Home Sweet Home

Here are some pictures of my new house with my things actually inside of it.





I've moved my computer to the living room because I have too much other furniture to have it fit nicely in either the guest room or my bedroom. Now, for the first time in a few years, I can watch TV and be on the internet at the same time! Not only that, but I have a remote set up that actually works my DVR, DVD, VCR, and TV all at the same time. The cable is set up any everything. I do need curtains or something though because my giant window produces a nice glare on my television.

Anyway, I'm planning on getting a couch from my boss who has one he's trying to get rid of, and I'm going to put it on the wall in front of the window, that's why nothing is there yet. I hope it fits in the space I have for it because I never measured it. Maybe someday I'll actually get slipcovers for them too so that they look alike.





So, the refrigerator that I bought kinda sticks out a little bit... Maybe that was something I didn't think necessary to measure. That's okay. I still like it. I mean... look at how wonderful it is! (and how little food I have to put in it.)





So, I took my first shower here today. Without checking what the hot water heater was set at. Let's just say I cranked that sucker up as soon as I got out of the shower and hope to never be a popsicle in there again.






And... well, there are the two rooms I haven't really touched. I slept on the couch last night because I didn't want to deal with my bed. Plus, I fell asleep at like 8:30 or something ridiculously early. But, I worked hard all day and I only have 5 hours of sleep the night before.

So, there you have it. The new house. Semi-unpacked and mostly livable. It's good to be home.

End Blog.

(If you click on these pictures, they somehow got linked to a picture that was not the same one... so... I don't know how that happened and I don't feel like trying to fix it. They might all be there... maybe. Look at them small. I have no answers for you!)

New Digs

I just signed about a million pieces of paperwork (where often times I forgot to put in my middle initial since I hardly use it and had to go back and fix it) and got keys to the house.

Rock on.

Now I shall pack up the kitchen boxes and the dog and go hang out in the house whilst unpacking and setting up the kitchen as I wait for ye old cable man to come hook my house up with that new fangled technology all the kids are talking about. Seriously, I didn't even know that houses without cable still existed. I can't believe I bought one.

Nikki, making life a better place, buying houses and installing cable into them one at a time...

I'm gonna go take my "BLACKWELL" welcome mat and place it on my front stoop. Welcome home to me and Remy.


End Blog.

It's Amazing What You Find on YouTube

YouTube took down the extended full version of Tina Fey's American Express commercial. Only the new, shorter, edited version is available anymore... which sucks. They cut out my favorite part: Octopus Time.

However, in my search to find the commercial again, I found this:



No, really. I love her. Beth, I believe she may be your new hero. This made my day.


End Blog.

Icebox

I just bought this refrigerator. I'm picking it up on Saturday during moving day. Yaaaaaaaay!

All the appliances in my kitchen are now stainless steel. I also am non-discriminatory because I think I have like, every single major appliance brand now: KitchenAid, GE, Whirlpool, and Kenmore.

I close on the house in 14 hours! Hmmm... maybe I should pack the rest of my things. After I go to Beth's for dinner! mwahahahahaaaa


End Blog.

I Can Hear the Bells

Darn it! I thought Veronica Mars... I mean, Kristen Bell... was gonna be on Heroes last night. It's not until next week. And I started watching the show this season because I knew she'd be on it. Now the question is... do I really need to watch the episode I missed last night if she's not in it?

I found a picture of her character. She looks...
...just like Veronica Mars! All she needs is a camera with a telephoto lens or a shoulder bag. Where ever the heck that photo was taken even looks Veronica Mars-y.

By the way, I've also seen the guy who plays Wallace (Percy Daggs III) on a Hot Pockets commercial and her Criminology teacher, Professor Landry (Patrick Fabian), was on Pushing Daisies last week. (Which, by the way, is a super good show and you should watch it. Apparently the guy that does the voice over work is the same dude who does the Harry Potter books on tape, although I don't know if that's truth or not.)

I can't wait until next week to see her back in action. I really miss Veronica Mars. The CW was stupid when they canceled it.


End Blog.

Queen of Cardboard

I've changed all my utilities over to the new house. And my address with the post office, bank, cell phone company, Discover, Blockbuster and Entertainment Weekly. It's highly likely that I'm missing someone, but I feel pretty accomplished. I've also rented a truck from U-Haul for moving day.

Hooray!

I still need to cancel my renter's insurance, but I'm waiting for stuff in the mail that I have to sign.

Mostly... things are looking quite boxy around here.


End Blog.

The Good Year Blimp is Following Me

I've seen the Good Year Blimp repeatedly floating around Kansas City. It's creepy how it just kind of hangs there in the sky, and I am convinced that it is following me. And that it has stealth mode.

Today I managed to get a picture of it with my new handy-dandy cell phone. But since it's a cell camera, the picture quality isn't all that great, so I highlighted the portion of the picture that is the Good Year Blimp. (I had to drive around a lot to get to a place where I could actually take this picture.)



Now, I realize all of this sounds crazy, and the picture is grainy and could be anything. And if I was super awesome, I'd be trying to tell you all that it's a UFO and Aliens are after me... but they're not. The Good Year Blimp pilot is just stalking me.

I tried to go inside and grab my 8 mega pixel camera, but by then he was onto the fact that I'd spotted him and he musta... you know... high tailed it outta here with his super speedy blimpyness. Or turned on the stealth mode. Either way, I couldn't find it, even when I walked up on the highest hill around. (Which, wow, I need to exercise more. I was totally winded.)

How many Good Year Blimps do you think there are? What could he possible want from me? Or she. Maybe the blimp pilot is a girl. Whatever. They've been tooling around KC for at least three weeks. (No lie. They've been here since the end of September.)

And I have the best picture, ever, to prove it! I gotta tell ya, I love how it looks just like every UFO picture, ever. Maybe aliens stole the blimp.


End Blog.

Samsung SCH-u740

I just upgraded my phone with the new every two plan from Verizon. Yay!!! I was so sick of my old phone. I actually got one that has features this time... it's not just a cell phone anymore. And, I made another leap - from Nokia to LG to Samsung. This here phone to the right would be the one I got.

I've been yelled at for buying a "text messaging machine". I don't really care. I've been getting them more and more often, so I figured it was about time to make the leap and stop rejecting new technology. Although, since I have all them buttons, I'm not going to kill the English language by writing things like "C U @ 7 im so l8". Because that still bugs the heck out of me.

So, I have unlimited texting to other Verizon members - so ya'll can text me whenever the hell you want - and 500 texts outside of the "in" network. So, you may see my li'l IM name have a cell phone beside it one of these days. This still means that I'm not home, but should you need to get a hold of me for something... it might be an option worth considering.

Also, I now have a camera in my cell phone, a short length video camera, and MP3 storage capabilities. And navigation... although I think I have to subscribe to something specifically for that, so probably not really...

But, it's a step up. A gigantic step up for me, since my last phone was just a plain old phone.

Go technology. I've evolved slightly... but it's still no iPhone.


End Blog.

