Holy Cow

I just bought a new car. I. Just bought. A new. Car.

Something I never thought I'd be able to afford, and something I now I hope I can continue to maintain...any sort of investment is risky in this economy, but I bit the bullet, I feel good about it, I had been planning for months for this, and all I--anyone--can do these days is to just hope for the best.

So economic uncertainty aside, I am SO EXCITED about the car. A 2009 Nissan Versa...tres chic! I'm tentatively naming her Victoria. She's a classy broad. : )

Before I get to pics of that, though, I have to share some pics from my company's pep rally before this week's basketball game. I led a cheer squad (I know...I'm the first to acknowledge the irony), and it was just a silly, fun, time. We lost the game, but it was thisclose to being a tie in the very last second (AKA we scored, but the ref wouldn't give it to us!). And this was the first game that a bunch of my coworkers came to, so it was really fun, and it was a really close and exciting game the whole time.

Goooooo, Navigant!

Okay, now I'll post pics of the car, since I know that's what you're all interested in. haha

It's such a nice change from my beloved Cavalier. The ride is so much smoother, and it's both exciting and overwhelming to have so many modern conveniences. Power windows and locks? Tilt steering? Alarm system? WHAT? haha So many buttons and gizmos compared to my very simple setup in the ol' Chevy. It'll take a while to get used to, but I absolutely love it.

As for now, I'm gonna have lunch, maybe nap (I'm still trying to kick this monster cold out of my system), and then see where the afternoon takes me. Tomorrow John and I will go to my parents', drop off the Cavalier so they can have it, then go to the Adventure Aquarium so John can have his anniversary gift: preparing food for and feeding the sharks in the main exhibit! Yay!

Definitely stay tuned for pics and stories about that. Maybe John will actually pop on here and write about it himself. ::wink wink nudge nudge:: : )

Peace.

Relative to Nothing...

...this is the view from our back windows when it snows:

Happy Valentine's Day!

So John and I had a fantabulous date in NYC on Saturday. It was not only Valentine's Day, but also our 4-year (wow!) anniversary.

We first saw the new revival of Guys and Dolls...about which I was SUPER excited because Lauren Graham (of Gilmore Girls) is playing Adelaide. Awe-some! Needless to say, the play was amazing, and I'd totally see it again! Our seats were great, too...orchestra section, off to the right. I was just about shaking with excitement when the lights flashed the 5-minute warning. Oh, I guess I should mention it played (and is playing) at the Nederlander Theatre on 41st Sreet.

After that, we had an incredibly delicious dinner at Victor's Cafe. There was a special couples' menu for V-Day, and John and I both had a mixed greens salad that also had pear slices and a hunk o' beautiful cheese. My entree was crab-stuffed tilapia, and John had grilled chicken topped with cilantro, tomato, avocado, mango, and lots of other goodness. Both dishes came with a pile of rice and there was a dish of black beans for us to add as we pleased. Then dessert was a platter of three mini-sized desserts: a warm fruit cobbler/tart, a chocolate lava bonbon, and a flan. Everything was th eperfect size. I was happily full afterward, without feeling like I would derail the train if we took a sharp turn. haha Also, as an extra surprise, John had a big vase of gerber daisies delivered to the restaraunt, so when we sat down, there they were, smiling at me. My man delivered. : )

It really was a great day, and it was nice to have an extended weekend with President's Day off.

So that's all for now. This Friday, John and I will check out a local Nissan dealer to window shop for my Versa. Hopefully I'll be ready to buy in two or three weeks.

: )

All in!

For some reason, Hammy decided he NEEDED to be a part of our Uno game. When he was finished laying on the discard pile, he put on a poker face and declared, "Dos."

Still Alive

Sorry I've been lax in the update department. But here I am, with no real deep thoughts to express. Just a need to write and babble. Per usual.

Work has been good. I've been involved with a special project for one of our clients, which has been nice cuz I get to act in a kind of supervisory role. I do miss my "regular" job, but it'll be sad to go back and be a low man on the totem pole. Not that what I'm doing now is vastly different, but it's nice to be the one people come to with questions; I like to have the answers, and to teach what I know.

Related only because this happened at work last week, I present the following Corporate Environment/Public Health Fail...

The day? Thursday. The time? 8:10 AM - 2:00 PM. I arrive at my office, earlier than usual because I was driving John to work until he got his car back from the collision shop. I put my things down and am greeted by my friend, who was disgruntled because the bathroom had no water. Yes, the toilets were EMPTY, and the sinks couldn't even drool. More disturbing still, someone went, uhm, number two, despite this fact. More employees trickle in. More employees realize we're gonna have to hold it for an indefinite time. Then, we get an email...a pipe froze and broke, and the entire building was without water. But rather than close so repairs could be made, the building honchos offered us this: we were welcome to use the bathrooms in any of the OTHER buildings in the complex. So the day consisted of carpools trekking out in the sub-zero weather to relieve themselves. Brilliant.

For your further amusement, Pet Parenting Fail:

The last two weeks were incredibly rushed. Since I had to drive John to and from work, we were up and out earlier in the morning, and home later in the evening. Needless to say, this disrupted Hammy's schedule as much as ours. Usually when I leave, he's laying down under the couch, and thus out of sight. So I didn't think anything of it when I didn't see him out and about Friday morning. We called out goodbye as we walked out, assuming he was hiding somewhere, waiting till he could go to sleep again. Fast forward to 6:30. I got home first, having dropped John at the Ford dealership to pick up his car. I didn't want to wait for him because I knew Hammy would be lonely and hungry. I got home, put the key in the lock, and listened for the familiar jingling of his collar bell as he ran down the stairs to greet me. Silence. Worried, I dropped all my stuff at the top of the stairs, and called out again. Then, somewhere far-away sounding, I heard, "Mrrroooowwww...?" Immediately knowing what happened, I ran over to the coat closet, and there was my kitten, curled up on the floor, looking up at me with an expression of, "THANK GOD!" He chirped, rubbed against my legs and stretched for like 15 minutes.

And one more. Not so much a fail, but it was pretty funny nonetheless:

While I'm working on the special project, I have been set up in a nice private office, with a huge wall of windows. Now, my company is on the ground floor, so "my" office is right at sidewalk level. I was sitting at "my" desk after lunch, just working away, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flicker of movement through the open blinds. I turned, and saw someone RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW. Being incredibly startled, of course, I gasped with such fervor that I scared the crap out of everyone out in the cubicle area. Only me...

I'd like to leave you with this, possibly my favorite thing in the whole world right now. And have your speakers on. G-E-M!!!!!!



More to come after Valentine's Day/John's and my 4-year anniversary. Also, I'll be buying a new car in a few weeks! Hooray! I've got my sights set on a Nissan Versa SL Sedan. : ) HAPPY!