It's snowing!!!

My little snow dance worked!! There is a blanket of white everywhere I look...

Snow, snow... Joyous snow...

I hope it keeps going all day...

Death-defying...

My office is situated on a bit of a hill. Because of this, the parking lot next to my window is about head-high when I am seated at my desk.

In that building resides a shipping place. Which means UPS and Fed-Ex trucks come and go all day long. Because the parking lot is so small, the trucks pull in and then back into a space so they can get back out with minimal fuss. The problem?

This...

The trucks, being driven by idiotic men (I'm sure), come screaming back at warp speed, hitting the parking curbs and bouncing off of them. FYI, these curbs are not really anchored down...

And as you can see, the distance from the butt 

of the truck to my window is not a lot...

I'm afraid one of these days one of those trucks is going to end up in my lap...

CPSL meet BBB...

I'm still trying to get my money from that slimebucket CPSL. So, I took Clown's advice and decided to report him to the BBB to see if that might spur him the correct direction (as a side note: I'd like to be able to actually spur him with my real spurs and get some action. That would be very satisfying).

I decided to go this route because it's free to me and I don't wanna have to lay out any money to get my money if I don't have to. I'm just hoping that this gets me the $639 I'm owed.

That would make my life life much easier right about now...

When somewhat servicable technology goes wrong...

A few weeks ago, RR got a new phone... the Droid X.

It is an awesome phone for 2 reasons. 1) It does some very cool stuff and has some very cool apps (I'm having a bit of app jealousy). 2) It works with RR's bluetooth so that he doesn't go around doing this anymore:

The rubber bands do explain my difficulty with communication sometimes...

They were cutting circulation off to his brain...

I want to know what the people driving by thought?

I'd be terrified...

But Oregon is now a hands-free state and he didn't want to break the law. Thank goodness I knew nothing about any of this until the phone was long gone... otherwise I think I might have taken a sledgehammer to it. It does make him look a little crazy though...

Also, it's Farmer's 29th (for real) birthday today. Make sure and wish him a happy birthday in the comments. Love you, my friend. Hope it's a great day...

Well, that didn't go well...

This weekend I'm supposed to be delivering Aspen to her new owner. Actually there were a lot of things that were supposed to happen this weekend...

Friday:

Get up at the crack-of-ridiculous and get the truck and trailer ready to go. Drive over the pass to the Parental's. Hang with BooBoo, Flip-flop and others while my sis (BooBoo) looks at wedding dresses (she's in town this weekend with her soon-to-be in-laws). Have din-din with the whole fam dam. Crash at Bff's house.

Saturday:

Again, up at the crack-of-ridiculous and on the road to Farmers. Arrive and round up equine (Aspen and Flash... because if I'm picking up one might as well grab both). Clean up said equine. Load and drive back to Portland. Pick up Bff and her daughter. Then back to the coast. Drop Flash off up at Mower's. Stick Aspen in a stall. Collapse into bed.

Sunday:

For the last time this weekend, up at the crack-of-ridiculous. Load up Aspen. Head out to deliver her to Southern Oregon. Drop her off. Pick up some money. Head back to the coast. Send Bff and daugher back to Portland. Die...

Instead it went something like this:

Was up at the crack-of-ridiculous. Looked outside and swore... it's snowing. Packed the truck. Got on the road. 10 miles out of town I ran into this...

Ummmm... yeah. Not quite what I was hoping for...

At this point I was only just starting into the pass and it was already bad. And, after the trailer tried to drag me off the road twice, I decided it was time to turn around. 

Wow, it's really snowy out here...

The problem? No where to turn around. So, I ended up dropping the trailer and heading back to town with just the truck. I also stopped to pull a guy out of the ditch, because I'm nice like that.

So, horse delivery is not happening this weekend. I need a less inclement weather type of situation. But I still need to go round the trailer back up. 

I'm just hoping at this point that it stops snowing sometime this weekend...

Someone for everyone...

This kind of ties in with yesterday's post. And I've had this discussion with many people, but I don't think I've ever blogged about it.

First question. Is there someone for everyone?

Second question. Do you only get one shot at "happily ever after"?

First: I think there is someone for everyone. But you have to be open to finding it. If you are a grumpy, closed-off, pessimistic person chances are your someone will just keep right on going.

Which brings me to...

Second: I think you get more than one chance at true happiness. I don't think that there is only one person in the whole world who fulfills that happiness. I think that there are many people who fit that bill and that it depends on where you are in your life and how open you are to it as to whether that person "sticks" or not.

