Hysterical & Hilarious - It’s Hysterious!
One of the favourite things I enjoy doing is visiting my friends Dave & Eileen which I do most every Friday after suffering through another work week. We end up sitting at the kitchen table for hours drinking and reminiscing about past events. Over the years we’ve gone on several road trips together to the States but only once have all three of us gone together. This gives me a definite advantage because we tend to jump from one incident to another in our story-telling. Such was the case last night.
I can’t remember what it was we were talking about, but all of a sudden Dave, with a straight face utters the words “that was hysterious!” Eileen and I both looked at each other, then one of us asked “hysterious?” Dave replied, “yes, it was hysterious” to which Eileen and I both collapsed laughing. Trying to compose ourselves because Dave was sitting there puzzled as to why we would be in convulsions, Eileen finally said “there’s no such word as “hysterious.” Dave was adamant that there was and I tried explaining that he either meant it was hysterical or hilarious and that if we were playing Scrabble I would challenge him on the word “hysterious.”
We were convinced that Dave had invented a new word and we said that from now on it would be used to describe something that was both hysterical and hilarious. But, alas, today, before writing this, I googled the word “hysterious” and as it turns out there’s an Urban Dictionary that contains it. And, the weird thing is we can’t even remember what it was that we were talking about that was so hysterious. Of course, that could have been as a result of the booze!
Anyways, have you ever noticed that when sitting with friends and reliving past memories that you suddenly remember more things about the event than you did the last time you talked about it? Some of it may be true but oftentimes it’s added to embellish a story – making it all the more enjoyable than it actually may have been!
that’s the way I see it
Everybody Does It - How About You?
Some people do it more than others; some won’t admit to doing it; others do it without even realizing it. What is it? We all gossip!
According to Wikepedia, “Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views.” But, how do you distinguish between gossip and normal conversation? Often when I’m talking with a friend the conversation will begin with “What’s new?” Recently, when asked this my reply was “Linda and Peter have moved in together.” If this had been common knowledge, it would be normal conversation, but the fact that Linda had asked me not to mention it meant that I was gossiping! And, as I said in the beginning of this post, we sometimes do it without realizing it.
Again, according to Wikepedia, the word “gossip” originated when “politicians would send assistants to bars to sit and listen to general public conversations. The assistants had instructions to sip a beer and listen to opinions; they responded to the command to “go sip”, which allegedly turned into “gossip”.
Without being sexist, it’s generally believed that women gossip more than men. What do you think? And why is it that people are so interested in gossip about celebrities?
Whether we like it or not, we all do it to some degree. How about you?
that’s the way I see it
Office Romances - What’s Your View?
It’s time now to reveal secrets! Have you ever been involved in an office romance? With the news recently about David Letterman’s “indiscretions” with staff, the topic of office romances has been gaining some coverage. Some experts are claiming that millions every year enter into at least one romance starting from work.
Personally, I see nothing wrong in being involved with someone from work – but there are certain conditions that should be met. For example, if you’re married, then you shouldn’t be messing around with a co-worker! I also don’t think it’s advisable for someone in a management position being involved with a staff member because this can lead to obvious problems if things don’t work out. Finally, if you’re going to become romantically involved with a co-worker, you should leave the “romancing” outside of work.
Over the years, I’ve been involved in three office romances, one of which resulted in marriage. At the present time, in our workplace, I’m aware of at least four romances going on. Two of them involve married men who are cheating on their wives.
But what about flirting? Let’s face it, you spend a great deal of time with co-workers. Is there anything wrong with a little harmless flirting? Is there such a thing as “harmless flirting?” There’s always the chance, I suppose, that someone may take it more seriously. I recently had a young staff member say to me “If you were only 20 years younger…” to which I replied, “if I was 20 years younger I’d still be old enough to be your father!” Oh, to be young again! Well, at least you can’t be arrested for what you’re thinking!!
that’s the way I see it
Thanksgiving in Canada
It’s that time of year again and so I’ll wish a Happy Turkey Day to any Canadians reading this. Last year at this time we had a double dose of it because the day after Thanksgiving was Election Day in Canada, so on Monday we ate turkey and on Tuesday we voted for turkeys!
I don’t usually take part in these types of posts but I found this “I’ve come to Realize” on a couple of blogs I read (All Stace, All the Time and My kids are my World) and decided, what the heck,a blog isn’t a blog until you at least do one .. so here goes.
1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size … is not something I think about!
2. I’ve come to realize that my job …. is something I have to do.
3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving … it’s the best time for me to relax and think.
4. I’ve come to realize that I need … to stay more focused.
5. I’ve come to realize that I have lost … touch with some people who once meant a lot to me.
6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when … I start smoking again and think I can control the number of cigarettes I have in a day.
7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk … I will suffer the next day and more so now that I’m older.
8. I’ve come to realize that money … is a necessity. The best things in life are free, it’s the very best that cost money.
9. I’ve come to realize that certain people … don’t really understand me.
10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always … not act my age
11. I’ve come to realize that my siblings … have lives of their own that I know little about.
12. I’ve come to realize that my mom … is someone I miss since she passed away.
13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone … does not have to be answered just because it rings.
