Have you ever...? (Part 2)

Read Part 1.

Have you ever had an unwanted house guest? I have!
(This does NOT refer to all the friends who visit and whom I love to host!)

Truth be told, I had noticed some signs.

About three weeks ago a warning light came on in my Acura. I read the manual and determined the light was related to the fuel line/emissions. It suggested re-seating the gas cap. I had run into this before with my Honda and the gas cap trick always worked. Not this time! So I called Effrim, my handy dealer service guy. I took it in on a Friday afternoon and got a sweet loaner vehicle, a 2007 Acura MDX. The shop was busy, so it was Monday morning when I got the call about the cause of the light... The conversation started with Effrim asking if I had small animals. No. Do you park outside or live near open land or fields? No. Weeeeelllllllll, the problem is that the wiring harness for you knock sensor has been... well, chewed through. What?!?! There was a long story about how rodents (mice, rats) like to crawl into warm engines to sleep, especially in the winter. While in the warm engine compartment, the mouse apparently cannot just sleep. There must be gnawing... on wiring harnesses. It turns out that the casing for the wiring harness is made of soy. Nice, just give the mouse something good to eat. Smart. (Here, mousey, mousey, mousey! Please.) Anyway, that stinkin' mouse cost me $800. That's $100 for the wiring harness (old one shown below) and $700 in labor. The joy! Luckily the dealer didn't charge me for the loaner car, which technically became a rental as it wasn't a warranty issue.

I've since made my garage a less desirable place to live. I've put the bags of bird seed into a container with a lid. I've cleaned up the bag of mulch with the mouse hole in it. I've set traps and put out sticky mouse trays and mouse poison. I have not caught any mice. But I also haven't seen any evidence that the sorry rodent is still living rent free in the garage. I hope he's gone. But I'd rather have had evidence of his death! I know, call PETA, I'll turn myself in.

The dealer took this picture for me. I have the actually part in an envelope.

Homes

On our visit to San Antonio this Christmas, Mom and Dad and I drove around a bit near Trinity University. At one time my parents rented the second floor of a two story house there. It was their first home together. And my Oma, my Dad's mom, lived down the street in a small house. My other grandma, Nanny, lived in San Antonio too. We spent many a fun week or weekend in San Antonio going between the grandmas houses. They were 71 (Nanny) and 72 (Oma) when I was born and lived to be 89 and 95. I was blessed to have them!

My Oma's house. When she lived there, it was all white and had no carport.

My Nanny's house also had no carport when she lived there.


My parents' first home together was the top floor of this duplex.

Christmas 2006

This year we had a very quiet family holiday. My parents came to my house and stayed from Friday to Wednesday. Our time together was filled with eating, working, visiting and sleeping.

Mom and Dad asleep by 8:30 pm after a hard day!

Dad, of course, worked in my yard and around the house as much as he could. It's his passion and I think he prefers to do it alone... most visits we both work in the yard several days, but this year he just did a bit of clearing in my back yard and we put out mulch together in the front yard. Don't get me wrong, he works circles around me all the time, but this year even more so because I spent time with Mom, either around the house (watching her favorites on DVR - Reba, Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier) or running around getting last minute things done for the holiday.

We had a quiet gift opening at my house Saturday night and then Sunday morning we headed for San Antonio to see my extended family. My uncle went to lunch with us at, you guessed it, Luby's (just like last year)... but my aunt was in the hospital for a colonoscopy, so we visited her afterward. She got out just after that and seems to be doing a bit better. I am worried about them both, though, and hope to be a better niece in 2007.

As you can see, the weather was worse and this is just a picture of the Luby's sign and a random Mexican restaurant we didn't visit.

I also hope to be a better daughter in 2007 too.

Dad and Mom, Christmas Eve 2006.

Equal time

I have bragged and posted pictures of my friends' dogs before.


First there was a visit from Blondie.

Soon there were visits from Dexter. (His picture is at the end of the entry.)

And after that a visit from Bauer.


Now when Blondie comes to visit, she brings her owner (my friend from college) and her step sister, Paisley.

Introducing Paisley!

