The topic of birthdays has recently come up - and I really never thought about it before. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? Same day? Same month? Lately, I've come to agree with the fact that it's just really not that amazing that you happen upon someone with the same birthday as you. There are only 12 months. There are only 365 days. Statistically, it's just not that big of a coincidence. You hear people say, "man, there are a lot of October birthdays" or "everyone in my family has Summer birthdays" -- think about it. 1 in 4 people have a birthday in the summer. That's A LOT.

I don't think Laura has written about this on her blog - and I don't want to steal her thunder - but she's recently had a mix-up with someone who has the same birthday as her -- and who also happens to have a criminal record... Isn't that why we have Social Security numbers?? Now, if you happen upon someone with the same SSN as you -- that's a trick!

Even though it's not amazing or coincidental or impressive in any way -- I know a lot of people with birthdays in October... and one is today! Happy Birthday Tom!

Also in October - Keith Wilson! Keith's birthday has been well documented on the blog - there's the Birthday Princess from last year... and the year before that I didn't have a camera yet but I'm sure we did something fun... but I did manage to take this with my camera-phone that year at Halloween! (Can you tell that I feel guilty for neglecting Keith on the blog the last few months?)

But THIS year! We went to On The Mark in Fayetteville and had QUITE the party. Keith was off that day and started "celebrating" early. A few photos............

Above: The Birthday Boy and Becky - striking a pose. Below: Becky and Sarah.

Above: The whole gang - except Don! How is Don not in this picture?! Below: Becky and Josh playing pool. And me trying to take "cool" shots with my camera.

Happy Birthday Tom! and Keith! and everybody else with October birthdays! All 1-in-12 of you!

Dupree: Incidentally, what's your policy on Columbus Day?

Interviewer: We work.

Dupree: Really? The guy discovered the new world. I'm afraid to even ask about Victory Over Japan Day.

So I have a phone on my desk at work - as I'm sure most of you have - and there is a large light on the top that lights up when I have new voicemail. The light is red. This bothers me nearly every day. Almost every time I walk away from my desk for more than 10 minutes - I come back to this glaring red light and it makes me wrinkle my nose and frantically check the messages so the blasted light will go off.

I don't so much have a problem with the light -- as I do with it being red. Can it be blue? Or green? Or pink?! Anything but red. Red is arguably my favorite color (since Laura tells me that black is not a color...) but red is inherently negative. Red stoplights, red brakelights, splattered blood in a horror movie, red edit marks on a college english paper -- none of these are at all comforting.

I'm actually, contrary to popular belief, very into color. I get freakishly excited when I get to color-code something (or alphabetize something or make a list of any kind) and I take advantage whenever I get the chance.

For example. My email inbox at work. Emails from different people show up in different colors. Emails from client are blue, my supervisor -- red, Creative Director -- green, and anything I've copied myself on is in gray... The day I discovered that I could do that -- I felt like I'd discovered that the world is round. I love it.

I use different colors of post-it notes for different kinds of reminders. I use a different colored pen each day for my weekly to-do list so I know which day I wrote it on the list and which day it was crossed-off. These examples actually spill over into my obsession with school supplies... and that's another story...

So I took this picture a week or so ago - and planned on making fun of it here. Something about inviting you to meet me at the bakery/BBQ on Main Street in Johnson at the strike of goo...

But I got distracted and that nugget never made it to the blog before now. But yesterday, I was driving home and noticed that they fixed it! Someone (not me!) probably asked what the hell GOO is - and they got some white frosting and fixed the 6.

Also of note. I'm pretty sure that the crazy tire people at Sam's fixed my tire and didn't tell me -- it's been as inflated as it's ever been since that infamous day.

Happy Friday.

When you are running late for work and counting on a red light's break for a chance to finish putting on makeup - there will be none.

Becky and I drove to Kansas City on Friday to spend the weekend with Mom, Aunt Erlene and Grandma Dorothy. During the drive, whatever disorder it is that causes me to notice patterns in license plate numbers/letters caused me to notice that Becky's odometer would turn over to 123456 during our drive. So we decided we needed a picture of this. We practiced for about 20 miles - since it was dark and the odometer being behind glass was making things tricky. This is a picture of the odometer reading 123456. I promise.

