It's been a long time since my last post, but I thought I should try to squeeze one more in before 2009 comes to a close.
The last two months of the year were - as usual - busy ones for me, preparing for and celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. Work was especially busy for me too, because in addition to preparing for, and assisting with, a big user test of our system which took place in the middle of December, I also helped with the office Thanksgiving Luncheon and the office Holiday Party as well.
Thankfully, all of those events turned out all right. I was especially proud of the office Holiday Party, because there were only three of us planning the whole thing, and we did a lot of work to make it something we thought people would enjoy. And happily, we all received lots of positive comments and thanks from many people, both during and after the party. I would also take this time to give a special "shout-out" and thank you to my husband, who served as "DJ Santa" for our party, and did a great job.
As I look back, 2009 was a pretty big year for me. I did a lot of things that I had never done before, and I think it's safe to say I enjoyed all of them. I also did some things I had done before, and not surprisingly, enjoyed them as well. :-) Here's a (hopefully) brief recap of some of the "big" things I did in 2009 - many of which I did with Brian:
February: We had a very fun Casino Party at our pub
March: We went on our first-ever cruise, and it was great!
May: I got a bicycle, and I started this blog!
June: We went to California for the first time - that was also great!
July: I got a new car - which I am still really enjoying!
August: We went to Niagara Falls, Ontario (for the first time in 21 years for me, for the first time ever for Brian) and Seneca Lake, New York (our second time there)
September: We started watching NFL football!
Those are all the things I can think of off the top of my head, but I think I covered all the major events. Oh, I did also go to a few concerts during the year - most notably, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode, which were both great.
As I look back on the year, it was a pretty hectic and busy one, but that was mostly because I was busy doing lots of fun things. So I guess I really can't complain about that. :-)
I don't know what 2010 has in store - as of right now we have no vacations planned, nor any parties, but I'm sure we'll go somewhere and have at least one party. And as for work, it's going to be busier than ever for me in 2010, which I'm a little stressed about, but hopefully things will go all right. I won't truly know until the end of the year, though!
Well, I guess this is it for 2009. I would like to wish everyone safe and happy New Year's celebrations tonight, and may 2010 bring you nothing but good things!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween
Just thought I'd write a little about how Halloween went and share a few pictures.
On Thursday Brian and I went to our friend Jo Lyn's house to help her pass out candy. We don't get any trick-or-treaters at our house, and a few years ago this came up in a conversation with Jo Lyn. She said she gets a lot of kids for Trick or Treat night and that I could come sit with her and hand out candy if I wanted. I jumped at the chance! This was the third year I sat with her, and this year Brian joined us for the entire time as well.
We dressed up, as we always do, and this year we were quite the eclectic group.
As you can probably tell, Jo Lyn was a pirate. Brian was some sort of mummy/zombie creature with a giant sword. Can you tell what I'm dressed as? I'm supposed to be an "old lady from New Jersey." I got the track suit from my mom, who got it from some other woman (don't think she was from New Jersey, though). It still had the tags on it, from all those years ago! The wig was advertised as being a 'Wonder Woman' wig, but I thought it worked really well for my costume.
I even wore the required hosiery for the look:
The next day, since it was the day before Halloween (and a Friday, when people usually dress more casually), I decided to wear a semi-costume to work.
The "Cat Treats" in the basket were Swedish Fish and Kit Kat bars (also Sour Patch Kids, but only because they came with the Swedish Fish). I went around the office during lunchtime and passed them out to everyone. People seemed to get a kick out of it - and of course most everyone was happy to get some free candy!
On Halloween night, Brian and I went to a party at the local Elks Lodge with our friends Marc and Jen. I took my cat costume a little farther for the party than I did for work:
Brian dressed as Robert Smith, and he looked really good! (Well, as good as you can look when you're imitating Robert Smith :))
Our friends dressed as Philly Sports Fans.
We had a really good time at the party - we hadn't seen Marc and Jen for quite some time, so it was great to spend a fun evening with them.
Now, however, Halloween is over, and I guess I have to start dressing normally again. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted - and there's always next year!
On Thursday Brian and I went to our friend Jo Lyn's house to help her pass out candy. We don't get any trick-or-treaters at our house, and a few years ago this came up in a conversation with Jo Lyn. She said she gets a lot of kids for Trick or Treat night and that I could come sit with her and hand out candy if I wanted. I jumped at the chance! This was the third year I sat with her, and this year Brian joined us for the entire time as well.
We dressed up, as we always do, and this year we were quite the eclectic group.
As you can probably tell, Jo Lyn was a pirate. Brian was some sort of mummy/zombie creature with a giant sword. Can you tell what I'm dressed as? I'm supposed to be an "old lady from New Jersey." I got the track suit from my mom, who got it from some other woman (don't think she was from New Jersey, though). It still had the tags on it, from all those years ago! The wig was advertised as being a 'Wonder Woman' wig, but I thought it worked really well for my costume.
I even wore the required hosiery for the look:
The next day, since it was the day before Halloween (and a Friday, when people usually dress more casually), I decided to wear a semi-costume to work.
The "Cat Treats" in the basket were Swedish Fish and Kit Kat bars (also Sour Patch Kids, but only because they came with the Swedish Fish). I went around the office during lunchtime and passed them out to everyone. People seemed to get a kick out of it - and of course most everyone was happy to get some free candy!
On Halloween night, Brian and I went to a party at the local Elks Lodge with our friends Marc and Jen. I took my cat costume a little farther for the party than I did for work:
Brian dressed as Robert Smith, and he looked really good! (Well, as good as you can look when you're imitating Robert Smith :))
Our friends dressed as Philly Sports Fans.
We had a really good time at the party - we hadn't seen Marc and Jen for quite some time, so it was great to spend a fun evening with them.
Now, however, Halloween is over, and I guess I have to start dressing normally again. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted - and there's always next year!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
here comes that Indian summer!
Whew! After several miserable days of cold, steady rain, we are actually getting that Indian summer I thought was a 'distant hope' just a few days ago. Today was quite pleasant, and tomorrow and Thursday are forecast to be even warmer! And my fear that all the leaves would be knocked off the trees before they changed color was not realized. So my vision of blue skies and golden-leafed trees may still come true this fall! And, I still have a few more days to procrastinate in putting away my t-shirts and getting out the rest of my turtlenecks. But with this weekend's highs forecast to be in the 50s, I'd better not wait too much longer...
Of course, the Indian summer has coincided with the firing up of the boilers in my office building, so now the heat is on - just in time for 70-degree temperatures outside! I think I'd better wear a short-sleeved dress tomorrow - but I'll bring a cardigan just in case. 'Tis the season to dress in layers! :-)
Of course, the Indian summer has coincided with the firing up of the boilers in my office building, so now the heat is on - just in time for 70-degree temperatures outside! I think I'd better wear a short-sleeved dress tomorrow - but I'll bring a cardigan just in case. 'Tis the season to dress in layers! :-)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
first no summer - now no autumn?
The summer of 2009 felt different to me than most summers in recent memory have. I believe this was for a couple different reasons. First, for a personal reason: Brian and I didn't go to Las Vegas in August, like we have been doing since 2005. We instead went to Niagara Falls and Seneca Lake, New York: both water-related sites, quite different from the desert of Las Vegas (although Niagara Falls did have casinos).
The other reason the summer seemed strange to me - and almost not really like summer - was the weather. It never got really hot around here. Although we had a few 90-degree days scattered throughout the summer, we never had an official 'heat wave' of three or more 90-degree days in a row.
I'm not necessarily complaining about that, because I'm not the biggest fan of the summer heat (although it's the humidity that I dislike the most). However, those sweltering days are what I've come to associate with summer, and because we didn't really get too many, it never really felt like summer to me.
And, I found out that I wasn't the only person who felt similar to this - I came across this article by author Bob Greene a few weeks ago: Commentary: The summer that never was
So now we're in the middle of October - the heart of autumn. And when I think of autumn, I like to think of a warm golden sun, brilliantly blue skies, and breezes blowing the just-colored leaves, some of them fluttering to the ground here and there.
But once again, reality is not meshing with my expectations. Instead of the lovely scene I've described above, this week has been one of steel-gray skies, cold that goes right through to your bones, and an incessant, annoying drizzle. And just a couple hours north of here, people are getting snow!!!
I realize that this is not atypical weather for fall, but it really is way too early. I would expect 40-degree rainy days (and snow up north) around the end of November, but not the middle of October! The leaves haven't even fully changed colors yet! And now all this rain and wind may knock them off the trees before they get a chance to change.
So now, I'm kind of grumpy. I feel like I'm getting gypped out of two seasons this year - first summer, and now fall! I don't know why, but Nature is just not cooperating this year. :-(
I realize that there's a good chance we'll have an "Indian Summer" - where it will get really warm and sunny again for a few days- but right now that seems like a distant hope.
I just hope that if winter comes early this year - which, the way things have been going this year, seems entirely possible - that we will actually get a "good" one, with some decent snowfalls that will keep us home for a couple of days! Cross your fingers!!
The other reason the summer seemed strange to me - and almost not really like summer - was the weather. It never got really hot around here. Although we had a few 90-degree days scattered throughout the summer, we never had an official 'heat wave' of three or more 90-degree days in a row.
I'm not necessarily complaining about that, because I'm not the biggest fan of the summer heat (although it's the humidity that I dislike the most). However, those sweltering days are what I've come to associate with summer, and because we didn't really get too many, it never really felt like summer to me.
And, I found out that I wasn't the only person who felt similar to this - I came across this article by author Bob Greene a few weeks ago: Commentary: The summer that never was
So now we're in the middle of October - the heart of autumn. And when I think of autumn, I like to think of a warm golden sun, brilliantly blue skies, and breezes blowing the just-colored leaves, some of them fluttering to the ground here and there.
But once again, reality is not meshing with my expectations. Instead of the lovely scene I've described above, this week has been one of steel-gray skies, cold that goes right through to your bones, and an incessant, annoying drizzle. And just a couple hours north of here, people are getting snow!!!
I realize that this is not atypical weather for fall, but it really is way too early. I would expect 40-degree rainy days (and snow up north) around the end of November, but not the middle of October! The leaves haven't even fully changed colors yet! And now all this rain and wind may knock them off the trees before they get a chance to change.
So now, I'm kind of grumpy. I feel like I'm getting gypped out of two seasons this year - first summer, and now fall! I don't know why, but Nature is just not cooperating this year. :-(
I realize that there's a good chance we'll have an "Indian Summer" - where it will get really warm and sunny again for a few days- but right now that seems like a distant hope.
I just hope that if winter comes early this year - which, the way things have been going this year, seems entirely possible - that we will actually get a "good" one, with some decent snowfalls that will keep us home for a couple of days! Cross your fingers!!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
A strange transformation
Later on today, I'm going to be doing something that, if you had told me a year ago I'd be doing, I would have said, "Really? That's kind of surprising," but two years ago and prior, I would have said, "No way. I don't believe that at all."
No, it's not riding my bicycle - although those comments actually do match pretty well with my change in attitude towards bicycling over the past couple of years. (Not to mention the fact that it would be a good day for a ride today!)
No, instead, what I will be doing in a couple of hours is accompanying my husband to a local bar and grill to watch an NFL football game.
This may not sound remarkable, except perhaps when I mention that for more than 18 of the almost-20 years we've been together, Brian never cared for football at all. In fact, he and I would have "anti-Superbowl parties" each year, where we'd sit around, eat snacks, and not watch the Superbowl.
So why, now, do I find myself washing NFL replica jerseys each week and looking through my closet for purple or green tops to wear?
It started in August 2008. We were in Las Vegas for our anniversary vacation. Because every casino has a sports book, and all kinds of sports betting is allowed there, there are TVs everywhere tuned to sports channels. The big news at the time we were there was Brett Favre - whether he was going to retire, whether the Green Bay Packers would keep him another year, etc. It was on all the televisions at all hours of the day and night, and Brian became quite interested in the story. He was very excited when Brett Favre signed with the Jets, but I figured his interest in the subject of football would fade once we got back from vacation.
