Jen - that is CRAZY! Lukki you are not alone! It is very hard for me to hold my tongue but in the past I felt that I had to so that I would conform a bit more to 'societies political correctness' of accepting everything. I've been accused of being rude in the past because, as my family puts it: I'm blunt and say what's on my mind. Somehow that stopped but once I had my 1st baby I decided that I didn't want him to grow up in such a rude world w/ so many egocenntric, thoughtless people so I started speaking up again. I work in a Dr.s office and one of the things that I point out to each new patient when they arrive (it's something in the paperwork that they sign) is: If you know that you can't make an appointment please call us. 'I know the paperwork says 24hrs but obviously that's not always possible and we certainly understand that.' I try to show that we are reasonable first. Then I say 'And if you know or think that you are going to be late PLEASE call us in advance. We schedule our appt.s every 20 mins. and the patient that is scheduled behind you may require strict one on one attention w/ the therapist and we certainly wouldn't want to shotchange that persons need.' And yet I still can't believe how many people just show up 15 min. late EVERY SINGLE FREAKING TIME! If someone is on their cell phone and they try to do business w/ me I tell them that when they are done they can come back. And if they try to talk w/ me while on the cell phone to conduct their business, I talk w/ them as if I were the only one in the room - I don't care if they are trying to speak w/ the person on the other end of their phone. Then I get up and walk away when I'm done so that they have to follow me for all of the information that they just missed. If they are just generally talking on their cell phone while in the waiting rm. I ask them to leave. I have business that I also need to conduct in this small office. On the retail end of it: One night I was closing our store when a last minute shopper came in 5 min. before closing. She putzed around for about 15 min. I asked her if there was anything that she was looking for and if I could help. She said that she was just browsing (talking on her cell the whole time) and I told her that the store was getting ready to close as it was past closing time. At 15 min. past closing I had the staff shut off the main store lights and started sending people home. 30 min. past closing (the mall was shutting of hall lights) she finally brought something to the register (still on that phone). I didn't do anything. She put her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and mouthed to me that I could go ahead and ring her up. I very loudly told her that I would wait until she was off of the phone as I like to make sure that my customers have my undivided attention. She immediately hung up. As for the rude drivers, if it's daylight and in a very populated busy area, I have been known to put my car in park at a red light, get out of my van and let them have it. I know it's not a good idea but sometimes I just don't care. You should have seen the look on the guys face that tried to cut me off and then rode my bumper giving me the finger. He about died when we got to the red light (him behind me) and I got out of my van 8 months pregnant and headed for his car. He couldn't get his window up fast enough.

That's a great story and we need to hear more about them because I've met more kind, nice and generous people than bad ones. Thus, I know for a fact that there are lots and lots of wonderful people out there. What's so bad is the media and all the news that make us think otherwise. Here's one day that I can't forget. I heard a loud boom and ran to the window to see what it was. There was a minor auto accident in front of my home. I went out to see if I could be of any assistant. 2 cars were involved. One driver was a teenager. Being that this was her first accident, she was scared and in tears. The other driver was in his senior years, late 70's or 80's, and was very fragile. It was one of those Texas high heat day. So, I asked the drivers to park their cars in a safe area and invited them into the cool and comfort of my home to exchange information. After being indoor with a/c for a few minutes, they both were able to calm down. I guided them with what information they needed to exchange and who to call. Really, neither one of them knew what to do and yet, both insisted on not calling the police. Later, the girl's parents came to help her going home. We all chit chat for awhile, laughing and joking. Then, they all followed each others home. The parents wanted to make sure that the senior driver got home safely. The whole ordeal really touched me. I never thought that a little hospitality really paid off. Yes, kindness is really contagious :o)

I suggest watching cesar millan videos on youtube about how to walk a dog. My neighbor's dog, a lab, was pulling her all over the place. I took the dog for a walk and within 10 min, I had her by my side, paying attention to me, no pulling. When I was fostering my brother's dog after his death, a 110-lb golden, he was pulling like mad and no way could I control him. So again, using Cesar's techniques, within a few minutes, I had him heeling perfectly. The discipline of the walk starts at the door. You have to be the first one out, and the dog needs to wait for you to ask him out, not go charging out in front. Dog language is very simple...whoever is in front is in charge. So the dog needs to be at your side or slightly behind. You need to be literally the leader. One of the most effective techniques I've found that he uses is one of surprise and distraction...you can have the dog stand or sit next to you and as soon as you see the dog start to focus on something, lift your foot on the side opposite the dog, reach it behind you and touch the dog on his leg. (This is not a kick! This is simply touching them with your toe.) It surprises them and immediately distracts them from what they were focusing on and puts 100% of their attention on you, which is exactly where you want it. Another important element is to keep the collar, whichever one you use, up near their head like they do in the kennel shows. That's where the dog is sensitive and will feel it. If you have the collar down closer to their shoulders and you pull on it, their reaction will be to pull in the opposite direction. That's what dogs do...and we've all seen it where dogs are pulling so hard that they are actually strangling themselves, and yet they keep pulling.

Annie1992 — i’m with you on that grade B real maple syrup! That’s the only thing we use when we want maple syrup. That corn syrup stuff has a mouth feel that is like cardboard gelatin. I rarely buy or use Cool Whip, but one of my in-laws used to make this particular dessert with Cool Whip and strawberries because her children liked it. She use frozen strawberries but with a lot of fresh strawberries on top. I developed a fondness for it :-) I rarely buy or use Cool Whip, but one of my in-laws used to make this particular dessert with Cool Whip and strawberries because her children like it. She use frozen strawberries but with a lot of fresh strawberries on top. I developed a fondness for it :-) That Wired article on Cool Whip is funny. I do remember the polysorbate 60 from reading the list of ingredients decades ago. It really is gooood. Probably a recipe from one of those “Women’s Magazines” decades ago. I made this for a party, and to keep in the fast ingredients spirit, use canned whipped cream (one can discern).