Weekend Review {4/6}

FRIDAY

I got to work early on Friday so I could leave after a going away lunch for one of the women I worked with.  We went to Ms. Rose, which wasn't bad.  I'd go there again, but I'd order something different.  I had the bacon cheeseburger with egg on it (what Mr. Scrooge refers to as "my" burger).  Red Robin's burger with egg is still more delicious.  I have yet to find a place where I feel like their burger is better than the Red Robin Royale.  Whatevs.

Ms. Rose was the 2nd restaurant in that location and instead of trashing all the stuff from the previous restaurant, they made art out of it.  It was pretty cool, even though we were all confused until we read the sign on the adjacent wall.

After lunch, I went back to work since I left my water bottles in the freezer.  I got my water bottles and changed into my "whore" running outfit and headed to base to get my 7 miles on.  It was the roughest run I've ever had.  OMG I wanted to die.  Mostly because for 7 miles I wished I could just completely regurgitate the burger that I had eaten for lunch instead of partially regurgitating it..  and when I wasn't regurgitating it, I could feel the rock in my stomach/intestines just bouncing around.  Plus it was hot.  Plus shin splints.  Plus 7 miles.  Plus sunshine (which led to sunburn).  Miserable.  I survived though and went home and showered and laid in bed and read/napped since Mr. Scrooge was out on a ride.

Nemesis Train #1 caught meon my way to run.  Fortunately, it was only a 3-5 minute wait since they were already unlocking the gate when I pulled up.

Running belt equipped!  I totally got sunburned.

Meri and Xero didn't understand that dehydrated/tired Mommy needed a nap and they insisted on playing with only the squeaky toys that actually squeak in the bedroom when I finally gave up on reading.  Jerk dogs.

We ended up being lazy and having pizza for dinner and being generally lethargic for the evening.  The bestest present I got on Friday was my birthday present from Teh Worldwide Jesus Lover, my own StoryPeople-esque story by Teh WJL and some awesome earrings and a perfect card!  She is the bestest.

SATURDAY

I love Saturdays because that's the day that Mr. Scrooge gets up and takes care of the dogs and I don't have to.  Granted, I usually am awake for the entire process and then can't go back to sleep afterwards, but just to lay in the bed and not have to deal with Phil rearing back like a horse and landing 80 lbs of greyhound talons on the tops of my feet is such a delight.

I've been waiting since October when Teh Sister gave this toy to Phil to get awesome photos.

Since it was supposed to rain, Mr. Scrooge hadn't planned on going on a ride, but instead was going to do some maintenance activities on Clifford (his motorcycle that finally got a name this weekend, I had been calling it Big Red since the motorcycle is practically the other woman of my relationship, but when Mr. Scrooge suggested Clifford, it was too good to let go).  I had a few items I needed to pick up at the store and Mr. Scrooge had asked me about Yurtle's oil change/maintenance schedule since we are taking her to PA for GIG later in the month.  I knew that I'd go over on my miles this month because I'm going to get her 60k mile maintenance done when I hit 60k (/weep, my Yurtle-baby is gonna hit 60k miles!!), and since she's been kinda running weird, I figured I'd go ahead and get the oil changed at Walmart for cheap then just do it again at 60k miles.  Walmart was a good idea in theory.

I had wanted to get to Walmart before the lunch crowd and I was aiming for 1030-11, but that didn't end up working out because I procrastinated too long and Mr. Scrooge got in the shower right as I was about to close the laptop.  Le sigh.  I also had some stuff to return to Target so I figured I'd just swing by Walmart before going to Target, that way I'd beat the crowd.

Then Mr. Scrooge asked me to help him drain some fluid (my job was to hold the can with the tube in it).  Then Teh Dad called and jinxed my entire freakin' day.  He asked what I was doing and I told him, "Holding a Coke can for Mr. Scrooge to drain his fluids from the motorcycle even though I need to leave and get to Walmart."  He said something and I said it was boring and then Teh Dad suggested that I suggest to Mr. Scrooge that we should switch jobs and I told Teh Dad, uhhh no because I don't want the job where I get dirty, I'll stick with the holding of the can, mkaythx.  Then... he said it... The words that jinxed the rest of my day.  "Maybe you should just be patient."  I really wasn't being impatient with Mr. Scrooge, I just wasn't super interested in standing around holding a can with a tube in it that didn't really have a lot of action going on.

Eventually, I was properly relieved of my can holding duties and I gathered my purse and kissed the dogs goodbye (because the dogs are almost always the first to get greeted and the last to be told bye when anyone leaves Casa de Teh Megan) and told Mr. Scrooge goodbye and left.  I figured since there is a Walmart near Target, I'd just get my oil changed there.

