Maraschino's Blog

Oh, brother!

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:32:35 -0700

The sound you hear is the sound of my eyes...rolling to the back of my head...so far, that I can now see the empty chasm that once housed my brain.

(Yes, I am at work. Why do you ask?)

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Overjoyed over a New Toilet

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:00:06 -0700

I was going to title this "Toilet Joys" but with all the potty-inspired posts of mine lately, I decided it may not be the image I want to invoke.

Long story short, the new toilet arrived yesterday. The plumbers are coming today. I'm so excited!!!!!!

As part of my home removation project, I did plan to replace all the toilets in my Barbie House eventually. However, one bathroom had to go to the top of the list and that's the one belonging to my 16-year-old son. Need I say more, really? As much of a clean freak I am, he's just as much all...boy. He's got stuff all over the counter, gadgets (water pik, electric toothbrush, etc.) that he doesn't use all over the place and no amount of straightening up on my part, or cleaning up on the cleaners' parts, will keep those things from cluttering up his bathroom. I, basically, just gave up and kept his bathroom door closed. From time to time, he'll get a clogged toilet. Not to get into the nitty-gritty of things, but it usually works itself out after a short while. Yes, I do own a plunger, but I really dread using it -- especially in his bathroom! Before I went to Bezerkeley, his toilet clogged. I didn't think anything of it, especially since he could use the downstairs bathroom. Just before I left, I noticed that it had been clogged for almost a week. I decided to investigate. It's a good thing I did...but I wish I hadn't.

Just before taking off, I did some frantic on-line shopping, comparing and store hunting to find exactly what I wanted. Thankfully, one of my good friends at work recently had their bathrooms done and recommended a good brand. And by "good," my criteria was that had to NEVER clog! Ever. Because I hate dealing with the issue. I found what I was looking for and placed my order. The next step was to shop around for a plumber. I have used a plumber in the past, but since my PDA died I've felt a bit out-of-touch with my references. The toilet order was placed, and the plumber was lined up. Things were looking up.

This is the build-up to my elation over getting the new toilet. Sad, but true. This is what I get "overjoyed" about these days. If planned better, I should have just gotten all three replaced, but I realized I need to pace these exciting events so I have somthing to look foward to in the near future.

Unfortunately, at this rate, I think new kitchen countertops just might push me over the edge...

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QotD: Culinary Celebrity

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:57:36 -0700

Who's the coolest culinary celebrity?

Why, one of the original Iron Chefs, of course - Masaharu Morimoto! (Ok, I didn't check the correct spelling of the first name so it's just from memory!) Who else could make anything into ice cream?! (Walk away from the squid and the ice cream maker, please!!)

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QotD: Best Buy

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:26:44 -0700

What's the best thing you ever bought off of Ebay or Craigslist?

This:

Maraschino bag

And this:

Maraschino wallet

I was late to the party in buying these when they were still available in stores, so I had to consult eBay to purchase them. I made sure the seller sold authentic merchandise (which she did) and took it them to an LV store to get them authenticated, which they did.

The lesson here, boys and girls, is get "limited edition" stuff while they're still available in stores or you'll pay way too much later on!

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Simpsonized!

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:17:19 -0700

"The Kid" Simpsonized

Maraschino Simpson

I tried to make this as close to "scale" as possible with The Kid being ginormous, but it just looks like my avatar is too small! No -- he really is that big!!

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So Central Rain

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:30:07 -0700

I need to work for the weather department, if there is such a place. It's guaranteed to rain 100% every time I get my car washed. And the more money I spend on washing it, the harder and nastier the rain will be. Heaven forbid if I ever get it detailed! For the past few months, it's been hotter than hades in these parts and I hadn't washed my car because I don't like hanging out at the car wash. Yea, petty, I know. Anyway, all this talk of a drought prompted my son talk me into getting a car wash this past weekend. That, and the fact that there was about 4 inches of dust and grime that had gathered on my car. For the longest time, I thought I had a gray car. Imagine my surprise when they told me my car was done and it turned out to be blue. What I love most about a car wash are the clean windows. I usually clean my windshields at the gas station, but nothing beats the streak-free glimmer of a shiny, clean, hand-washed window. I can see the bugs smashing into them now.

So, my clean car and I drive off into the sunset and what do I see next on the news? A chance of showers within the next two days. Of course, if I left it dirty and dusty, the temperature would climb back to the 100s. So my choices are clean car and a good chance of rain, therefore, ultimately a dirty car, or dusty gray car but sunny skies. I do like having a clean car. But I think the community should pitch in for a car wash each time we need the rain!

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QotD: Primetime Emmys

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:19:05 -0700

What do you think about Ryan Seacrest being chosen to host tonight's Primetime Emmy Awards?

Aw, our little Sprinkles in his own element. I think he'll be as happy as a lark. I, for one, don't watch the show so I don't care who's hosting!

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The Mysterious, Magically Appearing $#!%

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:36:06 -0700

Well, Bezerkeley went well despite the fact I had a raging headache from the night I arrived until the day after I returned. It was my fault, however, because I didn't take advantage of the fact I could have gone to sleep early on Monday, when instead I stayed up futzing around the room, going out for some coffee and ending up falling asleep while watching TV just to wake up to shower because I was feeling gross from having to do manual labor all day. In high heels. Which were not comfortable. Oy! It also didn't help that I had to be at another location at 7:30 the following morning. Double Oy!!

