T not mobile

They suck. Do you remember that rant I had awhile back about customer service?
Turns out... it's justified.
STILL not fixed.
And this is after a second and third visit to the store where a very nice brand-new manager tried to help me.
Two weeks later? Still not fixed.
F minus T-mobile. F minus.

Progress

Last night I watched Iron Jawed Angels. It was a very interesting and gripping story. P wasn't interested. I was though. And really its a movie for women. There's very few men involved in the story actually. Except as antagonists, and one very cute Patrick Dempsey as the love interest. I'm not really sure how historically accurate it is, but I'm planning on finding out.
Also, last night P and I picked up Em from the airport!! Yay! You can expect to see more BriannEm adventures soon!
Tonight I'm planning on ... hanging out at home. Maybe going out to eat with a friend. Or maybe staying in. I'm not entirely sure. But that's the way it goes.

Hubbands

Thank Heavens for hubbands who make me delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. Yummy!

Just what I needed on this cold, snowy afternoon. I love P. Love him!

Fooding

After the delicious extended weekend topped off yesterday with LOTS and lots of snow...

P and I watched Food Inc yesterday. I know that it's supposed to be shocking and full of new information. It's supposed to change the way you feel about food. Or rather the food industry. But to tell you the truth, the movie didn't really show me anything new. It didn't show me any way to fix the problem. It showed me the problems I already knew about. I know about the giant corporations, and the processed foods made of basically two ingredients... I know about the evils of the farming world and manufacturing plants. I've heard all this before, and I've seen it. The packaging was a bit more compelling, as film almost always is...but to tell you the truth, I feel the same as I did before. I buy the food I do, because it's what I can afford. Recently that's gotten better. I'm buying more raw foods. I'm buying ingredients. But I can't afford organic. I recognize the issue. I vote with my dollar. I wish I could grow a really SMALL garden. Something manageable. I wish I could live in the country AND the city. I wish I had time to save the world and support my family. Wishes and fishes. Unfortunately not much has or will change.
It was a good movie though.

Don't get fat.

This is my goal for today. To not eat to the point where I'm in pain. I can eat slowly over a long period of time and stuff myself, that's just tradition. This year I want to slow it down and enjoy it!
On another subject entirely, I was thinking last night about where my family has lived and I realized something strange. We lived in Texas... and then Utah... and then Virginia. Mom? Dad? The next place you live can only be Wyoming, Wisconsin, Washington, or (DC) or West Virginia. OK? It's important that we preserve the alphabetical continuity of your home state. (Let's just forget I was born in Hawaii)
Today we're headed off on a little trip to the different families, so I may not be back for a few days. Then again, I may have so much free time that I blog lots and lots!!!
I'm wishing I could see everyone today. This is the longest I've been without Em... since I got married!!!  Ack!!
I really don't think you should move home m'dear.
Anyway....Oh! The contest. Because I had so few entries, I've decided you ALL win!!! Keely and Manda... I think I'm going to send your prizes home with Bryan if I can, because I'm cheap. Stef, I'll bring you yours.
And what is your prize? You can either request your favorite candy bar... OR you may let me pick you out something AWESOME from the dollar store. Its up to you. Just let me know!
Everyone else that read, and didn't compete... Why? See how nice and generous I am? You could have won too. :( Thanks for reading though! I love watching that little meter just go up!
Happy turkey weekend everyone. I hope you all have four or five day weekends!

Yesterday...

So, as I predicted tuesday morning, I got to leave work early due the the "blizzard" hitting the Northwest. By the time it actually reached Salt Lake, it really wasn't more than a winter storm. A heavy one that really impacted driving if you were on the road... But I stayed holed up in my little apartment with P. I got home from work about 2:30, pestered my sweet hubband for about 2 hours, made tostadas for dinner (So easy!) in defiance of the cold weather we're experiencing, and then crawled into bed and watched it snow for the rest of the night. It was a magical evening. Mostly because it never seemed like an emergency. I love the fact that because we were all so prepared for a blizzard, the winter storm seemed like nothing. If you prepare for the worst you can easily handle the speed bumps, right? As I prepare to drive down to Utah County, and then up to Kamas for the holidays, I have to remind myself that we're not going to die driving in the snow. Really.

