Oh, wow!

I was recently turned on to Dragon for dictation on my iPhone. It is great. I had this fantasy that I would dictate my blog on my ride home. I tried...it will take a tweet bit more practice and less cursing at other vehicles. Just as fun and possibly more useful is Dragon Search. If you have an iPhone please go get it now while it is still free. So easy and wonderful. Just tell your friend the dragon what you ponder and he will go fetch the results. No typing.

And on the subject of why I have not been dictating on my way home.....I am effing addicted to Gowalla. Sure, go get it now too while it is still free. Less than 850 people are playing in Georgia currently so I find it a great time to be a founder. This is my first go at playing a geocatching game. I am intrigued. It also inspires me to travel more. I would rather be traveling for work than working to travel......

That is my current iPhone goodness. There are some good zoom camera apps out there. None worth giving kudos to.

Simply Amazing

We snuck down to Orlando for a visit to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure the first weekend in December. Had a blast! The Fab Hub flew in to Minneapolis and I drove down. I really enjoyed the long drive. I had an iPod adapter installed on the TT before I left for added pleasure.
We stayed at the pink castle looking hotel that happens to be a Double Tree. A-la hot cookies whenever you ask. Great location. We were upgraded to the top floor for premier Hilton Honors people because I found a wonderful little code on retailmenot.com. There were dragons all around the hotel.

We went to Universal Studios on Saturday. Had a blast. No lines. No kids. We lost count of how many times we rode The Mummy roller coaster. The only thing we had to wait on was the Rock-it Roller Coaster. You get to pick your own soundtrack and then go straight up for take off only to go plunging back down and then into loops and corkscrews. I listened to Stronger. I think the music element adds to the ride. At the end of the day we watched the Macy's Parade down Main Street and I pined after being a balloon handler.

On Sunday we headed over to Island of Adventure. This was our first time in this park. We rode The Hulk, The Simpsons, Spiderman, Dueling Dragons and got to meet The Grinch. We saw the Grinchmas Show, which was wonderful, and had great food and even some sangria. We headed back over to the Rock-It Roller Coaster and saw some balloon handler people....AND THEY NEEDED VOLUNTEERS!!! That is right, I got to carry a balloon in the Macy's Parade!!! I carried a stupid football but I don't care---I got to do it!! Macy's sends all of the balloons down to Universal after the parade.

Saturday night we went to the Cirque Du Soleil show La Nooba. The show really was like a glimpse into a dream. It tickled my mind. It was layered in a way that was simply amazing. I highly recommend seeing the show. There are so many things going on at once that really put you in pure awe of the art of the performance. The experience is mind bending. I love the escape. The performers are top notch. The costumes are outstanding. Exquisite all around.

Florida was great and a much needed break with all fun and play.

Thanksgiving and Such

I don't really care about Thanksgiving. Not a big day in my life. I do not eat meat and I spend more time asking questions about what is in something than enjoying. I love mashed potatoes. I love dressing. I love Hawaiian rolls.....just not all on the same plate. I feel like I ate a brick. Since we went over to family's house this years I made sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, a pumpkin cheesecake, a gingerbread cheesecake and fresh cranberry sauce. I did not get any dressing since it was laden with animal. To prepare for the eating festivity I participated in the Gobble Jog 5K. Yes, I actually finished. I am rather proud. Now I want to do more 5Ks and improve my time. I got magical running shoes that have changed everything. They actually fit and give my the proper support to jog.

The day after Thanksgiving the Fab Hub and I journeyed out to Augusta to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Alegria. Loved it! This show is heavy on acrobatics. The band is sensational. The opera is mind blowing. The performers are unreal. They have crafted their skills into true art. The presentation brings everything together into an incredible show.

The Best ________ That You are Not Using

I find it my civic duty to share some things with you Internet. Behold my bounty that you should be paying damn good attention to.

Pandora: Go and download this treasure if you have not already. Computer or iPhone--either way you will be good. You get to compile your own radio station. Eureka!! Pandora then figures out why you picked what you did and makes your own private radio station of recommendations. Don't agree with a selection? Give it a thumbs down. Love what you are listening to but have no clue who it is? Read more and if inclined give it a thumbs up. The idea of Tivo, but for music. I have learned of a few new bands I had not heard being played before and I love it! Oh, and it is free.

Silversun PickUps: The music this band creates is amazing. The bassist is a chic and I have a girl crush on her. I love the song Panic Switch. I cannot wait for the tour to stop in Atlanta. Complex sound that has so many layers....check them out.

Shazam: I know....more music. Do you know that song? Can you remember who sings it? What album? If you do will you remember to download it? Shazam takes care of that. Nifty little iPhone application that allows you to tag songs by holding you device up and let it "listen" to the music. In less than ten seconds it will return all the info on that song to you. Amazing. Among my discoveries: People Ain't No Good by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Beyond Here Lies Nothin' by Bob Dylan and 500 Miles by Tori Amos. It knows if you are listening to an album version or radio edit. Wow.

halfoffdepot.com: So you already use restaurant.com and love it. You get sad you cannot buy real gift cards....just print out the certificates. Not so nice for gift giving. You want a diff rent mix of deals. Super deals here. Seriously--check it out! And of course, check out retailmenot.com for a code to save a little extra on your savings. Also, sign up for groupon.com. I have used both of these sites a few times and I am in love with the savings and service. Yay!!

