Dear Verizon....

It's official, you stink. I've been with you since 2001 and it saddens me that this love-hate relationship may soon come to an end. You see, I've had a problem with almost every phone I've ever purchased from you. At first the phone works great and the battery could last all day long, no matter how many random phone calls I make.

Three months later, it's a different story. I make 10 minutes worth of phone calls and suddenly the dead battery sign is blinking. I panic, knowing I have an hour drive home and what would happen if my car breaks down and I need to make a phone call? Oh I know what would happen, I would have to get out and try to flag someone down to help me because I wouldn't be able to call my hubby for help.

I was in your store last week, demanding you give me yet another free battery because the one you gave me in September barely holds a charge. You inform me I am one month out of my warranty and nothing is free any longer, so I'll need to pay you $50 for a new phone. Pardon me? Is $50 worth losing a valuable, on time paying customer in the current times of economic turmoil? I think not, so I tell you how it's going to be: I am getting a new phone and I'm not paying one cent for it. You stare at me, and I stand in complete silence for 5 minutes, staring right back at you. You glance around the store uncomfortably and finally say, "Let me see what I can get the manager to do." Good idea, because I have all the time in the world to stand in silence. What you don't know is that I was doing my yoga breathing and relaxation techniques and I could be comfortable for hours on end.

You come back 10 minutes later with lo and behold, a brand new phone in your hand! Good boy, I knew you had one back in stock. I take my new glorious phone home and proudly tell my hubby it didn't cost me anything. I'm so happy to have a phone that holds a charge for more than ten minutes. Fast forward a week later and the damn phone has half a battery charge after a 8 minute phone call to my mother. WTF? How can we put a friggin' spaceship in space, but we can't design a phone and battery that lasts for 10 minutes? So dear Verizon, I'm afraid we'll be meeting again after work today. I'm prepared to stand in silence until you give me a different model phone that works properly and lasts. And don't be surprised when I ask you how much it costs to deactivate my account. I hear the iphone is amazing and it's looking better every day....

I've Been Granted A Reprieve!

The doctors office called me today to go over various items regarding my colonoscopy next month. After they told me the do's and dont's, they informed me I would be responsible for paying $1,200 the morning of the procedure. I have an HSA account and I'm responsible for paying everything until I reach $2,500 and then everything is fully covered.

I knew this procedure would cost some money, but I really wasn't expecting $1,200. So I've made the decision to not get the procedure done. The doctor had suggested it because it was the only test they didn't do last year, even though I don't fit hardly any of the criteria for Irritable Bowel Disease. That being said, I just can't justify spending the money on the procedure. If I had other symptoms and indicators of IBD, I would do it in a heartbeat. My stomach has been feeling better since I started a new whey protein formula and have been eating more protein, so I feel okay with skipping this test.

I have decided to consult with a homeopathic doctor. My mother went to one years ago for her migraine headaches that were life-altering and miserable and had wonderful results. The cost for that would be around $400, which is much more reasonable. The main thing I like about homeopathic doctors is they treat the whole body and the cause, not just the pain and discomfort. It's about identifying and treating the issue that is causing you pain.

Is My Watch Fast?

Nothing like going in for your 12pm doctor appointment to realize your appointment isn't actually until 1pm. Duh. Good news, I had some time to kill so I went to the Mall and found a cute purple summer dress for $35!

Weekend Wrap-up

Another busy weekend has flown by and allowed me to add more funny pictures to my yearly scrapbook. Friday night hubby and I went to dinner with another couple at a local restaurant. We'd been building this place up and you can imagine our disappointment when the steaks we ordered as "medium-rare" came back well done. Hubby and our friend sent the steaks back and the second round was cooked perfectly, but the damage had already been done. My mahi-mahi however, was cooked to perfection the first time, so I was a happy camper.

