Every year I see the same phenomenon. People from Thanksgiving to Christmas are more merry and full of the holiday spirit. There are more smiles in view and people are generous with their time and money.
The day after Christmas it seems that the anvil is dropped, crushing everyone's Christmas spirit. People are tired, short tempered, angry, frustrated and disappointed that the holiday that they put on a pedestal failed to live up to their expectations.
I know that I am very tired after Christmas. I am like a balloon that is running low on helium. You know what I am talking about. The mylar balloon that weaves around in a drunken-esque manner while valiantly trying to stay afloat.
We are having Friends Christmas tonight and I am really looking forward to it. I think that this might be the only reason that my holiday balloon of Christmas Cheer is still weaving drunkenly rather than lying flat out on the floor completely out of life.
This is also the time of year that people begin to contemplate their New Year's resolution. I am not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. I have a hard time putting a date on a life change.
If I want to start to exercise the beginning of the year is the worst time. That is when the millions of people that make exercise their resolution are in the gym full force. I would wait until mid-February if I wanted to start to exercise.
I try and make life choices throughout the year rather than base them on one day that really doesn't mean anything other than I have to get a new calendar, remember to type 2007, and get a paid day off.
But the night before? Oh yeah!! Any time getting drunk off your ass is encouraged during a celebration is A-OK with me.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Alright, Mr De Mille, I'm Ready For My Close-up
Since I have taken a billion photos (actually about 120) since I bought my digital camera I have decided that it is time for me to "expose" myself to the world.
Part of the reason that I have been hesitant is because it seems that 90% of the women in the blogosphere are more beautiful, skinnier and have better personalities than I do so there is a bit of an inferiority complex going on.
I am just gonna break it down to you. I am what would be termed a BBW or plus sized. I have always been a larger size woman even before I had my son so I can't blame it on having a child. Thanks to my paternal grandmother I was "blessed" with a pear shape which means that I have a big ass and legs. Thanks to my mom I have big breasts so I look like one of those renaissance paintings where women have curves and you can't see bones right below the surface like the painting to the right.
I love myself even with my extra hills and valleys (my son says that I am fluffy) but as a good half of the population is visually based there are times when I feel that I don't measure up. I do have to say that a guy at the club on Saturday told me that I was a "10". I asked him how many hours he had been drinking. LOL
D and I love to take silly photos and make funny faces so I hope that you don't wet youself with laughter.
A closeup of me taken by D.
Me, Rebecca & Dolly a.k.a. Kay
Dolly, Me, Erica, Jen & Rebecca + random guy in the background.
Me & Rebecca
Me & D being silly on Christmas Eve.
D wanted me to make a funny face while eating ~ so I did.
So now you can put a face to the random ramblings and I can feel the freedom of really putting myself out there.
So now you can put a face to the random ramblings and I can feel the freedom of really putting myself out there.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Having Fun Making A Fool Of Myself
Every Wednesday D goes to his dad's house. That means that I have a free evening during the week to relax, do non-kid related things, run errands or whatever I choose.
Almost every week I do the same thing. I go out to sing karaoke with friends.
A couple of friends/co-workers of mine (Rebecca & Jen) run Wednesday night karaoke at a total hole-in-the-wall bar in downtown Grand Rapids called The Nite Cap. There are usually an variety of co-workers, friends and regulars that come . I have officially become a regular at the Nite Cap.
A couple of my favorite regulars are TJ & Heather. I don't know them outside of the karaoke bar but they seem to be cool people. TJ usually comes with a Misfits t-shirt on wearing all black. He has 3 inch plugs in his ears, lots of tattoos and piercings. He likes to sing a lot of songs that I am not familiar with but I can get him to sing the occasional Gorillaz song. Heather has shoulder length black hair, two lip piercings and usually wears lots of eye liner and lipstick and likes to sing No Doubt and Alanis Morrisette songs. Both are decent singers so I don't mind when they sing. They are very friendly and we have a lot of fun even though I am pretty sure that we live lives that are completely different.
Ron is an older gentleman that comes in the bar quite often. He has a full head of thick white hair and usually sits at the bar alone talking to the bartender. He will get up and sing Frank Sinatra songs along with a particular favorite of mine Mack The Knife. I don't know what his home life is like but he seems to be a sweet but lonely man.
Of course we have to have the bar asshole who doesn't use his real name. He goes by Too Good. Too bad that he sucks. He is cocky and likes to sing power ballads like Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi. He gets mad if he has to wait too long between songs and walks around like he owns the place. He has a true Napoleon complex and is a total wanker. He is up there for every group song and he MUST hold the microphone so that his voice is just a LITTLE bit louder than everyone elses.
Then there is Erica, Lawrence and Andy. Erica and Lawrence are married and friends of Jen. Andy is Erica's brother. They are the true group that makes the karaoke experience priceless. Lawrence goes by Bam Bam and is a big, burly teddy bear like man in his late 20's or early 30's. He shaves his head and always wears a baseball cap. He leaves it to Andy, Erica and whomever else to select songs for him to sing. Most of the time we pick the most absurd, awkward or unusual songs. Bam Bam will perform with gusto and confidence even while singing lyrics like:
I'm a little lamb who's
lost in the woods
I know I could
Always be good
If someone would
Watch over me
Althought Erica and Andy never sing they are really fun to talk to and we have a lot of laughs and great fun while sitting around our table drinking beer (I drink Amaretto Sours) shooting the breeze and watching people perform.
I love to get up and sing and I have a lot of fun. I took singing lessons and was always in choir during school. I don't have a smoky, bluesy voice so there are songs that I just can't do justice to. I prefer to sing ballads because I just can't keep up with fast paced songs. Lately I have been mixing in some Christmas music and trying a few new songs.
Some of the songs that I regularly sings are:
Black Velvet - Allanah Myles (I just figured out a couple of months ago that this song was about Elvis)
More Than Words - Extreme
No Rain - Blind Melon
Careless Whisper - Wham!
Open Arms - Journey
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
Girls Night Out - The Judds
I will sometimes toss in some Celine Dion or Whitney Houston but by far my favorite one is Black Velvet.
Last night Andy decided to put a song in for me. Knowing that he has a penchant for putting in songs that are funny and raunchy (he once made me sing My Ding-A-Ling by Chuck Berry) I decided to have fun with it. They didn't want me to know what the song was until I got up and sang so I sat there for about 45 minutes trying to figure out what song it could be.
I was talking to Erica about the song choice and said to her " As long as I don't have to sing that I smell like rotten fish or something like that I will be fine." She laughed and said that it wasn't about rotten fish but that Andy has been wanting someone to sing this song ever since they started coming to the bar for karaoke. All he would say to me was "When you get up there just own the song. Just own it and it will be great."
They finally call my name and I go up and take the microphone. Once the song title comes up everyone starts to laugh including me. It was a song that I had never heard of but figured that I would go way over the top and make it satirical. I vamped it up and sang with gusto to much laughter and applause when I was done. I took a bow and then went and sat down while laughter still resounded in the bar. I mean, it isn't every day that you hear someone sing a song by the famous singer Fanny Pack.
Since they are so funny, I thought that I would let you read the lyrics for yourself and picture a 33 year old woman lyrically rapping to the fantastic strains of this very famous song.
Camel Toe
by Fanny Pack
um hmm thats right
uh huh uh huh uh huh
um hmm thats right
uh huh uh huh uh huh
walking down the street
something caught my eye
a growing epidemic
that really ain't fly
a middle aged lady
i gotta be blunt
her spandex biker shorts
were creepin up the front
I could see her uterus
her pants were too tight
She must've owned panties
that were not in sight
She walked right by
the poor woman didn't know
She had a frontal wedgie
a Camel Toe
[Chorus]
um hmm thats right
uh huh oh no
fix yourself girl
you got a Camel Toe
um hmm thats right
uh huh oh no
fix yourself girl
you got aCamel Toe
girl thats gotta hurt
take some time and adjust
can't you see people staring
and making a fuss
could not believe my eyes
had to take a second glance
is your crotch hungry girl
cause its eating your pants
do you enjoy the comotion
and attention it brings
the only lips i wanna see
are the ones that sing
in public putting on
an x rated show
grossin people out
with your Camel Toe
[Repeat Chorus]
first day of spring
and by the looks of things
these girls have forgot
how to dress
a little quick to wearin
wearin pum pum shorts
and its causin me much distress
whoomp there it is
yeha right in the front
everybody come and get a good look
i can see everything
through the panty cling
every cranny and every nook
you better take a quick minute
before you step outside
and check the area thats pubic
or you'll get your panties
all up in a bunch
all twisted uplike rubic
take these words of advice
cause its not very nice
i wanna put you all in the know
girls don't sleep
don't let your pants creep
watch out for
The Camel Toe
[Repeat Chorus]
Almost every week I do the same thing. I go out to sing karaoke with friends.
A couple of friends/co-workers of mine (Rebecca & Jen) run Wednesday night karaoke at a total hole-in-the-wall bar in downtown Grand Rapids called The Nite Cap. There are usually an variety of co-workers, friends and regulars that come . I have officially become a regular at the Nite Cap.
A couple of my favorite regulars are TJ & Heather. I don't know them outside of the karaoke bar but they seem to be cool people. TJ usually comes with a Misfits t-shirt on wearing all black. He has 3 inch plugs in his ears, lots of tattoos and piercings. He likes to sing a lot of songs that I am not familiar with but I can get him to sing the occasional Gorillaz song. Heather has shoulder length black hair, two lip piercings and usually wears lots of eye liner and lipstick and likes to sing No Doubt and Alanis Morrisette songs. Both are decent singers so I don't mind when they sing. They are very friendly and we have a lot of fun even though I am pretty sure that we live lives that are completely different.
Ron is an older gentleman that comes in the bar quite often. He has a full head of thick white hair and usually sits at the bar alone talking to the bartender. He will get up and sing Frank Sinatra songs along with a particular favorite of mine Mack The Knife. I don't know what his home life is like but he seems to be a sweet but lonely man.
