Well, this is my 3rd Post Written Today that will go into the Unpublished yet Queue into the Future, I'm on a Roll. I won't lead with the Rant, I'll let you ease into it further down the Read of this Post. *Winks* I also Priced some Merch to take in to the Antique Mall Tomorrow when I drop The Man off at his Cardiac Rehab next door at the Hospital. I Priced Pokemon Cards and looked each one up 'til my Eyeballs hurt doing it. But I did have one Card allegedly worth $400 and a few worth $30, the majority only $3-$7, all were the Holographic ones I knew would be worth more than Average. But, I know nothing about Pokemon other than everyone is Buying Hell out of it right now. All the Bagged Lots I got of them will take me Weeks to Price and look up, but should be quite profitable Resale and I need that since Sales have been real Soft mostly. And Pokemon Sells.
I Priced that expensive Doll too and an expensive Designer Purse I had. It's real Cute and we all liked it, but didn't Need it, we got Purses out the Ass that we do Keep for ourselves, we're the Imelda Marcos' of cool Designer Handbags in this Family, so we'd rather have the Cash. *Smiles* I feel a lot more accomplished than usual coz I wasn't a complete Slug all day long and I did get a fair amount actually Done. It was a Beautiful looking Day, but Humid and muggy, so even tho' it stayed in the low 100's, it wasn't comfortable to be outside in. And it had Rained again a bit, not a Monsoon heavy Storm, just enuf to make everything damp, steamy and very, very Humid while still staying in the triple digits. I thought about jumping in the Pool but can't get my Dreadlocks wet this late and while it's this Humid or they never dry out.
I did some Blog Reads to try to catch up on what ya'll are up to. Some of you have the most magnificent Gardens. I used to Love Gardening and always had an impressive one but here I haven't. Yes, we have loads of Green Grass here and very Mature Landscaping, but not the usual big Herb and Veggie Garden or Flower Gardens I always had at the Historic Acreage. I even had more Green Thumb stuff at the Villa McManse than I do here. I just haven't had it in me to Maintain a Victory Garden here or grow Flowers, it's a lot of Maintenance just to upkeep a Mini Farm of Pasture and Irrigate it... and have The Son trim and shape all the Hedges, which seem to grow like Weeds and need sculpting regularly. He once worked for a large Commercial Landscaping Company that did all the Big Expensive Resorts in the Valley, so he does a good job and knows what he's doing. As my Son he's Free Labor... which is the Right Price too. *Winks*
Hey, don't feel Sorry for any of them Two Generations of Kids living here, I don't charge Rent and they just throw me Cash as I need it and pay for anything I ask them to, so it is reciprocity in Action. And whatever needs done around here that I don't wanna do or can't do anymore, well, guess who I delegate it to? *Winks* I think that's partially why some of them are MIA, I can find lotsa Work around here for them to do all the time every day otherwise. And, they're Young and wanna have a Life, what can I say? *Bwahahahaha* The Son and Princess T get angry at The Daughter and Young Prince tho' coz they feel that the Two of them should do more to voluntarily be Helpful since I'm so good to everyone. They could be Right. The Daughter will do anything for us, but it overwhelms her sometimes to have Walls around her or have Responsibilities. She was Homeless too long and prefers it.
