It's a promise

Remember I told you about the issues with the Chevrolet dealership and how I was going to deal with it.
Well here's the letter to the owner.

Dear Mr. Alexander:

I am writing in regards to the complaint I filed at the Better Business Bureau on Thursday, August 24, 2006.

The complaint addressed the damage that was done to my husband’s 1998 Corvette while being serviced at your service center, and also the atrocious customer service we received.

Regarding the damage done to the vehicle; we initially took the car in for a smog check and upon leaving the dealership my husband noticed that the driver’s side mirror was hanging from the car. He promptly turned around and spoke with Jim Walling who confirmed that they would repair that mirror. A week later we finally called to see if the part was in so that the mirror could be fixed. We were told that the part was there and waiting. No one had called us to let us know, and my husband did email the dealership to see if the part was there, on two occasions. He never received a reply. Gary Bishop denies that an email was sent as he claims that all of the emails to the dealership are directed to his inbox, and he didn’t see it. Mr. Alexander, my husband has no reason to lie.

After the drivers side mirror was fixed my husband went to pick up the car. He signed the required papers and left the dealership. On the way home he noticed that the passenger side mirror was also broken! He is adamant that he did not damage that mirror, and it could not have been damaged by another car in our parking lot as there is no one that parks on the passenger side of his car, and he noticed it before he went to work. In addition, the Corvette is only driven to and from his work. There is no possible way that the mirror was damaged while the car was in our possession. Furthermore, we are not trying to have the mirror fraudulently repaired, if we were responsible for the damage we could afford to fix it. But we are not responsible and we should not have to repair the mirror.

Mr. Bishop asked how it was possible that the mirror was damaged at your service center. Since it is understood that the driver’s side mirror was damaged, it is just as likely that the passenger one was damaged also. Mr. Bishop went as far as to bring a mechanic out to ask if he damaged the car. The mechanic replied “no”. I can understand that he would reply “no”, he was in a difficult, unfair position.

Regarding the customer service; I have already mentioned the inadequate communication that we have experienced.

When my husband went to pick up the car after the mirror was repaired the car was not ready. When he approached the cashier when he arrived at the dealership he was told to go and find the mechanic! I am not happy that my husband was directed to look for the mechanic in a potentially dangerous area. Luckily my husband made it just into the back parking lot before he was met by Mr. Walling who had the paperwork ready for him to sign. In my opinion customers should not be going into the mechanics area, there is too much potential for injury to someone who is not familiar with that environment.

When I mentioned this to Mr. Walling he denied that my husband was asked to look for the mechanic. Again, my husband has no reason to lie.

In conclusion I believe that your dealership should repair the passenger’s side mirror. I am upset that we were essentially called liars. The manner that we were treated at the dealership when we were asked to come in again to discuss the passenger’s mirror was terrible. After we were denied service I told Mr. Bishop that I would go to the BBB and I would write these letters and I would inform everyone I could of this situation. He asked me in a very rude manner if I was threatening him. To reiterate, I was not threatening him.

I hope this issue can be resolved. My husband is very fond of Corvettes and it is convenient to have a Corvette dealership close to us. Furthermore we would like to be done with this situation, we have already spent a lot of time without a vehicle and a lot of effort trying to remedy all of this.

Sincerely,



Deadra Berkan

On the Rugby Front.

I haven't been able to make it to practices all week. With the family here and going to Vegas I can't go. I have been training like a mad woman. At the gym I changed it up and am now lifting heavier weights to get stronger. As it is now, I have to increase the weights pretty much every sesson, so if I lift much heavier and not do as many reps it won't be so ridiclous. I have been running outside and that is going well. However I am sore. My knees have been swollen perpetually for a couple weeks and I walk like a little old lady whenever I get up from sitting on the floor or when I get up in the morning. My ankles are achy also. So I am at a cross roads. I love the game, but I don't want to destory my body. It took me a long time to heal last time and I don't want to go through it again. Sigh. I'm thinking that I should let rugby go; focus on climbing, where I have met several fabulous people who are in the same place in life as I am.
AHHHH what to do.

Hellooooo.....

I am, in fact, not dead.
I've been soaking in some of this.
















How cute!
















Also some of this.


I have more pictures of this weekend, but they are on the camera. I promise to regale you with them next week.

This weekend we went climbing with my brother and his fiancee. They were both great at it. Bart had a slight iffy moment at the top of his first run, but quickly got over the height fear and muscled his way up several more runs. He couldn't lift his hand the next day. Suddenly form is much more important.

We also went to San Francisco. We walked around China Town, which is hilly. Normally I wouldn't mention the hilly-ness, but I was carrying a 2 year old. She wouldn't walk, and didn't want anyone but "AUNTIE!" to carry her. It was a good work out. We had to go in 2 cars and so Adam and I were in Maggie with Tessa and the rest of them were in my mom's car with Bart driving. So Bart made Adam promise to drive nicely. As we were leaving SF Adam thought he would take Bart on a little tour. We went up and down the roller-coastery hills in residential SF and finally made our way to Lombard Street which is the "crookedest street in the world". Bart loved it!
We also drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and finally went home. All tired and well toured out.