I was wrong. Not too long after we got back, after some persuasion by his friend Toly, Brian purchased the "Madden 09" football video game for the Xbox 360 (with Brett Favre- still in a Packers jersey- on the cover). He started playing it online with Toly, and he began getting into it. And playing the video football game seemed to give him a better appreciation for real-life football.
I don't think he watched a full Jets game last season when Brett Favre was playing, but when it came to be playoff season, both of us actually did watch a few of the playoff games - and even I found them to be pretty exciting. And, for the first time ever, in February of this year, we both watched an entire Superbowl game.
This summer, as you probably know, there was more Brett Favre drama, which Brian again followed very closely. In fact, early in the summer, long before Brett signed with the Vikings, he had a custom Vikings jersey made with Brett's name and number on it. He wore it in public a few times, and it caused quite a few comments and questions from people, which was pretty funny. He ended up returning that jersey because the number was peeling, but weeks later he was happily able to order an official Brett Favre Vikings jersey.
However, even though Brian is definitely a Brett Favre fan, he has not abandoned his support of the New York Jets. He has a connection to the Jets from way back - one of his favorite moves as a kid was the 1980 movie Flash Gordon, in which the lead character was a quarterback for the New York Jets.
So, in addition to owning a Favre Vikings jersey (and a Favre Jets jersey), he also has the jersey for New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. And he's following both teams this year - so much so, that he's actually going elsewhere to watch the games when they aren't being shown locally. And, as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I've been going with him.
There's a little more motivation now for Brian to more closely follow those two teams- as well as many others. Toly talked him into joining a Fantasy Football league this year, and with the help of another friend, Bob, who really studies and knows a lot about football, Brian set up a team. And as of right now, he's in second place in his league! He seems to be enjoying it pretty well, although he's the first to admit he truly doesn't understand every aspect of Fantasy Football. From what I've seen of it over his shoulder, it does seem kind of complicated, but I guess you don't really have to know every single detail about it to be able to participate - or win.
And so, after many years, our household has been transformed into a 'football household.' I'm still kind of marveling at this change, but I don't mind it. I've actually enjoyed watching the few games I've seen so far and learning more about the game. And Brian is happy to have me join him in this new pastime.
So maybe in February of 2010, we'll end up hosting our first-ever "Superbowl Party" - and cross your fingers that the Vikings will be one of the teams in the game! (I'd say 'or the Jets' too, but I'm not sure they have as good of a chance as the Vikings do. :-))
No, it's not riding my bicycle - although those comments actually do match pretty well with my change in attitude towards bicycling over the past couple of years. (Not to mention the fact that it would be a good day for a ride today!)
No, instead, what I will be doing in a couple of hours is accompanying my husband to a local bar and grill to watch an NFL football game.
This may not sound remarkable, except perhaps when I mention that for more than 18 of the almost-20 years we've been together, Brian never cared for football at all. In fact, he and I would have "anti-Superbowl parties" each year, where we'd sit around, eat snacks, and not watch the Superbowl.
So why, now, do I find myself washing NFL replica jerseys each week and looking through my closet for purple or green tops to wear?
It started in August 2008. We were in Las Vegas for our anniversary vacation. Because every casino has a sports book, and all kinds of sports betting is allowed there, there are TVs everywhere tuned to sports channels. The big news at the time we were there was Brett Favre - whether he was going to retire, whether the Green Bay Packers would keep him another year, etc. It was on all the televisions at all hours of the day and night, and Brian became quite interested in the story. He was very excited when Brett Favre signed with the Jets, but I figured his interest in the subject of football would fade once we got back from vacation.
I was wrong. Not too long after we got back, after some persuasion by his friend Toly, Brian purchased the "Madden 09" football video game for the Xbox 360 (with Brett Favre- still in a Packers jersey- on the cover). He started playing it online with Toly, and he began getting into it. And playing the video football game seemed to give him a better appreciation for real-life football.
I don't think he watched a full Jets game last season when Brett Favre was playing, but when it came to be playoff season, both of us actually did watch a few of the playoff games - and even I found them to be pretty exciting. And, for the first time ever, in February of this year, we both watched an entire Superbowl game.
This summer, as you probably know, there was more Brett Favre drama, which Brian again followed very closely. In fact, early in the summer, long before Brett signed with the Vikings, he had a custom Vikings jersey made with Brett's name and number on it. He wore it in public a few times, and it caused quite a few comments and questions from people, which was pretty funny. He ended up returning that jersey because the number was peeling, but weeks later he was happily able to order an official Brett Favre Vikings jersey.
However, even though Brian is definitely a Brett Favre fan, he has not abandoned his support of the New York Jets. He has a connection to the Jets from way back - one of his favorite moves as a kid was the 1980 movie Flash Gordon, in which the lead character was a quarterback for the New York Jets.
So, in addition to owning a Favre Vikings jersey (and a Favre Jets jersey), he also has the jersey for New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. And he's following both teams this year - so much so, that he's actually going elsewhere to watch the games when they aren't being shown locally. And, as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I've been going with him.
There's a little more motivation now for Brian to more closely follow those two teams- as well as many others. Toly talked him into joining a Fantasy Football league this year, and with the help of another friend, Bob, who really studies and knows a lot about football, Brian set up a team. And as of right now, he's in second place in his league! He seems to be enjoying it pretty well, although he's the first to admit he truly doesn't understand every aspect of Fantasy Football. From what I've seen of it over his shoulder, it does seem kind of complicated, but I guess you don't really have to know every single detail about it to be able to participate - or win.
And so, after many years, our household has been transformed into a 'football household.' I'm still kind of marveling at this change, but I don't mind it. I've actually enjoyed watching the few games I've seen so far and learning more about the game. And Brian is happy to have me join him in this new pastime.
So maybe in February of 2010, we'll end up hosting our first-ever "Superbowl Party" - and cross your fingers that the Vikings will be one of the teams in the game! (I'd say 'or the Jets' too, but I'm not sure they have as good of a chance as the Vikings do. :-))
Friday, October 2, 2009
I just don't understand this...
The other day I was performing my regular ritual of cutting out coupons from the Sunday paper, when I happened upon an ad/coupon for a new product. Without going into any more detail at this time, let me just show you the ad right now...
You may need to view the larger version of the photo to be able to read all the words, but let me also just tell you that this is an ad for VIBRATING MASCARA.
OK, now I admit, I have only started regularly using mascara in the past couple of years, but I have never once thought as I was applying it, "Gee, I really wish this bristly wand I'm putting right next to my eyeball had a tiny electric motor in it so it would vibrate at a fast pace and most likely increase my chances of poking myself in the eye with it!"
I truly don't understand the point. Again, it could just be my lack of experience with the product, but I don't see how making the brush move around quickly is going to help improve your application of mascara. It kind of seems like something you want a steady hand for. (Forgive my ending the sentence with a preposition - it just sounded too stuffy the other way.)
And, of course, I can't help but point out the tagline in the ad... "Discover the power of vibration." They sure have left the door open for a slew of raunchy jokes and comments with that phrase! However, I will refrain from doing any such thing here. I'll leave that to the imaginations of those of you so inclined to think that way...
However, I would love to hear your (non-raunchy, please) comments on this product. Does anyone else have a better understanding of why the mascara-using population of the world is now better off because of this invention? Or are the rest of you just as baffled as I am?
You may need to view the larger version of the photo to be able to read all the words, but let me also just tell you that this is an ad for VIBRATING MASCARA.
OK, now I admit, I have only started regularly using mascara in the past couple of years, but I have never once thought as I was applying it, "Gee, I really wish this bristly wand I'm putting right next to my eyeball had a tiny electric motor in it so it would vibrate at a fast pace and most likely increase my chances of poking myself in the eye with it!"
I truly don't understand the point. Again, it could just be my lack of experience with the product, but I don't see how making the brush move around quickly is going to help improve your application of mascara. It kind of seems like something you want a steady hand for. (Forgive my ending the sentence with a preposition - it just sounded too stuffy the other way.)
And, of course, I can't help but point out the tagline in the ad... "Discover the power of vibration." They sure have left the door open for a slew of raunchy jokes and comments with that phrase! However, I will refrain from doing any such thing here. I'll leave that to the imaginations of those of you so inclined to think that way...
However, I would love to hear your (non-raunchy, please) comments on this product. Does anyone else have a better understanding of why the mascara-using population of the world is now better off because of this invention? Or are the rest of you just as baffled as I am?
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Twinkie Sushi
A friend of mine at work is retiring tomorrow. He is a big fan of sushi, so today I brought in a special treat for him - Twinkie Sushi!
It's very easy to make. All you need is Twinkies, Fruit Roll-Ups, fruit snacks, and dried mango. You slice the Twinkies into about 1 1/2 inch slices, wrap a section of Fruit Roll-Up around the slice, then cut up the fruit snacks into smaller pieces and place them on top. The dried mango is used to represent the pickled ginger that accompanies sushi. For the wasabi, I just used a few of the green fruit snacks, which kind of looked like 'wasabi blobs.'
I've seen some pictures of Twinkie Sushi that have long thin green strands of something-or-other coming out of the rolls, but I don't know what they were made of, so I didn't add that to mine.
Still, I think it came out pretty good. See if you agree:
When I presented it to my friend, he was rather amused, and after trying a piece, he declared it to be 'very sweet.' But I think he appreciated it.
It's very easy to make. All you need is Twinkies, Fruit Roll-Ups, fruit snacks, and dried mango. You slice the Twinkies into about 1 1/2 inch slices, wrap a section of Fruit Roll-Up around the slice, then cut up the fruit snacks into smaller pieces and place them on top. The dried mango is used to represent the pickled ginger that accompanies sushi. For the wasabi, I just used a few of the green fruit snacks, which kind of looked like 'wasabi blobs.'
I've seen some pictures of Twinkie Sushi that have long thin green strands of something-or-other coming out of the rolls, but I don't know what they were made of, so I didn't add that to mine.
Still, I think it came out pretty good. See if you agree:
When I presented it to my friend, he was rather amused, and after trying a piece, he declared it to be 'very sweet.' But I think he appreciated it.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Man vs. Nature (?)
As you should remember from English class, one of the classic struggles is man versus nature. Countless stories, with this conflict at their centers, have been told over hundreds of years - some ending with man as the victor, others ending with nature besting man.
Today, that battle was replayed once again - and in today's contest, man (and woman!) triumphed over nature.
This morning dawned cool and cloudy. Rain was definitely on the way and was forecast to linger throughout the day. But how soon would it arrive? That was a question Brian and I didn't know the answer to as we set out to mow the grass.
We have two mowers, so Brian took the back yard, and I took the front. After about 10 minutes, we started feeling tiny drops of water on our skin. It was starting to drizzle - but just barely. By no means was it enough to cause us to stop mowing, so we continued, with increased fervor.
The spotty drizzle continued as we cut down the grass (hence winning one battle against nature already), but it didn't increase in intensity. After about 40 minutes, we had finished mowing, so we put the mowers away and headed inside. Take that, nature!
About 10 minutes after we came in, the rain that had only been coming down in tiny drops increased to a heavier, steadier rainfall. Now, 40 minutes later, the roads are wet and puddles are starting to form.
I started this post planning to brag about how we triumphed over nature by completing our lawn mowing before the skies opened up, but as I've been writing, I wonder if that was, in fact, more of a collaboration between man and nature - with nature holding back the heavier rain until we were finished with our task.
I would say we still can claim one victory over nature today, in our successful attempt to deter the continued growth of our grass, but as for the timing of our mowing in regards to the rain, I'm wondering if instead we should be thanking nature instead of thumbing our noses at it.
Yes, I know this is all rather silly, but hey, isn't that one of the reasons to have a blog - to post silly thoughts? ;-)
Today, that battle was replayed once again - and in today's contest, man (and woman!) triumphed over nature.
This morning dawned cool and cloudy. Rain was definitely on the way and was forecast to linger throughout the day. But how soon would it arrive? That was a question Brian and I didn't know the answer to as we set out to mow the grass.