Home is Where Your Internet Bill is Addressed

My house appraised for what I bought it for! Yay.

There is still much packing to do before moving day, but I wanted to share good news because I don't do it often. Therefore, I won't go into the other headaches of buying a house from these people... but they are kinda annoying. Let's just say I'm not too concerned with people stealing stuff, and if I am, I actually tell the police about it.

The final walk through is on the evening of the 18th, closing is at 10am on the 19th, and the cable installation people will be out between 2 and 5pm on the 19th... (This is very reminiscent of the move to Kansas City from DC, as I'm sure Mom will remember this conversation we had over IM):

Nikki: I made an appt. for the cable/internet dude to come hook me up on the morning of the 27th.
Mom: Monday? or Tues? I don't have a calendar.
Nikki: Monday
Mom: LOL
Mom: You cannot go more than 3 days without internet?
Nikki: I can give it up anytime I want.

FYI, I moved in on the 26th of February and had to drive for three days to get here. This time, I'm moving into a house that will already be wired and hooked up. I could still quit if I wanted to.

I haven't switched any of the other utilities yet. I know where my priorities are.


End Blog.

Payoff and Ripoff: The Offs of Life

The million insurance quotes I got totally paid off. I know this because I talked to my mortgage broker and she was like, "I see that you don't have a deductible listed for wind and hail here on your insurance and seeing as how you'll be in Kansas, I really want you to make sure that you have coverage because this is different than tornadoes."

First off, I'm not living in Kansas, but she works in Kansas, so I'll forgive her. Secondly, I don't have a deductible listed because it's the same $1,000 as my normal deductible, which is why it wasn't listed. Thirdly, don't be hatin' on me just because you saw how fabulous my yearly rate was. I did my research, woman.

"Three hundred and ninety dollars... I mean, WOW."

Yeah. Maybe you should suggest that people get more than just three quotes.

Although, there is a down side. Because of all the phone calls required for the quotes and the fact that I only have a cell phone and all the calls were made during business hours to non-verizon cell phones or business phones... I went over my allotted 450 minutes a month for the first time, ever. By 83 minutes... at 45 cents a minute. So I might as well be paying $430 on my home insurance this year.

Bastards! The very sad part about it is when I renew my phone plan (which will be happening any day now as they called and told me I was eligible for my 2 year phone upgrade) they'll increase my minutes to 550 a month for the same price. So close...

So, in summation, my insurance is good and the rate rocks and cell phones are pretty dumb (but in the long run better than paying for a house line I'd never use).

Get Met. It Pays.


End Blog.

Insurance Magic

I wanted to get a whole bunch of quotes for homeowners insurance so that I knew I was getting a good price. But, it turns out, that within the first two quotes I received, I got both the highest and lowest quote humanly possible. One, All State quoted me at $930 a year. This floored me because my mortgage people were estimating something around $600 for all the estimates they gave me. Then I talked to a guy at MetLife, who told me it would only be $415 a year.

This intrigued me. So, I kept getting quotes. And kept getting quotes... and kept getting quotes. Then, I got quotes from different agents within the same company. Insurance is an insanely crazy thing, let me tell you. I've gotten four different quotes from All State: $930, $706.25, $614.03, and $489.44.

Crazy. Look at all those different numbers!

You know what else is crazy? I can't stop myself. I've gotten 16 quotes. I need to go to Insurance Quote Addiction Anonymous or something. I just can't believe how different they are. And did you know that Farmers gives you a discount for being a scientist? Now I just sit here and ask what kinds of crazy discounts I can get. I have a new roof, can you discount that? I even got a discount because I'm a GW Alumnus. Seriously, this insurance thing... it's magic.

I think you should become super good friends with your insurance agent, because the more they know about you, the more discounts they can find. I'm gonna go back to that MetLife guy. He was one of the first people I talked to, so I didn't know of the magic that is random insurance discounts.

And this is all without the 10-20% discounts you get when you insure your auto with the same company as your home.

So, learn your lesson well - shop around for insurance to find the best rates. The sad thing is, I'm comparing apples to apples on these because I make sure they're all quoting me the same replacement value numbers and personal liability and whatnot... and they're STILL so different.

Insurance world is a mystery.


End Blog.

Belly Rubs!

So, I got paranoid that Remy had fleas and they got in my bed (because I spoil her and let her sleep there), and that's how I got these bug bites along my right side which are currently driving me crazy. I checked her out and she was all… “What!? What are you looking for? I’m a clean dog! Wait... give me belly rubs. No, belly rubs. This isn’t a belly rub. You are completely useless! I want belly rubs. RUB MY BELLY!” Anyway, I didn’t see any fleas. Therefore, I think it was a rogue October mosquito.

I am itchy.


End Blog.

But, it's Almost October

I woke up this morning with nine mosquito bites down my right side from my armpit to my waist. I cannot even tell you how annoying and itchy they are. Not a cool way to start the morning.

*scratch*

End Blog.

Chain, Screw, Belt

Should the deal go through with the house, and I actually think this one will, I need to buy a garage door opener. I assume that a friend of mine will help with (or mostly complete) the installation process. But, I've come to realize - as with most things house related - that I have NO IDEA exactly what I should be looking for in a garage door opener. They have screws or belts or chain drives... and well, I know nothing about them.

Suggestions? Is one better than the others? Is one easier to install?

Also, I foresee needing to buy a ladder for this project. Or to grow a whole lot.

Not enough people read this blog. And I imagine those that do also know nothing about garage door openers.


End Blog.

An Idea is a Greater Monument than a Cathedral

I just watched Inherit the Wind last night. You know the movie - the one based on the Scopes Monkey Trial in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. A battle royale between the modernists and traditionalists - or intellectuals and religion, so it seemed.

I'm sure everyone knows which side of this debate I fall on. I can't imagine why there would even be a law banning any sort of education. I already feel that the world is undereducated, so to take away anything that would provoke a thought of our own or challenge traditional beliefs is ridiculous... but to have a law banning it is downright unconstitutional. Especially with the whole idea of separation of church and state. Don't argue that America was founded by Christians - it was founded by those seeking religious freedom - and I think that should still be the case. I won't get started on what our government has turned into in the past few years.

It baffles me that 82 years later we're still having this debate on what to teach in schools. Evolution? Creationism? Intelligent design? All three? None of the above? I was never taught evolution. My AP biology teacher, Mr. Eckert, told me to read a few chapters in the book on my own because there would be questions on the AP test about it... but he couldn't teach them to me in class. At the time I was under the impression that "couldn't" meant that we didn't have enough time to cover it in the curriculum, not that he was actually not allowed to. You'd think I was growing up in Kansas, not Pennsylvania.

I can't understand it. Why do our social values and intellect conflict so much? People are fanatical about religion and what they consider moral. And apparently using your mind and the ability to reason, the very thing that sets us apart from all the other animals - and arguably the thing that God himself bestowed upon us - that's what gets all the fundamentalist folks all riled up.

FACT: The sun revolves around the Earth. We didn't descend from slimy sludge. The world is not millions of years old. Not believing in God makes you an amoral heathen. Marriage is between one man and one woman. Man and woman were placed on the Earth by God during creation.

