Bzzzzz

My latest Bzz Campaign couldn't be more appropriate for me.  Its for the Pledge Fabric Sweeper!!!!  The claim to fame of this product?  It picks up PET HAIR FROM FURNITURE. The BzzGuide claims that it picks up as much hair as 145 lint roller sheets!!  You all know that we have a bit of a hair problem and by a bit, I meant that tumbleweeds are constantly blowing about the floor.  Its almost impossible to keep up with the dog hair and before we invite friends over, we frantically sweep and vacuum the house - including the furniture.  Dog hair on clothes is inevitable in our house, but we at least prefer to start things off with a clean slate.

Another problem area for Nick and I are our vehicles.  The floors and seats are a constant, hairy mess.  Its very apparent that we have a dog to anyone who even looks into our windows.  I'm very excited about the Pledge Fabric Sweeper as well as the Pledge Multisurface cleaner that arrived with it!!!  I think that these tools may be what we need to make some headway in our battle against dog hair!  Stay tuned for more news as we break this bad boy in!

Crime Scene

Even though all signs pointed to him, I'm giving Chino an "A" for effort in staging a crime scene that would point a finger at another suspect.  Chino remains silent on the circumstances surrounding the frog's proximity to the crime scene and is sticking the his original story that he was on the couch, all afternoon, with a blanket.  Since he made us laugh during a very smelly situation and since he was probably feeling very under the weather, we let him off with a warning. 

**CRIME SCENE PHOTOS ARE VERY GRAPHIC AND NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART**

Former AOL buddy, ex-bf and best friend

Inspired by dooce who was inspired by a facebook post which was probably inspired by someone who didn't feel like working and came up with a list of random questions instead....

What are your middle names?

My middle name is Marie and Nick's is Michael.  I almost dropped the Marie and added my maiden name as my middle name, but inevitably I would have forgot and messed up some sort of official document at some point in my life.

How long have you been together?

We've been together officially for almost 7 years.  Thank goodness for Zach, who on that fateful day in August asked Nick, "So are you two a couple, or what?"

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

As tempting as it is to launch into Savage Garden's "I knew I loved you before I met you", I won't.  The real answer is about 2 years.  We "met" in AOL instant messenger in May of 2001, and met in person sometime that next winter/spring and hung out for a few months before officially dating.  I found out later (as in last month) that after Nick saw my picture, he thought I was "marriage material".  Thank goodness I didn't send him a fake one.

Who asked whom out?

I think it was Nick - he was visiting OSU and asked if I wanted to meet somewhere.  I said no at first because I was kind of freaked out about meeting him and having a big let down,  so the next time he was in town,  I told him where I'd be and when.  Coincidentally enough it was dollar bottle night, so maybe I set the bait a little bit.  He showed up though.  He also did ask me out on our first date (AND PAID FOR IT!!!), but I was the one who was all about shitting or getting off the pot - as in, are we TOGETHER or not?

How old are each of you?

28.  I'm older, but be looks older - but when he calls me his old lady, he's kind of right.

Whose siblings do you see the most?

Lately, my sibling - since his brother is a travelin' man.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

Trying to divide our time between both families and each other, while still allowing for some "me" time once in awhile.  No matter what we do, it seems that someone isn't happy.  Lately, we've decided that so long as we're happy, everything else will work itself out.

Did you go to the same school?

Nope.

Are you from the same home town?

Nope, not even from the same state.

Who is smarter?

Nick says that I'm smarter - but we are both different kind of smart - he's got the technical mind, very black and white thinking.  I challenge him to see the gray area, often times by playing devils advocate.  As for vocabulary and writing, I've got him hands-down, but then again, I sometimes have to use my fingers to add and subtract.  We're a left brain/right brain couple and together we equal a whole (usually).

Who is the most sensitive?

Both of us are pretty sensitive, but often times to different things.  What might bother me, doesn't affect him and vice versa.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

We like to mix it up.  Our favorites are the local joints that are near our house.

Where is the furthest you two have ever traveled together as a couple?

Furthest as a couple would be Curacao during our honeymoon and our cruise last year.  Don't even get me started on how far Nick has traveled without me!!!

