Simpsonize Me!

Go ahead! Simpsonize yourself!
(It's part of Burger King's crossover ad for the new Simpsons movie, but it's cute.)

(Only) 5 Weird Things About Me

Blame dear Cherry for this one, kids. She posted in her blog recently Five Weird Things About Herself.

Honestly, I was a bit confused. She referred to it as a "meme", and I admit, I never heard them called that before. Thankfully, Google had the search and WikiPedia had definition.

So I'm tasked with five weird things about myself. Since this is my blog, and I do like to talk about myself, I'll see if I can oblige. It'll be difficult...limiting myself to five items. Of course, what seems weird to you might seem normal to me, or vice versa. That's what makes Humans interesting: We see everything from a slightly different point of view, even if we're looking at the same thing. Funny, that.

Okay...

1) For everything I do, it seems, there's a ritual that needs to be done before I do it. Before I go to bed, for example, I have to check the doors twice to make sure they're locked, and on my way upstairs, I tap the banister post at the bottom of the stairs three times. I'm not sure why I do some of the things I do...it just doesn't seem right if I don't do them.

2) I do well when I'm trying to learn something on my own, but fail miserably if I take a class or try to learn in a structured environment. Classes bore me. My mind wanders off and I either end up withdrawing from the class, or getting a "less than passing" grade. Amazing enough, back in grade school, I was at the top of my class. High school and college, though...well, let's just say I wasn't a honor student. Yet, if I start to play around with something, and I'm left alone, I'll figure it out eventually.

3) Some will find this weird, some won't even blink an eye: I have never had a beer in my life, and honestly, I have no desire to drink the stuff. Looks like piss, and that don't interest me no how. ;)

4) I must balance things out. If I go left one day, I must go right the next. If I do something "bad" (not really bad, but...mischievous, let's say), then the next day I must do something "good". Some would say that's because I'm a Libra. The scales must balance out. I honestly don't know, but it's a weird little compulsion that I have.

5) If you ever receive a text message from me via cell phone, you'll know that I type out the words. I cannot use those cutesy little abbreviations! My fingers just won't type "l8r", "thx", or "u2". It literally took me 30 seconds to type each one of those abhorrent abbreviations. Hell, it was quicker to type that last sentence! It doesn't bother me to see that in a SMS, but...I just can't do it.

But that's just me. I'm weird anyway...

Driving with the moon

Went out to see The Kid tonight. She's doin' pretty good (thanks for asking). She was still up when I got there around 7:30 (night owl!), and we sat and talked (okay, I did most of the talking, but she did respond to things I'd say, and did offer a little).

It was a good visit with her.

Around 8:30, she was getting tired, so the nurses came and put her to bed. After they got her ready for bed, I gave her a goodnight kiss, made sure she was tucked in with Huggy Bear and then wished her a goodnight.

Left the nursing home and stopped at Starbucks. Yeah, I treated myself to a Chai. I figured...it was a good night...I'd splurge.

Driving home, out my window, the moon was high in the sky. It's very comforting, driving at night, seeing the Moon up there. I figured I was "Driving with the Moon", and that's a very comfortable feeling. Nice night, comfortable (not too hot), window down, music playing (Judas Priest playing "You've Got Another Thing Coming" on the XM).

Driving with the Moon. Yeah, it was a good night...

The next few weeks...

...should prove very interesting, indeed.

I was reading over my blogs from this time last year, some private notes I've kept for myself, and thinking about memories about what has happened.

My Year From Hell firmly started about this time. Days with four or three hours of sleep. Phone calls at work nearly every five minutes. Paranoia. Insecurity. Doctor's tests. Frustration.

I've had the chance, over the past few days, to reminisce over the past year, to think about what's happened, and to consider the ramifications of it all.

Hmm.

To top it all off, my best friend...someone I've known for years, someone who was there for me from the start of this Year From Hell...will be leaving Pittsburgh tomorrow to start a new job in Las Vegas. Got her packed up over the weekend, and she's leaving tomorrow afternoon.

Words cannot begin to express the thanks and gratitude I have for her. She was there when I needed someone nearby to vent to, to listen, to understand...

All I could offer is "thank you". Seemed insufficient, but it's all I could say.

So...once again...Thank You.

The call of the open road

I can remember, growing up, that around this time of year, My Kid and I would either be getting ready to go on vacation, or already on one. While we'd take trips by airplane to visit her sister in California, most of the trips were in the car.

When I was young, it was the beach (although, these days, I'm not much of a beach person). As I got older, it was cities and towns that fascinated me. Niagara Falls was a staple every year, and it never got boring. Toronto, which to this day I still call my second home, became a destination of choice.

