My one month Jonas-a-versary

I regret, but not really, that I must interrupt my Clay roadtrip blogs to wish Susette and myself a Happy one month Jonas-a-versary. What is a Jonas-a-versary you ask? Well, it's basically the same as an anniversary. Or a friendaversary. Or some say friend-a-versary. It is googleable so it's a completely valid term. As for a Jonas-a-versary, we are celebrating our one month fandom to the Jonas Brothers.

It begins through some text messages from Susette while she was home sick watching Netflix and a "recommend" came up after she had finished a movie.

That recommend was the Disney TV series "Jonas". Two very important text messages follow:

March 9, 2011 3:11 pm

"I'm watching Jonas. The tv show the brothers by that name have apparently. Lol it is... bad. Lol but entertaining :-)"

March 9, 2011 5:37 pm

"K. So I have a feeling you'd like this Jonas show. Lol"

March 10, 2011

I gain exclusive access to Netflix so I can watch said TV show "Jonas".

March 11, 2011

A new chapter in my life begins. The Jonas Brothers made an appearance on my computer screen for the first time.

Actually that's not entirely true. They had made an appearance when they made a cameo on a Hannah Montana episode but I didn't know who they were at the time and I didn't give it a second thought to find out. I suppose I figured it was a boy band aimed towards tweens and not worth the time.

So there, or here, I was watching this silly TV series about these guys that call themselves the Jonas Brothers. I had to admit, the music was kind of catchy. So it was time to google. And youtube. And wikipedia. And youtube. And youtube.

I would like to put for the record. Clay Aiken has the voice and is undeniable in that department of talent; and for that I'm sure his blogs will remain numerous. No getting out of that one. ;-) But then you have the Jonas Brothers, who are in fact brothers. They play their own instruments, they write their own songs, they actually wrote and recorded their third studio album on a bus (courtesy of Gibson) while on tour with their second album.

The question: How did I miss this great talent until one month ago? With four studio albums, world tours, a TV series, two movies (Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2), obviously plenty of talk shows.... what happened?

The answer: I have no idea. At. all.

So this past month I've been catching up on all that I've missed. You may not believe this, because it actually is quite unbelievable, but I haven't listened to much of anything, not even Clay!, for the past month. Ok, scratch that. I don't want to lie. I haven't listened to anything but Jonas for the past month.

Tomorrow will be past my one month mark of constant Jonas though so maybe I'll shuffle in more music on my iphone. Maybe. Probably not tomorrow.

In other news, thanks to Jonas (credit given mostly to Nick), I have been inspired to once and for all learn the guitar. My fingers have been in much pain writing this blog....

HAPPY JONAS-A-VERSARY SUSETTE!

Roadtrip! 3.1

February 14th. Finally!

Don't you like how I made you wait for this blog? It's just like I had to wait 7 months for my concerts. I'll try to find a worthy excuse for delays of future postings if necessary.

My first concert was in Houston. It was fun to be able to have my sister there with me. Since she was more there for the visiting part and enjoyment of the concert and not for the excitement of meeting Clay she kinda ended up with the job Clay once dubbed as an "enabler". But that comes later. I know you're excited to hear about it but patience my friend.

Our journey started out with the uneventful drive to Houston. Linda again drove because it's, well, Texas. Just go with it.

Our first stop was Azur Salon to get my hair beautified for the nights event. It was a nice salon and I would go back if it weren't for the four hour drive. That and it was incredibly overpriced for a style that fell within hours. Ridiculous.

We stayed at the Lancaster Hotel which was nice, and a perfect location... Directly across from the theater. Naturally I wanted to find the tour bus because that's just what you do before a Clay concert. I think. It's all about preparing. We didn't have to look long. Our view from the window gave it away.


Yep.

So we checked in, got ready, cursed the guy that did my hair, and went for food. It was almost time to meet our group for the meet and greet! Almost....






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wait for it.... wait for it... Part 2

Before my seven months of waiting for my concert series to end I had to do a little touring of San Antonio first. Not that I did this during my seven months of waiting. No no. I waited until my sister, Linda, got in town the day before my concert in Houston. This was so when I got lost I could just use the "touring" excuse as a reason for why I didn't know where I was at. Or, as it turned out, I just had Linda drive everywhere. This being her first visit to San Antonio it made perfect sense.

