My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier you’ll be a general; if you become a monk you’ll end up as the Pope.” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso. — Pablo Picasso

I electronically deposited a check today using my iPhone. I think that’s pretty miraculous. You enter the amount, you take a photo of each side. The app/system checks the quality of the photo and decides if you have to reshoot either side and then, you’re done!

Frankly, it was a check that ticked me off. I wasn’t expecting a check refund for something I’d paid for via credit card and the amount wasn’t what I was expecting. Super annoying but I am just going to let it go because I am tired of arguing with these people.

And because I’ve been wanting to try this new system out, I decided to actually cash the check rather than screw up their bookkeeping LOL.

UPDATE: I decided this morning that no, I wasn’t quite ready to let this go. Ordered something in November, in plenty of time for holiday gift-giving. They reduced the price shortly afterwards. I didn’t receive the items until January. And, the math doesn’t work. So, no. Another email sent.

I have pretty much decided that, regardless of what my own good intentions might be for the coming year, there is something going on with the resolutions of others. I’ve no doubt that many people decided to: take charge! take no prisoners! be assertive! take no from no one! And, I can say confidently that “to be nicer to everyone” was not a top-trending resolution.

I try very hard to start every interaction from a new place. Really. So I turn away from one out of control, stubborn, needy, angry, demanding person and face the next one hoping to do my best for them too. And BLAM, they start swinging. Wow.

Two in a row today. BLAM. I was nice in a very restrained sort of way. I didn’t want them to define what *I* did, but damn if I was going to be all fake and nicey-nice. I was matter-of-fact and efficient and polite. And at the end, both of them sort of apologized for “being rough at the beginning” and gave some lame excuse. I told them to have a nice day, and was glad that they at least noticed that their behavior was not acceptable. I’m sure they called me a few names in their heads but you know what? I don’t care.

Thank you long ago “free-range” birds who would come visit my yard. They must have been guinea fowl.

I confess to watching Lincoln tonight with a special fascination of the stovepipe hats but also noticed that some of the hats were quite similar to mine.

An unexpected thing about the hat – it’s REALLY stiff. And it has a beautiful lining inside.

Yep, here’s what was in the box – something I’ve wanted for… well like forever! Direct from Christy’s Hats in London: