The Meaning of M

This Year's "Resolutions"

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Alright, aside from trying to be better at blogging, I have two main goals for this year.

1. Be paraben free for all shower, hair care, skin care, and makeup products. I would greatly appreciate any product recommendations. I am hoping to hit this goal by around September because I have a surplus of stuff to use up before then. I have been stock piling The Body Shop's Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner as well as their Earth Lover's Watermelon & Eucalyptus Shower Gel.

2. Get my neck pain under control without lots of medication. As of right now, if I went to the chiropractor three times a week, I would be set, but who can afford that? So I'm going to talk to my orthopedic surgeon next week about lidocaine or botox injections to relax my neck muscles (if you are just tuning in, I have degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine). Any pain management tips for this would also be great!

Well, that's about it. Wishing you all a Happy (although belated) New Year!

Favorite Things: Credit Monitoring

2011-12-05T13:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, so today’s post is going to be a little bit serious. It’s about debt and getting out of it. I know with the economy being how it is, we are all spending less, but a lot of us may be digging out of the debt we incurred a while back. Due to lack of raises or pay cuts in some cases, it may be difficult for you to get out of debt. Or buy a new home or a car. Here are two FREE websites I have been using for quite a while now that help with credit monitoring.

Credit Karma

Requires your social security number

Uses Transunion’s formulas to calculate an estimation of your credit score

Suggests deals on credit cards, loans, mortgages, and banking to help you save money

Credit Report Card helps you track your debt-to-income ratio and the “temperature” of your credit report

Can be updated for free daily

Quizzle

Does not require your social security number

Uses Equifax’s formulas to calculate an estimation of your credit score

Helps you set financial goals and tracks them

Gives you a full credit report

Can be updated for free every 6 months

Can be updated monthly for $7

Personally, I prefer Credit Karma because you can update it more frequently. It allows you to see if a new account has been added and if you have an increase in hard inquiries, both of which can help you indicate if someone is trying to commit credit fraud with your information. CK also shows how your debt is broken down, whether it is credit cards, mortgage, student loans, personal loans, or car loans. It also tracks month to month so you can see how your debt has been trending.

Either way, both sites are free, so use them to your advantage!

My Favorite Things: Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask

2011-04-15T20:22:00.002-04:00

I love this stuff! I don't use it too often because my daily conditioner is pretty good (Paul Mitchell Smoothing). However, last fall when we went out to CA, the dry air really killed my hair! I had split end city... alright I can't blame it soley on CA as I had been getting bleach foils done at a regular interval for at least a year... But the bottom line is that my hair was fried. At the time, I was using a shampoo/conditioner combo, a rinse out conditioner, and a leave-in spray conditioner and I was still feeling the hurt. I went to Walgreens to browse the available products (mainly looking for some V05 hot oil... YEAH 1980!). I found this little gem and decided to go with it. It was about $7 and I have yet to use the bottle, although please note that I am not using it as a weekly treatment... Its more of a monthly thing for me, or whenever I remember that I have it. Anyway, the moral of the story is, if you are feelling a little dry, go out and get this stuff!

Extreme Couponing ?!?

2011-04-13T21:15:00.000-04:00

So we just watched the new show "Extreme Couponing" on TLC and it had me thinking that maybe I wanted to start doing that... although I don't have the space to store what these people have, but it would be a good way to donate to the local food pantry. SOOOOOOOO, does anyone have any tips or good sites that they can direct me to so I can get started with the savings???? I promise to share what I learn along the way!

Thanks!

New Beginings

2011-03-25T18:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been forever since I have posted. In November and December, it seems like I lost all desire and drive to do anything. Luckily, December brought some opportunities to me by way of 2 companies that were extremely interested in me!

I started my new job at Sargent Manufacturing on Jan 24th! It's a really great place to work! It keeps me busy pretty much all of the time so the days and weeks are flying by! I'm a Product Design Engineer and my team is working on sustaining and cost reduction through all of the product lines. Woot Woot!

We also bought hubby a 2006 Nissan Xterra in December because his Jeep was just about shot. Still living in an apartment in Middletown, but we are hoping to move closer to New Haven this spring sometime.

Thats all the updates for now! I will hopefully post again soon!

going, going, back, back...

2010-10-22T13:58:00.001-04:00

thats right folks, i'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow! can't wait to see my in-laws!

we have lots of fun things planned for next week - trip to yosemite, trip to sacramento, trip to gilroy (the garlic capital of the world, also home to the biggest outlet mall i have ever seen!), and the last day spent in san fran with a visit to alcatraz! woohoo!

Windmills in CA

with any luck, we will be successful at surprising my father-in-law tomorrow night! can't wait!

see y'all in a week!

just "hanging" around

2010-10-20T07:52:00.000-04:00

I'm just a Devil Dog... "hanging" around

The Sad State of American Politics as Told by Brett Favre's Affair Attempt

2010-10-19T14:12:00.001-04:00

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-if-a-woman-rejec_b_764893.html

New Rule: If a Woman Rejects Your First Dozen Advances, Don't Send Her a Picture of Your Penis
By Bill Maher

New Rule: If a woman rejects your first dozen advances, don't up the ante by sending her a picture of your penis. This week, we found out that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre allegedly tried to get with a young woman by sending her MySpace messages, voicemails, and notes through a friend, and when none of that worked, and it was third and long -- though, not as long as most of us would have imagined -- he decided to throw the Hail Mary and sext her pictures of Little Brett to close the deal. Brett, I get it: Your dictionary doesn't include the word "quit" or "retire" or "married" but you've got to at least understand "punt." You know the worst part about having sex with Brett Favre? He keeps saying he's finished, and then he comes back to drag it out for another year.

To me, this story isn't about sports or sex or how necessary caller ID is -- it's about how pathetic and clueless white American males have become. Because the kind of guy who thinks there are women out there who just, cold, want to see your cock, is the same kind of guy who thinks Sarah Palin is swell and tax cuts pay for themselves. I will explain that connection further, but first let's just dwell for one more moment on how stupid it is to forget that in 2010 when you text someone a picture of your genitals, you're not just sending it to that person, but to every person she has in her contacts... and then everyone on the planet who has access to the Internet. Somewhere right now there's a tribesman in Samoa thinking, "Brett Favre is texting a picture of his dick to a woman? That shit never works."

And he's right -- no woman in the history of mankind has ever wanted to see a picture of a penis. Go back to the earliest cave paintings. The very first one is of a cock, and after that they're all antelopes and sunrises. But for some reason men persist. Why? Because men have always been in charge, especially white men. Brett Favre is like a lot of white males: he's owned the world for so long, he's going a little crazy now that he doesn't. Also, like many white men across the country, he lost his job to a Mexican, (i.e. Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez).

If Brett Favre's penis could talk, what would it say? Well, other than, "No photos please," I think it would say, "I'm not a witch. I'm you." Because for hundreds of years white penises were America. White penises founded America, they made the rules and they called the shots in the workplace, in the home, and at the ballot box. But now the unthinkable is happening. White penises are becoming the minority: 2010 was the first year in which more minority babies were born in the U.S. than white babies. This is what conservatives are really upset about -- that the president is black, and the best golfer is black, and the Secretary of State is a woman, and suddenly this country is way off track and needs some serious 'restoring.' If penises could cry -- and I believe they can -- then white penises are crying all over America.

And that's where this crew comes in; Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell, Michele Bachmann; the lovely MILFs of the new right. And their little secret is that their popularity comes exclusively from white men. Look at the polling: minorities hate them, women hate them -- only white men like them. I'm no psychiatrist, but I do own a couch, and my theory is that these women represent something those men miss dearly: the traditional, idiot housewife. Writing on your hand is sheer Lucy. If an election between Obama and Sarah Palin were held today, and only white men could vote, Sarah Palin would be president. Did you know that in 1788, when there were four million people in America, only 39,000 of them -- the richest white men -- got to vote? That doesn't sound good to you? Well, what if I threw in a picture of my cock? Which brings me back to Brett Favre, and I think it's worth noting that in one of the alleged photos of him, he's pleasuring himself on a bed while wearing Crocs. And if you think about it, is there any better metaphor for the sad state of America today than an over-the-hill white guy lazily masturbating in plastic shoes?

I think the last two sentences are really my favorite part of the whole piece! HAHA! Enjoy!

really excited!

2010-10-19T08:45:00.000-04:00

hello my friends!

i'm really excited about next week, but i can't tell you just yet why. we are going on a secret mission! more details to come, but thats all i can say for right now.

on another note, any of my regular readers (not that i post regularly, so i guess this is for my irregular readers), post a comment below introducing yourselves if you feel so inclined.

Also, enjoy these pictures of my nieces and nephew... they are super adorable, don't you think?

Jaiden at our CA wedding last year

Madison on her 4th bday with the apron we sent her

Olive getting her mind blown on her 1st car ride facing forward

Rise with lots of Xmas presents!

Thats all folks!

Words I Like to Use In Place of Real Words...

2010-10-18T09:16:00.000-04:00

These are used mostly in typing although sometimes in conversation. not all of these are from me, most are things my friends and I have come up with at some point during our college days:

meetoo - for me too. I think the double o needs a double e
awky - awkward, used to describe a situation
"sitch" - situation i.e. "so let me tell you about this awky sitch from last weekend"
obvi - obviously i.e. "obvi I am too lazy to say the whole word"

My grandmother is also famous for making up words and probably has her own dictionary, but here are two of my favorites:

texmex - text message "just send me a texmex about what time you are coming over"
warbaums/warmart - walbaums (the grocery store), walmart

Feel free to comment and add your own...

Unrealistic Expectations

2010-10-12T07:37:00.000-04:00

Why is it that I think its ok to not write an entry in my blog for a month, but I expect my friends to update their blogs and sites every day? Here's a little snippet of what happens pretty much every morning... I log into my computer and discover that said friends don't have an update.

I immediately get mad, like "Don't they know I need something to do all day? Because clearly I can't be expected to work for 8 hours straight. What is my employer thinking? What is this, a concentration camp? Its bad enough I gotta be here all day, when I could be sitting on my couch petting my dog, but to actually have to do something productive? Gimme a break... Ok did anyone post anything yet?"

Then upon discovering that, alas, there are no new posts, I frustratedly check news.google.com for the 4th time that hour (surprise, surprise, nothing new on there either!) and procede to throw my mouse and walk to the bathroom in a huff. As soon as I get back, the cycle starts over again. Thankfully, Dell makes some pretty robust mice (mouses? mices? moose?).

Disclaimer: some or all of this story may or may not be true or false

I like to oat, oat, oat...

2010-10-11T12:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I feel like for the past 2 years I have been saying, I'm going to lose that weight I put on because of my neck injury... but I am doing very little about it. Right before our wedding, I was crazy about maintaining so that I could at least fit into my wedding dress. Now, not so much. I mean, the couch looks way more comfy that putting on sweats and trudging around on the hills of westlake. At any rate, I was talking to my aunt that has MS this weekend and she gave me a snack tip. Having MS, she can't do any excercise, sometimes she can barely walk, so she has to control her weight by diet. She said that about an hour before dinner, or on my way home from work eat a snack bag (I'll outline what goes in it below) and drink a big glass of water, then cut out carbs with your dinner:

2 Wasa crackers broken up, 4-5 dried apricots, a small handful of Crasins and 2 squares of dark chocolate

So, I'm giving it a whirl today. The fiber of the Wasa crackers is supposed to help fill you up so that you don't eat as much with your dinner and also act as the carbohydrate that you would get with your meal normally. As someone who loves rice, this may end up dissapointing because I won't be able to have that with my meals anymore, but losing weight seems like a priority right now. So bye bye rice, hello wasa trail mix. Wish me luck!

Something you may not know about me: I have dreams of being a published author...

2010-10-08T10:05:00.000-04:00

... except I'm an engineering, not an english major. I mean, gosh darn it, people are lucky I can tie my own shoes, forget about abstract thinking! I can't find a good tone and I don't have the patience to stick with one topic for more than a page. Be that as it may, here is a little blurb I wrote sometime in the past 2 years:

I never thought I’d be 24 with no boyfriend, living at home with my parents… Private college dealt a blow to my disposable income, about a mortgage worth… When you end school with a grand total of $80,000 it can really cut your money situation… that and the fact that I am and always have been a spender… 5 credit cards and 14k later, I’m feeling a little akin to Rebekka Bloomwood. But instead of having a closet full of designer duds, I have a Helly Hanson jacket, 7 Kate Spades and about 40 extra pounds on me… What can I say, I like fine foods and wine! So, instead of having my 40k a year to spend smart on a house or an apartment, I’m putting $1300/month to bills, living with the ‘rents, and going out for drinks and dinner about 4 times a week… or as often as I can convince my parents to dog-sit for me.

Like most graduating seniors, I had a rosy view of what life after college would be like. I’ll move home for a few months, maybe a year to “get my bearings in the real world.” I’ll even get a dog, you know, to keep me company and take to the park to meet cute guys and go on lots of dates!

Reality sets in quick. I hadn’t even graduated yet and I had already picked out a puppy on Petfinder.com. A quick ok from my parents and 3 weeks before graduation, my little bundle of fur was on his way from Lafayette, LA! Of course, I could only visit on the weekends because I was finishing up school, so my parents got the early morning potty chore, the coming home at lunch potty chore, the after work potty chore and the before bed potty chore… not to mention the feeding and walking.

