Nun Punched for Pocket Change

Welcome to Philly - the most angry town in America! I mean...c'mon. Punching an 82 year old nun in the face for her purse? That's horrible.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29127463

A day of hope

Today marks one of the finest days in our country’s history – the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. The first African-American president of the United States.

I was at work during the inaugural activities. They set up a small TV in the lunchroom – rabbit ears and all – where 30 people gathered around to watch this historical moment. Cameras panned Independence Mall and it was awe inspiring to see the sea of 2 million people, shoulder to shoulder, participating in and watching this historic event. It brought me to tears.

As President Obama began delivering his speech, I was quickly overcome with emotion. I was captivated by his strong presence, poise and confidence. I hung on to his every word as he gave us hope and reassurance that Americans will prevail in these tough times. Hope and reassurance that change is coming. Hope and reassurance that America will reclaim its credibility and regain the respect of other nations the previous administration destroyed over the last eight years.


What touched me the most about his speech wasn’t overtly stated. It was the underlying message of unity. I kept thinking about Martin Luther King. If he was listening from up above, his heart must have been filled with pride and joy. He laid the foundation of change over 40 years ago, and now we are finally realizing the fruits of his labor. As Obama mentioned in his speech this afternoon – it’s hard to believe 60 years ago his father might not have been served in a restaurant. Now, an African American is leading one of the most powerful nations in the world.
This is the beginning of a new era and today, I am extremely proud to be an American.

As Seen on TV

Here's one of the most ridiculous inventions ever...the Snuggie. The first time I saw the actors wrapped in this fleece blanket with sleeves and a neck opening, it instantly reminded me of Marshall Applewhite and the Heaven's Gate cult of the late 90's. There's just something not right about it.



The infomercial does a diligent job in touting the benefits of the Snuggie - you can play backgammon on the floor with your sweetie (I can't imagine my husband and I doing this without laughing our assess off because we look so absurd), hug your baby, hug your dog, roast marshmallows, pour yourself a cup of coffee - all while wearing the Snuggie. Who knew you could be so efficient around the house while wearing a blanket with arms!



My favorite "real life" picture they paint is a huge group of people at a sporting event, all decked out in Snuggies. Could you imagine walking up to a little league game and all of the parents and other fans are wearing those crazy blanket contraptions - hence my earlier comment about the cult.

One gal at my work mentioned in a meeting the other day that her grandmother bought all of her family members color coordinated Snuggies for Christmas - now that's kinda funny. Yet another image comes to mind - the scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie comes downstairs in that ridiculous pink rabbit outfit. I would want to race upstairs and take off a Snuggie if I had to wear one too!

Word problems

OK, here are a few word problems to sharpen your mind for the upcoming work week.

Question #1: What does an Eagles playoff game plus grocery shopping equal?
Answer: No lines at Genuardi's (child to parent company Safeway for you west coasters). Love that!

Question #2: What do you get when you add a short temper to a Philadelphian?
Answer: Out-of-control tailgating and road rage!

Question #3: What do you get when you go to several parties over the holidays add tons of rich, yummy food and copious amounts of alcohol?
Answer: A fat butt, which I now have. (See previous post).

Treadmill...here I come!

Resolutions

Normally, I don't do New Year's Resolutions because I rarely keep them. But this year - I think I will be able to stick to them, so what the heck. There are only two - and here they are (cue the 'The Dating Game' theme song):

1 - Get back into shape. I recently saw a few of my wedding photos and thought to myself - damn, I was hot! I was in good shape - yoga shape. I figure once we get settled into the house, life will return to a somewhat normal state - which it hasn't been since April of '08 - I have a better shot of working exercise into my schedule. At least that's the plan.

2 - Write often. Since starting my job in October, I haven't blogged at all. A friend of mine sent out online holiday greetings instead of sending cards this year. She alluded to the fact that using on online greeting will permit her to write more about what's going on in her life. Makes sense - unlimited space to write as opposed to a small 5x7 space to capture everything that happened in the past year. She also mentioned in the message her passion for writing. I too share her passion, but haven't made the time to feed my passion - which is sad. I love to write. I find it soothing and therapeutic. It keeps my mind and vocabulary sharp. I should do it more often and plan to do so in 2009.

Two resolutions - 365 days. I'm fairly confident I can pull it off. Only time will tell.

So long 2008...

...and good riddance! I can honestly say, 2008 has been the worst year of my life - hands down. Between the huge life changes and all of the other crazy things that happened, I'll be happy to clink champagne glasses with my husband and ring in a new year.

So far, it appears 2009 is off to a good start. We move into our new home on January 30th and hopefully we will be able to start our family. Keep your fingers crossed - we could use a little bit of lady luck this year!

It's a beautiful morning

What constitutes a beautiful morning, you ask? No line at Starbucks.

