Is it the heat that is making people dumber?

Or could it be that once again I've got the stinking rotten summer cold and I feel like crap, but today has been the worst day for stupid that I've seen in a long time...and naturally I'm the one they come to. Before my rant begins, let me say I started a blog regarding the last month, Lauren Sauer, my birthday etc., and it's still coming but today has been too much for me. The 90 degree heat isn't helping, but since I'm in and out of it I've got the friggin cold...damn it! So I'm not feeling tip top today and that isn't helping my mood....but dumb has nothing to do with my cold. It really started with the 10-4 shift...Renee has been out for 2 weeks on vacation (yes, she had the nerve to take her vacation during the summer) so I'm doing her 4 day shift and my 5 day shift so I'm working the shop double shifts Tuesday and Wednesday...crap!! Anyway, during the morning shift a woman came in, looked around, kept asking me questions, which I really didn't mind and challenging me to find things, which I also didn't mind, since that's my job. She picked out 2 of the designs on 10 ct. Betsy Ross and when I asked if she would like me to cut her fabric for it she handed me one of the designs. I chose the fabric, held it up to the picture, she said yes it's fine and I went and cut it. She actually went through Sea Trader to pay as I was already moving on to help someone else. After she left, Pat brought over one of the charts and asked where it went as the woman didn't want it after all. So Pat hands me the chart and it's the chart I cut the fabric for. So now she has the fabric for the wrong chart. I even had the name of the chart on the paper I put on the fabric so she would know what it was cut for. And naturally the fabric is much too small for the other chart pattern. You just know she's going to be calling and bitching about that. Then I go to dinner, come back and here is perhaps the 2nd dumbest woman, or could be the first..it's going to go down to the wire. Anyway she is in here with her daughter who is probably 20. Her daughter who apparently is crafty feels she wants to do counted cross stitch. So they picked out a bit picture, 18" x 7" design are and it's filled with houses. So the mother says, "This will be easy for her don't you think?" So in my best saleswoman voice I said, "No I don't think." There is too much detail and she may get discouraged. I would suggest she start smaller with less detail. I'll never understand why people ask for my opinion when they clearly don't give a damn. I show her what are nice beginner kits and I'm not talking for children, I'm talking 5" x 7" that are doable. But she ends back up at the counter with the same kit, where the idiot mother then says, "This will be easy for her she's crafty, she knits, don't you think? After all it's all half a stitch whatever that is so it's not even as hard as counted cross stitch." Sara happened to be in the shop so we just looked at each other and Sara said, "It's both half cross and cross stitch." Idiot mother asked was half cross was. I wish you could have seen her trying to grasp that answer. I of course shut down...decided it was best if I just didn't speak. Now the mother is talking about how much she stitches, does counted cross stitch and needlepoint, in fact she's done several needlepoint rugs. Then she asks for a hoop for her daughter's kit, which we got for her and then...wait for it...she asks for a hoop for her needlepoint. Now, for those who don't know...you use roller bars, you use stretcher bars, but you don't put a hoop on your needlepoint canvas. So I said to her, "you don't use a hoop on needlepoint, just stitch it in hand." I just wasn't up for the whole stretcher bar, roller bar debate. She decides she needs more needlepoint needles because she only has one at home. So I get her the correct needle to which she says, "Gee my needles are longer." So then we had to have the discussion that needlepoint needles are what she has in hand and I don't know what she's using at home, but if they are indeed needlepoint needles, then they have to be that size. But this woman wasn't done with me yet. She then wanted scissors for her daughter, and I suggested a $10 pair which would be fine for her. But she says nothing so I thought maybe she didn't want to spend $10, so I showed her an $8.00 pair of scissors and she still hesitated so I broke down and showed her the folding scissors for $5.00. Then she announces she doesn't want some cheap scissors so I said, O.K, then Dovo or Gingher are the best. She looks at the price of the Gingher and decides the $10 pair of scissors were cute and they'd take those. Then she says, "I think I'll get a pack of needlepoint needles for this new project." I said, "you already picked out needlepoint needles" to which she inparts, "Oh, I thought they were for the project at home." "The I had to say, needlepoint is needlepoint, your project at home is not going to take a different needle than your project here if the canvas is the same count. Well, I shouldn't have mentioned count, could have cut out my tongue, but it went right over her head anyway. By then she was moving on to a tote for her daughter to carry her stuff in. But after showing her what I had starting at $19.50, she decided the plastic bag I put the stuff in was just fine. Well out they went and and another happy customer was born. I was exhausted!! The nights here are still pretty quiet so I've been closing early...around 8:30 or 9:00. I still haven't taken the "open 10-4" off the door so people are constantly coming in to tell me my door says we're only open to 4 p.m, and that's getting on my nerves so I suppose by next week, with Renee here I'll go to 10-10 (Good Golly, that's 12 hours of my day.) Anyway, things have slowed down now so I might just get out of here at 9:00 p.m. I just wish I still liked to drink because right about now I could use a cold glass of something. Anyway, I'll try to get the other blog up tomorrow, but in the meantime have a cool, night and a cool day tomorrow.

