Chili Champion tries for second win
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Picture -- Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow
Topic: Work
Today we had our 3rd annual chili cook-off... which isn't really accurate, because our first two cookoffs were held during May or June, I can't remember which.

The winner of the first cook-off (I think that was May 2002) was me in first place, Kurtis in second place and John in third.

Last year I didn't enter and Kurtis came in first place...I can't remember who came in second and third. Part of the reason that I didn't enter was that we only had one crock-pot in the house and I didn't feel like buying another one or borrowing one from somebody.

This year however, I bit the bullet and spent a measly $13 on a crock-pot. I also made my chili differently from the first year; instead of using ground turkey or beef, I used Rancher's Reserve Angus beef. ;) It was the london broil cut, I figured that would be the best to absorb the flavor and be tender but firm at the same time... if that makes sense!

Kurtis tallied the votes, but we are using a new system where first place gets 3 points and second place gets 2 points... apparently it's pretty close, because he's having C.J. do a recount and make sure that he comes up with the same numbers. Me, Kurt and Rich are in the top 3... so I'm happy, really. I'd like to get 1st place again, but I'll settle for 2nd or 3rd, since the competition is so close.

I predict that Kurt will come in 1st, me in 2nd and Rich in 3rd. We'll see if I'm right.

Is it Friday yet??
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: Pete Yorn
I wrote this in Word throughout the day bit by bit, so hopefully it will paste the way that I want it to.



Jonny Lang was a huge bust. I had springs from the seat digging into my butt, the guy sitting beside me was taking up more than his share of space.. those seats must have been made for people under 5', because my knees were hitting the back of the chair in front of me. It was sweltering in there, I was wearing a silk shirt which was quite warm. To make matters worse, no food or drink was allowed in the auditorium and I grew more parched through the show. During Lang's set, they had a smoke machine going, which bothered my eyes and made my mouth dry...we were sitting in the balcony seats, which was probably why it was worse up there. The guy could not play guitar well at all, and sang about as well as he played. He sounded like a cross between a screaming baby and a 13-year-old going through puberty. It was that bad. And what made it worse was that he actually thought he was good. I told Kurtis that he could have gotten up onstage and played scales and he would have sounded better! They also had a light show of sorts going, I think it was supposed to hypnotize you and distract you from the awful din they were making with their instruments. Ugh.

On to the fun today.. the finance guy from Honda City called me today and told me that if I get something in the mail from Honda Financing saying that I've been rejected to ignore it. He said that the first time he put me through the system, they rejected me, but he got me in the second time - however that was. So THEN he tells me "Oh, by the way, can you fax me a copy of a utility bill in your name." I told him that nothing is in my name, but I can send him a bank statement, credit card statement, etc... he then says, "What about a cell phone bill." I told him that I don't HAVE a cell phone.. he kind of had an attitude with me, too. Like it's MY FAULT that he didn't ask me for all this to begin with?!? I brought them a paystub when I bought the car, and that is all they asked for! How come it was so easy (besides signing all the forms) to buy the car, drive home with it that night, have all the assurances in the world that we were all set and then a WEEK LATER all of a sudden they need more information. HELLO?!? I was at the dealership for 3 hours, don't you think that you would have told me everything that you needed then?? In the end he told me to send him a bank statement or anything else that I can find. Argh. So now I get to go home at lunch to find that stuff.

Speaking of bank statements, my bank called me today to verify that I'd written the check for the down payment on my car. I thought that was nice! That's the first time that I've gotten a call like that. (probably because I don't write checks for $5,000 every day, haha)

Ahh... so we're having another chili cook-off tomorrow. So now I get to buy an extra crock-pot. :-P~ I think that I'm going to try something different this time...I'm going to use cubed meat instead of ground beef or turkey. Asko made his like that last time and I thought that it tasted really good. So Kurt and I can have our own mini cookoff tonight, haha. I wonder how we're going to have time, though...because we have food in the fridge that needs to be eaten and he has his guitar lesson tonight. Not to mention that 24 is on and we have to watch My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance which was on last night. We made a tape since Jonny Lang made us miss it.

BTW, I got the crock-pot at lunch, on sale at K-Mart for $12.99! Not too shabby. ;-)

Yet another chapter in my fun dealings with the finance people at Brown's, now a guy named Felix calls me when I'm filling out the fax to send Fernando and tells me that I need two more references! That's in addition to the 4 references that are already on my form. I couldn't believe it! So they needed 6 freaking references. Crazy. BUT, they asked for it, so I sent it to them. I really hope that they have all they need now.

I think that's all for today... hopefully tomorrow will be better.

definitely a monday
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Jonny Lang (trying to study up before the show tonight)
Just got back from the dealer/body shop. Some asshole in a Chrysler minivan tried to sideswipe me on the way back. Fortunately for me and Roxy, their attempt was unsuccessful. That could only happen to me while on the way back from getting the estimate on my hood. Go figure! Nah, knowing my luck it would happen AFTER I got the hood fixed. I can see it now; I'll have a rock hit my hood the same day that it's fixed.

