My car boo boo!!

Sunday morning when I backed out of the garage when heading to Panera for my Sunday paper ritual, I hit the side of the garage and tore my mirror completely off!! I had to duct tape it back on!! :(
$1048.64!! Whoo Hoo!!! Ouch!!! That also includes replacing the fender Paul cracked up this winter. Oh well. Who needs savings anyway?

Buster the cat!!! Another of my loves from the route.

Easter

We had such a nice Easter with Paul's parents! We had a delicious ham and Paul made fried potatoes. We also brought corn bread and potato salad. It was yummy!!

We also helped them re-hang their living room curtains which was quite amusing. In the end we e cut the seams with a razor blade!! We finally got them up.

Then, we went home, dropped the leftovers off and took off for Bar Louie's for a drink, Barnes & Noble for a cappuccino, and then off to the movies for Adventureland, which was pretty good. BUSY DAY!!!!

Easter

Classy snack, Gretta the cat, and my chiropractor's fish!!

Lovely weekend

For the end of my vacation week, we went up to Schaumburg for a little relaxation. We stayed at our new favorite hotel, Hyatt Place, near Woodfield Mall and had a ball. First, we went to one of our favorite restaurant, P.F. Chang's. They have this fabulous lamb dish I love, which is weird because I really dont eat lamb very much. This dish, though, is truly wonderful; full of spices!

After lunch we walked around Woodfield for some shopping. Victoria Secret was having a big sale and I got a cute travel bag for my many toiletries which I sorely needed! It came in very handy at the end of the weekend!! I also bought a Cure shirt at Hot Topic. It is so cute and Paul loves it.

After shopping, we checked into our hotel and unpacked. We brought our DVD player and some movies from home, so we hooked that up and watched Rachael Getting Married. It was really good though rather sad... After the movie, we took a trip to the pool area downstairs and sat in the jacuzzi for a while. We had to get out when 4 fat people decided we didnt deserve any privacy and sat their fat butts in with us!! We went back up to the room and watched Braveheart on TV, one of our favorites.

The next hour is censored; SORRY!! :) Later, we went to another of our favorite haunts, Ram Brewing Company. We always sit in their enormous bar and I always order the same thing; Blue Crab and Artichoke sandwich. YUM YUM!!! We stayed a while and then walked back to our hotel right next door. It was pretty cold and I was glad because I had a chance to wear some winter clothes I had just bought. I have a black cashmere cape I was very happy to wear!!

Next morning, we went down to the complimentary breakfast and munched! Then we packed up and headed to the downtown Chicago area. Paul wanted to stop at a spice shop on Wells, so we stopped there and he picked up some great spices so that he can make fabulous dinners for me!! :) Then, we headed to Flattop Grill for some Mongollian BBQ. As usual, it was fabulous!!

After lunch, we went to World Market and then Whole Foods for some grocery shopping. Thank goodness we were rather full or it would have cost a fortune. As it was, we spent enough! I had to stock up on my favorite peanut butter, because we do not have a Whole Foods at home. When we were done it was already 5pm, so we had to get on the road!! It was rainy/snowy and very cold. We got home at 7, unpacked, let the ferrets run around for a while, and then I went to bed! I had to get up at 5:30 to go to work.

And the sad end to this story is, I woke up to not only snow, but NO POWER! Nice. I had to get ready for work by candle light. Not cool!!!

Happy Day!!

I finally did it! I have had ENOUGH!! I will not spend one more summer watching the neighbor's obnoxious children ride their bikes across my lawn!! No more playing football on MY lawn instead of their own! I am totally sorry they have a small front yard, but not my problem! I am sick of picking up the trash that my neighbors throw on the ground in their yard. My neighbor on that side has a front yard that looks like a trash dump. It is so horrible and their daughter is loud and rude, of course. YEA FENCE!!!!!

Sweet kitties on the bed!!

Jill with her Boone's, still in her tennies!
Later, hangin' on me!!!

My relaxing vacation lunch on the back porch!

My route pets!!