Blondie and Paisley slept over.

The pressure is getting to me... (or more Australia pictures)

See, I started this blog for fun. It is supposed to be a place to catalog thoughts and share pictures. I really like blogging. I DO NOT like struggling to figure out a subject about which to write. It's clear that I am not a "writer." Some days I click through a list of blogs and read amazing entries. Entries written by real writers. These are folks who get paid to write and those who do not. Still and all, they are real writers. I am not!

But I can take a good picture now and then... And I would post one or two, but Blogger (no longer called Blogger beta) won't let me post pictures!!! Again. I'll keep trying, but this isn't doing much for my momentum.

Update: I can upload pictures through IE, but not Mozilla Firefox. Therefore, here are some more pictures of my trip to Australia in 2003. Cairns was my first stop in Australia, and I arrived just in time to lay awake for hours before "waking up" early to go up in the hot air balloon I mentioned in an earlier post.

The view from my hotel in Cairns, Queensland.

The Cairns Yacht Club.

Have you ever...?

Have you ever wasted a few hours watching bad TV? I have. I might have done that tonight. Stupid Lifetime Original Movies.

Have you ever hit a deer? Or rather, has a deer hit your car? It could happen; it happened to me in December. I saw the deer (plural), stopped, waited for them to head toward the tree line... Then I started driving again, very slowly, and the stinkin' deer turned around and jumped right into my car's passenger side fender. He did a movie stunt type maneuver, slid over the hood, onto the windshield and off the other fender. At the end of the day his hooves and antlers scratched the two fenders, the hood, the windshield, the bit between the windshield and the sunroof and the driver side windshield wiper. $2600. Over-achieving deer. The folks at Allstate didn't even blink. Neither did the folks at the body shop. They had given an estimate to a guy earlier in the day who'd run over a DEAD feral hog. Imagine calling the insurance company to say you'd hit dead hog. "I swear that it looked like a speed bump? Really!"

A deer made this dent on my front fender. Yes that's cracked paint too!

Giving it another go...

I'm not sure if anyone checks my blog anymore. I mean, if you were checking, then you gave up months ago, right?

Let's see if I can do a better job in 2007! I plan to post more frequently and use more photos. Here's hoping I keep this resolution (along with several others to be discussed at a later date).

I made another long weekend trip to New York City in December. I had a great time visiting a friend and seeing some shows. I recommend both The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Jersey Boys.

Backstage at Radio City Music Hall with my friend Beth.

I took the Staton Island Ferry (free!) to get some pictures of the Statue of Liberty. After taking a few (or 100) pictures, I had to take a moment and enjoy the view.

Sunday, December 11, 2006

Random thoughts...

My favorite new snack food: Snyder's Honey Wheat Sticks.

Iced tea is best in a clear glass.

Fountain drinks should have pebble ice (like Sonic), a lid, a straw, and a Styrofoam cup.

September is always better than August (in Texas).

Virtually all hotels are overpriced.

It's time for the Astros to make their run at the wild card spot.

I prefer men to wear collared shirts when playing tennis or golf.

Crossword clues should indicate if the answer is more than one word.


**I tried this as a numbered list, but didn't like it.

I've done it again!

I've spent quite a while tonight messing with my blog template. I don't have much to show for it except some new colors for some of the text and a picture in my profile.

I'm now trying to figure out how to put a photo of some kind into my header. No luck as yet. Perhaps I'll begin to read about HTML in my spare time. Ha!


LET ME JUST SAY THIS, "GIG 'EM!!!"

True colors

Arkansas

Last weekend I drove to Arkansas for a friend's wedding. Who knew Arkansas was so beautiful? I was there in college, but clearly I didn't appreciate it! It sure doesn't hurt that with the rain, everything was very, very green.

The wedding was in Norfork, just south of Mountain Home. Mountain Home is approximately 15 miles south of the Missouri border in the very middle of Arkansas.


Here are some pictures to chronicle the small bit of sight seeing we did.

The Rainbow Arch Bridge and the White River in Cotter, Arkansas
(Notice the fly fishers?)