Listen. Thought doesn't undermine values. The thinking men and women still know right from wrong, but they can also see all the shades of grey surrounding the issue. They can see other possibilities. They have found things that don't fit into neat boxes and have striven to make sense of the world. Evolution has gaps. So does genetics. Scientists recently discovered that what they thought they knew about transcription of DNA and what they termed "junk DNA" might be completely wrong. Life is still a mystery... But they know there is not only one solution to a problem, and they will keep working at that problem. Not only that, there will be others working at the problem from a different angle, forming their own opinions on the matter. But they will not be standing still, insisting that they have found all the answers, and they are right... all you have to do is have faith and believe!

Scholars are our future, they are progress.

The thing that killed me about this movie was the song that the mob kept singing. "Gimme that old time religion, it's good enough for me." Since when has anything been "good enough" for us? We like progress. We are fans of enlightenment and intelligence. We are innovators. At least, that's what I always thought. Maybe that's why I like the theory of evolution so much. I want to keep moving forward, not living by the rules of the past. Not believing in the old stuffy religions that leave no room for change, no route for progress. And without those paths open to us, we will be left behind by others who are more open minded.

If you haven't ever seen this movie, or if it's been years since you watched it, I think it deserves another viewing. This movie makes you think. And even though it was made over 40 years ago, it applies to so many things today. Truly a thinking man's movie - and not only that, it was very true to the real life events that occurred in 1925.

Two great, big, opposable thumbs up.


End Blog.

Finally

Well, it took a whole week, but I finally have a signed contract on the house I made an offer on last Thursday. It's a good thing, too, because I have the inspection scheduled for the house tomorrow at 1:30pm.

Hooray. Only an inspection, an appraisal, a closing, and a moving day to go. Hopefully soon I shall be leaving this place, and its footprints of doom.

It will be nice to take Remy to her back yard after work every day. And it'll all be worth it, I'm sure.


End Blog.

I Watch This On Loop

I can't even describe how much I love this commercial from Emmy winner Tina Fey.



It's fabulous. I want Octopus Time.

I can't wait for 30 Rock to come back. I am one of its dozens and dozens of viewers - and you should be, too. I hope it sticks around for the next 6 years, too.


End Blog.

Ownership

I'm not sure why I continue to try to be a homeowner. I've been looking at houses since early summer, and yet, I still do not own one. My lease will be up at the end of November and I have sworn to be moved out by then. I even have "get out of jail free" paperwork that releases me from my lease with no penalties as long as I give them 30 days notice. And all I had to do was file two police reports to get it!

I currently have broken wood around my back storm door and a missing window screen because the CSIs took it as evidence eons ago. I'm wondering if these things will come out of my security deposit. It's not like that money provided me with any security, whatsoever.

Although, it's really funny that I'm even worrying about it... because I have come to realize that I am NEVER going to own a house. Granted, the first house I made an offer on was a little impulsive, but it was a nice house with a great location, although the neighborhood probably could have been nicer. But, in my opinion, they wanted too much money for the house. When they finally did sell it, it sold for $3,000 over my final offer, so I guess they made out okay.

The second house I put an offer on was in a slightly less desirable location - and by this, I mean that it makes my commute longer. But it had a finished basement that was pretty darn sweet. And as an added bonus, he was leaving his refrigerator behind, so I wasn't going to have to purchase one of those. I tried to work the washer and dryer into the deal. No go. Even though I gave him a full priced offer for his house and only asked him to pay $2,000 in closing costs, he decided that the deal was not favorable enough for him. Even dropping the washer and dryer from the deal, he was not happy.

Three days later he's asking my realtor why I didn't take his "counter offer" of no closing costs while I pay full price for his home. It's a super deal! FOR HIM. Needless to say, he's not getting a Christmas card from me this year.

It reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes comic (I tried to find it but was unable to) where Calvin's Dad says, "The world isn't fair, Calvin," to which he replies, "I know Dad, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favor?"

Which brings me to house number three. Third time's a charm? Well... maybe. If you jump through these hoops first.

House three completely changes my commute, which I was not thrilled about until I drove home from work to house number three. It took me 24 minutes, which is quite comparable to the time it currently takes me. I will have to learn the area a little better, but it's the nicest neighborhood I've looked in, and has the best school district of all of them as well. (Not that I plan on sending kiddies off to school, ever, but it's good for resale value.) Of course, that also means this house has the highest taxes as well. Long story short, I made the third offer.

Today, I heard nothing all day. No counters, no refusals, nothing. One hour before the offer was to expire, I get this story from my agent:

The seller's agent is in California. His office emailed my faxed offer to the wrong email address and he spent the day not knowing that an offer existed. After my agent got into contact with him in California, we found all of this out. So, another email was sent to the correct email address. But he needs to look the offer over before he shows it to his sellers and gee-golly-whiz, couldn't we extend the offer until tomorrow? Okay, sure. I'd still like for them to counter offer me (who am I kidding, I want them to flat out just freaking accept the thing already).

So, I sit and wait another day before I figure out what is going on with house number three. It'd be super nice if they felt guilty about making me wait over 24 hours with this whole thing and just signed off on it, but this is me here... that's not going to happen.

I have so little faith in this whole house buying process. I'm not sure why I'm still looking, other than the fact that I don't want to have to struggle to find a parking space outside of my apartment, I don't want my apartment broken into, I'd really like a house with a yard for my dog to play, and a place to stick my car so that I have a winter free of scraping ice from the windshield. Oh, and the number one reason: I don't throw money away on rent every month and actually own something 30 years from now.

So I wait.

Needless to say, should I get this house, I will be spending a ton of money. I'll need a refrigerator, a washer, and a dryer... and some lamps for the living room because there are no overhead lights. And eventually some area rugs, smoke detectors, cable installation (who are we kidding, I'd get this put in when I closed on the house!), window coverings, a garage door opener, and a small portion of fence to completely enclose the back yard. And with all those things, I still want a house.

I am sick of living in an apartment when I could be in a real house for an additional $200 a month. Totally worth it.

Dear people who probably still don't know I made an offer on your house...
Please let me buy it.
Thank you.


End Blog.

Without ME It's Just AWESO

This is now on the outside of my cubicle wall at work right next to my name plate.

I think that I might be playing too much Guitar Hero. Have I mentioned on here yet that I bought a PS2 just so I could play these games? No? Well, I did. And they rock.

Anyway... I can't get enough of Han Solo jumping while playing guitar in what has to be the most awesome band, ever. Glorious. I will never be as awesome as this picture.


End Blog.

I've Been Simpsonized

And Remy, too.
I know I'm late to join the bandwagon... I also have not seen the movie yet.

That is all.


End Blog.

Crime Scene Ride Along

These two stories come from the Kansas City Star and are related to what I was doing tonight at work:

Woman’s body found near Cliff Drive

Kansas City police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was spotted by a walker about 11:15 this morning near a wooded area at Cliff Drive and Lexington Avenue.

