I love to see my name in print

Even if its not my "real" name, or my car, or my state.  At least its my school!!!!

Oh no he didn't

For the four people who read this blog, you probably know that I am mildly obsessed with coupons.  So much so that I keep all of my current coupons in a ziplock bag - at the ready, in the event of a shopping trip.  My pride and joy is my collection of Bed Bath & Beyond coupons, because as you may or may not know, they NEVER EXPIRE.  I've whipped out 11-12 coupons at one time at that store and have saved well over $35 in one given trip.  Now saving $$ means buying more stuff, which is also one of my favorite things.  So, let me warn you that the picture you're about to see is very graphic and disturbing and almost resulted in the death of my beloved puppy, Chino.

Oh yeah, he totally went there, he hit me below the belt with a sucker punch.  Not only did he shred the bag, he shredded the coupons as well.  I think some of the barcodes are in tact, so I'm hoping the old "my dog ate my discount" routine might work.  In terms of things that he has consumed, coupons aren't so bad.  We don't even bat an eye at something as simple as paper and plastic, especially after we've come home to find other things that he's chosen to eat and/or shred, including but not limited to:

• knitting needles
• a heart rate monitor
• an MP3 player
• several pairs of shoes 
• misc. photographs
• rugs
• bath-mats
  
• a rum cake 
• magnets - right off the fridge
• Christmas ornaments
• light bulb
• yarn

The silver lining in this cloud is that he chose NOT to eat the zipper mechanism on the Ziplock baggie.  How ridiculous would it be if the "free dog" ended up costing us more $$$ at the vet because he ate the zipper on a Ziplock bag full of coupons that are supposed to be saving us money?  I tried to have a conversation with him, explaining the severity of what he had done, along with what could have happened.  That did me no good, so I flipped him off,  opened a bottle of wine and toasted the fact that at least the bar codes were still in tact.  Damn that puppy face.

Be a brave boy...

My pup Chino is a bit of a "frady cat".  When he freaks out, he just gets this look.  The look is really easy to recognize.  His ears go back, his eyes get big, his tail goes down and he'll slink away from whatever it is that is threatening him.  The list of things that scare him is a little ridiculous.  Some of them are pretty obvious and understandable, and others are way beyond ridiculous.  I've been working with him, trying to curb the episodes, mostly because I think they're getting more and more off the wall and unnecessary.  Here are some examples:

• The vacuum cleaner (he runs and hides when we open the closet where its kept)
• My hair straightener
• My blow-drier - this one is recent but only because the retractable cord makes a noise that he does not like 
  
• Children - you obviously can't trust short people - but Nick and I think he's a big dummy for this one, because all they want to do is love on him, play with him and feed him
• Children on wheels - any wheels, wagons, roller-blades, skateboards and bikes
• Our big City of Delaware garbage can (also on wheels)
• Garbage trucks
• The dust buster (its the spawn of the vacuum after all)
• The lawn mower (why in the hell are you vacuuming the lawn!?!?)
• The weed wacker (obviously the lawn mower's spawn)

This morning's antics made me laugh out loud.  I have to take a bridesmaid dress to be altered after work.  The dress is on the poofy side - and is very long, so I hung it on the hinge of the front door.  Its a dark dress and its in a big plastic bag, so it looked a little menacing hanging there, illuminated in the light coming through the windows.  Chino didn't notice the dress until he dramatically got off the couch, stretched and then sauntered into the kitchen this morning while I was making my lunch.  I saw him do a double-take and then he started barking and growling at it.  

I was kind of proud that he didn't run into the great room, behind the chair, which is his favorite hiding spot from vacuums and lawn mowers.  So he continues barking at the dress (dress is ignoring him) and then runs behind our table and barks some more.  It took me a second to realize what he was barking at but when I did, I walked over to the dress and patted it - all the while telling him that its "ok" and to "be a brave boy". The "brave boy" pep talk has worked lots of times, mostly when face to face with a garbage truck.  I coaxed him up to the dress and let him sniff it, and when he did, I made a big fuss about what a good boy he was and how brave he was.  Ridiculous, I know.  He sniffed it and then backed away quickly and barked again, but this time, he didn't run.  He laid down in front of the dress and stared it down.  Again, this is ridiculous, but I was so proud of him.  I proceeded to pick up the dress, walk past him and out to the car.  The little shit stood his ground and didn't run and hide as soon as the dress was in motion.  

