POCKETS! ARE! IMPORTANT!

1.  Just because I have a vagina doesn't mean I'm exempt from having pockets in my clothing.
2.  Just because I sometimes carry a purse doesn't mean I shouldn't get pockets in my clothing.
3.  NO pockets in pants should be illegal.

Seriously...  Ladies, how often do you go to shop for a pair of nice/dressy pants or a pair of workout pants and you find the perfect pair, good accent on the bum, no foopa, perfect length.. then you go to stick your hands in the, potentially miniscule, but still there, pockets to find out THEY ARE SEWN CLOSED!  They are just for show!

WHAT.IS.THAT?!?!  It makes me SOOOO annngggrrryyy!!  I just want to hulksmash all the racks in the store.

Because I'm so short vertically challenged, its hard enough to find a pair of pants.  Add to that my requirement for pockets and it makes finding pants practically impossible, specifically work out pants and dress pants.

I put back the perfect pair of dress pants at Kohl's recently because the pants looked like they had pockets, but they were jk (just kidding).  /RAGE!  By perfect I mean, perfect length, not too tight in "my" size (you know.... that size you "are" vs that size you are), my butt didn't look droopy, and they had pockets!  Except.. THEY DIDN'T.  I tried to stick my hands in them and was met by a seam.  Then I checked the inside of the pants to see if maybe the pants actually had pockets, but the opening was sewn closed.  Nope.  No pockets whatsoever.  PS.  I've actually owned clothing where they had pockets, but the opening was sewn closed.  WHO DOES THAT?!?

Also, please don't search "no pockets" on google.  You'll get back some semi-sketchy image results and you will learn there is a yacht club/group that features "no clothes vacations".  I can't even make this stuff up.

I prefer my workout pants to have pockets so I can put my iPod in my pocket since I don't own an arm band.  In general, I prefer all  my pants to have pockets because I like to carry chapstick and lint balls and maybe a single ID and method of payment so I don't have to carry around a huge purse/wallet.  I know, its hard to believe that girls like to be simple about this stuff, but in a strange twist of fate, it's true.

Fashion, you are stupid and so impractical..  The END!

Also, the only reason I was even at Kohl's looking at clothes because I was looking for some dresses I'd seen on the website.  I sadly didn't find any of them in store (only the pants with NO pockets and a very cute coat), so I ordered about $300 in dresses from the website.  Btw, that was 14 dresses.  So about $22ish each.  I returned about half of the dresses to the store already after having a trying on session with Teh Humanitarian.  Of the 6-7 that I'm keeping, 3 of the dresses have pockets.

POCKETS.IN.MY.DRESSES.YA'LL.  WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I don't know who the genius is that designed these dresses, but I want to give them a big hug.

The weekend where I judged myself..

Weekend review:

Friday:
-Supervised the PRT in the early morning.
-Chiropractor appointment where I learned that I have "crooked butt syndrome" where my sacrum is all like, yeah you're not doing it right.  Doc straightened me out and scheduled another appointment with me to see if it stays fixed or went back to being "crooked".
-Went home to let Phil-bo out and hear some really awesome news from Teh BFF (YAYYY!!!).
-Went to the command picnic/mando fun.  I should have brought Phil and Miley but didn't because I'm lazy, then I was sad about it because lots of other folks brought their doggies.
-Finally left after getting sunburnt a while to go home and take a nap before going over to Teh Greyhound Neighbor's house for a walk and to return Miley.
-Came home to start my Twilight marathon, which only held a few technical difficulties to include getting the files on the old laptop to play so I could continue using my current laptop while watching movies.
-Completed movies 1 and 2 (forgive me I don't know the names, despite reading the books, having a Nook kinda kills that whole looking at the cover of the book thing) and dinner.

Saturday:
-Woke up and checked the internets and responded to emails and hung out with Phil-boy.
-Headed to the church women's retreat at Camp Maria.  For once, someone asked who was NOT married and suggested they have their wedding at Camp Maria since it's a beautiful location.
-Got to star in a mock production where I was on a boat then stranded on a deserted island then reunited with my kids after being rescued by other members of my group.
-Ate a delicious lunch that I didn't have to prepare.
-Went "rock-climbing" during the scavenger hunt.
-Came home to pick up Phil and head to Teh Greyhound Neighbor's to meet Vanilla, a potential adoptee.
-Got a call from Teh Korean asking if I'd watch the Baby, agreed.
-Got to watch the baby, who watched Twilight #3 with me while being very cranky about her runny nose.
-Baby left and I finished movie #3 with Phil, who wasn't very interested in Jacob's problems.

