THE LITTLEST PACKER FAN

A young lady got on my 24 route today. She had a little girl not much more than a year and a half old with her. The baby was bundled up so well all you could see were her eyes and a little of her nose. She was strapped in her little stroller and desperately wanted to get out. They don't go very far and I know it is a hassle to get them in and out for such a short ride so I let it go. (Normally, children are supposed to be taken out of the stroller and the stroller is to be folded up. It's just not worth the hassle when the ride takes about the same amount of time as it does to undo everything and put it all back together.)

The little girl was squirming and crying and screaming. The mom tried to distract her talking to her about where they were going and who they would see. A man that sat near her also tried to talk to the mom, seemingly to take the pressure off her. I felt sorry for the mom. She knew her kid was loud and was doing her best to deal with it for the short ride.

As they came near the front door to leave, the mom gave me a look that said "I'm so sorry". The little girl continued to cry and squirm. I thought I'd lighten the mood for the mom, so I said "Oh, poor little girl. You must be a Packer fan. It's OK. My brother is a Packer fan, too and I'm sure he was up ALL NIGHT crying." The guy laughed. The mom asked "Did they lose?" I happily informed her "They got STOMPED!"

The little girl was crying still, though a few decibels softer. What can I say? I tried!

GO VIKINGS!

COPCAKES AND PUPPY TREATS

I recently found out that my sister doesn't want me to bring anything for Thanksgiving dinner. No pie, no side dishes...nothing but tupperware to bring home leftovers. (WOO HOO!! I love Thanksgiving leftovers!) I decided I should do something nice for someone I am thankful for. I am truly thankful for the Metro Transit Police. They have a tough job and are there for us when we need them.

I stopped at the grocery store yesterday after work and picked up a big tray of cupcakes, some puppy treats, a balloon, a gift bag and a "thank you" card. I drove over to the Metro Transit Police department and dropped them off.

The officer that opened the door looked a little surprised. He asked what the occasion was. I told him I appreciated and just wanted to thank him and all the other officers for doing what they do. I noticed he was a K-9 officer. I told him I didn't forget the K-9 officers. I gave him the gift bag with the puppy treats in it. I talked to the 2 officers that were there for a few minutes before I left. It was about to be shift change so my timing was accidentally great. They'd get their copcakes soon. That's what I called them...copcakes for the cops. Hehehe.

I really made my day. Hopefully, I made theirs, too. I highly suggest you pass it on. It feels good to let someone know they are appreciated. Try doing it for your mailman, garbage collector, firefighters...or even your bus drivers!!

THE FOOT GUY

There's this guy that gets on the 4 a lot. He kind of gives me the creeps. He carries a big stick that I assume he is using as a cane. He is a big white guy that obviously has some mobility issues.

He put the icing on the cake of creepiness a while ago. He got on my bus and sat towards the front, like he usually does. All of us in the front were gabbing and having a pretty good time. As the big guy got off, he handed me a "business" card. It was offering a free foot massage! It gave his name and phone number and had a picture of a foot on it. Maybe it's just me, but it said "serial killer" all over it...in my mind.

I don't think I'll be calling that number!