Lists

I don't know about the average person, but I know this about myself...I love me some checklists.  They make me feel in control and you know...organized :)  I remember in college that in order to keep class assignments and midterms and such straight I began using a daily organizer.  To be honest, the whole daily organizer thing didn't last for too many semesters, and it was only in college that it happened, but I LOVED putting "TO DO" items that I could then CHECK OFF.  Yup, it was all about that line thru a completed task, in fact, sometimes (regularly) I would add items that I had already done, just so I could check them off!  Well now...why the big to do about checklists?  Let me say this: if you like checklists...plan a wedding.  No kidding.  I've got checklists up to my eyeballs...or up to where my veil will fall (veil which yes, I've finished, and YES its checked off the list!)  Venue, reserve temple date, engagement photos, announcements...wedding dress, shoes (both mine & bridesmaids), hire caterer- decide on a menu, photographer, centerpieces, corsages...bouquets...all flowers! Who is going to pick up what (where & when), "Day of Schedule", apply for marriage license....it goes on...and on........and on.  Some of said items have remained un-checked on the To Do Lists for quite some time, maybe some even up to the day of - ahhh!!  I couldn't imagine planning and pulling something like this together (and attempting to remain sane) WITHOUT the help and creativity of parents, friends, and of course the guy that instigated the need to plan such an event ;) But this is what I wanted to remind myself of:

As long as we both I show up with (the checked off) marriage license & our temple recommends....everything else is just a detail.

Details that yes, could go wrong...

...but isn't that what creates the funny experiences that hopefully we 

(and all of youtube viewers) get to watch and remember???

That and remembering that even though there may be considerable and ongoing To Do Lists...I can change my thinking about those Lists and like someone once told me, those To Do Lists can become my Ta-DAH Lists.

Nightmares

So honestly....when I was teaching full time, and things would become pretty worrisome and stressful (like around state testing) I would start having nightmares about an event happening that I had no control over.  On the more lighthearted side of those nightmares, large "wild" animals such as rhinos, would come charging through the classroom walls and trample us all...nightmares based completely in reality I know :) While on the more serious side of those nightmares, I would wake up in the middle of the night as an angry student, or in my case of younger students, an angry parent, would come in and cause some sort of chaotic situation that would hurt my students or me.  When I would wake up to those more serious nightmares, I would try to remind myself that we practiced lock down drills that were meant to keep us as safe as possible in a school situation, and that in an elementary school I should be more concerned with natural disasters happening and making sure my students knew how to protect themselves by diving under their desks.

Then Sandy Hook Elementary School happened.  I watched the reports as they came in.  I read the stories about teachers and students that became heroes simply by surviving but also from stepping up into the role of helping others.  I tried not to focus on the negative and heart breaking parts...but how can my heart keep from breaking when I find out that many of the youngest in the school fell victim to such violence?  I retell myself about the teacher who, after hearing the 'booms' and 'screams' pushed her young students into the single person bathroom that was in the classroom and locked everyone in.  Have you ever attempted to keep a group of children in the dark, quiet and not squirming?  I have.  Not an easy task.  And here was a teacher who later said that she was pretty sure that this was the last thing that she and her students were going to do in this life, and when one of her children would voice their fears or begin to cry she would take their little face in her hands and tell them "I love you" among other positives such as they would all be alright - just so that would be the last thing they would hear instead of the terror that was happening around them.  What an amazing example she is to those little kids!  Because - I know that as a teacher I come to love the students I work so hard to teach.  I can believe that those we lost last week in such a violent and tragic way are having their faces taken in our Heavenly Father's hands and being told,

"I love you"

Tonight, on the reality show The Voice, the participants gave a very simple, yet touching tribute to those we lost.  I hope that the families and the community of Sandy Hook Elementary School will find some comfort and feel the love of those around the world who are with them in spirit as they face beginning lives without their loved ones.  

