Crosswalk Encounter

From the moment I entered that small college town I was met by wonderful, kind people. The gentleman working at the bus station began the trend (after, that is, the locals aboard the bus who shared assistive insights with me). Next, the sweet bus driver explained about where the airport was in relation to the bus station & about there being a widely used bicycle rack attached to the front of the bus - because the town is such a large bicycling town - with nearly every street marked with a bicycling lane.

The local "super" department store was filled with kind & helpful associates one of which was ready to retrieve this from the top shelves where I couldn't so easily reach. This young male associate had, about fifteen minutes prior, stood behind me at one of the store's water fountains as I used the cap from this in order to quickly refill it, ounce by ounce. Because, even though I could fill it quite rapidly in this way, it still wasn't that quickly, I offered for him to get his drink before I completed my task. He kindly & gently responded, "No. Go ahead. I get paid by the hour." 😄 (I thought to myself, "Suit yourself.")

Another associate assisted me with using the appropriate hardware cutter to unlink my duplicate rental vehicle keys from each other in so that I'd be able to run each marathon carrying only one bulky set, rather than both bound together. (I'd been provided with another "linking strip" to reconnect the two sets of keys properly before I returned the rental & boarded the bus back home.)


Then there was this:

I watched a man walk toward my rental vehicle as I waited at the intersection - not even knowing if selecting a left or a right-hand turn was in my best interest. I'd no traffic light to provide me the right-of-way, & assist me with making my turn. Knowing that this man, as a pedestrian, had the ultimate right-of-way, & because I'd not yet made my decision on which direction I'd go prior to his reaching the curb, I sat & waited just as I should.

He walked into the street & across the lane for the opposing traffic. He then continued walking straight, which meant he lined up directly with the front portion of my rental car, putting him briefly standing directly in front of the driver side wheel, & just behind the front bumper.

He audibly said, "You're in the crosswalk, so I guess I'll just walk through the vehicle." (The vehicle's windows were all closed.) As he bumped his chest lightly at the hood above the wheel well before going around the vehicle's front bumper & ultimately on his way.

I couldn't forget the encounter because, although I was new to this town, & needed my mapping app to successfully drive myself a mile or so down the road, I've been driving for decades & had never encountered anyone being so ridiculous with me while I sat in a vehicle, a nose or two too far into an intersection.

I eagerly enjoyed sharing this nugget with many locals - namely these superb department store associates. Letting them know that everyone in their town had been especially amazing & super kind. Then there had been this one, oddball pedestrian-crossing encounter & how I'd never encountered such a thing in my entire driving history.

A young woman, seemingly at about the same age I'd been when I'd first become a retail store cashier, happened to wait on me a few days in a row.

On this particular morning an older gentleman happened to be in line just in front of me. He wished for his change to be a $10 dollar bill rather than two $5 dollar bills. As she closed her drawer, ending his transaction, she quickly explained that she couldn't give him a $10 dollar bill because she didn't have one in her drawer. She directed him to the store's service desk. He then asked her if he could have different $5 dollar bills, better ones that weren't so messed up. She repeated that he'd need to go to the store's service desk. Just before relenting, he frustratingly questioned her, "You can't give me different bills?" (I wanted to say, "Obviously not sir. That's why she's repeatedly explaining to you you'll best be assisted at the customer service desk." Instead I didn't say anything to the man; I kept my mouth shut.) She apologized & explained that she couldn't open her register back up; he'd need to go to the store's service desk for further assistance.

I felt her pain. He wanted different bills & didn't want to stand in line to get them. It was early in the day, when any store's cash register would be likely to be low on cash change options. Because I "understood", & because I did feel her pain (anyone truly paying attention to the "big picture" would've), I made sure to share my story of the man (likely to have been drunk), who decided to "walk into my rental vehicle" because it sat a foot or so into an unpainted crosswalk.

Yes, this young cashier did giggle when she heard the story. 😂

These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here. By clicking any of these links to get to Amazon's site I may get a small share of the sale. Thank You!

Little Pretzel Pieces

This is a little bit embarrassing, yet completely honest. The first of the July marathons I ran was located in a small college town. Well, no, of course that’s not the embarrassing part! 😂 Because it was a small college town, certain stores were set up in an obvious way – that is, in the merchandise that they sold, that "the typical college student" would most likely be grabbing for the item. This is much in the same way as putting a product like this or this on the bottom row of the grocery store aisle in so that when a child is at the store with their guardian, well, they see it & work to get it in their guardian’s shopping cart.

