Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Another Short Post

I'm not one to grovel, but I have one question: Where are all my readers?
Did a brisk wind carry you all away and drop you off in BFE? Or perhaps a flash flood caused a short circuit leaving you with absolutely no electricity, let alone internet? Or a freak accident involving a tack hammer, a can of Pepsi, and a lighter that left your keyboards in critical condition, causing your commenting to diminish?
Just wondering...

I Had To Laugh

One of my temp agencies called me yesterday to say that the company I helped out for a day wanted me back to work yesterday afternoon and all day today. Ha. That's great, but they're never seeing me again. Not only was I working yesterday and today is my last day off until God-knows when, they treated me like garbage while I helped them out.

I really should call the temp agency back and explain the reason why I won't be doing anymore assignments for that company. Isn't it amazing how the way you treat people can come back to bite you in the butt? Good luck finding someone new or naive to help you out.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Another Shameless Plug for Mike Nelson

I wanted to make a quick post in relation to my last one. Not only is there such a thing as The Film Crew, but they're also the masterminds behind Rifftrax, which is essentially the same idea as MST3K and what The Film Crew does, but these are done with more recent and/or popular movies. They could actually be ones you enjoy watching by themselves.

They've done numerous movies so far such as The Matrix, Halloween, and the soon-to-be-released 300. You pay anywhere from $.99 to $2.99 to download the audio commentary, and then you just play it over your movie. This was so the creators could avoid getting sued. I know it seems kind of silly to do that, and you need to own or rent the movie in order to enjoy the commentary, but after having watched all the samples they offer, I think it would be worth it.

Here's a sample from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:


I think I'm on a "MSTie"/Film Crew/Rifftrax kick right at the moment, and you'll all have to suffer through it.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

MST3K'rs Rejoice...Well, Kind Of

It's been long-awaited, and it hasn't come without several petitions being sent from all over the world, but Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back...in a way. It's essentially the same people behind the show (minus the brainchild, Joel Hodgson), and it's pretty much the same idea as MST3K: They make fun of horrible movies by providing humorous commentary over-top of them. There's a little difference in name though. Now they're under the name, The Film Crew, and they've made a whole other set of movies that have just been released this month.

I was excited when my husband told me they had an article on Slashdot about the return of MST3K. After having their DVDs dwindled down to nothing and having the hardest time getting a hold of any episodes I wanted (being forced to download since they weren't available any other way), they're finally making a return. I mean, geez, there was enough of an uproar when they switched it from Comedy Central to the Sci-Fi Channel, and then Sci-Fi gave them the axe soon after.

What's somewhat disappointing is the MIA factor for many MST3K obligatory things. The robots are no longer present, which I thoroughly enjoyed them; and along with that is the disappearance of the silhouettes in the theater that was trademark of MST3K. Yes, I know, The Film Crew is not MST3K, but that doesn't mean I can't miss the little things that made the show great.

I'm particularly looking forward to buying the movies they've released thus far. I see Amazon has them for about $15. Sounds good to me...

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Cut the Wires

I find it really interesting that in today's world we're so connected with people over the Internet thanks to sites like MySpace and Facebook that we lose touch with the reality outside of the cables and phone lines. I've been able to find so many people from my past using the aforementioned tools, but I can't say it has produced any physical contact with 95% of those people. Don't get me wrong: I think they're great sites for that purpose, but I could spend all my time typing comments on their pages and never once speak to them on the phone or have lunch with them.

That's why I'm glad I started up a blog once again. While it's still a way to connect with people in a similar (or almost identical) way as MySpace and Facebook, I still get to interact with most of these people in a physical sense. Thanks to the initiation of the Erie blogger meetups, I've been able to get to know some really cool bloggers that I'd been reading for a few years but never knew on a personal level. In fact, I've become really good friends with a couple, and we've been hanging out quite frequently.

I had such a dry period where my whole life revolved around checking my e-mail and comments when I came home from work. That was my sole way of connecting with the outside world. My husband could probably still say I spend way too much time on the computer (I couldn't disagree), but I've been able to get out more with people. It's a completely different feeling when you're hanging out with those who blog than those who don't. I can't explain the difference too well, but you know if you're in that position.