Right now outside my office it looks like a snow globe. I can't tell if it's wind or actually snowing, but it's really pretty. As long as it doesn't actually turn into a blizzard...

PS: I hope all of you have wonderful holiday plans. I might stop by to blog a bit more, but I haven't decided yet. Oh, and be sure to eat too much! It's the only time of the year it's really socially acceptable.

PPS: I made it to $1.00!!! So, as promised I'll be holding a little contest. Whoever can find the coolest item on Amazon  for under a dollar wins. Leave a comment with a link to the item and you'll be entered to win! I'll accept comments through to Wednesday at midnight.

Turning a Profit

I made $0.80 !!! Thanks guys! When I reach a reasonable amount.. say... $1.00 Maybe I'll hold a giveaway! I love giveaways... But what should I give away? Hmmmm.....

Snow Day

So apparently Utah is expecting a blizzard. Maybe I'll get to go home early? Em...be glad you're missing the bad weather! Family... I wish I could be there for the holidays. Hopefully travel won't be too crazy this week. Everyone be safe today so you can celebrate Thursday.

Shabby Apple

 
I love this store's dresses. I first ran into Shabby Apple through Me, Myself & Mommy. I love the structured, modest dresses. The range of casual to cocktail are perfectly wearable. I love the color and the design of these dresses. And I've been thinking of myself as a skirt and blouse person for years. I saw this site, and there is no way I'll ever be just a skirt person again. Nothing can compare to the ease of slipping into a dress and Voila! you're ready to go.
The part that I've been hesitant about ordering is that I have a very curvy figure. Not many dresses fit my top and my bottom. (Hence the separates.) But this weekend the stars aligned, and Shabby Apple held a trunk show. I was able to swing by Saturday morning and try on a handful of dresses. Looking at what I had picked up in the dressing room I realized that I definitely tend to blacks and blues. I'm okay with that. The best part of this little shopping trip? THEY FIT! In fact the dresses fit like a glove. The material was comfortable and there was plenty of room while still having structure! I bought one. I practiced self restraint and just bought one. This one. And the better part? I look better in it than the model! (Secret: More curves :) I highly recommend Shabby Apple. They have great return policy and pretty awesome customer service. What's not to love?
I'm entering this drawing too! I love their aprons :)

Thursday update

So according to the NY Times article that I just read... FOX is moving American Idol to Wednesday and Thursday nights. Not too big of a deal, because I dislike American Idol and I don't watch. A HUGE deal, because it's going to screw with my Thursday night schedule. Boo. My shows will no longer mesh so neatly.
Oh the frustration. This is because I blogged about this earlier isn't it. Universe!!! WHY?

Thursday Traditions

So. Em and I have this tradition going. Every Thursday we get together. My house or hers. Usually mine.
This day is important, because on this day... BONES is on. That's right. We watch TV. It's the only day of the week that I regularly turn on the TV. Also Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I really really like Grey's Anatomy, which I actually stopped watching for a few seasons and then started again last season. I also have gotten more invested in Private Practice recently. (I know being invested in a TV show is dumb, but hey. I don't criticize your Thursday nights.) P has started calling Private Practice "that rape show". Which, it kind of is. That's basically all they're about at the moment. Charlotte's rape. It's depressing and a good plot at the same time.
But the show that I absolutely love and I've followed it ever since it started is Bones. I love Emily Deschanel's portrayal of Temperance "Bones" Brennan. She's smart, independent, naive, and kicks butt all at the same time. Occasionally I get a little freaked out over how possible some of the crimes they investigate are. The Howard Epps storyline gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it. The supporting cast is stellar. I can go on and on.
But I won't. Now you know. I love that show. I love Thursdays.