Some highlights:

Thrift store. A thrift store is a highlight? It's true. I would tell you the name of it and where it's located but so sad I don't remember that part. The point being is this was not your average Goodwill where they sort everything by color and well, good luck. You had your "better" clothes and everything was sorted by size. Actually, I think this made my "highlight" list because I got a really nice skirt for $3.50. Along with the, er, interesting customers.


Facebook check-in number 1:


San Antonio's famous Riverwalk.

It was my second visit to the Riverwalk and I'm not going to lie. I enjoy it as much as others but I don't quite understand why it's on the "must see" places in the United States list. That is to say if there was such a list. Or is there?

Although...

Facebook check-in number 2:

"The County Line" barbeque restaurant on the Riverwalk. Sitting down to eat in the beautiful weather did make a difference in the enjoyment of the trip. One got to enjoy the atmosphere a little more. Plus, there was the bird. Not to be confused with the bird being beautiful. I think Linda would not appreciate such a remark. The bird...

Do you see him? Because he saw us...

Supposedly Linda has a thing with birds pooping near or around or on her. I didn't get the specifics of that story but I let our waiter know it was her fault for his having to clean bird poo off the table. Or I should have maybe.

Facebook check-in number 3:

The tower of the Americas.

There's a restaurant up there with an amazing chocolaty goodness lava cake. A-mazing-ing. The cheesecake was unfortunately not.

Facebook check-in number 4:

The Alamo

I've been to the Alamo before as well but of course everyone visiting San Antonio must go tour the historical site. Naturally, I was incredibly excited to visit again as I was pretty positive the building may have been redecorated or something fun like that. Surprisingly though it hadn't. Hmm. The trip didn't last long though as we got there right as they were making the announcement that they would be closing the building in five minutes. Being the history buff that I'm not I was totally bummed. It ruined my whole day I tell you! Or not really. Whichever.

Facebook check-in number....

Home! Time for bed. I had to get my beauty rest for Clay in Houston... on Valentine's Day!

7 months of planning and waiting ends. Part 1.

It's actually very intriguing looking back at the history of the making of ten days of vacation; which as the followers of facebook might have noticed that vacationing ended at 12:01 this morning. And when I say "this morning" I mean whatever day I started writing this blog. I suppose 2-22-11? Actually it was more like 1:30 in the morning because I had to finish watching Karate Kid before going to bed. Great movie by the way.

The facts are these:

The mid year of 2010 brought news to the Claynation. Wait, I'm sorry, I should have mentioned this was going to be another Clay Aiken blog. But before you stop reading I promise there is other noteworthy material for those who are not fans and are tired of reading blogs dedicated to Clay. Anyhoo. Facts.

It was brought to our attention that Clay would be appearing on a PBS special in many cities. Awesome right? Yes, yes it was. It was then found that some PBS stations had several packages to pledge for. One such package for some channels was for two tickets for a concert and two meet and greet passes. For obvious reasons we all know that there was an upcoming tour now right?

Which brings us to July 27th when I get an email from a lady in Cleveland Ohio about group sale tickets for a Clay Aiken concert on February 19th at the Palace Theater. At that time I was still living in Ohio so of course I would be interested in tickets! Response and deposit sent and the continuation of emails and updates on the Cleveland concert would continue through to February 18th 2011.

Then enters Pittsburgh. I have several friends that I've been "talking" with for years now on a message board. Conversation started and it was decided that Pittsburgh was a good meeting ground for those that could make the trip. With that in mind I purchased my tickets for that concert on August 24th. I got my tickets via email and first concert was set!

Well, as it turned out I decided that I would be moving back to Texas in September. With that knowledge a new opportunity arose. I had missed the PBS special in my area but it just so happened that the Houston show had not aired. On September 8th 2010, from the comfort of my room in Columbus, Ohio I called the PBS station in Houston, Texas. Obviously I couldn't see the show or know what kind of things they had pledging so I kindly informed the PBS lady that I was out of town (very out of town) and was wondering what packages they had. They had this, this and this. And I not at all quickly decided on the 2 concert tickets and 2 meet and greet passes. Being that I've wanted to meet Clay since 2005 it was a hard decision to make I can assure you. Or not...

So in the end, or the beginning, as of September 8th, before I even moved to Texas, I was set to have two concert tickets to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. And of course two meet and greet tickets for Houston. This was panning out to be the best concert series I've ever been to!

