Threats?

I know it has been a long time, but really, threats?

In the past week, I have aged about 20 days. Why does illness just suck the life (and time) right out of you? I don't even know what happened to last week. I do know that in the midst of starting my business avec shiny new iMac, a better, shinier one came out - not days from the arrival of the new one. Woe to those of you who have purchased the iMac before September 30 - you're just plain out of luck. In technology, that's the way the cookie crumbles. You're probably thinking that's not a big deal - so what, it's newer and has a few more things. Well, if you are thinking that - you are quite wrong, my friend. Quite wrong. The new one has a faster processor, better RAM, more RAM, a built-in web camera, a remote for media access anywhere around the room and it comes standard with mighty mouse. So, it was worth all the hassle to return the thing. I won't go into Apple's strange policies and even stranger policies for business members. I will say that it took a few phone calls, some pleading, some demanding, some more pleading, some more demanding and then finally a 3-5 day period of time for Apple to think about allowing the return. So, as soon as my eggs are done boiling and are safety in my belly, I will be heading off to FedEx to send in old Mac and patiently await the return, credit, re-purchase and arrival of the new Mac. What a process!

In other news: I hate the grocery store. If it's not empty, I hate it. It's like running a gauntlet of near-misses. And people don't seem to care how rude or impatient they are at the store. Yesterday I had to pick-up brownie mix, because I was making them for our Bible study group, and I was amazed at how hard it is to not be annoyed and not to get injured. In the parking lot, I almost hit a woman randomly running across the parking lot with her cart and then while I was walking into the store, I almost got hit by some man going like 40 MPH in his giant SUV. Then, in the store, my toes had a near-miss with a runaway cart - which some kid was supposed to be supervising, but was distracted by the Halloween decorations and abandoned his cart. A man leaving the baked goods isle did not step to the side to avoid missing me, in turn, causing me to jump behind an end-cap of Captain Crunch. Some crazy girl on her cell phone stepped side-to-side in front of the brownies, making me do the same in a potty-dance sort of way - just to get around her. So, after finally getting my brownie mix, the same cell-phone girl wandered in front of me at the 15-items or less. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, because she was on the phone and not paying attention to anyone. Cell-phone girl then did the strangest thing - she left her hand-held basket on the belt to go in search of something she missed. I think she thought the line would wait for her until she returned. That's audacity, man. I always assumed that if you forgot something, you leave the line and then come back - not just leave your basket like a bookmark. Anyway, so needless to say, the line kept moving. I told the clerk that I thought the girl was coming back, but she insisted on keeping the line moving - which made sense. So, I was almost done with my purchase and then the girl came back - still on the phone and looking totally annoyed that the line had moved. She, and I kid you not, climbed into and over the cart that was in her way to get back to her place - of course, not saying "excuse me" or anything. I don't think she stepped on any food in the cart, but the bulging eyes of the woman who belonged to the cart indicated that she certainly did not have her permission to climb into it.

Clutching my brownie mix and receipt, I made my way for the exit - completely distracted by the incident. I was thrilled that I had made it out, without a battle wound. Elated too soon, my balloon deflated as some crazy old lady ran right over my foot with her cart on her way to the parking lot. Thank God I wasn't wearing flip flops. I'm going to pretend that she apologized, but I'm pretty sure she was happy about her wayward cart of destruction. She must hate the grocery store more than I do.