I also decided it might be fun to take pictures of oncoming headlights on the "Fireworks" setting.

We also had a bad experience with the Arby's 5 for $5.95 deal -- the bottom line there is that it's a total rip-off. And we finally made it to KC in one piece. Mom had some Sarah-Martin-type air travel issues, but finally made it from San Antonio a little before midnight.

AND! This is the best part of the weekend! I finally got to see the quilt that Grandma Dorothy and Aunt Erlene made for Jeff and me for our wedding.

That picture totally doesn't do it justice -- it's amazing. They've worked on it since we got married last year and it even won a blue ribbon at the South Dakota State Fair this year! It's the colors from our wedding - reds and oranges and golds -- in a double wedding ring pattern. I love it!

Mom and Becky and I decided that the theme of the weekend was "You get what you pay for." This applied mostly to the hotel we stayed in - which, Mom found out the hard way, did not have an elevator. She had to drag her 49.5 lb suitcase up a flight of stairs after being retrieved from the airport in the makeshift shuttle (which was the shuttle driver's personal vehicle - a beat-up old Dodge Stratus). And we had to call and get clean towels in the morning - as apparently the person who cleaned our room thought that it was sufficient to just pile the wet ones in the corner of the bathroom counter...

We had SO much fun Saturday - shopping and shopping and driving around eastern Kansas to find more shopping. Here's the crew Saturday night after a long day.

(Laura - I wore that green shirt just for you. And I was careful to get my picture taken in it so there'd be proof!)

The way home was uneventful except for the fact that Becky failed to mention (and I failed to notice on the way up on Friday) that her AC doesn't work when you "go fast" in her car. I didn't notice this, by the way, because we drove up at night when the sun was not glaring down on us. So Sunday, I made Becky buy me ice cream when we stopped - because she made me bake in the sun.

I brought a present for Laura - since she didn't get to come play with us. This is her photographic thank you note to me. (The pen was part of the present - it's "gianormous"!)

And I also brought her the last 3 months worth of saatchi tshirts -- which she attempted to wear all at one time.

Laura - no need to worry. We had so much fun that we're already planning the next girls' weekend!

I have more respect than the average bear for people in the service industry. It’s true. I am a good tipper, I try to make things efficient for servers when I can – I am NOT hard to wait on. In fact, when Jeff and I go to eat, servers should play rock-paper-scissors to get to wait on us – we’re that hands-off. We are happy if we get food and drinks in a timely manner. We don’t need the “entertainment” that some think is going to get them a fat tip. We are easy.

So you can understand my surprise to hear 3 times in the last 10 days that I am hard on service staff. I, of course, disagree. You be the judge.

Example #1. Last weekend, we went for supper at US Pizza on Dickson Street with Josh and Becky. Josh, Becky and Jeff all like the same beer so they shared a pitcher. I cannot bring myself to enjoy beer (though I have tried several times) so I ordered a Malibu/Diet tall. I like to drink them out of a normal sized glass instead of a little rocks glass – not sure why. Not the point. The waiter brought me a tall drink. I had a few of them throughout the night. Our service was great. Pizza was great. We get the check and there are twice as many drinks on there as the number that I actually drank. This is a problem. So I ask our waiter (politely!) about our ticket – which listed 6 drinks when I only had 3. He informed me that I ordered doubles – and that they ring them up that way. So I informed him that I didn’t order doubles – rather I ordered talls. He offers to let me talk to the manager – who is also serving as bartender that night – so I go to the bar to explain the situation.  The conversation went a little like this--

Sarah: Sorry to bother you, but there are 6 drinks on here, and I only had 3.

Manager: That’s because you ordered doubles.

Sarah: I ordered talls.

Manager: Well I’m the one who made the drinks – and I made them doubles.

Sarah: Well I’m the one who ordered the drinks – and I ordered them tall.

Manager: “Double” and “tall” is the same thing.

