Brochure

I created a new brochure for the NGO that I work with.  It took several reworkings with the printer to get it set nicely and then we printed 1000 copies of it.  We got it back last night and noticed 3 typos.  At first I was shocked that I would somehow miss that and even my computer wouldn't have caught it.  SO I checked the file we sent to the printer and it WAS NOT MY MISTAKE.  Not sure why the printer made any changes to the typing, but he did.  Our fault is that we did not proof-read it after he sent it back.  We were looking at the layout, not the typing (since it was perfect when we sent it). 

It only proves we are in India.  There are so many typos on signs and brochures here that it can become a hobby to collect all the mistakes.  Now there is one more brochure for the collection.

Clothing Rack Part 2

So I went out and tried to buy a drying rack for my clothes yesterday.  I was angry.  I told Steve I was going out to buy something I wanted, but didn't tell him what it was.  He was angry also.  So I angrily walked down the street to shop.  I went into the store with the racks out front but unfortunately I didn't have enough money for the rack.  So I left the store and went and bought some snacks for myself.  This is not what you should do when you are trying to be a good example of emotional eating.  I then walked (sulked) home.

Steve left to go skateboarding.  He sent me an SMS that said, "I bought your Christmas present."  I was too far gone emotionally so I wasn't happy.  But I know I should be happy.  But really we were both not happy.

Today I am happy.  And I think Steve is over his bad attitude too.  Lesson learned - We can be really lame towards each other and maybe we will learn better one day, but not today.

All I Want for Christmas

I have been asking Steve to pick up a new clothes rack.  He, for 3 months now, has not done it and refused to do it.  Why?  In his opinion, we don't need one.  I want one!  It has become almost comical when we discuss the silly clothes rack.  I ask him to get one, he says sometimes that he will when he sees one.  Then he doesn't come home with one.  The road to our house has at least four shops selling clothes racks, but he has not been able to see them for some reason.  I now count the clothes racks as I go down the street.

Why don't I just get it myself?  Well, I don't drive and I would have to walk with a stupid clothes rack over my shoulder, looking silly.  But since I am use to looking silly I guess I should just go do it.  So that is my plan for this afternoon.  I will walk down the street and buy myself a clothes rack.  I know if I tell Steve that I am actually going out to buy it that he will do it, but I don't want him to buy it now.  I want him to walk 10 feet behind me as I go to the store and carry it over my shoulder all the way home.  Let him see me suffer and trip as I walk (and I will trip, on purpose).  Let him see how sweaty I get.  And let him feel stupid on the inside for not just buying the rack himself.  Or I will just tell him I am going to the store and I will come back sweaty and with dirt on my pants from where I fell (and I will fall, on purpose) and he will say, "Oh Leslie, I would have gotten it for you."  But it will be too late.  He will have missed his opportunity to show me that he loves me.  And he will feel like a heel.  And I will laugh (on the inside).

See how silly the clothes rack has become!  It has turned me into this monster.  So if I will finally go buy the rack I will kill the monster (after I gloat like a goat of course).

Personal Finance Class

I am taking a free online personal finance class.  Today was a bit depressing.  I had to figure out how much "Larry" would need to put aside into his retirement account in order to live at or around his life style at retirement age.  Well "Larry" will increase his salary 5% each year and get a couple of promotions and by the time "Larry" retires he will be making almost $400,000. a year.  What I think "Larry" needs to do is forget about ever achieving having enough money in his retirement account and instead get a lesser paying job now.  That way he can get use to living a lifestyle that is more like what he will be able to live at when he retires.

Poor "Larry"

To Market, To Market

Our neighborhood has a Saturday night market.  They set up stalls and sell cheap clothes, make-up and hair supplies, pots and pans, vegetables, and plastic stuff.  I went to buy some sweats for Micah since it is getting down to 70 degrees at night these days.  Which reminds me that the sweater vest season is quickly approaching.  You can not find sweater vests at any local market.

