Looks like I may be getting out just in time!


Regular readers may remember that I am still on the Board of Directors for my Condo's HOA. Earlier this week we got the summary of letters that were mailed out to various owners (for whatever by-laws they were violating :P). There was only one. It was about busted pipes causing a leak. My first thought was -- These buildings are only 7 years old... pipes should not be busted already!!!

Come to find out yesterday..... he owner of that unit ran off with a guy in October... and no one knows where she is. The heat was left off... and you can guess the rest! (Oh and she left her car too!)

So now I am worried that if she has been gone since October... has she been making her mortgage payments? Will her unit be getting foreclosed on soon?

Crazy!

I hope my condo sells fast.... I am way past ready to be gone from here!

Title: Virgo Horoscope for January 30, 2009

It's not an ideal day for you to be working in large groups today. You're feeling especially combative, with little if any patience for people who aren't as on the ball as you are. This is a much better day for you to make progress on a solo project like cleaning the house or running errands. Doing something that doesn't require input or cooperation from other people will help you feel productive without having to deal with people who frustrate you.

Looks like I better avoid Potluck Bitch at all costs today!

Sent from my BlackBerry

This morning I checked my iGoogle horoscope and the above is what I was met with. I admit... I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and like things done a certain way (usually my way :P).

But I prefer to think of it as having "high standards". If you don't meet them.... I'm rolling right over you.

Do you think "High Standards" are the same as "Unrealistic Expectations"?

If you want to participate, leave a comment on this post and I will assign you a letter. You then write about 10 things you love that begin with your assigned letter and post them on your blog. When people comment on your posted list, you give them a letter and the chain continues on and on.

The always fun Zipcode assigned me the letter L - so here are my favorite things that begin with L:

1) My L.A.M.B. Carlisle Clutch -

I am a huge Pearl Jam fan. Especially of their live music. Back when I was in college I started collecting many live shows (real bootlegs, to be sure... not the "Official Bootlegs" that the fan club now sells after every tour). I have a crate of Video bootlegs. I also had a large storage bin of cassette bootlegs....perhaps 20-30 shows - each show takes 2 tapes.

I knew I would never be able to sell them on ebay... Pearl Jam offical-dom would be all over my ass... threatening to boot me from the fan club... (so I'd lose my access to awesome concert seats).

I briefly thought of posting them on craigslist. but really who wants tapes anymore?

So last night... I dumped them all in a trash bag :-)

Appears to indicate that I should avoid Potluck Bitch at all costs! :D

Title: Virgo Horoscope for January 26, 2009

People are going to be extra sensitive to whatever you say today, so do your best to offer constructive criticism instead of being just plain critical. While you don't relish the idea of walking around on eggshells all day long, you will be glad you did. The extra effort will prevent them from getting bent out of shape and creating some drama that you just don't need right now. Give these touchy people lots of space throughout the day. Avoid interacting with them altogether if you can.

Sent from my BlackBerry

I came across this widget on another blog.




My current walk score for my home is 26 (that is bad....). After I move I hope it jumps into at least the 70's.

Obamicon yourself!

No thanks!

Supposedly the Treasury Secretary nominee is blaming his failure to pay on Turbo Tax...

Way to throw them under the bus! Apparently the nominee was notified for multiple tax years that he wasn't paying what he needed to. At that point he should have hired an accountant to help him if he was confused about tax laws. How can he expect anyone that works at the IRS to take him seriously?

I love doing my taxes... (YAY Math :P) I am enough of a Dork that I do them by hand and using Turbo Tax and compare! (and yes I am a liberal so I do not mind the paying the taxes part either... if it helps programs and people that need it).

To include Virginia...

Specifically .. Alexandria, and possibly Arlington :P

*Photo taken by my co-worker's wife who is a member of The Sea Chanters

FINALLY!!!

The photo above is the "before" photo. And that patch is no longer! I now have a uniformly white ceiling again.

So about 2 weeks ago I found 2 painters using my local community Yahoo! group. And I had them come out to give me an estimate. (I briefly talked about my ceiling at Thanksgiving and my brother-in-law indicated the job would be about $350-$400.)

