Go Speed Racer, Go!
I got the coolest offer for this weekend. As you're probably aware, this weekend is Labor Day weekend, and I have Monday off from work. I stopped into my MINI dealership to take care of something and my salesguy says to me, "What are you doing this weekend?" Me, the perpetual skeptic, is wondering why the hell this guy is so interested in my personal life. He sensed my apprehension and explained why he was asking:
The local MINI's owners group and dealership are holding an event this weekend. They are going to Lime Rock Park with their cars. I'm not sure if we'll be able to get on the track, but could you imagine? What is this you say, speed LEGALLY??? But alas, I don't have my MINI yet. But wait! The salesguy offered me a loaner car to use for the day. I might get to drive a car that isn't mine really, really fast. How cool is that? At the very least, we'll enjoy a great ride up to the track.
I can only hope that if I race, I'll get to wear a helmet like Speed Racer. I will be sure to post pictures!!!
MINI Mama
Well, this weekend I did the deed. I went down to my friendly neighborhood MINI dealership and put a car on order. The cars are backordered until November, but at that time, I will be the proud owner of a 2006 MINI Cooper! The color, you ask? Purple Haze of course! This will make my third purple car in a row. It's my first new car, too!
Below is a picture that shows what my new car is going to look like. It is based upon the actual build I chose, so it's legit. Check it out:

It's so cute you want to crush it! Only... please don't.
I had originally chose the color of
electic blue... it's such a fly color. Unfortunately, mere hours before my first trip to the dealership, I learned that this color was discontinued for the 2006 model year. We searched for local dealerships with the car I was looking for. We found one down by D.C. (in Maryland, actually), but they didn't want to give it up, since it's the last of its type. The Boy and I considered making an adventure of it and going down to the dealership to purchase the car. In the end, we decided it was just too much of a hassle and yesterday we went back to the dealership to put in our order.
Now it's just a waiting game. Within a couple of days, I will get a link where I can track my MINI's progress through the build process. Expect regular updates on the status.
I'm so excited I could scream!
We are the Champions!
Last night, my rec softball team won the championship game to clinch our league's title. It was a really good game with a low score, which is rare for slow pitch.
Now, the team we played against has been our nemisis over the past two seasons. We have played them 7 times in the past two seasons, and this is the first time we beat them. It's not that they are a better team, we just are really flat when we play them. We don't hit, we make stupid errors... silly stuff. In fact, our losses to them are the ONLY ones we had in the past two seasons. They beat us in the championship game last year. That one was a heartbreaker... we had a lot of injuries in that game.
So, hooray for Donavan's Reef and goodbye to another successful and fun softball season!
Geek Blog
You may (or may not) have noticed that I have created a new blog. It's called the culture of communication. This is something that I am doing for one of my grad courses this semester. Each member of my class will be creating a blog where they will post interesting things from the field of Interactive Media.
It will also be a place where we will be building ideas for our research papers. The shape of that blog will change a lot over the course of this semester. Check in every now and again. You may learn about some new piece of technology or hear a new view on something that you already know about.
I'm pretty curious to see how this all turns out myself.
Not Everyone Loves a Mullet
Said by Kristin while discussing the controversal topic of the re-emergence of mullets into polite society:
K: what kind of consipiracy fights to secretly bring back the worst haircut in history? just because jesus rocked it doesn't mean it's right.
K: WWJD? He'd get a haircut.
K: Clean that shit up a little
The 31st Annual Milford Oyster Festival
This past Saturday, the Boy and I went to the Milford Oyster Festival, something that we've both done since we were little kids. We visitied Wanda's Sugar Shack, which is the best place around to get penny candy. Wanda still owns the place, and when we told her how we were customers twenty years ago, she gave us pens. I have to say, I welled up with tears a little bit. It was a really cool blast from the past.
