Life Update

Wow! I've had a ton of stuff going on the past week or so!

First, we had everyone on Brian's side of the family over for Easter. We made ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, etc. Counting Brian and I, it was 12 adults and 7 kids. Definitely a full house, but it was good and we had the room for everybody. Dinner was at 2, and everyone was gone and the house was pretty well cleaned up by 7:30. Not too shabby.

Second, I had to take my brand new car in for service already. But, I'm not upset. Everything has little bugs, nothing's perfect, and it's all under warranty. And the issue was minor but annoying. My engine light had come on and not gone off, so I had On-Star ping the car and see what the issue was. They did, and found nothing. When that happens, they nonetheless recommend that you take the car in, because obviously, something is making the stupid light come on. So, I took the car in, and they found that I have a faulty intake manifold valve. It keeps sticking, but it doesn't hurt the car to drive it that way in the short term, and the part has been ordered for replacement. It was funny, obviously those service reps don't encounter people with a ton of car knowledge, especially women. (It's sad to say, and honestly, I have very little myself.) So, he pops the hood, and starts explaining to me what the intake manifold valve does. I ended up finishing his sentence, thus indicating I knew exactly what he was talking about. I couldn't tell whether he was annoyed or impressed.

Third, I had an interview on Monday afternoon in Royal Oak for a part time temp job. The gig would be sitting in on depositions in some asbestos litigation for the defense firm. These are the type of things that, in 9 times out of 10, I would not have to ask a single question, and when I did, it would be a certain set of very specific questions that would be provided me. I would then provide the firm with a summary of the deposition so that they could decide the merit of the case.

Quite honestly, I'm excited about the prospect and think it would be a great position for me to get back out into the work world. I just heard today that the firm is meeting over the weekend to discuss the candidates, and I should hear something next week. So we'll see. I'm trying not to get my hopes up so as not to get disappointed if they don't select me. I think the only thing that would hurt my chances would be the fact that I was 5 minutes late to the interview. But, I have a very good explanation! I left my house at 3:10 for a 4:30 interview. I should have been there at 4, no problem, but MDOT chose that exact time to take eastbound I-96 down to one lane at the Wixom Road project, and it took me 35 minutes to go 5 miles. It was ridiculous. I did call while I was stuck, and profusely apologized and said I would be a few minutes late. When I arrived, they said it was okay, but I'm not sure. I hope they meant it!

So, that's what been happening with me! Whew! I'm tired! Oh, I also beat Guitar Hero in Easy mode, and have to move on to Medium. And, I have a cold that I forgot to mention. Yuck!

It's Aura-licious!

Today I'm so excited! I got my new car!

As back story, I have been driving a 1999 Saturn SC1 coupe for 5 and a half years. I got it used in the fall of 2002. It is still a perfectly good car, one that I would not get rid of but for two reasons. 1) Being a tiny little coupe, it does not fit the baby seat that we hope to be putting in the back soon. 2) Also being a tiny little coupe, it sits low to the ground, thus making Brian hate getting in and out of it, and generally hate the car all around. So, we have been planning on getting me a new car for awhile, and I decided I wanted a Saturn Aura. I really just wanted a larger sedan, I didn't want an SUV or anything. I don't feel comfortable driving them. (I have never adjusted to driving Brian's Trailblazer.) So, the other weekend, when Brian was gone, I went to the Saturn dealership to look at cars with our friends J & C. We test drove an Outlook that C is interested in. (I must say, that's a nice vehicle too.) And I spoke to the salesman about the Aura.

When Brian returned from his trip, we discussed the car issue again, and decided that because of the great financing they were running, it was time. So, Saturday, we went to the dealership and test drove. Boy, the 3.6 L V6 engine hums. And the features are so nice, XM radio, adjustable pedals, etc. (My coupe does not even have power windows or locks.) I thought I wanted a red car, but the only one they had on the lot had black leather interior, which I HATED. I asked about the possibility of ordering a car with the exterior and interior I wanted, and the salesman told us that he could do that, but by the time the car came, the financing would not be available. Sucky. So, the salesman looked at his inventory, and he had one Saturn Aura XR in Techno Grey exterior, with grey leather interior. I LOVED it. So, today, we went back and drove it off the lot. I am ecstatic.