So between July 27th-September 8th planning was taking place. There would be tweaks here and there before the concerts but for the most part it was time to wait.....

Have I mentioned...

On Valentine's Day I'm meeting Clay Aiken.

Peanut tricks

I talk about my roommate's cat from time to time and how awesome it is that she can do tricks. So thought I'd film it and share.

Good Samaritan Returns Man's Signed Paycheck

With all the fraud I see and work with in my job this story just about made me tear up... I'm glad it made the news! :)

---

Good Samaritan Returns Man's Signed Paycheck

Friday, April 23, 2010 7:33 AM

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man said Thursday that losing his paycheck helped him find the good in people.

Shaun Siva said he was going to cash a paycheck last weekend when his boss asked him to make a stop at Staples to pick up some paper.

So Siva folded his check, put it in his pocket, and did as his boss asked, 10TV's Brittany Westbrook reported. But when he arrived at work, Siva realized that his nearly $500 check was gone.

"At first I was just thinking, it could be inside the house somewhere," Siva said. "I'm just thinking I didn't want it to be lost somewhere."

Even worse, Siva said, was that he had already signed the back of his check.

"I told my mom and sister and my dad to look everywhere," he said. "They told me that couldn't find it."

Siva's family was unable to find the check, but Robert Maddrey could not ignore it.

"I see this little check floating along, so I walked down to the library and got on the Internet and I looked up the address that was on the check," Maddrey said.

Maddrey then walked to Siva's house to make a special delivery. Siva's mother was the one who answered the door.

"At first she thought I was a salesman with Direct Energy trying to lower rates on the gas bills," Maddrey said. "I said, 'Is Shaun here?' and she said no. I said, 'Well, I found his check.'"

Then, Maddrey said, Siva's family then opened up its doors.

"They just offered me the world," Maddrey said. "Sandwiches and drinks, it was really nice."

Siva said he planned to meet Maddrey on Friday and say thank you in person.

"I want people to see this and say, 'You know, there are good people out there,'" Siva said.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/04/23/story-columbus-lost-paycheck-returned.html

Valentine's Day. aka Single's Awareness Day. aka The Holiday from Hell

The Holiday from Hell. That's a new one actually - at least I've never called it that. Until a couple weeks ago when I was talking about Valentine's Day with a friend. I just randomly spit that name out there and I happen to really like it. Clearly I'm not a fan of the Hallmark Holiday, although this year wasn't too bad. Rest assured, there is no change in heart about how I feel about the celebration of February 14th; just that this year's was nice. Why you ask? Well, I started MY Valentine's day (2/12) off with a gift from the friend that I had the discussion with a couple weeks ago. A poem that he wrote for me. I've never had anyone write a poem for me and this one just fit perfectly. A few hours later a good friend gave me a lovely rose - and I was invited to his team's potluck. Score. And at the end of the day I was told by the most wonderful guy I know in Texas that there was something waiting for me at the security desk on my way out. That turned out to be a lovely bouquet of flowers. Upon receipt he sent me a text saying he thought I deserved more then one rose. ::blushes:: So I went home with a smile on my face. Naturally nothing special happened on the day OF Valentine's Day but February 12th made up for it I suppose. I took a picture of my flowers so I would remember in the future that Valentine's 2010 was a good year and I shouldn't throw so much hate towards the holiday. We'll see if that works at all...

Here's my poem... what a great title!

---

The Holiday From Hell

Come with me and together we’ll find,
The perfect way to celebrate a holiday born from someone’s mind,
Containing flowers and skulls and hearts all ablaze,
It’s amazing no one has come up with a way to celebrate this new holiday craze,


A good friend of mine, she told me about this day,
And in my thoughts, I thought there’s no time to delay,
Let me find the perfect way to celebrate this day.
So, like a rabbit I made quick haste,
For there really was no time to waste.

On February 13th, my mind made up, I went to the mall,
I was focused on my mission and ignored all my calls.
I hopped out of my car and walked through the mall door,
And with what I saw I almost fell right to the floor.


From the bottom to the top there were people all around,
Hustling and bustling, with shopping bags in hand,
Red hearts, and balloons and candy’s wrapped in pink bands,
From that instant I knew the perfect gift could be found.

