dear santa

dear santa,

i hope you're well.
i've been a reasonably good girl.
please send me someone righteous, sexy and gainfully employed.

i believe!

can someone please tell me why

can someone please tell me why the love of my life works at checker auto parts? this is getting ridiculous. the most attractive men that i'm meeting are employed but am i asking too much to find someone who is likely able to support a family? maybe i am. call me a gold digger, call me materialistic. or just call me realistic. today was the first time in my life that i wish i were a sugar momma.

why canada? why?

thanks to canada, i have to work for a few hours tomorrow. tomorrow is thanksgiving. canadians don't celebrate thanksgiving on the same day we do. i guess they had a different set of pilgrims and indians break bread on some other day in october or something. they just had to make it their own didn't they.

because our office has acquired canadian accounts i have to be at my desk tomorrow at some ridiculous time in the morning. as an act of defiance, i'll be rolling into the office in my red with white polka dot flannel pajamas. boo. the only thing that i can look forward to is overtime pay.
with the fat traffic ticket i got a few months ago, the extra dough is much needed.

also, i feel as though i need to address something that has come up in the comments of my readers ;). i love you platt and wilson. you both know that i do. thanks for having my best interest in mind. i think i need to clarify the pot situation. the price tag on top of the pot said something that clearly wasn't an enamel dutch oven pot. it said something like tiered platter holder. i had a tough time fighting for that one. if it were a vague tag then i maybe would have fought for the pot. however, one has to be in a particular mood. and after chatting with mr. costco, i really wasn't in the frame of mind to argue a case where the tags were mistakenly switched. had they not remedied the mistake, you better believe i would be crying foul.

happy thanksgiving my loves! that includes all you silent readers.

today's events

work
temple
help the beehive prez
finish bake and deliver cookies
missed a call
missed the gym
cook
eat
blog


he called.



he left a message.


other than the sounding like doctor frankenstein on the phone (no bueno), he sounds a bit young and quite cheesy.

he said i could call him anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... yes, he used that term.
and he called me hun.

missed call

now that i am aware that i have a little audience waiting for any updates (i wish i could provide more), i missed an unknown caller around 6 o'clock this evening. i almost forgot about it but as i drove home from spin class, i remembered.

i was in the shower getting ready for a little visiting teaching action. and even if i was available, with an unfamiliar number, i don't know that i would've answered. well, maybe i would've.

the caller could be 1 of 3 possibilities. 1) a wrong number 2) a friend with a new number or 3) mr. costco. there was no message left on my voicemail and the caller never called back. the popular book 'the rules' says not to call back. have him keep calling to reach you. i don't know if that is sound advice but i feel ok with not calling this number back... yet. he needs to at least leave a message. sorry ladies.

by popular demand

ok here's the latest update.

i never heard from mr. costco. in fact, i wasn't really expecting to. i was happy with the experience because it made me smile. it was fun to flirt with a cute guy (he has a baby face) and i have to admit, i was flattered.

BUT, my close friend leta and her best friend kylie (visiting from utah) wanted me to make something happen so they encouraged me to go back to costco today. i wasn't for the idea, it sounded way too stalkerish but i had a couple of things to pick up and i was curious to see if he was working. my sister-in-law betsy recommended that instead of checking out in his line as leta had suggested, i should try the next line over so that i could smile and coyly wave instead of forcing myself on him.

i thought that was a great idea but when i got there i found him in the last line to the right facing nothing but that caged storage area. oh well, i thought. kind of a bummer, i know. so i went about my shopping and browsing excited to soon bite into that buck-fitty hotdog and soda.

at the entrance i saw this beautiful red enameled 6qt dutch oven pot priced at $20. i put it into my cart thinking it was a fabulous buy. when i checked out, and realized that my total was a lot more than i had expected, i asked the checker how much the pot was. she told me it rung up at $49.99. i hesitated but continued on with the purchase because i liked it so much. so i proceeded to the snack bar to get my hotdog and sauerkraut. as i sat and ate, i wondered if i'd run into mr. costco. i looked toward his line but couldn't see him. i gave up and continued to enjoy my meal/snack. When i reached the lady at the exit doors and asked for the latest coupon book, i was directed to the customer service desk, i hurried to grab it, and walked back to the exit.

still a bit troubled by my enamel pot purchase, i made a u-turn to the entrance and asked the lady at the door if i could see the product being showcased. she was very obliging but asked that i leave my cart across the way for her to tend. fair enough. anyway, i glanced at the display and saw that the price tags were switched with the product next to the pot. i wasn't imagining things! right then, leta called me and asked, 'are you still at costco?' i told her i was then i proceeded to tell her about the enamel pot situation. 'oh, you need to handle that immediately and return it. we'll meet up and get gas together.'

after telling the door greeter the item was marked incorrectly i followed leta's advice as i could not justify its purchase. i again wheeled that cumbersome cart back to the customer service desk a little embarrassed to return an item i had just purchased. while waiting in line, my peripheral vision caught someone walking to the exit, making a b-line toward me and standing right outside of the post and retractable ribbon thingy. he was looking at me. i was a little startled but grinned from ear to ear when i realized it was mr. costco.

he made his way around the separating post to the wall to chat. we were both smiling. i noticed he almost went in for a hug but i imagine my body language told him not to. awkwardly, it seemed he didn't know whether it was appropriate to or not. he didn't hug me. good call. i would've hugged back but for goodness sake, i don't know this guy from adam and we had just met in his checkout line a week prior.