Sunday:
-I wore a new dress (which I'll talk about in tomorrow's post) to church and it was adorable and I got several compliments.
-Came home for a Skype date with Teh Bear.
-Arranged lunch plans with Teh Humanitarian and Baby.
-Finished my Skype date and headed to Teh Humanitarian's house so we could go to Olive Garden for lunch.
-Pretended to be Baby's mommy and multi-task while feeding her and myself lunch.  She decided to wear her yogurt and play with her spoon and since she was distracted, I finished eating my lunch.  Win, win.
-Lunch ended and I came home to hang out with Phil-bo and finish off the Twilight series and do laundry.
-Technical difficulties meant a delay on the Twilight progress, but soon I was up and running.
-Laundry completed.
-Dinner consumed for Phil and myself.
-Phil actually sat up and watched a short stint of Twilight movie while the wolves were howling during the fight scene.  I wanted to take a photo, but I knew he'd move before I could so I just enjoyed the moment.
-All Twilight movies completed.
-Blogs caught up and scheduled.

It was a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend, especially after last weekend's non-stop activities.  I'm sure my couch is ready for me to go back to work.  Sorry there weren't any photos..  I should have had someone take a photo of me in my cute dress today.  Afterthoughts are so depressing!

Fill in the Blank Friday #42

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1.  Today is a good day because     I was finally able to have my appointment with the chiropractor...   which only took waiting 1.5 months before seeing him. 

2.  The best thing I did all week was   clean the spare room (finally) and try on 14 dresses (and return 9 dresses that didn't work out) and have dinner with Teh Humanitarian and go on a walk/run almost every day this week!  
3.  The current weather is   sunny with a breeze   and it makes me feel    like winter is over.. :(

4.  The best thing about spring is   so many pretty flowers for pictures!! 

5.  A fashion trend that I'm dying to try out for spring is    wearing nail polish.  Maybe I should just get more into painting my toe nails?  Then I'd have an excuse to get a Julep subscription... (not) 

6.  A person who made me smile this week was   Teh Bear.  He usually makes me smile, but this week when we've gotten to talk we've shared photos and links back and forth and lots of laughs have ensued.  

7.  The most delicious thing I ate all week was   pot roast Thursday night!  

It's Ok Thursday #11

It's Ok....

...to skip It's Ok Thursday for a late weekend wrap up post.....
...to enjoy busy weekends.
...to not get into "spring cleaning".
...to "sneak" stuff into other people's houses (like a dog crate) (PS, it was completely legal, I had their spare key!)
...to wear a blue bra under a white shirt since there's another shirt going on top of the white shirt.
...to answer the door TWICE in a blue bra and white t-shirt because you forgot.
...that I didn't realize the blue bra fashion statement until Teh Bear point it out on Skype.
...to be excited about having permission to share the neighbor's trash services... for FREE.
...to have gotten really pumped about the Color Me Rad run after getting the pre-run email.
...to be very picky about pants/shorts having pockets (expect a blog post on this..).
...to get very excited when a cute dress has pockets.
...to be disappointed with the Droid 4 camera(s).
...to not have a "beach body"
...to not CARE about having a "beach body"
...move in and then not touch the storage area for 3 months....
...to keep every possible screw/nail/allen wrench/nut/bolt/etc that ever entered your house, despite not knowing what any of them go to.
...to own a pink toolkit.
...to love when the dogs gets a little crazy, even if you're afraid he's going to break something (himself or something else).
...to be tired at 8:30pm.
...to get annoyed when no one talks to you all evening long and then everyone starts messsaging/calling around the same time.
...to absolutely loathe group text messages.
...to want to make fun of people who don't understand technology and reply to all on a group message with a message clearly intended for a single recipient.
...to have purchased 14 dresses from Kohl's for about $300 knowing that I will be returning most of them.
...to have an outstanding to-do list (and I mean like, things that should have been done a long, long time ago, but never were, not great).
...to be glad to only need 2 items from the store.
...to want to cook for someone else.
...to be tired of explaining why I have the "Y" tattoo on my hand.
...to leave lint balls sitting on my desk for easy rolling access.
...to not care when people think my lint ball habits are weird.
...to realize halfway through the day that this post didn't publish when scheduled because I hit save instead of publish.. Oops, my bad.

Happy Almost Weekend!

Busiest dog filled weekend of 2013 (so far)...