But, finally, I was home for good. Accustomed to spending my last 5 years my way, having this 25 pound terror in my life was quite a change. I had to get up at 5am for the 1st potty walk of the day as well as breakfast. Then there was about 12 hours of “don’t do that, don't eat that, what are you doing?” chasing around the house… with a few more walks and a nap in there somewhere. It was practically a blessing to start work after 2 months of that!

I never thought I’d be working in a cubical… all day, every day! They call it the daily grind, because that’s what it does, grinds you down. I sit in my 10 square feet of space everyday working on my computer hoping for a production problem so I can run downstairs and be a hero. Anything to get me away from this desk and the same project day in, day out. Let me tell you folks, engineering is not all its cracked up to be… Its really a lot less glamorous than they tell you. In college, I thought I’d be designing something wonderful, something that would change people’s lives, but what I do is design lights for corporate jets. While it sounds cool, no rich guy’s going to care that I designed their landing light… they probably don’t even know there is a light you are supposed to have on when you land, they clearly have people for that, right? So I chug along, everyday, with my lights and a million pieces of paper for the FAA. Does anyone keep track of what THEY are doing? I mean, you can write yourself in circles before you get approval from them! I think we need a watchdog to monitor their requirement list… use some common sense people. We are making lights here, not engines… we aren’t a mission critical item. If your wing rips off, I got news for you, you aren’t going to be making sure you have proper lighting… you’re going to be looking for your parachute and praying!

So there you have it... that was the place I was in right after I met my husband. I'm in a different place now, but I still have the attention span of a gnat and can't seem to get it down on paper.

awesome clouds on the way to work

2010-10-07T07:48:00.000-04:00

just sharing with you!

13 Superstitions...

2010-09-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

Now you'll know a little background on why we do the silly things we do!

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/dont-kiss-a-mustachioed-man-the-origins-of-13-weird-superstitions/19619609

1. Don't Walk Under a Ladder: After researching this superstition for a year at the British Library in London, Oliver says the belief's most-cited origin points to "a ladder forming a triangle with the wall and the ground, suggesting the Holy Trinity." Apparently, walking through that triangle would show disrespect to the Trinity and therefore bring bad luck. Another possible (and much simpler) origin: Where there's a ladder, there's usually someone working on top and walking underneath could lead to all sorts of cartoonish accidents, like a hammer falling on someone's head.

2. Black Cats Bring Bad Luck: Oliver says black cats are notoriously linked to witchcraft, which is why some people think they're unlucky. However, there are two sides to this one. Allegedly, if a cat crosses your path it's considered unlucky, but if a cat walks toward you, it's a good omen. Should the first scenario happen, though, Oliver says the "only way to avert the back luck is to spit."

3. Never Light Three Cigarettes With the Same Match: This superstition originated in military circles and dates back to those long nights in the trenches during World War I. "If three soldiers smoked at once, enemy snipers would easily detect them," says Oliver. "If they used the same match to light all three cigarettes, snipers would notice the match burning after the first one and would have enough time to load guns, aim and fire at the unlucky third smoker."

4. Carrots Are Good for Your Eyesight: Though some studies have shown that the vitamin A in carrots is good for the eyes, the vegetable alone isn't enough to spark 20/20 vision. Oliver says this old wives' tale -- or smart attempt by parents to get their children to eat their veggies -- originated as a myth during World War II. "That's when British pilots where rumored to be eating enormous amounts of carrots to see from high altitudes and in the dark. The rumor was widely spread to throw the public off from the fact that radar had been invented and was being used against the enemy," he says.

5. Cross Your Fingers: If you look hard enough, you can see this superstition has religious roots. Oliver says that crossing your fingers is a type of holy protection because the two overlapping fingers form a "slanted cross." This "good luck" ritual varies around the globe -- in Switzerland, people fold their thumbs in and wrap their other fingers around them instead of the standard index-and-middle-finger combination.

6. Don't Open an Umbrella in The House: The origins of this belief are simple -- what's designed for the outdoors should remain outside. While today's version of the old umbrella superstition is said to simply bring "bad luck," Oliver says there used to be a much darker cloud hanging over the belief in ancient times. "In earlier versions, opening an umbrella inside was an omen of death," he explains.

7. Always Have Something in the Oven: This old Jewish superstition could be considered "family friendly." Supposedly, leaving an oven empty will cause one's family to go hungry in the future. To avoid famine, it's enough to leave a baking sheet or a pan in the oven at all times as a precaution. "This belief is linked to ancient rituals in which food was left for household gods in order to ensure protection of the family," Oliver explains.

8. Wear Underwear Inside Out: When having a bad day, superstition suggests that turning your underwear inside out can make it all better. Oliver isn't quite sure where this odd belief came from, but we wouldn't be surprised if originated on a wild college campus somewhere, perhaps during a post-party "walk of shame."

9. Kiss a Mustachioed Man, End Up a Spinster: There are more superstitions revolving around marriage than we can count, and that includes "kissing a dark-skinned man at a wedding." If a woman does this, she'll supposedly get a marriage proposal shortly thereafter. But watch who you're smooching, ladies. If a woman kisses a man with a mustache and finds a stray hair on her lip after, she's destined to be a spinster.

10. Don't Praise Babies in China: If you're in China and you come across an adorable newborn baby, do not under any circumstances compliment the little one. In China, it's considered "unlucky" to praise babies because it "attracts the attention of ghosts and demons." Instead, Oliver says it's customary to "talk badly about babies" to keep evil entities away. Rather than getting upset, parents are told to convert those insults into praise quietly in their heads.

11. Don't Chew Gum at Night in Turkey: Even if your breath stinks, popping in a stick of gum after dinner in Turkey is a bad idea. "It's thought that if you're chewing gum at night in Turkey, you're actually chewing the flesh of the dead," says Oliver. Gross.

12. Lucky Four-Leaf Clovers: Because of how scarce four-leaf clovers really are, just finding one in a field is lucky in and of itself. Oliver says the rare leaf represents everything one could possibly desire in life: "wealth, fame, love and health."

Unlucky 13. The number 13 -- and Friday the 13th -- are considered unfortunate in many places, and the reasons go back to the Bible. Remember, Jesus had 13 disciples until one of them -- Judas -- betrayed him.

New Rule...

2010-09-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

Great excerpt from Bill Maher (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-rich-people-who-_b_737429.html)

Enjoy!

New Rule: Rich People Who Complain About Being Vilified Should Be Vilified

New Rule: The next rich person who publicly complains about being vilified by the Obama administration must be publicly vilified by the Obama administration. It's so hard for one person to tell another person what constitutes being "rich", or what tax rate is "too much." But I've done some math that indicates that, considering the hole this country is in, if you are earning more than a million dollars a year and are complaining about a 3.6% tax increase, then you are by definition a greedy asshole.

And let's be clear: that's 3.6% only on income above 250 grand -- your first 250, that's still on the house. Now, this week we got some horrible news: that one in seven Americans are now living below the poverty line. But I want to point you to an American who is truly suffering: Ben Stein. You know Ben Stein, the guy who got rich because when he talks it sounds so boring it's actually funny. He had a game show on Comedy Central, does eye drop commercials, doesn't believe in evolution? Yeah, that asshole. I kid Ben -- so, the other day Ben wrote an article about his struggle. His struggle as a wealthy person facing the prospect of a slightly higher marginal tax rate. Specifically, Ben said that when he was finished paying taxes and his agents, he was left with only 35 cents for every dollar he earned. Which is shocking, Ben Stein has an agent? I didn't know Broadway Danny Rose was still working.

Ben whines in his article about how he's worked for every dollar he has -- if by work you mean saying the word "Bueller" in a movie 25 years ago. Which doesn't bother me in the slightest, it's just that at a time when people in America are desperate and you're raking in the bucks promoting some sleazy Free Credit Score dot-com... maybe you shouldn't be asking us for sympathy. Instead, you should be down on your knees thanking God and/or Ronald Reagan that you were lucky enough to be born in a country where a useless schmuck who contributes absolutely nothing to society can somehow manage to find himself in the top marginal tax bracket.

And you're welcome to come on the show anytime.

Now I can hear you out there saying, "Come on Bill, don't be so hard on Ben Stein, he does a lot of voiceover work, and that's hard work." Ok, it's true, Ben is hardly the only rich person these days crying like a baby who's fallen off his bouncy seat. Last week Mayor Bloomberg of New York complained that all his wealthy friends are very upset with mean ol' President Poopy-Pants: He said they all say the same thing: "I knew I was going to have to pay more taxes. But I didn't expect to be vilified." Poor billionaires -- they just can't catch a break.

First off, far from being vilified, we bailed you out -- you mean we were supposed to give you all that money and kiss your ass, too? That's Hollywood you're thinking of. FDR, he knew how to vilify; this guy, not so much. And second, you should have been vilified -- because you're the vill-ains! I'm sure a lot of you are very nice people. And I'm sure a lot of you are jerks. In other words, you're people. But you are the villains. Who do you think outsourced all the jobs, destroyed the unions, and replaced workers with desperate immigrants and teenagers in China. Joe the Plumber?

And right now, while we run trillion dollar deficits, Republicans are holding America hostage to the cause of preserving the Bush tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest 1% of people, many of them dead. They say that we need to keep taxes on the rich low because they're the job creators. They're not. They're much more likely to save money through mergers and outsourcing and cheap immigrant labor, and pass the unemployment along to you.

Americans think rich people must be brilliant; no -- just ruthless. Meg Whitman is running for Governor out here, and her claim to fame is, she started e-Bay. Yes, Meg tapped into the Zeitgeist, the zeitgeist being the desperate need of millions of Americans to scrape a few dollars together by selling the useless crap in their garage. What is e-Bay but a big cyber lawn sale that you can visit without putting your clothes on?

Another of my favorites, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann said, "I don't know where they're going to get all this money, because we're running out of rich people in this country." Actually, we have more billionaires here in the U.S. than all the other countries in the top ten combined, and their wealth grew 27% in the last year. Did yours? Truth is, there are only two things that the United States is not running out of: Rich people and bullshit. Here's the truth: When you raise taxes slightly on the wealthy, it obviously doesn't destroy the economy -- we know this, because we just did it -- remember the '90's? It wasn't that long ago. You were probably listening to grunge music, or dabbling in witchcraft. Clinton moved the top marginal rate from 36 to 39% -- and far from tanking, the economy did so well he had time to get his dick washed.

Even 39% isn't high by historical standards. Under Eisenhower, the top tax rate was 91%. Under Nixon, it was 70%. Obama just wants to kick it back to 39 -- just three more points for the very rich. Not back to 91, or 70. Three points. And they go insane. Steve Forbes said that Obama, quote "believes from his inner core that people... above a certain income have more than they should have and that many probably have gotten it from ill-gotten ways." Which they have. Steve Forbes, of course, came by his fortune honestly: he inherited it from his gay egg-collecting, Elizabeth Taylor fag-hagging father, who inherited it from his father. Of course then they moan about the inheritance tax, how the government took 55% percent when Daddy died -- which means you still got 45% for doing nothing more than starting out life as your father's pecker-snot.

We don't hate rich people, but have a little humility about how you got it and stop complaining. Maybe the worst whiner of all: Stephen Schwarzman, #69 on Forbes' list of richest Americans, compared Obama's tax hike to "when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939." Wow. If Obama were Hitler, Mr. Schwarzman, I think your tax rate would be the least of your worries.

oh airline industry, how you don't ever make sense!

2010-09-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

Recently I took a little trip and while I was on the plane, I was served a complementary beverage in this little glass. I was also given this napkin. Now, as I was sitting drinking my free water (water should be free regardless, right?), I got to thinking...

How much money do you think US Airways could save in a year by not having custom molded plastic cups and custom printed napkins? I'm serious here people! Give me an answer!

Maybe they could stop charging for your 1st checked bag if this stuff was eliminated?

hate is a strong word...

2010-09-15T10:35:00.000-04:00

you know what i dislike very greatly... mouth breathers! no, i'm not saying i hate humans and to be my friend you have to breathe out of gills. you know what i'm talking about, the people that are sitting next to you that are working on something and they temporarily forget that they have a nose to breathe out of. "huuuuuuuhhhhhh huuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh". i mean come on, you aren't 5 anymore, you don't need all of your body's energy to go to concentrating on cutting that star shape out of construction paper!! believe it or not people, you can multi task! like, i don't know, swallowing and walking? i don't think this is too much to ask, we are all adults here.

maybe this is a little harsh, but can we just come to a compromise that you will try to breathe out of your nose every once in a while so i don't feel like the grim reaper is behind me and breathing down my neck? thats all i ask. i'll try not to chew like a horse at lunch. k, thanks!

Why M?

2010-08-02T11:59:00.001-04:00

Not that anyone has asked, but I guess in case you are wondering, what is the meaning of M to me?

My first name starts with M
My last name starts with M
My maiden name starts with M
My middle name starts with M
I am a Mechanical engineer
I live in Middletown
My mom and dad are both M names
I have 3 aunts with M first names and middle names
I have 2 cousins with M first names
My mom's maiden name starts with M
I married a Marine

So you can see, the letter M has always been a constant in my life. I think it is the letter that I best identify with and that's why I chose it.

CT Wine Festival - This WEEKEND!!!!

2010-07-29T11:45:00.000-04:00

Hey all you wine-o's out there! The CT wine fest is this weekend at the Goshen Fairgrounds. Go to http://www.ctwine.com/ for more details.

Tickets are $25 at the door (unless you are the DD for the day, $10, which means no drinking for you). You get a commemorative wine glass and a tote bag.... OHHHH a TOTE BAG! haha yes, I know, kinda silly!

