Cindy's World

Archive for January, 2013

“Dating By The Numbers” was discussed on the Today Show. The person interviewed said today singles can use dating sites such as: Creditscoredating or Datemycreditscore to size up a prospective partners credit score and see if you’d be financially compatible. Gone are the days of asking someone, “What’s your sign?” Now you can ask, “What’s your credit score?”

Thanks to Google and credit score dating sites you now know all about your blind date. What’s left to know besides their family medical history? And I think it’s only a matter of time till we have sites such as: familygenepool and itsallrelative.com for one to research a potential partners family history for both physical and mental risks.

What if you’re dating two guys and have to choose one? Who do you choose? Do you choose the guy with the higher credit score? A good credit score does not make a good man. A choice based on credit can eclipse other factors such as shared interest, similar background and physical chemistry. If you base a decision on finances, then you’re looking for a business partner, not a marriage partner. In such a relationship be prepared to get a text brush-off which reads, ‘Sorry, it’s not you, but your credit score.’

I met my husband in college and not only didn’t we have credit scores, we didn’t even have a credit card. We had rooms at our parents’ house and dreams for the future. The only scores we cared and talked about were ourSATscores. Not having a financial portfolio back then we gambled on love and got married. And when we married I kept score as to who won more arguments.

Looking back on our marriage and three children, I’d have to admit I scored big.

USA Today ran an article about ‘pod hotels,’ which are very compact and offer travelers nothing more than a place to sleep.

The TUBOHOTEL in Mexico uses old recycled concrete drainage pipes to make hotel rooms. Each room has a queen size bed, light, fan and Wi-Fi.

In The 9 Hours pod hotel in Japan, guests can’t even stand up in the capsule hotel, being big enough for one person. Guests get a locker for their luggage.

These hotels are for the person traveling alone.

To consider staying at a ‘pod hotel,’ I would need a night table next to the bed. Room size wouldn’t matter so long as I had a night table to put my glasses, book, tissues and water on. And if I have a table for my water, then I’ll need a pod with running water. But, if it doesn’t have running water, then I’ll need a pod with a refrigerator to keep my water chilled. Yes, that is all I shall need.

If any pod has a king size bed then I shall need a step ladder to climb into bed. Sometimes the old running and jumping into bed routine is exhausting at the end of a long day.

I don’t know if any ‘pod hotels’ include toilets, but if they do, then spare rolls of toilet paper shall be all I need.

I don’t know if any pod hotels has a direct line to housekeeping so I could request extra towels, but I do know I shall need towels to wipe up water spilled, when at night I knock over my glass that was on the night stand.

I do know if I was sleeping alone, in a pod, it wouldn’t matter if I tipped over my water glass (which has been known to happen.) My husband wouldn’t be around to yell at me for waking him from a peaceful sleep. I do know if I was alone in a pod a fight wouldn’t ensue and I’d be able to return to peaceful slumber. Maybe a ‘pod hotel’ is exactly what I do need.

It snowed where I live in NC. Some schools close prematurely simply because the forecast predicts snow. I don’t mind snow so long as it’s on just the trees and grass. The morning after the snow my husband shoveled our driveway. On the rare occasions it does snow, he’s the only one on our block to shovel; probably because we’re from NY and old habits die hard. Our neighbors wait to let the sun (when and if it comes out) take care of it. Some people don’t shovel and some don’t bother to wipe the snow from their car windshield.  Some people wipe a hole only big enough for them to look through the front windshield while driving. Some don’t even bother to wipe the snow from the back windshield. Obviously these people don’t ever go in reverse; or maybe their driving’s so bad it doesn’t make a difference.

We were driving on the highway, behind a car whose hood was covered in snow. Do you know what it’s like to have snow flying at you at speeds up to 60mph? It feels as though you’re in a 3D movie. Even though you know the snow won’t hit you, you still bob and weave to avoid being hit. You’re prepared for it as you see it fly off the hood, sail through the air toward you and yet, you still jump when it hits your windshield.

Since you know it’s coming you’re not as surprised as you are when a fly drops on your window, and their guts spread across the windshield. I feel sorry for the fly who’s sitting atop a cars snow covered hood (minding his own business,) enjoying the ride and then he’s sailing through the air on an iceberg, only to land and meet an untimely death. Earlier that day his wife was crushed as she was relaxing on the rear bumper of a car that backed into a tree. The cars’ driver didn’t see the tree as the windshield was snow covered.

I read an article about two public toilets inSulphur Springs,Texaswhich has one-way mirrors so the person inside can see out, but the person outside can’t see in. The toilets’ glass exterior resembles an art piece as the goal was to make the bathroom inconspicuous. Only visitors are coming from all over to take a peek at it. That worked out well.

How cool would it be to be in a public bathroom where you can see what’s going on outside and nobody can see you? Why, supply magazines and there will be people who will use this as a little retreat.

Just imagine you’re sitting and minding your own business when a couple stops outside the toilet and starts arguing. You watch as their conversation becomes heated. You watch as an argument ensues with eye rolling and finger pointing. You’re curious what the fight is about. When you lean closer to the wall in hopes of catching a juicy tidbit, you fall off the throne. By the time you get up the couple has moved on.