They aren't going to do it this week like they said they would of course... now they're doing it next week. It doesn't bother me that much, I guess...especially since I'm getting a loaner and I can just drop it off Monday night. *shrug*

Heheh...I mentioned something to Fuzz about Mick A's nametag and apparently he said something in the Monday meeting about it. Fortunately my name didn't come up. ;) Mickey-A is reported to have said that if it bothered everyone that he would take it down, lol!!! Maybe he'll at least consider how pompous he looks. On second thought, he's probably oblivious to that...he has the real engineer's mentality after all.

Well, I have to finish up my work for some of the people that I actually like who work here. Good-bye for now!

I miss LAB
Mood:  blue
Now Playing: LAB -- Considerate Apathy
Topic: Weird shit

I'm not really sure why I thought of them, probably because I was thinking of bands that I haven't seen in a while that I should check out again since I have dependable transportation. Anyway, I was looking at the Buzz Poet's site and then I thought about LAB (Live Alien Broadcast). It's a shame that they broke up...they were a lot of fun to hang out with, too. I'll never forget NYE 2001 in Baltimore...that was certainly a crazy night!

Thinking about all that makes me want to start a band, hehe. There are an awful lot of female fronted bands out there now -- just look at evanescence, two freaking grammys! Why can't I do that? Ya know? American Idol my ass!

Anyway, I think that Kurt and I are going to some open mic thing tonight in Annapolis that his friend is hosting. Since we're there, I want to stop at Tower Records to see if they have any of LAB's old albums. I've already bought them twice, hopefully the third time is the charm!

We're also going to see LC next weekend at the Recher for their CD release show.. I'm a little anxious about that and seeing all of my old friends.

Tai is sitting in my lap as I'm posting this entry... I really need to get up and take a shower, but I don't want to disturb him -- he's just purring away! He's on the verge of sliding off of my legs, but he doesn't seem to care. Goofball.

Valentine's Day was wonderful, by the way...we had filet and ribeye cooked expertly on the grill as well as some enormous yummy crabcakes... then cookies and brownies to finish up. Kurt made a great valentine's day mix and we listened to that for 3 or 4 hours on the wireless music thing... it's pretty neat not to mention handy to have.

Well I'm going to upset Mr. Tai and get him off my lap so that I can cleanse my stinky body.

Oh, and P.S. I have to part with Roxy (my car) tomorrow to have her hood fixed at the dealer. Hopefully they'll give me a nice car as a loaner. Maybe an RSX... or that 350Z that was in the showroom!! haha, yeah right.

sooo sleepy
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: BR549
I haven't told my dad yet about my car purchase...as a matter of fact, I don't think that he even knew that I was looking for one. We're getting together next weekend and I'm hoping to surprise him, hehe. Of course, I don't know how often he reads my blog, I imagine that he does from time to time.

I got the first call on my Jetta today, I posted it on craigslist yesterday... of course I haven't cleaned it yet and it's a real mess. The guy that called doesn't have transportation (gee, I guess that's why he wants to buy my car) and lives in Silver Spring, so I told him that I'd drive down there so that he can look at it. I really don't want to do that, so I'm hoping that somebody else asks about it by then! I love my new car so much that I really don't want to drive the Jetta anywhere, haha. Oh well, I need to sell it. But that's such a pain in the ass, not to mention I'll have to get Kurtis to come with me and that's going to inconvenience him. I think that when I call the guy back I'll ask him if he'll have the money available right then to buy it if he wants it, because I'm not going to make two trips down there.

Maybe I'll tell him that I just sold it! :-P~

Ugh, what a hassle!!

I'm a real grown-up now!
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
That's right, I'm a real grown-up now! I have rent to pay, credit card bills, groceries AND A CAR PAYMENT!!! YAY! I bought the 2002 Civic LX 4 door in "Radiant Ruby Pearl"... the picture of it is posted down a few entries from this, it's the red car.

I absolutely love the car... when I was on the lot last night, I looked at a few others and the salesperson got out the keys so that I could test drive the 3 or so that I was looking at... but after driving "Roxy" (that's going to be my name for her), for only a few blocks, I knew that she was the one. I really miss the way that my old car would idle at a light and you could hardly tell that it was running! The new one is the exact same way!!! There is less engine and road noise with Roxy, too. The visibility is great, and it's actually about the same size as my Jetta, so driving it isn't that big of an adjustment. It also shifts really smoothly... it's just a nice car all around.

What sucks, though is that between the time I saw it on Tuesday at lunch and the time that I test drove it last night, it somehow got a dent & scratch in the hood that's about 2.5-3" in diameter... so sometime in the next week or two I'll have to take it back to the dealer to have it fixed. They're also giving me a loaner for that time, so it shouldn't be too big of a deal. They said that they may just replace the whole hood, it might be easier.

