Coincidence, I think not

I work at a pharmacy which is part of a shopping center in Overland Park, Kansas. Also in this shopping center is a running shoe store. Once a month, their running club meets taking up all of the parking spaces. Two Saturday ago they met, so when I got to work around 9:30 am (the store opens at 9:30), I was lucky to find a spot.

When I got inside, my boss told me someone had knocked on the back door, but we never open the back door because of security reasons. He said he waited a few minutes and then checked to see who it was; he saw a man all in black walking away. He didn't know if he was a runner trying to get around the building or what, but it was suspicious.

A little later this same man was staring into our store window. My boss was quite nervous about it, but the man never came in. Around 10am, my boss noticed his usual parking spot open, so he went to move his van. Nearby he saw the same sketchy guy sitting in a car, but the car was backed in rather than the normal drive-in position. The guy took off his hat and leaned the seat back when he noticed my boss. As my boss came back in, he wrote down the license plate number, and shortly after, the guy drove away.

My boss made a police report because he recognized the guy from a long time ago, and it was suspicious behavior in general.

This last week, a detective sent my boss a news link with a video about a pharmacy robbery (a guy held two people at gun point in order to get some oxycontin. they were both unharmed.) in Kansas City, Kansas. It happened on the same Saturday as our weird encounter. My boss couldn't really distinguish the face in the video, but he said he looked a little heavier in the video and was wearing different clothes than the guy hanging around our pharmacy. But my boss still talked with the pharmacist that was robbed and compared notes about the guy and his car. He gave the police the name of the guy (since he had recognized him), his description, and the description of the car.

Well, this evening we got a call from the other pharmacist.The police caught the guy who robbed them, and it turned out it was the SAME GUY who was at our pharmacy. The same guy who robbed the pharmacy in KC, Kansas, in the afternoon was staking out our pharmacy in the morning. The police found him because of my boss' tips too!!! I don't know if he chickened out because of all the traffic from the running club, but both my boss and I were a little spooked out at the fact that we could have easily been the ones robbed two Saturdays ago. So crazy!!!!

Praise God for unknown and unexplainable protection.

Now informed...

This could be just another case of guilt and shame, but instead of going down that normal, well-trodden path, I encourage myself and you to take this as an opportunity to engage and make things better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ycih_jMObQ

Look up raisehopeforcongo.org to see where electronic companies you have in your home lie. My computer is a Toshiba, and I am greatly grieved. They will be hearing from me.

Fill me up

Last Saturday was the annual Dentistry from the Heart in Olathe, Kansas. Dentistry from the Heart is an event that welcomes people without dental insurance and are low income to get some free dentist work. They occur all over America at different times of the year, and different offices provide different services.

Last year, my roommate and I showed up at 8:15am (the event started at 8am), but the line was so long we didn't get into the office before it closed. So this year, we were proactive, and showed up at the office at 6:30 in the A-M. It might seem a little crazy, but this is free dentistry work!!! For a person without dental insurance and a few aches and pains in the mouth, it is wonderful. Last year, the visit included a cleaning and whatever you needed done, but this year, in order to help more people, they were only offering fillings and extractions. My roommate and I were rewarded for our early morning attendance with the place of #21 and #22- far ahead from our #180-something position from last year. So we waited in the car until quarter til 8, and then we joined the growing crew inside a supposedly warming tent. Just before 9, our numbers were called, and we entered the nicely warmed building to find fairly comfortable waiting room chairs and a large flat screen tv playing Cars. I was quickly impressed, and then I remembered I was in Olathe which is in Johnson County which is one of the richest counties in America.

Just a few minutes later, the assistants called me back. A dentist was there waiting and asked what was wrong. I told her that my lower left side of my jaw had been hurting, so she took a look. I had an x-ray on that side of my mouth where they found a tiny cavity. However, the cause of my pain was actually a result of my previously unknown grinding of the teeth. (I will have to be more careful.) So the next 20 minutes were spent getting numbed, drilled, and filled. I left happily although not feeling the left side of my mouth and tongue.

And so even though I had a cavity and then had to go to work, I was so excited because I didn't have to pay for anything!!! The only thing that would have made this experience better would have been a sticker of a smiling tooth and toothbrush, but I'll take the fact that I had no bill to pay too. :)

Ol Geezers vs. Young Whippersnappers

I seem to be hearing all over the place "the problems with this generation" or "the issues with young people." And I wonder to myself, do they not realize I am a young person?! The people who are talking are of an older generation, and I recognize the trouble with transition and the quick changing of times. However, I believe if you are going to slam a group of people (that you obviously do not understand), do not try to gain agreement from a person who identifies with the previously named group!!!

I feel at edge about this because it seems like I am constantly bombarded with assumed jargon. In one minute, they (unnamed because I see the accused groups on a regular basis) are grasping at ends to understand the younger generation, and the next minute, they are telling you everything (wrong) with the younger generation. Some of their frustration, I believe, comes from trying to connect or at least understand people under 30, but you don't get there by making statements.

