i just can't get enough

of "nip/tuck." i started watching it a few weeks ago and i can't stop. i'm on season 4 right now ... it's delicious.

you can take the girl out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the girl

over the past week, i have scratched at least 15 lottery tickets. i got some for christmas and kept winning ... so i had to keep going back to establishments such as 7-11 and Circle K to exchange the winning tickets for new ones.

this afternoon i knew i had a problem when my scratching thumb cramped up.

maybe i should call 1-800-GAMBLER?

hey! where are you taking bob?

i've only read about this type of malfeasance. never before have i witnessed it.

"bob" was on the move in toluca lake tonight. super exciting.

merry christmas

"mom, i wish you could be santa's little helper and shut your damn cakehole!"
- matt the motivational speaker

i'm not a prude, but ...

is this really necessary? (as seen in the topanga canyon mall tonight). seriously.

proper nomenclature

sometimes there are samples in the admiral's clubs that companies donate for travelers.

the usual suspects include Airborne, Zicam ... and now DRIED PLUMS.

aren't "dried plums" also refered to as PRUNES? is the term "prune" not proper nomenclature anymore? when did this happen? i guess dried plums is a sexier name that prunes, but wow.

borderline

new nail polish color

kris kringle makes me tingle

it's on the edge of funny and absolutely sick. of course, i went for it and am planning on wearing it at christmas. i think my family will appreciate the step up from thanksgiving's almost black polish.

i am such a rebel. :-)

over the top

maybe i have "sucker" written on my forehead. or "childless." or maybe just "psycho." but the guys at tails in the city - an adorable pet boutique in downtown chicago - just knew that i couldn't turn down the adorable new puppy couture line they're carrying.

lola got two pieces from the line ... a matching cupcake collar and lead. it is super cute ... even if its price tag was over the top.

ah, poor Baby Sink! s/he will just have to deal with over the top Auntie Julie.

heartburn

i guess i am getting old.
heartburn has set in. very, very sad.

24 hours

after being on the road for 7 solid days (2 states, 2 states, 6,000 miles, stinky people on the airplane, etc.) i returned to the following:

• power had gone off at least twice during my absence. joe was home for one of the outages which was caused by a fire on an electrical pole in our neighbor's yard ... oh the drama. and might i add that he called me to report the fire at midnight chicago time? i didn't sleep for several hours worried about lola and our house. when i finally nodded off, the alarm company called my blackberry to advise that our power was out. duh. the other outage happened on the day i flew home.
• the power outages resulted in an hour of me figuring out (with joe ever so patient on the phone as he's in memphis - with a KIDNEY STONE) how to reset all of the our computers, TVs, TIVOs, routers, and clocks. okay, i know how to reset the clocks, but it still sucked up part of the hour fixing all of them.
• my dog pulled a section of her electric fence off of the wall thereby causing a breach in the beach shack security system. i got shocked about 7 times trying to fix it. it's going to stay broken until joe gets home. if she gets out i'm going to freak, but i think she's smarter than that now that she's been undoubtedly shocked several times.
• lola barfed on me two times today.

that's a lot of drama for 24 hours. i am going to bed now before anything else happens.

finally

our christmas cards are finally finished.

i have NEVER finished this late in the season before ... i'm a done around Thanksgiving kinda gal. traveling for a solid week in december has screwed me up! not to mention that our collective lists are up to over 200 cards ... OMG.

joe's out of town until sunday ... so i have three days to get a true headstart on wrapping. one more present to buy ... but that's it. i have never been this far behind. it's giving me indigestion.

me & mrs. claus

mrs. claus was on my flight from chicago to philly last night!

ratatouille?

saw my first city rat friday night. it was HUGE. like a opossum. ew!

two questions

These pictures were taken this morning in the Sofitel Hotel in Downtown Chicago.

A. Who needs a speakerphone in the bathroom? It was super fun to use, but i would rather have a TV over the tub like at the Penisula Hotel in NYC.

B. And when the decision was made to install the speakerphone, was a data port really necessary? who is going to sit on the can (man) and use the laptop? ew.

merry christmas from ventura

i got a parking ticket yesterday in downtown ventura.
bastards.
it was for "not parking in the marked stall." i was kinda over on one side, but seriously, i didn't know i lived in claremont. (i've gotten the craziest parking tickets in claremont ... i think they go around with a tape measure, but i digress.)

so, to be totally honest, i was parked a little crooked because i did made an illegal left hand turn into the space. but come on, it's CHRISTMAS!

the last ticket i got was for speeding in SANTA CLAUS, INDIANA. i'm serious. 2004. maybe christmastime isn't lucky for me. :-(

all in all, i paid $30 to park yesterday and didn't even have someone park it for me. F!