I went to Napa with the finacee, (Krista) and my mom. I've come to the conclusion that I prefer Sonoma, it's cheaper and the wine is as good, but mostly Sonoma is far less pretentious. Pretention doesn't go well with my Chardonnay.
And we swam in the pool a lot. Or as Tessa calls it "wimming". (I love her cute little baby lisp)

And now I will leave you with a Tessa dictionary.
Swimming is wimming
Colouring is cu-lour
Paper is pa-pee-ier
Bonasi is Bon-see
Fit ball is bouncy
Uncle Adam is Uncle Nadam, or just Uncle
Chachi is Cha-CHI

well I could go on but I won't.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today my mom turns 50!

You crack me up!

HA! Yesterday I did it. I tried the crack. And you know? The crack and I? Didn't do so well together. So I think I shall refrain from the crack for a while. However I may feel the need to do some more crack in the future.

And the meek shall inherit the earth.

Now replace meek with slow and I will inherit it all!
Last night at practice Mr.Coachycoacherson, was making a point that you should use the players you have and place them accordingly in both offencive and defensive situations. He used me a few times as an example. He would list 3 girls, including me and explain that me, being the slowest should be in the closest group of defenders, or the offence who didn't run the ball in for the try.
And the really odd thing? I didn't mind being the example of the slowest girl. I know something they may not know....
I can bench each and every one of them!

The Problem with Dealerships, cont'd

Remember this? If you check the comments I mentioned that I would take care of it. So I called the dealership the next day and explained that the other mirror was broken. They argued with me. They said they didn't break it. Then they made an appointment for me to go in there today, at 8 am. So we did. It didn't go well.
It ended with me stalking off to my car, saying over my shoulder to the manager: "I hope your business suffers!" Now in retrospect, that was probably not the best thing to say. But I will make sure that I am going to be a thorn in his side. I think that has less of a bite though. "Hey Mister, you better watch it, or I will be a pain in your ass!" See less effective.
Anyhow when we got there the weenie dealership guy went to get a manager, who told us no. I argued with him, saying that we didn't break the mirror, and that I was unhappy with their customer service. I was not impressed that the cashier sent Adam into the mechanic's area to find his car. He denies this happened. That pissed me off so bad. I told him I wanted an apology, he didn't give one. He did remind us that he wouldn't do anything for us though. He said that if we wanted we could speak to the service manager, but he was in a meeting. So we waited. The service manager came out, and introduced him to Adam, and didn't even look at me. So Adam explained everything again. And he said no. So I stepped in.
People it was ugly. I was polite and respectful, but I don't like bad customer service. He denies that we received, or were receiving bad customer service. Oh and he wasn't going to fix the mirror. He says that we have no proof that they ruined it. Hmmm...
(OK I need to breathe for a moment, I'm getting all pissed again)
Ok back. The new manager went to get the "mechanic" who swore that he didn't break the mirror. By now the manager is getting belligerent and I am getting way hotter. I decide rather than stand here and yell, I would end it. I told him that it was fine, but I would make sure that every person I spoke with would know that Sunnyvale Chevrolet is horrible. I also told him that I would contact his superiors, and theirs, and that I would contact the better business bureau. He then asked me if I was threatening him. I told him no. I told him that I have a lot of time on my hands and I would follow up on all that I promised. Then I walked away.
So here is my plan of action:
I am going to find out who his boss is, and who owns the dealership and I will contact them both. I will tell everyone I know about this crap place, and I will contact the BBB. I will also contact GM Goodwrench, and all of the local Corvette Clubs. Then I will go to the newspapers. I'll go elsewhere to get the car fixed, and then I will send him a bill. I will be a thorn in his side.
I was even considering wearing a sandwich board on the street out front of the dealership. tee hee... I don't think I will, but that would be funny!

Where Adam's Rainbow Always Ends!

Forward Thinker?

I am sure that you all have heard that the president of Iran has his own blog now. I am a little at a loss of what to say about this. I have thought about it for a couple days now and I feel that I have created a little mental conundrum for myself.
I want to question if it is fair that he can use a blog to speak to his people. But then again, why not? I chide myself that I should be more open minded and not only think with a western mind. I ask myself if any western leaders (IE: PM Stephen Harper, or Prez. G.W. Bush-ey Busherkins) would ever consider such a thing. In Mr. Ahmadinejad's blog he tells about his own life and has a section to leave questions and has a poll. Would Bush ever ask the people what they think? (Don't answer, 'cause we all know the answer all ready.) See, now I am inclined to think that Mr Ahmadinejad has his finger on the pulse of his people, and that the western guys have a lot to learn. Never mind kissing babies, let people read your own thoughts, it's much cleaner and less risk of getting baby boogies on your face.
BUT! (there's always a but) is this just a subtle form of propaganda? He has made it available in 4 languages, Farsi, Arabic, French and English. Essentially he has made it available to the world. Propaganda for the world?
In his poll he has questions decisions that the US has made or will make. I wonder if he is doing this for a publicity stunt like the article muses, or is he doing to demonstrate his humanity, and Iran's humanity. Is that why he made it available in English too? So that the Americans (and their buddies) could see the humanity in Iran and be less likely to jump the gun as quickly as they did with Iraq?
I can understand how it could be frightening for Iran to be labeled part of the Axis of Evil and then watch Iraq get sucker punched. If I were the leader of Iran I would want to have an easily accessible outlet for the world to learn that I'm not the bad ass that I was labeled as, in hopes of avoiding a beating by the school yard bully. A blog translated into 4 languages is easily accessible, and could thrum up more support for Iran worldwide, and more for Mr Ahmadinejad in his own country.
I really hope that he is doing it in an honest attempt to reach the people of Iran and the world. I think that it could be the beginning of a way to help everyone see beyond borders, to not see Mr Ahmadinejad as Iranian, but as a leader. To see Iranians as people, not terrorists and nuclear weapon totin' miscreants. I think it will be a great way for us as Westerners to see that other cultures and countries are valid too, that our way and culture isn't the only one. Hey, it might work in reverse too with the question section and poll. Perhaps we as North Americans can demonstrate that we aren’t all crazy right winged fools who can't perceive anything beyond their chain linked fence.
Maybe it will be the beginning of a trend for the world.
Or maybe he just wants to have his own blog, to be cool, like me!

