Dissing me Hard

Ok, so I've gotten dissed not once but twice. We're going to a party on Saturday and there is a friend of ours who will be there. Well she is leaving this party at 10 to go to another party. What are we chopped liver, not cool enough, or what? This is on the heels of being dissed for our pumpkin gathering a few weeks ago. That was legit though as it was work related. I hope that she reconsiders. We'll find out Saturday.

Tomorrow night, I have absolutely nothing to do. Jill and I will probably end up staying home watching tv or something. I love all of the Halloween movies. We probably need to take down our Halloween decorations. You never know what the trick or treaters will do to your decorations that are on the front step. Our neighborhood is pretty docile, so there aren't any shenanigans. I remember this one time when I was in high school our neighbor used to work the lunch line at our school. There was a main line and a dessert line where you could buy ice cream products. Well, the ice cream line always got closed early. We would literally be standing in line and it would close. We'd look at the clock and there would still be several minutes left in the lunch period. One night we decided to exact our revenge. We walked down the street after dark and stopped across the street from our neighbor's house. "One, Two, Three, NOW," my friend yelled. We took the eggs that were in our hands and launched them as far as we could and then took off on a dead sprint in the opposite direction of the house, never turning around to see what happened. The sound of the eggs crushing against the vinyl siding pierced the night. Revenge was ours. The next morning we walked to school past our neighbor's house and saw the hose out and the house was dripping with water from being freshly sprayed. A quiet chuckle went around our group as we continued on to the bus stop.
Now, that's some sweet action. At least we thought. Most people are probably like, "Those Punks!" I think you have to react swiftly when met with such an injustice as the ice cream line being closed early. That'll learn them! MOOHOO HA-HA!

Wednesday = Hump Day

Why does everyone call Wednesday "Hump Day"? I know that it's because you're getting over the hump of the work week, but in my opinion it makes the beginning of the week so much worse. Think about it. If you go into every week thinking that Monday and Tuesday are going to be up hill battles, then you're going to be in for it. I've noticed that when your Monday and Tuesdays suck, then your Sunday does as well. I spend a portion of my day on Sunday thinking that I don't want it to be tomorrow. On Sundays, we barely ever go out and when we do, it's never to do something fun. It's like we're trying to save up our energy for the suckiness of Monday and Tuesday.
Well, here's the deal. Today is Wednesday and I don't feel like I've gotten over the worst of the week. Thursday sucks just as bad as Tuesday.
Perhaps I will try a new tact and make more of my Sundays. That will make my weekend seem longer. Right now, my weekend is basically one day. Friday night is an untapped gold mine that I need to take advantage of in addition to Sunday.

November seems to be hump month. I think Thanksgiving is an okay holiday. Basically it's just a day to sit around and overeat. Yes, there is that rare treat of the family member who pulls their shirt up and sits on the couch with their pants unbuttoned. Don't get me wrong, the benefits of said person being morbidly overindulged with food go far beyond this. After all, there are belches and farts to come. Then there is the after dinner nap. If you're lucky, this person will start sawing wood so loudly that you won't be able to hear the tv. The day after Thanksgiving used to be a fun holiday. I think that they should come up with a better name than the day after Thanksgiving. Don't give me the Black Friday crap. That name sucks also. There is no originality to that. Shopapalooza sounds much better. I mean, we don't refer to Christmas as 7 days before the end of the year. Halloween isn't referred to as the last day in October. Heck, even the day after Christmas is Boxing Day, not the day after Christmas.

Well, I'm about to lose my chatting buddy, so I have to cut this short for now. Something tells me that I could go on and on about this though.

Game On!