Of course we have to have the bar asshole who doesn't use his real name. He goes by Too Good. Too bad that he sucks. He is cocky and likes to sing power ballads like Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi. He gets mad if he has to wait too long between songs and walks around like he owns the place. He has a true Napoleon complex and is a total wanker. He is up there for every group song and he MUST hold the microphone so that his voice is just a LITTLE bit louder than everyone elses.
Then there is Erica, Lawrence and Andy. Erica and Lawrence are married and friends of Jen. Andy is Erica's brother. They are the true group that makes the karaoke experience priceless. Lawrence goes by Bam Bam and is a big, burly teddy bear like man in his late 20's or early 30's. He shaves his head and always wears a baseball cap. He leaves it to Andy, Erica and whomever else to select songs for him to sing. Most of the time we pick the most absurd, awkward or unusual songs. Bam Bam will perform with gusto and confidence even while singing lyrics like:
I'm a little lamb who's
lost in the woods
I know I could
Always be good
If someone would
Watch over me
Althought Erica and Andy never sing they are really fun to talk to and we have a lot of laughs and great fun while sitting around our table drinking beer (I drink Amaretto Sours) shooting the breeze and watching people perform.
I love to get up and sing and I have a lot of fun. I took singing lessons and was always in choir during school. I don't have a smoky, bluesy voice so there are songs that I just can't do justice to. I prefer to sing ballads because I just can't keep up with fast paced songs. Lately I have been mixing in some Christmas music and trying a few new songs.
Some of the songs that I regularly sings are:
Black Velvet - Allanah Myles (I just figured out a couple of months ago that this song was about Elvis)
More Than Words - Extreme
No Rain - Blind Melon
Careless Whisper - Wham!
Open Arms - Journey
Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Pat Benatar
Girls Night Out - The Judds
I will sometimes toss in some Celine Dion or Whitney Houston but by far my favorite one is Black Velvet.
Last night Andy decided to put a song in for me. Knowing that he has a penchant for putting in songs that are funny and raunchy (he once made me sing My Ding-A-Ling by Chuck Berry) I decided to have fun with it. They didn't want me to know what the song was until I got up and sang so I sat there for about 45 minutes trying to figure out what song it could be.
I was talking to Erica about the song choice and said to her " As long as I don't have to sing that I smell like rotten fish or something like that I will be fine." She laughed and said that it wasn't about rotten fish but that Andy has been wanting someone to sing this song ever since they started coming to the bar for karaoke. All he would say to me was "When you get up there just own the song. Just own it and it will be great."
They finally call my name and I go up and take the microphone. Once the song title comes up everyone starts to laugh including me. It was a song that I had never heard of but figured that I would go way over the top and make it satirical. I vamped it up and sang with gusto to much laughter and applause when I was done. I took a bow and then went and sat down while laughter still resounded in the bar. I mean, it isn't every day that you hear someone sing a song by the famous singer Fanny Pack.
Since they are so funny, I thought that I would let you read the lyrics for yourself and picture a 33 year old woman lyrically rapping to the fantastic strains of this very famous song.
Camel Toe
by Fanny Pack
um hmm thats right
uh huh uh huh uh huh
um hmm thats right
uh huh uh huh uh huh
walking down the street
something caught my eye
a growing epidemic
that really ain't fly
a middle aged lady
i gotta be blunt
her spandex biker shorts
were creepin up the front
I could see her uterus
her pants were too tight
She must've owned panties
that were not in sight
She walked right by
the poor woman didn't know
She had a frontal wedgie
a Camel Toe
[Chorus]
um hmm thats right
uh huh oh no
fix yourself girl
you got a Camel Toe
um hmm thats right
uh huh oh no
fix yourself girl
you got aCamel Toe
girl thats gotta hurt
take some time and adjust
can't you see people staring
and making a fuss
could not believe my eyes
had to take a second glance
is your crotch hungry girl
cause its eating your pants
do you enjoy the comotion
and attention it brings
the only lips i wanna see
are the ones that sing
in public putting on
an x rated show
grossin people out
with your Camel Toe
[Repeat Chorus]
first day of spring
and by the looks of things
these girls have forgot
how to dress
a little quick to wearin
wearin pum pum shorts
and its causin me much distress
whoomp there it is
yeha right in the front
everybody come and get a good look
i can see everything
through the panty cling
every cranny and every nook
you better take a quick minute
before you step outside
and check the area thats pubic
or you'll get your panties
all up in a bunch
all twisted uplike rubic
take these words of advice
cause its not very nice
i wanna put you all in the know
girls don't sleep
don't let your pants creep
watch out for
The Camel Toe
[Repeat Chorus]
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Ummmm Awkward!
I was chatting with my friend Anne this morning on my way to work. We frequently talk in the mornings as that is the best time to reach one another.
We were talking about Friends Christmas. This is when I get together with my closest friends and we have dinner, exchange gifts and celebrate together. Usually we end up doing this after the New Year but because Ami (Anne's daughter) is only here for the week after Christmas (she lives in Canada) we decided that we would do it during the week instead of a weekend. We are set for Thursday, December 28th at 6:00PM.
To do justice to this story I have to go back to the summer. My friend Funny Girl started dating another friend, Peru. Things seemed to be going great and then all of a sudden Peru started acting strange. Not calling or taking a few days to return calls and things like that. Funny Girl really liked Peru, which was a new thing for her. Funny Girl hadn't had a serious relationship since I met her as she is pursuing a comedy career and doesn't want to be tied down.
So, Peru calls me and tells me that he doesn't think that it is going to work. He really likes Funny Girl but he feels that they are in two different places and during the conversation he tells me that he isn't over his last girlfriend. Then he asks me how he should break it to her because he didn't want to hurt her feelings.
Needless to say, I was PISSED!!!!! I am extremely protective of my friends and I felt that what he did was really shitty. If he wasn't over his last girlfriend he should NEVER have started dating Funny Girl. I basically let him have it with both barrels and told him that at this point he WAS going to hurt Funny Girl no matter how he did it.
So, things ended between Funny Girl and Peru and I was still pissed at Peru so I stopped calling and emailing him and basically haven't seen or heard much from him since the summertime.
So, back to this morning. Anne asks me why I didn't invite Peru to Friends Christmas. I told her that I haven't talked to him in months and that I was still mad at him for stringing Funny Girl along (I am the only one still mad, Funny Girl is SO over it). I told Anne that since he hadn't made any kind of an effort since the summer to stay in contact with anyone but her (they live about a mile away) that I didn't think that he would want to come.
Anne, not knowing that I hadn't invited Peru, had asked him last weekend if he wanted to ride with them to my house for Friends Christmas and he replied that he didn't know anything about it. Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit Shit!!!! Now I HAD to invite him even though I am still a little bit mad at him and that Funny Girl will be there. I didn't want things to be awkward but now if I didn't call and invite him it would be awkward anyway.
After I get off the phone with Anne I call Peru expecting to be put in his voicemail to leave him a message inviting him to Friends Christmas. Wouldn't you know that this time he actually picks up the phone. I invite him to Friends Christmas and apologize that I didn't invite him earlier telling him that I am just starting to get back on track since I got back from vacation (which is true, but not really the reason that I hadn't called him before this morning).
Peru is a popular guy and he usually has plans all of the time. I was surprised when he said yes, he would love to come.
I actually really like Peru. He is a funny guy and very sweet, oh, and he is HOT!!! Very nice eye candy. I was just still holding onto the edges of my anger. Now that he has accepted the invitation I am actually looking forward to seeing him.
The only downfall is that my already meager Christmas budget will have to be stretched even more to accomodate him.
Now I just have to let Funny Girl know that he is going to be there. Oh wait, she reads my blog so I just did.
We were talking about Friends Christmas. This is when I get together with my closest friends and we have dinner, exchange gifts and celebrate together. Usually we end up doing this after the New Year but because Ami (Anne's daughter) is only here for the week after Christmas (she lives in Canada) we decided that we would do it during the week instead of a weekend. We are set for Thursday, December 28th at 6:00PM.
To do justice to this story I have to go back to the summer. My friend Funny Girl started dating another friend, Peru. Things seemed to be going great and then all of a sudden Peru started acting strange. Not calling or taking a few days to return calls and things like that. Funny Girl really liked Peru, which was a new thing for her. Funny Girl hadn't had a serious relationship since I met her as she is pursuing a comedy career and doesn't want to be tied down.
So, Peru calls me and tells me that he doesn't think that it is going to work. He really likes Funny Girl but he feels that they are in two different places and during the conversation he tells me that he isn't over his last girlfriend. Then he asks me how he should break it to her because he didn't want to hurt her feelings.
Needless to say, I was PISSED!!!!! I am extremely protective of my friends and I felt that what he did was really shitty. If he wasn't over his last girlfriend he should NEVER have started dating Funny Girl. I basically let him have it with both barrels and told him that at this point he WAS going to hurt Funny Girl no matter how he did it.
So, things ended between Funny Girl and Peru and I was still pissed at Peru so I stopped calling and emailing him and basically haven't seen or heard much from him since the summertime.
So, back to this morning. Anne asks me why I didn't invite Peru to Friends Christmas. I told her that I haven't talked to him in months and that I was still mad at him for stringing Funny Girl along (I am the only one still mad, Funny Girl is SO over it). I told Anne that since he hadn't made any kind of an effort since the summer to stay in contact with anyone but her (they live about a mile away) that I didn't think that he would want to come.
Anne, not knowing that I hadn't invited Peru, had asked him last weekend if he wanted to ride with them to my house for Friends Christmas and he replied that he didn't know anything about it. Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit Shit!!!! Now I HAD to invite him even though I am still a little bit mad at him and that Funny Girl will be there. I didn't want things to be awkward but now if I didn't call and invite him it would be awkward anyway.
After I get off the phone with Anne I call Peru expecting to be put in his voicemail to leave him a message inviting him to Friends Christmas. Wouldn't you know that this time he actually picks up the phone. I invite him to Friends Christmas and apologize that I didn't invite him earlier telling him that I am just starting to get back on track since I got back from vacation (which is true, but not really the reason that I hadn't called him before this morning).
