I hate everyone-except you!

What Have I Done?

2012-02-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

I finally got a smart phone. It was just after Thanksgiving and I walked into my cell phone provider's store to see when my contract was up. Now, you must know, I was perfectly happy having a phone that I only had calling and texting on. I didn't need all that fancy stuff. But, when I walked out of the store I had a brand new smart phone. I actually told the guy he was a very good sales associate because I typically don't fall for sales pitches but I couldn't resist the shiny, black, smaller and thinner than my current phone, contraption.

As time went on I got used to using it. I hadn't really downloaded any apps since I'm a simple person and didn't feel I needed any. Then, two days ago, I downloaded.......wait for it.........

ANGRY BIRDS!!!! What was I thinking! This is the most addicting thing I have come across since I completed boot rehab (remember last year when I kept buying boots for no good reason other to have a lot of pairs of boots?)!

I'm seriously considering de-installing it. I'm sure I will once I've played all the different versions. I'm getting pretty good at it and I want to beat my highest score before I give up. And then there's always Angry Birds Rio. Kinda curious about that. I'm sure I can handle it.

Do you think there is an Angry Birds rehab?

It's the Little Things in Life

2012-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

Pretty Girl and I needed our Pretty Doctor fix so we headed south. I had found out that there was a miniature museum down there. Actually, like a mile from Pretty Doctor's house. I insisted we go there. The wanted to also.

When I was a little kid a friend of mine had this extraordinarily cool doll house her parents made for her. I was in love with it. I couldn't wait to go to her house to play with it. I was obsessed with small things.

So back to today. We went to the museum and it didn't disappoint. AT ALL! OMG I loved it!

Typical night in Soho.

Toy Store.

Floating Market

My favorite

Oh Christmas, how I love thee!

There was even a Christmas Town under glass!

Then we found some miniatures of our own.

Larger than life day!

Home in record time!

2012-01-25T17:59:00.001-08:00

Well, not really. As most of you know Obama was here today. He was visiting the new Intel plant in south Chandler. The reports were that they were going to close the freeway. They called it a rolling closure, segments at a time. But noooooooo, that's not what they did. They closed the entire 15 miles of freeway at one time. At RUSH MANY HOURS (rush hour is NOT 1 hour! Like Happy Hour is not 1 hour.)! So all those thousands of people had to use the surface streets. Yes, Obama was messing with my commute. I like the guy but he should have realized that I was trying to get home.

That's right, they were all in my way. Impeding my ability to just get the hell out of work and go home. Work has been stressful lately so I was so looking forward to working out. Ok, so it's not actually working out. It's more like walking. But I walk fast and for a long distance. I'm also lifting weights, which makes my arms soar. Yeah, I know, wah wah wah.

Anyway, I finally got near my house when I noticed all the vapor tails in the sky. Vapor trails you ask? Yeah, I know what they are. If you don't, look it up. I couldn't figure out why there were so many of them until I remembered that Obama had it out for me today. They were fighter jets keeping the friendly skies friendly.

I was able to snap this photo. Not such a great picture of all the vapor trails but I was busy at the time trying not to just get a shot of the sun and, you know, I was also driving. Yes, that is unsafe but I had to show you.

So, that's what happened today. Fascinating right?

Rich Folk, not Queer as Folk

2012-01-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're absolutely correct. I have been gone for a very, very long time. I don't know why. I just didn't think I would be entertaining to you. But I was sitting here (yeah, I do that a lot) thinking about the car I bought for Pretty Doctor and Pretty Girl when they were in high school. Not sure why that car came to mind. It was a sweet ride. Don't ask the Pretty's about it. They didn't like it much but it did get them to where they needed to be.

It was a Daewoo. You heard me right, a Daewoo. I used to refer to it as "The ever popular Daewoo." I'm pretty sure most people were jealous of it.

What I was actually thinking as I sit here was when I bought the car. My Grandmother had died and left me some money. I didn't know what to do with the money so after stressing about it I decided to put it in the bank and think about it another day. Then I realized I needed to buy the Pretty's a car to get to and from band practice and to the band room on game days.

After enlisting my BFF's son to find a good, reliable car for little to no money I ended up at a dealership in Scottsdale that had several of the ever popular Daewoos to unload after Daewoo stopped selling in the US or went out of business, I'm not sure which it was. Anyway, I ended up at the Scottsdale dealership with my BFF's husband and the Pretty's. I'm not sure it their son was there or not. It was a stressful evening and I don't do well with memory under stress.

After it was decided that I was buying one I sent the Pretty's out to pick the color. Not a whole lot of choices, they had green and blue. They had a few green and a few blue so I told them to pick out which green or which blue one they wanted.

Now, you have to understand that the whole entire time I was at the dealership I was crying. I always cry when I have to make a financial decision that will cost me more that $100. The salesman was afraid, understandably. My BFF's husband pretended every thing was normal, which added to the salesman's fear. I sent the Pretty's to pick the color because they were really afraid since I couldn't stop crying.

The deal was I was going to pay cash and we would drive the car away. The deal was $8 ,000. When I got to the point of signing the papers the paperwork had the figure of $8,000.02. Ok, if any one knows me, that figure meant they lied on the price. That's right! After all I had gone through ( me crying for 2 hours and my BFF's husband wheeling and dealing for 2 hours) i was not going to let them rip me off like that. You know how car dealerships are, they're always trying to rip you off! Well, they didn't know who they were dealing with (some bawling freak and her 2 poor kids)!

I was half temped to write the check for $8,000 and throw the pennies in the guys face. I was pissed! But then I started to think about it and realized that it was only 2 pennies and the Husband had worked really hard, the Pretty's were already freaked out and the dealership was staying open late to close this deal. I decided to be the bigger person and write the check to include the pennies.

Needless to say, the Prettys and I drove the blue car home, the Husband (and possibly son) went home hoping I would never darken their door again and the dealership had one less Daewoo to unload. Ah, good times.

Tonight!

2011-10-31T12:39:00.001-07:00

So exited!

Where have I been?

2011-10-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

I skipped a whole month. No, I wasn't in a coma, just depressed I'm not at the beach. This has been a very hot summer but I think we made it through. At least I hope so. I also hope I get better at blogging. I'm sure the 3 of you that read this are fed up and don't come here anymore.

I got some very good news the other night. I get to go see Joe Walsh. I can't tell you how excited I am! My very first concert was Joe Walsh in 1975. OMG that was a long time ago! I went to Winterland in San Francisco with my brother and Kevin Rich. I wonder where both of them are today.

Winterland was THE place to go to concerts. It closed in 1978. I cannot even tell you all of the memories I have from that concert. I remember my Mom said I couldn't go because of the reputation of the venue. That's when my brother said he and his friend would go with me. That made my Mom feel a lot better. I never understood why because those two boys were trouble, a lot of trouble!

Any one who was any one played at Winterland. Here is an example.

The concert isn't until the end of the month but I'll let you know how it was.

Beach Blanket Bingo

2011-08-01T19:57:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we didn't play bingo, just a lot of drinking games. Ok, so not a lot of drinking games, just drinking.

You know you're there when you see this...

We just hung a right and then down the street to the beach house. Once inside, right back outside to the deck to see this...

Can't wait to get out there but first we have to unload and put together this...

Coolest BBQ ever! So, then, on to the beach?

NOOOOO! We have to toast the beginning of our vacation! Now on to the beach? Of course!

For a little while anyway. Then back to the beach house for...

And that was just the first night! And no! We didn't finish the box-o-wine but we did finish the 3 bottles of pink champagne.

First beach house sunset (you'll be seeing plenty more of these!).

Then dinner made on the coolest BBQ ever.

Sliders!

I can never take these kind of pictures (even when I haven't been drinking!).

Beer Pong at the neighbors. What is it with people under 30 that don't know how to play Beer Pong right?

Next morning, back to the beach. This isn't something you see anymore, advertisement for Captain America.

Pelicans, sometimes there were 35 or more in the formation.

How many times do I have to remind you that there is no underage drinking on the beach!

Some nights we'd entertain ourselves by playing Yahtzee. This picture is of her Yahtzee, focus people!

Another pretty sunset...

Next morning, back to the beach. But not before...

That's right, orange juice. You know, Vitamin C? There may or may not have been champagne in the orange juice.

Ok, there was. Plus other stuff we drank that evening (this photo is a cumulative account of consumption. No, really!).

Daytime temps, and nighttime too!

We're having some fun now, am I right???

Hell ya I'm right!!!

Sunset (duh!).

Next morning, yeah that's right!

Got engaged. Oh wait! No, we didn't drink that much. Robin let me try on her ring. It added about 10 pounds to my weight so I took it off.

It takes talent to fall out of your chair when you're just sitting in it.

That's all for now. I'll wrap up the rest of the beach house vacation in a day or two.

Aloha

Just you wait!

2011-07-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm at the beach and if you can hang in there for a couple more days you will be in for such a treat of a post! See you soon.

What Can I Say?

2011-07-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

That's the problem, I don't really have anything to say. I know, has the earth stop revolving? I'm sure your thinking "When has she ever not had anything to say?!" It's been a long, hot summer. Maybe that's the problem.

One thing I have been doing is driving to Tucson and back. A lot! Pretty Doctor is away and I've been trying to do some stuff to her house. Mr. Interesting has gone with me once or twice but other than that the drive gets kinda boring. One day I decided to take random pictures of stuff between here and there. I know, not the safest thing to do but which is worse, swerving a tad or falling asleep?

So here are the pictures:

A true junk yard, I wonder if there is even a dog to go along with it?

There are these cool, old motels on Miracle Mile in Tucson. I bet they were a hub of activity back in the day. Plus, they are across the street from the biggest cemetery I have ever seen. I bet that made for some great night antics!

And speaking of cemeteries, here is one for planes. That's right. It's a plane graveyard.

When I first saw this water tower I thought of the old television show Petticoat Junction. Remember how the girls were bathing in the water tower? Well this one has a top, so I guess it's not really like the one in Petticoat Junction. But it is out in the middle of nowhere!

I'm sure this motel was cool back in the day too. It's right by the prison. Interestingly enough, there isn't a sign stating not to pick up hitchhikers!