Foods like multiple flavors of individually packed string cheeses were available. One serving containers of both General Tso's & Orange flavored chicken pieces were packaged up in clear plastic bowls. Lots of them. Every day. And this was July. So not a part of the Fall or Spring semesters.

And then there was me. Yep. Because I was "car camping" I was on guard about perishables & the July heat, especially the July heat that was in this area that was new to me. So I found myself resorting [read: accepting the temptation] to a personal past time.

Being close in 2010 with a friend who really enjoyed both these & these, when these were invented (scroll down in the link & read under the "2010" heading) that year, we ate quite a few of them, besides they were sold in blue packaging.

And almost in the same way that children have products sold specifically to them, at their level, in a grocery store, we adults often encounter the same situation. Well, that wasn't really even the case for this cause, yet I'd like to give it some claim.

Truly it was knowing that they weren't to melt on my skin (second paragraph here) which further encouraged me to select a package. After all, that means they shouldn't just melt, or soften being in a bit-too-warm vehicle either. Of course they're sold for "sharing", yet the mindless binge eater I can tend to be, especially when anxious & over thinking (which I was while on this grand trip to a city where I'd never been before), just kept on popping another one into my mouth.

So I treated myself. I never really like it when I do this. I know that I can eat better. Apparently it's existence has become my kryptonite. And because I was away from home I acted quite a bit like an adult on vacation as well as a kid walking down a cereal aisle.

I must have bought about a half dozen of them. And some I ate rather quickly. Plenty of wasteful spending, which is likely how I convinced myself to stop the buying. Also knowing that they weren't actually healthy for me, being that they are a completely processed food. Yes, I enjoyed them. Yes, I'm certain I'll buy them again & I'll devour the bag, & I'll love every moment of it.

They are, unto themselves, a little bit of salty, & a little bit of sweetness. And, yes, that is a very lovely, & a quite delicious thing to be. Even if it's only sitting on my tongue for a mere moment. 😋

These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here. By clicking any of these links to get to Amazon's site I may get a small share of the sale. Thank You!

Filling in the Blocks of Space & Time

Each year these seem to be more obsolete. At the same time they seem necessary, needed, purchased & well used just as much year after year. Many people enjoy gifting those they know at Christmastime with these that have themes.

Today seems an appropriate date to consider the usage, non-usage, defiance, & well, the continued printing of these...See, today's date represents the first day of each year when a full twelfth of it causes them to be a practical clearance, though in reality, most every consumer would think that by the end of the first week of the new year, it's most sensible for these to be at a significant percentage discount.

As a child, having one to hang in my bedroom was a "thing". I had a particular spot, that no matter how my room was rearranged, for whichever season, I could hang up mine of current interest. One of these would hang from a simple frame hook like this.

We had a "family" one hanging in the kitchen. Mom had magnets just for it, with the refrigerator standing next to an open counter space, leaving that side of the fridge as open & obvious for its display. Mom would write our rotating work schedules on it once we began our "young" employment years; i.e. the ones where we'd speed off after school & work until shortly before we'd desperately need sleep for the following school day, & the ones that took away our weekends; they made us stronger, better, wiser, & "more talented". 😂

The same style seem to all be modernized for dry erase & magnetic purposes like these. Mom, in her imperfect, yet very legible & super distinguishable handwriting, would diligently keep the squares updated with a nearby pencil. Though not a dry erase style, they're still manufactured; Mom still buys one annually. 😂 Knowing my parents, who keep everything, there's a chance those pages are stashed somewhere under their roof, true keepsake-style.

I never took to one sitting on my desk at work (one like this). If one happened to be there, fine; I'd sort of use it. Sort of, because many-a-time I'd realize months afterward that I'd never torn off a month or so of sheets. It could be mid-May & I'd have February or March (sometimes just April 😎) beaming its bold lettering back up at every passerby.

I did, however, realize early on, the many benefits of knowing what the months just before & just after the current one looked like. Really, it was just the dates & the weekly outlook; not actual activity on those dates which was important & assistive to me while at work. Oftentimes I'd need to count out one month, or twelve & fourteen day periods of time; having this version suited me well. Fortunately, one of these fit on the peg behind my computer monitor & I was all set. I felt that I could see time being accomplished merely by having this available in my peripheral vision.