Peru is a popular guy and he usually has plans all of the time. I was surprised when he said yes, he would love to come.
I actually really like Peru. He is a funny guy and very sweet, oh, and he is HOT!!! Very nice eye candy. I was just still holding onto the edges of my anger. Now that he has accepted the invitation I am actually looking forward to seeing him.
The only downfall is that my already meager Christmas budget will have to be stretched even more to accomodate him.
Now I just have to let Funny Girl know that he is going to be there. Oh wait, she reads my blog so I just did.
Monday, December 18, 2006
The ABC's About Me ~ Tagged from Sofi
A- Available or taken? Available
B- Best Friend? Playtah
C- Cake or Pie? Cake
D- Drink of Choice? Diet Pepsi
E- Essential Item? My contacts or glasses. I am basically blind without them.
F- Favorite Color? Yellow
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Eww. Neither. Hate them all.
H- Hometown? I grew up in Hoquaim, WA but moved before High School. Now would be Puyallup where Mom lives.
I- Indulgence? Haagen Daaz Caramel Cone Explosion ice cream.
J- January or February? February. Closer to the end of winter.
K- Kids and names? One son ~ Devon.
L- LIfe is incomplete without? Love & Friendship.
M- Marriage Date? Gotta meet The One first.
N- Number of Siblings? One half brother and one half sister that I was raised with and another half-sister that I have met once. Five Step-brothers and sisters.
O- Oranges or apples? Apples
P- Phobias/Fears? Falling or something happening to my son.
Q- Favorite Quote? Good Times.
R- Reason to Smile? Family, Friends and free drinks at the bar.
S- Season? Spring. Everything new and frangrant.
T- Tag three people! I won't tag anyone. If you want to do it, consider yourself tagged.
U- Unkown Fact About Me? I have learned most of my sexual reptoire from erotic romance novels and conversations with girlfriends, not from men.
V- Vegetable you hate? Any that are cooked
W- Worst habit? Being a know it all
X- X-Rays you've had? Ankle, wrist and a mammogram on my right breast when I felt a lump ~ It was all good.
Y- Your favorite food? Pork Chile Verde from Mazatlan in Puyallup, WA
Z- Zodiac? Libra
B- Best Friend? Playtah
C- Cake or Pie? Cake
D- Drink of Choice? Diet Pepsi
E- Essential Item? My contacts or glasses. I am basically blind without them.
F- Favorite Color? Yellow
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Eww. Neither. Hate them all.
H- Hometown? I grew up in Hoquaim, WA but moved before High School. Now would be Puyallup where Mom lives.
I- Indulgence? Haagen Daaz Caramel Cone Explosion ice cream.
J- January or February? February. Closer to the end of winter.
K- Kids and names? One son ~ Devon.
L- LIfe is incomplete without? Love & Friendship.
M- Marriage Date? Gotta meet The One first.
N- Number of Siblings? One half brother and one half sister that I was raised with and another half-sister that I have met once. Five Step-brothers and sisters.
O- Oranges or apples? Apples
P- Phobias/Fears? Falling or something happening to my son.
Q- Favorite Quote? Good Times.
R- Reason to Smile? Family, Friends and free drinks at the bar.
S- Season? Spring. Everything new and frangrant.
T- Tag three people! I won't tag anyone. If you want to do it, consider yourself tagged.
U- Unkown Fact About Me? I have learned most of my sexual reptoire from erotic romance novels and conversations with girlfriends, not from men.
V- Vegetable you hate? Any that are cooked
W- Worst habit? Being a know it all
X- X-Rays you've had? Ankle, wrist and a mammogram on my right breast when I felt a lump ~ It was all good.
Y- Your favorite food? Pork Chile Verde from Mazatlan in Puyallup, WA
Z- Zodiac? Libra
Friday, December 15, 2006
Give Me What I Want Or I Will Leave You
Yesterday I got home and my cable was out. It does happen sometimes so I didn't really worry about it. Then I looked at my mail and the check that I had sent to my cable company was returned to me. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and called the cable company (which I also have my internet through). They informed me that they turned off my service because they haven't received payment for 3 months.
I pay my bills online and sent them a check every month but it seemed to take them almost a month to cash the checks that I send in so I wasn't expecting either my November or December payments to have cleared yet. The check that I received back was my October payment. Apparently they changed their billing address and I thought that I had modified it online but I guess that I didn't. I explained the situation hoping that they would re-connect it right away but they could have cared less.
I was informed that to restart the service that I would have to pay for the 3 months of service including a $100 re-connect fee. I asked them if they take credit cards hoping that I could just pay it over the phone. They told me that they do not and that I have to send in the payment and once they receive it that they will schedule someone to come out to re-connect my service which total would take about 2 weeks if I sent the check right away. I told them thanks but no thanks.
I called Charter and am getting digital cable, cable internet and my phone service for $99.00 per month (about the same as I pay now) and will get more channels. The only drawback is that I am losing the premium channels. I never paid for them and I think that it was the mistake of the cable company but I certainly wasn't complaining.
This is actually going to be a bonus for me. I will now receive On Demand TV for free as well as BBC America which is one of my favorite channels that I didn't receive on the rinky dink cable company that I was using. And if I really want to I can get a DVR for $15 per month. Oh the temptation!
I pay my bills online and sent them a check every month but it seemed to take them almost a month to cash the checks that I send in so I wasn't expecting either my November or December payments to have cleared yet. The check that I received back was my October payment. Apparently they changed their billing address and I thought that I had modified it online but I guess that I didn't. I explained the situation hoping that they would re-connect it right away but they could have cared less.
I was informed that to restart the service that I would have to pay for the 3 months of service including a $100 re-connect fee. I asked them if they take credit cards hoping that I could just pay it over the phone. They told me that they do not and that I have to send in the payment and once they receive it that they will schedule someone to come out to re-connect my service which total would take about 2 weeks if I sent the check right away. I told them thanks but no thanks.
I called Charter and am getting digital cable, cable internet and my phone service for $99.00 per month (about the same as I pay now) and will get more channels. The only drawback is that I am losing the premium channels. I never paid for them and I think that it was the mistake of the cable company but I certainly wasn't complaining.
This is actually going to be a bonus for me. I will now receive On Demand TV for free as well as BBC America which is one of my favorite channels that I didn't receive on the rinky dink cable company that I was using. And if I really want to I can get a DVR for $15 per month. Oh the temptation!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Nice Stems!
For Christmas my dad sent me a hefty check to buy myself something nice. I have been wanting a digital camera for quite a while so I decided that instead of using my present from Dad to buy presents for others that I was going to buy a nice, little camera.
I bought a Fuji FinePix A500. It has 5.1 megapixels and a 3 or 4x zoom. It is a nice little point a shoot camera.
Today I finally uploaded the photos and I decided that I would post one to see what you think.
Also, if you use any kind of photo shop program that you recommend, I would LOVE to know. I was able to crop the photo using IrfanView but I don't know much else other than that.
Without further ado: My Christmas Tree
I bought a Fuji FinePix A500. It has 5.1 megapixels and a 3 or 4x zoom. It is a nice little point a shoot camera.
Today I finally uploaded the photos and I decided that I would post one to see what you think.
Also, if you use any kind of photo shop program that you recommend, I would LOVE to know. I was able to crop the photo using IrfanView but I don't know much else other than that.
Without further ado: My Christmas Tree
Hump Day Hottie
This weeks Hump Day Hottie was born on December 19th, 1980 in Los Angeles, CA and is a descendant of Swedish nobility on his fathers side and a New York City Jewish-American family on his mothers side.
He started acting at the age of eleven and his short career has seen performances in diverse roles.
He was raised Jewish and his Bar Mitzvah took place at a homeless shelter because his parents wanted to instill in him a sense of gratitude for his privileged lifestyle.
His parents insisted that he had summer jobs to support himself and he worked as a lifeguard and busboy.
His film debut was in the 1991 film City Slickers.
He attended Columbia Uninversity to study Eastern Religions and philosophy but dropped out after 2 years to concentrate on his acting career.
He has received an Acadamy Award nomination and one a British Acadamy of Film & Television Arts Award.
He has taken an activist role in supporting political and social causes.
He appeared in Rock the Vote advertising, campaigned for the Democratic party in the 2004 election and has promoted environmental causes and the American Civil Liberties Union.
He has two dogs. A German Shepherd named Atticus and a Puggle name Boo Radley.
He has appeared in movies such as City Slickers, October Sky, Bubble Boy, Highway, Moonlight Mile, The Good Girl and Proof but is best known for the cult classic Donnie Darko, the blockbuster thriller The Day After Tomorrow and the Acadamy Award winning Brokeback Mountain where he co-stars with Heath Ledger as sheep herders who secretly fall in love in the 1960's.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Jake Gyllenhaal
He started acting at the age of eleven and his short career has seen performances in diverse roles.
He was raised Jewish and his Bar Mitzvah took place at a homeless shelter because his parents wanted to instill in him a sense of gratitude for his privileged lifestyle.
His parents insisted that he had summer jobs to support himself and he worked as a lifeguard and busboy.
His film debut was in the 1991 film City Slickers.
He attended Columbia Uninversity to study Eastern Religions and philosophy but dropped out after 2 years to concentrate on his acting career.
He has received an Acadamy Award nomination and one a British Acadamy of Film & Television Arts Award.
He has taken an activist role in supporting political and social causes.
He appeared in Rock the Vote advertising, campaigned for the Democratic party in the 2004 election and has promoted environmental causes and the American Civil Liberties Union.
He has two dogs. A German Shepherd named Atticus and a Puggle name Boo Radley.
He has appeared in movies such as City Slickers, October Sky, Bubble Boy, Highway, Moonlight Mile, The Good Girl and Proof but is best known for the cult classic Donnie Darko, the blockbuster thriller The Day After Tomorrow and the Acadamy Award winning Brokeback Mountain where he co-stars with Heath Ledger as sheep herders who secretly fall in love in the 1960's.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Jake Gyllenhaal
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Question Of The Day
I haven't been feeling up to par for the past few days so please forgive me that I am not writing a lengthy thought provoking post. I thought that I would throw out a question and see what you have to say.
