He asked, I said yes. That's all the information you're getting until my wedding site is up. :)
By the way... what a month!!!
New puppy, new car, new fiancee!
By the way... what a month!!!
New puppy, new car, new fiancee!
16 years ago
Household Thingies
Look at me, becoming all domestic. New housey purchases:
Honeywell HEPA-type Air Purifier
We'd been eyeing new HEPA-type air cleaners for a while now, but because they're so expensive we wanted to wait until my Sharper Image Ionic Breeze was out of commission. Well, Steve finally broke it as he was cleaning it (on purpose, no doubt) so we were in need of an air cleaning solution. These air purifiers are usually at least $150... and the more modern-looking black, superQuiet version I wanted was $300. Lucky ol' bargain hunting me found the above version (retails for $140) at Bed Bath and Beyond in the clearance section for $50. It was a customer return, but had all the parts needed except for the original box. Also, we had a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon. Too good to be true!!! $40! :)
Even though Steve was reluctant to buy it, I convinced him that we could return it at any time if it was broken. Plus we were saving $100! Anyways, long story short, this one is definitely not super quiet. I couldn't fall asleep the first night we had it on because it was so loud (even on the lowest setting) but I didn't want to get up and turn it off because I didn't want Steve to say "I told you so." So now, we have it on a timer in the bedroom to turn on after we fall asleep. :)
Rowenta Effective Iron
The last possible household appliance that we were missing was an iron. We took Easter Sunday as an excuse to finally go out and buy one. Who knew irons were so expensive! Well, at least the pretty ones were. I wasn't about to get a cheapy $15 iron from Target. :P Anyways, this one was $50 but of course, I had a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon. And furthermore, there was a $15 BBB Gift Card rebate. All those discounts almost make up for the fact that we've only had one use for the iron so far-- Steve needed to iron his pants for church on Sunday. :)
Honeywell HEPA-type Air Purifier
We'd been eyeing new HEPA-type air cleaners for a while now, but because they're so expensive we wanted to wait until my Sharper Image Ionic Breeze was out of commission. Well, Steve finally broke it as he was cleaning it (on purpose, no doubt) so we were in need of an air cleaning solution. These air purifiers are usually at least $150... and the more modern-looking black, superQuiet version I wanted was $300. Lucky ol' bargain hunting me found the above version (retails for $140) at Bed Bath and Beyond in the clearance section for $50. It was a customer return, but had all the parts needed except for the original box. Also, we had a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon. Too good to be true!!! $40! :)
Even though Steve was reluctant to buy it, I convinced him that we could return it at any time if it was broken. Plus we were saving $100! Anyways, long story short, this one is definitely not super quiet. I couldn't fall asleep the first night we had it on because it was so loud (even on the lowest setting) but I didn't want to get up and turn it off because I didn't want Steve to say "I told you so." So now, we have it on a timer in the bedroom to turn on after we fall asleep. :)
Rowenta Effective Iron
The last possible household appliance that we were missing was an iron. We took Easter Sunday as an excuse to finally go out and buy one. Who knew irons were so expensive! Well, at least the pretty ones were. I wasn't about to get a cheapy $15 iron from Target. :P Anyways, this one was $50 but of course, I had a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon. And furthermore, there was a $15 BBB Gift Card rebate. All those discounts almost make up for the fact that we've only had one use for the iron so far-- Steve needed to iron his pants for church on Sunday. :)
Boo on Jamba Breakfast
Somehow, adding a breakfast menu caused them to shrink their baked goods menu. No more Jalapeno Cheese twists. That was the only good one!!! :( :(
Finally! A new car.
After car-shopping with me for several months, and doing research on his own for the last 2 years, Steve settled on a new car. :)
We'd been test-driving cars for months now...
Lexus IS250: His original choice, and actually my back-up choice if I didn't get the RX400h. We both like Lexus and have both worked on Lexus at some point... so this was a very logical choice. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the cramped carsick feeling you get in the back seat and the limited view you get from the front seat. This would have been a good car for either of us if not for our large families. :)
Mercedes C300: On the top of my list... new aggressive looks, superior handling. I've always had great service at WI Simonson so I was itching to get into another MB. However, Steve was adamant about "not being a Mercedes" guy so I reluctantly had to let this go. Maybe once I'm tired of my hybrid, *I* should switch to this. ;)
Toyota Prius Touring Edition: This was a short-lived obsession. In theory it sounds like a great car, but 110 hp on the freeway is always a bad idea.