Police reported seeing obvious signs of foul play and have ruled the death a homicide. They did not release a cause of death.

Police identify body

Kansas City police have identified a woman whose body was found in a wooded area at Cliff Drive and Lexington Avenue as Denise A. Williams, 24, of Kansas City.

Police said there were definite signs of foul play and are investigating the case as a homicide, the department’s 65th of the year. Police did not release the cause of death but said the body had not been there long.

A walker spotted the body and called police.

Anyone with information about the case should call the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (474-8477).

Mike Rice | mrice@kcstar.com


I know what the foul play and cause of death were. =P I just spent 5 hours at the scene of the murder. The body in the park was obviously dumped there. Crime scene still has the car to process in the morning. I left as they were still packaging evidence this evening (morning?). And, I was on the lucky end of it. Other CSTs "got" to go dumpster diving tonight, and let me just tell you, they smelled like they most definitely had been.

I'm glad to be home, safe, and on my way to bed. I'm sorry that Denise Williams has made it to her final rest, but we're working on getting the suspect. I'm hopeful the 65th homicide of the year will be solved.


End Blog.

Trace Symposium: Clearwater, FL

The trace symposium in Clearwater, Florida was very informative and actually quite fun. I met some of the leaders in the field whose papers I've been reading for the past few years. We had morning presentations at 7am that were not mandatory, and yet, I still got up to watch them since they were so interesting.

One was about Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and what went wrong with that trial. One of the guys who presented was the LA crime lab director. From all the things I had ever heard of the case, I thought there were problems collecting evidence from the scene. That was totally not the case - it was OJ's spin doctors that made me think that. They showed us the evidence that was "planted" by the police department, and how that just couldn't have happened. The problems were the prosecutors and defense attorneys not using the specialties of the lab personnel in the right way. They put on their own presentations without consultation. They made this a DNA case, when really, it shouldn't have been. We got to see all the trace evidence (mostly fiber evidence) that either never saw the light of day in a court room, or the importance of which was never understood because the judge wouldn't allow certain things to be said because they weren't properly discovered to the defense. It was fascinating. And while it's not my job to determine guilt or innocence if I'm not on the jury, from the crime scene photos and evidence, I can tell you that OJ Simpson was there... and it didn't appear that anyone else could have been.

Another case we got to see presented was that of the Green River Killer up in Washington. Holy crap... this one was scary. This guy - Gary Leon Ridgway - confessed to killing 48 women, and claims he couldn't remember all of them, but there could be upwards of 70 or more. He'd pick up runaways and prostitutes and kill them, then dump their bodies in groups of 3 or 4 in abandoned, desolate areas. He even said that sometimes he'd come back days after they were dead and have sex with the bodies.

These were all cold cases until the advent of PCR STR DNA technology came along, and they finally linked four of the dead women to him. But, knowing that he was the guy and that he must have killed more women, they called up Skip Palenik (a legend with microscopy) and asked if he could link any more of the women to him. In fact, he could. Unfortunately, it was only women who had been found with their clothing. He linked all the women through tiny balls of hallow paint that form when you spray paint something. It was a very specific kind of repaint from DuPont that was used to paint cars - or in this case Kenworth trucks - where Ridgway worked.

The DNA evidence never flustered Ridgway. Sure, he was known to visit prostitutes. So what? His DNA might be there, but he wasn't the one to kill those women. But when he and his lawyers heard of Skip's work... he made a plea. He promised to plea guilty and tell about all the other women, just as long as he didn't get the death penalty. The deal was made to give closure to families with missing loved ones. He confessed to 48 murders and got a life sentence for each - all because of spray paint.

One of the final "really cool" cases that was presented was that of the DC Sniper (John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo). There was LOTS of trace evidence to connect them, but I don't think any of it was presented in court. I think it was all about guns and bullets. But, I guess it didn't matter much, as they both got convicted.

Much of the symposium was about the influence of DNA on our field and how it's expected that there should be DNA evidence. Not like it was in "the good old days" before we had such technology. Frankly, it was kind of irritating. I don't care what evidence there is, as long as it builds a case against the correct bad guy. Both DNA and trace evidence are not infallible, but when used in combination, they can be much more convincing.

Also, we talked about working trace cases more quickly so that any information we find can be used as investigative leads. That works in a world where we don't have to worry about backlogs and is a fabulous idea. I just don't know how practical it is.

Overall, the symposium was great. I even got a Forensic Files pen. =) And nightly, a group of people would... mingle and make new contacts and share information while drinking alcohol.

The hotel was nice. It was right on the beach and had a lovely pool. And people played volleyball almost every night, although, I think they were a bit too serious and competitive for my liking, so I stayed out of the game. Overall, it was a good trip.






Oh, and I think because it was the trace symposium, they had to make sure that I was still looking at someone else's dirty underwear, even on the beach. Never forget where you come from...


(I know, I have such a glamorous job. Really, CSI doesn't do it justice.)

When I got back to the airport, I found that my car's battery was completely dead. Even my keyless entry didn't work. Did you know that there's no way to open my back hatch when the battery has died and it is locked? Me either. So, after stuffing my suitcase in my back seat, I called the airport service people and they came out and jumped my car... for THIRTY dollars. Because... that costs them a lot.

Anyway, my car is back in order and I still have no idea what drained my battery.

The good news is that I got to see part of the family my first night in Florida, and I swindled a coworker into waiting for my bag after I'd already waited an hour and it was nowhere in sight. I ate dinner with Bethany and the grandparents and made it to the hotel before my people even arrived. They had to wait for our bags for THREE hours. The excuse was something about lightning.

So, there were a few snafus in the overall plan, but the trip in general was pretty great. The food was pricey, but thankfully, I wasn't paying.


End Blog.

Go Sing With Buffy

I just got home from the Buffy Musical Sing Along. Yes, folks, they've turned "Once More, With Feeling" into a Rocky Horror-type sing along theater experience. You get a goodie bag full of things like kazoos, bubbles, vampire teeth, a finger puppet monster, and a streamer-popper thingie. You get to hold up cell phones and lighters for Giles' ballad, scream at Dawn to SHUT UP, dance in the aisles with Anya, and do the wave during musical numbers... all while singing along with the cast. Joss even filmed it in widescreen so it could make the leap to the big screen effortlessly.

The experience is super fun. A giant rabbit runs through the audience. What's not to like?

I'm glad that I was informed that this show was coming to Kansas City. And I found out this theater is also going to do a Grease sing along at some point. It might be my new favorite place. Cult classic theater. Brilliant.

They're doing another showing tomorrow night. You should TOTALLY go sing with Buffy. The random yelling from others is enjoyable and humorous. Do it.

Buffy Sings
Granada Theater

I have vampire teeth now. I'm gonna go try to scare my dog with them and then blow bubbles in her face. It's double the entertainment...


End Blog.

Temperature Extremes

Okay, so here's the deal: the outdoor temperature has felt like it's approximately 105 degrees Fahrenheit for the past several days, but the indoor temperature at the crime lab is currently 65 degrees Fahrenheit. That's a 40 degree temperature difference. Today, on casual Friday, I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and a sweatshirt all day. And I was slightly chilly. We're under an extended extreme heat warning and I'm shivering at work.