What would you change about yourself if you could? What is your best quality?
Post Scriptum ~ I realized that I didn't answer the question so I thought I would pop it in here.
If I could change anything about myself I would become less of a people pleaser. Don't get me wrong, I love to do things for people and have fun but there are times that I worry WAY too much what people are thinking about me and I tend to get my feelings hurt quite easily.
My best quality would be my ability to give really great advice. I have long in depth talks with my friends quite often and I have heard many times how great my advice or my opinion is. When people take my advice and opinions to heart in a way it validates who I am and the person that I am striving to become.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Which Of Santa's Reindeer Are You?
| You Are Prancer |
 You are the perfect reindeer, with perfect hooves and perfect flying form. Why You're Naughty: Because you're Santa's pet, and you won't let anyone show you up. Why You're Nice: You have the softest fur and the sweetest carrot breath. |
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Precious Memories ~ Repost
When I was a kid, Christmas was my favorite time of year. I remember fondly waking up at the break of dawn (if we could make it that far) by the sounds of my brother and sister calling my name so that we could go into the living room and see the splendid display that Santa Claus had left for us.
We would go quietly into our parents room and wake them up enough to get permission to go into the living room just to view the tree and the gifts wrapped and placed underneath. My mother was always the one that we would wake up. Usually she would say yes and we would high-tail it into the other room and gasp at the beauty that lay in vast array in front of us.
My brother, Keith, was usually the one that would pick up the first present. We looked through the presents to see which one belonged to whom. We would then put them back and wait for our parents to stumble, bleary-eyed into the room so that we could begin the gift opening extravaganza.
I remember the scent of fresh evergreen as I sat on the floor by the tree in my floor length Laura Ingall’s style nightgown. My brother would be to my left, in front of the tree as the official gift distributor and my mom would be to the right of me. Usually I would lean against my mom and soak up the comfort of her embrace. I loved this morning. We were all together with no place to go.
The first item of business was the stockings. Everyone had their own, special stocking. My mom’s had her name on there in felt letters with some decorations on there. My brother had a green knit stocking and mine was made of burlap. We always had an orange in the toe of the sock. Every year. No matter what. Then we would have some mixed nuts still in the shell including walnuts, pecans and other assorted nuts. Small gifts would be hidden in there as well. A fresh bottle of nail polish along with clippers and a nail file. A coloring book and brand new crayons were my sisters favorite part of her stocking.
My dad would start a fire in the fireplace. Now, this was a real old fashioned fire with kindling, paper and logs. No electric or gas fireplace for us. He would then turn on the stereo and put on one of his Christmas albums. Alvin and the Chipmunks was a favorite along with Bing Crosby.
While all of the rituals were taking place before we could open the gifts, I would gaze at the tree. It always had colored lights. This was back in the 70’s when you kept your lights from year to year. We would have to untangle them, find the broken lights, replace them and hope that they would work. Some were the same size as the lights that we have today, some were bigger. About half of the lights would blink on and off while the other lights were steady. Completely disjointed but at the same time, absolutely beautiful.
I would look at the ornaments. Most of them had been there for many years. We had the plastic white pinecones that had originally been coated in glitter. After years of being lovingly (and sometimes not so lovingly) displayed on the tree, most of the glitter had worn off. We had the plastic tear drop shaped ornaments that had a plastic 3-D version of the nativity. The 2 pound pink Santa Claus face that I made with my hand that had to hang from a very sturdy branch by a frayed red yarn string. The reindeer that was made from a hanger and panty hose, popcorn strings and construction paper chains. It was a tree that displayed the time and love that we invested into these small, inexpensive but ultimately priceless gifts that were saved from year to year.
Finally it was time to open gifts. This was a ritual in itself. There wasn’t a frenzy of opening gifts. It was a slow process that was savored by everyone. My brother would hand each person one gift and we would open them in turn, oohing and ahhing as each person would display the gift. We would stretch it out as long as possible making sure to thank each other for the thoughtful gift that we received.
One year I had the biggest gift under the tree. Well, not quite under the tree, more shoved to the side as there was no way that this behemoth of a box would fit underneath. I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of incredible present would have to be placed in such a giant sized box. In reality it was probably a box that a desktop monitor would be shipped in but to me (at the age of 8) it was the biggest, most wonderful box in the world. I agonized for days trying to figure out what my brother could have gotten me that was so big. I bragged to my brother and sister that I had the biggest gift for days before Christmas.
Then the day came. It was time to open the gift. I waited to open it until it was the last gift left. I wanted to stretch out the anticipation as long as possible. I slowly removed the wrapping from this box, which was not heavy at all, and carefully folded the wrapping paper and handed it to my mother. I then folded back the lid of the box and looked inside. All I saw was butcher block paper. Where was my enormous gift? Surely that butcher block paper was only covering the gift. So I removed it. And then I removed more and more and more. Finally at the very bottom of the box I found a small wrapped package. It was about 3-4 inches square. My brother had a huge grin on his face, proud of the fact that he had surprised me.
I had no idea what the gift could be. I had been dreaming of big things, not small items. This time I wasn’t going to wait to find out what it was. The anticipation had reached a fevered pitch. I tore off the paper and inside was one of the coolest gifts that season. A Rubik’s Cube. I didn’t care that they had pulled a prank on me that is still talked about to this day. I had a Rubik’s Cube. I was officially a part of the IN crowd. I could proudly strut into school and brag that I had received on of THE COOLEST gifts of the season.
I look back now to the childhood Christmases that I shared with my family and realize that we didn’t have very much money wise. We usually would get 4 gifts each. One from each sibling, one from Mom and Dad and one from Santa. We did get other gifts later in the day from grandparents, but they were different because they weren’t part of the early Christmas morning ritual. Although we weren’t given a lot for Christmas, we were blessed beyond measure. Being able to share the holiday with family. Receiving gifts that were thoughtfully and lovingly chosen. Seeing the big smile on my mothers face when she opened the gift that I had agonized over, never knowing that the fake ring I had bought with all of the money that I had would turn her finger green.
I remember receiving the Fashion Plates that I had begged for from Santa one year. Punching balloons that brought endless hours of fun. A green corduroy winter coat that my mother had sewn. They weren’t things that cost much, but they were given in love and in turn were loved by me then and are still loved by me now and the memories and moments will always closest to my heart.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Hump Day Hottie
This weeks Hump Day Hottie was born in Chicago, IL on May 17, 1974.
He was born to Indian parents both of whom are physicians.
He has one sister who is also a physician.
He is married to actress Olga Sosnovska and has one daughter.
He has appeared in several TV shows, including Casualty, Guiding Light, Ultimate Force, Grey's Anatomy and Numb3rs.
He is currently appearing in this years smash hit Heroes as Mohinder Suresh.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Sendhil Ramamurthy
He was born to Indian parents both of whom are physicians.
He has one sister who is also a physician.
He is married to actress Olga Sosnovska and has one daughter.
He has appeared in several TV shows, including Casualty, Guiding Light, Ultimate Force, Grey's Anatomy and Numb3rs.
He is currently appearing in this years smash hit Heroes as Mohinder Suresh.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Sendhil Ramamurthy
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
6 Wierd Things About Me
I have been tagged by so many people for this meme that I can't even mention them all. Since I am training someone at work today will be the perfect day for me to do this list as it will only take a couple of minutes.
1. When I was in kindergarten I had to have an oil gland surgically removed from the bottom of my foot. (they are normally in your head)
2. I was asked by an oral surgeon how long I had braces on my teeth because they were very straight. I haven't ever had braces.
3. I will only drink Diet Pepsi if I am drinking a cola. Not Diet Coke, not generic, not anything else. I will drink water instead.
4. I was born with one ear sticking slightly out because the cartiledge isn't strong enough to hold it back. I begged my mom for plastic surgery when I was 15. Now I don't care.
5. My favorite features are my eyelashes which are really long and thick and my nose.
6. I have always wanted to go to the opera. The real one where you dress formally and make a big production out of it ala Pretty Woman, but have never had the opportunity.
1. When I was in kindergarten I had to have an oil gland surgically removed from the bottom of my foot. (they are normally in your head)
2. I was asked by an oral surgeon how long I had braces on my teeth because they were very straight. I haven't ever had braces.
3. I will only drink Diet Pepsi if I am drinking a cola. Not Diet Coke, not generic, not anything else. I will drink water instead.
4. I was born with one ear sticking slightly out because the cartiledge isn't strong enough to hold it back. I begged my mom for plastic surgery when I was 15. Now I don't care.
5. My favorite features are my eyelashes which are really long and thick and my nose.
6. I have always wanted to go to the opera. The real one where you dress formally and make a big production out of it ala Pretty Woman, but have never had the opportunity.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Rachel Still Hasn't Gotten Her Groove Back
When returning from vacation I find it incredibly difficult to return to my every day life. I so quickly get out of my groove of working every day, cleaning on a schedule and doing my best to stay organized that in the past 5 days since my return I have put off doing everything that remotely resembles work other than what is the minimum requirements.
I still haven't unpacked, gone through my bills or put up my Christmas tree. I am currently pulling clothing out of my suitcases every day to get ready for work. Luckily while in Washington my Nana (grandmother) would do everyone's laundry, including mine so I only had 1 small duffel bag of dirty laundry when I returned.
My house is a disaster and I can barely work up the energy to do a load of laundry (one so far of towels) and run the dishwasher.
I have Wednesday off so I am hoping that I will be able to at least get my luggage un-packed, everything put away, make a couple of calls that are important and get my Christmas tree up.
If anyone has any good ideas on getting back on track after vacation I would love to hear it.
Right now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.
I still haven't unpacked, gone through my bills or put up my Christmas tree. I am currently pulling clothing out of my suitcases every day to get ready for work. Luckily while in Washington my Nana (grandmother) would do everyone's laundry, including mine so I only had 1 small duffel bag of dirty laundry when I returned.