BMW 3-Series Sedan: I was briefly tempted to get a 3-Series just because of BMW's reputation as the "driver's car" and of course because of the close-to-nothing maintenance cost for the first 4 years. But then I was aptly reminded that I don't like "BMW-guys" and didn't want Steve to turn into one of them.
Acura TL Type-S: I think for a while this was our "last resort" car... it was great on the average. Had the room we wanted, had the hp that Steve wanted and had the navigation with traffic that I wanted. Unfortunately the FWD engine did a poor job of harnessing all that power and I couldn't get over how plastic-y everything in the interior was. At the heart, the Acura is still just an overpriced Honda.
So finally I let Steve drag me to the Infiniti dealership to test-drive what was his first choice all along, the G34 Sport Sedan. I have to say, I was immediately impressed by the way it handled 300 hp on tight turns and it's power-hungry acceleration.
For the automobile-illiterate folks in Indiana, this is an Infiniti G35S:
I still don't like the analog clock in the dash but was pretty impressed with the navigation/onboard computer. It has traffic, it's touch screen, and has a built-in iPod integration. I was sold.
So we negotiated and haggled the day away and in the end we came out with a deal that even beat the employee pricing for Infiniti, since I get a corporate discount through my company. We're both very happy with the purchase but a little worried that it seems to be guzzling more gas than we expected. :(
We'd been test-driving cars for months now...
Lexus IS250: His original choice, and actually my back-up choice if I didn't get the RX400h. We both like Lexus and have both worked on Lexus at some point... so this was a very logical choice. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the cramped carsick feeling you get in the back seat and the limited view you get from the front seat. This would have been a good car for either of us if not for our large families. :)
Mercedes C300: On the top of my list... new aggressive looks, superior handling. I've always had great service at WI Simonson so I was itching to get into another MB. However, Steve was adamant about "not being a Mercedes" guy so I reluctantly had to let this go. Maybe once I'm tired of my hybrid, *I* should switch to this. ;)
Toyota Prius Touring Edition: This was a short-lived obsession. In theory it sounds like a great car, but 110 hp on the freeway is always a bad idea.
BMW 3-Series Sedan: I was briefly tempted to get a 3-Series just because of BMW's reputation as the "driver's car" and of course because of the close-to-nothing maintenance cost for the first 4 years. But then I was aptly reminded that I don't like "BMW-guys" and didn't want Steve to turn into one of them.
Acura TL Type-S: I think for a while this was our "last resort" car... it was great on the average. Had the room we wanted, had the hp that Steve wanted and had the navigation with traffic that I wanted. Unfortunately the FWD engine did a poor job of harnessing all that power and I couldn't get over how plastic-y everything in the interior was. At the heart, the Acura is still just an overpriced Honda.
So finally I let Steve drag me to the Infiniti dealership to test-drive what was his first choice all along, the G34 Sport Sedan. I have to say, I was immediately impressed by the way it handled 300 hp on tight turns and it's power-hungry acceleration.
For the automobile-illiterate folks in Indiana, this is an Infiniti G35S:
I still don't like the analog clock in the dash but was pretty impressed with the navigation/onboard computer. It has traffic, it's touch screen, and has a built-in iPod integration. I was sold.
So we negotiated and haggled the day away and in the end we came out with a deal that even beat the employee pricing for Infiniti, since I get a corporate discount through my company. We're both very happy with the purchase but a little worried that it seems to be guzzling more gas than we expected. :(
Some Puppy Videos
Tofu is settling in well, and loves to aggravate Lulu. Here are some clips for your enjoyment :)
A wet Tofu unsuccessfully tries to get Lulu to chase her.
Lulu guards her pig ear as Tofu tries to get her to play.
More of Tofu trying to get Lulu to play. (Sense a theme here?)
Lulu is ready to attack Tofu for taking the wrong path to the kitchen and striding too closely to her pig ear.
