Good news from the gas station

No really. I meant it. "Good news" and "gas station" in the same sentence. What good news can be coming from a gas station today? Prices are flirting with $4/gallon. Facebook is abuzz with warnings that thieves may steal your purse from the front seat while you are at the pump. And despite what my husband says, gas station food -- GROSS. But I'm here to deliver a bit of good gas news.

Tonight after Charlie's soccer practice, I had to get gas in the car; the handy dashboard computer was reading FUEL RANGE: 0 miles. So I pulled in to a Circle K station, swiped my debit card and selected the "Regular" gas, selling for $3.48/gallon. The pump screen instructed me to lift the nozzle and begin pumping the gas. So that's what I did. Only nothing happened. As I waited, another driver came out of the gas station and told me that the station was out of regular gas.

I hit "cancel" on the pump and contemplated paying the higher price for the "Plus" gas. But then I noticed another gas station across the street and decided to go there to get the cheaper fuel. It took me just a minute to drive across the street and pull up to the pump of the Whitestown Marathon.

I got out of the car, swiped my card, and got ready to pump the gas. I looked up to see "Please See Cashier" flash at me on the screen. Frustrated, I went into the station where they told me my card had been declined.

"Ugh...I know what it is, I just tried to get gas across the street and they must have placed a big hold on my account."

The clerk very nicely suggested that I call the 1-800 number on the back of my card to ask my back to release the hold. So I headed back to the car to make the call...which would have been simple, if Robbie hadn't killed the battery on my phone playing "Wipeout."  I should be given a gold medal for not flipping out at this point. Instead, I just took the phone back and plugged it in, pulled into a parking spot, and waited for the phone to charge. About 6 minutes later (it was REALLY dead), I was on the line with my bank and feeling cranky.

After answering 72 security questions, the guy from the bank confirmed that I did indeed have sufficient funds and that there were now no holds on my card. Awesome.

So I pulled back up to the pump, swiped my card, and "Please See Cashier" appeared in front of me again.

Seriously? So, I went back inside the gas station, presented my card again and waited while the cashier swiped it again, using it as a debit card. Declined. So he ran it as credit. Declined.

At this point, I was frustrated and embarrassed and just ready to go home. "I just got off the phone with the bank," I told him in what I'm sure sounded like a big fat lie (but it wasn't). "He said there were no holds on the account and there are funds in the account."

"I have zero gas and no cash," I continued, already thinking about the earful I was going to give the bank when I got back in the car.

Here's the good part. A lady came up behind the counter and asked how far I needed to go. I told her just about 5 miles. She said to the cashier, "Give her $10; that should get her home." Then she turned to me and said, "I'm the manager here. We'll take care of you." She took $10 out of her own purse, handed it to the cashier and said "Pay it back when you can or pay it forward."

I know it sounds completely cheesy to say this, but I left the Whitestown Marathon feeling happy to know that there are good, kind people in this world. So, if you find yourself in need of gas near Exit 130 on I-65 North, please think about stopping at the Whitestown Marathon. Tell Tammy that the 4th Frog sent you.

Say what, Google search?

I try hard not to use my phone in the car. I used to talk on the phone all the time while driving and I've been able to cut back on that. I'm pretty good about not texting, though I will answer a text when I'm stopped at a red light. My phone doesn't have Siri, so I don't have one of those talk-to-text features. But it does have a voice search function.

I can hold down the home button on the phone and say "Call Annie, mobile," and it will, which is pretty sweet. I can also use the voice search function to search Google. That comes in handy from time to time. Like last week, for instance. I was on my way to the Indiana Soybean Alliance for a blogger's event. I had a pretty good idea of where I was going, but wanted to confirm the address. So I held down the button, waited for the beep and said in (what I thought was a very) clear voice:

"Indiana Soybean Alliance"

What I said and what Google Voice heard were two different things. What Google gave back to me was: "Indiana Sleeping Alliance."  Not what I was looking for, but something I should keep in the back of my mind for future use.

So I tried it again, this time trying to be more clear with my enunciation: "Indiana Soybean Alliance"

Google Voice: "Indiana Floyd bean Alliance" Ugh. No.

Me: "Indi-ANa- SsssOY-beaN Alliance"

Google Voice: "Indiana silly bean Alliance"

Still determined, I decided to change the search a little, not sure if it was really the soybean alliance or the soybean board.

Me: "Indiana Soybean Board"

Google Voice: "Indiana saw you being bored"

Well, I don't know if anyone saw me being bored, but if they were looking in my direction, they  probably saw me being frustrated and shouting into the pinhole microphone of my phone.

Me: "IN-DI-AN-A SsoooY-beaN BOARD"

Google Voice: "Indiana so you being bored"

Why I didn't just give up, I don't know. Call it determination or rage-born stubbornness. So I tried a different approach this time.

Me: "Soy BEAN Indiana"

Google Voice: "So I mean Indiana"

With that I waved the white flag and waited for the next red light, where I typed in "Indiana Soybean Alliance" and where Google promptly responded accurately. Finally.

Ahh...first world problems.

How do I feed this thing?

