Visited

The Restaurant was visited last night. By whom? By the mysterious raters who control our fate in certain travel company guide books and websites.

Oh, what I wouldn't have given for a Valium or an elephant tranquilizer to take the edge off The Boss. He was a mess!

We're pretty sure it was them, but won't know officially for another week or so. Please please please let it have been them...

Happy Money Dance*

Well, my 4.5% raise kicks in on this week's pay check.

Even better than that is the fact that it seems attempt #4 to get the garnishment removed from my check was successful. That's an extra 10% as well.

How to spend the money? I'm thinking 401K, stock, and savings... though I did dream last night that we booked a 7-day cruise.

* The Happy Money Dance lasts only until Scott leaves for work and I have to finish filing our taxes. I hope there's enough in savings to cover it!

For the Love of Milo

A quick check of the archives shows that it has been 10 days since my last gratuitous Milo post. I hope this post makes up for it!

It all started with a sunbeam...

Milo was stretched out across the living room floor this morning just enough so that his front and back feet were at the edges of the sunbeam. By the time Scott and I realized it, the beam had shifted down a little bit. I imagine when he fell asleep, even his tail was in the warm spot!

(photo credit: Scott)

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I dig this black &

white picture because it looks like Milo is doing the sensible thing and keeping his face in the shade while he sunbathes. No way he's going to look like a saddle bag with eyes when he's 14!

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Coming in 2009: The Cats on Boxes calendar!

No... not really. I really am just fascinated by Milo's love of boxes. His face and posture here really seem to say, "I'm in the box. Don't question me!"

Most boxes he has been exposed to would collapse if he climbed on top, but since this box is still full (obviously we are failing in our attempts to "organize-it"), it simply acted as a pedestal.

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And finally, we have Milo's complete breakfast: apple-cinnamon oatmeal and a shot of Airborne! I got up to put the camera back, and Milo immediately jumped into my spot on the couch.

"But Mom... you know I like peaches and cream. I don't like this kind!"

Not only does he have my place on the couch AND my breakfast held hostage, he also has the remote control, the throw, and the pillow. He's pretty much set for the day!

Car Bling

I have often fantasized about getting one of those scrolling LED message boards for my dashboard. I wanted to make it say "55 MPH" and have it in mirror writing so that the idiot tourists (darn Canadians) will know that the speed limit on Avalon is not, in fact, 35-45 MPH.

We recently saw such a product in Target, actually designed for cars, but it didn't seem to have a backwards text option. And in that case, what's really the point? I could put it on the back window, but I don't really care how slowly the people behind me are driving!

Last night on my way home from work, I was driving behind a car with one of these (in red... but the car was blue, so this one would have looked much better!). The message he chose to display? "I HATE HUMAN POPULATION." I called Scott to tell him about my find and we had a good laugh over the message.

Really? You're going to pay $30 to put that message on the back of your car? I can see the traditional "mean people suck" or a nice personal "I hate ," but to just write off the entire human race in one poorly phrased message to the world? Seems a little harsh to me!

If I had one of these, and that's not a hint - apparently they have to be wired into the car and I don't have that kind of know-how, I think I would make it say something friendly like, "hello car behind me," or "thanks for reading my message." I'm sure my mother would go with "Jesus loves you," but that's only going to make people say mean things about Jesus when she's driving slowly in front of them!

What would you choose to display to the world?

72!

72 WPM!

I'm a typing rock star!

…and I also got a 23 out of 25 on the grammar test.

Hurdle #1 cleared. Up next: updating the resume, finding a job, applying for the job, and interviewing. I wish I could just do this step over and over again!

Test Me, Baby!

My typing/grammar tests are this morning. I'm not really worried about passing, but I am worried about making it down 192 in a timely manner. I've budgeted 1 hour for a trip that should only take 25 minutes... hoping that's enough time.

Wish me luck!

TomTom

Nope... I haven't gotten a super-cool navigation system. I did, however, get to spend part of today with "Professor Tom," one of the few CHS '96 people I'm still in touch with. We started with brunch at Garden Grill. OK, catfish and flank steak isn't really brunch. But when it's the first meal you've eaten, and it's only 11 am, you still call it that!

Above is our traditional Jamie-Tom-Photo-of-the-Year (last year's photo can be seen here). After lunch, we walked the World Showcase. And believe it or not, I was actually able to get multiple photos this year.

At the very bottom are green-screen photos that Scott and I took at Innoventions and Spaceship Earth. They are comically bad, thus their inclusion here!

Enjoy!

Flower & Garden

It's that time of year, when I take off to Epcot armed with my camera and take a ton of pictures during the Flower & Garden Festival. I'm quite excited about some of the pictures I took - mostly of the new topiaries this year, but of course with some butterflies and orange flowers thrown in!

Chop!

Guess who got a hair cut today!

Please note: I didn't even attempt to do my hair for this picture. That's why there's a big bump on the top of my head. So far I'm loving it. I forgot how much fun having short hair can be!

...though I should stop doing that side-to-side head shake. I think I'm getting whiplash!

Just So You Know I Don't Hate Her...

Perhaps you've heard that Senator Clinton has once again been caught with her pants on fire. This time, repeating a story she heard from a deputy sheriff sitting on the couch in a mobile home in Ohio (not exactly a vetted source).

Yes, I think she's imploding, and it's sad to watch. Doesn't she realize that Americans respect the Mitt Romney "it's time for me to go" approach more than the Mike Huckabee "I'm going to stay in and pray for a miracle" approach?

Well, I did appreciate this speech that she gave last week. So here it is. I hope you watch it.

Typical!

Just a list of ironic or otherwise strange things in my world:

* I logged onto Sprint.com to pay my bill tonight and got the "free ring tone" password. And I found the perfect FREE ring tone - something silly and maybe even embarrassing that I couldn't resist, especially for the price - Barbie Girl! And so I clicked the Buy Now button. Right as I was releasing the mouse button, I saw the tiny alternate link below the Buy Now button that said "buy with promo code." Oops! Too late! So I paid $2.50 for Barbie Girl. I now have it set as my message alert.

* I've tried twice since to log back in to get a real free ring tone and I keep getting logged out! I smell a conspiracy...

* Wait, that's not conspiracy. It's the result of brussels sprouts and pork chop for dinner.

* I waited up for Scott tonight. He gets off work at 1:30. He's still in the parking lot at work trying to help a co-worker with a flat tire. And of course, I will inevitably drift off to sleep 5 minutes before he walks in the door!