This weekend was crazy (and awesomely) busy.  I loved every second, pretty much.

We started out the weekend with a meet and greet in Leonardtown... and by we, I mean, Miley and I.  I decided to leave Phil at home since I wasn't sure he was going to be up for that much activity with his recently sustained injuries (which are on the mend!).  About halfway through our M&G a storm front rolled through which was mostly a surprise to me.  Everyone else wasn't surprised since they'd been watching the news and hearing warnings that the front was coming through and to maybe be on the lookout for some tornadoes   K(no)thxbye.  Miley, being a storm phobic dog (not so much the noise but the pressure shift really sets her off) enjoyed almost an hour of shaking and heavy panting.  I was on the floor with the pups hugging Miley, but she didn't seem to be phased by my soothing.  When the rain had slowed to a rain vs a downpour, I suggested that maybe it was time to pack up and head home.

Miley doesn't realize that panting in my ear isn't sexy.

Buddy, Zak, Reina, Gracie, Emma, AJ, Miley (in the back)
It was Buddy's birthday, so everyone got treats to celebrate!

Reina and Zak are brother and sister now. 

Teh Jewish Greyhound Lady agreed on having Salsa's for dinner, except that when we got there, we were turned away because their power had went out.  Now, I didn't understand the past tense of the statement because the lights over the tables were on and the power seemed to have returned to the rest of the building in that strip unless they were all operating on a generator.  Nonetheless, we didn't get mexican for dinner and I was crushed.  Seriously.  Miley and I were dropped off at home, and I grumbled through enjoyed leftovers for dinner.  Ok, so my leftovers were pretty delicious, but when you've been looking forward to mexican all week, it just doesn't do it.

Saturday was a busy day.  I had talked to Teh Humanitarian and Teh Coast Guardian about maybe attending a Renaissance Festival in La Plata as something fun and out of the ordinary to do.  They agreed and after sewing up at least 7 holes in my shift, I was able to get ready and start heading out the door by 1045.  There was a debate about getting food prior to hitting up the Renn Fest, but we trucked it straight out to the Renn Fest.  I brought Miley and Phil because a vendor who has GEGR dogs had an xpen set up.  They appreciated the company for their dogs and I appreciated the free short-term dog sitter while we caught 2 shows and walked around the vendor area.  There was also a food truck there serving bbq, so we were able to grab lunch as well.  The day was B.E.A.U.tiful.  Sadly, I didn't bring my camera (I've been really bad about that recently).  The plays were excellent.

Lucifer telling Eve to just eat the apple.

Adam and Eve being sad, God on the balcony

God telling Noah to build an ark.

Noah's family

The rainbow marking God's promise.

Outside, the dogs were enjoying the sun and pettins.
I'm thinking that Miley was completely satisfied with a 3 handed massage.

Phil-boy tanning

We decided around 3 that it was time to head home.  They had some cleaning they wanted to accomplish and I wanted to get the dogs home.  Saturday evening I also had dinner and a show to attend at church.  Dinner was fantastic and the play (A Sheep in Wolf's Clothes) was pretty awesome as well.  Lots of laughs were had!  I came home absolutely exhausted.  After some internetting, it was time to crash.

Sunday was finally the down swing.  With church in the morning, I was ready for a nap by 11.  Instead, I ate lunch and chatted with Teh Bear on Skype.  Around 2 I headed to Leonardtown for Earth Day festivities and a meet & greet with Phil and Miley.  If they weren't exhausted after Saturday (and Friday night for Miley), I was planning to make sure they might not even rouse on Monday.  It was another B.E.A.U.tiful day.  There were at least 8-9 other greyhounds when we arrived, including my vet's!  I was so excited to see her because she always does so well with Phil.  She even checked his boo-boos and said they were healing very well!  YAY for free surprise vet check-ups!  After a few hours of pettin's and one little girl even sharing her popcorn with Phil, it was finally time to head home.

Phil, Miley, and Zak vying for pettins
It was kinda chilly outside and Phil's legs started to shake, so he got to wear his (ghetto) coat

One of these dogs is NOT like the other!

Hot and Reina sunbathing together.

The pups were completely worn out.  Phil immediately laid down when we got in Yurtle, although he usually enjoys hanging his head out the window for some of the ride.  Miley eventually settled.  When we got home, Miley's Mom came to pick her up with Zoe, the Lhasa Apso.  Left with only my Phil-boy, the house was quiet.  It didn't take very long to be off again.