Lulu was extremely defensive the first couple of days, often saving her pig ear for half an hour just to be able to guard it from Tofu.
Although to be fair, Tofu is an instigator.
Tofu finds a toy she loves.
Lulu is more comfortable around Tofu now, she's able to hump while still in close proximity.
Tofu picks up playtime very quickly, already learning how to fetch and steal the toy from Lulu.
Tofu corners Lulu, who stays in her safe-spot.
And the kids get into their first real brawl... with Tofu coming out as the winner:
Click here for all videos.
A wet Tofu unsuccessfully tries to get Lulu to chase her.
Lulu guards her pig ear as Tofu tries to get her to play.
More of Tofu trying to get Lulu to play. (Sense a theme here?)
Lulu is ready to attack Tofu for taking the wrong path to the kitchen and striding too closely to her pig ear.
Lulu was extremely defensive the first couple of days, often saving her pig ear for half an hour just to be able to guard it from Tofu.
Although to be fair, Tofu is an instigator.
Tofu finds a toy she loves.
Lulu is more comfortable around Tofu now, she's able to hump while still in close proximity.
Tofu picks up playtime very quickly, already learning how to fetch and steal the toy from Lulu.
Tofu corners Lulu, who stays in her safe-spot.
And the kids get into their first real brawl... with Tofu coming out as the winner:
Click here for all videos.
Puppies are so difficult!
I forgot that they don't naturally pee/poo outside, like Lulu somehow did. On the first day, Tofu was terrified of going outside and would hold it until she came back inside. At least she doesn't go in her crate... so we just have to keep a very close eye on her when she's playing free.
So far she's already gone pee 2x inside and poopy 2x. :(
After this week, she's been getting better at going outside, but still needs to be encouraged to go.
And speaking of being difficult, Lulu got sick and now is throwing up/has diarrhea! She started throwing up at 3AM and has had bad diarrhea since yesterday. Steve had to stay home with them today. :( I'm not sure if it's because she has been stealing Tofu's food, or maybe the stress of having a little sister, or if she caught kennel cough or some other virus that Tofu might have had. :(
Tough day.
So far she's already gone pee 2x inside and poopy 2x. :(
After this week, she's been getting better at going outside, but still needs to be encouraged to go.
And speaking of being difficult, Lulu got sick and now is throwing up/has diarrhea! She started throwing up at 3AM and has had bad diarrhea since yesterday. Steve had to stay home with them today. :( I'm not sure if it's because she has been stealing Tofu's food, or maybe the stress of having a little sister, or if she caught kennel cough or some other virus that Tofu might have had. :(
Tough day.
Introducing (Stinky) Tofu
The first thing we did when we brought her home was take her straight to the shower. She had about 2 months of pet store filth to wash off, which is why we decided to call her (Stinky) Tofu.
After eating and settling down, she just picked up one of Lulu's bones and started chewing. Lulu was not happy.
After a while Lulu decided to ignore the puppy. What she can't see, doesn't exist.
And Tofu makes her first buddy! Tofu and Vina napped for about 3 hours together.
Gone to the dogs.
Saturday was a doggie-filled day!
It all started at Barrington Dog Park. We brought Lulu to meet some of my co-worker's dog... Hercules the chocolate lab puppy (85 pounds!) and Monty the super-hyper Beagle. They all ran around and played for about 2 hours and then Steve and I headed home.
They were having an adoption fair at Roxbury Park, right across the street, so we left Lulu at home and started to explore. There were so many doggies but most were big (there was a cute Great Dane!) and older. We didn't really see one we liked so we decided to go to the West LA animal shelter. Well, I should say *I* didn't see one I liked except for the Great Dane and that wouldn't have worked. Steve liked a Chow mix and a Bernese Mountain Dog but both were too big too.
The shelter was so sad! I was surprised to see all the kennels filled with American Staffs -- I guess their owners just couldn't handle them. There was one small grey poodle mix that was kind of cute but bites... so after a couple of hours of going from kennel to kennel, we decided to give up and try again next week. There was a Neapolitan Mastiff that I really liked but he was HUGE...
So on the way home we stopped by Westside Pavillion to pick up some video games. There was a puppy store, Barkworks, next door! Steve immediately fell in love with a little female Corgi... so cute!