Where YouTube has begun conventions with their vloggers and those who subscribe, I think Blogger, Wordpress, and any others (including dot-coms) should follow. I think it'd be a great way for people who share the same interests in writing to get together and leave the keyboards behind. I'd love to meet some new people, find new blogs, and make some friends.
I find people, in general, to be really interesting, so it would be good to meet someone from a different part of the country or world. I'm just not sure where to start.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Knock Knock; Who's There; Interrupting Customer...

There are few things in this world that annoy me as much as customers who need constant "help" and attention. What's worse is when they interrupt you while you're with another customer and demand that you help them. Which one of us do you think is the rude one?

This happened to me yesterday. There was a lady who had called earlier in the afternoon looking for newborn sweaters. Olga had talked to her and said she was a real treat to handle. She ended up coming into the store a couple hours later, and she asked Olga for help in finding clearance receiving blankets. She showed her where we had very few left and walked away.

Meanwhile, I was helping a customer who wanted to put some things on layaway. They were inquiring about different things regarding the layaway process and payment options they had. The woman Olga had been helping interrupted us to ask where our clearance receiving blankets were. Knowing Olga had already shown her, I was a little frustrated but tried to point them out anyway. I then continued on with my customers.

They wanted to make sure that they could make payments over the phone (I was 95% sure but wanted to be 100%), so I called customer service. While I was on the phone, the woman from earlier came up to me and started saying something. Ummm...why do you think this phone is attached to my ear? That means, don't talk to me. Wait until I'm done. So I had to tell Lisa (from customer service) to hold on while I figured out what this lady had said.
I asked her to repeat herself, and she said, "I need some help when you're finished."
"I'll be with you in a few minutes," I replied.

When I found out they could make payments over the phone, I got off the line with Lisa, told the woman I'd be with her in a few minutes, and I went back to my customers. She followed me over to them and stood there. Ok...this is a little uncomfortable. I could tell my customers were wondering why she did this, but what could I do?

They showed me what pieces they wanted to put on layaway, and of course, the lady followed us down. I told you I'd be with you in a few minutes. Just go away. One of the items they wanted to put on a layaway needed to be checked to make sure we had it in stock, so I told them I'd check and be right back. The lady wasn't having it:

"I had to work all day. Could you at least point me where your clearance receiving blankets are?!?"
This is my problem how..? I thought we already went over this, anyway...twice. I pointed her to where they were if we had any left (I knew they were scarce), and she snapped back, "No, those are regular blankets! I want receiving blankets!"
I replied, "Well, we really don't have many (or any) on clearance at the moment. They'd all be there."
"Then where are your regular receiving blankets?"
I took her directly to where they are and pointed at them.
"Well?!? Where are they?"
Are you blind? Geez. I pointed again and said, "Right there."
"Oh," was all she could say.

That was the last of her that I had to deal with. Unfortunately, Olga had a little more to contend with. When she was finished shopping, she just stood at the desk while Olga was on the phone. She just stared at her waiting for some magical register to appear, I suppose. Olga had to stop her conversation to tell her to go downstairs to pay. Finally! Gone and out of sight!

I have to keep reminding myself that one day I'll be out of customer service.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Sulking

The past couple weeks have been stressful for me, and I'm probably blowing them out of proportion, but I don't handle things well. I have the sense that I'm dragging people down with me when I feel like this. I felt incredibly horrible last night because of this.

I have a tendency to loom over things that are bothering me when I'm all by myself. Usually, I don't have this problem at work because there's so much going on, but I did last night. It was awkwardly slow for a Saturday night, which I think caused my problem to arise.

I switched my schedule last night with one of my coworkers so I could work with Olga, so when she was busy doing other things--when we're normally hanging around each other and working together--I was left to sulk over whatever was bothering me. I had a list of things that were stressing me out at that moment: finding a new job, leaving the one I'm at sometime soon, losing the friends I made at Burlington, finding a way to further my Russian education (I found it to total $399 for a 7-month class at Mercyhurst), figuring out how to pay my $399 bill for a checkup my insurance wouldn't cover. They probably all sound like trivial things to anyone else, but to me they're things that matter a lot.

When Olga was finally done with what she was doing, she came back to a sullen Rachel, and she couldn't figure out why. I wanted to be mad at her because I switched my schedule just to work with her and she was hardly around, and I wanted to be mad because she said she'd go over the Russian with me and didn't, but that's really not what it was about. I was just stressed out about all the aforementioned things. She just happened to get the brunt of it. Unfortunately, I made her feel like it was her fault that I felt the way I did, and she spent the remainder of the night apologizing to me. It should have been the other way around.