If you can manage to get to a vineyard in the state today or tomorrow to buy tickets, they are only $20 each, so plan ahead if you are going! We will most likely be there so look for us! I will be the one taking pictures like a tourist!

WOOOHOOO!!! WINE FEST HERE I COME!!!!!!

Sonic VIP Opening in Wallingford, CT!!!!!

2010-07-13T18:27:00.000-04:00

Some pics of our trip to the soft opening of Sonic this evening! It was amazing! Fun fact: Sonic was where we had our first date 2 years ago! Also, sorry for the crappy quality, I took these on my phone because we didn't have our camera in my purse.

sonic in wallingford

woohoo!

super excited!

we are special!

stalls

drive thru

holy crap!

sonic bliss

patio area

the damage

Sharpe Hill Vineyards, Pomfret, CT - 06/25/2010

2010-07-12T08:11:00.001-04:00

This vineyard probably had the best setting of the day, but my least favorite wines of the day.

It definately had the feel of stepping back in time a bit with the rustic barns and fences on the property.

When you walk into the tasting room, its quite charming. There is a room off of the reception area that is cute and it possibly used for tastings when the weather is not nice out.

French country much?

Really cool sink in the bathroom

Tastings are $5 for 5 wines and a glass or $10 for all the wines and a glass. We paid $5 each and picked different wines from each other so we got to taste 10 out of 11 wines.

the vines

We were sent outside to do our tasting. There is an area where you can eat and they also have chairs set up on the lawn for you to enjoy a bottle of wine and just relax.

restaurant/eating area

chill out area

This is where we did our tasting, which was really awkward. There was no place to put a glass on or lean and relax:

And on to the wines (note, most of them didn't have a pleasant smell):

Ballet of Angels - sweet finish, little grapefruity. I have seen this bottle in many package stores in CT, but I had no idea that it was a Sharpe Hill wine

American Chardonnay 2008 - really oaky finish and very dry

Cuvee Ammi Philips 2007 - dry but slightly oaked

Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay 2008 - almost tastes like city water, very flinty

Dry Riesling 2008 - almost has a pear finish

Dry Summer Rose - very dry, slight strawberry finish

Red Seraph - full bodied and juicy

Cabernet Franc 2007 - really dry and tanin taste

St. Croix 2006 - very buttery finish, which I had never experienced in a red

Pontefract 2006 - sweet and dry with a slight spice

Personally, there wasn't a single wine I would buy from here. Ballet of Angels is supposed to be their most popular wine and it definately isn't worth the hype. I would almost suggest skipping this vineyard all together, unless you are trying to tour all of them like we are. I'll leave you with a picture of some more of their vines across the street from the tasting room and restaurant.

Taylor Brooke Winery, Woodstock, CT - 06/25/2010

2010-07-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

This is on a hill on the side of the road. They don't have a lot of room to grow, but they make a surprising number of wines for what they do.

They are the only vineyard in CT that is growing and producing the Traminette grape. It was also the 6th anniversary of being open to the public the day we went. So Happy Anniversary, Taylor Brooke!

All the labels on their bottles are from local artist Tom Menard and they are all pictures of the town the vineyard is located in, Woodstock, CT.

Their tasting room has recently undergone renovations to expand it. Walking in we saw this flag

So I immediately knew this was my kind of place...

We got to chat with the owners for quite some time (Suggestion: do your tours on a friday, its a lot slower so you actually get to chat with the owners). What began as a hobby turned into this business for them! Awesome! Inspiration for the future!

Ok, the wines....

Woodstock Hill White - slightly effervescent, clean finish

Riesling - most rieslings made in CT are dry, much to my benefit. it had a peachy finish

Traminette - like smelling a bouquet. slightly floral taste

St. Croix Rose - dry and smells like strawberries, which is strange because it is not made with any

Green Apple Riesling - has almost a cheese smell to it. was ok

Summer Peach - smells and tastes like eating a Georgia peach

Cabernet Franc - dry and clean

Woodstock Valley Red - on the dry side, smells and tastes oaky

Roseland Red - has some cherry on the finish

Late Harvest Riesling - a sweet riesling, definately got a hint of honey in the taste and smell

Chocolate Essence - almost like eating a chocolate cake with raspberry sauce

Tastings are 2 for free, 8 for $4, and all for $6.

And you can purchase a logo glass for $3. This one has the logo painted on, not etched like the majority, so I would be careful about using after the fact because you could lose the logo.

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program...

2010-07-09T08:31:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know I've been writing about wine a lot lately, but I thought I would give you an update on the neighborly situation, seeing as there has been some recent activity.

On Saturday, we got a notice in our door from the complex managment saying that they have gotten some complaints and due to our dogs "Excessively Barking" we were in violation of our lease. They were asking that we keep our slider doors closed to help muffle the noise. Now, I know my dogs aren't excessive barkers, they may bark for like 30 seconds a few times a day when they hear something or when the downstairs neighbors let their dogs out, so the hubby and I decided to do a little investigation.

We talked to our upstairs neighbors to find out if it was them that complained and to apologize if the dog barking was bothering them. They really are good upstairs neighbors so we would truely feel sorry if our dogs were pestering them. Fortunately, it wasn't them and they said they rarely ever hear anything from our dogs except for an occasional bark at a normal time. So from this we deduced that it was our nemeses... the dreaded downstairs neighbors... (Cue the scary music) Duh Duh DUUUUHHHHHH!!!!!

Now, I'm not a strict rule follower, there are certain things I bend on. If you know me, you know I speed and I harbor dogs that are on the lam (haha). Contrarily, I have a high level of morality on most things and that I expect others to follow the rules I do follow. But usually, I go by the "live and let live" philosophy (you'll see where I'm going in a minute) because I would be a hypocrite otherwise... So imagine my surprise when I get cited for adhering to the lease because my dogs are barking, when the neighbors that complain do all of the following:
1. Allow their dogs to bark all day when they aren't home... and I'm not talking woof woof and done, I'm talking for about 5 hours straight of a bark every 5-10 seconds - Yeah I know, they probably aren't aware of it because they aren't there, but maybe they should think about the fact that their dogs probably aren't perfect and they should have a little bit of tolerance.
2. Let their dogs out to potty behind the apartment - Ok I know this sounds like I'm a wicked witch and all, but its in the lease and its a law that the dogs have to be on a leash at all times in public.
3. Don't pick up the solid waste that the dogs are leaving behind when they are off leash - again, in the lease and a law

We had also heard from management before that these people lived in another apartment in the complex and kept complaining about a dog they lived near and that is why they moved to the apartment they are in now... but boy did they pick the wrong neighbors to live under. I have a feeling that the other neighbors probably just took their complaints lying down, but we aren't that kind of people so we took action.

Hubby went to the office when he got home on Monday and told management all of the above. They let us know they didn't put the letter we had recieved in our file, they just put it in the door so the people downstairs wouldn't think they were being ignored. Management thanked him for letting them know about the off-leash and crap situation mainly because maintenance would end up being the ones who took care of all the crap behind the apartment if it continued. So the downstairs neighbors are being cited for real! HAHAHA revenge is a dish best served cold!

The thing about it is, if they didn't complain and showed a little tolerance, we would never had said anything. But don't try to get us in trouble for not really doing something wrong if you aren't doing everything right. They brought this on themselves. We live in apartments, and it isn't realistic to expect silence 24 hours a day when you are 10 feet from your neighbors... and you have 2 dogs. Hopefully they got a reality check and they will think twice next time.

That is all for now my lovelies! I will continue my reviews shortly, I promise. I have been slacking lately and I apologize!

Cassidy Hill Vineyards, Coventry, CT - 06/25/2010

2010-07-03T10:13:00.000-04:00

Look for this sign if you are coming from I-84

This vineyard all the way at the end of a road, but its actually quite quaint. There is a barn on the property where they make the wine, a log cabinesque building for the tasting room, as well as the owners' house.

The building they use for tastings

You can wander among the vines or take a walk out to The Thinking Tree and sit on a bench underneath it surrounded by tall grass the blows in the breeze. It is a very peaceful setting.

Nice area for picnics

Vines

The Thinking Tree

Ok on to the wines!!!!

Tastings are $5.00 and you can buy an etched glass for an additional $3.00. Since this is what we are doing instead of taking vacations, we resolved to buy the glasses if we had to. The glass actually had a pretty nice shape.

Logo is inspired by the Thinking Tree

2009 Pinot Gris - This is actually my favorite type of white wine and Cassidy Hill did not dissapoint. It was everything a pinot gris should be, light, fruity, almost slightly citrusy, that feels effervescent on the tounge. Consequently, this is the only bottle of wine we bought the whole day.

Winding Brook - It was oaky but a pleasant oaky. A little fruity, not too sweet.

2009 Coventry White - Not overly sweet, citrusy notes

Jet's Red - Named after the vineyard dog, it had clove undertones and is made with blueberries, although I couldn't taste them. The clove was a different touch than you normally see in reds.

They were also releasing a riesling the next day, but we didn't get to sample that.

Trying the Jet's Red

Also note: they usually have live music on Friday nights, so if you are in the area, stop by for a glass!

Chamard Vineyards, Clinton, CT - 06/19/2010

2010-06-25T10:24:00.001-04:00

This vineyard is right off of 95, next to the Clinton Crossings Outlets.

Its a very picturesque vineyard to visit. There was actually a bachelorette party and a rehersal dinner going on there on different parts of the grounds.

Entrance

Driving in

A pond on the grounds...

...with a fountain!

The buildings and grounds are very inviting, which made it so dissapointing when the wine was less than good. I'm not going to beat around the bush, so we'll just move on to the tasting:

Chardonnay - This was the only white that was drinkable. It was slightly citrus-y, but there was still a lot of oak-y notes.

Estate Reserve Chardonnay - Too oak-y.

Cabernet Franc - Alright for a red, but it definately didn't have a flavorful taste like I was expecting from the description.

Merlot - This definately had a licorice taste too it. I almost had to hold my nose to get it down.

Sangria - Not on the list and for good reason. This tasted like drinking potpurri.

Our overall experience here was very poor. The workers were rude and unattentive. The wine wasn't even mediocre. We also did not get a logo glass, although I'm not sad about it. I wouldn't recommend visiting this place, but if you choose to and also have a bad experience, there is always retail therapy nearby to recover.

Bishop's Orchard, Guilford, CT - 06/19/2010

2010-06-23T08:31:00.000-04:00

This place reminded me of Lyman's Orchard Apple Barrel. Its kind of like a farm stand type of store. There is a tour that is not on the site that costs $10 per person. We didn't participate in the tour, just the tasting.

For $6 each, we chose 6 wines and got an etched wine glass. This is where traveling in a couple really came in handy because we got to try 12 out of the 14 wines they offer.

Wines:

Circle 1

Stone House White - A pretty good table blend, although nothing to write home about.

Whitfield's Pearadox - The pear flavoring in this was completely overpowering. I could barely get through this one, although my husband like this better than the Stone House White.

Circle 2

Celebration - This reminded me of the White Menage a Trois (my favorite by Folie a Deux) without most of the notes I like.

Faulkner's Spiced Apple - Definately not a fan. I don't really like apples so this didn't do it for me. Very heavy apple taste.

Circle 3

Farm House Hard Cider - I couldn't distinguish between this one or the New England Hard Cider. All I know is, I'm not a Hard Cider fan.

New England Hard Cider - See notes above. Not worth repeating.

Circles 4 & 5

Honey Peach Melba - I could definately taste the honey flavor, but the fruits in these wines seem to take on an almost rotten taste and really wreck the flavoring that could be there.

Apple Raspberry Blush - This was alright, a little drier than the Honey Peach, but kind of dull.

Blushing Beauty - Pretty clean, although too sweet for me.

Amazing Grace - Definately too sweet and overly fruity

Circle 6

Strawberry Delight - Basically tastes exactly like strawberry jam. The woman working suggested using this on a dessert instead of drinking it. I could see that would be an acceptable use for it because it was way too much to drink.

Hyland Red - Went well with the chocolate that was in my mouth, but alone was too sweet. The woman working said this was probably the least sweet of all the sweet wines, just an fyi.

You can browse the store to take home some farm fresh goodness after you are done tasting. They sometimes serve samples so you might be able to fill up before you go on to your next adventure.

Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, CT - 06/19/2010

2010-06-22T09:05:00.000-04:00

Exit 14 off 91 South

We kicked off our summer wine tours with this lovely vineyard in Wallingford, CT. It was $7.50 for each of us we got to taste 5 wines that they chose and then we got to pick one to taste. We also got to take home an etched wine glass with the vineyard's name/logo.

Picnicing on the hillside

The grounds are very pretty and there is a good view from the hill it is located on. The inside of the tasting room/bar/restaurant is simple and elegant. People had brought tables and picnic lunches and were sitting outside enjoying some wine. You can also order food here. You CANNOT bring your own beverages. I would definately consider going back here to try a few more wines as well as enjoy the scenery.

Before I get into the wines, a few more notes for the wine scene in general:
-It is good to go as a couple or with someone you are comfortable sharing drinks with... this way you get to sample more wines if you both pick different offerings. We took full advantage of this.
-Some of the vineyards are offering tours. Sometimes they cost extra, sometimes they are free. Unless you are doing a tour or planning on eating a meal there (whether you picnic or order), your trip to the vineyard will probably be really short. It only takes about 20 mins max to sample 5-20 wines. I would recommend planning to visit more than 1 a day.
-If you are planning on buying bottles of wine, the cheapest you will find is around $15. Take note that most of these wines aren't worth that, let alone more than that, so you might end up dissapointed if you thought it would be a good opportunity to stock up.
-I tend to like wines that are dry to semi-dry, so most of this will be biased to those kinds of wines. You will probably notice that I have bad reviews for a lot of wines because around there they tend to make the sweeter varieties. If you like that kind of thing, then these tours might be for you!