I was told today that young people do not know how to communicate. I did not respond to him at the moment because I was thinking "do you realize I am a young person", but I strongly believe the opposite to be true. In my case, I am tired of being told what I think. I am tired of people ignoring or talking over my thoughts and questions because I obviously don't have enough experience or it's too radical or it's unrealistic or that's not how it has been or whatever. So rather than approach a person's physical body and discuss it, I write a blog. My generation has not stopped communicating; we are just talking to more people. Sure, the consequence of that is that we sometimes miss the local faces, but don't rule out how we express ourselves, please!

Bridging the generational gap is certainly cross-cultural. And with that, there is a sensitivity that needs to be had. My knee-reaction is to blindly defend my generation, my IDENTITY, but I know we are not perfect. In honesty, I think we are simply reacting to (or perhaps against ) those before us. And in the automatic swing back and forth, we misstep, but perfection did not exist "when I was your age" or "the good ol days" either. Society did not all of a sudden crap out the day Generation X, Y, or Millienials were born. (So in knee-reaction, please stop blaming us for how the world is today! Thank you.)

We need to have bridges between generations because older people have so much wisdom from the life they have lived, but they need us young people too. We can offer a renewed sense of hope and perspective. We can aid each other through the transitions. So we all need to stop assuming things about each other. We need to be open and ready to learn as if we were entering another country and culture- because we are.

When you gotta go...

Last week we got a lot of snow. About 8 inches over Sunday night through most of Monday. And Pilar being of short stature does not like to go potty in the snow. (Pilar is a slightly obese chihuahua.) She'll be ready to jump out the door or run to the grass, but as soon as she sees the snow, she stops dead in her tracks. She is not a cold temperature dog, so I shoveled out a piece of grass for her to go potty in as any good pet owner would do. But she must have been too cold because all she did was pee really quick and then run back to the garage door to go back inside.

Now, Pilar poops a lot. If I let her sniff around long enough, she'll poop at least 3 times a day. But this time around, she held her poop for nearly 2 days. 2 DAYS!!! She didn't poop from Sunday night until late Tuesday afternoon.

Well last night we got another dumping of snow. At least six inches from Wednesday night to Thursday morning. And early Thursday morning, I took Pilar to the garage with my shovel in hand to make her some potty space. Well, apparently it was an emergency because as soon as I opened the garage door enough, she jumped into the snow and took a squat. I didn't even get a step outside or a swing with my shovel before she was letting loose. I was astounded, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.

Blurry-Eyed and Hunting

I did not realize that my last post was in August. I suppose that clearly illustrates how insane last semester was. I was working about 20 hours a week at the pharmacy, taking a full load of classes, and doing an internship another 20 hours a week. I am a crazy woman. I wasn't sure I was going to make it near the end, but everything was completed on time and in relatively good shape. :)

I am certainly glad that I have a bit of a break before the next semester starts. Although I will be honest, I am quite nervous that as quickly as last semester went this semester will be even faster. Don't get me wrong, I am overly ecstatic about the fact that I will be graduating in May (with one summer class to take to "actually" graduate). But then there's the realization that I may actually be growing up or perhaps dare I even say that I have... grown up. Frightening yet exciting yet terrifying yet awesome. It's a mix of emotions, obviously.

So here I am at the beginning of 2011 wondering where the last 5 months went as well as knowing that the next 5 will be equally insane. I guess I live on the thrill. And with that thrill I am so thankful to be in Kansas City. I love it here. While it hasn't always been easy for various bumps in the road, I am grateful for where I am in life.

And so I venture into 2011 trusting God with the "after a little over 5 months" part. I have no idea what I will be doing or even where I will be. I am open to all opportunities in any location. I plan on staying State-side until I pay off my school loans though. But if you know of any church positions open ( in the areas of community development/compassionate ministries or even associate pastor) or rich people wanting to help a poor ministry-oriented female with the heavy weight of education loans... let me know. ;) Seriously though, let me know.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

I remember when I first saw Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. It is a 90s classic. Mom leaves her kids for the summer with a super old lady babysitter who dies shortly after the mom leaves. So, as the heroine, Christina Applegate goes and finds a job, becomes successful, and fools everyone until her mom comes home and busts the party.

Well, I think of that movie often at work. Here's why.

I had never used a fax machine before my current job. I didn't realize how much they are still used in some areas. So when the pharmacist asked me to send something for the first time, I was a little confused at what to do. All I could think of was Christina Applegate in the office jamming the machine and not sending anything through the fax. Well, it turned out to be quite simple, and I've gotten the hang of it now. But still, each time I use the fax machine I: 1) fear that I am going to jam the machine and 2) laugh at how awesome that movie is.