Sorority Bid Day 2009

For the uninitiated, this is what sorority bid day looks like at USC! The part where the girls in pink shirts take off their Pi Chi shirts is what they call 'reveal' where the disafilliated women who have served as Pi Chis all week take off the Pi Chi shirt and reveal their sorority shirts underneath to the potential new members.

Then, after the potential new members get their bid card from their Pi Chi, they run to their new sisters on the Horseshoe. I didn't see any of the Kappa's in this video, but you get the general idea of the singing, chanting, screaming, etc. that is a fun end to a very long week!

What really cracks me up about this video is the tube socks the girls are wearing - are these coming back? Scary.

A few years ago, a streaker in a gorilla mask ran down the Horseshoe - and I saw him coming and we just howled. I had never seen a streaker before.

Do you remember seeing this live and thinking - WOW?

Frozen in time, immortal, sad and tragic in the end.

I love watching the performances of the Jackson 5, and two personal favorites, She's Out of My Life and Off The Wall, both from the Off The Wall album.

It's been a sad week - Ed McMahon, Farrah, and Michael. Time flies, life is short, via con dios.

Memorial Day traditions and the best of the 3rd ID

I could not continue my yardwork yesterday becasue of the rain that began before 8 am and continued on and off throughout the day. So I made sure to make the most of the traditional Memorial Day offerings on TV. My favorite war movie is To Hell and Back with Audie Murphy. I love this movie - it is just amazing.

I watched as Audie Murphy fought Jerry and rose through the ranks. One of the best scenes has to be at the end with him on the 50 cal gun. And he did all of that before he was 19 years old and had been turned down by the Marines, Air Corps, Navy, and Paratroopers. According to the movie, they wanted to take him out of the combat unit but he wouldn't let them.

One of Jim's proudest possessions is his 3rd ID patch. He keeps it in his wallet. Watching this movie is part of the orientation when you enter the 3rd ID, and Jim is most proud of that service.

I also watched a little bit of (and DVR'd the rest) of the Battle of the Bulge, caught about an hour of Patton (I missed the part where he beats up on the shellshocked soldier), and woke up at the end of Midway. Midway is also one of my favorites.

What is really interesting is watching these movies with Jim because he knows about all the battles and the equipment and the details of stuff that you don't learn from the movies. When we went to see Saving Private Ryan, Jim translated through the whole movie for me since they did not use subtitles with the German. At one point in that movie, something happens and Jim leans over and says "he just called that guy an A$$(silrm". Not only does he know all of the stuff about the German equipment and battles and our equipment, he also knows all of those airplanes and all about the battles in the Pacific and the Japanese equipment. He is a walking history lesson.

So hope you all had a Happy Memorial Day and that it was much drier than mine!

Star Trek Lives…on Hulu.com video galleries!

This is totally cool. I can watch re-mastered episodes on this amazing site. Not all of them are re-mastered, but I hear we can now buy the re-mastered episodes and if these are any indication I have to have them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Captain, I canna guarantee that she'll hold up

Let me tell you, that was the coolest movie I have seen in a very long time. I loved it. STAR TREK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to see it again. It was just, fascinating!

Star Trek is here

Well, today is the day for the much hyped new Star Trek movie. I have plans to go tomorrow and based on the reviews from this morning it sounds like it will be amazing. Actually, I don't care much what happens today - I had the most amazing massage last night and I still feel like major jello. All is good in the world.

I did catch part of Star Trek II TWOK the other day. What is sad is that I know most of those lines by heart and can speak them with the characters. I am pretty sure I saw that movie on July 10th, 1982 and I was forever enthralled wtih Star Trek after that. Two stations, Channel 5 out of Washington and Channel 10 in Columbia showed Star Trek that summer, one came on at 5 and the other came on at 5:30, so I would watch the full one at 5 and then at 6 would switch channels to see the end of the second one. It was great. That fall, Channel 5 showed Star Trek at 8 pm most nights unless there was a basketball game on. I ended up watching a couple episodes of MASH each night as that was shown before Star Trek at 8. It did not take much to make me happy!

Out of the loop, off the curb, and busy as ever

Ok, I have been missing a bit from everything. I barely check or post on facebook anymore, and have not posted anything on the blog in a while but I do read my friends' blogs to try and stay connected. I'm not twittering (don't really even know what that is) or anything else, I have just been really busy.