I know that its so crazy to be proud of a dog for not hiding from a dress, but knowing him, knowing his quirky and crazy issues, this was a giant leap for canine kind (especially in our house).  Before you know it, he'll be telling that vacuum cleaner who's boss.

Made me laugh before 7am

This morning, I'm watching the Today show while on the EFX machine.  Their topic was about the key battleground states.  They're taking a day and broadcasting from each state as they analyze the impact that it could have on the presidential election.  Today, they happened to be in Virginia.  There were three funny things about the segment that I caught.

1. Al Roker dressed up in colonial gear (I can't find a picture!!!)
   
2. The current Democratic governor and the former Republican governor not allowing the other to have the last word during their interview with Matt Lauer
3. Matt Lauer waving his finger at the two of them, informing them that they had 10 seconds left and watching each try to have the last word.

Loves her job

On my way into work this morning, after my doctor's appointment, I decided to indulge in a "Venti, Non-fat, Cinnamon Dolce Latte" from Starbucks.  They were pretty busy when I walked in, so I ran back to the restroom first.  Since it was around 10:30, I figured it would be an in and out trip.  

When I returned to the counter, there was a woman there, dressed all in black, sort of loitering around the register.  I couldn't figure out what she was doing, so I hung out and waited for someone to take my order.  The people behind the counter were running around like crazy and they all seemed to have a headset on, making them look that much more intense as they steamed milk, added shots and passed muffins out the window.

All this time, they continued to ignore me.  I could tell because it was like the normally over-the-top friendly Starbucks employees were purposely not making eye contact because then they'd have to take my order and intensify their madness.  The lady in black continued to stand at the counter.  At one point, she walked behind the counter.  So now I know that she's an employee.  I'm thinking some sort of manager, maybe from another store, who is secret shopping this particular location.  She came back around the counter and resumed her position in front of the bakery case.

Next up to the counter, besides me and loitering lady is a man looking for a refill.  She promptly takes his cup and runs behind the counter again, refilling his coffee.  She assures him that "she's an employee here, just not in uniform".  He thanks her profusely and returns to his laptop.

I'm still waiting to be waited on and she takes it upon herself to flag down one of the increasingly frantic baristas to have them take my order.  After all, it was the least she could do.  She then proceeded to tell me that she couldn't help but help, even though she wasn't working that day.

I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or not.  I'm thinking not, because I definitely got my drink a little speedier than had she not been there.  It seemed to make her day to help a stranger out in her quest to achieve ultimate, double shot caffeineation in the most timeliest of manners.  It was also pretty cool to have someone take such pride in what she did that she was willing to perform even above the standards of those wearing the green apron and headsets.  As part of my attitude adjustment, I'm going to resist the urge to think of her as a crazy off-duty barista and more of someone who takes pride in her job and her company, striving for service even when she's in a position to remain anonymous.

No, we cannot keep it.

Look what was hanging out on the side of our house last night!!!! You can't tell from this picture, but it had the coolest blue/green iridescent color to its skin. I wanted to catch it, put it in an aquarium and name it Hoppy II, but some people said that we already have enough pets.

Two Giant Heads

Hmm...notice a resemblance?  I suppose I could never be accused of being the mailman's daughter, huh?

A nice little arrangement

So Nick says to me last night, "tomorrow, I'm just going to come home after work and clean the bathroom."  This is out of the blue, somewhat random and a little surprising because I figured he'd be all geared up to go to the gym with his new nano.  Suddenly, it dawns on me and I said, "how many pairs of underwear do you have left?", to which he replies, "two".  Suddenly this new found urge to clean the bathroom makes PERFECT sense.

According to one of our our little arrangements, he cleans the house and I clean his clothes since I hate cleaning and he hates laundry.  He also happens to let laundry marinate in the washing machine until it knocks on the lid and asks to be let out because it can't handle its own stink, which is now worse than what it was when it went in there.  This is particularly irritating when I head down to do my own laundry and find a load that has to be rewashed, thus interrupting my whole laundry agenda that I had set for myself.  He's not allowed to wash my clothes without prior clearance, and I try to keep tabs on all laundry so that there isn't a load marinating in the basement without my knowledge.