We have two mowers, so Brian took the back yard, and I took the front. After about 10 minutes, we started feeling tiny drops of water on our skin. It was starting to drizzle - but just barely. By no means was it enough to cause us to stop mowing, so we continued, with increased fervor.
The spotty drizzle continued as we cut down the grass (hence winning one battle against nature already), but it didn't increase in intensity. After about 40 minutes, we had finished mowing, so we put the mowers away and headed inside. Take that, nature!
About 10 minutes after we came in, the rain that had only been coming down in tiny drops increased to a heavier, steadier rainfall. Now, 40 minutes later, the roads are wet and puddles are starting to form.
I started this post planning to brag about how we triumphed over nature by completing our lawn mowing before the skies opened up, but as I've been writing, I wonder if that was, in fact, more of a collaboration between man and nature - with nature holding back the heavier rain until we were finished with our task.
I would say we still can claim one victory over nature today, in our successful attempt to deter the continued growth of our grass, but as for the timing of our mowing in regards to the rain, I'm wondering if instead we should be thanking nature instead of thumbing our noses at it.
Yes, I know this is all rather silly, but hey, isn't that one of the reasons to have a blog - to post silly thoughts? ;-)
Monday, August 3, 2009
Irony
I looked up the word "irony" on Wikipedia before I started writing this entry, and I'm reasonably certain the story I'm about to tell qualifies as being ironic. I welcome your comments as to whether or not you agree.
The story actually starts almost six months ago, when we purchased a new 52-inch LED HD television, to replace our old 51-inch rear-projection TV. There was nothing really wrong with the old TV; it was just too old to properly take advantage of the excellent picture a Blu-Ray DVD has, and my husband really wanted to get a Blu-Ray player. So, we had to get a new TV as well.
He offered our old TV to his aunt and uncle, and they accepted the offer, saying they could put it in their (finished) basement.
Plans were made on several occasions for them to pick up the TV, but weather got in the way. Then everyone's schedules got crazy with weekend activities, and before we knew it, almost six months had passed, and the old TV was still sitting in our living room.
Finally, on the morning of August 1st, all the stars aligned (although we couldn't see them since it was daytime :-)), and Brian's uncle and cousin came to our house to pick up the TV and take it to its new home! Brian's dad showed up as well to help with the transport.
It really wasn’t too hard to get the TV out of our house and up onto the trailer – luckily the thing has wheels. And with Brian, Brian’s dad, and Brian’s uncle working together, they were all able to lift it the short distances they needed to, like to get it down the couple of porch steps, and up onto the trailer.
The story actually starts almost six months ago, when we purchased a new 52-inch LED HD television, to replace our old 51-inch rear-projection TV. There was nothing really wrong with the old TV; it was just too old to properly take advantage of the excellent picture a Blu-Ray DVD has, and my husband really wanted to get a Blu-Ray player. So, we had to get a new TV as well.
He offered our old TV to his aunt and uncle, and they accepted the offer, saying they could put it in their (finished) basement.
Plans were made on several occasions for them to pick up the TV, but weather got in the way. Then everyone's schedules got crazy with weekend activities, and before we knew it, almost six months had passed, and the old TV was still sitting in our living room.
Finally, on the morning of August 1st, all the stars aligned (although we couldn't see them since it was daytime :-)), and Brian's uncle and cousin came to our house to pick up the TV and take it to its new home! Brian's dad showed up as well to help with the transport.
It really wasn’t too hard to get the TV out of our house and up onto the trailer – luckily the thing has wheels. And with Brian, Brian’s dad, and Brian’s uncle working together, they were all able to lift it the short distances they needed to, like to get it down the couple of porch steps, and up onto the trailer.
However, I was very vocal about how I did not want to go over to see the TV being taken down the stairs into their basement, because ever since the idea was first was brought up six months ago, I imagined it to be a very scary and dangerous scenario. I mean, trying to successfully maneuver a large, cumbersome, top-heavy piece of electronic equipment down a flight of stairs just didn't sound like a good time to me. I was very nervous that something would go terribly wrong. So, I stayed home, where I was safe from having to observe that spectacle.
After running a couple of errands, I decided to mow our yard. I was still working on that when Brian returned home.
Brian told me he would help outside too, by powerwashing some of the siding on the house I had pointed out to him as having some algae on it. Oh, but did I mention that this siding was up on the second floor of the house?
So, we had to get out the long extension ladder from the garage, which he then secured at the base with a bag of sand and a bucket of driveway sealer (since I couldn’t stand there and hold it, as I was still mowing), and, leaving the powerwasher at the base of the ladder, he climbed up the ladder with the hose and the powerwasher wand.
So far, so good. I was a little leery of him being up on the roof, but I was still busy mowing, so I wasn’t thinking about it too much.
Soon after I finished mowing, Brian called down to me. He said he wanted to wash more of the front of the house (the area above the front porch), and asked me if I would be able to ‘hand’ the powerwasher up to him so he could put it on the roof.
I was a little uncomfortable with this idea, but I figured I could at least give it a try.
So, holding the ladder with my left hand, and the handle of the powerwasher with my right, I started climbing up the ladder. I finally got to the point where I was able to lift the powerwasher high enough (with one hand) so Brian could pick it up and place it on the roof. (Thank goodness I’ve been working out!) Then I made my way back down the ladder.
So at this point my husband is on the roof of our front porch, with the powerwasher leaning against the end of the porch roof, and he’s spraying the front of the house and the windows to make everything nice and clean. And of course the excess water is going right onto the roof. Oh, and did I mention he was wearing his normal summer footwear – flip flops?!?
Then he decides he needs to move the powerwasher farther down the front of the house, so he can reach the end of the house, and he calls to me again. He asks if I can go upstairs to the computer room, open the window, and hold onto the powerwasher from inside as he travels farther down the front of the house to clean the rest of the siding and the windows.
Once again, I obliged. This job was certainly less difficult for me than the previous job, but it unfortunately gave me a different vantage point: I could now more clearly see the angle of the (increasingly wet) porch roof that Brian was walking on – in his flip flops, holding a powerwasher wand, which he sometimes did with two hands, so he could better control the powerful stream of water rushing forth from it.
Oh, but the fun didn’t end there, because then he had to go over to the other end of the house to clean our bedroom windows, and he said he needed me to come over and help fix one of the screens. So I did that, and then I proceeded to watch him continue cleaning the siding in that area – which, by the way, is directly over the driveway. My imagination was running wild with horrible scenes.
Remember how earlier in the day I had been so worried about watching a TV get transported down a flight of stairs?? I think I would rather have watched that 5 times in a row than to witness my husband walking along the wet, angled roof, wearing flip-flops, with a powerwasher in tow.
Thankfully, in the end, everything turned out just fine: the siding and windows got clean, nothing (and more importantly, no ONE) fell off the roof, and I eventually got my heart rate back to normal. But I think that was a fine example of situational irony at work. What do you think?
Sunday, August 2, 2009
21 Miles!
Just got back from my longest bike ride EVER - 21 miles!! What a far cry from last Sunday, when I was barely able to complete 9.5 miles without collapsing!
Although the weather conditions today were much the same as last Sunday - warm and humid, with patches of sun and clouds - the route we took today was much more forgiving. There were hills, to be sure, but nothing nearly as daunting as the ones of last week.
And now that we're done, I'm tired, but I'm not exhausted. And mentally, I feel great! I'm very pleased and proud to finally have ridden more than 20 miles at one time.
We're planning to go again tomorrow evening, although it'll have to be relatively short. But I'll definitely be ready for it!
But for right now, I've gotta hit the showers! :-)
Although the weather conditions today were much the same as last Sunday - warm and humid, with patches of sun and clouds - the route we took today was much more forgiving. There were hills, to be sure, but nothing nearly as daunting as the ones of last week.
And now that we're done, I'm tired, but I'm not exhausted. And mentally, I feel great! I'm very pleased and proud to finally have ridden more than 20 miles at one time.
We're planning to go again tomorrow evening, although it'll have to be relatively short. But I'll definitely be ready for it!
But for right now, I've gotta hit the showers! :-)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Insight photos
As promised, here are a few pictures of my new car. Unfortunately, some of them look a little washed out - I guess the sun was brighter than I realized. But hopefully you'll get the idea of the color anyway.
Yes, I did wear this dress on purpose, to match my new car! I'm not sure what I'm going to wear tomorrow...I'm not sure how many other clothes I have in that color! ;-)
Yes, I did wear this dress on purpose, to match my new car! I'm not sure what I'm going to wear tomorrow...I'm not sure how many other clothes I have in that color! ;-)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I have a new Insight!
...and I don't mean I've come up with some novel idea! ;-)
I got my new car tonight - a 2010 Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic!
And, wouldn't you know, it was raining this evening when I picked it up - just like it was when I did my first test drive! But I guess that made my rainy test drive even more beneficial, since I already did have some experience using the wipers and driving it in the rain.
But, because of the rain, I wasn't able to take any pictures of it yet to post up here. Tomorrow is supposed to be a warm, sunny day, though, so after work I will make sure to take some pictures and put them up here for you to envy - oh wait, I meant enjoy! ;-)
One more thing - the first official song I played in my car this evening was - ready for this? - a song called "Insight" by Depeche Mode (whom we just saw in concert last night and enjoyed very much!!). The first words to the song are, "This is an Insight..." So obviously it was the perfect first song to play in my new car! :-)
I got my new car tonight - a 2010 Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic!
And, wouldn't you know, it was raining this evening when I picked it up - just like it was when I did my first test drive! But I guess that made my rainy test drive even more beneficial, since I already did have some experience using the wipers and driving it in the rain.
But, because of the rain, I wasn't able to take any pictures of it yet to post up here. Tomorrow is supposed to be a warm, sunny day, though, so after work I will make sure to take some pictures and put them up here for you to envy - oh wait, I meant enjoy! ;-)
One more thing - the first official song I played in my car this evening was - ready for this? - a song called "Insight" by Depeche Mode (whom we just saw in concert last night and enjoyed very much!!). The first words to the song are, "This is an Insight..." So obviously it was the perfect first song to play in my new car! :-)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Cruel & unusual punishment
You've probably noticed I haven't posted anything about riding my bike lately; that's partly because I've been busy going through the car-buying process, but also because I didn't have my bike. It was time for its 60-day tune-up, a service that Cole's Bicycle Shop provides when you purchase a new bicycle from them. They check to make sure that all the wires and cables and chains are working like they should after the bike has been broken in a little.
Unfortunately, this is their busy time of year, so I had to wait a week until it was ready. And of course, the day it was ready, we were getting lots of thunderstorms, so I didn't want to bring it home in the pouring rain. I was finally able to pick it up on Saturday, but I didn't get a chance to ride it until today.
Brian and I met our friends TC and Steve at a church near Steve's house. Steve lives about 15 minutes from our house, so we thought we'd try a different area for bicycling. We asked Steve if he had a route mapped out for us, and he said he did. He explained it briefly, and mentioned there were a couple of "cruel hills." (That's a direct quote from Steve.) Boy oh boy, was he not kidding!
The first 15 minutes or so of the ride was great - we went on these bike/walking paths in some developments, and it was pretty much all downhill. Then we went on the road, and that was still OK.
But all too soon, we started climbing the first "cruel hill." We hadn't really had the opportunity to build up any momentum, so it was really rough going. In fact, it was so rough going, that all of us ended up getting off our bikes and walking part of the way to the top! Brian stayed on his bike the longest, but even he had to admit defeat eventually.
Poor TC, who I want to make clear is usually one of the leaders, had it especially rough. He started the ride with a headache and had only eaten a bagel for breakfast. By the time we got to the top of the hill, he was not in good shape. I was not feeling too great either, but not as bad as him. So we ended up taking quite a substantial break at the top of the hill.
When everyone finally got their breath and strength back (cause even walking the bikes up the hill was a decent workout!), we continued on our trip. Steve said there was another small incline, then a large downhill slope, and then next would be the second "cruel hill."
