Severe weather cancelled?

I truly feel for the people in Oklahoma, Louisiana and other states around there that have been hit by severe weather in the past day or so. My best friend lives in Oklahoma (east of Oklahoma City) but luckily she has been spared...short of having to experience the nasty weather and endure the TV shows that have the maps at the bottom regarding said weather.

But when she sent me the above link, I had to laugh. In case its hard to read, it basically says:

The severe weather safety show for Midwest City at the Reed Center Monday night has been postponed because of Sunday night's severe weather and the possibility of severe weather Monday afternoon and evening.

Wait...so the Severe Weather Safety Show was postponed due to severe weather?

Now that's too much!

GOOD!

Well, Canada's barbaric seal hunt began on Friday and I am THRILLED to say that 3 sailors have already lost their lives as well as 2 ships have sunk since the start of it!! YAY!! Those losers have already begun to kill helpless baby seal pups, many of whom are less than 3 months old and don't have the motor skills to be able to flee from the cowards who literally run at them with a club, bash them in the head, and grapple them with a bull-hook at the end of the club and drag them on the boat to be skinned (sometimes alive). All this so people in Norway and the Far East - and other countries - can have seal fur for their fashion!

I can't tell you how very happy I am that three of those barbarians have already perished. Here's hoping that more of those cowards get what they deserve.

Save the seals!

Its about time!

After 12 years of waiting....I AM FINALLY GOING TO GO SEE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND IN CONCERT!!!! I was up and online @ 9:59am waiting for the 10am on-sale time and I watched the Ticketmaster thingie change from "on sale soon" to "Find Tickets" for the concert!

We're going Tuesday June 3rd in Camden (right across the river from Philly but in NJ)!!! We got lawn seats (its an outdoor venue) so I figure we'll bring blankets and such. I so can't wait!!

I've "only" wanted to see him in concert since back in 1996 when Nicole introduced me to DMB. So its "only" been 12 years in the making!

Now, only 2 months and a few days to go! CAN'T WAIT!!

Chicks dig scars

I'm guessing if its true that "chicks dig scars", then chicks will be digging my brother all over the place!! Especially his girlfriend, Zazu! :)

Day 2

The United Colors of Bennetton? No...my brother and his black eye!

The morning after...

OUCH!

Close Call

I got a call from my mother just after 5pm today telling me that she was at the ER waiting for my brother to arrive.

WHAT?

Turns out he had an accident at work - got hit in the face with a bar and was being taken there. That's all she knew. So I got myself together, called his girlfriend, told her, and headed out.

I got home and waited for my father who got there shortly after. Maybe 10 minutes later, my boyfriend arrived, and we waited to hear from my mother. She finally called to say that my brother was being taken in for a CAT scan. Turns out he got hit in the face and had a huge bump on his forehead. That's all she knew for now, but she'd get back to us.

So we waited for a few hours - had dinner and tried to occupy ourselves by watching TV. They finally came home around 9pm. My brother's face was swollen and he was getting a black eye. He has a fractured nose but no concussion. GOOD! Turns out that he got hit in the face right in the crook of his eye (by where it meets his nose) with a bar that secures chains on his truck. I didn't quite follow and since I've never seen his truck @ work, I can't picture it, but I can see the damage it did by flying up at him. He looked miserable before he went to bed. And I'm sure he's going to be worse tomorrow (that's what the ER doctors told him). But they said he doesn't have a concussion (well, they said he has a MINOR one, but nothing to be worried about) and no severe head injuries so he should be fine. I guess we're just supposed to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't start acting strange (but he's my brother - he IS strange!).

I just thank God that he's ok. Between work and his motorcycle, he's spent so much time in the ER that he should have a frequent flyer deal or something!! I just hope he'll heal quickly and be back as good as new in no time!

Poor Poor Paul

After months of research and deliberation, my boyfriend finally bought a new truck last night...but all I have to say is poor poor Paul.

Who's Paul?

Paul is the dealer that we dealt with...

My boyfriend did his homework. He checked out the various car sites for reviews on his truck. He did the searches to see what trucks like his are going for around this area. He did his research to see what he could get for his buck. And finally made a choice. A good one at that.

Friday night he went to the dealer to check it out on his own. Saturday he took me there to check it out with him - only to settle on a different model of the same truck. Since he switched models, he felt it prudent to do a little more research online - that meant nothing was being bought on Saturday. He did, however, ask Paul to tell him exactly what he'd be paying for in addition to the car cost. Paul said it would be the cost of the car, the DMV fees and the "doc fee" - evidently, according to Paul "everyone pays those" - even though (also according to Paul), those fees are $299. YIKES! But ok. He gave us those numbers and said "that's it". We had a number in our head and went out the door (all after taking notes so I had it all in writing).

Saturday night, Sunday and all day Monday, both he and I scoured the car sites for more reviews, more pricing, more options. Finally satisfied (or as satisfied as he was going to be given he'd be shelling out a pretty penny), we went back down there last night to make the deal a reality.

