Unrelated short stories

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Source: oddsnendspaisley.co.uk

Source: oddsnendspaisley.co.uk

Why is it that the grocery cart in front of you at the checkout line always has more enticing, luscious food than your cart? It always looks like a party or a great dinner and mine looks like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Even if I bought strawberries, theirs would look better, their apples redder. They buy that whole wheat bread with the lumpy grain on top that I hate. It looks so good in their cart that I want a bite. One time I asked if I could come to their party. (Seriously I did that!)

A recent dinner out reminded me of a conversation I had with a woman I used to work with. Her husband always ordered the same thing at a Chinese restaurant. After many years of this she commented that he should be adventurous and try something new. He looked at her and responded (with a twinkle) that he liked to stay with what he loved. How could that not melt your heart?

When I worked in Human Resources I met with a new supervisor and her superior who had, let’s say a different management style. There was a new employee that was wasn’t doing well. The superior started down the road of setting up a trap so we could fire the employee. Before I could say anything (yes, that is so wrong!) the new supervisor said, “Why don’t we just tell her what she’s doing so she can fix it.” It was the best day! The superior was eliminated shortly afterward while the new supervisor moved up several times.

My food cravings are seasonal. There is no doubt about it. Come fall I’m all up for pumpkin anything, soups and root vegetables. Easing into spring its lemon meringue pie, berries and melons (goodbye apples), and veggies like asparagus and salads. Then there are potato chips. Chips have no season. They are a year round vegetable that I love (seriously they are potatoes you know).

I have Sirius radio in my car. There are three stations I listen to. (Yes they are variations on oldies songs.) Why is it that when one station has a song I really don’t like, so do the other two? Is this a conspiracy?

What revelations have you had recently?

 

51 thoughts on “Unrelated short stories”

  2. EEEK!! I thought my husband was the one person in the world who believes potato chips are vegetables. I should introduce you two!

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  3. Potato Chips are the perfect crispy topper for Hash Brown Potato casserole ~> an artery clogging cholesterol festival! But a perfect party-on-a-plate side for Easter!

    I don’t look much at the food in other’s carts . . . but after their groceries are rung up, I glance at the ratio between (1) how much they spent and (2)how much they saved (with coupons, sales, BOGOS, etc.). It’s my form of competitive shopping. 😛

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  4. Sounds like we are listening to the same sirius stations. I ALWAYS check out the food stuff in the cart in front of me when we check out… LOL! We buy lots of Lean Cuisine so I always wonder what the person in back of me is thinking of us!

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  5. This just confirms that the title “manager” is handed out without much thought. My husband has one that never ever returns a work related question in an email, yet forwards jokes all day. His corporate office is out of state, which make it more frustrating. My eyes roll every time he tells me about this ass. Kudos to that supervisor!!
    I am a cart creeper to…hehehehe!

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  6. Well, since it seems to be true confessions, I’ll admit that I am a grocery line food snob. I size everyone up, discreetly of course, and feel a little surge of pride if my cart is the healthiest. Don’t hate me–I have years of food-related issues. LOL! You do make some interesting observations, Kate. I think you have a party going on in your head. 🙂

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    • I love it when I do my produce shopping. I come home with bags full of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables. Then I realize I don’t have anything quick to eat (without cooking). Now I always pick up a sub too. I’ll be sure to hide it at the bottom of my cart for you snobs.

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  7. Today the woman in front of me at the supermarket was buying all healthy food. She didn’t even put her fruit in plastic bags. I, on the other hand, was buying cupcakes.

    Your Chinese restaurant story reminds me of the four American men we saw in a Chinese restaurant in Manila. My husband smiled and whispered for me to look at them. Instead of ordering family style, each of the men ordered his own plate of sweet and sour pork.

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  9. Wonderful little stories, Kate! Re Sirius, that is on purpose. It’s one company behind it all, so of course. They buy these “off brand” songs, too. Some of them I’ve never heard of and I lived through those decades. And then there is Cousin Brucie. ICK. But potato chips. Oh, they are a food group all to themselves!