The Bay Area is so densely populated, morning lines at Starbucks are usually about 10 customers deep at all times - weekday or weekend - it doesn't matter. The employees behind the counter are non-morning loving, twenty-somethings who think they are the hippest, coolest people on the planet because they aren't servers of coffee....they are baristas.

It was 7:30 a.m. when I pulled into the sparsely populated Starbucks parking lot this morning and I thought...that's weird...where is everyone? As I walked up to the front door, I saw one gentleman sitting at a table, reading his paper while sipping on his hot beverage of choice - but there was no one else sitting down. Hmmmm...maybe the line is stacked up inside and I just can't see it. Nope.

One other woman was in line ahead of me and she must have been a regular customer because the girls behind the counter knew what she wanted without asking her. Wow...how does that happen at Starbucks? A mom-and-pop java joint I can understand, but the largest coffee chain in the nation? That's cool.

I ordered my grande half-caff and pumpkin scone from a very friendly twenty-something who actually was smiling when she took my order, and I traipsed out of there with coffee and scone in hand in less than 5 minutes. At 7:30 a.m. On a workday.

Walking to my car with a huge grin on my face because I felt like I just got away with something, I glanced over to the field behind the parking lot and saw a deer grazing in the pasture. I looked up and saw a flock of geese flying to their winter destination. I felt like I was in a Disney movie...this couldn't be real. But it was. And I ended up having a wonderful day. Coincidence - who knows, but it sure was a nice way to start my day.

Bad Tailgaters, The Sequel

OK...I had the WORST tailgating experience in my entire life this morning. One thing about living in a rural area, at times there are only two lanes on a road for a while. Well, this one bonehead was about 5 ft. from my bumper for a solid 15 minutes today. I was going over the speed limit...again...but he wouldn't let up! I could have told you how many fillings he had in his mouth if he yawned, not to mention I could clearly read the letters B-M-W in 16 pt. font on the hood ornament, or whatever they're called these days.

Needless to say, this guy put me into a state of angst - not what I need before I walk into work. Stop-and-go traffic is minimal here, which used to really piss me off. Now, it's the tailgaters. I guess you just can't win when it comes to the commute.

Yo! Part Deux

How can I put this...Philadelphians are a little...angry. I knew east coasters were stereotypically more high strung than west coasters, but I never experienced rage in masses. Specifically, road rage.

Have you ever been to a state that posts signs on the side of a highway reading "Don't Tailgate"? I thought that was a no-brainer, but apparently it isn't in Philly. I've been tailgated more in two months than I have in two years in the Bay Area. And, we're talking ridiculous tailgating - like if I tap my brakes ever so slightly, your front bumper is up the ass of my car. My thought is...relax...you'll get there eventually, so you might as well follow at the recommended two car-lengths distance. Not a common automotive philosophy in the City of Brotherly Love.

Also, there's an unsaid rule known only by Philadelphians - a yellow light means "floor it", not "caution". My husband told me this rule, but for some dumb reason last week, I decided to slow down at a yellow light and not race through it like the rest of the population. Well, the tailgater behind me locked 'em up and almost slammed into the back of my car. You know, the kind where you yank the wheel to get over to the shoulder while your heart jumps into your throat? Yeah...one of those.

In my experience - many times, the tailgater will whip around to pass you, crank his/her neck to look you straight in the face, pull up his/her shoulders under the ears and hold out their hands, also internationally know "WTF" look, and speed off. Excuse me for driving 5 miles over the speed limit Mr. Tailgater!

I wonder if these tailgaters were Amish, would they have their horse and buggy literally up the ass of the horse and buggy in front of them? Do the Amish get road rage? Hmmmmmm.

I hope I can hold on to my laid back west coast demeanor. Only time will tell...

What would you do...

...with $200 million? Fun question, isn't it?

Tomorrow. Powerball - 200 million dollar jackpot. That's 100 million after taxes boys and girls. Did I buy tickets? Hell yes. Five of them. Four quick picks and one row of numbers I selected myself. Being the eternal optimist, my philosophy is that someone has to win it - why not me?

Let's see. If I won that much money, I always said I'd quit my job straight up. Being unemployed at the moment, I wouldn't experience the pleasure of doing that. But, that's OK.

First thing I would do is buy a few houses. A renovated farm house here in the burbs of Philly, a beach house in Charleston, SC by my sister-in-law, a loft in San Francisco, and a bungalow in Kapalua, HI. Even after buying that much real estate, I still would have a boat load of money.

I definitely would hook up my immediate family and closest friends to where they wouldn't have to worry about finances. Ever. After that, I would travel the world with my husband and invest the rest.

It's fun to think about how easy life would be not having to worry about finances. Maybe my wishes and dreams of becoming a millionaire will come true tomorrow.