WWTBAM Bored

O.K. I have so many good ones I can't narrow them down for the other thread. Maybe I can after a few days of thought. I'm sure many of you are the same way.

However, this topic I can nail.

Christmas 1987.

My mom had checked herself into the state hospital a week before. I drove down to Austin on Christmas morning and met my brother. We then went to visit her. She was a clasic paranoid type person. People were spying on her, even there. Not much holiday cheer in the dull fading green walls of the Austin State Hospital.

Afterwards my brother and I had Christmas lunch at Denny's. The waitress complained alot about having to work.."People should spend their Christmas at home with family."

"Not at the state hospital?" I silently and sarcastically thought.

BackInTex wrote:O.K. I have so many good ones I can't narrow them down for the other thread. Maybe I can after a few days of thought. I'm sure many of you are the same way.

However, this topic I can nail.

Christmas 1987.

My mom had checked herself into the state hospital a week before. I drove down to Austin on Christmas morning and met my brother. We then went to visit her. She was a clasic paranoid type person. People were spying on her, even there. Not much holiday cheer in the dull fading green walls of the Austin State Hospital.

Afterwards my brother and I had Christmas lunch at Denny's. The waitress complained alot about having to work.."People should spend their Christmas at home with family."

"Not at the state hospital?" I silently and sarcastically thought.

My "worst" memory would have to be Christmas 1965. My brother and I, who are two years apart, were always arguing about everything and never got around to buying anything for our mother for Christmas. We were embarrassed and my mother was grieved by the lack of any gift for her under our tree. I'd like to say that that episode changed my brother's and my relationship, but that wouldn't be true. BTST we never forgot presents for her ever again.

This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

One of my co-workers has a wife who works at the department store, Von Maur, where the sniper attacked. I hope that she either is safe or was not working.

A description of the shooter, broadcast over scanners, was that it was a man wearing an Army-green vest and holding a rifle.

The shooting apparently happened as President Bush was leaving Omaha, where he attended a fundraiser for Republican Senate candidate Mike Johanns.

Does anybody know where Dick Cheney is today?

This one could suck here, as well. Two days ago, I made a payment by phone on my charge card, since for some reason I couldn't get the website where I usually pay to work for me. I authorized $xxx amount in payment. Today is payday, and I accessed my checking account to see if my paycheck made it in, and saw a withdrawal for $1xxx.00. I called to see what the heck, and my bank told me it was to the credit card company. I called them, gave them my confirmation #, etc, and was told "we'll investigate and send you a letter in 7 to 10 days." I siad, that's unacceptable, and spoke to a supervisor. The best I could get from them was, 'we'll listen to the tape, and if you didn't authorize the extra $1000, I'll see what I can do to expedite the refund."

aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhh. Think the credit card company would call my mortgage company and explain why I can't make my house payment?




t.

BackInTex wrote:

A description of the shooter, broadcast over scanners, was that it was a man wearing an Army-green vest and holding a rifle.

The shooting apparently happened as President Bush was leaving Omaha, where he attended a fundraiser for Republican Senate candidate Mike Johanns.

Does anybody know where Dick Cheney is today?

Eight dead, plus the shooter. Another victim is in critical condition.


Yeah, that is the right background for a joke.


BTW, at the time of the shooting, my sister-in-law was in the Von Maur parking lot, with my 19 month-old nephew, having just left the store.

'Are there no prisons?"

'And the Union workhouses.' demanded Scrooge. 'Are they still in operation?'

'Many can't go there; and many would rather die.'

'If they would rather die,' said Scrooge, 'they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

'If they would rather die,' said Scrooge, 'they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."[/quote]

Sorry, to step on your toes Marley!

fuzzy

Appa23 wrote:Eight dead, plus the shooter. Another victim is in critical condition.


Yeah, that is the right background for a joke.


BTW, at the time of the shooting, my sister-in-law was in the Von Maur parking lot, with my 19 month-old nephew, having just left the store.

You are correct. Inappropriate. My mistake.

Eight dead, plus the shooter. Another victim is in critical condition.

