Free cab rides home NYE

Free One-Way cab rides home in the Coachella Valley on NYE participating companies:

A Valley Cabousine, 340-5845

ClassiCab, 322-3111

Airport Taxi, 766-5052

USA Taxi, 251-5803

United Taxi, 601-6283

Executive Taxi, 864-1500

I'd Rather a Lump of Coal

Ya know what I got for Christmas? The friggin FLU! I'd rather a lump of coal. I've camped out in my sick-fort since Tuesday, doing uhh umm NOTHING. Bored out of my mind. I didn't even watch TV. So many things I could have tended to around the joint, but zip, zero, zilch energy to remove myself from bed. I did however make it a point to put on all my diamonds, so I felt a little fabulous :)

Thank god for the laptop, so I got to do a little work from home. Today was the first day I went to work, but it was only for 3 1/2 hours. So now I have a 1.5 day work-week. That would be great, except I have tons of work to do. Actually, it wasn't as back-logged as I thought it was going to be. That was comforting. Especially because I won't be giving up my New Years Day holiday to make up for so much missed work. I mean gah, that would be silly.

I guess I was super lucky to get "the sick" sandwiched in between Christmas and New Year's, so I wouldn't miss out on anything fun.

There is Nik on his quad. Christmas was great. I'm so glad for the family I have. For the past 5 years, my family and my husbands family have all celebrated Christmas together. K it's after 1am, and I don't have a graphics program on here yet, so I'll crop the pic later. Happy New Year to you!

Powered by:

So now that I'm thirty, I've really been trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. Ya know I got a treadmill - of course most of the exercise I've gotten outta that was when I set up a receiver and speakers in the garage so I can jam to System of a Down super-loud while on it (or just doing laundry). I've never gone outside to hear how loud it actually is outside of the garage, but I assume it sounds something like Chase's band practice. Since all of the homeowners (besides us) on our street are over 40, I am guessing they are closet-rockers.

So I've been trying to eat healthier, too. But its friggin Christmas! So like today for instance when I woke up, instead of getting on the treadmill, I had a Diet Dr. Pepper while petting Kitty XL. Later at work I had a Diet Coke, and because I was too busy to get any lunch, I had two giant cookies that were left over from Christmas presents I had given out. I kept busy and didn't realize how malnourished I had actually become. As I finished another Diet Coke, a co-worker walked in with an entire platter of homemade sweet-treats. It's 5:30, and I've had no food today but 2 cookies. Good timing.

After a quick 'review' of the platter items, I realize I probably am going to miss dinner at home again tonight. Ohh, mini fudge cubes. Yumm. Apple cinnamon muffins. Then I realize I've put nothing but total crap in my body for fuel today. I've even eaten something that resembles what I imagine a clowns pillowcase would look like after a nap without removing his makeup beforehand. I feel bad, but go for another mini fudge cube on my way back to my desk.

I'm drinking a water right now to wash it all down, so I think that counteracts all of the above, right? Merry Christmas.

FiOS

I'm getting fiber! I've seen them surveying over the last couple weeks, Friday they painted my street, and Saturday I got official notice from Verizon. Now this morning when I left for work I saw them actually digging. This is awesome - I can't wait! "Yesss, I love technooologyyy". I feel like Kip Dynamite, He'll be jealous when I'm "chatting with babes" over FiOS all day.

Birthday Month

K, my birthday is officially over. This years celebration lasted 3 1/2 weeks. I usually try for 4 solid weeks (aka Birthday Month), but quality counts, too. This was a very good year. I think I'll turn 30 again next year, too.

The celebration ended with a "fablious" long weekend vacation in the Temecula Wine Country. Pretty much my favorite place to visit.

Wine Tasting. Fancy Dinners. Casino Action. Facial. Massage. Disturbing other resort guests. I didn't want to leave!

My massuese said the massage technique would release the toxins in the body, so I should drink a lot for the next little while. So, I did. Champagne, wine, beer, and vodka. So, I guess she meant I should drink a lot of WATER. Whatever. She should have been more clear about that.

