1. I guess I should have posted yesterday’s blog sooner.
I’d written it a couple of days ago, after our less than delightful drive back from the coast, and just gotten around to posting it yesterday. At which point they called from the dealership to tell me my MINI-VAN was READY! So, yay.
I didn’t have the chance to clean the loaner car up much, but as I was taking the booster seats out of the back, I did let the tech know, “Um, you may want to just run a quick vacuum back there. Or give it a complete detailing and overhaul. Whatevs.”
2. Thanks to everyone that had my back with the ‘meat-rinsing’ issue.
I *knew* I wasn’t the only person that found that crazy, and slightly disgusting. To my husband’s credit, though, he DID get a chuckle out of reading all the comments on Facebook.
And I now know that I should defer to my FB friends for any and all marriage counseling, and those times when I’d like to feel self-righteously vindicated. Y’all don’t let me down, mmmkay?
3. I remember now that daily writing is much like exercise.
When I actually make the time for it, I feel really great and remember how much I love it… but it’s easy to let it become low on the priority list when life gets busy.
And just like I need an exercise buddy to drag me along sometimes, your little notes & comments help pull me up and remind me that this is an important part of my mental health :)
So, thanks. Oh, and if anybody would like to chime in on putting oil versus salt in boiling water to cook pasta, that would be a huge help. ;)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
It's not ALL about that 'new car smell'...
If you’ve happened to see me over the last couple of weeks, toodling around town, you may have noticed that I’m in a NEW CAR!
And I HATE it.
I want my van back… yesterday, if not sooner.
Fortunately, I can return the Camry, which is not actually mine, but is on loan from the dealership. My mini-van, which officially became MINE at the beginning of February with one last check sent to Toyota Financing, started flashing the ‘airbag’ light about 10 minutes after the check was signed and mailed.
And so I became concerned.
Not so much that my airbag might NOT deploy when needed, but more that it would deploy when I needed it least… like driving down the interstate, rocking out to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”, while my kids yelled in the back, “WHAT are we LISTENING to??!” That would be bad. (The airbag, not my children’s lack of taste in music.)
Turns out that it is the undercarriage of the seats with the weight sensors that is faulty. And turns out that they’ve had this problem before. Turns out, even, that there is another van owner that has been waiting since OCTOBER for the necessary part to fix it.
For this reason, my husband went all ‘angry/quiet/calm’ at the dealership, and they opted to loan us the brand-new Camry to get us through until our van could be fixed. And did I mention that it is BRAND-NEW?? It even had that new car smell. And I use the past tense… ‘had’… because after almost a month, it’s ‘Lost that Lovin’ Feeling’.
The five of us in a Camry? Bad news. This car is too small for a family of five. Five river otters, maybe, but not the five of us.
The kids are too dang close to one another, and unfortunately they can look at and touch each other. Know how I know? Because they like to scream from the backseat, “MOOOOM! HE'S LOOKING AT ME!!!" or... "QUIT TOUCHING ME!!”
And we’ve been spending a lot of time in the car together recently, making trips to Salado to see family, and then this last weekend, we went to Corpus Christi for a twirling competition. Even the kids are ‘over’ the novelty of the new vehicle, and are bemoaning the lack of a drop-down DVD player and their very own cup-holders. (Dear Drop-down DVD player with headphones, I think I miss YOU most of all.)
But the good news? The part has arrived!
Bad news? Our local Toyota technicians are not trained on how to replace this part.
But the good news… They are sending technicians from the manufacturing plant to train the local technicians!
Bad news… Not sure when exactly that will happen.
Good news… They will be replacing the part in our van, as part of the training module!
Bad news… On the off chance that they make a training video of this technique, everyone affiliated with Toyota service will get to see the hot mess that is my van.
Potential good news??… Is it too much to hope that Toyota will clean my van for me so that it can have its moment in the spotlight before it is returned to its humble abode (our garage)?
Because Lord knows, I’ve got some work to do on that loaner car before I take it back.
And I HATE it.
I want my van back… yesterday, if not sooner.
Fortunately, I can return the Camry, which is not actually mine, but is on loan from the dealership. My mini-van, which officially became MINE at the beginning of February with one last check sent to Toyota Financing, started flashing the ‘airbag’ light about 10 minutes after the check was signed and mailed.