I hate to be difficult, but I happen to have tended bar for a few years AND I happen to order that SAME drink at every bar I go to – Fayetteville and elsewhere. I have NEVER had the double/tall issue before. Ever! The manager reluctantly took the 3 superfluous drinks off of our tab – like he was doing me a favor. The whole time I was standing there, while he fixed the bill, he mumbled under his breath about how long he’d been in this business... and how he never serves a “single” drink in a tall glass… and how I certainly didn’t have any trouble drinking the doubles, just paying for them… Jerk. I got back to the table only to endure ribbing about how “I showed them!” and “boy I feel sorry for that guy, having to deal with you” – like I was mean to the guy. What?!

It’s my understanding that “double” refers to the amount of alcohol while “tall” refers to the size of the glass. You can have both – which apparently I did, compliments of the idiot bartender. I was not about to pay for drinks I didn’t order – and I thought I was as patient as possible when dealing with the so-called manager.

Example #2. Sunday night, we went to the Outback Steakhouse in Fort Smith. I'd never been to this particular Outback - but I know a thing or two about the restaurant, having worked at one approximately 5 shifts a week for a year in college. And I know a thing or two about waitressing as well, as I did that – almost daily – for years. So our waitress comes by and gets our drink order. We all order, and Janet orders a “blended” margarita. The waitress comes back with a rocks margarita. For those of you margarita connoisseurs out there – that’s not the same thing. At all. So Janet politely asks, “do you not serve blended margaritas?” The waitress says, “all of our margaritas are blended”. Janet says, “with what?” Hmm. The waitress thinks “blended” means that the ingredients in the drink are blended together. O K.  So we straighten it out and Janet gets a “frozen” margarita. This is not something I necessarily have a problem with – if you’re new, you might make that mistake – but freaking ASK. It’s better than bringing someone the wrong thing and wasting a drink.

So the rest of dinner went fine. But our waitress was kinda awkward. She would ask us something like, “is everything ok?” to which we would nod (since we were EATING and couldn’t so much TALK) and she would just stand there and stare at us. Not necessary. If you come by – and we need something – we’ll say so. Don’t watch us eat.

So I made a comment – to the table – about how awkward she was. And I, again, got “wow you’re really hard on waitresses” and “you never think anyone’s a good waitress” and “give her a break.” First of all, she WAS weird. Second, I never said anything TO her. If I was really hard to deal with – I would have given her a hard time – to her face. Instead, I tipped her well and we left.

And we never got any bread.

Example #3. After work yesterday Jeff and I went to the new Sam’s to get my tire fixed. The driver/rear tire has been low for awhile and we’ve aired it up and put Fix-A-Flat in it several times so it was really time to be fixed. So we drive up to the Sam’s Tire Center. Stand there for several minutes before we give up and walk around to the front of the store to be helped. Strike 1. I hand over my Sam’s Club membership card, keys and first-born child in order to get a patch on my tire. We’re told 20-30 minutes. Cool. We go into the store in search of a new TV (reference yesterday’s post). Not 5 minutes later, I hear my name being paged. Not a good sign. We go back to the Tire Center. The girl at the Tire Center informs me that there is Fix-A-Flat in my tire. Ok. And that means they can’t fix it. Why? Because there’s Fix-A-Flat in it. Duh. I ask her what my options are – there are none. No one can fix it because the rubber patch won’t stick to the Fix-A-Flat. Jeff informs me that this is the point at which I “went off on her.”

My problem is this: I had come to a Tire SERVICE Center. I came with a problem – looking for solutions. Don’t come back to me with a problem – come back to me with solutions. She acted as if Fix-A-Flat was some south-of-the-border, back-alley solution that I had come up with in my garage. They sell it in the store!

So Jeff suggests she go look for a tire that fits my car. She leaves. I calm down. She comes back with a tire that’s the right size – but not the right brand. So we get the flat tire aired up and leave.

I decided that if this girl knew what she was talking about and Fix-A-Flat truly makes it impossible to patch a tire – that I should redirect my energy at them! So I visited fixaflat.com and discovered this in their FAQ…

4. After using Fix-A-Flat® can my tire be repaired?

Yes, there is nothing in the formulation that would prevent a tire from being repaired. Advise the tire repair professional that you have used Fix-A-Flat® brand tire inflator in your tire, so they may properly clean the tire for repair.

There you have it.