My house is a disaster and I can barely work up the energy to do a load of laundry (one so far of towels) and run the dishwasher.
I have Wednesday off so I am hoping that I will be able to at least get my luggage un-packed, everything put away, make a couple of calls that are important and get my Christmas tree up.
If anyone has any good ideas on getting back on track after vacation I would love to hear it.
Right now I need a vacation to recover from my vacation.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Murphy And His Law Can Kiss My Ass
Hi everyone. I am back. I know that you missed me. I have a lot to tell you and I will do that over the next couple of weeks.
Today I want to tell you about my trip back.
My parents live approximately 45 minutes from Sea-Tac airport. Due to the crazy weather we left 3 ½ hours before my flight so that I could get there on time. My flight was at 10:55 in the morning and we arrived at the airport at 9:15. I got my boarding pass, checked my luggage and went through security. I was in the actual terminal heading for my gate around 10:10 in the morning.
I glanced at the monitors that display the flights and notice that my flight has been pushed back 5 minutes to 11:00 am. I was feeling pretty good about that until I got to the gate. From the time that I had looked at the monitor until I arrived at the gate they had delayed the flight and did not have the updated flight time posted yet. There were no seats available in the gate area so D and I sat on the floor waiting to see when our flight would be.
Around 11:00 they posted the updated flight time. We would be taking off at 11:40 and arriving in Chicago at 5:26pm. My flight to Grand Rapids, MI was set to take off from Chicago at 5:50 so I knew that it would be a close call and that we would basically be running to catch our
connection since we had to go from one terminal to another and anyone who has ever been to the Chicago airport will know that it is a good distance from one terminal to another.
We take off on time and I am sandwiched in between a beefy gentleman on my right and D on my left who has the window seat. I try to relax and get a nap during the flight. Every time I would start to nod off D would start wiggling around, elbowing me or talking nonstop for a good 20 minutes. After the first 2 hours of the flight I pretty much abandon my plans to get some rest and I read my book.
We were about 30 minutes from Chicago when the pilot informs us that due to gusty winds in Chicago that we will be in a holding pattern over Chicago for approximately 30 minutes and that we will be landing around 6:10 pm. I think to myself that maybe the flight to Grand Rapids would be delayed as well and that I might still make my flight. Then we get pushed back another 20 minutes in a holding pattern.
I deplane around 6:24 and go straight to the monitors. Sure enough, my flight is long gone. I notice that there is one flight to Grand Rapids at 9:50 pm and another to Kalamazoo at 6:55. I go to the counter and talk to the lady and discover that the flight to Grand Rapids at 9:50 is overbooked to the point where they are not even allowing additional standby. I inquire about the flight to Kalamazoo hoping that I can get boarding passes and arrive at the gate towards the final boarding time. I guess that American
Airlines doesn’t really give a crap about customer service as I was informed that to modify my flight that I have to go to the rebooking center which is in another terminal.
D and I power walk about 1/3 of a mile to gate H7 where the rebooking center is. We discover that it is a bank of 3 phones and of course they are all occupied. I stand in line for 10 minutes waiting for a woman who keeps asking the rebooking agent where her gate is. Why she couldn’t use the information booth about 20 feet away I will never know.
I finally get a phone and am on hold for another 5 minutes before I reach an operator. I explain my situation and she lets me know that I have been rebooked for a flight that is leaving the next morning at 7:40 the next morning. I let her know that I have to be at work the next morning and that the flight will not work for me. I inquire about the Kalamazoo flight and at this point we both realize that it is too late to make that flight since it is taking off in about 5 minutes (thanks to the woman who wouldn’t help me at the counter). I tell her that I will take any flight to Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Kalamazoo or Lansing. I didn’t care what time or what airline. She tells me that there are no other flights to any of those airports on any airline tonight except for the 9:50 flight that I can’t get on.
I am getting agitated at this point and although the woman was very nice I start to get audibly upset. I ask if the airline will provide a rental car for me so that I can drive the 200 miles home but am told that because the delays were weather related that the airline will not pay for a rental car or a hotel room. I am pissed at this point but I calmly thank the lady and hang up.
I whip out my cell phone, call Funny Girl and let her know not to pick me up at the airport and then I start to cry. D is mimicking my frustration and anger and repeatedly says “Stupid Alaskan Airlines” (American had placed us on an Alaskan Airline flight for this one leg of the trip).
I explain to Funny Girl what is going on and by the time I get off the phone I am feeling a bit more calm. I call my mom and tell her what is happening. She goes online to see which rental car company has the best rate. It turns out that the rental car companies like to financially rape customers that are in need and the least expensive car we could find was the economy car through Alamo for $125.00. She tells me that she has reserved a car for me so I tell her that I am going to figure out how to get my luggage.
I head toward the information booth that I saw on my way to the rebooking center and talk to a very nice, elderly gentleman who tells me that I need to go to baggage claim #10 to ask for my luggage. He tells me that it is a 50/50 prospect that I will actually get my luggage. I head towards baggage claim 10 lugging my carry on a small cooler and my purse. D has his rolling backpack. I arrive at baggage claim 10 and there is no one there. I make some kind of snide comment about the fact that American/Alaskan airlines can kiss my ass and a man about 5 feet away turns around, smiles in sympathy and tells me that the counter agent went to make a phone call and that he would be right back.
I wait another 5 minutes for the baggage agent to return. I walk up to the counter and tell him that I am very upset but that I will try and remain calm. I tell him that I need my luggage. He asks for my luggage claim tickets, types them into the computer and then directs me towards baggage claim #3 as that is American Eagle’s storage place.
Feeling utterly defeated and exhausted I trudge down to baggage claim #3. There was a bit of a line so I sat down on my little mini-cooler waiting my turn. I hand the gentleman my claim tickets and about 10 minutes later I receive my checked luggage. All four of them. I give D my debit card and he runs over and gets me a smart card to load my mountain of bags. I turn back the other way and head back down by baggage claim #10 where the rental car busses are.
I exit the airport and wait for about 4 minutes for the National/Alamo bus to arrive. The bus driver was extremely kind, loaded all of my luggage and then we boarded the bus. Within 5 minutes I was off of the bus and he unloaded my luggage, told me to pick out a vehicle, put in my luggage and that they would take care of everything at the exit.
I pick out a little blue, 2 door Pontiac G-6, load up everything and head to the exit. I hand the woman my confirmation number that my mother had given me and she tells me that it isn’t a valid number. I have to turn around and go to the actual office.
I walk into the office, stand in another line and wait my turn. I get to the counter, hand my
confirmation number to the woman and she tells me in a quite snotty voice that it isn’t a confirmation number. I tell her that my mother told me that she booked it online and that was the number that she gave me. The woman snatches my driver’s license out of my hand and types in my name. She tells me that to rent a car for a one way trip you have to use a credit card that matches the driver’s license information or have a return plane ticket. I hand her my ticket showing that I had a flight from Chicago to Grand Rapids and my debit card with a credit card logo. She tells me that this isn’t acceptable. I finally ask to speak to the manager who isn’t much friendlier than the woman at the counter.
I finally am informed that a debit card isn’t acceptable. They need a credit card. I hand her my credit card, sign the paperwork and leave.
I sit in the car for a few minutes calming down and then figure out how to get from the airport heading towards home. I get on the freeway and drive for an hour. We stop, get some fast food and get back on the road.
Originally I was supposed to arrive in Grand Rapids at 7:45 and should have been home by 9:00 so that I had time to get settled in and get some sleep so that I could be at work on Wednesday morning. Instead I get home at 1:00 am after driving 200 miles, stagger into my house and fall into bed within 20 minutes of getting home and then after what seemed like 5 minutes my alarm goes off and I stumble out of bed and go to work bleary eyed and exhausted.
I am still trying to recover.
Today I want to tell you about my trip back.
My parents live approximately 45 minutes from Sea-Tac airport. Due to the crazy weather we left 3 ½ hours before my flight so that I could get there on time. My flight was at 10:55 in the morning and we arrived at the airport at 9:15. I got my boarding pass, checked my luggage and went through security. I was in the actual terminal heading for my gate around 10:10 in the morning.
I glanced at the monitors that display the flights and notice that my flight has been pushed back 5 minutes to 11:00 am. I was feeling pretty good about that until I got to the gate. From the time that I had looked at the monitor until I arrived at the gate they had delayed the flight and did not have the updated flight time posted yet. There were no seats available in the gate area so D and I sat on the floor waiting to see when our flight would be.
Around 11:00 they posted the updated flight time. We would be taking off at 11:40 and arriving in Chicago at 5:26pm. My flight to Grand Rapids, MI was set to take off from Chicago at 5:50 so I knew that it would be a close call and that we would basically be running to catch our
connection since we had to go from one terminal to another and anyone who has ever been to the Chicago airport will know that it is a good distance from one terminal to another.We take off on time and I am sandwiched in between a beefy gentleman on my right and D on my left who has the window seat. I try to relax and get a nap during the flight. Every time I would start to nod off D would start wiggling around, elbowing me or talking nonstop for a good 20 minutes. After the first 2 hours of the flight I pretty much abandon my plans to get some rest and I read my book.
We were about 30 minutes from Chicago when the pilot informs us that due to gusty winds in Chicago that we will be in a holding pattern over Chicago for approximately 30 minutes and that we will be landing around 6:10 pm. I think to myself that maybe the flight to Grand Rapids would be delayed as well and that I might still make my flight. Then we get pushed back another 20 minutes in a holding pattern.
I deplane around 6:24 and go straight to the monitors. Sure enough, my flight is long gone. I notice that there is one flight to Grand Rapids at 9:50 pm and another to Kalamazoo at 6:55. I go to the counter and talk to the lady and discover that the flight to Grand Rapids at 9:50 is overbooked to the point where they are not even allowing additional standby. I inquire about the flight to Kalamazoo hoping that I can get boarding passes and arrive at the gate towards the final boarding time. I guess that American
Airlines doesn’t really give a crap about customer service as I was informed that to modify my flight that I have to go to the rebooking center which is in another terminal.D and I power walk about 1/3 of a mile to gate H7 where the rebooking center is. We discover that it is a bank of 3 phones and of course they are all occupied. I stand in line for 10 minutes waiting for a woman who keeps asking the rebooking agent where her gate is. Why she couldn’t use the information booth about 20 feet away I will never know.
