Sunday, November 30, 2008

Let it snow....

Well, it's snowing here in Illinois. They are predicting that there will be a few inches on the ground by the morning. So it's a good thing I have a new SUV with 4 wheel drive! :) Yep, I finally did it. I traded in the Beamer (I still miss it) for a new car. I decided to go with a Mitsubishi Outlander. It's a beautiful blue color with all sorts of good stuff inside. Including an upgraded sound system as well! :) I got a great deal on it since it's an '07. You can't tell that it's used though, its in perfect condition. It's such a great car and deal that I drove all the way to Terre Haute, IN to get it! It's still quite a shock that I now have a car payment for the next couple of years, and it's still a shock that the green Beamer isn't in the garage anymore. But I know that it was time for a new car, and I'm glad that I got one that I know will keep me safe through the winters and one that can handle anything I need to do or put into it. So at last the search is over, I am now an SUV driver. So let it snow!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Help please!!

Does anyone have an amazing cure for headaches??? I've now had a non-stop headache for 5 straight days and I don't think I can take it much longer!! So please share your miracle cures with me!! I am willing to try almost anything at this point.

(I've already tried: lots of water, medicine, caffeine, rest...all my usuals and they're not working!)

Hurry up!

I really thinkk I should be able to start adding interest to my expense reports when submitting them. I currently have one for nearly $900 for my last trip to California that has been waiting for "Accounting Review" for 2 weeks. And once it's approved it then takes at least another 2 weeks to show up on a paycheck. So to me it seems fair that I can charge them for a month's worth of interest right???? :)

Either hurry up or pay up!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Tracking is wonderful

I just wanted to say that I love UPS tracking. It tells me that the
new ski socks that I ordered from tramdock.com are waiting patiently
at my house (yea!) And the timbuk2 bag I ordered from chainlove.com
(for $28!) will be arriving in a week! Hooray for early christmas
presents to me :)

And if you aren't checking tramdock.com, steepandcheap.com, and
chainlove.com repeatedly everyday than you are missing out (on many
many opportunities to spend money!)

--
Sent from my mobile device

Snow!?!?!

This is what I woke up to this morning....and it was even worse when I got to work! I am definitely not ready for this. :(

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Apologies....

I apologize, I've been out of touch with the blogosphere for quite some time now. As you can see in the previous post, I did in fact get a new toy. A red blackberry curve. I have to admit, it's pretty fun, but it often means that I don't turn on my computer when I get home so that leaves less time for blogging.

As for the car shopping situation, I still don't have a new car. The main problem is that I can't decide what I want. Yes I know, surprise surprise.... I think I just need someone to tell me what car to get and then I could go out, find the right one and make the deal. The problem now is that I've been looking at the VW GTI, Mazda 3 5-door, Subaru Impreza and possibly the Subaru Forester. Any suggestions?

As for the rest of life, fairly uneventful. I has a whirlwind week this past one, Maryland Monday and Tuesday, in the office on Wednesday and then stupid Leadership for Results training on Thursday and Friday. The good news with the training was that we got out early both days, so that was a nice treat. The bad news was that it was pointless, and the never ending headache started during it. The NEH (as we will now refer to it as) started Thursday morning and is still lingering. Thursday was the worst as it was near migraine status, now it's just plain annoying. I'm planning on heading to the gym in a few (although a good movie just came on :) ) and hoping that I can somehow kick it.

Thanks to the readers that continue to come back after long hiatuses (is there really a correct pural form of that word?) and for your sake, I sincerely hope that something interesting happens to me soon. :)

Testing 1 2 3...

Testing out the new toy...longer post is on the way :)

--
Sent from my mobile device

Friday, November 14, 2008

Blog Honor Roll!

On the Honor Roll for this month:
Jenay
Jonnie D
John T
Congratulations! :)

And how did they get this amazing honor, you ask? They left comments! Start doing that and maybe I'll honor you next!

Getting complicated!!!

So this whole business of buying a car is getting way too complicated! The 2 dealerships that I was working with ended up selling the cars I was looking at before I was able to get them. I found another one close by, but during all this, I decided I should get the color I really want (dark gray) and not the one that's almost as good (black). Unfortunately the car I want does not exist in gray in the state of Illinois, so I'm currently trying to work a deal with a dealership in Minnesota! Arrggg... Please keep your fingers crossed for me that this will somehow work out!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Ugg....Car dealerships

Have I ever mentioned that I strongly dislike car dealerships?? That whole act of "we'll talk about the car, but then I will disappear to some back room with some secret person and come back with some mysterious number that you probably won't like..." "Oh, you don't like that number....how about I disappear for another 5 minutes...."

Some day I will find a dealership that doesn't try to hide the "sales manager". Just let me know what's going on! Is it that difficult?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

All I can say is....wow....