I ended up feeling even worse the rest of the night because I dragged someone else down just because I felt crappy. I couldn't deal with it, so I sat down and wrote her a long e-mail at 12:30 last night apologizing for making her feel the way I did. This warranted a phone call while I was at Tam's bridal shower today. It was bad timing, but I'm glad I got that call. The air was cleared, and now we both feel a little better.

What's so bad about all this is that I do it so often. I bring the people I care about down just because I'm feeling like crap. My husband has to deal with this so much, and every time I do it, I feel even worse than I did before. I can't understand why I continue being so destructive. I need a healthier outlet.

The fact that my social life has been more active in recent months than in years has helped a great deal, but when I'm not out with friends or enjoying myself, things are coming to mind that cause me to get stressed out. I'm just wondering if there's any way for me to divert my attention elsewhere when I'm by myself. I don't want to continue to feel the way I do or drag anymore people down. I care too much about them to allow it to happen anymore.
Any suggestions?

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Ya Govaryu Pa-Russki

As most of you know, I've been studying the Russian language for nearly a year now. I've been trying to discipline myself to learn it on my own when Olga can't help me. Lately, the two of us have been busy and haven't gotten together to go over it. She does occasionally say something to me in Russian while we're working together, but it's not enough for me to learn. Since I know her priorities don't lie solely in teaching me Russian 24/7 (why should they?), I think I need to enlist some other form of help that's a little more regular and pushes me right into the deep end. I need something to force me to spend a lot of my time and energy on learning it.

I'm at a point in my Russian where it's very hard to learn it on my own. I have times where I'm sitting there staring at my book, and nothing is sinking in. Other times, things come so clearly to me. Regardless of whether I'm able to learn anything at the time or not, I need someone to help me out. Rather than getting a Russian tutor [I can say I already have one of those...for free.], I'd like to take some Russian courses at a local college. However, I don't need credits, so it should be a lot cheaper.

I did some searching on the 'net, and the only college in Erie that I could find with any Russian classes was at Mercyhurst, which tends to be on the pricey side. However, my sister-in-law's husband is a math professor there, so I was going to see if he could look into the cost of that. I don't know if any other colleges around here have Russian classes, but I'd be interested in knowing if there were (having more than one option would be preferable). Anyone know of any?

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Sellout

I was really excited when one of the temp agencies I'm with called this morning. I missed the call initially because I had my phone on silent from work last night, and I forgot to switch over to normal mode. I thought maybe they were calling to inform me that I got the job I interviewed for. Boy, was I wrong...

She explained that they had a little bit of an emergency and needed me to work somewhere until about 5:00 to fill in for a woman who called off. She explained that everyone else she had called that was a temp said they were busy and couldn't make it. I wasn't too thrilled as today was my last day I had off from work this week, and I wanted to relax, but for the sake of getting some extra cash and making myself sound like a good worker, I took the opportunity. I was responsible for answering the phone (two lines) and filing. How bad could it be?

I finally arrived at the company after missing it on the drive down and having to turn around. The woman (I'll call her "Jan") who greeted me was very friendly and cordial. "Jan" briefly explained what I needed to do, which was just as I was explained on the phone. I needed to answer phone calls, and she gave me a stack of papers she needed alphabetized. She apologized for the "busy work," but I was more than happy to have something to do to keep from biting my nails and pulling my hair out. She needed to run out for what she said would be an hour (it was actually four), so I was left alone in that building for my entire shift without a trace of another human being other than a coworker every one to two hours.

Everything was going as well as could be expected. I was bored out of my mind because it only took me a half hour to alphabetize that paperwork. The customers that called were cordial, and I had no problems with them. Taking messages was an absolute breeze. Why wouldn't it be? You don't have to deal with all the specifics. You just pass along the message to someone more knowledgeable. Well, that part was just fine.

What wasn't good were some of the coworkers that called every so often to check on things. They were asking me questions I didn't have answers to and were frustrated that "Jan" wasn't there to help them out. Ok, I can understand being frustrated, but I'm just filling in and have no clue what goes on around here. Every time they called, they made it a point to be rude, disrespectful, and degrading in regards to my mental capacity (insinuating I was an idiot at points by certain comments). On top of that, the two that gave me the problems were the owner and his son. Hey, I dropped everything to help you guys out on my day off. The least you could do is be respectful to me.

