Writing on the Wall

     Matt and I have been considering a new car for me for the last six months.  When I say considering, I mean we have been to 75 dealerships, discussing pricing and walking out without the new car.  I like to get my bearings and know all of my options before I go in to do negotiations.  We have multiple excel spread sheets discussing our finances, what we can easily afford on a car payment, what the payment structure under interest rates will be figuring in down payment, tax, title, license, and MSRP of the car.  What the future value would be of all of the payments, interest and taxes.  I would never actually pay MSRP, but I want to make sure we have our bases covered and aren’t surprised at the end. 

     We have checked everything out.  Weekends have been given away visiting Dodge, Hyundai, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Honda.  We have decided that most likely we will be ending up with either a Honda Pilot or the Toyota Highlander.  Both are great cars.  You can’t go wrong with reliability and resell value.  We had decided that we would be buying in May.  End of May we figure will have holiday discounts and an end of month craze making dealerships ready to make a deal.  This timeline however might have been modified as of Thursday. 

I went into work early on Thursday because I had an early morning (i.e. the sun hasn’t come up yet) conference call with my boss that lives in Massachusetts .  East Coast and West Coast don’t jive too much with the timing and I have to accommodate when possible.  When I came in early I decided that I didn’t need to stay as late, which meant I left 12 minutes earlier than I typically do.  I am that good of an employee.  

I was talking to my mom on the phone on my way home from work.  When I get stuck in traffic I like a distraction from my anger that boils up at all of the ridiculous cars around me.  All of the sudden I notice a driver next to me honking and waving at me.  He was in this huge truck and looked kind of crazed.  I wasn’t sure if I should ignore him or continue on my way.  Had I cut him off?  Am I going to be the next road rage statistic?  I figure I am talking with my mom so I would have some back up, so I decide to roll down the window.

“YOU’RE LEAKING!” – He screamed.

“I’M LEAKING?!?!” – screaming back at 70 MPH on the freeway, while holding the phone in one hand and touching myself all over to see if I could be leaking somewhere on my own body.

“YES!  YOUR RADIATOR IS SMOKING AND YOU ARE LEAKING WATER DOWN THE FREEWAY!”

“UH. OH. WOW.  Okay!  Thanks!”

I get off the freeway to stop at the local Home Depot, you know, the one you can find pretty much off of ever freeway exit.  I get out only to realize that I am seriously steaming.  And hissing.  And smelling at that point.  Things do not look good.  The car is hot and toasty and I am not going anywhere without some intervention.

My mom gets my dad to come bail me out while I call Matt to come and meet us to deal with this car.  After 5 gallons of water (no joke) and an hour and a half later, we finally pull the truck up to the local po-dunk mechanic to have a look-see.  The first assessment is that the car has a cracked radiator.  LOVELY.  So not happy. 

Looks like I might be waiting a few more months for the new car while we justify putting a couple extra bucks into the crappy car. The good news is the po-dunk people are amazing and can fix a car in no time.  I will have my little truck back before the end of the night and will be rocking it with assurance that I can use my air conditioning at all times. 

The guidelines are: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what they are. They must be songs you presently enjoy. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to. - I don't tag.  I have no one left!

MY TOP SEVEN 

1.      Grace Kelly – Mika (SO LOVE THIS CD!)

2.      Fly Away – Tim McGraw (any man who gets his three little girls to sing the chorus at the end has me as a fan)

3.      It Ends Tonight – All American Rejects (Good CD as well)

4.      Cupid’s Chokehold – Gym Class Heroes

5.      Stupid Boy – Keith Urban – LOVE HIM!!!!!

6.      Boston – Augustana

7.      What Goes Around. . . . . Comes Around – JUSTIN.  How can a list be complete without him?

• This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race – Fall Out Boy
• Lost Without U – Robin Thicke – Good slow song
• Face Down – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• Wasted – Carrie Underwood - I haven't liked any of her music before this song.  I yell it in the car.
• Here (InYOur Arms) - Hellogoodbye – I bought this band t-shirt for my nephew for Christmas and I was the most popular aunt in the world.

I think I am far more eclectic than most people, but I highly recommend all of the above.  Very good music and highly enjoyable to listen to.

I am feeling a little flirty today from the car ride to work.  Perhaps it is because of how much I love the new Mika song “Grace Kelly”.  I could seriously rock out all day long.  . . .

RLDW

123 Somewhere

Hating Life, Arizona 90210

January 23, 2007

All Of RLDW’s Pants

Attn: Crotch Coverer

AKA: Mr. Zipper

690 South Button Street

Metal Haven, Arizona 66666

Dear Crotch Coverer:

Thank you for your attempt at covering all of RLDW’s bits and pieces while at work.  We appreciate the work you do to keep our reputation as a hard working employee with good standing in the boss’ eyes. However, it seems as if you have lost focus on your employment objectives and your behavior is not acceptable. 

Two days in a row your delinquency has been noted by a third party, via vocal representation in front of additional third-parties.  This lack of attention to detail has left your backup, Miss P. Anties, as the sole bearer of responsibility.  If this continues I will have to replace you with a more reliable system, including installing safety mechanisms with sub-contractor ‘UR SAFE! PINS’ or applying an additional internal layer of recovery through Mr. Duct Tape.

Please ensure that this message is received by your management.  RLDW will continue to manage your metrics on a daily basis and report to your CEO if the service continues.  We cannot allow for third-parties to note future breaches of crotch coverage.  I urge you to revise your policies and procedures to ensure adequate support for your work objectives.

Sincerely,

RLDW

“Hey, don’t die on my okay?”

“I think I can do that.  That was kind of out of the blue, where is this coming from?”

“No where.”

“What movie were you watching on TV that made you think to ask me that?”

“Oh nothing, I was just watching some soft porn.”

“Hm.  Okay.  And this is when I want to forget we ever had this conversation.”

People make fun of me at work because when I am in the bathroom I like to get down to business and get out.  Don’t follow me in and talk to me between stall walls.  I find it unbelievably creepy.  You already know what I am up to in here, and let’s not make it more apparent that you are trying to multitask while peeing.  

Yesterday I really had to go to the bathroom.  I had potato chips for lunch and they make everything go straight through me.  Which most everything does already, but potato chips and I are enemies, but they taste o-so-good.  On my way to the bathroom a manager stopped me to talk to me about something urgent and followed me to the bathroom because she had to go too.  We go straight in and she keeps talking and talking and I stop listening partially because I can tell that I have to fart and there is no way to make it a pretty fart.  There is no silent coming out of this one and it isn’t something you can hold back.  And then it came out.  Holy moley did it come out and make me feel like a total idiot.  And of course I died a little in my heart.  She could not have missed my fart, but totally talked through it from the other stall.  I tried to get my composure back and not fall completely in the toilet from my lack of concentration on anything I was doing at that point.  I knew she expected my participation in the conversation, but all I could muster was an “uhuh” and a cough.  Because you know, a cough sounds almost EXACTLY like a fart.  So cough a little and make it seem like you can’t hold back the frog in your throat so the fart can be explained away later.  

You know that this statement brings a little flutter in my Justin Timberlake loving heart. . . .

I can tell you that I will be screaming even more at his concert on Sunday than I would have been before.  Don’t worry, my husband will be next to me. . . .holding me back. . . ;)

Reason number 234 not to yell at telemarketers:

It is never appropriate to mistake your husband’s grandma for a telemarketer.  She just doesn’t know how to take the yelling about never calling again.

I thought I was good a geography. . . until this. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/canquiz.html