I should live where?!?

I was on facebook the other day and noticed a friend had taken a "quiz" to see which state he should live in; or which state best suits you. I decided to take the quiz. Maybe it would confirm that I should be in Texas, or maybe I should be moving to California, or NYC. It was only a five question quiz. And I end up with...

OHIO?!?

What the heck does that mean I wonder.

Laundry

We all hate doing laundry. Admit it. I've never known anyone that looks forward to doing the never ending chore. Some put it off by stopping by the store on their way home from work to purchase a new shirt in order to put the dreaded chore off another day. Others have a two month supply of underwear and socks... just in case. Sometimes clothes end up scattered around furniture and floors because there is no more room in your hamper. I'm not saying any of these circumstances apply to me but I've heard from friends and such. The following case however was something I felt needed to be share and with permission I do so. It was a completely random instant message sent to me from a friend at work the other day.

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okay. This may be TMI. I have to vent.
It's time to do laundry. So I'm wearing my last resort panties. They're HORRIBLE! There's this GIANT hole under the waist band that tears just a little bit more every time I pull them up. Then there's the fact that really is no point to pulling them up (or wearing them at all for that matter) because by the time I walk from the bath room to my cubical they're already down around my thighs. The ONLY thing that holds them up at all is the the crotch of my PANTS! so now I'm wearing some kind of weird mini skirt w/ giant holes in it..... *sigh*

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Moral of the story. Don't put off doing the chore for TOO long. Either that or keep a three month supply...

Please don't run into me.

Saturday was an interesting day. And when I say interesting I mean OMG I’m going to die in my new Nissan Sentra that I just bought three days ago. Which I guess we should talk about that first right? My nice little 1998 Honda Civic died on me the poor thing. The cause you ask? Ohio weather. Kind of ironic right? More specifically the winter weather with all the salt on the roads. Three main, apparently important, pipes under the car rusted out and needed replacing. Add that to the 20 other things (give or take a few) that were wrong with the car and I felt it time to get something newer and healthier. So I bargained my way into a 2006 Nissan Sentra. Of course I wanted another Honda but they were just too expensive for my measley income. My new car is nice though.

But Saturday. I had to make another trip to the dealership, Honda if you were curious, for them to adjust one of my headlights and pick up my sad Honda; aptly named Don. They gave him a car wash though which was awesome. He's so clean now! Just in time for me to sell him. Anyhoo.

I was driving to the dealership with one of my roommates. We were almost there and then.... whoa! Say hello to a white SUV coming in my lane about to run over, or into, my much smaller new car! I had a delay in response because I had never used the horn before. In the mean time my roommate and I let out girly screams (thankfully we're girls) as my roommate grabs onto me as if that's going to save us from a car wreck. Thankfully however the lady realized we were there and pulled back over. I thought I was going to have a heart attack directly following the incident. The lady did feel bad though. She decided to not pull over into our lane and instead drove up next to us and waved and said sorry. That was nice I suppose.

So it was an adventure. One I hopefully will never have to make again.

Who ever said compact cars don't fit much?

Granted they have the commercials that say compact cars are incredibly roomy and wonderful and have all sorts of special camera angles to give the illusion that you really can fit seven people in a two door car. We all know it's not possible. However. I have come to learn that you can certainly fit a lot in them. Two particular instances come to mind. Interestingly, or not so interestingly, both of them have been within the last month and both have been for an hour and a half drive.

First:

A drive from Columbus to Cincinnati at the beginning of our 20 hour drive to Texas. I have a lot of stuff ok? Getting rid of furniture was no problem but how could I possibly give away my *nsync cd collection? Or that pair of shoes? Or that other pair of shoes? It's just not possible. So i n the car they went. Ok, not really everything... I had to make an emergency trip to Cincinnati the night before. But that's a story for another day.

The setup was really quite simple. I got in the car and my roommate piled the stuff on top of me. Amazingly enough it wasn't too uncomfortable. I was able to fall asleep and my roommate woke me up in time for us to miss our exit. Oops.