Ready to start tasting!

Ok, on to the wines!
Seyval Blanc - It was crisp and smooth. Nice table wine for the summer. This happens to be the only bottle we bought the whole day (06/19).

Chardonnay Oak - Very oak-y with a buttery finish, 2 things I don't like in my white wines.

Cayuga White - Simple white wine, not very notable.

Whirlwind Rose - A typical rose, but much too sweet for my liking.

Stone House Red - Clean finish, light on the palate.

Cabernet Franc - Popular blend in CT. It was alright, but nothing really sticks out about it.

Epiphany Reserve - A dark dessert wine. It was supposed to be fruity, but it was just overpoweringly sweet.

They also have Chardonnay Steel, Stone House White, and a Merlot that we didn't get to try.

My glass and passport

Our Summer Activity

2010-06-21T08:42:00.000-04:00

Giving you all an update! The hubby and I have decided to tour the vineyards in CT as our fun thing to do this summer. There are 29 vineyards here now and a wine festival July 31 and August 1. We set off for our first adventure this past Saturday and boy was it a fun day. I will be giving you guys more details and a review on the wines we tasted in seperate blogs to give you something to read, as well as give you an idea of if you would like to go to the places we have gone.

For more information, you can go to http://www.ctwine.com/ for a partial list ( I think they have 21 vineyards listed there), however, when you visit any of the vineyards, there is a passport that you can pick up and get stamped at every vineyard you go to. It has the full list. AND, if you get 16 vineyards to stamp your passport, you can enter it into a drawing for a 13 night trip to Spain! Sound pretty great, right????

So get your butts to CT and be a wine-o! And let us know if you are coming because we will gladly visit one with you!

Semper Fiesty!

2010-06-08T09:23:00.000-04:00

Today I am writing all of my pen pals in the service (from Adoptaplatoon.org). I have 5 of them! I think they are all in the army but I am not sure. I know they aren't Marines or Sailors because of their addresses, so its Army or Airforce. Anyway, if anyone out there reads my blog and is in the service and wants a pen pal, just email me at mlmerrel@gmail.com and I will be happy to oblige! Its really the only thing that I can do to support our wonderful service members out there! Thank you for all that you do!

On another note, here are some pictures of our little "Devil Dogs". If you get the Marine reference great, but I call them that when the camera causes a glare in their little eyeballs. I find these pictures hilarious and I hope you do too!

I believe you have seen this one before

Devil Dog Roodle

A very Devil Christmas

I like to call this one Jellybean Eyes

Whatchu looking at, Devil Dog?

Ain't no one in here but us Devil Dogs

And that concludes this post! Much love to you all on this Tuesday!

New Roommate

2010-06-07T08:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, y'all! Ok so its not that great to be back to work after only 2 days off, but we are here so we might as well make the best of it, right?

So my cousin moved in with us this past week because she needed a place to stay for the summer so we offered. We have basically spent the past 3 days just hanging out and having fun! From races in the pool to games of Life, all in all we've had a pretty fun weekend. And while we didn't invite her to stay to help with the dogs, she has been great with them too!

Other than that, not much new is happening. Currently, at work, I'm waiting to get my new computer with SolidWorks 2010 and dual monitors! Woohoo! Any day now!

Alright, have a great week!

Needing a Change of Pace

2010-06-02T14:36:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if its the summer weather we've been having lately or having been at the same job for 3 years now, but I am in dire need of a change.

I know, I know, you are probably saying things like "but you just got married", "moved in with a guy", "moved out of your parents", which is all fine and well while it was new, but we are now settled into a routine. Its time to mix it up!

I want new experiences, to see different parts of the country and the world, not to be stuck in a grey cubicle day after day. And the politics of being at a place for too long have just become unbearable here. I know I have a job and its a rough economy out there. I should be thankful for what I have. And I am, at least for what I have outside of work. But here, I can see the days dragging out the same way they always have, year after year, with no hope of ever advancing... and that is something I cannot stand for too much longer. I need to be able to grow! I've worked too hard this far to be stifled!

Let's hope God has something great planned for us soon!

Today's Confession!

2010-05-27T10:33:00.000-04:00

I am currently suffering from wanderlust... though not in the sense that I need to travel, but more of in the sense that I would like to live in a new state every few years. Don't worry, I won't be leaving my husband for this, we have both mutually agreed that this is something we would like to do... Really get to see this big, beautiful country of ours!

So, I guess with that being said, my current domestic envy is North Carolina. If anyone knows of any Mechanical Engineering jobs and Warehouse management jobs (for the hubbster) down there, let me know! I would like to become a resident of the state and then get my MS in Engineering Management at UNC Charlotte because they have an online program for it that would only cost me $5,000 if I was an in-state-er!

I also slightly miss Food Lion because its just so damn cheap! And the cost of housing is pretty reasonable too!

SPECIAL UPDATE!!!!

2010-05-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

Remember that little guy that needed a home last month???? Well, he got one!!! Yay!!!! Here is an email from his new mom! She changed his name to Cassidy and he is doing well!

"Hi Everyone...

I just wanted to touch base with you all and let you know that things are going very well with my sweet angel of a dog, Cassidy. Yesterday, after we got back from the Poconos, I took him out to Appalachian Tails here in Glastonbury and got him a mobility vest, which helps both him and I a lot. It makes it much easier for him to do stairs, get into the van, etc. I have also removed the middle seat from the van to make it more "handicapped accessible" for him.

I signed him up for training classes as well, which start on June 27th, I figure he should be mostly recovered from his neuter surgery by then... We are going to the doctor's this afternoon for a complete physical before his surgery tomorrow. If, by any chance, he has any medical issues, please be assured that they will be taken care of immediately.

He is a wonderful, beautiful dog and I love him. If all goes well with basic training, I am going to seriously investigate training classes for him to be a therapy dog. All the prospective adopters that overlooked him at the shelter have no clue what they missed out on! Lucky for me... :)

I want to thank each of you for taking care of my sweet boy for so many months, when no one else wanted him..."

Cassidy in his mobility vest

Cassidy with his new mommy!!!

YAY for happy endings!!!!!!!

its that time again... toof cleanin' time

2010-05-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

does anyone else suck as much as i do about getting regular bi-annual cleanings?

sometime between when i graduated college and now i had a cleaning... it had been 4 years since i had had one. i'm going in today for another cleaning. again, i can't remember the last time that i was there, but i know it was in the last 3 years sometime...

but seriously, am i the only one who does this? do i really care that much if i don't get my teeth cleaned twice a year? i mean i had braces for 5 years when i was younger, causing me to visit the dentist once a month... for FIVE YEARS! i've had my fill of dental work, thank-you-very-much!

anyway, after today, my teeth will be squeeky clean... until i forget to make my next appointment...

Getting "Church'd"

2010-05-10T13:39:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure many of you know or care, but I grew up Catholic. I always joked that the main rule for catholisism is "if it feels good, stop". And I would probably still be a practicing Catholic if I didn't become a "think-for-yourselfer" right before I completed my confirmation (but that is a story for another day).

Recently, and by that I mean in the past 2 years or so, I have been becoming more of a non-denominational Christian and by that I mean, trying more to focus on the Bible than most other religious teachings I have experienced.

WAIT, don't stop reading yet, I promise I'm not going to get all religious on your ass!

Anyway, in my journey to become more Christian, less Catholic, I have been looking for a church... but not like actively seeking, going to a different church every week, not finding what I'm looking for, kind of searching... more like, looking at teachings online, talking to people I know that are actively involved in their churches, kind of thing. Mainly, becoming a Christian in a lazy manner.

Now I appreciate that the Bible says you need to preach your faith to others and try to get the Word out there, that's your duty as a Christian... But I am really not a fan of those people who are fanatic about thier churches. Let me explain what I mean by this...

I call it "Getting Church'd"... no its not like getting schooled... its when you ask someone one thing about their church and then for days, weeks and months, all they talk about is how you should come to their church, how its better, are you walking with God?... that type of stuff. It seems that normal topics are now not a part of your daily interactions.
Church-er: "Hey, I didn't see you at my church on Sunday?"
Me: HEY, YOU ARE CROWDING ME HERE! I WILL FIND GOD ON MY OWN TIME!

No, I'm not writing this to offend anyone. Hey, if you think you've got a great church, I would love to hear about it! Just don't make it become the only socially interactive topic we can have. I think its wonderful when a person's life revolves around their church, and I would love for that to someday the case in my life, but I'm not there yet. I haven't recieved my calling... I'm trying! Please understand.

With that, here is a somewhat entertaining article on 10 "rules" Christians should take into consideration.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-shore/10-ways-christians-tend-t_b_562583.html

And here's your final food for thought: Going to church on Sunday and talking shit about everyone else doesn't make you a better person than the one who prays mulitple times a day and tries to be Christ-like, but doesn't go to church on Sunday... I'm just saying...

Tribute to Fallen Service Members

2010-04-30T08:01:00.001-04:00

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/28/custom-chevrolet-camaro-is-ultimate-tribute-to-fallen-servicemen/

Awesome car by TheSpyMaster

SOMEONE ADOPT THIS DOG!!!!!

2010-04-26T08:06:00.000-04:00

So we all know that I'm a bleeding heart when it comes to service members and pets that need homes... So let me tell you about this little fella. If you live in CT, and are looking for a special member of your family, I have just the pup for you.

http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/14682861

He has a deformed front left foot, so the shelter named him Lefty. It doesn't bother him at all, it just stays close to his chest. He is the goofiest, sweetest guy you could ever want. He also has a handsome face and really just needs a family to love him! My mom tried to make it work, but the dog she already had wasn't having any of that, so she had to bring Lefty back :( If I didn't already have 2 dogs of my own, I would take him in a heartbeat.

Anyway, if you live in CT or know someone who does, I implore you to have them call up Wallingford Animal Shelter and adopt this dog!!!!! Its keeping me awake at night! He just needs some love! He's been in the shelter for 7 months... Help him find his forever home!

Wallingford Animal Shelter

5 Pent Road
Wallingford, CT 06492
Phone: 203 294-2180
Fax: 203 294-2181
Email: Seylerl@aol.com

'Nuff Said...

2010-04-16T08:33:00.002-04:00

What a Treat!

2010-04-12T08:21:00.000-04:00

Saturday night, after going shopping for groceries and other weekly purchases, we didn't get home until around 7. I was set on making strawberry freezer jam because I found a recipe last week and heard that strawberries are super cheap right now because of something about the orange season running into the strawberry season (or something like that). So after purchasing 4 pounds of strawberries and a case of jelly jars, I ended up with 9 jars of strawberry jam. Its pretty delicious, if I do say so myself! Its not quite the consistancy of normal jam, but its more delicious and way more natural! So yeah, if anyone needs some, we have a freezer full!

After that, I was feeling lazy and not super hungry, but my wonderful hubby decided he was going to make dinner!

Being a dork

Garlic Bread! Yum!

We sat down to eat dinner around 9pm. I felt very European! haha. It was quite a delicious meal! And a very nice treat to be able to watch Real Housewives of NYC while having the hubster cook!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Someone needs to step in here

2010-04-08T10:49:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/04/08/airline.fees.outlook/

Alright, so I didn't agree with the bailout, but I'm kind of ok with the government stepping in to help regulate the way credit cards are fee'd. Some of it is good, and some of it requires the credit card companies to become more creative in the way they make money off of us.

The next thing that needs to become more regulated is the airline industry. Maybe you have read the above article, or have heard in the past day that Spirit Airlines will start charging $45 per carry on bag that has to go in the overhead compartment. Maybe you haven't heard any of this and you are now as shocked as I was when I found out.

This is outrageous! First of all, because Spirit was the first airline that started charging for checked baggage, which means that this carry-on fee could soon become a reality at other airlines. Secondly, it jacks up the already inflated prices even more! Say you are going on a weekend jaunt and you only need a small bag for your apparel and necessities. And lets say you scored a sweet deal, like you are flying from Providence to D.C. (I'm pretty sure that's a route Spirit flys), for say about $99 each way (without taxes and other fees). Well unless you can stuff all of your things for the weekend in a purse that will fit under the seat, you've just added another $90 to your "cheap" trip. Lets not kid ourselves though, you weren't paying $198 for your tickets anyway, it was probably closer to $250 after fuel surcharges, taxes, use charges, breathing charges... you get the idea. So your trip turned from $200 to nearly $350... and forget about buying a snack or beverage either on board or at the terminal... You are probably pushing $400 before you even get out of the airport!

All I'm saying is that this needs to be regulated and standardized. The government should step in here and make travelling a more pleasant experience for us all (seeing as its seems we need full body cavity searches and to sign the rights away to our first born child before we can even get in the airport). Put a stop to the mindless charges!

Food Obsession

2010-04-07T07:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am aware I just posted something, but I think this deserves its own post. My latest food obsession is these little fellas

They are really delicious! Kind of like granola chips, if you will (or even if you won't... fine, be that way)!

Anyway, I've been bringing a bag to work with me and if I feel a little rumbly in my tumbly, I grab a small handful and it seems to stave off the hunger until I get to break or lunch. They have lots of whole grain stuff like oats, barley, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, and flax. I secrelty wonder if I should pour milk on them and eat them for breakfast haha. Anyway, now that I'm done plugging them, walk, no RUN out and get some for yourself! While you are there, pick up some Yogi Tea also! They have a lot of natural flavors for that.

