Let's Go Cubbies!

My favorite boyfriend loves the Cubs so much that he bought tickets to all three games against the Braves. Since all three were on weeknights (and therefore I would have to be awake and coherent at work the next morning), I told him I would go to two games with him.


Tuesday night, we had this adorable little old man for our usher. He was telling all of the Cubs fans to sit down and shut up. Too funny! (Braves won in the 12th inning)

Wednesday, Dave took his boss who had never been to Turner field. (Cubs won in the 11th inning)

Last night, we watched the rain create a lake. I liked the yellow raincoats on the security people who would have kicked me out if I had gone down to use the tarp over the diamond as a slip & slide like I wanted to... (Game cancelled due to rain)

Dave is trying to convert me into a Cubbies fan...

Look Who's Back!

After spending more time in the shop than with me the past two weeks, I finally have my car back! She even got washed when she got her bumper fixed, so she's all bright and shiny.


I did have to take her back to the family shop yesterday to check her alignment as a result of the spare tire incident, but they got her in and out in the same afternoon, so she should stay out of the shop until her next oil change! And now the steering wheel points up when I'm driving straight, which is always a good thing...

Noms from Grandma

My mother likes to buy treats for her grand-hammies from time to time. One of my favorites to give them is the big stick-o-hammie food that will last them a week.

Trevor says, "nom nom nom" (notice that the treat is almost bigger than he is).

Garfield says, "If I showed you where I hid my nom stick, then I would have to kill you."

Friday Funny

From Dave

The Rental Boat... and Other Car Issues

Back in February, Dave and I were rear-ended in my car on our way out of town for a hockey game. The driver of the car that hit us insisted that she wanted to pay out of pocket, so I decided to be nice and got a couple of estimates and sent them to her. A couple weeks later, she finally calls back saying she was out of town, lost all of the numbers in her phone, yadda yadda yadda.

Again, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. After all, she wouldn't just be paying for the cosmetic damage (which really wasn't much IMHO), there was also something wrong with my fuel gauge as a result of the impact.

A couple more weeks pass by, so I call and leave her a message. She calls back and leaves me a message. Then I call her back and leave a final message, giving her till the end of the week to do *something*, or I will contact her insurance. At this point, six weeks had passed since the accident.

The following Monday morning, I call the insurance company on the police report and file a claim.

Two weeks later, I call her insurance again and leave a message to please contact me to let me know the status of my claim. When I get home from work that day, there is a letter in the mailbox denying payment for the claim. After pitching a fit (after all, how can it not be the other person's fault if *she* rear-ended *me*?), I noticed that the name on the policy didn't match... and that's where I brought in my insurance.

I am now pretty much on a first-name basis with the lady handling my insurance claim. She got to chat with the girl that hit me (who wasn't sure if she had auto insurance at the time of the accident--yeah, right), and insurance lady ended up getting the same lack of communication after the initial contact that I had already faced.

Finally, I opted to use my uninsured motorist policy so I could just get my car fixed (and my insurance could legally go after her later). I called the body shop so they could order parts, and the day they call to tell me they're ready for me, my car is at the family shop getting repaired after a freak accident.

So finally this week, I dropped my car off at the body shop to fix all of the damage from her rear-ending. That left me with the huge rental boat that my insurance lined up for me. Yes, it's a nice, shiny new Pontiac G6, but I miss my little car. Especially since I was supposed to get her back yesterday. It's not my fault that the body shop didn't understand that the fuel gauge wasn't working... I thought I had explained it clearly enough, even faxing them a copy of the estimate from the family shop with contact info if they needed further explanation from the shop guys (who are infinitely more technical than I am).

Today is three months since the original incident, and hopefully my $250 deductible will be money well spent to have a working fuel gauge again. I may just have to squeal when I get my keys back!

A bird did target practice with the rental boat while I was at work yesterday. I don't really care since the boat left oil spots on the floor of my garage.

Beware of Spares

This is what a wayward spare tire in the middle of the freeway can do to your tire (and your wheel...)

But at least I have my car back!

To Mom With Love

I almost always carry my camera with me, a habit I learned from my mother. My mother also likes birds. Therefore, I dedicate this post to my favorite mother!

Does this make up for the fact that her Christmas present, a shawl I'm knitting with some pretty purple Lion Brand Homespun yarn, still isn't finished? I'm aiming for her birthday... in July... when a shawl will be really usefull... not.