Second:

A drive from Austin to San Antonio. It's a toss-up as to which was more fun really. Again we were driving a two door car. This trip involved Ikea. I had only been to Ikea once before and it was just a quite run through. This trip however... Ikea is like the best place ever! Anyhoo. There was a particular chair that I was looking for and a tv stand my roommate was looking for. We located both and found the chair to be in a very big box. At least too big in the way of fitting into the trunk, backseat, or even front seat of our car. Thankfully though I had already had experience in packing a car with things that don't quite fit. Once out in the parking lot, the chair comes out of the box and we broke that down to save it in case I needed to make a return. The little legs were stuffed in the back seat no problem. But the chair. Hmm. Even out of the box it was rather large for a compact car. But it was going home with me dang it! For a second time I got in the car and my roommate stuffed the chair in the front seat. This time it was a little harder as the chair was wider then a box. My roommate, a new one this time, stuffed it in as far as possible as I sat there getting smothered by cusioning. When it was just about in we gave up and slammed the door as hard as possible. Bam. Chair in the car. Interestingly enough once I got in a position so my circulation wasn't being cut off I was able to sleep through most of this ride too.

They were both fun trips with a lot of laughs but I wouldn't mind it if I didn't have to take another one in the near future.  :)

Let's compare the San Antonio Washington Mutual building to Polaris' building in Columbus shall we?

Columbus:
- 2 cafeterias with incredibly good food. Like, really good.
- Dry cleaners - perfect for those who seem to have a lot of clothes that need dry cleaning
- Post office/UPS/Fed Ex store - perfect for those who don't feel like driving to your nearest unknown location.
- Starbucks - exceptional cheese danish! And I'm sure coffee for those who drink it.
- Small store - with the absolute best gummi bears ever. I'm not kidding. AND swedish fish. How much better can you get?
- DVD rental - which I never used that service but they then put Previously Viewed movies on sale for cheap. Got a few good ones that way.... although they never sold Step Up.
- Massage service - also never used but it's pretty cool knowing that they have one right?

and then we have my new location of...

Washington Mutual:
- 1 ok cafeteria with prices more expensive then Columbus
- um, yeah that's it. :sigh:

I think I might have gotten spoiled at Polaris you think? I especially miss those gummi bears.

Traffic

When Chase first started asking for volunteers, like myself, for relocation to San Antonio a conference call was set up with someone currently residing in Texas, supposedly San Antonio. Some of the attractions were listed as well as geography, housing, and a notable comment on traffic. As far as I remember, and I confirmed with a friend who moved here as well, it was mentioned that traffic was not a problem because of the newly developed highways.

We were lied to.

There is traffic. As in traffic jams. Everywhere. All the time.

The dirty details.

I never really understood that expression but no less. It is the title of this blog. The details you may ask, or you may hope, are about my move to Texas. San Antonio to be precise. But I think I mentioned that part at least.

I'm sure you all read or at least heard about Chase buying out Washington Mutual. And if you didn't hear about it you seriously need to get out more. Or at least buy a radio for your cave if you don't want to go out. But they did and it was a really fast move too. One day there are two banks the next day *poof* only Chase. So because of this transaction they asked people in my department (and others as well) if we would like to relocate to WaMu's Texas location. As an added bonus of getting out of the cold wintery my car didn't even want to start and I had to sit for ten minutes while my window defrosted enough to be able to scrape it the other day weather Chase is paying us $4000. To some who have kids and a mortgage and lots of expensive furniture that's not much. But as I have none of the above it's a fair amount. They would like us to stay there for two years but as long as we remain within Chase we only have to be there for one. I found a roommate there who just bought a house and if I hadn't left my new computer at home after Christmas I would post a picture of it. I google mapped it and it looks really nice.

I leave Columbus early Friday the 29th with my roommie Laura. She's riding with me in and I'm flying her back. We'll probably stay in Memphis friday night and get to my new residence Saturday evening. Assuming all goes well. And if it doesn't then thankfully we have AAA.