These are Gretta, Jelly Bean, and Sophie!! Poor Gretta moved when I snapped the picture, so she got cut in half. Hopefully we will get another opportunity to put her pretty face on her... These are just a few of my favorite cuties I look forward to seeing on my route everyday. They know me and come running up to me when I deliver their mommies mail. I am going to try to get pictures of my other little friends this week on my vacation. And, yes Kim, I know you will laugh at me but I cannot help it!!!

Fun weekend!!

I went to Chicago Saturday afternoon with three friends to celebrate my best friend Kim's birthday. We stayed at the Westin on Michigan Ave, right next to Water Tower and across from The Hancock building. The rooms normally go for $256 a night, but being the savvy travel agent that I am, I got them for $98 a night!! So, we could afford to get 2 rooms and split the cost. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, then went back to the hotel and dressed up for the bar hopping in the evening!!! We walked to Rush St and went 3 bars and I had several margaritas on the rocks!! Yummy!! Everyone had a really good time and the sexy birthday girl got up on the bar and danced!! Wow!! I dont think even I could do that!!! Pretty awesome. We stopped for Chicago hotdogs at 2am, where a man we didn't know bought Kim's meal!! Then we walked back to the hotel, dragging 2 unwilling girls along with the 2 TIRED girls!!! Thank god Kim knew where the hotel was and she got us back safely.

The next morning we went to The Grand Lux for brunch. Too yummy. Go if you ever have a chance. Then, a brief stop at Water Tower Place where I had to have some Godiva truffles. Then, the drive home. I got home at 4:30 and was dead tired by the time I took care of the pets and unpacked.

Then back to work today!! Not fun after a week off. I am going to bed now.

Last night

Last night I went to Reggio's with my best friend, Kim. I knew I had to work this morning, but I am on vacation after today so I didnt care. OMG!! I am soooo tired!! We had such a good time, though. And I love my friend Kim so much. We can talk about everything, and though we surprise each other every once in a while with things the other did not know, it is all part of the fun. I cant believe we ever survived that office without being friends... And it is so nice to have a girlfriend who really gets it! We know we can say ANYTHING to one another and not be offended or pissed. We always know we love each other and mean no disrespect; we are just being ourselves. And "ourselves" is sarcastic and funny and obnoxious!!! YAY!!!!

Anyway, the food at Reggio's is fantastic and I brought most of my huge dinner home to Paul, who is really sick with the flu. He was very happy and ate it all! This will be a new favorite place, I am sure.

Paul is staying home from work today, which is a smart move. He now has lost his voice and is just overall wiped out. He needs to sleep all day and do nothing. All the bills are paid for the week, so he can relax. No stress.

Off to make the doughnuts; deliver the mail....

We had a big celebratory dinner tonight!! We refinanced our house this evening and will be saving $125 a month!!! And the closing was done in our house, which was convenient. So, we decided to live it up! New York Strip, grilled shrimp, and King Crab!! Yummy. And we saved more money by eating it at home, because of course Paul is a fabulous cook. No children screaming, no server complaining about her life, no steak over-cooked.... Just our lovely, lovely home. Life is good!!!

I am feeling anti-social and dont feel like posting.

RHINO!!!

My best friend, Kim, is at Disneyworld and got Rhino's autograph!!! She is so cool and she sent me a picture to freak out over. She knows he is my FAVORITE!!!!

TGIFriday's

Monday night we had some running around to do, so we decided to eat dinner at Friday's. It was a nice time and we were enjoying out food/conversations. As sunset approached, I began to be blinded by the setting sun in the window across from me. Paul had his back to it, so it was only affecting me... I told him I was going to ask the server if he would close it, because it was a window at someone elses table. Paul got up and went over to this large party and said, "Do you mind if I close this?" A twenty-something black kid playing with his cell phone said, "Yes, I mind very much." Paul looked at him, closed the blind, and said, "I'm over here." gesturing back toward our table. Heh Heh Heh. My hero. The kid proceeded to talk a bunch of crap about it, but never did anything. Maybe because my husband is 6'3, or maybe because he kept his steak knife near his hand after our server cleared our plates.... We will never know. I love my husband. :)

Catching up!!!