Memory

I totally forgot what I was going to blog about today. It may have been the best topic ever. You know. The kind that go viral. But it probably wasn't.
So, instead of a brilliant tirade about the moral and ethical (aren't those the same?) injustices of our society, I'm going to talk about this little 'ole blog you're reading.

The inspiration and the madness.

The inspiration was Em, and Anna, and Rachel, and P's professor, and PW ... and so many other funny webcomics.

And the madness? The madness is me.

Also, I have a bit of free time every morning at work. Combining with a growing need to write and express myself, and a free forum to give voice to that need and voila! You have my humble blog about stuff. I sort of see this as that box under my bed. The one filled with things I've loved and forgotten and dust. Every now and then I pull it out and reorganize it. But it always ends up in the same place. Safe under the bed.
I really like blogging. And I love seeing where all you wonderful readers are from. ALL OVER! It's so cool. My own little piece of the interweb's blogosphere.  I also love the feeling of validation I get from seeing the page views go up. It makes me laugh and smile. So thanks all you readers. Thanks for making my day a little brighter!
OH! I remembered. Maybe I'll blog about it tomorrow!

*update: My goal is to make the little world map ALL green. I'll let you know when that happens. It could be awhile. But if any of you are ever traveling ... check out my blog at least once please!

Meal Plans

P and I have been trying to plan out in advance what we eat, because we spend too much on impulse food decisions. Mostly because of me. I honestly take the blame for Chili's Texas Cheese fries(hold the jalapenos), Carl's Jr Chili cheese fries, Cafe Zupas lobster bisque, and so many other absolutely delicious things that I'm not sure I can make at home. Nonetheless we have been trying the past few weeks to plan ahead and be prepared with foods we want to eat.
Next week is mostly planned out, except for lunches. I have the shopping list all ready, and I know what things I'm missing. Some things I'm looking forward to making are the traditional pot roast (I love crockpots!), Biscuits and sausage gravy, tostadas, risotto(we're going to try for the first time!), and of course Thanksgiving food. Mashed potatoes are quite possibly my favorite food. The roasted garlic mashed potatoes recipe that Pioneer Woman has though... it's to die for. And it could quite conceivably kill you with the number of calories you're consuming. They're delectable. If I could I would just eat those every day. I love garlic. I love potatoes. I love cream cheese. I love cream. You can't go wrong here. But it's not a fast dish to make.
What are the dishes that you like making every week? What are the good old pantry standbys? What's cheap and tasty?

Happiness

One of my favorite show tunes is "Happiness" from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". It's the little things in life that remind me how to be happy. It's having more hot chocolate than I know what to do with. Organizing my house. Not having to clean. Staying in bed extra long on a cold day. Warming up my feet on P's. Playing with his curly, curly hair. Not having to do anything if I don't want to. Seeing the sun in the morning. Opening a package. Getting a letter in the mail. Being safe. Warm cookies. Babies laughing. Getting paid. Having more than enough.

Mostly I love laughing so hard I can't breathe. P does that to me sometimes. I laugh til I don't know why anymore. I love him.

Spiritual Gifts

Just last week I was approached by a woman at church, who asked me if I would take a minute or two at the beginning of our meeting next week to talk about spiritual gifts. I told her I would, but to be honest, I wasn't sure what I was going to say. I had a few weeks though, so I just tucked it into the back of my mind to let it simmer. But because of this week at church, I now know what I want to talk about. Healing.

This week at church was normal. About a half hour away from the end of our meeting, a song lyric broke through to me. "When your soul was bowed with sorrow, balm of Gilead did you borrow?..."

Having recently finished a month filled with doctor's appointments for one thing or another, the mention of healing hit especially hard. I am blessed to have a very healthy body (though I don't maintain it the way I should) that recuperates quickly. Through the medical issues that I've had, my body has shielded me from pain and prolonged suffering. I am grateful for modern medicine and the procedures that ensure my continued health, but my emotions have been up and down and all over. Something that I really wish I could control.