Saturday a group of us celebrated our friend S.'s birthday with dinner and dancing downtown. Her hubby had ordered bottle service at a favorite club of ours, and the ladies enjoyed lounging on the sofa's and surveying the room. We indulged in three wonderful bottles of champagne and some Maker's Mark for the braver drinkers. We danced the night away in our reserved area and the main dance floor. Of course I requested "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa and I don't think I've shaked my hips like that in a long time! Hubby was the DD that night (not by choice, but he grudgingly accepted his fate) so that I could enjoy the champagne. It was a great night and I laughed and smiled so much my cheeks hurt the next day.

Sunday I finally dragged my behind out of bed and made a trip to the Verizon store where I complained about my crappy phone. The battery dies after 10 minutes on the phone! They informed me I was a month out of warranty and it would cost me $50 for a new phone, or $20 for a new battery. I informed them that I would not be paying anything and I wanted a new phone. I told them this was the third phone to crap out on me right after a year, and no I did not want to purchase their scam insurance, and I've been a loyal customer since 2000, yada yada. I pretty much stood there in complete silence for 5 minutes and they got so uncomfortable they got a manger and agreed to give me a new phone for free. Thank you very much!

I also hit up Party City to get some baby shower supplies and decorations. I should not be allowed to shop for this shower any more. I'm going crazy! So many cute and fun decorations, games, etc. I also hit up Old Navy because they had some good deals going on as well as Ann Taylor Loft. I found a great pair of jeans there and the cutest coral flats. Dang that money is spent fast!

Cruise Ship Memories

When I was 14 or so, I went on a 14 day cruise with my mom, sister and grandmother. It was during Christmas and New Years and we went all over the Caribbean, including Venezuela and Columbia. I met a ton of kids my age and we ran around the ship and had a blast. One of the boys I met, Matt, was funny and dorky and we hit it off right away. We became a "thing" and held hands, kissed, etc.

One night after dinner, we were walking around on the top deck and we went to sit on some lounge chairs. We talked a bit and kissed, and then he tried to feel me up. That was my first experience with someone trying to touch a boob, and I quickly smacked his hand away. I also laughed, because it was utterly ridiculous. He laughed too and we went back to the group and went to the dance club.

We kept in touch after the cruise, mostly by letters and some phone calls. I hadn't heard from him in a few weeks and I got a letter from him. I was girlishly excited until I started reading the letter. He informed me that he enjoyed talking with me and hanging out but he had to confess something: He sometimes liked to wear woman's clothing at home and in public. Honestly, I was weirded out for 5 seconds and then said whatever floats his boat was fine with me. I realized we were just pen pals and we'd never be anything more than that, so I wrote him back telling him that. I was supportive because let's face it, we all have weird quirks.

We lost touch shortly after and I sometimes wondered whatever happened to him.

You Must Make This!!!!

I found this White Chili with Ground Turkey recipe off of All Recipes. I made it last night and hubby and I both agree this is a prize-winning recipe. It's really easy to make and the taste is Delicious! I ate two huge bowls of this for dinner last night. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 (4 oz) cans canned green chile peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp. ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. dried Oregano
1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
Ground Cayenne pepper to taste
Ground White Pepper to taste
3 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

1. In large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, ground turkey and saute for 10 minutes, or until turkey is well browned. Add the chile peppers, cumin, oregano,cinnamon, cayenne & white pepper to taste, and saute for 5 more minutes.

2. Add two cans of beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing cheese to melt. Enjoy!

This recipe makes 8 servings and is ready in about 45 minutes. You could also top with sour cream and some grated jack cheese.

So Embarrassing

I was dropping off some clothes at the dry cleaners this morning and while I was pulling my items out of the bag, out flies a pair of my undies! Thank god the other two people in line didn't seem to notice, but I was mortified. And let me tell you, when they flew out, it was a slow-motion, launching high into the air kinda deal. I grabbed them on the downward arc and hastily put them into my purse. The clerk looked at me like I was nuts. Ugg, Happy Thursday!