I finally get a phone and am on hold for another 5 minutes before I reach an operator. I explain my situation and she lets me know that I have been rebooked for a flight that is leaving the next morning at 7:40 the next morning. I let her know that I have to be at work the next morning and that the flight will not work for me. I inquire about the Kalamazoo flight and at this point we both realize that it is too late to make that flight since it is taking off in about 5 minutes (thanks to the woman who wouldn’t help me at the counter). I tell her that I will take any flight to Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Kalamazoo or Lansing. I didn’t care what time or what airline. She tells me that there are no other flights to any of those airports on any airline tonight except for the 9:50 flight that I can’t get on.I am getting agitated at this point and although the woman was very nice I start to get audibly upset. I ask if the airline will provide a rental car for me so that I can drive the 200 miles home but am told that because the delays were weather related that the airline will not pay for a rental car or a hotel room. I am pissed at this point but I calmly thank the lady and hang up.
I whip out my cell phone, call Funny Girl and let her know not to pick me up at the airport and then I start to cry. D is mimicking my frustration and anger and repeatedly says “Stupid Alaskan Airlines” (American had placed us on an Alaskan Airline flight for this one leg of the trip).
I explain to Funny Girl what is going on and by the time I get off the phone I am feeling a bit more calm. I call my mom and tell her what is happening. She goes online to see which rental car company has the best rate. It turns out that the rental car companies like to financially rape customers that are in need and the least expensive car we could find was the economy car through Alamo for $125.00. She tells me that she has reserved a car for me so I tell her that I am going to figure out how to get my luggage.
I head toward the information booth that I saw on my way to the rebooking center and talk to a very nice, elderly gentleman who tells me that I need to go to baggage claim #10 to ask for my luggage. He tells me that it is a 50/50 prospect that I will actually get my luggage. I head towards baggage claim 10 lugging my carry on a small cooler and my purse. D has his rolling backpack. I arrive at baggage claim 10 and there is no one there. I make some kind of snide comment about the fact that American/Alaskan airlines can kiss my ass and a man about 5 feet away turns around, smiles in sympathy and tells me that the counter agent went to make a phone call and that he would be right back.
I wait another 5 minutes for the baggage agent to return. I walk up to the counter and tell him that I am very upset but that I will try and remain calm. I tell him that I need my luggage. He asks for my luggage claim tickets, types them into the computer and then directs me towards baggage claim #3 as that is American Eagle’s storage place.
Feeling utterly defeated and exhausted I trudge down to baggage claim #3. There was a bit of a line so I sat down on my little mini-cooler waiting my turn. I hand the gentleman my claim tickets and about 10 minutes later I receive my checked luggage. All four of them. I give D my debit card and he runs over and gets me a smart card to load my mountain of bags. I turn back the other way and head back down by baggage claim #10 where the rental car busses are.
I exit the airport and wait for about 4 minutes for the National/Alamo bus to arrive. The bus driver was extremely kind, loaded all of my luggage and then we boarded the bus. Within 5 minutes I was off of the bus and he unloaded my luggage, told me to pick out a vehicle, put in my luggage and that they would take care of everything at the exit.
I pick out a little blue, 2 door Pontiac G-6, load up everything and head to the exit. I hand the woman my confirmation number that my mother had given me and she tells me that it isn’t a valid number. I have to turn around and go to the actual office.
I walk into the office, stand in another line and wait my turn. I get to the counter, hand my
confirmation number to the woman and she tells me in a quite snotty voice that it isn’t a confirmation number. I tell her that my mother told me that she booked it online and that was the number that she gave me. The woman snatches my driver’s license out of my hand and types in my name. She tells me that to rent a car for a one way trip you have to use a credit card that matches the driver’s license information or have a return plane ticket. I hand her my ticket showing that I had a flight from Chicago to Grand Rapids and my debit card with a credit card logo. She tells me that this isn’t acceptable. I finally ask to speak to the manager who isn’t much friendlier than the woman at the counter.
I finally am informed that a debit card isn’t acceptable. They need a credit card. I hand her my credit card, sign the paperwork and leave.I sit in the car for a few minutes calming down and then figure out how to get from the airport heading towards home. I get on the freeway and drive for an hour. We stop, get some fast food and get back on the road.
Originally I was supposed to arrive in Grand Rapids at 7:45 and should have been home by 9:00 so that I had time to get settled in and get some sleep so that I could be at work on Wednesday morning. Instead I get home at 1:00 am after driving 200 miles, stagger into my house and fall into bed within 20 minutes of getting home and then after what seemed like 5 minutes my alarm goes off and I stumble out of bed and go to work bleary eyed and exhausted.
I am still trying to recover.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Hump Day Hottie
This weeks Hump Day Hottie will be short and sweet and only has one hint.
I am one of them.
I am one of them.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ The Weary Traveler.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Hump Day Hottie
This weeks hottie is a special. There are actually two and they are really only famous for one day.
In an annual ritual dating back to the mid 1800's a new pair are chosen. It is an honor to be selected as it means that they will spend the rest of their days in safety. They are not required to pay taxes but will be supported by those tax dollars.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie's also receives the honor or meeting the President of the United States and is bestowed immunity from future harm.
Unfortunately I am unable to add a photo of this weeks Hump Day Hottie as Blogger won't allow me to upload photos today so I will add a link:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2673349
This weeks Hump Day Hotties are ~ Flyer and Fryer the turkeys pardoned by GWB for Thanksgiving.
In an annual ritual dating back to the mid 1800's a new pair are chosen. It is an honor to be selected as it means that they will spend the rest of their days in safety. They are not required to pay taxes but will be supported by those tax dollars.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie's also receives the honor or meeting the President of the United States and is bestowed immunity from future harm.
Unfortunately I am unable to add a photo of this weeks Hump Day Hottie as Blogger won't allow me to upload photos today so I will add a link:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2673349
This weeks Hump Day Hotties are ~ Flyer and Fryer the turkeys pardoned by GWB for Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Goodbye ~ I Will Miss You All
I have some devastating news. I hope that you will be able to control your sorrow when you read what I have to say. Don’t do anything drastic. I promise that everything will be ok eventually.
I will not be writing on my blog. I know that you have become like a crack addict. You are always coming back to my blog to get your fix. Writing every day has become tedious for me and I need to break away. At least for a few days.
Did I have you going for a few seconds? Probably not but it made my smile to imagine the shock on at least one persons face.
I am going on vacation to visit my family in Washington State for the Thanksgiving holiday. I have a glorious 11 days with no work. I am so excited I can scarcely contain my excitement.
D and I are flying out tomorrow and are coming back on November 28th. I will at least post my Hump Day Hottie next week but I won’t guarantee anything more than that. I will be busy dammit!!!
I hope that you will keep visiting me when I return (if my plane doesn’t crash or something) so that we can continue this love affair that we have started.
I will not be writing on my blog. I know that you have become like a crack addict. You are always coming back to my blog to get your fix. Writing every day has become tedious for me and I need to break away. At least for a few days.
Did I have you going for a few seconds? Probably not but it made my smile to imagine the shock on at least one persons face.
I am going on vacation to visit my family in Washington State for the Thanksgiving holiday. I have a glorious 11 days with no work. I am so excited I can scarcely contain my excitement.
D and I are flying out tomorrow and are coming back on November 28th. I will at least post my Hump Day Hottie next week but I won’t guarantee anything more than that. I will be busy dammit!!!I hope that you will keep visiting me when I return (if my plane doesn’t crash or something) so that we can continue this love affair that we have started.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Hump Day Hottie
He was born December 30, 1975 in Cypress, CA.
He was a child prodigy who began to play his sport at the age of 2.
In 1978 he demonstrated his skill in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show.
He appeared in a digest magazine dedicated to his sport at the age of 5 and on ABC’s That’s Incredible.
In 1984 he won the 9-10 boy’s even for the Junior World Championships. He was only eight at the time but 9-10 was the youngest age group available. He went on to win Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive winds from 1988 to 1991. He also won the U.S. Junior Amateur title in 1991, 1992 and 1993; he remains the youngest-ever and only multiple winner.
He then won three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles over the next three years, the only person to achieve this feat.
He attended Stanford University for 2 years. His teammates jokingly nicknamed him “Urkel”.
He left Stanford after 2 years to turn professional in his sport.
Shortly after his 21st birthday He began signing numerous endorsement deals including General Motors, General Mills, America Express and Nike. Only Michael Jordan and Arnold Palmer have had longer tenures at the top for endorsements and have made more money overall than this weeks Hump Day Hottie.
In 1997 after his first major professional win he was urged by fellow pro Fuzzy Zoeller not to order fried chicken or collard greens for the traditional Championship dinner.
His racial background is very diverse and coined a phrase to describe his ethnicity - Cablinasian (Cacausian, Black, American Indian & Asian).
His hobbies include working out, boating, water sports, fishing, cooking and car racing. He has never owned an airplane as his sponsor NetJets provides one as part of his sponsorship package.
He married Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model on October 5, 2004. They have no children yet.
QUOTES
"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."
"I am the toughest golfer mentally."
"I did envisage being this successful as a player, but not all the hysteria around it off the golf course."
"I don't know if I even have an aura, man. I just try to win."
"I get to play golf for a living. What more can you ask for - getting paid for doing what you love."
"I'm trying as hard as I can, and sometimes things don't go your way, and that's the way things go."
"If you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?"
He was a child prodigy who began to play his sport at the age of 2.
In 1978 he demonstrated his skill in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show.
He appeared in a digest magazine dedicated to his sport at the age of 5 and on ABC’s That’s Incredible.
In 1984 he won the 9-10 boy’s even for the Junior World Championships. He was only eight at the time but 9-10 was the youngest age group available. He went on to win Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive winds from 1988 to 1991. He also won the U.S. Junior Amateur title in 1991, 1992 and 1993; he remains the youngest-ever and only multiple winner.
