Just a note to start with: I’m aware of the lag/inability to leave a comment. My once reliable hosting company appears to have grown too large too fast and I’m ready to switch. Any suggestions for hosting companies?
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Have you seen this banana guard? Seriously. It’s real. And check out the last question on the FAQ page.
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Only 19 days until my surgery! But of course, Tuesday I woke up with a really bad sore throat and went back to the ENT for yet another throat culture. I should get the results today or tomorrow–please cross your fingers it’s negative for Strep. Also, during the appointment I got in trouble for using Q-Tips. Remember the discussion we had about this back in August?
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In car news, I’m over the hybrid idea. (The Prius and Civic don’t have a sunroof, and I don’t drive enough to make the hybrid worth the money.) However, since I love my little Honda so much, I’m now looking at the Accord and new CRV.
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Tonight I have tentative plans for drinks with DG. Yes, that DG. And tentative depending on a) how well I feel; and b) how late he’s working.
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In TV news, how happy am I that Mariska Hargitay is finally back on Law & Order: SVU? That blond woman was so annoying; I did not like here at all.

Speaking of annoying…Marcel on Top Chef just bugs. So. Damn. Much.
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In case anyone was wondering, I love my new bag-less vacuum cleaner. It is so cool!
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And finally, this weekend I’m heading down to my parents’ house (where they now have sinks, but still no mirrors). While in SD, I plan on going to Julie’s son’s fourth birthday party, test driving cars with my dad, relaxing, and eating lots of leftover Halloween candy. Fun fun!

Friday night I spoke to DG on the phone (for those of you wondering, we didn’t go out on Thursday, we’re going out Monday instead) then did laundry, wrapped birthday presents, and fell asleep ten minutes into Law & Order.

Saturday I woke up bright and early to drive down to San Diego for Julie’s son’s fourth birthday party. There were so many kids, nearly half of whom belonged to high school friends of ours–that part was a little weird for me. But the party was a lot of fun, and I got a chance to catch up with Julie’s family which is always a blast. I then went straight from the party to my dad’s office to get my eyes checked again. Apparently the antibiotics I was on last time I was in town affected my vision so we got a bad reading from that exam. Go figure.

That evening, my parents and I hit up their local sushi place then came home where I setup their wireless router, then had ice cream and watched Law & Order; exciting, I know. As a side note, my parents’ house is now almost complete and so gorgeous. Unlike last time, there are sinks, however still no mirrors. But one of the coolest things is that since we’re all tall, they had the counters put in a bit higher than standard counters which should make it really nice when I have a lot of baking to do for the holidays. But anyway.

Sunday we went into downtown Del Mar for brunch at Pacifica Breeze. I’ve never been a big breakfast person, but the last couple of times I’ve been to the Breeze, I’ve ordered the Breeze Huevos. I think I’ve found a new favorite food.

After brunch, we stopped at Banana and I got a super cute skirt, shirt, and jeans. Two notes: 1. These are the best jeans ever. 2. Half of the clothes in the store reminded me of 1985. Following Banana, I picked up a new flat iron that claims to have ceramic/titanium plates (has anyone tried it?) then hit the road. Traffic was pretty light until I got off the freeway–I didn’t realize The Who was playing at The Bowl tonight. Oh well. Even though I didn’t get a chance to test drive any cars, the rest of the weekend was fun, and my parents’ house is absolutely beautiful!

In other news, Monday I’m having lunch with Keith and Nicole. We all work in the same area and decided it’d be fun to meet up. The rest of this week is going to be nuts. I have drinks with DG on Monday, my monthly girls’ night with Ann-Marie, Jen, and Marisa on Tuesday, a speed dating type thing on Wednesday (stay tuned for the details), and dinner with a girlfriend on Thursday.

The weekend is packed solid too, and Esther, who will be in town for the GA, managed to score me a ticket to the private Guster/Leevees show on Sunday night. Speaking of the show, I got an email from cute-boy-who-damn-lives-with-his-girlfriend about how to get tickets; he also said he’ll be at the show and asked if I wanted to hang out because he’ll be there alone. I wrote him back and said definitely. Hey, maybe he has some nice, single friends.