We went out of town for Easter weekend and it was wonderful. I don't think I could have squeezed one more thing out of that visit to my sister's. We went up Friday (I took a day off!) and had lunch with Meg, James, and Quincy. After that, we went to Meg's house and dyed Easter Eggs. Meg boiled the eggs and I helped Quincy dye them. It was a lot of fun and she enjoyed it. I also played a lot with Quincy. Friday nite, Meg and I jammed to Guitar Hero. Saturday, we got started early with a 10 am Easter Egg hunt, came home for lunch, and made sugar cookies which I helped Quincy decorate. Then, we went roller skating. Quincy would not skate with me :(. I had paid for us and rented skates for me. I spent the first 10 min getting re-aquianted with being on wheels as I had not skated in 18 years!!!! I was really proud of myself though for not falling.

Quincy would not get on the rink with me, but she said she would with Meg. I said to her "I'm not mama am I?" and she shook her head no and then said, "but I still love you". So I turned in my skates, loaned Meg my socks, and got a bigger size skate so Meg could put them on. Quincy went around the rink with her once and then wanted to play Skee Ball - go figure. Me - I put the skates back on and skated for another 20 minutes or so. It was so much fun and I felt like I was 11 again!!! What a fun time. After skating, we went over to my mom's apartment so that Quincy could swim in the indoor pool. We played Marco Polo, and Quincy jumped in and swam around without the bubble to keep her up. She has turned into quite the little swimmer. She did not want to get out of the pool. By this time, it was time to go back to Meg's for dinner, more playing, and more guitar hero after Quincy went to bed.

Sunday we attempted to go to church, but Meg was not feeling well at all. She had been sick all weekend with fever and allergies, and it peaked on Sunday. So Quincy and I went outside on a beautiful morning to play basketball. It was alot of fun, and it was hard to leave but it was time to go home :(.

Have just been super busy since then, and everything started off well this week except around 7:30 Monday morning I fell while stepping off the curb and crossing the street. I twisted my right foot and landed on my left knee in the middle of College Street. I have this lovely swollen foot and a two inch by one inch abrasion just below my left knee. I had a fight with the street, and the street won. I was so embarrassed. I think I would have done better if I had been on the roller skates! I didn't fall on the skates, but I can't step off a curb without slipping and hurting myself. It was slick as it had been raining, but what a terrible way to start a Monday. Fortunately, I am on the mend, and hopefully the swelling will be gone soon - I'm tired of ice and a very cold foot!

So what is up with the Counter?

From time to time I look to see how many 'hits' I have on my google profile with the counter. I know there are many of my blogger friends who are linked directly to my blog and bypass my counter, but I seem to have had three or four counts per day for a while. And then all of a sudden, the counter seemed to get stuck and then go a bit berserk. Friday, I had 1,876 'visits', and then nothing for days. Even when I would go on it and the number should go up, it did not change.

Then all of a sudden, it jumped from 1,876 to 1,900. Then it was stuck again, and then the next thing I see it is on 2000, then 2100, and now it is at 2200. Sometime between 1900 and 2200 it stays that even when I hit my profile page and the count should increase - very strange.

So I know you have all noticed this problem - just kidding as you have probably not. Anyway, I just have found it odd since I know when I hit the profile site the count goes up, but I wonder who else is hitting it daily. Now I can't even see the numbers change as they are totally whacked out!

RIP to our Computer

You know, there are the kinds of phone calls you just don’t want to get. Jim left me a voice mail late yesterday before I left work, and I could tell immediately that something was wrong. I was bracing myself for the worst, but he said that he didn’t know what he did as he was trying to install the new read/write CD drive on the computer, but he fried the motherboard. After I heard the voice mail, I realized that as upset as he was it could have been a lot worse. I thought he had an accident, or something big at home broke (other than the computer), or all kinds of things were racing through my mind. But it was the computer – ok that can be fixed.

I can’t believe it is the end of March. The first quarter of 2009 is gone, and hopefully we are on our way to an economic recovery (of sorts) if cooler heads will prevail and the spending spree that our government seems to be on will end. Of course yesterday, the announcement comes down that the white house has asked the CEO of GM to step down. Now, I know that technically he can’t be fired by the President, but part of me is wondering just who they think they can fire. Do we really think the government is capable of running GM, selling Chrysler to Fiat, or handling anything else when they don’t have their own house in order? I hope we are not witnessing the destruction of capitalism and trading it for socialism. These are scary things to be witnessing. Although, I think the overreaction to the AIG bonuses and a clearly unconstitutional retro tax on things is much worse because it is clearly unconstitutional to pass a law to penalize or tax someone for something that has already happened. If they can pass a tax like that, there would be nothing to stop passage of laws or taxes to be applied retro-actively. This is insanity!