Ok, I am a bad blogger. Deb has been so good with hers on their vacation and I am feeling bad. In my defense, I am not on vacation...

So, for over a week I have been fighting this crazy "cold". It started with a terrible sore throat and I was worried it was Strep. But, Thursday it turned into a horrific head cold and my throat was no longer an issue. I was then blowing my nose on an average of once every 10 minutes. My poor little red nose!!! Also, not so easy while walking 8 miles in the snow, with both hands full of mail!!!! Quite a lot of fun, you can imagine.

I switched my day off this week from Saturday to Monday so I could watch the Oscars with my hubby. It is a tradition with us that is 7 years and counting. One year I made the mistake of scheduling my trip to California to visit my parents during that time. Paul and I spent the whole show texting/calling each other like teenagers. So, never again!! We get all excited about it and this year we tried to see all the nominated movies before hand. We almost made it. We missed Frost/Nixon and Benjamin Button. Oh well. We are probably the only people in our set of friends who saw Slumdog Millionaire. It was so good!!! Anyway, we spent the evening on the couch with snackies and enjoyed the show. I think we agreed it was the best one in recent years. Lots of funny parts and also some tearjerkers.

Saturday night, we went to a local high school for a Led Zepplin/ Pink Floyd laser show. It was pretty cool and we both enjoyed it. It was shown at the planetarium.

Usually, on Sunday mornings I get up early and head off to Panera Bread with my paper for breakfast and grocery planning. Saturday evening I decided to give it a miss this week and sleep in, and spent the day with Paul. I really needed the rest and we needed to reconnect after 2 weeks of hand injury and nasty cold drama. It turned out to be an excellent decision on many levels. We woke up to 12 inches of snow and still falling. Also, I really needed the sleep and felt much better for it. We spent the whole day watching movies ( Hanibal Rising, Changeling, and No Country For Old Men) and just relaxing. No where to be and no plans. So wonderful. I did go out and shovel the snow, which I find invigorating, as I am not a very good couch potato... Too hyper.

Today, I will go to Panera, get the shopping done and all other chores around the house. I think it was an excellent weekend!!

Also, I have to fax our paperwork to the mortgage company. We refinanced the house from 6.5% to 5%!! How awesome is that??!!! What a great weekend!!!

My throat

Do I have strep throat? Who knows!! I dont have time to go to the doctor. My throat has hurt for several days and there are tiny bumps on the back of my throat. Paul just gave me a shot of Tequila to gargle with! Nice!! It seems to be working. At least, I dont care anymore! Maybe I will make it to the Dr Friday...

Friday night I am going to dinner with my friend Kim. She will be on vacation for two weeks, so we need to go out and drink!! I am sure we will find much to bitch about! The odds are high.

Saturday night we are going to a Pink Floyd laser show. It should be fun. And on Sunday:
The Oscars!!!! Yea!!!!

The weekend

Saturday night, Valentines Day, we had a nice evening at home. Paul made shrimp appetizers, ribeye steaks, and lobster tails!! It was delicious!!! He gave me a beautiful card and two movies I like. I gave him a new computer chair for the studio. His old one was broken and dangerous!!! We watched Grosse Pointe Blank before retiring for the evening. Unfortunately, Saturday was a work day for us both so we were pretty tired.

Sunday we met Paul's parents for a movie and dinner. We were really excited about them seeing Gran Torino, which we had previously seen, and were so sure they would love. And they did. It is a great film, but not for the easily offended!! Then we went to Red Lobster, which was really nice. After dinner, we ran next door to meet our old friend Mele, who was visiting from Phoenix. She is so sweet and we had a good time catching up.

Unfortunately, I knew Saturday I was coming down with a cold, so by Sunday I was feeling like crap!!! Also, at the movies, I reinjured my hand... I was holding Paul's hand with my left hand and carrying my purse with the bad hand. I re-sprained it. It hurt all night. I slept with the brace on last night. Hopefully, it will be better by tomorrow.