GPS and Me

Oh traffic.  How I loathe thee.  Friday afternoon, 3 o'clock, here in Bothell.  I guess I should have simply waited until rush hour was over, but I thought that I was awesome enough to fly through without having to pay the price for not leaving sooner.  I was all prepared to make the trek down south to Puyallup.  I should have known better and been ready to leave sooner.  But I got to enjoy one of the last nice sunny afternoons of the season, sitting in my car with the windows down and music going.  Now I have no need for using my GPS any longer to find my way to Puyallup...but I had it out and going to help "predict" my arrival time, which kept being pushed later and later.  I was on the final leg of the journey and had hit yet ANOTHER traffic snarl.  I mean snarl in that I was moving at speeds that were barely registering on my speedometer...when my GPS (with whom I have a shaky relationship with already) asked me:

"Would you like to switch to pedestrian mode?"

Umm...not particularly.  Thanks for rubbing it in.

...So yeah...I am ENGAGED!!!

Where oh where to begin?

It has been a summer beyond describing...but I am going to give it a try :)

I'll begin back in April.

I was excited to attend Bone Junior's big 3-oh Oscars Birthday Party!!! Sort of a "Welcome to My Box", Big Deal birthday, and I was NOT going to miss it. While there I was fortunate enough to hide away at Yanaj & Paul's until the big reveal, and it was during one of those talking times that I discussed with Yanaj my thoughts about online dating. I have been trying different ... um ... adventures? ... to diversify the odds of meeting someone. I had put a profile up on one of those sites last summer, but did not feel ready to commit by paying for its full services. Instead I let it sit and I would receive notices that this person or that had taken a gander at said profile, or messaged me and "wouldn't I like to sign up and connect with so and so?" I was able to ignore these blips for nearly a year. That is, until one person stood out among the rest. That is where my conversation with Yanaj comes in (which accurately went something like this):

HPLuvr: "...so Yanaj...I've been seriously considering trying the online dating thing..."

*nervous pause*

"does that seem too geeky?"

*rushing on to explain my thinking*

"Because I've been really thinking that its not like I go out bar hopping to meet guys...and there are nice guys in the singles ward, but not anyone I really see potential with...and I tried that singles cruise to Europe...and remember that REALLY LONG mid-singles campout awhile back? Scary! Anyways...I've come to the conclusion that meeting online is a great way as long as it doesn't remain online forever...because honestly...you have to physically meet to see if there is a spark...right? Sounds ok right? Will you be forever silently judging me for EVEN considering this?"

Yanaj: "Of course not. You should give it a go" (I may be paraphrasing here a bit...but you get the idea)

HPLuvr: "Oh good. *HUGE sigh* Because there is a particular guy that I think sounds interesting and I want to find out some more about him. I think I'm going to go for it..."

Fast Forward...nearly 2 months...yup...2 months! Apparently I still had some self talking into to do!

Little did I know that this decision would be so life changing...altering...rocking... :)

Nightmayr

Puyallup

28

Yup. That is about as much information as I had to go on :) well maybe a bit more...but it caught my eye and I went for it. That is I signed up and committed.

...and here is my secret...

He was the reason I signed up. We started out emailing back and forth. He was amazing with the words. It did not take me long before I realized that I wanted to meet this guy in person. It also wasn't long before we did :) and we made plans to meet...but even before the official first date came, his errands ended early one day...and we decided to meet up sooner. There were the usual "first time meeting butterflies" and "oh my gosh, what am I going to wear?" thoughts running around in my head. And that knock on the door was...well...you get the idea! I am so glad that I opened that door and began my last first date :)

To say the least, things moved rapidly...and I was enjoying the experience!

In fact, I knew fairly soon that this was the man for me...and I was pretty sure he was as into the relationship we were creating too! The third date, our mini road trip through Leavenworth, Wenatche, and Winthrop...on the Cascade Mountain Loop...was a pivotal date. I figured anyone willing to invest in an activity that had "no easy escape route" for that long (upwards of 12 hours!) was interested in finding out more about me! I knew I was excited!!! I planned a "20 Questions" grab bag to keep the conversation going. I may have planted a few important "I gotta know the answers to these" questions...you know those awkward ones that are difficult to work into a regular conversation...and he was willing to give honest answers.

