Dear Detroit, I only missed you a little.

Last night I had Pad Thai from Stir Crazy. It’s crap chain food which isn’t an approximation of real pad thai, but I love it and I got to eat it for dinner. Today I went to TWO honest to goodness malls (Laurel Park Place, Somerset), not to mention Sephora and Lush. It was a little fantastic, I’m not going to lie.

I’m honestly not much of a shopper. I tend to go when I need something, so I haven’t really missed this kind of shopping in Leadville. I don’t really need any shoes or jeans. I’ve got a lot of t-shirts. While I could probably use some more sweaters, I’m not strapped for them. I admit, however, to always being on the lookout for crazy kneesocks. Today I didn’t find any. I DID find a fantastic lipstick at Sephora, so I’m calling it good.

Since I left Michigan, all the agressive drivers have put on their granny pants. Everywhere I go, people are driving 10mph UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT. I’m not saying you HAVE to drive the speed limit, but if you aren’t you’d damn well better be in the right lane. Good news: I only flipped off one person. I even ignored my mom’s (half-hearted) suggestion to reciprocate his bad driving behavior.

“Mom,” I said. “That’s what causes death from Road Rage. I prefer to have my little Road Tantrums: obscene hand gestures, loud cursing with the windows closed, abundant questioning of his or her parents’ profession and/or marital status. And then when I’m done, I feel better and no one has run the risk of getting into a car accident or shot.”

She looked doubtful but I stand by my record.

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Best worst flight day, evar.

I left Leadville a bit before 9am – plenty of time to get to the airport for an 11:40 am flight.

Traffic was good, the roads were clear, and though I was running low on gas, everything was going pretty well. Right until I missed my exit. The sign was misleading – it made it look as though it was a two lane exit – and it was either skip the exit or try to hop over and not cause a wreck. I’m always going to go with ‘skip the exit.’

I got off at the next exit and turned on my VZ Navigator to figure out how the hell to fix the conundrum. In the meantime, I notice a gas station and pull in for gas (rather than leave my car in the economy lot with only fumes in the fuel line). I get the Navigator working, and then I misunderstood the directions because there were two exits very close together. So I have to reroute AGAIN. At this point I begin to freak out a little. I have never missed a flight, ever.

Get to the economy lot, park, get on the shuttle, refrain from yelling CAN WE GO NOW! RIGHT NOW! at the driver. We get to the terminal and I’m right at the wire. When I see the line at the security checkpoint, I know there’s no chance I’m making this flight. I call Northwest to start the rebooking process FROM the line, because I know it’s going to be a pain in the balls. I bought my ticket with miles, it’s going to be a nightmare, yadda. Before I get a live person on the phone, I have to go through security so I hang up.

At this point, I know I’m not making my flight because I’ve checked my boarding pass and OH HAI, your flight leaves at 11:28. So I get my shoes back on, drag my bags to the gate, and prepare to fight the counter lady. I notice there are a LOT of people standing around and assume it’s the Raleigh flight I see listed on the board.

I get to the counter, there is no lady. And then on the back wall, the next flight to Detroit scrolls across at 3:09 pm. Followed by the Raleigh flight,  but it’s DETROIT/Raleigh. At 11:28 am.

WHAT.

I ask the guy next to me, “This isn’t still the 11:30 flight to Detroit, is it?” Because it’s 11:35 and if this is that flight, they’ve got nobody on board.

“Yeah,” he says. “I’m supposed to be in Detroit at 6 and now they aren’t sure I can get on the flight.”

I let out a whoop of celebration – no lie – and half a dozen people look at me like I’m crazy. They start the pre-board, so I go get in line. I am the happiest person here because everybody else is pissed that their flight is late. I’m totally stoked that I didn’t MISS the flight and therefore have to pay a metric asston of money for my mistake.

The boarding progresses and I hear that the delay is because of some water problem they had on the plane. Apparently the potable water in the back of the plane got all over, like on the floor. Whatevs. My plane hasn’t left!

The counter lady starts hollering out some names and telling people to stand to the side. I’m one of the names. All of the folks standing to the side realize we’re all Back of the Plane folk. This does not bode well.