I've been a parent for a little more than 15 years. So I know things. Parental type, family care type things. But one thing I haven't quite figured out is how to feed this:

My first child is a girl. Annie is a predictable eater. Yogurt, cheese, apples, pretzels, cucumber, ham sandwiches. When it comes to meal time, with the exception of breakfast which she prefers not to eat, when it's time to eat, she eats. Robbie, the little guy, a steady diet of cereal and he's happy.

This one? He is a tricky one. Ring the dinner bell and he comes to the table, protests already forming on his tongue.

"I don't like broccoli."

"Rice? Ewww."

"Can I make myself a sandwich?"

If the meal is not pasta, tacos or pizza, forget it.

Then there are all those other edible moments of the day -- after school, before and after soccer practice, before bed. Oh, he'll eat then. But not before he complains about the lack of food in the house.

Today for example. "Mom, you have to go to the store to buy more food," he whined in a more angry than whiny voice.

"I just went to the store."

"But there's nothing here."

Well, son, it may seem that there is nothing here because at this point you have eaten 3 popsicles, 4 bags of fruit snacks and 2 granola bars in the last 10 minutes. All of which was said in my head because I really wasn't in the mood to argue.

"Have a sandwich. There's peanut butter and jelly, and ham and cheese."

One PB&J later, he was still grousing about never having food in the house. And he does have a small point. I don't generally buy volumes of food at once. Usually about $100 worth at a time. That's for two reasons. 1. If I buy it, they will eat it. And 2. I try to space out our food expenditures over the month. Food is expensive, yo.

He is a really active kid, so I don't doubt that he gets hungry. Famished, even. But feeding our family of five, one of whom is a near-teenaged boy, is like feeding a family of nine.

It all makes me feel a little guilty. I can see him stretched out on some therapist's couch tracing his life troubles to the fact that his mother never had enough food in the house. In my own defense, our definitions of portion sizes differ. A serving of strawberries to me is 5- 6 strawberries. To Charlie, a serving of strawberries is a 1lb. clamshell package.
 
So today I asked him to make a list of the things he thinks should be available at our house at all times. This is what he came up with:

• apples
• bananas
• strawberries
• blueberries
• jelly, more jars
• mio shock (whatever nonsense that is)
• a lot of giant boxes of cereal
• chocolate chip, blueberry, and plain waffles
• protein bars -- labeled for Charlie and Dad
• energy drinks
• hot dogs
• brats
• cheese
• a lot more bread
• bagels
• hot chocolate

 So he likes fruits, crappy meats, carbs and stuff hawked by professional athletes on TV. In abundance.

I think I might need another part time job.

Progress...

Ok, got the sidebar to show up again. I think what messed it up was something in my Friday Frags post. But now I have to figure out how to get the sidebar content back where it belongs.

Have I mentioned that I really don't know what I'm doing? And that I have a bazillion other things I should be doing today?

Wordless Wednesday: Frustration

Fun socks, fun socks everywhere and not a PAIR to wear...

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday.

The Biggest Loser: GRRRRRR!

Ok. Can I just say (of course I can, it's my blog) that I am SICK TO DEATH of contestants throwing themselves under the bus? Arrrrrggggghhhh! For crying out loud, let people make up their own minds based on how they perceive the game to be going. STOP saying "send me home."

Tonight it was Abby. The Black Team lost the Face Off Weigh Ins. I was thinking that either Amanda or Daniel should be a little nervous. Amanda because she walked out of the gym and has generally been a pansy this season. Daniel because he is just not putting up the kind of numbers you (usually) need to stay.

But NO...Abby starts it right off with "my journey is different than yours." And I understand. I do. Abby was on the Biggest Loser ranch to learn to live again, to learn to love again, to do more than just exist. But for crying out loud! I was royally ticked when the Black Team -- all but Danny -- honored Abby's wish and sent her packing.

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!

Ok...deep breath...now that my little rant is over, I will say that Abby has done a phenomenal job since going home. She's lost a total of 80 pounds and looks great!

Other highlights from tonight's show:

• Best celebrity mash up: Liz -- a cross between Paula Deen and Flo from the 80's show Alice
• Best quote of the night: Abby, upon hearing that she'd been chosen to face off against Tracy on the scale -- "Tracy is, um, well she's crazy. Tracy's crazy so you just never know what's gonna happen."
• Best nicknames: Given by Shay to Rudy -- Rudy the bear, the lumberjack, Paul Bunyan
• Best celebrity impersonation: Jillian, aka Dr. Phillian, trying to get in the heads of Amanda, Abby and Shay
• Best personal epiphany: Abby -- "I came here looking for a purpose - being present in my own life again. To have the energy to get up. I'm doing it. I can love people again. It's scary to love people when you've lost everything. I'm strong. I'm gonna live and not just exist anymore."
• Best milestone: Rudy -- who set a new Biggest Loser record by losing 100 pounds in just 7 weeks at the ranch!
• Best recurring theme: It's been said more than once this season -- YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENT CHOICE. I think that's worth putting on my mirror and my fridge and my dashboard.

Curious to hear what you all thought!