The Young Prince is Lazy, I Love him to Death, but, he admits he is Lazy, he Owns his Laziness. I mean, nobody will Hire a Schizophrenic at Gainful Employment anyway, so it's not like he can even get a Job at a McDonalds. He said that if anyone wants something done very effectively, efficiently and in the shortest time possible tho', ask someone as Lazy as him to do it. Coz he don't wanna be doing anything for long. *LOL* So he'll find the best way to get it Done the fastest way possible with the least amount of effort. *Bwahahahaha* He's very intelligent and Clever, so he does find shortcuts to doing every damned thing he will be required to do. But, if it's not required of him, he's not doing it. Even in School he wouldn't stay Awake in Class or Study, he'd use his high IQ and Intelligence to just Ace the Tests and figure that should be enuf, to get it all Right with zero Effort... it wasn't. *Le Sigh*
The only thing he really had endless enthusiasm for is Art and Learning what he's Interested in, then his Mind is like a Sponge and he'll absorb knowledge voluntarily and go Deep. When he's Interested in something he wants to know literally EVERYTHING there is to Know about it and he becomes like a Savant about it. I think he has either Total Recall or a Photographic Memory and endless capacity to store Knowledge in that very Unique and disturbed Brain of his. I do think there is that Fine Line between Genius and Insanity and he Walks it Daily. It seems a shame to waste such Intelligence and Potential, but I wouldn't know the most effective way to reach someone so equally tormented by Serious Mental Illness in order to Unlock their Genius and access it? I just know he's way Smarter than me and has been since he was about Two. And I'm not a Stupid or Intellectually Unintelligent Woman, but I can tell when someone has superior Intelligence.
Anyway, I've been busy Reading some Blogs of folks I know who are very Intellectual, but not Arrogant or condescending about it. And I often vicariously Travel with the Bloggers who are still World Travelers and go places often, since, I don't anymore. I'd like to, but I know I wouldn't do it Alone and I can't take this Show on the Road, so, I won't be going is the most likely scenario. Its Okay coz I watched a horrific Documentary {they all seem horrific don't they? LOL}, about a Cruise Ship Sinking. And I don't like to Fly. So, there ya have it. *Ha ha ha* I think if I were to be out on the Open Ocean, I'd potentially Freak Out no matter how Big the Cruise Ship was. Just knowing we were on the Ocean, with no Land in Sight, and what all is in the Ocean and how dangerous the Ocean can be, would be on my Mind constantly. *LOL* Same with being in the Air... no Ground beneath me, up very High, well, if something goes Sideways up there, there's no Happy Endings either.
When we flew to Hawaii, I remember it was an early flight and they had to get me tipsy at the Bar in the Airport first so I wouldn't Freak Out right away, and I don't even Drink. *LOL* When we were World Travelers the Military did Fly us all over the place and I never Liked it, didn't like Take Off, the Flight, or the Landing parts. *Ha ha ha* I'd Drive anywhere rather than take a Plane there. And since The Man knows a lot about Aircraft, I'd have to remind him not to Share any potentially disturbing information about his observations about the Plane, the Pilot, or what didn't look Right to him. *Bwahahaha* One time we were stuck on the Runway a while before takeoff and he knew Why, it wasn't good, The Why, but thought better NOT to tell me Why until we were safely Landed on the other End... good thing, I'd of gotten off the Plane even if they tried to keep me on it. *LOL* And a lot of those Aircraft and Cruise Ships are pretty Old now... just sayin'.
Yes, I'm Fearless about a lot of things and have Phobias about some other things that probably are irrational and quite Safe, but if I don't FEEL Safe, then I'm not having it. *Smiles* Driving on a narrow Mountain Road where on one side is a complete drop off, is probably the most terrifying thing I have done more often than I wanted to coz I was the only Driver. I Love going to the Ghost Town of Jerome, but that Drive up there is Mentally harrowing to me every time and I try not to hyperventilate as we're reaching the Town in those final few Miles coz it's terrifying! *Smiles* And even Walking Jerome's Streets, some of them I cannot walk down coz the other side of that Street is a drop off right off the side of a Mountain and wouldn't ya know that's the "Scenic" part they put the fucking Sidewalks on! *LOL* I have Vertigo so it just makes me feel dizzy and like I'm being drawn over The Edge, so... not Fun... probably not Safe either. So, the Family don't make me do it or try to convince me it will be alright. *Smiles*
I got more Inventory priced so have a full Crate to take in of fresh Merch, including a lot of Pokemon and popular Collectible Toys. I haven't been in since last time The Man had his Cardiac Rehab so no idea what condition the Showroom is in? Often it takes up the majority of my time there just running damage control behind messy Customers. I don't understand how or why anyone needs to Wreck things when they Shop, I have never done that in my Life anywhere I Shop... nor has anyone in our Family. And I rarely handle things that I have no intention of Buying either, I can look with my Eyes, not my Hands, I'm not Blind. We get some Customers at the Locked Cases that seem to feel the need to Touch everything even if they Buy nothing, massive Time wasters and keeps you from assisting actual Buying Customers when a Looky Lou is just wanting to handle everything they're not gonna Buy and tie you up a long time as they do it. Knowing full well they aren't Buying anything and wasting the time of Customer Service from helping Customers who are wanting to make Purchases and be Helped.
