How To Look Like A Hero, In A Few Easy Steps...

Wait.  You didn't think I was going to let you in on my secrets, did you?! :-)

I joke about the "hero" thing because I had two different people label me that (jokingly, of course!) in the past few days.

Thursday night it started snowing. I know...it's New England; big deal.  By the time Friday morning rolled around, we had over a foot of snow on the ground instead of the 1-3 inches that were predicted.  And it kept snowing!

My fabulous cousin Kristin and I not only live near each other, but now work in the same office.  So, we chatted.  We debated a little.  We decided to suck it up; dig out and go to work. So I swung by and picked her (and her son) up.  We arrived just before noon to an almost empty office and looking like rock stars. By the time we departed a little after 4PM, I had to dig my car out again.  And, let me tell you - digging out a Chevy Tahoe is WORK!  When all was said and done, our little snowstorm netted us around two feet of unexpected snow.

The front of our office building.  For scale purposes - B is a fairly tall 9 year old!

Saturday morning, Kristin and I went to the florist so she could pick her wedding day flower arrangements.  Pink, pink, pink! 

 

Pretty, right?! :-)

 
About an hour after I dropped her off at home, she called to say that Penny (her Jeep) was making a horrible noise.  So I got in the car, met her at Target and called AAA.  In the hour and a half wait, we did a little shopping at Target (You want me to shop?!?!  TWIST MY ARM!!!!) and then I dropped her off at home again. 

All in a day's work!

How I Spent My Saturday... (Or - Hey LOOK At My New Car!)

Yesterday I spent my day (literally) at a car dealership.  But let me back up and tell you how I ended up there....

I have always loved SUVs.  More specifically - I have a love for the Chevy Tahoe.  While I didn't get one for my first (or second) car, I was aggressive in paying off my Jeep Cherokee and bought my first Tahoe in 2001.  Meet Blanche... White on the outside, Cookie Monster blue on the outside and a fabulous car.

Then in 2007, it was time to trade her in and I got Tanner. Seriously, being tan inside and out - there was just no other name that would fit.

Well, Tanner has been getting "temperamental" over the past few months.  My mirrors would move by themselves, my radio would change stations or completely off, and 4 wheel drive would engage and disengage on its own.  But then came the doozy.  Last week, while on the highway, my fabulous, fabulous vehicle decided to play with my seat.  Being a short girl - my seat is up almost as far as Chevy will allow.  While motoring through rush hour traffic, my seat decided to move ALL the way back and lay ALL the way down.  And because Chevy has the seat belt ON the seat instead of along the outside perimeter of the car - I found myself quickly drifting away from the steering wheel. 

I'm fine!  No one got hurt!  I was completely freaked out though...and it was the straw the broke the Tahoe's back.

So I asked my dad to come with me to look at a new vehicle.  And by "new", I mean "used" - just new to me! This was just supposed to be a "looking" field trip.  No buying!!  But, I found myself test driving a pretty new Tahoe within 20 minutes of arriving on the lot.  Then, waiting hours (no lie) as they crunched number, determined the trade in value of my car, did my bank loan, detailed my car, etc.  But when all was said and done - I drove my car off the lot last night.

This sucker is LOADED! 

• Touch screen navigation and radio
• A camera so I don't run over anything when I reverse
• Remote start (not ground breaking - but so exciting for this New England girl!)
• Heated rear seat (again, not ground breaking - but fun for my passengers)
• Running boards the fold away when they aren't needed.

Now she/he needs a name.  Ideas? Do any of you name your vehicles?

The Oreo Incident

We're in the midst of what I'm already calling the Oreo incident. 

I'm waiting patiently (kinda) for Meadow to puke.  You see, Meadow is a stress eater.  She HATES car rides.  And, unfortunately, her life includes a fair share of car rides right now. 

The little bugger somehow shimmied out of her car harness, found the package of peanut butter Oreos that I not only forgot to bring into the house - but totally forgot I bought as well, and ate 2/3 of the package before I smelled peanut butter and had a chance to pull the car over.

So, Meadow has been force fed about a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide.  That is SUPPOSED to make her puke. 

No puking yet...and I'm guessing...no sleep for me tonight.

Scenes From A Commute

I spend A LOT of time in my car commuting back and forth to work.  Luckily, I really like my car - and have fun driving.  :-)

I have seen some WEIRD stuff lately though!  In the few weeks I have been witness to the following:

• A week and a half ago - A driver with his left leg hanging out the window.  Yes, sir - I understand that your tall.  However, that's one party trick I don't need to see again!  I was afraid you were going to lose your leg when another car passed you.  (He wasn't really in danger of losing his leg...I just get nervous about that kind of stuff!)
• Last Saturday - A black lab in the back of a pick-up truck.  Not tethered, not leashed, not buckled in - STANDING UP as his/her owner went barrelling down the highway.  Maybe I'm a bitch - but I view this as animal cruelty.  No one EVER intends for their beloved pet to get injured - but putting that pet in a position that increases the odds is COMPLETELY unacceptable to me.  Plus...I kinda think it's illegal in Massachusetts.  I'll have to research that.
• Yesterday - Someone eating soup while driving home.  Not horrible...just weird!  And how do you not wear half your soup?  Do you steer with your knees so you can keep the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other?
• Last Tuesday - A car coming from the opposite direction weaving in and out of traffic by the mall.  This driver was weaving and speeding so much that he/she lost control of the car and flipped over.  There is nothing at the mall that's worth almost killing yourself!
• Today - Three motorcycles popping wheelies in the middle of rush hour traffic.  Dumb asses happened to do this for the third or fourth time after a large bend in the road - and right into the sight line of a state cop.  I laughed for a good five minutes as they got pulled over. (Yes, I'm mean!)
• And the piece de resistance - last Thursday. Whilst sitting in traffic as I headed towards the Cape, I had the distinct pleasure *gag* of seeing a couple being intimate.  Sure, kiss and hug in the car.  That's your run of the mill PDA.  However, when my SUV looks down into your little red sports car and sees a bobbing head, you've crossed the line of acceptable behavior.  Um, hi!  It's light out!  You're engaging in a sexual activity in PUBLIC!  My lane of traffic moved faster than yours... at least 4 more cars had to pass you!  And finally - EWWWW!  Bring that car for a wash (inside and out) now-ish please!