When I got to the downhill part, I thought, "OK, I can do this. I'll build up my momentum and start pedaling furiously so I have a good shot at getting up this next hill." Well, the start of the hill was around a bend, so when I came around the corner, pedaling quickly with optimism and hope, I was in for quite a surprise. At that point I said, "Never mind," got off my bike, and joined Brian and Steve, who were already walking their bikes up the even-steeper second hill. I couldn't believe I had been shut down twice in one day! But it did make me feel somewhat better that nobody else felt up to the challenge either.
We had to take another brief break at the top of that hill as well, but then we continued on. A little while later I did manage to come from last place and beat everyone up another (more moderate) hill, but I really didn't take the lead the rest of the time.
This ride was definitely the hardest one I've done yet. I think it was a combination of things: not having been on my bicycle for over a week (the elliptical machine is just not the same!) and the weather. We were riding in the middle of the afternoon on a very humid day, and although the sun wasn't out the entire time, it was out most of the time, so that made it pretty uncomfortable.
By the time we got back to our starting point, I was really wiped out. I basically felt the way I did when I rode on the Rails to Trails with my brake rubbing my back tire the whole time. (That was probably my second toughest ride ever.) We stopped at a mini-market on the way home to get some Powerade, and by the time we were walking out of the store, I was feeling worse than ever. I made Brian drive home because I just felt so awful.
Luckily, the Powerade (I actually had Powerade Zero - didn't want all those extra calories!!) really did start kicking in, and by the time we got home, I at least wasn't feeling lightheaded and nauseous. But I was still really tired, and I had to go lie down a little while before I could even take a shower.
I think we're planning to ride again tomorrow - at least Brian, TC, and I are. But if Steve does show up, I don't think any of us are going to let him pick the route!! ;-)
Unfortunately, this is their busy time of year, so I had to wait a week until it was ready. And of course, the day it was ready, we were getting lots of thunderstorms, so I didn't want to bring it home in the pouring rain. I was finally able to pick it up on Saturday, but I didn't get a chance to ride it until today.
Brian and I met our friends TC and Steve at a church near Steve's house. Steve lives about 15 minutes from our house, so we thought we'd try a different area for bicycling. We asked Steve if he had a route mapped out for us, and he said he did. He explained it briefly, and mentioned there were a couple of "cruel hills." (That's a direct quote from Steve.) Boy oh boy, was he not kidding!
The first 15 minutes or so of the ride was great - we went on these bike/walking paths in some developments, and it was pretty much all downhill. Then we went on the road, and that was still OK.
But all too soon, we started climbing the first "cruel hill." We hadn't really had the opportunity to build up any momentum, so it was really rough going. In fact, it was so rough going, that all of us ended up getting off our bikes and walking part of the way to the top! Brian stayed on his bike the longest, but even he had to admit defeat eventually.
Poor TC, who I want to make clear is usually one of the leaders, had it especially rough. He started the ride with a headache and had only eaten a bagel for breakfast. By the time we got to the top of the hill, he was not in good shape. I was not feeling too great either, but not as bad as him. So we ended up taking quite a substantial break at the top of the hill.
When everyone finally got their breath and strength back (cause even walking the bikes up the hill was a decent workout!), we continued on our trip. Steve said there was another small incline, then a large downhill slope, and then next would be the second "cruel hill."
When I got to the downhill part, I thought, "OK, I can do this. I'll build up my momentum and start pedaling furiously so I have a good shot at getting up this next hill." Well, the start of the hill was around a bend, so when I came around the corner, pedaling quickly with optimism and hope, I was in for quite a surprise. At that point I said, "Never mind," got off my bike, and joined Brian and Steve, who were already walking their bikes up the even-steeper second hill. I couldn't believe I had been shut down twice in one day! But it did make me feel somewhat better that nobody else felt up to the challenge either.
We had to take another brief break at the top of that hill as well, but then we continued on. A little while later I did manage to come from last place and beat everyone up another (more moderate) hill, but I really didn't take the lead the rest of the time.
This ride was definitely the hardest one I've done yet. I think it was a combination of things: not having been on my bicycle for over a week (the elliptical machine is just not the same!) and the weather. We were riding in the middle of the afternoon on a very humid day, and although the sun wasn't out the entire time, it was out most of the time, so that made it pretty uncomfortable.
By the time we got back to our starting point, I was really wiped out. I basically felt the way I did when I rode on the Rails to Trails with my brake rubbing my back tire the whole time. (That was probably my second toughest ride ever.) We stopped at a mini-market on the way home to get some Powerade, and by the time we were walking out of the store, I was feeling worse than ever. I made Brian drive home because I just felt so awful.
Luckily, the Powerade (I actually had Powerade Zero - didn't want all those extra calories!!) really did start kicking in, and by the time we got home, I at least wasn't feeling lightheaded and nauseous. But I was still really tired, and I had to go lie down a little while before I could even take a shower.
I think we're planning to ride again tomorrow - at least Brian, TC, and I are. But if Steve does show up, I don't think any of us are going to let him pick the route!! ;-)
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Extinct and endangered products
I’ll bet all of you, at some point, have been in this situation: a product that’s a favorite of yours (be it food, beverage, cleaning supply, cosmetic, etc) either goes off the market or becomes extremely hard to find. Isn’t that so frustrating? It always seems hard to believe that apparently, millions of other people weren’t as enamored with the product as you were.
Then the next frustrating phase begins – trying to find a suitable replacement. Sadly, sometimes that’s a quest that’s never fulfilled.
I’ve been in this situation several times in my adult life. The first time I can remember was with a type of bottled water called Water Joe; it was out around 1995. Water Joe was just plain, unflavored water with caffeine in it. I loved the stuff! It was better for you than drinking caffeinated soda all day, but it still gave you energy- certainly more than regular water provides. However, I could only ever find this product at one store – one of those ‘independent grocer’ kinds of places. And eventually, even they stopped carrying it. I was pretty disappointed, but there didn’t seem to be much I could do about it.
Another product I currently use, that’s surprisingly (to me) hard to find, is the Swiffer Max – now called the Swiffer XL. It’s a version of the regular Swiffer floor cleaner that has an extra-long cleaning surface. I like it because (this should be obvious) it cleans more of the floor at one time. :-) However, it’s really hard to find the refill cloths! I used to buy them at our local Wal-Mart, but I was recently there looking for them, and they’re no longer carrying them! I kind of panicked a little and wondered if I was going to have to resort to buying a “small” Swiffer.
I decided to drive down the road a little and give the local K-Mart a try, even though I didn’t recall them carrying the product before. Lo and behold, they did have the Swiffer XL refills! I bought two boxes, and I hope they’ll last me a while. I also hope K-Mart will keep carrying them!
Now, it’s time for me to talk about the product which led me to write this in the first place. I think a lot of women are like me, on that seemingly-endless mission to find the perfect cosmetics for their makeup bag – always trying new foundations, new eyeliner, new lipsticks, etc. But when they’re fortunate enough to find the ‘perfect’ product, they become extremely loyal to it.
Enter Blistex Lip Tone. I discovered this product at least 11 years ago – I know I was using it before I got married. It’s a lip gloss “with a touch of color” – that’s what it says on the package. It goes on smoothly and gives your lips a nice nude color, while also protecting them with SPF 15. I think it’s ‘perfect’ because it eliminates the need to carry several different colors of lipstick, because you always have something that matches what you’re wearing. Plus, it provides skin protection that many regular lipsticks don’t have.
When I first started using Blistex Lip Tone, it wasn’t hard to find. I’d go into one of several different local drugstores, and there would always be several packages hanging on the rack with all the other kinds of lip glosses. Those were the days!
Then, a few years later, I started noticing that Blistex Lip Tone was harder to find. Instead of being available at several different drugstores, I could only find it at one or two chains. I started making special trips to these stores just to buy Blistex Lip Tone, and I’d usually buy a couple at a time.
A couple of years after that, I went into one of those stores and saw that all the Blistex Lip Tone was on clearance. I knew what that meant – they, too, were going to stop carrying it! I snatched up just about all the packages they had, much like Elaine did in the Seinfeld episode about ‘the sponge.’ And for quite a while, I had plenty of Blistex Lip Tone to keep me happy.
Eventually, though, that ran out, and I was lost. No one in the area seemed to be carrying it anymore!
I happened to mention my plight to one of my friends, and she said she had seen it at some kind of outlet/closeout store (kind of like Big Lots/Odd Lots) from time to time, and that she would get some for me anytime she saw it. And in fact, this year for my birthday, part of my present from her was two tubes of Blistex Lip Tone – and I was thrilled!
But as the content of those tubes dwindled, I began to worry again. I even started buying other kinds of lip glosses in the hope I would find something suitable, but knowing nothing could never truly replace my beloved Blistex Lip Tone.
Then one day a few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend at work, and somehow the subject of Blistex Lip Tone arose. And as it turned out, she, too, had been a huge fan of the product, but once it became harder to find, she pretty much gave up and switched to other products. (Note I said products – I don’t believe she’s ever been able to find a suitable replacement either.)
We both lamented the near-disappearance of this wonderful cosmetic, but she went one step farther – she went to the Internet.
Ah, the Internet!! It gives us so much – information (true and false), advice (good and bad), news (important and trivial) – and BLISTEX LIP TONE!
Turns out one of the few places you can still purchase Blistex Lip Tone is online – on Amazon.com! (They sure have come a LOOOONG way since just selling books about 10 years ago!)
So, this desperate woman took what some might call a desperate measure – she placed an order on Amazon.com for 24 PACKAGES of Blistex Lip Tone! Yes, that’s a whole carton – just like what would be put on display at a drug store (if they were nice enough to actually carry the stuff). Lucky for me, I had an Amazon.com gift certificate just waiting to be used, so I got all this Blistex for a discount price.
Since you’ll probably never get to see an actual display of them in a drugstore, I know you are all dying to see what 24 packages of Blistex Lip Tone looks like – so here you go!
My one concern about buying this much Blistex at one time was, would it go bad? Does Blistex actually expire? I looked all over the boxes, and on the tube itself, but I couldn’t find anything that looked like an expiration date. So that relieved me somewhat.
And, since I had now found a fellow Blistex Lip Tone addict (as I guess I must call myself – sigh) she happily purchased 5 tubes from me! I brought the whole carton to work so she, too, could marvel at the sight of that much Blistex Lip Tone in one place. :-) As we were doing this, another co-worker walked by and was (understandably) quite curious. We both enthusiastically extolled the virtues of Blistex Lip Tone to her, and she asked if she could try some too. She bought two tubes.
So, now I’m down to a mere 17 tubes of Blistex Lip Tone, but I’m not feeling at all nervous about running out…yet. Maybe when I’m down to 10… :-)
The lesson learned here – the Internet really does have EVERYTHING!! In fact, as I was typing this, I decided to look up Water Joe to see if it is even still being made. It is, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be for sale at all in Pennsylvania. Perhaps another search on Amazon.com is in order…
Then the next frustrating phase begins – trying to find a suitable replacement. Sadly, sometimes that’s a quest that’s never fulfilled.
I’ve been in this situation several times in my adult life. The first time I can remember was with a type of bottled water called Water Joe; it was out around 1995. Water Joe was just plain, unflavored water with caffeine in it. I loved the stuff! It was better for you than drinking caffeinated soda all day, but it still gave you energy- certainly more than regular water provides. However, I could only ever find this product at one store – one of those ‘independent grocer’ kinds of places. And eventually, even they stopped carrying it. I was pretty disappointed, but there didn’t seem to be much I could do about it.
Another product I currently use, that’s surprisingly (to me) hard to find, is the Swiffer Max – now called the Swiffer XL. It’s a version of the regular Swiffer floor cleaner that has an extra-long cleaning surface. I like it because (this should be obvious) it cleans more of the floor at one time. :-) However, it’s really hard to find the refill cloths! I used to buy them at our local Wal-Mart, but I was recently there looking for them, and they’re no longer carrying them! I kind of panicked a little and wondered if I was going to have to resort to buying a “small” Swiffer.
I decided to drive down the road a little and give the local K-Mart a try, even though I didn’t recall them carrying the product before. Lo and behold, they did have the Swiffer XL refills! I bought two boxes, and I hope they’ll last me a while. I also hope K-Mart will keep carrying them!