And so I became concerned.
Not so much that my airbag might NOT deploy when needed, but more that it would deploy when I needed it least… like driving down the interstate, rocking out to Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”, while my kids yelled in the back, “WHAT are we LISTENING to??!” That would be bad. (The airbag, not my children’s lack of taste in music.)
Turns out that it is the undercarriage of the seats with the weight sensors that is faulty. And turns out that they’ve had this problem before. Turns out, even, that there is another van owner that has been waiting since OCTOBER for the necessary part to fix it.
For this reason, my husband went all ‘angry/quiet/calm’ at the dealership, and they opted to loan us the brand-new Camry to get us through until our van could be fixed. And did I mention that it is BRAND-NEW?? It even had that new car smell. And I use the past tense… ‘had’… because after almost a month, it’s ‘Lost that Lovin’ Feeling’.
The five of us in a Camry? Bad news. This car is too small for a family of five. Five river otters, maybe, but not the five of us.
The kids are too dang close to one another, and unfortunately they can look at and touch each other. Know how I know? Because they like to scream from the backseat, “MOOOOM! HE'S LOOKING AT ME!!!" or... "QUIT TOUCHING ME!!”
And we’ve been spending a lot of time in the car together recently, making trips to Salado to see family, and then this last weekend, we went to Corpus Christi for a twirling competition. Even the kids are ‘over’ the novelty of the new vehicle, and are bemoaning the lack of a drop-down DVD player and their very own cup-holders. (Dear Drop-down DVD player with headphones, I think I miss YOU most of all.)
But the good news? The part has arrived!
Bad news? Our local Toyota technicians are not trained on how to replace this part.
But the good news… They are sending technicians from the manufacturing plant to train the local technicians!
Bad news… Not sure when exactly that will happen.
Good news… They will be replacing the part in our van, as part of the training module!
Bad news… On the off chance that they make a training video of this technique, everyone affiliated with Toyota service will get to see the hot mess that is my van.
Potential good news??… Is it too much to hope that Toyota will clean my van for me so that it can have its moment in the spotlight before it is returned to its humble abode (our garage)?
Because Lord knows, I’ve got some work to do on that loaner car before I take it back.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
This could only happen to me.
Last week I bought some new perfume.
It is named, of all things, ‘Sensuous Nude’. That is some perfume with high expectations, I must say.
At first, I sprayed on ‘Sensuous’, and really liked it, so I bought it. It is one of Estee Lauder’s new fragrances, and I have always been a big fan of Estee Lauder’s scents. My favorites were always ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Pleasures’…wearing perfume with names like those, anything’s possible, right?
So there are two derivations of ‘Sensuous’… ‘Sensuous Exotic’ and ‘Sensuous Nude’, which I also tried out (on different parts of my arm).
After being ‘Sensuous’ for awhile, however… (like about a half an hour of walking around the mall with my purchase), I felt like it smelled a little too powdery.
And I know this because I stopped to smell all the samples on my skin on an every 3 minute rotation, as I walked through the mall. I must have looked like I had a nasty cold, and was wiping my nose every chance I got.
Anyway, ‘Sensuous’ smelled a little less sensuous and little more ‘deodorant-y’, and I opted to go back to exchange it.
The salesgirl (who had been an absolute delight while helping me through this arduous decision), still seemed surprised to see me back, sniffing and/or wiping my nose on my sleeve.
Her: “You’re back!”
Me: (without even a second thought): “Yeah…. I wore it for awhile, but…well, I really think I’d rather get ‘Nude’.”
And THAT, my friends, is how you can hear a pin drop in a busy department store, full of men buying perfume for their girlfriends.
It is named, of all things, ‘Sensuous Nude’. That is some perfume with high expectations, I must say.
At first, I sprayed on ‘Sensuous’, and really liked it, so I bought it. It is one of Estee Lauder’s new fragrances, and I have always been a big fan of Estee Lauder’s scents. My favorites were always ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Pleasures’…wearing perfume with names like those, anything’s possible, right?
So there are two derivations of ‘Sensuous’… ‘Sensuous Exotic’ and ‘Sensuous Nude’, which I also tried out (on different parts of my arm).