Yogi also makes this flavor of Granola Crisps, but I haven't tried them yet... not a huge fan of raisins so I probably won't be trying it anytime soon.

My Drive to Work

2010-04-07T07:50:00.001-04:00

So I took some pictures on my way to work this morning, mainly because it was such a lovely day already!

Some pretty trees in my complex

Sun peaking through the trees

Sun behind cloud cover

Portland Bridge

Any my favorite one of all...

My car twin!

So yeah these are just some of the sights I see every day on my drive to work, although its the first time I've seen the trees look like that in the first picture. Happy Wednesday!

You've been caught!

2010-04-06T07:51:00.000-04:00

So I'm trying to go through all the photos that I take with my phone for some new posts... spicing things up a little bit. Here is today's photo

Yup, thats Roodle in the bathtub. For some strange reason, he likes go get in there and lick around when someone gets out of the shower. I think he is just thirsty, but he has a bucket full of water (yes, we buy huge buckets from Lowe's for the dogs' water), so I'm not quite sure why he likes going in there. But none the less, no matter where you are in the apartment, you can hear when he jumps in the tub... and if you yell at him (from where ever you are) he will get out... and leave a trail of muddy paw prints in his wake. Here's another picture for your enjoyment.

Devil Dog Roodle

Also, note all the Axe products in the background... yes my husband is obsessed! Enjoy your Tuesday!

Adventure Day!

2010-04-05T08:19:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a grood Easter (yes I said grood on purpose... if you don't know where that's from, don't worry about it)! We went to my maternal grandparents for the holiday and had lots to eat with my parents and 2 cousins. It was a rather small holiday for that side of the family. Usually there is between 18 and 20 of us and there is a lot of hustle and bustle. It was weird being so quiet! Haha

Saturday, we decided we were going to have an Adventure Day! It really started Friday night when we took the dogs for a walk and decided to go off trail to the old train tressel that is just sitting in the woods off the bike path that we normally walk on. Reggie was gung-ho for an adventure, although Butters has to be carried across. We let them run around in the woods for a little bit before we leashed them and continued on our walk. We decided that on Saturday, we would have an adventure and come back to the tressel, as well as go farther on the walking path because we could see that it was flooded and it might be fun.

So Saturday morning, we got up and went to breakfast at our fav place - Cromwell Diner - and then came home and took the dogs on our adventure! We even packed a backpack with treats, water, and flipflops for wading! This time, we were able to bribe Butters onto the tressel with a trail of treats, although on recrossing it, she just followed like it was a natural thing for her! Reggie also almost fell off the tressel because he decided he wanted to turn around a bunch of times. Luckily, I was right next to him and helped him back on. We then went on to our wading adventure... The water was way deeper than I expected, pretty much crotch level. So we put on our flipflops, put the sneakers in the backpack and hiked up our shorts. Unfortunately for me, the crotch area of my shorts got wet, and since they were grey, when I folded them down, it pretty much looked like I peed my pants for the rest of the walk. But whatever, it was great to have 2 tired dogs for the rest of the day!

Our next adventure was going to the Brass Mill Mall in Waterbury. The hubster said it was a really cool mall (he had gone there with his boss about a week ago). So off we went! I had to return a sweater anyway, so I figured what harm could it do. Well, bottom line, other than Gap, there is no store I would shop at... So I guess you could say we struck out at the mall. But at least we know!

Yesterday, we got up and took the dogs on another tressel walk, although we avoided the rest of the trail. We figured it would be good to tucker them out before heading over the river and through the woods...

All in all, a very nice weekend with the hubby! Here are some tressel pics for your enjoyment:

Roodle walking across

Oh Hi Mom!

Butters looking unsteady

Bribery

Swimming

Getting trailed by 2 mutts!

It's FRIDAY!

2010-04-02T13:21:00.000-04:00

Its friday and we are already 1/4 through the year! Holy Crap!

Don't really have much to write about, just wanted to let you know I have some ideas for blogs that will be coming in the near future! So don't worry, I won't be boring for much longer! Hopefully next week, they will start rolling out!

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter this weekend!

I'll leave you with a picture I took on my phone one day while we were in the car. Don't remember what we were doing or where we were going, but I thought the sky was really awesome looking!

more rain?

2010-03-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

So, as many of you have probably heard (or experienced), New England has been getting pounded with rain! There is even an apartment complex in my town that is threatening to slip down an embankment into a river... no, its not ours, so don't worry!

Last night I had to take a different route home because the lake I drive by every day to get to and from work from highway had risen about a foot over the road so the state police shut it down. There is even a guy I work with that couldn't get home at all and had to stay with friends because the flooding on his street was so severe. That would suck! Anyway, my drive home was fairly uneventful except for one stream that had risen over the road, so I am happy about that! The hubster also got home safely, so all in all we had a pretty quiet night.

Completely unrelated, we have recently discovered that Reggie doesn't like when we chew bubble gum and blow bubbles. For some reason, he totally freaks out. He will run down the hallway and hide from us or bark uncontrollably. Its hilarious! Almost as much fun as tying socks on his feel... but thats another post!

We have also booked our hotel room for our Martha's Vineyard trip in May. I can't wait to get away for a few days! Loved the vineyard last time I was there in 2007, so hopefully this time will be even better (sans Reggie, plus hubby!).

As a parting note, I will leave you with a pic of the CT river that I took yesterday on my way home. You can't really tell what its supposed to look like, but the water is waaaayyy closer than it usually is.

And if we get any more rain, this is what I'm going to look like:

HAPPY TRAILS!

my least favorite day of the week

2010-03-29T10:25:00.000-04:00

yes, its monday... if you haven't guessed.

Haven't had much to say lately, plus I spent last week getting ready for a customer visit on Thursday and Friday. Everything went well, so that's super good.

This past weekend we didn't do much, pretty much grocery shopped and half cleaned the house. Hubby spent 2 hours making tortillas yesterday, so now we have a stock of that in the fridge in case anyone cares haha.

Today we have the Gold Medaling Olympic Bobsled team as well as their sled visiting work. I think I'm going to stop by and see them before lunch.

Other than that, nothing major going on. Pretty standard life here, kids! Hopefully you are all starting your week out delightfully!

Boondock Saints 2 Fail

2010-03-17T14:23:00.000-04:00

So, the hubby and I watched Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day last night... No, correction, we TRIED to watch BDS2, but it was terrible!!!!!

First off, Sean Patrick Flanery looks like he was hit with a ton of bricks (or 1000 scalpels). Either way, I didn't believe it was actually him in the movie for the first 20 minutes until I did a little IMDBing and found out it was him. He looks nothing like the hottie he used to be. WTF? Submitted for your own observations:

The Hotness!

The not-so-hot-ness

I will give the man some credit because I hear he is an MMA fighter so maybe that's why is face is so fucked up, but seriously? He didn't even sound the same. And if you have watched the movie, you've probably noticed that when they do flashbacks, they only show his face up close once for like .3 seconds.

But on a different note, aside from all the hot being rung out of the movie, the plot was terrible. The new female cop was rediculous. Bad Actress!!!! And the musicy pre-fighting scenes that are supposed to hype you up had the worst music choices, to say the least.

Ugh, I don't even want to expand on this topic any further. I am thouroughly disgusted and wished I had never watched this monstrosity!

Middletown Nissan presents...

2010-03-15T11:24:00.000-04:00

MY NEW CAR!!!!

Yep, thats right folks... after an exhausting Saturday of car shopping, I settled on this guy! He's my new baby! I will be picking him up tonight after work! Yay!!!!!

After getting up at 4:45am Sat to drop Sunny off at the airport, we headed back to sleep for a few hours. Then it was showers, McD's for breakfast and we were on our way to Bristol to see a man about a 4runner. The reason I liked the 4runner was because it was a on a truck chassis and it had a 3rd row, but upon getting to the dealership and seeing the it, the 3rd row is, according to my husband, more like a stadium seat cushion layed on the floor. We still test drove it and it had a good ride, but were dissapointed. They then showed us a Highlander, also with a 3rd row which was way more functional than the 4runner. You actually had foot space! And it had a V6 which was much better than the 4 cyl one I had driven on Thursday. We left there feeling pretty confident with the Highlander but still had another 4 cars to see.

Next, we headed to Hamden to look at a 2007 Edge. I had loved this car when I had one for a rental the weekend I met the hubby in NC. But after driving the Toyotas, it just didn't do it for me. The brakes were soft and there is a HUGE blindspot! We skipped the next dealer where we were going to look at a 2008 Edge. We grabbed a soy misto at Starbies (recommended by Biochemista... I don't know why I ever doubted her!) and lunch at Panera before heading back to Middletown to go to the Nissan dealership.

My intentions were to look at a Pathfinder, Xterra, and Murano, but we didn't even get into another one after the Pathfinder. And they sweetened the deal by offering me an additional $1000 on my trade-in over what the other dealers were offering me. So we signed the paperwork and submitted the credit apps. I get to finalize everything today and then take it home!

I'm definately glad that I don't have to deal with worrying about my car anymore. Sadly, it will be taking a big chunk of money from me monthly, but now we can drive places and not worry! Here are some more pics:

Front Row

Dash

2nd Row

3rd Row!

Rear View

That's Just F-ed Up!

2010-03-11T13:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was working on a project for a sales proposal and it was such a pain in the ass that I thought "Man, I wish I was pregnant right now so I would be out of work and not have to do this!"

Now, that might seem like an innocuous statement, but if you know me, you know that children are not my number 1 (or even number 100) priorety... So for me to say that, must speak to what I was working on... I hope I never have to work on something like that again!!!!!

Pen-pals

2010-03-08T09:38:00.000-05:00

So this weekend, not much happened... except that one of my military pen pals wrote me an email! It totally made my day, probably even my weekend.

Some background: I've been a pen-pal to military service members for a few years now... started some time in college and got more involved once I started dating one. There is this great organization ADOPTAPLATOON.ORG that you can sign up with and they will assign you service members. There are a bunch of different options of support for deployed members, from being a weekly pen-pal to sending monthly care packages, to supporting individual campaigns, like sending socks and underwear (hey, everyone needs this stuff, especially all those overseas that are protecting our rights!). I urge you to support if you have the time, which you really don't have to have much of. I mean, who can't spare 5-10 minutes a week to write a letter, right? You can do it at lunch, during class, even right before you go to bed at night! There is an application you have to fill out on the website and email it in. Once you are accepted, you can ask for pen-pals (or whatever is your liking). Then you send a letter a week, regardless of if you hear back from your service member or not. Sometimes they don't have the time to write. Its also usually good to send a blank sheet and envelope so they can write back (resources are limited over there). At any rate, its an interesting way to get to know someone and it shows the troops that you are standing behind them.

Note: Singles will get matched with someone of their same sex. Married people will get matched with other married people, usually men (there are a lot more of them in the service). This isn't a dating service! haha

So onward to my story. I had a service woman last year and we exchanged many letters, but I also had a service man and never heard from him the entire time I was writing. Oh well, I volunteered to write so that is what I did. Now, I will put an open apology out there to any future, past and present service members I have... I write about my life and the boring things I am doing... I'm sorry if that isn't entertaining! I'm trying my best!

Anyway, I now have 2 new pen-pals because my last 2 returned home. I wrote them both letters last week because that is when I was assigned the new names. Well Saturday, I recieved an email from one of them! It made me super happy! He thanked me for my letter and for wishing him a happy birthday, when none of the guys he is stationed with over there knew. It really warmed my heart! How satisfying is that, knowing that you made someone's day a little brighter? SUPER! Anyway, luckily we are going to be shooting each other emails for correspondence (which may be how your future service member chooses to keep in touch... hint hint), so I can hear from him weekly or a few times a week instead of once a month or never, like my previous experiences.

Alright I will end this advertisement now! But support our troops!!!!!! If you won't stand behind them, feel free to stand in front of them!

I Bite my Thumb at Thee, Sprint

2010-03-03T10:57:00.000-05:00

So, our annual "upgrade your phone" time is here... but I was very disappointed when I logged into my account to see what it would cost for new blackberries. Last year, it was about $100 per BB, which isn't a big deal, I think that is pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things, but hubster's didn't even last him a year before it broke so he has been using my old Treo for a while now. We didn't use the insurance we've been paying because it would have cost us $100 for a new BB and we were only 2 months away from our upgrade and they couldn't guarantee us that we would get a new phone and not a referbished one. So we decided to wait...

So 2 weeks ago, I log in to see what we are going to get for savings on new phones. I'll get $150 and hubby will get $75... not great, but not too bad, still manageable. Ok, 2 more weeks until we upgrade.

Well the day finally came! I was so excited, I tried logging in on my phone before I got to work, but no success there. So I wait until I get to my desk and log in. I can upgrade to a new BB for $99 ($150 savings and $200 instant rebate)! Let me check the hubby's, it will probably be around $175, but whatev, we can swing it.

OH NO! He gets $75 savings... thats it! So a new BB is going to cost us about $400 for him! WTF!

Now, we have been talking about iphones since we got our BBs last year, so I decide to "chat" with one of their representatives online... You can see the convo:

12:07:51PMSystem: "Thank you for contacting Sprint. My name is Gerry M. In order to better assist you, may I please have your first and last name?"

12:07:51PMMia Merrel: "I was wondering what my early termination fee would be if I cancelled my account?"