And to top it off, Brian's sister and her husband might buy my coupe, if they like it. I was prepared to put it up on Auto Trader or something if they don't want it, but on the way home from the dealership I called my mom. She told me that if J & J don't want it, she and my stepdad will buy it for my brother, who is turning 16 in August (HOLY CRAP). So, they might be buying from me the car that they themselves bought for me. Funny.

I Heart Pete Sampras

I love Pete Sampras. There. I said it. It's out there. Pete Sampras is one of three men I would leave my husband for (the other two being David Duchovny and Patrick Stewart). I think Brian is just beginning to realize that there's this other side of me that I've never showed him, this love for all things Pete. But, I should probably back up and explain what is prompting this post.

The other night, after Brian and I were finished watching our favorite bit of sci-fi/teen angst "Kyle XY," he was flipping through the channels. He was going through all the sports channels we have, and for some reason stops at the Tennis Channel (yes, we have too many channels). It was playing an exhibition match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. If you don't know, Federer is currently the best player in men's tennis, and Pete was the best player for a LONG time, in particular the 1990's and early 2000's. He has won 13 Grand Slam Championships, including 7 Wimbledons. Pete retired about 5 years ago to marry Bridgette Wilson (Adam Sandler's hot teacher in "Billy Madison") and they popped out a couple of kids. Generally, he's been living his life.

I was VERY excited when Brian found this on the TV. You see, my teenage years were not the greatest for me. I was the "smart one," kind of chubby, picked on a lot, etc. So, in response to never having a real date (or much of a life), I had a very active fantasy life. One of the main objects of my affection was none other than Mr. Pete Sampras. I was convinced that one day Pete would meet me, realize that I was the woman for him, and we would run off into the sunset together. I watched every match I could with him in it, even staying up till 2 a.m. to watch 1st round matches of the Australian Open. And Wimdledon--whoa. That was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one blissful two week period every summer. It was so good because Pete won it 7 times, and in one period, he won the tournament 5 times in a row. So, every year, I knew that Pete would advance deep into the tournament and my happiness would continue.

This is really embarrassing, but my friend A can attest that I was so in love with Pete (and David Duchovny--"X-Files" night was the other happy time) that I had my "shrine." I probably should have gotten help for delusions or something. In my closet, I had pasted on my wall any picture I could of Duchovny and Pete Sampras, including the image in this post. I can laugh at it now. But looking back, it actually makes me feel good to realize how far my emotional maturity has come in the last decade or so. I am no longer obsessed with Pete, although I must say, minus being slightly balder, he looks exactly the same as he did 10 years ago, which is good. And he can still hit the damn tennis ball, which I will be excited to see more of in the future. Only, I hope they don't pan out to the audience to Bridgette so darn much. I hate her. She stole my boyfriend.

I'm a Guitar Hero...Sort Of

As I stated in an earlier post, Brian sold his PS2 and all of the games for it, and got a Wii. Of course, he had to buy "Guitar Hero" for the thing, even though he'd already beaten it in Medium. He brings it home, plugs it in, and whips through the thing all over again. He gets to play as Slash, beat the devil at the end, the whole nine yards. He then tries to get me to play.

As I held the guitar in my hand several weeks ago, I thought, "This can't be that hard." Ha! How wrong was I. I was absolutely hopeless. I couldn't even play in super duper slow practice mode. I angrily resolved never to play the damn game again. "Pi-shaw!" I though to myself. "Who needs to play this crappy game anyway?" I continued to watch him play it, and occasionally run into trouble, but then always beat the stupid song in the end. And in the back of my mind, I secretly wished I could play too. But I thought I was hopeless.

The other night he was playing, and for some reason, I felt compelled to try again, fully expecting to get booed off the stage, and again, resolve never to play the game. I tentatively pick up the guitar as Brian adjusts the shoulder strap to a much shorter level at which he had it. He takes the game out to the Easy level for me, then I pick a song.