Sure enough, they board everyone except the last four rows. They bumped all the rest of us because the floor was wet. WTF, right? So everyone to the side, now, is SUPER PISSED. Except for me, because I’m totally happy that this is their fault and THEY have to fix it – not me.

It takes about an hour and a half for them to get most of the replacment flights sorted out – I got put on the next Detroit flight (3pm) and a $300 credit toward a new plane ticket because they bumped me. Best worst flight day, evar.

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Another photo hiatus today

As flying west to east is an all day production. With any luck, I’ll be landing in Detroit just in time for rush hour traffic! Probably I’ll stop somewhere and get dinner rather than drive in all the madness.

I’ll be back in Denver on Friday morning and probably killing a little time and doing a little shopping. My flight gets in at 10:30 and Spouse isn’t off work until 5, so I’m packing the cooler in my car and will be about town.

Speaking of packing – better get back to it.

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All women should know how to use power tools.

My dad made sure my sister and I had a basic knowledge of tools growing up and insisted we take shop in junior high. I can change a tire but using power drills has been much more useful.

Today I decided to hang the pot rack. It’s steel (and a bit heavy) so hanging it myself was a challenge from a leverage standpoint. And then I tried drilling into the studs. I drilled the first set of holes and then started to set the screws. The screws got about halfway in before balking. In the meantime, I’m trying to make sure the thing is level and not going to pull out of the wall, so I’m holding it up with my rib cage and shoulder, alternately. I have to back the screws out, get a slightly larger drill bit, and tried again. Same result. I begin to think that our wall studs are reinforced with concrete. Same bit, a bit deeper, exact same result. The screws came with the rack and are nice enough, but they have rounded ends which, by this point, are starting to strip out. Frankly, I was relieved the thing was ON the wall but while I was out running the rest of my errands I picked up another set of flat head wood screws. I came back, drilled out a couple of holes with another drill bit and then the bit broke off IN THE WALL.

I fetch some needlenose pliers and gently twist the bit out. I decide that the next drill bit up won’t be TOO big and give her a go. The flat head screws go in much better, although I had to crank them all down with a screwdriver for the last few turns. The end result is that it’ll take an effing AVALANCHE to get this thing off the wall. When the new paint project happens, we are PAINTING AROUND IT.

Awesomely bad ass pot rack and the new credenza.

Not a fantastic picture, but if you look closely you can see the parts of the wall that need to be patched from the ugly shelves. I am a rockstar because I hung it myself and it’s balls-on level.

New lighting! But first the ugly old stuff.

 

Old lights in the kitchen/dining area.

 

A closer look at the old stuff.

 

My least favorite ceiling fan, ever. Except the one left in the basement.

 

Our new lighting. It makes me much, much happier.

I don’t think you can tell very well from this picture, but if you look at the chandelier you can see that the base is offset from where the hook is. The hook is directly in line with the other two lights. For whatever reason, the old owners had the ceiling fan over where the base is – which made all of the lights look a little more weird. It’s a very long room so it stuck out oddly.

As you can see, the other set of UglyShelves remains. Those mothers will be dealt with upon my return!

 

A view from the other direction.

All that really remains now is the paint project. I haven’t decided when I’m going to get that ambitious.

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Fie on my tasks!

Today’s list:
hang pot rack
go to library
go to post office
go to pharmacy
unpack boxes
pack bag for Detroit

The rack, which is steel, is fairly heavy. Hanging it myself was quite a trick and I tweaked my left trapezius a bit. The screws need to be tightened, which will require a smaller drill, so I’m leaving that for later.

Next up, running the outdoor errands. I’ve got to print a return slip for Amazon, my boarding passes, and confirmation for my rental car, plus a few medical release forms. Then to the post office and pharmacy and back home.

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The Godfather can suck it.

Aliens is probably my favorite sequel of all time. It also contains one of my least favorite lines of dialogue (“Stay away from her, you bitch!”) though not the absolute worst (“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy…”*gack*). It also has Michael Biehn and you can never, ever go wrong with Michael Biehn.