However, I digress. This has been a very busy week, and I was disappointed at the basketball on Sunday as the games were just not that good. Saturday’s games were really good – especially the Villanova/Pitt game. Villanova almost blew it at the end, but managed to score the winning basket at the end of the game (after they left one of the Pitt players standing underneath the basket to make an easy shot to tie). I am looking forward to going to my sister’s house next Friday for Easter weekend. I am taking a day off (wow I am going to get behind even with just one day), so that we can have a long weekend. The only bad part is that Sunday the 12th will be the final round of the Masters and I will want to be watching it all, but we’ll have to drive home. I don’t know who came up with the DVR, but I love that thing and will be DVRing golf so I can make sure not to miss any of the action!

So True – Nine Words

I just got an email about nine words that women use and their meaning. These definitions are so true. I have used these on many occasions, and the description is very accurate. I think I use these words in this way because I try to express my frustration without really letting the four letter words fly, getting mad, or nagging. I have also been in the kitchen and end up slamming dishes around because I’m frustrated that I don’t have help, but I don’t want to turn into my mother and become a professional nag. So to all you guys out there, if your wife/girlfriend/significant other is using these words, she’s trying not to nag you, pick a fight, or say bad words.

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

* Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid if they remember the terminology.

* Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, cause they know it's true!!!

Five Points Fun - Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

So we decided to brave the chilly temps yesterday and go to Columbia as planned for the St. Patty’s Day festival in 5 points. We were fortunate to not have rain, just a little mist at times. Had so much fun, saw several people I knew, drank some Harp draft beer, Jim had Guinness, listened to some cool music, ate some good food, and just blew off some steam. I don’t normally sleep late, but I woke up just before 9 this morning! We stayed at the Inn at USC which was great because we were able to check in around 12:30, park the car, and walk to 5 points.

It is always nostalgic to walk through campus. Went by the College of Business - which was my second home since I worked in that building and most of my classes the last two years were there, and also by Capstone where I lived just across the street. My dorm room my senior year was a corner room on the front of the building on the 3rd floor. I lived on the side facing Columbia Hall my junior year in ‘88 - ‘89, and lived on the 3rd floor my senior year. I can’t believe this time 20 years ago I was finishing my junior year. Scary.

Anyway, had a great time seeing some fun landmarks - Jungle Jim’s, Capstone, the College of Business, the Fountain, Yesterday’s, Goatfeathers, Village Idiot Pizza, Sharky’s, Group, and an assortment of bars whose names have changed over the years. It really makes me miss Columbia when I go for things like that and see all kinds of people I know. I always look forward to the bands, people, and beer trucks too!

March is DVT Awareness Month

DVT is an important subject for my family. My dad had an unexplained blood clot in his leg at age 51. Fortunately, it was identified quickly and it did not break off and go to his lungs (a Pulmonary Embolism or PE for short).

Unfortunately, my sister developed a blood clot in her leg that went undetected for a few weeks at the age of 34. Her leg was very, very swollen and she was in pain, but not the sharp kind like my dad had (and he had no swelling). Even after she got on the blood thinner, she developed PE’s as she had 6 clots go to her lungs. She had 1 in her jugular vein as well and her neck was very swollen.

After her clot and after they ruled out cancer as a cause, they suspected that my sister had a clotting disorder – a Factor V Leiden mutation. Meg was tested, I was tested, and it turns out that we shared that mutation causing a hypercoagulable state of our blood. This means that we have a predisposition to blood clotting, and if you develop a blood clot you are more likely to develop another one. With the life threatening condition of a PE, Meg is on coumiden every day for the rest of her life.

As for my dad, he takes a baby aspirin every day per his doctor. I take one too even though it has not been prescribed and I had to get off The Pill (which I had taken for almost 20 years at that point – scary as that exponentially increases the risk). I am also cognizant of long trips in cars, sitting for long periods of time at my desk, traveling, and the need to stay hydrated.

Do you remember David Bloom of NBC News? That is how he died while covering the Iraq war – he developed a blood clot in his leg and it broke off and became a PE. His wife Melanie has established The Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), and March is DVT awareness month. There is some great information on her website, and there is a risk analysis as well to assist you in determining if you are at risk. In this case, prevention is worth 100 pounds of cure.

DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower limbs. A complication of DVT, pulmonary embolism, can occur when a fragment of a blood clot breaks loose from the wall of the vein and migrates to the lungs, where it blocks a pulmonary artery or one of its branches.

• Up to 2 million Americans are affected annually by DVT
• Of those who develop PE, up to 300,000 will die each year
• More people die in the United States from PE than breast cancer and AIDS combined

Who is at Risk?

Certain individuals may be at risk for developing DVT, although DVT can occur in almost anyone. Some risk factors or triggering events to discuss with your doctor include, but are not limited to:

• Cancer
• Certain heart or respiratory diseases
• Prior DVT
• Advanced age
• Acute medical illness with restricted mobility
• Inherited or acquired predisposition to clotting
• Obesity
• Hospitalization
• Patients undergoing major surgery, such as joint replacements, who remain immobile in bed after an operation
• Pregnancy (Miscarriages can also be caused by clots in the umbilical cord)
• Restricted mobility caused by long-distance travel
• Use of birth control pills
• Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy
• Trauma

Third Time is the Charm

Well we finally had snow when it was predicted as we had about four inches of snow between 6:30 and 10:00 last night. It was coming down heavy – those big wet fat flakes of snow. Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve seen this much snow and this is the first real snow we’ve had since we’ve lived in the Charlotte area. I am working from home this morning, and I hope to make it in to the office later today. It is supposed to melt today with the sun and above freezing temps, so hopefully the roads will be clear by this afternoon as it is supposed to be something ridiculous tonite like 13 for the low. Not good at all. I am so tired of the cold, but it is supposed to hit 70 this weekend – yeah!

What is missing from Guitar Hero

I have really enjoyed my Guitar Hero game. Jim finally found a video game I like to play since I’m not interested in the ones he plays. Sorry, World of Warcraft is NOT for me. But Guitar Hero is a blast. What’s even more fun is that after Christmas when we got back home, we got the cables to run from the TV to the stereo receiver so I can totally blast the songs through the stereo speakers.

I have worked up to the “Hard” setting on Beat It, The One I Love, and I don’t play anything under a “Medium” setting on the guitar. I can play the bass part on Rebel Yell on Hard and still score in the 90% range. I am drumming on most songs on “Medium”, except Hot for Teacher. I can do 99% on Easy and my best streak was over 500 notes straight. However, there is a big difference between Easy and Medium as I only got 55% on Medium. It is really intense to drum that on medium.

I really like the Aerosmith Guitar Hero version, except that it is only guitar and no drums. There are some really cool songs on it, like The Cult She Sells Sanctuary, Dream On, and Sweet Emotion (a personal favorite). I have a lot of fun with those songs. Guitar Hero (original) even has More Than a Feelin’ which is a total blast and I love to crank that up as well.

So what is really missing is some serious AC/DC and more than just one Van Halen song. I would love to have the entire Back in Black album as well as Van Halen and Van Halen II for Guitar Hero world tour. I could have so much fun with the guitar and drum parts on all of those songs. I saw yesterday where they are releasing a Metallica Guitar Hero, so where is AC/DC and Van Halen? I wanna rock!

Details, Details, Everywhere – LZL 509, 536-2961, and K1860

This past weekend we went to see my friend Audrey, her husband Todd, and their son Blake. We had dinner, hung out, and played some guitar hero until about 10:15 Saturday nite. It was so much fun and I tried to not laugh when Jim sang Rebel Yell!

While we were having dinner, I was talking about going out with Audrey one night with one of her friends from high school and a friend of his. Audrey remembered the night out when I told her about it, but she was surprised that I was able to recount the events in such detail (right down to what I wore that night). She then remarked that there were two people that she knew that if they told her the details of an event she would believe them even if she couldn’t remember it because their memory was so good. One of those people she knows is me.

I remember some details that I guess most people just don’t. Like my very first memory was from when I was about 2 ½. I don’t remember that I went to Six Flags in Atlanta that day, but I remember falling down at the motel and hurting my knee. My mother confirmed the event that I remembered and how old I was. I don’t remember my mom being pregnant with Meg, but I remember everything about when she went to the hospital and when I went to see them at the hospital and then when they brought Meg home. I had turned 3 in late January, and Meg was born in early June. So I wasn’t even 3 1/2 but I remember all of these events very clearly. I would say that was the first ‘big’ event in my life and I remember it and pretty much everything after that. I even remember the day that Nixon resigned. I was 5 ½, but the newspaper headline was very large and covered ½ the page – it said NIXON RESIGNS. I didn’t understand what that meant, but I remember the headline!

