Pics of the snow.

Here are some shots of the snow. Click any of them to see the full album.

My car is the second from the right. Next to the red truck.

From Blizzard of D...
Looking out our front window to the Northeast.
From Blizzard of D...

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Let it snow? Ugh.


We're getting snow in Denver. Lots of snow. People always told me (before I moved here) that Denver is mild. Very mild. Warm in the winter in fact. 50 degrees here is eminently warmer than 50 degrees anywhere with humidity over 10%. Mostly this is true. They also said that if/when it snows, it's either a light dusting or you get dumped on.

The system above has been hanging out above us for more than a day - and we're now up to 2' (feet, that is) of snow. TWO FEET. And, it's still snowing. How does it impact me?

  • The BF is stranded at some random strangers' house because his car got stuck on the way home from work yesterday - and he's 5.4 miles from our houses, and walking that in a blizzard didn't seem helpful. He's attempting to walk the 1.4 miles to a mutual friends' house today (friend with SUV).
  • Said friend's SUV is stuck at the end of his driveway.
  • The cats and I are fine in the house - fire works.
  • My car (which I left outside because the BF was working late and I usually let him take the garage when he comes home late) is buried under a 4 foot snowdrift. Even if I could get it out, there's at least 3' of snow across the parking lot and a 6' drift at the end.
  • Though I have a case of Twin Bing candy bars (bonus points if you've heard of it), for the most part we have very little food. Burritos, pot pies & stale pasta is about it. Today was grocery day. Fat chance.
  • I don't own a shovel.
  • My parents were supposed to fly in this morning. They've decided to wait and drive tomorrow (Mom & Dad were tentatively rescheduled for 6:40 AM Saturday OR 7:08 PM Sunday - my Brother still doesn't have another flight). Driving seems to be the best option.
  • One of my employees was doing a press check in Dallas and got stuck. She was supposed to fly from Denver to Canada (her home) tomorrow - but couldn't get back to Denver from Dallas until the 26th - according to United - and she's Premier Executive. So I agreed to let her expense a $1700 one-way ticket to Canada from Dallas. Given that staying in her hotel another 6 days would be about $1500 anyway.
  • My Christmas shopping isn't done.
That's about it. The snow does look pretty though...

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Altitude Baking. And Forgetfullness.

So I made brownies tonight. Brian usually does the cooking, but I started dinner (he had to come finish it) and so I decided to make some brownies. They're out of a box, but still yum. I mixed them all together according to the directions, added some mint-chips for fun, and popped them in the oven.

After the 45 minute baking time, they were still gooey. I asked Brian if they should be done yet, and his first comment "Did you adjust for altitude?" Oops. I told him the box didn't say to. But it did. Add 1/4 cup of flower per packet (meaning I'm 1/2 cup down) and 2 tbsp water (so I'm down 4 of those - which I think is 1/4 cup).

The short of it - we have brownies that are gooey on the inside (after another 15 minutes of baking) and dry on the outside. But they're still chocolate. And still good.

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My Celebrity look alikes (?)

I noticed that Tr3nt over at Pink is the New Blog had done this on his myspace page, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Interesting results with this picture.



I tried 4 or 5 pictures. Sean Hayes came up in almost all of them, so did Arnold Schwartzenegger (though not in this one). Also Shane Filan from Westlife (Irish boy band). Fun stuff. Try yours at http://www.myheritage.com/

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The great TiVo HD unboxing.

It was announced a few weeks ago. I waited. I held out. I made sure we'd have enough for the downpayment on the house. Then I slapped down my Visa and bought the new TiVo HD. At $799 it's a really hefty pricetag, but for those who know me, you KNOW how much I love my gadgets.

The box itself is similar to most TiVo boxes, but they give you a great experience inside. Very fun. Very TiVo.

From TiVo HD Unboxing


From TiVo HD Unboxing


Once you open it, there is a little layer of velum with printing, touting all the new features and enhancements your TiVo HD will bring. Culminating with "The TiVolution will now be broadcast in HD."

From TiVo HD Unboxing


And lastly, the sexy little beast itself.

From TiVo HD Unboxing


Comcast comes on Sunday to install the two Cablecards (just $6.95 each, the price of box rental) so we can truly get HD TV on the thing. So sweet.

Lastly, there is a TiVo VIP promotion running through the end of the year which allows you to transfer the lifetime subscription of a Series 1 or Series 2 TiVo to the HD unit (and keep 1 year of free service on the unit you transfer from). Cost: $199. Details on that are here: TiVo VIP Purchase/Transfer. You have to buy the TiVo from TiVo, not Amazon or anywhere else to qualify. And a nice little letter comes in the box letting you know how to redeem. Pretty sweet. If you plan to keep the TiVo HD more than 18 months, well worth it.

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Random cat pics.

Rufus - not the most flattering picture of him, but he's been a butt lately. So oh well. He gets a bad pic published. Maybe he'll behave.

From Cats


Little Cat (Beau) doing what he does best.

From Cats

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On the road again.

I’m sitting in the Denver airport waiting to fly out to exciting Dayton Ohio. A few days ago I indulged and got the new blackberry pearl, so I’m posting from that. Can’t do hyperlinks or much else but general text seems to work well.

Just a quick post before I head out. I’ll write more later about the potential house, TiVo HD, Apple’s new products and everything else that happened this week.

In case you’re curious, this trip puts me over 90,000 airline miles for the year. Blech.

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Changing states.

I had the distinct pleasure of registering my car in Colorado last weekend. I intended to write about it then, but hey… I procrastinate sometimes.