Happy birthday to my best friend Julie! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with lots of fun and of course, yummy birthday desserts. And maybe even a babysitter!
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Last night I finally had date number four with DG. (He kept saying he thought it was date six, but whatever.) He was late again, this time because as he was making an “87-point turn” out of a parking spot, he tapped the car behind him as the car’s owner was standing there watching. According to DG, the guy spazzed out and they had to talk about it for quite a while, which made him late. Um, okay.

Anyway, I wore my new jeans (love them!) and we went to The Well for drinks then back to my place for smooching. It was a fun night, and while he apologized for taking entirely too long to call following our last date (he blamed it on work), I still don’t see anything longterm with him. But I do enjoy spending time with him, does that make sense? We talked about possibly getting together this weekend, depending on my [busy for a change] social calendar and his work schedule.

As a side note, after dating CL Guy and now DG, I have determined that guys who work in production have crazy schedules, because they never know how late the show they’re working on will wrap, and half the time they wrap really late.
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And finally, I voted. My polling place was the International Cinematographers Guild, and for the first time in many years, at 7:30 in the morning I was not the first person to show up. It was pretty uneventful–I only had to repeat my name and address twice, the little machine that sucks in the ballot at the end is kinda cool, and I was not felt up by an old man putting a sticker on my chest.

Tuesday’s girls’ night/Tito’s Taco’s dinner was, as usual, much fun, and I was finally let in on a secret that one of my friends is pregnant! I’m so excited for her, and can’t wait to use these cute sprinkles that I bought a few months ago.
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In dating news, last night my friend Karrin and I attended Hurrydate. They no longer have an all Jewish night, so I did the regular one. I only put one Yes out of the ten men I met, I just didn’t click with anyone. And I think part of that may be due to the strange age range they had–women 30-40 and men 35-45. Anyway, I’ll know if my one Yes put me as a Yes later on tonight. Stay tuned.

In related news, when DG left on Tuesday night he said he’d call me the following day. And he did. Now we’ll see if he calls before the weekend to let me know whether or not he’s working.
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In tonsil news, only 12 more days to go until my surgery. But…I woke up this morning with a huge patch of white stuff on my right tonsil. I’m hoping to get into the ENT after my dentist appointment this morning. I canceled my dentist appointment and am going to the ENT instead. I so hope I don’t have to postpone the surgery!
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In unrelated to anything news, my Yahoo email was down most of the day yesterday, so if you sent me anything to that address, please resend it.
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Tonight’s dinner plans got rescheduled, which is sort of a relief. I’m desperate to do some laundry and hit Trader Joe’s. Plus, I have about 10 hours of stuff on Tivo to catch up on.
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And that’s it. I know, a really boring Thursday Things. Feel free to discuss whatever’s on your mind, so long as it doesn’t have anything to do with any of the shows I have not yet watched this week.

Remember Mr. Tuesday Night? Turns out he didn’t quite flake on me exactly. He uh, was mugged at gun point, according to the email I received from him today. Seriously. He even offered to show me the police report.
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And remember when I had to take those antibiotics that made my stomach a mess? Yeah, back on them while we await the results of my throat culture. If it’s positive, my surgery may be postponed. I’ll know more Monday.

Once again, my tonsils ruled my weekend.

Things I did not do this weekend:

• Go to a lunch I was invited to on Saturday.
• Go out with Esther et al. to the Improv Saturday night.
• Go to a brunch I was invited to this morning.
• Go to the super special Leevees/Guster show tonight.
• Try any new recipes.
• Anything remotely fun.

Things I did do this weekend:

• Receive an email from the guy I matched with at HurryDate.
• Talk to Mr. Tuesday Night on the phone. (Okay, that was remotely fun.) He’s supposed to call me Monday to firm up a date and time. I told him if I don’t hear from him, I will assume he was abducted by aliens.
• Sneeze, cough, and curse my tonsils. A lot.
• Go to the doctor (yeah, he sees patients on Saturday) who said that we’re looking at a 75 percent chance of rescheduling my surgery. I’ll know for sure Monday morning after my pre-op appointment. And oh yeah, I may have to get a shot of antibiotics in my tuchas.
• Sleep.
• Drink lots of liquids.
• Catch up on Tivo’d shows.
• Stay in my pajamas the entire day today.
• Fill out my pre-op paperwork.
• Scrub my apartment with anti-bacterial everything.
• Cry, because I’m frustrated that I’ve been sick so much and just want to feel normal again.