Painter #1

He showed, on time. Then proceeded to walk around my condo, and count steps (I guess he was counting square footage). He asked if I still had paint left that matched the wall colors because he indicated since the ceiling was textured it wasn't that easy to do the "edging". I replied that I did. - Estimate - $603 (listing that he was charging me for labor, 3 gallons of paint, and drop cloths).


Painter #2

He showed, 30 minutes late. I pointed out the area I needed painted. He asked me if I already had the paint. I said no. He looked around, and said $350. I said I would make a final decision in a few days.

Then I went back to painter #1 and said that I thought he included the sunroom in the estimate and I didn't need that room done, and asked if he wanted to submit another estimate. He knocked $25 off.

Needles to say I went with painter #2.

He showed, 30 minutes late, with 2 helpers, and his own previously used drop cloths.
Ceiling looks great! No edging issues.

I agree.

(Should be no surprise to anyone that knows me.)

* I was planning to do a long drawn out post fully illustrating my hate for this man, but have decided to be the bigger person :P .


January 20th can not get her soon enough!!!

A sign in one portion of the lot today stated No Parking in the lots this Saturday from 12am - 3pm or cars will be towed!


Sent from my BlackBerry

Have you noticed that my Currently Reading... feature has been stuck on "It Had To Be You" for months?

The reason is mainly due to this :

UPDATES - 3 more items added to list.

Getting ready to officially start the search. First thing to do is make a list of Must Haves and Nice to Haves.

1) Location - Right now I have not settled on a specific location. I would like to be inside the beltway, on the Maryland side. within walking distance to Orange/Blue/Green/Yellow line (but if a bus stop is nearby and can get me there in 15 minutes....I'll take it!). I am so far considering... Cheverly, Hyattsville, and a big chunk of NE (where I can map out houses on ZipRealty - thanks D!) I have a CityPaper from this summer that focused on DC neighborhoods, that I can use to get more details.

2) Central AC - its a must!

3) Up-to-Date fuse box, plumbing, windows, and roof - these are leaning very heavy on the must have side :-)

3) No Upstairs neighbors - Must have!

4)Do not share property-lines with renters - it's a must!

5) Gas cooking - Must!

6) Fireplace - Nice to have

7) 1.5 baths - Must

8) 2 bedrooms - Must

9)Garage - Nice to have

10) Pre-assigned parking - Nice to have... but almost Must ;)

11) Lots of closet space - including walk-in master... linen closet, and kitchen pantry.

12) No neighbors that leave dogs out to bark all day (thanks mom!)

13) House is not on a road with a double yellow-line

14) No heat pump - must have

It's a lot and I know I will have to compromise... but better to aim high! :D

Trying to set up the meeting with the realtor for next week, since my ceiling should be painted Sunday!

If you are like me you do you make-up in the morning and hope it stays put all day long.

A few months ago I stumbled across Urban Decay's Primer Potion (for eyes)...

and it is amazing. Swipe it over your eyelids, then apply eye shadow, and it lasts all day! (and night!) Eve through hazy, hot and humid Metro rides... in cars with no AC!

So this weekend I was at Sephora and looking for something that does the same thing for lips.
And I think I found it. Urban Decay makes a 24/7 lip pencil. I got the pencil in Ozone (aka clear/white). Line and then fill in entire lips, apply lipstick, and/or gloss, and off you go!



So far so good!

Less than a week left and this moron can't even make it through his last media press conference w/o butchering the English language -- "Misunderestimated" is NOT a word!!!!!

*trying to get all of my hate out before Obama's inauguration...

YAY! 24 is back :D

Fellow DC blogger Metro Man featured this on his blog today...I couldn't help but spread the humor.

The real fun starts @ 3:03 :D

It only took 2 weeks...