Meme me baby!

I was sent this and here it is!

Place an X in all that you have done.

This is for your entire life:

( ) Smoked a cigarette

(X) Drank so much you threw up

( ) Crashed a friend's car

( ) Stolen a car

(x) Been in love

(X) Been dumped

(X) Shoplifted

(X) Been laid off/fired

(X) Quit your job

(X) Been in a fist fight

( ) Snuck out of your parent's house

(X) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back

( ) Been arrested

(X) Gone on a blind date

(X) Lied to a friend

(X) Skipped school

( ) Seen someone die

(X) Been to Canada

(X) Been to Mexico

(X) Been on a plane

(X) Been lost

(X) Been on the opposite side of the country

( ) Gone to Washington, DC

(X) Swam in the ocean

( ) Felt like dying

(X) Cried yourself to sleep

( ) Played cops and robbers

(X) Recently colored with crayons

(X) Sang karaoke- badly.

(X) Paid for a meal with only coins

(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't

(X) Made prank phone calls...

(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(X) Danced in the rain

(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus

(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe

(X) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about

(X) Blown bubbles

(X) Made a bonfire on the beach

(X) Crashed a party

(X) Gone roller-skating

(X) Ice-skating

Any nicknames? Dea, Dedo

Mother's name? Pennie

What is your favorite drink? Shirley Temples, or a good oaky Chardonnay

Tattoos? 4

Body piercings? ears, nose and previously tounge.

How much do you love your job? I'm a housewife....

Birthplace: Smithers, BC

Favorite vacation spot? New York, England, any cultural place

Ever been to Africa? No

Ever steal any traffic signs? no

Ever been in a car accident? Yes

2 Door or 4 Door? 5

Salad dressing? Balsalmic vinegar

Favorite pie? Lemon

Favorite number? 2

Favorite movie? The Object of My Affections

Favorite holiday? Christmas

Favorite food? Korean

Favorite day of the week? Weekends, when I get to spend it all with Adam...

Favorite brand of body soap? Dove

Favorite TV show? hmmm, Friends, Sex and the City

Toothpaste? Crest

What do you do to relax? lately, moan in agony....

Message to your friends reading this? YOu love me, you really love me!

How do you see yourself in 10 years? With children, planning an amazing vacation.

What do you do when you are bored? scrapbook

4 Things

I've had several people email me this meme. I never seem to send then back, so I am going to put it here and email the link to everyone who has ever sent me one.
Things you may not have known about me.....

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1.ESL Immersion Kindergarden teacher/ ESL teacher
2.Loans Officer
3.Office Manager
4.Telemarketer

Four Movies I have watched over and over
1. Pretty Woman
2. Dirty Dancing
3. Gone With The Wind
4. THe Object of My Affection

Four places I have lived:
1. Peachland
2. Seoul/ Gwang-Ju/ Daegu
3. Manchester
4. Mountain View, Ca.

Four musicians I like to listen to:
1. Nickleback
2. Cold Play
3. Black Eyed Peas
4. Some Jazzy dude who's name I can't remember

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Friends
2. It's Always Sunny In Philidelphia
3. The Girls Next Door
4. Charmed

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. London
2. New York
3. Mazatlan
4. Montreal

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Sushi
2. Kim Bap
3. Pho
4. green curry


Four places I would rather be right now:
1. United Kingdom
2. climbing gym
3. in an in-law ready clean house
4. playing with my neice, Tessa.

Up to the Knee!

