Currently at my job I am inspecting filling stations, which means that I am conducting a fire inspection and an environmental inspection of the premises.  I can honestly say that I never planned, ever, in my life to be doing this- who says when they grow up that they want to spend time in rough neighborhoods looking at gas stations?

This is a relatively dangerous part of my job.  It also puts me in a bad mood every day.  Right now I am assigned to the north/northwest side of Milwaukee, which has a real gang/drug problem, as well as a high truancy rate.  And all of the unsavory characters that participate in these activities seem to hang out at gas stations.  I go early, mind my business, watch my back, and get out as soon as possible.  The earlier in the day that I can get into these neighborhoods, the better- the drunks, druggies and troublemakers tend to be late sleepers.  But anyways… back to what I wanted to talk about.

As a result, I spend a lot of time locked in the little glass enclosures with the cashier, explaining the corrections that they need to make in order to be in compliance with the regulations.  Our discussion is always permutated by the customers making their purchases.  Here’s where my first life lesson begins- if you want to know why you pay so much for health insurance, spend a half hour in a gas station in a low income neighborhood and observe what the people purchase.

I am absolutely amazed at the amount of crap people put into their bodies.  Here is a typical purchase:  3 bags of chips, 2 packs of muffins, cupcakes, etc, a couple of sodas, a black and mild (little cigar-type thing) or pack of cigarettes, and a flavored blunt wrap (to roll a tobacco “blunt”-yeah right).  They can get all of this for about $5.00, and it’s evident that this is their diet for the day.  It’s sickening.  I can’t help but wonder how many of these people have health insurance.  If they don’t, you can be sure you and I are subsidizing their bad habits. 

My second life lesson is just a general observation about people and their behavior.  The gas station workers commonly complain to me about the behavior of their patrons.  They are verbally abused by people daily, their property is vandalized weekly if not daily, kids overwhelm the stores and shoplift all the time, and all the owners can share stories of when they were robbed, beaten, and almost everyone knows someone who was killed while working at a station in the city. 

I feel sorry for these property owners on some level, yet I can’t help but wonder if they don’t bring it on themselves.  Is it worth the danger and trouble these station owners face just to make money pennies at a time selling candy and chips?  I can only assume that they knew the nature of the neighborhood before they opened their store- why choose that location?  And why do many of these stations sell products that encourage troublemakers to patronize their store?  Blunt wraps, chore boys, little glass tubes, and probably other drug paraphernalia that I’m not even aware of- why even sell it?  And in case you were wondering, almost every gas station on the north side sells pornographic movies and magazines- who would have imagined?  Is the money worth it?  The answer, obviously, is yes.  I can only assume that the owners are willing to deal with the trouble, and have chosen to sell the products that their customers want.  I wonder what would happen if they stopped selling the junk- all of it.  Would another business fill the void?  Probably.  Would the problems go away?  Probably not. 

All of this makes me so glad to return home to happy little Bay View at the end of the day.

Well, I’m back and ready to give this blogging thing another try- my computer has been behaving itself lately so hopefully this will make it all the way to publication.

Remember when I said that I felt I needed something different in my life?  Well, I think I have found a new career, if only it existed…

At my current job, I spend the majority of my day driving around all parts of the city, conducting environmental inspections and investigating complaints.  This takes me to all parts of the city- good and bad.  I’ve pretty much seen it all- fires, car accidents, bad driving, arrests, wandering dogs, weird weather phenomenon, and even wierder people.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone do something and said to myself, “What is it with people?”  Or, “Where is a cop when you need one?”

Hence my new career- I want to be the “Hey, Stupid!” police.  That’s right- give me a gold star and a book of tickets and set me loose on the city.  I will gladly cite the people I come across for doing a variety of stupid things.  For example:

Children not in a car seat-  who clearly should be.  This drives me nuts- I know these people know better.  BAM!  That person would get a “Hey Stupid” ticket so fast their head would spin.  Come back in a week and show me that you have a seat and are actually using it or I’ll find you and give you another ticket.

Teenagers slowly meandering across the street, purposely forcing traffic to stop, even with a green light- BAM!  And pull up your pants or I’ll give you another ticket just for looking stupid.

People who stand in the middle of the street, looking to see if the bus is coming- get out of the street, you idiot!  You’re already at the bus stop, and you won’t get the bus there any quicker by risking your life to wander out into the middle of the road.  BAM!  Now go sit down…

Obnoxious cell phone users- BAM!  Texting while driving- BAM!  Tailgating me so closely that I cannot see your headlights- BAM!

Litterbugs, cigarette smokers who toss their cigarettes on the ground, BAM, BAM!  (I’m having way too much fun here!)

Everywhere I go, BAM, BAM, BAM!  I'm gonna need at least 2 ticket books...

Who wants to join me? 

My quest for higher education has finally begun... again!

Monday I started grad school, I'm taking Accounting and Finance at MSOE.