People Watching

Do you ever just find yourself immersed in people watching? I know I'm a repeat offender, mostly at restaurants, clubs, and sporting occasions, but it really is a cheap form of entertainment. Now I know some might call this a form of passing judgements on people, but I don't care. I get a good laugh and it provides me with a story to tell.

Case in point: At the gym last night, I had about 8 minutes or so before my class started, so I did some stretching and scanned the crowd over. There was this dude working out on some machine and he kept straining his neck to the left and I couldn't figure out why. It didn't seem like it was part of the exercise, and I quickly realized it was his way of scoping a group of young girls out in the back. Guy probably gave himself a neck spasm, weirdo.

Another prime spot is at the grocery store. A rather large woman was having a debate with herself on if she should get the fattening ice-cream, or the healthier alternative, gelato. I don't like to judge, but she probably should have gone with some fruit. I'm just sayin'. I left that aisle and had to go back a few minutes later and this lady was still there! Oh, and she was still talking to herself.

Sports events are also a good place to people-watch. You can see the die-hard fans about to have a conniption because their player isn't doing well. You see the kids that were dragged into "family night" and would rather be with their friends. Oh, and you get the group of frat boys ogling the cheerleaders. Dream on boys! Those girls are looking for sugar daddies, not sour patch kids!

I Am Not A Happy Camper

I went to my specialty gastro doctor yesterday about the abdominal pains I've been having since Halloween. My symptoms have stuck around and I'm really over all the bloating and general uncomfortableness I've been dealing with. I tried keeping a food journal to identify any food triggers, but I got so tired of writing down the foods that irritated my stomach, I just stopped. It was easier writing down the ones that didn't!

This new doctor was very nice and informed me that the previous doctor had run all the same tests he would have ran and the only thing left was a colonoscopy. Um, come again?! You want to do a what on me? Yes, that is the test where you have to pretty much clean yourself out the day before the test and then get sedated (which means more needles) and have a camera shoved up your you-know-where. Needless to say, I think you understand why I'm not a happy camper.

The doctor believes I have IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is very common in women. Oh, and I also just found out this is something you can pass on to your children. I apologize to my future babies in advance. My immediate question was why did I need to be subjected to this procedure if they thought it was IBS. Apparently they want to test for Irritable Bowel Disease, which can be identified by the procedure. Fair enough. This means I have to take two days off work, one day to take all the cleaning out pills, and the next day for the actual procedure. Luckily they put you under anesthesia, so you don't feel anything. That really doesn't make me feel better, but I would like to rule out anything crazy like IBD and cancers.

Now hubby and I don't talk bathroom bodily functions. He likes to think girls don't go potty, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Last night I had to tell him about the doctor appointment and how he'd have to take me to the actual procedure because I'm prohibited from driving. Ever the understanding husband, he starts to tell me how much it's going to suck, etc. Thanks honey! I seriously shuddered having to tell him about the procedure. I guess we'll see how it goes. I have the procedure the first week of March and I'm already not looking forward to it!

Tales From The Gym

I rarely miss my Saturday Body Flow class and my Sunday Yoga class. Both class provide me with a great workout and a release of pent-up energy and frustrations. It's hard to think about issues when you're trying not to fall out of a pretzel position.

I've been taking Yoga classes for almost two years and I often rave about the therapeutic qualities of the class as well as how it makes your body feel taller and leaner. Recently, more people have been hopping on the Yoga train and attending these classes. It's always great to see new faces in class and I'm always interested in how they liked the class. I applaud the people who come early to class to ask questions and ask what kind of materials they need. The ones that irk the shit out of me are those who come late, are noisy, and don't follow the teacher's instructions.

At the beginning of each class, we are told it's not a contest and to really focus on your breathing and getting into a position by listening to your body's limits. Makes sense, right? Apparently not. Somehow I always get the newbies posting up next to me and they grunt and desperately twist their bodies in ways it doesn't want to go. I try very hard to focus on my deep breathing and block them out, but I can't help but look over and notice how terribly uncomfortable they must be in the ill-contorted positions. It's no wonder they come back complaining of knee pain, shoulder pain,etc. Sigh. If they just listened to their instructor and their bodies everyone would be a happy Yogi.