Ice Cream for Dinner

We were still full from Nick's birthday lunch at BJ's, so the birthday boy picked Graeter's for dinner.  Nick ordered a Cookie Monster Chino had one scoop of vanilla and I ordered a hot fudge sundae.  Both were so huge that the girl asked us if we wanted two spoons.... ice cream for dinner makes two scoops ok!!!

Now that the power is back on, I owe him a home cooked birthday dinner, but since I paid for Graeter's, I think that should count as cooking...especially under these extenuating circumstances.

I'm still laughing about this

What do you get when you cross an engineer with a borrowed generator, 100 miles of extension cords, a ceiling fan, two utility lights and a day off?

PS.  Happy Birthday Honey!!!!

Visits that count

Nick and I live about 3 1/2 hours and about 1 1/2 hours away from each of our families.  This presents unique situations for both of us, as we try to juggle the appropriate (and dare I say, "fair") amount of visitation between both sets of parents while still maintaining our own lives.  Since my family lives farther away, we have a loose schedule where we alternate monthly visits.  They come here...we go there...and so on.  These are always overnight visits, with arrivals on Friday after work and departures on Sunday afternoon/evening.  

Since the distance from our house to Nick's parents' house is a little more manageable, we tend to do a few more last-minute visits, but still try to stick to a schedule.  So basically, we have two weekends a month devoted to families...give or take a few days.  Sometimes its hard to satisfy both families as we struggle to maintain balance and give each of us equal time with those that we love and miss so very much.

Its funny because when I was living in Pittsburgh, I couldn't wait to get out of there.  When I was going to school at Ohio State and home for weekend visits or for summers, I couldn't wait to get back to Columbus.  Its only now that Nick and I have bought a house, that the move seems very permanent.  I've been growing increasingly homesick lately as I hear about last minute cook-outs and dinners out and celebrations for this birthday or that event.  I've missed birthday parties, bridal showers and baby showers.  My family is very understanding since they know that its not as simple as coming to the party, its a 200 mile drive and often a weekend commitment.  Its still been a hard pill to swallow to know that a lot of my cousins and 2nd cousins don't really know me because they haven't had a chance to.  Between gas prices and busy schedules, trips to Pittsburgh have been few and far between and when we are there, its often to spend time with my parents, who I know miss me terribly and would be very very excited if and when we decide to move (back) to the 'burgh.

The question has been raised lately as to what constitutes a "visit".  If you asked my parents, a visit is anytime that they get to see us and spend time with us in person versus over email or telephone.  They would count visits as last-minute dinners and trips to our house or theirs, just because.  Visits for large family events would count also because big events are just as important as the small ones.  If they were close enough to pop over or to meet me at the mall or to help us out with some occasional landscaping or home improvement project, they would.  They wouldn't just "show up", but they would definitely be a part of our lives, more so than weekend visits.

This weekend, Nick and I were in Pittsburgh to visit my family and also to attend my cousin's wedding.  The wedding was lots of fun and it was really nice to see and visit with some cousins and family members that I hadn't seen in over a year.  When I realized that it had been a year since I had seen some aunts, uncles and cousins - I was taken aback.  How could it be a year!?  Then I saw my 2nd cousin walking, I mean RUNNING, around - and the last time I had seen her, she was a tiny baby.  Now that I think of it, I'm not sure that I had ever seen her in person before, or if it was all pictures and catching up on stories from my parents.  It was very sad for me to realize that Nick's cousins and family know me better than my own.  For some of his little cousins, they don't remember me ever NOT being around, yet my own cousins have no idea who I am. 

I know that this is the nature of the beast - especially when living farther than I'd like to live from my family.  Growing up, the age difference between my sister and I and our cousins, made it so that it didn't matter too much whether we saw each other or not.  Now that age is less of an issue, I'm realizing that there is so much more to my extended family than I realized and that I would very much like to be a part of their lives.  When the time comes to make a decision, it will be proverbial rock and a hard place as we choose between family and friends and friends who have become family.  I'm grateful to my family for understanding and respecting our choice to live here and for making the most of our visits with them.  I know that they would give anything for those "trivial visits" but love and look forward to our weekend extravaganzas that count.  Sometimes though, you can't beat just hanging out on a Sunday afternoon, grilling out and then heading home.  Too bad that it just takes awhile for us to get home from home these days.

Switzerland

Last night while we were trying to go to sleep....