If my surgery is rescheduled I am going to be quite upset, because I was really, hoping this would all be over soon. And also because I missed the Guster show.

Strep test came back negative. However, my doctor believes that is because the infection is so deep in the tonsil and the doctor I saw on Thursday (my doc was in surgery) didn’t push far enough into the tonsil to swab that part. Yes, I am aware that is gross.

Good news: I’m feeling better and didn’t need the Rocephin shot in my tuchas.
Bad news: Surgery has been postponed to December 19.

So now I have to fill a prescription for 2000 mg of Augmentin (twice what I’m taking now) and the Rocephin shot and have them both handy in case I get sick again.

I just wanted this to be all over. But on the bright side, at least I’ll get to bake for Thanksgiving in my parents’ new kitchen.

I admit I haven’t been reading much lately. The last book I read was The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner and it was so disappointing. I usually love Weiner’s books, but the short story thing just didn’t do it for me. Anyone else read it? I started reading Knitting Under The Influence by Claire LaZebnik over the weekend and am enjoying it so far.

What are you reading? And, if you read a book that someone posted about in the comments in part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, or part six let us know!

Drinks with Mr. Tuesday Night (Mugged Man instead maybe?) have morphed into dinner Saturday night due to scheduling conflicts and a sushi dinner with a lovely last minute overnight guest.

In other dating news, DG and I had a little disagreement, and I won’t be seeing him again. It was my decision.
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I am totally addicted to this time waster.
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Anyone interested in seeing The Lion King at the Pantages this Sunday at 1 p.m.? My sister has four tickets she needs to sell. The seats are house seats and tickets are $145 each. Email me if you’re interested!
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In TV news, how lame was What About Brian? And how awesome is The Amazing Race? And does anyone else watch Law & Order: SVU, because I’m really annoyed with Elliot kissing his temporary partner…what was that all about? And finally, please don’t talk about Top Chef because I haven’t watched it yet.

In movie news, I’m going to see Borat tonight. Yay!
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If you haven’t already done so, please tell me what you’ve read lately.

Superfluous Juxtaposition was selected as Feed of the Day (I’m flattered!) over at Feedster today. Welcome to my new visitors and thanks to whomever at Feedster!

*Updated–see bottom of post!*

Surfas and I broke up today. It was a wonderful love affair while it lasted, but sadly, it’s over.

You see, Thursday after work I spent $15 on three bottles of sprinkles. I arrived home twenty minutes later and opened the bottles, eager to see their out-of-bottle colors, only to find one of the bottles was missing its foil seal. I immediately called the store and was told that food purchases are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. I explained the seal was missing and was then told the store was closing in ten minutes, and to call back the following day and speak to either Tina or Colleen.

This morning I called once again, explained the story, and was transferred to Tina’s voicemail. I left her a message around 9:15 a.m.

By 2:00, I still hadn’t heard back from anyone. Since I plan on using the sprinkles tomorrow afternoon, I wanted to get the okay to exchange them on the phone so I wouldn’t have to worry about driving out there and being told yet again that food products are non-exchangeable. So, I called again and spoke to Colleen, the other manager. Colleen suggested that perhaps when I twisted open the bottle, the foil seal came off. I told her that was not the case–there was no seal there, period. She took my phone number and said she would call me back. I haven’t heard back from her as of yet.

My question is–why won’t they let me exchange the open bottle with the missing seal for a bottle with a seal? I’m not asking to return them; I’m asking to exchange them–I’m not going to use an open bottle. And in case you were wondering, it’s not about the money, it’s a matter of principle. It’s a $5 bottle of sprinkles for god’s sake. Whatever happened to customer service? Are they just greedy? And would they really like to lose a customer over a $5 bottle of sprinkles?

As of right now, they have. I’ll be going to Gloria’s or Sur La Table from now on.

Update: Saturday afternoon, I still had not heard back from Colleen so I left a message for Frank, the store manager. Frank called me back Saturday evening, apologized profusely, and refunded my money over the phone. He then asked if I was a caterer–I told him no, but I did recently start a baking business. He told me the next time I come in, I should ask for him, and that I will receive a discount from now on.

Friday
Saw Borat in Century City with Karrin. Oh. My. God. I haven’t laughed that much during a movie in a really long time.