Last night, we hiked back down to almost Central NJ to see Paul. We got there and checked out the car again. It had a few minor scratches, but I'd asked Paul on Saturday to fix them, he said it would be a "couple hundred dollars" to do, and on a sale with such a great price it wasn't worth it to them to fix it....that's how it is with used cars. Ok. So when we sat down with Paul to talk numbers, I asked him to take a "couple hundred dollars" off the price of the car because he said that's what it would cost to fix them. So it only stands that if its going to cost us that money to do it, why wouldn't they help us out. Well, I'll be honest, my boyfriend was given such a good deal on the first quote (he was only $1,000 over what the low end of the true market value is in this area - and a good $3,000 less than the high end), that Paul said he was only making $500 over their cost (whatever) so, no. Ok. My boyfriend was ok with that - so I was too. We both thought it was a long shot anyway, but always worth asking for. He said to show him the actual cost breakdown - "show me the numbers".

When Paul brought over the print out, boy were we surprised....and here's where I start to feel just a little bad for Paul. Because Paul caught me in a confrontational mood - and I wasn't going to let it go to waste!

The print out showed us the cost of the car (ok, we knew that) but then we found an additional $199 for window etching and a key replacement program (WHAT?) and $114 for the DMV (when in reality its $71.50 for the registration and $20 for the title cost in NJ) as well as that pesky $299 "doc fee" that "everyone" pays.

First off, the doc fee seemed excessive to us, so I called around before going back to see Paul and most of the dealers in that area were $199. We also found that the doc fees are where the dealership pads their cost. So I asked Paul to explain why its $299 for their doc fee and told him I researched it. He tried every trick in the book....including saying that if you went to Lexus or BMW, their fees are more like $600. I shot back telling him that we're not buying a Lexus or BMW and that I'm not a status person (which, really is why you buy one of those anyway). I drive a Hyundai - so you know I'm not a status person (even though I love my car). He basically told me that's how it is and it is what it is so why question it. So I pointed out that by taking that approach and accepting it for what it is is how we got where we are with our government today. I don't accept it for how it is. If we were going to pay an additional $300, I wanted a breakdown of where the money is going. Long story short, I got it out of him that the cost is B.S. and that it basically lines the boss' pocket, but there's nothing that can be done about it. O...k....

So then I called him on the $114 for the DMV and told him it should be $91.50 total. I made him find out why they're charging us an extra $25 - more money for the bossman's pocket?? He lowered the price after I got a little stern with him. He also tried to tell us there's a tire surcharge (what??) so that was part of the $114, however, we never paid it...it just disappeared - some surcharge, huh?

And then it was on to the $199 for the window etching and keys. The car comes etched and he said we had to pay for it. But its a used car - I pointed out that the original owner would've payed for it, so basically by us paying for it, we're paying twice. But he didn't accept that - it was etched - we had to pay. The car only came with 1 set of keys, but the $199 included a free key replacement (one per year for 3 years) but only from that dealer. I called him on it and said it seemed slimy. But hey "it is what it is" - Poor Paul - doesn't he learn?? (FYI - my boyfriend already said he'd be getting all 3 keys - even if he doesn't need them. Heck, he paid for them!!)

After going back and forth and nit-picking the pennies, I finally told him flat out that I wasn't here to make his boss or the owner money - I was there to make my boyfriend a good deal. My boyfriend then told him to knock more $ off to help him swallow their extra b.s. costs and he did...! Go Paul.

We finally settled on the costs and made it into the finance office and had no problems with Ricardo....the finance guy. I think Paul probably warned him about me! But you know what?? That's ok. Because my boyfriend got a good deal on a great truck and I'm just tickled pink for him!! We finally got out of there around 10:15 or so and by the time we picked up dinner and made it home, we ate at 11:45 and went right to bed. Real healthy, I know. But we were exhausted and our brains were mush - but we were also basking in the goodness of what we did!!

Of course, there's only one hitch - my boyfriend didn't have his insurance card with him, so we have to go back tonight to pick up the truck. But that's ok...its more quality time we get to spend together later on....and that's fine by me!

Happy Happy

Well, my birthday (and birthweekend) came and went. I'm now 33.

The weekend was fabulous - just as I'd hoped it would be. My family took me out for dinner on Friday night and then Saturday day I spent being a virtual vegetable. It was a miserable day (weather wise), so why not spend it indoors in PJs? That night, my man took me to Hoboken. We took the train in (really the highlight of the weekend since I love trains) and had dinner at a cute Italian restaurant and then walked around to see the town a little. It was cold and windy, so we ended up taking the train home around 10:30. Overall, a fabulous night. To add to the excitement, as we waited for the train into Hoboken, WILD weather started whipping up. Blue and green lightning (yes, you read right) and wild wind were the highlights. I actually started to run for shelter - but the train pulled up. I was in weather heaven.

Sunday was great too. Since it was my birthday, my man said we could do whatever I wanted. WHATEVER I wanted? Did he know what he was saying?? Ok... I chose shopping. I had gift cards burning a hole in my pocket (or purse to be exact) so we took a trip to the factory outlets in central NJ and I ended up getting fabulous boots (originally $99, I got them for $22.95). Yep - I love a great deal. We stopped @ the mall on the way home so I could use another gift card I had, and I was set - with all my goodies.