This is a public service announcement.
I need to let everyone know who comes into contact with me that I have a disease. It's not fatal, and it's not contagious. There are mild side effects for me, and for you if I am suffering from a bout of it when you are near.
I have Pied Dans Bouche, or more commonly known as foot in mouth. I seem to have the more severe affliction of Up To The Kneeitis. And then coupled with this I have the uncommon variation of this disease where it affects me both when I am typing or speaking.
I've had a trying life due to this affliction, but I have persevered and made the best with what I've got. Really I am a story for all the ages. Triumph through persistence. Stories will live on, and I am sure that I will inspire generations to come, to just keep on truckin'.
So today I suffered another attack, this was the type-written sort. The innocent by-standers were the whole of the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club. I'll explain:
The Fog are very sophisticated in their ability to relay important dates and times to all of the team members, and foster a team spirit off of the field. They use Yahoo! groups to create conversations and what not to keep us all informed and up to date of all on goings. I have been hesitant to post too much through the group forum, I am still a newbie and I don't want to over step my bounds. But today I did it. Just as my Pied Dans Bouche flared up.
One of the men sent out an article detailing how staph infections are on the rise and to make sure that we clean our scrapes and cuts after practices to make sure we don't get any thing since the fields are often covered in goose poo. So I thought I would chime in and I mentioned how one of my friends once got an infection from a goose-pooey field, and the infection settled in her lymph gland in her groin. Then I made the comment, that scrapes and scars are sexy, but pussy ones aren't.
Now if you don't see what was so humiliating, then I LOVE YOU! But I saw it, as soon as it was delivered to my in box and everyone else's in the group. I wanted to die!
So I clarified, I told them I meant puss-ey, like ozzy.
I got a reply, like Ozzy who bites off bat heads?
Again struck by the Pied Dans Bouche!
I clarified again, OOZY. Puss-ey and oozy.
Clearly my toes were tickling my tonsils on that one. Should groin and pussy ever be on the same-ish line, no one will read puss-ey.
I hope that the only side effect that all of the Fog suffered from was a little giggle, which is common when I am chokin' on my knee. I hope they didn't didn't get offended which can happen sometimes too.
The moral of the story children is this: I never mean the dirty version, I always mean the pure version, you know, since I am pure of heart. Unless I mean the dirty version, but then you will know because my face will be red.
And this concludes our public service announcement. Please go back to your regularly scheduled activities.

The problem with dealerships

Let me tell you about the last 2 times I've brought my car into a GM Goodwrench (actually 5 times, but I'll get to that).

Around two years ago, I brought my car into Shaganappi Chevrolet for an oil change and some new break rotors. I dropped it off, and a few hours later got the call "We don't have the parts, it'll take us 3 days." Fine. Then they call back "We can only find 3 parts that we can get within a week, do you want us to use non-GM parts?" Sure, fine. I come to pick up my car 4 days later, and they've put in 3 GM rotors, and 1 non. That's not very safe! Also, the non GM part cost less than half as much. I argued that they should have at least used 2 matching non-GM parts, but I wasn't in the mood for a fight so I paid and went out to pick up my car.

When I sat down, the seat was broken! A sharp piece of plastic bit into me where the left side of the seat should have supported me. I brought this to the attention of the mechanic who asked "Was it like that when you brought it in?" NO!! "Ok then..." Long story short, 3 more days, I finally pick up my car with a new seat side. There was never an apology, and the new part doesn't fit as flushly as the original, and the back adjustment handle falls off every month or so, but it's functional, and I was sufficiently annoyed at Shagganappi Chevrolet that I was never going to bring my car back again, even to let them fix something they'd broken.

Flash forward to now, and I've moved to California. I need to get my car smog checked, and I figure it's easiest just to take it to the closest dealer, Sunnyvale Chevrolet. At least that way I know I'll get good service, right? I bring it in, it passes the test, and I pay for it. But when I go to pick up my car, the drivers side mirror is hanging off the side of the car. It's hanging in a way that looks like it's attached, until you hit a bump and it rotates out of position and shows you a good reflection of the asphalt beside you. I point this out to the mechanic, and at least this time I get a "Hmm, I don't remember it being like that when you brought it in." He promises to order the replacement part and let me know when it's in.

A week later I send an email. I've yet to receive a response to it. Another week later I give them a call. After 10 minutes of getting shuffled around, "Oh yeah, the part's here. Can you bring it in in a week?" Sure, I've just been driving around for 2 weeks with my mirror duct-taped on, what's another week.
So the day comes, and I bring the car in at 8am, because they say they'll need lots of time with it. Fine, although for someone who normally starts work at 11am this is a bit of a bother. And then the shuttle they've offered me shows up half an hour later, and it only take 45 minutes to get me 5 miles to my job. I probably could have walked faster. I get a ride back to the dealer just as they're closing (not taking the shuttle again). I still haven't received a phone call to say my car is ready, but I've learned not to wait for phone calls. I show up, and my paperwork isn't at the cashier, so she asks me to go find the mechanic. Like this is my job. Nonetheless I do wander around the repair bays until I find him just finishing up with my car. I go back inside to sign the paperwork and then get in my car and swear to never come back. No one ever apologized.
So the next day, I'm driving to work, and I notice that the passenger mirror is loose. WTF! It's not quite as broken as the driver mirror had been, but it's still not functional.


So that brings us to today. What should I do? I never want to touch the ground at a Goodwrench dealership again, but it looks like they have broken my car again. I'm tempted to just pay for it myself, and forget the dealer. I've already been without my car for half a dozen days, and I've wasted countless hours letting the dealership fix things they've broken. It goes without saying that I'm never going to voluntarily take my car to any Goodwrench again, but what about getting this mirror fixed?

Any advice?