Who has the craziest exes?

Umm...neither of us...

Who has the worst temper?

Me.  Hands down, no contest.  But I've seen Nick REALLY mad, once - and I never want to see it again.

Who does the cooking?

I can cook and bake with the best of them, I just choose not to.  Nick does most of the cooking, but I've been trying to pull my weight while he is studying for his PE test.

Who is the neat-freak?

One of us needs to be, but we're not.  Typically, the mess gets to me first, I flip out, we clean and then round and round we go.  We like having parties and get-togethers, since that forces us to get it together.

Who is more stubborn?

We're both equally stubborn, but I'm the one that's always right.

Who hogs the bed?

Chino

Who wakes up earlier?

If its a gym day, then me.  Otherwise, Nick.  But I don't have to be at work until 9am, so I have an excuse.

Where was your first date?

Our first official date was to the Ocean Club restaurant at Easton.

Who is more jealous?

Neither of us is the jealous type. 

How long did it take you to get serious?

From the first time we started talking? About a year and a half.

Who eats more?

Nick

Who does the laundry?

We have an arrangement where a clean bathroom = clean clothes.  In other words, he cleans the bathroom and I do his laundry.  I've cut him some slack while he's been studying.  In cases of emergencies - I sort the laundry and tell him what can and cannot go into the dryer.  He's pretty good about it when he has to be.

Who drives when you are together?

Usually Nick.  But he accuses me of trying to drive from the passenger seat!

Mrs. Independence

I'm not one for solitude.  I tend to get enough solitude in my car, to and from work, listening to the radio with the windows down (weather permitting, of course) and the sunshine shining.  Its hard for me to just be by myself.  This has been my way since as long as I can remember.  My dad actually said that I require a Three Ring Circus to entertain me.  He would know as he often holds the prestigious position as ringmaster or as he likes to call it, the entertainment committee.  I've never lived alone, I went from home to dorm-room to apartment with two roomies to house with 4 roomies to townhouse with one roomie to townhouse with fiance and puppy to house with husband and doggie.  Through all of those changes, I've never lived in a house by myself.  I've been in those places by myself, but have never lived there by myself.  

The closest I come to living alone is  when Nick is traveling.  During these times, although few and far between,  I realize how much I've come to depend on him.  His time away serves as a reminder that I can get my #hit together, put on my big girl undies and deal with things myself. Not that four days really gives me all that much to deal with, but it makes me appreciate the nights that I get home to find the dog walked, dinner made and the conversation ready.  Most importantly, it makes me appreciate the other half of my life.  It also makes me realize how much that I lean on him as a partner and a best friend, sometimes TOO much.  His time away is a time for me to reel myself in and remember that I can do this by myself, even if I don't want to.  

Don't get me wrong though, when he gets home, I'm still going to talk his ear off and demand my souvenirs immediately (if not sooner) and while he's gone - I'm sleeping in the middle of the bed and having Cheerios for dinner.  I'm just saying that even though I  miss him terribly, I can't help but enjoy and appreciate a little bit of time with me, myself and I...and of course, my little dog too.

Caffeination Inspiration

From my Starbuck's cup this morning:

There is a subtle difference between a mission and a promise.  A mission is something you strive to accomplish -  promise is something you are compelled to keep.  One is individual, the other is shared.  When a mission and a promise are one and the same...that's when mountains are moved and races are won.

-Hala Moddelmog

President and CEO,

Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

For $2.35, I got a Venti, non-fat 2 Splenda Misto, in a cardboard cup of food for thought.  Think of all of the missions and promises that you make, whether trivial or lifechanging and imagine what would happen if you made them into a mromise or a promission.    

BOPS

Apparently, back in the day, a TIP was given BEFORE a meal to make sure that the server was good to you and that they knew you deserved their utmost attention because, well, you paid them to.  Now, since its given AFTER great service, its more of a BOPS..."Because of proper service", rather than a "To Insure Proper (or maybe prompt?) Service".  Unfortunately, most servers feel entitled to a TIP (or BOP), no matter what.  I completely understand why, they make $2.50/hour, have to bring you food, drinks, napkins, etc, and have to do this all in a somewhat pleasant manner, leading you, the customer, to believe that they are HAPPY to see you, even if they're hungover and are hating life in general.  Wheew.  Mini rant there, eh?  

