A Mother's Balancing Act

Creepy Guys Suck!

That's right. The title of this post pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. Creepy guys give the rest of the good guys - like my BSM (that's Big Strong Man for those of you just joining us...) - a bad rep.

I was doing some shopping yesterday outside of the pristine suburban (no, not so very plastic, thank you very much!) bubble that we live in. My girls need costumes for a party this weekend, so I thought that perhaps, the thrift stores might be just the ticket for an old prom dress or some such thing. Normally, this type of shopping trip wouldn't phase me at all. In fact, I find them to be a challenge.

I had gone to an client appointment in the morning, even though I had the day off, so I was dressed in a nice skirt, blouse and cardigan sweater. I had on some of my favorite, newer peep-toe shoes with a kitten heel, but I have to say, "peep-toe's" are not an invitation to every weirdo crackpot in the city to come on to me. Um, yeah...but I digress...

So, I had already endured leering eyes from yucky guys in two thrift stores when I came upon a Big Lots. The one in our neighborhood recently went out of business, so I decided to pop in. Long story short, a creepy dude proceeded to tail me, make eyes at me every chance he got and tail me through the store the entire time I was there. To the point that he sufficiently freaked my crud out. After he slinked onto the aisle I was on (after I had zigged and zagged a couple of times to shake loose of him) yet again, I got fed up and headed to the checkout with my shopping cart. The whole time, he never had a cart or any products in his hands.

When I got to checkout, I calmly told the cashier about my experience and asked if there was someone who might escort me to my car. I told her I just thought you needed to trust your instinct in these situations. She nodded appreciatively and immediately called a guy up to her register to help me to my car. I had been thinking of the self-defense class my daughters and I had taken where they said to never have both of your hands full when walking in a parking lot. Within moments of me relaying my story, Creepy Dude slinked up behind me (one of 3 registers available at the time), and I quietly let the cashier know that he was "the one". He was now carrying a large metal spoon and some other small item. The nice gentleman carried my items to my car for me as I told him of my experience in their store and that they might want to watch out for that guy who was coming out behind us.

The store employee told me he'd be watching until I got out of the lot, etc. Creepy Dude came out of the store and stood there and watched us the whole time. Then, he headed to a bicycle that was parked in front of the store.

Perhaps, he was just mentally ill. Or perhaps, he was going to just leave his bike there and force me into my car to violate me or even just steal my car.

I don't know. Any way around it...

Creepy guys suck.

Balanced Babe - (aka Molly Wendland)

Note: For a look at my oh-so-sexy peep-toe's, click here. They're the ones in the middle of the shot of three pairs. And yes, I do kind of have a little bit of a fetish. Sort of like the chick in the book to movie "In Her Shoes". I don't always even wear them. Fun movie, by the way. Even better book!

Extra note after the fact: I've been laughing when I tell this story to my friends. You know, how I attract the best-looking 50 year old guys with comb-over's of anyone I know and stuff like that? So, it's funny now, but this Creeper really did freak me out, and I was afraid to walk to my car alone...in broad daylight. And that does suck. In particular as a mother of two teenage daughters and an advocate for domestic violence awareness, it really pisses me off. Women shouldn't have to be afraid. It just sucks.

My Elevated Status...

So, the other day, at our White Trash Mom site, I posted about how I got stuck on the company elevator. Many of you made me promise to let you know how that turned out.

So, for my entire 2 hour and 25 minute journey, I had no cell phone service, other than for one brief pocket of time when I had Digital Roam and "one bar". For some unknown  reason, good ol' Sprint (the home town favorite, whose international corporate headquarters is located less than 2 miles from my building...) gave me this weird message that I no longer had roam coverage. We've had it free in our package for years. Instead, it asked me if I would like to place a chargeable call while on Digital Roam? Having been stuck for well over an hour at this point, I replied, "Yes, (dammit!)." I quickly dialed my front desk to see if I could get a status report on the work that was being done on the elevator (which, apparently, wasn't being done, I found out later...). Well, I could hear our receptionist answer the phone, then a Sprint automated message ask if the receiving end would accept the charges for an emergency call from me. I couldn't hear the response from the other end, but then the automated message came back on and told me that the receiving party wouldn't accept the charges. Incredulous, I tried again with the same result. You have got to be kidding me! I was beside myself! Come to find out later, there was no way for our switchboard to receive such a call. Swell.

Next, I called my Big Strong Man, but his phone went to voice mail, so again, no connection. And then, my signal cut out again to no service. Agggghhhhh!

I went back to doing the little work that I had with me to do. I ate some more of the candy from my daughter's "guess how much candy is in the jar" winnings.

And when it had gotten to be two hours since I originally pressed the red elevator emergency button, I decided that I would press that darn button again. Why I waited that long, I will never know. How God gave me that much patience on that particular morning is a mystery even to me. So, I pressed the button again. And here's where this story got very disturbing.