12:08:38PMAgent (Gerry M): "Good morning Mia. I will be happy to assist you today."

12:11:03PMAgent (Gerry M): "Which phone number are you inquiring about today?"

12:11:13PMMia Merrel: "My whole account"

12:11:49PMMia Merrel: "I was wondering what my early termination fee would be if I cancelled my account?"

12:12:07PMAgent (Gerry M): "All right, I will only be a moment getting that information for you."

12:12:15PMMia Merrel: "Thank you"

12:14:40PMAgent (Gerry M): "Thank you for your patience. I am showing that the fee for line 1 is currently at $120 and the fee for Line 2 is also at $120, for a total of $240. May I ask as to why you are inquiring?"

12:15:55PMMia Merrel: "Because we were waiting to upgrade our phones, but I just found out today, I can get a new blackberry for about $100, but it would cost us around $400 for my husbands blackberry. And since we have been debating on blackberries and iphones for a year now it would be just about as expensive to cancel and get iphones."

12:19:31PMAgent (Gerry M): "I understand that the iPhone is a cool phone. However some of the drawbacks are that you have to pay for nearly every application that you get for the phone, the phone is uninsurable, so if you were to accidentally break it, you would have to pay full price for it. Also, the data plans required to run an iPhone is $20*-$40/month more that what we offer for the same plan."

12:24:15PMMia Merrel: "I am kind of tired of being jerked around by sprint anyway. Last year I was on a SERO plan and when I ordered new phones I specifically asked if the SERO would work with the Instincts that we ordered. They assured me it would. then we I got the phones and activated them, they told me they wouldn't work and I would have to get a regular plan, which has been costing me almost $100 more a month."

12:24:38PMMia Merrel: "we ended up hating the instincts so we switched to blackberries, but i am still having to pay a lot more than i used to."

12:26:12PMAgent (Gerry M): "I can certainly understand your concern. I also apologize for any incorrect information that was shared with you, causing you not to have a positive experience with Sprint."

Now, I know Sprint isn't a great company, but because I used to pay $30/month, I pretty much let it go... then when I had to move to a family plan and pay $155/month, I figured, whatev, millions of people pay more than I do, so I'll just suck it up... Its normal, plus the new phones are cheap... But I'll be DAMNED if I have to pay a normal rate and $500 for new phones! I'm not paying that much for a freaking BB! Fuck You, Sprint!

Especially when it would be the same price to cancel our phones and get new 16gig refurb 3GS iphones!

I'm pretty sure we are going to wait until the end of the month and then port over... hopefully AT&T will give us some better service... I mean we like their UVERSE tv and internet... Hopefully the cell service is just as good. And we would get rollover minutes, which means we don't have to pay for as many anytime minutes to begin with...

So, I hope you are happy, Sprint. Because of your stupid policies, not another providers "cool phone", you are losing a 7 year customer. And I'm taking my husband with me... hopefully more will follow.

I'm baaaaaack!

2010-03-02T08:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the 2 week delay. I haven't had much to say and have been rather busy at work.

Lets see, the weekend of Feb 20, we went to Maine with the Boston girlies for some skiing/snowboarding fun! I took a snowboarding lesson and my knees are still recovering! It was really fun and I am going to try to stick with it, but it took a lot out of me. Everyone else managed to stay on the mountain almost the entire day, but I was done after 1.5 hours of lesson... pathetic, I know.

Unfortunately, the Subie has seen better days. I am just delaying the inevitable by not bringing him into the garage. He needs a head gasket, rear wheel bearing, O2 sensor, and exhaust... $2500 all together... yuck! Luckily my parents are going to help float me the money until the hubby gets his promotion...

Which leads me to my next update... thats right, the man is getting a big promotion! He will be the breadwinner now! I can take a break! haha... if all goes as planned, he will be the manager of the 3 CT warehouses! Yahoo! Go him!

I had something else to complain about, but now I can't remember what it was, so lucky you, you get a positive blog entry today! haha

Also in the works of planning a few trips... Martha's Vineyard in May with the Boston girlies, Cali in October to visit the hubby's family and have our honeymoon, and Cali again for Xmas! Lets hope all goes as planned!

Peace out, girl scouts!

Happy National Engineers Week!

2010-02-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA this week (well I'm Mia every week... haha)

Anyway, we had a killer snow storm starting Monday night and ending late Tuesday/early Wednesday. It was a nerve-racking drive to and from work. For once, I wasn't the one passing everyone! Thankfully, both myself and the hubster got home safely, even if it did take a lot longer.

Can't wait to bust out of here early on Friday! We have my slis watching the dogs this weekend and we are going skiing in Maine with Ms. Alys and Ms. K-ra! Can't wait to ski and hang out and see the Caddles! They are super generous and hosting us for the weekend, so it will be a great time!

Alright thats all for now, I'm keeping it short today!

New Career...

2010-02-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

for Barbie!

That's right, kids. She is now a computer engineer! I say, way to go! Get out of the kitchen and out of Ken's bed! Its time to make your own money and be independent!

On a side note, she does look a lot like someone I went to school with, who had questionable fashion choices... but its a start. And you can always dress her in different clothes later...

Someone I Don't Miss...

2010-02-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Seriously?

Crazy Weather We're Having?

2010-02-08T12:10:00.000-05:00

So, its been a very interesting few days in our area to say the least. Let me start with last week... Thursday morning, apparently the complex next to us started burning around 1:30am. I'm not going to lie and say it was crazy... I was completely oblivious to it. What was interesting though was that there were still news vans parked in our parking lot when I left for work at 7am. I guess they wanted to get the scoop. The building that burnt is the one closest to our complex, so I guess they got a good angle from where we are. The building is now condemed. I hope for the sake of everyone that lived there things get figured out quickly. Fortunately no one got hurt, and I think that is the most importand thing.

Then Friday, we were going to get DQ/Wendy's for dinner because I have been super lazy lately since I am fighting this cold or whatever it is. On the way to the car (we took the dogs along for a ride), the asshat neighbors (from downstairs) were taking their dog somewhere too... So needless to say there was some barking and growling. But the interesting part, aside from them having an "I love my Sharpei" sticker on their car, was that they named their dog "Fifi"... I mean you can't make this stuff up, really now people! Fifi? Seriously? No wonder you wear a queer fishing hat!

Anyway, Saturday, we got our new couch and chair! They are wonderful! Firm but super comfy! We even took a nap on the couch. And we saved the cushions from the old couch and put them on the floor so the dogs have a comfortable place to sleep and we don't feel bad about not letting them on the new furniture. See the pics below! We are keeping blankets on the seats incase the dogs get any ideas.

Sunday, there was an explosion in Middletown at a new power plant. We didn't feel it in the apartment, but apparently my family in the Chester/Deep River area did... and everyone in New England heard about it. Thanks for the concern! We are fine! Sadly, there are 5 confirmed deaths and they aren't sure if there is anyone else trapped in the plant. Hopefully we find out soon!

And that brings me to today... Recently, we got our tax return and I paid off a credit card. Well today I found out the Bank of America decided to decrease my credit limit on that card now from $4500 to $500! WTF is the point of even keeping the card now????? I hate BOA and everything they stand for! They get to use my tax dollars to bail themselves out but then screw me over when it comes to credit/debt ratio... Thank you Bank of America, you sons of bitches! See if I pay the other 2 cards I have with you before I pay Chase... Thanks! I hope you go bankrupt!

Prediction on Toyotas

2010-02-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

I'm going to keep this as short as possible because its been a busy day and I have no energy left:

This "sticky pedal" Toyota has going on is not a mechanical problem like they are saying. It is a computer programming problems. Therefore, when they fix all of the pedals they are recalling, the problem is going to keep happening. And when the problem keeps happening, even though they "fixed" it, people are going to lose trust in Toyota and the company is going to go down the shitter. The End... Long Live American Made!

Short and sweet...

Is Divorce Easy?

2010-02-02T14:28:00.000-05:00

I was appalled when I read this article yesterday... so much so that I almost opened up a new post, but thought the better of it and decided to give you something to read today.

I'll give you a quick summary: CC married a soldier when she got preggo in college. She was stuck living in upstate NY with a kid while her husband was off galavanting for freedom. She wasn't happy. So some 8 years later or something, she made her husband go on reserve status. Then 9/11 happened and he went active again. She decided, again, that she wasn't happy. So while he was deployed, after 12 years of marriage, she decided she didn't want to be married anymore, so she left. Its fuzzy as to the actual way she left, but I'm pretty sure she sent him a letter (what we call a Dear John letter) and probably used his power of attorney to divorce him without him even needing to be present, much less in the country. She then went on to marry a "lithe, blue-eyed Marxist (read-socialist... Obama should like him)" and now her son is going into the Naval Academy, although she still refers to him as a Soldier.

Ok, so maybe I didn't portray her in a great light, but she does a pretty shoddy job of that herself anyway. I don't even know where to begin on how she is a twit!

First of all, she seems like the most self-centered human being on the earth (so apparently my mom was wrong when she thought that was me). She seems to have no regard for what is going on in anyone around her's life, how any of this is affecting them. All she cares about is that she had to take the slow path at Dartmouth and that she was stuck shovelling snow while he was keeping our country safe. Lady, news flash, he wasn't having a good time over there. Its not like he was lounging around next to the fireplace enjoying a 30 year old scotch!

Oh and good, he made it home for her graduation! You are lucky he even dragged himself out of bed for that you self righteous bitch!

And the poor lamb then she struggled to make food for their child all the while not being able to afford phone calls but for twice a month and with morning sickness, no less... a) if you didn't think you could handle a child, you should have had an abortion or given it up for adoption. b) you were an officers wife, living in upstate NY... the cost of living isn't high there and you should have had more than enough money with his BAH, BAS and seperation pay to cover any and all expenses. Maybe he only called twice a month because you were such a miserable wretch! I wouldn't want to talk to you either!

Ok so then he went on reserve, but 9/11 happened... and can you believe it, that damn husband of hers felt a call to service again and became active... what was she to do now? She was alone with her 2 kids that were getting older and were more able to do things for themselves and didn't like seeing pictures of suicide bombers on the news... how was she ever going to get by? Meanwhile, she was teaching students and "surfing all of their exuberant, sexy, rowdy energy"... I'm not quite sure what that is even supposed to mean, but I'm going to take is as she was want of sex and her husband wasn't around so she got off on their stories of "extracurricular activities".

Then the thing I hate the most... she left her husband while he was deployed. Again, who knows what courtesies she afforded him, but being the coward that she is, she ran when there wouldn't have to be any confrontation. For that alone, I feel like she shouldn't be allowed to continue living. PERIOD. Luckily for her ex, he is married, living in Germany and has started a real family. I feel bad for the kids he left behind. Their mother obviously doesn't care about them, which is evident in the last part of her editorial.

Her son enlisted in the US Naval Academy... First, kudos to him! Thank you for your service, or willingness to serve! Now CC doesn't know what to do! On his Induction Day, which is almost as important to a boy as his Graduation Day, his mother couldn't be there to watch him... She "could not bear to be there, could not watch the child of my body step away from the safe, civilian world I'd tried to so desperately to create for myself and him." So she made his father, the man she had stepped on for 12 years of marriage, the man she doesn't even have as much respect for as the dirt on the bottom of her shoe, come all the way back from Germany to stand with his son. And he does it because he is a STAND UP guy! But that bitch can't even bear to see her son off... Honestly she doesn't deserve to breathe! And then, THEN!, she has the gall to call her son in the US NAVAL ACADEMY a SOLDIER! STUPID BITCH! DIE ALREADY!

Ok now that I have that out of my system, a few disclaimers:
I know not all miltary men are good men. Some of them aren't and we don't really know why. Maybe they came from a bad family background, maybe they were abused... whatever the reason, we can't psychoanalyze all of them or every situation that might occur to make them that way. However, her husband seemingly wasn't that way. He seems like he took the hand he was dealt with grace and his head held high. I respect him for dealing with someone like her and moving on and hopefully, he is happier than he ever was now. I truely hope that!
I also know that most women that marry military guys have this stigma, as CC does. "Oh it will be so romantic, he'll sweep me off my feet... blah blah blah". That's just not reality and I know we can't fault these women for thinking that and then finding out its another way once they get into it. Maybe they should try to get out sooner rather than later, rather than stringing someone along for 12 years and then deciding "This just isn't going to work for me".
However, there are also those women that are out for themselves. I would know, my husband's 1st wife was one of those meal ticket chasers. I'd like to call her a bimbo, but that would imply that she was stupid, rather than manipulative and conniving. You have to be pretty cunning to convince someone to marry you and take care of the kid you had with someone else, that you are helpless without them.

A lot of young military men are stupid enough to fall for these "cougars" (I use the term cougar in a literal sense, as in an animal that is out hunting for prey). And they learn from their mistakes... hopefully, there is someone at the end of the storm to respect them and show them that women aren't evil afterall. Many of them get married too young, when neither have thought things through... how is it going to be when I'm alone for 7-13 months or indefinately if something tragic happens? But we can't prevent these things from happening... people make mistakes and hopefully no one gets hurt too badly in the process and everyone grows up and stops wearing rose-colored glasses.

However you put it though, Dear John letters are contemptible. I have no respect for CC and her socialist husband and I hope they rot...

Updates from the Weekend!

2010-02-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Ok, so yuck to it being Monday, again! But this weekend was super fun, so I can't really complain (although I can hope that the next weekend comes very quickly).

Friday, we had the Ahsang's over for dinner (turkey and buffalo lagsana! super delicious!). Their kids are freaking adorable! We hope they find a suitable house up here quick so we can get together with them more often!