So I received a very interesting, and completely unsolicited e-mail tonight. (I swear I'm not posted on any creepy dating sites. I have no idea how this ended up being sent to me.) I just thought it was too funny not to share. :)

"My name is Mitch from Groveland, California. I am single, 6'1 tall, hazel eyes, dark brown hair, good looking, christian man, i am very understanding man, faithful, honest, loyal, i have a professional talent. I am kid at heart, i can do anything to make anyone around me happy and put that smile on anyone's face. Right now, i live alone with my lovely dog. She likes to keep me company, i think she understand that i need her company since i am single. I have not found any woman to date because good woman hard to find.I will be looking forward to hear from you soon. but i am going to leave my email open just in case you write me an email."

Yeah, told you it was humurous. :)

Am I a VW girl?

So I'm getting closer to the decision that it's time to say goodbye to the Beamer (as much as I don't want a car payment, I can't keep putting money into a dying car). So after a little research I've identified this as an option. What do you think of me crusing around in this?

Random thought....

I hate it when good hair days get wasted. I've had a few of these lately and so far the only people that have seen them are the people I work with and my mom....such a waste.

And that will probably be one of the girliest things I ever write on this blog.... Moment of girliness: over. Thank you.

Monday, November 10, 2008

I survived!

I survived the first CrossFit class! Granted the owner of the place also felt that inverted burpess were a little nuts, so we did a different workout. Here's the rundown:

750m row
21 deadlifts
500m row
15 deadlifts
250m row
9 deadlifts

The real workout called for women doing 155lbs, that wasn't a good idea for me since I had never done deadlifts before so we started me off at 75 lbs. The other girl in the class rocked the 155lbs, she's a beast! So I definitely have some work to do, but I'm ready to do it!

You gotta be kidding me!

So I'm supposed to be trying out a CrossFit class. I have heard that these classes are incredibly intense and are done in a team environment and score is kept. Knowing my inclination towards competetiveness, I thought they would be a good way to kick myself into gear this winter. The class I will be taking follows the official CrossFit Workout of the Day. This should be interesting:

Five rounds for time of:
25 Inverted Burpees
25 Pull-ups
25 Burpees

And for those that don't know what inverted burpees are (I sure didn't) here it is:

Yeah I know the picture is small....this is what he's doing:

The Inverted Burpee: starting supine, kip (or sit-up and roll) to standing, kick-up to handstand.

So I went from hoping I could make it through the class to hoping I don't fall and break something. Oh and I didn't even start talking about that 25 pull-up idea....ha ha ha

Sunday, November 9, 2008

New purchases??

I'm debating some new purchases lately, and could definitely use some input.

1. I'm due for a phone upgrade. There's nothing really wrong with my phone except for the fact that it doesn't work in my house! I've been debating the possible move to a Blackberry. Not sure if I really need e-mail and internet with me all the time, but there are definitely times that it would be nice. I'm also not sure about going with a non flip phone, as I often just stick the phone in my pocket. I tried to go and get an idea of what I want today, but none of the people at the AT&T store were willing to help me. Bummer for them.

2. Now this is a big one! I took the car in for some new brake pads on Saturday, and they told me that the ball joints on the car are ready for replacement. Apparently these are kind of a big deal since when they do break the wheel could fold underneath the car. Yikes! That could be bad. So once again the new car dilemma has arisen. Is it worth it to put more money into keeping the Beamer alive, or just give in to a new car and icky car payments. Unfortunately from the looking I've done lately, I wouldn't be able to afford any of the cars that I want. So I can't get used to the idea of spending that much money on something I don't really want. Arrggg...just wish someone could tell me what to do!

Another Skirt-Tastic weekend...

As I mentioned, I was in LA last weekend. I went out to see some friends that live there, but I also went to help out at the LA Skirt Chaser Race. It was another great race, and this one was held on the beach! I had a great time hanging out with all of the girls of Skirt, and even spent some quality time chatting with Nicole DeBoom! And of course, I got more free Skirt stuff - the best part of volunteering! :) I'm a huge fan of my new red race series skirt. It's super comfy. There's a possibility that I may be joining the Skirt Entourage program soon. Keeping my fingers crossed. :)

While in LA, I also found the largest concentration of Chicago Bears fans on Sunday. If you are even in LA and need to watch a Bears game on a Sunday, just head to Tinhorn Flats in Burbank, and you will not be disappointed. Every single person in that bar on Sundays is a bear fan. there isn't room for anyone else!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Today's realization....

Today I realized that the Subways in California are way better than your typical Subway. And why's that, you ask? They have fresh avocado! I'm not talking avocado spread here...I'm talking fresh avocados that they slice in front of you. Definitely made my usual turkey on wheat so much tastier! :)

And I promise to share the stories of the fun that was had in LA soon. :)

Monday, November 3, 2008

Starbucks Wisdom....

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I was in LA for the weekend doing lots of fun stuff. There will be posts later on to fill you in on all of that, but for now I would like to share the wisdom from the back of my Starbucks cup.

The Way I See It #141
"I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say "Hi." They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word."

--Augusten Burroughs
Author of Running with Scissors (a pretty hilarious read by the way)

So here's to saying "hi" from now on. :)