Teh Jewish Greyhound Family called and asked if I wanted to go to dinner at Salsa's....  which of course I said yes to since 1- they were driving, 2- I couldn't fulfill my dreams of Salsa's on Friday night, 3- they had never been.  We definitely left fat and happy.  They were impressed with the food.  We then made a quick stop by Target to pick up some stuff and then they dropped me off at home.

Phil was pleased with his new crunchy bottle toy (which he only got because Rudy killed his last bottle cover toy).  I got to chat with Teh Mom and Teh Dad since Teh Sister send a photo of the letter she was mailing home with her address....  except that the photo she sent was soooo blurry.  Great intentions though..  She definitely put my job training to the test and after some dedicated imagery analysis and some open source fusion analysis, I was able to deduce what the blurry lines were supposed to say.  All the parents were pleased that now we have an address to send mail to.  YAY go me!

Despite how busy the weekend was, it was absolutely fantastic.  Every now and then it's a nice change of pace to be busy every day.. but I definitely wouldn't be able to maintain that schedule for an extended period of time.  Weekends like this help me enjoy the "Megan" weekends I sometimes take for granted.

Happy last (full) week of April!

Fill in the Blank Friday #41

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1.   One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is   be lazy.  Usually, I catch up on my blogs, write blogs, and sometime I mix it up with some episodes of The West Wing and playing Sims 3.  

2.   When I have free time I tend to   feel like I'm being unproductive.  

3.  If I had an entire day completely to myself I would   NOT SHOWER.  That way I wouldn't feel the need to be productive.  I'd lounge around in my PJs and play on the internet and read Teh Nook and be lazy.  

4.  I would prefer to spend my free time (alone or with others...)   generally with others.  Until I start over-committing myself and then I need some Megan-time.  

5.  Most of my free time happens   in the evenings after work.  Weekends usually contain a few events, but usually they are low-stress.  

6.  The best thing about free time is   the ability to do whatever I wawnt.  

7.  The next time I have free time I should probably   clean my bathrooms   but instead, I'll probably   write blogs and incessantly check FB for updates and remind myself of the mabillion things I should be doing.. like picking up poop in the yard, cleaning the bathrooms, breaking down the crate in the dining room, arranging to either buy or borrow a weed eater, feed the dog, fix dinner, not feel guilty for not going on a run/walk today despite the beautiful weather....  ya know, just stuffs.

Racing through April...

April has proven to be quite a busy month so far.  May is looking equally busy.  YAY for activities!

Weekend before last started off with a Passion Party.  Everyone got a dirty name... and most of us (myself included) got drunk.   There was a Call Me Maybe sing-along session on the way home.  I'm sure the passengers in the car will NEVER forget it.

I went to my very first Passion Party.. also known as a gathering of women to buy sex toys.
The only thing I came home with was drunkness and my free gift.

Saturday held a meet and greet at Petco, which I didn't take pics of because I accidentally left my camera at home! :(  I was lazy for the rest of the evening because I had watch the next day. 

Sunday, I went to church and came home and watched the final episode of Downton Abbey season 3 and WTF!?!  I'm crushed and I want to talk to someone about it to express my outrage but no one seems to be caught up and I don't wanna give away spoilers.

Watch was so uneventful that I didn't even bother to make a "Thoughts of a Dutiful Watchstander" post.

This is what I do on watch....
Paint my spare keys with fingernail polish so that way when I give them to people they know they are to my house.

This past week was pretty busy as well since I knew I was going out of town this weekend, I got in my friendz time with my peeps last week.

I hung out with Teh Jewish Greyhound Family and Teh (former) Neighbors.

Mochi is apparently delicious.
I really just couldn't get past the "skin" that I was eating.

You don't properly love your dogs if you aren't willing to pick their noses.

We had dinner at Teh Jewish Greyhound Family's house one night, then the next night we went to Texas Roadhouse (TRH) to support the Habitat for Humanity charity night with Teh Humanitarian and Teh Coast Guardian and Teh Cousin.  There were some snafus at TRH, which is always disappointing to me since the food is usually so delicious (if you order the steak).

We all enjoyed socializing.

First flip flops of '13!
One of the very few things I miss about Bahrain/GTMO is wearing flip flops year round.

Cherry blossoms!

S.MD sunset

This past week with Teh Dogs in my house was very..... challenging.  Rudy turned out to be an extreme counter surfer. 

Day 1:  The bread (I've quit taking pics of this since I'm used to it)
Day 2:  Sweet potatoes
Day 3:  Mr. Goodbar
Day 4:  Snacks container (7+ honey buns, crackers, graham crackers)

Rudy and Phil decided to help me make dinner by peeling the sweet potato for me.....

