Looking? LOOKING?

[Guest guest]

And you go the mall with 3???? <bowing to the great one> You have bigger

balls then I do cause I won't even go to the mall with Ben! I get exhausted

just thinking about it! I hope you had a bottle of wine to reward yourself!

Congrats to I hope he got some cool stuff!

At 03:02 PM 11/18/2001, you wrote:

>Yesterday won a fifty dollar gift certificate from the civic

>youth theater where he sometimes volunteers his talents. There was a

>fundraiser and I think a drawing connected with it and he won. Very

>exciting for him as he is rather gloomy these days due to having such a

>horrid big brother. The win perked him right up (well, it would perk ME

>up too).

>

>The certificate was for our local mall. I hate malls. I hate shopping. I

>hate taking Putter and Robbie along on shopping expeditions.

>

>But has big melting brown eyes and he looked at me so hopefully

>when he asked how soon he could use his gift certificate that I said,

> " Right after church tomorrow? "

>

>It seemed to work well enough. Sophie was at a friend's house and Enrique

>was just starting on Neopets and so he didn't object strongly to us

>leaving (although when we returned he seemed mystified as to where we had

>been but I am getting ahead of myself)

>

>Putter is so sweet these days that I imagined it would all work well. I

>think I have mentioned before that I am an optimist. We parked our car

>surprisingly close to a mall entrance and we went inside. Putter danced

>smilingly along with us and Robbie also was enthusiastic. I recalled that

>the mall had a new food court that had a fine carousel that I thought

>Robbie and Putter would enjoy. And I had a brilliant plan. The mall has

>these little rental strollers that I have admired the last few times I

>went kid-free to the mall and I have always thought that Robbie and Putter

>would enjoy them. So I decided to rent two of them as one would surely

>cause fighting. They cost four dollars plus one dollar deposit. There is

>one person ahead of me and as always I must resist the temptation to

>scream out, " LET ME BE FIRST! YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE PRESSURES I

>HAVE! " Putter is pulling at my arm and shouting " Looking! Looking! " a

>phrase which as yet means nothing to me although all too soon I will

>understand its dread meaning) Robbie is crying and I already feel

>tired. The woman ahead is fairly quick though; I fill out the paperwork

>to rent a stroller and Putter and Robbie each climb into one. I plan to

>push Robbie and can push Putter.

>

>Immediate problems ensue. Putter straps himself in, but he seems tearful.

> " Looking, looking? " he asks. Looking? What on earth. He indicates that

>I am to undo his strap and I do; he struggles out and heads for the

>escalators. Ah. I had forgotten. Last time Putter went to the mall he

>fell in love with the escalators.

>

>The strollers are not allowed on the escalators. They do NOT fold

>up. Putter lays on his back screaming and and I have a lengthy

>conference on what to do. We make several unsuccessful feints towards

>simply going shopping while Putter screams but he keeps returning to the

>escalators. I try to persuade him that there are escalators further down

>where there is also an elevator but he is unconvinced. Finally I return a

>stroller, but Robbie still wants his. I do not get back my money yet as I

>still have one car stroller and we both agree that I can take care of all

>that when I leave.

>

>Putter and go up the escalator together. As I turn and rush with

>Robbie back to the elevator to meet them, I hear Putter shout after me

>from the top of the escalator, " Mo-THER!?! " There is a young family

>already riding the elevator and I squeeze on even though there is not that

>much room. Politeness is sometimes just too time consuming. I do smile

>pleasantly as I squish their three year old into a corner with my bulky

>car stroller.

>

>Putter and are riding the escalator down when I arrive upstairs.

> shouts, " Block the down escalator before we get there! " so that

>Putter will not immediately ride down again. But there is no

>need. Putter is glad to see me. He slips his hand in mine and we walk

>past several stores, amazed at the uselessness of what they sell. Nothing

>appeals to , from outside the stores, but we are not able to go

>in any stores as we must keep Putter moving quickly so that escalator-type

>thoughts do not enter his little mind. A slight pause and Putter

>anxiously says, " Looking? Looking? "

>

>Now I know that that must be an escalator, I guess because you can look

>down from it? When Putter is overcome with " Looking? Looking? " I can

>soothe him by saying brightly and enthusiastically,

> " Looking! Looking! " But we do look a bit odd: the plump woman in messy

>clothes shrieking out " Looking! Looking! " to a child who continually

>responds, " Looking? Looking? " I rather think we must look like a woman

>with a perhaps newly adopted little foreign child who does not yet speak

>English well...