The market is only a few blocks from our house, down the horrible, awful, no good road.  My walk there was uneventful, but for some reason the walk back was terrible.  Two motorcycles thought that where my next step was happened to be the perfect parking spot, so twice I had to stop in my tracks to avoid getting my toes ran over.  One guy parked and quickly swung his leg over his bike, almost hitting me for the second time in less than 5 seconds.

Next I had two different times where groups of young guys on motorcycles (3 guys on one bike) say "Hi!" to me.  Now I know that doesn't sound bad, but here it is obnoxious.  It is inappropriate behavior for them.  So I glared or ignored.  I think it is funny when they come up behind me and say "Hi" and then turn and look at me.  They are probably thinking, "Oh man, she is as old as my mom."

And finally, while I approached my own safe home, there was a car parked on the side of the road.  I was walking on the side of the road heading towards this car.  As I was about 5 paces away, the car started and almost immediately was coming towards me.  Again, not a big deal, I just stepped aside.  But seriously, could they not wait the few seconds it would have taken me to walk past them before they started moving?

Sometimes India can drive a person crazy!

Driving in India

Google Maps said that the drive to the Bird Sanctuary would be about 3 hours.  That sounded okay, but long.  But 3 hours would be doable.  The first hour was spent on the road just outside our neighborhood as we tried to drive to the "highway" that would take us to our destination.  There was a huge jam, as they call it here.  We moved about a car length every 10 minutes.  People were getting out of buses and walking.  We wished we could too.

Once we made it to the "highway" we were set.  Not bad, but it certainly wasn't a 3 hour stretch of road.  Maybe with no other vehicle on the road we would have made it in 3 hours, but it was 5 for us.  The last hour was through villages as we tried to find the hotel.  Google maps gave us directions that didn't work for us.  We ended up down a street into a village that had a water buffalo in the middle of a pond.  Turn around.  Go back and try again.

We decided that on the return we would try to find the new, fancy express way from Agra to Delhi.  Google Maps said we could get on not far from where we were.  It was just 33KM away from us.  Those were the slowest 33KM that I think I have ever gone.  Well, most of it wasn't bad, but the 8KM of pot holes was horrible.  And then when we got to the end of the 8KM there was a man who told us to turn around and go back if we wanted to go to the Express Way.  Thanks again Google Maps.

So after finding the express way the trip was great.  We were amazed at how quickly we got to the end of it.  It took at least another hour to get from the express way to our home, but after the 8KM of doom we were thankful.  Calgon.... take me away!


Lesson learned - don't go by Google Maps in India!

Bad Mood

I have been in a bad mood now for 4 days at least.  Not sure what to do about that.  The slightest thing can turn my mood bad.  Like when the rickshaw drivers want me to pay double of what it should be.  Thankfully our friends bought me a Dr. Pepper yesterday that I am saving for a bad mood and I think I should drink it now.

I hate being around people when I have a bad mood because I don't want to say mean things or make them think I am mad at them.  I think it is best if I just hide out for a while.  But life doesn't allow that luxury.  So if you know me and you think I have been mean to you this week, please know that it is because of a personality defect on my own part and not you.
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Ears

My ears are driving me crazy!!!  At least I can find excuses for being driven crazy.  So right now it is my ears.  For over two months now, my ears have felt clogged and my hearing is diminished.  Some days it really is irritating, and this is one of those days.  If there is noise in two different directions then I can't hear clearly either one.  And I live in a land of noise.  In the office their is a noisy air conditioner and when we sit and have a meeting I can't really hear all that is being said.  And when someone calls to me from another room, I can't hear it.  The worst is that when i am walking on the busy street (that is all the streets here in Delhi) I can't seem to hear what is coming from behind me (a car).  Hearing is very important here.

I blame it on my dad.  He has some virus apparently that has attacked his ears with the same problem.  Now I have it.  He probably sneezed to close to me.  Whatever the case, he gave me this ear virus.  Thanks Dad!

Do Over

Today I need a "Do Over".  The day has not gone well.  I woke up late.  Then the power was out for most of the day.  Then the work I had to do all day long was fixing mistakes.  And on top of all of that, I had a bad attitude all day long.

I guess instead of a do over, I will just go to bed and have a better day tomorrow.