Catch Up

I have intentionally not written a post in a couple days because I over did it the other day. So now I get to announce to the world what I have been up to. And that would be..... recovering.
Holy macaroni I am a sore, sore girl. I don't remember rugby hurting me this much when I played before. There was a practice last night and my quads started screaming from "lets run a warm-up lap!" They are still yelling at me a little bit. I have no idea why they were being so belligerent. I warmed them up nicely, I stretched them nicely, I kept them moving, and yet- the yelling. Getting up from being on the ground was the hardest, but damn I love contact and you generally end up on the ground. Oh well, go hard or go home, eh?
I've found it interesting to have a male coach. He doesn't butter anyone up, and he isn't patronizing like other male coaches I've had. I've always had harder female coaches who call it how they see it and don't spend their coaching time trying to get laid... unlike the male coaches I have had in the past. The one I have now is married and he isn't there just to get his dick wet, he loves the sport and really supports women's rugby. YAY!
Back to the pain. I have a few theories, some mine and some other peoples. Julie thinks that I am not taking my vitamins, so I am not getting enough potassium. Adam thinks that I am doing too much, apparently working out 4 days a week, climbing 3 days a week and adding rugby to the mix makes for a sore Dea. My theory is that I'm old, I need to take my vitamins and I need to get used to all that I am doing. I missed climbing today because I was so effin' sore, and that made me a little, hmm, not happy. Also at the gym, Julie had me doing reverse pushups on a bar, which is bitchin' hard. (I guess they would be pull-ups, eh? but imagine doing push ups on a bar, so you're standing with your body at a 40-ish degree angle, now sit under the bar, with your body mirroring the position if you were standing, and pull yourself up to the bar. Oh and try not to make the bad sex face too, that's the really hard part!)
I haven't regaled you with stories of the gym people lately, and I can tell cause the Google ads are advertising ceramics, which is a sure sign that I talk more of my ceramics.
So the gym has the rules posted and it states that you must wear underwear or tights if you wear a thong. I swear if I ever see someone wearing granny panties with their thong body suit, I will die right then and there. Also the best thing about the body thongs that the ladies wear? Is that they are all stretched out and the thongy bit sags. Now that is pure class... or a sure sign that they should have stayed in the 80s where they belong!
Now I've noticed that the gym people at my work out gym are different from the gym people at my climbing gym. The work out gym people (WOGP) are more egotistical and more focused on themselves, and sometimes prowling for, well whatever people who prowl at a gym prowl for. Me? The dude next to me spraying me with his sweat, will NEVER EVER appear sexy to me, EVER! Eww! I find the WOGP to be more cliquey and unapproachable. Now I haven’t really tried to approach anyone, but I have noticed that all of the boob-ed girls who prance around fussing with their hair and pretending to work out, seem to get a lot of attention. Perhaps a short, sweaty, bad sex face makin' girl (me!) doesn’t attract much attention. Oh well, again I'm there to get sweaty, not giggle and pop bubble gum. In contrast are the Climbing Gym People (CGP), they are really supportive of one another, will lend a hand if asked to, and are so much more approachable! There have been a few times when Lauren or I have asked someone to show us something, or give a tip, and they do! Willingly! With a smile! And then offer encouragement! I understand that the gyms each serve a different purpose, but the CGP are more my kind of people. I like nice people.
And on to other non sports related issues. Adam's parents were supposed to be arriving tomorrow, but since Caesar the cat is sick, they are going to be getting here this weekend. So I'm off the hook to scrub the tiles with a toothbrush for a couple more days. Then next week my mom, brother and niece are coming out for a week, followed hot on their heels by an old friend of mine who will be staying for the better part of 2 weeks. She's coming to Las Vegas with us. Sooo exciting!

BUSTED!

phone rings.
me: hello?
telemarketer: Hello, may I speak with Adam Berkan?
me: I'm sorry he's not here, can I take a message?
telemarketer: Oh no, I'll just call back later.
me: I'm his wife, can I help you?
telemarketer: Oh, I'm Alan from Girls Gone Wild, and Adam is one of our VIPs and I have an offer for him.
me: laughing, a lot.
telemarketer: uhhhh.....?
me: Ok continue....
telemarketer: So we are offering our VIPs this offer of 4 Girl's Gone Wild videos, and 4 other movies.
me: Wait, VIP? Since when?
telemarketer: Did I get him in trouble?

Guilty Pleasures.

Since I have moved down here TV is different. First of all, when you see a commercial, the thing they are selling, is here. I am so used to tuning out the commercials because there is a good chance that I would want what they are selling, but it's in the states only. So as a Canadian, you just learn to ignore them. But, besides the commercials, there are the other channels, like E! and the WB and other fabulous channels that we don't have at home as much. And with these channels comes most excellent American programming. And I love it!

The Girls Next Door.

What's not to love about Holly, Bridget, and Kendra- otherwise known as Hugh Hefner's girlfriends. They are beautiful, smart in their own rights, and lucky! Not that being in a relationship with Hef is something to be desired, but the benefits sure are!
I think that my love of this show is an assertion of my own 'girl power'. That I can watch and enjoy it shows that I am happy with my own femininity and girly-ness.
Yeah, femininity and girly-ness... I just really like it. It's like a story where 3 heavily altered princesses live with their geriatric prince and live happily ever after!
Oh and the new Playboy issue that is out now, with them on the cover, I so want it, you know just to see....

Flavor of Love.

