You get two videos for the price of one today, and both for very different reasons. I’m not sure I care to expand on those reasons, I think I would just like you to enjoy the videos for what they are.
Florida Recap… March 24, 2009
We’re back, safe and sound. The trip was way too short with more travel than seeing and doing, but it was still really nice to get away, and I had a great time with The Hippy and his family. We spent the first night in Fort Lauderdale, of which I have no pictures. It was late, and neither of us had had more than an hour or two of sleep in the last 24 hours. We did eat at a really great pizza joint in Weston, so if you’re ever out that way, definitely stop at Pizza Heaven.
Day two was an unfortunately long drive to the Keys. Long, but worth it. We made a pit stop in Key Largo, and from that point on in the trip, I sang Beach Boys songs in my head. There, we saw the African Queen.
Nope, never saw the movie.
Then… drive drive drive.
Old bridges are missing chunks
To Sugarloaf Key.
Sugarloaf Key KOA=nearly heaven. Nearly.
Heaven except that it was a titch too cold and windy for lil ol’ me and there was karaoke at the pub where we spent St. Patrick’s Day evening. I also discovered that if I haven’t had a good amount of sleep in 48 hours, and I’m cold, making fun of me repeatedly about my hoodie will, in fact, make me cry and make you feel like an ass.
Next day, relaxing, picture taking, and Key West. Okay, we went to Key West on St. Patrick’s Day too, but that was a bust. Let’s forget about that.
But(t)... Why?
For some reason, among all his really great pictures, The Hippy decided to take a picture of my butt. At least it’s not nearly as huge as I thought. (I have just been informed that it doesn’t look big because of the lens used. He was promptly punched.)
Wandered ’round Key West for hours, seeing all the cool stuff on Duval, before heading to Mallory Square (I think?) for their sunset festival thingy. Lots of street performers, but we only watched one: an awesome comedian with a magic act. No pictures of him, sadly. But he was funny AND really good at magic. Suffice it to say.
dark, but tons of people
Last day was the Everglades where there are scary monsters.
Agligator
Honestly, I loved the air boat ride, but aligators scare the crap out of me. The big one kept circling the boat. He kept looking right at us. Not cool. I would still do it again. I would, and will, do the whole trip again.
Stay Back Stay a Live! March 12, 2009
I had to stare at a school bus with that written in the dust on the back exit door. I had to stare at it for a very, very long time today. Longer than anyone, let alone an editing freak should have to stare at “Stay a Live.”
I had to stare at it because I decided to take a new route home today. Let me amend this by saying I adore this new route. It drives through a little neighborhood that I, for some reason, feel incredibly drawn to. Like if The Hippie and I were to move again tomorrow, that’s where I’d move. If I could afford it. Which I probably can’t. It reminds me of many of the places I’ve called home, regardless of whether I’ve lived there or not. It has the best of nearly every world. Everything close by, quaint mainstreet, gorgeous boulevards and houses, and a train.
There are two things I require of a place in order to feel like home. Airplanes and trains. I grew up within a stones throw of both a train track and an airport, and those sounds are comforting to me.
I do not, however, like getting stuck waiting for a train to go by. Which is where I found myself today, staring at the back of the bus. I should have known better. There always seemed to be a train going over the highway when I went home at 3. But I didn’t even think about the fact that this route would take me over, not under, the tracks.
Don’t get me wrong. I find trains fascinating. But this train was obscenely long. Which is always fun when your gas tank is almost on E, no?
I need a garage March 9, 2009
I kid you not, folks. The second I get a garage, or even a shed, I am getting this:
I recently drove through a suburb on my way to work, and my desire to own that exact scooter went up tenfold. Compound that with the fact that I’m sure gas prices will go up again eventually… Want.
I know last year I said I would hold of because of insurance, but I think the insurance would be cheaper than what I spend on gas. Plus it’s so pretty, haha. According to reviews it’s highly rated. It’s got great oomph, which means I could take it on the freeway if I wanted, but I wouldn’t want.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, though. My truck is still kicking, and while it doesn’t get the best gas milage, I love it dearly and really hate driving cars. I’m sure I would get used to driving a car, but I find them uncomfortable because I’m so damn short. A scooter would at least give me a quarter to a third of the year with better gas milage, without having to give up my truck. But like I said… I need a garage… or a shed… first.
Mosaic Meme March 7, 2009
DIRECTIONS:
- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.
- Save the image for use in this note.
- Post and tag all your friends.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Cop Out 
Enjoy your weekend.
The week everything went wrong March 6, 2009
Actually, things going wrong is a common theme around these parts. It’s pretty much why I haven’t sewn in forever. Because I keep failing, and it’s depressing the hell out of me. Anyway…
I tried making grilled cheese sandwiches for The Hippie last night. Grilled cheese, people. Short of burning it, I thought grilled cheese was impossible to screw up. Apparently I was wrong. Either the bread or the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter was to blame, but the sandwich would not grill. It merely stuck to the bottom of the pan, smushing the bread at the mere thought of flipping it. What was left was a soggy, buttery, disgusting mess. Anything that browned stuck to the pan. Anything that didn’t just smushed up into a misshaped blob. The Hippie came in to try his hand and the same thing happened. He ended up eating the sandwiches, but he said they were pretty bad.
About five days ago, I tried to make ice cream. I’ve been making ice cream successfully thus far, but for some reason this batch will not ice. I tried it twice before reading that maybe I was filling to drum too much. So today I’m trying it again with way less of the mixture. Still it’s just half and half floating around in a bucket. I’m resigned to throwing it out now. I’m convinced there’s a problem somehow with my mixture, but I have no clue what that could be. It’s just a standard eggless vanilla ice cream recipe. It’s not fancy, it’s just not working.
Before I chuck the mix, does anyone have any suggestions? What can I do with ice cream that won’t ice??
Running Joke… March 6, 2009
My business partner/dear friend and I have this running joke that local news guy Jason DeRusha is my best friend. I’ll be honest; I’ve never spoken to the man. He seems awesome, and his mother-in-law has bought a bunch of cozies from us, but we’re only friends in the facebook sense of the word. So I was quite happy to report to her just now that my best friend is hilarious. And I’ll share it with you, too.
Pillow Talk March 5, 2009
Oh, he’ll never forgive me for this. Thankfully, he hates blogs and will likely never, ever read this. And if he does, I’ll just have an excellent excuse to high-tail it for Newfoundland.
Every so often, The Hippie gets into a “cozy” mood. He curls up in bed, gets kind of giddy, and we end up talking and laughing half the night away. The other night I was goading him into being mushy. It doesn’t work, but I keep trying anyway. I asked him why he loved me, and he said “You’re pretty….” I had already listed off a number of reasons why I loved him, and “you’re pretty” was all he could come up with. Finally I got him to say “You’re pretty, you’re smart, and you put up with my shit.” I conceeded that I loved him because he put up with my shit too.
A few minutes passed, and I said, “You know, if we every get married, we really shouldn’t write our own vows: Because you’re pretty, you’re smart, and you put up with my shit.” He just laughed at that and then quietly said “Meh.”
One night a few weeks ago, he kept saying “meh” real quietly. The more he repeated it, the more insistent his “mehs” became. Finally I said “I just don’t know what that means!” and he replied “It means I love you.”
After he laughed and said “Meh” I repeated our craptacular vows: You’re pretty, you’re smart, and you put up with my shit. Meh.
Meh.
Happy Birthday to YOU! March 2, 2009
My birthday isn’t until September, but I’m in a very birthday mood today. Today’s Everyday Cheapskate was about joining the memberships that businesses offer. I’ve always belonged to a few memberships here and there, but I don’t really do anything with them. But Mary’s advice was: if it’s free, sign up for it.
She linked to Free Birthday Treats which keeps track of the businesses in your area that give you free or discounted goodies on your birthday. It’s like being a celebrity, only far less conspicuous. So, no matter how many candles you find on your *ahemFraggleahem* cake, you can enjoy a month of living like you would live if you didn’t have to worry about all the bills.
They have a section for pets too!
Most businesses will let you sign up your entire family at one time, so not only will you get one month of fun, but everyone in your family can have their own month. Or you could just let them sign up with their own darn email. Whatever. But if you have kids that you don’t want signing up for stuff on their own, it’s a good option to have.
