You can always tell when the power goes out, aside of course for everything turning off and going black, because everyone suddenly decides to go outside. And it's 103 degrees out.
My power went out Tuesday night at 8 - White Collar had just started so I was kinda pissed, even more so when I called the power company and was told it wouldn't be going on til any time between 10 and midnight. I actually didn't call them for half an hour - it never even dawned on me to call anyone til I overhead a woman on the floor below me ( remember we're all outside at this point) say she had been told it wouldn't be turned on til much later that night. No problem I thought, I'll just read. Umm.. but it's dark inside, so I'll sit on my porch...but it's hot and the kids playing are loud and annoying. I know! I'll go for a drive and see how the rest of the neighborhood fared.
My mini adventure started out fine. It turns out only my apartment complex and the one across the street were out. All traffic lights were working and the business down the street were open. My initial thought was - this is a perfect time for some frozen yogurt - but I'm cheap and currently only temping so I decided to forgo spending money and instead called a friend to see if I could hang out on his sofa for a few hours and watch tv. And then I got to the William Cannon and Brodie intersection which, as long as you are not in the right lane eastbound on William Cannon, is not a bad intersection. Guess which lane I was in. Since there is a gas station on that corner and making a right turn is apparently a really difficult turn to make for most of the people in front of me, I ended up in the middle of the intersection as the light was about to turn red for my lane and green for the traffic that was seconds away from hitting me. I freaked. I didn't think, I didn't look, I just turned into the next lane. BAM!
Within minutes there were not one, not two, but three police cars at the scene. You'd have thought I was on the top 10 wanted list. The guy who hit me wanted to see, as he put it, if we could 'work something out'. Yeah right. I called my friend first to let him know I wouldn't be coming over and then of course my insurance company. (Can't wait to see how much my rate goes up after this fiasco.) After telling my side of the accident - and yes I did admit to my un-signaled lane change - filling out paperwork and yet more paperwork, the tow truck finally showed up. My friend had also come by ( I should mention here that he is an ex-boyfriend - and a damn good one too) for support and to get me back home. I am of course issued a citation and advised of possible court date ( Shit!)
There didn't appear to be too much damage to my car. My driver side mirror was broken and the front tire and rim were shot. So I figured my cost would be a couple hundred maybe. Right. Progressive called me the next day to work out all the details and I will say that though they are charging me too much ( my opinion, and due to an accident, not my fault, from February) their concierge service is amazing. They picked up my car from the previous nights tow, took care of my rental and got it to a mechanic - if I had a mechanic they would have towed it there but I don't and having no idea where the best place ( meaning the least likely to rip me off) might be, so I let them use their guy. I didn't have to do thing. And that is where the good news ends.
The mechanic called a few days later with my estimate - about 4 times higher than I expected - which means I will be responsible for my full deductible $999. Crap! And let's not forget the citation I got for unsafe lane change - $277. Double Crap! According to the list on the back of my ticket the highest fee was $200 so I have no idea why mine is $277 , or for that matter where I am going to get the money to pay for all this. Can you say credit card folks.
I am currently driving an HHR - who the hell names a car HHR and what doe sit stand for - I have no idea. My view sucks and I have to crane my neck to see out the window - but at least it's better than the first one they gave me -a Dodge Charger! Yup seriously, a Charger. You basically have to lay down in your seat to even be able to see where you are going. Needless to say I changed cars as soon as I could.
Next time the power goes out I'm sitting on the couch in the dark til it comes back on.
Mt. Bonnell
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Color Purple
No this is not a movie review or a post about Whoopi Goldberg. It is about the right and wrong way to color your hair and about.. well turning purple - sort of.
I first started turning grey when I hit 30 ( maybe 29 ) but I held out on coloring because I cringed at the thought of putting chemicals in my hair. And well.. I wasn't really that grey. After a few years though I decided that looking like a skunk (giant grey streak running down the middle of my head) was never going to be a trend so I broke down and got my hair colored. I believe I went with my natural hair color, before it turned grey that is, what Clairol might call Light Cool Brown.