How incredibly awful. I will never understand why these people insist on taking others with them when they want to end their own misery. Just heartbreaking.


t.

My worst Christmas was 5 years ago. My divorce was finalized a month before, and it was the first Christmas in four years I had to spend without him. All the families and couples on my dad's side of the family reminded me of just how "lonely" I was. Also, my dad was in Kuwait, and he had just called over at his sister's house (where the family was gathered). He had hung up just seconds before I got to her house. One of my cousins let me know, and then another, and then another. I just started bawling and went outside for a long while.

Last year was tough with it being the first year without my paternal grandfather.
I predict this year will be tough too...moreso on my parents, my sister, and my niece.

Appa23 wrote:This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

One of my co-workers has a wife who works at the department store, Von Maur, where the sniper attacked. I hope that she either is safe or was not working.

When my kids were your kids age, I filtered this stuff out. They didn't need to hear it.\ Frankly, I don't like hearing about it either.

christie1111 wrote:

Appa23 wrote:This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

One of my co-workers has a wife who works at the department store, Von Maur, where the sniper attacked. I hope that she either is safe or was not working.

When my kids were your kids age, I filtered this stuff out. They didn't need to hear it.\ Frankly, I don't like hearing about it either.

Son seems better now. I do not think that he knows that so many died.

Unfortunately, really could not screen him from the news. With every local station covering it, he saw it as soon as the television got tuned on.

I did not tell him how close his aunt and cousin were to being in the middle of the mess.

I have not heard much coverage on this aspect, but Westroads Mall always had their Santa set-up in the large area of the Mall in front of Von Maur. If it was there this year, then lots of kids likely heard the shots and saw people running. There was a report that the gunman had left Von Maur and walked into the mall. Clearly, he went back into the store. I am wondering whether he decided that he couldn't shoot kids.

Appa23 wrote:

christie1111 wrote:

Appa23 wrote:This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

One of my co-workers has a wife who works at the department store, Von Maur, where the sniper attacked. I hope that she either is safe or was not working.

When my kids were your kids age, I filtered this stuff out. They didn't need to hear it.\ Frankly, I don't like hearing about it either.

Son seems better now. I do not think that he knows that so many died.

Unfortunately, really could not screen him from the news. With every local station covering it, he saw it as soon as the television got tuned on.

I did not tell him how close his aunt and cousin were to being in the middle of the mess.

I have not heard much coverage on this aspect, but Westroads Mall always had their Santa set-up in the large area of the Mall in front of Von Maur. If it was there this year, then lots of kids likely heard the shots and saw people running. There was a report that the gunman had left Von Maur and walked into the mall. Clearly, he went back into the store. I am wondering whether he decided that he couldn't shoot kids.

When I read those awful headlines, HD, you and your family were the very first thoughts I had. I'm sad for the dead, and the injured and the traumatized, but glad for you and your family.

christie1111 wrote:

Appa23 wrote:This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

One of my co-workers has a wife who works at the department store, Von Maur, where the sniper attacked. I hope that she either is safe or was not working.

When my kids were your kids age, I filtered this stuff out. They didn't need to hear it.\ Frankly, I don't like hearing about it either.

I wonder if we're doing too good a job of "filtering" for our kids: a couple weeks ago I was bringing my 10 year old daughter home from school and she asked, "Dad, what's 9-11? Some of the other kids were making fun of me because I didn't know."

I didn't, and still don't, know whether I'm glad we've "protected" her or if we've overprotected. I think I'm glad - there's her whole life to find out about the cruelty that exists in the world.

trevor_macfee wrote:

christie1111 wrote:

Appa23 wrote:This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

One of my co-workers has a wife who works at the department store, Von Maur, where the sniper attacked. I hope that she either is safe or was not working.

When my kids were your kids age, I filtered this stuff out. They didn't need to hear it.\ Frankly, I don't like hearing about it either.

I wonder if we're doing too good a job of "filtering" for our kids: a couple weeks ago I was bringing my 10 year old daughter home from school and she asked, "Dad, what's 9-11? Some of the other kids were making fun of me because I didn't know."