I'm on my way and instead of waiting at the light, I take a shortcut.  Instead of cutting down some side parking lot streets, I just follow the road I had been on, which runs in front of the stores in the plaza.  Poor life choice.  We not only had to wait on every person coming and going from the store, we also had to wait on cars to leave so cars in the line of traffic I was in could take their close parking spots....  Finally, I get to Walmart and I'm really confused when their garden section seems way too big to also have the automotive maintenance area... because they didn't have an automotive maintenance area...  It was now after 11 and I still needed to go to Target, so I just went there to return all those shirts that arrived in my "StitchFix" (lolz) and then drove across town to another Walmart to get my oil changed.  There were 4 cars in front of me when I pulled up the to garage.  2 of those cars were already in the garage getting their oil changed.  I had some shopping to do, so I figured I could take my time and Yurtle would be done when I was finished.  I even asked the lady how long it took and she said 15-30 minutes per car.

I arrived at Walmart at 12:10.  I finished my shopping at 12:45.  I left Walmart at 2:20... IN A RAGE (I'm pretty sure my rage would have been way more verbalized if I hadn't thought to bring Teh Flamin' Kindle with me.  I hadn't eaten lunch because I had told Mr. Scrooge that I would pick lunch up for us.  Since I had told Mr. Scrooge I'd get him Chickfila or Taco Bell and Chickfila was on the way home, that's what I got.  Have I mentioned that I greatly dislike Chickfila?  I do.  It's not my jam.  I considered going by Chickfila for Mr. Scrooge and Bojangles for me, but ain't nobody got time for that.  I just sucked it up with Chickfila, hoping that Mr. Scrooge would appreciate my grand gesture sacrifice.

While I hadn't really had big plans that day, I sure as hell hadn't planned on waiting for Yurtle's oil to get changed.  If I had wanted to just wait, I could have taken it to Jiffy Lube or somewhere where I can't do my shopping at the same time.  Le sigh.  I went home and ate lunch and Mr. Scrooge started asking me what I wanted to do that evening or if there was anything I needed him to go get.  I saw right through that fun game he plays and told him that if he wanted to go on a ride, just go!  Around that same time, I announced that I was going to open up my motorcycle search to more than just the Charleston area.

I sat down with my laptop and started looking at motorcycles on Craigslist.  My goal was to spend less than $3000 for a motorcycle.  I wasn't worried if it was older or if it had any minor cosmetic damages, I just wanted it to run and not be expensive.  Mr. Scrooge sat with me while I searched and he ruled some out for me (too powerful, etc) and I ruled out several (cruisers/dirt bikes, cost too much, had something obviously wrong, etc) as well.  Then I stumbled on a green Kawasaki Ninja 500R that was under my price range AND the ad suggested it was good for a shorter female/first time rider... that's ME!  When I showed Mr. Scrooge and he didn't rule it out and instead said, "What do YOU want?"  I took that as a, "that's not a bad bike." and contacted the poster about it.  We texted back and forth several times and when I asked if we could come look at it that evening, she agreed.  She said she worked till 7:30, but if she could wake up her BF, that we could go over sooner.

It ended up working out that we didn't go over till later because Mr. Scrooge and I didn't eat dinner till late and the girl that was selling the bike was detained at work for longer than anticipated.  Mr. Scrooge brought his riding gear in case I bought it so he could drive it back to the house for me since it was dark.  I had Mr. Scrooge look the bike over when we arrived since he is way more knowledgeable than I am and he took it for a spin around the complex where the seller lived.  He didn't have anything negative to say, so I bought it right then since the price was right and my needs were met.

We started driving home and my heart dropped when I saw Mr. Scrooge fall back and have to pull off the highway.  I pulled over as well and he caught up and explained that it had just ran out of gas.  Thankful that I hadn't bought a dud, we stopped and got gas and made our way home.

In true Teh Megan fashion, the motorcycle was named before I even bought it.  After seeing a photo of the bike from the front, I deemed the motorcycle: Mike Wazowski.  I had already decided that if I purchased it, I was going to buy a Mike sticker and an OK (the frat from Monsters U) sticker.

(source)

Mike has a few blemishes and an "eyebrow piercing" (something on the front that isn't coming off), but I think Mike is a perfect beginner bike for me.  Additionally, the seller was a female who was shorter than me, so she'd had the bike lowered, which is good and bad.  Good because I'm vertically challenged.  Bad because sometimes it drags going over bumps/when leaning.

Our first photo together.