Twice we drove cross-country (even though The Kid did all the driving...I was too young at the time). It was one of the greatest adventures I'd been on, that cross-country trek. Once down-and-across, another, more along the center of the country. I've some photos from those adventures, even though I did run out of film (remember those days?) partway into the Rockies. The memories I have can't do those justice.

It's around this time of year, I hear the call of the open road. I start to get nervous, edgy, anxious to get in my car and drive. Mind you, I worry about my poor car making the trip these days, but I think once she (yes, my car is female) got on the highway, we'd make it with no problems. She always did work better on open highway anyway.

Maybe it's those childhood memories that cause this urge, this feeling in my soul, to get on the road and drive. Maybe it's the monotony of everyday life here that makes me want to go to someplace different, see something new. Although, honestly, I swear, I could make the Pittsburgh to Niagara Falls drive blind-folded, I've taken it so many times.

There'll be no vacation for me this Summer, however. I won't say "times are tight", but I do have to watch certain expenses. I'm living on a budget, or trying to at least, these days.

But the road still beckons. It's a soft voice, in the back of my mind, pulling at my soul. I know I'll be on the road again at some point, just not today.

Well, that was quick!

Looks like my venting to Saturn.com went through after all...

I received this response late last night:

Dear *********,

Thank you for writing Saturn. I would like to start by apologizing for your negative xperience at Saturn of Pleasant Hills. I assure you that we take our goal to create a hassle-free, honest environment very seriously. We know you have plenty of choices other than Saturn.

I can't explain why you were treated in this manner. I won't even attempt to justify t or make presumptions about it. I can understand why you would not want to visit this facility again.

We appreciate the time that you have taken to share this situation with us. I have documented your comments and this information will forwarded to the teams who work with Saturn of Pleasant Hills to make sure they are aware of this situation.

I apologize again for any inconvenience this situation may have caused.

If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail us again or call us at ********************.

Sincerely,


******
Saturn Customer Assistance Center

Might not hear anything more from this, but then, I might.
If I do, I'll be sure to share it here...

A copy of my letter to Saturn

So, remember awhile back, I mentioned that I was having car problems and the dealership said I needed a new engine?

Yeah, well...

I'd been waiting for the proper moment (when I was frustrated and pissed off enough) to write Saturn directly...not contact the dealership...and let them know how I feel. Here, gentle reader, is a copy of what I've sent them.

Greetings;

Two weeks ago, there was a problem with the oil light "flickering" on in my 97 Saturn SL-1 coupe. I returned to the Pleasant Hills Saturn, where the car had maintenance work (egs valve replaced, bg flush) a few weeks prior to have them check the car and see if the problem might be related to the work previously done.

I should note that this was only the second time I'd used that Saturn dealership: In the past 11 years, all work (save for tires) on that car had been performed by Saturn of Monroeville, but because they were unable to work on the car that day, and I had a pressing engagement the next day and needed the car checked right away, I went to the Pleasant Hills dealership.

I noted that the car was, roughly a quart low on oil, so they said they would fill it with oil (no charge) and let it run for 15 minutes to see what happened.

They later told me that smoke was coming out of the tailpipe, and that the engine would need to be rebuilt or replaced. As as alternative, I could look into purchasing a new car.

At this time, none of those options are financially acceptable, so I left, and contacted another mechanic to check the car.

Imagine my surprise when, after he checked the car, there was a different story entirely.

He noted a smell of gas in the oil (something the mechanic at Saturn of Pleasant Hills completely ignored and failed to mention at any time), and said that the engine is fine: All I needed was an oil change. He said I should still get another two or three years out of that engine.

I find it rather curious that two mechanics would have RADICALLY different answers to my problem. I also find it curious that the dealership would recommend purchasing, imagine this, a new car roughly around the same time that of year (end of June, beginning of July) that the dealership is trying to get rid of existing stock for the newer models.

What's worse is that the "trained Saturn mechanic" would recommend replacing an engine...a MAJOR EXPENSE...when another mechanic merely recommended an oil change and, after checking and road testing the engine, said it was in good working condition.

Rest assured, I will NOT be returning to Saturn of Pleasant Hills for ANY reason.

Thanks,
*

Of course, the true irony of it all is that, when I try to submit the form, I get a 404 error. How fitting.

No worries. I'll keep trying. It'll just make me angrier...and you wouldn't like to see me get angry.

Onie ala the Simpsons

In case you hadn't heard, The Simpsons movie is coming out later this month. After 20 years on the (relatively) small screen, Matt Groening is bring his toys to a much larger medium (with the DVD release probably scheduled for, shall we say, Christmas...).

