Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal

_{my christmas tree}

I do love this Christmasy time of year.  And as always, it’s eventful in my sister’s house.  And as always, I get woken up by someone for sleeping late.  This time it was the niece who came to my room and went, “wake up ya lazy head.”  I did NOT teach her that, but apparently someone else did.  I asked for 5 more minutes then she tattled on me that I wouldn’t get out of bed, so I was threatened.  2 year olds.

When we left for the second part of the day, I had to ride with my dad.  Sweet baby Jesus.  For one, it’s a great thing I didn’t take a nap cause we would have ended up at the Dulles airport or in the heart of DC.  My dad knows how to get to a ton of places, but he does not pay attention to where he’s going.  At the toll, he put is in the cash one for the airport.  Then in lower Rockville, he thought he recognized where we were, but made a wrong turn and I had to get us back on the right track.  Not to mention he drives in the middle of the road and jerks the car when he realizes he’s going to hit another car.  It’s no wonder that I feel the urge to puke when someone says “you’re riding with Dad.”  So after praying so hard that I would survive this hour drive, we arrived at our destination.

On the way home, he drove in the middle of the road, stopped at a green light, almost ran a red light and I texted a friend saying pray for me, I might not make it.  Then, when we were 5 minutes from the house, he stopped the car in the middle of the road.  BACKED UP in the middle of the road, close to a hill where a car could come flying up and hit us.  I asked what on earth he was doing.  His reply?  “I want to look at that herd of deer.” dead serious.

Soundtrack for . . . What Happened to That Artist?

1) The Thong Song by Sisqo (click here to listen) this was a #1 back when MTV had TRL and played videos

2) Graduation (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C (click here to listen) remember her? weird colored hair.

3) Mesmerize by Ja Rule feat. Ashanti (click here to listen) he was in the fast and the furious (1st one) then poof, no more

4) Foolish by Ashanti (click here to listen)

5) What Would You Do? by City High (click here to listen) this plus caramel and that’s the last i’ve heard of them

6) Never Had a Dream Come True by S Club 7 (click here to listen) they can stay away…i hate this song, but it was a big deal at one time

7) Butterfly by Crazy Town (click here to listen)

8 ) Every Morning by Sugar Ray (click here to listen)

9) All Star by Smash Mouth (click here to listen) they did a song for Shrek 1…

10) The Reason by Hoobastank (click here to listen) i have this CD somewhere in my basement

i am now a seasoned traveller

in my young years of 23.5, i’ve already reached seasoned traveller status. this is how it was supposed to happen: flight from BWI to LAX, drive from LAX to Palos Verdes, board meeting, drive from Palos Verdes to LAX, flight from LAX to BWI, drive home.

this is how it really went. flight from BWI to LAX (got in early), drive from LAX to Palos Verdes (smooth), board meeting (fine), drive from Palos Verdes to LAX (some traffic, but got there on time), flight from LAX to BWI = Fail.

the following is the story of my trip home:
i was set to fly from LAX to BWI on wednesday. landing at 7:20. we had a small window to get in and then i was going to stay at my friend’s house who lives 10 minutes from the airport

no dice, so we circled BWI for 20 minutes until we got re-routed to Pittsburgh
i was like, fine, at least i’m in my normal time zone and i can start to readjust
we landed, got our bags, got a new flight and said to go see customer service to get a hotel
fine, great, just let me shower and sleep
this happens. i can’t control the weather

i was sent to a hotel and waited in line for 3 hours. 3 or 4 US Airways crews were there plus other passengers

3 hours to find out i didn’t have a room

so i paid extra to go to another hotel (i couldn’t look up numbers because both phones had died), so another gentlemen called, saved 5 rooms and took 5 of us
1:30 am i had finally showered and gotten in bed

next day, made it through security and all. got on the plane to sit on the tarmac for 45 minutes
landed in BWI late and then i had to go to oversize baggage
i knew what to do
so i stood there to wait for it
the asian lady who could barely speak english goes, what you waiting for?

i said my banner tube., it came in on the pittsburgh flight.
she goes, “well, bag come in over der on belt.”
i said, i know. i have my bags. i’m waiting for the tube, which will come out here.
she goes, “no, you not understanding. bag come out first over on belt.”

in my mind i’m like, wtf am i not understanding here? i have my bags. i need my tube…
and i go, “again, i have my bags. i need to wait HERE for my over sized banner tube. i was told to wait here, so i’m in the right spot.”:
she barely helped anyone. staring blankly and finally shrugging or nodding

and when the flight’s stuff came out, this group was able to grab all of their equipment, no questions asked
people grabbed their car seats
freaking lady goes, “i need see claim slip”
“i wasn’t given one.”
“fine. i need see ID.”
so i got it out and showed her.

she stared at it for 30 seconds. checked my tag, looked at my ID, looked at me and goes, “fine, you can take”
SERIOUSLY! meanwhile, i’m texting christi and she goes, who else would carry a tube like that without knowing exactly what’s in it

i parked at fast park, and even dad said, it’s their responsibility to help their customers get out
i was like, dude, just hand me a shovel and i’ll go to town
this old fat guy was my driver, i ask him for the shovel and he goes, “oh, you need help getting out?”
1) he had just helped another customer and 2) YES, there’s like 4-6 inches sitting behind my tires and car
he takes 2-3 inches off and goes, you should be fine
um, again, 4-6 inches behind my tire

i drive a volvo
i will NOT be fine
well, he gets back on the bus with his shovel (he wouldn’t let me borrow it)
and watches me as i continue to dig around with my ice scrapper
he goes, ma’m, you should be fine
and i said, again, i know my car, i will not be able to make it over this

he goes, well, move it up forward a little and then try
THERE’S A FUCKING PILE OF SNOW IN FRONT OF MY CAR
so he drove off and 2 nice guys came to help
i’m like, SERIOUSLY

so mom and dad use this as a lesson and i’m like, no no, stop. i don’t need a lesson right now. i need to vent and i need to sleep. i’m fine. i know how to handle situations. go away

therefore, i am a seasoned traveller. i will laugh about this in 5 years.

Cleaning is a beast

tonight i got an odd inspiration to hang my pictures that have been sitting on my floor since i painted my room.  that would be about 6.5 months.  as i’m hanging, i’m noticing that there’s dust on the carpet and make a mental note that it’s probably time to vacuum.  let me make it known that i hate, loathe, abhor, despise and whatever other synonym you want, vacuuming.  i don’t know why, but i hate it. i would make deals with my roommates saying, i will clean the bathroom your week and my week if you always vacuum. no one ever turned it down. however, there was one semester i did get obsessed with cleaning because i had classes only 3 days a week and my roommate and i shed a lot of hair.

anyway, after i hung the pictures, i vacuumed and then decided i should dust as well. i also hate dusting. why? because it always comes back.  so i walk down the hall to get endust and a rag.  i pass by my parents’ room and call out to my mom.

“mom, i hate dust!” i said on the first pass by.  she says nothing to this outburst.
“it’s like split ends, black heads and clingy boys. you can NEVER get rid of it!” i say on the second pass by.  this time she acknowledges my outburst.
“only you would make that analogy, stacie.”