If you don't like this post then I got nothin'! Hope your summer is going better.

Missing in Action

2011-06-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's me. I've been around, just not here. I did go on a vacation. To Mexico. Eso es corecto!

The place we stayed at was gorgeous. Here's a view of the Sea of Cortez from our patio.

This is a picture of the reflecting pond, then the swimming pool, then the sea.

As you can see, at this point I still needed to work on my tan.

One night the hotel had karaoke night. This one guy was so wasted that he just got up and started dancing. It was hilarious. He danced and danced. Then, when it was over Trish went over and sat in his lap. I had to take a picture of that!

We're not sure why she is pulling on his shirt. Doesn't matter, I'm sure he didn't remember anything the next morning.

There were tons of shells on the beach, all sizes. I brought a bunch back.

The hotel staff left us fresh towels this way....

And this way...

I guess this is done on cruise ships too. Kind of like origami, only with towels.

The place was beautiful. But, alas, we had to leave paradise and come back to reality.

Reality can be so depressing! Adios.

Hey, remember me?

2011-04-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! I've been at a loss of what to post but do I have a treat for you! Pretty Girl was going to march in the Gay Pride Parade with the rest of the Pretty's spinning. They hooked up with an all male (and I think all gay) marching band. Well, I was so envious that I begged her to let me go to. I've never been to, much less be in, a Pride Parade. It was fabulous, to say the least.

Here is the guard warming up. Pretty Girl hasn't spun in a long, long time but she was great. I told her I don't think you loose the ability.

And the band.

I couldn't wait to see Drag Queens! I've always wanted to ask them where they get their shoes.

We got to see Wonder Woman! It was soooo exciting!

Let the parade begin!

Pretty Nieces!

The crowd was amazing. So many people.

The Pretty Guard and their Queen!

The haters were there so the Pretty Guard decided to have their pictures taken in front of them.

We all got sunburned but hey, this is Phoenix, this is April and it was 96 degrees! What do you expect?

She's Sooooo Cute!

2011-03-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about Pretty Doctor or Pretty Girl. I'm talking about Libby!

When the Pretty's were little they wanted a dog so bad. I always told them that I could have pets or kids, but not both. I'm just not capable of taking care of both. Actually, I'm not sure I did a very good job of the kids! Anyway, when they got older I finally caved and got them Libby. They weren't amused. I knew that the dog would ultimately become my responsibility so I got a dog that I knew would behave and not be high maintenance.

I think, over time, the Pretty's came to love her as much as I did. Well, wouldn't you know, both of the Pretty's have moved on and neither has taken Libby with them. Can you believe it?!?! I knew that would happen. I think which ever of the Pretty's I visit next I'm going to take Libby along and then just leave her. She misses them and I know she wouldn't care which of them she would live with. I'll visit Libby. Maybe.

Daffy Duck?

2011-03-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

NO! Daffodils! I look forward to February and March every year because I get to have my favorite flower in my house. Here's how they start out. You can actually watch them open. See, even Libby is excited.

See, they're starting to open. OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!

Almost there!

Ahhhhh. Success. Aren't they pretty? I bet you can't look at them without smiling.

Fleet's In!

2011-02-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

That's what we used to say, sitting on the beach, when I lived in San Diego. We would be hangin' at the beach, minding our own business, when a barrage of sailors would infiltrate and try to start conversations with any and all girls on the beach.

Random story you say? Well, yesterday I was at a strip mall with a friend when I said "Hey look, sailors!" My friend asked if I had been smoking crack, after all, this is the desert. But she turned to where I was looking and said "Oh my god!"

Ahoy, matey. Over and out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is a made up holiday that I hate. But this is the best valentine I've seen (stolen from a blog I stalk):

So What if I'm a Valley Girl!

2011-02-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

So, today at work I was talking to a co-worker when she stopped and said, "I totally heard your California accent when you said that!" I looked at her in horror and corrected her. I said, "Oh, we Californians don't have accents. It's everyone else that does!"

She tried to disagree with me. I further explained that the standard is set in California and everyone else varies from us. She told me that she heard my "Valley Girl" accent. Well, first of all, I do speak "Valley Girl" but it's not an accent. I'm not sure she agreed but it doesn't matter cuz, it is what it is!

Eeeek!!

2011-01-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

I was going through some old emails, getting rid of old unneeded ones when I came across one sent last May from Pretty Doctor. It was about a blog she reads and the blogger posted about spiders. She sent me the link, which I read (stupidly) and then I responded to Pretty Doctor's email with this sentence (I know it looks like a paragraph but it's a sentence):

OMG I so wanted to respond to this post and talk about our spider shoe that lives in the garage cuz it has bad dead spider karma on it and how it had to be someone else's shoe and all the crazy stuff I feel about spiders and how they are just so creepy and on and on but I couldn't figure out how to post and then I don't really want to cuz it makes it all the more real!

Yeah, I pretty much can't deal with spiders at all. Just remembering that response has me hyperventilating.

Texting while driving? I can't even text while walking!

2011-01-20T14:01:00.001-08:00

I just had this text conversation while almost running into a pole, which is eerie.!

Me to Pretty Girl and Mr. Interesting:
Oooh, I think I just saw a hooker going to class!

From Mr. Interesting:
At least she's trying.

From Pretty Girl:
Awesome! Class before work, always.

Me to Pretty Girl:
That's my motto.

To Pretty Girl and Mr. Interesting:
Yeah but if that was me I would choose pole dancing and what is weird is I just had this conversation with someone yesterday.

From Pretty Girl:
LOL, of course you did!

Work, work, work

2011-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

So the holidays are over. It always goes so fast! I have had some criticism about not blogging (Mr. Interesting!).

Well my mind is mush. I am back to working 5 days a week and I'm telling you, it's tuff!! I haven't worked a 5 day week in a month. Mr. Interesting must have a mind of mush too if he has time to visit my blog and notice that I'm not updating it.

I tried the lottery but that didn't turn out so great, as I'm still dragging my sorry ass out of bed every morning to go to work.

Anyway, the state and the rest of the world continue to recover from the events of last weekend. That's good. Our President spoke last night and I think he helped in the healing.

So now what? Well, next week is the first week of school and I am so looking forward to the funny questions the newbies will have regarding their classes. I'll let you know. It's usually pretty entertaining.

To the Pretty Girl Degree!

2010-12-30T14:49:00.000-08:00

That's right, she did it, she graduated. So did The Home Owner. Here are some pictures from an event filled weekend...

Her bedazzled cap and "A" Mountain

The rival sisters

The jumbo-tron

Pretty Girl on the jumbo-tron (top of screen)

Pretty Girl and The Home Owner

The Dynamic Trio

The Prettys

Baby not Bride!

2010-12-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

In March 2009 I posted about Brides in the bar while I was in Vegas. This post is about a baby in the bar. I have only seen this phenomenon one other time and it was in Texas...where you expect such things!

This sighting was NOT in Texas. It was right down the street from my house at the local watering hole. Mr. Interesting and I were sitting there when our mouths dropped open. This mother (and I use the term loosely!) was coming in from the smoking patio (yes, you heard me correctly!) and bellied up to the bar. Then the father (again, using the term loosely) followed close behind with the baby seat.

I know what you're thinking. This can't be! Well, people, here is the proof!

There was discussion between us as to whether there would be "a feeding" but we decided not to go there.

Pretty Doctor at Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's been two long years since Pretty Doctor was with us at Thanksgiving. Luckily she back. We had a great time with great people...

And, as usual, dessert...

I decided to make the spice cake square this year. A week ago or so I was saying that I wasn't going to make the "Cake in a Bowl" this year. There was quite the uproar so I went home to Google the recipe. I found a blog dedicated to how this cake cannot be made. I decided to not even attempt to make it the way the recipe says and chose a pretty bowl to make it in...

I've got to find something else to make for next year because this cake, even in a bowl, is very difficult to make. It has 3 frostings, each never turning out how the recipe says they will. I'm over not being able to make it.

The Holidays Have Been Saved!

2010-11-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

Mr. Interesting was over the other day and I was telling him the problem I was having with my winter trees and how I couldn't find a strand of lights small enough. Genius that he is, he asked if I had checked the fuses. No. So he changed the fuses and they lit right up. The holiday season is back on! The winter trees make me happy.

The Grinch!

2010-11-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Went to see The Grinch with Pretty Girl. We had as much fun as any of the kids. The staff didn't even mind that I took a picture of the stage. Too bad it didn't turn out better...

First Casualty of the Holiday Season

2010-11-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, before you start in, these are NOT Christmas Trees. They are winter trees and we put them up early November and take them down sometime in January or February, depending on how lazy I am. I am a little behind putting them up this year and when I did, this happened...

Awwww! The middle tree's light are out. So now I can either go through each light to find the one that is actually burnt out or I can go buy a new strand. Guess which one I'll do?

Slap Bet!

2010-11-02T19:13:00.001-07:00

Do you guys watch How I Met Your Mother? It's a great show that you all are missing if you're not watching it. In the show they have this thing called Slap Bet. It's the most awesome thing ever.

Well, my jealous friends, Pretty Girl gets to be the "Slap Bet Commissioner." Yeah, that's right! I have never been more envious of her in my life, besides the day she was born and every day since! Ok, well maybe not that one day when she was in 6th grade was wrongly accused of throwing something from the school bus.

My only hope in life now, besides retiring before I die, is to be around when the slap happens.

What do you want from me?

2010-11-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I'm lame at posting! I got nothin' even now. It is November even though the temps are still in the 90s. Now all we have to look forward to is this:

Get Your Rain Here!

2010-10-05T17:39:00.000-07:00

It rained today. Well, more like a deluge! Here's my street:

Here is the closest thing I'll have to beach front property:

Here's the guy trying to unclog the storm drain:

He was not successful.

Clubbin'

2010-10-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's right people, I went clubbin'! My friend Trish was turning 21, oh wait, that's not the right number. Well, it was somewhere around there. Her friend Chris arranged for us to have a table at the new casino and a free room. Free's good!

