Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Land of the Cacti

Ok, sorry to all you "Zonies", but I officially do not like Arizona. Yesterday's trip was hellish. First things first, I got up at 4am. That sucks. A lot. No matter how much I pretend it's a vacation. Then I got a big old Starbucks mocha at the airport, drank it and then got on the plane. The coffee hit bottom about 20 minutes into our flight and my stomach decided that it did not like coffee at 5am. So I felt sick for the next two and a half hours.

We arrived at 8:30am and it was a balmy 92 degrees. Lovely. Our rental car was a black Kia with black leather interior. We were later told by the guys we went to lunch with that no one in Arizona does black leather seats. Shame on Hertz. Later in the afternoon we reached 113 scorching degrees.

The best part of the day was the plane ride home. If you recall a few weeks ago, we had an aborted flight to Arizona due to "electrical failure". Back to yesterday - we get on the plane at 8:30pm. We taxi out toward the runway when suddenly all of the engines shut down. The flight attendants are huddled in the back of the plane, standing on the seats and looking above the overhead compartments. The pilot comes on and says that we had smoke on the back of the plane and were going back to the gate to have it checked out. One hour (and a dozen mechanics) later they assure us that we can take off. I asked the flight attendant if she was sure and she told me that the pilot had "reved the engine too fast, causing it to smoke and the air conditioning sucked that smoke in". Nice. Who built the plane, Pontiac?! So we take off to the flight attendant saying "enjoy your flight". We made it, but it was definitely difficult to enjoy. Keep in mind that we're now in hour 20 of my day. We finally make it back home and by the time I'm in my bed it's after midnight. What a day! I had to go into the office for a while this morning but decided at 11:30am to work from home. Which meant working in front of the TV and taking a nap. I love my job!

Monday, August 29, 2005

I Said Hip Hop, A hippy to the hippidy hip hop you don't stop

OMG. I love it. I may suck, but darn it, it's a lot of fun.

First of all, Eddie, the instructor is so hilarious. Tonight's phrase was "the choreography says yes, the body says no". lol. We did a really cool dance this time (last time was good as well) to this kinda hip hop/bluesy music. I even learned tricks from the good dancers - like they put a little baby powder on the floor in the corner and then step in it so that they spin better. Tricks of the trade. I'm working on my attitude. And swinging my hips. The rest of the girls do it with attitude... I feel like the Tin Man trying to swing those metal hips. But I'm getting the hang of it... I figure if I keep going. maybe my body will loosen up! :) I'm hooked... I'm going every week from now on! Brig and Amber, you have to try it again! Seriously, you feel less dorky the second time around!

So tomorrow is the LONG day from hell... 4am to 11pm. Blah. I'm going to Arizona for the day which will be fun, but definitely draining. It's time to get this little dancer off to bed! Night!

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Picture - Budweiser Donkey Posted by Picasa

The State Fair

So today we went to the state fair. It was definitely a lot of fun, although I was a little disappointed compared to recent years. I think it might have had to do with the heat and all, but still...

This year was a "Let's Go To the Beach" year, so the theme was surfer. Very cool. We went to the hall that showed all of the beach and surf history, and took some cute pictures.

Anyways, there was lots of neat stuff to see. We went to the horses (of course) and got to see a couple of trick riding shows. Let me tell you, they do some cool stuff... I would be very afraid to be hanging upside down on a horse while it's trotting! Then we watched a show where they showed off a couple of the different breeds of horse. Mom LOVED the Lipizzaners and I loved the Arabian (see picture below). Seriously, I really want a horse. It's now second on my list, with a house being first, but trust me, I will definitely have one in my lifetime.

One of the coolest things that we saw was the Motocross freestyle jumping. OMG. Amazing. We were actually attracted to it on our way out - we were walking past some bleachers when we heard an engine rev, looked up and saw a guy ABOVE the bleachers almost letting go of his bike. It was amazing... they were doing these tricks with 250 pound bikes and it always looked like they weren't going to land it, yet somehow they did!