So, I am laying on the couch with the laptop, a cat, New Wave on the satellite radio, and various libations pilled up on my table beside me. I am hoping this cold will run its course by tomorrow and I am thankful today is a holiday. It currently feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest.

Must stop now because my hand is hurting. I am falling apart!!!

OBAMA!!!

Hi! Yes, The Man was in Elkhart yesterday. And, actually he was in South Bend where I am, too! He flew into the airport I used to work at. And oddly enough, the husband of a woman I work with now is a cop at the airport and is a certified sharp shooter. Everytime the Secret Service is here they call him in to work with them. So, my friend, Karen, was allowed in the police hangers where the Presidential limos were being kept and she talked to the Secret Service about the Obamas!! She was so excited. It was pretty cool.

So, my hand... Thursday afternoon, when I had about an hour left on my route, I reached for a bundle of letters on the left side of my body with my right hand. When I tried to pull the bundle out, I heard a loud pop and a felt a sharp pain in my hand. The pain continued for the rest of my route, so I filed a report at work and went to Med-Point. They took x-rays and they showed nothing broken or dislocated. It was determined I sprained the tendons in my hand. The Dr gave me a brace that prevents me from moving my thumb, which uses those tendons. I am not to use my right arm at work until at least Friday, which is when the Dr will look at it. So, I am stuck in the office all day long using only my left arm!!! Too much fun. I case mail all day and I am so sick of it!!! But, my hand hurts so I will deal with it.

That is the news on that and I must stop typing because it HURTS!!!

My Hand

Can't type much now, but I sprained the tendons in my right hand at work Thursday and am on light duty in the office. I am fine. It will just take time to heal. I will write more when I can.

Gran Torino

Tonight after work Paul and I saw Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. It was really good and we plan on telling Paul's parent to see it. I think they would really love it. Clint is always so awesome!

It is our mission to see all the Oscar nominated movies before the Oscars on the 23rd. We are such movie geeks, but I hate watching the Oscars without knowing if the winner deserved it over someone I wanted....

So far, I want:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Supporting Actor: Heath, of course
Best Actress: Miss Kate in The Reader
Best Song: Peter Gabriel, Wall-E
Best Animated Film: Wall-E

Cannot think of anymore right now... We really like Sean Penn in Milk. It was an awesome film. Slumdog was great. The Reader was great. I cannot wait for the Oscars!! I actually traded days off with friend so I could have the day after off!! Then I can stay up late and watch the WHOLE thing!! The Oscars are definitely the Super Bowl in the Seeger's house!! Forget football!! We take movies!!!

I have a rant!! Today, a customer of mine emailed a diatribe to my supervisors. This obnoxious person started said letter with, "The laziness of my letter carrier disgusts me." The reason for this complaint was this: the customer had not shoveled their front steps and path to the mailbox. Their steps looked more like a ramp than stairs. There were no stairs. I could not even see them!! So, when I would get to the steps, I would pause, look at the steps, shake my head, and put their mail behind all the rest of my mail to take back to the truck. The customer said I looked at their box and apparently decided it was too far to walk, so refused to deliver!! Seriously!!!

If you are going to insult me, come up with something other than lazy. You dont shovel your steps. I walk 8 miles a day carrying 10-20 lbs, in all kinds of weather. Which one of us is lazy??!!

Thank you. I feel better!!!

Camla's weirdness d'jour

So, is my blog the proper place to admit my bizarre behaviorisms? If not here, where??!! The answer may be nowhere! Keep that shit to yourself, Camla... But, alas, I cannot. I must embrace my weirdness and revel in it.

Today is my day off from the frozen hell that is my route. I stayed up last night until 10:30 (whoo hoo!!). I slept until 7:00!!! Many people will not appreciate how fabulous that is, but my co-workers will... I turned on my phone at 8am to listen to a voice mail from my supervisor asking me if I could please work today. No, I cannot. I have an omellet to make and I must sit on my ass for a few hours, enjoying my rare leisure time. So sorry.

