Made me laugh

Read this article.....I thought this was sooooooooo funny!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1081607/Speeding-puppet-seat-British-car-makes-muppets-German-police.html

Hhhhrrruummpppffffss

Why is it that things that piss you off always happen on the same day. Here goes on my rant:

1) Trev is traveling on business somewhere for 3 straight weeks. This week he's in California Sat-Thurs (note the Sat.....not a Mon), next week he's somewhere else Mon-Tues then the following week he's in Florida somewhere Weds-Thurs. Usually I don't mind but this week we had friends in from the UK and on the 3rd trip Tim's in town. For such a significant pay cut that he took he better not be traveling every flipping week. he assures me this is a blip and (i quote) "I won't travel for the rest of the year".

2) A guy called Christian calls up on my cell phone just now asking for Trev. I say he's not available and can I take a message. He says in an aloof voice "do you have a pen?", I say "yes I do" and he proceeds to give me a phone number and told me he was from our bank. I then ask him if there's anything I can help with as I'm Trev's wife. Apparently he wants to discuss why we have so much money in our savings account and perhaps there are other things we can do. What pisses me off here is a) his voice got all nice once he realized I was a wife not a secretary (grrrrrr) 2) he called my cellphone and asked for my husband....note I happen to be the primary account holder and the one who works right next to the branch this Christian dude works in.....but apparently in the 21st century only the men can make the decisions. OMG - that totally pissed me off. In fact, I'm still so mad i'm hitting the keys so hard I think they're going to ping off. I'm also going for a record on how many words per minute I can type. I did make an appointment to see him next Tuesday just to see what this little upshoot looks like. What I find even funnier is that we really dont' have that much dosh in our savings account.....so maybe his records are 6 months old:)

3) Guy on the bus who ALWAYS sits next to me and then ALWAYS proceeds to take up two thirds of the double seat and the wave is freaking newspaper around. Not only does he irritate me, but the person who's closest in front also gets hit with the paper. Put the damn thing away, get an iPod and listen to the news via a podcast. Nutter. Why can't he sit elsewhere.

4) Ankle. Not sure the Chinese Dr helped. In fact I now a big red rash and it's still smarting. To make it worse my left knee has how started to hurt....right at the top. I think I just over extended in a gym class but we'll see. Hopefully it'll be better. I'm secretly hoping that I'm going to wake up one day and my ankle doesn't hurt anymore.....

I'm still mad as crap about #2.....but maybe typing it out will help

My visit to China Town

I had such a great day yesterday with my friend Sharon. After working out in the morning we drove into the City and spent several hours in China Town. The purpose of the trip was to go and see this highly recommended Chinese doctor regarding my ankle. While it's much better than it was it's not where it was before I had the accident. This trip was $20 for a consultation - what did I have to lose.

We started our afternoon with leisurely dim sum - I love it. It's so cool and there's loads of choice. While the weather wasn't the best (at times it was raining like crazy) we had a lot of fun. After that we headed to the doctor. Oh, now was THIS an experience.

Everything in China Town is tatty and run down, but there's such a vibrant energy it makes you go back time and again. We went and saw Dr Mak... oh my word, what a dump. It was dirty and very small. He had a little dog too that kept peeing on the floor (I kid you not!!). Anyway - he looked a lot, swabbed with alcohol, did a bit of massage, told me that my tendon was overstretched. Anyway, he moved it around a bit then he slathered on something that looked like dark brown peanut butter and told me to wear it for 24 hours, which I did. I have absolutely no idea if it's fixed yet, but if it's not I'm to go back next Saturday. We'll see - for $20 what do you have to lose. While I'm writing this it's aching a bit, but I did do a lot of walking yesterday.

After visiting the doctor we visited a tea shop (where I bought some plum tea....I'm trying to kick my Crystal Light addition!!) and then we spent ages going round grocery and kitchen shops. There's so many cool things, but while I did buy a few things I decided to wait for Tim to come over because I know we'll end up getting sucked into loads of stuff.

When we were done we headed back to Hoboken we met up with another friend, Carla, for dinner.

By the time I got home at 9pm I was knackered!

Today friends from England, Jenny and Frankie, arrived. They're here for a week so we should have a lot of fun.

Have a great week!

Busy week

Friday again, and I keep thinking about all the things I wanted to post about. Here's a brain dump.