It's actually enjoyable to leave work and get into a 120 degree car just to warm up. Work is FREEZING. I'm sure the CSIs would kill me for complaining about it since they actually have to work in the heat... but man... I'm just about ready to switch places with them for a couple days.

So, if anyone ever asks me how the department could save money, I'd tell them that I would keep the lab 10 degrees warmer in the summer and save money on air conditioning.

40 degrees difference!!! That's completely insane.

End Blog.

The Criminals Have Gone Bonkers

In the past two weeks, we've had at least three officer involved shootings and two police vehicular accidents - one on a motorcycle and one in a patrol car. Criminals, listen, it's super hot outside (the heat index is 106). Go home, sit there, and don't move. You'll be cooler and feel less insane. I think your brains are boiling in your skulls. Seriously, stop hurting our law enforcement officers.

Is it too much to ask that you stop making stupid choices?

End Blog.

Easy Money

A group of friends and I all went to a minor league baseball game tonight because we got a great deal through the police department. I had a blast, the team won 9-5, I don't think I saw a single minute of the game.

What I did witness, however, was more entertaining. Yes, we're all over 25 years old. But that doesn't mean Beth has let the little kid in her die. Or, at least, has decided she can come out to play for a lucrative ten dollars.

The bet: roll down a grassy hill. The reward: ten dollars. Never growing up? Priceless.



I'm ready to go again. It was a good time all around.


End Blog.

Tear Gas is Unfriendly

I rode along with the crime scene unit today as part of the 2007 trace section project to get us thinking more about case assessment and the importance of each item of evidence in a case. Unfortunately, you can't really schedule homicides, so I went out on two different robbery cases instead of something truly uber-cool.

Nevertheless, something interesting did occur... A pawn shopped was robbed - and it was the third time the CST I was riding along with had actually been to this place. Two dudes smashed up the glass jewelery counter and stole the money from the registers and ran out. Just a short while down the road, the dye pack planted in with their stolen goods exploded. They chucked it from their car and the manager of the pawn shop walked down the street and recovered it, bringing it back to the store for our arrival.

Now, these dye packs are made of real (likely out of circulation) money. They look like real money and are all bundled up together like real money. But I'm not quite sure what makes them detonate and make the dye go all over the place... oh, and there's something else I didn't know about them: they also contain mace or pepper spray or tear gas or something. I see how that is an effective tool in a car with closed windows, and I totally know why these dudes threw it out of their car.

I didn't really come within four feet of the dumb thing and I can still sort of taste it and feel the back of my throat being all itchy and burning. Now, this is not my sore throat acting up - it's healed itself and hasn't been bothering me the last two days. And it's not so much my throat, but the very back of my nose, right above my throat, going into my sinuses or whatever the heck is back there. (If that makes any sense.) Anyway, I'm glad I wasn't technically the CST in this case because she was feeling a lot more from this than I was.

So, the lesson here is, don't steal stuff. (It's not just banks, this came from a pawn shop!) Trust me, you seriously don't want to come anywhere close to whatever they release from those things in any sort of concentrated form. It is not pleasant. I was barely exposed and and hour later, I can still feel its effects.

And all this time I thought it was just dye in those things. Who knew? Movies really don't educate you very well, do they?


End Blog.

You Can't Stop the Beat

I went and saw Hairspray on Friday night. While Amanda Bynes' Penny Pingleton was sorely underused, and Link didn't sing "Without Love" directly to Tracy, there's not much else bad I can say about the film.

It's energetic and fun, and several times the theater burst into applause after a number, like you would expect on Broadway. When "You Can't Stop the Beat" played on screen, my theater actually clapped along with the finale. You really couldn't stop the beat.

The tongue-in-cheek humor and complete campiness were delightful. John Travola did a fabulous job as Edna Turnblad and watching him and Christopher Walken dance and sing "Timeless to Me" together actually completed my life. I didn't know I'd have that reaction to it, but I honestly think that I can die happy now.

James Marsden (Cyclops from the X-Men) was dreamy. I think I fell in love with him and his total corniness, most of all.

It's a bubble-gum musical that keeps you dancing in your seat and orgasmicly happy the entire movie. You have to have a heart of stone and hate your inner child to not fall in love with this movie. It's the most entertainment I've seen on screen all year and the best movie-musical I've ever had the pleasure of viewing.

I'll be buying the DVD when it comes out. It's brilliant.

GO. SEE. THIS. MOVIE.

NOW.

(You can find clips of the movie here.)
I totally want to see this movie again...


End Blog.

Gulp? Wishful Thinking.

I have quite possibly the worst sore throat that I have ever had. I'm not really complaining that much because I can breathe and if I don't think about swallowing too much, I can handle the action well enough. I just thought I'd try to take picture of my tonsils for the sole purpose of hopefully grossing someone out... well, and to see how good my internal photography is. Truth is, I think I could do a lot better if it was someone else's throat.

You can also notice that I have no cavities. And a very small space in which to actually ingest food. These pictures just don't do it justice, really. I mean... there are cool yellow pustules that you can't even see in these. It's a serious bummer, but I can't keep my mouth open long enough to manage an awesome picture of the ickiness.

Also, I think I have a fever and might be slightly delusional, as I thought taking these pictures and putting them on the internet would be a cool idea.


End Blog.

Flat Tires in the Summer Time

Right around the fourth time you have a flat tire in the past six years, you stop caring about several things. The first is the warranty. As long as your tires are covered, nothing will ever happen to them. But even lifetime warranties have no guarantee, and if you have one, there will be some circumstance that will default it - like, you've moved out of the service area that you would have been guaranteed under. Or, I'm sure, dozens of other small matters that would void whatever it is that your warranty was supposed to protect you from. I've decided that I just don't care. A warranty that I have paid for has NEVER saved me money.

The second is cost. Tires are expensive. Chances are, I'll be buying new ones within the next two years. I have accepted this as my fate in life. It's a crumby fate, but it is my place, and I suppose someone in the universe had to fill it. What's your fate? Maybe we can trade.

Third, the tires for my car will never, ever be in stock, anywhere - and the fact that the tire stores can miraculously get them within a few hours leads me to believe that they are liars. Big, fat, mean liars. Someday, if I ever have to buy all four tires as new, I will buy something from the floor models... but, seeing as how I have to buy new tires biyearly, this will never happen to me. Unless I blow more than two next time, at which time, I should probably give up driving completely.

Four: I still can't actually change a tire. It's not for lack of knowledge. I mean, having a flat tire every two years, you retain the knowledge. You might be a little rusty, but you know where all the parts go and how the mechanics of the operation works. I still cannot, however, budge any of the lug nuts. Inevitably I have had my tires rotated or other such fun and they've been put on with an air compressor that my measly muscles cannot overcome. Or, one step back from there, I can't even get the spare out from underneath my car with the little crank thing that's strategically placed in my bumper. I will have more flat tires. I will not change them. This has been accepted.