Flava Flavvvvvvv!!! In this reality dating show, the aging Flavor Flav (it's so hard for me to not type Flavour!) dates a bevy of ditzy spinny trashy women, who are all vying for his affections and the distinction of being his next baby momma. It truly is a show of diminished mental effort, but watching the cat scraps is crazy funny!
This is the 2nd season of the show, 'cause the girl who won it last year decided that they weren't soul mates afterwards, so Flav decided to try again. Let the hilarity ensue.
In the first episode of the 2nd season, one of the lovelies pooed on the floor of the house. And he kept her in the show! Now this isn't the funny part, but she still parades around like it's noting, 'cause you know, everyone poos.
I love how all the girls pretend to be moral as they grind their crotches all over him. I also gag at how they are all willing to shove their tongues into his mouth, one after another. I think I need to remind you that he is in his 50s and these girls are early 20s on average. Ewwy eww eww. However it's like a car accident, you have to keep watching!
On a serious note, I think that Mr. Flav isn't as stupid as he may come off, clearly he has done something right in his career; he does have this show, and it is in it's 2nd season, so there were people watching it. Also there are moments where the camera catches him with this exasperated look on his face, as if he is thinking that he would rather be somewhere else, not there with these nasties all rubbin' themselves on him, or each other. He has also made a few comments that showed that he is a mature man, who does think- at least from time to time.

Charmed

I love this show! Unfortunately it ended this year, but it will live on in syndication. In fact I can watch it at least 4 times a day, and 2 episodes on Sundays!
I didn't really like the episodes as much with Shannen Dorhety, mostly she just pursed her lips and wore skimpy clothes. Not to say that Alyssa Milano wears much more, but well, I just like her better. I especially like how her skin tone has changed through the series, from overly tanned to the new tan, which is pale. Same with Rose McGowan. She rocks the pale world, and her character Paige, dresses- uhhh interestingly. And since I’m introducing the main characters, Holly Marie Combs is my favorite of the group of them.
I enjoy the show because it, is interesting to me. I can't put my finger on it. I like the fantasy of it. Maybe I love magic?
Anyhow the story line is that the 3 girls are powerful witches and they repeatedly save the world. The do some serious ass kicking, which (witch) I can really get behind. Oh also, there are always some cute guys in the episodes....

30 Days

This one was created by the same guy who did Super Size Me. I like his take on social experiments and how they invoke thought, unlike other proclaimed 'social experiments'- sorry Ashton, I don't think that yours is so socially experimental, more rating grabbing. Morgan Spurlock has chosen topics which I find to be interesting and relevant to what is important now. Recent shows were a man who believed that all of the illegal immigrants in the US should be sent back to where they came. So he was sent to live with one of these families for 30 days. He goes in expecting to hate them and all that they stand for and then he learns that they are people and that they came here to make their lives better, even though better is still living in poverty by American standards.
Other episodes include living on a minimum wage job, with children, living as a Muslim in the US, and living as a Christian by an atheist.
I would recommend this show, 'cause it really makes you think, and after some of the other shows I've listed, clearly thinking is good!

Happy Birthday Bart!

Today my baby brother turns 27!
















He USED to be a total cutie!

You don't say....

I've talked about before how Adam and I are in this gaming group that meets on Mondays to play board games. We also frequently invited to various other get togethers that some of the other members have privately. It's nice to be wanted. I haven't been going to any of the gaming things lately, mostly because I have been tired from climbing and gymming and just exhausting myself. Now lets add training into the mix for rugby and I'm going to be more cooked. Anyhow I digress. Today I got an email from someone I have never heard of before regarding gaming etiquette. I thought I would share it here.

Hi,

My name is John and I'm an avid board gamer associated with several
gaming groups in the Bay Area. As with many other social groups, we
must follow a certain etiquette while being allocated public space
with events open to the general public. A main concern that has come
up in many of our gaming groups is hygiene.

Since gaming rooms are often crowded with several people in a small
space at once and the odor can be a problem, it would be helpful for
individuals to shower and use deodorant before attending public
events. ALWAYS clean up after yourself. Food wrappers belong in the
garbage and soda cans and bottles belong in recycling. Wipe the tables after eating. The staff are not our maid service. Please wear clean clothes to public events. This advice may seem simplistic and
rather apparent but the problem has been repeatedly run into across
many groups throughout the Bay Area (and other locations, I'm also
sure).

In order to keep public events attractive and pleasant [sic] to a diverse
range of members, we must keep the spaces clean both during and
after the time we use their space.

Sincerely,
John

Funny eh? Except it was actually needed. The hygiene of a lot of the gamers is less than desirable. I want to tell these guys that not showering doesn't make their pheromones more obvious, but it sure makes their funk more obvious.
Really my climbing and being all tired, it's not really that heartbreaking for me. 'Cause the Funk, ain't funky, yo!

Roll Fog Roll.

