White After Christmas

No shock to anyone that read this blog, we're trapped inside. The blizzard that hit the middle of the country moved East. It was supposed to start at 7am yesterday and when I took the dogs for their 5am walk, it had begun. I thought to myself, "Great. We're not going anywhere today." This meant the trek to Joe's grandpa's house was going to be on hold. Then the alarm went off at 9am and Joe got up (shocker!) while I slept for another hour. Low and behold, there were no more snow flurries. The trek was back on!

At about noon time we made it to Grandpa Rizzo's house. Just as Joe's parents and his brother arrive, we see little spurts of white. Ok, Mr. Weatherman, you said we would be safe until 3pm... it's 12:30pm. What's going on? As we all stood around and tried to talk about anything but the weather, it soon be came clear that we were all going to have to dine and dash. And that's exactly what we did as we headed out onto the snowy Pennsylvania roads at 1:30pm.

Our journey is normally about an hour long. But, no, not on the day of the first real snow fall... 2 hours later and after we passed by 10 accidents, (most of which were single vehicles) we made it home. So, now we can take the time to fill everyone in on what goodies we got for Christmas!

Casey's List of Goodies:
- Canon Powershot Camera
- Tiffany & Co. "Crown of Hearts" Ring
- Diamond & Sapphire Necklace
- Cuisinart Food Processor
- "The Blind Side" DVD
- Coach Perfume Set
- Lenox Serving Dishes
- Miscellaneous Stuff (Slippers, gift cards, ornaments, Charlie Brown soup bowl, stuffed cow (not life size), garlic dip w/ pretzel chips and Breath Checker)

Joe's List of Goodies:
Keurig Coffee Maker - My personal favorite gift this year, great for making a cup of joe in the morning, and Casey also got me a package of Donut Shop coffees and a filter to use my own grounds.
- 4-1 Grill/Gridle - Great replacement for my George Foreman grill, this thing does everything, including making waffles.
- DVD/VCR Combo Player - In dire need of this one since my old player was acting crappy, got a Magnavox brand that is similar to my old one, except this one works great.
- Video Games (Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, God of War: Ghost of Sparta) - Already finished Force Unleashed II and God of War thanks to the insane amount of free time I have this week, and already Brotherhood is getting addictive.
- DVDs (Iron Man 2, UFC 108 and 116, Best of Chris Jericho) - UFC 108 was the event I got to see in Las Vegas this year, and 116 was my favorite event of 2010. Iron Man 2 was my favorite movie this year, and Ross got me the Jericho DVD (go figure).
- MMA brand clothing(TapOut, MMA Elite) - Got a couple of cool long-sleeve MMA Elite shirts, as well as a nice TapOut t-shirt and beanie (though it has the Mexican flag on it, even though my mom thought it was the Italian one haha)
- Miscellaneous Stuff (Ornaments, Star Wars calender, Sock Monkey (seriously), gift cards) - Got my usual "marshmallow man" ornament as well as an Eli Manning one (I know the Giants are sucking right now, but you gotta support the team). Got a neat Star Wars day-by-day calendar I'll have to find a spot for, and got a little sock monkey like the one I used have when I was little. We have gift cards from Best Buy, AMC Theaters, and Fratelli's (our favorite Italian restaurant).

Happy Turkey Day

... A day late.

I was so exhausted yesterday that I never managed to get on the computer. Ok, I was on long enough to harvest Farmville. That's it, I swear.

Thanksgiving was down sized this year as we headed up to the wilds of Pine Bush. This year it was just 6 of us having dinner. I have to admit that the smaller holidays get me down. I grew up with these huge, crazy family functions. Insanity is my sanity at the holidays!

Back to my point, it was still a wonderful time, but it was cut short when the freezing rain started in. Since it takes almost 90 minutes to get home on a good day.

Distance Era

I've been casually browsing the MLS again. Just to see what homes are out there, hoping the right one will pop off the computer screen and scream, "BUY ME". I found one that came really, really close. Until I realized that it was going to put Joe an hour away from work. Not a horrible commute, since it is about what he has now. But we agreed that the next house has to put us closer to where he works. So, that house was shot down. I think I'm a bit heartbroken. It was a fully refinished 1855 Victorian style home. It's not normally my taste, but it was so painstakingly renovated and it looked beautiful. I would've lived on ramen noodles again to get us in that house. Damn distance.

*Sigh* Let me know when we've perfected teleportation.

Snow's Frenemy

Snow, you little PITA, sending your friend, freezing rain to pummel me today. How could you after I profess my love for you over your friend. Now I must curl up on my couch and lay amongst my pile of blankets. My pets beside me to provide extra warmth.

It's too soon for this!

Ode to Snow

Snow.

Evil, little 4-letter word. You're possibly going to be landing on the mountains around me this weekend. I do protest! It's far too early for you to start nudging your way into my life. Each year, I spend at least 5 months with you here, cramping my style. Why must we start early this year?