I started school with some trepidation.  I distinctly remember when I was an undergrad that there was always a few older students in my classes, and well, they were always that student.  You know, the one who asks too many questions and takes up time, making the class run longer than necessary?  Who just seems out of touch, has clothes that are out of style and an archaic book bag?  Who's "old school," and doesn't have the right calculator or computer?  I realize now, looking back, how judgmental the 20 something crowd can be- myself included.  But worse yet, have I become that student?

I've spent the past week getting ready.  Getting re-accepted into the program, changing to my married name, registering for class, getting my student ID (where I was asked if I was a new instructor, I'm still deciding if I'm flattered or irritated about that one), and debating if I need to get a laptop computer for taking notes.  Here's where I'm old school- I am a mechanical pencil and notebook kind of gal.  The fact that I have a blog is probably the most advanced computer thing I've done in a while.  But MSOE is very technological- undergrads are required to have a really souped-up laptop that they do all their school work on.  I'm pretty sure they could hack into the Pentagon with these computers, if they wanted to.  Do I need the Mercedes-Benz of computers for grad school?  Do I even know what kind of computer that is?  Would I know how to use it?  Does everyone use computers to take notes now? (It has been 10 years since I graduated from college, I assume things have changed.)  I decided to wait and see what others in my class came with, and then make a decision.

So I went to the first night of class yesterday, and at least half of the students had big, fancy laptops that they immediately opened and used throughout the class.  I examined the little plugs on the table at each seat and it took me a while to realize that they were for the computers to connect to whatever, the internet?  How cool!  But then I began to panic- I'm going to be that student!  Looking around I realized that I should have gone on-line to print (or better yet, download) my professor's lecture notes, and my panic intensified.  Lastly, one student had already taken it upon himself to do the homework (which is due next week) ahead of time- yikes!!  This is MSOE folks, they don't play around here- there's a reason that the school and it's students are so successful!  I need to get on top of things- and quick! 

Thanks to the Packer game and the largely male demographic in my class, we were let out early, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  This gives me a week to get a game plan and get myself organized.  I'm still not sure what to do about the whole computer thing.  And I still have that homework to do... 

Have you ever felt like you needed to shake up your life a little, make some changes, chart a different path?

Lately that's exactly how I have been feeling- I just need, something, well, different.  

I thought going to Mexico might do the trick, a much needed change of pace and some R&R... nope.

I switched up my exercise routine (started swimming and kayaking, in addition to Zumba)... nope.

Worked on the house... nope.  I needed something... bigger, more life changing.

So what am I going to do to scratch the itch?  I'm going back to grad school to finish my degree that I started years ago!  How many years ago?  I thought it was 5-6 but it turned out it was almost 9!!!  Where the heck did 9 years go?   Thankfully, MSOE took me back with minimal groveling, and in September I will trudge on in the quest of getting a masters in Environmental Engineering.  It's going to be work- lots of work.  There's no such thing as an easy degree from MSOE.  I haven't been in the scholastic mode in a really, really long time.

I hope my brain still works... 

 For all intents and purposes, I am pretty normal gal.  I have a semi-normal life, married to my husband for almost 7 years, raising our little girl, working full time as a city inspector (more about that later), and just trying to keep things afloat on a daily basis.  I moved to Bay View a year ago and I LOVE it here.  But that's the boring stuff- here's a few things about me that are more interesting and somewhat entertaining:

1.  I love to Zumba.  For those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, Zumba is a latin-inspired dance workout.  We salsa, meringue, cha-cha, reggaeton, hip hop and generally rock out and shake it for a hour at a time.  It's joyous and expressive, sassy and spicy, and an awesome workout.  I'm excited to try my moves out when hubby and I go to Mexico next month- I plan on hitting the dance floor!

2.  Be warned.  I have red hair and all the fire, temper, and passion that goes with it.  And so does my 4 year old daughter.  Pair that with my Type A personality and things can get a bit dramatic around here.  That alone keeps life pretty interesting.

3.  And speaking of red hair, my neighborhood is home to a family of beautiful red foxes.  If you live east of KK near Oklahoma Ave. you likely know exactly what I am talking about.  We see at least one of them almost daily, and for some reason I am fascinated with them!  These creatures are ridiculously bold, and kill things around my home on a regular basis.  It's like "Wild Kingdom" around here- and I have a bunch of stories to share.

4.  I run a local wine club.  Wine is one of my great passions- as a matter of fact I'm sipping a nice Albarino as I sit here and type.  I have made many dear friends through my club, which is comprised completely of women.  We meet monthly to explore a particular varietal, region, or style of wine.  It's a fun, boisterous time, and in between talking about our kids, husbands, favorite TV shows and assorted "girl chit chat", we even talk about wine!

 5.  Finally, I am a parrothead.  Translated- I am a huge Jimmy Buffett fan.  I'm still waiting to find my own personal Margaritaville, though I've definitely been to that One Particular Harbor.

That being said, I hope you enjoy reading my blogs in the days and months ahead.  I know I am looking forward to writing them.