He then won three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles over the next three years, the only person to achieve this feat.
He attended Stanford University for 2 years. His teammates jokingly nicknamed him “Urkel”.
He left Stanford after 2 years to turn professional in his sport.
Shortly after his 21st birthday He began signing numerous endorsement deals including General Motors, General Mills, America Express and Nike. Only Michael Jordan and Arnold Palmer have had longer tenures at the top for endorsements and have made more money overall than this weeks Hump Day Hottie.
In 1997 after his first major professional win he was urged by fellow pro Fuzzy Zoeller not to order fried chicken or collard greens for the traditional Championship dinner.
His racial background is very diverse and coined a phrase to describe his ethnicity - Cablinasian (Cacausian, Black, American Indian & Asian).
His hobbies include working out, boating, water sports, fishing, cooking and car racing. He has never owned an airplane as his sponsor NetJets provides one as part of his sponsorship package.
He married Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model on October 5, 2004. They have no children yet.
QUOTES
"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."
"I am the toughest golfer mentally."
"I did envisage being this successful as a player, but not all the hysteria around it off the golf course."
"I don't know if I even have an aura, man. I just try to win."
"I get to play golf for a living. What more can you ask for - getting paid for doing what you love."
"I'm trying as hard as I can, and sometimes things don't go your way, and that's the way things go."
"If you can't laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?"
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Tiger Woods.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Crime & Punishment
A few weeks ago I got into a heated debate with some friends. It originally started as a conversation about the minimum wage and how impossible it would be to try and make it solely on that income. Someone commented that it seems unfair that prisoners have a better quality of life than people that work full time making minimum wage.Some of the comments that were made were along these lines.
They should not have access to the outside world via television.
They should be fed bread and water or the bare minimum to survive.
They should be stacked 6 deep in a cell.
They should work on chain gangs.
There should be no access to medical care or psychological care.
If they are sentenced to death it should be carried out within 48 hours of the conviction.
I will be honest with you. Part of me agrees with some of these statements. It isn’t supposed to be easy. Another part of me vehemently disagrees with these statements and I will tell you why.
If everyone that went to prison was there for the rest of their life than providing the basic minimum for living conditions could be an option.
The fact is that only 1 in 11 prisoners serves a life sentence. The average amount of amount of time served is only 48 months. That means that a convicted felon is released out into society after only 4 years in prison.
What happens in that 4 years will affect how that person acts in society at large.
Here are 2 examples of people who would serve prison time.
James was an upstanding citizen. He owned his own business and was married with children.
He had never been arrested but he had a secret. He molested his daughters for over 2 years before his wife found video tapes of the assaults.
He ran but was apprehended and sentenced to 35 years in prison. He lives in fear every day that someone will find out what he was convicted of and that he will be killed in prison. He works in the music room of the prison and makes 35¢ per hour and receives $8 per month to buy amenities as the rest goes to court costs, reparations and child support.
Bob was driving at night and accidentally fell asleep at the wheel, hitting and killing a pedestrian. He is sentenced to 7 years in prison for vehicular homicide.
Before this he had never been arrested and had never been in any previous accidents. He is a retired iron worker and has been married for 30 years with 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren.
He works at the prison taking catalogue orders and makes 75¢ per hour. He shares a cell with James.
Obviously James deserves to be in prison. Most people would say that he should rot in prison and that to give him more than bread and water and a hole to crap in would be a travesty.
How do you think that Bob should be treated? He is a convicted felon along with James.
James & Bob will eventually be living in society along with the rest of us. Should we treat
them poorly in prison and expect that they will miraculously be an asset to society when released?
Should be treat them as people, allow them to earn small privileges like paying $4 per month for cable in their cell and to purchase things like coffee from the prison store? Is it our burden as tax-payers to provide counseling and other mental health services so that the chance that they become repeat criminals is reduced?
I can honestly see both sides of the issue. I think that prison shouldn’t be a walk in the park. It should be difficult. But at what point do we have to realize that even though they are criminals, they are also people.
If someone goes to prison and is treated like an animal in a cage, what kind of person do you think will be released when he is done serving his sentence?
I have a strong feeling that it won’t be someone we would want to be around.
James was an upstanding citizen. He owned his own business and was married with children.
He had never been arrested but he had a secret. He molested his daughters for over 2 years before his wife found video tapes of the assaults.He ran but was apprehended and sentenced to 35 years in prison. He lives in fear every day that someone will find out what he was convicted of and that he will be killed in prison. He works in the music room of the prison and makes 35¢ per hour and receives $8 per month to buy amenities as the rest goes to court costs, reparations and child support.
Bob was driving at night and accidentally fell asleep at the wheel, hitting and killing a pedestrian. He is sentenced to 7 years in prison for vehicular homicide.
Before this he had never been arrested and had never been in any previous accidents. He is a retired iron worker and has been married for 30 years with 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren.He works at the prison taking catalogue orders and makes 75¢ per hour. He shares a cell with James.
Obviously James deserves to be in prison. Most people would say that he should rot in prison and that to give him more than bread and water and a hole to crap in would be a travesty.
How do you think that Bob should be treated? He is a convicted felon along with James.
James & Bob will eventually be living in society along with the rest of us. Should we treat
them poorly in prison and expect that they will miraculously be an asset to society when released?Should be treat them as people, allow them to earn small privileges like paying $4 per month for cable in their cell and to purchase things like coffee from the prison store? Is it our burden as tax-payers to provide counseling and other mental health services so that the chance that they become repeat criminals is reduced?
I can honestly see both sides of the issue. I think that prison shouldn’t be a walk in the park. It should be difficult. But at what point do we have to realize that even though they are criminals, they are also people.
If someone goes to prison and is treated like an animal in a cage, what kind of person do you think will be released when he is done serving his sentence?
I have a strong feeling that it won’t be someone we would want to be around.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Just Another Manic Monday
You gotta love it when you accidentally set your alarm for 10:50 at night instead of 6:50 in the morning and then you wake up with 25 minutes to get you and your kid ready to go.
I took a shower that lasted about 2 minutes, brushed teeth, got dressed and even had time to get my lunch together and put on makeup.
On a different note, I ended up trying to comfort a friend over the phone until about 1:00 this morning. Why do women always blame themselves for the failings of men? She kept asking me what was wrong with her because her boyfriend cheated on her.
I told her she was asking the wrong question. She should be asking what was wrong with him that he would cheat on a beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman.
By the end of the call I had her laughing instead of crying and she said that she felt "10 times better".
Why do women always take the blame on themselves for the failings of others? Why do we think that we can change people?
I took a shower that lasted about 2 minutes, brushed teeth, got dressed and even had time to get my lunch together and put on makeup.
On a different note, I ended up trying to comfort a friend over the phone until about 1:00 this morning. Why do women always blame themselves for the failings of men? She kept asking me what was wrong with her because her boyfriend cheated on her.
I told her she was asking the wrong question. She should be asking what was wrong with him that he would cheat on a beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman.
By the end of the call I had her laughing instead of crying and she said that she felt "10 times better".
Why do women always take the blame on themselves for the failings of others? Why do we think that we can change people?
Friday, November 10, 2006
Can You Go From A 5 To An 8 On Personality?
Have you ever met someone that you thought was average looking but the more you got to know them the more attractive they became to you?Someone told me that it doesn’t work that way for men.
Just wondering what your thoughts are.
I met someone when I was younger that I thought was kinda cute. It took a while but after I got to know him the more attractive that he became to me. It actually changed what I found attractive to a certain degree.
If you met one of the "average Joe's" that I posted here would you consider dating him? What criteria (looks wise) is a deal breaker for you?I refuse to date someone with bad teeth (cavities or extremely crooked). If I met someone with really crooked teeth that had an awesome personality my opinion might change.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Hump Day Hottie
Graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a BA in Political Science.
Interned at the CIA.
Lived in Vietnam for a year and studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.
Haunted by his brother’s suicide in 1988 he started filming stories from war-torn regions around the globe, including Somalia, Bosnia & Rwanda.
He explains, "The only thing I really knew is that I was hurting and needed to go someplace where the pain outside matched the pain I was feeling inside.”
In 1995 he became a correspondent of ABC News rising to the position of co-anchor of World News Now.
In 2000 he switched career paths, taking a job as the host of ABC’s reality show The Mole.
"My last year at ABC, I was working overnights anchoring this newscast then during the day at 20/20. So I was sleeping in two- or four-hour shifts, and I was really tired and wanted a change. I wanted to clear my head and get out of news a little bit, and I was interested in reality TV—and it was interesting."
He returned to broadcast news in 2001 now at CNN as co-anchor on American Morning and then the weekend prime time anchor.
In 2003 he was made anchor of a fast paced weeknight news program that bears his name.
Was called “the anchorperson of the future” by CNN president Jonathan Klein.
Wrote a book called “Dispatches From The Edge” in 2006 which detailed his life as a journalist and human being in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq etc.
Fun facts:
Started going gray around age 20 and was completely gray by age 35.
Named as one of the Sexiest Men Alive in 2005 by People Magazine.
He was Number 3 on Playgirl’s magazine’s Sexiest Newscasters List.
Son of Gloria Vanderbilt
This week's Hump Day Hottie is ~ Anderson Cooper.
Interned at the CIA.
Lived in Vietnam for a year and studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.
Haunted by his brother’s suicide in 1988 he started filming stories from war-torn regions around the globe, including Somalia, Bosnia & Rwanda.
He explains, "The only thing I really knew is that I was hurting and needed to go someplace where the pain outside matched the pain I was feeling inside.”
In 1995 he became a correspondent of ABC News rising to the position of co-anchor of World News Now.
In 2000 he switched career paths, taking a job as the host of ABC’s reality show The Mole.
"My last year at ABC, I was working overnights anchoring this newscast then during the day at 20/20. So I was sleeping in two- or four-hour shifts, and I was really tired and wanted a change. I wanted to clear my head and get out of news a little bit, and I was interested in reality TV—and it was interesting."