This was also the date that I knew that this guy was someone special. He planned specific stops along the road trip that he knew I would enjoy...fresh apple cider...a quaint bookstore...all of which caught my attention (as if he needed anymore of it!)

From the beginning we spent as much time getting to know one another as possible. Chatting online....texting...his days off...mornings before he had to go to work. I was willing to selfishly claim that time! And eventually we began inviting the other into each other's lives. Meeting families, attending the other's ward...passing friend and feline tests alike :)

...participating in my silly schemes...

Batstaches

...things began falling into place...rapidly! We knew that we wanted to be together...officially. I "requested" to graduate from my singles ward rather than be kicked out, which meant that I told him :) that he had until December to propose. He teased me. Gave me a tough time. But the day we celebrated his transfer to day shift, he was celebrating himself knowing that he had just bought my engagement and wedding rings...and they spent the day riding around hidden in his car with us!

Although whether or not he was going to propose was no longer a secret...the when and how was. He found it a challenge to set up a time to talk with my dad and mom without me tagging along :) But he did! I did not have a CLUE that he had done it! Props to both him and my parents for their sneaky sneaky behavior...of which I underestimated :)

While I was at home getting ready for a noon Evergreen State Fair date with him...he was meeting my parents at a local park...showing my Mom my rings!

In fact...we did go to the fair. It was the fastest time through a fair to date! Little did I know why...until my suspicions were aroused with a requested return trip to the location of where we began our first date:) A beach park that on Labor Day was much busier than our first visit there. But no matter. We spread out a blanket and he handed me a gift. A pretty monumental gift! In which I admit, some laughs were had...and some "This is it!" thoughts were going on...and even some tears. I wanted to rush through to the end but didn't want to miss out on any of this experience that he had carefully orchestrated...in which he culminated with a little white ring box and an answer that I happily gave...YES!

March cannot come quickly enough...to marry this man that I still find hard to believe that I get to spend my life loving!

...mush...mush...I know:)

Happy Mother's Day!

Found this mother's day craft and thought,

 "What a cute idea...I wish I was young enough to still do crafts like this!" 

So to those who may feel they have someone in their life where it is age appropriate to do, have fun!

Romney Boys pay tribute to Ann Romney

Sharing some of their favorite memories...

Where are Obama's Ex-Girlfriends?

****U P D A T E****

Some random comment-er left me some links that "debunk" some of the following statements.  I agree that the information forwarded by this email seems to be sensationalism (to grab attention)...but I also still think there is something suspicious concerning birth records (did our President ever claim 'not' to be an American citizen?  Was he born in Hawaii and issued multiple Conneticut social security numbers?)  The debunking sites did not address these questions.  Along with law licenses...who knows, yet I think it is important to become knowledgeable about the politics of our country/state/city...especially enough to be active voters!

********

***From yet another political email I received recently.  I thought it brought up some interesting points.  I've always been of the belief that there is little to no seperation of a "political" life and a "personal" life.  If one is willing to do something in their personal life, then it foreshadows what they may be willing to do in their political life.***

"See if there's anything here you don't believe.


I  hadn't thought about this - but where are Obama's past girlfriends?  Surely he had at least one.  No past girl friends are popping up anywhere.  Strange - strange  to the point of being downright weird!


OK, this is just plain old common sense, no political agendas for either side just common knowledge for citizens of a country, especially American citizens,  who know every little tidbit about every other president (and their wives), that even know that Andrew Jackson's wife smoked a corn cob pipe and was accused of adultery, or that Lincoln never went  to school, or Kennedy wore a back brace, or Truman  played the  piano.


We are Americans!  Our media vets these things! We are known for our humanitarian interests and caring for our 'fellow man.'  We care, but none of us know one single humanizing fact about the history of our own president.


Honestly, and this is a personal thing...but it's bugged me for years that no one who ever dated him evershowed up.  Taken his charisma, which caused the women to be drawn to him so obviously during his campaign, looks like some lady would not have  missed the opportunity.


We all know about JFK's magnetism; McCain was no monk. Palin's courtship and even her athletic prowess were probed.  Biden's aneurisms are no secret.  Look at Cheney and Clinton - we all know about their heart problems. How could I have left out Wild Bill before or during the White House?