Have you ever struggled with what to do with your money? On one hand I'd love to get a part time job, or find some way to make money on the side. On the other hand, I'm wanting to buy a new car, find new things for our house, etc. What a dilemma! I have a perfectly good car, which is completely paid off. So, why would I want to start with a car payment? Well, if I buy a Pontiac or certain other models, there is 0% financing for 72 or 60 months. That's a pretty good reason to start with.
Right now Sammie is wanting to play with her ball.
Ok, fast forward. I've been playing with Sammie/watching the ALCS (Right now it's Yanks 5, Angels 1). I've also been trying to locate a Pontiac Torrent. There is supposed to be one in Virginia somewhere. Somehow I feel like that's a bit far to travel for a new car. There is a front wheeled drive version here in Charlotte with all of the amenities that I need, but it's a little expensive, so they'll really have to knock my socks off in order for me to buy. I could get 0% financing for 72 months, but then I lose the cash back that GM is giving me, which is 2500.
We'll have to see what happens. I'm definitely not making a decision overnight or anything. I'm sure that there will be a better deal in a month or so when the dealerships are trying to get rid of their inventory. We'll have to see.
Yanks are still winning 5-1 at the end of the 6th inning. Go NYY!!!

Some Lesser known Holidays

So I was noticing on my company provided calendar that there are some new holidays that I'd like to begin observing. If for nothing else, I'm sure that there are a few days off that I can take advantage of. So, let's consider some options.
Each year on March 21, I shall consider celebrating the anniversary of Benito Juarez's birthday. Along the same lines, I believe that September 16, or as it shall be known in the future for me, dia de independencia. I think that these are both worth of consideration. Just think, we get the 4th of July off for being the US Independence day, and we're all about diversity in our country, so this seems legit, doesn't it? Let's not forget November 27th of this year. Most people will be passing the turkey and thinking about football. Ah, but not I. All I will have on my mind is Eid al-Adha. What a better way as a precursor to Black Friday. I can't think of a better way to spend my visit with my parents than to have a celebration. Of course we'll have to familiarize ourselves with the Takbir. Although, I'm not sure how Sammie will feel about the tradition of sacrificing your best domestic animal. Hmm...We may have to miss this one unless we can convince someone that the turkey we get from Bi-Lo is our best domestic animal. After all, Sammie doesn't really have a lot of meat on her bones, so I'm not sure this would be an appropriate sacrifice.
December 12 holds a special place in my heart. As I celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe day, I can't help but embrace the holiday season. It sends my heart asunder.
My ancestors in Myanmar definitely put a large emphasis on the end of October as joy fills the room with the end of Buddist Lent.
Today is a joyous day in the Leardini household as our waiter at Maggiano's reminded me last night that we are in the holiday season, I simply say Happy Alaska day to everyone!

Sammie's new bed

Based mainly on the fact that I didn't want to continue to drag Sammie's bed up and down the stairs every night, I bought her a new bed. Once in the store looking at all of the dog beds, I realized that I have one healthy sized puppy. There was only one bed that I was confident would fit her. I say bed, but it's really just an oversized pillow. Last night, she tried it out and I believe that we have a success story on our hands. Although there were a few times when she was tossing and turning that I was like, "What was that noise?" Her old bed was pure cotton. This one is covered with a fabric that makes a swooshing noise of some sort. It's not windbreaker material, it's more like a fancy pillow. Sammie stretches out on there and LOOOOVES it!!

Topic #2 -
Why I hate VERSUS and most cable companies for that matter. They are only in it for the almighty $$. They are in the middle of a fight with Directv and because of that, Directv has taken Versus off of their lineup. OK, let me answer 2 questions that you might have...
1. Why do I care so much all of a sudden?
2. Why don't I put as much blame on Directv as I do on Versus?
Well, that's simple.
1. The Sabres were playing on Versus tonight and because Directv dropped them, I missed the game even though I pay an arm and a leg for the Hockey package on Directv. Versus is doing one thing after another to bury hockey and ensure that no one will be able to watch it. First of all, they sign rights to broadcast the sport. Terrific! Well, many cable providers don't even carry Versus. Forget about Directv now because Versus sadly overvalued it's worth and told Directv that they had to up the ante for the rights. This leads me to....
2. Directv generally spares no expense to bring the best sports to their consumers. They have exclusive rights to the NFL package. They have exclusive rights to the MLB package. Plus, they usually make sure that you have access to almost any station that you'd like to watch, sports or otherwise. The fact that they're drawing the line with Versus tells me that this is something out of the ordinary because to just drop the station without moving it to the sports package tells me that the situation is out of control.