Now, it’s time for me to talk about the product which led me to write this in the first place. I think a lot of women are like me, on that seemingly-endless mission to find the perfect cosmetics for their makeup bag – always trying new foundations, new eyeliner, new lipsticks, etc. But when they’re fortunate enough to find the ‘perfect’ product, they become extremely loyal to it.
Enter Blistex Lip Tone. I discovered this product at least 11 years ago – I know I was using it before I got married. It’s a lip gloss “with a touch of color” – that’s what it says on the package. It goes on smoothly and gives your lips a nice nude color, while also protecting them with SPF 15. I think it’s ‘perfect’ because it eliminates the need to carry several different colors of lipstick, because you always have something that matches what you’re wearing. Plus, it provides skin protection that many regular lipsticks don’t have.
When I first started using Blistex Lip Tone, it wasn’t hard to find. I’d go into one of several different local drugstores, and there would always be several packages hanging on the rack with all the other kinds of lip glosses. Those were the days!
Then, a few years later, I started noticing that Blistex Lip Tone was harder to find. Instead of being available at several different drugstores, I could only find it at one or two chains. I started making special trips to these stores just to buy Blistex Lip Tone, and I’d usually buy a couple at a time.
A couple of years after that, I went into one of those stores and saw that all the Blistex Lip Tone was on clearance. I knew what that meant – they, too, were going to stop carrying it! I snatched up just about all the packages they had, much like Elaine did in the Seinfeld episode about ‘the sponge.’ And for quite a while, I had plenty of Blistex Lip Tone to keep me happy.
Eventually, though, that ran out, and I was lost. No one in the area seemed to be carrying it anymore!
I happened to mention my plight to one of my friends, and she said she had seen it at some kind of outlet/closeout store (kind of like Big Lots/Odd Lots) from time to time, and that she would get some for me anytime she saw it. And in fact, this year for my birthday, part of my present from her was two tubes of Blistex Lip Tone – and I was thrilled!
But as the content of those tubes dwindled, I began to worry again. I even started buying other kinds of lip glosses in the hope I would find something suitable, but knowing nothing could never truly replace my beloved Blistex Lip Tone.
Then one day a few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend at work, and somehow the subject of Blistex Lip Tone arose. And as it turned out, she, too, had been a huge fan of the product, but once it became harder to find, she pretty much gave up and switched to other products. (Note I said products – I don’t believe she’s ever been able to find a suitable replacement either.)
We both lamented the near-disappearance of this wonderful cosmetic, but she went one step farther – she went to the Internet.
Ah, the Internet!! It gives us so much – information (true and false), advice (good and bad), news (important and trivial) – and BLISTEX LIP TONE!
Turns out one of the few places you can still purchase Blistex Lip Tone is online – on Amazon.com! (They sure have come a LOOOONG way since just selling books about 10 years ago!)
So, this desperate woman took what some might call a desperate measure – she placed an order on Amazon.com for 24 PACKAGES of Blistex Lip Tone! Yes, that’s a whole carton – just like what would be put on display at a drug store (if they were nice enough to actually carry the stuff). Lucky for me, I had an Amazon.com gift certificate just waiting to be used, so I got all this Blistex for a discount price.
Since you’ll probably never get to see an actual display of them in a drugstore, I know you are all dying to see what 24 packages of Blistex Lip Tone looks like – so here you go!
My one concern about buying this much Blistex at one time was, would it go bad? Does Blistex actually expire? I looked all over the boxes, and on the tube itself, but I couldn’t find anything that looked like an expiration date. So that relieved me somewhat.And, since I had now found a fellow Blistex Lip Tone addict (as I guess I must call myself – sigh) she happily purchased 5 tubes from me! I brought the whole carton to work so she, too, could marvel at the sight of that much Blistex Lip Tone in one place. :-) As we were doing this, another co-worker walked by and was (understandably) quite curious. We both enthusiastically extolled the virtues of Blistex Lip Tone to her, and she asked if she could try some too. She bought two tubes.
So, now I’m down to a mere 17 tubes of Blistex Lip Tone, but I’m not feeling at all nervous about running out…yet. Maybe when I’m down to 10… :-)
The lesson learned here – the Internet really does have EVERYTHING!! In fact, as I was typing this, I decided to look up Water Joe to see if it is even still being made. It is, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be for sale at all in Pennsylvania. Perhaps another search on Amazon.com is in order…
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Car buying update
In my last post, I compared test drives of the 2010 Honda Insight and the 2010 Toyota Prius, and I came away liking the Insight better than the Prius, which was somewhat of a surprise. However, I also said I wanted to drive the Insight again, in better conditions and on the highway too, so I could be completely sure of how I felt about the car and how it handled.
I got that opportunity Tuesday night. I actually went to another dealer, as a part of the ‘shopping around’ process. (I didn’t say I had been anywhere else or already driven the car.)
I got to take the car (another Insight EX) out on the highway almost right away. It was a good test of the car’s acceleration capabilities, since anyone who has driven on PA highways knows that most of the on-ramps are woefully short. So when there’s an opening to get on the highway, you need to be able to do so at as high of a speed as possible, since you don’t have time to build up speed on the ramp.
I didn’t notice any problems with the car’s acceleration as I entered the on-ramp to the highway. My car before my Cobalt was a1995 Dodge Neon, and often when I prepared to get on the highway, I would turn off the air conditioner so I would have more power. I didn’t feel the need to do that in the Insight. Of course, I only tested one entry onto the highway, but the length of the ramp and the traffic conditions were pretty typical of what I’d normally experience.
On this drive, as opposed to last time, I did remember to listen for road noise. I mentioned to the sales agent that I’d read that the Insight had some road noise issues, but I didn’t seem to be noticing it. I said – actually half-joking – that maybe it was because my current car was also considered ‘noisy,’ so I was used to it. I was a little surprised when he agreed that was probably the case. I actually never thought of my Cobalt as noisy, but I guess if I would compare it to a higher-end car, I would probably notice a difference. At any rate, neither my Cobalt nor the Insight seem noisy to me, and since I usually have music playing anyway, I really don’t consider it to be an issue.
After I left the highway, I drove on some back roads and side streets with curves and hills. I drove on some similar roads on Friday, but that was in the rain, so it was good to see how the car handled on dry roads. As I expected, it handled just fine. At one point during the drive, I paused for a moment and exclaimed, “I just remembered that this is a hybrid!” Even though it was my second time in the car, I was still surprised at how smoothly the car transitioned between the battery power and the gas engine, even when going up rather steep hills or starting up again after stopping at a stop sign.(The Insight engine does actually shut off - sort of- when you stop at a stop sign or in backed-up traffic,to conserve energy. But it starts up again amazingly fast!)
In conclusion, when the test drive was over, I was more convinced than ever that I liked the Insight and wanted it to be my next car. So I went into the office with the sales agent, and he gave me the price I could pay for the car at their dealership. I gave the excuse that I’d have to talk to my husband first (who was conveniently absent from this test drive), so of course that was accepted.
On Wednesday night, I went back to the first dealer to find out how quickly they’d be able to get me the car. They said they should be able to get one from another dealership by the beginning of the week at the latest. (Nobody in the immediate area has an Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic.) That fit in with my timeline of wanting to get the car by the end of the months, so I asked the big question – how much would they charge me.
Of course the sales agent had to go talk to the manager to get the numbers, and when he came back and brought up the figure on the computer, the number displayed was only a little bit more than what the other dealer had offered. I decided to go with this dealer because they’re more conveniently located, and I would rather buy my car at the same place I’ll end up getting it serviced. Plus, the sales agent did agree to give me floor mats (which aren’t included with the car), and those are listed at about $100.
So—I’M GETTING AN INSIGHT! I’m still not sure when – I’m anxiously awaiting the call that will tell me they’ve made a swap with another dealer. But I’m confident I’ll hear from them soon!
Of course, as soon as I get the car, I’ll be taking pictures of it and posting some here. So stay tuned!
I got that opportunity Tuesday night. I actually went to another dealer, as a part of the ‘shopping around’ process. (I didn’t say I had been anywhere else or already driven the car.)
I got to take the car (another Insight EX) out on the highway almost right away. It was a good test of the car’s acceleration capabilities, since anyone who has driven on PA highways knows that most of the on-ramps are woefully short. So when there’s an opening to get on the highway, you need to be able to do so at as high of a speed as possible, since you don’t have time to build up speed on the ramp.
I didn’t notice any problems with the car’s acceleration as I entered the on-ramp to the highway. My car before my Cobalt was a1995 Dodge Neon, and often when I prepared to get on the highway, I would turn off the air conditioner so I would have more power. I didn’t feel the need to do that in the Insight. Of course, I only tested one entry onto the highway, but the length of the ramp and the traffic conditions were pretty typical of what I’d normally experience.
On this drive, as opposed to last time, I did remember to listen for road noise. I mentioned to the sales agent that I’d read that the Insight had some road noise issues, but I didn’t seem to be noticing it. I said – actually half-joking – that maybe it was because my current car was also considered ‘noisy,’ so I was used to it. I was a little surprised when he agreed that was probably the case. I actually never thought of my Cobalt as noisy, but I guess if I would compare it to a higher-end car, I would probably notice a difference. At any rate, neither my Cobalt nor the Insight seem noisy to me, and since I usually have music playing anyway, I really don’t consider it to be an issue.
After I left the highway, I drove on some back roads and side streets with curves and hills. I drove on some similar roads on Friday, but that was in the rain, so it was good to see how the car handled on dry roads. As I expected, it handled just fine. At one point during the drive, I paused for a moment and exclaimed, “I just remembered that this is a hybrid!” Even though it was my second time in the car, I was still surprised at how smoothly the car transitioned between the battery power and the gas engine, even when going up rather steep hills or starting up again after stopping at a stop sign.(The Insight engine does actually shut off - sort of- when you stop at a stop sign or in backed-up traffic,to conserve energy. But it starts up again amazingly fast!)
In conclusion, when the test drive was over, I was more convinced than ever that I liked the Insight and wanted it to be my next car. So I went into the office with the sales agent, and he gave me the price I could pay for the car at their dealership. I gave the excuse that I’d have to talk to my husband first (who was conveniently absent from this test drive), so of course that was accepted.
On Wednesday night, I went back to the first dealer to find out how quickly they’d be able to get me the car. They said they should be able to get one from another dealership by the beginning of the week at the latest. (Nobody in the immediate area has an Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic.) That fit in with my timeline of wanting to get the car by the end of the months, so I asked the big question – how much would they charge me.
Of course the sales agent had to go talk to the manager to get the numbers, and when he came back and brought up the figure on the computer, the number displayed was only a little bit more than what the other dealer had offered. I decided to go with this dealer because they’re more conveniently located, and I would rather buy my car at the same place I’ll end up getting it serviced. Plus, the sales agent did agree to give me floor mats (which aren’t included with the car), and those are listed at about $100.
So—I’M GETTING AN INSIGHT! I’m still not sure when – I’m anxiously awaiting the call that will tell me they’ve made a swap with another dealer. But I’m confident I’ll hear from them soon!
Of course, as soon as I get the car, I’ll be taking pictures of it and posting some here. So stay tuned!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Car reviews
Here's something you probably never expected to see on this blog - test drive reviews of new cars!
I'm going to be buying a new car by the end of the month.Why? Well, my mother needs a new car by the end of the month, because her 14-year-old car is up for inspection and definitely will not pass without having to spend a lot of money on it. So after some discussion with my husband, we agreed that it would be easier for me to get a new car and give her my 2005 Chevy Cobalt LT (which I just paid off in January). This way she won't have to worry about going to used car lots and trying to haggle with salesmen on the price of a car she knows little to nothing about.
When I first started looking for a new car, which was really just at the beginning of this month, I was kind of all over the map. But I finally narrowed it down to the 2010 Toyota Prius (the 3rd generation model) or the 2010 Honda Insight (which looks remarkably similar to the Prius). I do like the idea of having a hybrid car; Brian bought a Prius last April and has been very happy with it. I even decided what trim levels and colors I was interested in: the Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic or the Prius II in Barcelona Red Metallic.
