Walks

My friend and I used to take walks all of the time in college. Potsdam is in the middle of nowhere. It has wonderful scenic country views and lots of cows. We would walk around and talk about whatever. Even if we both had work to do (which we always did) we would stop what we were doing and just go for a walk. There is nothing more relaxing than going for walks. As I said in the post about my cruise, I love long walks on the beach. I also love long walks on land. It's a great time to think, or to just relax your mind. I was thinking of going for a walk tonight, but then my laziness kicked in and I didn't. I have absolutely no excuse for that. I wish I went for that walk. I know some people like walks or runs late at night when it's cool and dark. That's not for me. You don't know where those skunks and other creepy nighttime creatures are hiding. I'd rather do it when it's bright and sunny out so that I can see an attack coming (hopefully not, though). Nice weather brings walking season. I plan to commit myself to walking more often.

Headaches/Meditation

I seem to be getting a lot of headaches at work lately. I think it's a combination of the kids acting up more than usual and me getting worked up over everything. I try really hard to take deep breaths and calm down. There's always so much on my mind that it's really hard for me to do. My blood pressure is already high. I think it's a combination of the job I'm in and the wonderful, um, diet I'm on. I randomly thought today about meditation. I've never done it before. I don't think it would work for me. In college, my swim coach would have us mediate once in awhile for a little while. I don't really count that as true meditation because it was really quick. I don't think I'd have the patience to sit there for a long time and think about nothing. There are always a million and a half thoughts running through my head at all times. I doubt I'd be able to think of nothing and relax for a long period of time. If someone taught me how to meditate, I'd be willing to give it a try. If I really put an effort into it, I think it would help me stay calm and eliminate the headaches I keep getting. Maybe this is something I should look into.

Poor Customer Service

On Friday, April 5, I brought my old alto saxophone to a music store to see if they would buy it from me. I didn't expect it to be worth practically anything. They took a look at it and said it was worth $600. That was $600 more than I expected it to be worth. Apparently older instruments are worth more. They said they sell instruments on consignment. I would get 75% of the price they sell it for. I told them that I wanted to sell it on consignment and I filled out a form. Before they sell it, they would need to repair it. It cost $85 to repair it. I told them to go ahead and repair it. Two weeks later, I got a call saying they were waiting for my approval to repair it. I told them I already gave them permission to repair it. A week later, I got a call saying my sax was ready to be picked up. I told them it was supposed to be kept for sale. They said okay. Then I got a call a few minutes later saying I didn't sign any consignment form and that I needed to come back in to sign one. Yesterday, I go to the store to pick up the sax because of the horrible service. I see a form with my sax stating it's mine. It wasn't the form I filled out before. The sheet said they would sell the sax for $350 even though two different people told me $600. I mentioned that and the guy said that they could sell it for $600. I asked them where the form was that I filled out when I dropped the sax off. I wanted to see what the form was that I originally filled out. I thought it was a consignment form. They said they didn't have one. How could you not keep any record of a form I filled out? I grudgingly paid for the repairs and took my sax with me. There was no way I was selling my sax at that store. I was horribly upset by the entire experience. I emailed the store manager the entire story. We will see if he responds to me. I'm not expecting to get one back.

Orb!

I've loved this horse pretty much since day one. I saw his first race at Saratoga. I wasn't at the track, but I watched on TV. I watch every single race at Saratoga because it's so close to home and I have an obsession with horse racing. I remember watching Orb stumble at the start. He flew at the end to finish 3rd. I remember telling my dad, "We need to remember this horse because he flew at the end after a horrible start." After watching Orb win the Florida Derby at the end of March, I was still impressed. After watching the other Kentucky Derby prep races, I still loved the way Orb looked. I was very nervous because of the sloppy track today. He proved that he could handle the wet surface as he flew by the horses at the end of the race. As you know from previous blog posts, I'm not your typical person who watches the Derby because it's a fun event to watch. I watch the races leading up to it and analyze every horse in the field. I love the game. I definitely did not have the horse who finished 2nd today. I didn't consider him at all. I had the 1st, 3rd, and 4th place finishers. Assuming Orb came out of the race okay, he will be the heavy favorite in the Preakness in 2 weeks. I really think this horse has what it takes to win the triple crown. We haven't seen a triple crown winner since 1978, 9 years before I was born. Will this be the year? Only one horse has the chance to do it. We will find out how Orb performs in the Preakness Stakes in two weeks!

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda

It's another most wonderful time of the year. That's right, the Kentucky Derby is tomorrow! Today was the Kentucky Oaks. That's basically the female version of the Derby. I bet a $1 straight hi 5. That means I bet the horses that I thought would come in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The horses I bet needed to come in the exact order that I put them in. If I had boxed that bet, they could come in any order. However, it would have cost me $120 to box it. I was not spending $120 on a bet when there are 10 horses in the race. Well, I should have! If I did, I would have collected only $18,600! After every race, bettors are typically saying coulda, shoulda, woulda. Can you imagine what I could accomplish with $18,000? Of course it would be about 12 after taxes, but I'd be okay with that! Unfortunately, it's supposed to rain in Louisville tomorrow. That will greatly affect the bets I make and the outcome of the race. Either way, I'm still insanely excited for the race! I'm sure you're shocked by that.

Haircut

I need to get my haircut more often. I'm too lazy though. It typically gets to the point where it curls over my ears. Then I shower at night, go to bed with my hair still kind of wet, then wake up with my hair sticking up. When I try to comb it, it stays standing up and I go to work that way...wonderful. I finally got my haircut tonight after a few months. I get a short buzz cut every time I lower my ears. It makes me feel free! It's very easy to tell if guys get their haircut. You can rarely tell with girls, unless they chop it all off. My mom is getting her haircut next Thursday. I already told my dad to make sure he says, "Nice haircut" when he gets home from work that day to act like he noticed. Guys just don't notice that type of thing. Don't get offended by that ladies! We still care about you. Every kid tomorrow will ask me if I got a haircut. They sound like my older brother, who asks questions he knows the answer to all of the time. At least I won't wake up tomorrow with hair sticking up all over the place!

Laundry

Lately I've been getting into an excellent routine of doing my laundry. I take care of it every Wednesday and Sunday when I get home from work. I've been doing my own laundry since I was probably 8 or 9. Yes, that's 8 or 9 years old. One day, my mom told us she was sick of doing our laundry for us and showed us how to do it. No, I don't separate whites and colors (gasp!). I remember being away at college and listening to everyone complain about not knowing how to do laundry. I just laughed because I had been doing it for 10 years at that point. Is it fun? Of course not. It's really easy, though. You throw your clothes in the washer with some detergent, then you throw them in the dryer with a dryer sheet. Then you fold them and put them away. How hard can it be? As you can see, I'm really hurting for topics to write about! I hope you forgive me for being so lame!