This spot is the remains of where Rudy helped me diet..
He ate (at least) SEVEN honey buns, 4 packs of crackers, and 1 sleeve of graham crackers.
I have now used my carpet cleaner.

Day 3 (Wednesday) is when I almost had a break down.  There was a fight over a Mr. Goodbar and Phil got the brunt of the damages.  I'm pretty sure I had a "Mom" moment because I was really upset that Phil was hurt.  I tried to love on Rudy as much as Phil, but it was very obvious that the scales had shifted.

Day 4 (Thursday) is when the breakdown finally occurred   Coming home to such a mess (the crumbs were also strewn all through the kitchen and dining room) set me off.  There were tears and phone calls.  I hadn't even been home long enough to take off my uniform, which is usually the first thing I do after letting the dogs out. 

When I left for NC, Rudy was taken to a different place than Phil and despite not getting adopted this weekend :(, he was placed in another foster home.  I had originally agreed to take him back if he wasn't adopted, but it wasn't meant to be.

Phil teefs!

Thursday, I called the vet to see if there were any appointments available on Friday for Phil because his wounds were large and I knew I would feel better having taken him.  Thankfully, there was an appointment with our normal vet (who is awesome) so we took that.

Phil is my VERY stoic boy.  He barely even flinched when they were cleaning out his wounds.  The only time he whined was when they were clipping a piece of dangly skin and it wasn't numbed all the way (I would have been doing more than whining!).  They shaved down the areas where there are wounds so that way the openings could properly scab over without being irritated by the fur.  He got lots of treats for being awesome. 

Phil got up on the vet table on his own!
Usually we have to coax him up.

Phil's first hair cut... :(

With some neon vet wrap and antibiotics, I brought Phil home and returned to work for a few hours before finally calling it a day.  I really wanted to get on the road and I knew I had at least an hour's worth of errands to run before I got to leave, including dropping Rudy off at GHC which is the opposite direction of NC.

I dropped Phil off with Teh Cedar Cove Neighbors and then it was Rudy's turn.  Finally, I was on the road to NC... which proved just as adventurous as the week had been living up to.  As I was crossing the NC/VA line, a HUGE TREE FELL ON THE INTERSTATE!!!  It felt like it happened in slow motion since I watched the tree go from standing like normal to being in the middle of the road.  Thankfully it didn't hit any cars and the cars that were in front of me were able to slow down enough to miss it by doing some minimal off-roading.  One truck did take the very tip top of the tree off because they didn't get over far enough, but they were able to keep driving and pull over after passing the tree.  I immediately called 911 because that was scary shit yo!  It was my first real 911 call ever.  I felt so adult!

After the tree, I got lost in Durham trying to find Danny's BBQ.  I went where the address said it was, but there was no Danny's to be found.  I was very irritated because I had been looking forward to deliciousness in my belly.  Having given up on BBQ, I decided on Bojangles and after placing my order and driving up to the window, I was informed that my sandwich was going to take an extra 5 minutes because it had to be cooked.  Hangry and defeated, I finally decided on Wendy's, where I waited in line long enough to have probably gotten my grilled chicken from Bojangles, which only irritated me more.  I consumed the most mayo ever put on a burger in the next 5 minutes and felt like I wanted to vomit for the remaining 3 hours of the drive.

I finally made it to Teh Dad's house by 1130.  I snuck in the driveway, head-lights turned off (holy mother of dangerous) and the only reason they even knew I was there was because they heard my door shut.  I had also put on a fabulous light show trying to turn my lights OFF, OFF, which is apparently practically impossible with the daylamps.  Whatevs.

Teh Dad opened the door for me and I went downstairs to greet Teh Sister and put my stuff down.  She didn't really show it, but she was surprised.  Teh Dad tried to say he knew, which he didn't.  They both might have suspected, but neither of them KNEW, without doubt that I'd be there.  I did know that Teh Sister would have been very disappointed if I didn't make it, so I made it happen.

Teh Bear said he'd love me more if I wore this shirt.
Fortunately, it is Teh Sister's.

I've had this belt since... 2005?
I told Teh Sister to give it a proper burial becuase I couldn't watch.
She tried to toss it in the trash while I was standing there!  I saved it.

Yurtle got her insides cleaned!
I got to ride around for THREE DAYS with NO dog hair on my dash! 
It was lonely.

