So I had a conversation recently with my dad about politics. (Dad, I know you read this...I'm writing about you) If you have ever talked to me about politics and my family, you might know that both my parents are Republican and my grandma Stevens informed me that Stevens are never Democrats (the horror!).
I asked my dad who he was thinking of voting for in Michigan's upcoming primary. He said he was unsure. He liked Huckabee...this didn't catch me off guard. But then he said he was actually considering Obama. Could my father and I actually vote for the same person? Neither of us can actually vote for him in the primary, Obama and Edwards aren't on the ticket. Anyways this was solid proof that Obama can draw voters from a wide field of people.
He said he wouldn't tell me who he voted for...own it Dad. Own it.
I will be voting absentee, a first for me. I always went home to vote in college, it wasn't far. I will miss driving over to the school and saying hello to the old ladies that volunteer there. Most of all, I will miss the "I Voted" sticker.
Work has been pretty intense lately. I've actully had a good deal of work to do. Friday I didn't put down the phone until 4:55 pm. Today I put it down sooner (hense writing the post).
Monday, January 14, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
LIVE!
Everyone should know we will be in the studio audience for LIVE! with Regis and Kelly, Wednesday January 9th. I will wear a bright green sweater and there will be old ladies around us. I love me some Regis and Kelly.
Check your local listing...
Check your local listing...
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Check Your Sanity at the Gate
My journey to the mitten was really nice. But it didn't start out that way...
I got myself (and Brian too) out the door at 4:30 in the morning. Anyone who has seen my at that god-for-saken-hour knows I'm either really tired or really cranky (or both). Everything seemed to be going as ok as things can be that early. Then I sat down on the plane. I was seated next to the guy I saw at the gate and felt bad for whoever would have to sit by him (karma). He was a 20-something male with longish greasy hair, looking like he hadn't taken a shower in a week (he smelled). After taking our seats we were told we would have to wait while they de-iced the plane. Then we were told we would have to wait because there was fog in Detroit. Then we were told we would have to wait while a radar got fixed so the plane could land in fog in Detroit. I was glad when we finally took off two hours behind schedule. I was trying to sleep off the annoyance but the guy was bumping me with his elbow as he read a sci-fic novel and chewed on his ragged sweatshirt's cuff.
Calling parents and boyfriend before we took off I found out my connection was delayed, so I wasn't worried about the connection. I should have known Detroit would bring me problems when the gross dude next to me stood up and stuck about three inches of butt crack in my face, while he waited for the line to move. I get to my new gate, through the lighted portal between gate A to gates B and C (the portal is like being in Tran) and the flight is in fact delayed. Then delayed again...then canceled. They re-book me on a flight a full 11 hours later. Pissed as hell, I call my dad to just come and pick me up. I slept on a chair in Detroit International.
We get to Grand Rapids, I call the airlines about my luggage (I had been told in Detroit that it would go to GR sometime that day). NorthWest informs me I should have been given a luggage tag, and I need to get to the GR airport to make a claim. So I go to the GR airpost anyway and make a claim. The luggage showed up at my house in the middle of the night, too late to give the comforts of pajamas or glasses.
Anyway that was the worst of it, I could have driven faster (we got home at 4:30, a full 12 hours of travel). I did get to see almost everyone I wanted too and had lots of quality family time. The trip to Traverse City was a pleasant one. And I got some very nice Christmas gifts.
Most memorable: Grandma presents all her granddaughters (aged 29, 25 and 23, thank god I'm the youngest) with queen sized quilts. They are really beautiful and they come with a note. The note states that she has always wanted to give her granddaughters quilts as wedding gifts, but now that she is 84 she might not make it to any weddings, so she is giving them now. Message: I love you, but I wish you gave me more great-grandchildren, get on that.
I got myself (and Brian too) out the door at 4:30 in the morning. Anyone who has seen my at that god-for-saken-hour knows I'm either really tired or really cranky (or both). Everything seemed to be going as ok as things can be that early. Then I sat down on the plane. I was seated next to the guy I saw at the gate and felt bad for whoever would have to sit by him (karma). He was a 20-something male with longish greasy hair, looking like he hadn't taken a shower in a week (he smelled). After taking our seats we were told we would have to wait while they de-iced the plane. Then we were told we would have to wait because there was fog in Detroit. Then we were told we would have to wait while a radar got fixed so the plane could land in fog in Detroit. I was glad when we finally took off two hours behind schedule. I was trying to sleep off the annoyance but the guy was bumping me with his elbow as he read a sci-fic novel and chewed on his ragged sweatshirt's cuff.
Calling parents and boyfriend before we took off I found out my connection was delayed, so I wasn't worried about the connection. I should have known Detroit would bring me problems when the gross dude next to me stood up and stuck about three inches of butt crack in my face, while he waited for the line to move. I get to my new gate, through the lighted portal between gate A to gates B and C (the portal is like being in Tran) and the flight is in fact delayed. Then delayed again...then canceled. They re-book me on a flight a full 11 hours later. Pissed as hell, I call my dad to just come and pick me up. I slept on a chair in Detroit International.