I say, GROW UP VERSUS! Your shrinking hockey fan base is being lost as quickly as water and the like going down a toilet bowl. This is probably a closer to home analogy that Versus may want to believe.

Peti Paws...have you ever had this stuff....

Have you ever seen this video? It reminds me of the Peti Paw, a.k.a., the Pedi Paw knock off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c-kWm83jZQ

Both are Snafu's - Sounds normal, Actually is fudged up....
The Peti Paw is the knockoff of the Pedi Paw....
You've seen this device, it's basically a sander for your dog's nails. It's a charming little device that makes a buzzing noise that probably sounds to your pet like a bee is getting ready to sting their brain.
Oh, don't worry owners, this little toy is a treat for you as well. Your pet is so overjoyed by the sound of this little peach that it takes 2 people to restrain them so that you can use the device on their nails. Never mind the fact that during the process your pet is squirming, slapping you in the face and emitting odors that smell surprisingly similar to your shorts after that one time you fell face first down a flight of stairs.
Yes, let me tell you, the look on your face will be surprisingly similar to George Costanza from the video. Do yourself a favor and go buy this little treat for a 4 legged loved one. The hours of enjoyment will leave a lasting impression on you. Either that, or you'll be in traction for weeks after your pet mangles you to death, but hey, it can't always be win-win, can it?

The Diego

So, why do I want to move to the Diego? I want to live in a place where I don't have to worry about oppressive humidity, freezing cold and the like. I know that it's more expensive there and the cost of living can range from above average to insane, but isn't that what you have to pay for a better way of living?
Sometimes you always hear that the grass isn't greener on the other side of the pasture. That's something to consider. But, I've lived my whole life on the east coast. There is way more to the world than what I've seen. This isn't like my parents who grew up and lived in the same area for pretty much their entire life. I mean, every member of my family talks about the places in the town I grew up in that they used to live. There's nothing wrong with that, but there are so many places in the rest of the country that I haven't seen and experienced but want to.
So, the devil's advocate says, take a vacation there. That's not what I'm looking for. I want to spend more than a long weekend in some of these places. The Diego is one of those places. I ant to know what it's like to live on Pacific time. I want to know what it's like to be able to watch football from 10 in the morning, until 8 at night and still be able to go to sleep at a decent hour. I want to know what it's like to not own an air conditioner and yet not have sweat pouring off of my head or posters curling on the wall.
We've been saving a lot of money to go out there. Once we get enough saved, then we'll go. This is not without considerable sacrifice though. We've basically cut back on everything to make sure that we can do this. When I moved to Charlotte, I basically had no money. I borrowed $3000 from my parents and basically charged everything for the first couple of years until I could get my sea legs under me. We're in such a better position now. By the time we move, we'll have 12 months worth of expenses saved up, so even if I don't have a great job lined up, we'll be fine. I'd rather think about things and go somewhere great, rather than somewhere in a rush just because it's the first thing I'm finding. There are quite a few apartments that aren't too unreasonable and they're close to the water. Once we get out there, we can look for a house in the area we want instead of taking a stab in the dark. Sammie would love it and so would we!!!!

Cow pies

So we had tickets to go see Blink 182 with All American Rejects and Fall Out Boy. The concert was at the Verizon Wireless Amp. on October 1, last Thursday. We bought the tickets to go with Fish and Margaret for 80 bucks each. That's a lot to pay, but for 3 great bands, it was worth it in my opinion, plus the seats were really close to the stage.

Well, about 3 weeks before the concert I get an email that the date of the concert is being changed due to the death of DJ AM. So then we find out a week before the concert that Fall Out Boy and All American Rejects have pulled out of the concert due to the change in dates. In their place is Asher Roth. I'm sure he's great, but REALLY????? Am I really going to pay 80 bucks to see a concert with a marginal band who hasn't put out anything new in the past 5 years and a rapper who I've never even heard of? I don't think so. Of course no one bothered to let us know that the bands that we really wanted to see weren't playing anymore, so here we are in the lurch. I wonder if this is how Asher Roth has gained his following. If it wasn't for the fact that I was reading Creative Loafing on Thursday, I would have never known. Luckily I called and they refunded my money, so it was no harm, no foul, but man that would have been a serious buzzkill.