And some other odds & ends:

* I have an appointment next Friday to go in and take my typing/grammar test again. I did this before and pretty much aced both, but the results are only valid for 6 months. Why? Because the company likes to make us jump through hoops! The tests are prerequisites for applying for any sort of secretarial role.

* Why the sudden decision to move forward? Two different hotels are hiring the position I'm most interested in: assistant to the Food & Beverage Operations Manager. Unfortunately, those postings close at midnight tonight and I obviously won't have my testing done by then. But the next time the position opens up I'll be ready for it.

* I also told The Boss about my plans, and he's a little panicked. He's talking about filling my job as if I'm already gone or something. More on this when it's not 2 am.

* The Boss told Number Two and the Chef. I managed to tell Girl Chef before the "breaking news" got to her desk.

* Truth be told, it's unlikely that another position will post within the next month. I doubt I'll be out of there before the summer. My goal is to be out by October. If that doesn't happen, I'll probably stick around there through the holidays... that would be cruel and unusual punishment to my replacement and my bosses.

It feels good to actually have a little forward momentum. Right now, there are a lot of outside factors influencing my future plans as well as my day-to-day existence. Maybe that's why I'm taking this particular bull by the horns: I just want to feel like I can control something.

Shh...don't tell me control is an illusion... not just yet...

It's Milo

Here's a picture of Milo on my lap:

Strangely enough, when I asked Scott for the camera, Milo was sleeping peacefully on my lap looking cuter than normal. And of course, he woke up in the handing over of the camera. To my advantage, he closed his eyes whenever the green focus light came on, so I did get a few decent pictures of him.

And then his tail woke up. And then he saw his tail and decided that it needed to die. So even though this looks like a picture of Milo sleeping peacefully, he's actually in the process of killing his tail...pausing just long enough to close his eyes for the picture.

This picture was taken last night after Scott and I got home from babysitting all four of Mike & Reyna's kids. It was easier than we expected it to be. Hunter played on the computer the whole time we were there, except when I called them to dinner. Conner alternated between watching Hunter and watching TV. Autumn entertained us with some song & dance routines. And Cadence has finally stopped crying. She's in a walker now, and zooms around the whole house over the hardwood floors, laughing the whole time.

Cute baby quality time is exactly what Scott and I needed yesterday afternoon. And then quiet Milo time last night was perfect to recover from that!

Foot Fetish?

This picture of my fat white foot should cure anyone with any special love for feet! And if that doesn't, then maybe the picture of my lopsided big toe with its perfectly painted blue nail will do it.
Yes, I chose blue. In the bottle, the color definitely looked more of a cobalt - darker and a little purplish. Upon the end of my pedicure (which was the best $25 pedicure EVER... you should see the under side of my lopsided big toe where there was once a callous and is now silky smooth), I decided that I should go car shopping just to have the joy of walking up to a salesperson and saying, "I'd like something this color."

...but then I realized that this color is more of a Puerto Rican street racer color than a normal color. Of course, Frances is closer to one than the other too... but at least that was a factory-direct color!

Honestly though, I highly recommend this place. It's on 27 in Clermont in the shopping center in front of Kohl's. They have normal colors, too. But what fun is that?

Re-Fueling

Just when I'm ready to throw in the towel and run out, I have a day at work that doesn't suck. How? Well, sometimes I get to talk to random interesting people on the phone. Sometimes I have fun conversations with my bosses. And sometimes they feed me.

Sometimes they feed me Ballotine of Poulet Rouge with Chicken Consommé, Hedgehogs and Black Truffles.

Sometimes they feed me Maine Scallop with Petite French Lentils, Florida Corn and Saffron Foam.

Sometimes they feed me both, and it makes me happy.

(Sous Chef is running the show today, and I somehow have him convinced that he needs to keep me fed in order to get me to do my job. OK not really… but wouldn't you like to have an arrangement like that at work?)

Just Another Day at the Office

Work has been rough the past few days. Number Two went on a little beach vacation and hasn't been there for the past two days, leaving me alone in the office with The Boss.

...with two food writers last night
...who got special menus
...and special wine pairing

What's all that mean? It means The Boss is stressed, The Chef is stressed, and I'm stressed because I need extra information from them and they don't have time to give it to me.

Last night was so bad that the only reason I didn't call in today is that neither of them will be there. I'm counting on a quiet day, being left alone, and getting work done on some projects.

Also, I found out this week that the answer to this question is 4.5%, and for some reason I am taking that completely expected news really hard. I guess I feel like I deserve more. We raised our menu prices 25% in two years, which means the servers have gotten a MUCH bigger pay raise than I did (a $25 bump translates to an extra $5/guest, which adds up over the course of the year). The Boss did tell me that I'm the highest paid person in the location, which comes as no surprise. The servers make $3/hour or something ridiculous like that, and the seaters are pretty much on the bottom of the pay scale. As for the other people on my team, a) I'm the only full time person and b) I've got more years seniority than the rest of them. I won't even mention the other reasons I deserve more money than they get!

It's not personal, and not negotiable. Apparently that's the average for people in comparable jobs who were rated the way I was. But it definitely clarifies that I should be looking for another job, maybe one that doesn't require me to jump through hoops at 10 pm.

Chocolate Cake

In a severe fit of PMS, I made chocolate cupcakes this weekend. I found out that the average box of cake mix makes 24 cupcakes, and I had only one muffin tin. So I made 12 cupcakes and 1 9" round cake. But since it was only 1 layer high, it was a short cake.

I also made some slight modifications: after I poured the cupcakes and got them baking, I added a big heaping spoonful of peanut butter to the cake mix for the round cake. The batter was overwhelmingly peanut buttery, but it was too late to turn back! It turns out that peanut butter bakes off (?) during the cooking process, and you could barely taste it in the finished product.

I also took a can of chocolate frosting and added (slightly less) peanut butter to it for the cupcakes. The result: a mild peanut butter flavor, and a significantly less sweet frosting. They are delicious.

That might explain why I had one for breakfast this morning!

An Even Smaller World

By now you may have heard that Disneyland is closing their version of It's a Small World this year to dig the canal deeper so that the fat riders don't make the boats get stuck in mid-ride. During the ride rehab, they are also making some other changes:

An “Alice in Wonderland” doll wearing a blue dress and a white rabbit in a playing card tunic... will be added near a chessboard and red rose tree already existing in the Small World attraction.

Officials confirmed that Alice is one of several Disney characters that will be added to
Disneyland’s Small World in a controversial plan that has infuriated some purists. Officials have insisted that Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will not appear in the Anaheim attraction.