Eventually the cost began to add up and I started to color it myself. After several attempts I like to think I became pretty good at it - at least to the point where all my hair was not only colored but colored evenly and there was not a drop of dye on the sink or the floor.
I moved to Austin 10 years ago got a good job, got out of debt and decided that since I had no other real vices, didn't collect shoes, clothes or purses and never got mani/pedis I deserved to have my hair done professionally - meaning not in my bathroom. I also decided I wanted to be a red head again ( I was a 'redhead' until the age of 3 when my hair decided it was a brunette). So back to the pros I went, happily. Because no matter how good I got at doing my own hair - it sucked! I hated every dye stained, rubber gloved moment of it.
Which bring us to the Purple. I recently went through a downsizing and as much as it pains me I can no longer afford to get my hair done by someone else. But hey I used to color my own hair right? In fact, as I stated, I was pretty darn good at it! So no problem right, easy peasy! um..no.
Side note: as I've gotten older I have lost a very important trait - patience. I have gotten horrible about reading directions and taking my time - you know, doing it right. So off I go to HEB to pick out a color - damn just too many choices. Clairol? L'Oreal? Revlon? Root touch up? Permanent? Crap this was hard. And let's not even start about the color variance. Auburn light or dark? Rich Auburn, Deep Auburn or Medium Auburn? I have no idea what brand I ended up with. I picked it simply by the dispenser - foam - which I figured would be the easiest to use. I went with a dark, or possibly medium, auburn because the color shown on the 'if your hair is this color it will turn out like this' chart showed the color I wanted. Yeah right.
So I figured I do the coloring Saturday morning when I had the most free time. Ah but remember I have no patience. By Thursday night I'd had it with the grey hair and figured, after reading part of the directions, that I had plenty of time. So I put on a mens white undershirt, the only smart thing I did, mixed the color, put on the crappy gloves and dove in. Halfway into coloring it hit me - my forehead was purple. My whole forehead! And why was it purple? Then I looked at my hands, and under the gloved I could see that my hands were also purple. Crap - hole in the gloves I guessed. And then I noticed the sink. Hmmm - yep purple spots there too. Obviously I had lost my hair coloring mojo. No vaseline on my forehead, no paper to cover the sink and no double gloves. And of course I am still wondering about the purple, but there is no turning back now.
I can say that at least I did cover my whole head, not a sign of grey. It's about 3 different shades of a purplish, reddish, dark brown though- not at all the way the box said it would come out mind you. But after a day or two it began to grow on me. Kind of punk-ish..sort of. My hands were purple for a few days and with the help of a little rum, I managed to de-purple my forehead. Fortunately the dye did not stain the sink or the floor.
There is of course no way to duplicate the color I ended up with and the next time I color ( a month or so from now) who knows what color it may turn out. But at least it won't be grey.
I first started turning grey when I hit 30 ( maybe 29 ) but I held out on coloring because I cringed at the thought of putting chemicals in my hair. And well.. I wasn't really that grey. After a few years though I decided that looking like a skunk (giant grey streak running down the middle of my head) was never going to be a trend so I broke down and got my hair colored. I believe I went with my natural hair color, before it turned grey that is, what Clairol might call Light Cool Brown.
Eventually the cost began to add up and I started to color it myself. After several attempts I like to think I became pretty good at it - at least to the point where all my hair was not only colored but colored evenly and there was not a drop of dye on the sink or the floor.
I moved to Austin 10 years ago got a good job, got out of debt and decided that since I had no other real vices, didn't collect shoes, clothes or purses and never got mani/pedis I deserved to have my hair done professionally - meaning not in my bathroom. I also decided I wanted to be a red head again ( I was a 'redhead' until the age of 3 when my hair decided it was a brunette). So back to the pros I went, happily. Because no matter how good I got at doing my own hair - it sucked! I hated every dye stained, rubber gloved moment of it.