Trish and I left early on a Saturday morning to take advantage of the pool. The rest of the entourage was to show up later. We made some friends at the pool, cuz we're friendly. Some random guy at the pool. Don't worry, his wife was there too.

We had "beverages" at the pool. Mr Interesting, I think you know what's in here!

Then the rest of the crew showed up and we went up to the room to get ready for the evening.

A good time was had by all.

Or so I was told the next morning.

I'm sure that's right. Cheers!

Idiot!

2010-10-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Some people do the most stupid things. Me being one of them. I have been thinking about all the stupid things I have done in my life and decided to share some of them with you. No judgment on your part, remember, I have blond hair!

You know the tunnel, the one that takes you from 7th Street to 7th Avenue? Well, Pretty Teacher, Pretty Doctor and I always did this thing when we drove through it. The thing was we would hold our breath to see if we could hold it the entire way. Sounds like a harmless competition right? Well not if you're the driver! Only a very short time ago I realized that I could actually pass out due to lack of oxygen and crash the car. So, needless to say, I don't do that anymore if I'm the driver!

How about the time when I was in elementary school. We rode the bus cuz we lived up in the hills. We decided it would be a great idea to lay down in the street at the bus stop to see if the bus would actually be able to stop before the driver ran over us. Ok, we were young and stupid and very much idiots. Hence the title of this blog. The street the bus came down was very steep. Stopping on a dime (or before running over small children) would be pretty much impossible. Luckily, the bus driver was a pro and didn't smash us. He was pretty pissed. I guess he figured he would lose his job if he ran over 2 or 3 school children. I guess we didn't think that far ahead.

Or, how about the time we hid from the bus cuz we thought if the bus didn't pick us up we wouldn't have to go to school. Little did we know the very same bus driver was responsible for us and was very distraught that we weren't there. We never thought far enough ahead to think about what were we supposed to do for the entire day. Our Mom's didn't work so we couldn't go home. Luckily, the bus driver came back after we came out of the bushes. He yelled, we were scared, but we got to school and our parents never found out. Thank you Mr. Bell!

Okay, that's enough for now. I'm feeling pretty stupid.

Nightmares on My Street

2010-09-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

So today at work was a nightmare for me and I wasn't asleep. I kept thinking I needed to wake from it but then would realize that I wasn't asleep and there was nothing I could do but ride it out.

Then I went home to take my daily walk. Now, I need to be clear here that my daily walk is very rigorous. When you stop laughing I can explain that I don't jog anymore because I have already had one surgery due to running and it was not a pleasant experience so I don't want to repeat it. It had to do with the nurses not being confident the doctor knew which knee to operate on so she wrote "no" on the knee not to operate on. When I read the two letters I couldn't figure out what "on" meant. When the nurse explained it to me I didn't have confidence in anyone in that operating room. I was so gleeful when I woke up and realized they fixed the correct knee I almost didn't need the pain medication. I said almost!

Anyway, I walk very fast, work up quite a sweat and it's great cardio. So, as I was saying, I went on my walk. The last third of my walk is along a canal. This is where my second nightmare began. My walks help me decompress from my day. Today, walking the canal I had that weird thing, like nightmares, of looking to the end of the canal and as I kept walking the end kept getting farther away. Seriously, I'm not kidding. It was crazy! You know the feeling, like the walking sidewalks at the airport only they never end. It was not a good feeling.

I don't know how but I finally got through it and made it home. If any of you have any advice on how to wake up from a nightmare that you are not asleep in let me know! Tomorrow's not looking good either.

Food Fight!

2010-08-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well not exactly. More like the fights we have with food. We all have them, right? Ok, maybe me more than others. I have this weird thing with food. Like I can't eat bananas once they start to get the black spots on them. It's a texture thing. I couldn't eat refried beans or guacamole until I was in my 20s. I can tell just by looking at something if I'm going to like it, because of the texture.

Take hummus for instance. I love hummus...as long as it's Trader Joe's 3 Layer Hummus. I don't like the texture of most others. I like the taste, just not the texture, so then I can't eat it.

And white food. I don't eat white food. Well, actually I will eat 4 white foods: 1. White rice. 2. Marshmallows. 3. Mashed potatoes. 4. Ok, so I can't think of the fourth right now. For all I know it's white wine.

Dairy, that I can't have. I'm not lactose intolerant. I can't digest the fat. Or any fat for that matter. Which is why I can't eat fried foods. I love fried foods thought. Who doesn't?

So, what are some of the foods you won't eat? Or, better yet, what was the weirdest food you ever ate (mine was frog's legs, they tasted like chicken, of course!)?

White Coat Ceremony

2010-08-15T17:16:00.001-07:00

Pretty Doctor had her White Coat Ceremony a week ago.

It was very special to be there.

All the important people were there.

We all went back to the Casita for a celebration.

Congratulations Pretty Doctor. Good luck, though you don't need it. You're right where you need to be!

Life's a Beach!

2010-08-02T19:38:00.001-07:00

I had a chance to go to the beach. It came up suddenly and I didn't turn it down. I can't turn down the beach, it's not in me. I am very lucky to have such good friends.

When we arrived I decided we needed to toast with mimosas. What time was it? Doesn't matter. It's like camping, drinking starts at 8 a.m. Oh, and that's the beach behind us. Yeah, I know, you're jealous.

This is how close we were to the beach...

All we had to do was walk down the stairs and cross the beach street. It was perfect!

Oh look, there's the pier!

After a few drinks we decided to walk the beach. Ugh! I guess you can't get away from some things.

Some things you don't want to get away from...

Sometimes you can't quite understand what you are seeing, like the guy dragging a boat bumper down the beach....

The sunsets were amazing...

Our last day on the beach a group of kids showed up and started digging a hole. Ok, whatever. Some people lay in the sun, some play volleyball and some dig. Later that afternoon I noticed that they were still digging. The hole was huge...

Then we started to see emergency vehicles show up. I guess the geniuses that were digging decided to dig a tunnel, which collapsed with this guy in it.

Then the kids were told to fill in the hole.

Idiots!

Oh well, I had a great time. The beach is the best.

TB or Not TB?

2010-07-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

That was the question! Pretty Doctor had to have a few medical tests for Med School, one being a TB test. Here is her result:

Pretty much looks like TB to me! See how swollen her arm is? She went in for a chest x-ray which, for some reason beyond my comprehension, is the determining factor that this result is positive or negative. Luckily, it was negative. Phew! There is a treatment had she come up positive, some medication for 9 months while not consuming alcohol, aged cheese or aged meat. You all know I would never eat aged cheese, or any cheese for that matter, and I could live without the aged meat. I'm thinking aged meat means stuff like salami. I like salami but I could definitely live without it. The alcohol would be another story. I would have to ask two questions: 1) what happens if you take the medication and drink alcohol, and 2) what if you don't take the medication at all?

Anyway, we don't have to worry about it for her.

So, just to be random, when we were down south setting up the Casita (what Pretty Doctor decided to call the Cottage in the West), we ran across this cupcake shop. I like to look at cupcakes so we went in. Pretty Doctor admired the cupcakes while I admired this:

Isn't that cute? I thought so too!

The Cottage in the West

2010-07-11T20:01:00.001-07:00

Pretty Teacher ventured out to CT two years ago and lived in an adorable cottage, actually two adorable cottages. Now that she will become Pretty Doctor she is living in an equally adorable cottage, this one happens to be quite a bit west of the eastern abodes.

Pretty Doctor arrived in AZ on Monday, July 5th after a road trip with Pretty Nurse. I am grateful to Pretty Nurse for flying out to CT and driving with Pretty Doctor so I didn't have to. Actually, I was prepared to pay any amount of money to get someone to drive back with her. Yeah, that's right, I would have sold my soul not to make that drive again. It wasn't the company, it was that I didn't think I could sit in a car while the country passed before my eyes. Plus, there was no guarantee that we would see the armadillo in Oklahoma again.

On the 9th we ventured south, me driving a Uhaul and Pretty Doctor driving her over stuffed coche. Suggestion to Uhaul: Please install cruise control. I am apparently too lazy to try and maintain a steady speed. I had a cramp in my foot trying to do so.

We arrived around 7:30 a.m. We knew the Gas Man was showing up but we didn't know when, so we figured we would be there early, as we didn't want to miss him. I have never worked so hard in my life! We unloaded the U-Haul in about a half hour, seriously. I have never moved anyone with no other help. I was a little worried knowing that it would only be the two of us. We did it with only minimal sweat on all of her belongings.

Pretty Doctor immediately began to sand and paint an old dresser and 3 old coffee tables. They all turned out great. In the mean time I lined all the kitchen shelves and began to unpack her kitchen stuff. Then she and I built her Target dining table, IKEA chairs, some bathroom storage units and set up her bed.

Saturday we woke up so drained. Her desk was build and had the cable, internet and the washer and dryer installed (cable, internet, washer and dryer were installed by professionals, not us, so don't worry!). At this time we realized none of the outlets in the living room and dining room worked which was weird cuz they worked before. The cable guy (not like Jim Carey) tested the outlets. Some were live, some weren't but the live ones wouldn't power any lamp or other electronic device. Huh! So the TV and internet were powered by a big green extension cord from the kitchen. Classy! Pretty Girl and The Homeowner came down for a couple hours with a chair that Pretty Doctor couldn't fit in her car and we left before the store opened to it couldn't go into the U-Haul. The Homeowner installed the reverse osmosis. I threw a load of clothes in the wash and we carried on with the move in.

Suddenly, we realized the kitchen sink was backing up. I ran to the laundry room and it was flooded. We had no choice but to call a plumber. $200 later the laundry room was unflooded (I swept it out and it so freaking hot it dried up in record time), the kitchen sink drained and we were back in business. Then, Pretty Girl and I assembled the BBQ, got a propane tank, filled it, went to Fry's and then made everyone hamburgers. They were delicious!

Sunday we finally got around to installing the blinds and curtain panels. The previous two nights we taped up curtains in Pretty Doctor's room with blue painters tape (again, classy!). We installed 8 sets of blinds and four curtain rods. Each installation was different from the last. This cottage is made of cinder block and very difficult to penetrate. There were four trips to Home Depot Saturday, three trips Sunday and two trips on Friday. They know us by name now (as they should, we spend enough money there!). We were exhausted and began having trouble making decisions, like what time cocktail hour started.