Also, for added fun, my spare tire rim is 17 inches while my regular car rims are 16 inches, so I can't put an old tire on the spare and have an extra tire for next time this happens (because there will be a next time). And seeing as how I just spent a small fortune on tires - which you need and use daily but don't really appreciate until you don't have one - I'm not going to buy a new rim for my spare so that I can have a real, full-sized tire. I'm not even sure a real, full-sized tire would fit in the well underneath my car that houses my spare anyway.

But you know what? It's gotten to the point where I just don't care anymore. Fact: Sometime during next summer, or the one after that, I will completely ruin another tire.

I have accepted my tire fate. May it be the only car issue I ever have.


End Blog.

Noah, Can I Borrow Your Ark?

It's been raining since I returned from Chicago - and apparently was raining here the entire time I was gone. I came home to a muddy dog, because she has no etiquette for walking around big areas of mud when not on a leash. Instead, she walks through them and then scratches her neck and ears with muddy feet. She just recently got another bath. This time, she willingly jumped in the bathtub. I think she knew she was a mess, too.

And still, it continues to rain. In fact, currently, I'm pretty much in the only area of rain in the entire country. THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. It's a huge country. And I'm right smack dab in the middle of that rain storm.


Seriously. Rain, go away. Bother someone else for a while. Just... stay away from New Jersey for a week... because I'm not staying in this land of rain much longer. My vacation away from you, Rain, will be a joyous one. Don't think about following me.

The weatherman told me that it was going to be a gorgeous weekend. No rain for us. Bunch of damn liars.

I still can't believe that radar map. I swear it's been raining here since April. We've seen like... 12 days of sunshine. I'm not even joking. I hope we get out of this stupid weather pattern soon.

The National Weather Service stated for the dates of June 27-30: "Given the tendency for storms to flow across the same portions of the area over and over, rain fell in many areas for more than 24 hours in a row. Due to the persistence of these storms, widespread 3-5 inch rainfall totals were common with some locations receiving in excess of 6-8 inches of rainfall."

Storms, move along. Stop flowing across the same portions of the area over and over. There's nothing to see here. Nothing to see...


End Blog.

Take Your Dog to Work Day

Today was take your dog to work day. Well, national take your dog to work day is really something more like June 22nd, but the person who always organizes it for us will be out of town that week, so we moved it. (We're the government. We can do things like that.) But you still have time to show up at work next Friday with your dog.

People who don't have dogs brought their children. As if children are equal replacements for dogs. But, I guess the kids had a great time playing with all the pups, so I can't really blame them.


We had a big picnic for lunch as well, and carrying food and a leash and watching a dog... well, it required too much thought and too many hands, so I didn't get very many good pictures. But, I did take a few from my cubicle.

I can't wait for next year. It's really the most fun day at work, ever. And you can see everyone with their dogs and how some of those people completely share the same temperament and personality with their pets.

(She made for a good guard dog.)

By the way, everyone thinks Remy is sweet and has a very soft, fantastic coat. At least three people asked what I feed her. Just so you know, her diet is made completely of unicorn horns, four leaf clovers, and rainbows. (Oh, and she got a bath the night before.)

She also got dressed up for work in a nice blue bandanna because she heard that the police wear blue.


End Blog.

*Yawn* Why Are We Up So Early?

I threw my towel over Remy this morning when I got out of the shower... because I'm mean to her like that. She didn't seem to mind. She just wanted me to hurry up and get out of here so she can go back to bed.

So sleepy.

End Blog.

More Love on Remy, The Spoiled Pup

Okay, it's super true. I've spoiled my dog. It's like she's not even a dog anymore. Which is when you know you've raised them right - they become family.


I pretty much let her do whatever she wants. And she pretty much does whatever I ask of her. She's perfectly happy lying on the floor. Except I usually call her up onto something softer. A pillow. The couch. My bed. She's just too cute to have to sleep on the floor. I can't help it. Plus, if perchance I am also on the couch or bed, she will cuddle. And not just allow me to come to her, but will actually lay on top of me and be perfectly content there. It makes me remarkably happy, even if she is "just a dog".



And while she does some "bad" things... like run away from my friend who is playing fetch with her outside... she listens to me. She usually comes when called, even outside off leash (there are a few exceptions to this rule, because I, in no way, can compete with birds or that interesting spot with the intriguing smell). She's just and overall good dog. I already fear 10 years from now when I outlive her. She really is my best friend. Screw diamonds. They don't keep you warm at night. I'd rather a dog than an engagement ring. Puppies will bring more happiness than a diamond ever could. How come boys got dogs and women got diamonds? What a crock.



I'm glad that Remy lets me live in her world. I'm sure that she really is queen of this castle and only "listens" to me because she kinda likes me. I suppose it's really more of her taking my suggestions.


Plus, I am her one woman paparazzo. I'm glad she forgives me for that, too.


End Blog.

Dental Wisdom

X-Rays Enclosed
DO NOT BEND

I got my teeth cleaned today. Let's just say it was a moment of awakening. I... didn't know that tartar buildup could be so hard. I've definitely broken off pieces of that junk before and thought it was portions of my tooth. Which is what it felt like today... like they were taking away part of my teeth.

People told me they love getting them cleaned. They feel smooth and wonderful. Bullshit. I don't mind the cleaning so much, but I miss that tartar build up. I don't so much care that it was "bad" for my teeth (which I no longer believe since I've never had a cavity up to this point in life), but I care that now it feels like I'm missing part of my teeth. There's this large gap at the back of my bottom teeth that never used to be there. It feels odd. And they aren't completely smooth, either... so that was a lie as well.

Anyway, I asked the doctor about my wisdom teeth. Turns out I have them, which is why I'm so smart. She wants to take them out. Probably because she is threatened by my braininess.

I got a referral to an oral surgeon, which also means I got to take home the panoramic x-rays of my mouth, which of course are so cool I want to share with the blogosphere.



Turns out, not only do I have all 4 of my wisdom teeth which will hopelessly never come in and will only cause my rear molars to rot right there inside my head... but I never lost two of my baby teeth. Both of my canines never fell out.

This means two things.

One: The tooth fairy owes me coin. I was jipped out of something in my childhood.

Two: (And she'll probably deny or not remember this.) I was right. When I was 16 or 17, I told my mom that I didn't think that I had ever lost one of my canine teeth, and I was pretty sure that the one in my mouth was still just a baby tooth. She said that was impossible and that I most likely just didn't remember losing it. Because I was a teenager and I must have lost it. Well, I'm now 26 and I still have two baby teeth.

So... HA! You can see them right there, all hiding up there on the top row. I have the option of getting my baby teeth pulled and fixing a bracket to my teeth and pulling the adult teeth down... but I'd have to see an orthodontist for that.

It's funny that the dentist saw that as a viable option. Why the hell would I ever do such a crazy thing? Not any part of that procedure sounds even remotely enjoyable. And then, on top of that, you get to pay to do it! No thank you.