Stop Gloating, it is Ugly

I love my iPhone. I really do. I think you should get one too.
The Fab Hub still smiles secretly whenever I discuss how much I cherish it.

Yuppie Scum Rockstar

I love U2. I get excited when I get to see them live. I love having great seats. This combination proves to be costly.

For your consideration:

U2 fan club dues: $50 (So I could get pre sale tickets)
10th row tickets: $550 (Total for two tickets)
Parking: $30 (It was $40, but I negotiated)
Concessions: $25 (Two Miller Lite beers in a can and nachos for the fab hub)
Tour shirt: $10 (They were $40 inside, I bought a bootleg in the $40 parking lot)

Grand total: $665

I have flown to Europe round trip for less.
The show was great. Muse opened and was amazing. I wish it had been at The Ted instead. The sound was not so great at the Georgia Dome. Even though we had 10th row seats we were still pretty far away from the stage. I still found what I was looking for. A mass of people feeling music together. I adore the feeling of my lungs vibrating in my rib cage to the same music that is doing the same thing to 20,000 other people. And yes, I do sing along with Bono and dance the entire time. My feet hurt for two days because I had to wear my favorite patent leather four inch stiletto boots. I love that The Edge sang solo. The HD video was crazy. The lights and screens were mind bending. Totally worth the money. I enjoyed the PopMart tour far more for different reasons. U2 certainly delivered on the 360 Tour none the less. Once I figure out how to rip some video from my iPhone I will share a clip and a song that I shot.

Shoes for Ta Tas

So charity is good....shoes are better.

For the 2009 FFANY event I treated myself. Not sure that this qualifies as a true full price purchase. All of the shoes were donated and they were sold for half off. All of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. To continue to fuel my obsession with red shoes I just could not live without a new addition.

These will be showing up soon.

Have you seen the muffin pan??

So Bellini eats similar to the way a steam shovel operates. Packet will eat and eat and eat. They get stuffed and eat too much because they are eating too quickly. I discussed the eating issues with my wonder vet. He recommended we start putting the cat food in a muffin pan to slow down the gobbling four leggids. The kitties hate the muffin pan. The muffin pan works. No more bulimic cat barf around the house.

Seriously?! Yes, seriously.

I work a ton. I take my job very seriously. If someone were suing me I would want to be sure it was being taken care of and nothing was missed and all defenses raised. Remember the Golden Rule? I guide myself by that idea.
Lately to maintain Golden Rule Standard (GRS) I have been putting in 60 - 70 hours a week. I do not get overtime pay. I do get a bonus, it is not tied to my hours. I love my job and it truly does interest me. I salivate before a good negotiation and feel victorious in settlement. I am Type A...whatever.
You know what I like even more than hard work being it's own reward?

VACATION!!

So we have a cruise booked for later this year and I am just about counting down the minutes. I have been to all of the islands before but I do not recall much of Puerto Rico, remember last time I was there I fell asleep on a park bench. Turks & Caicos all I remember was eating at Jimmy Buffet's place and falling asleep. It was a monsoon in St. Thomas last time I was there. The private island is still my favorite. So for hitting these four places in one fantastic week I am thrilled. The reason for my sleep goes back to my vertigo issues and taking the meclazine offered by the friendly front desk folks. Yeah, they fail to tell you that you will fall asleep on a park bench in Puerto Rico. Again, use the ginger root folks. Works better and as an added bonus you can stay awake!
The Fab Hub and I had been talking about seeing his parents for vacation for sometime. They live in Austin, TX so it is a to-do to see each other involving flights and such. So this year we are vacationing together. It is their first cruise and first big vacation in a long time. My in-laws are as cool as they come. It should be fun.
The Fab Hub goes to put the cruise on his work calendar and sees that his boss has the same week off with, "Caribbean Cruise" as the subject. The Fab Hub finds out if we are going to be on any of the same islands on the same day so we can meet up for a drink. No worries, the boss is on our cruise! Seriously.