However, credit for the best Oyster Fest story goes to my friend Sarah. It's such a good story, I need to quote it verbatim:
Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at the 31st annual Milford Oyster Festival. I don't like oysters (or most seafood other than the mainstream fishes, for that matter), but the Oyster Fest is more of a town fair type deal than an all-out day of oysters, with live music, food and beer, and vendors hawking homemade soap, cheap and not-so-cheap jewelry, and other assorted tschotskes. J's mom and aunt are on the organizing committee, so it was obligatory (sort of) that we make an appearance.
We arrived in time to catch a funk band we wanted to see, and then headed over to browse the craft/crap booths. Rode the ferris wheel (first time in AGES), ate some greasy food, and then started to head out the way we'd come in--through a short dirt path up a hill through some woods. As we approached the path in the woods, we noticed a man who'd just fallen on his face, right at the bottom of the hill. J was the first to notice that the man had clearly pissed himself. We chuckled and watched as a good samaritan helped Monsieur Pissypants to his feet and up the hill (attempts to lead him to the less steep path were unsuccessful). After much stumbling, he finally made it up the hill, which lead to a residential neighborhood.
The good samaritan and his family left Monsieur Pissypants to make his way home "roundddaaggghhcorrrnnnerr", and J and I decided to follow behind him as he meandered down the street, wobbling this way and that, to make sure that he did not intend to get into a car. He made it about a block before wandering into the corner of someone's front yard. There he stood, swaying precariously as J and I approached. J asked "you alright, man?" Monsieur Pissypants slurred "yaaaaaamarright" and then proceeded to plummet face-first directly into a large evergreen bush. He rolled onto his back, still crushing a large branch or two, exposing his unzipped, piss soaked jeans. J says he started to twitch, but at that point I was across the street trying to take a picture with my cameraphone (sorry, it sucks):
Credit to Sarah for thinking fast with her camera phone
J tried to get his mom or aunt on the phone, to see if some cops might like to come assess the scene, but before he could reach anyone, the homeowner came out scowling, as if we knew the drunken log of flesh who'd taken up residence in her yew. We assured her we did not. We discussed the next step, and the last I heard out of Monsieur Pissypants was something like "aaagghnnndunncallgghhcops." Too late, buddy.
J's brother M, after hearing the story, suggested that the Milford Mirror run a picture of Monsieur Pissypants--in all his bush-crushing, pants-moistening glory--the following day, with the headline "Oyster Festival a Huge Success".
To quote
Kristin "i cant stop saying it. 'its so wrong'... lol."
Thanks, Sarah. This is truly amateur journalism at its best!
The Glorious Return of the Mullet
The Boy was reading the New York Times before bed last night and happened upon a very interesting article. Come to find out that the mullet is making a comeback in a big way in Moscow. It brings me great joy to see the mullet claw it's way from the depth of embarassing hairstyle you never admit you had to totally hip and now. It just warms my heart.
This reminds me of a friend of The Boy and me (name omitted to protect the mullet). Please note that this tale is not meant to mock in any way, shape, or form. Anyways, about ten years ago, The Boy and I worked with said friend. He had the most fabulous mullet; thick, full, and very well kept. We never said anything... we didn't care. It was a part of who he was. Since then, he's cut it off and is barely recognizable. Luckily, his mother has a picture at her house of him in his mullet glory.
Many years later, we arrive at a Halloween party at this friend's house. He answers the door wearing a mullet wig and the mustache he used to sport grown in. To The Boy and I, this seemed completely normal. The thought isn't this supposed to be a costume party? actually crossed my mind. He asked us why we never told him about the status of mullets, to which we replied that we never judged him. The fact of the matter is that we thought it was great, and screw anyone who didn't. We do like to tease about it now and then, though.
It's great to see the mullet rise out of the ashes like the mighty Phoenix. Hopefully the trend will make its way back here to the States. Maybe we can convince old friends to relive the glory days? Only time will tell...
Profiled!
I think this about sums it up! I may actually be the greatest person of all time, at least according to the handful of questions I answered on a random online site. Except instead of constantly talking about rabbits, I'm always talking about dogs.