Welcome to NC.
Check out all the different TYPES of tobacco (not the brands, the TYPES).

What?  I can't hear you.

On Saturday, Yurtle got a much needed detailing, I got to eat lunch with Teh BFF, I went to hang out at Fort Defiance to see Ms. Historic for a few hours, and then I headed to Teh Mom's to hang out with Teh Mom and Teh Sister for the evening.  After much debate over evening activities, I finally helped Teh Sister figure out what she wanted to do for her last night of at home freedom.

We decided on making dinner, which she said she didn't want to have to cook it and since she turned down my suggestions, she ended up cooking.  We rented The Perks of Being a Wallflower from Redbox (because she knows all the promo codes, evar, so it was free).

We wanted to do swordfish, but home, home isn't that fancy.  We settled for tuna steaks instead, which were equally delicious.  While Teh Sister and Teh Mom worked on dinner, I worked on dessert:  Strawberry pie.  NOMNOMNOM.  It was my first time ever making a strawberry pie and with instructions from Teh Mom and Teh Sister, I think I successfully managed a pretty good pie.  White it wasn't completely set up for dessert time, it tasted pretty delightful.  There were was no photographic evidence of this...  Actually there was but Teh Sister didn't message the photo of me licking the filling bowl clean, and since she's now in bootcamp, we prob won't see that picture.

Ingles, I'm not sure "crusty rolls" was the best description you could have used.

Teh Sister's "last supper" before bootcamp.
Homemade sweet potato fries, brussel sprouts, ahi tuna with kiwi avocado salsa

I was impressed with The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  I had it on my very long list of "movies to see", so I was pleased that it turned out good considering most movie I want to see are usually crap (it's a very unfortunate curse).  After the movie was over, we cleaned up and headed back to Teh Dad's for last minute packing and beauty sleeps.

Sunday Funday was very busy.  Teh Sister was out of the house by 1015 and I was on my way to church with Teh BFF since she was getting baptized.  After being yelled at, we switched churches for her "dunkin'", then we all continued on to her Mamaw's house for a cookout.  At 3, I was on the road, headed towards Charlotte to start the "seeing Teh Sister off" festivities.

We started at Beans Vegan Cuisine  which is exactly what the name says, vegan.  Since Teh Sister is a vegetarian, she decided to spice up our lives... and she did.  She also gifted me "The Devil" which is a tool used to pull hot items out of the oven.  I found it hilarious and used it as a "buddy" to enforce everything I was saying at dinner.  "I think this, and THE DEVIL AGREES!"  Everyone else agreed that I'm pretty crazy.

Teh Sister gave me THE DEVIL!
It's used for pulling hot dishes out of the oven, but I used it as a friend while we were eating dinner in Charlotte.
While we were praying before dinner, Teh Sister happened to glace up at me and I waved THE DEVIL at her.
:D

After dinner, Teh Mom headed back to home, home since she is now in charge of feeding Teh Sister's doggies.  Teh Dad and Teh Stepmom headed to their hotel and Teh Sister and I struck out for earplugs at Wal-Mart and dessert.  I'm pretty sure we found the most ghetto Wal-Mart in/around Charlotte.  I have a  knack for finding the ghetto areas of places, what can I say?  We went to 2 different places for dessert (one that wasn't open and one that was inside the Ritz that was gonna cost more dollas than I had) and we finally ended up going to The Cheesecake Factory, which rarely disappoints.  We got a crazy waiter named Blu (like from Old School, he informed us), drizzled on by the sky, and extremely full bellies.

With nothing else left to do, and having already "toured" Charlotte via driving around trying to find places, we agreed to call it a night.  I dropped Teh Sister off at her hotel an I learned that there are 2 Extended Stay hotels in the zipcode that Teh Dad had reserved our room in.  After figuring out that my key didn't work, I went back to Suzy (my cell phone) and called her some bad names (even though this time was kinda my fault) and navigated to the correct hotel.  Teh Dad and Teh Stepmom didn't mind finishing our Cheesecake Factory leftovers. 

The BIG day finally arrived.  After stopping at a less ghetto Wal-Mart to pick up a working shaving cream for Teh Sister, Teh Stepmom and I headed to MEPS for her swearing in.  Teh Dad and Teh Mom were already there.  The Major gave a super speech about being on the defense in bootcamp so that no one could push you around.  Which sounds kinda silly, but with her visual aid, it really worked. 