I couldn't possibly verbalize how much this bugs me any better than the folks over at Re-Imagineering have done here, "Cute as they may be, Belle, Mickey, Stitch or Nemo have nothing to do with selling the core values of UNICEF, the show’s original partner. Their appearance not only trivializes the central theme but more disturbingly seems to emphasize global brand marketing and franchising above all else."

More posts about this can also be found here and here, with a little snark here.

Let's All Embellish, Shall We?

This morning, I encountered sniper fire when I got out of bed. I had to cancel my morning pee and run with my head down straight to the living room.

Yeah that's right. I'm pissed at Hillary Clinton. What the hell is she doing out there?

Speech last Monday:

"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

The account in her book:

"Due to reports of snipers in the hills around the airstrip, we were forced to cut short an event on the tarmac with local children, though we did have time to meet them and their teachers and to learn how hard they had worked during the war to continue classes in any safe spot they could find,"

The CBS News video (ok, I admit, it was released by the Obama campaign):

shows Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, walking across the tarmac from a large cargo plane, smiling and waving, and stopping to shake hands with Bosnia's acting president and greet an 8-year-old girl.

So yes, she got caught with her pants on fire. And I read that article twice and didn't see anything along the lines of, "yeah, sorry about that. I guess I just got carried away." But here's my favorite quote from the article:

Former Army Secretary Togo West, who accompanied Clinton to Bosnia, said he was
not surprised "that there could be confusion" when someone who has taken a number of trips tries to recall details of a particular trip 12 years earlier.

Does that mean there was another trip where there was sniper fire? I'll be frank: of all of the trips I've ever taken, I'm quite certain that there was never any risk of sniper fire. So unless she can produce video of them ducking and covering at another airport, I'm not interested in anything else she has to say.

...oh yeah, I just remembered: my morning pee happened as scheduled. There was no sniper after all.

Smelling of Wine and Laundry Detergent

Yeah, that's a knife sticking out of a wine bottle. If you are observant, you may have also noticed the bits of cork scattered across the kitchen counter or the purple splatter on that canister of bread crumbs on top of my lunch box. Out of the frame are the purple spots on the floor, my face, the wall behind me, and the upper counter by the tea kettle.

"But Jamie, why didn't you use that corkscrew right next to the wine bottle?"

I tried. That's where the bits of cork came from.

So after I failed spectacularly with the corkscrew (and yes, I realize the wine opening technology has improved vastly since the 1970's), I tried the vegetable peeler. And then I tried the paring knife.

I'm not sure what I expected to happen, but I definitely hadn't anticipated the Molotov Rioja! I'm also rather impressed that my eyes sealed themselves shut just before the shower. Sadly, I needed to open my eyes to find the paper towel, and I can report that red wine burns just as much as shampoo or face wash.

I left the knife in the bottle while I went to change, and leave my (thankfully) red sweater and brown t-shirt in the washer soaking. I took evidence photos. And I wiped up the counter before the wine had a chance to stain... well, almost. I'm sure Scott will be able to get the last of it out with something stronger than a Clorox wipe!

And then I tried to pull out the knife and cork. It didn't work, and I had to push the knife back down to get it un-stuck. And you know what happened? I bet you do! But somehow I didn't expect the same damn thing to happen again! Of course, this time the wine got all over my white t-shirt, which I'm still wearing because - meh - it's an old shirt that I only wear to bed anyway.

I still wanted to at least try the wine, despite the bad cork omen. So I poured it through a metal strainer to catch the tiny bits of cork. I actually don't think the wine is bad, especially considering the cork and the metal trauma it had been through. Sadly, I can't possibly save it. My only other vacuum topper is on a bottle of white that I enjoyed much more, and the cork is still floating in the bottle.

So cheers to you! Anyone have a story that will make me feel better about this?

Not Your Typical Easter Post

I forgot my camera today, so I have no pictures of the eggs. Hopefully they'll still be there on Thursday. I do, however, have some interesting Easter videos for you. The first was courtesy of my mom (though I found it on YouTube for ease of posting), and the other courtesy of Scalzi's blog.





If that wasn't enough for you, there's a rather amusing one from the fine folks at Cadbury. Who doesn't love the British sense of humor?

Happy Easter!

Amazingly enough, we're really slow at The Restaurant tonight, with about 20 people fewer than we had last night. I'm bringing my camera today to take pictures of the two chocolate eggs gracing our location this year, and maybe I'll actually get them posted before it's no longer Easter!

If not, they'll appear some day.

Spring Training Recap

I am so incredibly tired. Fourteen hour days are just tough on the body and the mind - there's no way around that. Of course, I did the math and realized just how much extra money I grossed this week, and it did ease the pain a little. So here's some random things about Spring Training:

* Of the 9 stations the employees rotated through, only one was the actual hotel side of The Hotel. Front Desk/housekeeping/bell services all shared one space. And their only hand-outs were the chocolates you get on your pillow at turn-down! The other stations were run by the restaurants, the bakery, recreation/spa, conventions and merchandise.

* The Restaurant this year was serving poulet rouge (red feather chicken, originally from France, but now raised in North Carolina) with lentils and a chicken cream sauce. Sadly, The Chef never did figure out a way to keep the little chicken roulades from drying out in the chafing dish. The result: more sauce later in the day! The other restaurants were handing out chocolate gelato, seafood bisque, and one-bite prime rib sandwiches.

* I think I convinced The Chef to go back to short ribs & potato puree next year. Let that other restaurant serving the prime rib go back to serving strawberry soup!

* They fed us pretty well between sessions. Cuban sandwiches for lunch yesterday, steak sandwiches the day before, plus chips, salad, and fresh fruit.

* Over the course of the two days, I had 4 cans of coke and probably 10 cups of fruit punch/lemonade. Yes, I'm weak. And I have no doubt that if I worked a day job and always had to work at 6 am, I would be a coffee drinker. Mornings are tough!

* I really enjoyed seeing all the managers let their hair down between sessions. Our station became the congregation point for the food & beverage people (including our operations manager) to hang out, and I overheard some things I wasn't supposed to, and witnessed some merciless teasing.

* I worked my butt off down there. On day one, I passed out food/forks/napkins and replenished our supplies when they were low. On day two, we drafted our operations manager to our team, and he helped us plate and serve and I took over part of the presentation. I got all of the "fun" details like the dress code, the child policy, and the reason we ask 20 questions when you call to book a reservation. I also got to mention the employee discount... when The Boss didn't steal my thunder!