After we got home, Mr. Scrooge asked if I was going to do anything with Mike and I was all, "Nah, he's safe until tomorrow."  Then Mr. Scrooge asked me if I wanted to watch a movie and I really didn't since it was after 9:30, but I'm a good sport and we watched Monsters University since he hadn't seen it and to celebrate Mike Wazowski.

SUNDAY

We got a slow start Sunday morning, but after I made breakfast and tried to look up Mike's manual on the internet (with no luck), we finally got motivated.  Mr. Scrooge headed outside to give Mike a physical (meaning he lubed the chain and checked the oil and did some other general cleaning/maintenance on him) while I took care of the laundry and cleaned up breakfast and eventually made my way outside to supervise. 

Since my motorcycle class was at the end of October, it had been a while since I'd been on a bike and Mr. Scrooge (and I) were both semi-worried.  Mr. Scrooge made me show him where all the different switches and things were on the bike and he showed me how to start it since it isn't just a turn the key and press the button system.  I took Mike around the circle and came home and Mr. Scrooge told me to go practice in the neighborhood while he gathered his stuff and when I got back we'd go out.

First ride with Mike!

There had been 3 people out walking around when I first started my neighborhood rounds.  They cheered me on and I passed them on my way back to the house and admitted that I had only dropped the bike once and they laughed.  I did actually drop the bike.  But I was going zero miles an hour.  I had stopped at the stop sign at the entrance to the neighborhood and I was planning on going straight and somehow I just didn't get balanced quick enough and I ended up falling over.  Neither Mike or I was hurt.  I did struggle to pick Mike back up since 400 pounds isn't a small amount.  Only 2 cars witnessed my incident and I laughed it off.  Mr. Scrooge and I had already had the discussion that everyone goes down at least once.  So I told him when I got home and told him that now that I had gotten it out of my system, I was ready to go.

I was a bit hesitant about hitting the roads, but it wasn't as scary as I had built it up to be.  We had decided to head to Cycle Gear where I was going to pick up a riding jacket and gloves.  After I got my new jacket and gloves, Mr. Scrooge suggested we ride out to Isle of Palms.  He is the one with all the area expertise, so I was pretty much just going wherever he went.  I thought we'd stop at the beach and walk around, but Mr. Scrooge said he was getting kind of hungry and I suggested Boxcar Betty's since I hadn't been there yet.  I thought we were headed there, but Mr. Scrooge passed the exits and we ended up going back towards home to see about getting a new key made for Mike (because I only have one and it's super bent) and ice cream to celebrate my first ride.

Mr. Scrooge commented later that he was sure I'd taken 5 years off his life with my turning issues, something I definitely need to work on. 

When we got home, it was time for laundry and I took a page from Nadine's book and made some space in my closet by purging!  I even had Mr. Scrooge purge some of his crap too!  I kicked out a whole garbage bag full of clothes and he filled up half of one.  I'm hoping to get him to go through his dresser as well, since that's where most of his clothes are, but we'll see how lucky I get with that.  He DID go through his work undershirts, which I was most pleased with since he had some seriously shit-baggy undershirts with stretchy necks.  I get it, he was deployed on the ship for long periods of time and laundry and blah blah blah, but this is shore duty and I don't associate with shitbag sailors.  Foot.set.down.

Like the good big sister I am, I offered to wait to bring these bags to Goodwill until after I see Teh Sister so she can go through them.  Also, I can't seem to shake the Navy from my wardrobe.  I found so many undershirts of my own.  I have too many gym shirts already for them to be worn to the gym.. and I'd look like I'm still in the Navy and I can't have that..  NOPE.

We had leftovers and roasted cauliflower for dinner since I had made a pork roast on Saturday.  I started working on this post after dinner, but I was tired and wanted to get to bed early since it was a school night. 

MONDAY

This morning, Mr. Scrooge asked me after I was already dressed for work (wearing a skirt) if I was driving Mike into work.  I just kinda gave him my silly face because he could see that I was wearing a dress.  I drove Yurtle into work, but I am hoping that Friday it is nice so I can ride Mike to work (I usually wear jeans on Friday).  My throttle wrist is swollen this morning, but as long as it doesn't effect my run later, I'm good.

In exciting news, Lara and I are probably going to real life meet in Raleigh when I'm in town for my Tarheel 10 Miler!  I'm super pumped to get to meet another blogger in real life, since that's what all the cool kids do.  At first I peer pressured her to do the 10 miler with me, but then I told myself that's now how to make friends, so I peer pressured her to do the 4 miler.  Then I was like, woah sparky and just offered to meet her for dinner on Friday night if she didn't want to run.  I probably did all that backwards, but it was true Teh Megan style.

Now it's time for productivity.. and meetings!



Happy Monday, Gentle Readers!


Linking up with Weekending w/ B Loved Boston