But it all comes down to this: Love is work, people. Without the work, the love dies. I think that flames that burned earlier in life can be relit, if the relationship wasn't run into the ground beyond repair (like Ex-hub and I). We all have control over how we treat the other person in our life. So if you have found your "one", make sure and treat them right...

Being in love vs. being in love in the movies...

This past weekend I subjected RR to the movie The Notebook. If you've seen it, then you'll understand why I say subjected. If you haven't seen it and are of the female persuasion, rent it. If you haven't seen it and you're of the male species... run. Fast. And far. It's definitely a chick-flick.

***spoiler alert***

So, the general gist of the movie is this: boy and girl have summer romance and fall in love. girl is from rich family, boy is poor farmer. parents disapprove. girl moves away. romance ends. boy goes to war. boy comes home from war. girl get engaged to someone else (obnoxiously rich man) but sees boy again. girl goes to visit boy. they have lots of sex and live happily ever after. girl gets alzheimer's. boy moves into special-care home with her. boy reads her the story of their love affair. occasionally she remembers who she is. they die together. the end...

(I cried like a baby through the whole thing. It was a total Sleepless in Seattle moment. RR wisely just ignored the whole pathetic display and tried to look interested...)

Anyway, since I was very little and had even the most general grasp on the concept of being in love, I wanted that kind of love. You know the kind... they are still crazy for each other after 40 years of being married. That kind. The gross kind. I want it...

And I always thought it was just this thing that happened. What I'm coming to find out is that it is what you make it. Just like the rest of life. If you have 2 people who are willing to buy into that fairytale and work at it, it can be just like the movies. Granted, RR and I are pretty early into things, but I see so much potential.

And he's willing to buy into the dream. Just like me...

It's over there...

There seems to be no end in site for the breakfast origami (yay!), so I'm giving it it's own blog. The link is to the right or you can go to: http://mcgillareynolds.blogspot.com/

Enjoy :)

Who says flowers can't last forever?

It's Valentine's Day. Typically a day that I'm not too fond of (I was once dumped on Valentine's day... did I mention that?)

But this year is looking good so far...

A beautiful rose that will never die...

Tough to see, but there's a lot of detail there.

And yummy breakfast, too... 

And because Valentine's Day is on a Monday, and who knows what time I'll be home I decided that I would make RR din-din last night. After I went riding, of course...

Lots of beach. No wind. Very little rain. Not bad...

It's a giant horse-eating creature...

Or a log...

Cricket and Bella joined us for the ride...

All hail the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Ramen...

It was a great ride. And a very tasty din-din, too... if I do say so myself. I made a roast, taters and Dizzy brought over some tasty asparagus. It was very, very delic... and there were lots of left-overs of roast for RR. He's a happy camper...

Enjoy the day, all. I know I will. Once I'm home from work, that is...

A little breakfast origami...

To get Friday off to a good start.

Here is the origami from Monday and Tuesday. No others are available because RR has been sick since Wednesday (insert very sad face here)...

Well, I "think" it's a baby birdie. Maybe. Or some sort of terradactyl?

I "know" this is a dinosaur of some sort. Yeah, dinosaur...

With a long neck and a cute tail...

He's so talented :)

The sun is shining again...

And so, of course, I have great sunset pics... that's a given. But in honor of WooTube I've decided to try to get the dogs posing on things. Sometimes I succeed (good dog, Noelle). Sometimes I fail (bad dog, Daisy). And someone is missing (bad boyfriend, RR). But, it's all in good fun...

Noelle: Busy sniffing something here. 

Daisy: We don't wanna pose...

 Noelle: Aren't I the cutest thing ever?

Daisy: Boring...

 Daisy: What's over there is much more interesting than you and your camera...

Noelle: What's over there? I don't see anything...

 Daisy: Still more interesting...

Noelle: Cheese!!

Can I get down now?

But I wanna go see what Daisy is doing...

 I'm perched on this idiotic rock, you idiot.

Wait... is that redundant?

I see dead people. Or the marshmallow sniffing something...

I is pretty...

Ok. You're done. I've had enough of this...

Time to move on to the sunset, it seems...

Goodnight sun. Hope to see you tomorrow...

A dead, rotting fish smells less fishy...

The installers arrived today to install my new water heater...

If you remember, in our last episode CACL was going to install tankless gas-powered water heaters into both units so that I wouldn't be paying for the other unit's hot water. Sounded great to me.

However, when said installers arrived and I queried them they informed me that they were only installing one hot water heater. Gas, yes. Tankless, no. And on my gas line... Huh.