Linda:  You're on my side.

Nick:  You're everywhere.

Linda:  No I'm not, line your pillow up with your side of the bed, I'll line my pillow up with my side of the bed and the middle part will be Switzerland.

Nick:  Neutral territory, eh?  Then what are you allowed in it?

Linda:  Because your feet are in my area and you keep flailing.

Nick:  (Flips his pillows over his head, flips his legs everywhere, tosses covers)  Harumph, then what is your hand doing on my pillow?

Linda:  (moves her hand to Nick's ear)

Nick:  (puts his hand on Linda's head) I'm in two countries right now.

{{{silence}}}

Linda:  This is my sleep space, that is your sleep space.  Stay on your side.

Nick:  We are so married.

7 years ago today

Seven years ago today, I was interning at Westinghouse Government Services, LLC .  I had just turned 21 and was counting down the days until I went back to Ohio State to begin my senior year.  The weather was beautiful - bright sunshine and blue skies.  There was definitely a hint of fall in the air, but summer was still hanging on.  I was emailing back and forth with friends from college as I worked on some of my menial tasks during my final days as an intern.  That fall, my friends and I had a 5 bedroom house lined up and we were all talking about coming back a little early to soak up the last bit of summer and to enjoy ourselves before we got bogged down with homework, classes and craziness.  I remember sitting at my desk at work, and one of the IT contractors coming down and asking if I'd heard what happened.  I hadn't, but quickly went online to find out what was going on.  The internet was extremely slow.  He then proceeded to tell me that they were "attacking us with our own planes".  Not knowing what was going on, I went to find a TV.  It was there that we saw the first images of 9-11, the Towers on fire and the mass confusion that was following it.  Was it an accident? Was it intentional?  What was going on?  My first thought was to go and find my dad, who  also works where I was interning.  He didn't know what was happening either.  I called my mom, who worked in downtown Pittsburgh, their building was evacuating because at this point, no one knew the scale of the attack.  The questions were infinite and the shock was apparent.

Because I was working in a government facility that also handled nuclear energy, we were given the option to go home.  Again, this was part of the confusion as everyone tried to process the exact ramifications of what was going on.  When I got home, I turned on the television and was riveted by the images that I saw.  The scene that was playing out was one of such indescribable tragedy, yet I couldn't pull myself away.  I saw the Twin Towers burning, people running and dust spreading.  The cameras and news crews were capturing everything.  When the first tower fell, they broadcast the dust cloud that rolled down the streets of Manhattan as well as the people who were trying to escape the rubble and the danger.  Before the other tower fell, I saw papers flying and people jumping out of windows to escape the burning and the heat that would have surely killed them.  

Its hard for me to understand what it must have felt like to be living in that moment, experiencing the terror first hand, rather than watching it on TV and reading about it in the newspaper.  It was paralyzing as it seemed like it was happening so far away and that there was little to nothing I could offer these people except thoughts and prayers.  The heros that emerged on that day are truly amazing people and should be honored every day.  

I remember one of the news anchors making an observation that the skies above the United States were quiet today.  When you were outside, it was strange not to hear the sound of an airplane above or seeing the vapor trail of a passing jet.  The country literally had stopped, and everyone was wondering what would happen next.  It made menial tasks and every day life seem so trivial, even as we all struggled back to normal.  Normalcy helped establish that the bad guys were not going to win.  They might have thrown a sucker punch, but we were going to get back up and keep going.

A couple years later, I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero.  I hate to use the word "visit", which implies that its some sort of tourist attraction.  It clearly was not.  Standing there gave me a feeling that I've never had.  I saw the neighboring buildings with broken and boarded up windows.  I had goose-bumps and a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I can't express the feeling that you get when you stand there and try to process what exactly happened on that exact spot.  When you stand at the edge of the fence and look down into what is left of two engineering marvels, and know that ugliness and close mindedness were what took them down, its almost too much to handle.  The sheer size of the site is insane - knowing how many people were in each building and how many lives were lost.  Everyone respects the site as hallowed ground and the silence as people paid their respects was deafening.  I stood there, saw the cross made out of steel beams, looked at that expansive hole  in the ground, and wondered how someone or something could do this.  Being there brought everything together, the magnitude of the situation and the reason for the war.  I respect those people who say "enough is enough" and I respect those people who say "its time to stop" and I pray for those people who have the courage to fight for our country and stop those who feel that they have a right to destroy something that they have nothing to do with.