A flight attendant I met recently told me a story about a woman who refused to speak to her on the plane and directed the flight attendant to her assistant (in coach) and that the assistant would tell the attendant what the bitch would like to drink. She said quote, “I don’t talk to the help.”

I, on the other hand, have a lot of respect for people in service positions. Last month, I was polite to the poor sap who had to both re-book our flights from New York AND inform me that I couldn’t have my luggage back. I don’t run waitresses to death. And I was even polite to the idiots at COX Cable last year who couldn’t figure out how to give us internet that we were paying for.

I don’t think it’s too much to ask for people to DO THEIR JOBS. No one has to ask me nicely to do my job. Though that wouldn’t be bad either…

It's been an eventful few days!

This week, the NWA Sam's Club moved from Springdale to right across the street from us! Which is very much a double-edged sword... We now have Sam's gas prices and Sam's Cafe at our immediate disposal -- but they've added 2 stoplights and about a jillion cars to our quiet little neck of the woods. Before this week, the only excitement the neighborhood ever saw was the Washington County Fair - which really only got crazy on Friday and Saturday night of fair week. Now we have a Sam's Club... so we went to check it out on Saturday -- along with the rest of northwest Arkansas... We went in (before eating lunch) to check out the place and discovered that it's a really bad idea to go grocery shopping - at Sam's! - while you're hungry. We bought food for an army. Then we headed home to watch the game.

There has been no mention of the game at our house since the final score was posted -- so you know how it went. We suffered the first quarter then decided to go to the movies. Don't see 3:10 to Yuma. Nothing happened for about the first hour of the movie - and we were so bored we kept checking the score on Jeff's phone. Though the game was looking up, I'm not one to walk out on movies (I've only walked out on one in my life - I Heart Huckabees) so we stayed through the end - which was just a notch above 'just OK'. So we got out of the movie - and listened to the last part of the game on the radio in the car. I didn't know if we were going to make it home in one piece - the game was getting intense. We made it home in time to watch the last play on TV. And that's that. Poor hogs.

So we went to Dickson and helped Angela celebrate her birthday.

Sunday. I went to Heather's house to ride horses. Before I left, Jeff was watching The Hill Have Eyes right before I drove through the backwoods of Madison County to get to Heather's house - it was terrifying. Horse pictures!

We were more or less 4-wheeling through un-mowed fields for 2 hours -- it was SO fun. (My horse's name is Brownie.)

Sunday night, Becky and Jeff and I drove to Fort Smith to eat dinner with Aunt Janet -- who was only in town for a few days. We went to Outback and visited for awhile and had to get home because crazy Becky works at 4:30 in the crazy morning!

Oh! And Sunday was our first wedding anniversary! 

We were too full on Sunday night, so last night we busted out the top tier of our wedding cake -- which has been taking up more than its fair share of our freezer for the last year.

It was beyond delicious a year ago --

Also last night, we had a bit of a TV fiasco. We decided this week to join the rest of you in the 21st century and we added DVR to our cable service. So I went yesterday to pick up our shiny new box and new remote -- and planned to have everything set up and ready by the time Jeff got home. It SO didn't happen that way. I messed with the TV and the box and the 20 new cords for no less than an hour -- and made zero progress. When Jeff got involved we discovered that it wasn't entirely my fault that the DVR was yet to be hooked up -- as the TV we have is so old that it doesn't have outlets for anything except cable - no red/yellow/white plugs and certainly no USB port. So as we worked against the clock (Rules of Engagement was coming on!) we shuffled 3 TVs around the house and since you have to re-activate the damn thing every time you plug it in -- and since we tried 8 or 9 different combinations of the red/yellow/white before we finally got it to work -- I was on the phone with Cox automated service all night. We decided it was almost as good as the time we set up a tent with no instructions... couples therapy. I suspect this is part of Jeff's secret plan to buy a new TV.

Nothing like a random spatter of random weekend news. There's a bit of a shake-up going down at work -- I'll keep you posted when I know something.

How smart is your right foot?

Without anyone watching (you'll soon know why) and while sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.

Your foot will change direction.

And there's nothing you can do about it.

You won't be able to stop yourself from repeating this all day long....

You're welcome.

Ad for Virgin Airlines on-flight movies...