Random thoughts

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
Am I the only person getting a little sick of this weather? I feel so bad for the reporters and photographers who have to be out in the middle of it. I stood on the side of the interstate yelling into a microphone for many years and it gets old, fast.
I usually don't mind snow, but this morning it was really irritating me. It wasn't the cleaning off the car or the crazy drivers making me mad, it was my kitchen floor. Why? Because I cleaned the snot out of it yesterday and fresh snow means a fresh load of crud all over it by our back door. Grrrrrrrrrr. It's no one's fault - it's just the way it is. It's just winter. If you're thinking, "Geesh Erin get a grip, it's just the floor, you can mop it again, it's not the end of the world ...." then you have a good point. But I am a Type A personality and it bothers me. Mostly it bothers me because I likely won't have time to clean up the mess until the end of the week. Until then I will breathe deeply and remind myself that there are far more important things than a clean floor. Like clean sheets. And clean toilets. Neither are marred by winter weather. Whew.

Staying on this theme of my obsession with cleaning, our makeup room here at the station is enough to gross out even the most laid back people. It was so bad a few years ago that I borrowed cleaning supplies and a huge trash can from our station maintenance man and went on a cleaning bender. I think I threw away clothing, makeup and hair supplies that had been in there since the 80s. It really needs it again but I'm just not feeling inspired to tackle it. It's bad. There is a lot of junk in there. One time Dan Winters' fiance' Shannon came out of the room shaking her head saying, "I don't even know what half that stuff is in there!" Ah yes, the joys of shellacking your face and hair multiple times a day, everyday. It requires some unique tools.

Another thing that goes along with this job is clothing. I'm really peeved about a particular blouse of mine. It's been missing for months and I'm pretty sure my (former) drycleaning establishment lost it. Of course I have no way of proving this, but I'm not in the habit of losing my clothing. This particular garmet is one of my favorites and it goes perfectly with a particular suit. In fact, I don't have another blouse that matches the suit as well. So now everytime I wear the suit, I'm irritated. And now we're back to the Type A personality issue. ANYWAY - months ago I addressed the problem at the cleaners. I was not pleased with the response, which was something like, "Are you sure you didn't lose it?" I remained pleasant and suggested that they may've accidentally put my blouse in someone else's drycleaning and was there a way to try to track it down? The woman replied, "That doesn't happen?" I said, "Really? Then why was I bringing you a pair of white pants last week in a size that I've never worn in my life?!?" She was puzzled. "They weren't MY PANTS. But you put them in MY drycleaning order," I explained. At any rate, my blouse has not been returned to me and now I'm using a new drycleaning establishment. The service is much better - from the way the place treats clothing to the way employees treat customers.

On a happy note - Michael and I went to the Drake game Sunday night. It was a bit of a nailbiter, but the Dogs battled it out and won 74-69. We had a blast. If you haven't made it to a game this season ... GO! You won't regret it.

Finally, I love pajamas. Especially in the winter when you want to snuggle up in a cozy spot, wearing something comfy. A lot of people don't have the luxury of buying nice, new, cozy pajamas - particularly women who are in shelters. That's why Kelly Sargent started the organization "Helen's Pajama Party." You can drop off new pjs at any Dahls or Great Clips, and if you'd like more information about the program check out www.helenspajamaparty.org.

That's all for now ... if I hustle I can clean the floor on my dinner break!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com