I remember stupid things too, like my phone number when we lived in Orangeburg was 536-2961 and my address was 377 Adden Street - we left there in 1975 when I was 6 ½. Or my license plate number from my first Toyota LZL 509. I remember the key number too K1860. I remember my phone number when I lived in Charlotte for 17 months – 704-542-2998. I also remember many events over the years and can recount things that were said verbatim from 15 + years ago. I remember dates, places, even the details of what I was wearing at the time. I never considered this kind of memory unusual, but I guess it is based on what my friends tell me. I get it honestly though – my grandmother had the same kind of memory so I guess it is just the way my mind works. Just one more thing to confirm that I am different for sure!

The calendar says February, but the weather says April

Saturday and Sunday were two of the nicest days we’ve had in a while. With all of the rain and bitter cold we’ve had, it was amazing that it actually smelled like a spring morning the last few mornings when I went outside to get the paper. Yesterday I drove around all afternoon with the windows down and the sunroof back. Imagine my surprise when I saw people with a convertible and the top was not down – what a waste! Yesterday was perfect convertible weather.

I can’t get over how beautiful it was yesterday – it just felt amazing. The days are getting longer too which is especially nice when leaving work at 6 and it’s still light outside! I think the dark and cold were really beginning to wear me down. I’ve been leaving my house before 7 every morning and been getting home around 6:30. Friday afternoon, I actually left the office at 4:50 and got home a decent time. That was great!

We are also supposed to have a mild week which will be really nice for a change. It reminds me of a Valentine’s Day when I was in college – it was 1989 and I had this short sleeve red dress that I wore that day because it was warm enough. I usually dressed every day to go to class as I was working on campus and couldn’t wear jeans to school and then work. So it was a perfect day to wear that red dress. I hope to wear some different clothes this week now that the weather will be more mild. It’s nice to wear something different for a change and especially because it has warmed up!

The Day the Music Died

It's been almost 50 years since 'The Day the Music Died' - the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that took Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper is February 3rd.

This is my favorite Buddy Holly song. A very close second is Maybe Baby, but these words and the performance by Marshall Crenshaw in the movie LaBamba makes this my favortie.

Steve posted about his #1 songs, and I have been meaning to post a comment because I liked alot of the same ones. One of them on Steve's is Bruce Springsteen "I'm on Fire" - that is a haunting song. Especially the part that goes: 'It's like someone took a knife baby edgy and dull and cut a six inch valley through the middle of my soul'. That line is probably my favorite of all in a song. Classic.

40 was easier than 30 and I'm feelin' good!

I'm feelin' good - just like Nina Simone. Whenver I think about feelin' good, new dawn's, new day's, etc. I think about this song.

Had a great birthday yesterday - thanks for all of the good wishes. And to quote Chuck/Captain Kirk, it is definitely the "Best of Times" at least in a personal way. I feel like not letting anything slow me down - and that's a good feeling!

The big day is here

So last night on the way home from work, my car rolled 142,000 miles. And today my odometer rolled too. This is it, I'm officially 40. Actually, I had a very nice surprise waiting for me when I got home yesterday. One of my best friends sent me flowers and I was so surprised! Audrey and I have been friends for 20 years, and I called her and told her how much I appreciated the flowers.

I guess I won't be crawling under a rock today - especially since I have to go to work. I guess I will find out if life begins at 40 - here I go!!! Hope it is a good one.

Forty years ago - gasp!

Forty years ago today – January 20, 1969, my mother said she was watching the inauguration of Richard Nixon and wondering when I would arrive. This was my original due date, so I guess I got a 7 day reprieve on turning 40 this year! Forty years ago today it was also exactly six months before man first walked on the moon. I witnessed it (I’m told) though I obviously do not remember it. My mom said she woke me from a nap and put me in front of the TV so that I could “watch” it with my parents.

I guess I was stubborn then too in not conforming to the due date that had been assigned. I see that was a harbinger of the way I would turn out.

Well, we only got a light dusting at my house overnight – actually it was more of a heavy frost instead of any real snow. But that is ok with me since I needed to come into the office today and was glad that the road conditions were nothing more than a small rain event. If my Grandmother were alive, she would tell me that today would remind her of the day I was born, cold, cloudy, and with flurries!