Thankfully we got everything done. I look like I have been beaten from head to toe with a baseball bat but I bruise easily and haven't been questioned by any of the authorities. Plus, the bruises just prove that I didn't sit on my ass for a week. Here are some before and after pics for your viewing pleasure:

The Cottage before move in and after

The mosaic table top made from my old dishes and some tiles Pretty Doctor picked up in Mexico

The laundry room before and after

The folding table/laundry products holder I fashioned(that's right, fashioned!) from an old cabinet and an old door I cut to fit with my jig saw, then covered with contact paper

The living room/dining room before and after

That's Pretty Girl making sure the cable works correctly (And not helping. It's ok, she's pretty!)

The kitchen before and after

Pretty Doctor's bedroom before and after

The Study before and after (so far only Pretty Doctor's desk. The other roommates haven't arrived yet). Pretty Doctor will be upset with this picture. She hadn't organized her desk at this point.

That's about it. There are two other bedrooms but they're still empty. A neighbor stopped by one morning to give us some history of this house. Apparently, the house was a rental and had been Red Tagged (a designation by the police as a party house) and, when the house was vacated, it was used by transients. They broke the windows and would sleep there. That nugget of info explained the never ending supply of glass shards on the ground.

So, if you're ever down south stop in and say hello.

Hell!

2010-07-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

It's hot as hell here. I can barely stay hydrated. Walking in the morning drenches me and it's not refreshing! This is the time of year where it's really hot and the humidity is on. It's horrible. I understand that the mid-west and east have way higher humidity but I don't care about them.

I wish there were drive-ins other than fast food and liquor stores here (Yes, you can drive up to a window and order booze. It's way cool!). I want to drive up to Lowe's and ask for the items I need and them have them load them for me. Or drive up to the grocery store and order my stuff and have them bring out the bags of groceries.

But that's not the way it is. You have to get in and out of the car to do your errands. Between stops is not enough time to cool you or your car down so you arrive home hot and cranky. 115 degrees is just not right!

Collusion

2010-06-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really. I heard that word on the radio today and it reminded me of how much I love that word. I also love saying it. Like Aruba. I love saying it while rolling the "r". But I don't love either of those things as much as I love Tim Riggins! (Wink to Pretty Doctor)

I'm pretty bored these days and am at a loss of what to post. Last night I heard about the earthquake (or aftershock as the media is labeling it) in Southern California. I was getting ready for bed and I just started crying. Even though I don't live in California anymore I still react to earthquakes as if I did. I wonder if I'll ever get over it. So, that made me think to post about what gives us fear.

For me it's earthquakes. And spiders. Spiders are bad. I can deal with crickets and cock roaches if I have to but I can't deal with spiders at all!

Another fear I have, as a result of a dream, is driving in my car with locked doors. You see, I had a dream that I got in a bad car accident, involving my car to roll, and I couldn't get out because the electrical system wouldn't allow the doors to unlock. When I start my car with the doors closed the doors automatically lock. If I start my car with a door open the doors don't lock. So now, I only start my car with a door open. If I forget, I immediately unlock the doors.

I also have a fear of electrical devices being thrown into a pool, while I'm in it, and being electrocuted. Yep, that was a dream too.

I Know You Won't Believe Me...

2010-06-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

And I don't care, but there is a Brown Pelican in my neighborhood. Yep, that's right. I have witnesses. Ok, well some man saw it too, I have no idea who he is.

It doesn't look like this one, it's all brown. I know you're jealous!

Puerto Penasco

2010-05-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Most people call it Rocky Point. I went there last weekend. It was my first time. I had been invited years ago to camp out there in a parking lot but I chose not to. As would anyone in their right mind!

So the journey began on Friday morning. We headed south. First we had to go through the town of Why. There is nothing there so I guess most people ask why would anyone live there.

Crossing the boarder was no problem and we had our passports to get back home. As we got closer to our destination I was a bit worried. I had heard stories of Rocky Point, both good and bad. I had also been warned not to go as it was too dangerous. As you can see I didn't listen.

As we entered the town I was wondering if I had made a mistake. The town didn't look like a place I would have a good time but I didn't say anything. Good thing cuz this is where I stayed.

Nice right? So we unloaded the car and decided to go find food (and beer!). We found it.

Ok, this place is pretty much a dive but it's in Cholla Bay and world famous so now I can say I have been there. The fish tacos were good and so was the beer.

Next we headed to the beach, hung out, then decided it was time for margaritas. We went back to the condo, poured huge glasses of margaritas and went to the pool. After a while we decided to shower and go out. Yep, you got it, for more food and drinks.

We went to this bar, I can't remember the name and actually, I can't remember if I ever new the name. The place was great. The band played all the usual suspects. The music was fantastic. I chuckled at the accent. Some guy at a table in front of us yelled for the band to play Free Bird. I thought that was hysterical. Why would this band play Free Bird and would they even know it? I told the guy I would pay him $5 if the band played it. Huh, they did. They did a fantastic job too! So after, what seemed like a bazillion beers later, we walked back to the condo. I have to admit the walk wasn't easy.

The next morning we went to "Old Port", the older part of town.

We also went here...

Why you ask? Well for beers of course. Oh, and food. We also bought some shrimp to take back and cook for dinner.

Here are my three favorite saying from the beach vendors and the street vendors (in random order):
1. Lady, I've got it! To which I wanted to say "So let me see it!" But I didn't.
2. Almost free for you today. I'm sure!
3. Give me a Mexican minute. To which I did cuz I thought that was so clever. I should have asked him if a Mexican minute is anything like a New York minute. I bought Pretty Girl a pretty silver bracelet from him.

So, as with every vacation, you have to return to reality. Or for us, we had to return...

And we did! Cheers to a great weekend.

Trip the Light Fantastic!

2010-05-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Something weird happened today. Pretty Girl and I were just sitting here, minding our own business. Me, catching up on the latest episode of Lost (yeah, I know, but I've watched it from the beginning and now it's on at the same time as Glee, I can't miss Glee!!) and Pretty Girl was playing some cool game on her iPod Touch.

All of a sudden I here "POP". Really loud. So I say out loud "I wonder what that was!" I keep trying to replay the sound in my head to see if I can relate it to something. Do you ever do that? Like when you are dreaming and you hear a noise that wakes you up. You try to replay it in your head to see if it's something you should be concerned about or if it was just a dream noise. I usually pretend that I'm dead in case it's a robber. That way he won't bother me and go about his business of robbing me and then he'll leave. That may sound stupid to you but I'm not going to be the one to get up and investigate what is going on. I don't have a boy that lives here to do that. You know, boys jump out of bed and declare how they will save you from whatever evil doing is going on.

Anyway, I can only think that the noise might have been a bird that crashed into a window. Then I here it again, POP! I say "What the hell is that!?!?" I jump out of my chair and run to the sliding glass door that goes out onto the patio and look. At what, I don't know yet. I see the neighbors with the dog that barks from the time they leave to the time they come home. (I hate that dog and want to give him some sedative in a piece of cheese but I don't have any sedatives or any cheese.) They are in their back yard doing whatever it is they do back there.

Then I not only hear it again but this time I see it! It's a spark or something. Then I think that someone has thrown some sort of fire cracker into my back yard! HOW DARE THEY! Then it happens again. Then I yell my standard "OH SHIT!" and I run outside to turn off the sprinklers. What is happening is there is electrical by my back gate in case someone wants it to open and close on its own. For some reason it is sparking, arching and smoking. I can't figure out why the wires are live. I then go out to the breaker box and sure enough, the switch is in the on position. Why I don't know. I could have sworn the breaker should have been off. The breaker box has a lock so maybe it was a ghost?

Anyway, I shut off the breaker. I don't even know if that turned the power off to the wires. I'm so confused! The Home Owner suggested I turn all the switches off, then go out and put wing nuts on the wires. Sounds like a lot of work to me, all the clocks that need to be reset and all. I asked if I could just throw some metal tool at the wire to see if they sparked. Either method should work, right?

In case your day has been dull...

2010-05-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

Sooo, yesterday I got all of Pretty Doctor's car tag renewal paperwork returned with a piece of paper stating it needs an inspection that either has compliance or waiver on the document. The Connecticut inspection has the word Pass.

Sooo, Today I call CT to ask if they have any kind of paper work with compliance or waiver on it. It takes me a while to fully explain why the "Pass" isn't good enough. No, they don't. Helpful!

Sooo, I call AZ MVD and tell them the story of how the car is in CT but we want to renew if for AZ and we have the inspection from CT but AZ won't accept it. She tells me I need to speak to AZ inspection. I say I don't think so cuz I already have the inspection it just doesn't have the right word on it. She explains to me that I need to "take" the CT inspection to the AZ inspection and they will convert it. I think to myself "Convert it? How? Like magic?"

Sooo, I call AZ inspection and they said, "Yeah" bring it in. Where are they? 40th St. and Red Mtn 202. Ok, I hop in the car and drive there. I find it, it's right next to the Shriner's Auditorium in case you're interested. Surprisingly, that went really well. I got the "magically converted" AZ inspection paper.

Sooo, then I headed to the DVM to turn the paperwork in. I wanted to go directly there because Pretty Doctor's tag expires on the 15th and she is all ready skating on thin ice driving a car for two years that is registered in AZ. I didn't want any Joe Arpaio type pulling her over for expired tags and fining her, harassing her and then asking for her papers. Oh wait, that's only in Arizona. But she could be fined continually until she registered her car in CT and she only has 2 months left there.

Sooo, anyway I eventually got the tag and ran it to the post office. Hopefully she will get it before next weekend. The way the mail moves across this county will take a magic trick to get it there on time.

Remember Me?

2010-04-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I have been able to blog. My work has been crazy for the last few weeks which has drained all of my energy and when I get home I can't even think of being clever. Someone even told me I was quiet, which as you all know, is not me AT ALL!