* The bosses are already talking about how much better that worked out, and are planning on a 3-man team next year as well.

* Had Scott not come to see me at work yesterday, I would probably have gone 3 or more straight days without seeing him awake.

Bumper Sticker Fun

And now for something a little lighter!

Who Wants a Political Rant?

Mom,

The jobs are going to other countries. That's a fact. The blue-collar jobs are going to developing countries, and the engineering/technology jobs are going places with a better educated work force.

Do you really think the people who shop for everything at Wal Mart because it's cheap care whether that made-in-Bangladesh sweater was made by someone making 10 cents/hour? The same sweater made in the USA by a worker making a "whopping" $6/hour would cost probably twice as much.

And remember the most motivated kids in my high school? Ushma, Debanjan, Sundip, the Lee brothers… in short, the Asians and the Indians. Well schools all over the eastern hemisphere are turning out students who are better at EVERYTHING than we are. And they're not coming into the US and "stealing our jobs" anymore. They stayed at home, built up their economies, and are making it difficult for the US to keep up. It's a reality that we aren't the richest or most powerful nation in the world. We don't deserve to be. Our education system is crumbling, and it's the complacency and bickering everywhere from local school boards to the US government causing that problem. Those other countries care about their future. They care about their children's future. And they're actually doing something about it.

My generation (or maybe even the one before mine) could be the last that sees people from Europe and Asia coming to America, "the land of opportunity." Sure, things are better here than Mexico or Cuba, but does anyone really want to measure us against that ruler?

I know in my heart that you are not one of those people who doesn't care about the mess you leave behind for your grandchildren to clean up. Education is important NOW. The economy is important NOW. Health care is important NOW. Iraq is less important. In the grand scheme of things, even $4 gas is less important. Crackpot preachers are NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL.

Read the whole speech. Pretend it's John McCain or GWB or Ronald Reagan saying the words. Get past the messenger and read the message. If you must listen to right-wing talk radio, listen to the left, too. You don't have to agree with the spin, but at least you'll be exposed to more than one side's rhetoric and become more adept at recognizing it for what it is: propaganda.

Still to come if I'm still on my soap box tomorrow: health care and health insurance. Stay tuned.

Sleep Deprived Humor

Actual conversation in my office at 2:30 pm:

David: Hi. I'm David. I'm the media manager here at The Hotel.
Me: Nice to meet you. I'm Jamie. I… sit at this desk.

Eight more hours of work? Is that really a good idea?

Boo!

Well, I'm at 8 am tomorrow. Wish me luck with that! Also, I wanted to remind you all that tomorrow is March 20 - the day to wear your favorite sweater! I bought myself a red zip-up sweater yesterday just for the occasion.

Scott had a meeting this afternoon, so he and I had lunch together, and then wandered aimlessly around Disney's Hollywood Studios (can I still call it MGM?) for a little while. He left for his meeting just in time for me to catch the new "Block Party Bash" parade.

I read someplace recently that John Lassetter has done little more in his new position within Disney than put his Pixar products in as many places as possible. This parade (transported from California Adventure) does little to dispel those thoughts. Oh - and the next attraction to open at the Park-Formerly-Known-as-MGM is a Pixar-themed shoot 'em up ride. Funny, I enjoyed that the first time around when it was called Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin!

But I digress. The parade (which isn't a traditional parade by any means) is cute. The only characters are Pixar-branded: those from Toy Story, the much-ignored A Bug's Life, and Monsters, Inc. with surprise appearances from the Incredibles. The non-character performers are dressed in outfits that look like someone threw Austin Powers and Pixar into some sort of costuming blender.

The "block party" portions where the parade stops feature trampoline performers, dancers, and performers on scooters. I didn't get any pictures of those because I didn't do my homework ahead of time. I was at the very start of the parade, where the floats race past in less than 5 minutes, and then I leap-frogged the parade and caught it at the end... where the floats once again don't stop! How's that for dumb luck? Well, I got some cute pictures of the characters and some of the dancers. Next time I'll watch from a better spot!

Let it Be So...

If you haven't read or seen Obama's speech yesterday, I recommend reading the whole thing. I won't tell you what Scott said upon seeing an excerpt of it, but it brought an actual tear to my eye. Anyway, I wanted to share a portion of the speech here and keep it for posterity.

Am I alone in thinking this could be "the speech" of my generation? I just can't wait to hear what he has to say when added to the Hall of Presidents!

We can play Rev. Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words.

We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other
distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children.

This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st Century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the emergency room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care, who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life.

This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag.

We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for president if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected.

And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation -- the young people whose
attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this
election.

Baby!!!

Congrats Beth and Brian on your newest addition!!!

(the kid is 3 days old and has his own blog... that's impressive)

The Raise

Wow... one little line in a blog post sure generates discussion I didn't think about. Just to clarify a little bit:

* Because my job is no longer unionized, my raises are merit-based. I thought this was extremely cool last year because I work hard and I deserve more than Joe Schmoe who sits there and does minimal work and gets a guaranteed 4-5% raise. Surely I'd be recognized beyond that!

* The raises are figured out on a scale of 1-5 (of course the company has cute little names like "meets expectations" and so on... but there's 5 of them, so I'm sticking to my 1-5 analogy). In 2006, after having been at The Restaurant for 5 months, my boss rated me a 4. He said he couldn't rate me a 5 because I still needed something to strive for or something like that. Still, 4 is a "B" performance - nothing to complain about.

* I was rated 4 in December 2006, and my raise kicked in in April 2007: a whopping 3.5%. To this day, I am still making about 30 cents per hour less than I was making at the RCC. Still, it's a trade-off because a) I'm so much less stressed and b) I make a ton of overtime here. I'm definitely bringing home more money.

* This past December, I was rated 5 (the only person in my location to do so). The raise hasn't kicked in yet, and I don't know what it is. I've got my fingers crossed for 5%... but even that doesn't seem that great considering everything I did last year. Even at only 4%, it'll still bump me over what I was making at the RCC... and within $3 of what Scott makes.

Anyway, when I was talking in that last entry about justifying a raise, at this point, whatever I do won't be reflected in my pay for another 13 months... and that's only if I'm still at The Restaurant in 13 months. It's sort of academic.

Spring Training

This Thursday and Friday are "Spring Training" at The Hotel. It's that lovely time of year when the unwashed masses convene in the convention center (where better to convene, really?) to learn tidbits about aspects of The Hotel we might not know.