I really need to give mad props to the shuttle service I used from the Oakland airport to Berkeley and back. I had to make my $100 cab fare allowance last so I tried to find economical, yet safe and comfortable, ways to get to and from the airport. One of the helpful airport personnel recommended a shuttle service (since the Claremont didn't have one -- and they call themselves a resort!) which was $10-$20 less than taking a cab. The only caveat is that I may have to share my ride with others, but I didn't care.

The reason I decided to take an earlier flight this year is that I almost missed the evening function last year when I took a later flight. I didn't want to stress-out over traffic, checking in and getting ready just to worry about being late again this year. At first, it didn't look promising when I had to wait 10 minutes for the shuttle driver to leave because he was waiting for more passengers. But, he got me to the Claremont from the airport in 20 minutes! And, he dropped me off before the other passengers. AND, it was way cheaper than a cab, even with tip (which I felt I could be generous about).

However, what really impressed me was the ride back to the airport. Another driver from the same shuttle company got me from Berkeley to Oakland in the middle of 5:00 rush hour traffic in 30 minutes. I $#*% you not. At first, he was going to try to do it in 20, but 30 was already way beyond my expectations. He asked me why I wanted to be at the airport so early as I had an 8:00 flight. Again, last year, I ran into some traffic on the road and in the airport waiting in the security check line. This year, I was at the airport at 5:35 and waiting at my gate at 5:50. The downside is that I had a helluva long wait until my flight! But, the charge was even less this time around. Needless to say, he got a hefty little tip.

So now that I'm back, of course I have all kinds of crap work waiting for me at the office (it ain't going to take care of itself). I didn't take any work home last night because I knew I wouldn't do it. I took work home today, but am I doing it? No, it doesn't seem like it.

As I was making dinner, I also tried to straighten things out for my housekeeper who is scheduled to come in tomorow. I was traipsing back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room, tossing some old magazines into the recycling bag, putting dishes in the dishwasher and doing some general straightening-up. The cat was there, being her usual schitzo self; meowing and looking at me all crazy. Just normal behavior for her. Just as dinner was about to be served, I called The Kid down and told him to go wash his hands. As he approached the dining room table, he asked if the housekeeper was coming in this week, which I confirmed. He then stopped to look at something he may have stepped in. He goes, "what is THAT?" and points to some dark lump on my hardwood floor. Puzzled at not having seen it all evening, I admitted I had no idea. It looked like poop. However, no one knows how it got there. It was right in the path that I would have taken as I straightened up the place. It's too large to be the cat's, and, for the record, cat poop usually looks like tootsie rolls. This looked...different. It kind of looked like a peep.

Peeps

I know what y'all are thinking and I guarantee you it wasn't mine! This plays like a Clue game. Who took a dump in the dining room? Was it the cat? Was it the kid? Was it the anti-germ freak, obsessive-compulsive neat-freak freak?

Clue

Only Colonel Mustard knows. But he isn't talking. Apparently, he was killed in the library. Bludgeoned with a candlestick.

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Going Back To Cal(i)

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 01:46:03 -0700

Time flies and another year has gone by which means that it's time for me to return to Bezerkely (heh) for my annual schmooze & booze fest with the kids. The good news is that I'm not at work for the first 2 days of the week. The bad news is that I'm flying on the anniversary of 9-11. Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but it's rather unsettling. I'm just saying.

Back to the job at hand, at least this year, I know what to expect which is why I'm arriving at the hotel earlier than before. I didn't realize it took forever-and-a-day to get from the airport to the hotel with only minutes to spare before the reception started at another location. Ah, good times.

Another downer is that I'm flying Southwest. It's only an hour flight, however, so I think I can deal. I leave Monday and, as usual, I'm not even packed yet. Since I got rid of my smaller suitcase, I have my giant pink one to lug around. The ironic thing is, all my stuff will probably cram every inch of it! For only two days! I briefly considered taking a hand-carried bag only (yea right) but with my luck, I'd end up having to check it anyway with all the potential "hazards" I may be bringing like hair gel, toothpaste and lip balm. So, better safe than sorry and better to have more room for all my junk than try to minimze and forget something vital like deodorant.

Switching gears for a moment here, am I the only one who didn't get the memo on the importance of having anti-spyware on my computer? Who knew that that was the reason my computer was running slow and causing my internet connection to freeze and stop responding every 5 minutes? I don't even want to say how many items had to be removed! Maybe this is why my PDA has refused to hotsync? Either that, or my PDA just died of old age. I don't exactly know how old it is, but some people refer to it as a chalk board. Anyway, I digress...

Don't forget to vote in the TWoP 2007 Tubey awards!

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QotD: This Is Classic TV

nobody@vox.com(Maraschino) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 01:44:44 -0700

What television show stands the test of time?

This one.

I Love Lucy- Vitameatavegamin

This show still represents some of the best comedy writing in TV history.

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