I learned that I had gotten the wrong size shaving cream and had to return to Wal-Mart to get a travel size.  My phone was on silent so I didn't get the message from Teh Mom saying that Teh Sister was told to tell family good-bye so she had left.  When I got back to MEPS with the correct shaving cream, Teh Dad and Teh Stepmom were the only family members left in the waiting area.  Apparently, they had been outside when the goodbyes were said so they missed the memo.  I asked the PO1 at the front desk how long the brief would last and he said 20-30 minutes.  Teh Dad had to be on the road before Teh Sister got out of her brief, so they didn't get to say bye and they were pretty upset. 

I waited on Teh Sister, since my 2 jobs for the day were to see her off and drive back to MD.  Finally, she came out of her brief.  She was very hangry because she was the only person who hadn't gotten to eat lunch.  Fortunately, Teh Stepmom had given me a blueberry muffin that morning that I was able to give her.  She explained it was time to head to the airport, so I rushed to CLT and parked and waited with them while they checked into their airline.  I escorted them to security telling them to go get free food at the USO (because the USO ROCKS!). 

Teh Sister going through security at CLT to catch her flight to MO.

She didn't even see me standing there waving at her like an idiot.

With Teh Sister on her way, it was time for me to head back to MD.  I started the drive by stopping at Bojangles for the grilled chicken sammich I wasn't able to get on Friday night.  Instead of driving and eating, I decided to just watch the planes land and text Teh Sister and Teh Bear while I enjoyed my lunch.  That was probably the most relaxing point of my entire weekend.

Yurtle reached another milestone!
Uggghhh, that means the next service session isn't gonna be cheap...

There were no trees or ladders on the drive back, which was much appreciated.  Unfortunately, I did run into some idiots who refused to use cruise control who were travelling together.  They also had a transfer truck riding with them, which didn't help.  I tried riding with them since they were going fairly fast, but then I realized that they were slowing down at every possible hidden area where a cop could be sitting.  It was impossible to use my cruise control because they were riding in the fast lane and refused to get over, even when I'd pass them on the right when I was trying to use cruise control.  It was a small blessing that the transfer truck had to stop at a weigh point.  Then it was only the 2 idiots.  About 20 minutes after we lost the truck, the 2 drivers decided to take an exit.. from the left lane!  Fortunately, there were no cars in the way of their crazy lane cutting.  Unfortunately for me, they had taken up most of the 70 mph zone at the NC/VA line, which is where I make the most of my time.

They were so frustrating that I even posted a /rage FB status.  I made pretty good time getting home.  Once I finally made it, it was time for laundry and unpacking and general weekend-catch-up activities.  It was very difficult to get to sleep since there was no Phil-boy to keep me company.

Tuesday started my work week and what a delight it has been!!!  This weekend is jam-packed with activities and I'm excited!!! :)

Summer modesty...

***PSA***PSA****PSA***PSA***

NO ONE LIKES SEEING YOUR EXPOSED PARTS.

NO ONE CARES HOW "HOT" YOU ARE (in any sense of the word).

***PSA***PSA****PSA***PSA***

It's really nothing personal, or maybe it is, but still, put some damn clothes on!  I have talked before about how modest I am.  It's almost a curse.  I blame Teh Dad mostly, but I probably give Teh Mom some credit as well.  Teh Dad was always like (and still is) like, "You're wearing that?  Out in public?"  Thanks for that body-shaming, Pops, 'ppreciate that.

As for Teh Mom, I don't think I've ever seen her in a state of "exposed" while out in public.  Or maybe I just never noticed if she wore booty shorts and low cut shirts, but I'm pretty sure she didn't.  Either I'm wrong and just gave her a lot of credit or I'm right, either way, we both win.  I think the most risque it got was sleeveless shirts and tank tops.  Although there was that one time that she started wearing biking shorts out in public.  That was probably almost as bad as wearing tights as pants, but Teh Sister and I talked to her about that.

Also, tights as pants.  Congrats on having the best ass and legs in a 5 mile radius, but I'd appreciate it if you'd cover some of that up with like a long shirt or something.  At least pretend that you're not purposely showing off all your goods.  Leave some freakin' mystery for someone that wants to see that... who wants to see that in private, preferably.

These things said, I'm back in America and I don't foresee my modesty changing too much.  Maybe Bahrain raised my clothing standards?  Maybe I feel like if I can contain all *this* (pointing at self), then other people can contain all *that* (pointing at not me).  Also, having survived the Caribbean and the Persian Gulf in the summer and almost-not-summer (that time of year when the temps got as low as 80° before going back up to 100°+) while being required to wear a full uniform, usually with sleeves down..  I have no sympathy for "but it's hot."  None.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  Having swamp ass for over 2 years straight eliminates any empathy I could have for you.

