Tradition

Christmas Eve dinner was the big tradition in our family.  Every year my mom would spend a couple of weeks baking cookies and making candies.  She would make a huge dinner, two or three different meats, potatoes, salads, veggies, bread, etc.  All my dad's side of the family would come on Christmas Eve for the dinner and presents.  This happened every year for as far back as I can remember.  Eventually, my grandmother died, then my two uncles died.  Now it was down to my aunt and uncle, my siblings, and my parents. About 15 years ago, my mom decided she was tired of cooking and when we showed up for Christmas, she had bought a Subway party sub and about 10 liters of Coke.  What a shock! She had said she was going to do this, but we all thought she was kidding.  So, that is how our tradition ended.  I moved to Seattle in 1995 and haven't made it back for a Christmas since than.  My sister has taken over and she tries to cook, from what I hear.  Here in Everett, I have become the one who cooks. We have Christmas and Thanksgiving at our house every year.  I don't have any family here, so my husband's family all come over (no one in his family can cook).  It's kind of fun, but I now have a new appreciation for the time and effort, and the money, my mom put into the meal.

The Postal Community

The Post Office is a community.  What makes us a community is how we need to stick together so that management cannot crush us.  Everyday it is a fight.  Constant micro-management and threats of discipline create a bond of  rural carriers that need to be together to remain sane.  We all share the desire to serve our customers and get them their mail everyday, no matter what.  We help each other when needed, from something as simple as getting a form for another carrier to delivering part of their route if they need the help.  There are tensions between us.  The most common ones come from the contract.  The strength of a Union is in its ability to have the members stand together and fight for their rights.  There are some carriers who just do what management wants to avoid the conflict.  This causes management to try to require the rest of us to thinks that we are not suppose to do, causing resentment between the ones who do it and the ones who refuse.

I really do like my job and the carriers I work with, management is the problem.  I guess they are like the bad neighbor in a community that you want to move away!

What's in my purse?

My purse is very small, it doesn't hold much.  There is a wallet containing a drivers license, debit card, several credit cards (5), YMCA id for a small boy, insurance ID card,  several store loyalty cards, $101.00, and coins in the coin pocket.  Hidden in a slot are 3 business cards, a Barnes & Noble gift card and a quick pass for Children's Hospital.  The remainder of the purse contains some more loose coins on the bottom, a finger nail clipper, pen, Carmex, gum, stamps, and a USPS employee ID badge.

If I were judging the contents of this purse, I would think the person was employed,given the ID badge and liked to spend money from all the credit cards.  There are no family photos, but there is child.  The Children's Hospital pass and YMCA card has his name and picture on it.  I can't really tell much about the person since there really isn't anything personal in there.

Judging from my wallet, there is no indication I am married except for my husband's business card with the same last name.  That could belong my husband or my brother.  I don't carry my checkbook with me, so there is no way to see both names on the check.  I do have several credit cards, but we don't use them, the only debt I have is my home mortgage.  I do have a son, but I also have a grown daughter.  There is really not much more to tell,  I work full time and go to school full time which really doesn't leave much time for anything else.

test post

This is a test for english 101d