Or maybe it's this day - this week surrounding - when many people realize annually that they've not yet gotten a new one to represent this new year. Maybe this is the "rush week" to purchase these, otherwise obsolete options.

One thing's for sure: A month ago, yes, definitely now, these are not suitable as gifts any longer - at least not in this new year. Unless, of course, you're preparing a "gag" gift, or trying to shake off the remains of a relationship that should no longer be. 😏😂

MS Outlook & various phone apps have taken the way of all things modern, electronic, & efficient. Essentially even making some of these as obsolete as pencil & paper.

These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!

Not Greed, Nor Entitlement, Definitely A "Wonder"

And a very unintentional motto I’ve taken to now for the past several years would be one that’s been said by many for a very long time, “Never say never.”

The number of things which I’ve done, & in most cases, very proudly so (i.e., I also intend to do again) which I’ve done in these last several years is many more than worth accurate tracking.

One of these things many might think is natural, quite fine, & a very decent thing to do; it’s likely something that they’ve also done. That is, I became a movie theater patron on Christmas Day.

It went a little something like this. I needed some time for me; I needed to treat myself. The nearby theater happens to offer their weekly discount day on Mondays, which happened to be Christmas Day. And the theater was showing the third & final of the three-part series for this movie. (Which, when I heard that it was, couldn’t figure out how there’d be a plot, so I became intrigued to see it, in part, just to learn what the writers would make of the plot in order to continue the storyline.)

So my movie theater viewing for Monday, December 25 became an apparent, win-win-win (-win?) 😂

I saw the movie. I enjoyed it. The timing during the day worked out well too. I got back in my vehicle & got to see some of the traffic (both people & their vehicles) that becomes of the business that is Christmas Day at a movie theater. I learned a lot. And in a very good way.

Then I began “planning”. This is when I tend to trip up & go “overboard”. “Planning” means that I’m likely on the verge of making a task out of life. 😎 Things went so well on December 25 that I decided to aim just as high for January 1, another Monday, another movie theater discount day.

I began to turn the way of negative when I realized, after taking the time to watch the trailers of each of the remaining movies at that nearby theater, that none of the others were of great enough interest to me to either spend the time/money at the theater, nor to make something of the “free time” I had because I didn’t need to be anywhere else right then.

Wishing to remain as positive & forward thinking as possible, I researched current movies & watched another trailer or two. I learned that another, not-quite-as-“nearby” theater (really it’s just in the next locality, so no ‘big deal’) happened to be showing one of these other movies. I had a point to drive to that area, & so I did. It was mid-day on New Year’s Day & a jam-packed parking lot as well as a jam-packed theater lobby. The clerks efficiently managed the line & I quickly became next up. I asked the clerk the movie’s cost & ultimately decided to see it. It was sold out. Seeing a movie in a theater on New Year’s Day instantly became something I wasn’t meant to be accomplishing.

My New Year’s had been off to a rocky start for another reason or two & I became determined to not let my intentions for this new year become parched, waivered, or diminished.

I continued on with my week. Sunday came & I realized I’d be nearby that “other” theater again. I walked in & asked if my selection had already sold out; it hadn’t. The cost had an apt matinee price affixed to it. Bingo! Score! 😊

Seeing it solo, I got into the theater & began scanning the back row (which, in these modern theaters is up in the back from where patrons enter on the side). Plenty were seated in that far back row. I spoke up & inquired if all of the seats were spoken for; they weren’t. The teens & tweens (as well as their families) with which I sat next to said there were two seats left. It appeared I claimed the final seat of the row. Another bonus to solo movie theater viewing. 😎😊😏.

This movie is one for which I cannot wait to own the DVD. I called Mom as soon as I let the theater since she & Dad are always looking for good ideas for me for gifts & told her about watching the movie & my eagerness for the DVD; she giggled.

I cannot wait to watch it again (although, unless someone else paid my way, I wouldn’t view it again in the theater – for one reason, time, for another, needing to save my hard-earned money). It’s beyond simply a “great message”. It’s well written & nearly the same writing as this book from which it’s based (I’ve not yet read it, though I’ve solid word from a few teens who have 😎).