I have pictures from yesterday but the camera battery died before I could upload them. We’re also supposed to be getting some snow today but I haven’t checked outside yet. It was cold yesterday – negative 4 when I got home – but the sun was still out and the sky was blue. I’ll take it. ;)

Today I’ve got to run to the bank and I’m thinking about Mexican food for lunch. Wildly exciting, I know.

Edited to add:
I’m not really sure how “Zooey Deschanel, aka Anal Girl” could POSSIBLY be related to this post. Thanks wordpress.com.

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Today’s list of errands

I went to the doctor for a physical and a thyroid function test (since Mom has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer). The P.A. (or NP) proceeded to tell me that I needed to do more weight bearing exercise and cardio because yoga provides neither. I politely corrected her. Please to not be telling me what yoga practice is, when you clearly do not a) practice or b) know anything about MY practice. I had already told her I’ve been teaching for almost three years. Yoga is ABSOLUTELY weight bearing and MY yoga provides cardio work as well. Suck it, lady. The RIGHT way to go about this is to ask how much weight-bearing and cardio my practice provides, not look at me like I’m daft and speak slowly.

In related annoyance, while HIPAA does not prevent my insurance company from providing me any and all information about my benefits over the phone – including my member ID number – apparently it prevents my prescription benefit manager (Caremark) from providing any helpful information at all. Thanks for nothing, Caremark. Love you long time.

While I’m home next week I’ve got to get my contact lenses fitted and get my medical records and breast films transferred out here. There’s a great cancer center with state of the art gadgetry about an hour away, so guess where I’LL be getting my annual boob squishing? So now I’m collecting medical release forms so that I can drop them in the mail and get all of that great stuff taken care of. Moving, gotta love it.

On the kind of funny side, she said, “Wow. So your family does the cancer thing.” Ayuh. Understatement.

My new haircut is rocking my (polka dotted) socks. I blew it dry this morning and didn’t even need to flat iron it. The stylist in Frisco was the first person who has ever addressed the whacked out cowlick on the right side that makes my hair curve differently. I wasn’t initially thrilled with having to drive an hour to get my hair cut but there wasn’t a SINGLE place open in town on Saturday. As I was THISCLOSE to taking out the scissors and chopping off the offending bits myself – a plan of action that I think we can ALL agree would be a mistake – I made an appointment and the drive. The salon was very nice and it was just the stylist and me.

The picture the day of the haircut is nice, but the TEST is a picture of the haircut after you’ve washed and dried it yourself. ;)

While I have NOT assembled the pot rack, I DID pay all the bills. I have thus far sent it all through the Michian bank’s electronic system and all payments will clear by the time I’m back in town next week, so I can close the account for good. Yay!

I’m most of the way through book 8 and anticipate that I’ll get through a lot more tonight at work.

I have not packed a single thing and am thus far mostly unprepared for my trip back to MI. Go me.

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Awards

One of the books I’ve read in the new year has won the Newberry Medal! Yay Neil Gaiman!

I’ve been keeping a running list on facebook, but my ‘accomplished’ list is thus:

1. Watchmen, Alan Moore – Graphic novel (which will be a major motion picture in a few months) about an alternate universe where the Cold War is not over. Ordinary folk put on disguises to fight crime and – rather than the typical comic acceptance – society reacts as you might expect. It takes what I loved about the darker Batman comics (after they broke his back) a few steps further by looking at the ‘superheroes’ as normal people and examining (a bit) the psychoses that might be involved and how they affect their interactions. As good as I’d hoped it would be, and I’m looking forward to the film.

2. The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman – A really charming novel about a graveyard full of ghosts who take a little boy under their protection. A fantastic and unexpectedly warm and fuzzy ‘horror’ story. If you don’t believe me, ask the Newberry People.