I went to the bookstore, and thought “This will be Fine.”
Except they had all these books about a Saint Valentine,

My next crazy thought was to find,
A scrapbooking expert who had something in mind,
All she could provide was red paper and glue,
I no longer knew what else I could do.


I sat down on a bench to rest real quick,
And the idea that came to me caused my mind to think,

Here I am shopping at a mall,
For a holiday that is already celebrated by all.


Dedicated to someone who is smart, funny, pretty, and helps in every way,
I guess this is my funny way to say,

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!

---

And in other news I've given up on an amusing blog about my engagement status on facebook. I was bored. I must admit I was no longer bored at seeing the classic snowball effect that I wasn't expecting. Sorry for the confusion.

Melanie's facebook status said engaged say what?!?

Blog coming soon... as in as soon as I get a chance to write it.

Space Heaters

It's cold at work. Whether it's hot, mild, or cold outside it's always cold in the building. Why do the temperature controller people do that? Not too long ago though I had an idea thrust upon me. (Yes, I wrote that sentence so I could use the word thrust.) I was sitting at a coworkers desk assisting with a very rude customer she had on the phone when I realized it was not so cold in her cubicle. My cold feet were finding warmth. It was an amazingly wonderful sensation. I looked down and found a space heater. Why hadn't I thought of that? Now, I'm sure there's some rule in very small print of work policies that says no space heaters allowed but who ever reads the fine print? As luck would have it I needed to pick up some Fiber One cereal, Fiber One granola bars, and Fiber One pop-tarts that night (I'm not advertising Fiber One I swear) and as luck would have it they had the above space heater for the low price of $10. It was completely weird how that space heater just accidentally fell into my basket. I've heard you're not supposed to argue with merchandise that falls into grocery store baskets so obviously I had to buy it.

My cubicle was now warm. My supervisor asked if that was a space heater under my desk and the word "no" just popped out of my mouth. Two wierd happenings in two days. I guess he believed me though because although he sometimes complains about how hot it is in and around my cubicle the actual space heater seems to remain illusive.

One other thing I'd like to point out. I happened upon a second use for my space heater.....

It serves a dual purpose! I was really busy one day (as many days) but craving to eat my hot pineapple salad. The name of the dessert, or salad if you want to argue about the name, cleary has the word "hot" in it which means that eating it cold is just not as tasty. So while I was busy with my work, my space heater warmed up my food. It was quite brilliant.

So, the lesson, or suggestion, of this story. For those who work in a building that is cold all the time, and who's break room doesn't have a microwave so you have to walk across the building to the next closest break room to wam up food I recommend stopping by the space heater section of the store and see if one falls into your basket.

A plan.

I have a plan. Unfortunately I cannot reveal said plan for another month or two but just know... I have a plan.

Isn't this the most exciting blog ever? Hee.

It's November already?!?

I just went and viewed my blog. According to the preview I haven't posted since July! What happened to the 10 or so other blogs that I wrote in between then and now?!? I think someone hacked my blogspot and deleted them. I hope you got to read then before they were deleted. And don't worry, I have full intentions of finding who did this horrible deed.

I really don't have anything of much excitement to write about so I'll give a life lesson instead. This comes from a phone call that a lady at work received recently. The nice gentleman on the phone had ordered a set of golf clubs online, I didn't take the call so I'm not sure what site he ordered them from. Just for the fun of it let's say he ordered them off of ebay. Now, I don't golf, but according to this gentleman they were a very nice set of clubs... and amazingly inexpensive for how good of quality they were in. Seemed like a deal too good to pass up. Let's now take the opportunity to add that they were coming from China. I must say that they do send over some nice knock-off Kate Spade and Coach purses, but golf clubs? Let's get real here. If the clubs are half the price then they are normally worth that should be a hint to not buy them oh innocent golf club buyer gentleman. I'm just sayin. Needless to say that the bank could not do anything for him as he couldn't find where to ship them back to (ooh, suprise there). Goodwill might accept them though. Maybe.

So life lesson. Things, or sometimes even people, are not always what you hoped for or expected. Get over it as best you can and move on. (Although if we're speaking of people, please don't drop them off at Goodwill) I'll also add that 9 times out of 10, if an item is coming from China and the offer is too good to be true, then don't buy it!

The Dentist.... oooooh.

I went to the dentist today. This was my first visit since 2000 something. I had three different dental people ask me the date, as well as the paperwork. I gave my paperwork a question mark and the dental people a question mark look with a response of... uh... I'm really not sure.

