Tag Archives: crazy

Jun29

Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Concert

Posted on by
Standard
Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson Concert

Howdy!! This past weekend, Johnny and I checked off another concert on our summer lineup list. It was Outlaw Fest at Blossom Music Center and Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson were performing. We were supposed to see Willie Nelson at Blossom during the pandemic and had to skip on it so we were so happy to have been able to make up for it. I mean… kind of? Because the night definitely didn’t go accordingly to plan and it was basically one of the wildest nights out I’ve had since the after party at our wedding lol. Take a look at some pics that I don’t even remember a random stranger taking and let’s discuss:

Like any big event, the concession prices at Blossom are absolutely insane. To remedy that, literally everyone going to a show there pregames in a great big parking lot tailgate. Johnny and I got to the show with about an hour to kill, White Claw ready to go, and we posted up in the trunk of our car to sip away. As we were having our trunk time, a young couple who went with family across the way approached us to talk about our tattoos and they became our instant BFFs. We were chatting up a storm and, eventually, the entire family joined us. They were absolutely hilarious and we spent our pregame in stitches together. We were having so much fun that I don’t think any of us noticed we were all getting a fair bit tipsy.

Once we all felt good and ready to head into the venue, we did so as a team and found a nice, shady spot to watch from. We couldn’t see anyone on the stage, but we could hear the music and that was perfectly fine. Besides, Johnny and I were DEEPLY invested in conversation at this point. You guys, I kid you not, Johnny and I held individual sidebars with every single member of the family. Lol, they came to us with their complaints, we essentially gave them the “you have to get your ish together” motivational speech and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the mother’s daughter’s boyfriend would get a job and a license. We stepped into our roles as therapist beautifully and hope for nothing but the best!

Once Johnny and I had our fill of other people’s problems, I REALLY needed the bathroom so he waited for me while I did my thang. When I emerged from the facilities, I found Johnny standing there with two mixed drinks that featured a commemorative plastic pink cowboy hat. Lol he just couldn’t help himself! At this point, I was gone to the wind (Johnny was responsible because he was driving!) and we broke free from the family therapy session. We had been outside in ninety plus degree temps for close to four hours, Willie Nelson was going to be on soon, and we wanted to be able to fully enjoy it.

From what I recall and the poorly shot videos on my phone, both Willie and Bob tore it up. Those senior citizens still sound great!! Also, I was a little busy while Willie was playing because I ended up somehow with a new job perspective lol? One of the people we were standing by needed some social media assistance and we exchanged information! The night just kept getting better and better and I joked that Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan were simply our background music for the evening. By the time the show was over, we were totally and completely beat but it was so worth it for a whole lot of fun!

When we drove to the concert, we were not expecting for our night to transpire the way it did. It was, however, a memory (Or lack thereof!) for the ages!!

What is the craziest night out you have ever had? Are you going to any concerts this summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Car Chase Craziness

Posted on by
Standard
Car Chase Craziness

Hello!! Johnny and I live in an apartment community called Timber Top. It is a sprawling, labyrinth like property and you are, without fail, going to get lost if you’re a first time visitor. Back in high school, Timber Top was the place to be to go stupid with your friends and buy weed lol. Fast forward ten years later and there is still never a dull moment in TTop. In the five years that Johnny and I have lived here, a building caught on fire, we had a carbon monoxide leak in one of the buildings, and there was a tragic pandemic of people literally falling through their stairs. Needless to say, we are used to it by now. However, we were definitely not expecting to cross “high speed car chase” off of our Timber Top Bingo cards!

This past Saturday, Johnny and I were playing games and relaxing after our Mother’s Day celebrations. As we were becoming one with our couch, we heard police sirens in the distance. Now, this is not uncommon whatsoever in Timber Top. It was different this time, though, because there were a lot of sirens blazing and they seemed to be heading right towards our street. As always, Johnny and I are nosey AF so we booked it onto our balcony just in time to see five cop cars chasing down a silver sedan. The car being chased led the cops to our semi-secret back entrance shortcut and we thought that was the end of it… Until five minutes later…

Shortly after Johnny and I settled back in the apartment, I thought I could very faintly hear sirens again. I thought I was just imagining it until they got louder and louder. Johnny and I leaped off the couch and headed back outside because, sure enough, the car chase was still on. In a foolhardy move, the car in question led the cops BACK into Timber Top! After some Smokey and The Bandit style speeding and maneuverability, the chase ended when the driver locked themselves in at a dead end.