Anyway, I have a very lame blog entry for you. Pretty Girl and I have been on a quest (well, a semi-quest) to be able to capture a photo for Fail Blog, People of Wal-Mart or Photo Bomb. I actually have a picture for Photo Bomb but keep forgetting to upload it. Here it is...

That's my friend Dave in the background. Along with Pretty Doctor (formally Pretty Teacher), Gorgeous Teacher, Beautiful Teacher and me (not necessarily in that order).
Pretty Girl and I are a bit afraid to go to Wal-Mart in the wee hours to snap a pic suitable for that site. For one thing, I am old and my wee hours start around 9 or 10 at night! The other thing is I'm not sure I really want to see anyone in person that is suitable.

This picture is not quite Fail Blog but it's the closest thing to it that I have been able to capture...

Yeah, it's pretty lame. I tried to get my camera out in time for the 19 minutes remaining on the 15 minute computer but wasn't quick enough. Really, I was panic stricken at deciding if I should even take the picture.

So there you have it. Hopefully, I can be better at blogging as well as have better blog posts.

TTFN.

I'm totally in love again!!!

2010-04-07T12:39:00.001-07:00

I saw this yesterday and was rendered speechless...

The color doesn't translate well in this photo, it's HOT PINK! The one I saw had a black roof, which I think looks better. When I first laid eyes on it I couldn't move, sort of like what happens to me during an earthquake (I know, not very safe!).

I really don't know what else to say about it but I have to go now and find something to wipe the drool away.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2010-03-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Pretty Girl and I were pulling into the garage the other day and she said, "Home again, home again, jiggity jig." I asked her if she remembered the first part of that rhyme but she said she didn't. I use to say that to both Pretty Doctor and Pretty Girl all the time when they were small.

I got on the internet to find out what the first part was, as I couldn't remember either. Here is what I found...

I only would repeat the first two lines, not saying dancing a jig. I would say jiggity jig. That rhyme also reminded me of the other sayings I used to say to The Prettys. Like when we would see a police officer I would say, "Copper, put your beers down!" They would proceed to put down their sippy cups. Yeah, I know, how horrible right? Oh get over it, it was hilarious! I'm sure The Prettys will deny that ever happenen, it did, they just don't remember...which is probably a good thing.

Flowers

2010-03-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share the pretty flowers I got for my birthday last month. Pretty roses and carnations...

And these beauties...

They just say "Smile!"

It must be an epidemic!

2010-03-25T06:27:00.001-07:00

How do these people do it!?!?!?!

And more importantly...WHY?

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

2010-03-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Nor are we anywhere in the south! Pretty Girl and I were on our way to a Winter Guard show to watch her spinners when we came upon this...

At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. This wasn't even in a rural part of our state. This was right here in town, on the freeway! And I thought the blue mini van was really taking chances following so closely. Then, as we got closer, we saw this...

Oh, I see, it's all one unit. YIKES! Wow, you really have to know how to pack to travel like this. I think if Pretty Doctor decides to haul all of her stuff home this summer (as opposed to selling her possessions) we will look just like this driving across the country. I think if that is the case I'll wear a wig and mask.

Here We Go Again!

2010-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

People, don't we have something better to do with our time? In Colorado Springs the posters advertising the Broadway production of Avenue Q have been removed due to "puppet cleavage." Seriously? IT'S A PUPPET!

I say we take away health benefits of everyone in Congress. Then let's see how long it takes them to pass a health care bill.

Also, can we please stop shooting children?

Ok, I'm done.

I need a Doctor

2010-02-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

It's official, Pretty Teacher is going to be Pretty Doctor! I'm so excited!

I'm a felon!

2010-02-17T18:12:00.001-08:00

Pretty Girl and I went the the Theater last night. We weren't sure we could catch the show but, as it turned out, we scored tickets. Tickets to Mary Poppins. Apparently, the draw to this Broadway Series show is every one's fond memories of the Disney movie. I've seen it many, many times. I even had the piano book of the songs and played all of them. I was best at Feed the Birds.

We had pretty inexpensive tickets and I feared we would be in the upper balcony. My fears were correct. We went up a ramp, up that staircase, walked over to the other staircase, walked up, saw another stair case, walked up that, which led us to another staircase and we walked up that one. Just when we thought we were there, there were more stairs. No problem, I've been working out. I wasn't even winded. What did knock the breath out of me was when we went to the forth row to find our seats. I could not look at the stage. I felt like I was going to fall all the way to the stage. I actually wondered if I could survive if that happened. I sat down as soon as I could and felt as if I needed a seat belt. I figured that would help me stay in my seat and not fall to my death.

Then I took this picture, merely to show you all just how far up we were.

I was immediately confronted by an usher telling me that I MAY NOT TAKE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS, THAT IT'S AGAINST THE LAW AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT! Geez, lighten up. I explained that I was only trying to show how far up we were. Ok, I lied. I really did want the picture of the curtain with the title as well. He was not amused. Are you surprised that my sarcastic side kicked in? I asked him if we wanted me to delete the picture (like I would!). He let me off easy and told me that we wasn't going to insist on it. Whatever dude. This guy is just some student working his way through the largest University in the world, who raised the tuition practically every semester, by ushering people, with no money, up to the nose bleed seats.

Anyway, the show was excellent (even though it was 3 hours long!) and I'm really glad we went, despite the fact that I still feel like I'm falling.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

Do you like Valentine's Day? I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I love flowers and those who know me know I love those stupid little conversation hearts, the original ones, not the shiny ones. I actually read them before I eat them. What I hate about Valentine's Day is all of a sudden flowers are 2 to 3 times more expensive, restaurants charge twice for food and a lot of pressure is put on people to get just the right gift or be judged a loser. That's not right. No one should be forced into giving gifts for any reason.

I remember as a kid in school we would take little white lunch bags and decorate them with doilies, red hearts and markers and then put cartoon themed Valentine cards into the bags of the kids we liked and some that we secretly liked but didn't sign our names. Then, one year it was decided that every student had to give everyone a Valentine card. A list of kids in the class was sent home so parents could supervise their kid and make sure there were enough cards to go around. It became so impersonal. That's when my hatred of Valentine's Day started. Why did I have to give the class bully a Valentine card? Or the mean girl who called me names at the bus stop?

This year I'm glad Valentine's Day in not on a week day. I won't be getting any gifts, flowers or cards which won't be reciprocated and I won't have to be judged because of it. I'm not heartless, I just like to give gifts on my own terms, not on Hallmark's.

Don't Shoot the Messenger!

2010-02-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that the people I work with don't carry weapons. I fear that if they did I would have been shot by at least 3 people today. Ironically, I was only delivering a message. Scary!

Which brings me to this: there are 8 gun bills in our legislation right now awaiting passage. I can't tell you what each one is but one is to not make it necessary to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Oh, that's a great idea (insert sarcastic tone here)! Another one is if you own an establishment and you don't want guns inside you have to have the exact verbiage or display the sign in just the right place or it's invalid.

I'm sorry, I thought we had more important things to worry about. Like the State Budget or Education. I guess I was wrong.

But people, there is good news. One of our people in the State Capital wants to make it legal to buy alcohol at 8 a.m. on Sundays. That's the best news I've heard all day!

I Gave, Did You?

2010-01-25T05:38:00.001-08:00

The American Red Cross, www.redcross.org

CARE, www.care.org

Operation USA, www.opusa.org

UNICEF, www.unicef.org

The Salvation Army, www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf

World Vision, http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/eappeal.nsf/egift-haiti-earthquake-relief?Open&campaign=113655125&cmp=KNC-113655125

Oh, The Tangled Webs They Weave

2010-01-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's right, I didn't weave this web:

A week or so ago, I saw a mysterious charge to my checking account. I found it strange because the charge was to a restaurant in New Mexico. I new exactly where this restaurant was but I had never eaten there. I came to the conclusion that it was just a coincidence that the charge was in a town I had visited.

I contacted my bank to have my card canceled. I was told I could come into the branch to get a temporary debit card until the new card arrived. I was also told I could open a separate checking account, with a very low balance, to use for online purchases to sites I wasn't familiar with. I thought this was a great idea. Then, if my account was compromised, the thief would only get a small amount of money. The bank would reimburse me but they said at least I wouldn't be wiped out, having to wait several days to have the money returned.

So, I left the bank feeling better and would wait for my two new debit cards to arrive. Then I get this email from the bank saying my debit cards had shipped, all three of them! THREE???? Wait, I only need two. So now I have to go back to the bank to find out what happened. My secure feeling has left, as it did when I saw the unauthorized charge. This should be interesting. I'll keep you posted (get it...post-ed?).

That's PM to you, sir!

2010-01-20T07:41:00.001-08:00

At work I help new people find where they need to be. Today I had five of these in a row:

7:00 a.m.
Person #1-5: Can you help me?
Me: I hope so.
Person #1-5: I went to that classroom right there, and my class isn't there.
Me: Ok, let's look at your schedule. Oh, that class is at 7:10 p.m.
Person #1-5: Yeah.
Me: P.M. (Looking into his eyes for some sign of life)
Person #1-5: Yeah (Looking at me like I'm some kind of moron)
Me: Peeeeee Eeeemmmmaaahhhh!!!!
Person #1-5: Oooooohhhhhh. Thanks.

What's the ma ehr?

2010-01-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

I was listening to a man being interviewed today on the radio. He lives in southern England near Cambridge. Apparently, their particular use of the English language doesn't use the letter "t".

Examples:
We say: later
They say: la (silence) err

We say: skate
They say: ska (silence) ee

We say: water
They say: wah (silence) err

I guess when they recite their alphabet they say: q, r, s, (silence) u, v, and so on. Must be confusing to non-English speakers trying to learn the language.

Final Reviews

2010-01-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here are the final reviews of the movies I saw on my vacation.

First up, Whip It. This movie is with Ellen Page, from Juno. It's about roller derby. I remember as a kid watching the Bay City Bombers and wishing I could skate. I grew up in the foothills to the Santa Cruz mountains and we didn't have sidewalks, hence we didn't roller skate. I found it very difficult when I went to Junior High in the "flats" and I would be invited to skate parties. When there wasn't a bar along the edges of the rink I discovered I couldn't embed my fingernails into the block walls of the rink. There was nothing to hold onto and I spent most of the night crawling to the edges to grab something to hold onto to pull my self up. So as you may have guessed, I loved this movie!