Naturally, there's a website for it (as there is a website for everything these days). One of the cooler parts of it is you can create a Simpsons-style version of yourself, how you'd look if you lived in Springfield, USA.

Naturally, the cartoon version of me would be a bit thinner than the real me, but since he's only two-dimensional, he can get away with it.

Thanks to the wonderful Cherry for spotting this first and posting her own Simpsons-esque (and totally hot) avatar.

7-7-7

Today is July the seventh, in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven.

7-7-7

Really, I had nothing else to say. I just wanted to have a post up for 7-7-7.

Which Star Wars character are you?

Your results:
You are Chewbacca

Chewbacca 71% Han Solo 70% Luke Skywalker 68% Obi-Wan Kenobi 66% Qui-Gon Jinn 66% R2-D2 65% Lando Calrissian 63% Princess Leia 60% Yoda 56% Mace Windu 56%

Sure you're tall and hairy, but you've got heart!

(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)


Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Test

8 Random Things About Me

Over at her blog-with-the-coolest-title, Leghump Orgy Blog, Brenna challenged some of us to post eight random things about ourselves.

Well, I'm not one to refuse a challenge such as this (especially since it gives me a chance to talk about myself), so here we are:

* One of the stranger rituals I have is, when I go to bed at night, I get in on the left side (as you're facing it). When I get up in the morning, I get out on the right. If I get up in the middle of the night for any reason, I get back in the same side I get out of it, which is usually the left side (even if it means I have to walk the long way around it to get out of my room).

* I believe there's a balance to life. I can't bring myself to admit that I'm happy for fear (a rather irrational one, but most fears are irrational anyway) that the Universe will see the need to balance it out with something bad.

* I'm a collector (some will read that as pack-rat), but among the things I collect are comic books, Hot Wheels and automatic lead pencils.

* Even though it's almost been a year, I still feel guilty. Nothing more need be said.

* In the middle of writing this, my neighbor came over to bullshit. Spent a good half hour sitting on the back porch talking.

* I need my basement cleaned. I try to be a good housekeeper, but I fear I shall never live up to the standards set by My Kid.

* I never check my "snail mail" right away. I'll let it sit until the weekend unless it's something important (like rebates).

* I have a reason to smile.

:)

Blitherings from the self-absorbed idiot

So, yeah, I've been a little...disconnected...as of late. Seems like for everything good thing that has happened, something bad happened. Normally, I'd appreciate the balance, but it seems like the bad things have been worse than the good things are, well, good.

The worst thing was when I thought I was going to have to buy a new car.

Late last week, the oil light popped on and then popped off when I stopped at the streetlight. I'd had the oil changed about a month and a half before, so I figured I'd be good with that, but figured I'd have the dealership (where I'd gone for the last 11 years) check it out.

Before I went there Saturday morning, I pulled out the dipstick, and saw I was down at least a quart of oil. Mind you, I'm not a car guy. I know where to put the gas, I know where the dipstick for the oil is and how to work the radio, but that's about it. Never did care much for cars, outside of my Hot Wheels collection, so I'm not one to maintain my own vehicle.

Took the car to the shop where they told me I was burning oil. I had three options: Replace the motor, rebuild the motor or get a new car. From a financial standpoint, none of those work for me right now. They put oil in the car for me, and I told them I'd have to think about it.

I decided I needed a second opinion.

Thankfully, a buddy of mine has a mechanic he trusts with my life, and I trust my buddy with my life, so I took the car out to see him.

Got a different story from him. Couple weeks back (when the car had, basically, a heart attack and a valve wouldn't close, needed replaced, and whacked the credit card for about $500), they did a power flush of the system. That flush forced some gas into the already-low oil system and was causing a problem. The mechanic said an oil change would work, and I should be able to get another two or three years (with luck) out of the car.

Mind you, the stress of thinking I had to get a new car didn't help. I'm on a budget these days, and it's, well, tight. I might be able to look at a new car in a year or two, but today? If I had to get a new car now, I'd be looking at macaroni and cheese or ramen noodles every night for dinner. Not the most delectable prospect, trust me, even though I do like both foods, I can't see living on them.

Top that off with some other bad news, including my best friend moving away, and it's been a bad couple weeks.

My Kid has been all right, for the most part (thank goodness). Tired a lot, sleeping a good bit, and whenever I'm out there, she asks to go to bed all the time (even when she's laying in the bed). Some days are good, and we can talk. Some days, well, aren't as good, but I've learned to just accept those days and look forward to the good ones.

I'll try and pop around more often. Maybe some point down the line, I'll have better things to talk about, because, hey, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. :)