I cleaned the ferret room and started some laundry after surfing the web. Then, I wrote my grocery list and packed up to leave the house. And by "packed up", I mean I put my shovel in my car and drove to my route. Here is where, as my friend Kim put it, the "insanity" began. I went to several houses on my route and shoveled their sidewalks. Kim asked me how many I shoveled, so give me a sec while I count them up... Um, apparently 5 is the total. These people had not TOUCHED their sidewalks. We are talking about a foot and a half to two feet of snow. I was forced to walk is the street when I arrived at these houses, which is both dangerous and time consuming. So, I went out and shoveled them. Why is this crazy? I did not shovel so they could comfortably stroll down their walk. I am on their street 5 and 6 days a week. And winter will last another 2 months at least. So, that is what I did.

Then, I filled up my car for $1.66 a gallon by driving across town to my favorite station and also washed my car. I then went to Pier 1, where they were having a 75% off sale. I think they will be closed within a month or two. It looks like it. Then on to Super Target, where I bought a new mop and some salt for the sidewalk. Woo!!! Next, off to Quizno's for a yummy Classic Italian sandwich. Quizno's has been advertising their new price cuts. Well, I am here to tell you the reason. The sandwiches are now smaller!!! Well, at least they didnt raise the prices... I also went to the Starbuck's drive thru for a mocha frapachino and then hunted my buddy Kim down. We bitched about work and talked about my crazy shoveling and then I let her get back to work!!

I went home to mop the kitchen floor, change the sheets, and run more laundry. That was my day. Much better than the route, I think. I really needed to get all that stuff done and I just needed some time to myself; on no one's schedule but my own.

We made tacos for dinner and watched The L-Word!! Yea!!! And now I am refreshed and ready to go back to work tomorrow. :)

Bella-bella

I just knew I would be about as good at this as I am at emailing people!!! My husband has pointed out that I have let my blog go... I just dont really DO much!! I have been working all week with a lot of overtime!!! It has been very tiring, but will be quite lucrative. And we have much bills to pay!!

Today we went to the movies. We saw Revolutionary Road, which is not for the dimwitted. It was very interesting and inspires deep, probing conversations. Kate is so fabulous. A joy to behold.

Friday night Kimmie and I went out to Rocco's for pizza. The girls needed the night out and a few drinks. We ate an order of garlic bread and a large pizza!! We are hilarious. I had 2 glasses of Cabernet and Kim had 2 beers. We had a great time.

I am really having a hard time with the idiots who wont shovel their walks. I am at the point now where I have stopped delivering their mail. I have put several people's mail on hold and I have given up. I am so tired of walking in the street instead of the sidewalk. It is dangerous and infuriating!!!

That was the rant! Watching Kate Winslett on Inside the Actors Studio!! Love her!!

Bye!!

Hourly Weather Summary

Friday Afternoon, January 16

More Hourly Information: Today 1/16/2009 Morning Evening Overnight Saturday 1/17/2009 Morning Evening Overnight Sunday 1/18/2009 Morning Evening Overnight 15-Days of Hour-By-Hour Forecasts on AccuWeather.com Premium

7am How much fun was this day??!!! Oh my god!!! I cannot believe I made

it through this day!! I had Vaseline all over my face to prevent

-17° F frostbite. I did not stop for lunch. I was outside for 8 hours straight!!

Snow Seriously, I must be an idiot!! Tomorrow would be my day off, but

I volunteered because we are short-handed... What a moron!!!

2pm

-6° F

Partly Sunny

Check out this amazing bag I picked up for all my Christmas paper, ribbons, and gift bags!!! It is awesome. It closes and zips like a gun case. Organization!! Whoo hoo!!!