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    • When I first subscribed to Sirius I was excited about the Jimmy Buffet station. I love island music and expected that even if it wasn’t all Jimmy. Yikes! Not only is it not all Jimmy (sometimes not a lot of Jimmy), it isn’t all island music. There’s a lot of crap mixed in. I rarely listen to it.

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  10. That’s why I put potatoe chips on everything; salads, sandwiches, chocolate and dips. It’s a universal food group.
    Like you, as an HR professional I’ve seen too many worthless supervisors without an ounce of supervisory ss attempting to manage others. It was a painful to watch. Glad justice was served in this case.

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  11. Did they accept your offer to come to dinner? Loved that new supervisor. Staying with what he loved—how could she not be charmed! Chips—so it’s a vegetable addiction that I’ve succumbed to! Yes, I’ve heard that Sirius Radio stations are notorious for playing oldies all at the same time—Now we have proof!

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  12. It is hard to imagine an HR supervisor who thinks that gottcha management is a good way to address an under-performing employee. Yikes! Well, maybe not hard to imagine, but disappointing. Oh, I have to agree with you about the shopping cart in front of you in line… much better food. I also have invited myself to a party or two… no takers yet (maybe they looked at my cart and decided that I’d be boring).

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      • Whew, good to know. I worked for a very small, family-owned company once. The owner decided his wife would be perfect to head up HR. Of course, no one felt comfortable going to her with any issues. I could imagine her playing gotcha… I got out of there fast!

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        • I worked for a small family-owned company once….for a while. They can be great. Then again…like you said…no HR professional. I left after 2 years. It got too weird. It had 75 employees. Too many to fly by the seat of your pants.

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  13. What? You’ve never sprinkled potato chips on salads? Better than eating the entire bag and you just feel smug eating a tiny taste. HA HA
    The grocery stores are always crowded before big holidays – like now… you have to smile at the older ones wandering the aisle picking up things and asking themselves/the other “Do you think they would eat this? Is this what they said to get?”…carts stuffed with odd things they probably never buy for themselves but are thrilled someone is coming and want to please….and the little ancient ladies ahead of you by themselves in line who are happily chatting with checker and the ones behind them about kids and grandkids and what she is going to cook and how wonderful it will be. Such happiness has to be smiled at and pace tolerated…but I sure plan to go shop at past their bed time, after dark when they won’t drive, or look for a line without a rejoicing party planner. (Bless them – and those checkers who are so kind)

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    • I’ll have to try putting the chips on a salad! I have to pick up a lemon meringue pie on Saturday at our uppity store. It’s going to be a zoo but I’m hoping it’ll be working people who didn’t shop during the week rather than the old farts that clog things up (although I do get a kick out of them — my fear is that I’ll be one of them….like maybe next year….) The good part about holidays is that people are in a good mood rather than snarky (unless you steal their parking space then all bets are off).

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    • I was perfect for it too. I could roll my eyes into the back of my head. I was only with the company a few months and this was my first experience with that attitude. I bumped into it frequently. Somehow people think employees are clairvoyant.

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        • Here is the good news. Last year when I did the dance, I was transferred twice. This year I was adamant that I didn’t want to be transferred and if they didn’t match what I had it was a disconnect. The person who answer the call did it. No transfer. I was so totally annoyed that I had allowed all the diddling the year before. (and yes I told her that too) BTW a few years ago I tried to get it for the house instead of the car. Maybe I was in the wrong department but they said it wasn’t available for the house.

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  19. Oh, potato chips are a vegetable! Why didn’t I think of that! Love me lots of those veggies! And that’s why I can’t purchase them. i do see them in the other grocery carts though. I have to stay out of our local Dollar Store because they have small bags of wonderful greasy chips for just 50 cents per bag. If I must shop there sometimes one of those little bags jumps in my cart. Must go make a green salad now….

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