Let's then conclude that it's been awhile. I made the appointment because I started to develop an ache in my upper gum area... the very back. My only, non dental expertise of an idea was my wisdom tooth bothering me. But the ache wasn't bad so I scheduled my appointment for August... no biggie. And then it really started to hurt. I called the office yesterday and *poof* they suddenly had an opening for this morning. Funny how that works.

So like I said. It's been awhile since I've gone. That was back in the days of clean the teeth, shuffle around that bubble gum flavor cleaner with the water from the paper cup, and spit in the little sink that they have pulled up to your chair. Clean, rinse, spit. Easy enough. Ok, today was a little more complicated. Or not really, but something foreign and confusing at first. Okay, really it's not confusing either but at first I was like... WTH... what is going on and how does this work? New method. Clean, have water sprayed around and use the Grey's Anatomy "more suction please" way of taking out that yucky supposedly cherry cleaner.

Apparently the dental cleaner lady figured I'd done this before because I had no instructions of what was going on. She stuck that suction thingy in my mouth, I said a silent "what the crap is this" and promptly had half of that "cherry" teeth cleaner on my blue dental bib. Uh, embarrassing. I consider myself fairly smart though and I was able to figure out what it was by my next try. That part was mastered.

And then there were the videos. While my x-rays were being processed they had some videos to watch while I waited. Holy scary teeth and procedures being done for those teeth batman. Wow. I will definitely be brushing even better now so I never have any of those problems. I'm even going to floss. Maybe. Hopefully. We'll see.

The dentist came back. I got some praises for my nice teeth and the problem with the ache was something was stuck in the gums near the very back tooth. That's it? How do we get it out then? A cleaning? That's it? Well, apparently that was because my mouth no longer hurts. A deep clean and *bam* all better. Spiffy.

I might add that at the age of 25ish, lack of dental visits, let's knock on wood before I make it public, I still don't have any cavities. My implant looks great. And the only suggestion was to have my upper right wisdom tooth pulled as it most likely will start to push against my other tooth.

And then I worked until nine because of the time I missed due to the last minute appointment. That was no fun.

ETA: I'd like to mention that this was written at one in the morning after a very long day. I think you can tell.

What the...?!?

This is a picture of 12 year old Michael Jackson. But WHAT are those on his shoulders? Rodents. Hamsters? No wait, RATS?!? There are rats crawling around on him. And FOUR of them. This was before the cartoon movie Ratatouille folks, these are the real deal. Crazy.

Although. The most amusing part is that the two on his right shoulder are all content and happy with the world of shoulder riding, while the two on his left are all like... sitting on a shoulder whatever... running around this kid is way better then a wheel!

Four rats on two shoulders... pretty impressive Michael.

What a day!

The most exciting... I got most of my Chase systems online so I can start getting away from those old school WaMu programs, systems and policies. It's a simple sentence but it's so much more exciting then it sounds.

Other noteworthy happenings of the day... in order of how they happened.

1. Farrah Fawcett died.
2. Michael Jackson died. Notably a couple weeks before his London comeback tour.
3. I catch up on the news and find that Governor Strickland is trying to cut library funding by 50%.
4. I email Governor Strickland

Normally I wouldn't add such negative or sad happenings in a blog but it's a memorable day that should be remembered.

Also. Have I mentioned how odd Texas weather is? Here's something new. I walked out of work today and find it to smell AND feel like a rainy day in Ohio. Combined with a very hot sunny sky. Got that? Sunny. And hot. With a strong smell of rain. Apparently it did rain though so at least it explains a little bit. Texas is wierd.

The rest of NYC

Last year I went to NYC two times. We all know why. Or should. In those two visits I had seen Spamalot four times, not to mention hanging out at the Shubert theater stagedoor many more times. That being said, I know you'll be sad to hear that the Shubert has been taken over by a show called "Blithe Spirit". Whatever that is. It's not Spamalot though so it really makes no difference.

I'm not going to go through every hour of each day, which I'm sure your thankful for, but I will mention some highlights.