Here's the 2010 Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic:
And here's the 2010 Toyota Prius in Barcelona Red Metallic:
On Friday afternoon, I had appointments to test drive both of them. Here are my reviews of those test drives.
I test drove the 2010 Honda Insight EX at 1:30 on Friday. Unfortunately, it was raining, so the conditions weren't ideal. But I guess in a way maybe it was good to see how it handled in the rain.
I was surprised at how much like a "regular" car it seemed. In Brian's Prius, you can really tell when the car switches between battery power and the gas engine - there's a definite "shudder" that takes place. But in the Insight, it operated smoothly the entire time - stopping, starting, accelerating, going around curves, etc.
The car was comfortable, and the controls were well-placed and nicely-designed. There's plenty of storage space up in the front - several little compartments for holding random items, and of course several cupholders as well. Here's a picture of the Insight interior:
I had read that the rear seating was kind of cramped, and that was definitely true. The back seat is definitely not very roomy; anyone of average or greater height sitting behind me would be pretty uncomfortable. However, it's probably comparable to my Cobalt, so it wouldn't be a downgrade from what I have now. And when we have passengers (which isn't very often), we usually take Brian's Prius because it is roomier. So obviously we could continue doing that.
One other bad thing I had read about the Insight was that there was a lot of road noise. I had planned to specifically listen for that, but I actually forgot. However, I never did notice anything in particular - in other words, it wasn't obvious to me. And Brian was in the same situation - he planned to really listen for it, but forgot, but also didn't particularly notice anything. And we drove with the radio off, on wet roads, so I would think if it was going to be noisy, those would be conditions where we'd be more likely to hear it. We didn't get out on the highway, but I did go at least 45 mph, and nothing was really brought to my attention, so I don't think that was as much of an issue (at least not for me) as I was expecting.
******************
I test drove the 2010 Toyota Prius III (I'm considering a II - but the only difference on the III is the stereo) at 2:30 pm. It was still raining, so I guess in a way that was still a good thing, because I drove the cars under similar conditions.
Brian and I were both surprised at how much the new Prius drives like a "regular" car. The "shuddering" I mentioned above that's present in Brian's Prius is pretty much non-existent in the third-generation Prius. It definitely has much smoother transition between the gas engine and the battery - I would say it was about the same as the Insight.
The Prius handled well - not noticeably better or worse than the Insight, in my opinion. I did get to take the Prius out on the highway, and it accelerated just fine on the entrance ramp, and I got up to 65 mph in plenty of time. I didn't try the cruise control, but if driving the car 'manually' was smooth, I have no reason to believe the cruise control would be any different.
Another noticeable difference in the 2010 Prius was in the interior. They decided to kind of meld the dashboard with the center console, creating a kind of barrier between the driver and passenger seating area. It's not a solid block of plastic - it's more like an archway. There's space to store stuff underneath, but I have to think it would be a little awkward to access it. You wouldn't really be able to see what you were reaching for without really taking your eyes off the road. Plus, the complete division of the passenger and driver areas was kind of confining, in a way. I almost felt like I was in an amusement park ride.
Here are some pictures, which should give you at least the idea, but not necessarily the full effect. It's definitely different when you're actually in the car.
I also wasn't too crazy about how they changed the energy monitor display on the Prius. On Brian's car, it's a big full-color display with a diagram of the engine and the battery, with colored arrows going back and forth depending on what power source is being used or charged. It is a little distracting at first, and even a little gaudy in appearance, but it definitely looks 'modern.'
They've replaced that display with a green LED display up in the area of the speedometer, with a smaller picture of the car and its power sources. I guess it's less obtrusive that way, so that's kind of good, but the display itself to me just looks kind of old-fashioned. The green pixellated LED display seems like something I'd have seen on a car 15 years ago. I know that's picky, but that's the impression it gives me. See if you agree:
So, even though going into these test drives, I was leaning towards the Prius, after driving both of them and finding no major differences with the driving, handling, and comfort, I had to compare more minor aspects of the cars to really decide how I felt about them. And I have to say, the new interior details on the Prius left me less than dazzled. The Prius may now drive more like a 'regular' car, but I think that new center console piece makes it look much less like a 'regular' car. The Insight, on the other hand, both drives like a 'regular' car, and looks inside like a 'regular' car as well.
Plus - and this normally shouldn't matter when buying a car, I know - the Honda dealer said they can get me the car I like within a few days, whereas the Prius dealer still has to call around and 'trade' cars with other dealers or wait for upcoming shipments. It could actually take 2-3 months for them to get me a car with the specifications I want. (Not as bad as some people had it last year, but still quite a wait.)
So, I think at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Honda Insight. I would actually like to drive it again, hopefully in nicer weather, just to be sure of how I feel in it and how it handles, and I'd also like to get it out on the highway for a little bit to see how it accelerates and how it feels when it's going faster. (Oh, and to check for road noise again too!)
Stay tuned for updates on the car-buying process!
I'm going to be buying a new car by the end of the month.Why? Well, my mother needs a new car by the end of the month, because her 14-year-old car is up for inspection and definitely will not pass without having to spend a lot of money on it. So after some discussion with my husband, we agreed that it would be easier for me to get a new car and give her my 2005 Chevy Cobalt LT (which I just paid off in January). This way she won't have to worry about going to used car lots and trying to haggle with salesmen on the price of a car she knows little to nothing about.
When I first started looking for a new car, which was really just at the beginning of this month, I was kind of all over the map. But I finally narrowed it down to the 2010 Toyota Prius (the 3rd generation model) or the 2010 Honda Insight (which looks remarkably similar to the Prius). I do like the idea of having a hybrid car; Brian bought a Prius last April and has been very happy with it. I even decided what trim levels and colors I was interested in: the Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic or the Prius II in Barcelona Red Metallic.
Here's the 2010 Honda Insight EX in Clear Blue Sky Metallic:
And here's the 2010 Toyota Prius in Barcelona Red Metallic:
On Friday afternoon, I had appointments to test drive both of them. Here are my reviews of those test drives.
I test drove the 2010 Honda Insight EX at 1:30 on Friday. Unfortunately, it was raining, so the conditions weren't ideal. But I guess in a way maybe it was good to see how it handled in the rain.
I was surprised at how much like a "regular" car it seemed. In Brian's Prius, you can really tell when the car switches between battery power and the gas engine - there's a definite "shudder" that takes place. But in the Insight, it operated smoothly the entire time - stopping, starting, accelerating, going around curves, etc.
The car was comfortable, and the controls were well-placed and nicely-designed. There's plenty of storage space up in the front - several little compartments for holding random items, and of course several cupholders as well. Here's a picture of the Insight interior:
I had read that the rear seating was kind of cramped, and that was definitely true. The back seat is definitely not very roomy; anyone of average or greater height sitting behind me would be pretty uncomfortable. However, it's probably comparable to my Cobalt, so it wouldn't be a downgrade from what I have now. And when we have passengers (which isn't very often), we usually take Brian's Prius because it is roomier. So obviously we could continue doing that.
One other bad thing I had read about the Insight was that there was a lot of road noise. I had planned to specifically listen for that, but I actually forgot. However, I never did notice anything in particular - in other words, it wasn't obvious to me. And Brian was in the same situation - he planned to really listen for it, but forgot, but also didn't particularly notice anything. And we drove with the radio off, on wet roads, so I would think if it was going to be noisy, those would be conditions where we'd be more likely to hear it. We didn't get out on the highway, but I did go at least 45 mph, and nothing was really brought to my attention, so I don't think that was as much of an issue (at least not for me) as I was expecting.
******************
I test drove the 2010 Toyota Prius III (I'm considering a II - but the only difference on the III is the stereo) at 2:30 pm. It was still raining, so I guess in a way that was still a good thing, because I drove the cars under similar conditions.
Brian and I were both surprised at how much the new Prius drives like a "regular" car. The "shuddering" I mentioned above that's present in Brian's Prius is pretty much non-existent in the third-generation Prius. It definitely has much smoother transition between the gas engine and the battery - I would say it was about the same as the Insight.
The Prius handled well - not noticeably better or worse than the Insight, in my opinion. I did get to take the Prius out on the highway, and it accelerated just fine on the entrance ramp, and I got up to 65 mph in plenty of time. I didn't try the cruise control, but if driving the car 'manually' was smooth, I have no reason to believe the cruise control would be any different.
Another noticeable difference in the 2010 Prius was in the interior. They decided to kind of meld the dashboard with the center console, creating a kind of barrier between the driver and passenger seating area. It's not a solid block of plastic - it's more like an archway. There's space to store stuff underneath, but I have to think it would be a little awkward to access it. You wouldn't really be able to see what you were reaching for without really taking your eyes off the road. Plus, the complete division of the passenger and driver areas was kind of confining, in a way. I almost felt like I was in an amusement park ride.
Here are some pictures, which should give you at least the idea, but not necessarily the full effect. It's definitely different when you're actually in the car.
I also wasn't too crazy about how they changed the energy monitor display on the Prius. On Brian's car, it's a big full-color display with a diagram of the engine and the battery, with colored arrows going back and forth depending on what power source is being used or charged. It is a little distracting at first, and even a little gaudy in appearance, but it definitely looks 'modern.'
They've replaced that display with a green LED display up in the area of the speedometer, with a smaller picture of the car and its power sources. I guess it's less obtrusive that way, so that's kind of good, but the display itself to me just looks kind of old-fashioned. The green pixellated LED display seems like something I'd have seen on a car 15 years ago. I know that's picky, but that's the impression it gives me. See if you agree:
So, even though going into these test drives, I was leaning towards the Prius, after driving both of them and finding no major differences with the driving, handling, and comfort, I had to compare more minor aspects of the cars to really decide how I felt about them. And I have to say, the new interior details on the Prius left me less than dazzled. The Prius may now drive more like a 'regular' car, but I think that new center console piece makes it look much less like a 'regular' car. The Insight, on the other hand, both drives like a 'regular' car, and looks inside like a 'regular' car as well.
Plus - and this normally shouldn't matter when buying a car, I know - the Honda dealer said they can get me the car I like within a few days, whereas the Prius dealer still has to call around and 'trade' cars with other dealers or wait for upcoming shipments. It could actually take 2-3 months for them to get me a car with the specifications I want. (Not as bad as some people had it last year, but still quite a wait.)
So, I think at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Honda Insight. I would actually like to drive it again, hopefully in nicer weather, just to be sure of how I feel in it and how it handles, and I'd also like to get it out on the highway for a little bit to see how it accelerates and how it feels when it's going faster. (Oh, and to check for road noise again too!)
Stay tuned for updates on the car-buying process!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Uphill Both Ways!
You know the joke about older folks sometimes make about how "When we were young, we had to walk 10 miles to school, and it was uphill! Both ways!" Well, I kind of feel like I just did that on my bicycle.
I went for a bike ride this evening with my husband and our friends Rob, Steve, and TC. Rob had come up with a route in advance, and he did tell us it had lots of hills. Now granted, it wasn't as bad as going through the Pyrenees on the Tour de France, but it was definitely a hilly ride!
I had been doing really well on my last few rides - so well, in fact, that I had been keeping my bike in 2/7 gear for entire rides, hills and all. But tonight I was forced to admit defeat and shift into lower gears on some of the hills. I went as low as 2/4, going about 5 mph, and I was still huffing and puffing! But despite my struggles, I was actually the first one to get to the top of some of the hills. So that made me feel better (at least mentally).
At one point in our journey, we ended up at a nearby drag strip. In the past, the guys have driven on the track while they're out for a ride - it's a nice empty road to pedal on, and it even forms a semi oval, so it's sort of like a velodrome. (Now, how many of you are going to look up that word? ;-))
Even though the track was empty, there were some people there, sitting in chairs under one of those "tarps held up by poles" things. (I simply can't think of the right word for that contraption! I guess I'm burned out after using 'velodrome.' :-)) We were worried they were going to chase us off the track, but they paid us no mind.