As for my car making it you ask? The driver's side window is taped shut making it impossible to go through drive thru's because I rolled it down one day and it decided not to roll back up. And there's a piece missing off the right side of it with blue touch of paint. And it's a two door car so I'm going to need to get those bags where you vacuum all the air out to hopefully make stuff fit. But according to the place where I get my repairs done (clearly the window and the piece that really isn't missing I just haven't paid to have it put back on are not top priority repairs) the mechanic says that it's in good condition and it should make is just fine. Hopefully he's right.

So. There you go. Details. I'm sure I'll have much more to blog about in the coming days and weeks so stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

Once I had a dream ...
or maybe I read it and incorporated it.
Sometimes, memory of where fails me,
but I know it was good, really good.

There was a world,
and we all lived there, together.
There was peace among all faiths,
and all races; opportunity existed for all.

Everybody celebrated,
celebrated the joy of their uniqueness.
Sharing whatever they had with
those who had need, without obligation.

Together we shared
the planet that we were so blessed with.
The environment was nurtured like a baby,
protected from greedy users and abusers.

There was love there,
love for every living thing.
Understanding how creation of all life
directly relates to us on a personal level.

Joy was daily ritual,
joy for discovery of something new.
Not a form of obedience or requirement,
but a beautiful understanding of balance.

War did not exist,
there was no need for a defense budget.
We were all a part of the big picture;
all people had a voice, we were important.

This was a world of honor,
a world of Jesus and Mohammad,
a world of LaoTsu and Buddha,
where all paths have honor and validity.

Education was second nature,
learning became a way of life for all people.
Religion was not a means of conversion,
but a method of discovering ones own path.

May the new year bring you:
success in your business,
sunshine in your love life,
health in your physicality.

May your country bring you:
peace in world relations,
honesty in their rhetoric,
openness in their policies.

May our educators bring us:
freedom in our thoughts,
knowledge of all things,
lessons in how to think.

May you bring your world:
integrity in your dealings,
love in your friendships,
beauty in your creations.

Once I had a dream...
By John Doelman

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday. Cherish the moments. And remember, don't save it all for Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas from VLC.

I use VLC media player for all of my media needs. i.e. watching videos. This is what it looks like in my start menu...




The other day I opened it to watch a video and found my VLC media player has a Santa hat! I laughed. And thought I'd share. Did everyone finish their Christmas shopping yet?

How to speak Texan. Apparently.

My mom sent this to me. I guess to help with the lingo for when I move.

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Kinky Friedman, entertainer and former Texas gubernatorial candidate, explains how to speak Texanese:

"Y'all is singular."

"All y'all is plural."

"All y'all's is plural possessive."

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Note to self.

Ten things I know about San Antonio Texas

1. Two hours from the beach
2. Seventh largest city in the U.S.
3. Warm during the winter
4. HOT during the summer
5. They have scorpions (which that just might be Texas in general, hopefully not San Antonio.)
6. There are either 7 Universities or SEVERAL Universities. I couldn't understand what the guy was saying in the conference call.
7. There's at least one University.
8. A lot of people live there.
9. I'm going to live there.
10. I really can't come up with a number ten. I don't know if number nine even counted. Suffice it to say it's going to be an adventure.

In case you're wondering, I'm relocating there with Chase. If you pay attention to the news, or even if you don't, you should know that Chase bought out WaMu. They are keeping WaMu's San Antonio center open but want heritage Chase employees to transfer down to be there for the conversion. It should be fun!

Birthday Cakes

There are two kinds of birthday cakes in this world. Ok, there are many kinds but for the sake of this blog there are two.

The kind that look good...

And the kind that taste good...

In case you're wondering why the candles look like they're sliding off the cake it's because my friend thought the un-iced cake was corn bread and cut a huge triangle out of it. :blank stare: A grand attempt was made by the baker to cover it up but it didn't matter what it looked like. It was amazingly yummy and by far the best icing I've ever had on a cake.

Although cake number 1 may have been preferred, cake number 2 came in pretty close to the best birthday cake ever. Thanks Susette. :)

This is the Knight!