We get to Grand Rapids, I call the airlines about my luggage (I had been told in Detroit that it would go to GR sometime that day). NorthWest informs me I should have been given a luggage tag, and I need to get to the GR airport to make a claim. So I go to the GR airpost anyway and make a claim. The luggage showed up at my house in the middle of the night, too late to give the comforts of pajamas or glasses.
Anyway that was the worst of it, I could have driven faster (we got home at 4:30, a full 12 hours of travel). I did get to see almost everyone I wanted too and had lots of quality family time. The trip to Traverse City was a pleasant one. And I got some very nice Christmas gifts.
Most memorable: Grandma presents all her granddaughters (aged 29, 25 and 23, thank god I'm the youngest) with queen sized quilts. They are really beautiful and they come with a note. The note states that she has always wanted to give her granddaughters quilts as wedding gifts, but now that she is 84 she might not make it to any weddings, so she is giving them now. Message: I love you, but I wish you gave me more great-grandchildren, get on that.
Monday, December 24, 2007
And then...
I'm currently sitting at "work" on Christmas Eve. It was generally decided that there was no point in calling anyone today. So no one has done any work what-so-ever. I have surfed the Internet until I could surf no more, finished a magazine and now moved onto a book (and writing this). My co-worker literally has her head down sleeping.
Horrible Helen on the other hand is chattering away to a new victim. She is giving a blow-by-blow account of a trip to Greece. This woman must be able to remember events in such great detail because she recounts them as often as she can. It's really not a bad strategy for remembering things in your life. But she is so damn loud. And it will never end.
She is recounting all the men who hit on her. I'm not sure how much I believe this...
Yesterday we had more people in the apartment than we ever had before (the record prior was about 5 total). I think we reached out maximum last night at 9.
We also had to attempt the mall yesterday to use a coupon that was on the verge of expiration. Good god I hate shopping on the holidays. I quickly remembered that this mob I was trying to walk in, was exactly why I do my shopping in late November and early December. I could feel panicky feelings as I tried to elbow my way to a cash register. Presents are so not worth the hassle of a mall on Dec 23rd.
Horrible Helen on the other hand is chattering away to a new victim. She is giving a blow-by-blow account of a trip to Greece. This woman must be able to remember events in such great detail because she recounts them as often as she can. It's really not a bad strategy for remembering things in your life. But she is so damn loud. And it will never end.
She is recounting all the men who hit on her. I'm not sure how much I believe this...
Yesterday we had more people in the apartment than we ever had before (the record prior was about 5 total). I think we reached out maximum last night at 9.
We also had to attempt the mall yesterday to use a coupon that was on the verge of expiration. Good god I hate shopping on the holidays. I quickly remembered that this mob I was trying to walk in, was exactly why I do my shopping in late November and early December. I could feel panicky feelings as I tried to elbow my way to a cash register. Presents are so not worth the hassle of a mall on Dec 23rd.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Winter Break: sorta
Christmas is almost here. At work I actually received a couple gifts from co-workers who make a lot more than me working for the state. Of course others gave out gifts and excluded the lowly temps who have only been here a month or so.
Horrible Helen has latched onto me (more accurately my car) and now doesn't even bother to ask for rides home. I guess she figures the one day she asked counted for all the following. So she is becoming a little more bearable, mostly due to the fact that I can tune her out easily (a skill mastered growing up with a hyper-verbal younger brother). The woman is now repeating all the stories she told Tyler in the first week to the rest of us.
I will be returning to the Mitten State the day after Christmas. I'm glad to be making the trip home. I just wish I could afford to stay a bit longer. There is no way I can see all the friends that I'd like to. Basically if you read this and want to see me while I'm in Michigan call me for the 26th or 30th. But quality time with family and Bailey is most important.
Horrible Helen has latched onto me (more accurately my car) and now doesn't even bother to ask for rides home. I guess she figures the one day she asked counted for all the following. So she is becoming a little more bearable, mostly due to the fact that I can tune her out easily (a skill mastered growing up with a hyper-verbal younger brother). The woman is now repeating all the stories she told Tyler in the first week to the rest of us.
I will be returning to the Mitten State the day after Christmas. I'm glad to be making the trip home. I just wish I could afford to stay a bit longer. There is no way I can see all the friends that I'd like to. Basically if you read this and want to see me while I'm in Michigan call me for the 26th or 30th. But quality time with family and Bailey is most important.
Monday, December 17, 2007
ghetto-fab
Well I knew it was going to happen eventually. The first day we started at work Helen told us she lived very close by. I simply stated I lived "close", knowing that Helen and I lived only a block or so apart. But sadly I was discovered on Friday and the inevitable occurred...she asked for a ride. I'm sure that this will now continue for the rest of the winter. I now feel guilty about not offering her a ride earlier, except I don't really, I hate talking to her. Ugh.....