Bringing tissues is a must. (Go ahead, click here for the kind that travel well in your pocket or purse. If you'll be staying in & watching it on your own big screen, click here for the kind that sits nicely on your coffee table or end table - or even your nightstand. 😁) Fortunately I carry something in the way of tissues in the tiny cross-body strap bag I typically have with me. 

It touches the heart & soul of so much. As much as this movie's underlying theme is “Greed”, this movie touches a bit on “Entitlement”. One student’s mother mentions during her quip in the principal’s office words which [hopefully] no one wishes to hear & [hopefully}] causes most everyone to gasp. I wished to pity the character only in that the example for which she [unintentionally & unknowingly?] sat there setting for her teen son was of embarrassment & entitlement.

I’d like to think that anyone working in customer service understands the “backlash” of such thoughts & actions. And, yes, many other occupations as well. 😎

We are all “us”. We are all beautiful as we are. We are all a “wonder” of existence & a marvel upon the world & society. It is about what we make of it to make something great out of what we become.

These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!

"...When I'm Finished".

About a year ago I took advantage of a simple opportunity. I’d been spending plenty of time at a particular library. This library kept their DVD selection in turn-styles very near the study desks, or cubicles – the desks which are lined up alongside power outlets for those who plan to stay enough that they’ll need to recharge.

I spent a lot of time at these desks. I walked past these turn-styles a lot. This movie in particular stuck out to me because, back when it’d originally been in the theaters, I remembered seeing the television previews frequently & quickly became interested. I never made it to the theater to see it. Here it was in the library. Almost taunting me. Available for checkout. I had a library card. Bingo.

After watching it, & I did enjoy watching it, I quickly found myself turning the styles on each of the alphabetically organized DVD racks standing tall between the question desk & the studying desks. I found this trilogy & watched all three.

I then happened to see this movie & found it appealing. I was working on finishing up something I’d been crocheting & popping in one more movie would be helpful.

Working in customer service the word “entitlement” becomes bold. Most everyone is looking for their extra "coupon" or discount if they just make that one. more. phone call, then they've a chance for someone to pick up that slack for them.

This movie, which leads to a trilogy of its own walking the viewer through a storyline of love via a few generations of family, serves to express how having a task, learning it, learning how to do it well *&* making the work of that task the embodiment of one’s character while completing it, is satisfying. This "effort" is what brings purpose, meaning, & definition to the phrase about each of our tombstones when "they" say, "it's about what we do with the time during the 'dash' in between the numbers" (indicating the year of our birth & the year of our death). Such as this & this.

These movies are great & it's nice to watch this nostalgic version, although it's a bummer that Drew Fuller doesn't play the character "Jason" in each; it breaks the momentum up a bit despite the character having much fewer scenes.

"Just remember eight feet from the center."

"What?"

"Lunch will be set about 11."

"Well how far am I supposed to go?"

"Don’t worry, you’ll run out of posts before you run out of Texas." "I wish I had a dollar for every fence post I ever set." "Matter of fact I do."


"Whatever it is I have to survive [it] until…when I’m finished."

These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!

Living a First World Kinda Life

Those commercials on television show suffering people, typically the children, who are in need of a decent meal, clothes, proper hydration, & much more, they're children in Third World countries & we (definitely me!) are living in First World countries.

Not too much time ago much was on our minds as at-that-time-recent headlines had been discussing proper restroom options for everyone, even those who don't consider themselves to be either female or male, as most commercial location restrooms are marked for one or the other. And a meme began floating around (proper terminology: getting shared around) about how these folks in the Third World would just like a restroom in general.

It got me thinking about how many locations have "family" restrooms which are set up similar to what would be found in most any house. (I'd like to say "all houses", though the absolution seems squint-worthy.) These family-style restrooms seem to eliminate the "his" & "hers" commercial location-type restroom predicament. Although, it is true, any of these folks living in Third World countries would be quite content just to have any old restroom/bathroom to use.

So would a runner. That is, a runner who's participating in an event. At events, volunteers & participants alike are reduced to standing in long lines at a strip of port-a-johns. Sometimes runners don't even have a chance to get to a port-a-john, & simply step aside & sort of hide-away. (Run a search on it; there's tons of articles on best eloquence for this action.)