We were celebrating George's bday, too. He and Mike golfed at the resort, then went to see the Raiders play - I mean loose - to the Chargers at the Q on Sunday. Evidently, AWESOME seats. Row 1 in the Club level. They deliver your beer to you!

Special thanks goes to the rest if the 4L Club for such a great weekend, as always.

A little weird to be back at work today. I came back to 294 incoming emails, and Enron. Whatever. The Liars say we owe them $30k+, I say they owe us a little less than $1k. Now I have to prove it with a paper file thats 3 1/2" thick. Now I know what font they used for the demand letter they sent...

Milestone, Schmilestone.

I can't believe I'm thirty. It feels weird. Maybe I'll be "29 again". Hmm. Nah, that's silly.

The best part about my birthday is because it's around Thanksgiving (sometimes the day after), I always get a nice looong weekend. This year that part was great, but the best part is the diamond ring from my husband. I totally wasn't expecting that one. All I wanted a light fixture for the bar area! He's also making me a special dinner tonight, but I don't know what it is. He always makes dinner, and I clean up. Does this mean I have to clean up tonight, too?

I'm spoiled this year. It makes the whole 30 thing not so bad. The ring, plus my parents took us to the Eagles, and this weekend we are going to Temecula (I can't wait to wine-taste & spaaaah) to celebrate joint birthdays with Stacey and the newly 40 George. Maybe that's why I don't mind my new age - I'm still the young one ;)

Pirate Husband (arrrgh)

Well I haven't been to an Emergency Room in quite a while...since the first time Jessie broke her wrist. Nothing like a Friday night to visit one. I'm on my way to meet the husband there, he's got a chunk of wood lodged in his eye. Sick.

I feel bad, but I'm kinda glad I wasn't home so I didn't have to try to fish it out. Eyeballs gross me out.

I wonder if they’ll give him an eye patch – that’d be awesome. Pirate Husband, arrrgh.

Eagles Concert

The Eagles rock! Saturday night we went to see the Eagles Farewell I 2005 Tour at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. It was awesome. Almost surreal, and on so may different levels. First of all, I have never gone to a concert that was 1.96 miles away from my house. It only took about 10 minutes to get parked. Concerts usually involve 2+ hours of driving (both ways), and in the case of Green Day/Blink 182 concert we went to in San Diego - 2 hours to get out of the arena after midnight, when we all had to work in the morning.

We went with my parents, my sister, and Mike's sister & her husband. It's cool to be able to do things like that with my parents. They all came over to our house before hand for the pre-party. I have only been to one other concert with my parents, which was Joe Walsh, coincidentally. We all had a great time, and we got my mom to dance with us. She actually danced more than I did! It's just so unnatural to sit down at a concert! Beers were of course $7 each, but that didn't stop us. Mike and I even got by the "security" with 4 Miller Lites stuffed in his pockets, while we were each drinking one.

They played for 3 hours, with a 20-30 minute intermission, no opening act. At first I thought it was going to be too long of a show, but they got to play all the songs I wanted to hear, plus some songs from their solo careers, too, like Funk #49, Boys of Summer, etc. I never thought I'd see the Eagles period, much less in such a small venue. Awesome!

Tihs is Wreid

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

There are two methods to this letter scrambling. The above is the easier of the two, click here to see the more difficult version.

Does this mean I don't have to correct my typos anymore?

Schwarzenegger Keeps Calling Me!

I set up a Voice Over IP phone system at home a few weeks ago. It's a little cheaper than our regular phone service, but now we have all the cool little extras like Caller ID, voicemail, and some stuff I don't use like 3-way calling, plus we have unlimited long distance. Oh also, I can access a list of the incoming, missed and outgoing calls online. It's a little Big Brother for myself, but with teenagers its more like "Big Mama". It helps me spy on them!