STAGE DOOR: TAKE FIVE

As exciting as being with my family was. And touring the city. And my new found Heaven on Earth (blog coming soon…) it was the night of Spamalot. Lovely Spam, oh wonderful Spam! Our seats were in the mezzanine, second row center. First row had been preferred (of mezzanine for my family, I would have been fine with first row orchestra in spitting range of the actors). Because of the later purchase of tickets those taller then 5’2” were cramped into one position, unable to move your legs for fear that you would knee the head of those sitting in the first row who were quite comfortable in their seats. In some cases, jealousy may have cause for those in the second row to have a slight leg jerk every now and then, but I think my family was kind enough to not display such immature behavior. Right?

I won’t go through the details of the show. It was superb, hilarious, and although the previous Lady of the Lake was missed the new one held her own. The replacement of the beloved Tom, who was out sick, was better then the one I had previously seen, but just not Tom. Clay was, well, you already know how I feel on that subject. I think. I hope.

Fast forward to the end of show.

My plan was to leave a little early to get a good spot at the stage door. I’m not sure where my mind was but my “little early” was like, a lot. Apparently I thought they changed the show around and they no longer had a curtain call with the fun sing along, confetti pop, and Clay’s salute? I was already losing my mind. Needless to say I was definitely first outside. Luckily I had the company of Jerome. No one was around so I mentioned this and asked if I could take a picture with him now (as opposed to the previous night). Which how I was ever to manage to take a picture with me and a man who is 6’7” is just a stupid idea. Nevertheless I asked. He declined again and we started talking about I don’t remember what. I remember him mentioning another Broadway rule that you’re not allowed to say the name “Macbeth” within theater walls. To which he continued, “And you know I’m ghetto, so I had to see what would happen”. Or something like that. I remember the ghetto part and that made me laugh. Chalk that up for something else Jerome did wrong in the Broadway scene.

Finally the show was over and naturally the Claymates were first out of the building; running, reaching, lovingly pushing, and finally screeching to a halt the closest they could to the metal barriers. Tonight I had chosen a spot close to the stage door where Clay always starts his signing. I was taking no chances this time.

The stage door crowd was smaller then his first run. Clay’s Champions for Change annual Gala for his charity The Bubel/Aiken Foundation (yes, I’m plugging) in North Carolina the next day may also account for some Claymates not being in NYC. I noticed a lady (Clayfan2001 from the Clayboard) handing her camera to another friend so she could be set to ask for a picture with Clay. I did the same, I asked if Clayfan2001 would take my camera. I showed her how to use it but in my excitement forgot to turn on my flash.

And the door opens. Again… EEEEEEE! I made note of Clay’s height… he really is 6’1” and that he was a very good looking guy. His hair looked darker and he was wearing a white hoodie. And naturally I paid close attention to those nice hands that he has. Ok, I’m totally lying. I remember nothing. Not clearly anyway. I remember him laughing at the can of Spam that my nephew was having him sign. And I think he took my clipboard with my ticket on it. I’m assuming since his signature is on it. I asked for his picture but apparently didn’t hear him respond “give your camera to someone else” so I asked again. (my sister told me that he had said that afterwards) Which now I just feel dumb for asking twice but oh well. I DO however remember that he put his arm around me. I remember that clearly. Tyra Banks would be happy at my “smiling with my eyes” picture. I ALSO shamelessly remember that I did NOT put my arm around him. What the freakin crap? I was looking forward to that halfway hug and I failed! I realized this about the time that the picture was about to be taken and I didn’t want to have my face distorted for my priceless picture to make sure I got that halfway hug.

Clay moved on to the next lady and I got my camera back from Clayfan2001 only to find that it was completely overexposed and you could barely see us. :( Talk about disappointed. But I guess I can only blame myself; if I had remembered to turn on the flash it might have turned out better. Or maybe I can blame my sister for meandering around in the background for too long and not armed and ready with my camera. I like that better. :)

I had plans to get some great pictures with my nice camera to share with my friends. I failed at that too. I got a little too distracted and only remembered that I had a camera in my hand when he was toward the end of the line. I got two pictures… of his back towards me. :rolling eyes:

All and all though it was a great experience and one to cherish. Hopefully I’ll be more prepared next time and remember what is going on and get my hug!