Just imagine you’re in the toilet taking care of business when a little, old lady walks bye. She’s walking with her dog and cane when a thug walks past and tries to grab her purse. She yells, “Police,” and beats the purse snatcher with her cane. Her dog jumps up and bites the guy on the butt. The guy starts to run. You see a policeman run across the street to catch the guy. You hear him yell, “Stop, police.” You then watch in amazement as the bad guy takes out a gun and fires at the officer. You watch as the cop draws his gun and shoots straight into the glass mirrors of your toilet. You feel like you’re in a bad movie where the action goes into slow motion for emphasis and all the characters involved come to stare at you in your embarrassing position. Only this movie doesn’t have a happy ending as you’re arrested and charged with public indecency.

I imagine it may be best to avoid such public toilets.

An article in my local paper mentioned the Swipe Tie ($39.95) which is a silk necktie with a patch of microfiber fabric designed to remove smudges and fingerprints from surfaces such as glass and gadgets such as smartphones. A t-shirt is also available with three options for placement of the cleaning cloth.

Yesterday on Ellen she showed the FlaskTie which she found online. It’s a tie with a built-in flask. I guess it’s for the person who can’t wait to get home from work to start drinking. Your boss may get a little curious if you started drinking from your tie during a board meeting. Reason for extermination – orally fixated with his tie.

While it’s nice to have clothes that serve a dual purpose, it would be nicer to have clothes that clean themselves. If you can scotch guard furniture, why not clothes? If there was scotch guard clothing you would no longer have to worry about unsightly wine or ketchup stains. Wouldn’t that be nice?

What I’d like even better is someone to help me dress, the way they do on Downton Abbey. Imagine having someone to help you dress and undress. Why Robert (Earl of Grantham) and Lady Mary have people to tie everything from their tie to shoes. When I was pregnant I once asked my husband to help me tie my shoes and he told me to get a different pair of shoes; so much for a personal assistant. I wonder if privileged children in that era had to learn how to tie their shoes. The characters on the show have a wardrobe big enough allowing for six changes a day. My wardrobe consists of clothes that fit and clothes that don’t fit. No wonder why no one on the show works outside the house, they’re all to busy changing clothes. They don’t have time to work.

If we all had lady maids there would be no need for dual purpose clothing or clothing made with scotch guard fabric. Although, I still think it’s a good idea.

Open air gyms, better known as ‘Fitness Parks,’ are popping up in cities across the country. An article in USA Today stated fitness equipment from elliptical to leg press machines, installed in public parks is the way to go to fight obesity. These free outdoor gyms are accessible to anyone.

Since the number one resolution for the majority of people is to lose weight, these parks will make it easier to stick to that resolution. There’s no membership fee. Just think of all the things you could do with the money you save. Why, you could go to McDonald’s for lunch everyday; although if you did, you’d need to take advantage of the park on a daily basis.

I think these parks are great for the parent who takes their kid to the park and usually sits and watches them play. Now mom or Dad can workout while Jimmy’s eating sand in the sandbox. My gym has a thirty minute maximum on the elliptical machine; these parks may have to mandate the same rules if everyone gravitates to the same machine. One, big advantage to using an outdoor gym rather than an enclosed one – no loud, lousy, piped in music. At my gym, I play my ipod at full blast to drown out the background music that I’ve suffered hearing loss. At least I think that’s what my doctor said at my last visit, I had trouble hearing him. The only music for park exercisers will be their own or the blaring music from a passing car.

Also, unlike an enclosed gym, an outdoor gym will have no showers. Thank God. Some people lose all sense of modesty in a locker room. A person will think nothing of bending over right in front of you, causing your facial cheeks to be aligned with their butt cheeks. You could tell them right then and there what the results of their colonoscopy will be.

My husband tells tales of this guy who stands, butt naked in front of him and talks. When a very animated, naked guy talks, you’ll find arm flab isn’t the only thing to jiggle. It’s when he strikes a pose with one leg up on the bench that I’d want to bolt. So, let’s hope showers never become part of ‘Fitness Parks.’

“Answer the door,” I told my husband. “Why don’t you get it since you’re standing right next to it?” he replied. “Because I’m having a really bad hair day.”  “But you just got it cut.” Why do you insist on telling me things I know already?” “Well, it’s sad you pay her good money to give you a bad haircut.” “I didn’t pay her good money to give me a bad haircut. I wanted a good haircut, but it turned out bad.” “And because you don’t like your hair you’re going to hide inside all day and not open the door to anyone.” “I didn’t say ‘anyone,’ I can’t open the door to friends, but I will open the door to strangers.” “Explain.” “Friends know how my hair should look. Strangers don’t know how my hair looks normally and may think it’s attractive.” “I seriously doubt that.” “Oh, shut up and open the door.” I spent the day wishing for time to speed by so my hair could grow back.

It was a day I wished I had a wig. Having a wig means never having to be sorry about a bad haircut; one day you could be a redhead and the next a blond or brunette. Having a wig would cut down on the high cost of hair maintenance. But since I don’t own a wig I wear a hat. Wearing a hat in the winter makes sense. Wearing a hat in August doesn’t make sense. You have to walk around hatless, with a bad cut, for the entire world to see.

I love it when people ask, “Oh, did you mean to get it cut like that?” One time my brother-in-law and I drove past a hair salon called ‘Cartoons,’ and he quipped, “ Now who would get their haircut at a place called ‘Cartoons?’ when I answered, “I go there,” I realized I may not have wanted my hair cut badly, but I deserved what I got.

The only cartoon character hairdo I ever liked was Pebble Flintstones, from ‘The Flintstones.’ Come to think of it, her hair looked better than my last cut. I think when cartoon characters start looking better than me, it may be time for me to think about getting a wig.