'why haven't you called?' i said teasingly.

'i've been busy. i'm sorry. i'm trying to get a job somewhere else and have been emailing back and forth.' (i don't know if this is a red flag or not but we proceed)

'you still have my number?'

'yes. i still have your number.'

'it's kevin, right?'

'yes. rika right?

'yes'. (mind you, the smiles on our faces have not ceased.)

'i'll call you this week.'

'ok. see ya.'

'see ya. you're so cute.'

we both turn around and go on after that brief stoppage of time.

fold laundry or blog?

i just dumped a basket full of clean clothes on my bed. i should be folding and putting them away but i'd rather blog. i'm using the clothes as a mold able stand for my laptop. the position i have the computer, tilted backward against the pile of darks on my lap feels quite ergonomic.

i have a big long post that i'm still working on. yesterday, i was all about writing it, but today, i'm not in as a pondering state. so, i'm dilly dallying till i get there. i think i'll put some motab on pandora and see if that works. here goes...

but before i get to that long post, some eventful things that took place today were 1) we had a thanksgiving potluck at work. i brought over a pound of chicken caesar salad from albertsons along with a pound of 5-bean salad and a half pound of this lemon parmesan pasta salad. i had forgotten tha the potluck was today so everything was purchased and not homemade... like it would have been anyways, only presented differently. i was pretty much the only one who dug into my contributions. oh well. i'm bummed i got so much salad because that stuff will be nasty tomorrow when we all go for the leftovers. 2) my new phone arrived in the mail today. i like the phone but i have no idea how to use it. i tried to use the calendar function but it wants me to sync it up to some other application...huh? why can't i just add a friggin' event manually?

mortality

i’ve thought about mortality here and there. i just haven’t been able to articulate my pensive state but as i think about it again today, i’m going to try. i don’t wish for this post to be depressing, i just want to put my thoughts and feelings on paper maybe to reflect or expound on at a later date.

for some, the mortal existence consists of struggles rife with illness, either physical, mental or both. for others, addictions. for many poverty and oppression. i surmise that for many of us we may experience a little or a lot of one or more of these struggles.

there is a spectrum of hardships (I guess all of the above can be considered hardships ) going all sorts of directions like a 3-d asterisk … the combination of which puts us on all sorts of planes. i'm not waxing scientific by any means, just trying to be a little descriptive. just as snowflakes and fingerprints are different, each of us has our own specific hardships... making us all unique. alternatively, we all have developed positive attributes and talents that may have come as a result of our struggles.

i think about those born with physical handicaps- having to immediately adapt to a world where most don’t lack what that person lacks. one who is visibly ‘different’ and will look that way for the most part. i think about those who get an illness that hinders the normalcy they once had, adds pain, or even takes away the independence of the person who was at once ‘whole’.

i think about those whose struggles are less visible-sometimes even to themselves. those who struggle to get out of bed in the morning, who fear things that are not usually feared, ones who are socially lacking, but whose minds are so quick to understand and recall what the majority of us don't. i think about those who are prone to addiction of substances, thoughts or actions. those who struggle with self-imagery. i think of those who are unable to reproduce. i think about those who have lost loved ones and those who are lonely.

something that i don't really fathom is poverty and oppression... but i can see and learn about it through relatives, friends or the media. anyway, i'm sure i haven't listed it all but i have thought about mortality- especially with respect to what my specific purpose here is, why i was born into the circumstances i was, and what my life experiences are for.

i have concluded that i am still trying to figure out what it is i was born to do and that's ok. as long as i'm living right, i will figure that out. i have also come to the conclusion that no body's life is easy, nor is it perfect. it may seem that way for some but we don't see behind closed doors. though my lot seems quite comfortable currently, i have experienced a deep hurt, loss and pain that i don't wish upon anyone. also, the worries and fears i once had have diminished. as time seems to be healing these things, something else seems to be a balm to my soul and i know that to be the gospel of Jesus Christ.

when i analyze the hardships i had and i reflect on the person i am today, i see someone with more compassion, someone who is more empathetic, someone less greedy and selfish, more independent, and a tad bit more ambitious. although my ambition is geared more toward finding out what my specific purpose in life is.