On a side note, while I was waiting outside the door for class to start, I scanned the gym to see all the men lifting weights. Now I'm no gym expert, but I know bad form when I see it. These guys were arching their backs so bad while lifting weights I had a back ache! Oy vey.

Weekend Wrap Up

Friday night was wonderfully lazy. We decided to watch House Bunny with Ana Faris, who we both absolutely love. She is so funny and the way she uses her tone of voice is spot on. We laughed our butts off and then called it a night.

Saturday we ran into town to check out the closing sales at Circuit City. We were looking for a new speaker system for the TV, and we ended up only buying three CD's that were 40% off. We had a couples massage scheduled for noon, so we wrapped up and headed over to Massage Harmony. I was a bit disappointed when we found out we wouldn't be in the same room, but I quickly got over it as my masseuse, Sabrina, launched into a wonderful massage. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep for a bit and I loved every minute of it! When we were done, we were treated to champagne, chocolates and I even got a rose. Fabulous, truly fabulous!

Later that evening we had reservations at P.F. Changs, but hubby's godparents invited us to a party at their place. They were having Adam McInnis, a local musician play and it was a intimate party if we were interested in going. You can check him out here http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=33024790 Hubby was really wanting to go so I took one for the team and said we could go, only if I could drink champagne and not have to drive home! He agreed, and we ended up having a wonderful time. Our cousins were there and we laughed, ate, and drank until well past midnight.

Sunday I managed to make it to my yoga class and did some light errands. Hubby worked at hooking up the new sound system and I had to help him re-wire the speakers. We decided to watch Love Guru, with Mike Meyers, and it was a bad movie. Not worth renting!

I'm Speechless

Read this article and you'll understand why. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2233878.ece

Start Your Friday Off With Tom Jones

Hilarious words and dance moves, enough to make Friday move along faster!

I Do Not Care About Michael Phelps

I could personally care less that he was busted in a photo smoking pot. It's all over the TV and radio, and I'm sick of hearing about it. Yes, I understand he was thrust into the spotlight with his Olympic wins, but does that mean you lose the right to make a bad choice with out being lambasted by every national media outlet?

I get why some of his sponsors are dropping him, especially Kelloggs. They hawk their sugary death cereal to kids, but they would never want to put someone who smoked pot on their cereal boxes! Kelloggs in my opinion is the pot calling the kettle black. Hello, your cereal is a bad eating choice, Phelps made a bad drug choice, yada, yada. I just don't see why this has to be all over the news.

I personally don't like pot and I'm proud to say I've never tried it. However, if someone wants to smoke pot, that is their own decision. Yes, Phelps should have been smarter than that and realized "Hm, I really don't think this would be a great photo op for me." But he didn't, he's apologized, and he's moved on. Over it!!!

Honeymoon Update

Last night Hubby and I spent some time researching honeymoon options so we could finally book our honeymoon, almost 3.5 years after our wedding. Originally we had thought somewhere in Mexico, but then friends of ours were raving about their trip to Belize where they stayed in the jungle for 3 days, and then spent 3 days on the beach. Needless to say, Belize started to become a possible choice.

We read a ton of reviews on upscale Mexican all-inclusive resorts and also checked out the hotels in Belize our friends recommended. If we had a week to spend in Belize, it would definitely be our main choice. However, since we're only able to do a 4 day trip, we've decided Mexico is the better option. The hard part is limiting our resort choices. The ones we are looking at are very beautiful, on the beach, provide tons of activities, etc. So far, we both agreed that the Iberostar Hotel in Cozumel looks perfect.

Now the hard part is deciding when is the perfect time to go!