One instance was when the son of the owner asked if a fax he was waiting for had come in. I told him I didn't know anything about it but was just filling in for the day. He wanted me to check in the other office to see if it had come up. I said I didn't know if his was in there because he didn't give me any indication as to what it looks like. He told me to look and describe what was there because "I can't see it over the phone." No crap.

We determined that his fax hadn't come through, so he rudely asked me to call the company whose fax he was waiting for and ask what the holdup was and call him back. Ok, that'd be great if I had the number. I didn't bother to ask. I just wanted to get off the phone. I looked through their paperwork and was able to find the number for the company. I called there, and asked the guy the information I needed. He informed me that my "coworker" was bothering him all day and calling "every three minutes," and he basically wanted him to hold his horses. I'm thinking the same thing right now. I'll gladly pass along the message.

I called the coworker back and delivered the message. He told me to call back when the fax came in. I did.
"Yeah?"
"It's Rachel. Your fax came in."
>insert deafening silence here<
"Ok..."
"Yeah, it came in."
"Ok...I can't read it through the phone. You need to tell me what it says," he rudely replied.
Well, you didn't tell me you needed the info off it. Don't sit on the phone expecting me to read your mind.
I began trying to read the fax until he interrupted me because I was apparently telling him useless information off it.
"No! I don't need to know all that! Just read me the parts, ok? I don't need the model numbers, alright?"
Apparently, I read too much of the part names too because he interrupted me once again.
"No, not that! I don't care about that! Just read me the part."
Well, as far as I could tell, what I was reading was part of the name of the part. How am I supposed to differentiate?

If I'm ever asked to go back there to help them out, they can forget it. Even though "Jan" was very pleasant, some of her coworkers were just rude and disrespectful. No wonder everyone was "busy" today. They've probably had to fill in there before and don't even bother anymore. I couldn't blame them either.
Ah, the sacrifices you make to prove you're reliable. I feel like I'm selling out.

Monday, July 16, 2007

A Little Contemplation

I have to say it's been a little rough the past week with all the job hunting I've been doing. I just called both temp agencies this morning for an update, and it seems I've possibly striked out on both deals.

As I'd said, the temp I'd gone to on Friday had offered me a job possibility in McKean. She was going to call me to let me know if I was able to go in for an interview, which was contingent on the employer letting me put at least a week's notice into Burlington. When I called this morning, she told me that this company was a new client, and they were unable to provide the necessary paperwork to the temp. In other words, they dropped the client, so this job is no longer a possibility for me. Unfortunately, this was the only job this temp agency had in mind for me at the moment.

I called the other temp to see if there was any update on the other job, which I had interviewed for last Wednesday. She said they were still interviewing a few more candidates, so they hadn't come to a decision yet. I suppose I'll have to wait this one out a little longer, but I'm trying to hold back the doubt flying around in my head.

I know I've just started out with these temp agencies, but I already feel like I'm going to be one of those applicants that never gets anywhere. I have doubts in my skills and abilities where I should have confidence. I just can't push myself enough into the positive realm to assure myself that I'll get a new job...eventually. Waiting is the hardest thing for me to do; especially when I want out right away.

At the same time--and I've expressed this before--I'll miss some of the people I've worked with at Burlington. We had a little picnic at Presque Isle last night with people from our department and the youth department. I invited ron and Tam, but only ron was able to make it. [Sorry for making you the oddball out.] It really made me realize that I work with such wonderful people. As much as we may complain about each other doing stupid or idiotic things that annoy us on occasion [I'm sure I get my fair share of complaints.], when it comes down to it, we all really care about each other a great deal and would be there at the drop of a hat to help one another out.

I'm probably closer to one person in particular more than anyone else there because she's really done a lot for me: Olga has pulled me out of scheduling crises when something unexpected comes up by switching schedules with me; she's been someone to confide in when I'm really down or something has been bothering me; I could trust her with everything--including my life (and vice versa); and she's taken me under her wing--despite a sometimes busy schedule--to help me learn Russian, which has gone by the wayside every so often just from being busy with other things in my life (no fault of her own; she still keeps me on my toes). I've worked with a few different people in my short career that have helped me to get where I'm at today, but I've unfortunately lost touch with most all of them. I'm hoping that will stop here, and Olga is someone I don't want to lose that connection with. I don't want to lose anymore good friends. They're few and far between for me these days anyway.