So...see anything weird while driving lately?

Musical Monday - That's Not My Name

Happy Monday gang! It was a busy, but great weekend. :-) I hope you all relaxed and had some fun.


Saturday morning I picked up my car after it "visited" two mechanics in the past 4 days. You see, Tuesday I left work and noticed that my car was lop-sided. Flat tire...GRR!


I called AAA and they came (promptly too; score!). It was all good until I was half-way home and my "check engine" light came on.


Wednesday morning I called and brought my car to my regular mechanic (and when I say regular - I mean he's seen the two cars I have had in my life). He was nice enough to call before he started work and the conversation went a little like this...


Sarkis (yes, his name really is Sarkis): We have a good news/bad news situation.
Me: Good news first, please.
Sarkis: Well, you didn't have a tire blow out on the highway.
Me: Urg...huh?!?!
Sarkis: Well, you ran over a nail which gave you a flat tire. Then one of your other tires has stress cracks in it. You need to replace two tires.
Me: Um, OK. So, that wasn't too bad. No more bad news, right?
Sarkis: Sorry, but that was all the good news.
Me: (OH, SHIT!) Okay.
Sarkis: You need a new catalytic converter.
Me: Okay.
Sarkis: I could do the job... but it will cost you.
Me: So, what are my options?
Sarkis: Not to tell you what to do, but I've already made an appointment for you tomorrow morning with the Chevy dealership. It should be under warranty.


And IT WAS!!! Not a cent for parts, or labor, or anything! And better yet - the Tahoe came back nice and clean. :-) The rest of Saturday consisted of all the errants I should have been running Tuesday through Friday.


Sunday was fun and family-centric. Kirstren's little boy got Christened (or is it Baptised?... I confuse the two.) and then there was a BBQ. I love that kid!





I made white Sangria and quickly realized that at the next family BBQ (in a few weeks), I need to triple or quadruple the recipe. That stuff went like wildfire. It could be that everyone needed a drink... but I'm still taking it as a compliment. My milk chocolate chip and hazelnut brownies disappeared pretty quick too.






So, I've heard this song a few times and something about it is REALLY familiar to me. It just has a really similar rhythm to another song, but I can't put my finger on what song it is. What do you think? Regardless, it's a nice peppy song. :-)

What did you do over the weekend?

Mistaken Identity

Ever go shopping, to the airport, even work - and come back and think your car is missing? Or gone to someone else's car thinking it's yours?

That happened to me earlier this week... kind of. I was on the other end of the missing car spectrum. When I came out of CVS someone was standing next to my car desperately clicking the unlock button on their key fob. Of course, I don't want to take out my keys and unlock the door while this is going on. There's too much potential for this man to think that he actually unlocked the door.

Instead, I walked up to him and pointed out that this is my car. He didn't seem convinced.... Our conversation following his declaration that my car just had to be his went a little like this:

Me: I'm sorry you think that this is your car. You own a tan SUV too?
Him: My SUV is gray; this is a gray SUV.
Me: Sorry, sir... this is a tan SUV. Anway - does your car have leather seat?
Him: Yep.
Me: Ok. How about a 3rd row?
Him: Yeah, I got that too.
Me: (Internal sigh) Did you leave a pink BlackBerry in your center console?
Him: Um, it might be my wife's.
Me: Do you have an Army decal on your car?
Him: I don't think so.
Me: What's your license plate number?
Him: XXXXXX (no clue what he actually said)
Me: Ok sir. This is in fact my car. I'd suggest you move back two rows and get in yours now!

Ugh!!

Did you see yesterday's post with my first giveaway? If not, click here and enter!

Vehicle Appreciation

I freely admit that I am blissfully ignorant of most vehicular functions. With that said - I know that my brother, father and other amazingly helpful males may not always be able to assist me in my time of need. I'm not completely helpless... I pump my own gas, can refill windshield wiper fluid, check the oil level and the air pressure on my tires. Plus I'm smart enough to know to get my oil changed every three thousand miles and to keep a AAA membership. Beyond that - I depend on my car to tell me what's wrong. Seriously, if an indicator light goes on... I head STRAIGHT to the mechanic.

I love my car! I spend enough time in traffic each day that a good relationship with my car is an absolute must. At this point, I should admit that I am the proud owner of a gas-guzzling SUV. Next time I need to purchase a new vehicle, I'll head for the hybrid SUVs, but I'll still buy a SUV. Part of my decision to own a Tahoe is that I like the ability to load up with people and stuff and just go & part of the decision is that I'm just so short! I really like the ability to see over the smaller cars. It's my few moments of tall each day!

The "check engine" light came on in my Tahoe, so she's visiting the mechanic today. I'm hoping that he calls and lets me know that A. It's fixable, B. It's not going to cost an arm and a leg, & C. That it'll be fixed today. In the meantime, my fabulous mother was kind enough to let me borrow her car. Truly, she is awesome! She has never hesitated to let my borrow her car (and she usually volunteers because she knows I feel horrible asking).

Driving other people's cars is fun. I like the variety, but inevitably - it makes me appreciate my car even more. I like knowing that it can whizz by the slow car in front of me; the familiar feel of my car that negates the need to over think the driving experience...and just DRIVE!