The best part of this was that the Charlotte Observer posted this review of the concert saying that it was "Worth the Wait". I was like, how could you say that knowing that the 2 best acts weren't there. It's totally biased. They should tell it like it is instead of trying to sugar coat things. Talk about stepping in your own poo. I can't view anything they say as credible anymore.

Grandma's chocolate cake

When I was little, my Grandma Leardini made this Chocolate Cherry Cake and I'm telling you it was the best cake I've ever had. It was so moist. Well, since then, my mom has passed the recipe on to me and I love making it. So, tonight I made it in the "Ghostie" pan that I bought at a garage sale several months ago.

A garage sale is always a mixed bag. On this occasion, I went to a neighborhood garage sale, parked and walked from house to house. By the time I was finished, I looked funny as heck. I was carrying a halloween decoration, several nik naks and a framed poster. Here's what the Halloween decoration looks like: Sammie is checking it out like, what the heck....

Anyway, one of the things that I bought was the "Ghostie" pan for like a dollar. That has to be the deal of the day. On a side note, you know you're getting old when you're bragging about how much you paid for a cake pan. But to put a bow on this story, that was the pan that I used to bake Grandma's cake tonight. it looks pretty cool, but you'd never guess that the cake is in the shape of a ghost. It just looks like a weird wave or something.

Work seems to be going ok. My goal over the next several weeks is to be more positive. I think that I'm falling into a rut of looking at the down side of things. There is plenty to be excited about, so I need to keep my spirits high. Nichole and I talked about that today. She is good at motivating me to look at things on a positive note but lately she hasn't been feeling too good. Honestly, I was like death warmed over on Monday. Shawn had the day off since he was traveling for a meeting on Sunday. He invited me to lunch and I'm sure that he was like, what the heck happened to you when he saw what I looked like.

Saturday will be a SBU alumni event at Charlotte Catholic High School. Nichole and Shawn are coming with us, which should be pretty cool. This will be my first alumni event so we'll see how it goes. Shawn and Nichole will be coming with us, so I hope that it's a lot of fun. After that we're going to make dinner and watch a movie and play games. It should be a pretty effective.

Sunday

Sammie had a doozy of a day today. Good thing for her that this wasn't the day that we decided whether or not we were going to adopt her. This morning, she greeted me by puking half an inch from my face in bed. Fortunately, I'm a total germ-a-phob, so I'm sure the fact that it soaked through to the mattress won't bother me too much. So, I'm over that and then I go outside to check on my cantalope that by some freak of nature, I've been able to grow despite my best efforts to kill it. I don't see it, so I'm thinking that I can't believe that some animal has taken this cantalope, because I've just been out there to water it a few hours earlier. As I walk back towards the house, despondent, I notice that Sammie is playing with one of her tennis balls. Approaching closer, I now notice that it isn't a tennis ball she's playing with, rather my cantalope which is not in the stomach of some savage animal, it's in the process of being devoured by my pet puppy. This did not exactly conjure up images of Lassie, let me tell you. Good thing for her that she's built up a lot of good will and that she's really cute and loveable.
I spent the weekend helping Shawn and Nichole with some tasks in their home. It made me feel really useful. I wish that I was this useful around my house. I feel like there are so many things to do but because of time, money, or lack of skill, they never get done. Anyway, I had a lot of fun and felt really good that I did some good things for some great friends. Jill and I went out to eat with Nichole and Cassie. Shawn was out of town for work. We went to "pizzarina" Uno Chicago Grill in uptown, then we went over to see Ashley at "Stone Cold" Creamery. We had a great time.
I have to start thinking about what to dress up as for Halloween. I have no idea and I don't want to spend a ton of money on a costume. I love Halloween, but choosing a costume is one thing that I could do without. I guess that I'm just not creative enough. I'm hoping for something that is easy and not too cumbersome. One time I decided to dress up as a mummy, so I wrapped t.p. around my whole body. It was the perfect costume, until I stood up and the toilet paper all fell around my ankles. That costume lasted all of about 5 minutes and then I decided to go costume-less for the rest of the night.