3. Peacekeeper: A Major Ariane Kedros Novel, Laura E. Reeve – I’m not normally a ‘hard’ sci fi fan but this novel sounded interesting. Main character is a female military operative, ostensibly retired but still doing shadow work. She’s got some serious issues (post traumatic stress, alcoholism) and a complicated mission in this particular book. While I glossed over some of the technical detail, I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the character development. Also, no gratuitous sex. No sex at all, actually (unlike most urban fantasy). I liked it enough that I’ll be looking for the next book in the series.

4. Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford Series, Book 1), Kelley Armstrong – I’m a sucker for assassin stories. This is about a female cop-turned-assassin. She and some assassin acquaintances decide to track down a serial killer that they suspect was one of their own. Good action, pleasantly convoluted personal interactions (as you might expect of people who don’t trust anyone), and a generally fun read. I am not a fan of all of Armstrong’s other work (her witch stuff leaves me cold) but I really liked this departure.

5. Bone by Bone, Carol O’Connell – Hands down, my favorite crime writer. I buy her stuff in hardcover, if that tells you anything. The latest novel doesn’t disappoint. O’Connell’s books are strongest (in my opinion) because they involve as much character development as they do unraveling the crime. In every book, the protag has to come to grips with some part of his/her own history while they’re figuring out whodunit. This one was particularly interesting because it involved murder in a small town, with all the interesting dynamics inherent to that particular society. Loved it.

6. Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Cherie Priest – This book has been out for a while now and gotten very good reviews. I finally picked it up and it’s definitely worth the read. Mystery + ghost story + great urban fantasy.

7. Enlightenment for Idiots: A Novel, Anne Cushman – Cushman is a regular contributer to Yoga Journal and a yoga teacher. The novel is a kind of funny, half-serious/half-spoof on the yoga ‘industry’ and the search for enlightenment. I’m not sure if the asana descriptions before each chapter were intended as humor, but I found them to be hilarious. I’d never describe the asanas in that way in any class I was teaching. The book also reminded me of some of my least favorite yoga classes, where everything is taken very, very seriously and not much fun is had. Her trip to India is the anti- Eat, Pray, Love which is sort of great as well.

I’ve got a few others in the works or on my To Be Read list.

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I think this meme is designed to make me feel bad about myself.

Empire Magazine has revealed its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows ever. 

1. Bold the shows you watch/used to watch. 
2. Italicize the shows you’ve seen at least one episode of. 
3. Underline the shows you own* on DVD. 
4. Post your answers. 

 

50. Quantum Leap

49. Prison Break 

48. Veronica Mars 

47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 

46. Sex & The City

45. Farscape 

44. Cracker 

43. Star Trek

42. Only Fools and Horses 

41. Band of Brothers 

40. Life on Mars

39. Monty Python 

38. Curb Your Enthusiasm 

37. Star Trek: The Next Generation – saw every episode

36. Father Ted 

35. Alias – right up until the last season, which sucked it.

34. Frasier

33. CSI Las Vegas

32. Babylon 5

31. Deadwood – much to my friend Sarah’s chagrin. She loves this show.

30. Dexter – however, we BOTH love this show so I think it works out.

29. ER – I watched it up until 2 or 3 seasons ago, when Grey’s became the better medical drama.

28. Fawlty Towers 

27. Six Feet Under 

26. Red Dwarf 

25. Futurama 

24. Twin Peaks 

23. The Office 

22. The Shield 

21. Angel 

20. Blackadder

19. Scrubs 

18. Arrested Development 

17. South Park 

16. Dr Who 

15. Heroes 

14. Firefly 

13. Battlestar Galactica 

12. Family Guy 

11. Seinfeld 

10. Spaced 

09. The X-Files 

08. The Wire -Possibly the best TV series ever.

07. Friends 

06. 24 

05. Lost – Okay, I watched this up until they had that weird season break that didn’t line up with anything else and I haven’t watched it since.

04. The West Wing – No lie, the last season sucked it.

03. The Sopranos 

02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer -Despite the controversy, loved it all the way through.

01. The Simpsons

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Conversions

 

Former hospital, now condos and lofts. One of the neatest buildings in town.

I work right down the road from this building and love driving by it. It used the be the local hospital and is now condos and lofts. Had I known about it when we were moving, I’d have been seriously tempted.

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