jonathanhickman.com

Random thought of the day

It’s funny how much more stuff you get done when you put on shoes.

Doing nothing isn’t worth much

My family came over to the house last night to watch my dad open his birthday presents. After that, I showed my brother and sister-in-law the new casa.

They left around ten, and I ran out to the Kroger for some laundry detergent and other needs. Bear with me here. This is what I ended up getting:

• 2 bottles of orange juice (no pulp, extra calcium!)
• 2 things of liquid Arm & Hammer laundry detergent
• 2 packages of wheat thins (Kroger savings 62 cents each!)
• 6 “mini” pizzas the kids love so much
• 3 adult pizzas I love so much
• 2 boxes of Diet Pepsi for Katie
• 1 twelve pack of Red Hook Winter Ale for me

With that much stuff, I decided to go to the one cashier and opt out of scanning each item myself. There was one lady in front of me, and she was already paying, so I didn’t think it would take long. But it did.

It turned out she didn’t have enough money to pay for everything in her cart. She looked to be about fifty, and she had a newborn baby with her. Her groceries totaled about forty bucks, compared to my sixty-five dollars of mostly junk.

At first, I was incredibly annoyed. It was getting late, and I just wanted to pay and get home. I thought the lady was trying a scam. I just wanted the cashier to tell her he couldn’t do anything - which of course was the case - and that she needed to set something aside. I was getting pretty annoyed.

They rifled through everything while she tried to explain how she had carefully calculated how much everything would cost and how she knew she could afford it. I started to get less angry and more embarrassed.

Then she settled on the dog food. She had placed a coupon (only good at Kroger) on the dog food, she said, and the cashier had missed it.

Several minutes went by as she, with the aid of the cashier, the store manager, and I, a bit reluctantly, rifled through everything looking for the lost coupon. Obviously, it wasn’t found.

After a nearly interminable wait, the lady told them to keep the dog food and give the coupon, when they found it, to anyone who wanted it.

I sat there staring guiltily at my food, wondering if I should’ve handed over some cash. I doubt I actually had the money - actually, now that I think about it, I know I didn’t. But that’s not the point. But I did have that stupid two dollar bill in my wallet that is there for “good luck” or something, and that might’ve covered it.

Good luck. huh.

What do you do?

I could’ve given her money. But at first I thought she was scamming. Then I could’ve given her money, but I knew it would be out of anger and just to get rid of her. I thought about snapping at her to leave, and almost felt proud at myself for keeping my mouth shut.

So instead, I did nothing. I sat there with my stupid work clothes still on and my college ring and I did nothing. And after she left, I couldn’t move. I still did nothing. And now I’m here, doing nothing.

bleh.

Not a growing boy anymore

I love it when I bring enough lunch to work for two days, and eat it all in one sitting.

I’ve got to remember I’m not a growing boy anymore.

What? I get presents, too?

I was lying in bed last night when something occurred to me: I hadn’t looked at a single one of my gifts I’d gotten.

You see, last night all five of us - we left the ferret at home - went to my parents’ house for Christmas with my family. There were fifteen of us, counting two under two. We came home with a carload of people and stuff.

And I sat down to assist E in digging for dinosaurs and help J make orange spice tea.

It’s one thing to know you’re on the adult side of the Christmas game; it’s another to get home and completely forget you even got presents for Christmas.

Introducing

And who got the cutest critter for Christmas?

Jane’s new ferret, Jingle.

You know what?

As I was taking Katie’s four-year-old nephew home last night, I reflected on how nice it is knowing not to try answering a four-year-old when he asks “you know what?”

Insanely cute four-year-old: And then I went in the room, and you know what I saw on the table?

Me: What?

Insanely cute four-year-old: An Indian knife!

I’m not sure what an Indian knife is, and I later found out he didn’t know either, but I’m sure glad I didn’t venture any guesses, ’cause I was thinking “coffee cup.”

Merry Christmas!

The kids just called and they’re about fifteen minutes away.

Christmas for us is fifteen minutes away.

I’ve felt like a teenager sitting by the phone all day today, waiting for Christmas to begin. And all of Santa’s gifts are waiting in the next room.

I know the kids will be exhausted from already having had a full day, but there’s more to come before they can rest. I’m just hoping I can retain my sanity! (and snap some pictures of excited kids.)

Katie, incidentally, has been so excited that she couldn’t sleep last night, and has been watching the clock all day.

It’ll be good to have the kids back.

It is?

Me: I just don’t know what to get for my dad. I thought I had something, but I didn’t. I guess I blocked it out of my mind because it’s so stressful.

Katie: Jon, Christmas isn’t supposed to be stressful. It’s supposed to be happy!

Me: It is?

It’s the little things

I just discovered Katie’s family doesn’t use bows on their presents.

Nice.

My family not only uses them but also saves them for the next year.

I, on the other hand, have never understood the point in bows. And since I can’t match colors, I always have to get some else to help me pick one out.

And yes, it’s Christmas Eve and I’ve just wrapped my first present this year.

I love my nieces to pieces

Last night, my fam went to Harby’s, and my nieces (whom I love to pieces, for the record) got to hang out.

I saw I was about to be the center of the picture, so I took advantage of the moment:

It’s the day before the day before the day before Christmas

When we were kids, we’d always start the “it’s the day before the day before the day before” mess about a week before Christmas. So today is the day before the day before the day before Christmas. And tonight is the night before the night before Christmas Eve.

Somehow it doesn’t have the same excitement it did back then.

I wonder if Katie’s kids do the same thing before Christmas. I wasn’t around to be with them last year, and I’ll miss their Christmas Eve this year, too, because this year it’s their dad’s turn to have them, and we don’t get them back until Monday afternoon. It’s been quiet around the house the last few days, and having kids who should be in the house but aren’t three days before Christmas is just a weird feeling.

So today is the day before the day before the day before the kids come back home. And tonight is the night before the night before the kids come home Eve.

I’m glad we won’t be celebrating that holiday next year.