As I begin to play, I realize I'm actually hitting my notes and my right hand seems to be miraculously working in tune with my left. I continue playing, missing notes here and there, and expecting to be booed. I'm not booed. Brian tells me how well I'm doing. I keep saying that I suck. But I don't suck. I'm not great, but I don't suck. I finish the song! And then another, and another, and all of a sudden, on Day Two, I'm battling Tom Morello. That I couldn't complete. (Yet.) But I was beating songs, averaging about 88%, which I'd say is a B+. I can handle that. I've even formed my own band, called "Hotlips," like the character on MASH.

And the other night, I realized the best part about playing--when I play, Brian thinks I'm hot, even if I suck.

Goin' to the 'Nasty

This past weekend we took a trek to Cincinnati to see our friends, J & E, accompanied by our other friends J & C. We had been planning the trip since Christmas, so we were all looking forward to it. J & E now have two extremely cute children, so it was nice to see them and squeeze babies.

We got there Friday around 6-ish, and hung out that night playing the Wii. The boys stayed up until about 2:30 in the morning watching History channel stuff, as usual. Saturday was fun, as the grown up girls went with both the kiddies to a kid's birthday party at a place called "Pump It Up," that I had never heard of until this trip. For the uninitiated, "Pump It Up" is a place to have kids birthday parties (and other occasions) that has rooms full of inflatable obstacle courses, slides, and bounce houses. So we all took turns watching the baby and going into the inflatables with J & E's daughter. Then, after a certain period of time, everyone is moved into a party room, where pizza and birthday cake was served. In that room, C and I were watching the baby while E was supervising the two-year old, and as we were sitting there, we were talking to a woman who works for the same company as our friends. This other lady has twins and was very personable. On the drive home, we were telling E we met this nice lady, etc, and it turns out E knows this woman her children, and apparently the girl twin is a complete monster, has bit J & E's daughter, etc. E had big stories to tell about this. It was hilarious and very ironic.

Saturday night we had dinner reservations at Tropicana, which is a nice steak restaurant in Cincy that has a Spanish flair. Dinner was excellent, but the best part was the after dinner "show." It turns out that this fine eatery turns into a somewhat trashy nightclub after 11, and since dinner was long and leisurely, we were present for this transformation. Oh, the people who walked through the door. It was everything from Kentucky trashy (this restaurant is actually in Newport, Kentucky, across the river from Cincy), to horrible 80's retro wear, including day-glo orange go-go boots, to your typical nightclub skankiness. But the best was this woman who came in by herself, and proceeded to dance by herself for the better part of an hour. She was wearing cargo-y pants and a cleavage showing red top. From a distance, she looked "interesting." The guys were so fascinated that they kept walking over there to investigate, while under the guise of checking the sports score. While standing by the bar, they briefly talked to two women who were also watching "the show." In the women's words, the lady in red was "definitely [there] to party." In the words of B, our dinner companion, she was "a cougar" and "mildly psychotic." (Up close, she was about 15 years older than I had originally thought.) As we all left, she was hitting on a bartender by the door, clearly looking to score. (And he was considerably younger than she, so B had the cougar thing right.)

So, that was the upshot of our fun trip to the Nasty. Thanks to J & E for having us all stay over, and we can't wait to come back to hang out at another bar for the night while marveling that we were never that stupid or that skanky.

My Latest Guilty Pleasures

As most of you probably know, I'm currently not working. Because I'm unemployed, I have a fairly good amount of time on my hands, time that I'm currently filling up reading, working out, bumming around my house, and watching an inordinate amount of daytime television. (FYI--I'm working with a new legal recruiter, let's hope she has more luck than I've had on my own!) I've been exercising almost everyday, mostly on the treadmill and Bowflex Brian and I have in the basement. (I have seen a bit of result, but not as much as I would if I would quit indulging my substantial sweet tooth. What can I say--I like dessert.) Anyway, we have a TV down there to watch while we work out. I've discovered two hilarious shows on a channel I never knew existed--BBC America. I watch said guilty pleasures while working out, and actually time my workout most days to coincide with these ridiculously entertaining, yet mindless, shows. For those of you who don't know, BBC is the British Broadcasting Corporation, so both of these shows are made in the UK.