Oops...I forgot to tell you...

Barbara Cohen was in yesterday and asked about my issue with the "man" who tried to come through my window and door at home. I've been to court on this issue and want to report what happened. First I got a letter from his attorney telling me he was sorry and would it be alright if we agreed to his doing community service. I never bothered to answer that letter and chose to confront him in court. I arrived at the courthouse and found myself walking off the parking lot with who I felt must be "the guy" although if I had to swear it was him I couldn't have done it. After all, this guy came in a suit and a tie and I couldn't see his arms to see "tats"and since he didn't have on his black t-shirt with a white skull...well, who knows who it was. But since he, his attorney and I were the only ones in the foyer waiting for the court to open, he attorney asked if I was Mrs. Rutka so then I knew. His client then said how sorry he was and how he was drunk at the time and was confused (you think?)...yadda yadda yadda and then showed me his deployment papers for Iraq. Actually though he did seem remorseful and well, haven't we all had a little too much to drink. So I informed him that what I really wanted was an apology, to which the attorney said, "Well I thought I said that in my letter to you." I looked at this jackass and said, "I didn't want an apology from you, I wanted it from the person trying to break into my house at 2:00 in the morning." I also wanted reimbursement for the damages. "The guy" brought money with him in anticipation I guess, so after some discussion with him grovelling at my feet for a while I decided to let him off with community service. After all, Iraq was calling. So the end result was...he got community service and paid for damages. I went home a better person. On a different note, my Michael spent the night with me last night (always exhausting with a 9 year old directing activities) and we decided to walk to work this morning and stop by the Alaska Stand for a breakfast sandwich. Since they weren't open yet, we sat on the benches to wait and heard a mother screaming for Stephen. Come to find out...this idiot left her 4 year old son outside the comfort station on 9th street...but she said "I told him not to move"...and of course he did. So she comes out of the bathrooms to find Stephen missing. Honestly some people need mothering lessons. Anyway, the people on the boardwalk were unbelievably helpful with bikers and just walkers fanning out to search. A few minutes later a gentlemen came by on his bike, heard what had happened and said to the woman, "a couple of women are holding him about 3 blocks from here until you are found." Good ending where it could have been disasterous. I guess what I wanted to say was God does look after children and idiots. Everyone should know without being told that a 4 year old cannot be left on the boardwalk by themselves. Having said that, when Mary was 2-3 she use to walk around in the area without us with her. This is her home, and although she couldn't talk, I felt she knew where she was. However, the police picked her up on 9th street twice and took her to the police headquarters and we got a call (not sure how they knew the first time who we were) and we had to go pick her up. I couldn't get the police to understand that she was in her home territory, they were getting madder by the minute. We finally had t-shirts printed with "I belong to the Lankford Hotel" on them and we put her in one every day before she took her little "walk". I'm thrilled to say she was never picked up by the police again....plus, I have to admit we kept a better eye on her. Like I said, God looks after children and idiots (and we fell into both categories there so we were doubly protected.) Have a great day...I couldn't get a picture of my Just Nan project because Michael and I were having a DS duel.

Oh my God...Summer has definitely started....

O.K., just in case you didn't notice, this is the second post today. But I just couldn't resist telling you this. When I arrived today Vernon said, "Make sure you ask Sara about the excitement this morning." So of course I couldn't wait. When she finally got back from taking Michael to school I got the scoop. She was opening up the hotel and heard someone screaming for help. She thought it was from the "animal house" at the end of the alley and didn't react at first. But then as the screaming continued she knew it was something different so she went out back and saw a man pulling a woman across the alley from the hotel next door...the woman had no top on....so Sara went over to the Paradise Hotel where she saw 2 women standing there watching the show. She said, "Are you the managers?" And they said, "yes, and we've already called the police." So the three of them stood there and watched the show. Of course my instint told me one of them should have done a little more than stand there, but he was apparently a big guy and they were afraid. He managed to get her in the car, but as he went to get in she took off and just as he was trying to flee in his car the police arrived and blocked him in. Apparently he didn't want to go (duh!) so guns were drawn. Meanwhile Sara figured at that point, with bullets about to show up perhaps standing there watching wasn't the best idea. So she came in and Vernon went out. He reported that they put the guy in the paddy wagon and the woman in an ambulance. And folks...that was before 9:00 a.m. I hope your day is going better! I'll keep you posted. Oh, yea, Sara has signed Salty Yarns up on Facebook and she is writing on that....she seems to be enjoying herself for now...not sure how long that will last since she gets very distracted playing Bejeweled with Staci Buhrman. Thankfully, I'm unable to do it fast enough so I'm not playing. Anyway, she's there is you are looking for her. I put the Jamboree info on the web so you can pull it off of that....and I'm working on the brochures. I'm also working on confirmations for those of you already signed up. ... hopefully I'll get it all done by next weekend.
Thanks for your patience.