Read this Post Please?

Okay, so sometimes my mind wanders. Mainly at work, as I stated last post. I am a cabinet finisher, I do a lot lot of sanding, staining and spray booth work, on my own for the most part, for the entire workday. So stuff has lots of time to bounce around in my head, and now I can put it out there for everyone to ponder.

Please explain the word please...

I have a hard time speaking up and asking for things. Yesterday on two occasions I had to ask for favors. I wanted a day off in a few weeks time, I wanted a piece of a coworkers gum. So I asked for these things, and found that the word please feels awkward on my tongue. Of course I've been properly brought up with manners and such, but as an adult I find that using please takes an odd forms. It's tacked onto a command or order given to you to try to make it sound like a polite request, but really they expect you to do it anyway. As in "Can you pass the ketchup please?" No one is going to deny you ketchup, this isn't a question at all. Even worse is "please pass the ketchup", clearly a command disguised as politeness because of that one word. You're not fooling me please, you're making me do something that doesn't necessarily please me at all. Why not simply ask the question "could you pass the ketchup?" and let a person decide for themselves if following through with the request will please them or not. Or ask what you really mean, "it would please me greatly if you could pass the ketchup". There, so much less commanding, maybe a bit formal, but it pleases me more that you just said what you meant and were done with it. I'm not offended at all that you left off the polite word when you asked.

Then there is the begging please. "May I have a piece of gum, please?". Ugh, the worst kind of please. It makes you feel five again. Do you tack it on on the front to try to make it sound better, "Please may I have some gum?". No, that maybe makes it worse. I am an adult, I can buy my own gum, but your gum is sitting right there... and if you did say no it wouldn't be the end of the world. Yes it will please me, but I understand if maybe you need that gum for later. It's not the end of the world either way you answer, but maybe by being polite and giving you the sad puppy dog stare I'll get what I want? It definitely works for my friend's daughter. When she tacks a "pweese" on there you know she's getting whatever she wants from Auntie Kristina. Somehow, though when Auntie Kristina uses it, it makes her feel ridiculous.

I'm not against manners at all, in fact I love a good "thank you". I'll throw thank you's out all day. I just am bothered by please right now and need to stop over thinking it I guess. Whether we're pleasing the asker or the askee, whether it should be at the front or the end of the question, whether it's really needed at all, these questions don't really matter. It's what we all say, if you don't then you are clearly a barbarian, or possibly American. I just had time to think about it, and well there you go.

Thank you for reading, it was my pleasure to write it.

Oh, and by the way, I got my day off AND my piece of gum. Score!

To Blog or not to Blog?

So it appears I have started a blog. I have been going back and forth on this for quite some time now. I really miss writing and my current job offers me lots of time to let my mind wander and sometimes I really want an outlet for all those deep thoughts. On the other hand, I follow quite a few friend's blogs and I find that if they go more than say a week without posting I feel let down, I want my next fix. Can I live up to my own blog expectations or will I write a bunch at first then slowly let it slip away as another forgotten project? Not to mention I have to learn all this blogger stuff, try to format it so it looks nice and is interesting. Oh and I should probably remember some of those great topic ideas I have thought about while working... It's an experiment to be sure, we'll see how it goes!

Today's topic is writing. Well more than that, creating. I used to have so many creative outlets. I wrote poetry, kept a journal, painted, scrapbooked, sewed, and always had a project on the go. Lately I have felt almost like I've checked out. I go to work, I come home, watch some TV, go to bed, repeat. I don't feel like I'm actively pursuing anything that would enrich my day, and I can feel it affecting my mood, my spirit and who I am. How does this happen? I guess we get so wrapped up in the day to day that we forget to stop and enjoy ourselves. By the end of the day I am tired, I'm getting old, and it's all too easy to zone out on the couch with a bag of Cheetos. So in the past week I acknowledged it and am actively trying to check back in. I picked up a book (Fifty Shades of Grey - which disgusts me with the weak and pushover female narrator, but keeps me reading for the kinky bits...), I've cooked supper (too many fast food drive thru's as of late - which in itself can make you feel pretty blah), and this is the next project, the blog, the outlet to the rest of the world. I can't remember the last time I typed on a keyboard. I've become dependent on my phone, for facebook, quick emails and most of my communication with the world. Swyping does not lend itself well to creative writing, not to mention the ever hated auto correct, throwing its two cents in when you least expect it.

So there you go. Blog entry number one done! Stay tuned, hopefully there will be more soon. I've committed now!