Anyway, people are often Strange and inconsiderate like that, unless they come in regularly and do it you don't know which ones are the Time Wasters wanting unnecessary attention. I like to Window Shop too, but I don't waste Staff time doing it. If I'm just Looking and an Employee walks up and asks if they can help me, I tell them I'm just looking, but Thank You for asking. Then, if I do see something I might actually consider Buying, that's when I'll ask for Customer Service. I've also seen Customers gush over something and take a long time picking it out and telling you how excited they are to Purchase it, have you take it up front and later see they walked out without it and it's on the Go Back Cart. The benefit of the Doubt says perhaps they forgot they'd asked for something to be taken up front to Purchase, but most of the time, they were never gonna Buy it. We have some that used to come in all the time and have us bring up a large amount of items and not Buy any of them! Then as the Store is Closing, you've got to put it all back!
There was a Pair of Twins that did that so often that we dreaded them coming into the Mall, they were Older and Thankfully don't come anymore. It would take Hours to put back everything they had you bring up front for them every time and not a single time did they Buy any of it! I think that's truly Mental behavior... and if it's on Purpose to cause people a lot of Work, it's Wicked and being a pure Asshole behavior to do that regularly. I often wondered how many Stores they spent Hours doing that to? Mebbe filling up Shopping Carts in Grocery Stores with perishables and then just ditch the Cart full? I've seen full Carts like that and wonder if it's the same kind of Shopper doing it for Kicks or coz they're Nuts? If it's something that needs to be frozen or refrigerated I'm assuming it's a total Loss then for the Store?
It's why I don't like Upgrading my Phones or my Computers, or even enhancing them when new Updates come out. I know that if things changed, and they will, I'll be confused for a long time on how it works and by the time I get it figured out and familiar, they change it again!!! LATER: Both The Man and I got pissed at Cardiac Rehab, they wouldn't do it again and so within 10 Minutes he was calling me to be picked up coz they said his BP was too High. It had been just Fine 30 Minutes beforehand at Home. So, if just getting up to the 5th Floor is elevating it too much, then why are we doing this twice a Week and they won't even do the Cardiac Rehab, so he's shown up for Nothing?! If he's too Medically Fragile for it, so be it, but don't Milk it to get Paid and not even do the Rehab with him, that's all I'm saying, it agitates him, agitates me, wastes our Time and Gas to get there and my Schedule is too full for Nonsense that isn't working out.
So, I called Dr. Pham's Cardiology Office to complain and say that he'd rather just cancel the rest of his Cardiac Rehab coz they keep turning him away 99% of the time, so, what's the Point? He has a fused Ankle so can't use 95% of the Equipment there anyway so they only ever had him working out on one Machine that is identical to the one we have at Home that he can use for Free and here. So, he'd rather workout at Home and skip all the hassle and being turned away almost every time we've gone. He's soured on the Staff there anyway at Cardiac Rehab, it's not his fault if his BP isn't in Range, they should just inform his Cardiologist he's not a good candidate for this kind of Rehab right now... if ever... that's all I'm saying. But it's like with my Brother's recent Surgery, nothing they could do, I think they knew that before Operating on him, but of coarse Surgeries are like $35,000+ each so everyone wants to get Paid, Right? It's Medicine For Profit anymore and a lot of unnecessary shit getting Billed for. Okay Venting over. For now. *LOL*
Becoz I had to pick him up within 15 Minutes of dropping him off, I didn't get much done that I needed to do at the Antique Mall. But I shoved all the New Inventory in quickly and found out I'd actually finished Strong last Pay Period that just ended so I'll get a decent Check this time, to go along with that Seventy-Five Cent Check I never even bothered to pick up from the Pay Period before. *Bwahahahaha* Looks like I'd Sold a lot of Shirts coz all our Display Mannequins were Naked. *Smiles* And there were a lot of empty Hangars too scattered around the Showroom. Pretty sure Pokemon Cards Sold as well coz the Display they're in looked picked and so it was good I filled it up again with what I'd just priced of them. Since most of the Fresh Cards were Holographics and the better Quality more expensive Cards, we'll see what happens? I still have a shit ton of them left at Home to still get priced, takes so long to look each one up first to know how to price it. But you have to.