So... it comes time to make a decision on my wisdom teeth. Getting them removed doesn't seem like something that I want to do anytime soon. For one, I'll likely miss work. Two, my insurance will only cover 80% of that and I assume it's a very costly procedure. And three... I'm a big baby and don't want to have surgery unless I have someone to bring me home and put me in bed and bring me applesauce and ice to put on my swollen chipmunk cheeks.

Le sigh. And this, my friends, is why everyone I knew had their wisdom teeth out when they were sixteen. About the time I was making observations that all my baby teeth had yet to come out.

So, I'm a little slow in the tooth care game, but at least I have zero cavities in this little mouth of mine. And fancy x-rays to prove it.


End Blog.

PS - If I ever die in a plane crash, remember this post. My dentist is Erica L. Fisher, DDS. (Teehee, her initials spell out elf.)

It's Backwards Day!

You have to sleep either upside down on your bed tonight or on the opposite side you're used to. Because, according to Remy, today is Backwards Day.

She never sleeps like that.

Also, she decided to eat her food tonight while I was making dinner. It was like... "Well, if you're eating, I guess I will too." Which is pretty interesting since she usually eats between the hours of 10pm and midnight most nights. She's all sorts of being different today.

But she's still cute. I'm going to have a hard time leaving her when I get shipped off to Chicago for class soon.

Okay, I admit it. She's much more than a roommate.


End Blog.

My Kid Fell Asleep in the Back

Okay, so these pictures weren't taken today, but they are pictures of a sleeping Remy. I mean, I could take one right now (she's sleeping), but she's in one of her two favorite positions: curled up in a tight ball on her pillow with her tail covering her nose. (See picture to the right.)

Instead, I give you a picture of her sleeping in the car on the way home from Texas on Mother's Day.


The toll booth operator that I gave my money to wished me a happy Mother's Day because I had a "little one" in the back.

That was kinda cute.

Seriously, I have a hundred of these. Dog owners shouldn't have cameras. They take more pictures of dogs than children, I am sure of it. (Kids just aren't as cute, no matter how you slice it. Fur makes for better pictures, hands down.)


End Blog.

It's Not Raining!

I thought she had to pee because she wanted to go out so badly. Turns out, it was to sunbathe.


She's kooky. I like her a lot.


End Blog.

Something I Won't Keep Up With

While in Texas visiting the parental units, I was talking to my mom about how most of my pictures are of the dog. This isn't unusual for dog owners, but most of my pictures are of my dog sleeping.

I joked that I was going to start posting a different picture of Remy sleeping every day. So, here is one of those pictures of a sleeping Remy.


She's so crazy. I don't know how that is comfortable, but it sure is cute.


End Blog.

Tagged by Randomness

Sam has tagged me to post seven random facts or habits about myself and post them. So, here they are. You can do this if you so wish, as I am not tagging others.

1. I've somehow earned the reputation at work for being an above average writer, which means that I'm several different people's favorite person to complete peer reviews on their reports. (This is probably also because I return them in a timely manner.) This means a whole lot more paper work than I was doing six months ago. I actually love that I'm respected on a professional level for my meager writing skills, even if I don't think I quite deserve it.

2. I eat in so little that I can go practically a whole month without taking out my garbage or doing the dishes.

3. Every time I come home, leave the apartment, or let Remy back inside, I immediately deadbolt the door. I never have to check the locks before bed because they are always locked if I'm inside. That's how certain I am that the doors are always locked. If you've ever walked into my apartment after knocking on the door, it's because you were an invited guest and I knew you were coming. Feel special that I thought to unlock the door for you.

4. I check my alarm at the very least four times before I feel safe enough to go to bed and actually have it go off the next morning.

5. I will move my car to be closer to my door (even if it's already been parked awhile) if the space by the sidewalk opens up. I will even back into the space so that I can walk right to the driver's door and pull out of the space in the morning without having to back up. Somehow, mornings that start this way are always better than other mornings where I have to walk farther to my car or back out of a parking space.

6. I separate my silver change from pennies, except for the random coins in my car. And the Styrofoam cup I have at work that I use to walk around saying, "Change? Change?" while impersonating the homeless on South Park.

7. I'm sad when Remy decides to sleep in another room or on the floor after I've called her up on my bed. I've become very attached to her in six months and take it as a personal insult when she leaves… even if it's because I accidentally kicked her in the head while I was sleeping.

So... there's seven. Relatively boring, I guess, and quite possibly stuff you already knew. But, I can't help it, I'm not all that interesting.


End Blog.

Oral Fixation

I know I didn't update after the dental visit and that's mostly because it was amazingly good news.

After 21 years without an office visit, probably poor brushing habits, and constant sugary soda intake, I still had absolutely no cavities. I was shocked and thrilled.

Meanwhile, I do have a severe jaw issue. Well, I did at the time, but it's gotten better. I've always had a clicking in my jaw where the mandible gets caught up on the condyles, and something got displaced in there, locking my jaw in a slightly open position. I could open my jaw to different degrees, but never completely close it. And so, the dentist visit was scheduled.

The reason for this was tightness in the muscles of my jaw, neck, and shoulders which is caused by clenching my teeth all the time. Now, I too did not believe that I clenched my teeth all the time, but after the dentist brought it to my attention, I realized that I do it… lots. Not just when I sleep, but also driving and typing and watching tv. It's not super tight clenching, but it's so much more than I would have ever imaged I do it.

So, I got a bite plate. The mold making process was kinda icky, but not all that bad. The most painful aspect was the cost.

Today I picked up my bite plate. It's remarkable how comfortably it fits in my mouth. So, I shall start wearing it as much as possible and see if it helps out my jaw issues. In recent mornings I've been waking up to sore mouth muscles. I'm hoping this at least stops that and prevents my jaw from locking up again… ever.

But if anyone wants to volunteer to massage my neck and shoulders, I'll gladly take it.

I go back to the dentist on June 5th for my first cleaning in 21 years. Although, I still can't believe I don't have a single cavity. I can still never be positively identified by my teeth if I die in a plane crash even though I now have dental records. (The best they can do with teeth that have had no work is a conclusion of "consistent with".)

The coolest thing about the bite plate is it gives me something to suck on constantly. It's like… something I'm SUPPOSED to put in my mouth. Weird.


End Blog.

Dentist and Doom Both Start With D

I am on my way to the dentist for the first time in 21 years. That's right, all the teeth in my mouth have never been to a dentist.

This could be fun. Or horrifying.

Hooray!


End Blog.

Super Nik!

I totally caused a police car chase to turn into a police foot chase on Thursday. I am a superhero.

I was leaving work and pulling out into traffic on Troost. There was a bus that was close by and then a few cars waaaaaay up at the top of the hill. I waited for the bus and then pulled out because I didn't realize there was this car that was driving at like 80mph on a road where you should only be doing 35 (so I thought I had a lot of time to pull out). Anyway, long story short - I did not.