Nope... not one lady has stepped up and said, "He was soooo shy," or "What a great dancer!" Now  look at the rest of what we know... no classmates, not even the recorder for the Columbia class notes ever heard of him.


Who was the best man at his wedding? Start there. Check for groomsmen. Then get the footage of the graduation ceremony.


Has  anyone talked to the professors? Isn't it odd that no one is bragging that they knew him or taught him or lived with him.


When did he meet Michele and how? Are there photos? Every president provides the public with all their photos, etc., for their library. What has he released? Nada - other than what was in this so-called biography! And experts who study writing styles, etc., claim it was not O's own words or typical of his speech patterns, etc.


Does this make any of you wonder?


Ever wonder why no one ever came forward from Obama's past, saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc? Not one person has ever come forward from his past.


This should really be a cause for great concern.  Did you see the movie titled, the Manchurian Candidate?


Let's face it. As insignificant as we all are... someone with whom we went to school remembers our name or face... someone remembers we were the clown or the dork or the brain or the quiet one or the bully or something about us.


George Stephanopoulos, ABC News, said the samething  during the 2008 campaign.  Even George questions why no one has acknowledged  that the president was in their classroom or ate in the same cafeteria or made  impromptu speeches on campus. Stephanopoulos was a classmate of Obama at  Columbia-class of 1984.  He says he never had a single class with him.  Since he  is such a great  orator, why doesn't anyone in Obama's college class remember him?  And, why won't he allow Columbia to release his records?  Do you, like  millions of others, simply assume all this is explainable - even though no one can?


NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA


Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but not one remembers him.  For example,Wayne Allyn Root was (like Obama) a political science major at Columbia  who graduated in 1983. In 2008, Root says of  Obama, "I don't know a single person at Columbia that knew him, and they all  know me. I don't have a single classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia .. EVER!"


Nobody recalls him.


Root adds that he was, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, "You don't get more exact or closer than that.  Never met him in my life, don't know anyone who ever met him."


At our 20th class reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class? Me. No one ever heard of Barack!  And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was. The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say  in New York , 'the macha' who knows everybody,  has yet to find a person, a human who ever met him."


Obama's photograph does not appear in the school's yearbook, and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia, provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia.


How can this be?


NOTE: Wayne Allyn  Root can easily be verified. He graduated valedictorian from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University in 1983 as a Political Science major in the same '83 class in which Barack Hussein Obama states he was.

Some other interesting questions...

Why was Obama's law license inactivated in 2002?

Why was Michelle's law license inactivated by court order?

According to the  U.S. Census, there is only one Barack Obama - but 27 Social Security numbers and over 80 aliases!


WHAT!??


The Social Security number he uses now originated in Connecticut where he is never reported to have lived.  ***I thought Hawaii claimed him?***

No wonder all his records are sealed!

Somewhere, someone had to know him in school...before he "reorganized" Chicago and burst upon the scene at the 2004 Democratic Convention and made us swoon with his charm, poise, and speaking pizzazz.

One of the biggest CONS this country has ever seen, and he's getting away with it!  This is scary on many levels!  Makes me wonder..!"

Lipstick in Catholic School

According to a news report, a certain private Catholic school was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine provided it was of a natural or neutral skin tone, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the principal, Sister Mary, decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, Sister Paschal asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.  He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaner the mirror with it.

Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers..... And then there are educators

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

As I got a nasty virus-y thing in my hotmail email account this year...one in which it sent random emails to EVERYONE in my address book, multiple times per day.  Yup including those few people that I would rather not have more contact with (in which I probably should have deleted their email address long ago) I had to get a new email address and I just haven't updated my address book yet.  So in that tone, when I get emails that tell me to "forward to 20 million others..." I don't.  Probably explains why "my dreams/wishes/hopes" have not been fulfilled, that I haven't "found true love within the last 5 minutes" or won the lottery.  But that is besides the point.  The following is the text from an email that although I won't be emailing to others, still felt it important enough to share.  Please read and think about what this means!

Winds of Change....Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

_*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_

1. No Tenure / No Pension: A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.  All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.  Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.  Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time?