Saturday Day
Unsuccessful with sleeping in, I went grocery shopping entirely too early for a Saturday morning. I saw a woman in the market I kept thinking looked really familiar. Yeah, um, turns out she was on Dr. 90210. Maybe I’m watching too much reality tv.

Got home, cleaned up my apartment, got back together with Surfas, and received a panicked call from Mugged Guy. He’s in the process of opening his own store and had an electrical emergency that needed attention that night which morphed our dinner plans into one drink plans. (He wasn’t sure what time he had to meet the electrician and didn’t want to have to rush dinner.) It wasn’t really a big deal to me, because I was hoping to drive out to Santa Monica after meeting Mugged Guy so I could make an appearance at my sister’s birthday party later that night.

Saturday Night–The Date
Mugged Guy picked me up (I figured since Eve knows him it was safe for me to get in his car) and we headed over to The Cat for a drink. One drink turned into a couple rounds, and almost two hours (and as I later found out, three unanswered phone calls from the electrician) later, we headed back to my apartment. In the car, he said that of all the blind dates he’s been on, this was by far, the best. [ed. note: Aww.] He walked me to the door, we chatted a bit, hugged goodnight, each said we’d like to get together again, and he said he’d call soon. It was a really nice night.

Sunday
Woke up too early again. I think it’s because the heat was pouring in through the window and I was too lazy to turn the air conditioning on. Went back to the market to pick up stuff I completely forgot the day before (hate that!) then went to work on Ann-Marie’s chocolate birthday cupcakes.

I’ve lounged around in my pajamas since finishing the cupcakes, and now it’s time for me to finally get showered and dressed so I can head out to the Westside, with cupcakes in my handy cupcake courier, for Ann-Marie’s birthday bash.

A very fun weekend!

Three years ago, I bought a pair of tall black boots at Macy’s. In case you were wondering, they hit just below the knee and have a three inch heel. They guarantee open doors and cuts in line. Anyway, the last time I wore them I noticed the leather was beginning to tear where I always pull them to yank them up. Since I don’t know of any good leather repair places, I called Macy’s women’s shoes department to see if they could refer me somewhere. This is how my conversation went:

Me: Hi. I bought a pair of leather boots at your store a few years ago and the leather is tearing. Could you possibly recommend a repair shop?
Sales Guy: You can bring them in and we can repair them.

Me: Even though they are three years old?
Sales Guy: Oh no! That is too old.

Me: I know, that is why I asked if you could refer me to a repair shop.
Sales Guy: I don’t know any places, I’m new to this country.

Me: Um [what the fuck?], could you ask anyone else in the department?
Sales Guy: Everyone here today is new.

Me: Your entire department is new?
Sales Guy: No ma’am, that is incorrect.

Me: Hmm. Okay…
Sales Guy: I said everyone here today is new.

Me: Everyone working today is a new employee?
Sales Guy: Yes ma’am.

(In the background I hear someone say give me the phone.)

Manager: Hi ma’am, what can I help you with?

I explained to the manager that I am merely looking for a leather repair place, and he offered to get the information and call me back. Which he did. I then repeated the conversation I had with the sales guy and the manager, as amused as I, apologized profusely.

Seriously. What has happened to customer service in this country?

Today is my sister’s birthday! Happy Birthday Bethany, have a wonderful day, and see you tomorrow!

Last night I took my sister out for sushi for her birthday. After dinner, I realized it was the first time we’ve had dinner together in many, many months. Crazy.
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Thanks to everyone for your leather repair shop suggestions, I really appreciate them!
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In case anyone was wondering what I want for Hanukkah (wink, wink), I’d love a gift certificate for this place.
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Mugged Guy hasn’t called. I’m disappointed, because I really thought he would have by now. (Okay, I’m ready for the collective bummer!)

In other dating news, I’m corresponding with another guy, we’ll see if anything happens with him.
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In TV news, I don’t want any of The Amazing Race teams to win. I dislike them all. And can someone please tell me what happened to Marjorie on What About Brian. Is she off the show for good? And if so, are they planning on oh, acknowledging that? And lastly, I think Monday’s How I Met Your Mother was the best one ever; I love that show.
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And finally, I’m off to San Diego tonight (yes, I have to work today) for the holiday weekend. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, be safe, enjoy time with your family and friends, and eat well!

Wednesday
The morning started with a sore throat and a visit to the ENT. He told me it looked like I was fighting something off, and if I got sick, I should start the super super duper heavy dose of antibiotics. Oh joy.

That night after work, I drove down to San Diego in very little traffic, it was really nice. I also spent about 30 minutes chatting on the phone with a new Internet boy; he’s divorced with two boys. (Divorced Guy seems so…harsh. I need a name for him though.) He seems really cool and I’m looking forward to meeting him. Once I got into SD, I started to feel like crap so I did some laundry then went to bed early.

Thursday
Woke up at 6:45 when my sister set the house alarm off by opening her window, then fortunately went back to sleep for a few more hours. I took a look at my tonsils, and yes, those pesky things were red and white yet again so I started the super super duper antibiotics. Blah.

Then we got to cooking. I made corn bread muffins (which ended up going in the stuffing because they were just eh), banana chocolate chip muffins, and the most amazing super duper apple pie ever. My mom made a turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. As usual, we had enough food to feed a small village. Did I mention there were only five of us?

That night, we watched a bunch of Thursday TV shows, saw a mouse in the dining room (from the construction), then Mugged Guy and I spoke on the phone for about an hour. It was a fun conversation; he makes me laugh easily, and we talked about getting together again.

Friday
Slept in! Woke up feeling a million times better than the day before. I’m sure that’s due the 4000 mg of antibiotics I’m on each day. I know, crazy! That afternoon we all saw Stranger Than Fiction–it’s definitely safe to say it’s not a typical Will Ferrell movie whatsoever.

Following the movie we came back home only to find my dad lost his wallet, so he and my sister’s boyfriend searched, called the theater, and searched some more while my mom called to cancel all his credit cards. Then we went out for a very yummy belated birthday dinner for my sister. Of course, after dinner my dad ran into the theater and found his wallet under the seat, a whole eight hours later.

In between the wallet excitement and dinner, Mugged Guy and I spoke on the phone again and made plans for Sunday night. (Don’t get too excited yet.)

Saturday
Slept in again. Lounged around in the morning then went to Bed Bath and Beyond with my mom and sister while my dad and my sister’s boyfriend watched football then had lunch at Rico’s, an old favorite restaurant from our Encinitas days. On our way back home after lunch, I got a text message from Mugged Guy (he’s out of town), saying we need to reschedule because he won’t be back in town in time to go out. (Now you see why I warned you.)

That afternoon, we did some shopping at Banana Republic (jeans, a tank, and a sweater), then went for dinner and came home and hung out.

As always, I had a fun weekend and it was wonderful spending so much time with my family. Now we’re heading out for brunch (mmm, huevos rancheros) then it’s back to LA, hopefully sans traffic.

Some recent searches that landed people here:

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As always, write a story using at least five of the search phrases. And if you’re a new reader, tell me how you got here. Please.

I finished Knitting Under the Influence and absolutely loved it. Except–there’s one line where the author writes, Sari bought the costume and they threw the bag into Lucy’s car, then left it there while they walked the thirteen blocks down Wilshire Boulevard to the shoe store. Yeah, this is LA she’s talking about. No one walks thirteen blocks in LA.
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Last night was my date with Divorced Dad. He’s really nice, I had a fun time, and he said he’d like to see me again. Over drinks, he told me that my smile is even more beautiful in person, which I thought was really sweet. Awww.

In other dating news, Saturday night is date number two with Mugged Guy. I’m really looking forward to seeing him again. Speaking of which…you may remember he and I figured out we have a friend in common. Well, he hasn’t yet asked how I know her, but I have a feeling it may come up eventually, and this freaks me out a little. Because, as you know, our mutual friend is Eve, and I met Eve via my blog. Which means, if he asks, I will have to tell him I have a blog. I hope he doesn’t ask.
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In other news, it’s been freezing here. Cold enough that I’ve finally stopped sleeping with my window open and instead turned on the heat. Brrr.
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Okay, on to TV. I really really dislike the blonds on The Amazing Race. What About Brian seems to have disappeared. Top Chef wasn’t on either. The new Real World is sucky. And what was with the whole Real World! Denver! Colorado! in the opening. Like there’s another Denver we may confuse it with? Huh? But I digress. Law & Order finally has Benson back. Yay! And I have The Biggest Loser tivod and ready to watch. Any thoughts on any of these shows?