I really do miss my Grandma. She would have been 100 last year. That is just so hard to fathom that she lived 98 ½ years. I know that there were a couple of times I think she was just too stubborn to die even though she was very sick. My great-great grandmother even lived to be 73 (she died in 1923), and my great-grandmother lived to be a month shy of 80 and died in 1959. I have a feeling these ladies were stubborn too based on things I learned from my mom and Grandma.

At least it’s a week before my birthday and I’m not crying about it. That's a good sign.

For the low price of $11,995 - this can be yours

After my last post and Steve’s comments about my VW, I started thinking about my bug and how much I loved it. I did some searching on the internet for pictures, and there is actually one for sale here in Charlotte: a 1974 baby blue Superbeetle for the low price of only $11,995. The main thing that distinguishes a Superbeetle from a regular one is the curved glass on the front windshield vs. a straight down windshield.

My bug was purchased new in 1974 when I was 5. It cost my parents about $1,500 new. It had an AM radio, a heater, a defroster, a back seat that would fold down (my sister and I loved that on trips), and was a 4 speed manual transmission. When they sold it, they got $3,000 in early 1987. Pretty good for a 13 year old car.

I leaned to drive on this car starting when I was about 14. Mom would let me practice on Sundays in the Airport High School parking lot. There was this great hill in the back that connected the old student parking lot (the underclassman dirt lot) to the front of the gym. That hill was the perfect place to stop mid way up the hill and learn to let off the brake and operate the clutch and gas to avoid rolling backwards.

I really did love that car. I drove it from the time I got my license (April 16, 1984) until I got my first Toyota. My second car was a 1984 SR5 Toyota Corolla. It was a 2 door liftback, had pop up headlights, was red, and had these cool black louvers on the back glass. I remember picking that car up after school on December 9, 1985. I’m pretty sure it was a Monday. My parents financed it for 30 months, and the payment was about $230 a month. I ended up helping out with the payments when I was at Carolina and paid $130 a month to my mom and paid for it to be in the garage as well as paid about half the insurance until it was paid for. After that, I took care of all the insurance, maintenance, etc. I was so glad when I paid it off in August of 1988. I even got my mom to sign the title over to me since I had helped pay for it and was responsible for it.

I drove that car until May of 1991. I had been out of school for a year and bought my first new car, a 1991 Toyota Celica. It was red, but was not a liftback. I really missed my liftback, but in that model, the trunk looked better than the liftback. However, it was not nearly as cool as my Corolla liftback even though it had a spoiler on the back. I never fell in love with that car like I did the bug and my SR5, and I ended up trading that Celica in right after I paid it off on my current Celica, the 1996 25th Anniversary edition you see in the post below. I decided to buy my current Celica while I was on a business trip in Texas. I made all the arrangements while home one weekend, and the car actually arrived in late April, but I did not take delivery until mid-May 1996. It was very expensive as the exchange rates were not that favorable at the time, and I bought it for about $21,600. It was still a deal though as I still had all of my connections at Toyota Center and knew the owner personally. So I got a great deal.

So here’s a bit of trivia, do any of my blogger friends know what all 4 cars that I have driven have in common? Good luck!

Baby, Mama loves you

Well, I washed my car yesterday as it was very dirty so I thought I would post some pictures of my Celica. I still love this car and I have the most fun driving it!

45 + 105 = Therapy

Last night I got in the hot tub and it was about 45 degrees on the porch and the water temp was 105 - Perfect! It was cool without being very cold outside, and the 105 is perfect. I got in at halftime of the Sugar Bowl. Wow, what a game. I don't think Alabama has been so dominated all year. Utah really came to play last night and it showed. I was impressed. The Kentucy/ECU game was crazy to watch. I don't think I've seen such bad officiating in a bowl game yet. And I'm just going to withhold commentary on the Outback Bowl except to say that I can't figure out what the hell is wrong with our team. We just stunk it up badly.

Well, it looks like we're settling into January now, clouds and all. I'm not sure which is worse, the sun setting at 5:30 and the short days or all of the clouds and fog we've had the past several weeks. Good news is I think we're catching up on the much needed rain. Bad news is that it adds to the dreariness. Speaking of dreariness, I've figured out I can work out every other day or so between now and my birthday and get about 13 more workouts in before the odometer rolls again. At least I have some good motivation to ride 8.5 miles per workout and then do all of the arm, ab, leg, hip, and butt exercises. Nothing like having another birthday to encourage me to continue on the exercise front.

Besides, regular exercise and regular dips in the hot tub should be the right therapy for all that ails me!