i'm totally winging it here on earth but what brings me comfort and guidance is again, the teachings of Christ. when i rely on them, the storms of life are more bearable, and the lessons i should learn from them become a little clearer.

behind other closed doors, what is it that has changed one's heart to not wish harm on someone who has harmed them? what is it that has changed one's heart to be willing and not ashamed to care for a loved one when the time comes? what is it that allows one to be happy to spend time with the youth of the church or serve in any other capacity? what is it that makes one want to ease other's burdens by donating their time and or money? if i had to give a generalized answer, it would be peace. what other than peace comes as a result of having those honest feelings behind closed doors? what can be some of the results of peace? happiness, joy, stability, and love.

what gets someone to truly obtain that peace? following the teachings and example of the Prince of Peace. He and only He was perfect. He faced hardships yes, but He taught by example and lived a perfect life. He showed us how to heal the sick, feed the hungry, love the sinner... He loved us.

john 14:27

i found out

why zumba is done in the dark. today our teacher was filming us doing some of her new routines to post on youtube. i learned quickly that i don't look as good as i thought i did whilst doing zumba. yikes. please turn those lights back off.

my latest worry...or at least troubled thought

as much as i dislike cats, i think i've comfortably adopted one of their common attributes- independence. i really enjoy my independence, my solitude, my alone time at the beginning and end of the day. why is this troubling to me? because i don't want to turn into one of those weirdos that my single friend mark has talked about. he said something like the longer you live alone (stalkers and creepers you shouldn't be reading this) the weirder you get.

well, here's to my weirdness because i don't foresee myself living with someone anytime soon. the thought of cohabiting with another-and a male at that, ties my stomach in knots. i'm way too comfortable in my mess and with my routine. it sounds like my place is a sty... it could use some help, but it's my mess. it's something i and i alone can stand. i can't stand anyone else's mess and i'm sure nobody would want to stand mine. i like living alone.

BUT, let's make this clear, i want to be married again someday. just not yet, i guess. maybe if i met my e.c. i would be singing a different tune but right now, sharing my living space doesn't sound at all appealing. anyhoo, random thoughts by rika.

who woulda thought?

in a past post, i sang costco's praises. costco has had negative publicity as of late, especially here in las vegas. with the shocking and unfortunate death of erik scott at the summerlin costco in west las vegas, i hope i'm not offending one of my dear friends by revealing that i still shop there on occasion. i believe that the extreme over-reaction of a few resulted in a devastating and sad outcome.

that being said, i went to costco this afternoon. costco on a saturday is like going to disneyland during it's busiest day. i dislike crowds and traffic but today, i had a mission. my mission was to exchange a pajama set that i had purchased for one of my nieces. mission plus 2 accomplished.

it's difficult to go into a costco for just one thing. not only does everything come in bulk but they sometimes have such great buys that you can't pass them up. such was my experience today. i got one of the few remaining kitty pajamas (with feet) in the right size along with a darling 3-piece shirt, sweater vest, and pant set for that same niece. i hope she likes her gifts.

after grabbing those items, naturally, i had to look at all the new things being sold before Christmas and sample the food. quelling my appetite with some chips and guacamole, tomato basil bisque, spinach ravioli, and salmon i made my way to the dreaded checkout lines. i found a short line toward the left of traffic with carts in front full of only a few bulk items. i was confident i chose a great line. indeed i had. as i glanced at the costco employee working the register, i thought, he's not bad looking. when my time to check out came and our eyes met, kevin's sparkled as he smiled and greeted me. i smiled back and i believe i said hello. we proceeded to make small talk.

'this is all you have?'

'yes, they're for my nieces.'

'no kids of your own?'

'not yet. someday.'

'haven't met the right guy yet?'

'i guess not... not yet.'

'maybe i'm that guy!?'

'maaaybe!?'

'i would love to take you out.'

'are you serious?'

'yes. here.' kevin pushes a button near the receipt's printer, pulls out some paper and hands me a pen. i quickly write my number then my name and push the paper back to him.

'have a great day,' he says smiling as he proceeds to ring up the lady behind me.

'you too.' i smile back.

if anything, costco delivers again. and kevin, thanks for making my day. who woulda thought?

hiding snacks

if i had more time maybe i'd write more. or maybe not. pensive. that's my new word for the day. i learned it looking through facebook photos. it was the title of someones picture with two gals on a park bench (only it was a beach bench). the two girls were looking out into the ocean seemingly in deep thought. i wish this thing had a grammar check. anyway, i also learned that i have to be in a pensive mood to write. i don't know if that's the correct use of the word but it works for me.

so i just got back from yet another singles conference. this time it was in austin, tx. the last- minute trip was one of curiosity. curiosity about what austin was about or texas for that matter. the conference was secondary. and no, i didn't find my E.C. (eternal companion). no cigar. not even close. however, i did have a ton of fun.