Which bring us to the Purple. I recently went through a downsizing and as much as it pains me I can no longer afford to get my hair done by someone else. But hey I used to color my own hair right? In fact, as I stated, I was pretty darn good at it! So no problem right, easy peasy! um..no.
Side note: as I've gotten older I have lost a very important trait - patience. I have gotten horrible about reading directions and taking my time - you know, doing it right. So off I go to HEB to pick out a color - damn just too many choices. Clairol? L'Oreal? Revlon? Root touch up? Permanent? Crap this was hard. And let's not even start about the color variance. Auburn light or dark? Rich Auburn, Deep Auburn or Medium Auburn? I have no idea what brand I ended up with. I picked it simply by the dispenser - foam - which I figured would be the easiest to use. I went with a dark, or possibly medium, auburn because the color shown on the 'if your hair is this color it will turn out like this' chart showed the color I wanted. Yeah right.
So I figured I do the coloring Saturday morning when I had the most free time. Ah but remember I have no patience. By Thursday night I'd had it with the grey hair and figured, after reading part of the directions, that I had plenty of time. So I put on a mens white undershirt, the only smart thing I did, mixed the color, put on the crappy gloves and dove in. Halfway into coloring it hit me - my forehead was purple. My whole forehead! And why was it purple? Then I looked at my hands, and under the gloved I could see that my hands were also purple. Crap - hole in the gloves I guessed. And then I noticed the sink. Hmmm - yep purple spots there too. Obviously I had lost my hair coloring mojo. No vaseline on my forehead, no paper to cover the sink and no double gloves. And of course I am still wondering about the purple, but there is no turning back now.
I can say that at least I did cover my whole head, not a sign of grey. It's about 3 different shades of a purplish, reddish, dark brown though- not at all the way the box said it would come out mind you. But after a day or two it began to grow on me. Kind of punk-ish..sort of. My hands were purple for a few days and with the help of a little rum, I managed to de-purple my forehead. Fortunately the dye did not stain the sink or the floor.
There is of course no way to duplicate the color I ended up with and the next time I color ( a month or so from now) who knows what color it may turn out. But at least it won't be grey.
Monday, July 4, 2011
My First Movie Review
This is my first written movie review. Just saw Super 8 and I left with such a good feeling that I felt it needed a review. So here goes:
Super 8 - 1. I loved this movie! 2. I hate movies with a "message" ( and by message I mean a moral) 3. Why do they only put these in kids movies? When I saw Bridesmaids the only thing I got out of it was to never eat bad Mexican before trying on your wedding dress.
That said, Super 8 was still a great movie. The adults acting was ok but the acting by the kids in the film was just amazing. The story is kind of a combination of Goonies, E.T. and Signs. Like Goonies & E.T. you have a group of oddball kids - with the obligatory 1 cool girl - go on an adventure - in this case they are making a zombie movie, find a monster, understand the monster ( unlike in E.T though they don't make friends with it) and save the town ( well not really in this case). Themes like first love and the importance of family also come up.
It is similar to Signs because they are both monster/alien movies, and in both you are on the edge of your seat with your hands over your eyes until they make the mistake of SHOWING you the monster. Trust me , the monsters in your head are always more scary than what they come up with and better.
The first half ( maybe 2/3) of the movie gets an A. But then it hits a small glitch - at least in my book . As I mentioned, they make the mistake of showing you the monster but then they go and get preachy - it's a small piece of the movie and I think they could have left it out. Spoiler Alert - I am going to give you the "monster" background here - "he only wanted to get home, all we had to do was help him, but no, they experimented on him, taught him to hate us, now all he wants to do is destroy us" ( and by he they mean the alien). See! Did we really need to hear this? I don't need to know where the monster came from or why it's there. I am here to be entertained for pete's sake. It was a great, exciting, on the edge of your seat family/monster movie and they had to ruin it with a MORAL!! This seems to be a predominant theme is most kids shows these days - especially if you are a big Disney fan - and while I feel they are important lessons for kids to learn, they are not ones that need to show up in every kids show out there. Isn't that what we have Sesame Street for? Ok I'll get off my soapbox now.