But today I was reminded I have to let myself heal emotionally too. I have to give my faith and spirit, time and space to catch up with what my body does so easily. To regenerate and progress I have to have faith that the hard times will pass. I have to keep moving and growing. I have to be happy.
Besides, P hates it when I cry. So do I.
The good news is, that I am healing. Inside and out.

Customer Care

Do companies really care about their customers any more? Yesterday I had an awful time with T-mobile. I made two calls during the day to their customer service, both of which were not super helpful. Basically I was told that I had to buy a new phone. And once I did that I might be able to remove the web data plan from my phone. I understand that they don't want to lose any income, but I was getting SO frustrated. You, as a customer service person, should be able to answer my hypothetical situations. HONESTLY! I got the run around both times. So I decided to just go into a store to buy the cheap phone ($50) and have them remove the web plan (hypothetically.)
I got to the store, and the guy very willingly (not) went and got me the model of phone I requested. As I explained to him what I needed, he quickly responded that all he could do was sell me the phone. I would need to call Customer Care to have them change the data plan. He seemed very emphatic and I was rather irritated, so I just bought the phone and headed home to call them again.
Once I got home, I got on the phone with yet another customer service person who adamantly told me that the store had to notify them directly to let the company know that I was legitimately buying a new model from their store. After I fussed for a minute (still politely you can ask Em) I asked her to call the store. She immediately agreed and so we did. After the representative at the store stonewalled her about his inability to apparently do ANYTHING, she got his name, manager number and dismissed him. Basically this whole ordeal could have been easily solved by someone who was competent. I just had to go into the store and call 3 times to find someone who was just that. Hopefully this whole mess will be done with soon. I'm really, really grateful for that guy being a douche on the phone with Treva (rational customer service!) just to prove that I'm not a crazy customer. She was really nice. If only all customer service people cared. Though I bet she didn't really. But that's okay. She did her job and made me feel taken care of. I hope I am.

What's the worst customer service you've encountered? On the phone? In person?
What's the best?

Home

"that home is the place where people know your name and look forward to seeing you each morning, like Rasim or Murat in the lobby, or Audrey at the bakery, or Mike at the dry cleaner’s, even when there’s little more to the association than that. And Hazel in turn taught me: get off the laptop, get out into the neighborhood, feel what’s going on. It’s where the stories are." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/11/garden/11RickMoody.html?ref=garden

Internet communities just can't make up for home.

Vocalizers

So last night was weird. And really, really good. I'd had a slightly tiring day at work, but after work P and I were going to a work function for him. The physics and engineering departments have been sponsoring these Science Night Live! functions... at Keys on Main. Which for those of you who don't live in Salt Lake or drink... or know anything, is a dueling piano bar in downtown SLC. So off we went.
There was actually a relatively good crowd there for a talk on astrophysical (?) particles. My favorite part though were the little science toys that my hubband was talking about to the spectators. (If only this job paid more...) I played with my iPod touch for most of the actual talk, which basically said that they're shooting a steady beam of "sound" out into space and are trying to see what it encounters/bounces back. So I played my bubble game for about an hour after which we hung out for a little longer so P could finish answering questions about the cloud chamber (really cool!) and these little bio-dot things (Super AWESOME!). I meanwhile sat in a very comfortable corner and listened to the jazz/oldies that was being piped through the speakers.
I realized sitting there, that all of my love of performing and theatre, is boiled down to this: an audience, a piano, a beautiful melody, a story to tell, and a voice to tell it. All my life I've loved crooners. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and so many more singers have been the soundtrack to my childhood and life. I love bass and alto for that warm, deep, comforting sound that lulls you into an easy seat. Why aren't there more dining clubs with singers? Old school clubs. Not techno dance clubs. Sit, drink, dine, and listen. We need more of this kind of entertainment.
And my secret wish I rediscovered last night was to sit on a stool in a slinky dress with a crowd of dimly lit strangers all talking quietly while I try to entertain them. Torch songs are my favorite kind of song. Slow, sad, full of longing, and love. I'm never going to actually do this. But you'd better believe that my children will know the classics.

What things do you remember from your life that you want to pass on to your children?

