Friday, May 30, 2008

Kindred Spirits

While driving with the hubby to go bowling on Sunday, I took a picture of a few license plates, including this one (yes, it's IMAGIN3):

We pulled up to a traffic light and the driver's door of the car next to us opened. (In case you are wondering, the driver opted to open the door rather than roll down his window because he had one of those roll up shades typically used for children/infants or by Asian people.) The little old man - whom I believed to be a Veteran by the bumper stickers on his car - leans out and waits for me to roll down the window...

Little Old Man: I get the H2O, but what does CPA mean?
Hubby: (thinks for a second) Oh, it means Certified Public Accountant - I'm an accountant for a water district.
LOM: Oh, I get it! (rolls up window, drives off chuckling)
Hubby and I: (Laughing hysterically)
Me: Catch him! I need a picture of his Prius!

Happy belated Memorial Day, Mr. Veteran-Fellow-License-Plate-Lover!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Hi-ho, Hi-ho...

...It's off to Tampa, I go!

Even though I'm not a permanent A 1-15 like some HCBC members I know, I'm quite happy with my A33 from Ontario to Phoenix this morning. That will ensure that I get a window seat to nap in for my 6:35 AM flight.



I'm gonna be in PHX for about an hour before I head off to Tampa - Jane, any chance you'll be there? :)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Best $20 I ever spent!

If you have a cat, you need to get one of these from Target.


It's sorta hard to tell from the picture, but the thing is U-shaped so that it rocks back and forth. Inside each of the large green tubes is a ball in a track so that it slides back and forth and jingles a bell inside the ball as it rocks. The middle portion is perfect for scratching, and the top part has a ball with a bell to bat at.

The best part? Felix loves it!

Monday, May 26, 2008

It's Raining...

On Friday - after getting off work a few hours early, YAY! - Pickle and I headed to Ikea. Between the two of us, we didn't do too much damage - although I did find a cabinet that I've added to my wish list of furniture for the house...

We loaded up our findings...
For me:
Storage boxes
Picture frame
Under cabinet wine glass racks

For Pickle:
Really big mirror
Pillow
Random Bowl
Spatula/Flipper thing
Multiple picture frames

And headed for the door, only to discover that it was raining...

As the driver of the Ikea approved vehicle, I walked briskly through the rain in my flip flops and short sleeved shirt to find that the idiot parked next to me on the driver's side was WAY too close, so in a hurry I climbed through the passenger side.

Then I made the relatively short drive to the pick up area and was almost involved in 3 separate car accidents because people in CA are worse drivers that usual when it's raining, especially if it's raining hard enough to require windshield wipers to be constantly on. None of the near accidents were my fault, I swear!

Alas, there are not photos of my frolic in the rain because I don't believe that Mr. Pearl is waterproof.

At least the rainy day ended on a good note - Pickle and I had a tasty dinner at Claim Jumper...yes, I had my bread bowl! :)

Friday, May 23, 2008

Virtual Friends

As I mentioned on Tuesday, my Chiari Twin Tammy had a repeat brain surgery yesterday.

This morning I received a BBM (that's BlackBerry Message for those of you without CrackBerries) from her boyfriend letting me know that she did well and was sleeping (which is pretty much all that you do for the first few days after brain surgery). He thanked me for talking to her about the condition and helping her feel normal (which is something that all Chiarians so desperately need!) and mentioned that she talks about me all the time. That got me thinking...

The majority of the people that I "talk" to on a daily/regular basis are what I would classify as Virtual Friends. Several live out of state, one I've never met in person, others I've only met in person for a few hours total. Yet, these are some of my closest friends and people that I tell just about everything to. I love technology! :)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Holy Tornado!

Toto, we're not in Kansas...in fact, we're in Moreno Valley, California. This picture was taken by someone who lives in the same neighborhood as our first house (now rental).

When I heard the news report on the radio driving home and heard the proximity of where it touched down, I knew it was right at the freeway exit to our old house. I took out Mr. Pearl and went to ABC7 and freaked when I recognized the neighborhood in the picture.

How happy am I that we moved?

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Lip Wax?

I've noticed an alarming trend lately - every time I get my eyebrows waxed, the lady asks if I want my lip waxed too. I've always declined as it hadn't ever occurred to me that I needed my lip waxed. On Saturday, the lady went to far as to ask "Are you sure?" when I declined. Do I need to wax my lip? Be honest, please! Is this just some ploy to get more money like the hot oil massage, salt scrub, and nail designs they offer?