Much like E.T and Goonies, it's a film I would watch over again. I am a sucker for coming of age, adventure/dramas The special effects were pretty cool and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the kids were nominated for their acting. Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning were the lead kids and were especially good. Watch for Ryan Lee as Cary, the kid who likes to blow stuff up and David Gallagher ( of 7th Heaven fame) as a stoned film developer, as great comedic relief. The movie will be a big hit for those who grew up in the 70's also. And I don't care what anyone says My Sharona and Don't Bring Me Down are freaking classics!
Oh yeah..one last important thing..if you go stay through the credits!!
Super 8 - 1. I loved this movie! 2. I hate movies with a "message" ( and by message I mean a moral) 3. Why do they only put these in kids movies? When I saw Bridesmaids the only thing I got out of it was to never eat bad Mexican before trying on your wedding dress.
That said, Super 8 was still a great movie. The adults acting was ok but the acting by the kids in the film was just amazing. The story is kind of a combination of Goonies, E.T. and Signs. Like Goonies & E.T. you have a group of oddball kids - with the obligatory 1 cool girl - go on an adventure - in this case they are making a zombie movie, find a monster, understand the monster ( unlike in E.T though they don't make friends with it) and save the town ( well not really in this case). Themes like first love and the importance of family also come up.
It is similar to Signs because they are both monster/alien movies, and in both you are on the edge of your seat with your hands over your eyes until they make the mistake of SHOWING you the monster. Trust me , the monsters in your head are always more scary than what they come up with and better.
The first half ( maybe 2/3) of the movie gets an A. But then it hits a small glitch - at least in my book . As I mentioned, they make the mistake of showing you the monster but then they go and get preachy - it's a small piece of the movie and I think they could have left it out. Spoiler Alert - I am going to give you the "monster" background here - "he only wanted to get home, all we had to do was help him, but no, they experimented on him, taught him to hate us, now all he wants to do is destroy us" ( and by he they mean the alien). See! Did we really need to hear this? I don't need to know where the monster came from or why it's there. I am here to be entertained for pete's sake. It was a great, exciting, on the edge of your seat family/monster movie and they had to ruin it with a MORAL!! This seems to be a predominant theme is most kids shows these days - especially if you are a big Disney fan - and while I feel they are important lessons for kids to learn, they are not ones that need to show up in every kids show out there. Isn't that what we have Sesame Street for? Ok I'll get off my soapbox now.
Much like E.T and Goonies, it's a film I would watch over again. I am a sucker for coming of age, adventure/dramas The special effects were pretty cool and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the kids were nominated for their acting. Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning were the lead kids and were especially good. Watch for Ryan Lee as Cary, the kid who likes to blow stuff up and David Gallagher ( of 7th Heaven fame) as a stoned film developer, as great comedic relief. The movie will be a big hit for those who grew up in the 70's also. And I don't care what anyone says My Sharona and Don't Bring Me Down are freaking classics!
Oh yeah..one last important thing..if you go stay through the credits!!
Quid Pro Quo ( or The Art of Volunteering)
I am a big proponent of volunteering - the world would run so much smoother if more people got off their butts and did just one thing for someone else. That said, I am not a very good volunteer. I have friends who are - they build houses for Habitat for Humanity or spend hours at Austin Pet's Alive. I have just never been able to commit that much time to one organization ( this could also explain why I am still single).
Now don't get me wrong - I do volunteer. Quite a bit actually. I am the Philanthropy Director for the Central Texas Parrot Head Club ( yes we do more than drink and party). I like to call Parrot Heads "philanthropists with a party problem". We do one activity a month, currently we help at Hope Alliance, Capital Area Food Bank and the Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB) street clean up.
