Update on the car

Several of ya'll have asked about the car and thank you for your prayers!! We are so excited that today we finally found a towing company that could get into the parking garage, and had it towed to our mechanic around 10:30 or 11 AM today! I want to give a shout out to the following people who are totally awesome. And I would also like to say that I realize that using the phrase "shout out" means I am old but I don't know the fancy word the kids these days use for that sort of thing.

So, props to:

• Big Bass Towing - they were super nice, knew exactly what they were doing, and I didn't think it really cost that much either.
• Mica May and Jonny May - for lending us their extra vehicle this weekend so I had a way to get home from work tonight, since Christian has an evening meeting and I didn't have a car. Check out Mica May Design and May Books!
• Foster's German Motor Works - our faithful mechanics, who know everything about old Mercedes and whose children we are putting through college.

I am hating this car right now

So, yesterday when I went out to leave work, I put the key into the Mercedes and it would not turn at all. I jiggled things for about 20 minutes and no luck. Christian came up and did the same for another 20 minutes or so, nothing. We had to leave the car in the parking garage here at work overnight.

I also researched forums online and found out that this is apparently common for old MB's and that we are going to have to replace the ignition cylinder ($$$). Our mechanic (who is awesome) agreed when we called him this morning. However, since it is locked up and the wheel is locked up, we need to have it towed to the mechanic. The steering wheel is locked up so we can't put it in neutral and push it down because there is no steering.

But, here is the problem. The parking garage has a ceiling with a clearance of 6 foot 9 inches. WHO BUILDS A PARKING GARAGE THAT SHORT? The car is on the fourth floor. We have found that no form of traditional towing vehicles can make it under that height of ceiling. The only thing that could get in is something like a pickup truck. We had 2 companies try and fail so far. Christian actually had to take a personal day from work and has been calling towing companies from 9 AM until 3 PM today, waiting for them to come out and fail, and then try more companies. We finally found someone who claims they have a small enough vehicle but since we can't have them coming into the garage and blocking traffic during busy times (7-9 AM, 4-6 PM), they are going to have to come at something like 10 AM tomorrow. Which means another personal day. Then we get to pay a lot of money to our mechanic for the repairs.

Also, in the last 3 weeks the places we get our veggie oil to run the car have dried up. We are not sure if someone else is also taking the oil for their car or if the collection company is coming more often or what.

But I am about tired of this car, myself. It is very nice looking and the veggie oil is a good idea, in theory. However, if there is no oil available, diesel is $4.50 right now and that is not so fun. You know what I would like? An electric scooter to ride to work. Yep.

Too sore for WIi Fit right now

We did get a Wii Fit this week. However, we had several things going on in the evenings including my last few West Coast shifts and an art showing for a friend so we haven't used a lot yet. So far it has told me I have terrible balance and chided me for being underweight and losing weight when I'm trying to gain. I will have pictures of me doing a terrible job playing it soon.

The main reason I haven't had time is our sudden garden project. Over a month ago we had a landscaper come out and he was supposed to give us an estimate for designing the backyard. He never did. But, he gave us some ideas. We know the soil is mostly clay and we needed organic matter. So I found someone selling compost for $80 a truckload on Craigslist and on Friday two very nice firefighters delivered 2 truckloads. Here is a picture of the compost on a tarp in our driveway!

On Fridays our local Calloway's has a "Happy Hour" from 5-7 PM (thank you to Melanie for telling us about this!!) where all purchases are 20% off so yesterday we went up there and bought a bunch of Asiatic Jasmine for groundcover and some elephant ears (red caladium) to plant along the back fence.

This morning we got up at 6 AM and went to Home Depot and rented a tiller. When it got late enough to make noise without annoying the neighbors, Christian tilled the entire backyard and he and I took turns moving the 2 truckloads of compost from the driveway into the backyard. We used a single shovel and a bedsheet. We would shovel a load onto the bedsheet and drag it into the backyard and dump!

Finally, we finished that and I put the groundcover in the ground with some fertilizer. We did not buy enough to cover the whole back yard, we weren't sure how much we needed. I will go back this Friday and get the rest. I didn't actually plant the elephant ears, I was wondering if I should do containers for those? I am a little wary because I killed quite a few elephant ear plants in our last backyard. I thought containers might be safer for them? 

I also created a larger bed area in one corner and a rock garden in the other. I want to get a nice fountain for the rock corner. I do not know what to plant in the other corner yet! We bought edging for this one so it could be a raised bed. I was thinking of maybe trying tomatoes or some other food type plant. Does anyone know if any of those grow in soil that has a high concentration of clay? I mix compost and organic fertilized soil in it, but I know that if the roots go deep enough, they will definitely hit clay. This area does get more sun that most of the yard does.