Then as we started riding down the track, Steve noticed something on the adjacent track, so everyone stopped and went over to look at it. I thought it was going to be baby animals or something cute, but instead it was several rows of quarters, laid out for hundreds of yards along the ground.
Then one of the people who was sitting under the "thingamajig" (it's 10 pm and I'm tired - I give up on that word!) came over towards us. I thought we were going to get yelled at, but instead she smiled and asked if we had any quarters to add to the path. We all started scrambling through pockets and bike bags, but we travel pretty light, and no one had any quarters. As we were searching, we asked her what the quarters were for, and she said it was a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. They're hoping to have a mile-long path of quarters tomorrow evening (when a big racing event will be taking place), which will be used to help feed needy people in the local area. She said this year they've been feeding about twice as many people as they did last year, which, given the current economic conditions, is not surprising. As she was talking, Rob found a dollar in his pocket, and he crumpled it up and threw it to her (she was about 30 feet from us). She laughed, thanked him, and said she would put four quarters down on the path to represent his contribution.
As we continued to apologize for not having more money to contribute, she said to me, "You can give me your bike!" She was joking, of course, but then she went on to say that she had just gotten a Trek hybrid bike about a year ago, and she loved it, but then she let her son take it to college, and someone stole it. She asked me where I got my bike, and I told her I got it at Cole's Bicycle Shop in Carlisle, and how friendly and helpful everyone is there.
I was surprised she didn't know about Cole's, since it's been around for years, but then we found out she just moved to Carlisle eight weeks ago, from Maine! And get this - she came from the same town that Steve and his wife had lived in several years ago, and knew of the amusement park Rob worked at up there many years ago! Talk about a small world!
We chatted with her a while longer, and then we finally resumed our ride. As we rode away, I remarked to Steve about what a amazing coincidence that was, going to a practically-deserted drag strip and meeting someone who just moved from the same town in Maine where he had lived. He agreed and said he really does believe in the "six degrees of separation" concept. And I think I agree with him too!
OK, so back to the ride. We ended up going back on one of the hilly roads we rode on earlier, only from the other direction, the hill was even steeper! I actually whimpered a little as I went up the hill. What makes it worse for me is that as of yet, I'm still unable to stand up and pedal - I'm just not coordinated or balanced enough. I did try for a couple of seconds, but I was just too wobbly, and I had to sit down again. However, I guess that means I probably got an even better workout!
When we finally ended the ride, the sun was setting, and my odometer read 17.5 miles. So that was my longest ride yet - and definitely the toughest! And, I actually went to the gym earlier in the afternoon and did a little workout on weight machines, so I got a LOT of exercise today!
I was kind of complaining as we went up the hills - mostly the later ones - but as is always the case when I exercise, when I'm finished, I never regret it. And I did stretch a lot when I got home, so I'm hoping I won't regret it tomorrow either! :-)
OK, as I said before, I'm pretty tired, so I need to end this. Good night! :-)
I went for a bike ride this evening with my husband and our friends Rob, Steve, and TC. Rob had come up with a route in advance, and he did tell us it had lots of hills. Now granted, it wasn't as bad as going through the Pyrenees on the Tour de France, but it was definitely a hilly ride!
I had been doing really well on my last few rides - so well, in fact, that I had been keeping my bike in 2/7 gear for entire rides, hills and all. But tonight I was forced to admit defeat and shift into lower gears on some of the hills. I went as low as 2/4, going about 5 mph, and I was still huffing and puffing! But despite my struggles, I was actually the first one to get to the top of some of the hills. So that made me feel better (at least mentally).
At one point in our journey, we ended up at a nearby drag strip. In the past, the guys have driven on the track while they're out for a ride - it's a nice empty road to pedal on, and it even forms a semi oval, so it's sort of like a velodrome. (Now, how many of you are going to look up that word? ;-))
Even though the track was empty, there were some people there, sitting in chairs under one of those "tarps held up by poles" things. (I simply can't think of the right word for that contraption! I guess I'm burned out after using 'velodrome.' :-)) We were worried they were going to chase us off the track, but they paid us no mind.
Then as we started riding down the track, Steve noticed something on the adjacent track, so everyone stopped and went over to look at it. I thought it was going to be baby animals or something cute, but instead it was several rows of quarters, laid out for hundreds of yards along the ground.
Then one of the people who was sitting under the "thingamajig" (it's 10 pm and I'm tired - I give up on that word!) came over towards us. I thought we were going to get yelled at, but instead she smiled and asked if we had any quarters to add to the path. We all started scrambling through pockets and bike bags, but we travel pretty light, and no one had any quarters. As we were searching, we asked her what the quarters were for, and she said it was a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. They're hoping to have a mile-long path of quarters tomorrow evening (when a big racing event will be taking place), which will be used to help feed needy people in the local area. She said this year they've been feeding about twice as many people as they did last year, which, given the current economic conditions, is not surprising. As she was talking, Rob found a dollar in his pocket, and he crumpled it up and threw it to her (she was about 30 feet from us). She laughed, thanked him, and said she would put four quarters down on the path to represent his contribution.
As we continued to apologize for not having more money to contribute, she said to me, "You can give me your bike!" She was joking, of course, but then she went on to say that she had just gotten a Trek hybrid bike about a year ago, and she loved it, but then she let her son take it to college, and someone stole it. She asked me where I got my bike, and I told her I got it at Cole's Bicycle Shop in Carlisle, and how friendly and helpful everyone is there.
I was surprised she didn't know about Cole's, since it's been around for years, but then we found out she just moved to Carlisle eight weeks ago, from Maine! And get this - she came from the same town that Steve and his wife had lived in several years ago, and knew of the amusement park Rob worked at up there many years ago! Talk about a small world!
We chatted with her a while longer, and then we finally resumed our ride. As we rode away, I remarked to Steve about what a amazing coincidence that was, going to a practically-deserted drag strip and meeting someone who just moved from the same town in Maine where he had lived. He agreed and said he really does believe in the "six degrees of separation" concept. And I think I agree with him too!
OK, so back to the ride. We ended up going back on one of the hilly roads we rode on earlier, only from the other direction, the hill was even steeper! I actually whimpered a little as I went up the hill. What makes it worse for me is that as of yet, I'm still unable to stand up and pedal - I'm just not coordinated or balanced enough. I did try for a couple of seconds, but I was just too wobbly, and I had to sit down again. However, I guess that means I probably got an even better workout!
When we finally ended the ride, the sun was setting, and my odometer read 17.5 miles. So that was my longest ride yet - and definitely the toughest! And, I actually went to the gym earlier in the afternoon and did a little workout on weight machines, so I got a LOT of exercise today!
I was kind of complaining as we went up the hills - mostly the later ones - but as is always the case when I exercise, when I'm finished, I never regret it. And I did stretch a lot when I got home, so I'm hoping I won't regret it tomorrow either! :-)
OK, as I said before, I'm pretty tired, so I need to end this. Good night! :-)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
A few quick trip pictures
I thought I would post just a few pictures here on the blog so you can get an idea of some of the things we saw while we were in California. (See the post below for a brief trip report.) Enjoy!
A restless sea along 17-Mile Drive
This rock is called Bird Rock, but as you can see, lots and lots of sea lions hang out here too!
Cypress trees with Pebble Beach golf course in the background
We encountered this large group of lazy harbor seals along 17-Mile Drive
The Lone Cypress - a very famous tree at Pebble Beach
Crashing waves along the Pacific coastline
Us standing at the edge of the Pacific
Some cool-looking stinging nettles at the aquarium
A very cute resting sea otter at the aquarium
A restless sea along 17-Mile Drive
This rock is called Bird Rock, but as you can see, lots and lots of sea lions hang out here too!
Cypress trees with Pebble Beach golf course in the background
We encountered this large group of lazy harbor seals along 17-Mile Drive
The Lone Cypress - a very famous tree at Pebble Beach
Crashing waves along the Pacific coastline
Us standing at the edge of the Pacific
Some cool-looking stinging nettles at the aquarium
A very cute resting sea otter at the aquariumCalifornia - brief trip report
Once again, I feel I must start my post with an apology. I'm sorry I haven't posted anything for so long. Over the past few weeks, there were a lot of things I wanted to talk about - my bike odometer passing 100 miles, my first bike ride in the rain (both were on the same trip), and a few other things that I've since forgotten. But June turned out to be such a busy month that I just never found the time to sit down and write about them.
However, one thing I did do in June, that I'm definitely going to make time to report about, was my first-ever trip to California. Brian had to go out to Monterey for a work conference, and after the conference ended, I flew out to join him and spend a long weekend there.
Simply put, we had a great time! We drove on the scenic 17-Mile Drive, a coastal toll road which goes to Carmel and Pebble Beach (home of a very famous golf course), and took lots of pictures of the coastline and the sea life there (most notably the sea lions and harbor seals). We also spent a lot of time at Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, shopping and dining. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was at least as nice, if not nicer, than the National Aquarium in Baltimore, for those familiar with that venue. And, last but not least, Brian and I tried kayaking for the first time! We went on a guided kayak tour of the Bay area and learned about the different kinds of kelp, algae, and other sea life in the ocean, but more importantly, we got to observe some sea otters, including mothers with babies, as well as more sea lions and a couple of harbor seals. And of course the most important part of the kayak trip was that we didn't tip over! :-)
Now, my next task is to go through the HUNDREDS of pictures we took out there and decide which ones to post. We went a little crazy taking pictures of the seals and sea lions, because we were so excited to see them, so I'll have to be judicious in selecting how many to share online. But as I get them posted, I will let you know! And as I get the pictures posted, my intent right now is to also post a little more detail here about the part of the trip for which I've posted the pictures. But at least if I don't get that accomplished, you know now pretty much what we did and that we had a very good time. :-)
Oh, and one more thing before I end this - Happy Independence Day!
However, one thing I did do in June, that I'm definitely going to make time to report about, was my first-ever trip to California. Brian had to go out to Monterey for a work conference, and after the conference ended, I flew out to join him and spend a long weekend there.
Simply put, we had a great time! We drove on the scenic 17-Mile Drive, a coastal toll road which goes to Carmel and Pebble Beach (home of a very famous golf course), and took lots of pictures of the coastline and the sea life there (most notably the sea lions and harbor seals). We also spent a lot of time at Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, shopping and dining. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was at least as nice, if not nicer, than the National Aquarium in Baltimore, for those familiar with that venue. And, last but not least, Brian and I tried kayaking for the first time! We went on a guided kayak tour of the Bay area and learned about the different kinds of kelp, algae, and other sea life in the ocean, but more importantly, we got to observe some sea otters, including mothers with babies, as well as more sea lions and a couple of harbor seals. And of course the most important part of the kayak trip was that we didn't tip over! :-)
Now, my next task is to go through the HUNDREDS of pictures we took out there and decide which ones to post. We went a little crazy taking pictures of the seals and sea lions, because we were so excited to see them, so I'll have to be judicious in selecting how many to share online. But as I get them posted, I will let you know! And as I get the pictures posted, my intent right now is to also post a little more detail here about the part of the trip for which I've posted the pictures. But at least if I don't get that accomplished, you know now pretty much what we did and that we had a very good time. :-)
Oh, and one more thing before I end this - Happy Independence Day!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Pop Quiz: What is 142?
First, I want to apologize for my blog silence. I've been really busy at work lately, and that has left me with little time - or even desire, frankly - to sit at home on the computer and write. This week has been the busiest yet, but I was determined to write a little something tonight.
OK, now onto the quiz. The answer, as you can see above, is 142. Now here are your choices as to what that number represents:
A. My weight
B. My IQ
C. The mileage on my bike odometer
D. My most recent bowling score
All right, have you had enough time to come up with a guess? Then pencils down! :-)
So how many people chose A? Sorry, that's incorrect - the number is too low. At my height, 142 would be rather underweight for me.
