right now. A big ole case of medicine head.
I am going to get my own work e-mail address soon! This is exciting news. I don't know when it will happen, but the process has begun.
I was thinking about my flights back home and have come to the conclusion that USA Homeland Security people don't need to be as mean, rude, and obnoxious to travelers as they are. I understand the job that they have to do and I understand the importance of it, and I'm glad they are taking things seriously. I appreciate the purpose that the immigration and customs people are serving. But there's a line that you cross from doing the job and protecting the border in a professional way, and just becoming an asshole. It's not hard: when people are coming through your customs or immigration line, ask your questions, look for anything odd or unusual, do your little security checks, and get the job done without resorting to yelling, disrespect, or intimidation. It's like the security people themselves have never traveled out of the country before and have no concept of the fact that when you land in a foreign country, no matter the time of day, you are tired and disoriented and you don't instinctively know what processes you have to go through at what point in the airport. You may not even speak the language very well. It's tiring and exhausting and nerve-wrecking without the additional fear that Rambo in a Homeland Security vest is going to get in your face over how you spent your family vacation. Homeland Security are the first folks many visitors to the US have to deal with. Is it too much to ask that upon arrival to the United States, the weary traveler gets a smile from an American? I say smile, because I assume a friendly 'Hello' is way too much to ask from these people. I would settle for even a less hostile 'Momma-said-knock-you-out' look on their face. Anything but what they do right now, which is grab the passport, give a mean look, bark out a question, yell if the person asks them to repeat the question, and then shove the passport back and shout at them and their family to go through some door that they barely indicated by a head tilt to get to the checked baggage claim. It doesn't just happen to those who are visiting the US, it also happens to Americans returning from abroad. It's rude all around. I've gone through customs in three different airports and only once have I ever been treated in a friendly and welcoming way. Miami this last time was the worst. I don't think I've ever seen a more rude group of Homeland Security staff, who just barked orders and got in the faces of tourists, and the poor young man in front of me in the customs line was actually shaking, the guy was yelling at him so much. Then he just shoved the kid's passport back to him and turned away and waved me forward like nothing happened. Meanwhile the kid practically just crapped himself as his first official action in the USA. Just do your job, Homeland Security; don't go all UFC on the travelers. You look like dumbasses. In going through other countries' immigration and customs areas, I've never been treated as poorly as when I am just trying to get back into my own country. In other countries, I've been asked the same questions as I've been asked in the USA, they've checked the same documentation, but they do it in a friendly, or at least non-hostile, way. It makes a big difference in the way a traveler views the entire country when the first citizen they come across yells at them or gets in their face. It's a big deal. There's really no excuse for yelling at tourists who don't speak your language and who are disoriented after getting off of a red-eye flight. But there you go. Welcome to the USA. We're bullies. Try not to soil yourself on the way through customs.
I was thinking about my flights back home and have come to the conclusion that USA Homeland Security people don't need to be as mean, rude, and obnoxious to travelers as they are. I understand the job that they have to do and I understand the importance of it, and I'm glad they are taking things seriously. I appreciate the purpose that the immigration and customs people are serving. But there's a line that you cross from doing the job and protecting the border in a professional way, and just becoming an asshole. It's not hard: when people are coming through your customs or immigration line, ask your questions, look for anything odd or unusual, do your little security checks, and get the job done without resorting to yelling, disrespect, or intimidation. It's like the security people themselves have never traveled out of the country before and have no concept of the fact that when you land in a foreign country, no matter the time of day, you are tired and disoriented and you don't instinctively know what processes you have to go through at what point in the airport. You may not even speak the language very well. It's tiring and exhausting and nerve-wrecking without the additional fear that Rambo in a Homeland Security vest is going to get in your face over how you spent your family vacation. Homeland Security are the first folks many visitors to the US have to deal with. Is it too much to ask that upon arrival to the United States, the weary traveler gets a smile from an American? I say smile, because I assume a friendly 'Hello' is way too much to ask from these people. I would settle for even a less hostile 'Momma-said-knock-you-out' look on their face. Anything but what they do right now, which is grab the passport, give a mean look, bark out a question, yell if the person asks them to repeat the question, and then shove the passport back and shout at them and their family to go through some door that they barely indicated by a head tilt to get to the checked baggage claim. It doesn't just happen to those who are visiting the US, it also happens to Americans returning from abroad. It's rude all around. I've gone through customs in three different airports and only once have I ever been treated in a friendly and welcoming way. Miami this last time was the worst. I don't think I've ever seen a more rude group of Homeland Security staff, who just barked orders and got in the faces of tourists, and the poor young man in front of me in the customs line was actually shaking, the guy was yelling at him so much. Then he just shoved the kid's passport back to him and turned away and waved me forward like nothing happened. Meanwhile the kid practically just crapped himself as his first official action in the USA. Just do your job, Homeland Security; don't go all UFC on the travelers. You look like dumbasses. In going through other countries' immigration and customs areas, I've never been treated as poorly as when I am just trying to get back into my own country. In other countries, I've been asked the same questions as I've been asked in the USA, they've checked the same documentation, but they do it in a friendly, or at least non-hostile, way. It makes a big difference in the way a traveler views the entire country when the first citizen they come across yells at them or gets in their face. It's a big deal. There's really no excuse for yelling at tourists who don't speak your language and who are disoriented after getting off of a red-eye flight. But there you go. Welcome to the USA. We're bullies. Try not to soil yourself on the way through customs.
Sigh. This is where medicine head usually gets me. I get on a tangent and can't get off. I might read this with a clear head and be like, 'hmm, that was kind of harsh and silly', but right now, medicine head is re-living being bullied by the Homeland Security fool and dammit, she's not going to take it anymore! Raar!
Okay, I just referred to someone on a public site as my home-skillet, so I think it's time to get off of the world wide web and say goodnight before medicine head gets any goonier.
Okay, I just referred to someone on a public site as my home-skillet, so I think it's time to get off of the world wide web and say goodnight before medicine head gets any goonier.
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