Next, Inglourious Basterds. I've never been a huge fan of Quentin but I liked this movie. Probably because the bad guys got what was coming to them. And, in case you're wondering, I don't mind gore that much.

Moving along...I did see a movie that isn't out yet. I feel I can't review it for you as I don't want to get my Hollywood connections in trouble for including me in the screening. Maybe next week.

Then I saw Up In The Air. This was a good George Clooney movie. I feel like he and Sandra Bullock are similiar in that they make some really good movies and some really bad movies. This one was good, but don't be decieved, the ending isn't very uplifting. I found I was arguing with myself about the ending, but all in all, a good movie.

Next, The Hurt Locker. This movie was released last January and I had never heard of it. It is another movie that doesn't have a happy ending but was a very realistic account of what war can do to people. I was extremely surprised to find this movie was written and directed by a woman. Not that I don't think a woman is capable of good work but I guess I still am under the misconception that women don't see much combat. Well, not really combat but what really goes on over there. I don't want to spoil it but don't see this film if you don't have nerves of steel.

The next movie I saw was Away We Go. This came out a while ago but I missed it. It's about a pregnant couple who travel around the continent trying to figure out where to raise their child. It stars Maya Rudolph from SNL and John Kransinsky from The Office. I liked it. It was a little quirky but it worked for me.

I finally got the correct movie time to see A Single Man and Pretty Girl went with me to see it. We both love Colin Firth. This movie is set in the early sixties. I love to see what set designers and costume designers do with the early sixties and they did not disappoint. This movie also is in the category of not a happy ending but I did enjoy the film, a lot!

And last, but not least, I saw It's Complicated. I liked this movie a lot. I love Alec Baldwin even though you see him shirtless, and he's not in the greatest shape. I don't judge. Meryl Streep's character and Alex's character are trying to figure out if they should get back together. John Kransinki is in this movie too. I found his character a bit slapstick-ish but it's a very funny movie and I think most people will enjoy it.

So the only movie I didn't see, that I wanted to, was Up. There's still time. We have a three day weekend coming!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

And I do mean it. Will you be saying two thousand ten or twenty ten?

I have heard many people say that they hope this year is a lot better than the last. I hope they get what they wish for. I didn't think 2009 was so bad. Although, I'm a little uncertain about 2010. As I sit here watching the Rose Parade (the bull dogs snow boarding were awesome!) I am also reading the paper. I have to tell ya, I am shocked and appalled at what is still going on in this country. Here is a recap:

In Hemet, CA police discover someone has piped in a gas line to blow up a gang task force building. (Wow, no one ever saw any of that work being done?)

In Gainsville, FLA a detention officer is fired for being a member of the KKK. (Huh, I guess he didn't see that as a problem, being in his position. On the other hand, why is it not illegal for the KKK to be a club you can join in?)

Rapid City, S.D. authorities found a passed out woman with a blood alcohol content of .708%. That's nearly NINE times the legal limit! (Surprising she didn't freeze to death, oh wait, alcohol doesn't freeze!)

People, you can't make this stuff up. So, go out and make it a great year and please don't make me read about you in the newspaper!

Movies

2009-12-31T20:18:00.000-08:00

I saw movies! In keeping with my tradition of seeing as many movies as I can while I take a break from work, here are the reviews. Yes, I know you have been on the edge of your seat waiting (and if you weren't please keep it to yourself, I like to think I have some importance in life).

First off, Precious. OMG do not see this movie if you don't want to be depressed for the rest of your life. On the other hand, if Mo'Nique doesn't get an Oscar for her performance then there is nothing right in the world.

Next, I saw Brothers. This movie wasn't really uplifting either. It's about the horrible things that happen when you fight in a war. It was good to see Natalie Portman. I have always liked her.

Moving on... 2012. Now that I'm writing about these movies it doesn't seem like I saw anything with a good message. Just wait. Anyway, I don't think the world will end in 2012 so I wasn't afraid to see this movie. I really wanted to see the special effects. They were awesome! Oh, and the world didn't end at the end of this movie for all of you who missed the movie. I don't think that spoiled it for you.

Next stop, Avatar. This movie was excellent! Really, really excellent. I went with Pretty Girl before Pretty Teacher came into town (which PT wasn't too happy about!). We both loved it. We didn't see the 3-D version. If you haven't seen it I recommend you see it in 3-D. Pretty Teacher went to see it last night and said the 3-D effects were incredible. I can't recommend the 3-D IMAX experience because I'm afraid it may make me sick to my stomach. If you have a strong stomach it may be the way to go.

I love a movie that points fingers at wrong-doers and this movie makes it's point on many levels. Not sure the conservative crowd will think the same.

After Avatar I saw A Christmas Story (see previous post).

Then, I watched 500 Days of Summer. Meh! Pretty Teacher liked it. I thought it was just ok.

Next up...All About Steve. Yeah, I know, it looked stupid and it was. I just thought I would give it a try. Sandra Bullock can never make two good movies in a row. I mostly watched it for Bradley Cooper. Nothin' wrong with him!

The Kingdom was the next movie. I was pretty sure that I had seen this movie before but I thought I never finished it. Well, I had finished it but it was fun to see the familiar sights in the movie. This movie wasn't uplifting but the good guys did prevail. Yay! I love when that happens.

The Pretty's and I drove up to Scottsdale to see A Single Man. It's not widely released yet. Well, I got the time wrong and didn't feel like waiting around so we drove back to our part of the valley and saw Did You Hear About the Morgans?

I had heard this movie wasn't very good but I love Sarah Jessica Parker and High Grant. I liked this movie. It was pretty good. Sam Elliot is in it also and he was always a favorite of mine in westerns. Hugh Grant is always funny. The Pretty's and I were trying to figure out if he's funny because of his accent. I say it's his sense of humor and wondered if he contributed any dialog.

Last, but not least...Invictus. When I first started watching this movie I was wondering who the Captain of the rugby team was. Then I realized it was Matt Damon. I really liked this movie. Since I didn't know much about this historic era I didn't know the outcome. I was glad it came out the way it did.

Well, that's it for now. I still have some time left before I head back to work. Maybe I can squeeze a couple more movies in before then. It didn't seem like this holiday movie season was as good as last year and I'm still wondering where the heck is Will Smith?

It's Official!

2009-12-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

I know you will find this hard to believe but I have never seen the movie A Christmas Story. I know, I know, but you have to understand that I don't have cable. I have heard stories that it plays around the clock Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or something like that on cable. I'm not sure why one would want to watch it over and over again but I guess enough people do.

Tonight, Pretty Girl is getting together with the Home Owner and his family and she said they were going to watch it. Well, not to be out done, I said I would find it on the Internet and finally see it. And I did. And it was good. And it was funny. I thought that the whole BB Gun scene was anti-climatic. Once he got the gun, that he had been obsessing over for so long, and shot the one shot that was about it for the gun.

My favorite parts were when Ralphie beat up the bully, Randy eating like a pig and the wait-staff in the Chinese restaurant singing Christmas Carols.

So for all of you that have cable, don't watch A Christmas Story over and over and over... it'll put your eye out!

When Adults do Child-like Things

2009-12-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

One day at Costco Pretty Girl asked if we could make a Gingerbread House. It was so sweet that she still wanted to do such things at her age. Of course I bought it. Then, a week or so ago, the Home Owner and Pretty Girl sat down to start the assembly. I, of course, looked on giving my opinions, which I'm sure only annoyed them.

The tree turned out to be a little stubborn...

We all tasted the broken pieces and they were surprisingly good!

The kit came with everything you need, lots of candy...

Pretty Girl used her steady hands and artistic talent to carefully apply the frosting...

As you can see, adults have the same attention span as children and we all soon got bored with the project. This is as far as they got and we were all good with the unfinished result. It's all good!

Oh My God I Can't Stand it Another Minute!!

2009-12-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know we don't get a lot of rain but GD Arizona, is weather really (REALLY!) the top story of the news??? Tonight it was the top story for 10 freaking minutes. I can't stand it. I know for a fact that there are more important things to talk about than a little rain. There, okay, I said it. A little rain. The news stations have been talking up this storm for a week and I have to tell ya... I'm a little disappointed. I don't think it rained that much. We'll see if tonight's storm brings more that wind.

Some Holidays AND Cake in a Bowl

2009-12-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

We did celebrate some holidays at my house, I just haven't posted about it. So here you go...

Pretty Girl and the Home Owner carved up some Pumpkins for Halloween.

We had the usual Thanksgiving and I wanted to make the same cakes I did last year. One reason was the toffee cake came out perfectly last year so I wanted to have an old standby.

The other reason was because my beautiful Chocolate Peppermint cake ended up in a bowl last year. All was going good until it started to break apart and slide off the plate. I thought I used the wrong cake pans, well, ok, I did use the wrong cake pans so I wanted to make it with the correct cake pans. Our favorite pastry chef lent me the proper pans and I baked the cake. It was a little iffy cutting the two layers in two but I accomplished that.

Here is the infamous bowl, on stand by, just in case.

Here is the chocolate and white peppermint ganaches...

And here is the marshmallow-like peppermint frosting. That's right my friends, there are three, count 'em, three frostings!!

And then, all of a sudden, BAM!! All hell broke loose, I couldn't take pictures of it cuz my hands were busy, so here is the finished product...

That's right, Cake in a bowl. DAMMIT! I'm not sure this cake can be made without it. At this point I don't care. This is what I did with the recipe...

And here is Pretty Girl holding it while we drive to our Thanksgiving feast...

Everyone loved it. They said they didn't want it any other way but in the bowl. So they all got there Thanksgiving wish. I will never attempt this concoction again. Next year...something new and different, I'm thinking a pumpkin chocolate dessert. We'll see.

AND ANOTHER THING....

2009-11-24T06:53:00.000-08:00

Why is it that a television program is listed as starting at 8:00 p.m. and it actually starts at 7:58 p.m.? That is not 8:00 p.m. Just so you know!