As much as I want to leave retail and Burlington altogether in the dust, I wish I could take some of the people with me. Since I may be leaving soon, I felt like I should write some sort of tribute to the people who have made everyday more bearable. I don't know what I'd do without them. I may have started off on the wrong foot with one or two, but they're what keep me from pulling every strand of hair out of my head, and I wouldn't trade that crew for any other.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Ah, Crap...

Well, I really have no new news along the lines of a job. I did go to another temp agency on Friday morning where they insisted on administering 10,000 tests to me. [By the way, I scored higher on the advanced questions of Microsoft Word 2000 than the basic knowledge. The woman that interviewed me said I was the first she ever encountered with scores like that. Hmmm...] They also offered me a job opportunity in McKean, which I hope I'll get called in to interview for. We'll see.

Since that's about all I have to update you on, let me just talk about something that annoys me even more than my job and the absolutely ludicrous customers that come in, and that is none other than porta potties. Didn't think I was gonna go there, did you? Well, I suppose the picture should have been a good indication.

I had to use a number of these while we were on our trip out west. It's never an enjoyable experience for anyone (unless you're into feces, disease, and things of the sort). Nothing annoys me more with these than when there's a brisk breeze blowing up through the hole. Am I the only one that has a hard time using the toilet when your behind is being fanned off? Is there any way they can get some air control installed in these? I suppose I shouldn't expect luxury in such a facility.

Not only that, but it's a hole in the ground. What if I drop something by accident in there? How in the heck am I supposed to get it out? At least if it's a regular toilet, you can suck it up and remove your item from the bowl (hopefully, you've dropped it before utilizing the can). Otherwise, you'd better have a fishing pole and bait in tow.
Oh, and complimentary toilet covers, soap, water, and air fresheners would be greatly appreciated. No one wants to smell the stank when they enter the box after Diarrhea Man...and he's always there and using the pot before me. It's especially bad when it's Explosive Saturday.

Convenience? Ha. Enter at your own risk.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

God's Good

For those who like quick updates, you'll be very pleased:

My interview at the temp agency went really well today. So well, in fact, that I got an interview right away for a job later in the afternoon. For fear I'll "jinx" my chances of getting in, I won't tell you where I was interviewed at. I would like to say I have a good chance of getting it, but it's really hard to know that. I do think my interview went really well though, and the fact that I was called at the drop of a hat and came there right away should say a lot. At least, I hope so...

At any rate, this is enough to keep me happy for a little while. If it means I have the slightest chance of getting out of retail soon, I'm all for it.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Stress, Stress, Stress

I'm so incredibly tired and stressed out. I'm not even sure why I'm on here writing this blog other than to apologize if I don't blog as frequently as usual. I have to say I've been a little overwhelmed with my current job. Don't get me wrong: It hasn't been busy at all. In fact, it's been quite slow at work, which is part of the reason why I feel the way I do.

Every day I go in, I feel like I'm wasting 8 hours of my life. It's a thankless job (like many people possess), and I get no joy out of it anymore. The only things that keep me going are the couple people that help me get through the day and the fact that I desire to keep a roof over my head. Beyond that...well, there is no beyond that. That's where it ends.
Now they're doing register training at work, which shouldn't seem like a big deal, but I have one problem with it: It epitomizes everything I truly loathe about retail, and I'm being forced train on it. That's why I had set myself a goal to get a job by Thursday. Things are not looking up because I was being far too unrealistic.

I've now resorted to some serious job hunting, but it has produced nothing thus far because I didn't give myself enough time to make something happen (it's been slightly less than a week). Although I have two interviews at two different temp agencies (one tomorrow at 10:30 and another Friday at 8:30) and have sent my resume in for a job of interest, I'm still a little frustrated with myself.

It wasn't too long ago that I was sitting in this same position at a different job wondering how I could get myself out of this hole I was in. I let myself get wrapped up in the routine so easily that it's hard for me to pull myself out and move on. When I was at Dollar General I couldn't wait to leave; yet, it was so difficult to go. That meant starting over at a new place with new people and new routines that I wasn't familiar with. That's scary if you've ever had to jump from one job to the next when you've sort of made yourself a part of that old job.