Overall, it was a great birth-weekend. And I'm very lucky and fortunate to have such a great family and wonderful man in my life.

The day cometh...

TOMORROW!!  TOMORROW!!!

TEE HEE!!  TEE HEE!!!!

Go figure

Ok, I'm a woman and I'll be the first to admit that what I'm about to say is probably the million dollar question that all guys ask themselves, but tell me... How is it possible that I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear?

I have a thing this weekend. A place I'm going to. And its not dressy. But its not casual. You know, one of those types of dressing situations. The type of situation that even if you're dressed "just right" you'll still look around once you get there after hours of trying on everything in your closet and nothing works and then say "oh, I so should have worn that instead".

And its not that what I have doesn't fit. It does. And it looks fine. Its clean. Pressed. Fits. But even though the last time I wore my [insert any article of clothes here] and it looked fabulous, this time it wasn't the outfit. How is it possible that nothing worked together?? I mean, its not like any of it didn't match. There was just no spark. No glance into the mirror that was met with the "YESSSSS" feeling you get when it all clicks.

And I guarantee that next time I have a thing, I'll go through this again and whatever I choose to wear on Saturday for this thing won't work for that one...there will be no spark. So why is it that sometimes an outfit clicks and sometimes it doesn't?

Now if I could figure that one out....who am I kidding? I have a better chance at winning the lottery or getting struck by lighting than figuring that one out! :)

Its coming....

Well, Spring has not yet officially sprung, but I can say with 100% certainty, that we're going stir-crazy and its time Spring got here already!

This past weekend, my man and I couldn't stay inside any longer so we ventured out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and went for a walk in the woods (near one of his fishin' spots, of course! We just had to see if the fish are rising yet. They're not, much to his dismay).

Anyway, I took the opportunity to bring along my new camera and take a few shots of the wilderness...

This tree is quite possibly one of the coolest trees ever. It stands in the middle of the wooded area surrounded by mostly vertically straight growing trees. Its unique. It stands out because it grows all higgly piggly. I just had to photograph it.


While we're on the topic of unique, how cool is this mushroom?? It was growing out the side of one of the trees - a good 10 feet up the trunk!! It doesn't get cooler than this!!

Just my attempt at being artsy....likey??

This is the trunk of a still-standing tree that was hollowed out. My man had the brilliant idea of taking a photo in the trunk - which was nixed when we heard something scurrying around inside....RUN!
All in all, it was a fabulous day....but we still can't wait to peel off our winter coats!! Any day now....

Food for thought...

I just read an eye-opening article from Newsweek about how poaching and wildlife trade is now being conducted by more 'organized' groups as opposed to local poachers in the past. It seems that these groups (which include those who are responsible for the genocide in Darfur) are now becoming more involved in poaching endangered animals because it is lucrative. It is an easier source of money for them to fund their wars and atrocities on humans.

People (Americans and others) buy these items and may not be aware that they shouldn't be. Ivory comes from elephants. Their tusks to be exact. But to get the ivory, elephants must be killed. Since many elephants are endangered, they live on preserves and protected areas - yet these same protected areas are where they are being poached. These cowards - the militias and other groups - are going into these protected areas and killing park rangers if they must in order to kill these animals. And elephants are not alone.

Tigers are often killed for their believed medicinal purposes in the Far East. Primates are captured - sometimes alive, sometimes not - and suffer cruel fates (including being sent to laboratories where they are tested on). Snakes are poached for their skins (Did you know that in order to make the snake skin belt or shoes you see in the store the snake was skinned alive? Makes you want to not buy snake skin, huh?). Shark fins are cut off while the shark is still alive and they are left on the bottom of the ocean to die so that the fins alone can be taken to make shark fin soup. Exotic animals (tigers, lions, pumas, jaguars, primates, etc) are often caught when they are babies and sold to ordinary people so they can have these cute animals as their own. Of course, just like the rest of us, they grow up and then become wild animals that often turn to their instincts with disastrous consequences for the owner and the animal (I once saw a news story of a mountain lion that was kept as a pet, and when he grew up and scratched his owner - a major injury - the owner "taught the lion a lesson" by cutting off its paws. Now that's a monster of a human if you ask me).

Point is, these horrible poachers are doing this because there is a market for these animals. Ordinary people are providing the market to sustain these atrocities. But in the same breath, these same people say that the genocide in Darfur, for example, is wrong and not enough is being done for it. These same people say that its cruel to contain these animals (wild or tame) and test on them, yet they continue to support companies like Procter & Gamble or L'Oréal who perform these atrocious tests when there are PROVEN and effective alternatives. These same people claim to love wild life and want to protect it but then "ooh" and "aah" over ivory and fork over the cash when they see it.

If we all join together and try to do everything we can to put an end to these markets, then perhaps we can give these animals a fighting chance. Their worst enemies should be those animals who are above them on the food chain, and not the one animal on this planet who is supposedly intelligent enough to know better than to perform these atrocities on animals and each other. That's us.