Test Drive

Yesterday Hubby and I took the car to the Classic BMW dealership to check out the new models and talk about buying at the end of the lease. The dealership isn't new but it is a new location with a snazzy new building. Big change from the old one on US75 in Richardson. Lots of glass and chrome in which to showcase the shiny 2008 models. Hubby and I got wacky and, on a whim, took a new X3 model for a spin. Wow, great ride for a small SUV. It felt like I was driving a car, although Hubby insists that it doesn't hug the curves as much as the 325 but I didn't think it was that bad. My only complaint was that the bumps on the road were more pronounced than in the car, but this could have something to do with the X3 being higher. Think we're going to keep our lovely, little 325 and buy it at the end of the lease. I want to keep it until it's a vintage car and has tons of character, much like the old porsche David Duchovny's character drives in 'Californication'.

Get The Popcorn Ready

He's back. Better get the popcorn ready because T.O. is playing for the Cowboys in today's playoff game against the Giants. For some bizarre reason T.O. likes to shower himself in buttery popcorn after he scores a touchdown. Whatever...as long as he scores touchdowns he can do whatever he wants to do with popcorn.

Hubby and I are ready for the upcoming Cowboys vs. Giants game later today. I've got my Marion 'The Barbarian' Barber t-shirt on and will have my giant '#1 fan' finger ready. It's great news that Marion-the-barbarian will start in today's game. Hopefully this will make an impact early on in the game. Love how he plows through the guys trying to tackle him and how he actually pushes some of them away while running with the ball. What I really want to know is why his parents named him Marion.

Everyone in Dallas this week was upset about Tony Romo going away last weekend to Cabo with Jessica Simpson. What's the big deal? The players are allowed to take time off and relax, right? What I find weird is that she brought her parents along for the trip. Yeah, she's 27, divorced, and brought her parents on a weekend trip to Mexico with her boyfriend. Am I the only one to find this weird behaviour? Hubby has a theory that Jessica's father has set up the relationship to generate publicity for his daughter's fading career, while Romo gets to date Jessica Simpson. Also, I have a sinking feeling that it was Joe Simpson who took the photos of Jessica and Tony (Tonica or Simpsomo, take your pick) while in Mexico and sold them to the tabloids. Whatever...as long as she does not show her face at Texas Stadium during play-offs. Now, if they can position the Cowboys cheerleaders in Eli Manning's way so as to distract him...

Unleashing Your Inner Monica Gellar

Remember the character Monica from the television show 'Friends'? She was addicted to cleaning and keeping her life neat and tidy. Okay, you could refer to her character as anal retentive. This afternoon I have been unleashing my inner Monica Gellar and have been cleaning like a mad woman.

Cleaning is great therapy. I was feeling a bit mopey and decided to start cleaning, and I just couldn't stop. As the cleaning progressed so did my spirit. Bizarre, I know, but there is something to be said for being busy and making one's home look better. Maybe it's because of the repetitiveness of the cleaning that makes it therapeutic; or maybe it's because you can put all your aggravation into scrubbing and take it out on the floor. Really can't explain it, but cleaning is my therapy. Try unleashing your inner Monica Gellar.

Post Holiday Blues, Part 2

Tried to shake the post holiday blues with some retail therapy yesterday afternoon. It's amazing how some retail time boosts the spirits. The only drawback was that I woke up this morning feeling wiped out and I feel, well, blah. Maybe I should go out for another walk since the clouds have disappeared and the sun has emerged. Or, perhaps I really should finish the home re-org. thing since the office is full of boxes.

Beer Blog

Hubby just informed me via instant message that he and a co-worker want to start a blog about beer. Should I be worried?

Post-Christmas Funk

This past Sunday Hubby and I took down the Christmas tree and decorations and now I'm in a post-holiday funk. Don't know why but this seems to happen every year after everything is down. It's the after Christmas blues, I suppose. Guess Christmas wouldn't be special if we kept the tinsel up all twelve months. Got to shake the blahs. Perhaps getting organized will do the trick...or a little retail therapy, although I don't think Hubby would give me a thumbs up on the latter item. Hopefully the Cowboys will win this Sunday and that will perk up my spirits and make January bearable.

Britney Madness

Obama and Huckabee both claimed victories in Iowa last night. Meanwhile, over on the west coast Britney Spears had a major meltdown. Guess which event is all over the radio and television in the United States? Yep, it's that totally crazy Britney Spears. Apparently she actually does want the kids despite missing depositions and having a couple of lawyers resign over her lack of cooperation in trying to gain custody. A three-hour police stand-off may get her media attention, but what does it say about her parenting skills? Hopefully her children will not be emotionally scarred by last night's events. Personally, I don't think she really wants to be a mother because she really has not made an effort to clean up and get her act together. Britney is a train wreck and unfortunately the media will not turn away. Hopefully she will get the help she requires to turn her life around before it's too late.

Air Canada Blues

Oh, Air Canada, if only you had more competition...