She has been showing us what she is bidding for on E-bay. Most of it is clothes she wants for a cruise she will be going on with her family. It is a rule that they wear as many "sparly" items as possible to the "nice" meals on the ship. On viewing pictures of the blouses,skirts and dresses, in my head all I was hearing was the movie Mean Girls, "That is the ugliest f-ing (insert Helen's purchases here) I've ever seen!"
At "ghetto" Price Chopper (much like "ghetto" Meijer, but maybe not as "ghetto") I saw a man fall to the ground unconscious not two feet in front of me. His head knocked loudly on the tile and I saw all of my first aid training flash before my eyes. I got out a good "Call 911!", before the man woke up and stumbled, half falling, out of the store. I was really frightening and I hope I never witness anything like that again. He truly fell straight back like a broom falling to the floor. When I got home I saw an ambulance slowly driving down the road. I'm pretty sure they were looking for a man unconscious in a snow bank.
We had the first two big snow falls this week. They came within a couple days of each other and consumed all media attention. There was a lot of snow, but at GV we got snowfall like that many times each winter. It really didn't phase me too much, and I was hoping for snow before Christmas. I was also hoping that the plowing here was up to snuff, with further worry about the plowing of our parking lot. The side street we live on was 'ok' at best and our lot did get a few decent plows. So that's going for us this winter. A nice neighbor even came over to help me scrap my car and shovel a bit behind my car. Nothing like holiday spirit. The holiday spirit often moves me to wave people into traffic, this is how I build up life-long karma.
She has been showing us what she is bidding for on E-bay. Most of it is clothes she wants for a cruise she will be going on with her family. It is a rule that they wear as many "sparly" items as possible to the "nice" meals on the ship. On viewing pictures of the blouses,skirts and dresses, in my head all I was hearing was the movie Mean Girls, "That is the ugliest f-ing (insert Helen's purchases here) I've ever seen!"
At "ghetto" Price Chopper (much like "ghetto" Meijer, but maybe not as "ghetto") I saw a man fall to the ground unconscious not two feet in front of me. His head knocked loudly on the tile and I saw all of my first aid training flash before my eyes. I got out a good "Call 911!", before the man woke up and stumbled, half falling, out of the store. I was really frightening and I hope I never witness anything like that again. He truly fell straight back like a broom falling to the floor. When I got home I saw an ambulance slowly driving down the road. I'm pretty sure they were looking for a man unconscious in a snow bank.
We had the first two big snow falls this week. They came within a couple days of each other and consumed all media attention. There was a lot of snow, but at GV we got snowfall like that many times each winter. It really didn't phase me too much, and I was hoping for snow before Christmas. I was also hoping that the plowing here was up to snuff, with further worry about the plowing of our parking lot. The side street we live on was 'ok' at best and our lot did get a few decent plows. So that's going for us this winter. A nice neighbor even came over to help me scrap my car and shovel a bit behind my car. Nothing like holiday spirit. The holiday spirit often moves me to wave people into traffic, this is how I build up life-long karma.
Monday, December 10, 2007
MTV had no comment
I forgot to mention one of Horrible Helen's funniest qualities...she doesn't like to be called Helen (or horrible). Vienna is her professional name and what she prefers above all other. One guy in the office calls her that but no one else bothers with such silliness.
I've been pretty bored at work which leads to lots stealth internet usage (including this blog writing). Here are some of the interesting nuggets I've found recently:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/photogalleries/wip-week58/index.html
Look! Tiny frogs! I like to check National Geographic to see if I missed any new animal updates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04well.html?em&ex=1196917200&en=317598468b2847ed&ei=5087%0A
An article about Heather, my favorite America's Next Top Model...model. She was really weird, also really great in pictures, of course this meant she had to go. Tyra always reasons this out in some manner of crazy talk.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/state.php?state=MI
And finally stats about Michigan! The mitten state strikes again! Or not with #1 unemployment...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20165361,00.html
And finally, a Lauren Conrad interview. I really can't think of anything better. She offers up this insight into her exciting life on TV, "I mean, it's not lying to anyone, it's telling what really happened, but it's just the way they film reality shows." Good one Lauren, good one.
I've been pretty bored at work which leads to lots stealth internet usage (including this blog writing). Here are some of the interesting nuggets I've found recently:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/photogalleries/wip-week58/index.html
Look! Tiny frogs! I like to check National Geographic to see if I missed any new animal updates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04well.html?em&ex=1196917200&en=317598468b2847ed&ei=5087%0A
An article about Heather, my favorite America's Next Top Model...model. She was really weird, also really great in pictures, of course this meant she had to go. Tyra always reasons this out in some manner of crazy talk.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/state.php?state=MI
And finally stats about Michigan! The mitten state strikes again! Or not with #1 unemployment...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20165361,00.html
And finally, a Lauren Conrad interview. I really can't think of anything better. She offers up this insight into her exciting life on TV, "I mean, it's not lying to anyone, it's telling what really happened, but it's just the way they film reality shows." Good one Lauren, good one.
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