- Brown water. It got fixed. It affected a few towns. I only went one day without a shower, then we realized our neighbours have a filter on their water tank. I know I posted the water company said it was ok to drink but I have to tell you it was nasty to look at. Weird, that had never happened to me before. I am more aware of what you shouldn't take for granted - and have a far greater appreciation for what it must have been like for you guys back in Iowa during the floods and losing water for days.


- Fitness. I decided that clearly I'm still eating too much as I'm not losing any pounds at all. You'd think with all the exercise I did i could, but obviously not. My thyroid was tested in the summer so I'm just guessing that I have bad genes and slow metabolism. I have worked my bootie this week, and have taken an additional 3 classes this week. I was rewarded with a whole 0.6lb off the weight. Woop di do. This is driving me nuts. My friend Sharon suggested I meet with a nutritionist to see if I'm screwing myself over with what I eat. I can honestly say I've so limited the treats I eat, I'm assuming it's down to the sheer volume of food I eat. Is it really that bad to eat 5 pieces of fruit a day and a turkey/cheese omelet? Who knows. We'll see. As an aside I did a Columbian Salsa dance class last night. That wasn't really a work out (ie I didn't really break a sweat) but it was pretty funny - they feed you a couple of shots of rum to loosen up. One things for sure - I have two left feet and I'm crap. Still....I think I got it. I just can't wiggle my arse like you're supposed to:) We'll see...I may try again just for the social bit....

- Ankle. Saw the lawyer on Monday so we'll wait and see. It's been hurting like crazy this week, but a lot of that is probably due to the additional exercise classes. Today I'm actually off to China Town to see a Chinese Doctor - it's $20 so what do I have to lose? I've heard great things so we'll see. I'm going with my friend Sharon from the gym - she's driving because I refuse to drive in Manhattan (it's nuts) and we're going early so we can have Dim Sum for lunch. Yummo.

- Work. My boss has been driving me nuts lately. It's not her fault particularly, there's just so much to do and not enough time. I've also been training the lady who works for me (note: it's my boss' best friend's sister....the great thing is she's fantastic) and that means that production of stuff takes longer. She picks things up quickly which is great and after 6 weeks she's at the point where I think she's going to be a real asset. My boss has asked me to put a job description together with a possible view to hiring her full time come January. I'm excited about that for sure! There just seems to be more to do than there is time for. While I'm quite rigid about the hours I work

- Refridgerator. Well...the guy came last week and I was quite hopeful, but it's not working again. My ice bucket is one big ice cube. Joy for us. They've now been 10 times - I think it's time for a new one. I'm fed up of "trying" something and not actually just replacing the unit. They have already offered me an additional 6 months on the warranty - that tells you something, doesn't it.

- Apartment. It's been Ok for a while...but my lovely vanity I bought on ebay the tap (faucet) has stopped working. I've had to brush my teeth in the bath all week. Oh joyfulness...I guess I'm calling Jose this weekend.

Ok I'm off to have my arse whooped by Billy....gives me the approval to go and eat Dim Sum.

More on brown water

Now....see below the press release from the water company. Now you tell me - would you drink or wash in dark brown water?

JERSEY CITY, NJ, 10/22/2008 10:19:10 AM – United Water customers in Jersey City, Hoboken and parts of North Hudson may have discolored water today. Even though the water is discolored, it meets safe drinking water standards. Customers may prefer to wait until it runs clear before drinking or washing clothes or dishes. United Water crews will be flushing hydrants throughout the day in order to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Tom Neilan, project executive, explained that the discolored water is the result of harmless minerals in the water mains. Yesterday, the company was testing large 48-inch valves in Little Falls on the Jersey City aqueduct system as part of its routine maintenance program. That activity caused large amounts of water to flow through the mains which disturbed the sediment. We apologize for the inconvenience, said Neilan. Please be assured that we are working diligently to resolve this issue for our customers

Shoot me now....!

My day is not going well.

First, I got up this morning, went into the bathroom, turned on the shower, cleaned my teeth, took my glasses off, opened the shower curtain and screamed.... now, you might think that there was a spider/mouse...but oh no. The water was DARK BROWN. Ewwwwwww. Worse, I had cleaned my teeth in that water before it had turned brown. So, at 6.04am I called the condo manager - he called me back and made a complaint.