Hubby and I flew Air Canada to the Great White North for Christmas Holidays. Must admit that we used air miles and did not pay for the tickets. Loved the personal video screens for each seat and that Air Canada flies out of Terminal D at DFW -- the shiny new terminal. Hated Air Canada's customer service. Guess we're used to flying American Airlines, where everyone now uses self-check-in and so waiting to check-in is usually no more than five minutes. At DFW, Air Canada had no one working the self-check-in desk the morning we flew, and so we waited 30 minutes to check-in while watching people breeze through American Airlines check-in. The other bizarre thing is that after showing picture identification and a boarding pass, Air Canada attendants' require that you show your boarding pass yet again when you enter the airplane. This results in a line and delays boarding. Why show your boarding pass on the plane yet again? Most people know where their seats are, and if not, the seats are marked. Also we experienced a couple of passenger trying to switch seats while people are boarding. This should only be allowed at the desk prior to boarding.

Another gripe is the fact that we have to go through security yet again when getting a connecting flight through Toronto. At no time after landing and before going through Canadian Customs did we leave a secure area, and yet we were required to have our carry on bags go through security. Oh, well, an extra layer of security. The worst part of this was the surly security personnel -- the rudest around. Let's just say that after flying for awhile I have a system of where I place my bags, liquids, coat, shoes, and this involves a couple of containers. The surly security woman made me take things out even though everything was ready to go through the security x-ray. After I went through the x-ray and was waiting for my items, I pushed an empty container down to the end to get it out of my way. That's when another surly security person said: "What? Do you work here now?" Okay, I usually push empty containers to the end when waiting for my items because it helps other people along, and most times I'm thanked by the security personnel who are so busy. The guy who went through the x-ray before me was also annoyed by their rudeness and told the security people to "lighten up". I really do not want to make a connecting flight through Toronto ever again.

Oh, but the last straw was our flight back to DFW. Our first flight was from Ottawa to Toronto on Air Canada. Everything was going well and we were on schedule UNTIL the flight crew made the decision to wait for three people who were making a connection. And so we waited 15 minutes for the three people, then we waited another five to ten minutes for their luggage to be put in cargo. In total, our flight was delayed by more than 45 minutes before taking off. So, in order to acommodate 3 people Air Canada made ten times that number either miss their connections or be late for connecting flights. The attendants wouldn't even announce which gates people should go to for connecting flights. Maybe they realized that some passengers had actually missed their connections. A fellow sitting beside me had less than five minutes to get to his flight. Hubby and I walked as quickly as possible to the US connections where we waited fifteen minutes for our luggage, and then proceeded to US Customs where we waited another fifteen minutes. We got there just in time to board. Don't think we'll be flying Air Canada the next time we go home. It really is too bad that there is no competition for Air Canada, because competition is what it needs to get its act together and improve.

ipod Battery Dying

The battery life on our (okay, technically it is Hubby's, but I've slowly staked my claim on it) ipod is slowly slipping away. The first indication was last month when I was out for my daily walk and the battery died after 40-45 minutes. Tried to fool myself by blaming the rainy weather, but today was sunny and it went silent after just over 30 minutes. According to my 10-year-old nephew (I'm trying to be a cool auntie), it's a first-generation and perhaps they have improved the battery-life on the 'new generations'. I really don't know why the batteries must die on these, except Apple will get more bucks from people buying newer 'models', I mean 'generation'. The only consolation is that the latest generation ipod does not have the annoying buttons at the top as they are not user-friendly. Now, I must find a way to justify the purchase of a new ipod to Hubby. If only Apple had discount sales.

Clutter Free Life

New Year's Day and Hubby and I made the trek to Target. We were amazed that some shops were open for business as it is a statutory holiday in the Great White North, so we decided to check out Target. Amazingly the store has already shifted the focus from Christmas to Valentine's Day and spring. We picked up season 3 of Lost to refresh our memory before the new season begins, and we also invested in a couple of storage boxes. Every January I make the resolution to live a clutter free life, and this year is no exception. So, hopefully I will begin to throw away stuff that no longer has meaning...if I don't procrastinate. There must be others like myself as Target had plastic storage boxes for sale throughout the store, and the Rubbermaid aisle was swarming with people. Perhaps it's the thought of starting a fresh life with a brand new year that inspires people to discard past relics. Maybe this is a good time to also discard the grudges, the painful thoughts that plague us and drag us down, and begin the year with forgiveness. Wipe the slate clean and let go of the past and focus on the present. Clutter is not only the physical variety but it is also the thoughts we hold on to that keep us from becoming happy and succesful. A clutter free life is the ideal.

Back Online

Hubby and I arrived back to sunny Texas just in time to shop at Northpark, and then toast in the New Year at a Dallas Stars game. Unfortunately the Stars lost to Nashville, but it was amazing to see the American Airlines Center filled to capacity -- much to our surprise it was their fourth consecutive sell-out. The Stars really need more youth out on the ice, although Zubov plays hard Modano was, according to Hubby "just floating". After the game we gathered with a couple of thousand people at Victory Plaza to watch a local cover band called 'TOP' perform. They were awesome as they played a varied selection of tunes from the last 30 years. Hubby and I 'cut a rug' when they played "Brick House" and Santana tunes. The crowd got the best of me with 20 minutes to midnight and we headed back to the car and had an excellent perspective for the fireworks over American Airlines Center.