I didn't, and still don't, know whether I'm glad we've "protected" her or if we've overprotected. I think I'm glad - there's her whole life to find out about the cruelty that exists in the world.

The 9/11 with kids thing is hard. Jackson was a baby at the time. They must have talked about it at school because one day he just suddenly drew a very graphic picture of the jets into the tower. I try to get him to tell me how he knew about it and he couldn't say.

My worst Christmas was three years ago when two idiots tried to break into my house at 4:00 morning, and we had to go identify them.

I felt very fortunate that the police immediately caught the scroogy rat bastards and felt elated that our family was not killed or otherwise hurt from the attempted breakin. But Christmas day was not a very fun time because the spouse was in the angriest mood evaaaaaar, and wish he would have shot them deaded.

tlynn78 wrote:This one could suck here, as well. Two days ago, I made a payment by phone on my charge card, since for some reason I couldn't get the website where I usually pay to work for me. I authorized $xxx amount in payment. Today is payday, and I accessed my checking account to see if my paycheck made it in, and saw a withdrawal for $1xxx.00. I called to see what the heck, and my bank told me it was to the credit card company. I called them, gave them my confirmation #, etc, and was told "we'll investigate and send you a letter in 7 to 10 days." I siad, that's unacceptable, and spoke to a supervisor. The best I could get from them was, 'we'll listen to the tape, and if you didn't authorize the extra $1000, I'll see what I can do to expedite the refund."

aaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhh. Think the credit card company would call my mortgage company and explain why I can't make my house payment?




t.

One of my sons had an experience similar to this. He paid his electric bill online but two days later his electricity was shut off. He called the electric company and they claimed the payment had never been received, so he did an over-the-phone payment. Two days after that he got a notice from his bank that his account was overdrawn because both of the payments hit his account. He called the electric company again and they said they'd credit his account and pay the overdraft fee, but that hasn't happened yet.

Had to be the winter I cried. That would have been the winter of '92.

Dr Dick had left (okay, I kicked him out), Pealette was still with me and feeling torn between the two of us and her mom - where was she gonna go and so on. I was not dating anyone and felt so very alone. I didn't do a tree, I didn't do anything but cry.

Amazing how one can heal.

After reading all of these posts, I am very thankful.

Even though I posted about the Omaha shooting here, I doubt that it will have much effect on our Christmas.

On the whole, I can not recall a "bad" Christmas. The first Christmaws without my father was hard, but it also was the first Christmas that our son actively particpated in opening his gifts (i.e he got into Christmas.)

As this is my favorite time of the year, I do feel bad that anyone has anything but happy memories.

peacock2121 wrote:
Amazing how one can heal.

Amen to that!

When I saw where the shooting was, I said a quick prayer that no one in the HoltDad family or extended family was involved.

I heard reports of parents with kids separated and a woman with a toddler and baby carriage in trouble and hoped that it wasn't your family.

Glad to see that no one you knew was injured and thankful the close call was just that.

Appa23 wrote:This Christmas has taken a sudden downturn.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116784/

My son does not want to go shopping at any mall again, as he is afraid of being shot.

There were lots of young children traumatized by the events, based on television coverage.

Just to finalize my part of this thread.

Wife and I took the kids to see Santa last night at the other large mall in Omaha (not Westroads).

My son made my wife laugh. As we got near the front of the line, he whispered to her, "We got lucky. The real Santa Claus is here." [The guy was identical to the depiction of Santa in the media.]

As we were leaving, to go have dinner with my mother, he commented:

"There were more policeman at the mall tonight. I think it was because Santa is here. They don't want him to get shot before Christmas.

Of course, Santa is immortal, so I guess that he wouldn't die even if someone shot him."

He always thinking, that boy of mine.

Appa23 wrote: As we were leaving, to go have dinner with my mother, he commented:

"There were more policeman at the mall tonight. I think it was because Santa is here. They don't want him to get shot before Christmas.

Of course, Santa is immortal, so I guess that he wouldn't die even if someone shot him."

He always thinking, that boy of mine.

Logical thoughts about subjects he shouldn't have to think about...