So, I'm at work not having had a shower.....oh yuk! Can you remember the days when you didn't shower daily? I remember as a kid having a bath on a Sunday....the rest of the time it was a flannel ove the face - right? When did we turn to needing a shower daily? I feel horrible.

Here's an article on the water situation. That picture is EXACTLY how my bath looked this morning. And still we have no news when it'll be fixed. Oh joy for us!

http://hoboken411.com/archives/14467

Second, I'm in reporting hell at work. The server is slow, the application worse and of course my Q3 report is still not complete. In addition I'm trying to train someone, and while she's doing an awesome job it's the 22nd and the report is not out. This is total nuts.

I'm ready to shoot myself........or just have a gin and tonic:)

Lawyers and stuff

Today I signed an agreement with a lawyer to sue Budget - the price is steep (30% after all the costs - ouch!) but I'm sure I'll end up with more than if I tried to do this all myself. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I have to say that I have clearly got used to not using a car much. It was a mere 20 miles away and I felt like I'd gone on this huge trek. It was like being back in Iowa - and being autumn it was beautiful. A clear sky and cooler weather - it was lovely.

We're a few days away from our busy holiday season - have friends coming into town next weekend, then we're in Atlantic City, then the week after that Tim arrives and we're off to Vegas. In between I have to get all my work done so I can take time off. Phew! It's freaking me out already....

A sign?

My ankle is still not back to where it was before my fall last May. It's annoying. I'm fed up of the aching when I'm sitting on a bar stool or at the theater, or when I want to kneel and can't.

So, I've been looking for a lawyer, and yesterday I spoke with one. He's looking into my case and will get back to me. I'm really upset I can't wear heels, and it's been almost 6 months.

Even funnier, here's an article from the UK about a woman who had a fall at an airport and can sue for damages as she can't wear high heels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077900/Payout-businesswoman-hurt-airport-slip--200-pairs-shoes-useless.html

Is this a sign that means I can sue? Hope so...

Would YOU be happy with this?

OK, am I the only person who's freaked out about this?????

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077800/Airport-admits-strip-search-body-scanners-WILL-people-naked.html

Cooking overload

I've been absent for a few days. The financial markets continue to decline; from a personal and business perspective it's totally nuts. With money both in the UK and US it's crazy trying to understand where money is safe. I'm thinking that under the mattress is the best place.

Anyway we had some work colleagues of mine over for dinner last night - there was a total of 10 of us. I had a basic menu organized but it still took a while to put it together.

My pierce de resistance was a trifle. It turned out perfectly. I think someone took a photo of it - if I get it then I'll post it - because it did look amazing. Tasted good too.

It's been a long time since I've cooked for 10 people - the sheer quantities were huge. We have soooooo many left overs. Needless to say our colleagues will see them tomorrow!

New hair

Check it out.... in an effort to be more cost conscious I wanted to change where I got my hair done. At Trev's encouragement I went to his local place...whaddayathink? It's been a few years since I've had such funky hair.

I do think that red matches my personality....that said, I'm hoping it fades a little bit. But, I do think I've broken my addiction to the Manhattan hairdressers.

The little things

I'm a geek, I've admitted several times. I've been trying to figure out how the Direct TV DVR Scheduling works - I keep seeing ads that say you can do it online.....there are always shows I forget to record so I finally figured it out.

How flipping cool is that? I don't have to use the slow box at home to record stuff. I can organize online.....yippee!

Sometimes it really is the smallest thing to make your day:)

Pictures on the walls

So, I bought new frames weeks and weeks ago so I could hang some family pictures on the walls. I never got around to it - probably because I couldn't decide what arrangement I wanted, where to hang them etc etc.

I bought 8 frames the same and had put pictures in a while back - and realized I had 4 portrait and 4 landscape pics - check out the layout above the table in the kitchen. I think it looks VERY cool.

Now all I need to do is get some bigger frames for some of the pictures I've had printed from Australia, Spain, Caribbean etc.

I managed to do all this while a) waiting for the fridge guy again and b) supposed to be working!!

Messy or clean?

You Are Not Messy

You're so clean, people have accused you of being a clean freak! You like things tidy, organized, and smelling fresh. Messes drive you crazy, especially when you didn't make them. It's hard for you to live with a slob - or someone who leaves their dishes in the sink.