Above is a Hand Colored Photo of me as a Baby. Resplendent with a dorky Haircut and the Hand Coloring they used to do on Old B&W or Sepia Old Photos before Color Photography came out. It never looked Realistic or accurate, I'm a White Baby by the time they Painted it. *Bwahahahaha* But, I never had Rosy Pink Cheeks and when I was that Age I was more Swarthy like my Dad, not Peaches & Cream Complexion like my Mom. And I didn't look like a White Baby at all, so in Europe, how I looked compared to the European Babies, my Mom said was such a Novelty and folks would put Money in my Pram just to take a look at the First "Red Indian" Baby they'd ever seen. Mom said they'd ask her naive Questions such as do Red Indian Babies Walk already when they're Born!? *Ha ha ha, the things folks Naively Think about other Cultures is Amusing and absolutely absurdly ridiculous sometimes!*
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My Younger Brother got Mom's lighter Complexion, but he had their Blue Black Hair too, and Mom's Curls, and I didn't. They did get the Hair Color Right tho', I started out with very Light Brown Hair and always have had Grey Eyes. My Parents did like that Pix though so they bought it. Even tho' I'm sure it was Sacrificial for them to Pay a Photographer and to have them do the novelty of a Hand Coloring of the Photo. Dad was only an Airman First Class at the time. They didn't own a Camera, so any Baby Pixs of me or my Brother were Rare and done with someone else's Camera. So they Cherished the few Pixs of us as Kids that they had taken by someone else. Nowadays we forget what a Luxury Photography used to be for some Families.
And Princess T would also have some French Ancestry on her Mom's Paternal Side of the Family, since the Paternal Great-Grandma was of French Canadian Ancestry. I know that my Maternal Nanna was of Irish and French Ancestry as well, her Maiden Name was a French Surname. She lived most of her Life in North Wales and Married a Welshman, my Gran-Gran, who was also of Roma Ancestry and had been Raised by a Chinese Family with Four of his Younger Siblings. His Dad had been Killed in WWI and his Roma Mom had Eleven Children and no Education, my Gran-Gran had no Education either, so my Great-Grandma gave her Five Youngest Children to a Childless Immigrant Chinese Family she knew and kept her Six Oldest Children to try to Raise. Quite a Colorful diverse Backstory they have. I wondered why my Gran-Gran could speak several Languages fluently but couldn't Read or Write in any... but in his Day the Gypsies didn't send their Kids to School and I don't know his Chinese Volunteer Guardians did either?
The fact you could just give your Kids to someone to Raise in those days without Legally having to do anything is just how things were apparently done. I know that my Dad's Biological Father was a Foundling and allegedly left on a Doorstep of a Childless Family to Raise as their own... shit was just different way back then compared to now. *LOL* When I talk to some real Old Timers they'll tell you stuff that blows your Mind about what they were allowed to do as Children!!! One of the Old Timer Vendors at the Antique Mall, Leo, who was almost 90, grew up here in Arizona and was Driving when he was 6 Years Old and Riding the Rails at 13 and struck out on his Own!!! He said back then most Roads were Dirt in Arizona and few people even Owned Vehicles.