I didn't cancel our landline yet (just in case), so I set up those calls to auto-forward to the VoIP number. Except for having to use 10-digit dialing (as in, area code for local calls, too. Grrrr!), it's been working pretty well. There are some minor (curable) issues like the Republicans keep calling to remind/threaten me to vote tomorrow. I can't wait till that's over! I accidentally hung up on Arnold, he's the only one of those calls I like. Just hearing him say Cawli-FOR-nya over my phone is amusement enough to listen. I chuckle, hang up, and The Husband says "Who was that?" as I walk off. I just matter of factly say "Schwarzenegger", as if he calls me all the time. Every November, anyway.

Me, and the Three

Since Jessie left us (whatever), I live with 3 dudes. Even the cat is male! Between Chase (whose job it is), Tucker, and The Husband, you'd think one of them could take the trash out to the street. But, no.

I believe this to be the 4th week in a row I have either taken all 3 cans to the street, or brought the empty cans back in. Mind you, I do this in 3" heels, and a skirt, in wet grass...late for work. It's not that I'm too prissy to do it (obviously), but not only is this not my chore, none of the various other residents of the house wear heels. Uhh...that I know of, anyway. After Chase's girl pants, eyeliner and nail polish, oh it frightens me to consider. Starfark, did I just jinx myself?

Balls, Conceit, or Senility

The time change signifies two things I hate, the return of snowbird traffic, and 5:04pm darkness. Blech! The combination of the two is a double-whammy, due to my genetic limited night-visibility. If you're unfamiliar with snowbirds, I'll tell you that A. Locals love them because they inject money into the economy of the Valley, and B. Locals hate them because they figured out how to live somewhere during the summer months that does not involve 120+ degree weather.

Now, snowbird traffic is really an artform. They somehow manage to turn a 700 series BMW into a death-machine. The surprise is in the way this death-machine performs. Say, deciding IN the intersection that they now want to turn left, as opposed to their forward direction of travel. Too bad the left turn lane has a red. Well, in that case you would just brake, turn your wheels to the left, signal, and wait for a green light. No one would mind, right? You'd think the root of the word INTERSECTion would trigger just a little apprehension. Seriously, how does one think its OK to sit in the middle of an intersection. Is it balls, conceit, or senility?

As an aside, Halloween was great fun last night. I had a few good scares, and learned an important parenting skill: before you dress your kid up in an elaborate strapped-in/helmeted/gloved/cape-wearing costume, the kid should pee. BTW, thanks for Catherine Porter for a rockin Halloween party Saturday, and John Stanley King for playing songs like Superstition to keep me dancing all night.

Cerveza, Por Favor.

Wow. Being back at work is weird. Maybe that's because I'm wearing black and white stripped tights under my skirt. Good thing it's Halloween!

Cabo was cool. We stayed at the Riu Palace. You can see the resorts slide-show here. It was $300 per night, not bad except after our first night there, they pretty much refused to come refill our complimentary mini-bar anymore. That was unfortunate.

Here is Stacey calling the front desk yet again (after I called) to try to get more beer. I forgot to take a picture of the "alcohol dispenser" in each room. I'll have to see if I can get one. Anyway, due to these dispensers, I couldn't take very many pictures. It was one of those kind of vacations. I did manage to get a picture of Slim's Elbow Room, the smallest bar in the world. It's near Cabo Wabo. This is the nice girl that works there standing inside the front window. That's the back window in the left of the shot. They say it's about the size of a regulation pool table. Yeah, it's small!

I think I made my husband a little mad about never changing my last name to his. Sorry, I've been Amanda Yeager for a really long time, it's weird just to up and change that. Amanda Leonard. I dunno. Anyway, to get out/back into the country, we had to fill out a few forms. Even though we're married, we had to fill out seperate forms because we don't have the same last name. He mentioned this to me quite a few times. Whatever.

I guess I had a fingerprint er something on my camera lens, because most of my pics are splotchy in the middle. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go back and take more!