On my own I am not quite so altruistic. When I volunteer I am usually getting something out of it for myself. Because of my current non employment status I can't afford to do most the things I used to. Then I discovered that if you volunteer at these events you get in for FREE! Not only that, they often FEED you. Yup. 90% of the time the volunteer gigs are pretty sweet. I've done a marathon, a 10K , festivals and home tours ( I LOVE LOVE home tours). The home tour events are some of the best - 4 hrs of your time and you not only get to do the tour free but there is usually a cocktail thank you reception for the volunteers ( yeah you heard right - booze & food!) When I volunteered at the Cool Home Tour they bought us all dinner at Shady Grove. I especially love volunteering at Independence Brewery 1st Saturdays - can you say free beer! Oh and the folks there are real nice too.
I've only had one bad experience so far. I was doing one of the home tours ( I won't name which one) - I thought, like other tours I'd volunteered at, they'd sit me in the shade/porch of one of the homes and probably with a co-volunteer . Nope. Wrong. I was at the end of the driveway, by myself in the sun ( and damn it was hot!) and no shade! About an hour and a half later one of the realtors finally drove down a golf cart so I'd have something to cover me. And to top it off I was unable to do the tour and there was no thank you happy hour - I got bupkus, zilch, nada! I'll be thinking twice before I volunteer for them again.
My recommendations for volunteering are: 1. Pick an event you would actually want to attend 2. Or an organization you believe in 3. Work hard and smile - Yes volunteering usually means you are going to have to work (regardless of the freebies). If it's not for you don't go back, but for heavens sake don't whine or complain while you're there
I am currently checking my Austin Events Calendar to see if there are any cool events coming up. Do you need packets stuffed, a greeter or someone to check people in? For a beer and cocktail weenies I'm your girl!
Now don't get me wrong - I do volunteer. Quite a bit actually. I am the Philanthropy Director for the Central Texas Parrot Head Club ( yes we do more than drink and party). I like to call Parrot Heads "philanthropists with a party problem". We do one activity a month, currently we help at Hope Alliance, Capital Area Food Bank and the Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB) street clean up.
On my own I am not quite so altruistic. When I volunteer I am usually getting something out of it for myself. Because of my current non employment status I can't afford to do most the things I used to. Then I discovered that if you volunteer at these events you get in for FREE! Not only that, they often FEED you. Yup. 90% of the time the volunteer gigs are pretty sweet. I've done a marathon, a 10K , festivals and home tours ( I LOVE LOVE home tours). The home tour events are some of the best - 4 hrs of your time and you not only get to do the tour free but there is usually a cocktail thank you reception for the volunteers ( yeah you heard right - booze & food!) When I volunteered at the Cool Home Tour they bought us all dinner at Shady Grove. I especially love volunteering at Independence Brewery 1st Saturdays - can you say free beer! Oh and the folks there are real nice too.
I've only had one bad experience so far. I was doing one of the home tours ( I won't name which one) - I thought, like other tours I'd volunteered at, they'd sit me in the shade/porch of one of the homes and probably with a co-volunteer . Nope. Wrong. I was at the end of the driveway, by myself in the sun ( and damn it was hot!) and no shade! About an hour and a half later one of the realtors finally drove down a golf cart so I'd have something to cover me. And to top it off I was unable to do the tour and there was no thank you happy hour - I got bupkus, zilch, nada! I'll be thinking twice before I volunteer for them again.
My recommendations for volunteering are: 1. Pick an event you would actually want to attend 2. Or an organization you believe in 3. Work hard and smile - Yes volunteering usually means you are going to have to work (regardless of the freebies). If it's not for you don't go back, but for heavens sake don't whine or complain while you're there
I am currently checking my Austin Events Calendar to see if there are any cool events coming up. Do you need packets stuffed, a greeter or someone to check people in? For a beer and cocktail weenies I'm your girl!
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