Last year, we got to taste gluten-free cookies from the Bakery, saw a sneak peak of the newly re-designed rooms (including the sweet flat panel TVs), learned about the Swarovski flip flops for sale in the women's shop, etc.

Each little booth is manned by the managers of the location. Last year, due to The Boss's impending back surgery and the fact that he and The Chef had an awards ceremony to attend, Girl Chef and I had fun running the last round of presentations. Ironically enough, I dished out food while she talked. And in case you were wondering, 4-star cuisine can look like dog food on a plate, but it still tastes great!

This year, I imposed my will on my bosses early. About 6 months ago, I found a stash of old menu paper and proclaimed that we would use it to make this year's hand-out. I held onto it, and last week I finally got around to making the hand-out. Actually, I made two. One was visually pleasing, but quite verbose. The other was a large print bullet point list of facts. And The Boss and I actually agreed that the pretty one was the way to go, even though half the staff of The Hotel probably couldn't read it even if they wanted to! Good for us for not catering to the lowest common denominator!

The Boss also decided he wants my help during the event. That's slightly problematic for the following reasons:

* the first session starts at 8 am. That means two 14-hour days.
* the last session runs from 3-5 pm, which I couldn't do because of my "real" job.
* did I mention 8 am? or the 14-hour days?

I know from experience that when The Boss wants me to come in for something special, it means running around doing a whole lot of random errands/odds & ends. I imagine this particular project would mean a bunch of trips between the convention center and the office.

I'll probably go... even if the days will be long and painful. The food is good at Spring Training, and I know from last year that they feed the managers even better stuff between sessions. And it'll be one more thing to add to my list of "this is why I deserve a raise" at the end of the year. Isn't that what's most important? ;-)

More Chemical Warfare

Well, Scott's late-night chili dogs didn't do me in. However, I found myself closed up in my office today for 3/4 of my shift with 15 chairs fresh from refurbishment... complete with that "new chair smell," a.k.a. fresh varnish.

Wheeze!

Farewell, Cruel World(?)

About ten minutes ago, Scott finished eating the following:

* 2 hot dogs
* with spicy mustard,
* chili,
* and cheese
* plus a bowl full of chili
* with more cheese

If this is my final entry, it is probably safe to assume that I was overcome by fumes while sleeping.

Poor Milo was the first to go. Luckily, I was able to find a 24-hour taxidermy place to mount his head on a plaque. I find comfort knowing he didn't suffer long. And I will be comforted by his presence as I drift off into eternal sleep.

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take

Disclaimer: Milo was not harmed in the making of this blog post. In fact, since he sleeps 2 doors removed from Scott, I hereby leave my blogging empire to him.

Lifetime Movie Cliches

I'm not lying when I say that Lifetime (TV for Women) is not one of my guilty pleasures. In fact, I generally flip right past that channel when I'm surfing.

Sadly, there's not a whole lot to watch on Sunday afternoons. So today I watched two Lifetime movies. Since I did, I thought it would be fun to list a whole bunch of Lifetime Movie Cliches and let you pick which you think were woven into the two tales I watched today:

A. Teen pregnancy
B. Teenager murders her parent
C. Husband murders his wife
D. Cancer struggle
E. Adoption/infertility
F. Adultery
G. Teen daughter seduces her stepfather
H. Anorexia/bulimia
I. Suicide
J. Christmas miracle
K. Mother & daughter fight with each other
L. Blackmail
M. Mother & daughter come together in the end

Made your selections?

OK, give yourself a point for each of the following: A B C E F G I K L M. That's right - 10 cliches rolled up into a mere 4 hours of television!

The first movie, which absolutely left me in need of a shower, was Mini's First Time. I missed the actual (G) and (F) in the first half hour, but was there when the mother tried to (I), and the (B) and (C) happened, followed by (L). This movie had an impressive cast - Carrie Anne Moss, Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Jeff Goldblum... I imagine Lifetime must be paying well!

The second movie was Mom at Sixteen. This one was definitely more of an after-school special. As you can imagine, (A) (E) (K) and (M) fit neatly into a two hour package: Teen mom lets her mom raise the baby as her own, but decides she wants to raise him herself. Then she decides to give the baby up for adoption to her barren high school teacher and her husband the swim team coach.

Everyone now: riiiiight!

So how'd you do in my little quiz? I sure had fun with it... possibly even more fun than watching these movies!

Day Off!

I found someone to cover my shift tomorrow, so I'm going to spend 8 paid hours curled up on my couch watching movies.

…and drinking orange juice

…and taking AirBorne

…and consuming lots of soup and hot tea (anything to open up my sinuses!)

Sick pay: it's a beautiful thing!

That Song!

I made it through my entire birthday without anyone feeling like they needed to sing Happy Birthday to me. I made it through the visit with mom two days later. And I even made it through work... right up until around 8:00 last night.

Girl Chef brought in an ice cream cake on Monday, forgetting that I wouldn't be there, and then she took Thursday off. So last night she brought it in the office with a candle and everything and made both managers sing to me. And then I got some Spanish birthday song too!

Bonus: I cut 5 pieces out of it for me, the chefs, and the bosses. I would have cut up the rest and let her feed the kids in the kitchen (not the servers, because I'm bitter and petty), but she made me take it home to Scott. So now there's 1/2 of an ice cream cake in my freezer. Yum!

Blue Steel

I'm sick, and am working on a Nyquil hangover. So here's a picture from my birthday... at Spaceship Earth (for Dummies) between my "birthday around the world" (Japan for dinner, drinks at Italy, dessert at Norway) and the party at Jellyrolls:

Happy Birthday to... MILO???

I barely got the paper off the box before Milo claimed it as his own! (Kilo never had a chance)

And of course, once Scott opened up the box, Milo moved right in.



I hereby open comments for photo captions and birthday wishes... because I'm shameless like that!

What Are You Doing March 20?

Won't you wear a sweater?

Friday Video Clip

I heart Stephen Colbert, but I think this clip from Wednesday night's show might kill his presidential dreams forever!



...of course, his kickin' music choice could bring him back!

Note to Self:

Before deciding to leave the living room windows open over night, take 30 seconds to check weather.com and make an informed decision as to whether that is the best thing to do.

The AOL main page informed me that it was 39 degrees when I woke up this morning. That explains why, even with a sweatshirt on last night, I woke up with sore muscles from sleeping tightly in the fetal position!

oops!

Discount Fashion Show

Scott escorted me out today to shop for a new "party shirt," since this one has been photographed WAY too many times. I found three shirts that I just loved, and ended up deciding against one because it was solid brown, and I have a lot of brown in my wardrobe right now.

