for my avid reader

because my mother seems to be the most avid reader of my blog, this one's for you.

i was at work today, in the bathroom (i know, weird reference, stay with me mom) and i thought of my mother. the bathroom had flooded the first week i got there because the toilet was broken and i got very annoyed. "how could anyone not realize the toilet was going to overflow with the rinse-water action?" bah! so annoying. because of that, i had to thank my mom for teaching me a lot. so here it is, in random order, not a full list, and omitting some of the normal mom-teaching stuff.

things my mom has taught me:

-about a toilet. how to fix it, plunging action (which came in handy at camp 07 when i saved the women's restroom in the RC), how to stop the toilet that's overflowing.
-how to hem a pair of pants. while mom thinks that i hate it, it is actually not too shabby to know that i can do this. considering i am very short, it works. also came in handy when i dated a man who was 5'5" and needed his tuxedo pants hemmed.
-to wrap a present. and not some lame rinky-dink version. the real deal, perfect creases, the whole nine yards. i'm pretty sure that my father hasn't wrapped a present himself since my mom taught me how. so...that's about 13 years.
-how to check my oil. driving the reliant k back in the day, it came in handy. i think i could do it now, even though it has been a while.
-birch trees grow best in groups of three.
-taping is the most important part of a paint job, and "cutting in" to the wall makes or breaks the paint experience. don't take the tape off too early...rookie mistake.
-you should turn down the radio when you're having a conversation with someone (mostly an older person ) in the car. i still get annoyed that mom does this when i'm talking to her, but now i am beginning to realize that no one really wants you to yell at them in the car.
-always try and have a job. you're smart, don't be lazy and pretend that you're not.
-cooking is a skill that some people just don't have.
-do not be afraid to sing loud. be part of the "joyful noise" group.
-always hold your grandma's hand and help her into the car.
-men with tempers aren't worth your time.
-wear tall shoes and cute clothes when you're young, because you won't be able to do that crap when you're old.
-to properly use an electric hand-mixer.
-you cannot leave kids alone. ever. it doesn't matter how long you're gone, you cannot leave them even for a second. i still remember my mom speaking her mind to a lady at a gas station when i was about 7. always stuck with me.
-toys are best without batteries.
-utilize tall people in your life to reach things on shelves.
-fork on the left.
and to close up the list:
-don't forget that it sucks to be poor. i am very lucky. this has, on more than many occassions, made other people mad at me. these people usually have lots of money.

love you--wee