Being Human

I just happened across this article about bullying and how one program is trying to alleviate it starting in grade school. Maybe we should just have more babies. Bigger families. Increased kindness. That being in a growing community (frequent births) promotes kindness certainly does provide a strong argument for having multiple children. Maybe being human isn't about id or introspection. Maybe it's about selflessness and service. Taking care of others. Parenting in its elemental form. Think about it. Be kinder.

Ice and other nonsense

So if you've been following my posts (as you ALL should be :) You know that I had my wisdom teeth removed. Last Friday. Today is Wednesday. It has only been 5 days. I go back in two days for a brief checkup. And this morning I wake up to feel swollen, achy and tired. In my jaw. Also, my stomach feels weird. And my shoulders are tight. And I'm really kind of whiny.
But the good news is that I have ice, lots of it. I have music (showtunes!) from the library! I actually ate yogurt for breakfast this morning. Which means I ate breakfast :) and I'm taking the pills I forgot to take yesterday. So the swelling should go down. Not that you could tell I'm swollen by just looking at me.
In other news P and I are thinking of selling our car. It wouldn't be for a whole lot, but the expenses that we would save would add up pretty quickly we think. On the downside it could be inconvenient. Oh no! Not inconvenient! I'm such an American. I know. Should we just sell it? Anyone want to buy our car?

Just another Mellow Day

Mellowcreme pumpkins are one of my favorite candies. I can only eat about one per day. They have the consistency of plastic and disintegrate slowly as you suck/chew on them. I have no idea as to WHY I love this repulsive sweet. But just last weekend I bought two bags of them on sale for .29 per bag!!Which should be enough to last me through next Halloween.

In other news, this morning it was snowing again.

I really can't explain why this frustrates me as it's a week into November and qualifies as winter. Especially here in Utah. I mean it's not snowing in July. It's November. Maybe its that I've missed fall so much. Summer stretched especially long this year for me. And now it's winter. Somehow I missed fall. In Virginia it's impossible to miss fall. The vibrant reds and oranges are so prominent they make you stop and stare. Here... I missed it somehow.

How fast has your year gone? Mine is flying by. In the past year so many things have changed me. Big, HUGE changes. And in so many ways I'm the same.

It's beginning to look...

It's snowing like crazy here. I'm not really ready for it. I'm wearing sandals today, because it was raining when I left for work. At least I've got a coat. Now I just want to go home and curl up in bed again. I really really wish apparating was possible right now. Just imagine never having to dress for the commute, just dressing for work. It would be lovely. Sandals and warm toes year round. Em is out in the snow right now, and I really don't envy her that. The days when there's weather makes me simultaneously love and hate public transportation. I don't have to drive, but I also have to wait for the bus or trax. Suck. and YAY! It really can't be winter yet. It's still August. Right?

Keeping in Touch

Okay, so I had an incredibly lazy weekend due to the fact that I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed early Friday morning. Unlike many of the horror stories I heard prior to this big event, my surgery went smoothly and quickly. I came out of anesthesia, and after waiting for Peter and just sitting for a bit, we walked the two blocks home. We went to the grocery store, and picked up the prescriptions along with a lot of soft foods. Yogurt, Pudding, Ice Cream, etc. Lots of good stuff.

For the rest of the day, P and I stayed curled up in bed. P worked on his prospectus (hopefully finished!!) and I played with my Ipod touch. It's an older model, but I wouldn't know the difference anyway. I played bubble shooter pretty much all weekend. In the car on the way to pumpkin blow (Awesome!), on the way home from Logan, and most of Sunday the iPod was never far from my hand. I've never owned a better time waster other than my poor deceased laptop. Something else I recently discovered is that I can also watch movies instantly with my Netflix account. Honestly... THE coolest idea ever. I really don't ever have an excuse to be bored now. Ever. It's been an easy weekend, when it possibly could have been awful. I'm so glad I've got my distractions.  I'm so glad for so many things.

I hope you're all having a good Monday out there. Be careful in the rain.