It was a long HOT day, and we ended up staying for just over 7 hours, which is a family record. The best part of the day (besides the horses)? The cinnamon rolls. Oh my God. Yum. Kati, I don't care what they have back east, it doesn't beat the State Fair cinnamon rolls. SO GOOD. Lots of cream cheese frosting. Mmmm. That was after my lunch of BBQ'd corn on the cob and a sausage sandwich. I swear, it seems like I go to the fair to eat... if it hadn't been so hot, I probably would have had a hurricane and a funnel cake.

Speaking of hurricanes, I'd like to insert a brief moment of silence here for the people of New Orleans.

*one minute of silence*
 
I can't believe that in just 6 hours or so, New Orleans will probably be in some serious trouble. For those of you not following, the city sits 6 feet below sea level and is about to take a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane. That adds up to about 12-15 feet of water throughout the entire city. Not to mention the winds... I hate to see such a beautiful place destroyed... we had a fantastic time there a few years ago and I'm glad I had the chance to see it. I guess we'll all see how things went when we wake up tomorrow morning!
 
Well, that's it for now. See below for some cool pictures from the fair!
Picture - Beach Babe Posted by Picasa
Picture - Ma and Pa surfers Posted by Picasa
Picture - Arabian Running Posted by Picasa
 

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Things That Bug Me Part Deux

Remember this one?! :)

1. Jealous people. I can't stand people who are jealous. Helllloooooo, the grass is always greener on the other side. Contrary to popular belief, most people's lives aren't perfect, even those people that you are jealous of. And if they're doing well, great for them. Don't bring them down just because you are unhappy!

2. Long talkers. OMG. Say what you have to say and be done. It's fine to be long winded when you're talking to friends or having a nice chat with your family. But at work, let's be short and sweet. If I can cover three things in the time it takes you to do one that is of equal importance, something is wrong. Say it and shut up. We have other things to do.

3. Annoying laughs. Do people who sound like idiots laughing know they have annoying laughs? Someone needs to tell them...

4. The guy who goes slow in the fast lane. I'm just reiterating. Here in the great state of California we have two lanes going most directions. If you're going slow, MOVE OVER!

5. Fresh Basil. I had a hard time finding it at the store tonight and looked stupid in front of the cute produce guy. It blended in with all the other leafy green herbs!

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

A Reality Show I Thought I'd Never Watch

"Tommy Lee Goes to College"

Yes, you read that correctly. Mom and I got hooked on Tommy Lee's show tonight. We watched three and a half episodes (well, Rockstar INXS was on during the third one so we had to switch back and forth on commercial breaks). He may be stupid, but he's definitely funny and entertaining. I loved when he moved in with this totally nerdy guy (I have nothing against nerds, in fact, I am one.... Shout out to all my band geeks!) and decked out their dorm room. He comes back in and there's a big screen TV and a bar. The guy sits down to play video games with Tommy Lee and says "Where's all my stuff?". Hilarious.

We can't believe he made the marching band. I mean, yes, he was the drummer for a world famous rock band, but he seriously sucked at the quads. I can't wait to see how he actually ends up doing in the field show!

So I need to explain the artist of the week. I think you guys will all really like her. This first song is the only song that she has out on the radio, so you may or may not have heard it. Her name is Anna Nalick and she has this amazing voice. It's sort of a cross between Jewel and Fiona Apple. Very interesting and the lyrics are pretty good as well. I bought the CD and am very happy with it!

Monday, August 22, 2005

Picture - Whoa 2 Posted by Picasa
 

Mullets and Rotten Teeth

So this weekend I went to visit my family. I was invited to a birthday party that my aunt and uncle's friends were having and agreed to go (Kati, it was Monica and Gary's! - they're so cute!). The theme for this party was "white trash". Everyone had to dress up and to bring some sort of white trash food. Adam "grew" a mullet for the occasion and Eva had some beautiful teeth. It was absolutely hilarious! The food that they took was fried Twinkies... and let me tell you, it was actually pretty good! The winner of the contest was the Bologna cantaloni - the people fried Bologna and once it curled up they squirted squeeze cheese inside. There was tater tot casserole with burnt weenies sticking out and all sorts of other dishes. Everyone was dressed up (I left my white trash clothes at home, although I did get a nice tattoo on my arm that night...) and the winner of the contest was totally decked out. SO much fun!