His Parents were Ranchers and would give him their Pickup Truck to go get Supplies, when he was 6 Years Old and he'd Drive into Town and do all the transactions. He left Home at 13 and caught Railroad Cars across the Country to find Work to help Support his Family! Leo looked like the proverbial Old Time Arizona Prospectors you see in Old Photos of the Gold Rush. *Smiles* Now, I can't even fathom giving a Six Year Old Child my Car Keys or having my 13 Year Old Riding the Rails across the Country... but it was a different Era. Even some of the Stories my own Parents told me about their Childhoods blew my Mind, and was nothing like my own Childhood they worked so hard to give us. It's like they didn't have the Luxury of even being Children really.
I went to Work at 14 but it was Voluntary, not Mandatory, and in Europe I could do it coz a lot of the European Kids were Graduates by 15, they start School earlier. My Mom started School at Age 2, so was Graduated before her 15th Birthday. Depending on the Country, the Average Age to begin School in Europe these days is 3-7. My Parents put me in School early coz we lived in Maine at the time and it was a One Room Schoolhouse that Taught Kindergarten thru Senior Year. One Teacher for every Grade, Etta Clark, and she said me and my Brother could attend, he was 2 and I was 4 and a Half. So, I Graduated High School early too. I think Miss Etta Passed Away in 1974, just a Year before I Graduated. She'd let you Learn at whatever Pace or Grade Level you were capable of and wanted to, so I did very well.
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Tho' I was very Young, our time spent in Maine had some Rich and vivid Memories coz there were quite a few Memorable Characters who were our Neighbors. *Smiles* Our Neighbors across the Street was an Old Native American Woman Married to a White Trapper, we called her Old Missus Audis. She'd go shoot Bears and render their Fat Down for a Hair Loss Tonic in a Cauldron over a Fire in her Front Yard, and put it in Skippy Peanut Butter Jars. My Mom got Scarlet Fever and lost a lot of her Hair. So Old Missus Audis gave my Dad a Jar of that Bear Grease and it smelled awful but he told my Mom to slather it on her Scalp, sure enuf her Hair grew back better than before! Old Missus Audis lived in a very Primitive Two Story Wood Cabin her Husband Built. No running Water or Electricity and she had her Livestock living in the House with them. The Chickens would lay Eggs on the Sills and I remember they were bumpy Eggs, never seen any like it before or since, no Idea what Breed of Chicken lays them? *LOL* But, it's a Memory firmly stuck in my Head that she had bumpy Egg laying Chickens. *Ha ha ha*
Old Missus Audis would tell our Mom, when she wasn't Feeling Well, and Dad was Deployed for the Military so was away a lot, to send them Kids over and she'd take Care of us to give Mom ability to Rest. We Loved that Old Lady, but things were different at her House, she was very "Native" in her ways. She'd give you Baths in a Trough in the Middle of the Kitchen and heat the Water on a Pot Belly Stove and the Goats would come over and Stare at you, curious about the Kids in the Trough. *LOL* And Cook either Outside on a Campfire or Inside her big Fireplace in a Cauldron that looked like something a Witch would have. But becoz our Dad was Native American too, we were kinda used to some of the unusual things she did that weren't usual for Non-Indians. Her Husband was a nice Old Guy but was shunned for Marrying an Indian Woman and some of the people would be Mean Spirited and call him Squaw Man. Which I do remember the contempt the Locals had for Indians, so we didn't mingle much and stayed to ourselves or were friendly only with other Intercultural Interracial Families.
It didn't seem to bother him much, he was quite Reclusive anyway and they'd been Married a long, long time and her Tribe were Friendly with him. So he was closer to the Indigenous Community than his own. I think she was Wabanaki, but I can't be Sure... not all East Coast Tribes are Federally Recognized and never were. My Paternal Grandma was Wampanoag Ancestry and most were not Federally Recognized until 2007, my Gramma long Dead by then. How her People ended up on Reservations in Oklahoma... well, who knows, a lot of East Coast and Southern Tribes got herded out West. And even those that tried to do things the way that should have worked for them in their Favor to stay on their Ancestral Lands and not have it Stolen, like Winning Supreme Court Decisions, it was never Honored. Truthful History should be Taught, all of it.