If you're NOT in a swimming status and you're in a swim suit, you're wrong.  Oh, you wanna wear a bikini top as a bra?  That's fine, put a shirt on over that.  Also, for those who like to post pics of themselves in bra and undies... that's NOT like a swim suit.  It might cover the same parts, but if you're not going swimming, you just look desperate.  Just stop.  Leave some freakin' mystery for someone that wants to see that... who wants to see that in private, preferably. 

I'm sure there are way more things to list, but I don't do them, so they are hard for me to come up with on the spot unless I've seen them recently.  I'm sure that with spring finally having arrived (achoo! ick allergies), summer is well on the way and fall/winter just can't come fast enough so these people will cover that shit back up.

So yeah.... put some clothes on.  Mkkkkthx.

Sirius business..

Hahah, see what I did there?

Anyways.  For the 2nd time now, I have been able to update my Sirius radio for $25 for 6 months.  I'm writing this post to share my good fortune with the masses because saving money makes me happy.  When I can help other people save money, that also makes me happy.  See what I did there?

Apparently, it depends on your specific radio for which promos are available to you, so keep that in mind.

I called 1-888-601-6302 and said that I wanted to cancel my subscription because I didn't want it to automatically renew at the current rates.

The customer service rep (CSR) offered me 1 year for $77, which I considered..  until I did the math.

$25 for 6 months = $50 a year + tax = $65ish = calling 2x a year
$77 for 1 year = $77 a year + tax = $100+ish = calling 1x a year

I told her that I'd prefer to cancel unless I could keep my current promo for $25 for 6 months.  She then explained (or stated to maybe deter me?) that it was dependent on my equipment on what promos were available.  I just held strong.

The CSR came back on the line and said the promo was still available, and she applied it to my account.  She made me agree to all the stuff I had to agree to the last time, name, car, first born child, right arm, etc.. and after 10 minutes on the phone I had saved myself some dollas!

As the goblins in Warcraft say, "Time is money, Friend!"

Fill in the Blank Friday #40

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1.   One thing that is completely superfluous, but that I could never give up is   Starbuck's Peppermint Mochas...  I know lots of people claim their coffee isn't that good, but I haven't found a place that makes a better peppermint mocha.  Just sayin.'

2.  Conversations where people are having arguments and I'm the 3rd party  make me feel awkward.

3.  I can't  shower  without having an inner monologue going, which is usually a running list of things I need to do/get at the store/etc.  

4.    Jelly Beans (currently)  is my favorite snack.

5.  Lately I've been   feeling unmotivated with a random dash of motivation... sometimes sprinkled with motivation based on guilt.  

6.  If at first you don't succeed   try one more time, because they might not have heard the phone ring.  

7.  Fall is    the most awesome season of the year because of pretty leaves and SNOW!!!  

It's Ok Thursday #10

It's Ok....

...to have an It's Ok Thursday post as your only post in a week.
...to have mostly given up on FitBF.
...to have the desire to go to bed at 8pm, but know that you wouldn't go to sleep till late anyways, so instead you stay up and then go to bed late.
...to feel proud of your knowledge from reading the Bible.
...to not tell people your goals, not because you think they will judge you or it's a secret, but because you know that if there is encouragement from the outside, you'd feel disappointed if you didn't succeed and your own disappointment is enough.
...to feel like the frustration is just too overwhelming to continue being involved in something.
...to send your friends text messages saying "I miss your face and your name being at the top of my text message list."
...to eat jelly beans every day for a month after Easter.
...to worry that jelly beans are making you gain weight.
...to go on a guilt run due to feeling like you're gaining weight.
...to be excited about the warmer weather, even though you really prefer fall/winter.
...to dread summer because it means 90°+ temps and no taking Phil out for runs because the pavement will be too hot for his paws (sorry I never realized that ZepZep).
...to walk into Physical Therapy and not be hurting for once.
...to just enjoy the heating pad time during Physical Therapy
...to use chicken stock in your beef pot roast.
...to buy OJ just for the container it's in....
...to be extremely disappointed about the season finale of Downton Abbey (season 3).  I just want to shout it from the rooftops, but I don't want to give away any spoilers and its.killing.me.
...to be kinda excited the people that rank above me aren't in the office this week.
...to be excited over getting our new inventory system to work.
...to enjoy repetitive acts like putting all 1500+ items into the inventory.