I had an awesome weekend... it was so good to see my family again! Woo hoo! And Eva, I LOVE the truck!

Also, see the pictures below and the song of the day!

Hip hop tonight - Brig and Amber, be there or be square!
Picture - Whoa... Posted by Picasa
 

Monday, August 15, 2005

I've Found My Calling...

... I should have been a hip hop dancer.

So tonight I wrangled up Brigitte and Amber to make a trip to the once a week hip hop class at our gym. I was fully convinced that I was going to look like Elaine from "Seinfeld" out there, especially once we got there and found that EVERYONE there was tall, skinny and willowy. Me, I'm short and a whole lotta muscle. I have never been called willowy in my life. Anyways, they put you in this glass room in front of the bikes and treadmills for all to see. Sort of like a wooden floored fishbowl. And to make matters worse, they CRANK up the music so that everyone looks over to see what's going on.

But, whatever. I went in there expecting to look new and dumb, which I probably did, but I had the time of my life. I'm going every week. Brig and Amber, that means you're going too. Seriously, I'm totally tired from it - definitely a much harder workout than I thought. And it's a really nice break from the running and squats that I'm used to. So we got in there and were learning all the moves... they went kinda fast, but he ran through everything a bunch of times, over and over, probably so that we could get it. I think we did pretty good! :) In fact, I think the three of us could get pretty good at it! No matter what, it was a ton of fun and a nice way to get exercise with some friends!

Next up, Wednesday night Salsa. I'll keep you posted!

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Things to Do at a Stoplight

We've discussed booger picking in depth.

Yesterday I saw something that I don't think anyone else has. I was on my way to work and stopped at a light. Now, you know how some of the lights are kinda long and you get a little bored? The guy next to me had the perfect solution.

So, I'm at this light and I start to look around. You never want to look too long though, because then people catch your eye and you get embarrassed because you were staring. So I'm looking to me left and I hear a sound from the right. My windows are rolled up. I look over to my left and there's a guy in a pretty beat up truck. It's a nice morning, so he has his windows down. And he's playing a harmonica. Yes folks, a harmonica. He was actually really good and I was sad when the light turned green. At the next light he pulls up next to me, reaches down, picks up his harmonica and starts playing again. Isn't that amazing? Seriously made my day... much better than picking your nose!!!

Today is kinda mellow. My throat hurts and I'm not feeling too well, so I'm just kinda chilling. Our fantasy football drafty is at 3:30pm, so I'm trying to get some reading and napping done before then.

Have a great day!

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Parking

Explain parking to me. Why do people not understand how to do it? I have two problems with the way that other people park, both of which happened to me today. After work I went by Safeway to get some groceries for dinner. I pull down the RIGHT HAND SIDE of the aisle, driving THE RIGHT WAY DOWN THE ROAD and some jerky business man (don't get me going on them... see today's song of the day "Nobody Else in the World But You") comes speeding from the other direction and honks at me because he wanted to make a sharp turn instead of turning the same width that us mere mortals have to. First of all, drive on your side! Secondly, don't honk at me! I wasn't doing anything wrong! Third, STOP SPEEDING! I admit, I have a little bit of a lead foot, but for God's sake you're in a PARKING LOT!

When I came out of the store the second pet peeve happened to me. This one is much worse. Some person parked their big ass SUV in the compact space. Next to the drivers side of my car. Not only could I not get between the cars, but then I had to look like an idiot climbing in through the passenger side. I looked like I was breaking into my own car. ALL YE OWNERS OF LARGE CARS:

DON'T PARK IN THE SMALL SPACES!

I don't care that you're in a hurry or that the big ones are further away. You knew that when you got a big car!

Thank God tomorrow is Friday. I'm out...