On the bright side, the lady that took my camera, gave hers to the lady who got a good picture of Clay and I. :)

Stage Door: Take Four

If you remember, the last time I was in NYC I showed up to the stage door three times in the hope of seeing Clay. On the stage as Sir Robin was the only time I saw him. But this time….

STAGE DOOR: TAKE FOUR

My sister, brother, nephew and I headed out from the hotel and over to the Shubert Theater alley where Juniors is located for some delicious cheesecake. My sister, Linda, and I shared a piece of something; raspberry swirl I think? I was getting too excited to remember, although I clearly know that Juniors cheesecake is magnificent. It was quite nerve racking - this was going to be my first time seeing Clay up close and personal, not counting first row of Spamalot. He was Sir Robin then, not Clay. My sister, Linda, does not consider herself a fan although she agreed to stand outside the stage door on three previous occasions. Her previous disappointment made her a little skeptical that Clay would make an appearance this night. She mentioned her skepticism to our waiter who kindly shared, with enthusiasm, about the crowds that the stage door brings each night. At least our waiter had a positive attitude.

As soon as the infamous Shubert Theater mustache guy came out and started to set up the gates, my nephew, Bret, and I rushed out of the restaurant leaving the bill behind for my brother and sister. My bad. For the first time I was front and center. Well, slightly right of center, but in the front none the less. Clay's bodygaurd, Jerome, came out to have a look around. Perfect timing for him to watch E! Entertainment interviewers attempting to get short interviews from people. Most people declined but naturally they finally got to the younger crowd hoping for their 15 minutes of fame, or .15 seconds, whichever. E! got their info, and quickly disappeared out of the alley. I was able to talk to Jerome during this time; that was exciting. No really. It was. I asked him if I could get a picture with him although apparently some unknown to the world Broadway rule restricts him from taking pictures with fans. He said he got in trouble for doing so because he didn’t know this unknown rule. Shady. So no picture with Jerome. He left about the time that E! did and a few very long short minutes he exits again with Clay. EEEEEEE! I’m sure he said good evening how is everyone doing? Or something to that effect. That seems to be a popular greeting in the videos I’ve seen but I have no idea what he said this evening. Clay was about halfway around the barricade with his greetings, signatures, and a few pictures and was about three or so people away from me. I flip my hair, straighten it back out, and have my playbill ready. And then….

Jerome, who had been meandering in the background, rushes up, grabs Clay, practically picks him up and pulls him back towards the stage door and into the hall. WTH. Three people away Jerome! Did I have bad breathe? Did he think I was some psycho stalker with an evil agenda? Did he know I was using a playbill from Clay’s first run; that I actually hadn’t seen Spamalot that night? But don’t people do that all the time? WTH. Oh but wait. There is the three E! interviewers rushing back into the alley with their cameras and microphones held high. Are you KIDDING me?!? How many years had I been waiting for this? I hate you all. Anyone affiliated with E! that is.

So no luck Thursday night. I did get the Lady of the Lake’s autograph. I had her sign the front of my playbill since she wasn’t actually listed inside.

As we were walking away we passed by the E! crew (two guys, one girl) where a quite obvious Claymate was expressing her feelings on the matter. I’m pretty sure she was standing next to me at the stage door so she hadn’t gotten an autograph either. The exchange of words was rather amusing. Naturally I had to stop and shake my head in agreement with her. Once her rant was over she huffed off with her friend and my sister asked for a picture of the E! crew. Amusingly enough the girl refused to be in it. Interesting, eh?

Coming soon... my trip to NYC.

This, my friends is Dr. Russel Mikkelson. And me, (and the reflection of my cellphone taking the picture for this blog because it was easier to just email it to myself instead of scanning it) but try to stay focused on Dr. Mikkelson thanks. This was a couple years ago but you get the gist. I hope.