And they don't Teach in our Schools how many Court Decisions and Treaties were not Honored by our Presidents and our Government and make the Indigenous out to be the Bad Guys and the Uncivilized. The Cherokee weren't from Oklahoma either, but that's where they were sent to. My Dad never knew what Tribe his Foundling Father was from but it was highly suspected my Paternal Grandfather might have been Blackfoot Ancestry and some Relatives said perhaps he was Apache Ancestry, we'll never know for sure. He Died quite Young and even my Dad hardly knew him... he had been much Older than our Grandmother, who was Married Off at Age 13. I even have Paternal Cousins of my Generation that were Married at 13 and 15.
But, even in my Mom's Culture most Girls were Young Teens when they Married, she was almost considered an Old Maid coz she waited until she was 21 to Marry. Which is just Crazy to me and Creepy... I'm glad that my Parents both felt waiting until your 20's was more appropriate, but that was not in Line with how they were Brought Up actually. Tho' they did think me waiting 'til 28 was Late. *LMAO, I wasn't a Big Fan of Marriage and mostly Lived with Boyfriends* I'm glad they were both Free Spirited and Bohemian Souls, going against Societal Norms of their Times. And tho' my ways were not Traditional, nor were my Brothers, they really didn't Judge me or him harshly for our differences of Opinion on how to Live our Life Authentically and True to ourselves. And we always sought their Wisdom and Sage Advice, even tho' we didn't always take and implement it, we should have. *Ha ha ha* My Kids and Grandkids do the same tho' and always Solicit our Advice, then lament, yeah, we should have implemented it too, when we didn't. *Smiles*
We just Cancelled the rest of his Cardiac Rehab and they seemed Fine with that. And we're Fine with it too being they weren't even doing it when we would take him there. We feel better now not having the Calendar crammed with Appointments that weren't beneficial to him and weren't working out, and were a complete waste of our Time, Energy and Resources. I just got my Utility Bill in for July and it was over $190 higher than June coz it has been so damned Hot... so when shit is going up that exponentially due to Climate Change and increases in Utility Costs, probably due to all these Data Centers they're Building, it's gonna be Challenging just to have Utilities be affordable... to either Heat or Cool our Homes. You gotta Rob Peter to Pay Paul as my Ole' Nanna used to say. *Smiles* Anyway... after Bills are Paid there is really nothing left over anymore, but at least Bills are Paid on time and so I'm Grateful for that ability to meet our Expenses for Essentials. Some folks are struggling or can't even do that now.
So, now The Man is Happy he doesn't have to do that Cardiac Rehab Two Times a Week anymore and go thru that Ordeal of having Anxiety about his BP being in range to even do it after he gets there? Me too, if it had worked out well I wouldn't have minded how demanding of our Schedule it was, but it wasn't working out at all, let alone well. And if he wasn't Well enuf or have a strong enuf Heart to participate, then I didn't want him doing it either. I'm trying to keep him Alive, not Kill him off prematurely doing all the Wrong things that other folks are Scheduling so they make Money off it for as long as they can. I don't know if our Insurance will Question not doing it or not? I don't know how closely they monitor any of it after Approving it? And I only Hope they won't get Charged for all of it on Claims fraudulently either, if they don't realize they're being Billed by something that was Cancelled? I don't even know if every time he was turned away and they wouldn't do the Rehab, if they still Billed Insurance. Sometimes I get Paperwork of what HUMANA and TriCare Paid for tho', so, we'll see.
I often do have Customers ask me if it's our Space and when we affirm that it is, tell us it's one of their Favorite spots to Shop, so that's very affirming and makes me glad we're doing something Right. I know I also have my Fav Vendors and often tell them they are, so they too know we like what they're doing and what they're offering. I should have spent more Time there this day but with Cardiac Rehab turning The Man away without doing any Rehab, I had 15 Minutes, which isn't nearly enuf to foof a Space and put Fresh Merch in to Inventory. I had a Vintage Milk Crate filled with Merch and barely got the last of it in there before he called and asked to be picked up, so I knew something had gone Wrong again. *Le Sigh* No way he'd done any Rehab in around 10 Minutes, he's supposed to be there for an Hour.
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