So, we went up to Schaumburg and relaxed at out fabulous hotel and used the hot tub. Then, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, The Ram microbrewery. I always get this fabulous crab and artichoke sandwich. It is so yummy!!! Then the next day we went to Ikea to search for some lamps for the bedroom. We were looking for one and ended up with three! We had a specific amount of money, which Paul's parents had given us for Christmas. So, when we found three different lamps for less than the amount we had allotted, we were very happy! They look very nice in the bedroom and we are proud of how we compromised! Then, we headed downtown to our favorite stirfry restaurant, Flattop Grill. After stuffing ourselves with yummy stirfry, we headed to World Market and Whole Foods. I bought these cute Christmas ornaments that I could not afford in December. They had been $6.99 and were clearanced out to .49!!!! I was so excited!! One is a cardinal and one hedgehog!!! Happy Camla. Then we went on to spend too much at Whole Foods. You would think it would be safe to shop when full, but as everyone knows, I am NEVER really full. It is a situation that passes within 20 minutes or so. Then, I am ready to eat again!! I bought ginger snaps, artichoke dip, camenbert cheese, and lots more!!! Then we headed home and made it by 7:15.

Next began a week of torturous weather!!! Tomorrow wind chills expected -27!!!! Nice!!!

So, I was a good girl prior to my trip to Chicago. On Friday, I spent the WHOLE day taking down all the Christmas inside the house. I disassembled the tree, packed up the mantle and everything else. Then, of course, I had to clean the living room and put all the normal things back where they belong. It took from 10am to 5pm, with a one hour break to get my hair cut. Then, at 6:30 I met my girlfriends Jen and Kimberlie at Papa Vino's for a much needed drink!!!! They laugh because I spend more money on dinner and desert, when their priority is the drinks!!! I am sorry!! I love my Tiramisu and coffee!!!

Saturday, I made sure all the laundry and grocery shopping was done so when we came back from Chicago I would have a seamless shift into the work week. Paul got home at 2pm and we were on the road by 3. The closer we got to Chicago, the better the roads were. It was pretty decent in Schaumburg. If anyone ever has the opportunity to stay at Hyatt Place, DO IT!! It was so swank!! We only paid $69 and the hotel was gorgeous! We had a bedroom and living room which was split by a divider and a 42 inch flat screen tv that rotated so you could watch it from either room. The living room had a sectional couch and a throw so I curled up there on Sunday morning to watch a movie while Paul slept in.

More on our trip later!! I have to get ready for work!

Spamalot was wonderful! We had such a fun time. We had a drink next door at our favorite spot, The Vine, and then went to the show. It was truly hilarious. I am so glad we got the tickets. They made several local references, which is always fun.

Today we are off to Chicago for the weekend. We will go to our favorite local microbrewery. Tomorrow, off to Ikea!!! They dinner at the stirfry grill, Flattops. Gotta pack!!!!

Get through the day!

This is it! All I have to do is make it through this day. Sounds easy, right? It is 17 degrees and will snow 1-3 inches throughout the day. I have HORRIBLE Advos to deliver and 2-3 inches of snow from yesterday already on the ground... Also, apparently I got screwed out of my New Year's Eve overtime because I called in sick the day after. That is $140 I was not prepared to part with... The Man is keeping me down. Oh, the oppression.... But, tonite I will be at Spamalot with my darling, so all will be well. I just have to live through today... :{

Only two more days till the fun weekend starts!!! We are expected to get several inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. That will make it drag even longer... Today I slipped several times on black ice throughout the day. I cannot believe I did not crack my head open!!! And the sad thing is, I do not even want winter to end because with spring/summer comes the BEES!!!! I would rather freeze than deal with the insects and arachnids!!!

Cant wait for the weekend.

Ok!! We are on final countdown to Spamalot!!! Three more days of work until my 3 day weekend!!! We are going to Chicago on Saturday. Staying in Schaumburg Saturday night with Ram Brewing Company for dinner. Then, Sunday off to Ikea to find my husband's fantasy "perfect lamp". For dinner, back to the city proper for our favorite Flattops stirfry. Yummy!!! We cannot wait!!!

Hi!! I am following my younger, more progressive sisters and starting a blog!!! I hope I can remember to post on it!!!! Must go to bed now, though!! It is sooo late!