One of our major malls puts on a free lunch for seniors each year. Now this is one of the Micro Manager favorite events. Not so much for me.
The micro manager likes to get to the mall shortly after 9:30 AM for lunch! Why? At that time the Micro Manager can line up for a free bag full of trash. (I'm not very nice am I?) The gift bag for the Micro manager is a big deal. You get the bag and lots of stuff inside. Well, let see. There's a coupon to get your picture taken with Santa. She can't wait to run over and get the picture taken. What else afghan, calendar, box of Kleenex, some other coupons and candy and chocolates.
Then there's the lunch. You line up with 300 seniors and slowly move through the line to get your soup, sandwiches, juice, coffee and cookies. The lunch is a good deal. To be honest, I didn't line up. The Micro Manager went through with two plates. I held the table down as I had to make sure somebody didn't take off with the goody bag.
What did I do when the Micro manager was having so much fun? I read the paper, did the puzzles and played games on the ipad!
I don't like malls much. Or crowds much when I don't know anybody. I like crowds if I know the people.
Oh yes, the Micro manager had a little shopping to do.
So this was my stressful day.
I know I'll get a lot of sympathy for this whine!
There are certain things that I would rather not go to. They may be excellent events but I'm not interested in them and I don't need or want to attend the function.
One such incident happened yesterday. One of the local malls puts on a free senior's appreciation lunch . I didn't want to go to the free lunch!
Well, why wouldn't I like a free lunch and why did I go anyway?
My manager is big on free stuff. If poison was free she'd be the first in line. So yesterday she wanted to be at the mall to line up for the free lunch. Now here's the catch. My manager doesn't drive. The transit service isn't the best here. We have buses every twenty minutes but which twenty minutes? Since we don't use the bus how do you get across the city on a bus? It was really cold yesterday so old Red felt sorry and offered to take the manager to the mall. Since it's across town it didn't make much sense to drop her off and come back again.
I had told the manager that I would drop her off but I wouldn't stand in line or eat anything. Well, I know that one doesn't work because my manager will be a softy and pick up two plates of stuff. I will thank her and eat the stuff.
So what's the big deal? I happen to be somewhat wary of free stuff. It's usually junk! Now I know the people at the mall went to a great expense and effort. I appreciate that. I don't like triangly sandwiches that have mayonnaise and margarine on them. I don't like Styrofoam plates and plastic forks. I don't like crowds and in particular lineups. At 10:30 there were about 200 people lined up for the 11:30 start. There was entertainment and I wasn't too keen on the performances.This was definitely not my type of event.
Now seniors also get a free pictures with Santa. I'm a little past getting pictures with Santa...been there done that. But guess who had to get her picture taken with Santa?
Now I am a senior. Being with 400 other seniors should be a bonus. I didn't know anybody and it was not one of those functions were you had an opportunity to mix. Being alone in a crowd isn't my idea of fun.
Now I admit that there are times when I don't want to go somewhere that I can invent some pretty lame excuses. For this function I would rather have been any place else.
Now I know some people will say, "You're nuts. That sounds like a perfectly good event to go to." Other people may not be so kind as to just say , "You're nuts!" Other things could be said that are worse than nuts.
So there I am ...whining again! I feel better now.
Now I'll be up front. I don't like free lunches! Now before you leave and say, "Nut job!" I'll defend myself.
Home Farm Girl is absolutely obsessed with free stuff. She thinks she's died and gone to heaven when she gets samples of anything in the grocery stores.
So today a mall had an appreciation of seniors lunch. The lunch was free and the first 200 got a free gift. The mall is about 7km away so Home Farm Girl couldn't walk. The bus would take about the same time. So I was embarrassed into taking her to the mall. So guess what, I'll have to stay for lunch! Now we had to be there early so Home farm Girl would get the free gift. I was also lined up to get a free gift as well but we weren't too smart as they found out we were a couple so only one gift to a house hold. So what was the big free gift? A bag of candies! Just what all old folks would like! Oh and there was a ticket in the package for a free picture with Santa. So guess who had to get a picture with Santa?
Now I don't like crowds! Give me the wide open spaces. There are probably 500 people who take in the lunch so there's a mammoth line up. There's a rinky dink table where they serve you Cole slaw , potato salad, sandwiches that are flat,cookies and drinks. All of this on plastic plate! There are various musical groups which entertain you. There was some toe tapping old time music. Now to go through all this pain is not worth the free lunch. I would rather be out or just plain at home at the computer reading blogs.
So Home Farm Girl had great time! After I was dragged to the mall I actually did enjoy myself! You can't be that miserable that you wouldn't enjoy a free lunch.