1. Wicked! This is definitely the most important, exciting part of the trip. My sister, Linda, came in to the city from New Jersey on Saturday. Neither of us had seen the musical and both were dying to. Clearly we're really bad, last minute planners though because every time we went to buy tickets they were sold out. On my last trip, we attempted the lottery that they have every night to win tickets. And lost. We would have to wait until our next trip to NYC. So this time, again, because of last minute planning the show was sold out. I went to the theater in the morning to try to get tickets but all they had were two tickets, separate sides of the theater, where one was more of a partial view. Dang it. But we were on a mission. Again, we tried for the lottery. And lost. Grr. Hopes lost again, we walked off to get some food but it just so happened that we had a combined epiphany on the way. Maybe we should try for some cancellation tickets! Do you get the vibe that we were on a quest to see this show? We turn around and walk the half block back. And what do we find? A cancellation for two amazing seats dead center of the theater! Ok, so the price was a little more then we wanted to spend but it was SO worth it. Amazing show. I recommend it to everyone. And if you need someone to go see it with I'm here for you. :)

2. Visiting the Statue of Liberty. Um, or waving to it. Having previously been to NYC I already had the skillz of getting downtown to buy tickets for the ferry over to visit the very tall famous green lady. Previously we never actually visited the island though because once we got down there we didn't want to wait in line. But no matter. This time however my friends really wanted to go, so downtown we headed. For some reason we took some sort of short cut, or long cut, or different route or something, but eventually made it to the ferry. This was free, which seemed odd, not to mention that the name of the island we would be going to didn't really match up with my memories and/or my apparently not so well founded knowledge of geography and US history. Staten Island, Ellis Island, same difference... with the exception of the Statue of Liberty being on a different Island then where we were traveling to. Clearly it had been a long day. Or we're just stupid. But on the bright side we got to see her closer then being on Manhattan and I had the opportunity of having a creepy guy ask for my number. Seriously. What is the point of asking for a girl's number when you've already asked where she's from? Long distance relationships never work. For most. I'm pretty sure I could make it work out between me and Zac though... I'm just sayin. Moving on.

3. Chinatown. I didn't get there last time so I was definitely getting there! My friends were a little iffy on going, mostly because they're not really purse girls, but they were excited to share the experience. I think. Doesn't matter now. Just like my first trip I was after Kate Spade purses. Simple enough. As soon as we stepped out of the subway we see a nice girl who looks like she means business. I start out our not so much of an english conversation, "Kate Spade? Kate Spade? Kate Spade?" We get the signal to follow her and off we go. Our first stop had a nice selection and everything was cheaper then my last visit. It's always better to shop around first but I couldn't help it. After nearly tripping a few times down the scary staircase we get to a scary room filled with wonderful purses, I talked the lady down in price and off we went with my new purse. Almost. We weren't allowed out of the building until given permission by the lady in charge, I'm assuming she had to do a street check for cops. It would be a shame to have a cop raid on so nice of people. My next purse was picked out on the street by guys carrying around suitcases larger then I knew existed. While I was picking out my second purse, Tia ran into a guy selling "new" ipods. Maybe I was wrong to talk her out of buying electronics from Chinatown but nevertheless I did. It was just a hunch that it wouldn't last long. Kind of like the perfume that I bought. I knew it wouldn't be that strong but I was hoping that the scent would last more then five minutes. $15 gone, but a priceless experience buying it. We didn't travel too far into Chinatown, partly because the streets are named as opposed to numbered and I'm directionally challenged, and partly because I didn't bring enough cash. Note to self for my next time.

4. Of course we ate at Junior's. Even though there is no longer a sign in the alley pointing to "the funniest show on earth" I've labeled it a new tradition of going whenever I'm in NYC.

There are of course other fun experiences but I'm sure you're tired of reading... if you even made it this far. But just like every other New York trip it was fun and exciting and I'm ready to go again!

The hotel

Back in May of 2008 I wrote about my adventure to Southbend, Indiana. In the post I commented on the motel room we stayed in. The weird carpet, broken cups, etc. It was the Econolodge for the record; I couldn't remember the name at the time of writing the blog.

That motel room had nothing on Hotel Alexander in the upper east side of Manhatten only a few feet away from the 1,2, and 3 subway lines. Perfect. The cost for the Alexander was about $130 a night... not bad for a clean, well reviewed, Manhattan room. We were looking for cheaper, but either everything was booked or they had complaints of bugs, smells, uncleanliness, etc. When we, as in I, found Hotel Alexander one problem that we ran into was there were three of us going to the city. For the $100 range rooms we had a choice of two twin beds or one double bed. Someone was sleeping on the floor! (and it would not be me since I found the hotel.)