Healing Quickly

I seem to have a fairly easy time doing some things. Healing and recovery seem to be one of them. I'm so glad we've got modern medicine these days. Anesthesia really helps out when removing your wisdom teeth. And pudding. I love pudding.

Fort Knox

I am a terrible food waster. I dislike eating most leftovers. I make too much food.

I do love to share food, as Em can attest. However, on the days that I don't have lots of people over to eat the food I make, I have to make little lunches for P to take to work. For that I'm glad I have Lock & Lock food storage containers. These little containers are perfect for us for lunches and leftovers. I've also found that I can put a few cups of milk in one and dry cereal in a ziploc bag and it makes a perfectly portable bowl of cereal! The best thing about these containers is that they are a Fort Knox for food. Nothing gets where it's not supposed to. I can toss one of these containers in my backpack, purse (if it's large enough), or just carry it, and I know that my food will end up where it's supposed to. Inside of me... or P.

What do you use to make meals portable?

Slip into Sleep

Last night I had a headache. Not an awful crawl into your bed and want to die headache. Just an almost really bad, mostly irritating headache. P didn't make it home til around 9 by which time I was ready for sleep. I hadn't seen him all day, so we crawled into bed to snuggle. After about 10 minutes of talking I was struck by the desire to listen to She & Him. If you haven't heard of them, they're an extremely mellow duo. Vocals and Guitar are the basis of what they do, and they soothe my soul. I turned on my Ipod and told him to turn it off once I was asleep. Which took about 1/2 of a song. I honestly can't remember why I stopped listening to music to fall asleep. It's so much simpler than tossing and turning, to listen to a familiar voice to help me slip into sleep. It's the little things I'm grateful for.

What routines do you have to help you sleep? Do you have a routine?

More than a Touch Grateful

This month I'm going to try to blog about one thing per day that I have in my life that I'm super grateful for.
 I bought a lamp very similar to this one three years ago when I moved away from home for the first time.

This lamp is very feminine and gold and sweet. All things that are usually a no-go in decorating for me. However, this particular lamp is a touch lamp. As a kid my grandmother had one that I loved. There's such wonder in a lamp not having a switch and at lighting at the slightest touch. I saw it and I had to have it for my bedside table. It's a simple little lamp, and I love it. It reminds me of family and warm, safe places. The  Touch Lamp has calmed me down many times when I was home alone. Hopefully I can keep it safe and unbroken for many more years.

What token items/furniture/thing keeps you safe? What's the security blanket you're grateful for?

Happy Thoughts and Fairy Dust

Here is a list of Ten Happy Things for your first day of the eleventh month of the last year of the first decade of the twenty second century. 

Or

Happy 10 on November 1, 2010

1. It was hard waking up this morning, but I endured and got out of bed to catch the bus before the sun was up. Now it is a beautiful, clear, crisp, SUNNY, autumn day. 
2. I had to go to work. I have a great job, in a nice office, at a desk, where I get to blog sometimes. I also talk to Em pretty frequently, and I bother P all the time!
   
3. I forgot to pack a lunch today, but I remembered to take my folic acid. I got to eat a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with cheesy, creamy, potato soup. (One of my favorite fall meals!) 
4. Leftover Halloween Candy 
5. I can listen to my favorite musicals ALL day long.
6. My hubband loves me and answers the phone when I call almost every time.
7. I no longer quite fit in my old pants, which makes me feel fat. Which means I can justify shopping for new pants! Or perhaps I can try sew myself some new ones!
8. P and I didn’t do anything for Halloween.  We barely left the house. Except to go for a short walk.
9. I got a new sewing machine last Thursday. I played with it all weekend. I fixed up the costumes P and I had last year. Then we didn’t wear them anywhere. What a luxury!
10. In an hour and a half, after a very safe and quiet workday I’ll get to go home to my hubband.

It’s the beginning of the most thankful season of the year. It’s a time to be happy and rejoice in the bounty we already have. 

What are you grateful for?

I'm grateful for this music montage from (500) Days of Summer.