The first shirt I bought has really cool open rings on the shoulders, which presents a little weird bra strap situation, but it's all good. Obviously, my hair is long enough to cover the shoulders anyway. It is really comfortable, looks pretty decent, and nothing in my closet looks anything like it. I think this one is going to make its debut at the baby shower I'm going to on Saturday. It's more of a "daytime" look than the other shirt.

And speaking of the other shirt, it's PURPLE! I don't have any other purple shirts in the mix right now, except for a short sleeve sweater. But this one is so much cooler! Check out the giant fake belt/belt buckle! This one I think I'll be wearing out for my birthday dinner and the subsequent get-together.

I also got a brown "pea coat" that's just a cotton shell with a simple liner. I doubt it would keep me warm, but it looks like a nice jacket on top of that flowered shirt. And the total for all 3 was under $30.

Fashion is fun, but discount fashion is so much better!

Mrs. Houdini Did It?

Gross: Entering the stall in the women's room, only to find out the last person didn't flush.

Disturbing: Seeing that there is no toilet paper in the bowl.

Is there a woman alive who doesn't have to wipe?  TruckerMom? Any insight into this phenomenon?

Anyway, just thought I'd share with the group.  I'm good like that!

Mail Call

It's probably for the best that I don't own Post-It notes. Otherwise, the following would be on my downstairs neighbor's front door:

G.S. -

Glad to hear that you're getting laid, but would prefer to not actually hear when you're getting laid.

-P.H.

Honestly, two nights in a row after midnight is a bit much for me to stomach. When Mia lived downstairs, her romps were at least entertaining. His romps are so... aerobic that they jingle my wind chime alarm clock!

...at least they don't last very long.

Highway Robbery

I filled up my gas tank this morning with the cheapest gas in the 13 miles between home and work.

For $3.09/gallon.

I'm pretty sure the last two times I filled up, I paid $2.92 and $2.99.  That's an increase of 17 cents per gallon over 2 weeks.

What the heck is going on???

Florida Voter Fraud? You Decide

Note: I am not actually accusing anyone affiliated with the Lake County Supervisor of Elections of voter fraud.  I just found this interesting.

I bet many of you know that when I first moved back to Florida (right after the turn of the century) and traded in my NJ Driver's License for a Florida License, I registered to vote as a Democrat.  A few weeks after this, I was mailed my very first Voter Registration card, which showed a big fat R under my party affiliation.  Gah!

I had a good laugh about this, and then after the Bush-Gore debacle, I actually half-wondered whether there was a secret underground society of DMV people who try to force Republicanism on new drivers.  I doubted it.  After all, had I chosen to vote in that election (you remember - the one in my lifetime where my vote could have changed history), I could have done so regardless of my party affiliation.  And they did send me a corrected card once I notified them of the "mistake."

This week, Scott and I both received "official election mail" from our good friend Emogene Stegall. Both envelopes included our new voter registration cards.  I looked at my card and was elated (yep… elated) to see that our polling place has been moved from the local fire station to the library at the front of our apartment complex.  That's right, we can WALK to vote, then get a coffee at the coffee shop inside the library (yep… you read that right… the new library is practically a Barnes & Noble!), then walk a little further for some pizza or Chinese food to celebrate.

OK… there was a little tangent there.  Sorry.  The important thing to remember is that I had to look at my card to see that my polling place had changed.  Scott opened his envelope later on and left it on the table. I picked it up and realized that his envelope also included a letter in large bold font explaining that his polling place had changed, and exactly where and why and when the changes would take effect.

Please note that my husband the Republican got written notification of the change, and that I the Democrat received no such notification.

I smell a rat… a rate the size of an elephant!

I-4 Flop Sweats...

...and two other short stories

I am sparing my viewing public a photo of the t-shirt I just took off. After driving Scott up to the Saturn dealer via I-4 and 528 and then right back again, the shirt has pit stains about 6" in diameter. No lie. It's gross. And that's with Secret Clinical Strength AND a spray of Arrid aerosol. That combination gets me through the average 12-hour day, but not less than 2 hours of driving at highway speeds.

Amazing that I plan on driving my fair share of the 1,000+ miles from here to NJ this summer. Scott will be doing most of the driving around big cities... that's for sure!





Brokeback Barrel



I know it's a little hard to tell what this picture is. It's a page out of a calendar on the wall at the Cracker Barrel on route 27 near I-4. Scott and I were seated under this print one day and nearly shot Coke out our nostrils making fun of it. The painting shows two men (fully clothed), one laying on his stomach, and the other one straddling his hips.

I can't completely remember, but I think the caption talks about this being the best way to dislodge something from a choking victim... via the rectum (ok, I might have added that last part!).

Anyway, during our odyssey last week, we found ourselves once again in the same restaurant and we actually saw the print. I waited until the family seated at "our" table left, and then snapped this pic with my camera phone. I'm pretty sure I got nasty looks from the old people in at 11 am for lunch, but that's their problem, not mine!

Ben & Jerry: Politics With a Swirl of Caramel

It seems Ben & Jerry have endorsed Barack Obama. While I was saddened that the article didn't mention a flavor called Obama-Rama, I did enjoy the story:

The founders of Ben & Jerry's endorsed Barack Obama on Monday, and lent his Vermont campaign two "ObamaMobiles" that will tour the state and give away scoops of "Cherries for Change" ice cream...

Echoing Obama, Greenfield said he and Cohen succeeded when they opened their ice cream shop 30 years ago in Burlington by doing things differently, instead of copying the "tired ways" of doing business.

"What we saw is that when you want real change it's not a marketing slogan. You have to do things differently. And that is not going to be done by someone who's been involved in the system for years and years," Greenfield said. "It needs to come from inside and Barack Obama has it."

I haven't been able to find out the exact content of "Cherries for Change," but if it shows up in the Publix freezer section, I will buy that instead of Americone Dream until November!

Put a Little Love in Your Tummy!

Our Chef gave a bunch of us bricks of "special chocolate" (I asked if it was like "special brownies," but all the management types just pretended they didn't hear me) a while back, and I hadn't thought of what to do with it.

Dark Belgian chocolate, it turns out, melts nicely and gives a nice coat to a bunch of strawberries. These are going to go so well with the bottle of Rosa Regale in the fridge... especially after the dinner Scott has planned for tonight.

This Box of Chocolates is Like Life!

Scott bought me a Whitman's Sampler heart-o-goodness for V.D. this year. I haven't had one in a million years, and was so excited to have good chocolate for a change (as opposed to the crap we bring to work to share).