Looking the length of the bridge

Steam hovers over the water in the morning

The road above Norfork Dam in Norfork, Arkansas

I am SO grown up!

I mentioned that I'm officially a grown up in an earlier post. Age and habits make it so.

So I've done something else that only a grown up would do. I increased my contribution to my 401k. I also re-allocated the money already in it. I analyzed, researched, rubbed my forehead, and squinted. Recently our 401k administrators added more funds from which to choose, so this was no small task. I'm feeling good - and stupid. I should have stayed on top of this all along.

I will not be lazy. Grown ups aren't lazy.

Here's a few Outback pictures from my trip to Australia in September 2003. I was absolutely NOT lazy on this day. I bet we hiked 10 miles. And then I slept in a big tent on a cot!

Then again, I do feel pretty grown up for taking a trip to Australia on my own! I'll post more pictures if you guys care to see them!

Good reads (blogs not books)

Recently, through much clicking and following of links, I've found two blogs that intrigue me. Each is the kind of blog that makes me want to sit and start reading from the beginning! I don't have that much time, so I've decided to read a few entries every time I visit... Someday I'll catch up! I'll make a link to the first ever post in each blog.

barista brat
i'm the original barista brat. come find me at your local bux!

Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds
Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds is a social satire about life in South Florida, from the perspective of a witty and often abused country club employee, who must deal on a daily basis with the exploits of the tasteless, demanding, tacky and unreasonable Rich White People for whom she works. Calling herself Subservient Worker, the author of this blog anonymously recounts the outrageous, fictionalized incidents which occur regularly at her job as an administrative assistant in the Home Owner’s Association of one of the largest and most exclusive golf and tennis communities in Basura, Florida, while also offering a sane and balanced contrast to the lifestyle of her employers. Any similarities between events, locations or individuals mentioned in this blog and actual events, locations or individuals are purely coincidental, unintended and not the responsibility of Subservient Worker. All material contained on this blog is the copyrighted, original material of its author, so don't steal or I'll turn off your barcode.

Bloggers block!

Somewhere in my last two or three posts I promised that I was back to blogging. Clearly I lied.

At least one friend, Shelley, has implied that she finds it annoying when she daily clicks on another's blog to read the new post and finds instead an OLD post. I'm not sure, but I think she might have been talking to me. Check out her blog and read about her recent travels to Fiji and Mexico. Be jealous, I am!

Anyway, today I decided I CAN DO BETTER. (That's me yelling at myself.) Plus, I got a little bit of a big head to see that my blogging friend, Bre, has my blog in her sidebar links. She lists blogs that are "fun and fabulous." I'm honored and a little intimidated by the pressure to be "fun and fabulous." Wish me luck.

I'm about to hit up Bre to help me put a picture in my title box. She has a cool artistic rendering of shoes (one of her passions) in her title box now! Another fabulous blogging friend, Heather, has a whole new look on her blog - including two color boxed columns and a picture (or is it two) in the title area.

Maybe I'll just hire someone? Andreia recommended Susie at Bluebird Blogs for a little color and redesign. Take a look at Susie's site for cool examples of her work. I hope she'll help me copy one design she already did.

I took some pictures on a recent drive around Austin.

Texas Capitol Building, Austin, TX

Entrance to the Texas State Cemetery
The inside is prettier.

Another visitor

I'm late in posting this!

It seems my place is now a pet friendly bed and breakfast. (It could be argued that "breakfast" shouldn't be in the name.) Seriously, give me a call if you need a place to crash!

Courtney and her puppy (!) came to stay with me a week or so ago. Check out this handsome German shepherd.

Meet Bauer!

Those are 15 inch tiles, folks!

Jealousy

A good Aunt must brag on all of her friends' dogs! And this Aunt must post pictures.

One of my other good friends has a dog named Blondie. Blondie was rescued and trained for agility competitions. She's a very fun and friendly puppy. I call her a puppy but I bet she's two years old already.