Here's a shot from the resort. Land's End is behind/right of the giant boat. The weather was awesome, thankfully. Quite a few people there were supposed to be in Cancun but got diverted. We had a great time, and met some really cool people (some weirdos, too). Of course we had some phenomenal tacos in town. Plus, a Federali flirted with me! On duty, carrying his rifle, y todo! Yeah, I learnend a little Spanish, too.

Stand Rapt in Awe

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and all science.
He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder
and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."

-Albert Einstein-

Another Backyard Mystery

Last night I pulled a cactus-poke off the tip of Kitty XL's tail. He really wasn't into me doing that, so I had to use basic-trickery and seduce him with food. Typical male.
This was the 2nd time I've pulled cactus off him in a month. Last time it was stuck on what would be his hip (if he wasn't shaped like a taco). Wtf is he doing to get impaled by cacti?

It's Raining Light Bulbs

That was some serious rain. Persistent. I think the entire desert is flooded. Hard rain. Roaring thunder. The wind. That lightening. Then two little earthquakes? Come on, one thing at a time, please.

Every time it gets stormy or really windy, I find these little Xmas size light bulbs on my back patio. I have a set of those decorative string garden lights on my patio that uses them, but no bulbs are missing. None of my immediate neighbors have them. Wheeeere are they coming from? I now have a collection of 4 of these little lights. It's things like this that keep me up at night.

Weird but Cool Weekend

On account of our vacation next week, this had to be a "working weekend" around the house. I made a deal with myself the I was only allowed to do "fun-stuff" at night (which I certainly did every night of course), and I had to get chores/projects done during the days. I had originally planned to work on the 3rd-car area of garage to prepare for my Workout/Laundry/Storage/Craft/GetAwayFromMe room, but Mike wanted to re-seed the lawn. I helped him do a bit of yard maintenance, and of course got my hand stabbed by a cactus through my gloves. Must I injure myself EVERY weekend?

I moved the unfinished art pieces from the hallway to the sitting area in my bedroom, and replaced them with some new super-close up prints of agave and philodendron leaves. Kind of Zen - goes well with my natural/modern scheme. The frame and matting really helps pop the green of the leaves against the green of the walls. The husband didn't even notice. I also installed an under-cabinet light in the kitchen that I had sitting around from an unfinished project. I really liked the end result because it brightened up that corner tremendously. So I was about to install the second light under another cabinet, but because it was for a different project the light was too long for that particular cabinet.

After lunch Mike asked if I wanted to go to Lowe's with him. Duh. Not only did I want to get a shorter light for that cabinet, but I can easily spend a few hours browsing Lowe's. So when Mike goes with me, I use that to put all kinds of ideas in his head about various things we could do to the house. Well, I got suckered. All he wanted was a little bag of grass seed he needed to finish the lawn, so in the car (since I'm already trapped) he says "We should just go to Wal*Mart and get cheap/regular grass instead of the golf-course grass I got at Lowe's, that way we can groceries there, too". Hhh. Super Wal*Mart is my own personal Hell.

As I'm writing this it just started raining AGAIN. After being 99° last Thurs & Fri, I've been loving the cool rainy weather so far. Beautiful!

Expletive. Expletive again.

OH. MY. GOD. I just experienced what it was like at the beginning of a heart-attack. I think. Hmm, well maybe getting caught naked in public. I don't know, but as I was getting up from my desk I heard something fall to the floor, like a pin drop. I turned to see what it was - its looking more and more like the back of an earring. That's when it started. My heart stopped, I gasped. I don't think my hands have ever moved as fast as they did as I flung the pen and envelope I was holding to grab my earlobes. MY DIIIAMONDS! I gasped again (reverse-gasp?) when I realized both diamonds were still in my ear, with the backs attached. Expletive. Expletive again. That scared the expletive out of me.

Ice Cream + Pepper = Good

I've had this idea for about a month now. I've been thinking of trying ice cream with pepper on it. I know that's sorta weird, or really weird, but the fact that I considered it at various random times lead me to believe this may be a good thing. So last weekend the husband comes home from the groc with stuff for dinner...and vanilla ice cream. I hadn't even told him about my little plan! So last night I finally got the chance to try it. Ok not big ol' flakey, course, store-bought pepper, but fine, freshly milled pepper, on quality vanilla ice cream. It was good. I know that still sounds weird, but have you ever had a Chai Latte? It's similarish. Tonight I'm trying it with white pepper.