That really doesn't seem to be solving the problem of me paying for someone else's hot water. So I called CACL who's immediate response was to inform me that he was installing one in the other unit (small and electric) when he got around to it. Until then it would just have to do and I'm a hysterical female.

Excuse me? What did you say? Surely you didn't just say what I think you just said...

Let's just say that didn't go over well at all... Not the approach you want to take with a personality such as mine. But I didn't push it too hard because I'm on a month-to-month and I don't want to move... again. But I did let him know that he basically had a week to fix the issue.

What is it with these people?  CPSL still owes me $639 and it looks like I'll be taking him to court for it since he is now no longer taking my calls.

This is when I think being a home-owner would be supergreat right about now. Too bad that's a few years off as well...

(growl)

The balancing act...

Since I've lived here, RR is the first local I have dated. And there is a balancing act that has to be achieved. Personal time vs. "couple" time, if you will.

I have no idea how I'm doing on this one. It seems like I have time for friends and time for the boyfriend... and when I need, time for me. But I'm typically a needy-type and therefore my version of couple time may not jive with what others might consider appropriate.

But who cares, really? It works for me. It works for RR. I get my time out with the equine when I need (and weather permitting... which it's not permitting much lately). And RR takes off and does his own thing when he needs. But I gotta admit... when I'm home at night contemplating the age old question of "what's for din-din" it sure is nice to have another opinion.

Which reminds me... I cooked for RR last night. I know. RR was as surprised as you are. But I'm starting to get a handle on his crazy diet. So, I made steak fajitas with corn tortillas for me and egg-type tortilla-omletty ones for him. His had goat cheese, mine had sour cream. Both had avocado and green peppers. Yum.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. The jury is still out on what RR thought. He made appeasing noises in my direction that seemed to indicate he enjoyed it... so we'll just go with that.

The unveiling...

So, chopped off my hair. And I loooooove it. Sure, my neck feels a little nekkid, but it'll get used to it.

Before

After (don't ya love the color, too?)

I cut off 10.5" and am sending it to Locks of Love. All in all, a really great Friday. Too bad I feel like such crap today.

Oh well, can't win them all...

Hair today, gone this afternoon...

Today is the day. I'm cutting off my hair. I started growing it out in the summer of 2007 and I've decided that 3 1/2 years is plenty. I'm ready for change...

RR, to his credit, is totally on board. His words "you're cute as a bug no matter what you do (or don't do) to your hair. have fun with it". Now that, my friends, is a keeper. The Biologist would have had a heart attack...

So, stay tuned. Before and after pics to come...

Oh, and for those of you eagerly awaiting... today's breakfast origami:

This one is a keeper. I'm ripping off the head and pinning it to my cork board...

TGIF... I'm outta here at 1:30pm :)

Are you trying to tell me something?

Today's breakfast origami made me wonder what RR was trying to say...

Sure, I'm a little doughy around the middle, but really?

 

But, in actuality he was wishing me to stay strong through the crazy hours I'm working right now. Isn't that sweet?

(Yes, Farmer, I know... I shouldn't have been so pessimistic. I will try to be better...)

And now that I have consumed the tasty treats enclosed (yummy eggamuffin-type thingies) it's back to the grindstone. Is it Friday yet?

Without further ado...

I know you have been waiting with utter anticipation to see what RR has produced for today's installation of "breakfast art".

And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what it is...

A stool? A 4-legged octopi? A War-of-the-Worlds space craft?

I'm just not sure...

I'm still working on "the project I hate more than CPSL" and, of course, now the sun is shining. Now that I have no chance what-so-ever of seeing the sun, it shines. Of course. 

(grumble, grumble, grumble)

At least I have a south facing window. It could be worse...

A girl could get used to this...

So, "the project I hate more than life" is due again this week. Crazy hours have ensued. And so, apparently, has breakfast art.

More delightful foil origami has arrived at my desk:

This time in the form of... a sturgeon?

Tough to tell from the pictures, but it even has eyes. Impressive...

This has made the day a little more bearable. The pups, however, are not jazzed that I'm working late.

Whaddya mean, working late? Don't you love us anymore?

I got pretty much the same reaction from RR... but his involved more crying and whining. 

So, may I remind all 3 of you that I am not thrilled about the proposition either. I would be just fine with this project going away and never coming back...

(evil thoughts of computer destruction running rampant through my head)

The only good part is that I got to completely redesign it. So, at least now it looks good. Too bad it's still a pain in my ass... and right behind my left eye. Ouch...