Saturday, ready for this... we BOUGHT furniture! The couch search is OFFICIALLY OV-A! It's getting delivered this coming Saturday, which is another reason I'm super excited for this coming weekend! Aside from the sales lady being totally dense about splitting the amount between 2 cards and freezing up my bank of america account which took a 30 min phone call to resolve... Anywho... we also went to Worcester to have a late lunch with the Boston Girlies! Ate at Nancy Chang's, no relation to PF, but has a son Ignacious (sp?) which is totally unrelated to anything but we found to be a cool fact. Then we were off to Wholly Cannoli for some delicious cannolis and dynamite sticks (I also purchased some italian valentines cookies, which i promptly began consuming once we got home).

Yesterday, we didn't do much... went out to breakfast and to Walmart, but slacked on the grocery shopping... then proceeded to watch the entire season of Solitary 3.0. If you've never heard about it, look it up because I'm sick of it! haha We also found out, interestingly enough, that our downstairs neighbors are a pain in managment's ass so we are free to be noisy until quiet hours start and can disregard any complaint they have... so suck on it!

Hope everyone's week goes swimmingly!

The Joys of Apartment Living

2010-01-27T10:23:00.000-05:00

Apparently our downstairs neighbors are ass-hats, for lack of a better term. Prior to the "Monday Night Incident" I thought they were kind of weird anyway because the guy wears a fishing hat and a long wool coat... he looks rediculous in them... and they have a Mitsubishi Montero, which is a Toyota Landcruiser wannabe, not to mention the "I love my Sharpei" sticker on the back... You get the point, right?

So Monday night, we are playing around with the dogs in the house, trying to get some of their energy out. We are chasing them and they are barking (and its around 6:30). Well about 15 minutes later as we are getting ready to take them out for a potty walk, there is a knock on the door. The girl that lives downstairs asks us to keep it down because sometimes it gets a little loud... Oh, I didn't know we were doing the complaint thing... I bit my tongue because I didn't want to start a fight. However, there were a few things I would like to tell them...

First off, you smoke in their apartment. Now, I'm all for getting to do what you want in the place you are paying rent for, but since the smoke comes up into our apartment (partially due to the shitty construction of the place), its affecting my life. You are silently giving me cancer, bitch!

Secondly, whenelver you are out of the apartment, their dog barks constantly, like every 4-7 seconds! Luckily for some reason, our dogs don't pay attention to it, otherwise we would have a crazy barkfest going on... but its severely annoying on my days off when I'm trying to watch tv in my living room and your dog is barking his fool head off! Your dog has seperation anxiety and maybe if you played around with him like we do with our dogs, it would be tired when you left and wouldn't freak out all day long! Mind you this doesn't just happen on Saturdays, its any day of the week when they aren't there. Most of the time, I'm at work so I don't hear it, but Jeremy gets a daily treat.

Third, you chose to live in an apartment, and you picked a bottom floor apartment... News flash: if you don't want to hear noise from other people, move into a house. Since there is someone usually within 20 feet of you where ever you are in your place, you are going to hear noise... and you are always going to hear us walking around! There is nothing I can do to help you.

Lastly, you chose to be a pet owner... therefore you need to be more tolerant of noise around you! Pets lead a noiser existance (whether you are home or not)... you have to accept that other people are going to make noise too, especially if they have pets. Just deal with it already. We only play for about 30 minutes a day and we are in bed by 9pm! You will get your required sleep, don't worry.

Oh, and on a final note, don't even think about having a party, we will break that shit up before your last guests even get to dip thier first chip!

weekend update

2010-01-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

So it seems to be a running theme on facebook and gchat today: monday, again? i, like many of my fellow virtual aquaintances, also feel like monday keeps happening again and again with no repreve! However, to help get you through the day, I will give you an update on how our weekend went.

Friday night, super excited the girls were coming over... however, we had a rotting smell in our apartment that we just couldn't seem to find. Luckily, I apparently married a man that is half hound dog, because as I was in the bathroom getting ready, he found the smell... no it wasn't by the door, no it wasn't coming from the air vents... it was coming from the back of the fridge! wtf could it be? we pulled the fridge out and low and behold, there was a dead, rotting mouse in the bottom where the fans are... it was very gross, and i do mean G-R-O-S-S! I grabbed some rubber gloves and pick that juicy sucker up, ran outside and threw it over the railing into the brush behind the apartments.... then I anti-bacterial wiped the heck out of the bottom of the fridge... thankfully, the apartment aired out before the girls arrived, but there is still a lingering smell in the kitchen. Only time will cure it.

Saturday started very early, as Butters decided she would need to go out every 3 hours because she must have eaten something... so she woke me up at 1:30 frantically whining and panting. Then she went out with hubby at 3... woke me up again at 6 for another round of poop and started gagging around 7 when I pulled her in the bathroom to puke. Then I figured, I'm up, I'll just take the dogs to the dog park so Reggie can do his business. Came back in and went back to sleep, but hubby came home at 8:30... I managed to talk him into getting in bed with me so I could finish up the night's sleep before we started our day's activities. I did manage to sleep until 10 finally, and then went to breakfast, came home and showered and started our morning.

First, we went to HomeGoods in Rocky Hill to look for a sofa... nothing. We managed to see a Puritain Furniture outlet on our way there so we decided to stop... again nothing. Headed down to the HomeGoods in Old Saybrook for more shopping... did manage to get 2 cookie sheets and a rubber spatula, but nothing I could sit on in my living room. Headed back north, where we stopped at mom's to get a spare bed for our spare room (after a trip to Wheatmarket for lunch, yum!). Got home, set the bed up, took the dogs out and fed them... Then we headed to Bob's Furniture in Southington because they have a Pit and we're looking for a good deal... Sadly, they have the smallest Pit I'd ever seen, so we browsed the floor and decided to head to the Manchester store. So, at 8pm, we drove all the way there, found nothing new in the Pit, almost bought a cheap sectional, but I couldn't do it for fear that it wouldn't last us more than a year or 2... and I do not want to be doing this again any time soon! So, exhausted we headed home, where I proceeded to have 2 meltdowns (being married to me is never boring)... first because I am tired of couch shopping, and second because I dropped the plate of snacks that were going to serve as our 10pm dinner on the floor... I was hungry and tired, never a good combo...

Sunday, I only had to get up with Butters once, which was a nice change. Started our day around 7:30 by taking the dogs to the dog park and then heading to breakfast. We had originally planned to do another round of shopping, but we realized we were so worn out, that we basically did nothing the whole day. Got our grocery shopping done and then watched movies.

So all in all, the weekend had its ups and downs, and while I want a new couch, I'd be happier if I just opened my apartment door and found a new set waiting there for me. Since thats not going to happen, the hunt will continue...

Freedom of Choice, or Freedom to Oppress?

2010-01-22T09:04:00.001-05:00

I was reading an article this morning about how France is proposing to ban women from wearing burqas and how America should consider this also. While the article seemed thinly veiled in women's rights, the claim that it should be banned because it is oppressive to women isn't a good enough reason for any country to take a stance against them.

I, too, am weary of Middle Easterners. However, our country was founded on the Freedom of Choice... choosing religion, choosing what we wear, choosing to go to college... and by banning something like this, we are in effect, becoming the very people we ran away from in the first place. To say that by not wearing jeans and a tshirt is an affront to the western worlds way of life is rediculous! Do we tell Christians they can't wear modest clothes because everyone in the mainstream media is wearing areola bearing v-necks, or skirts so short (without underwear) that we can see if a starlet has herpes? NO! We have the right to choose for ourselves!

We can't start banning cultural differences because we are uneducated about their way of life and therefore afraid. We need to embrace differences, not only because of what our country supposedly stands for, but because our ignorance is what is causing such anti-American sentiment around the globe.

Oh and here is an unrelated thought... maybe instead of taxing big banks for no reason, maybe we could start taxing them on the bonuses that they give out... that way, they will be detered from giving them out... but more on that another time.

Thirst-day is the day for margaritas!

2010-01-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

Can't wait to get to Coyote Blue tonight! Drink-in-hand! Happy Trails Combo on the plate! A girl can dream can't she?

Started a new book today "The Ocean Between Us" by Susan Wiggs... So far, I've gathered that its about a Navy flight dude who is on deployed on an aircraft carrier and his wife and kids are at home... and something happened before he left, but they haven't told us what it is yet... pretty intruigued at this point, but it better be something good! Otherwise, I will be very mad! haha

Today is the day of cleaning! Last night we went to BJs and Stop and Shop to get things for girls night... tonight, before dinner, will be for cleaning the house! No more messy apartment for us! Hubby is at the DMV getting his CT plates right now, then post office and home to vacuum for me! What a wonderful man he is!

Mini-Rant: Doctor Appointments

2010-01-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

I should save this for another day, but its really getting my goat today. I hate when doctors don't book appointments in the afternoon, say past 3pm... what is the working world supposed to do??? not all of us can get time off to come see you so you can be out of work in time to get a great round of golf in! I have medical needs! Start being more flexible! And don't tell me the latest you book is 2:30, but I can't get one of those appointments for 6 months!!!! WTF!

Get a clue and start working until 4 or 5 or even 6! One day a week even! This is really what we should be talking about when we say "Healthcare Reform"! Tell the bratty doctors that they aren't running the show!

Wika-Wika-Wednesday!

2010-01-20T08:16:00.001-05:00

Halfway there! The week is turning out to be quite busy once I get home from work... mostly because (if you know me well) I make lists of things I "HAVE" to do! Haha... when really I'm just punishing myself and the mister. Last night we went through some of the rubbermaid drawers we have in the spare room. I was trying to clean out some stuff... sadly, we only got rid of 2 paperbags worth of stuff. We have another set of drawers we need to go through as well, but that won't be happening during the week. I also filed a lot of the bills and such from the begining of this year and folded the 4 loads of laundry that were sitting on the dining room table (Go me!) while Jeremy cooked dinner (Go him!).

Tonight we will be heading to BJ's to pick up some stuff we need as well as some stuff for when the girls come over Friday night. I will also be starting to cleaning because we haven't really cleaned since we moved in 3 weeks ago... so things are getting a little messy...

Tomorrow night is Coyote Blue with Kris and Bob... can't wait for a blue margarita!!!! Yummy!

Friday, Elysha, Christina, Olive head, and Ashley are coming over for some much needed vino! I don't think I've seen them since my wedding! I'm a terrible friend! Anyway, hopefully we can all catch up!

Saturday, picking up a bed from my parents for the spare room... We will officially be ready for guests this weekend! Yay!

Also found out that one of the guys, that works with hubby, family is moving up here on Saturday... so I also have plans to make a lagsana to bring over to them... busy busy busy! Can't wait for sleeping in Saturday morning!

Anyway, I have bored you all enough! Talk to you later!

Monday, Funday? or not-so-fun-day...

2010-01-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

Ah, yes, it is indeed Monday... For those of us that are unfortunate enough to have to go to work today (which is probably 99% of the productive world), we have been trudging along which this deary rainy weather. But, rather than dwell on that, I will give you a summary of my weekend...

Friday, we didn't do much... went out for delicious sushi! at Oyama, which is right down the street from out house, and proceeded to fart around Walmart, which is one of my favorite weekend activities.

Saturday, I got to hangout with my lovely past roommates and besties in Manch-Vegas, CT. We shopped around Evergreen Walk, as promised on Friday's blog. Its proved slightly less productive than I thought, as I was only able to procure one sweater. We also took a spontaneous trip to BJ's (is there any other kind?) to help Alysser select some delectable desserts and a little snackling for breakfast (yes I made that up... its kind of a mix between smackrel and snack with an -ing at the end). Saturday night, the hubbster and I went grocery shopping, where I decided it would be a great idea to get turkey sausages... NOT a great idea! Yuck Yuck Yuck! Never again! So I had a bite of a sausage for dinner which the hubby had Wendy's... how unfair is that???? Ok, I got to have a buffalo burger for lunch at Ted's Montana Grill, so I can't really complain.

Yesterday, we had our pistol permit class. I was hopeful at the beginning of the class that we wouldn't be there the entire alotted time, but we ended up leaving 30 minutes before class was over. I did well on the shooting portion (brought my A game biotches!) and only got 2 questions wrong on the test. Yahoo! I can officially apply for my pistol permit!

Now it is Monday, but thankfully the work day is over and has been uneventful...

Almost there!

2010-01-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

Yay! Its Friday! Hopefully the work day can go fast! I'm super excited because I get to see the Boston Girlies tomorrow!!!!! Shopping at Evergreen Walk and some lunch! Gap is also having a sale on sweaters:

So get out there and do some shopping! I will be!

Sunday we get to take our pistol permit class... can't wait! I love shooting at the range. Sadly, it is going to take us about 2 months to get our actual permits once we send in our applications... so we won't be able to buy anything yet.

Hopefully tonight brings sushi for dinner! Yummy!!!!!!!!! Have a safe weekend everyone!

Military Spending

2010-01-14T07:45:00.003-05:00

I LOOOOOOVVVVEEEEEE military spending. In fact, I wish all of my tax dollars went there. How else are we going to keep ourselves as the biggest super power in the world? That being said, there is an article about how inept our military currently is, even though we are spending some seriously large amounts of dough (go here if you want to read it).

