Facebook Fail

One of my clients is Blue Plate Mayonnaise and they have a new FB page which I was asked to "like" this week. I just looked at my profile.

Such unfortunate – yet ironically insightful – timing.

The Jimmy

Due to popular demand, I’m going to try to get back on the blog train. I haven’t posted in eons (I know…I KNOW), but I have made a few notes along the way of blog-worthy topics, so I’ll start there and see what happens. Here goes…

This first one begins with me needing to bring my car to the shop but not wanting to feel the usual credit card sucker punch that tends to come alongside such visits. To sidestep the sucker punch situation, I brought my car to a little local shop that a bunch of people at work use and recommend. Great, let’s do this.

When I show up the guy asks if I want a loaner. I didn’t even know they had loaners, but they do and they’re free, so all good. There were two options: a truck or a Jimmy. I didn’t know what a Jimmy was but I knew I didn’t do trucks, so I opted for the Jimmy. The – come to find out – 200,000+ miles, sputtering AC, no automatic windows or lights Jimmaroo. Not a dream car, right, but whatever. I was getting my car fixed and it was going to be really reasonable, so no biggie, I can roll the windows down  for a day. 

But, of course, things are never quite that simple.

The next morning – still the proud driver of one white hot mess of a Jimmy – I had a little run in. It wasn’t a bad run in, or at least that’s what I thought at first, but it was a run in nonetheless, and it involved the Jimster. My history with cement pillars (any permanent structures in garages, really) isn’t the cleanest out there, and that morning didn’t help my record. As I was backing out of my spot in the garage (the spot, mind you that I had hand-selected so as not to have to back out of my usual kinda-tight-fit-might-not-wanna-risk-it parking spot), I sort of completely ripped off the driver’s side mirror and put some pretty hefty scratches and dents in poor Jimmy's side. Not excellent.

It was early morning, and I still had to be at work, so I went on my way. The mirror was hanging on by wires and kept banging into the car as I drove down the highway, so I just pulled it into the car and let the window (automatically rolled up and down, remember) hold it in place. Good morning to me! But that was just incident #1. Incident #2 was me getting back in the Jimster at lunchtime only to find that after all of the morning’s excitement I’d left the lights on (automatic, remember) and had completely run down the battery. Jimmy: 2 Amy: 0.

Long story short, the "reasonable" Volvo fix became pricier (just as I originally feared) once the rest was added in (accident #1 was hard to hide, but I didn’t feel like #2 was necessary to share with "management"). Moral of the story? I don’t even know. Maybe pick the truck next time?

Sweet, Sweet, Multi Vites

Are you guys vitamin takers? Until about three months ago I was not. I had good intentions – and a One A Day bottle sitting on my desk for probably two years – but there's nothing fun about taking a (G-I-A-N-T) pill every day. Or so I thought.

After my annual check-up this year I found out that my Vitamin D levels were low. Two things to note here: 1) I had recently read a book that had me on a semi-vegetarian kick, which was likely a contributing factor and fluke now that I'm back to my carnivorous self 2) that Vitamin D test, alone, cost me $336. In total, one visit to the doctor for a good 'ol checkup and routine bloodwork put me in the hole $850. Yes, I have insurance. No, it doesn't cover preventative care. So ridiculous. But that's a completely different post. Back to the vitamins...

Based on the (flukey but still cost me $336 to find out) news of my Vitamin D deficiency, I decided that I really should start taking a multivitamin vs. just having the bottle on my desk. Flashforward to me strolling through Target and passing an end-cap with gummy multivitamins. Wait a minute. Gummies that are vitamins. This could be something. And it was/is. Taking them every day is not a problem. In fact, the real issue is reminding myself that these aren't Haribo gummy bears and eating more than 2 per day is actually not okay. When I need a little munchy, oh how yummy they are. If any of you find yourself in a similar situation, give it a go. I'm onto my second bottle (told you I take them every day), and this one is super reasonable from Costco. Yumm!

Hello Sunshine!

*Disclaimer: If you are reading this and live in, say, Chicago...you might want to skip this post.*

Now for the rest of you...helllooooo spring! I actually started writing this on Saturday – enveloped in pure JOY – having just come inside from a couple glorious hours out by the pool with Lizzi. I, for one, am someone who can 100% get behind being able to lay out by the pool in March. Oh how I love what the next several months have in store!

Happy Place

I love the beach. Love, love, love. So when I had the chance to go to LA a day before I had to start working, I was on it. And it was awesome. I saw my HS friend, Elizabeth, on Sunday, then spent all of Monday roaming. I drove to Malibu in the morning (I've always wanted to see it although I had no idea what to do once I got there); went to the Getty Villa (the Getty Center in LA was closed, but the Villa was still pretty awesome); checked into the Viceroy (baller hotel in Santa Monica); walked/shopped the streets of Santa Monica (including a trip to H&M where I found what I'm hoping will be my go-to white jeans for the season); got a manicure and pedicure (and perhaps a staph infection b/c the place turned out to be ghetto); walked along the beach and watched guys swing like crazy men on the rings at "muscle beach"; decided I should have the purse I left at Bloomingdales and walked back downtown to get it (I would now like to return it but am not sure how that's going to work out); had a glass of wine tried to get a glass of wine by the pool as I was reading before realizing that b/c of the time difference The Bachelor season finale was almost going to begin (another major event my day had been planned around); rushed out to find dinner (ended up being grapes & nuts from the grocery store...fail); then rushed back to watch Brad and Emily get engaged. Whew. Then Tuesday morning I got in a nice early morning run along the beach. Happiness, people. Happiness.

A little shopping center in Malibu, where I had breakfast in the morning. 

Getty Villa

Seriously? So awesome.

More...

Just your typical garden

Room at the Viceroy
(I've always been a sucker for fun hotels...they've just gotten more expensive
with time. The Embassy Suites used to really do it for me.)

Monkey Men

What is there not to be happy about here?

Well, $h!T

Today is the first day of my multi-city (Charlotte, Austin & LA) focus group jaunt and so far things are going awesome.

When we arrived at the focus group facility they said that they'd been having some plumbing problems but that the plumber had just left and everything was okay. Flash forward to me using the restroom and then washing my hands when out comes what I can only believe to be sewage – all over my hands.

Focus groups: 1
Amy: 0