When we last left the saga...I was waiting for the dealer to call on Monday. They of course did not call... I had to call. (They were supposed to get details from the factory on when the part was supposed to ship.) They put me on hold "to call the factory" . They said the part had shipped, but they didn't know where it was or when it would be delivered - guess they don't have tracking numbers in the Auto Parts industry. The service guy said someone would call me tomorrow when they tracked it down. Of course no one called... so I called. The receptionist said that it showed the part would be delivered that afternoon, and work would start later in the day and probably finish Wednesday.

So I called Wednesday around 2pm.... Service guy indicated they had started working on it... and would probably finish in an hour, and he would call me then... YAY! So I left work at 3pm... Got to Odenton shortly after 4pm. Called dealer... said they needed another hour to get everything all buttoned up. I'm getting my hopes up. I ran some errands...5pm comes. Service Guy actually calls me. Problem is fixed....but the Detail crew has gone home for the day (!) I said I will clean the car myself. Service Guy says ... it's really grubby. I say I don't care. He says he doesn't feel good about giving me the car in the condition its in. Fine I say. What time will it be ready tomorrow. 10am is the response.

Thursday arrives. Service Guy calls at 10:30 and states "Car is all ready". I respond great... I'll be there around 1pm.

I rolled up to the dealer shortly after 1pm... my car is parked right out front.
I get it and check windows, and sunroof, and top going down and up. All is working.

Not sure who the detail team is made up of but it looks like my car was driven through a mud puddle and there is a grease smear on the drivers window! Whatever I'll clean it myself.

Next I go in to finish the paperwork. Its not done. They need to contact VW to get some codes (i think this is because all the work was covered under warranty). OMG!!! They had all morning to get this done.... Needless to say I will not be going back to Ourisman VW.

It's now MARF. LOL!

Sent from my BlackBerry

Coffee may protect against oral cancer!!!

Even I can't believe I finished this one so soon.... but I did have some help with the Holidays :P

I usually go to Starbucks every weekday when I get off the Metro in SW DC, and on weekends if I am out somewhere that there is a Starbucks... like a mall.

So last Wednesday I was off... and since my car was in the shop... I didn't go shopping. Thursday was a Holiday aka recover from New Years Eve. Friday... I got to my Starbucks and they were closed (until 8am - and I never went back).... Saturday and Sunday I didn't go to the mall because my car was still in the shop. Monday and Tuesday... I walked right past the Starbucks... though I think did cast a wistful glance inside :P

6:45am Tomorrow I will be at Starbucks with bells on for my Triple Venti Skim Latte !!!

(Aside - one of the guys I ride the train with asked me this morning... If I had gotten my Starbucks yesterday (we get off at the same metro stop so he usually sees me go in). After I said that I hadn't, he asked me if I was cutting back due to the economy..... I told him no....just something I was doing for myself, and once I got through today, I would be back tomorrow.)

So happy Gossip Girl is back tonight...

Signs flashing at New Carrollton this morning indicate parking will be $4 for the day and Cash Only!

Sent from my BlackBerry

Thanks to R for letting me swipe this (the answers are mine :P)!


Where did you begin 2008?
Haha… I don’t remember ☺ Oh wait… I was stuck in a horrible work situation.


Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No.

Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope (But I did almost cut off my finger when slicing bread!)

Did you have any encounters with the police?
Yep! I filed a police report when my Linus and Lucy rug was stolen :P

Where did you go on vacation?
Atlantic City, New Jersey and New York, New York…. And my couch :P

What did you purchase that was over $500?
A Burberry handbag… to celebrate a new job!

Did you know anybody who got married?
No.

Did you know anybody who passed away?
Yes.

Did you move anywhere?
No.

What sporting events did you attend?
One Nats game

What concerts/shows did you go to?
3 - Pearl Jam, one Solo Eddie Vedder; one – NKOTB reunion

Where do you live now?
Odenton, MD

Describe your birthday.
I went to work ☺ Then Happy Hour... which Potluck Bitch invited herself to :P

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Finally made the decision to sell my condo. (and then got my refrigerator fixed!)

What has been your favorite moment(s)?
Seeing Pearl Jam in NYC!

What's something you learned about yourself?
I won’t let people walk all over me anymore (at least in relation to my career!)

Any new additions to your family?
No.

What was your best month?
March!