Did anyone choose B? I wish it were true, but sorry, that number is too high - at least to the best of my knowledge. (And I'd say anyone who knows me would heartily agree. :-))
How about C? That seems like a good answer, since I have been posting a lot about all my bike rides. But no, that's not right either - although I'm closing in on that number pretty quickly! (More on that in my next post - which will hopefully be soon!)
So, for any of you who chose D, my most recent bowling score, give yourselves a gold star!
Yes, that's right, last Thursday I bowled one of the best games of my life, earning a score of 142! I know that's not really spectacular, but considering the other game I bowled that evening was an 88, and the fact that the last time I bowled (for real, not Wii bowling ;-)) was Feburary of 2008, I was pretty darn proud of myself for bowling a 142.
The funny thing was, the two other people in my lane had scores one point higher than the next. I was in third place, with a 142. The second-place bowler had a 143, and the winner had a 144! I did have the chance to beat them both, especially when I had two strikes in a row in frames 8 and 9 (and I don't know if I've ever done that, outside of Wii Bowling), but then I kind of blew it in the 10th frame. Still, I wasn't at all disappointed with my performance. In fact, I thought it was kind of neat how our scores ended up the way they did.
The other thing I want to mention about my bowling experience was that I actually used a respectable-weight ball this time. In the past, I would always choose a pretty light ball - maybe 8 or 9 pounds. But this time, I decided I should be able to handle a heavier ball, since I've been going to the gym and using arm weight machines for quite a while. So I found a 12-pound ball that fit my fingers well, and I used that for both games. Again, I know that's not really all that heavy, but it was a pretty big increase from what I used to use.
Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed participating in the Pop Quiz!
OK, now onto the quiz. The answer, as you can see above, is 142. Now here are your choices as to what that number represents:
A. My weight
B. My IQ
C. The mileage on my bike odometer
D. My most recent bowling score
All right, have you had enough time to come up with a guess? Then pencils down! :-)
So how many people chose A? Sorry, that's incorrect - the number is too low. At my height, 142 would be rather underweight for me.
Did anyone choose B? I wish it were true, but sorry, that number is too high - at least to the best of my knowledge. (And I'd say anyone who knows me would heartily agree. :-))
How about C? That seems like a good answer, since I have been posting a lot about all my bike rides. But no, that's not right either - although I'm closing in on that number pretty quickly! (More on that in my next post - which will hopefully be soon!)
So, for any of you who chose D, my most recent bowling score, give yourselves a gold star!
Yes, that's right, last Thursday I bowled one of the best games of my life, earning a score of 142! I know that's not really spectacular, but considering the other game I bowled that evening was an 88, and the fact that the last time I bowled (for real, not Wii bowling ;-)) was Feburary of 2008, I was pretty darn proud of myself for bowling a 142.
The funny thing was, the two other people in my lane had scores one point higher than the next. I was in third place, with a 142. The second-place bowler had a 143, and the winner had a 144! I did have the chance to beat them both, especially when I had two strikes in a row in frames 8 and 9 (and I don't know if I've ever done that, outside of Wii Bowling), but then I kind of blew it in the 10th frame. Still, I wasn't at all disappointed with my performance. In fact, I thought it was kind of neat how our scores ended up the way they did.
The other thing I want to mention about my bowling experience was that I actually used a respectable-weight ball this time. In the past, I would always choose a pretty light ball - maybe 8 or 9 pounds. But this time, I decided I should be able to handle a heavier ball, since I've been going to the gym and using arm weight machines for quite a while. So I found a 12-pound ball that fit my fingers well, and I used that for both games. Again, I know that's not really all that heavy, but it was a pretty big increase from what I used to use.
Well, I guess that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed participating in the Pop Quiz!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Ascent
Because it took me so long to plant flowers on Sunday, we never did get to ride our bikes over the weekend. I was a little disappointed, but I was happy that I had been able to spend a lot of time outdoors - and as a bonus, I actually accomplished something as well!
Brian said we would definitely go for a bike ride on Monday. Then he casually mentioned that we would ride our bikes up to his parents' house to return a movie we had borrowed from them (Sideways, which we both enjoyed). Upon hearing this, I kind of flinched a little inside. His parents live in a neighborhood located about halfway up the side of a mountain - OK, not a mountain like the Rocky Mountains, but what passes for a mountain in this area. He reminded me that I said I wanted to get a better workout from biking than I had been. I then reminded him that I got more than enough of a workout the other day, riding 16 miles with my brake rubbing my rear tire! :-) However, I decided I was ready to accept the mountain-climbing challenge, so after a quick supper Monday evening, we took to our bikes and started our journey.
It's not really that far to Brian's parents' house from our house, and the ride to the base of the mountain is actually quite nice - a couple of gentle hills, but nothing too demanding. I even got to do some really good coasting at one point, which was quite fun.
But the fun ended not too long afterward, as we got ready to start the climb. Brian said the first section, up to the point where the road curves, was the worst. I was sort of surprised at that comment, since from my experience with driving up the hill, it seemed like there were steeper portions later on, but I soon discovered he was correct.
Wow! Was it tough! I was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf, but it didn't seem like I was making any progress. I felt rather pathetic as cars drove past at 35 mph and I was struggling mightily to go 5 mph. I suppose I should have tried standing up off the seat, but I really didn't think about it at the time, and I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable with doing that yet.
However, somehow I did make it past "the worst part" without having to stop. And what a relief it was when the incline became more gradual! We went a little further up the hill until we came to a little gravel area off to the side, and then we stopped for a moment to get a drink and catch our breaths. Then it was "onward and upward" again.
The funniest part of the whole trip was when a car drove by us, and we realized it was Brian's dad's car! We both waved wildly as the car continued up the hill, but there was no indication that his parents saw us.
Finally, after some more uphill biking, we got to his parents' house. When his mother opened the door, she was quite surprised to see us in our cycling attire. We told her that they had just driven past us a few minutes beforehand, and that we even waved, but she said she didn't see us at all! I guess they were deep in thought or conversation or something.
Anyway, we dropped off the movie, drank some more water, and then began the fun - but slightly scary - part of going down the mountain. It was certainly much easier than going up, but we did have to be careful not to go too fast, and we had to really watch our rear-view mirrors for cars coming up behind us, because with the wind rushing in our ears, we couldn't really hear much. But we made it down the mountain safely.
After we got back to level ground, we took a slightly different way to get home, and when we got back to our driveway, my trip odometer was at exactly 10.0 miles. So it wasn't my longest ride, but it definitely had the most challenging part to it that I've done so far. And I considered it a personal accomplishment to have "conquered" that mountain, because the last time I rode a bicycle, before I got my own a few weeks ago, was quite a few years ago (more than 5, I'm sure) when I borrowed Brian's sister's old 10-speed bike (which was too small for me, although I didn't really realize it at the time) and rode with Brian up and around the hills of his parents' neighborhood. It was not a very great experience for me, and I believe I did end up having to walk the bike up a hill at some point. So I was happy that this ride in that neighborhood went much better than my last one.
Brian said we would definitely go for a bike ride on Monday. Then he casually mentioned that we would ride our bikes up to his parents' house to return a movie we had borrowed from them (Sideways, which we both enjoyed). Upon hearing this, I kind of flinched a little inside. His parents live in a neighborhood located about halfway up the side of a mountain - OK, not a mountain like the Rocky Mountains, but what passes for a mountain in this area. He reminded me that I said I wanted to get a better workout from biking than I had been. I then reminded him that I got more than enough of a workout the other day, riding 16 miles with my brake rubbing my rear tire! :-) However, I decided I was ready to accept the mountain-climbing challenge, so after a quick supper Monday evening, we took to our bikes and started our journey.
It's not really that far to Brian's parents' house from our house, and the ride to the base of the mountain is actually quite nice - a couple of gentle hills, but nothing too demanding. I even got to do some really good coasting at one point, which was quite fun.
But the fun ended not too long afterward, as we got ready to start the climb. Brian said the first section, up to the point where the road curves, was the worst. I was sort of surprised at that comment, since from my experience with driving up the hill, it seemed like there were steeper portions later on, but I soon discovered he was correct.
Wow! Was it tough! I was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf, but it didn't seem like I was making any progress. I felt rather pathetic as cars drove past at 35 mph and I was struggling mightily to go 5 mph. I suppose I should have tried standing up off the seat, but I really didn't think about it at the time, and I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable with doing that yet.
However, somehow I did make it past "the worst part" without having to stop. And what a relief it was when the incline became more gradual! We went a little further up the hill until we came to a little gravel area off to the side, and then we stopped for a moment to get a drink and catch our breaths. Then it was "onward and upward" again.
The funniest part of the whole trip was when a car drove by us, and we realized it was Brian's dad's car! We both waved wildly as the car continued up the hill, but there was no indication that his parents saw us.
Finally, after some more uphill biking, we got to his parents' house. When his mother opened the door, she was quite surprised to see us in our cycling attire. We told her that they had just driven past us a few minutes beforehand, and that we even waved, but she said she didn't see us at all! I guess they were deep in thought or conversation or something.
Anyway, we dropped off the movie, drank some more water, and then began the fun - but slightly scary - part of going down the mountain. It was certainly much easier than going up, but we did have to be careful not to go too fast, and we had to really watch our rear-view mirrors for cars coming up behind us, because with the wind rushing in our ears, we couldn't really hear much. But we made it down the mountain safely.
After we got back to level ground, we took a slightly different way to get home, and when we got back to our driveway, my trip odometer was at exactly 10.0 miles. So it wasn't my longest ride, but it definitely had the most challenging part to it that I've done so far. And I considered it a personal accomplishment to have "conquered" that mountain, because the last time I rode a bicycle, before I got my own a few weeks ago, was quite a few years ago (more than 5, I'm sure) when I borrowed Brian's sister's old 10-speed bike (which was too small for me, although I didn't really realize it at the time) and rode with Brian up and around the hills of his parents' neighborhood. It was not a very great experience for me, and I believe I did end up having to walk the bike up a hill at some point. So I was happy that this ride in that neighborhood went much better than my last one.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Annual Planting
After I won the "War of the Roses," I turned my attention to the market packs of vinca and celosia waiting to be planted. It took me about three hours to plant all of the flowers (hey, that rhymed!), which, when you divide 3 hours by 72 plants, means it took me about 2 1/2 minutes to plant each flower. It probably would have taken less time, if it weren't for the crumbly soil of the vinca plants - unlike the celosia, the vinca refused to come out of the market packs in one nice compact clump of soil with the roots all wound around the outside. So I had to take extra time with each of them, making sure I got enough of the roots and also enough soil from the plastic tray to give them the best chance of survival in our nasty clay soil.
72 plants sounds like a lot, and it certainly felt like a lot when I was planting them, but when you have a lot of ground to cover, 72 plants don't really make much of an impact. Below are pictures of my flowerbeds after I finished planting everything. I realize they don't look nearly as impressive as the example pictures I posted before. However, the plants will grow and fill in some of the spaces, plus in the larger flower bed, I wanted to make sure I left enough space around the mum plants that came back from last year and are starting to grow and spread. And besides all that, I really didn't want to spend any more money on flowers. I don't like gardening enough to enjoy spending lots of time and/or money on it. I basically do the bare minimum to make things look presentable according to the standards of suburbia. :-)
So now that I've finished that annual chore (pun intended), I'm hoping the plants will take root and grow well and add some color and, dare I say beauty, to the front yard throughout the summer months.
72 plants sounds like a lot, and it certainly felt like a lot when I was planting them, but when you have a lot of ground to cover, 72 plants don't really make much of an impact. Below are pictures of my flowerbeds after I finished planting everything. I realize they don't look nearly as impressive as the example pictures I posted before. However, the plants will grow and fill in some of the spaces, plus in the larger flower bed, I wanted to make sure I left enough space around the mum plants that came back from last year and are starting to grow and spread. And besides all that, I really didn't want to spend any more money on flowers. I don't like gardening enough to enjoy spending lots of time and/or money on it. I basically do the bare minimum to make things look presentable according to the standards of suburbia. :-)
So now that I've finished that annual chore (pun intended), I'm hoping the plants will take root and grow well and add some color and, dare I say beauty, to the front yard throughout the summer months.
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