Having registered a car in 5 states now (IA, NE, IL, CA, CO if you’re counting) I knew enough to find the DMV web site and figure out what I needed to do/have to expedite the process. In CO you need proof of identification (driver’s license), old title, old registration, emissions testing, VIN verification. Obviously the last two are the unique ones. Fortunately, the web site tells you where to go for your emissions test, and the VIN verification can be done by the same people who do emissions. Convenient. And a rip off. Why?

I have a 2006 BMW 330xi. It has 8,000 miles on it. I’ve had it roughly 8 months. I bought it new from BMW (was still on the boat coming to Los Angeles when I paid for it) and received it at a California dealership. So. The car is new. The car is efficient. The car is rated with California emissions. Given those things, you would think I could forego the emissions test. But no one can. You must pay the $25 to get the test. I can deal with that, it’s clean air, all good.

Now. The VIN Verification. This kills me. A girl at the emissions place looks at your license plate, looks at the VIN on your window (or inside the door in my case), and writes it down on a piece of paper. That’s your VIN verification. Follow me on this. I have a NEW car. Financed by BMW. I have the original title (with power of attorney from BMW Finance). The registration from the state of California. Yet, no one looked at those things as a piece of verifying the VIN. A girl looked at the car. Wrote it down on a piece of paper - and that’s more accurate and valid than anything provided by BMW USA or the state of California. For this, I pay $9. Granted, it’s only $9 but still. I would think the process could be a bit better.

So the car is registered. I’m legal. (If you have a Colorado license and do not have Colorado plates on a vehicle registered in your name, it’s a $1000 fine if you get pulled over. Per incident.) The rest of the process went smoothly, but oh what a joy it is to deal with the paperwork of getting ‘legit’ in a new state.

passenger.gif

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Caffeine intake: 4 cups coffee, 1 Dr. Pepper (can)
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Days since last trip: 03 (Austin, TX 7/31-8/2)
Airline miles traveled year-to-date: 74,510
# of airline flights year-to-date: 79

*I have chosen to consolidate miles and not show individual airlines. Just easier that way.

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New Craftsman® TV takes me back.

When I was at Ogilvy & Mather/Chicago from 2000-2003 I worked on the Sears business. Started on Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) and then moved on to Craftsman tools later. The TV we did was iconic and dealt with the breadth of the tool line and the history and heritage Craftsman has. It always amazed me that it was always ranked #1, #2 or #3 on quality among all worldwide brands (not just tools, all). The other two that flirted with the top 3 were Rolls Royce and Waterford Crystal. Good company indeed.

So seeing these ads gives me mixed feelings. While I find them funny, I’m not sure they do a lot for the brand overall. Seems to cheapen it a bit to me. Take a look and feel free to post comments.

Gymnastics :30

Bowling :30



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Caffeine intake: 3 cups coffee, Annie’s Cafe
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Days since last trip: 02 (LA - 7/13-7/14)
Miles traveled on American year-to-date: 20,323
Miles traveled on United year-to-date: 34,370
Miles traveled on Frontier year-to-date: 10,140

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Shop, shop, shop

So I’ve been spending WAY too much money today. I impulse buy like NOBODY’S business. Got a new scanner (deep sale), Bose speakers for work (necessity) and the BF and I got a new MacBook for him today. I must stop!

Ironically, the one thing we both want and have agreed on is the new dual-tuner TiVo. We have 3 TiVos in the house currently - my original Series 2, a Humax DVD-R TiVo and a 40-Hour. I’ve looked for them at Best Buy (for instant gratification). Found it on Amazon.com for cheap… but still haven’t made the purchase. We always have issues with conflicts on TV shows, and I’ve been DYING for the dual-tuner (as well as an HDTiVo) for a while. I just haven’t pulled the trigger. Maybe if I prep the 40-hour to give to my parents (who need one - everyone needs one!) it’ll motivate us to go get the dual-tuner.

So I continue to shop… and maybe by next weekend I’ll get the TiVo. I’m told I HAVE to buy it before fall so we can sample a ton of new shows. That gives me a little time )

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Caffeine intake: 3 Cups of Coffee, Iced Venti Non-Fat Chai, Huge Coke
Current music: Watching TV (maybe I should get rid of this category)
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Days since last trip: 02
Miles traveled on American year-to-date: 18,521
Miles traveled on United year-to-date: 32,646
Miles traveled on Frontier year-to-date: 8,460

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Update on life.

It’s about time I give an update on my life since last fall. A lot has happened - I took the job in San Diego, was there 6 months, and then my department was moved to Denver. So - I now live in Denver (Stapleton area) with my boyfriend, whom I met in San Diego. I’ll back up.

My first week in San Diego I met a great guy online. We chatted for all of about 40 minutes then met for lunch. Then dinner. Fast forward to April, and when I was relocated to Denver, he came with. We’ve been together about 8 months now, and things continue to go very well. We just sort of ‘get’ each other, and complement one another in so many ways, it’s hard to explain. He was working in IT for DC Shoes in San Diego, and took a job at the Apple Store here as a Mac Genius. So of course, we have the whole Apple geek thing going on )

The job has been going well. Work is tough and long, and I’m back to traveling a lot (mileage updates below). Overall, I’m challenged with new and different things every day - which is awesome. It just gets a little tough sometimes.

That’s about the size of things so far - more to come as I’m going to try to blog weekly, if not daily.

-rfm

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Caffeine intake: 3 cups coffee (Delectable Egg)
Current music: Nothing.
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Days since last trip: 03 (Chicago 6/13-6/15)
Miles traveled on American year-to-date: 18,521
Miles traveled on United year-to-date: 29,870
Miles traveled on Frontier year-to-date: 8,460

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