After being ‘Sensuous’ for awhile, however… (like about a half an hour of walking around the mall with my purchase), I felt like it smelled a little too powdery.
And I know this because I stopped to smell all the samples on my skin on an every 3 minute rotation, as I walked through the mall. I must have looked like I had a nasty cold, and was wiping my nose every chance I got.
Anyway, ‘Sensuous’ smelled a little less sensuous and little more ‘deodorant-y’, and I opted to go back to exchange it.
The salesgirl (who had been an absolute delight while helping me through this arduous decision), still seemed surprised to see me back, sniffing and/or wiping my nose on my sleeve.
Her: “You’re back!”
Me: (without even a second thought): “Yeah…. I wore it for awhile, but…well, I really think I’d rather get ‘Nude’.”
And THAT, my friends, is how you can hear a pin drop in a busy department store, full of men buying perfume for their girlfriends.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Let's settle this once and for all...
I know that many things in a marriage should remain in the sanctity of the home, but there are certain things that are driving me crazy.
In the kitchen.
Yes, the kitchen. Get your minds out of the gutter, friends, and help me settle a debate that is going on around my house as of late.
For the last sixteen or so years, my wonderful husband has been a delightful help in the kitchen. I do most of the cooking, but he is a whiz on the grill, and is fully in charge of birthday dinners, usually. In addition, he is ‘Ah-may-zing’ at clean-up, and I totally appreciate how hard (and cheerfully) he works to undo the damage I inflict on our kitchen in a bout of baking or cooking for the week.
But still… there are just a COUPLE of things that make me just the slightest bit nuts, especially when he acts like he’s the male equivalent of ‘The Pioneer Woman’ in our little homestead.
I’ll never forget the first time he told me I should add oregano to my tuna salad. OREGANO?? Ew, ick. I told him there was no way in hell there would be oregano in my tuna salad. He proceeded to tell me that was the way his mother ALWAYS made it. That sealed the deal. Never has oregano made its way into my tuna salad. And spare me your delightful recipes that feature a delicious pairing of the two. Not happening. It’s a matter of principal now.
But this evening, he stooped to an all-time culinary low when he rinsed my cooked ground beef with water.
Didn’t just DRAIN it of the oil, but actually rinsed it in the colander. He’s done it before, and then argues with me when I get snippy about the fact that it completely strips the meat of any flavor…so I’m putting it out to the masses (meaning the 3 of you that still come back to read the blog occasionally)…
Am I right? I’m right, right??!?
And don’t even start with me about how I might be wrong. Because I’m wielding a knife, y’all.
In the kitchen.
Yes, the kitchen. Get your minds out of the gutter, friends, and help me settle a debate that is going on around my house as of late.
For the last sixteen or so years, my wonderful husband has been a delightful help in the kitchen. I do most of the cooking, but he is a whiz on the grill, and is fully in charge of birthday dinners, usually. In addition, he is ‘Ah-may-zing’ at clean-up, and I totally appreciate how hard (and cheerfully) he works to undo the damage I inflict on our kitchen in a bout of baking or cooking for the week.
But still… there are just a COUPLE of things that make me just the slightest bit nuts, especially when he acts like he’s the male equivalent of ‘The Pioneer Woman’ in our little homestead.
I’ll never forget the first time he told me I should add oregano to my tuna salad. OREGANO?? Ew, ick. I told him there was no way in hell there would be oregano in my tuna salad. He proceeded to tell me that was the way his mother ALWAYS made it. That sealed the deal. Never has oregano made its way into my tuna salad. And spare me your delightful recipes that feature a delicious pairing of the two. Not happening. It’s a matter of principal now.
But this evening, he stooped to an all-time culinary low when he rinsed my cooked ground beef with water.
Didn’t just DRAIN it of the oil, but actually rinsed it in the colander. He’s done it before, and then argues with me when I get snippy about the fact that it completely strips the meat of any flavor…so I’m putting it out to the masses (meaning the 3 of you that still come back to read the blog occasionally)…
Am I right? I’m right, right??!?
And don’t even start with me about how I might be wrong. Because I’m wielding a knife, y’all.
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