At this point, everyone and their brother was outside watching the action too. In fact, people were legit running to see the aftermath and arrest. We were all shook and, thankfully, no one was hurt. After the exhilaration wore down from the spectacle, I couldn’t help but think about the other times the TTop community has come together. Most recently, it was for the total solar eclipse. Three winters ago, us tenants rallied to shovel out our cars from the parking lot after a huge snowstorm. Two summers ago, my entire building came outside to complain together after the Great Kitchen Flood of 2022. Whether it be a car chase or lending a hand or ear you know us TToppers are going to be outside on our porches as soon as it happens!

The car chase was one of the craziest things Johnny and I have witnessed in Timber Top and now my husband can cross “seeing a car chase” off of his bucket list. I wonder what’s going to happen next!

Do you get along with your neighbors? What’s the wildest thing you have seen in your community? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan20

Paranormal Activity Pt. 3

Posted on by
Standard
Paranormal Activity Pt. 3

Hi! So as all of you know, I have experienced some paranormal activity in my apartment. The major occurrences happened when I first moved in and the last activity before the most recent one took place about a month ago. This spooky situation came about on Friday the tenth around two in the afternoon and it had me SHOOK. So, let’s discuss:

I always have the afternoons off on Friday and some of the days are spent running around doing errands while others involve curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee. This Friday afternoon happened to be one of those days, so I lit my candles, got myself comfortable, and cracked open one of my comic books.

All was going well and I was enjoying my time relaxing when a piece of paper I had on my coffee table FLOATED ON TOP OF ONE OF THE CANDLES. This paper was sitting on top of a board game that was about a foot and a half away from my candles and when I adjusted my head I saw the paper in the air.

Luckily for me, the piece of paper landed on a candle that was burnt down enough that the flame wasn’t going to touch it. But, the candle that it did fall on was about six inches away from a brand new Yankee Candle that I got for Christmas whose two wicks were burning close to the top. Yikes!

Needless to say, I freaked out and phoned my parents who know about the haunting situation in my apartment and they freaked out too. Lol, it was such a crazy thing to have witnessed and I still get goosebumps when I think about it. There was just no way that that paper floating could have happened on its own. It had also been sitting there for months and a situation even remotely similar has never happened.

I have come to associate my “friend” in my apartment with being a man. When I first moved in, I always seemed to hear heavy footsteps at night coming from the office in my top floor apartment. In fact, I used to have to go downstairs to make sure there was no one there.

There is also a mirror in my loft bedroom with a skylight shining directly on it. And, at night when the light from the outdoors is coming in, the shadowy shape that forms behind the mirror looks like a poor silhouette of a man to me. Believe you me, nothing makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up like when I see that at bedtime.

The paranormal activity I had in my apartment in December seemed to be a friendly one but this last occurrence was anything but. I think it will be a good long while before I light my candles again!

What did you do to deal with paranormal activity if you’ve ever experienced any? Does anyone have any advice for me? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov24

A Former Retail Worker’s Black Friday Lament

Posted on by
Standard
A Former Retail Worker’s Black Friday Lament

Hellooo everyone and happy Black Friday! Boy, I’ve got to tell you – it never gets old not having to work on Black Friday any more. After over four years of working retail, the mall madness is the last place that I want to be, whether it be to work or to shop! It’s so crazy to think that as this post is being published, I would be stuck at work running around like a madwoman – if we were living in 2010 to 2014, of course. #blessed

Some retail workers live for Black Friday and that’s cool, but I was never one of them. I detested Black Friday like a fly buzzing in your ear, the common cold, or the relative that you can’t stand at family gatherings. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I was always very bitter that I never got to fully enjoy it for four years in a row. Of course, I’m thankful for those jobs but my sixteen to twenty year old self didn’t know how to separate the two so that I could still have fun on the holiday, despite dreading going into work in T-minus twelve hours.