14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning … I didn’t know what I was going to do with the day off work.
15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep … there’s only 4 weeks left before I go to the Dominican Republic and I still have plans that need finalizing.
16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking … why am I doing this.
17. I’ve come to realize that my dad … never realized his dream of being able to retire and travel with my mom.
18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook … I haven’t a clue what I’m doing.
19. I’ve come to realize that today … I could have spent with friends celebrating Thanksgiving but decided to stay home and do nothing.
20. I’ve come to realize that tonight …I’m going to go to bed early because there’s nothing decent to watch on TV.
21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow … will become the yesterday of today.
22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to … do something completely different.
23. I’ve come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is … someone who doesn’t realize the amount of time it takes to come up with some witty responses.
24. I’ve come to realize that life … is a bowl of cherries and some people get only the pits.
25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend … was a total waste of time.
26. I’ve come to realize that marriage … is something that I wouldn’t want to experience again.
27. I’ve come to realize that my friends … are more important to me than they realize.
28. I’ve come to realize that this year … has gone by too fast, but at my age this is now the norm.
29. I’ve come to realize that my ex is … my ex.
30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should … get dressed and do something useful.
31. I’ve come to realize that I love … the fact that I have made a difference, however small, in some people’s lives.
32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand … why some people think only of themselves.
33. I’ve come to realize my past … is full of good and bad memories but that the good far outweigh the bad.
34. I’ve come to realize that parties … are events that I no longer enjoy.
35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified … that I won’t be able to retire and do what I want with the rest of my life.
that’s the way I see it
Conflict With Friends - How Do You Deal With It?
Do you ever avoid saying something to someone because you know it will cause conflict? Usually, I will say what’s on my mind when discussing subjects that don’t specifically relate to myself – current events, politics, religion, whatever. And, I don’t really care if what I say may offend or if I know that it will definitely cause an argument.
But, when the issue at hand might involve a conflict with friends or family, I often don’t bring it up. A case in point involves a discussion I had with the people with whom I am co-owner of the house where we live. They know that it is my intention to retire in a couple of years and eventually move to the Dominican Republic. With this in mind, a few weeks ago they made the suggestion of buying me out at this time which would depend on them being able to get a loan by renegotiating the mortgage. This sounded great for me because it would mean I could use some of the money to pay off all my debts and with still working for a couple of years I could save more than double what I would have to pay out at this time.
Two weeks ago I was visiting my friends Eileen and Dave and they asked if I’d heard anything concerning the buyout (it is their son and his girlfriend with whom I own the house). It seems that they had been told that Darren and Chrissy were re-thinking the idea of renegotiating the mortgage. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed – in the fact that I might not be getting the money at this time and also because nobody had bothered to tell me. I told Eileen and Dave that I was going to tell Darren and Chrissy that they would not be able to wait until my retirement but that I wanted out of the house deal by next summer at the latest. This would still allow me some time to pay off my debts and recuperate the money before actually retiring.
Knowing that this might cause some conflict I put off telling them. I keep telling myself that I’m waiting for the right moment to bring up the subject. Yesterday, I took the easy way out and sent them an email. Now, I’m just waiting for the reaction. And that’s what I mean when I say that even though I can say what’s on my mind on almost anything, when it comes to something that might cause conflict with friends, I tend to avoid the issue. How about you?
that’s the way I see it
What’s Your Worst Hotel Experience?
I’ve been working in the hotel industry for the past 30 years and have come to realize that no matter how much effort you put into pleasing guests, problems always arise. One thing for certain – there’s never a dull moment because you’re dealing with people from all over the world and with different people on a daily basis.
What we have to deal with on a daily basis will probably surprise you. So, here’s a “behind-the-scenes” look at some issues I’ve had to deal with over the past couple of weeks.
Because our hotel is completely non-smoking, our front desk staff are required to have the guest initial the “warning” when registering that they will be charged a $200 fee for smoking in a room. Recently, a gentleman questioned the charge on his bill by stating that he hadn’t smoked in the room. His wife had, but we failed to make her aware of the fee!
Often guests try to get a free night by complaining about something. One such case involved a woman who complained of “bugs” in her room. Little did she know that we had been sent a warning about her from the hotel association because she had tried to pull this off several other times. This lady carries a bag of dead bugs in her suitcase and drops them in the room after checking in.
When I travel I always make sure that before checking out that I’ve packed everything and do a thorough check of the room (including behind the bathroom door) to make sure nothing is left behind. We have a storage room full of items – everything from cell phone chargers to false teeth. We even had someone check out and then return a few hours later to claim their cat that had been left in the room! The hotel will NOT phone guests to advise them of lost items. I did this once several years ago because a guest had left an expensive camera. I spoke to his wife who advised me that her husband wasn’t supposed to be in Ottawa at the time!
So, have you had a bad hotel experience? What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you and did the hotel try to resolve the problem? We pride ourselves on customer service at our hotel even though we realize the customer is not always right!
that’s the way I see it