MJ

2009-11-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

So, I went to see This is It, the Michael Jackson movie. I have to tell you, it was awesome. He was amazing! He really was a genius. It made me sad all over again that he is gone. I think, if that movie comes out on video, I'll buy it.

The movie was about the rehearsals he did before what was to be his last tour in England. I guess all the shows were sold out. His producer called him MJ. Just the other night I watched the interview with Janet Jackson. She called him Mike. That seemed strange to me. No reason really.

When Michael rehearsed with his back up dancers they were more winded than he was. He always was a skinny adult but it was fascinating to me that he might be in better shape than the dancers. He always seemed to sickly. And what was up with the tape on his fingertips all the time? That always bugged me.

They were re-doing a great video for Thriller. Who didn't know how to dance to Thriller, or wish they could? He still had Vincent Price as the voice over but they filmed all the Zombies and dead people in 3-D. Very cool.

He was an amazing person, strange, but amazing. He will be missed.

Secret Service

2009-11-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's time to get serious. I've been pretty bored lately, as you could tell, no good posts, or any posts for that matter. Now, I have to tell you KEZ started their Christmas music today. it's been this huge secret. Thank god they didn't start it the first of November. It was a complete secret as to when they would start that. I'm okay with telling you, I'm not ready for it, I think because of the weather. I drove home tonight and saw Christmas lights in the neighborhood. PEOPLE, IT'S NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING!!

You all have to help me out. I'm pretty sure the holidays are going to creep up on me and I won't be ready. Which is really weird, I'm usually all over the holidays. But the weather has really thrown me for a loop. It's really not holiday weather.

Work is so cold in the morning that we all huddle in a mass. Then in the afternoon we are fine. This happens every year but we seem to forget the the Phoenix Metropolitan area can have a 40 degree difference in the winter and a 20 degree difference in the summer.

Whatever. I'm not ready for the holidays and that's all I can say!

Baked or Fry's?

2009-11-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

I can't figure it out. I'm very stressed that my neighborhood Fry's will inconvenience me if they strike Friday. Safeway may strike too. I don't want to have to shop at Alberson's. I'm not a fan. I know the stores won't close because they are hiring people at $9.50 an hour to cross the picket line and work.

I agree that Corporate shouldn't make them pay between $5 and $15 a week for health insurance when they have never paid for that before. Most of the checkers make between $7 and $12 dollars an hour (according to the media) and that added expense seems too much. They should be eased into it.

Since I hate to grocery shop I'm afraid if I go into the store and fill my cart the long lines will make me just walk out, even though I need the essentials (like low fat wheat thins, coffee creamer and dry roasted peanuts, possibly milk for Pretty Girl). I did that at Costco the day before school started. The lines went all they way back into the books! That's too many people.

I'm not good in a crowd or at the mall. Crowds make me feel clostrophobic. I always feel I'll never get out of there. I have a fear of gas stations too. I'm afraid I will fall victim to a drive by shooting. I can't explain it.

So I'll just wait and see what happens. In the meantime I'll stock up on the essentials tomorrow, Veteran's Day. Good thing I'm off work.

What's Scary?

2009-10-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

So I changed my Facebook profile picture to Cousin Jim from the new Jack in the Box commercial.

Pretty Girl said it was scary and Pretty Teacher dislikes it. I happen to adore Cousin Jim. I don't know why! Probably the same reason I was so enamored with Heath Ledger as Joker in the Batman movie.

He looks good to me!

I remember when the Pretty's were younger and they wanted to watch a scary movie. I rented the Birds by Alfred Hitchcock.

That movie still scares me and I can't ever see birds on a power line without getting the chills. I'm not too fond of seagulls either! Anyway, they didn't think it was scary at all.

I guess what's scary to one person isn't necessarily scary to the next. For instance, some people love William Shatner. I can't stand to look at the man! He scares me!

I guess with Halloween coming up there will be way more scary stuff to look at. I'll let you know.

Soap on a Rope

2009-10-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

The other day I overheard someone say soap on a rope. It made me thing back to when I was a kid and all the Christmases that I got soap on a rope and how cool I thought it was. But now I'm thinking what was the purpose of soap on a rope and why were kids so happy when they got it?

Pretty Teacher Trip

2009-10-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

I went to Connecticut, on a plane. This is quite a feat for me since I hate to fly, but it is faster than driving! Anyway, I went to visit Pretty Teacher. One can't fly directly to her or even into her town. I flew from Phoenix to Baltimore and then from Baltimore to Hartford. Pretty Teacher lives in the same town Yale is in, which is about an hour drive from the Hartford airport.

This is a picture of the private jet I wished I was in when this man sat next to me on the plane who didn't smell very good.

I took a lot of pictures from the plane of all the pretty trees. We don't have that here in the god forsaken desert. Sure, you can go up north to see the trees turn color but it only lasts a couple hours. Yes, I know, that is a slight exaggeration.

Pretty Teacher picked me up from the airport and we began the drive to her town. Hartford has this odd building so I thought I would take a picture of it. Locals call it the Aladdin Building.

We arrived in her town and I think I took a picture of every tree there. No, I won't make you look at them all but here are a couple.

I also took a lot of pictures of the houses because they are so different for the stucco and tile houses here. And yes, I am going to make you look at all of them.

We went downtown to walk around. When work is being done on a building it is wrapped with netting so falling debris doesn't hurt anyone.

We parked and walked around Yale.

This is the freshman dorm at Yale.

This is the oldest building on the Yale campus.

Oh look, more pictures of trees!

One morning we got up and drove to an apple orchard where you pick your own apples. This is the road to the orchard.

This is Pretty Teacher in the cart that is pulled by the tractor that takes you out to the orchards.

And here she is picking apples.

Here is a picture of a frog that I thought was a leaf until it started hopping.

We picked two big bags of apples. Many of you are probably wondering what in the world were we going to do with two big bags of apples. Well...

There are still a ton of apples left. I think Pretty Teacher is beginning to make every meal with an apple theme.

Oh look, more houses.

And of course, more trees!

Pretty Teacher's roommate and boyfriend got a pumpkin while they were out and began to carve it.

We went to a party at one of Pretty Teacher's friends. Here is the whole gang.

This is Pretty Teacher and her BFFs.

What a surprise, more trees!

I had a great time and wish it wasn't so far away or that the airlines would make it more affordable to fly. Seriously, can the airlines not figure out that if they lowered their prices more people would fly?

Was today Monday!?!?

2009-09-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Oh my god, what a day! It started out a normal day, doing my work, going thru the mail, drinking my tea. Then, cuz I drink a lot of water and tea I needed to use the restroom. When I went in I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye flying around, like a moth or something. As I looked around, I saw nothing. Ok. So then as I am zipping my pants (sorry so graphic) I see by my foot, my sandaled foot, a BLACK WIDOW!!!!

I moved my foot, my sandaled foot, away from it and it moved with me, like the web was attached to my pant leg or shoe!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I am freaking out! I immediately stomp the crap out of it. Seriously, the first stomp killed it but I continued to stomp the sucker. Then I felt something in my hair. OH MY GOD!!!!! I run out of the restroom (by the way, this is 6 a.m. and I am the only one in the building except the custodian). I run to her and in a frantic voice ask her if there is a spider in my hair. She is a little confused and says "No." Then I begin to explain to her what just happened to me so she decided to take another look at my hair. Still nothing, which is good, except that I felt like bugs are crawling all over me. I then explained the mess I left in the restroom and that I was sorry but I couldn't go back in there. She understood and took care of it for me.

So then, I'm waiting for Pretty Girl to call me when she came home from the University Clinic so we could figure out who had the least expensive price for her inhalers. It's the most expensive prescription ever. We figured Costco was the cheapest since they told me it would cost $110.00 as compared to Fry's where they charge $250.00 and the clinic charges $170.00. This is about the time I realize that I forgot my phone at home so I go onto the T-Mobile website to send her a text from my computer to tell her to call me. Isn't it great that you can do that? NO! Cuz she never got the text. So I called her at home and we decided that I needed to come home to fill the prescriptions at Costco. So I go to Costco and they inform me that the prescription isn't $110.00 it's $170.00 and they don't know why I was quoted a different price (of course!). Anyway, I then remembered that I had a $10.00 off coupon but left it at home, along with my phone! I can't even call her to find out which form she usually gets of the other prescription. Luckily, they had a coupon that gave us $35.00 off. Yay!

So I finished up a Costco and came home to explain the whole ordeal to Pretty Girl. She said I guessed right about the other prescription and we were both grateful for the better coupon. I then changed to go on my daily walk. Halfway thru my walk I had to turn around and come home cuz I had to use the restroom. Dammit! So I went back home. Then I decided that this day, this day that feels like a Monday, isn't going to get the better of me so I went back out and completed my walk. Now I can hardly...walk that is!

I've Given Up Hope

2009-09-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I know this is totally random but why will the Hope Diamond be reset? I know the setting it is in now is somewhat old fashioned but what difference does that make?

There was a contest and people could vote on the new setting. I've seen the new setting and I think it looks just as old fashioned as the one it's in now. Plus, the new setting is just plain ugly.

The 45.52-carat blue diamond puzzles scientists because of the fiery red glow it gives off for several minutes after being exposed to ultra-violet light. Scientists refer to this phenomenon as phosphorescence.

Fast Forward to Flashforward!

2009-09-25T16:32:00.001-07:00

OMG! Did you watch Flashforward?

This show is nuts. The whole planet passes out for more that 2 minutes...except one person! This show scares the crap out of me. Kinda like Jurassic Park did. You know, cuz it could really happen, right? Johnjay from Johnjay and Rich thinks that this show and Lost are some how going to be linked because of several clues revealed. I did notice a couple cast members from Lost are on Flashforward. This freaks me out even more. I don't know what else to say people, but you need to watch it. It's for your own good.

Under Where?

2009-09-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

I thought it was over. I thought we were safe. How could I have been so wrong? I was driving home from work the other day to find this...

I thought we were past this, I thought it was a faze. I was terribly wrong, unfortunately! I wanted to roll down the window and shout "Hey buddy, chicks don't dig that! You are a moron!" but I didn't.