Today was an interesting day. After putting my boots away a couple of seasons ago, I decided that I NEEDED to torture myself again. OH and torture there was. I won't even say that I tortured myself, no I will give that badge of honour to the coach, Kevin Sullivan. I swear he is one sadistic mofo, which makes for a great coach! He reminds me of my first coach, who I once thought was amazing, until she went all looney and stuff.
Anyhow the practice... I learned that it's a lot like riding a bike, you just don't forget it. And I learned that although I spend a hell of a lot of time at the gym, I need to brush up on my cardio. Apparently you don't elliptic across a field, and I can't squat my way across, nor can I do crunches to get across. All of the strength I have gained, is a little for naught, for now. Not for long though.
The girls were lovely. I felt a little old, which is strange, I have always felt like I was the young one before when I played, mostly cause I was. Not so much now.
So the girls. They are a talented bunch, fast and small and skilled. Even the newbies have the great newbie lack o' fear, which is great. They were a sweet bunch, no huge attitudes and welcoming. Granted it's the first women's team the club has ever had, but still there was no showboating which was nice.
Now, the men. When we got to the pitch I asked a bunch of guys who were making their way onto the field if the women were practicing there also. They looked at me and smiled and said that it was only the women. Which struck me as strange as there were more men then women. I was there really early, but it was nice to see the men there setting up for the women. More arrived too and helped out, filling in when there weren't even numbers and just being great supporters. All of the men introduced themselves to each girl there and were so genuine and nice. Adam was also there and was planning on staying in the car and reading, but the men wouldn't have any of that and asked him to come and visit with them, which was really nice of them! That would have never happened in any other club I have played for. The men made a point of welcoming the women to the club and mentioned that we are a part of the club and therefore will be treated as such. Again, I haven't been in a club that welcomed women so wholeheartedly. It was really refreshing and nice.
Finally about me, and rugby again. Short of me not being a runner, although I have never been one, I mostly survived. I sun burnt my right arm, which sucks and my face which sucks more. I was wearing sun screen, but I sweat, a lot. I felt myself getting really dehydrated, which I am apt to do easily, you know- the sweating.... So I would go off to drink a lot, but it made me feel super lazy and fat, but I needed to drink. Some of the guys who were watching kept telling me to drink Gatorade, but I hate the stuff, it's too sweet and gives me a sugar high... so I would drink some then some water. Also I have never really felt I was that much of an athlete that I needed Gatorade. Fast-forward to the cool down lap. I was running like the slug I am, and then I hit the ground, like a dead slug, who was standing upright. Oh and then enter pain. My right calf, knotted up like a horny teenagers panties, being shoved into a pocket. Some of the previously mentioned sweet girls tried to massage it out, but apparently my body would have none of that, and responded by knotting up tighter. One of the girls went to get the medic, and then a handful of the nice burly rugby guys came trundling across the field to further shame me. Except they were so sweet, there was no shaming, they were genuine and cared that my body was trying to reject my calf muscle by forcing out through the hair follicles. They made me drink Gatorade, massaged my leg and even blocked the sun from my eyes. Tres sweet, non? Apparently I was just a wee bit dehydrated.... oops.... I had to sign a waiver to allow them to post photos of me on the website, and I could barely hold the pen I was so shaky. Anyhow all's well that ends well. I lived as you can see here. By the time Adam and I got home, I was really feeling the effects of the sun, dehydration and being old. I felt like ass, but I so cannot wait for Tuesday night's practice!

Oh the here's link for the San Francisco Fog in case you missed it earlier. Now you can go and read up about them, and know that I am playing for a kick ass club.

The list has increased.

Before you couldn't have a real butter knife, and other such object on a plane, with reason. But now what? No energy drinks, no music, and no cell phones.
It's sad, people are so hell bent on hurting other people that they will do anything.
Soon we will just have to be naked to ride on planes.
Imagine that, people are now freaking out over a parenting magazine showing a baby nursing, can you imagine that same man sitting next to a naked mother? AHHHHHHH!

The Patch.

Not this one, or this one, I'm talking about this one. This patch fixes some holes in Microsoft which can let some viruses in. Adam installed ours this morning, then we had some fun times with drivers and not having 32 bit colour and high resolution. I'm not sure if they were related. In any case we have the patch and I'm happy. I'll tell you why.
Last summer when I was workin' for the Crazy Bank who whored me out to whatever branch they wanted, they didn't download the patch that was released like this one was. They got hit by the worm virus. All of the computers were down for the better part of 2 days. Well all of the new computers, not the archaic ones that they use to process transactions. But my computer was down, I couldn't do anything. So I called Adam, and told him that I had to unplug it from the wall. He asked if they used the patch. I had no idea, he guessed that they were hit by the virus. He knew to download it, but the IT guys at the bank, who's job it is to stay on top of this stuff? No. Clue. Oh well thanks to them I got to organize my office, catch up on my filing, and stare at the wall, a lot.
Now I wonder about this year, will they install it? I am so close to taking bets on this one. It could go either way. They may be on top of it, or they could have their heads up their asses, which is what they are really good at. Hmmm....
In any case, make sure you download it. Adam told me last year, that once a patch is released a virus generally gets released by some bad dude right after, 'cause they know that there is a hole and some people may not have fixed it.
Makes you wonder though, if they don't release the patch, then the bad guys wouldn't have known about the hole, then they wouldn't have made the virus, and all would be fine. Although I am sure that there will be the one time when a super bad smart guy will figure it out before the patch is made and we all will weep when we all lose our favorites.
I know I would.

Die Horsey Die!