Are You Messy?

Are you boring or interesting?

You Are 68% Interesting

You are a fairly interesting person. Many people find you to be intriguing. You have a dynamic, adventurous life... a life that others envy. You are genuinely interested in and open to the world. You love making new friends, and you're always up for an unusual experience. Like everyone else, you can get a bit boring from time to time. That's normal. But unlike everyone else, you can pull yourself out of a rut. You don't stay boring for long.

Are You Boring or Interesting?

Delia's way

For my American friends Delia Smith is the equivalent in England of Julia Child - ie she's a cooking institution. My friend Lorraine sent this ages ago and as I was cleaning out my email I found it. So, so funny and even more true!!

Delia's Way
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice-cream drips.

The Real Woman's Way
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for God's sake. You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it anyway.

Delia's Way
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

The Real Woman's Way
Buy Smash and keep it in the cupboard for up to a year.

Delia's Way
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking tin, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

The Real Woman's Way
Morrisons sell cakes. They even do decorated versions.

Delia's Way
If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a potato slice.

The Real Woman's Way
If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's tough. Please recite with me the Real Woman's motto: 'I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes.'

Delia' s Way
Wrap celery in aluminium foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks

The Real Woman's Way
It could keep forever. Who eats it?

Delia's Way
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead.. The throbbing will go away.

The Real Woman's Way
Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and drop it in 8 ounces of vodka. Drink the vodka. You might still have the headache, but you wont give a flying banana!

Finally the most important tip - my favourite

Delia's Way
Freeze left over wine into ice cubes for future use in casseroles

The Real Woman's Way
Left over wine???? Hellooo

I will never complain again....

...about big boobs.

Check out this poor woman! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1760007.ece

Push ups

I'm not sure why I'm excited about this - especially as I work out quite a lot. However, last night for the first time I did 20 pushups in a row, no stopping. That's the full ones, rather than resting on your knees.

I'm blown away..... still, pretty though, huh?

Feeling broke...

I know as I write this things are not as dire as I might feel right now. Penny, just ignore this because this is NOTHING like you're going through and I apologize for writing this. However, I've got to vent before I go completely nuts.

I feel like we're hemorrhaging money right now. We've done a lot this year - almost completely redone the apartment (bathrooms, decorating, living room) which wasn't cheap and while we've not had a vacation yet we have organized ourselves a week in Jamaica (where we went last year) as it was the cheapest place I can find and we know what we're going to get. In addition to that I've bought several flights this year to the UK and elsewhere for ourselves and also over the past few weeks sorted the kids out for the holidays. We're off to Vegas with Tim, Atlantic City with Jenny and Frankie and who knows what else. We've also had medical bills from Peter's surgery last May......tuition fees, and oh yeah a wedding. It's totally nuts. All of it we deemed necessary.....

I guess I'm freaking out more than usual because we also took a big income dip with Trev's job move. I'm so happy he's finally happy in his job and it's definitely worth it....but it just seems that no matter what we plan our savings are getting depleted. I guess I'm used to being able to plan stuff and also be able to save without a lot of effort. Not working right now.....

Now.... I say this knowing that a) I have a personal trainer and so does Trev b) I pay someone to clean my apartment c) Trev has his work shirts laundered d) I get a massage relatively frequently. I really have nothing to complain about at all....and given that Penny is going through the toughest time I feel so guilty even writing this.

Things I'm doing to cut costs
- I take lunch to work every day (saves at least $7/day)
- I don't buy coffee out at all (I use the free stuff at work)
- I never buy magazines or newpapers out (I can use the online websites)
- I don't eat out during the week, we have food at home, we eat that (no matter how tempting the pizza at the end of the street is)

I started to use Quicken.com - and Trev agrees. That way we can at least understand where all the cash is going. Hopefully that'll help us get back on track. I'm definitely creating a budget, and starting today we're keeping to it.

With any luck, Trev will get great bonuses and I won't have to worry like I am right now.

The best menopause question EVER

Question:
How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to change a light bulb?

Woman's Answer:
One!

ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this house knows HOW to change a light bulb! They don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the #&%!* lightbulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!!

AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE FREAKING LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!!

IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATEDFROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL !!

I'm sorry. What was the question?