I was a little surprised when I opened the box and discovered there was no map. I didn't know which were caramel, nougat, or coconut. I still don't! We managed to figure out the cherry cordials without much ado, but I'm constantly getting frustrated with the different truffle flavors. Luckily, I'll eat just about anything covered in good chocolate (but NO BUGS), and can handle a little "white mystery filling" in my life.

But it's so true: You never know what you're gonna get!

Unsolicited Parenting Advice

...from someone without children

I really don't have much business dispensing advice... to most people. However, I can not imagine a situation where the following story could be considered good parenting!

I awoke at 3 am to the sound of a screaming child. These weren't the screams of a baby, but of a child probably 3-4 years old having an absolute melt down. I had the bedroom windows open, and could tell that the noise was coming from outside and not in another apartment. And I listened to this screaming for at least 5 minutes.

I also heard two other voices, one male and one female (I'll assume they were the parents of the little night screamer). They tried reasoning with the child. They tried threatening the child. They pleaded with the child. From what I gather, the child didn't want to put his/her shoes on. So they wouldn't let him/her get out of the car. Later, I heard one of them say "fine, go without your shoes. just don't step in any dog shit." Then Mom started the "count to three" crap. And when she got to three, she said she was taking away a specific toy.

And during all of this, the child didn't stop screaming.

Finally, from the sounds of it, they grabbed the kid and dragged him/her into their apartment, screaming all the way.

So really. Does anyone else think that the fact that the child was up at 3 am might have contributed to the situation? Get your child home at a decent hour! And if your child starts screaming in the car, get him inside and into bed. And for goodness' sake, on the street at 3 am is NOT the time to experiment with various parenting techniques. The rest of us don't care how you get the child to stop crying, only that you do it quickly.

Next time, I'm just going to fire my air horn out the window.

Dr. Jones

Adventures in Dining

Scott and I found ourselves spending more time and money dining out over the past few days than we would have preferred.  We ate breakfast at Chick Fil A on Tuesday and Cracker Barrel on Wednesday, skipped lunch both days, and ate dinner at sit-down places both nights.

Tuesday night, we went to Up The Creek, which is a chain that I had never heard of, but Scott has fond memories from college.  The menu can be summarized in three words: Southern/Deep Fried. We both had catfish for dinner, served with hush puppies and french fries (fried/fried/fried). And the appetizer platter: a combo of onion rings, chicken tenders, popcorn shrimp, hush puppies, chicken tenders, fried green tomatoes, and fried pickles.

Yeah, deep-fried pickles.

I'm shocked that we didn't have to sign a waiver acknowledging what we were about to do to our arteries!

Well, at least the peach cobbler wasn't deep-fried!

And then there was last night's adventure. I decided that I wanted a meal from a chain restaurant, because I was looking for something more along the lines of "comfort food" ("comfort" to me is just familiar food… not necessarily home-cooking).   We were driving down US 19 looking at the strange sights when I saw a friendly-looking dive with patio tables and umbrellas outside. It was called Pasco Patio. Well, I joked to Scott that we should eat there, and he said he didn't think they would serve us, since they were a furniture store.

Sure enough, those friendly patio tables outside were just a sampling of the entire store full of patio tables inside!  Oh, how I laughed.  I don't really know if this is something that the rest of the world would find funny, or if I just laughed because I was exhausted and cried-out.  But I still think it's funny.  A while down the road, we passed a Pier 1 Imports, and told Scott I had heard excellent things about their wine list.

We ended up at the Olive Garden, where I had the best thing they've ever put on their menu: steak gorgonzola alfredo.  I couldn't believe how good it was!

And now, my bank account and I are going to spend a few days in detox.  Nothing fried, nothing from a restaurant, and lots more fruits and veggies.

Happy News

Scott was sitting at the computer this morning (you know... 10 minutes ago) relaying top headlines to me. He showed me a picture of Obama, hand up in the air in a victory stance, and then went on to tell me that a beagle won Westminster. When I asked whether he won it all, he said "yes, best in show." Ironically enough, I had gone back to asking about Obama. I made the comment that he must be almost dead even with Hillary in delegates now.

I actually went "WOO!" out loud when I logged on and saw on the AOL main page, "Obama takes the lead in delegates." Woo! I said it again!

The Associated Press count of delegates showed Obama with 1,210. Clinton had 1,188, falling behind for the first time since the campaign began. Neither was close to the 2,025 needed to win the nomination.

And one more time for good measure: Woo!

Guess What I'm Doing Today!

Yep... getting a hair cut! I'd say it's necessary. Actually, it was necessary two weeks ago when Scott looked at me and said, "I thought you were going to get your hair cut." When the husband notices, it must be bad!

Other plans for the day include going to Borders with Cat and wandering the aisles of various stores killing time before she gets off from work. Oh yes - and I also plan to not take any more pictures that show that my left ring finger is curved to the side. How weird is that!?!?

Assorted Nuts

Just some random thoughts:

Oh golly! Does Obama actually have a chance? All of a sudden, I find myself hoping against hope that the Florida and Michigan delegates don't count at the convention. GO-bama!

Happiness is: the first day of a new battery in my electric toothbrush!

I learned yesterday that I really love a good Reuben sandwich. Individually, corned beef, sauerkraut, 1000 island dressing, swiss cheese, and rye bread are items I generally avoid on a sandwich. But put them together and they become an irresistible tour de force of culinary delight!

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are musical geniuses. My current favorite cover: Leavin' on a Jet Plane. Although I must say, my favorite version of that song is in Armageddon when Ben Affleck and the guys sing it to Liv Tyler. I always laugh and cry at that part of the movie.

Over-"Stimulus"ed

I was reading a post over at the Whatever earlier about the stimulus program working its way through Congress right now that will, in a nut shell, give all of us tax-paying adults a check for $600 some time before Summer.

The question was raised about what people were likely to spend their money on, and I got to thinking about it, and I just don't know! It's so rare that we get that kind of money (especially since Scott and I owe $300 in taxes AGAIN this year… grr…) in a lump sum. So below were some thoughts on how I would spend "my" $600 or "our" $1,200:

* I need a new car, but could only put my own $600 towards it in good conscience. Of course, the new car will probably happen before the money comes in, but that's still almost 3 payments I could pay at once.

* $1200 could be spent a few different ways on our summer road trip. (Oh yeah - Did I mention that Scott and I are planning a road trip up north this summer?) That could extend our stay in NYC… in a decent hotel... pay for our theater tickets… maybe even pay for lunch at a fancy restaurant!