Anyway, I am so sore that I can't do the Wii Fit tonight. I tried last night after a few hours of shoveling compost and I was so weak that it chided me. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everybody!!

"Green" kitty litter: SWheat Scoop

On my quest for a more "green" kitty litter, Real Simple Solution Seekers suggested I try Swheat Scoop Natural Wheat Litter. I was very excited about this working out.

Our litter boxes (2) are in a hallway closet in the house which leads to all bathrooms and bedrooms and also holds the washer and dryer where I spend a lot of time folding laundry, so odor control is the #1 concern.

I have tried Feline Pine in the past and it was a terrible failure. The odor was unbearable with two cats, and it wasn't scoopable.

So, Swheat. They are correct, it is scoopable. It does clump. And the first day or so, it did control odor. But it was all downhill from there. After a while the ammonia smell was unbearable. And it apparently requires scooping EVERY SINGLE DAY in order to even maintain some of the odor control. After about 5 days, you have to change the the entire litter box out just so you can breathe in the vicinity, due to the ammonia and poo smells. At $5/box more than my usual Arm & Hammer kitty litter, I can't afford to be changing 2 litter boxes every 5 days. My Arm & Hammer goes at least 10 days before needing to be completely changed, and it only has to be scooped about every 2-3 days.

Another problem with the Swheat was the tracking. The particles for Swheat are much larger than typical kitty litter. For some reason the mats we have outside the litter boxes didn't catch Swheat like they do typical litter, and the cats were able to track it much farther into the hallway and the rest of the house. And because the particles are so large and sharp (they are wheat husks), when you step on them with bare feet it HURTS!

So, big thumbs down for Swheat. I had to go and buy another box of the old Arm & Hammer because I haven't had time to go to the specialty pet store for more "green" options. I have one more brand I'd like to try and then I am afraid I will have to give up.

Updates on work

So, the last few weeks I've been trying out the West Coast shift at work, which is 11 AM - 8 PM. I like it because I get to do things like grocery shopping and errands that I would previously have done in the evening after work, very early in the morning instead. I get to avoid all the traffic and crowds, which is great. Also, I tend to work out more in the mornings because I am not so rushed. But, unfortunately we are hiring some more people (which is actually a good thing - it's getting a little crazy-busy here), and they will be taking that shift back. I'll be back to 9 AM - 6 PM. :-( Too bad, I will miss that!

But, because we are hiring more people (one of them will probably be our friend Bob), we don't have the space for everyone, so more people will be moved to working from home. I get to be one of those! Christian and I have been working on setting up the spare room to be more conducive to a home office. This weekend we went to Ikea and got 2 desks for around $60 each. Yesterday we got a wonderful filing cabinet that looks like a bureau. So things are moving along and I will take some pictures when it is all set up.

Last weekend I did paint the bedroom, but since I do not have curtains or a new bedspread yet, I have not taken pictures. I think it really needs some good grey-and-moss-green curtains and a bedspread yet. If anyone sees one, let me know!!

47 Things

47 ODD Things about you! Learn 47 things about your friends, and let them learn 47 things about you!

1. Do you like blue cheese? not by itself. If it is in something and it blends with other stuff, maybe. But by itself, I think it smells and tastes like vomit.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? This confuses me because movies have led me to believe that heroine is injected. What is it? Injected or smoked?? Obviously, I haven't.
3. Do you own a gun? No, but we bought a teeball bat to keep by the bed for self defense. It is Christian's job to hit an intruder over the head with it if someone breaks into the house.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? I don't mess around with flavoring regular soft drinks, I go straight for the Ocean Water, buddy.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not really. All the bad news typically comes in a phone call later when the test results come back.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Bologna is imitation meat, Spam is imitation bologna. Hot dogs are like spam and bologna. Gross.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Muppet Christmas Carol or the original Boris Karloff version of The Grinch.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I have orange juice first and then coffee.
9. Can you do push ups? Theoretically I can. I have some arms and I am a reasonably strong person. But there is no need to test this theory. That would be too strenuous.
10. What is your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding rings and the two pieces of Tiffany jewelry my husband gave me when we were dating.
11. Favorite Hobby?  cooking
12. Do you have A.D.D.? I think I did when I was younger but I have developed the ability to multitask to the extent that even though I get distracted I keep doing all the things at once.
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? My tendency to be neurotic. Or come across as neurotic even when I'm actually not feeling that way.
14. Middle name? Suzanne
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.  1) I should go to bed because I am going to regret staying up this late. 2) I am still waiting for something for work so I can't. 3) I should at least wash my face.
16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. A desk, legs for a desk, and a rug.