What music will you remember 2008 by?
Britney Spears ! Don’t call it a comeback ;)


Made new friends?
Yes.


Favorite Night out?
Pearl Jam in NYC – night 2

Any regrets?
Nope…


What do you want to change in 2009?
I want to change my address !

Overall, how would you rate this year?
8 – may have been a 9 but the end (Potluck Bitch; Rug theft; and car in shop since day after xmas) brought me down in a big way…

What would you change about 2008?
Nothing… I believe everything happens for a reason…

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
Work.

Have any life changes in 2008?
Nope.

Change your hairstyle?
Yes… I went short again!

New BF/GF?
Nope!

Get a new job?
Yes… Started new job in March – major promotion with a hefty raise !

How old did you turn this year?
34.

Do you have a New Year's resolution?
Nope…. I never do well with those…. But I have been doing pretty well with my 101 in 1001 days list!

Do anything embarrassing?
Not that I can remember ;)

Buy anything new from eBay?
Nope.

What was your favorite purchase?
My Burberry Handbag!

Get married or divorced?
Nope

Get arrested?
Not yet :P

Did you watch American Idol?
Nope

Did you get sick this year?
No.

Start a new hobby?
Well… is Facebook a hobby?

Been snowboarding?
Nope

Are you happy to see 2008 go?
If you asked me 2 months ago I would have said no… but after the last 6 weeks.. Yes!

Drank Starbucks in 2008?
Of course…. It’s my first stop when I get off the metro!

What are you wishing for in 2009?
I am able to easily sell my condo… and get into a new home… free of upstairs neighbors and renters :P

Is how you will spend the entire year. Which if its true, does not bode well for my car situation :(

Christmas Night I left my Aunt's (In Bel Air) and went to my car... there was some condensation on the windows, so I lowered them all, and raised them... except the drivers side window did not go back up :( The family pulled on it for a while, but no luck. It was down for the count. I drove to Perry Hall and crashed at my Parents... (couldn't leave my car overnight on my parking lot with a wide open window... what with all the recent crime!).

The next morning I got up at 6am, and drove back to Odenton, with a wide open window, in sub-freezing temps! (This is probably part of the reason I have a head cold :P) Quick shower and off to the dealer... I was there shortly before 8am...First in line!

They got my info, and I headed off to the waiting room with my book. About 2 hours later they came to the conclusion that it was a bad motor (covered by warranty!) but they didn't have the part in stock... and said it would probably be ready Tuesday. So they gave me a rental.... but Enterprise has some wierd "No Fault" clause where my Geico insurance won't cover me if someone else hits me ...And they want to charge me $20 a day for it... I declined becasue I knew it would be at least $100 total and I was only mainly planning to drive to the train station for work.

So I get through the weekend... head back to work... No Word from dealer on Monday. Tuesday arrives... no word by noon (and after some minor drama at work I decided if my car was ready I was going to leave at 1:30 to catch a 2:20 MARC train). So I called... and was on hold for ever (which I took as a bad sign, I figured they forgot to order the part). The service guy finally came back and said the part was not in yet, and they would get back to me.

So Wednesday arrives and I decided I would give them until noon again, because if I didn't get my car back I was going to have to change my plans (to be not going out because I wouldn't take the chance of having the rental get hit with all the New Years crazies on the road). Dealer called around 11:30 - The part had come in ... and they installed it the day before, but now they needed another part (window regulator - this helps the window go up and down). And this part is on Backorder... but they added a red flag for me to its at the top of the list (though I suspect anyone that needs this part is without a driveable car - so not sure of how much it will help). Luckily after I went and canceled my New Year's Eve plans, a good friend said she would pick me up.. YAY!

Friday Arrives... no word from dealer.. So I called at 2pm. Service guy said they needed to call the factory and he would get back to me. So around 5 the dealer calls me back... said the factory didn't really have any info for them... and they needed to call back on Monday (then went on to blame the Holidays for throwing them off).

So now I have no idea when I may get my car back.... and if I had taken the extra insurance coverage I would be at $220 thru this weekend :(