I thought I was Smarter

While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction. Go ahead - try and not!

$60 Can of Spam®

This was Jessie's Halloween costume last year. Yes, she was a can of Spam®. Considering it was $60, I was hoping she would be Spam® again for the next umm 75 years, but of course that can't happen. So you know what she wants to be this year? Batman. Batman with the muscles. Batman with the muscles that her nephew was 2 yrs ago (when he was 4). Batman. She's in 8th grade. Maybe it was because when Nik was Batman, she was kinda forced to be Batman's sidekick, Robin. Not the cool-new Robin, old-school Robin. Now that I think about it, I was Pee Wee Herman in 8th grade (no, it was before the scandal).

Logic. Math. Reality.

In anticipation of the NHL season beginning tomorrow, the following is a posting I made to a hockey newsgroup (remember newsgroups, anyone?) back in 1998 before the start of the playoff season. I found it by Googling myself, LOL! I just think its funny so I'm posting it because I can.

Amanda Yeager March 1, 1998 1:00am

Umm, hello? I'd just like to point out that MATH can help out a little here...

You say "American teams will continue to claim the cup, regardless of what nationality is prevalent on the team."

OK, since there are 6 Canadian teams in the 26 team NHL, that accounts for 23% of the League. I sure as hell hope that with a greater than 3/4 ratio, American teams should be winning the Cups.

I am not going to mention at all that 70% of league players are Canadian. Or American population to player representation ratio. But I will say that looking at the current standings, the Canadian teams are lacking in the W's. But there are ONLY SIX! We Americans keep stealing Can teams & putting them in places that suck.

I wish someday The Can-Am Great Debate will end. It is getting boring. We all know that Canada is the 51st state. We all know that Americans are too pig headed to fully admit Canadians just plain rule in hockey. American pig-headed-ness is the only reason why Americans are so hell bent on proving some sort of "American Hockey Supremacy", when most Americans could care less about the sport. Face it - the NHL is played largely in America because that is who will PAY for it. It has nothing to do with the players.

BTW, this is from my own personal AMERICAN-Native Southern Californian-Lives in Palm Springs-LOYAL LA KINGS FAN-GIRL point of view. But don't hold that against me - most influential in my opinion, was LOGIC. MATH. REALITY.

"till death do us part"?

Current mood: determined

My parents just celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. Thirty-eight years. Jeez. My in-laws 40th wedding anniversary is in a few months. It's nice to know some people can still keep it together, through all the STUFF. It motivates me to know that they are having more fun together at this time in their lives than they did when they first fell in love. They didn't give up. I hope we can say the same for our marriage. Like we said on that day, "till death do us part". I guess if we end up killing each-other, that still stands true. I'll toast to that!

I am screening a Death-Ray!

Anagrams for Amanda Christine Yeager: Imagine dearest anarchy Anti-racism energy ahead Steady American hearing Generated hairy maniacs Grey-haired satanic name A nice grainy headmaster Sincerity manager ahead Shady tangerine America Eye A dear charming saint Rich, easy, man-eating dear I, dear, neat, charming, easy Needy, I am reaching a star Dearest machinery again I am a nice hasty gardener I am screening a death-ray As a change intermediary A dear menacing hysteria Machinery eats drainage Yearning matrices ahead Angry charisma detainee Chairman designate year Searching animated year Reaching animated years Earned imaginary cheats Carriage ninety ashamed America erased anything Angered maniac hysteria Maniac enraged hysteria Retained anarchy images

Green Boots/Accidentally OLD!

Current mood: old! grrrrr

My beauuuutiful new GREEN COWBOY BOOTS

Lovin them! Except when you do things like fall off a trampoline (in a skirt) and land ON your shoulder. Then you cant get your boots off yourself due to the excruciating pain and constant wondering if maybe you've dislocated your shoulder.