So I know that I am beating a dead horse with the whole rugby thing, but I am so unsure what to do.
Yeah I know, if only this were a problem in the world.
Movin' on.
I want to play.
I don't want to play.
I love the sport.
I hate all of the time commitments.
I love the sport.
Arg.
I think I still want to play.
The club is an hour away, it's so bloody far, and there aren't any teams closer, which sucks. It's strange that there arne't as many here as there are at home. We Canadians truly are a spoiled group.
The fun part, there are a couple clubs that I have emailed and gave them a brief history of me and rugby and they all want me. YAY! It's kinda cool. I am leaning towards the team that is new this year, it feels like their club is less drama-ey, but I guess we will see.
Well enough of my blithering.

Fire!

Today we awoke to the most heinous sound imaginable. The fire alarm in our complex went off, prompting us- if only to protect our hearing- to leave the apartment. So I bolted out of bed and rummaged to find something appropriate to wear outside in front of the neighbours. Then I grabbed the puppy and waited for Adam. He was in the closet looking for a shirt. Then he was looking for matching socks. And then he had to put the harness on the cat, and then he had to slide on his shoes. Now internet, had this actually been a fire, I would be less a husband now. I was yelling at him to hurry. He responded with "I need to get matching socks."
Yes, matching socks. I will explain why this drove me crazy.
Adam refuses to have any other socks other than black cotton socks.
Adam doesn't like to have his socks paired up, he likes them loose in his drawer. Really it shouldn't matter because there is only one kind of sock.
So you wonder what was taking him so long.
He likes to torture me.
Also the looking in the closet for a shirt?
CRAZY!
The drawer below the socks is full of neatly folded t-shirts, sorted by colour. He didn't need to look in the closet.
Needless to say, we didn't start out the morning well.
I also had this feeling of failure, like I have forgotten about every fire drill lesson learned in elementary school.

Dilemma

I've had these inklings lately that I want to play rugby again. So I went looking for a team. I've found that women's rugby isn't as easy to find here as it is at home, which is unfortunate, 'cause it's a great sport. Anyhow I emailed a few teams and it seems the closest team to me is in San Francisco and as luck would have it, their first practice is this weekend. Also, this will be the first year that this club will have a women's team. And the icing on the cake? They want a women's team, and they are an organized club. Wow, organized and rugby? Will wonders ever cease?
So the dilemma. I retired for a reason. Rugby is hard hard hard on me physically. Playing rugby requires a huge time commitment. Now I know I'm not working, but it takes time away from me and Adam. Also, I won't be able to rock climb as much, and I will be even more worn out every weekend. On the positive side, I love the sport, I'll get a good cardio workout, and I'm sure I will make great friends.
Also if I get pregnant I will have to quit and I don't want to leave a team in a lurch, although I am sure that they will have other people too. All of this is outweighed by how much I love rugby.
Sigh.
I dunno what to do.
Any ideas?

Gnah, gnah, gnaugh

Chachi's baby teeth haven't all fallen out and he's gotten his adult teeth. This means that he has 4 rows of teeth. That's right we have a Chihuahuashark, or is that Sharkchihuahua? Sharhuahua? Chiark?
















You may not be able to see but his 2 front baby teeth are still there, and they are really tiny. They are loose, but there is no way that I am going to assist them in their coming out; although his bottom teeth are crooked, and Adam isn't going to even think about lil' puppy braces.

















This looks crazy menacing, but he doens't freak or anything when I look in his mouth. If you look hard you can see all of his extra teeth. The funny part is that he loves rawhide, and when you have 8 canines, the rawhide gets caught between them. I've pulled it out a couple times. Hmm I wonder if he would let me floss his teeth? Now I just use my fingers to pull the little gooey bit out, again he just sits there, strange little dog.

Fun, eh?

What Choo Lookin' at?

He's thinking, "Damn that dog is psycho!"

People are needlessly dying....

and this is what people argue about.
So stupid.
I think that when we have children we should move to Europe where people aren't so uppity about a little flesh. Or somewhere like Iran* where women are encouraged to breastfeed.
*Dear sweet Lisa who reads and comments here has been to Iran several times with her son and has positive stories about breastfeeding in public there.

Where I need to be.

It's late and you can see that there is a spot waiting for me.


















Cute, eh?

Am I Cursed?

I wonder this because my 3 friends who were all pregnant have all delivered. Each of them were a month early. I had commented to my friend here when I went to visit her and bring my frankenscence and such that I should warn my 3rd friend to stay bed bound.
Weird huh?
So when I get pregnant, will I be a month early, or 3 months late?
hmm lets get past the 'when' bit first.

Ceramics Round up #2

So sorry to have neglected you all.... But I am back, and saddle up buckaroos, let's go on a ceramics round up!
















This is a large square plate, good as a fruit "bowl". It's not finished it still needs a final glaze.

















This is a big bowl, it's made with 2 clays using coils, I wanted to keep a distinction between them. I think I am going to glaze it turquoise, then the white will be blue and the red will be brown.
















This is a trivet I made for a friend for her anniversary. It is a scene from a card she gave me for the wedding and her and her husbnd loved it. The scene is showing how to not discuss stuff.
















This is a smaller square plate, it's painted using a different technique. I'm not sure if I like it.

















Another not quite finished one. It needs a glaze or stain, it's a mask of someone... Try and guess.


















This is my current work in progress. It needs a few little touches and to be hollowed out and fired, glazed and fired.

Well that's all of them. I have a couple other things in the works. Which is your favorite?