* Scott wants a laptop, and $1200 could pay a good chunk of a sweet new Mac Book Air. However, we're not Mac people. And I know if "we" got a laptop, one of us would bring it to work with him every day and the other one of us would never see the thing! But Dell has laptops starting under $500. So maybe that's an idea for one or both of us.

* Stick the money in our ever-rolling 6-month CD (which earned a whopping $82 in interest last year!): $1200 could be a nice addition to the buy-a-house fund.

* Stick the money in checking to be wasted on entertainment, eating out, etc.

* Buy furniture! Do you KNOW how much you can get at IKEA for $1200? Sadly, what I want most is a sofa, and I just don't want to spend that much without first de-clawing the cats. And I think they're both a little old for that now. But I could certainly use a new dresser!

* Two words: vacation fund! The trip to NJ/NY/PA this summer is already budgeted for. But that money could pay for a nice long cruise to somewhere we haven't been before, or a flight to England to visit Alicia, or a trip out to Disneyland!

Scott and I haven't even spoken about this. It just popped into my head, and I thought I would share. Anyone have any good ideas to share?

America Has Spoken...

This was just too perfect to not share with you all...




Of course, sometimes the AOL video doesn't work so great here on Blogger. So here's the link to Mo Rocca's site just in case.

P.S. I love that song from the Daughtry CD. Just thought I'd mention it in case anyone was looking for a cheap-ish birthday gift for me. ;-)

The DemoCat

What better way to follow up a silly political post than with a picture of everyone's favorite DemoCat?

I think this picture looks absolutely tragic, so I shall caption this one: Proof That Cats Don't Always Land on their Feet (even though he was just laying under the table).

Anyone have a better caption?

Stirring the Pot

Scott sent me this... so blame him! Please remember that it's all in good fun.

Just in case you were in danger of getting too caught up in the relatively small matters that divide or bother you about the Democratic candidates...

To be a Republican you need to believe:

1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's Daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him,and a bad guy when Bush needed a 'we can't find Bin Laden' diversion.

3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Viet Nam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

4. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

5. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multinational drug corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies,then demand their cooperation and money.

9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMO's and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

10. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring theInternet.

13. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

14. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

15. Supporting 'Executive Privilege' for every Republican ever born,who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.)

16. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960's is of vital national interest,but what Bush did in the '80's is irrelevant.

17. Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail.

If you don't send this to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be stuck with more Republicans '08.

"Friends don't let friends vote Republican."

Universal Fun

Scott and I went over to Universal Orlando today. We got rained on, I didn't have my ID (no booze for me), and we only rode a handful of rides. But we sure had a lot of fun! Here's some pictures from Scott's camera phone:

And here's the link to the album for Scott, so that he can change his darn myspace profile picture!

Super Freak

Can someone please explain to my how Mike Huckabee is doing so well tonight across the country? The man doesn't believe in evolution, he thinks the Constitution should be re-written to better align with the word of God, and he has jowls like Richard Nixon.

OK, I get it that the Evangelicals are willing to sacrifice our national security and our economy in order to get a President in office who will appoint Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade and prevent stem cell research from catching on...

...but where are all of the logical, rational Republicans?

Janette? Can you explain it to me?

Super!

I hear tomorrow is Super Tuesday. And for some reason, I am incredibly excited about the prospect of sitting in front of the TV all night long flipping between CNN and ABC watching the returns come in.

I found another "choose your candidate" survey thing, and thought I should pass it along to the masses. I really like the graph on this one. It turns out I don't really match any of the candidates, but they say I'm closest to Hillary.

So take the quiz and let me know how it goes. Anyone out there in one of the far corners? Even closer to the center than I am?

A Valid Point

I saw this video at Patrick's Place today:



The man makes an excellent point. Why don't I know how many soldiers have died in Iraq so far this year? Why haven't I heard one single name of someone who died "protecting" me? I read CNN.com every night during my lunch break, and I don't think I read one single story today about Iraq.

Thank you, Montel.

Deadbeat No Longer

Let's start with an admission of guilt: 

Hello, my name is Jamie, and I have terrible credit. The best example of why I have bad credit is that I applied for a Discover Card in college just to get a free PEZ dispenser. It was pretty much all down hill from there. Did you know they expect you to PAY for that stuff eventually?

About 4 1/2 years ago, my student loans defaulted to a point where I got a letter in the mail giving me 2 weeks to make a payment or they were going to start sucking money straight from my paycheck. I called them 13 days after I got the letter, and the man on the other end of the phone explained to me that I had 2 weeks from the date they sent it, and that I was too late. The garnishment was effective immediately.  And 10% of my pay has been going to the student loan people ever since.

Fast forward to a year ago: I started thinking I should be just about done with these payments, and called my company's payroll department to find out what the balance was. Payroll didn't know. They basically told me that they take the money out until the government tells them to stop.  Dead end. And in typical Jamie fashion, I got distracted by something else and forgot all about it.

Finally, yesterday I called SALLIE MAE. A man in India called me back this morning (yes, the US Department of Education has outsourced its call centers to India… I'm still in shock!) and he couldn't help me. He transferred me to a woman here in the US who told me that SALLIE MAE doesn't have my account. She gave me the phone number for PHEAA and I was on my way.

When I called PHEAA, I was mildly amused to find out that it was the deadbeat hotline (ok, "default collections" department, same thing!). The girl I spoke to was so incredibly helpful. She told me I had a little over $3,000 left on the loan, and then went on to explain that because I was paying involuntarily, that my credit is continuing to decline (really - I need to pull my credit score - it's got to be the lowest possible number!). So she sent me the form to do an auto-debit from my checking account. Once I send them the form, they will cancel my garnishment and in 9-11 payments my account will be transferred back to the "good girl" department. So by the time I pay off the loan, it will actually be in good standing.

Of course, I'm thrilled about that. The payments are actually lower than what is being taken out of my paycheck now. What bugs me is my contact with the last person. He never gave me any other options. He told me it was too late, and basically that this was my lot in life. Any time over the past four years, I could have made the call I made today and gotten back on track, but I never knew that was an option.

But enough blaming other people for my issues. This is a happy day. Thank you Andrea for being nice to me and helping me take a step to putting my financial life back together!

Fresh Air

The cats are grateful for the cloudy sky today. The clouds are keeping the temperature down enough to leave the windows open.

...and the cats sure love open windows!

I'm betting this month's electric bill will be the cheapest ever.