Now you may ask. Who is this and what is the point of this blog? No worries. I shall explain. After which you still may wonder about the point of this blog but I think that’s most of my blogs right? Right. Moving on.

About Dr. Mikkelson…

He’s the director of University Bands at THE Ohio State University. He conducts the “Wind Symphony”. Which back in the day I think used to be called the “Concert Band” but I don’t think that was a fancy enough name for the top band in the School of Music so it was eventually changed. He’s in charge of a lot of other stuff irrelevant for my story but he’s pretty important. As a side note his looks kind of remind me of my dad. Kind of in the same way that Tom Selleck in his Magnum P.I. days did. Although Dr. Mikkelson and Tom Selleck don’t look much alike do they? In which case maybe neither one look much like my dad.

Anyhoo.

Upon starting as a music major at OSU I quickly became acquainted with Dr. Mikkelson. We had to audition for what band we would be in for the year. I decided to play the infamous “Improvisation et caprice” by Eugene Bozza (everyone knows that piece right?) I had played it in several competitions in highschool and I’m pretty sure I got some good scores. Or maybe not, I don’t remember, let’s pretend that I did. Either way I played it. It’s a fast song and if I could still play it you may be impressed. Or not. Whatever. Dr. Mikkelson was anyway. He said something to the effect of “that’s a lot of notes; very good!” Actually maybe he wasn’t that impressed but as a freshman it made me feel good. Coming out of the audition I decided that this is the best professor ever and ooh he is one good looking guy. I hope I’m in his band.

But I wasn’t. Dang it. I was placed into the symphonic band directed by Professor Blatti. He is a very good conductor and picked some good music. And somehow was always quite sweaty by the end of practice.

I think it was my third quarter into the year. A couple weeks into the quarter Professor Blatti slipped on the metal ramp on his way into Hughes hall; the mothership of the School of Music. You may be asking, why a metal ramp? That doesn’t seem very safe, especially in the winter with ice and snow. Well, it may have something to do with the fact that Hughes Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus and has never had any renovations. Clearly this fact had many drawbacks. Metal ramps, no air conditioning, and practice rooms with ancient doors that occasionally, or at least once, locked you inside the room forcing you to climb out the window, crawl around on the roof, while looking into other practice rooms to find someone who could let you out of the practice room you were just in. Not that I ever had this happen. Although I might mention that for such an old building, the gutters are quite sturdy. Just an observation.

As a result of Professor Blatti slipping he pulled something, I don’t remember what but clearly important, and had to be out the rest of the quarter. Now what? Who’s going to conduct? Then Dr. Mikkelson comes in to provide us with an update and who will be taking his place for the rest of the quarter. Him. Omg Dr. Mikkelson is conducting the rest of the quarter? Omg omg omg. Did I look ok? Did I brush my hair before I left my dorm today? Do I have anything in my teeth? Have I practiced any of this music yet? What are we even playing? I don’t remember. I’m holding a saxophone. Do I know how to play a saxophone?

I guess the practice went okay though, I don’t remember any odd looks, although I do remember forgoing food or anything else and going straight to a practice room (not the one that locked people in) promptly after classes.

Anyway. It was a grand quarter and I’ve been a Dr. Mikkelson fan ever since. It’s a shame he’s married, has kids and is a bit older.

Oh. The point of this blog. I saw him today. Me and a few friends went to the marching bands pre-game performance and he conducted the Star Spangled Banner. It’s a little bit grayer but ooh… he still has that nice hair. I also noted that distinct conducting style that I always liked while making a mental note to get to the Wind Symphony concert this quarter.

Go Bucks!