This is my predicament today/tonight/this week/this month/this year. I want so badly to leave where I'm at, but I'm so scared. Can anyone sympathize?

Monday, July 9, 2007

My Best Summary Job

I'm sure you're all quite upset with me because I haven't written one blog to tell you anything about my trip other than some kid saying he had wood in his pants. That really doesn't explain the size of the Grand Canyon, the number of bison we encountered in Yellowstone, or the price of tea in China (what is it, by the way?). Although, I can tell you the two formers, I can't help you with the latter, and besides, I'm sure that's all you want to know right now anyway.

I'll try to summarize this 2-week trip as best I can. In order to do that, I'll share with you a few pictures from some highlight events:

Although seeing Old Faithful go off was quite an incredible thing, I'd have to say this event was just as exciting. I'm not even sure if we were riding through Haynard Valley (the bison capital of Yellowstone National Park, basically) or not, but we came across at least 35-40 bison crossing the road. This picture is the result of that. We had more on the sides of our car and in back. We took numerous pictures and video until a jerk from the opposing traffic didn't feel like waiting and drove up, beeped his horn, and made them scatter. No thanks for you despite your you're-welcome signal as you passed us. You shouldn't be in the park if you don't appreciate the wildlife.

Ah, Avalanche Peak in Yellowstone. It was one of the many hikes we went on while we were in the park. Interesting story behind this one: We decided to go on this hike, and it happened to be the day we were moving from our cabins in Canyon Village to ones in Grant Village. The drive from where the hike started was about 45 minutes or so to Grant. We agreed to meet my mother-in-law and father-in-law at 6:00 that evening, and Jon, my sister-in-law (Erica), her husband (Chad), and I went on the hike. It was in bear country so we were a little nervous, and so were Jon's parents, but we each had a can of bear repellent in case we did run into one (Erica and Chad did earlier that morning on one of their hikes).

It was around 1:30 when we arrived at the start of the hike. We signed in and went on our way. We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't make it up to the peak until about 5:00, and we still had to walk down and drive to Grant Village. The hike was 2.2 miles going straight up (10.5 thousand feet), and extremely tiring. We basked in the glory of accomplishing that. The way down was just as trying as the hike up. It took us an hour and a half to walk to the end where we signed out and tried to make it out to Grant Village as quickly as possible. Jon's cell phone was dead, and mine didn't have service, so when we got in service areas, Erica tried to use it to call 411, but only made it as far as asking what number she needed (Grant Village), and she lost her signal.

When we finally got there, his mom was in tears. She had sent out a search party of rangers to look for us. We felt horrible, but at least we were all ok.

We were able to ride mules/horses while we were at Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. I'd never ridden one before, so this was an experience altogether new to me. The mule I had was utterly belligerent and refused to move faster than a half a mile an hour. We were supposed to stay only 5-6 feet away from the horse in front of us. Well, I was more like 100 feet or more behind. Kicking, whipping (which I really didn't like doing), and anything else I tried wouldn't work. The only thing that did was when one of the guides yelled at her, and she'd move faster for a second or two and return to her slow pace. For being named Brighty, she sure didn't act like it (nor look it).

If you so desire to look at the rest of the pictures, I made an album on Flickr, so feel free to take a look at my album.

Monday, July 2, 2007

I Have Returned

Yes, it's true. I've made it back alive from my trip. I returned on Sunday morning, and I haven't blogged until now. My husband puts me to shame since he's already blogged, and he does once in a blue moon.
I'd love to tell you all about my trip right at the moment, but I need to go to bed, as I've jumped right back into work the day after coming back. I will, however, share with you one of the most humorous moments on my trip.

Jon, my father-in-law, and I were at the south rim of the Grand Canyon waiting for the shuttle for the Hermit Route. While we were waiting, a mother and her five or six year-old son were walking by. The little boy was looking down while reaching into his shorts. The following conversation ensued:

"What are you doing," the mother asked.
"There's something in my pants," he replied.
"What's in your pants?"
After a short pause, he answers, "Wood."
And so matter-of-fact-like, the mother asks, "Wood?"

I don't know if Jon and I were the only ones that thought it was funny or if we were the only ones to hear the conversation. Either way, it had me in stitches.

More stories (and pictures) to come...