I don't understand the logic. Is there logic to this fashion statement? Well, it might be a statement but it can't be deemed fashion. First of all, how do the guys walk with their pants that low? It can't be comfortable, knowing that in the blink of an eye bad things could happen. I don't get it but I know one thing is for sure, I don't want to see any more of this...

Kinda Dissapointed

2009-09-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

So, I've been looking forward to the premier of the new Melrose Place. I loved the old one, so scandalous! It was on last night and I gotta tell ya, meh! If they took out the endless commercial breaks I bet the show's run time was only about 30 minutes. Lame!

Oh, the things we saw!

2009-09-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I've been slacking in the posting but here goes...

So the other day I saw something that I had to have Pretty Girl confirm. Out my kitchen window I saw Creepy Boy's Dad up on a ladder trimming his palm tree with a chain saw on a stick. I was wondering if I should stand at the window with the phone dialed to 9-1, waiting to enter the last 1. Pretty Girl responded that she's sure 911 is on speed dial for them... after the drug OD and the hip incident.

Hopefully, you all know the story of the drug OD and the hip incident but if you don't, to make a long story short, the drug OD was a drug buy gone bad that included the police and the hip incident was when the Dad fell by the side of the pool and broke his hip but doesn't have insurance so he couldn't stay in the hospital long enough nor could he afford therapy so he walks around with a really bad limp.

And then there was the incident where Creepy Boy was tazed in our front yard cuz he was so high he charged at the authorities. An ambulance carted him swiftly away. He now lives in some home for drug addicts that never recover and only visits on holidays. Did I mention he is bi-polar and has depression?

And, every night, while Creepy Boy still lived there, the Dad would start up his piece-o-crap Honda with no muffler, back it out of the driveway scraping the bumper and would return in a few minutes, scraping the bumper, with a suit case of whatever beer was on sale at Fry's.

So anyway, Pretty Girl and I were returning home the other day to find this...

As you can see, the Dad had to get two ladders. The top one he is teetering on. We said "Good God" at the same time (and then pinky swore!). I didn't know whether to go in the house and hide and hope I never heard "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH splat" or turn around and leave the neighborhood indefinitely!

And, so while Pretty Girl and I were out doing our errands, we went to Payless Shoes (it was bogo, we never miss it!). As we pulled up we saw this...

Again, I had to have Pretty Girl verify what I was seeing. All I could think was "How the hell did the truck get there and why is it parked in my space!?"

What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Part Deux

2009-08-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

So when Pretty Girl and I got back from Indianapolis we did laundry. Boring? Noooo, we did laundry cuz we were going to SAN DIEGO!!!!!! Woo Hoo! Let the real vacation begin!

Pretty Girl didn't mind the drive very much - cuz she slept through most of it! My favorite part was the boarder stops and being asked if we were citizens. I wanted to say "What business is it of yours!" but we decided Boarder Patrol Agents probably didn't have the same sense of humor we do.

Anyway, we stayed at Ocean Beach in a hotel across the street from the beach. The hotel room was small but adequate, we had a fridge for my wine so I was happy.

The first morning we walked out on the Ocean Beach Pier. It pretty much smells like urine. I think the homeless use it for their bathroom at night.

Then we layed out at the beach even though it was overcast. Hey, it wasn't 112 degrees, which is what was happening at home! We chuckled at the surfers. Get a load of the size of the waves.

We then went and picked up Stephen and went to eat at a Mexican Restaurant in Pacific Beach.

This was my favorite sign in Ocean Beach.

This sea gull was really pissing me off cuz he kept staring at me. I think he thought he recognized me from somewhere.

Sometimes I think I'm a good photographer.

We went to Belmont Park to ride the roller coaster cuz we do every time we go and we ate a corn dog cuz if we bought one we got one free. You don't have to ask me twice!

We then walked down the beach walk to find the place we stayed 5 years ago. We found it.

Meanwhile, back at Ocean Beach, this kid was so cool. We couldn't wait to see him surf. He had all the gear and the attitude.

Till he went into the ocean ...

Here is Pretty Girl sipping a margarita.

Then some random guy off the street came up to her and handed her a note, his phone number, and asked her to call. I'm not sure what the outcome of that was. (Just kiddin' Doug)

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. We had an uneventful trip home even though I wanted to mess with the Boarder Patrol.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

2009-08-19T17:49:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I'm a piece of crap. I haven't posted in an eon. Lazy I guess. Anyway, here it is...

I flew to Indianapolis to watch Pretty Girl perform in the DCI World Finals at Lucas Oil Stadium. I went with some very good friends and had a blast with my Roomie watching the most interesting late night television on TLC (I can't believe the reality stuff on there!). We stayed on Arizona time even though we were in a time zone that was 3 hours later.

Here is the stadium. It was pretty impressive but they could use some lessons on crowd control.

We stayed across the street from the stadium and the downtown area started a block north of us. There was a mall and many, many other shops and restaurants (and drinks!).

It was fun sitting on the patio of Alcatraz Brewing Company cuz we saw a lot of members hanging out downtown. Two of these people have lived at my house at one time or another.

The downtown area had several horse and buggies to move people around. Kinda like Central Park.

Teal Sound was warming up in Monument Park (I think that was the name of it).

This was some sort of daycare outing. If you look real close you can see that all the little munkins were tied together.

Indianapolis is also the capital.

The city also has this cool fountain/museum.

It's also where the Mounted Police water their horses. These horses were huge!

The city is also home to White River State Park. It's a very cool park where the zoo is, a museum that has art on the outside as well as the inside and waterways where you can rent paddle boats. It also had this park bench with this odd green bug that I made my Roomie sit on. You can tell she didn't really want to.

There were a lot of related festivities going on in the park including Purdue University's Drum.

At World Finals members are allowed to perform individual and ensemble performances for medals. Pretty Girl and Kate performed in the category of Dance Ensemble. They won the gold medal for a perfect score, which, apparently, has never been done before. I couldn't be there so I had to take the pic from her Facebook page, hence the size.

After the Medal Ceremony is the Age Out Ceremony. That's when all the members of all the corps go down on the field to wish everyone well as this was their last year to be in drum corps. There is also a tradition that they "leave something on the field", a symbol of no regrets. Pretty Girl left her false eyelashes. Anyone who knows Pretty Girl knows this was the perfect thing to leave behind.

So the corps did better than last year, which is good.

Whew! That was a long post and that was only half of my summer vacation. The second half I'll save for another time.

UFO?

2009-07-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

No, the International Space Station. Pretty Teacher and I watched it orbit across the sky tonight. It was very cool!

Apparently I have no life!

2009-07-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday Pretty Teacher and I bought the live webcast of the DCI Atlanta show. That's eight hours of our lives that we will never get back. We decided to cut the boredom and give our input of each corps because who wouldn't want our opinion? Now we will make you relive it. If you don't care about drum corps, stop reading now and get on with your life.

Alliance – Exhibition. Pretty Teacher (PT) said meh, I thought they were boring, I left to do laundry.
Atlanta Corps Vets – Another exhibition. They were really old and had bad music. PT kinda like em for still getting out there but I felt they were wasting my time.
Cascades – Decent drill, pretty good music, fun to watch, some timing issues, got a little boring
Jersey Surf – I like that they got loud, PT thought they got blatty, meh music, lots of drill but not always clean.
Pioneer – PT thought they were boring but had a pretty ballad.
Pacific Crest – Pretty good start, cool drill, made a star, clean too, we like them.
Mandarins – PT thought it was well done but boring , I got bored and looked up rankings.
Madison Scouts – We don't like the all male thing but they are good, fast,clean, cool drill, good music and sound, good guard.
Spirit – First impression – dumb, well executed but bad music, guard on and off, Scouts are better.
Crossmen – Good, cool drill, like the music, Scouts are better.
Colts – Decent
The Academy – I said flags were dirty in first half, PT said guard looks good in white, great ending, like the changes, stronger sound, first corps that made me say awesome.
Troopers – Too cutsey and boring
Glassmen – Did well bu,t eh
Blue Knights – Did well but eh too.
Blue Stars – Stupid boxes (props), did well but, eh.
Phantom Regiment – Too cheesy but they play music well.
Boston Crusaders – The show felt long but we liked music.
Bluecoats – Good drill.
Carolina Crown – PT thought some of the drill and music was good, but some too cheesy. I loved them! Good ballad.
Santa Clara Vanguard – PT didn't like music, she thought the Blast music is over used.
Holy Name Cadets – Freaking awesome drill, guard is great.
The Cavaliers – Very good but all male and you know how we feel about that!
Blue Devils – I thought on a ascale from one to ten they are visually a 30, PT though they were great, Cadets had best drill but Blue Devils had best show.

So there you have it, time you'll never get back!

Random Ramblings

2009-07-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

I think I am just too hot to care about posting but these things did come to mind:

To Congress: Don't you think there are better things to be concerned about than focusing on whether or not someone should be able to take a concealed weapon across state lines? (Hint: Education!!)

To the citizens of California: How can you put up with a governor that allows the state to go bankrupt and to hand out vouchers for tax refunds that the bank won't honor?

The Obama Doubters: Let's not forget that President Obama was handed this country's problems. It took Bush 8 years to drag us down this far. Don't you think the President deserves more that 6 months to dig us out?

The the American people who are afraid of Obama's health care program: Remember, this is for you! The President and Congress already have excellent health care.

Ok, I'm done, I feel better. Thanks for listening.

True?

2009-07-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

I heard that in California it's illegal to drive wearing flip flops.

Albuquerque

2009-06-15T10:07:00.001-07:00

Went to Albuquerque last week for work. Weather was great, in the 80s.

The downtown area is very old and cool looking...

We walked along Historic Route 66...

The main street in the downtown area is Central Avenue. Here is the bar we thought about going to but when we got close and gandered the people on the patio we thought better of it. Not only is it a "Library" but it's also a meat market.

We did find libations though...

This one horse town shuts down at 8 p.m.! Where's a girl to get a drink? We went back to Maloney's. I had the "big" beer the second night!

The next morning we woke up to a restaurant on fire...

I had nothing to do with it!