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21 November 2011

Angry is an understatement.

So, to get my teaching license I have to submit a full background check to the state police.  Well, I got a letter from them Thursday and thought, "Oh, this must be the results."  I opened it up and much to my surprise, it was someone else's background check, fingerprint card, and money orders.  Ummm... what? If I got this guys stuff in the mail, then where is my stuff?  Is my identity about to be stolen? This is a HUGE MISTAKE!!!

So Friday, I get a call from someone in MISSOURI and she tells me she has my information and when she called the ID Bureau, they didn't even have a record of me.  So we chat a little, I tell her thank you for mailing it back, and sorry that I didn't get her stuff and there are more people involved.

Cue Monday morning when I call them back.  First, I'm told to tell it to the fiscal department.  Then I'm redirected again to a specific person in charge of that.  And she's gone so I leave a voicemail.  Finally I get a call back and she asks if I have Elaine's (the girl who called me) paperwork.  Nope.  I have the paperwork for some dude. So they still haven't located poor Elaine's stuff.  And they were talking about a "group" so how many of us are there?  She asked if I'd be able to send it back, I said yes, and she hung up. REALLY??  No apology, no "we'll keep an eye on your identity for you" no nothing.

So I called back.  And I wanted to to know what they were going to do about it.  She said, "I don't think you have anything to worry about.  Nobody has your information."  "YES. They do.  Cause she called me and told me.  And I have some dude's stuff.  What are you gonna do about it?"  And she said, "I don't know what to tell you.  I guess the address labels got mixed up. I'm sorry, I'm only human, I make mistakes."  WHAT?  YOU MAKE MISTAKES?  HOW OFTEN DOES THIS HAPPEN? You don't accidentally send sensitive, private, personal information to the wrong person.  That should not even happen.  You sent my social security number to some random lady!  Why are you not double checking? How did you even get this job?  Did someone accidentally confuse you for a competent worker and send you the job offer by mistake?

I am so angry.  I expected more.  I expected my information to be safe.  I cannot believe this.

19 November 2011

Totfest 2011

Was a success.  This is the third year we have celebrated Totfest.  To look back on Totfest 2010, just follow the link!  I very quickly went over how it all came to be, but I think I will give the extended version here.

So, the origins of Totfest:

Once upon a time there was a girl, and there was a boy.  This girl and this boy had dated, then stopped dating, and then slowly they were able to become friends.  Except then the boy thought maybe he would like to date again, and the girl said no.  Then the boy asked again, and the girl said no.  This continued for a while until the boy started to date a different girl.  The girl was also dating someone new.  The girl put space between them because her new date was not a fan of the girl and the boy spending too much time together.  And then the girl came to realize that she missed her friend and wanted to see him again.  She didn't know what to do about it except ask.  So she sent him a friendly message suggesting they spend time together in the near future.  The girl expected to hear back "Yeah ok, we will."  Nothing definite, but something to work with.  Instead the boy asked, "Doing what?"  The girl was surprised and didn't know what to respond with and for some reason the first thing that popped into her head was "Tots."  And the boy agreed.  The girl knew then that there was something special about this boy she may have overlooked in the past.  On a typical Thursday night, the girl went to the boy's apartment and they began to cook some tots.  Then the boy wondered, "What would these taste like fried?"  So they tried it.  And totfest was born.  To make the evening more exciting, the girl brought many sauces to dip the tots in, some delicious, some surprising, and some downright gross.  But they enjoyed each other's company and a tradition was born.  Shortly after the first Totfest, the boy and the girl dated again, and then they got married and vowed to celebrate Totfest together every year.

So, it may seem on the outside like something completely unhealthy, and overindulgent, and strange, but deep down, there is a story behind Totfest that is very important to us.  And really celebrates an important day in our life together.  Plus, we both really like tater tots.

Totfest 2010 introduced hot wings to the menu.  2011 brought us fried mushrooms and twinkies.  I only fried one twinkie because, well, it turned out gross.  You have to freeze them before hand, apparently so they can't soak up so much oil (being spongecake).  And I didn't freeze them long enough.  So we just ate regular twinkies for dessert.  This was also the first Totfest in which outsiders were invited.

Evan said this about the future of Totfest:  Totfest should be like MTV.  It started out as just music television, but now it has branched out to much much more.

So, Totfest will branch out to become more like friedfest, and will be amazing.  He also said that one day he wants to have so many people over he has to contact food vendors to buy tots by the boxful.  We'll see about that one!

Our original fryer (which Evan found in a foreclosed house when he was cleaning out foreclosed houses) died and we had to rush to get a new one.  Luckily they are not expensive.  Also, we have an outlet on the patio so we could fry OUTSIDE and not have to have our apartment smelling like hot oil for the next month.  HOORAY!
Isn't our new fryer perty?


And the poster for Totfest 2011, complete with Sigmund Freud mascot:

Until next year!

13 November 2011

Sunday

While sitting in Sunday School, the teacher was talking about a scripture story and saying something along the lines of, "They didn't get it all at once.  They didn't just wake up one morning and stop being hungry. It came little by little."
Evan then leaned over and said, "I'm still hungry."
As he often skips breakfast, especially in the pre-church scramble to get out of the house on time, I asked skeptically if he had eaten anything this morning.  Thinking, if he didn't eat anything then can't be still hungry, just hungry.
He answered, "Yes!" meaning of course.  How could I ask such a silly question?  "Oh!" I said, surprised because I didn't remember him ever stopping in the kitchen.  I was ready to drop it when he smiled and said, "Two cookies."  Of course he ate the last two cookies on the pan from last night.

See, I managed to hurt myself yesterday in a friendly game of volleyball.  So I put myself in bed for a few hours when we got back, then moved to the couch for the rest of the night while Evan cooked dinner, and dessert and worked on his schoolwork.  And since I was laid up and not planning to do any housework, the dishes sat there.  With the last two cookies out all night, making the perfect breakfast for my husband to eat while he ran to throw his wrinkled clothes in the dryer.  We own an iron, but rarely does it get used.  Another story.

And that is a typical Sunday morning for the Andersons.

05 November 2011

Are all Arkansans this personal?

Side note before I start, Arkansas is pronounced are-kin-saw.  I'm sure you know this.  The term for people from the state, Arkansans is pronounced are-can-zans.  You might have known this too.  If not, it was an educational experience. Now on to my original thought.


Dear random person from Arkansas I met three minutes ago,

Sure, we are still kinda newly weds, we've only been married for 18 months.
No, we don't have kids yet, we've only been married for 18 months.
If and when we do plan to have kids, I promise you will not be the first person we tell.  There are at least a dozen people ahead of you in that line.
My husband is in school, I work.  In fact, I have a degree. A Master's Degree.  Crazy world isn't it?  Women going to school and then working and supporting their husbands while they go to school.  Crazy.
Yes, I nanny.  Yes, it's a big family.  Actually, it's a lot of fun.  They are well behaved and fun to be around.  And, they pay well.
Yes, I like Arkansas.  It was hot, but it cooled off and now it looks lovely outside with all the trees changing color.  Also our bowling team won the tournament last night.  The UCA Graduate students finally dethroned the UCA psychology faculty as bowling champions.

Thank you for chatting with me, it was nice getting to know you.

Sincerely,
The Andersons