End of Year MeMe - Courtesy of my SiL

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Started graduate school.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
 The same resolution I make every year Pinky...try to take over the world!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
 work friends
4. Did anyone close to you die?
 My Pawpaw
5. What countries did you visit?
 England
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
 an MBA degree
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
 December 18, the day I got in a car wreck.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
 Getting a new job.
9. What was your biggest failure?
 Not putting myself out there more
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
 Sprained my ankle for the bajillionth time and now more than 8 weeks later, I still don't have full range of motion back. Going to the doc soon.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
 Wii!!!!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
 My niece
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
 Our Congress
14. Where did most of your money go?
 Bills
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
 Playing Wii against my brother!
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
 Gimme More - the tragedy of Brit Brit
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
 Happier, same and poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
 Enjoyed the moment
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
 Traveled
20. How did you spend Christmas?
 In Florida with family
21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
 With my cat Beckham who has moved from being called "the Terrorist" to now being called "Little Man"
22. What was your favorite TV program?
 Life
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
 I hate my car insurance company
24. What was the best book you read?
 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
 How much I miss satellite radio
26. What did you want and get?
 To have my mom come for Thanksgiving and get to know my niece
27. What did you want and not get?
 Can't say a single thing
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
 The Bourne Supremacy - the best trilogy ending ever
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
 I had dinner by myself at my favorite Thai restaurant
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
 Spending more time at home
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
 Wear pink or die!
32. What kept you sane?
 Phone calls to mom
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
 Daniel Craig & Jason Statham
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
 Too many to name
35. Who did you miss?
 My mom
36. Who was the best new person you met?
 My new work friends - they are really awesome people
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: The reality of the karmic boomerang and being able to witness its impact on someone else.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays. You're the pretender. What if I say that I'll never surrender?

Wii Wii Wii - all the way home!

Just got back from a fun Christmas with the family in Florida. My adventure started by leaving the lovely Midwest in a snow storm from hell - we weren't sure I was going to make it. I thought for sure I was going to end up spending the holidays at the Econo Lodge next to the airport! But low and behold I made it.

I got to spend some time getting to know my niece again. The last time I saw her was in April. She is now 14 months going on 16. She is hilarious and a bit of a dare devil. No real talking yet, but she sure can give you the "what for" if she doesn't like what you are doing!

I'd been thinking about getting a Wii for a while and haven't been able to find one. I had no idea that my brother and SiL had one. It is AWESOME! My mom played the bowling game and kicked butt! Hilarious! So I found one on eBay, thanks to my SiL and I am in love with the tennis game and the boxing game. Talk about breaking up a sweat! I think my next purchase will be the Dance Dance Revolution game - I'm totally obsessed!

The car drama with Martha hasn't really ended. Thus far the service I have received from my insurance company has been lackluster at best. An independent appraiser who missed the damage to my front end. I've been passed around to three different adjusters who all say something different about my claim. Getting them to authorize and reauthorize my rental car has been the biggest hassle. And now the rental car company, who picks you up, seriously sucks.

Prior to leaving for the holidays, I had a car that they gave me with no air in the tires and a car alarm that kept going off for no reason. Lovely. So when I returned it the kid said we'll upgrade you for free on your next rental. HA! He never put it in my account. So when they came to get me today in the most ghetto hoopdie-mobile you have ever seen (so dirty inside it was disgusting), I said, I'm supposed to be upgraded. They said, no record of that. So I pitched a fit. I am so tired of having to be a bitch to get what I want/need/deserve. But I'm so not going to take it anymore (that's right, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!). I'm tired of being shit on. So, I got upgraded. Not that I'm in some flipping Caddy mind you, but at least I'm not in a car that looks like it's been through the ringer.

After speaking with the body shop it looks like Martha is ahead of schedule and I may be able to get her back by the end of the week!! Woot Woot! Now I get to move on to the continued hassle of the insurance company, a criminal court date to see if the kid will pay up and then potentially on to a civil case. Happy New Year to me!