>

> spots a toy store. Putter and Robbie and I go in with him

>although the aisles are very small. Putter insists on pushing the

>stroller, " Looking? LOOKING? " he asks plaintively. Perhaps he hopes for

>another escalator. Putter grows increasingly restive and finally I shout

>to as Putter pulls me out of the store, " Meet us at the

>escalator... " Putter and Robbie and I ride up and down many times before

> meets us as we are going up. He tells me that he isn't sure that

>he wants something from there and he wants to look around a big more. I

>tell him to go down ahead of us and collect up the car stroller, forlorn

>and abandoned outside the toy store. He does so with impressive alacrity

>and we whisk Robbie into the car stroller and lead Putter rapidly away

>from the escalator. sees nothing he wants and so we once again

>go to the upper level; we actually ride up the elevator together, once

>again rudely squashing in on a family because we CANNOT wait for another

>elevator. Not everyone would understand this.

>

> is becoming gloomy. He mutters that he wishes they had just

>given him $50. We stop outside a video store and are on the point of all

>going in when I come to my senses. One does NOT take Putter into a video

>store. I whip the stroller around so fast that Robbie looks slightly

>whiplashed. Putter follows. For once his great powers of observation fail

>him as his mind is still swimming with escalators.

>

>We look in a few more stores. At one point Putter gets into the stroller

>and Robbie walks, seemingly happy enough with this arrangement. Finally

> decides to go back to the toy store and buy some things he saw

>earlier. I ride up and down the escalator with happy Putter and an

>increasinly wild Robbie as makes his purchase.

>

>Now for the dangerous moment of departure. and I are exhausted

>and very thirsty but there is no way we are going to the food court. We

>need a drive through place. Putter is disturbed by the thought of leaving

>or at least by the fact that we are heading away from escalators. He

>keeps throwing himself on his back. I go to return the car

>stroller. There is a long line. I look at the line. And I decide that

>it is easily worth the price of the stroller deposit for me to stick the

>stroller back in its place and just walk out of there.

>

>And we do.

>

>Salli

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/18/2001 4:58:00 PM Central Standard Time,

bunnytiner@... writes:

<< There is one person ahead of me and as always I must resist the temptation

to scream out, " LET ME BE FIRST! YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE PRESSURES I HAVE! >>

I know this one....I always feel this way; at the supermarket, any store,

even when I'm bidding the job...don't you know what kind of life I have? I

think to myself. Surely you can let me cut in line, or better yet, when the

rich folk call me about one of their MAJOR problems in their lives, like the

color of the faucet isn't perfect, or a bird shit on their deck, (Oh what to

do?) I think, just give me the job or a bunch of money and let me go...after

all I deserve it...my kids are autistic.

Oh my selfishness...but I really do think that and worse yet, really do mean

it.

Ron

[Guest guest]

Yesterday won a fifty dollar gift certificate from the civic youth

theater where he sometimes volunteers his talents. There was a fundraiser and I

think a drawing connected with it and he won. Very exciting for him as he is

rather gloomy these days due to having such a horrid big brother. The win

perked him right up (well, it would perk ME up too).

The certificate was for our local mall. I hate malls. I hate shopping. I hate

taking Putter and Robbie along on shopping expeditions.

But has big melting brown eyes and he looked at me so hopefully when

he asked how soon he could use his gift certificate that I said, " Right after

church tomorrow? "

It seemed to work well enough. Sophie was at a friend's house and Enrique was

just starting on Neopets and so he didn't object strongly to us leaving

(although when we returned he seemed mystified as to where we had been but I am

getting ahead of myself)

Putter is so sweet these days that I imagined it would all work well. I think I

have mentioned before that I am an optimist. We parked our car surprisingly

close to a mall entrance and we went inside. Putter danced smilingly along with

us and Robbie also was enthusiastic. I recalled that the mall had a new food

court that had a fine carousel that I thought Robbie and Putter would enjoy.

And I had a brilliant plan. The mall has these little rental strollers that I

have admired the last few times I went kid-free to the mall and I have always

thought that Robbie and Putter would enjoy them. So I decided to rent two of

them as one would surely cause fighting. They cost four dollars plus one dollar

deposit. There is one person ahead of me and as always I must resist the

temptation to scream out, " LET ME BE FIRST! YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE PRESSURES I

HAVE! " Putter is pulling at my arm and shouting " Looking! Looking! " a phrase

which as yet means nothing to me although all too soon I will understand its

dread meaning) Robbie is crying and I already feel tired. The woman ahead is

fairly quick though; I fill out the paperwork to rent a stroller and Putter and

Robbie each climb into one. I plan to push Robbie and can push

Putter.

Immediate problems ensue. Putter straps himself in, but he seems tearful.

" Looking, looking? " he asks. Looking? What on earth. He indicates that I am

to undo his strap and I do; he struggles out and heads for the escalators. Ah.

I had forgotten. Last time Putter went to the mall he fell in love with the

escalators.

The strollers are not allowed on the escalators. They do NOT fold up. Putter

lays on his back screaming and and I have a lengthy conference on what

to do. We make several unsuccessful feints towards simply going shopping while

Putter screams but he keeps returning to the escalators. I try to persuade him

that there are escalators further down where there is also an elevator but he is

unconvinced. Finally I return a stroller, but Robbie still wants his. I do not

get back my money yet as I still have one car stroller and we both agree that I

can take care of all that when I leave.

Putter and go up the escalator together. As I turn and rush with

Robbie back to the elevator to meet them, I hear Putter shout after me from the

top of the escalator, " Mo-THER!?! " There is a young family already riding the

elevator and I squeeze on even though there is not that much room. Politeness

is sometimes just too time consuming. I do smile pleasantly as I squish their

three year old into a corner with my bulky car stroller.

Putter and are riding the escalator down when I arrive upstairs.

shouts, " Block the down escalator before we get there! " so that Putter

will not immediately ride down again. But there is no need. Putter is glad to

see me. He slips his hand in mine and we walk past several stores, amazed at

the uselessness of what they sell. Nothing appeals to , from outside

the stores, but we are not able to go in any stores as we must keep Putter

moving quickly so that escalator-type thoughts do not enter his little mind. A

slight pause and Putter anxiously says, " Looking? Looking? "

Now I know that that must be an escalator, I guess because you can look down

from it? When Putter is overcome with " Looking? Looking? " I can soothe him by

saying brightly and enthusiastically, " Looking! Looking! " But we do look a bit

odd: the plump woman in messy clothes shrieking out " Looking! Looking! " to a

child who continually responds, " Looking? Looking? " I rather think we must look

like a woman with a perhaps newly adopted little foreign child who does not yet

speak English well...

spots a toy store. Putter and Robbie and I go in with him although

the aisles are very small. Putter insists on pushing the stroller, " Looking?

LOOKING? " he asks plaintively. Perhaps he hopes for another escalator. Putter

grows increasingly restive and finally I shout to as Putter pulls me

out of the store, " Meet us at the escalator... " Putter and Robbie and I ride up

and down many times before meets us as we are going up. He tells me

that he isn't sure that he wants something from there and he wants to look

around a big more. I tell him to go down ahead of us and collect up the car

stroller, forlorn and abandoned outside the toy store. He does so with

impressive alacrity and we whisk Robbie into the car stroller and lead Putter

rapidly away from the escalator. sees nothing he wants and so we once

again go to the upper level; we actually ride up the elevator together, once

again rudely squashing in on a family because we CANNOT wait for another

elevator. Not everyone would understand this.

is becoming gloomy. He mutters that he wishes they had just given him

$50. We stop outside a video store and are on the point of all going in when I

come to my senses. One does NOT take Putter into a video store. I whip the

stroller around so fast that Robbie looks slightly whiplashed. Putter follows.

For once his great powers of observation fail him as his mind is still swimming

with escalators.

We look in a few more stores. At one point Putter gets into the stroller and

Robbie walks, seemingly happy enough with this arrangement. Finally

decides to go back to the toy store and buy some things he saw earlier. I ride

up and down the escalator with happy Putter and an increasinly wild Robbie as

makes his purchase.

Now for the dangerous moment of departure. and I are exhausted and

very thirsty but there is no way we are going to the food court. We need a

drive through place. Putter is disturbed by the thought of leaving or at least

by the fact that we are heading away from escalators. He keeps throwing himself

on his back. I go to return the car stroller. There is a long line. I look at

the line. And I decide that it is easily worth the price of the stroller

deposit for me to stick the stroller back in its place and just walk out of

there.

And we do.

Salli

[Guest guest]

, when the > rich folk call me about one of their MAJOR problems in their

lives, like the

> color of the faucet isn't perfect, or a bird shit on their deck,

Get a gun? Get a cat? Perhaps a jaguar?

(Oh what to

> do?) I think, just give me the job or a bunch of money and let me

go...after

> all I deserve it...my kids are autistic.

>

> Oh my selfishness...but I really do think that and worse yet, really do

mean

> it.

Me too, Ron, me too. Guilty secret time.

Salli

[Guest guest]

> I haven't been to the mall since Kep's birthday (May). You can well

imagine

> why.

Yes, I can! And you can send Kep over here after Thanksgiving to do my

laundry. Putter does not do such things.

Salli

[Guest guest]

>

>Yes, I can! And you can send Kep over here after Thanksgiving to do my

>laundry. Putter does not do such things.

Kep would love that. He was actually kind of sad when the last load went

into the dryer and there wasn't anything left to put in the washer! Now, if

I could just get him to FOLD!

Amy

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

>

>Yes, I can! And you can send Kep over here after Thanksgiving to do my

>laundry. Putter does not do such things.

Kep would love that. He was actually kind of sad when the last load went

into the dryer and there wasn't anything left to put in the washer! Now, if

I could just get him to FOLD!

Amy

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

[Guest guest]

Was happy with his purchases?

Ginger

Finally decides to go back to the toy store

and buy some things he saw earlier.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Was happy with his purchases?

Ginger

Finally decides to go back to the toy store

and buy some things he saw earlier.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> Was happy with his purchases?

>

> Ginger

Very, I am happy to say. So I guess it was worth it after all.

Salli