Blondie has been to my house at least three times. I'm told Blondie is so excited to see me that she starts to whimper (with glee, not trepidation) when the car reaches the entrance to my neighborhood. She gets more and more excited in the two mile trip in to my part of the neighborhood. I told my dad this story, but he doesn't believe it. Perhaps I'll ask for a video recording of it or at least an audio one. I mean, really, who wouldn't get a boost from knowing that a dog was happy to be visiting?

Please see Blondie, Queen of New Braunfels, TX.

For the record!!

First of all, thanks to each of you who left a comment on my last entry. I fear that I misled you into thinking that July 13th was my birthday... It's really in April (hence the trip to Mexico). I wanted to set the record straight for the those that years from now review this blog diary of my _exciting_ life! That said, the rest is true, I do drink coffee, therefore I am a grown up.

No one asked me a question. Perhaps no one thinks coffee drinking and being 35 mean that I am wise. WRONG!

Things I've learned since I've been a grown-up:

1. It might not be a good plan to drink hot coffee (liberal use of the term coffee) and sit outside when it is 95 degrees outside at 9 pm.
2. It turns out getting coffee in a fancy coffee store is not like getting a 1/3 or a 1/2 cup of coffee at home and then filling the mug with sweetened flavored creamer and Equal sweetener. At the store you might need two cups for all the special mixing.
3. Seriously, I might just be a social coffee drinker. Real coffee early in the morning, even with lots of goo in it, makes my stomach upset. Late at night or after breakfast or a meal, then we're all good.

I've learned more than this in the last few month, but this is all I'm blogging about!


For my picture today, I'll use one I took of the puppy, Dexter, that came to stay at my house this weekend. Cute, right? He's not mine, I had to give him back to his owner on Sunday.

News Flash

So... I turned 35. I'm grown up. Seriously, I am; if for no other reason than my age.

But the reason I blog today is to tell you that IT IS OFFICIAL. I drink coffee now. So I'm a grown up.

(Thing number 88 on my 101 Things is now false.)

I should point out that I'd rather you just wave the coffee over my cup full of cream and sweetener, but still, I drink coffee.

Ask me something. I'm a grown up. I'm wise. Probably I'll know the answer.

Found this on the web, it looks a bit dark for me. Might taste like coffee.

It should work now!

My astute coworker (we are working hard!) pointed out that the blog appearance problem might be associated with the browser used. Sure enough, I was using Firefox which did not have the display problem. However, Internet Explorer users did have the problem.

I messed with a setting on the template that controls how many posts are shown at a time in the window... reducing that number fixed the problem in IE. More importantly, it also did not screw up the appearance of my blog in Firefox.

Excellent.

Gratuitous picture that I took this weekend of a rose in Tyler, Texas. More to come.

I'm back, I promise, but first...

I know you wanted an interesting post about my life or maybe a mediocre post, but with pictures... Well, first, may I ask you to weigh in on this subject by commenting on this entry? You can answer even if you aren't a Blogspot member, so please comment to let me know...

I promise that Wednesday I'll post something better; possibly even something witty and with photos.

Okay here's the question:
When you view my blog on your computer or laptop, do you see the links on the right hand side column next to the latest (greatest) post? Or does that column appear to be way down the page almost like it's letting you see the whole posting column before the column with the little "About Me", "Cluster Map", "ClockLink", "101 Things", "Blogging Friends", "Random Blogs I Read", "Previous Posts", and "Archives" links?

That's more than one question, I know, but it's just the one subject.

I ask because on my computer is looks just fine, like the template; two columns side by side. But at least two friends have said that it has always looked as I described it above.

SO, I wondering did I delete part of the template that makes it smart enough to size the columns for any computer resolution??? Or what??? I don't want to start over, so if anyone knows how to fix it please let me know!

Thanks!

Monday is for links

I almost posted on Monday! Forgive me?

I was inspired by Heather at Yummy Sushi Pajamas. Each Monday she posts links to some of her favorite blogs. She has been nice enough to visit my blog, comment AND put me on her Monday link list.

Here is my first Monday link list. Please visit them if you have time and post a comment if you feel inclined.

Yummy Sushi Pajamas
This Fish Needs A Bicycle
Win or lose, we go shopping
- plain simple english
Greek Tragedy
Benjamin Wagner Dot Com