World's Tallest Woman Dies
Sandy Allen, the world’s tallest woman, died today. She was only 53.
A tumor on her pituitary gland caused her to grow to the height of 7’7″, and she might have grown even taller if she hadn’t had several surgeries to shrink the tumor.
Sandy Allen was a kind, generous person who devoted her life to helping people, especially children, learn that being different is okay. She was confined to a wheelchair in her later years, but even so, she continued her lecturing, writing, and various appearances at schools, etc.
I met Sandy Allen once, years ago, at the Indianapolis Christmas Craft Show. Cousin C and I were grabbing some lunch at one of the dining areas, and we saw Ms. Allen being wheeled through the lunch line. People in Indiana were somewhat used to seeing her – heck, I see John Mellencamp all the time! – but even so, a woman that large draws some staring. Not the mean kind: the curious kind. She was smiling and courteous to everyone, even though I’m sure she was just hungry and wanted some lunch at this point, before she got back to her cruising for crafts at the show.
She has been listed as the World’s Tallest Woman in the Guinness Book of Records since 1976, and even worked for several years at the Guinness Museum. Once, she even “advertised” for a “friend” while she was there.
She spent her last years in the Heritage House nursing home in Shelbyville, Indiana, the same nursing home as the World’s Oldest Woman, Edna Parker.
Thank you, Sandy, for being such a nice person. The world will miss you. And you were absolutely correct, you know: being different IS okay.
Once we get out of middle school, it’s the only way to be.
Carnival of Education, and More Surliness
The new Carnival of Education is up, over at Joanne Jacobs’ blog. She has done her usual excellent job with it, too. Click on over there now, and see what’s going on in the world of education from the point of view of your child’s teachers, and other parents. You can’t have any kind of viable opinion of ANYTHING until you’ve explored all points of view thoroughly. Your own is not enough.
Now I’m off to the Post Office. If I have to stand in line behind someone who brought a big WalMart sack full of odds and ends and who expects to be given a box, tape, tags, and office location in which to pack, seal, and THEN present said stuff to the clerk for mailing, I’m going to take a picture and post it right here so everybody can see what that kind of person looks like. And if the package is going overseas, and they’ve not pre-filled out the labels for that, I’m going to scream.
Because, you know, you’re supposed to find a box,* pack it, seal it, label/address it, and THEN bring it, completely ready to go, to the Post Office to be handed right straight over to the waiting clerk. If it takes more than five minutes at the counter, you did it wrong.
These are probably the same people who go through the Wendy’s drive-through with eight separate tickets and five special orders, at noon on a Wednesday. May the bird of paradise fly up their individual noses.
My apologies. People who don’t behave themselves in public really infuriate me.
*That’s what the dumpsters behind the mall are for.
Drive-Through Etiquette: If You Have To Ask, It's Probably You
Oh, I know. I’ve ranted about this before. But after waiting behind some old man in the pharmacy drive-through for maybe six days? until I gave up, parked, and went inside, I decided to rant about it again.
Honest to boo, why is the concept of the drive-through so difficult for some people to comprehend? I don’t care if it’s a fast-food drive-through, the bank’s drive-through, or a bill-paying drive-through. Even those little islands at the post office where you drive up and drop your mail through the slot counts as a drive-through. And, every one of those drive-throughs has the same problem: some people don’t know how to use a drive-through.
Rule #1 – You are supposed to be ready before you pull up to the speaker. Sorry, kids, no changing-the-mind once the driver’s window is facing the speaker. Carved in stone. None of this pulling up to the speaker and THEN turning around to see what everybody wants. No, no, no, no, no. Period. Of course, if you’re the only car there, that’s different. It’s still rude, but at least you’re not trampling on anyone else’s time and patience. If you’re pulling up to the Post Office slot, don’t set the brake and commence writing checks and putting stamps on envelopes. Do that at home before you leave and have the whole pile ready to drop into the slot. Done right, you won’t even have to come to a full stop. The busy people behind you will love you. This holds true for the drive-in bank, too. Don’t pull up to the window and THEN start filling out deposit slips and signing checks. Do that before you leave the house, match everything together, and when you pull up to the window, smile at the harried teller who’s had to put up with all kinds of rude procrastinating customers today and hand her your completed bankwork. You’ll zip in and out in no time, and, again, the busy people behind you will try to describe you and your car to God when they’re at prayer that night, for extra blessings.
Rule #2 – No special orders at the drive-through window. They take longer and they hold up the line and that’s singularly unfair to the people behind you. If someone in your car must have mayonnaise and lettuce, hold the ketchup, you need to go inside. And if it’s rush hour, ie prime mealtime, you should just go home. A McDonald’s hamburger comes with certain things on it. If you don’t like McDonald’s hamburgers, go somewhere else. Or come back when there’s nobody in line.
Rule #3 – If it’s a work day for most people, and you’re off for whatever reason, don’t pile the kids in the van and go eat in a busy restaurant during prime lunch time. You’ve got all day, but the people behind you, frantically checking their watches, only have about twenty minutes. Step aside. If you’re not working that day, take the kids to lunch after prime lunch time is over. Working people with short lunch times will thank you, and what difference does it make if your kids’ nap and lunch time are a little weird a time or two a week? When I was home with my kids, I would NEVER have taken them to eat right when all the busy working people needed that time. I waited until after their rush was over. Inside or drive-through: let the people who have the least time go first.
Rule #4 – Don’t abuse the drive-through window. If you’re picking up prescription medicine at the pharmacy window, don’t ask the pharmacist to please run clear to the other side of the store and grab a gallon of 2% milk for you. Go inside.
Rule #5 – Most of these rules apply only to those busiest times of the day. If you’re pulling up to the drive-through at 2:30, a.m. or p.m., chances are there’s nobody waiting behind you. Do whatever you want.
Rule #6 – Because I said so. And, because it’s just basic human decency. Good manners. Etiquette. That’s why.
Rule #7 – If I’m in a drive-through line at 12:30 p.m., and that’s you in front of me with the four special burger orders, the Happy Meal Toy special requests, the french fries with no salt, and the chocolate shake split into five small cups, I probably loathe you. And rightfully so.
And now I’m hungry. It’s ten thirty p.m. so there probably won’t be a line. Not that it matters, because I NEVER go through the drive-through with a special order, even at ten thirty. The person behind me might really need to get somewhere.
As for the special orders, I do have one when we go to Burger King, but if it’s prime time I just suck it up.
These are such small things to make so many people happy. And if you’re sitting there reading this all in a huff and thinking, “WELL. I’ll have her know that a drive-through is there for MY convenience!” then you’re probably a person in need of some drive-through etiquette.
P.S. If you’re in Indiana, where people are still allowed to stink up the whole place and give innocent people lung cancer smoke in restaurants, have the decency to NOT plop your fine self down beside or near children and present yourself as a bad example of humanity where they have to breathe in your stench.
P.P.S. The old guy who had decided to pitch a tent and live at the drive-through window was STILL THERE when I was leaving the parking lot. He had waited until it was his turn and everybody was waiting for him, to hunt through his wallet and his pockets for all of his insurance cards, checkbook, discount tag, coupon, etc. And yes, it took him that long to locate everything. Was he a sweet old man who was just confused? No. He was a rude beast. He should have been ready before he pulled up to the window, and when he realized he was going to be a while, he should have gone inside.