I might also want to mention that Roxy is a certified Honda... that means that she has a 12 month/12,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty and a 7 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

:)

inca pearl
Mood:  surprised
Now Playing: Joe Bonamassa

You would have thought that Inca Pearl would be a color that at least somewhat resembles white, right? I found a picture on the net of exactly what color "Inca Pearl" is. Now, this won't stop me from buying it if I like the car, but it will certainly make me think twice!

vehicular manslaughter, jealousy, new cars and car insurance
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Simple kind of life --no doubt
Topic: News

Last night we went to see Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise at Ram's Head with Blaine and his son Nick. Great show. Getting there, however was not so great. Apparently, the public school teachers were holding a rally or were protesting something or other which caused a huge backup on Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis. They weren't really staying on the sidewalk and the crowd control was beyond the police, the protesters kept walking in the right lane which screwed up traffic. There were also traffic control people wearing orange vests who were trying to keep the situation under control. Well, a police car flew by us in the right lane with his siren on and lights flashing.. he cleared the way mostly, all the protesters and traffic people jumped out of the way... I jokingly said, "Hey, why don't we just follow him!" Apparently Kurtis had gotten frustrated with the traffic situation and decided that he was going to follow the car... Blaine and I both yelled at him, I think that Blaine's exact words were something to the effect of "JESUS, KURTIS!!!" And he just about took out one of the traffic people -- he was literally about 1 inch away from hitting the guy. Scared the hell out of me. I'm glad that I was sitting in the back seat! His reply was that the people shouldn't have been in the street. I asked that he never do that again, especially if I was in the car.

On to the jealousy part... FUZZ WON A TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND!!! How dare he!! It was a Lord of the Rings contest, too!!!! Maybe he'll adopt me, I'm the same age as his daughter. Fuzz enters contests religiously and is always winning stuff... he's won trips to Disney World, Florida, Hawaii, etc... it's crazy. I think that I mentioned something about all of his contests in December's entries, but I just checked and I didn't. DOH. I'm so jealous. If I would have won that trip, then I could have hopped over to Australia to visit my aunt.

ON to the cars! Went to Brown's Honda City today at lunch and I've found a few cars that I like... I'm going to test drive them tomorrow after work. Amazingly enough, two of them are red -- the color that I don't like. Go figure. It's a gorgeous red, though... it's more of a maroon, it's a really rich, dark red. I tried to find the name of the color, but no luck. I also got a quote on how much insurance would be with my current insurance company Progressive. Depending on which car I get, it will be between $175 and $185 a month!!! Needless to say, I started shopping around and I've found good rates on esurance.com. Ah-hah! I guess that it would make sense that I could find the car that I like at the original place that I found it. Duh.

Guess that's it for today... I'll leave you with a picture of my future car -- provided that I like the way it drives. ;)

another monday
Mood:  d'oh
Now Playing: Blues Deluxe -- Joe Bonamassa
Topic: Football
The pro bowl last night was incredible... the NFC ended up winning... the final score was 55-52, it was the highest in Pro Bowl history. At the end of the game with ~20 seconds left, the AFC was driving and were on the ~30 yard line... then Peyton Manning got sacked which drove them further back and they had no timeouts left to stop the clock, so they had to line up as quickly as possible and spike the ball. With 4 seconds left on the clock, Vanderjagt tried to tie the game and send it into overtime, but missed the 50+ yard field goal (I think it was 52). Go figure, the only field goals that he's missed all year were in that game.

Right now I'm considering going the financing route for a new car... I'm back and forth a lot. More later!

tubing and puking
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: Weekend happenings
Yesterday we went snowtubing at Whitetail in PA. It was fun, but the lines seemed really long... we only got in about 5 or 6 runs in two hours.

The hotel that we stayed in was pretty nice, it was the Plaza hotel in Hagerstown...they actually had a display with lovebirds in it! I thought that was neat and unusual. Had dinner at the Fireside Restaurant I think it was called... very tasty!

Today wasn't so fun... I woke up with a migraine, was having hot & cold flashes and was incredibly nauseous... I tried to get back to sleep... tossed and turned for a while. Then I got up and threw up... felt a little better, but not much. Somehow I got up and checked out of the hotel at 11... we got home around 12:30 and from then until 6 I slept. My headache is finally gone! YAY! I ate a bowl of cereal so that my stomach has something in it... I'm feeling so much better from this morning.

Now I'm checking eBay and doing the car thing as usual. Some day I'll find what I'm looking for. I was talking to Tiffers on IM and she's doing the car search, too. If I had half a brain I would have asked her if she wanted to pick a day and we could check out dealerships together. I looked at that stupid Easterns motors place that I hear the ad on HFS for all the time and they have some nice looking cars. Just for the hell of it, I filled out a credit application and now they've set up an appointment for me to go pick out what I want. I doubt that I'll go that route, though...they seem pretty pushy. At this point, if I do get something financed, it will be at CARMAX.

Well, that's it for now... the Pro Bowl is on in a few minutes and I'm going to watch that instead of the Grammy's...

Good night!