I heard tires screeching before I saw the car behind me in my rear view mirror, which swerved left to pass, lost control of the car, spun out, and ended in front of me, almost facing the wrong direction. Then it pulled up onto the grass/sidewalk of the building next to work and a dude got out of the passenger seat. I thought he was coming after me to kill me. He got out before the car stopped and slipped and fell on the wet grass. (Which is funny now, but not at the time.)

And then the dude in the driver's seat got out. And I was scared to death, thinking, "I am so dead. Right here. I'm going to die right in front of work." Fear of death imminent, I froze, unable to think far enough in advance to DRIVE AWAY from these crazy road-rage-filled men.

And then the weirdest thing happened. I heard sirens behind me... and these two dudes RAN AWAY. (And uphill... dumb. And in the same direction. Dumb.) Three police cruisers came up, and an officer jumped out of his car and ran after them, and then the police cruisers drove off, following them the best they could.

And I think, had it not been for me pulling out of my work parking lot, the car chase would have continued.

I watched the news all night but nothing about it came on. The next day at work, I asked around. Apparently the driver was stopped on 71 highway for some sort of violation and when they found out who he was, they discovered five warrants for aggravated assault. FIVE! So, knowing he was about to be arrested, he took off, police chase ensuing.

So, Superhero that I am, I stopped the car chase and made them flee on foot. The driver was arrested in my work parking lot. Apparently he ran up around the block and must have jumped the fence to our back parking lot. He was standing around talking on his cell phone, like he belonged there. Good thing we knew he did not. He was arrested and is currently in jail on $8,000 bond.

I mean, talk about stupid criminals! He was standing on police property!

No word on the passenger - who he is, why he ran... All I know is he was wearing jeans and a red and white horizontal striped shirt, a red baseball hat, and is kinda clumbsy...

Anyway, the good news is that they didn't hit my car. (Whew! I mean, it was really, really, really, close!) I never saw the car coming AT ALL. Or I had absolutely no idea it was going that fast.

The bad news is that I thought I might die and seriously needed to calm down my heart rate after witnessing all of this.

It's not easy being a superhero crime fighter.


End Blog.

I'm Totally Supposed to be Here

Does it look like she's smiling? Because I'm sure she is. I can tell she's pleased with herself that she's up on my bed. That rascal.


End Blog.

Eye Spy

Yesterday I made Beth drive 15 minutes to Lenscrafters to help me make a decision because it was simply impossible for me to choose new glasses on my own. Then I decided to ignore her choice at least three times. Beth is one of the best friends a girl could ask for.

The story unfolds as thus:

On a whim I decided to get new glasses. I've had mine for over six years and haven't had an eye appointment is as long, either. I wasn't wearing them all last week because I was basically completely sick of them and seeing as how my vision isn't that bad, I regularly don't wear them. Lenscrafters had an appointment open and so I took it.

After I filled out my preliminary info, I went back and did the fun glaucoma test, watched a little farmhouse go in and out of focus, and looked in this thing where I was supposed to see 9 diamonds and instead saw 12. This seemed to trouble the woman doing the tests for the doctor, but I was unsurprised as things like that happen often to me. Then I was temporarily blinded with a bright light so they could get a picture of my retina… which was kind of cool to see, so I wasn't all that upset.

I had a quick eye exam from a doctor who introduced herself as Sally, even though her name is Sarvitree. Turns out my prescription has gone down. My left eyes is now a -0.25 and my right a -0.50. She told me I didn't need to wear glasses all the time if I didn't want to, just for things like driving at night and stuff.

Also, we talked about my double vision issue and I learned that it usually happens in much younger kids. It's a problem with convergence. She gave me eye exercises to do. I suppose that eye exercises would be the first step in my work out regime. I mean, if I can actually set aside time and do them, maybe that also means I can set aside…

Eh, who are we kidding? I've had this problem for years and it's really not that big of an issue. I've learned to deal with it since it only comes up on a few occasions. I'm not going to do eye exercises.

Anyway, after that she put drops in my eyes to dilate them and sent me off to look at frames for a while as we waited for them to work. I picked out several different frames, in every style – wire frames, rimless, half rimless, plastic… once I found a shape that I thought worked for me, they all pretty much seemed the same. And then I was having trouble distinguishing colors because my pupils were the size of dimes. Also, it made me a little dizzy.

We went back and finished the eye exam where she looked at my retinas and told me I have very healthy eyes. The exam over, I gave her my five dollar copay and went on my merry way… back to frameland. (Insurance really is super awesome.)

I had about 9 pairs of glasses picked out and called for reinforcements because this was a choice I just couldn't make on my own. Enter Beth.

The pair I was most fond of (but refused to buy) were wire framed… but purple. After trying all the glasses on once for her, Beth almost immediately shot them down. She settles on two that she liked the most and we debated over them… forever.

She decided on a pair of very fine black wire frames glasses approximately three times. And each time I was like… really? And then I put on the second pair of glasses and each time she would say… no, I like those, too. But she always picked the black wire frames as her choice.

After talking to the salesman who told me Lenscrafters has a 30 day guarantee, where you can bring back your glasses and exchange them for any others if you diddn't like them for any reason… I went with the ones Beth didn't pick.

They're plastic and dark and totally scream, "Hey! I'm wearing Glasses!" But they're kinda cute. And seeing as how I don't have to wear them all the time anymore… I went with it. If they annoy me before 30 days are up, I can always take them back.

Plus… these were less expensive.


And after I got home I realized they kinda look like Tina Fey's glasses, just a little.



End Blog.

Vet Update

Turns out Rem's heartworm free. Hooray!


End Blog.

Remy's Health Evaluation and Pictures

The following is a recounted tale (tail?) of our vet visit and new and highly adorable pictures of Remy. Because I love my dog.

Remy and I went to the doctor on Friday. She's 60 pounds, which was exactly the weight of dog I was shooting for previous to the apartment rules lifting the weight maximum. Although 60 pounds is a pretty perfect size for a dog. According to Doc Stelzer, she's all around healthy, although, maybe, she might have a slight heart murmur. But it's nothing to worry about.


Rem got three shots and some blood drawn for a heartworm test, so I could finally get her on some heartworm meds. Because I've been a bad mom for the past four and a half months and not provided her with any. She got a rabies shot good for 3 years and one shot for all of the following: distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvo, and then one for kennel cough, just in case she need to be boarded somewhere some day. She took it all magnificently well, except for the tight restraint she was in for the blood draw, though she didn't seem to mind the needle too much.

We have to wait until tomorrow for the results of the heartworm test. Meanwhile, they sold me Heartgard assuming that she doesn't have any issue. It's a little chewy beefy treat. I'm sure she'll love it. That's way better than taking a pill. Why didn't they think of this before?


We also got a three year license for Kansas City. So we're all legal and stuff now. And she has two shiny metals for her collar. One is green and one is blue. She now jingles when she walks around.

So, all told, Remy spent $166.36 on Friday. We have to go back in September for a second in a series of shots. But, she seemed relatively happy. I also may have spoiled her rotten because she was so very well behaved at the vet.


I couldn't have adopted a better dog. I love her very much.


End Blog.

Remy says: "This blog is boring. Yawn."