The first show, which is on from 10-11 a.m. (two one-half hour episodes) is called "How Clean is Your House?" It features two middle aged British women named Kim and Aggie who go to a different house every episode and clean up the absolutely disgusting mess that the homeowner has allowed the home to get into. These people are living in some of the filthiest conditions you've ever seen. The beginning of the show is hilarious--the ladies always go inspect the home before the homeowner is there, and they always find a multitude of sins, from pans that haven't been washed in years, with food stuck on them, cat poo all over the place, bathrooms that look like science experiments, the list goes on and on. You name it, they've seen it. The funny part is their reactions. Kim always, and I mean every episode, says she's going to vomit, but never does. Then, the homeowner comes home, they rip the person a new one, and have a cleaning crew come in and clean up. Also, they give really good cleaning tips, using mostly natural, non-toxic methods, which is great. The homeowner always seems really shocked that their house or apartment can look that nice, to which I always think--weren't you ever taught what hot water and soap can do?

The second show is just as comical. It's on from 11-noon, again two one-half hour episodes. It's called "You Are What You Eat." It features a woman named Jillian McKeeth, who is this little tiny abrasive Scottish woman that calls herself a "holistic nutritionist." The whole premise is that people are fat and eat like garbage, and she's out to whip them into shape. Each episode features some very overweight, unhealthy person who actually signed up for, or was nominated, to take Jillian's abuse for 8 weeks and live by her program. Her program is basically veganism or very strict vegitarianism, but sometimes she does allow the person to eat fish. It is hilarious to watch these people whose entire lives have been centered around fish and chips takeaway or massive amounts of frozen pizza struggle to prepare and eat these meals. Jillian is very fond of quinoa (a South American whole grain), lentils, and porridge, all of which look completely tasteless on TV. Jillian is also, grossly enough, fond of examining her subjects' poo sample, and then she tells them how bad their poo is, how smelly, etc, and why it shouldn't be that way. I guess in the UK she's called TAPL ("The Awful Poo Lady") (BTW--they don't show the poo sample on TV, don't worry). Anyway, after the 8 week program, these folks always lose massive amounts of weight and feel so much better, and of course they're not going to go back to their old ways, etc. But I bet it's like the "Biggest Loser" and many of them probably gain the weight back. But it's still entertaining. FYI--if you watch this show, to really understand how much these people weigh, you must know that a "stone" is a British unit of measurement that is 14 pounds.

So, if you have BBC America on your TV, check out my new favorite shows! They are also on in the afternoon if you can't watch in the morning!

I Can't Believe We Missed the Tater!

So, I have to tell you the crazy, frustrating thing that happened to Brian and I on Saturday.

We bought the tickets 2 months ago. We were going to see Ron White, the comedian from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour (I think he's the funniest because he's the least redneck-y). For those who don't know, he's the rotund middle aged one that smokes a cigar and drinks scotch during his routine. Part of his bit is making a joke about having the alias of "Tater Salad." We were so excited. The show was at Wharton Center at Michigan State, at 10:30 pm, which only meant that Ron would be more liquored up and even dirtier. We even made reservations at Hershey's in East Lansing, which was a restaurant that Brian had always wanted to go to while he was in school, but couldn't afford it.

We left the house at about 7:15 on Saturday, with plenty of time to get where we were going. We had a great dinner, and proceeded over to Wharton. We parked the truck and went inside. All of a sudden we realize that the place was suspiciously empty. Brian tells me to pull out the tickets, which I do. I then realize, with horror, that we are there on the WRONG DAY. The show was the NIGHT BEFORE and we missed it. There are not enough expletives in the English language to express how PO'ed I was. We both had the show on our respective calendars for Saturday the 9th, when it was Friday the 8th, and we have no idea how we made the mistake. And neither of us caught it. Then, to top it all off, we had to drive home from East Lansing in absolute crap weather, all mad at each other, and we missed our Valentine's Day present to each other. Furthermore, we lost out on $90 worth of tickets!

I hope you all have a better Valentine's celebration than we did (although our dinner that night was superb).