We need to adapt and we need to do it quickly. First and foremost, the miltary needs to take over the TSA. They are clearly not doing thier job and I think we would all be better served if this was a military operation. Maybe an M-16 staring the terrorists in the face would be a deterent from trying to sneak bombs on planes... and maybe it will keep those snot nosed celebrities in line too. I'm not quite sure how this would work yet, but I think soldiers at security checkpoints and on planes (or maybe the Air Marshalls could actually do their job) would make everyone a little safer... and someone that was planning to do something "un-wise" a little more nervous!

I also think we need to start using things that would make the same operation cheaper... F-16's are not the wave of the future for seeing ahead of the troops on the ground. We have to spend our $700 billion wisely, lets not waste it all in one place.

Beef up the Special Forces... Now when I say this, I don't mean lower the standards required to get in. We need the men in there that are capable of doing the job... but maybe give a little more incentive for it so people are willing to step up and really put their necks on the line.

Here's another HUGE thing... psychological screenings for the members of the military, maybe by non military docs. Not only could it have changed a personal experince I've had, but maybe it would have prevented the whole Fort Hood shooting. Not to mention, all of the men and women who commit suicide every year in the military. Its really tragic! We need to get these people help! And quick!

Alright, that's all you can take for now, I'm sure...

To the DMV for the Hubster!

2010-01-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

Someone's registration expired on his car, so he gets to spend the day at the DMV! haha sucker! don't feel bad for him, i already filled out all the paperwork for him and gathered all the documents he is going to need, so he'll be fine. Although it does suck to be there by yourself all day... so i do feel for him... kinda...

tonight, we are probably picking up dinner from coyote blue! its a delicious mexican restaurant... our favorite one! thanks to my sister, who got us a gift card for xmas!

not much else going on... watched the uninvited last night... suspensful, but not anything special...

thats it! i'm out!

Where is this road taking us?

2010-01-12T08:12:00.000-05:00

Some days you just get impatient with the future... I feel like we are perpetually stuck in the same place right now. The hubster applied for some new jobs yesterday, so hopefully we will hear something back soon... His current company just yanks hime around too much, so its time to switch. We also need to start exploring the possibility of moving around the country... We told ourselves once the economy picked up, we would try living in a different state. Since it hasn't fully bounced back yet, we aren't going anywhere yet, so don't worry, but we will probably start weeding places out.

On a lighter note, we signed up to take a pistol permit class on Sunday! Yay for guns!!!!!! It will take about 8 weeks after the class to get our permits and then we can start buying and heading to the range. Let me tell you, shooting is a great stress reliever! I never sleep so good as I do after I've been out shooting.

Also, another yay! I get to see Kara and Alyssa Saturday for some shopping at Evergreen Walk! Haven't gotten together since November, so its about time! Miss those girls a lot!

As for a Chiro Update: I am doing a lot better, about halfway through my treatments. Its feels good to be able to move around like a normal person again. Its like I forgot what living without pain was like (well most days... there are still some bad days). Lets hope this new year brings no neck pain!

Couch Shopping

2010-01-11T08:19:00.000-05:00

So this weekend we did some couch shopping... un-successfully... we found a set that I LOOOOVVVVEEEE at Bob's, but its a light stone color and I just don't think it will work with our dogs. I hate to think I am stuck with getting brown, but I think that might be the safest choice for now. The dogs can't get it dirty and when we do finally have kids, it can take a beating and staining. Oh well, the couch hunt continues... I keep hoping to find something incredible on craigslist, but I'm also a little sketched out by buying a couch from someone I don't know... Oh well!

Wish me luck on my search!

New Diggs

2010-01-06T11:39:00.000-05:00

Posting some pics of the new apartment due to popular demand. Once we get internet back at the new place, you will be able to find a video tour on my facebook page. I expect visitors soon (hopefully getting a bed for our mess of a spare room this weekend!)

Kitchen

dining

living

hallway

spare room

master 1

master closet

master balcony

bathroom

floorplan

New Year, New Happenings

2010-01-04T09:08:00.001-05:00

Things I did over my vacation:
1. Exercised! Everyday except for Wednesday... Although my #2 helped with that Thursday-Sunday
2. Moved! We moved into a bigger apartment at our complex... with no forethought about it... Tuesday I looked at listings on Craigslist. Wednesday morning, I went into the management office to talk to them about it and had all but decided we weren't going to do it... Well, after the all day urging my mother gave me, we went back to the office after I got home from the hair dressers (see #3) and looked at the apartments and wrote out a check. Thursday we got our keys and started moving. Luckily, we unpacked as we went, but there are still a few stray boxes we have left... all in all, definately worth it.
3. Bleached my hair blonde (again)! Well, had a professional do it.
4. Discovered that Butters now howls when we leave the house... haha it was very funny, although I'm sure our new neighbors are going to hate us... oh well, I guess not everyone can like us!

Alright, short post for today... sadly, we are without internet and tv until friday, so I have to keep these short...

last day of work!... before vacation, that is...

2009-12-23T08:16:00.000-05:00

i guess you could say this morning was a little rough getting to work. last night, i got home from my cousin's engagement party around 7:30. reggie proceeded to be super needy for the next 3 hours, while butters threw up at 9:30pm, 2:00am, 4:00am, 4:45am, and 7:00am right after i put her in her crate to leave for work... so needless to say, i was running late... then i get on the highway and see that it is backed up for an indeterminate distance. i guess a car had flipped over... i hope everyone was ok... there were 2 fire trucks there and about 6 police cars... luckily, i was only about 10 minutes late to work.

today we are having a luncheon (lagsana made by the wheatmarket), which will hopefully make the day go by a little faster... and i get to look forward to the bottle of wine that we usually get from our bosses as an xmas present. i also have to go over a proposal with our sales rep and the catalog edits with marketing... so hopefully, i can suck up the morning with meetings...

anywho, tonight we are going to target to get a humidifier because i am dying of dryness! and then who knows! i don't have to be accountable for another 11 days! haha

hope everyone is having a merry gear-up to xmas! and i hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!!!!!

un-HAPPY 1st day of winter!

2009-12-21T18:34:00.000-05:00

we are starting off this lovely season by watching the History Channel special Sniper: In the Crosshairs... its a pretty awesome special... some of the stuff those guys can do is amazing! too bad its a boy's only club... women aren't allowed in infantry... oh well, i guess maybe there are some lines we shouldn't cross?

waiting for the spaghetti pie to finish cooking in the oven so we can eat dinner! yum! can't wait!

tomorrow night is the engagement party for my cousin and his finacee, which means, getting to spend more time with the fam this week... should i be happy or sad about that? but good news, only 2 more days of work this week! yahoooooo!!!!!!

alright i will leave you now! sorry for the short post!

cooking up a storm... hopefully not another snow storm!

2009-12-20T14:33:00.000-05:00

snowed in today... well not so much, we have suvs so we have been out and about this morning... breakfast at the cromwell diner followed by a trip to stop and shop to get stuff to make:

a giant cupcake (mine doesn't look quite like this because my pan is from williams-sonoma)

spaghetti pie
beef stew

i've been cooking for about 2 hours now. I have baked the cake, but still need to make the frosting. the stew has been simmering in the oven for 45 minutes. the spaghetti pie is assembled and in the fridge waiting to be cooked tomorrow night for dinner. all the pots and pans have either been cleaned or put in the dishwasher! yay!

anyway, we are having a relaxing day at home... hubbster is playing video games... oh and last night i made a gingerbread house!

its not quite as beautiful as the pi house i made with k-ra and lers senior year, but its all i could manage by myself! so take it or leave it!

alright frosting time! we got cute sprinkles to top off the cupcake! snowflakes and candy canes!!!! yahoo!

my views on the bailout... aka i'm going political on your asses

2009-12-19T21:18:00.001-05:00

so since a snow storm (that we are still waiting for) decided to crap on all my weekend plans, i figured i was obligated to write something today to at least keep lers entertained on monday when she gets back to work... so here is my rant about the "little" bank bailout situation:

i think the stupidest thing that could have been done with our money, was in fact what happened... why give the "people's" tax money back to them? what on earth would be the point of that??????? noooo, lets give it to all the banks that are having a hard time because they over extended themselves on loaning out money... that way their executives can continue to spend $200,000 on vacations, and God forbid they have to shop at the Gap or Target like the rest of us, so please, spend my money keeping them in Michael Kors or Armani Suits...

Here is a novel idea... how about we, the people who have been paying all these years, get the money back for ourselves... the economy is bust, don't you think we could use more than $600 to stimulate it? we all have debt! i don't know a single person that doesn't... why not help "the people" out? did you know that the bailout averaged out to around $31,000 per tax payer????? wtf!?!?!?!?!? how did i have no say in where 30k of my money was going? i could certainly have used that to pay off some of my debts... and then the banks wouldn't be over extended anymore... that old 2 birds, 1 stone theory? well someone should have applied it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

now all these banks are starting to repay the money... great! but what are we going to do with it??? pay back the 2 trillion of national debt... haha fat chance! give "the people" a chance to get their debt under control? hahahaha i can't even answer that one with a straight face... but use it for universal health care coverage? that is actually only going to increase the cost of health care? i think the men in the military say it the best: find the most logical way to do something, and then... do the opposite... yeah that sounds about right!

so yes, i definately disagree with the way the current administration is handling things. i hate that my hard earned tax dollars are going for things i have no control of... however i will say this... the one thing i will never argue with is increasing military spending... when that happens, i will always keep my mouth shut, but that is a topic for another post.

good night and good luck!

frustrated friday

2009-12-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

started off the day by making the 25 min drive to work, only to realize i forgot my gift for the gift exchange so had to drive all the way home and then all the way back! not the best way to begin...

we are doing a toys for tots gift swap... meaning we drew a name of someone we work with and bought a toy with them in mind. after that person unwraps the toy, all the toys are donated to toys for tots... i guess its good in theory, but i'm sad i'm not getting any surprise booze from the yankee swap this year (thats a white elephant for all you non-new englanders... like my husband).

anyway, thank goodness for happy hour after work today! hopefully i will live through the day to make it there! also getting my new tires put on the car tonight! yahoo! because tomorrow, there is supposed to be an epic snow storm hitting us... which, sadly, may hinder our trip to boston... but we are playing it by ear! so who knows what may happen... maybe a Christmas Miracle?

If life deals you lemons...

2009-12-17T13:19:00.000-05:00

make lemonade; if it deals you tomatoes, make Bloody Marys. But if it deals you a truckload of hand grenades... now THAT'S a message!

and so it begins...holiday celebrations commence tonight... work party at the ivory; tomorrow night: kevin's party at nikitas; saturday: xmas party of ms. lers and mr gately... next tuesday: engagement party for my cousin, next thursday: forristall annual xmas eve blowout... we are going to be busy little bees for the next 1.5 weeks!

got a call from bj's today... my new tires are in, so i'm going to get those put on the car at some point over the next 3 days... also hearing it might snow sunday? yuk with a side of yuk!

i don't know if i can express how excited i am that a week from today i will be on my xmas vacation!!!! sleeping in for 11 days in a row? yes please! no plans for travel other than back down to c-town for Monte Xmas... hopefully i will be a motivated little suzy homemaker and cook every day for my hubby! but more than likely, i will probably be reading!

alright, signing off for the day... i see a black-n-gorgonzola chicken sandwich in my future!

sleepy, sleepy wednesday...

2009-12-16T07:49:00.001-05:00

i am starting the day fighting with my eyelids to keep them open. just ran to the caf to get a cup of coffee to coax them into seeing for the next 9 hours... we'll see how that goes...

our new bed is devine! last night we were watching julie and julia, which by the way, is actually a very funny movie, and all i would think was how comfortable the mattress was... which made it all the more difficult to drag my ass out from under my 700 thread count sheets (yes, my parents call me the princess and the pea)...

last night we went to target and got the last of the neices and newphews gifts for xmas... shipping the last box today or tomorrow (because tomorrow is the cut off date for shipping in time for xmas... it's also, coincidentally free shipping day at a lot of retailers, so you should check out freeshippingday.com and see if any of your favorite retailers are participating).

hoping i get a call from bj's today that my tires came in... im running on baldies right now... everybody do a no snow dance!

also, if anyone is interested, there is a blog about USMC bootcamp that is really detailed. if you've ever wanted to go, know someone who has gone/is going, or just want to check it out... http://www.kevinwebb22.com/ only is he writing letters to his wife everyday, but she is posting on his blog so everyone can read... and she's pregnant... and she just sold their house and moved all of their stuff without him, because he's in bootcamp! i think its very admirable!

last note: here is the book i am currently reading (bright lights, big ass)... i would suggest going out and getting any of jen lancaster's stuff... she is real and sarcastic and gives a good viewpoint of the world... so go get this or anything else written by her!

new world order?

2009-12-15T14:26:00.003-05:00

how does doghair seem to get everywhere? i just shook my work keyboard out and found about 4 pieces of hair... i'm at WORK, not home!

anyway, giving this blogging thing a try... keep everyone updated on what we are doing...

working overtime is killing me! i know its only an hour a day but i feel like i've lost about 3, between that and the chiropractic visits almost every night... the good news is that my neck is slightly improving, but i'm skeptical about ever being able to function normally again.

jeremy is at FHI and hating it, but its a job that pays bills for now. we are working on getting his discharge upgraded so he can move on to something bigger and better... hopefully updates on that soon!

Christmas is just around the corner... we, however, have already bought about all the presents we can handle for each other... flat panel tv, 2 sets of tires, mattress... way more than we were planning on. thank goodness for bonuses.

i'll leave you with a picture of what my husband did last week... he and my father are apparently the same person when it comes to messing around with holiday decorations... this is part of my Alaskan Natvity...