Then there are the construction workers. Another group of folks regularly visiting their local port-a-john. These workers also "brown bag" it. Though I'm guessing they really "hard-sided-cooler" (like these) it more than not. Their work is labor intensive & their hardy replenishment suits best in something a bit more solid than an ordinary "brown bag". (Really, what do I know; there's likely to be some who do use an actual brown bag, & regularly. 😁)

Restrooms/bathrooms, food & food storage, & hydration, specifically water purification. That's right, this stuff. Some must boil theirs regularly. Many people don't even give their plain tap half a chance, they instantly are lining up these & these in so that they might not have anything enter their system which could possibly be harmful. In this movie, Reese's character mentions about boiling & purifying on the go.

I had a phase when flavored water was my thing; I bought this regularly. I've moved on. I do stick with the reusable variety (see here), though I most often also stick with tap water. If it's my tap then I'd attach one of these, the kind that leaves in the fluoride while removing everything else that doesn't belong. I actually prefer my water to be room temperature, otherwise, straight from the tap.

All in all I'm grateful for running water (& all sorts of plumbing 😍); I'm thankful to be living in a First World country (with all of my "First World Problems" 😉), & my appreciation is constantly growing for all that I do have, which is so much more than I'll ever truly realize.



These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!

Use Them Again & Again

Something that I use everyday, something that I hoard, something that I get crafty & make [read: crochet] from time to time, are these. I use them so often I've written about them before, here. 😊) They're durable, helpful, super useful, reusable [read: recyclable], colorful, washable, foldable (so they don't take up much vehicle space either), & lots more.

I'm not sure if there's technically been a craze on them, though in the whole realm of recycling, many brick & mortar stores use their reuse-ability as a discount or sales ploy. This includes two of the main grocers I support. One provides customers with the option to "keep" or "donate" a nickel for each bag they reuse at the checkout. Depending on how much a customer spends (item size-wise, not monetarily), deems how many bags they'd be choosing to use. Just buying an item or two, (or three)? Then it's likely that you'd only be reusing one bag. That's a nickel you'd be able to donate to the store's current selected charity. Otherwise "keep" your nickel & essentially get a "nickel off" coupon on your total order. Buying a few produce items as well as, say a container of cottage cheese & another of yogurt, maybe a bottle of this & this too? These last four items would suite well bagged separately from the produce items & at the register they'd organize your purchases as such. That'll then become a dime saved off your total order. 💰Cha Ch'ing!💰

I've also found bringing in my own bags with which to shop assists with eliminating the need for the ever-bulky cart as well as managing a basket (& certain discount grocers don't offer baskets as shopping options ☹). I prefer to "sweep" through the store's aisles & sort of "weave" as I might when I'm running in a large group at the beginning of a run & maybe a "dodge & weave" seems necessary; this is similar to how I oftentimes enter a grocery store. Having these bags right alongside me, just over my shoulder, makes for an efficient "breeze-thru", & therefore, satisfaction.

While one grocer monetarily rewards for reusing bags, another charges, & has a variety of recyclable, as well as reusable bags tucked away just underneath their belt counter where each customer can set down their selection while waiting in line, stand back, & quickly notice that, "Oh wait, these bags will be helpful, & for a nickel for the smaller size, & a dime for the larger size, why not?" And so these customers toss a bag or two from the sales shelf below to their order sitting atop the belt headed toward the smiling cashier. This same discount grocer also applauds customers for bringing in their own bags, so they're not all "money-bad" in the bagging department; it's just their own version of being resourceful.

Another grocer, where I do not shop very often (further distance as well as minimal product need) offers customers to reuse their bags for a chance to win a store gift card. I see this "promo" as an "in between". It's only a chance & it's not an instant reward. Couple these pursed-lips-causing-moments with my already infrequent visits to this grocery chain, & I simply allow these cashiers to load up a paper bag (which, I of course, recycle! 😂)... I fill these paper bags with my paper recycling from random personal paperwork to mailbox paraphernalia to cardboard off of containers (basically, wrappings) after purchasing & once I begin using them.

Then there are the options with the "ordinary" grocers who always have basic "grocery store plastic bags" available, & they always automatically bag your order right into these plastic bags. Still recyclable: instant in-house, bathroom & bedroom trash can liners. Tie them up & pop them into the top of the household's main bag; or, if already filled, it's simple enough to keep the room fillers alongside the main bag for trash pick-up (or to walk the load to the appropriate dumpster).