Ear Cleaning PSA

I like to have really clean ears. I can hear everything. Perhaps because I am still blind as a bat after two Lasik eye surgeries I have a heightened sense of sound. Or I was just an eves dropping bartender for many years.
Recently I have developed a rice crispy noise in my when I yawn. I also have horrific vertigo. If I am in a bathroom stall the room is moving in my world. Elevator: like a bouncy castle. I have been on a quest to figure it out. Why go to the doctor when I have dogpile and bing?
I have tried dandelion root to be all homeopathic or whatever. The ginger root really does work for my vertigo. Then I learned about a nice little ear cleaning kit in a little box. I had a coupon...score! I got my little box and had a nice first run at cleaning but I did not have enough time to let the stuff sit in my ear 5-7 minutes. Tonight I had all the time in the world. I let the stuff sit in there and then got it out. Then I thought to myself, hum, I could use the little cleaning bulb to blast some water in there and really get them spic and span. I had just brushed my teeth and I always use hot water for that. I filled up my cup and got all my ear cleaning stuff ready to use. Holy God in Heaven!!! Did you hear me scream? Eff eff eff. Yeah, that would be scalding hot water I just blasted in my ear. Eff. My right ear is so tender. Do not call me tomorrow. I will not be on the phone.

Happy Birthday?!

Today was my Gramie's birthday. Because I work entirely too much the gift I had thoughtfully purchased never made it in the mail. I have no time to drive up to where she lives. Eh, I punted and sent a same day gift. Instead of flowers I went all out and got her one of the edible arrangements from Fruit Flowers.

Pretty nice, huh? I would be delighted to get this. The delivery fee was an additional $30. I cannot blame them, like I said, you have to pack a lunch to get there and it was last minute so I was at the Fruit Flowers' mercy. I did have a wonderful gift card I had purchased for this occasion at half price.
So I call Gramie after working 13 hours and not really feeling like it.
"Happy Birthday, Gramie!!"
"Oh, thank you Mandy. I got the interesting fruit thing you sent. It is really different."
"Does it look good? The picture I saw online looked great!"
"Yes, it was so big" *thinking: WAS* "It took over an hour to take apart and put in the fridge. I need to go, Kent just got here with Taco Bell dinner."
Are you friggin' kidding me?! Internet, the point at hand was not to send a $100 fruit bowl. Next year: Publix gift card.

Rush Hour?

Traffic has been so great this summer in Atlanta during the morning I was bummed that school was starting back. I can leave my house at 7:15 and be to work at 7:30. I love that. When school starts back there are all of the SUVs and school buses on the road. It has been a week and a half now and the traffic is still great. I am sad it is great. It is not the lack of SUVs toting kids to school, it is that 10% of my city is out of work. Seriously. We have one of the largest unemployement rates in the US currently and we seem to lose jobs quicker. It worries me for my friends and nieghbors. Although it is not good to hedge bets, I can say both the Fab Hub and myself are safe and secure with our jobs. When I am on time or just do not care about warming my seat at 7:30 I stop by Dunkin Donuts and get a Large Turbo. Okay, so I have been by there everyday lately. Whatever. It really is the most fun $2.56 can buy.

Communication is Key

So I was thrilled with my Blackjack II for a year and eight months. It called people, emailed, told me about the traffic, gave me directions, and searched the Internet. And then it stopped. And then I developed a relationship with AT&T customer service. It worked again! Then the email stopped harvesting. Then it stopped sending....you get the picture. After at least ten hours of relationship building with AT&T customer service, both over the phone and in person, I learned this was a compatibility issue. While tech one was calling customer service from the AT&T store tech two took me to an iPhone to see if it would work....yep, it sure did. He had time to install and uninstall my email both POP & IMAP and report back that it worked. Tech one was still on hold. It took a week to get the phone due to demand. I have had it less than a week. I love the iPhone. LOVE. So much fun and productivity is possible....or I can just be on Facebook all day.

**DISCLAIMER**

I am back.
I know, whatever.
So, just because a few of you darlings may not be ready for this you get a disclaimer.
I vent and observe. I like to remember things. I post, therefore I am. In postings you may find some fowl language. I support marriage to whoever you like with no bias to religion, race or sex. If you love them, marry them. Not my business what you do behind closed doors. I think hard work is good and easy money, pandering, living off the government or just being a freedloader is wack. I like to discuss cars, Prada, nail polish, shoes, law, TV, my disdain for American Idol and my naked cat. I support Obama. I know I just lost some readers. I love food. Somehow I do not weigh four hundred pounds, I probably should because I eat like a sumo wrestler. I love music and wish I had more time and money to hit live shows. I love animals so much I cannot imagine eating them, so I do not. I am a strayed Catholic that does not have the spine to hike into mass. If you want to take me I will go, just scared. I think religion is what you make of it and I am not one to think any one form is any greater than the other. I am not going to call anything really fun out by name that has to do with my work life. Try and figure it, you will not unless you are directly involved. I think that about covers it...you have been warned. Enjoy at your own discretion.

Like a Rolling Stone

Oh Internet, it has been me, not you. Really, it is me. You see, I am so busy and I have all these great blog posts written in my head but I have not emptied out my head in a while. I apologize. I made friends with this new fangled Facebook. It makes me feel young and in touch. Forgive my back dating of posts...it is more for me than you. I need ore than the Facebook two line story. You all know my stories are far more than two lines.....

You Can Call Me Nanner Puss

This is simply genius. There are too many remixes out there for me to even go down that road. Best Super Bowl Commerical ever. Ever.