A week or so ago, and when I say a week or so I mean from the time I started this blog, I got a flat tire on my way to work. Actually I'm pretty positive the flat happened over the weekend while my car sat on a nail for two days straight but no matter. Now, it was early in the morning and I don't make it a habit to walk around my car checking for flat tires before I leave. (I later made a note to self that maybe I should start doing this)

So I headed out to work and was on the highway like every other day. This particular day I was chose to follow the speed limit, with my speedometer that doesn't work, while driving in the middle lane. Not too long after getting on the highway a white gas guzzling Mercury SUV, driven by a guy who probably complains about gas prices more then I do, started tailing me. Which is one of my pet peeves by the way. Then he decides he's tired of bothering me and pulls over to the right lane and starts to pass me. Which is another pet peeve fyi, you're supposed to pass people on the LEFT side. However, I guess he realized that he shouldn't bother me by passing on my right, got behind me and went into the correct lane for passing. WTH. Was this guy drunk at 9:00 in the morning?!? He doesn't pass me though which annoyed me (I get very annoyed by little things in the morning) so I look over to give him an evil look. That will show him! Yeah! Evil look! But what? He wants me to roll down my window? Dude. No. Go away.

However, at this point annoying Mercury SUV driver has finally awakened me early, most days it takes me until 10:30 or so, and it finally dawned on me that something could be wrong. (Please remember I’m not a morning person.) So I rolled down my window.

"You have a flat tire!" he yells.
I didn't hear him, "What?!?"
"You have a flat tire! In the back!" he screams while pointing towards my tire.
"Seriously?!?", in a tone that I really don't believe him.
"YEAH! IN THE BACK!"
"Thank you!"

And he drives off. It's at this point that I feel my car shaking for what would have been an unknown reason if I hadn't known I had a flat tire. Understand that I've never experienced having one before. I was now heading on to another highway so I pulled over on the shoulder. First I called work to let them know I would be late. That seemed like a highest priority while sitting on the side of the road with cars zooming past me. Next was Triple AAA (American Automobile Association in case you were wondering. Or it could be Autos Are Amazing. You pick).

Because I was on the side of the highway I supposedly got a Priority One dispatch. Apparently. Maybe they lied. It wasn’t very priority one like. It’s funny really because while I’m sitting there in the heat of the morning I had a AAA truck drive past me. That truck seemed like it would be there in a priority one length of time. Then as I had nothing to do I was watching the highway in back of me and saw a second AAA truck going on down the highway I just got off of. Do do doo. FINALLY, a AAA lady pulls behind me. She get out, says hello, and says, “That is definitely a flat tire”. Thanks for that, I’ll log that away, moving on, can you fix it now kthanx.

She fixed the tire. She showed me the nail. And she advised that the previous owner appeared to have bought three new tires when they last bought tires, the flat one was a lot more worn then the others. And she advised it would be best to buy a new tire.

As a side note, I appreciate AAA lady’s tire advise because she showed me the difference between tires, she appeared to be right, but of course when I actually went to buy a new tire as expected they tried to sell me four new tires. I politely said no thanks, give me just one, the cheapest if possible.

As another side note, I would like to add that I do know how to change a tire. I could probably direct someone in doing it. I think. But should you be a lucky, or unlucky one, to know me, you have to know that there is no way I could jack up a car, drag a 20 pound tire out of my trunk and get it on my car securely, yeah, in your dreams. Or my dreams.

I digress.

I did get to meet a very nice state trooper in the midst of all this. He randomly drove up behind us with his lights on. It’s kind of nice to meet police officer related people without getting a ticket. They seem much more kind and caring when your tire is flat and it didn’t happen because you were speeding. Because I wasn’t. Anyhoo.

Finally everything was fixed and I was on my way to work. I was an hour late. Which is much earlier then if I would have had to fix it myself or course.

Just a quick note to let you all know...

I found out about a half hour ago that Clay is returning to Spamalot in September. September 19th - January 4th. I'll be there in October. But I'm not excited or anything.

In other news, I'm working 60 hours this week so I can have money when I go to NYC in October.

So in case you were wondering I haven't fogotten about my blog. I'm actually working on a blog now, well, at work. The blog is at work and I'm not starting over so you'll have to wait for me to remember to e-mail it to myself so I can post it. However, I can tell you that it's a good one. It's about my second expensive Monday in a row. The first one was me waking up, tripping on my blanket, falling over my alarm clock and smashing my glasses. The second expensive monday is a longer story though so turn your RSS feed on and stay tuned.