Good thing I (still) have a husband. He took my boots off AND reminded me I was only adult at the party in the trampoline with the kids.

Evidently, when you are OLD you are no longer made of rubber, like a 6 yr old is. WTF? When did I get old? It was an accident! I got old on accident. I think I realized I was old last time I hurt myself doing something crazy - but I forgot, or blocked it out. Still, the trampoline with the kids was great fun.

Old Enough to be My Mother!

I just answered the office phone, and was mistaken for my mother.

Hhhh Mom, I hope you have a nice voice, because its not like this person doesn't know my voice after five years! I'll be turning TWENTY-10 soon, and especially on the occasion of your 38th wedding anniversary, it doesn't make me feel young to be mistaken for someone that's old enough to be my mother!

www.DoNotCall.gov

Evidently in the upcoming weeks cell phone numbers are going to be free reign for telemarketers. To avoid unwanted calls, register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry: www.DoNotCall.gov

Everyone Knows its Windy

I think a Bounce just fell out of my outfit somehow, and I'm not sure what article of clothing it was stuck to. You know, a Bounce dryer sheet? It appeared out of nowhere, and I was the only one in that room of the office.

Regardless, it's 4pm, its been stuck to me all day?!?

Bishop/Mammoth pics

We went to Bishop and Mammoth last weekend. Mike fishing Rock Creek... Jessie driving my car...going 45mph!

I don't believe in Botox

Current mood: working

I like how the difference between "busy" and "screwing around" at work is a simple eyebrow adjustment. Somehow blogging on the clock while my eyebrows are - - means I'm blowing company time and resources for personal amusement, while a quick \ / transmogrifies my time suckage to diligent money-saving emails to recipients whose address does not end in @yahoo.com. Reasons why I don't believe in Botox (see above).

Did you know "anyways" isn't a word?

Current mood: bitchy

BTW, did you know "anyways" isn't a word? Neither is "alls", for that matter. Who invented them, and why have those words become so common? They aren't even short for anything, and they don't qualify as a saying, phrase, cliche, or anything. They are just distracting. I'm not being a bitch. I'm just blogging my opinion.

Anyways, my eye is all better. That's alls I wanted to say.

My Freaky Red Eye

Current mood: nauseated
OK so a blood vessel in my eye exploded!

My Stepdaughter

Current mood: happy

My stepdaughter Jessie made the Drill Team at her middle school, I'm so proud! Go Jess!

1994's Most Bizarre Suicide

At the 1994 annual awards dinner given by the American Association for Forensic Science, AAFS president Don Harper Mills astounded his audience in San Diego with the legal complications of a bizarre death. Here is the story:

On 23 March 1994, the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head. The decedent had jumped from the top of a ten-story building intending to commit suicide (he left a note indicating his despondency). As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast through a window, which killed him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the decedent was aware that a safety net had been erected at the eighth floor level to protect some window washers and that Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide anyway because of this.

Ordinarily, Dr. Mills continued, a person who sets out to commit suicide ultimately succeeds, even though the mechanism might not be what he intended. That Opus was shot on the way to certain death nine stories below probably would not have changed his mode of death from suicide to homicide. But the fact that his suicidal intent would not have been successful caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide on his hands. The room on the ninth floor whence the shotgun blast emanated was occupied by and elderly man and his wife. They were arguing and he was threatening her with the shotgun. He was so upset that, when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife and pellets went through the window striking Opus. When one intends to kill subject A but kills subject B in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject B.

When confronted with this charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant that neither knew that the shotgun was loaded. The old man said it was his long standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her - therefore, the killing of Opus appeared to be an accident. That is, the gun had been accidentally loaded.

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun approximately six weeks prior to the fatal incident. It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother. The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

There was an exquisite twist. Further investigation revealed that the son, one Ronald Opus, had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump off the ten-story building on March 23, only to be killed by a shotgun blast through a ninth story window.

The medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.