I thank you for not making you're October visit, as you have for the past 2 years. However, anytime prior to Thanksgiving is too early.

Oh snow, before you think I hate you, let me say how much I love you compared to your friends bitter cold and ice. I loathe them. At least snow, you are fluffy, white and can make the world look so peaceful when you're freshly fallen.

But it does not change the fact that you're behaving like an unwanted holiday guest who decided to come up early just for the heck of it. Like unprepared relatives, I cringe at the notion of your early arrival.

Oh snow, what shall we do?

Bodies Everywhere

One Thursday, two weeks ago, (ignore that I'm getting to posting this a little late) Mandy and I went to NYC to see the Bodies Exhibition. I had not planned on seeing it, though I had learned about it several years ago on Discovery Health or TLC or one of those channels.

The only reason I was going is that it became a requirement for a course I'm currently taking. I knew Joe wouldn't go with me because it's something that would be far too disgusting to him. The next logical choice was my mother, but she too decline for the same reasons. Running out of people I needed to find a twisted mind to enjoy it. *light bulb* Mandy!

Mandy agreed and headed over to our place when she got out of class. The goal the next morning was to hop on the train, then the subway, then see the exhibit, then reverse the process back to home. The first exprience, the train, was a bit of a learning curve. Unlike by her house, the whole system in Port Jervis is automated, so I needed real money for the parking space. After digging out every last piece of change from my car and her wallet, we were still short. UGH!!! We had to leave the station to go find an ATM, then go to Burger King to break a $20 to put $2 in change in the parking space rental thingie. That whole process took 30 minutes!

2 hours later we've now landed in Penn Station after switching trains in Seacucus. It took us another 10 minutes to get google maps adjusted to our location so we could walk to the exhibit. Half way through the walk, we opted for a cab. (note: Mandy made me fear taking the subway. too many saftey rules to follow) I personally, was unsure that the driver understood what Mandy told him, but I knew he did when we arrived at South Street Seaport. Tried to pay him by credit card, but the machine was giving us problems and had been "on and offline all day". Thankfully, I had cash on me. I know, so abnormal for me!

Headed into the exhibit. Very faciniating, but very brief. That's my only complaint. I won't describe the exhibits because I did provide a link at the begining of this blog. I will just suggest that you don't visit the actual exhibition if you don't have a strong stomach. For Mandy & me it was great. I thought it was a great adjunct to going to the Mutter Mueseam last year. The preservation process for the bodies is very cool!

After viewing that, it was time for lunch. What could be better than Mexican food? So we ate and shopped for a little bit. I didn't buy anything (another shocker)! We finally hoofed it the 5 miles back to Penn Stations and reversed the process. There was a mild MI when we thought we got on the wrong train, but after asking found out we were just being blonde.

Stupid Computer

This has to be one of the funniest things in a long time. I think this guy should have been promoted, not fired. This is a true story from the WordPerfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a recording monitoring the customer care department...............

Needless to say the Help Desk employee was fired; however, he/she is currently suing the WordPerfect organization for 'Termination without Cause..'

Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee.
(Now I know why they record these conversations!):

Operator: 'Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?'

Caller: 'Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect .'
Operator: 'What sort of trouble??'

Caller: 'Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.'
Operator: 'Went away?'

Caller: 'They disappeared'
Operator: 'Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?'

Caller: 'Nothing.'
Operator: 'Nothing??'

Caller: 'It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type.'
Operator: 'Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?'

Caller: 'How do I tell?'
Operator: 'Can you see the 'C: prompt' on the screen?'

Caller: 'What's a sea-prompt?'
Operator: 'Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?'

Caller: 'There isn't any cursor; I told you, it won't accept anything I type..'
Operator: 'Does your monitor have a power indicator??'

Caller: 'What's a monitor?'
Operator: 'It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?'
Caller: 'I don't know...'
Operator: 'Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where
the power cord goes into it.. Can you see that??'

Caller: 'Yes, I think so.'
Operator: 'Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged in

Caller: 'Yes, it is.'
Operator: 'When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one? '

Caller: 'No....'
Operator: 'Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.'

Caller: 'Okay, here it is.'
Operator: 'Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer..'

Caller: 'I can't reach.'
Operator: 'OK. Well, can you see if it is?'

Caller: 'No..'
Operator: 'Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?'

Caller: 'Well, it's not because I don't have the right angle it's because its dark.'
Operator: 'Dark?'

Caller: 'Yes - the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.'
Operator: 'Well, turn on the office light then.'

Caller: 'I can't.'
Operator: 'No? Why not?'

Caller: 'Because there's a power failure.'
Operator: 'A power ..... A power failure? Aha. Okay, we've got it. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff that your computer came in?'

Caller: 'Well, yes, I keep them in the closet..'
Operator: 'Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.'

Caller: 'Really? Is it that bad?'
Operator: 'Yes, I'm afraid it is.'

Caller: 'Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?'
Operator: 'Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer!'