Long Weekend Baby!

I have absolutely nothing planned for this long weekend and that in and of itself is thrilling to me!!

We have company coming in the next two weeks and that is always a great deal of work so enjoying this holiday weekend of nothingness.

I called my mom yesterday. She called while we were in flight and by the time we got home I was too exhausted to call. They are always long calls you see. 
So then we began a long phone tag event. Finally, I called yesterday and my father answered.
It went like this.

Hi, Daddy, it's Peggy.

Hey, Peg, how the hell are you?

Great Dad. What are you up to?  

Oh resting. Got home from work and my back is bothering me so I thought I'd just rest until your mother gets home. She is working late today I guess. Is this Peg?

Yes, Dad, it's Peg. 

Hah, I love you.

I love you too Dad.   (oh boy these are sad conversations)

Well, Dad, I will let  you go back to resting and I'll call later to talk to Mom okay?

Okay - is this Peggy?

Yes, it's Peggy Dad.  

Hey Great, My number 1. Hah! (and he laughs at our inside joke.)
I'll try to remember to tell her you called okay?

You don't have to remember Dad. I'll just call her back okay?

Okay.  Hey, this is Peg right?

Yep Dad it's Peg, you're favorite remember? 
He laughs his big laugh. It's just something he has said to me since I was a kid. I know it is not a fact just something he and I have joked about forever.

Dad, I'll talk to you later, go rest now okay? 

Can I tell you how sad this makes me?  He laughs and still called me number 1 and that was a moment of clarity I think. But I don't know.  Man, this is a lot of work for my step mom. 

I have a sister who lives out west who will be visiting my parents in July. She is bringing her youngest daughter and staying a week so I know I will be up there at that time. But I think I will be going up there in the next few weeks too. 

_______________________

Yesterday while having my hair cut and colored I encountered another ditzy woman.
We were sitting in the color bar area of the salon. We were about 2 feet apart facing each other. . She was talking about going up north with her husband and kids to go to an amusement park. When she mentioned the park by name I said, "Oh are  you from Pennsylvania?"
Because honestly there are way better amusement parks so to go so to me this meant she was from there.  She said that she was indeed from PA.  I said, "me too"
She asked me where. (now she is from Monroeville, a suburb just east of Pittsburgh)
I tell her I am from Erie PA. She said, "Where is that?"  

I said it is due north of Pittsburgh, follow I-79 and you stop at the lake. 
She responded with, "What lake?"
She was very serious. I  told her it was Lake Erie. 
She said Oh like she had never heard of this.
She was clueless. 
Then she said that she wasn't aware of a lake IN Pennsylvania.
I told her it isn't technically IN Pennsylvania, but it butts up to PA. 
There are a lot of lakes in PA, but I didn't want to confuse her more, hopefully, she knew of a few rivers there in Pittsburgh that the city is built around. But I am not certain that is a fact for her after speaking with her for a while now.  I think perhaps she should step away from that bleach on her head. 
It may be seeping into her brain and making her stupid..

If nothing else I would have thought she'd have seen the signs pointing north to Erie on the interstate or turnpike or something. I guess you all reading this don't get what I am saying. But trust me this is stupid. 

It would be like someone in the District never hearing of Baltimore.  
How do you not know one of the 4 largest cities in your state? 
How do you not know a name of one of the Great Lakes and that butts up against your state?
How don't people know basic geography?  
I realize that I worked in the travel industry and I sure as hell needed to know geography.
Later in her conversations she said she was about to turn 40. 
That made this whole conversation even sadder.

I remember when I worked for an airline in reservations. People would call me and ask how much it cost to go to Florida. I would ask them where in Florida they wanted to go. I recall one woman who was so irate with my question. She said, "Are you dumb? Just the price to go to Florida!"   So I just quoted the cost to Miami. She may have wanted to go to Orlando but since she wouldn't tell me I just threw out the a cost of any ole city.  I had Florida and Texas questions like this all the time. I don't know why people asked this of those 2 states in particular, but they sure did. 

When I worked for a small commuter airline in reservations I had a woman ask me where we would be picking her up and dropping her off? WHAT? Just because it was a small passenger jet didn't mean it wasn't at the airport. Did she think we would be landing in her driveway? Put an X in your driveway lady so we know where to go. I was asked all kinds of dumb questions while in reservations. But truth be told the funniest ones were when I worked at an airport ticket counter and gate.

At least in reservations they couldn't see you roll your eyes while you speak like you care. 
At the ticket counter,  you took abuse with a smile, unlike today's ticket counter employees. Bags lost? Of course, it's my fault.  
I'm sorry, You can't smoke on your 1.5 hr flight? 
Yes, I know we are Satan. (really had a man tell me this)
No cocktails on our flight to Newark?  It's 2 hours man, can we go buy some liquor and bring it on the plane then? 
This flight is 50 minutes long and you're telling me I can't smoke or drink? I will not be flying you again! (oh bummer, we're the only carrier who flies this route without a connection)

My favorite was told to you here on the blog years ago so I won't repeat. 
That woman from Nabisco who called me stupid and uneducated because to her flight was delayed due to fog. (yea that was my fault too). 
I will remember her name until I die. I have shit for memory and yet this woman name, face and what she was wearing is embedded into my memory. She also hit me with her briefcase so that helps my memory as well. I also got 3 days off without pay and no flying privileges because of me not being able to take her shit for another minute. First and last time I was ever not nice to a customer and I paid the price.  I was not mean in any way, but I should never have talked back to her, but for me after being hit and having the wind knocked out of me, it was just my last straw. I am not proud of it, but at the time I admit it sure as hell felt good. and I remember that feeling too. (bad Margaret)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. May it be warm and perfect where you are.
May you have enough to drink that you don't know what is located in your state either. 
Have fun, be safe.