He returned to broadcast news in 2001 now at CNN as co-anchor on American Morning and then the weekend prime time anchor.
In 2003 he was made anchor of a fast paced weeknight news program that bears his name.
Was called “the anchorperson of the future” by CNN president Jonathan Klein.
Wrote a book called “Dispatches From The Edge” in 2006 which detailed his life as a journalist and human being in Sri Lanka, Africa, Iraq etc.
Fun facts:
Started going gray around age 20 and was completely gray by age 35.
Named as one of the Sexiest Men Alive in 2005 by People Magazine.
He was Number 3 on Playgirl’s magazine’s Sexiest Newscasters List.
Son of Gloria Vanderbilt
This week's Hump Day Hottie is ~ Anderson Cooper.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Repost ~ Bathroom Etiquette
I originally wrote this post on my old blog . I went back and read some of the things that I had written and this one still made me laugh so I thought that I would share it with all of my new blogging friends.
I work in a building full of "professionals". That being said, for some reason, people can grow up, get a degree and work in a relatively nice place and still not have even the least modicum of bathroom etiquette.
Here are a few things that I feel everyone should abide by:
If there are 7 stalls in the bathroom and only 1 or 2 are in use, PLEASE don't sit next to me, especially if you have flatulence or bowel movement issues. The metal dividers DO NOT dissipate the smell.
If you flush the toilet with your foot and then it falls into the bowl, I am going to laugh. Not just because you have a wet foot, but because the same people that flush with their hands, also use the lock on the door and you have done nothing to avoid their germs.
If you are using the facilities and you realize that you have left any kind of trace that you have been there (wet toilet paper, pubic hair, period leftovers etc.) clean it up. Seriously people, when I have to walk past 3 stalls because there are pubes, tiny left over particles of brown toilet paper from wiping your butt and it rolling up and falling onto the back of the toilet seat or a random blood droplet, there is something seriously wrong. The only thing that you get a free pass on is if you go #2 and there are streaks. Flush again and if they are still there, you have done your best.
If you read a book when you are in a restroom, even if you try to keep it quiet, other people know that you are reading and they are either feeling sorry for you that there isn't a better place to read, or wishing that they had a book themselves.
When you are finished going to the bathroom and head to the sink, you should actually WASH your hands. Not rinse them and then dry them off to pretend that you actually care for your personal hygiene. Better yet, wash them and then use the anti-bacterial lotion so that when you open the bathroom door that you aren't collecting germs from the disgusting people who only rinsed.
Don't talk on your cell phone while in the stall. Checking voicemail is OK, but don't have a conversation, I don't want to hear it and it is gross to be peeing or going #2 when talking to someone on the phone unless they are a good friend and you warn them first. Plus, it interrupts the readers that are in there.
Hopefully these few valuable tidbits of information can make your next bathroom foray a much more enjoyable experience.
I work in a building full of "professionals". That being said, for some reason, people can grow up, get a degree and work in a relatively nice place and still not have even the least modicum of bathroom etiquette.Here are a few things that I feel everyone should abide by:
If there are 7 stalls in the bathroom and only 1 or 2 are in use, PLEASE don't sit next to me, especially if you have flatulence or bowel movement issues. The metal dividers DO NOT dissipate the smell.
If you flush the toilet with your foot and then it falls into the bowl, I am going to laugh. Not just because you have a wet foot, but because the same people that flush with their hands, also use the lock on the door and you have done nothing to avoid their germs.
If you are using the facilities and you realize that you have left any kind of trace that you have been there (wet toilet paper, pubic hair, period leftovers etc.) clean it up. Seriously people, when I have to walk past 3 stalls because there are pubes, tiny left over particles of brown toilet paper from wiping your butt and it rolling up and falling onto the back of the toilet seat or a random blood droplet, there is something seriously wrong. The only thing that you get a free pass on is if you go #2 and there are streaks. Flush again and if they are still there, you have done your best.
If you read a book when you are in a restroom, even if you try to keep it quiet, other people know that you are reading and they are either feeling sorry for you that there isn't a better place to read, or wishing that they had a book themselves.
When you are finished going to the bathroom and head to the sink, you should actually WASH your hands. Not rinse them and then dry them off to pretend that you actually care for your personal hygiene. Better yet, wash them and then use the anti-bacterial lotion so that when you open the bathroom door that you aren't collecting germs from the disgusting people who only rinsed.
Don't talk on your cell phone while in the stall. Checking voicemail is OK, but don't have a conversation, I don't want to hear it and it is gross to be peeing or going #2 when talking to someone on the phone unless they are a good friend and you warn them first. Plus, it interrupts the readers that are in there.
Hopefully these few valuable tidbits of information can make your next bathroom foray a much more enjoyable experience.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Brokeback Malibu
Let me preface this by saying that I hope your weekend started out better than mine.
The place that I work is open on Saturdays due to contractual obligations. Because the amount of work is lower than during the week we usually only have to work a Saturday every 6 weeks or so. This was my weekend.
I had to be at work at 10:00 on Saturday. I decided to stop and get breakfast before I started so I left my house around 9:15. I drove to my mailbox (about 2 blocks away), stopped my 2001 Chevrolet Malibu LS, picked up my mail and went back to my car. My car wouldn’t start. I tried and tried to get it started but nothing I did worked. It was acting like it didn’t have any gas even though it had half a tank.
I called into work to let them know what was going on and then called my friend Dolly who is very good with cars. She changes her own brakes, rotors, serpentine belts and just about anything else you can think of. She got out of bed and drove all the way across town to come help me.
Of course as soon as she got there the car started with no problem. This is the second time that my car has just decided not to start and since I live on my own with no family in the state other than my son I have to make sure that I have a very reliable vehicle.
We drove into town (she followed me in her car) and went to the car dealership. I decided that it was time to trade in my car for a new one that has a warranty.
They looked at my car for trade in (I didn’t tell them about the starting problem) and they found a lot of engine issues including coolant pouring down my engine.
I was looking at purchasing a Hyundai Sonata because they have excellent warranties and the quality has improved dramatically. Unfortunately I have to keep my car payment below $350 per month and the only option that I had was a Kia Spectra Sport because I have quite a bit of negative equity on my current car.
I was approved for a loan with a 7.40% interest rate and my payment will be $338 per month. I wouldn’t sign the papers until I called my insurance company to find out what the cost would be. My insurance is going up $5 per month so I called the dealership to let them know that I would coming down after work to sign the papers.
I like the car but it wouldn’t have been my first choice. I hope that I am happy with my decision.
Here is a stock photo of my new car. The only difference is that mine is silver, not blue.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Hump Day Hottie
Last week I promised Funny Girl that this weeks edition of Hump Day Hottie would be based on looks only.
I found this absolute hunk on a google image search. All the information that I have on him is that he is an actor and model from Brazil.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Henri Castelli
I found this absolute hunk on a google image search. All the information that I have on him is that he is an actor and model from Brazil.
This weeks Hump Day Hottie is ~ Henri Castelli
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Happy Feet
This year for Halloween I had great intentions of dressing up as Carrie from the movie Carrie. Late last week I was informed that dressing up as Carrie was not “work appropriate” so I had to scramble for another costume.
Thank God that Funny Girl has a great collection of costumes. She has two boxes full of costumes that she keeps for her Improv work.
I have been getting a lot of giggles and smiles today because I have been walking around singing a song that goes along with my costume.
I'm Chilly Willy the penguin...... Cause I'm chilly, chilly, willy all the time.....
Actually the costume is ridiculously hot so I had to take it off for a while. I will make sure that I am in full Penguin mode when I go to D's school for the party.
Thank God that Funny Girl has a great collection of costumes. She has two boxes full of costumes that she keeps for her Improv work.
I have been getting a lot of giggles and smiles today because I have been walking around singing a song that goes along with my costume.
I'm Chilly Willy the penguin...... Cause I'm chilly, chilly, willy all the time.....
Actually the costume is ridiculously hot so I had to take it off for a while. I will make sure that I am in full Penguin mode when I go to D's school for the party.
Monday, October 30, 2006
My Literary Loves
I was tagged by minijonb regarding books that I have read. I am a voracious reader so I hope you like my list.
1) One book that changed your life: You Were Smaller Than a Dot ~ by Glen Giffin. ~ This was my mother’s version of sex education.
2) One book that you'd read more than once: Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M Auel ~ This was the first grown up book that I read.
3) One book you'd want on a deserted island: War & Peace by Leo Tolsty ~ I figure that if I can’t read it then I won’t ever be able to read it. Could also be decent for kindling.
If it could be a complete series than I would take the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.
4) One book that made you laugh: Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell.
5) One book that made you cry: My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult ~ Very controversial book about genetic planning and having babies for health purposes.
6) One book you wish you'd written: Any Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling ~ I would love to write something that instills a passion of reading in children.
7) One book you wish had never been written: The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank ~ I wish that it had never happened at all.
8) One book you're currently reading: In Too Deep by Cherry Adair ~ caught me reading one of my fluff novels.
9) One book you've been meaning to read: Into The Storm by Suzanne Brockmann ~ I have had it on order from the library since the beginning of September.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Morning Conversations
Wednesday morning I was sitting at the coffee table putting on my makeup while D was eating his breakfast and watching the Today Show together.
Out of the blue D turns to me and says:
D: Mom, do you want to have any more babies?
Me: Why, do you want me to have a baby?
D: Yeah, I think it would be cool.
Me: Well, I won't have another baby unless I am married.
About a minute passes by....
D: I know who you could marry.
Me: Really? Who would that be?
D: You could marry MiniJonB.
What? Where did this come from? After a couple of seconds I was able to respond.
Me: MiniJonB and I are just friends. There has to be a lot more to a relationship before you get married. Trust, respect, attraction......
The conversation continued for about another minute and then he dropped the subject. D is realizing that I am alone and he is at the point where he wants me to be with someone. All he knows is me being single. I haven't been in a serious relationship since I was with his father and we broke up before he was a year old.
It's about darn time someone starts matchmaking for me. Even if it is my own kid. LOL
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