I have cramps...

so I went to Whole Foods and picked a new chocolate bar to try out. The chocolate company is called Q.Bel and I decided to try the Milk Chocolate crispy rice wafer bar. I found this new company on my favorite candy blog http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/ . If you're a candy addict like I am, this is a good blog to read for product reviews and suggestions. I'll let you know how the candy bar is!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday night started the weekend off with a bang with our 2nd annual Girls Valentine's Day Party! E. was our fabulous host and offered up her house as the location for the party this year. The dining room was decorated with the cutest Valentine paraphernalia and each girl got a little gift bag. The party kicked off with C. announcing her pregnancy and the fact she had been keeping it a secret for a week! After the obligatory screams and tears, the ideas began to flow for the next baby shower.

We did a Secret Sista gift exchange and we oh'd and ah'd over the gifts and indulged in some ridiculous brownies that I got from the www.bakerella.com website. Most girls called it a night around 10:30pm, and the few of us that stayed the night talked and giggled until well past 1am.

Saturday I managed to drag my behind to Body Flow and hubby and I purchased a flat-screen TV after two months of comparison shopping. Our old-school TV started making this terrible humming noise right after Christmas and we had been trying to ignore it, but it was getting progressively worse. Hubby found a wonderful deal (big surprise) so we went ahead and bought a 42" Flat-Screen TV! So excited, it looks awesome and best of all, no humming noise. We also went to dinner with friends of ours who are expecting to go into labor any day now. We had a wonderful dinner at Oasis and chatted about their pregnancy and honeymoon ideas. They went to Belize and highly recommended it and even sent us the links when they got home from dinner.

Sunday was spent at Yoga class, then I persuaded Hubby to take me to see "Taken" with Liam Nissan. It was a great action movie and we both enjoyed it. With all the baby news floating around, hubby tried to press me for more information as to when I would be ready for kids. Good lord, I'm not ready to commit to another dog, and he wants me to commit for a date to start trying for a baby!!!

Free Laughs..

Check out http://petswhowanttokillthemselves.com/

Concert Review

Last night hubby and I had a wonderful evening out which included dinner at Saba and the Eric Hutchinson/ O.A.R. concert. Hubby had never been to Saba, so we decided to kick off the evening there and sample their chicken quesadillas and crispy calamari. The food was good, but it did take ridiculously long to get our drinks. We laughed and giggled the whole dinner and it was a really nice date night.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Music Hall right when Eric Hutchinson began his opening set. His band was very good and his music is quite catchy. I don't think all of his songs are great enough for radio play, but he is a very solid performer. Sounds just like his CD, which is always a plus. The only thing that bothered us was his horrible haircut. It looked like a bowl-cut from the 80's. I know he's playing up that dorky, boy next door kinda vibe, but seriously, cut the hair. He ran through 10 songs and ended the set with Rock Roll, his most popular song currently on the radio.



O.A.R. took to the stage around 10pm, which is way past my normal bedtime (lame, I know). Hubby and I were both feeling tired, but agreed we would try to make it as long as possible. We had posted up behind the sound booth, because it provided the best view of the stage and the best sound. We were able to see the set list, and were a bit bummed to see the three songs we really wanted to hear were being saved for the Encore! This meant we would have to last for 15 songs, which is about an hour and a half. We sucked it up once the band started playing because they sounded awesome! They opened up with Love and Memories, and old school song that I love.


Hubby and I stuck it out until the first song in the Encore, which is their current radio hit "Shattered."


We finally called it a night around 12:30am, and knew we were going to be wicked tired for work today. It was totally worth it, we had a great dinner, saw an awesome free concert and really had a good time enjoying each other's company. Cheesy, I know!

I'll Pay For That If I Need To

So to kill some time before meeting my hubby for dinner, I strolled into Francesca's to check out their sale rack. In the front of the store they have accessories and knick-nacks. A cute headband made out of two strands of black pearls caught my eye. I love double headbands and this one would have been cute with a messy ponytail or easy updo.