Two days after booking the hotel we arrived in NYC. Because we booked everything so late I had a different flight then my other friends; Tia and Leah. I arrived at LaGaurdia airport, successfully got to the correct subway stop and knew where I was headed. Get off at 96th street and walk a block down or so. I walked down 96th street. Where's the hotel? A stop into a apartment complex cleared that up. The hotel was actually on 95th street. Alrighty then. I move over to 95th. Ok seriously, where's the hotel?! A stop into another apartment complex and a call to my sister and learn the hotel is actually on 94th. For the love of... It's a good thing I packed light or there would be some cursing going on here.

I finally arrive at the hotel, get checked in and unenthusiastically drag my luggage up to the room. Um. Ok, did they steal hotel room pictures from another site? Here's a discription of the room, next to which was a nice picture.

"Twin beds, a bedside table with a telephone and lamp. Ample closet space and a dressing mirror. All rooms have a work desk with chair, internet access (at a fee) and Cable TV."

I was quite amused with the room and couldn't wait to show it off to my friends. We'll get back to that. Since it took forever to actually find the hotel, by the time I got there I had to turn back around to go pick them up. This was their first trip to NYC so I thought I'd serve as a tour guide. :)

Friends picked up, back to the hotel, and now for the tour of the room. I tell you what. This is not what was in the picture or the description. Twin beds - check. Bedside table, telephone and lamp - check. Ample closet space - where? Oh, is that the aptly name "scary room"? Seriously, why is this "room" here? It can't be the closet space as there are no rods or hangers or shelves. So what is it? You could fit an entire bathroom in this room; or at least a toilet and sink. Or knock out the wall and give a little more walking space maybe? Anyhoo. Next - work desk with chair. Say what? Where on earth would they even find room for that. Except for in the scary room maybe. That might work.

So on to our three day living arrangements. We had a hard time voting on who was sleeping on the floor and, although good friends, I had a hard time accepting the idea of spooning with another girl in a twin bed for three nights. Taking a closer look at the room this problem was soon remedied! In nicer hotels I believe the beds are usually permanently fixed to either the wall or floor. I think. I could be wrong. I've never really tested it as I've always slept in a double bed with no need to be moved. This was a special circumstance though and upon taking a closer look at the beds it was clear that these were not fixed to anything. Problem solved and rearranging the furniture became number one priority. As there was no desk or chair it made it even easier. Slide the night table to side, bed over a couple feet, and *poof* One large bed. Some quick thinking on Tia's part and no one had to sleep in the middle either. As opposed to sleeping vertical we were going to start a trend, or not, of sleeping horizontal. Simple enough!

Ok, easier said then done, but none the less it was done. We had the perfect $130 a night hotel in NYC. At least if you don't mind a shared bathroom, creepy stairwell, and an elevator that fit about one person and one suitcase.

ETA: This blog was started a couple weeks ago after my trip if you were confused about why I'm randoming writing about a hotel room. :)

I'm Melanie. I'm 25

    'I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other.
    When you're five, you know your age down to the month. Even in your twenties you know how old you are. I'm twenty-three, you say, or maybe twenty-seven. But then in your thirties something strange starts to happen. It's a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I'm - you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you're not. You're thirty-five. And then you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it's decades before you admit it.
    You start to forget words: they're on the tip of your tongue, but instead of eventually dislodging, they stay there. You go upstairs to fetch something, and by the time you get there you can't remember what it was you were after. You call your child by the names of all your other children and finally the dog before you get to his. Sometimes you forget what day it is. And finally you forget the year.'

I am Melanie. I am 25. :)

(That was an excerpt from Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen)

I got to work friday and found this. The words "Washington Mutual" have been erased to a much more exciting CHASE! I screamed and shed a tear of happiness. :)

so this is what [mild] Texas weather is like...

It was a crazy day at work yesterday and I longed to be outside in the fresh sunny air of Texas. Finally six o'clock came and as I walked out the doors I took a deep relaxing breath of... not so fresh air. It was a shock. If you would like to experience the sensation...

1. start your dishwasher. (With no dishes would probably be best)
2. After it's finished washing and gets about halfway through the drying cycle
3. open the door and stuff yourself in.

Hot and very humid. Can't wait 'til summer...