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Think Happy Thoughts and Good Wishes...

...for my Chiari twin, Tammy. She had her decompression surgery 6 weeks ago and recently developed complications that will require her to have a repeat surgery on Thursday.

Vote for David...

David Archuletta that is. Not only will the hubby win the American Idol pool at his work ($130!), but it will save David Cook from being forced to conform to the AI image a la Kelly Clarkson. Look how well things worked out for Daughtry - I hope that David Cook has the same success.

Besides, how great will it be to hear all of the stories about Archuletta's nutcase father arguing with the Idol Execs? :)

Monday, May 19, 2008

For Queen B

Yesterday, Queen B posted For Kim. Today, I post for Queen B.




I also propose that Queen Jenn Ann Says will now begin a series titled "SFIA and EFIM" (Spanish found in America and English found in Mexico). I swear we're turning into Canada.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Happy Graduation Nicole!

In lieu of making us all sit in the sun baking to watch my sister walk across the stage in a group of hundreds of people earning their Sociology degrees from Cal State Fullerton this year, my sister opted to go to the Angels vs. Dodgers game yesterday.

My sister is a Dodgers fan. The rest of the family are Angels fans. My sister and uncle made a bet - whichever team lost, the corresponding fan of that team would have to put the logo of the winning team on their car/truck. The Dodgers won, so my sister is now searching for the largest sticker ever made to slap on my uncle's truck (sorry KT).

Nothing like car photography...

Or stadium photography courtesy of Mr. Pearl:

The woman on the left is the reason that I contemplated ripping off my ears several times during the game:

She spent the ENTIRE game gossiping about other people gossiping and causing drama. She seriously did not shut up. In fact, the girl in the middle was one of the women she spent the first half of the game talking crap about (they were in a group of 6 and the lady in the middle had been at the opposite end of the group).

And possibly the biggest rip-off on the planet:

A 5x7 print is $10.99 and one of the more curious items offered is a 13x16 Frame with 24KT Gold Overlay Team Coin & Minted Bronze Coin with Field Dirt for $149.99.

The hubby was happy to partake in their faux Dippin' Dots:

When attending baseball games, I tend to spend the majority of my time eating stadium food, yesterday was my typical food fest: hot dog, peanuts, licorice rope, faux dippin dots, portion of pretzel, and several bottles of water (and yes, I'm aware that Anaheim Stadium should be shut down by the health board - I figured if Queen B could survive eating in Mexico for 8 days, I could survive a buffet at the rat infested stadium).

The most memorable part of the day was in the parking lot when we were leaving. There were two particular vehicles of complete idiots. The first was a Toyota Tundra that cut off the hubby and almost took off the front bumper of my precious Pilot. The hubby had to flip into reverse to avoid the scraping of paint. After this occurred, we were sandwiched in next to the passenger side window of the Tundra allowing my aunt and the passenger to exchange words. :)

Then there was this idiot:

The self-proclaimed bandwagon jumper a la his bumper sticker (sorry again KT), was a complete jerk (and believed to be heavily intoxicated). When pulling out of his parking spot to force his way into the line of cars exiting, he scraped the rear fender/bumper of another truck. The Avalanche Idiot then proceeded to stop his truck in the middle of the lane to get out and exchange words with the owner of the other truck. The hubby honked his horn to motion for the AI to pull back into the spot he had just vacated so that we could pass. AI flipped hubby off and told him to drive around. This resulted in the hubby making a maneuver that could have easily scraped paint off of AI's other bumper and my aunt exchanging a few words with AI.

Things I learned yesterday:
-Sitting at a baseball game is not much better than sitting at a graduation ceremony when it's 100 degrees outside (even if you are in the shade).
-Baseball games are great for people watching and blog material.
-My stomach can still handle food fests :)
-My aunt should probably be forced to sit in the back seat behind dark tinted windows on our next outing that will undoubtedly involve idiots

Friday, May 16, 2008

They Love LA



I'm going to give them 2 bonus points for creativity. It would have been three if they had included the LA Kings :)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Stump the Bloggers

I'm going to borrow this idea from KFuj...

What is the significance of this car?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Irony?

