You asked for it...

It's truly amazing what you can get if you simply ask for it.

I am currently certified to teach high school Earth Science. That means if you need a nerd to tell you what the meteorologist actually means when the words "percent chance of showers" is uttered, I'm your gal. But here is the deal. After working my tuckus off in college to get this piece o' paper, it is only good for 5 years! And once that 5 years is up, my certification is toast.

Unless, during that 5 years I have completed 150 hours (150 HOURS!) of workshops. This is no small feat, especially if you not a traditional public school teacher. So, I did it!...or so I thought. I recently discovered that I'd missed some of the fine print and I still needed 20 more hours of delightful workshops to keep my cherished paper. And miracle of miracles, I found a 20-hour workshop on elk (shut up) close by. I signed right up, only to receive a polite e-mail a few weeks later stating that it was full with a long waiting list.

What's a girl to do? Find another workshop? Reply to the e-mail with an equally polite request to be placed on the waiting list? Heck, no! I got desperate. I called the guy up on the phone, I presented my case, I said that I didn't need them to provide me with room and board, or even transportation, I just needed 20 hours of elk! And you know what? My name has been magically and mysteriously relocated to the top of the almighty waiting list. And, should a space not become available, you know what they are going to do? They are going let me attend anyway!

What do you need? What do you want? You have not because you ask not. Open your mouth. Ask. Ask until someone says yes. Your shredder kick the bucket? The 1-800-Customer- Service dude telling you that you will have to pay for both shipping AND repair? Forget about him. Walk that puppy into the store. Present your case to a flesh and blood salesperson. Ask. Take your brand new shredder home and shred like you've never shredded before. Shred like the winner you are, because you had the guts to ask.