Elevator Emergency: Elevator Emergency. Do you have any emergency?

Balanced Babe: Uh, yes. I've been stuck on this elevator for over two hours now. I'm just checking to see if you can give me a status report on how things are going with getting this thing fixed.

EE: Oh. OK. You say you're stuck?

BB: (beginning to sense that something is amiss...) Yesssss...can you give me an idea of when I can expect to be out of here?

EE: Um, hold on ma'am, and I will check.

And then, silence. I went about my business, and after a few minutes I realized that the woman was not coming back. I had been disconnected by an emergency response service! How smart! How very clever!

I pressed that darn button again so fast, you'd have been proud of me this time.

EE: Elevator Emergency. Do you have an emergency?

BB: (No, this is a crank call...geez...) Yes! You hung up on me. Do you remember me?

EE: Ma'am?

BB: I was just on the line with you, and you never came back (sounding like a paranoid maniac...)

EE: Ma'am, do you have an elevator emergency?

BB: (OMG, I'm going to slay this woman...) Yes, I have an emergency. I've been stuck on this elevator for well over two hours. I was just on the line with you. You told me to hold on, and you never came back.

EE: OK, ma'am. You see, these lines time out after a while. I didn't really hang up on you.

BB: Well, that's no good, is it?!?!

EE: (realizing that she's dealing with a crazed maniac...) Ma'am, I'll stay on the line with you and check this out, OK? Do you have a medical emergency?

BB: (now feeling like an idiot) No. I've just been stuck on this elevator for 2 hours and want to know when you're going to be getting me off.

EE: OK, just wait there with me while I check, ma'am.

BB: I'm not going anywhere.

EE: (stifling a giggle) Yes, ma'am.

I could hear her in the background, then, checking on the status. When she came back, her voice was audibly different. She sounded a little scared...

EE: Ma'am?

BB: Yes. I'm still here.

EE: Ma'am, we'll be sending someone right out...

BB: Excuse me?

EE: We're sending someone right out. They'll be there in 10 minutes or less. Just hang tight, ma'am.

I was dumbfounded. Where had they been for the last 2 freaking hours? I had been waiting so patiently. Like a good little Catholic schoolgirl...You have got to be kidding me!

Long story shorter, it turned out that the firt time I called, the elevator company came out, checked the wrong elevator (in our bank of three), found nothing wrong with it...and LEFT! I can't even believe it still. So, I -- like an idiot, apparently -- sat there patiently waiting for them to fix it when they weren't even in my building. Moments after my 3rd call to the EE, I heard my name being called up the elevator shaft by someone from my company. They were nicely telling me that the EE people were on their way. When I got off, about 15 minutes later, the folks from my company were shocked to learn that I had been stuck, not 15 minutes, but almost 2 1/2 hours. I had been a no-show on an important call with the state and a client. Talk about the "dog eating your homework"! What an excuse. You can't make this stuff up, people!

All in a day's work! I'm just happy I didn't fall down the shaft. And our building's leasing agent did send me the pretty flowers pictured above!

Balanced Babe

Ode to My Favorite Shoes

I think I've lost my favorite pair of shoes.    

There. I've said it. Blogged it even. I'm pretty sure that makes it real.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been in denial. Those are the ones you see pictured at right. Yes. I loved them so much, I even took a picture of them once to feature them in another post. I have worn them to death. So much so, in fact, that this past summer I even took them to favorite shoe guy to put a new sole and new heels on them. They were sexy but comfy, and I received compliments on them nearly every time I wore them.

I am tall, and finding "good" shoes, ones that look nice with a dressier outfit without making me super tall, can be very hard. Plus, I really don't like stalking around in stilts. These shoes were so wearable. Yet they had the look of something a little dressier and sexier.

I think I may have left them at the Westin at BlogHer. Can you believe it? I blogged about what an idiot packer I am. After leaving San Francisco and the conference, I headed up to Napa to spend some time with my folks. I didn't even fully unpack up there, so I really don't think I could have lost them there (at my parents' house). I'm thinking some housekeeping chick from the Westin with size 10 hooves is digging her sexy new shoes.

So, yesterday, when I went out shopping for a salad bowl for my sister, I wound up buying not one, not two, but three new replacement pairs. Hey, a girl's gotta' have some fun, right?! I am in mourning, after all...they were my favorite shoes of all time.

Dig 'em! The pair that looks similar to my old ones? Same brand! Bandolino.  Only this time, I got all three pairs for a little more than I spent on the first pair last time! HA! Ya' gotta' love TJ Maxx. Hit that store on the right day, and it's a gold mine. Wrong day, and it's a total bust! No salad bowl for my poor sister, but I'm sure digging my new shoes! They're not doing me much good stuck here on the elevator in my office building, but that's a story I'll be posting on our White Trash Mom site. You'll have to hop over there for that one!

Balanced Babe