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

Some Adult Truths

As another birthday approaches, it is like New Years, in which I look back at what I've done in the past year, and what I have been able to scratch off my "bucket" or "how to" or "need to" lists.   Well, I came across this lovely list and felt like I needed to pay it forward.  Do you agree with any of these?  Any that need to be added???

1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind-of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Why I love Wolverine...

...but who wouldn't?

10 Things I'll Miss About Harry Potter

10. Harry, Ron, and Hermione

9. Magic

8. Excitement & Anticipation of New Books and Movies

7. Amazing Creatures

6. Epic Battles between Good and Evil

5. Quidditch

4. Unforgetable Heroes & Villians

3. The Romances

2. The Wizarding World

1. Hogwarts

Jumping in Head First...

So last Labor Day weekend I did it. That's right. I attended a Mid Singles Activity.

My awesome Houstonian friend posted awhile back about how her foray into the Mid Singles went and I quote:

"I was wanting to meet people I would have more in common with. Maybe I went to the wrong type of activity?"

Well, taking courage from her, and a bit of en-couragement from others here in Bothell, I signed up for and went to a Labor Day Weekend campout. I jumped in head first. Instead of a mild 2 hour time investment, with quick escape route, I chose to go camping. You read that right, I spent 72 of the planned 96 hours involved with this activity.

Now I am able to say that I met quite a few interesting, fun, and humorous people. In fact, it may not even be my last activity with them. What is most interesting to me is that I clicked quickly with one gal- then found out she was there with her single father on their way to him dropping her off at BYU-Idaho :) figures! Guess I am not as old as it has been feeling lately in the Branch here. So Booyah...to me.

...and my "Kiss Me I'm Irish" sweatshirt was a big coversation starter...

So am beginning to wonder what is in store for this summer.

Mosaic Flickr

The Questions To Answer:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What college did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Where You are from?

Here is how you can play too:

• Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search
• Using only the first page, pick an image.
• Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

1. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
2. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
3. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
4. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
5. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
6. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
7. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
8. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
9. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
10. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
11. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=
12. http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=

Ash Cloud...

...didn't stop me. I made it to, through, and from Europe; despite Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano's best efforts to prevent it. I will be posting pictures and stories asap... please to enjoy the visual spoils to come.

My itinerary:

Day ____

1. Barcelona, Spain
2. Barcelona, Spain
3. Day in the Mediterranean Sea
4. Naples, Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii, Italy
5. Rome, Italy
6. Pisa and Florence, Italy
7. Nice and Eze, France
8. Cassis, France
9. Barcelona, Spain & Paris, France
10. Paris, France
11. Paris, France and London, England
12. London, England
13. London, England
14. London, England
15. London, England and Seattle, Washington

(in which the pictures and stories will be organized by day/location)

Contents of Pickpocketers Wallet

1. $0.99 Perlina wallet from Goodwill
2. 2 LDS Pass Along missionary cards
3. Personalized note to lucky winner
4. Receipt to return wallet, should one want to do that
5. Some "Silver" in coin (Canadian), card (Jeans tag), and bill (Honduras) form
6. Chinese fortune cookie message...(hey some people pay to get their fortunes read...or a cookie)

"You will soon be involved in many gatherings, parties, and communications"

I knew I liked these guys...

I have really respected how these cousins have been working this season. Rather than tear others down these two have supported and built each other and their competition up. They want to have those that challenge their workouts surrounding them rather than taking the easy route.

Go Koli! Go Sam!!

Take that Pickpocketers...

One warning that Rick Steves' guide books states about many of the places that I am planning on visiting: "Remember, pickpocketing attempts throughout Europe can be expected unless you wear a moneybelt under your clothing. Smart travelers leave wallets at home and store their credit cards, passport, paper money and rail ticket(s) in a secure moneybelt." Well as a smart traveler I have my money belt ready to use. But as I was thinking about this phenomenon, I decided that I would like to see some of these performances. So I went out and purchased this:

"fake pickpocketers wallet"

I am going to put a note or some such in it and hope that I will not be coming home with it again...