If shopping at a warehouse store, these, as I've written about before in this post, can come in handy when dealing with bulkier items. They've multiple length handles, so depending on load size & weight, the user can best determine how to appropriately & efficiently carry their purchase well.

These really are the way to go. I'm in constant appreciation of the ability to reuse & recycle. Buy some or click here & learn how to make your own out of these. 💗😂💓



These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!

A Silent Foreign Language

The first foreign language I learned was Spanish. I learned the language for three years in high school, then tested into the review class (cause I'm that kinda student 😞) followed by Spanish I & Spanish II as a college student. These were the "Arts" classes I took to earn my affiliated requirements for my Bachelor of Arts degree. My other option was to struggle through [read: disintegrate] a few credits of various mathematics courses, & my college years seemed to be my "off" years for understanding & comprehending much of anything mathematical. Besides, if I'd have taken that route I'd have earned a B.S. degree, a.k.a. a b___s*** degree. 😂

Like eating mulch, 😂 as a kid, right behind my brother, & somewhat following suit, I signed up to learn Spanish. Our school happened to offer more than one foreign language, just not like now-a-days where kids begin learning their foreign languages long before middle/junior high school & high school. We could've also chosen to learn German; which, as kids who are part German, also made plenty of sense, especially from a genealogical perspective. At the same time Dad wasn't necessarily ready to learn alongside of us, or for being a learning board from which to bounce our newly learned skills. He'd have helped us out, he always did if asked, yet he wanted this to be our decision. And so it was. Spanish seemed to be a "general", or "cover all" foreign language to learn. And so we did. Sort of.

My brother & I never spoke in Spanish to one another. If we said anything, it was general phrases & such that Mom & Dad definitely could also follow. The most significant thing I figured out on my own was, "Mas de la leche por favor." Which I'd use during dinner occasionally. I felt so cool. I'm shaking my head & rolling my eyes with pursed lips as I type this. I was ridiculous.

Despite my having attempted to learn Spanish, or any German, I did find myself rather intrigued by another "foreign" language, especially somewhat post college. I think I'd always found it fascinating, though I'd never really taken the extra moments needed to really get into the language.

It was probably around that time, a few decades or so ago now, when I did learn how to sign the alphabet. The problem was, like any kid would learn their ABCs & only be able recite them in order, I could only sign the alphabet in order from A to Z, & I couldn't exactly read anyone signing to me (not that I actually had anyone with which to bounce my admiration for sign language either 😜).

So on grew my great interest in all things signing & sign language, though never truly dedicating the necessary time toward actually learning it (except for borrowing a number of never-cracked-the-binding books on the topic from the local library).

Fast forward about a decade. I turned into my prime for being invited to all things "baby", which meant it was "Baby Shower Time". I'd long been crocheting many a gift for most people I knew (baby-wise or otherwise 😊); sometimes this just wasn't appropriate or feasible.

And this happened right around the time that the hype in gifting all things "baby" happened to be, of all things: books. I perused Amazon & found a few books which seemed to be "just right" such as this book & this book. Ultimately, however, this is the book I've now purchased a few times (for this same gifting purpose), which I especially preferred since it's not gender-specific, & there still are plenty of parents-to-be who choose to not learn in advance whether they'll be having a boy or a girl.

I've grown to appreciate plenty of languages, & I'm excited that learning any language is something we're free to do (as long as we put in the right amount of effort) at any age. The set of German cassettes (this is the Amazon link to the more modern set of CDs of the same set of cassettes) I picked up along the way to study continue to collect dust awaiting insertion in a boom box I've kept around for just this purpose, & those Spanish classes from "back then" are the history that they are for me; it's awesome to me that sign language exists. I truly see it as a foreign language.

I appreciate that it's available to be learned & easily can be. One never knows when they might meet someone who's deaf or hard of hearing & in need - or, that they just want to assist. As a cashier, for instance, knowing sign language can really boost a relationship with these types of customers; it could help make a sale. Or, maybe a friend or family member might bring someone with them to a gathering who's of this profile. Maybe someone will {gasp} join your family who's of this profile.  And, as I remember from a particular book in this series, even adolescent's familiar with the language can help someone out in desperate need of all places: the public restroom; which, I believe, along with other related sign language hurdles, is a storyline mentioned in this book.



These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left.

If you'd like to shop my general Amazon Store, click here & Thank You!