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Drama

Wow, ok, so today was hectic. Exhausting. Long. Draining. And any other word that describes those sorts of things. I felt like I had a thousand things to do and not nearly enough time in which to do them. And, of course, no one was helpful. It seemed like every email looped around and around. No one wanted to take responsibility so I ended up being "the bad guy". *sigh* Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

I think it was all a little overwhelming because I'm super tired. I think I've been spending too much time at the gym. I swear, my family and I are becoming gym rats. Eva left me an IM the other day that said something along the lines of "Is there a cute boy at the gym or something?" :) No, but I am feeling so much better since I've started working out. Worlds better. I rowed last night on the rowing machine until I got blisters. It's a great stress release and I'm loving the spa/sauna/steam room thing. AND Brigitte joined yesterday and worked out with us. I'm so happy that she's there!

One final thing. Let me know if you're interested in a fantasy football league - I've got one started up and we're always looking for more! Draft day is August 13th!

Ok, so now I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted.

Monday, August 8, 2005

Forget Something?

Ok, so I had to share this story with you... seriously, how PISSED would you be?!

From CNN.com:

Man forgets wife at gas station

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- A Macedonian man left his wife at an Italian service station and only realized he had driven off without her six hours later, news agency Ansa said.
The couple, who were travelling with their 4-year-old daughter, pulled over for petrol in the coastal city of Pesaro as they were heading back to their home to Germany.
After filling the tank, the husband drove away -- without noticing that his 30-year-old wife, originally from Georgia, had got out of the car to go to the toilet.
The woman, who had no money or documents with her, contacted the police who eventually traced her husband to Milan, some 340 km (210 miles) north of Pesaro, Ansa said.
The husband told police he had not missed his wife because she always sat in the back of the car with their daughter.


They say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". I'd say she was scorned.

Sunday, August 7, 2005

Babies Galore!

Holy cow, it seems like everyone is having babies all of the sudden! Like, when did my friends get old enough to have kids!

First of all, congratulations to Billy and Barb - Billy is one of my really good friends from high school and they just had their first baby - a healthy little boy! Yeah! He's absolutely adorable!

Yesterday I went to a really cool baby shower. It was for a coworker who has sworn up and down that she and her husband weren't going to find out what sex the baby is (she's about 5 1/2 months along). They had a co-ed baby shower, which was cool because her husband and his friends could participate. They played some fun games, like matching celebrities to their children by their names and naming nursery rhymes based off of one line. It was more like a big party than anything else. Then they walked around and had everyone pick a colored safety pin (blue for a boy, pink for a girl) depending on what you thought they were going to have. You were also given a little bag and told not to open it. They had everyone open their bags at the same time and inside were little pink mints that said "It's a girl!". How cute is that?! Their parents were here from back East, so they were crying and everyone was super excited. Very cool.

Today has been mellow. We went to church and then to brunch. I finally found a choir here that I'm going to join. I've been looking for somewhere that does a nice blend of traditional and contemporary music. I'll start rehearsing with them in a few weeks. Yeah!

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

Shuttles and Planes

So, today I get up at 4:00am in order to make a 6:40am flight to Phoenix for work. I'm at the airport on time, meet my coworkers, and get some coffee. First sign that things weren't going to go well... BAD coffee. The Starbucks lady at the airport pumped TONS of syrup into my white chocolate mocha... way too much. It ended up tasting goopy. Yuck. Then we get on the plane, taxi out, hear the engines rev to take off and...

stop. The pilot comes over the loudspeaker to tell us that we had "electrical problems" and that "an engine line light" was on. So we turned around and had to go back to the terminal where they were going to do repairs.

Two questions:
1. Did I really want to be flying on an airplane that was having engine problems?
2. Why did it take us getting all the way out to the runway to discover this light? I mean, in my car the "your car is broken lights" tend to come on right when your start the engine. Did they come on when the pilot turned the plane on and he just hoped it would go off (I do that sometimes with the car...)?

So we ended up being delayed so long that we missed our meetings in Arizona and just scrapped the flight. I'll end up going at the end of the month instead. But that made for a very long day and thankfully my boss sent me home early to nap.

Now that I think about it, my flight was very much like the NASA space shuttle... only they didn't ask me to hang underneath the plane while was flying to fix it. Thank God. I don't know too much about electrical systems. Besides, they don't say anything about parachutes in those nifty safety talks.

I'm definitely going to bed early tonight!