I decided to try it on and check myself out in the mirror. Big mistake. I got to put it around my head and it explodes and drops the pearls all over the store! Of course at that exact moment you could hear a pin drop in the store so all the shoppers glance up to hear what's making the racket interrupting their shopping experience. I'm frozen, hands in mid-air and I can slowly feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. Damn, I really didn't want to pay $18 for a busted headband. The cashier started laughing and informed me they had a bet to see who would break one first. Glad to know I wasn't the only one who realized they should have used stretchy elastic to loop the pearls together!

I hastily bent down to pick up the loose pearls and informed the cashier I would pay for the headband, and bless her heart, she informed me it was no big deal. Those little pearls really went airborne because there were some in the back of the store! I still felt guilty and browsed the racks and felt better when I found a dress on sale to buy. Moral of the story, check the elasticity of a headband before you try to sling it over your head!

Darn It, I Missed My Gym Class

Oh well! I left work late and wasn't able to make my Body Pump class and I really wasn't feeling like running on a treadmill, so I skipped the gym last night. Hubby was in the area, so we met for dinner at a fabulous joint called The Trading Post. Really gourmet food at reasonable prices for our Hill Country location. We split the crispy shrimp in spicy aoli sauce and it was out of this world! I wanted to order a second plate, but refrained. We each got the house salad with an amazingly creamy herb vinaigrette dressing. Again, wonderful! We finished off dinner by splitting a creme brulee that we rated a 7 out of 10 stars. It would have been higher if they had torched the sugar on top more. I like it a little on the burnt side.

Afterwards, we did some light shopping and I picked up a cute summer wrap dress at Francesca's on sale for $25 and even picked up some gifts for the baby shower I'm hosting in April! Definitely a good impromptu date night.

Dear Merrill Lynch,

I'd like to kick your ass. I'm sitting here at work, making a valiant effort, in an attempt to reconcile your tax statement to the figures I have on my company's books. IT'S NOT WORKING!

So Merrill Lynch, I'd like to ask you this: Why is it if I enter and reconcile the monthly statements correctly that your figures don't match my figures? Seems simple enough, but no, you feel the need to make some secret adjustments somewhere along the months and not let me know. This leaves me no choice but to laboriously slave over the figures and guess what your dang company decided to change.

Bravo, I applaud you for your ingeniousness. Oh wait, what's that, you were too busy paying your CEO an undeserved $10 billion dollar bonus to create an easy to read statement? It all makes sense now!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday night was laid back and I was so thankful for that. I was exhausted and so was the hubby. We did manage to watch Swing Vote with Kevin Costner. It was a cute movie and the girl who played his daughter was very good. Worth the rental price.

Saturday I met some girlfriends and we indulged with spa pedicures and hit a few boutiques before calling it a day. I had family obligations and had to head back home. Hubby's grandfather was having a birthday party and the whole freaking family was coming. I showed up fashionably late because the thought of hanging out with the whole family for 8 hours was unappealing. It turned out to be a nice little party with 10 dogs running around all excited. Cute baby cousins were there and funny older ones as well. I'm a lame-o and called it a night around 9:30pm.

Sunday I managed to get up in time to attend Yoga class and by the end of it I was so relaxed I wanted to take a nap on my mat. I had to head to the grocery store and as soon as I attempted to find a parking space, I regretted going. It was their "Grand Re-opening" and the place was crazy packed. I had to pick up chicken wings and the makings for a ridiculously indulgent dessert for the Super Bowl party I was attending in the 'hood. I braved the crowds, and managed to rack up a $115 bill in 40 minutes. Ugg. I went home, made dessert and chicken wings and headed to the party around 4:30. They were having a chili cook-off and I'm pretty sure that's the most chili I've ever eaten. My dessert was attacked by the kids and it's safe to be their parents were cursing my name when it came time for bedtime later that night.

Overall, the weekend was good. The best part was when I won tickets to see O.A.R. and Eric Hutchinson this Thursday! Tickets start at $65 so I'm pretty happy that I was able to win them. It pays to have your favorite radio station pre-programmed in your phone!