I know that face

Photo credit:  Nick Lollo and his new BlackBerry

This is the face of crazed.  Crazed as in "only sitting down because you're making me" crazed. Crazed as in about to take a running fit around the couch.  Crazed as in about to jump on you and push you backwards with my two front paws.  Crazed as in about to run up behind you and bite your ankles because I can.  Crazed as in let's wrestle and I'm going to win because I can use my teeth and you can't.  This is the face of Chino when we get home from work.  This is the face of a pup who needs about a two mile tranquilizer.  This face is total therapy after a crazy day at work.

Photo credit:  Nick Lollo and his new BlackBerry

This is the face of a dog who has stooped to the level of sitting up (performing parlor tricks) for a piece of ham.  This is a face who humors his "momma" and balances on his back legs, even though he knows he'll get a treat no matter what.

He prefers not to get his paws dirty...

So I rinsed off the sauce and let him go to town!!!!  He sat patiently and devoured 4 wings from BW3's.  He made sure that his butt was firmly planted on the floor, since that's when he seems to get the best stuff.  He even resorted to sitting up, in the hopes that that small little action would make more wings appear for his enjoyment.  Just another Saturday night...

His dad was so proud of him.

A first time for everything

Had to run to Meijer this afternoon.  Got behind a person on Polaris Parkway driving like a moron.  Upon close inspection, realized that this person was CUTTING HIS HAIR!?!?!?!?!? Seriously people!?

Pooping in public

I'm a recovering "non-public pooper", I think I'm on step 6 of 12 of being fully comfortable.  Nick thinks that this whole thing is completely ridiculous, but this is coming from someone who can do it in a porta-potty, like its normal to go in a hole after other people did.  He doesn't understand the standards that a facility other than home has to reach before its deemed acceptable.  He also has no concept of the severity of the emergency that would make me overlook sub-par standards.  I didn't realize that it wasn't just me with these particular issues until I entered the workforce and saw the lengths that women will go to in order to maintain privacy while taking care of business (if you know what I'm sayin').  

Really, this isn't one of my most favorite subjects to talk about, but what spurred the blog post was when I was in the restroom this afternoon with a co-worker, on our way out to run an errand.  We walked in and she immediately crinkled her nose, for reason that hit my own nose shortly after.  We went in, did out business, washed and dried our hands and proceeded to leave the restroom.  All the while, the reason for the nose crinkling was still in the bathroom, doing her best not to make a sound.  We knew she was in there, because one of the stall doors was closed and you could clearly see very pretty painted toes.  It wasn't like I was bent over or anything, it was just clearly visible in the mirror while I was washing my hands.

I just have to ask the question, if you gotta go, why is it so hard to go?  I think it would be quicker and better smelling for everyone if it was as easy as going in, doing your business and then getting out.  No need to hide in the stall, no need to pretend that what you're doing isn't what you're doing because believe me, we know what you're doing, and its O.K.

My sister's worst nightmare

Here you can see the Crocs that Nick bought me for my birthday, together with the ORANGE Orange purse that I just couldn't resist.  I think its fabulous that you can see the reflection of the sequins on the shiny new Crocs rubber. Don't worry, I didn't wear this combo together, even I have standards people.  

My sister is ignoring the fact that I now own both Crocs flip flops and Crocs shoes.  I'm sure that I'll be receiving a list from her in the next few days, outlining the exact circumstances where Crocs are appropriate footwear.  Knowing her, this will be a very short list.

Honeymoon

In the car on the way to Put-In-Bay on Friday, Nick and I are talking about how some people choose Put-In-Bay as their destination, and how its a great destination to be away from home so close to home.

Nick: Where did they come up with the name, honeymoon, anyways?

Linda: I don't know, I'll look it up when we get home.

Nick: Really, honey and moon, who put those two words together and for what purpose?

Linda: Maybe it was the first time that people got to see their honey's ass....get it!? HONEY--MOON!!!!

Nick: We're goin' with it.

Side note: I looked it up and here's what Wikipedia came up with -

"One of the more recent citations in the Oxford English Dictionary indicates that, while today honeymoon has a positive meaning, the word was originally a reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon. This, the first known literary reference to the honeymoon, was penned in 1552, in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum."