New York and back in 24 hours

Well, my New York trip turned out not at all like I expected! I got really sick my first night there and had to change my flight and come home the next morning. So basically I got to do none of the things that I had planned! But I did accomplish a couple of things.

We'll start with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: I went to the audition. It starts out with probably 100 people in a room taking a 30 question multiple choice test. You have 10 minutes to take the test on a scantron, then they score them and announce the people who pass. Most of the questions were really easy, but some were just so random! My favorite was "Which of these events occurred earliest in the calendar year: A) O.J. Simpson Verdict; B) D-Day; C) JFK Assassination....I can't remember the last choice, but you get the point. Crazy! Well, I didn't pass. From what I could remember and look up later, I think I missed 4 maximum, maybe only 3. So they're looking for near perfection.

After the test I talked to Holly Root. We were originally going to meet up that night, but she wasn't feeling well so I decided to see a Broadway show and then we were going to figure something out on Friday. So I succeeded in crossing #8 off the THE List

8. See a Broadway Show

It was even more special to me because my first Broadway show happened to have one of my best friends from High School, Phoebe Strole in it. The show was great, and seeing her on stage made me so happy. I started crying during the first number that she's in and I'm sure the people next to me thought I was crazy because it wasn't a particularly sad number! I regained my composure for the rest of the show though. :)

That was pretty much the end of my New York trip. My sickness started to kick in during the second act and by the time I got back to my hotel, I was just dying. I was so sad! I was planning on doing some sightseeing, Phoebe and I had plans to meet up for lunch, I was going to see Holly and Jonathan and hopefully see Jonathan in Avenue Q that night...instead I got to fly back early. Blah.

I did get to do one other thing that has recently been added to THE List, but I'll blog about that tomorrow because this is getting really long! To sum it all up - I had a great time in New York for the ~24 hours that I was there. Didn't get to do much, but I did enough to know that I really liked it and will definitely be going back!

Calling All Bloggers!

Thursday I was looking through blogs, and for some reason decided to go to Lindsey's blog even though I know she doesn't update it anymore. Then I noticed that her old posts were still there, so I started reading from the beginning. After a while I went and read some of my old posts. It really made me miss the "Golden Age of Blogging" amongst our friends - when everyone had blogs and updated them frequently.

My excuse for being a bad blogger is basically that I don't think I'm interesting right now. I don't have kids to blog about and for some reason I don't think my life post-school is nearly as interesting as it was when I was in school. This is kind of ridiculous, because I still do a lot of the same things that I did before. So I'm making a declaration now that I'm going to be a better blogger. And I'm going to make a plea to Lindsey to start blogging again (though I'm pretty sure she won't!) And to everyone else, I miss hearing what's going on in your life! Leave me a comment if you have a blog so that I can update my blogroll and start reading them. :)

LinkedIn - you have officially blown my mind

I love magicians. I love trying to figure out how they do an illusion, and then when I can't figure it out it makes me even happier. Today, a website did something that a lot of magicians can't....it performed a trick that I seriously cannot figure out how it did it!

I use LinkedIn as a way to keep track of my professional network and reconnect with some people outside of the Facebook world. Today I opened up Linked In and as always, it had a couple of suggestions of "People You May Know." Usually, these are people who have something in their profile that matches mine: Schools, companies, a lot of the same connections, etc. But today the first suggestion was Jeff Cameron. Turns out, I do know Jeff Cameron...but not in any way that would be visible to LinkedIn. He is the husband of the Children's Minister I interned with about 6 years ago (and that is not on my profile). He lives in Houston and owns his own company, we have no similar companies, no shared connections....there is absolutely nothing in our profiles that match in any way. But somehow LinkedIn decided I might know him. I'm stumped. I'm glad I found him, but I am definitely stumped.

How has this not been invented sooner???

Every now and then, I see a new product that ellicts a reaction of "That is such genius, and so simple.....how has that not been invented already??" A good example of this is the pasta pot with the holes in the lid for draining without requiring a strainer. Another happened tonight...I actually said it out loud when I saw the commercial. Introducing....the Black and Decker Gecko Grip Level! It is a level that has movable "accu mark targets" so you can measure how far apart holes need to be in a wall, and then mark and level them at the same time. How in the world has this not been invented already?

And no, I'm not getting any royalties for pushing a product....unless someone out there wants to pay me for it! :)


What products have you seen that make you think, "How has this not been invented sooner?"

What is the world coming to?

I decided that the best way to "practice" for my Millionaire audition would be to get Trivial Pursuit and just go through the cards. Have you tried to find Trivial Pursuit lately? It is impossible!!! What is the world coming to when you can find 65 special editions of Monopoly and 20 versions of Scene It in the stores, but not one single version of Trivial Pursuit??

Oh well. How about another question to help me on....

If you could vote yourself as best-_____ or most-likely-to_____, what would be your vote?

I Want to Be a Millionaire!

In less than one month, I am going to do probably the most random thing I've ever done in my entire life (and I've done some pretty random things). I will be flying to New York City to audition for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire!!

No seriously. I really am.

I am really excited! Hopefully they will think I am smart and/or interesting enough to actually be on the show! Then I can cross another item off THE List, and maybe even have a little extra money to do a few other items on it too! :)

So now I need your help. Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to be posting a few questions from the application that I have to bring with me and will be looking for your input! Even if you don't know me all that well, make something up and I'll see if it fits me at all. :)

Todays Question: What is one thing you (I) do that makes people laugh?

Ready...and....go!

Happy Memorial Day

I've spent 30 minutes trying to write a fitting tribute for our soldiers (like any of them read my blog, but still...) and can't write anything that even halfway expresses the praise they deserve. So I am just going to say thanks. It is because of them that I can enjoy a day like today - I went to a concert and fireworks show at White Rock Lake in Dallas. It was beautiful and I am thankful that we are able to gather like that with minimal fear here in America. God Bless America!

RIP Samsung Blackjack

First of all, is it sad that I have enough cell phone stories for it to have its own tag?

Today, my Samsung Blackjack met a sad demise. It was set on the back of my car while I put on sunscreen before a soccer game. In a tragic twist of fate, it was left there and was found in the street later this afternoon, having been run over multiple times. It was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Blackjack has been a fine companion for the past year and half - keeping me up to date on my email, alerting me when I had appointments coming up, and even being useful for the occasional phone call. Its ease of use was beyond compare and will be truly missed.

The Blackjack is survived by its SIM card, which has gone on to live with Blackjack's successor, the Blackberry Curve.

Upward Part 2

In January, I coached 4th Grade Cheerleaders for Upward Basketball. At the end of the season, they started the recruiting drive for soccer coaches. My brother signed up to coach a 5th-6th grade team and asked me to be his assistant coach. I must have on something that day, because I actually agreed.

Neither one of us knew what we were really getting into...because the 5th-6th teams were all filled by parents, so we got put with a 1st-2nd grade boys team! It has definitely been a challenge. I thought my 4th grade girls had no attention span....these boys have a -5 sec attention span. I can't even get their attention in the first place! They're cute though and it has definitely given me a new appreciation for parents of elementary school boys!

Goodbye Rodney!

This Monday, we celebrated the retirement of my former boss, Rodney. In two years at Sabre (next Monday! Can't believe I've already been there two years!) I have had three bosses. Rodney was the second; he was my boss from Jan - Nov 2007. Even after I stopped reporting to him, we have still worked very closely as he is the operations manager for my product.

Rodney was really great. I learned a lot about technology from him...and I think I was even able to pull him into Marketing-Land once or twice! :) One other thing I've always appreciated was the random life advice he'd throw out every now and then - thoughts on career, investments, taking vacation, blocking lunch time to get out the office, etc. Rodney, I know you'll probably never read this, but I wish you well in the future!

Noise Pollution

This morning as I was driving to work, I spent most of my commute next to a guy on a motorcycle that he had souped up to be really loud. And not just when it was moving - when it was idling too! Being stuck next to that extremely annoying noise while I was driving combined with the fact that I had to sit next to him at 6 different lights literally put me in a bad mood by the time that I got to work. Apparently the world is on a big "green" kick right now....can we lump noise pollution into those initiatives too? If I have to deal with that too many more times, it will be come necessary for ensuring the continued safety of our motorcycle drivers....

Welcome to the 70's, Emily!

My high school government teacher had a theory: most of the world's problems can be traced back to the microwave. She said the microwave made us impatient and feel like we were entitled to what we want, when we want it. Most of the problems stem off of this impatience and entitlement. So for the past 6 months, I have been combating this phenomenon by not having a microwave in my new house. Okay, not really....I was really just too lazy to go get one!

For my birthday, my parents decided to buy me the appliance that now has my house up to the level that most households reached in the 1970's....a new microwave! They not only bought me a microwave - they bought me a really nice GE microwave/vent combo. And today my dad installed it!

Before (you can see the ventihood above the stove):
After (the microwave isn't crooked...the picture is.):
Thanks Mom and Dad!! I can now be a modern woman...no more waiting for food for me!

Things I Could Blog About But Won't

- Work is busy, work is good

- I have found gray strands in my hair for the past three days in a row and its kind of freaking me out

- The fact that I paid $60 to fill up a 15 gallon tank at the gas station today

- How the season finale of The Office was the most depressing and uncomfortable hour of this year so far

- How these lists were so much better when Ryan had a blog. :(

- How excited I am that So You Think You Can Dance starts in less than a week!!!

No A/C = SUCK!!

My air conditioning is broken. It has been broken for 3 weeks. I have a home warranty that supposedly covers the cost of the new coil that I need....but they don't cover the $150 Freon removal charge. Or the $150 old coil disposal charge. Or the $50 permit charge.

The worst part...I know that half those charges are completely bogus. Freon removal should be about $75, there shouldn't BE a coil disposal charge, AND they're going to sell the old coil and get some money for it. But there is nothing I can do about it because the last thing I want to do is make the guy responsible for my A/C repair mad so he'll do a bad job. It just makes me really mad when I think that there are companies out there who make their money purely by cheating other people. Its like the people in the Bible who filled their bags with sawdust instead of flour - just purely dishonest.

Has anyone else had to deal with this? Is it worth calling them out on these ridiculous charges?

The United States of Texas

Today I was doing my daily scan of CNN.com articles, and started reading an article about Jenna Bush getting married. Nice sweet article...President's daughter is getting married this weekend...met her fiance through the 2004 campaign...Ole' W is really excited to be the father of the bride....and then I saw this line:

"As is customary in Texas, Jenna Bush will have a "house party" of 14 women instead of bridesmaids. The first lady's office described them as guests of honor, with no role in the ceremony."

Two things strike me as odd in this statement:
1. They talk about Texas like it is a foreign country. Like we have these bizarre customs and you need your passport to enter.

2. I have been to hundreds of weddings in my lifetime here in Texas....I have never heard of the custom of having a "house party" instead of bridesmaids! I have heard of having a house party in addition to the bridesmaids (as Maggie puts it, it is the time to show your friends what you REALLY think of them by who makes the bridesmaids cut!) They make it sound like this widespread thing that everyone in Texas would immediately know about.

This made me laugh today. :)

Shamelessly Self-Promoting Birthdays since 1983

Happy Birthday to Me
Happy Birthday to Me
Happy Birthday dear Emily
Happy Birthday to Me!

You know you think this is hot...

And what do I get to do on my birthday? Sit in a quarterly planning session from 8am-3:30pm. :( But then my boss is throwing me a bowling party, so thats cool.*

*The bowling is actually a team activity after the planning session and would have happened whether it was my birthday or not...but I think its funny to say that my boss is throwing me a bowling party for my birthday. :)

Bad Bad Day

Today I hit a dog while I was driving to church for a rehearsal. It was devastating. I didn't run over him and I went back to get him. He was just moaning when I picked him up and for the first 15 minutes in the car (rush hour...couldn't get anywhere quickly). But he really rebounded and was SOOO much better by the time we got to the only emergency vet open in the area (about 45 minutes later). He was looking around and sitting up and stuff.

Its amazing how quickly a bond forms in a "crisis". I think he is going to be okay. If I still had Oliver, I would have kept this dog too. Unfortunately, I can't do that. He was definitely a stray and the vet said they would keep him overnight, get him all fixed up, and then turn him over to the humane society. Its so hard having to put ANOTHER dog out there and never get to know how he is again. Even though we were only together for an hour, it was almost as hard to see him go as it was with Oliver. I would have named him Hercules because he survived being hit by a freaking car...he must be strong! Needless to say, I am sad tonight. I feel like I just gave up my puppy all over again. :(

The Tornado Siren that cried Wolf

So I'm sitting here in my living room with my TV off (because its not on a surge protector yet and I don't want a blast of lightning ruining it...plus my satellite is out cause of storms), my blinds open, and a candle lit (waiting for the inevitable power outage that will come any minute now) watching and listening to the storms coming through right now. Oh yeah, did I mention the Tornado Sirens are going off too? And still, I just lounge here on my couch like nothing big is going on.

I'm not an incredibly fearless person by anymeans. Its just they were already going off when I was driving home 30 minutes ago, they went off last week, and they will likely still be going off 30 minutes from now. It kind of sucks, because now even if there were an ACTUAL tornado, I wouldn't be paying attention because this siren goes off so much. I think we need to reevaluate the use of the tornado siren and stop crying "wolf" quite so much with it.

P.S. Is it weird that I have dreams about tornadoes all the time? Because I do and have since I was about 10 years old. I had one just a couple nights ago.

P.P.S. When will people learn that speed limits and stop signs don't count (within reason) when tornado sirens are going off?

Quick Update....

Sorry I've been a little MIA....the past couple of weeks have really been a rollercoaster of emotions and events.

Work got crazy...some good, some bad (I'd say its ended up more good than bad, but just stressful)

I found out that I am allergic to Oliver. I kept him until the Rescue Organization could find him a new home. He went to his new family on Saturday. It was absolutely miserable....felt like I was ripping my heart out. But he really like them and they seem like awesome people. And they're going to keep his name as Oliver, so that makes me happy. I'll be doing an Oliver tribute post later with some of the pictures that I took while he was with me.

Summer Spectacular (Richland Hills' VBS) rehearsals started Sunday. That is 6 hours a week. A lot of work, but my favorite time of year!!

Between all of that, I haven't had much time to do anything interesting, thus the lack of blogging. Hopefully I'll be more interesting soon though!!

Thought of the Day

Why does Wal-Mart make you choose your amount of cash back on a debit card in multiples of $20 if it is going to dispense the cash in $10 bills?