17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? coffee, water, juice
18. Current hate right now? the way my face is breaking out. I am 30 years old, this is not supposed to happen.
19. Current worry? I fear there will not be enough sleep happening this week.
20. Favorite place to be? with my husband
21. How did you bring in the New Year? We went over to a friends house, there were 3 couples and 2 children under the age of two, and one in utero. It was a wild party let me tell you.
22. Where would you like to go? Next on the list is NYC and an Alaskan cruise.
23. Name three people who will complete this? This is the part where I ask other people to fill this out and post it on their blog, but no one else has a blog so nevermind.
24. Do you own slippers? Yes, they are so beat up but I love them.
25. What shirt are you wearing? A blue long sleeved shirt it is very comfy.
26. What year would you go back in time to? 1969 in order to attend Woodstock.
27. Can u whistle? No.
28. Favorite color? Green
29. Would you be a pirate? Not really because I don't think they bathe very often and the likelihood of dying suddenly and painfully is much higher than the movies would have you believe.
30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I am not awake enough in the shower to do any singing anymore. I am too old.
31. Favorite girl's name? I like names like Rain and Sunshine and Meadow, but Christian says those are hippie names and so no child of ours will be having those names.
32. Favorite boy's name? Christian invented the best boy's name in the world and it can also be used for a girl. It is so great that I cannot tell you what it is because someone might steal it.
33. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing.
34. Last thing that made you laugh? Christian. There was tickling.
35. Best Halloween costume? When I dressed up as Janice Rand from the original Star Trek series. But I would say that other people have had much better costumes. Like the year that Leanna and Scott went as John and Lorena Bobbit.
36 how many broken bones have you had? none
37. Do you love where you live? no, no one loves living in Dallas except extremely rich people who like showing off to the other extremely rich people, and that is a sick, sad cycle of discontentment if I ever saw one. That is to say, the only people who love living here are masochistic.
38. How many TVs do you have in your house? one. it is a huge, old thing. And we try not to use it much.
39. Who is your loudest friend? possibly my family. my family is very loud.
40. How many dogs do you have? none. cats are better. cats. I have two.
41 Does someone have a crush on you? Hopefully not, that would sure be awkward for them since I am married and they have absolutely no chance. 
42. What is your favorite book(s)? the Bible.
43. What is your favorite candy? anything with chocolate and caramel together is pretty awesome.
44. Favorite Sports Team? no
45. Your favorite meal? I really love me some good sushi.
46. What were you doing 12 AM last night? I was thinking, I hope I fall asleep soon because I am going to regret being up so late tomorrow.
47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I think I have a headache.

I do whatever the voices tell me to do

I am 30 years old, I have to face the reality that I am addicted to makeup and skincare. Perhaps moreso lately in reaction to these horrible breakouts I have been having. But I have to say that I love beauty products even when my face is clear.

Last night my husband attended a concert while I stayed home working (late shift) and then when I finished I read my Glamour magazine, which I admit that I read cover-to-cover every single month.

Side note: please do not confuse Glamour with Cosmopolitan. I used to read Cosmo in college and I can tell you that it is mostly about encouraging inappropriate sex. But Glamour really focuses more fashion and beauty and incorporates women's issues, such as Mariane Pearl's Global Diary . But always Glamour emphasizes women being happy with who they are, not about using their bodies to attract men and find significance there. Even though they use skinny models who need to eat something. Still. I just want to say, it is a better magazine than Cosmo, morally and politically.

Anyway, last night I saw some advertisement or review in Glamour for Sally Hansen's new natural lipstick/lipglosses influenced by some kind of famous makeup artist (more reviews). So, I must admit that I went to CVS today at lunch and bought it. I am wearing it right now, and I have to say that I am a fan too. It does feel just like chapstick but has a color like lipstick. And it is made of all natural elements, no paraben. It just goes to show that devotion to shameless advertising does pay off sometimes!

Any ideas?

I am editing this post if you got it on your Google Reader the first time - changing my question. Does anybody know of some insurance we could buy that would pay for prescriptions only? I wonder if that kind of thing exists?

We are always laugh! laugh! laugh!

More fun with Japanese postcards

ARE YOU READY FOR IT??

In case you don't follow my Flickr photos, I am starting to scan in some marvelous postcards we got in Japan that are hilarious. I don't know if they were translated badly or what, but this is our favorite one. I don't know if you can read it but it has Strawberry Punch with the adorable mouse thing that says "I punched my opponent on the jaw! Are you ready for it?"
Now that is funny stuff.