You're Watership Down!
by Richard Adams
Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.
Inspired by Sarah
Traumatized
Okay... the most fucked up thing happened yesterday. Like life-alteringly crazy.
I'm trying to get in shape for the wedding, and it's been a struggle. I've been working hard to eat right and I just started to get into a workout routine. The Boy and I bought a groovy exercise bike over the winter and I've been doing my best to use it, with varying degrees of success.
Anyways... last night, I get myself pumped up to do it and put my sneakers on, which are in the bedroom by the bike. I put my bare foot into it and felt something in the toe. I figured it would get annoying while I was on the bike, so I took the shoe off to get whatever it is out.
Yes, you guess it. A spider. A FUCKING HUGE spider. I am deathly afraid of spiders, irrationally so. I start screaming bloody murder and run into Dave's office, where he is on hold with his credit card company. I demand that he drop everything and dispose of this spider, because it was headed for the bed. He goes into the room and exclaims, "Damn, that's a friggin huge spider." Not exactly the response I was after.
Dave takes my shoe and takes care of my shoe intruder (sorry S). At this point, I'm ready to throw the shoes away. I wore sandals on the exercise bike and made Dave thoroughly inspect the bed and sheets before I got into bed. I swear, if that spider had disappeared before I got back there, I would have gone to a hotel. I'm afraid to wear any closed-toe shoe anymore. This will take some time to recover from. I keep reliving the feel of it moving around in the shoe and it FREAKS ME THE FUCK OUT!!!!!!
Now, I know what people say... You eat x number of them in your sleep, they're harmless... blah, blah, blah. I don't want to hear it! And I even know that there are those of you with clinical bug experience who can legitimately back it up. I just ask that you please, please, please spare me the details. I was this close to sleeping on the couch last night.
Wrong on so many levels...
Okay... judge for yourself. The Boy, sweet as he is, drives up to meet me at work last week so that we can go out to lunch. We go to Sierra Grill, which is a really good fast-foody Mexican place... totally yummy. We're eating and I notice that he's wearing this shirt:

I know that he's a boy and just throws on whatever is lying around before going out, but you'd think he might have made the connection. He's just so blissfully unaware sometimes, it's almost cute.
I guess I can't criticize too much... I bought him the shirt for his birthday. I just hope they didn't spit in our food when no one was looking.
What I Did on My Summer Vacation – Engagement Party
On July 30th, my parents threw The Boy and I a fabulous engagement party. It was the first formal opportunity that our families have had to meet since we’ve been together these two and a half years.
Everything was great. Everyone brought tasty food and the weather was beautiful. There was a slip and slide for the kids and a moonwalk. The kids think it was for them, but it was really for us immature grown-ups. We even almost wrecked it. You see, Dave, his friend Mike (in the wedding party), and I were all happily bouncing around inside. Then out of nowhere, Dave and Mike reverted back to little boys and began wrestling. I’m meeping and trying to hop out of the way, when all of a sudden, Mike hauls off and DROP KICKS Dave, and they both go flying off of the sides, toppling the over like so:

Please note my father yelling at me from outside of the moonwalk. ME!! At the same time, my brother runs over and pulls the plug, making it
deflate around us, convincing the boys that they broke it. Good times, good times…
We even had a celebrity in our midst. Our good friend Darren Brass of
Miami Ink fame came up Miami to celebrate. We were so happy to see him!
Some pictures of the festivities:
Dave and the Inlaws
Unexpected Appearances from Good Friends
Everyone Loves Good Food
A Gathering of Good Friends and Family
All in all, everyone had a fabulous time, which is really what it’s all about. Many thanks to everyone who spent the day with us and brought us food, gifts, and love. Special thanks go out to my parents, who went all out and hosted a fantabulous party. We love you!!
Sneak Preview
I'm headed out for vacation, but wanted to give you a sneak preview of posts to come. Check out Dave breaking his vegetarian edge and the engagement party.
More details to come when we get back!!!