Car Talk

I was in an accident on the way home from work this evening. I'm driving southbound on a four-lane interstate in the second to far left lane and some guy cut in front of me from the far left lane and then slammed on his brakes. So I slammed on my brakes and hit him and the kid behind me slammed into my car. Ba bam! Then the guy in front of me took off after I hit him! And joy of all joys, the kid behind me is driving without insurance. My car is not totalled but definitely not drive-able. So my tow truck driver gave me a ride home - actually as he was hitting on me the whole time, I'm sure he would have been happy to really give me a ride home. ;-)

So now I'm car-less. How bizarre is that? I feel trapped. Because I clearly was going to go somewhere tonight, not. But it's the fact that I can't go anywhere if I wanted to now. Also, the rental car companies in town are apparently suffering from a shortage and aren't sure I will be able to rent a car...there are no buses in middle America! And because I'm a flipping GENIUS, this is the first time in months that I didn't bother to bring my laptop home with me.

Sigh...it all could have been much worse. No one was hurt and it was an accident. At least I was not at fault. I'm sure I'll never be able to track the kid down his hit me from behind. Out of state tags and no insurance. Yeah right! Like I'll ever see him again. I have a court date for February - COURT!!! I've never been to court. Never been to jury duty. The policewoman who came to the scene was SO nice. I was so glad to get her and not some jerky hard-ass.

And who knows, maybe I'll get free tows for life now. :)

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Okay - have to spread the joy of this amazing new game. I was listening to NPR the other morning and this guy came up with this really cool vocabulary game while helping his son study for the SATs. Every time you guess the correct meaning of a word (you get four choices) the website donates 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to countries in need! It is the most addictive game AND you are donating to a worthy cause! In this time of year when we are constantly being asked to give (wish they would spread it out more) this is a really fun way to actually learn something AND give back! www.freerice.com

PS~I got up to level 41 and have donated over 2,000 grains of rice. So far the website has donated over 9 billion grains of rice!

Shovel It!

The first snow of the season, well the first real storm of the season, hit today. While my Mom was here it did snow, but it was hardly any snow at all and none of it stuck. Today, we got 3 inches and it stuck. I was able to leave work a bit early and get home to shovel the drive while it was still daylight.

I was to go to one of those pay parties tonight and needless to say, I'm happy that the weather gave me a good excuse to not go. I like the girl who was throwing it, but I hate the fact that you feel guilted into buying even if they say you don't have to. This time of year is so out of hand with so many people asking for money whether it's the fricking girl scouts, pay parties or the fundraising done for very worthy causes - I'm tapped out! Hell, every time I go to the grocery, I'm hit up to donate there too. I'm going to make a t-shirt that say, I've donated my share!

I was so wishing it was Friday today. I'm sure I'm alone in that wish. I have a new appreciation for my car Martha. I easily forgot how much I dreaded driving my old car Suzy in bad weather. I only remember all the bells and whistles I've given up with Martha. But after today, driving in the snow, Martha wins. I had such trouble with Suzy and her so-called traction control that I felt like never really worked, my tires had trouble getting purchase and I was so afraid I would spin out or roll down a hill as it was a stick shift. While the roads weren't horrid, they were pretty slick and icy and driving Martha home was nice. No issues, no annoying "slip" light yelling at me. So...I'm not saying I've change my mind completely, but she has really come up a few notches in my book today.

I would also like to say how thankful and happy I am that two of my family members who had medical procedures this week, each went well and had good results. A friend of mine lost 3 of her family members in a head on collision the weekend after Thanksgiving. To quote Hill Street Blues, let's be careful out there. Be extra careful, especially in the bad weather.

Holiday Parties

The dreaded company holiday party is tonight and I don't want to go. None of my direct colleagues are going for a variety of reasons, and the other teams going are quite clichy. The party is far from my house and although we didn't really get the bad weather everyone thought we were in for, I still don't want to go. Okay, truthfully, I'm being a baby. I don't want to go by myself. These types of parties are only fun if you have someone to bring with you - it's always Noah's Ark, everyone showing up in two-by-twos.

I really don't feel well either. I've been fighting off a cold for what seems like the last month. I've been Zicam'ing and Benedryling myself to death. Yesterday it seemed like I was having a sneezing fit every 15 minutes. So essentially I've talked myself out of going to the company party. I'm a wuss, that's right.

I also have a ton of schoolwork to catch up on. Also the last thing I want to do on earth.

Just feeling puny and lame. Oh well, back to the grind.