BUT, when you do everything right and the waitress does everything wrong, why does she still feel compelled to GIVE HERSELF A TIP!?!?! Case in point - dinner on Saturday night.  There were 9 girls.  We were well behaved, sober and had even called ahead to let them know we were coming.  Top that off, 7 of us ordered sushi, which requires NO COOKING and the other two ordered a simple noodle-type dish.  We politely asked the waitress to bring our checks with our food because we had to go to a movie.  We had separate checks, since no one carries cash, but had also warned her of that ahead of time and ordered one at a time in a nice little circle.  So after our food takes forever, the waitress dumps a glass of water all over the table and then takes forever to deliver and process our checks, we're finally ready to leave...not before realizing that she had tipped herself 21% for a job well done.  What is the protocol for crossing that amount to write in a more appropriate 15%?

Live from Cube Village

I wonder who came up with the theory that determined that cubicles were more efficient than offices.  Actually, what I work in really isn't a cubicle, so much as a stall (think horses).  I can see the person next to me and hear the people in front of and beside me, so it makes it very hard to concentrate on my work when I'm hearing someone's funny mother-in-law story or when someone else is having a discussion with a client, using words like "strategic alliance", "leverage", "branding" , "parameters", "multi-channel marketing" or "holistic".  It makes me want to fill out  BINGO card and start a game.  Winner buys Starbucks.  Conference call bingo -eavesdropper style.

In our office, headphones have become the universal symbol of "I AM BUSY", which in effect serves as a virtual door to our non-existent offices.  Its amazing how much gets accomplished with just a few hours of music to drown out the background noise, which includes but is not limited to, typing (over 10 people's worth), conference calling, disgruntled conversations about one or more of the following:  bosses, emails, clients, situations, salaries, bonuses, office equipment, websites, weather, temperature, spouses, friends, cars, pets, health, self, coworkers, etc.  Some days, its easy to be consumed by one or more of the above and before long, its 4:30pm and nothing on the long to-do list has been done. 

The sweetest thing

This past Saturday was girls day in Dayton.  Sheila and I headed down to celebrate Alisa's belated 29th birthday by lunching and shopping for the afternoon.  If that wasn't sweet enough, Alisa took us to this very cute little town outside of Dayton.  It was one of those shopping areas with little boutique-type shops with names like "The Gypsy Warehouse" and "Chelsea Girls".  

Our first stop was Chelsea Girls - a very chic shop, decorated like something you'd see out in LA.  Actually - there was an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County where a similar store was featured.  Sadly, this shop was going out business, which meant that its entire inventory was 75% off.  Bad for them, great for us as our first deal of the day was Betsy Johnson sunglasses for $22.

Next stop was a cute little store called Joli that reminded me of that movie, The Sweetest Thing.  There's a scene in the movie where Christina Applegate and Cameron Diaz stop in this small town boutique, and do this whole movie montage scene with the crazy outfits and accessories that are sold in the shop.

This shop was similar.  You walked in and were immediately enveloped by the smell of vanilla. Then, they offered you your choice of coffee or tea while you shopped.  The icing on the cake was that the tea was served in real tea cups and saucers.  The boutique was located in an old home, so it was tight quarters, with the rooms divided by clothing, accessories and sales/dressing rooms.  All in all, we spent about an hour in there, oohing and aaahing over the dresses, purses and shirts.  Alisa tried on a couple of doozies, requiring double-sided tape to really be secure.  We managed to score some great deals though, Sheila bought an adorable hat and I ended up with a cozy scarf and tray (which wasn't for sale, but the owner sold it to me anyway).  

The day ended up being like one that you'd see in a movie - especially since it was January in Ohio and we actually had to wear our sunglasses (not the new Betsy's, yet).  Catching up and hanging out with no agenda was just what the Dr. ordered after a week of ugly winter weather. We really need to do it more often, especially since Alisa seems to know of some of other shopping districts for us to conquer next time!