As much as I enjoy a fast paced lifestyle, working for over twelve hours straight while on your feet the whole time and rushing to and fro between customers is for the birds. I genuinely don’t know how I did it, especially when I was working two jobs – hello, twenty hour day. And for this reason, among many others, I respect the hell out of retail workers during this time of the year.

It’s funny, because you would think that during the holiday season, people would be full of good cheer and might be even overly kind. Sadly, this is not the case. Don’t get me wrong, I have memories of delightful customers during the holidays, but those are trumped by people who have almost made me cry because the line was too long, I didn’t have the shirt that they wanted, etc. And for what? The shirt isn’t going to magically appear. The line isn’t going to move in double time. And the craziest thing, is that it was always adults that were speaking in raised voices and being out of line to me and my fellow retail workers. Just SHAMEFUL.

So, having said that, PLEASE be sure to be kind to all of the workers that you interact with today, throughout the holiday season, and always. Working retail is a choice and a responsibility – but how many employees really want to cut their family time short to work a long Black Friday shift? Slim to none. Enjoy yourselves during your Black Friday shopping, but be sure to give all of the employees who made your outing possible a little credit! I promise you that they will appreciate it far more than you know.

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Do you have any crazy Black Friday stories? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: AskIdeas

Nov21

Black Friday Shopping Do’s And Don’ts

Posted on by
Standard
Black Friday Shopping Do’s And Don’ts

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! I can’t say that I’ve ever gone Black Friday shopping before and have no real desire to, either. BUT, after working retail for four years, I’ve grown savvy to some pro tips that will get you through the madness with some great deals and your personal safety/sanity still intact. Take a look:

DO:

Know your sales: Most stores do the same Black Friday sales every year. PacSun does, The Body Shop does, Claire’s does, Piercing Pagoda does (All stores that I’ve worked at.). Investigate the sales from year’s past and see if you notice a pattern. That way, you can determine if it’s even worth it to go out and hit the shops. Most stores won’t give you their Black Friday sales info before the day – but it doesn’t hurt to ask, either!

Know your sales Pt. 2: Normally, Black Friday sales don’t end on Black Friday. At PacSun and The Body Shop, their sales didn’t end for a solid month. If you don’t get to the stores on the actual day, I wouldn’t sweat it too much – especially because Cyber Monday is still a thing.

Cyber Monday Savvy: And speaking of Cyber Monday, get hip to it. In some cases, Cyber Monday sales are even better than Black Friday deals, especially if the stores you prefer to shop at have a stronger online presence. Do your research of sales from the past as mentioned in the above sections and make your decision on which day to shop. Or throw caution to the wind and shop on both!

Get there early: If there’s something that you really want, I’d recommend staking out at that specific store front at least an hour before opening. That way, you can get in, grab the item, and get out. It also doesn’t hurt to see if you can put items on hold prior to the Black Friday date so that you can purchase them with the sales and you don’t have to run into the store like a madwoman to get it.

Let it go: If you find yourself in a stand off for the last of something, just let it go. People are literally crazy and I’d rather leave the store in one piece than get the last of something that I’m sure you can buy at a later date.

DON’T:

Be that person: Black Friday is, by definition, a crazy time. Please have some respect. At the mall that I worked in, the store manager of Victoria’s Secret got punched in the face THREE YEARS IN A ROW. That’s pure insanity. You are all better than that. Don’t be that person.

Go in willy nilly: It’s essential to have a game plan during Black Friday. What items do you want? What stores are a must to go into? Can you and whomever you’re going shopping with divide and conquer to get everything on your lists? Devise a plan and stick to it so that you can make the most out of your Black Friday shopping extravaganza.

Buy in excess: Yes, it’s great to get a good deal. BUT do you really need everything that you’re buying? It’s nice to see all of the money that you saved, but don’t buy stuff just for the sake of buying it on Black Friday. As I mentioned before, check the deals. Some stores already have their sales going on now. Think of what is really necessary to purchase and try and do it beforehand, if you can. Being involved in all of the Black Friday hubbub can make you feel inclined to overspend so DON’T FALL FOR IT!!

Black Friday is not everyone’s cup of tea. It certainly isn’t mine! But that doesn’t mean that I don’t know a thing or two about how to shop during it. Use my pro tips and have the best Black Friday shopping experience yet! What are some of your Black Friday do’s and don’ts? What are some of the best Black Friday deals that you have scored? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov15

The Model Body

Posted on by
Standard
The Model Body

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! Okay, so I came to a shocking revelation over the weekend when I saw my fourteen year old cousin at a family get together. This young woman is tall (5’7 or 5’8, easily), thin as a rail, and probably one hundred and five pounds soaking wet. She has what I would call a “model” body. Literally. She is the most modelesque person I know and she could send pictures to Teen Vogue and they would call her for a photo shoot immediately. So imagine my surprise when she told me that the skirt that she had on was

A SIZE 6!!

She told me that the size two was too tight and the store didn’t have a four, so she went with the six. My mouth probably hung open for an uncomfortable amount of time, because I wear a four. Me. Sarah. The 5’1 1/4 (Because the quarter counts!), muscular thighs and booty from figure skating, never going to be a model twenty-something. And my baby cousin who looks like she could be in a double zero was wearing a size bigger than me? It just didn’t make sense.

Now, I get that all stores have slightly different sizing. I wear a two at Express, but am generally a solid four. But I was so baffled by what my cousin told me, because she looks like a model. And if this young lady wears a four usually, like me, then what in the hell are the models on the runway and in Vogue wearing?

I can’t wrap my mind around it. If my cousin who could be on a runway right now wears a four, then could the models be wearing sizes other than the double zero, zero, and size two, which seems standard in the fashion industry? Obviously these sizes exist and they’re beautiful. But how can those sizes be so different from my equally model sized cousin?

I don’t really know where I’m going with this but I just thought it was interesting, albeit a little mind blowing. Have you ever met someone whose body type doesn’t match their clothing size? What are your thoughts on the infamous fashion industry size standards? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Biz Journal

Nov17

A Retail Free Holiday Season

Posted on by
Standard
A Retail Free Holiday Season

Helloooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Most of you guys know that before I started school I worked hella retail. My days were spent slaving away in PacSun, The Body Shop, Claire’s, Piercing Pagoda, and Next for what seemed like an eternity. This year, however, I’m so excited to not work a holiday season in the mall. After working five Black Fridays in a row – I am officially free from the evil clutches of the mall during the holidays! SCORE!

On Saturday, my sister and I took a trip to the mall so she could make a few returns and do some shopping. As soon as we entered the premises, we were greeted by Christmas music, decorations, and a mall that was jam packed for an early November evening. Seriously, just being in that environment gave me anxiety and as far as I was concerned, we couldn’t leave soon enough.

Being in the mall among all of the really early holiday shoppers who seemed to be just as crazy as the last minute gift grabbers reminded me how thankful I am that I can finally have a holiday season to enjoy with my friends and family. When I worked retail I can’t remember one holiday season that I genuinely enjoyed because I was too wrapped up in working crazy hours and dealing with insane customers. This year, I don’t have to worry about going into the mall on Thanksgiving day to work a thirteen hour Black Friday shift. I also don’t have to be at the mall late on Christmas Eve to tend to everyone’s final holiday needs and clean the trashed store to perfection. *sigh of relief*

When you’re working every minute of the months of November through January, you simply forget that those times are meant to be for your loved ones. The thing that I’m most looking forward to is actually having a Thanksgiving. For the past five years my Thanksgivings were spent counting down the hours till my Black Friday shift and trying to cram in some power naps before the insanity unfolded. This year I’ll be able to help cook, prepare the table, and spend quality time with my family and boyfriend. It’s going to feel so good but SO strange because I’m completely not used to relaxing during a holiday – what does that even mean?!

I’m so thankful for everything that my years of hard work provided me with before I started college. I was able to buy my car (Little Red Love Machine!), buy clothes, purchase gifts for others, and put money towards my tuition. But this year, I am so ready to sit back, relax, and enjoy a glorious Retail Free Holiday Season! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far! Have any of you worked retail during the holidays? Do you have any funny/traumatic moments to share? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: My traumatic story to share from a very retail holiday season doesn’t deal so much with me as it does an unfortunate Victoria’s Secret employee who got punched THREE YEARS IN A ROW during Black Friday. #threepeat