Last night I got home from work and opened 4 days worth of mail (hey, I was in Vegas and visiting a friend remember?) One of the letters that I opened was from my dermatologist. It was the lab report for the mole that he removed a few weeks ago. The mole was "abnormal". I then proceeded to head off to the Team Captain's meeting for the Relay for Life event in Chino. As I was sitting in the parking lot waiting, I messaged Kim...

JA: Reasons I'm like you...I have an abnormal mole and I am convinced that I have skin cancer.
KT: Oh no. When did it show up?
JA: I've had it forever
KT: Oh well that's good
JA: Except that skin cancer runs in my family
KT (aka KT MD): I think it has to have changed significantly
JA: They removed it and the lab said it was abnormal - see how that just made you worry?
KT: Oh dear!!! I hate that word
JA: Is there irony in the fact that I'm going to a Relay for Life meeting now?
KT: I hope not

My name is Jenn Ann and I'm a hypochondriac like Kim :)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Gotta Love Technology!

I was visiting friends yesterday whose parents happen to live in a gated community. Typically gated communities are a hassle (even this one) but yesterday I was quite pleased with my experience.

I pulled up to the gate and had the following conversation with the guard:
Guard: Hi, how can I help you?
Me: I'm going to the (insert last name of family here) residence.
Guard: There are two (insert last name of family here) families.
Me: (Insert first names of parents here)
Guard: Ok, and your name?
Me: Jennifer (Yes, when I am asked my name, I say Jennifer 95% of the time)
Guard: Here you go.

And she hands me this:



The blacked out information is the address of the house I was going to and my license plate number which was picked up by the fancy license plate camera. (Please note the correct spelling of Jenn AND the directions to the house - how cool is that?!)

Monday, May 12, 2008

My Mom went to Hawaii...

...but I went to Kahunaville! It's at Treasure Island in Vegas. It's a "Party Bar" and totally fun. We just ordered appetizers and this is the sampler platter:

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Viva Las Vegas

I promise to resume normal blogging activity tomorrow when we get home from Vegas. We have a great system going right now - the hubby wins money, and I spend it on tickets to shows! Last night we saw LOVE. Tonight it is Mystere. Thanks Bunny!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Car Fun

What happens when my sister and I are in the car together...


The older the song, the better...

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I Do Not Have a Green Thumb

There's a reason I buy cheap plants...


Although I did manage to keep these little suckers alive for over a month!

Monday, May 5, 2008

The Heat is On!

The hubby and I are in a perpetual debate over the following:

Please select the best choice from the options available:
To decrease the temperature in the house during the warmer months, do you ask the hubby to:
A) Turn the AC down
B) Turn the AC up

This was supposed to be my first mobiley blog on Mr. Pearl, but for some reason, it's not posting. ARGH!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Argh, AT&T

Here's a reason I DON'T want to be like the Queen: STILL not able to use my BlackBerry as a BlackBerry.

I called promptly at 9:00 AM this morning. The nice AT&T customer service rep assured me that my BlackBerry Personal Plan would be ready to go immediately after we hung up. It wasn't.

I figured I'd wait a bit and see what happened. Still not up and running. Still just have the MediaNet browser. Still not happy.

I failed to call Customer Service back before they closed AGAIN. They are now closed until Monday morning at 7:00 AM. I'd rather call India and have 24 hour customer service, than have to wait until Monday. SIGH. I do love my Pearl despite the fact that it's apparently even too difficult for the Customer Service Rep to get me on the personal BlackBerry Plan.

Friday, May 2, 2008

So close...

As promised, my Pearl arrived today!!!



I've been trapped (and will be trapped through Sunday - oh yes, I wrote Sunday) working my company's booth at the California Dental Association show at the Anaheim Convention Center, so when the hubby texted me a picture of Mr. Pearl charging on his desk, I was even more eager to get home!

Phone functionality is a go, however BlackBerry functionality is not yet working. Thanks to a little troubleshooting with The Champ herself (you know she's missing work!) I discovered that the hubby had signed me up for the unlimited data plan, not the unlimited BlackBerry plan, due to AT&T's less than easy website. By the time I figured this all out and called Customer Service, it was 9:06 PM. Customer Service (with a human person to pick up the phone) closes at 9:00 PM. They reopen at 9:00 AM tomorrow so I aspire to be up and running by 9:15 since I do NOT have Internet access at the show. (And let me tell you about the great blogging material a show of that magnitude provides!)