We played with her in the little room and she was so feisty. Remember how Lulu used to bite your fingers and toes constantly? Imagine that times 10. She was running around and yipping and biting out fingers and clothes and pants and shoes and feet and heels and after half an hour, we gave up. There is no controlling this puppy.
Then we saw a Cock-a-chon, neglected in a cage all by herself with a huge "On Sale!" sign. She was almost 4 months old and they wanted to just get rid of her. She had Lulu's ears and the saddest little face, so we decided to meet her. She was so sweet and gentle and needed a home badly. After 30 seconds of deliberation, we decided to get her and started negotiating. She was $1199 but on sale for $699. Barkworks adds a bunch of mandatory fees like document fees and a puppy starter kit that would have put her at about $760. We asked them to bring it down to $650 even and soon we were going home with a new puppy.
It all started at Barrington Dog Park. We brought Lulu to meet some of my co-worker's dog... Hercules the chocolate lab puppy (85 pounds!) and Monty the super-hyper Beagle. They all ran around and played for about 2 hours and then Steve and I headed home.
They were having an adoption fair at Roxbury Park, right across the street, so we left Lulu at home and started to explore. There were so many doggies but most were big (there was a cute Great Dane!) and older. We didn't really see one we liked so we decided to go to the West LA animal shelter. Well, I should say *I* didn't see one I liked except for the Great Dane and that wouldn't have worked. Steve liked a Chow mix and a Bernese Mountain Dog but both were too big too.
The shelter was so sad! I was surprised to see all the kennels filled with American Staffs -- I guess their owners just couldn't handle them. There was one small grey poodle mix that was kind of cute but bites... so after a couple of hours of going from kennel to kennel, we decided to give up and try again next week. There was a Neapolitan Mastiff that I really liked but he was HUGE...
So on the way home we stopped by Westside Pavillion to pick up some video games. There was a puppy store, Barkworks, next door! Steve immediately fell in love with a little female Corgi... so cute!
We played with her in the little room and she was so feisty. Remember how Lulu used to bite your fingers and toes constantly? Imagine that times 10. She was running around and yipping and biting out fingers and clothes and pants and shoes and feet and heels and after half an hour, we gave up. There is no controlling this puppy.
Then we saw a Cock-a-chon, neglected in a cage all by herself with a huge "On Sale!" sign. She was almost 4 months old and they wanted to just get rid of her. She had Lulu's ears and the saddest little face, so we decided to meet her. She was so sweet and gentle and needed a home badly. After 30 seconds of deliberation, we decided to get her and started negotiating. She was $1199 but on sale for $699. Barkworks adds a bunch of mandatory fees like document fees and a puppy starter kit that would have put her at about $760. We asked them to bring it down to $650 even and soon we were going home with a new puppy.
Not About Food
Had a pretty productive weekend! We went to the dog park on Saturday and Sunday... Lulu gets so excited even at the mention of "dog park" so pretty much if we even say those words, we have to go. She jumps around wildly and starts whining if we don't.
Okay I know I said this post was not going to be about food but I do have to say that this weekend was a good food weekend... had dinner at Savoy which I haven't had in months and yesterday at Crazy Fish which I still think is one of the better "Roll" sushi places on the Westside. Nothing beats Chochosan though.
Yesterday we... took down the Christmas tree! Finally! I think this has to be the record for the longest I've ever left the Christmas tree up. The apartment looks so bare and empty without it, I think we might get some type of plant for that corner. In addition to taking down the tree, Steve gave Lulu a bath and we both cleaned up the house. It was so dusty -- it's no wonder I've been having itchy eye problems. Lulu shed a lot this month. Also, I took pictures of my entire "eBay" pile, so hopefully I'll list all those items this week. I'm thinking of invading my shoe closet for stuff I can list on eBay... addicted. :)
We also caught up on Nip/Tuck... I never watched that show until this season and I'm embarrassed to say I was pretty hooked. A lot of the content is still pretty shocking to me (hey, I was sheltered) but I do like all of the characters and the shallowness of it all. :)
I also had the chance to finally work on CT, where I completely upgraded the platform, moved the domains, cleaned up all the spam, regained my Google Page Rank, wrote new posts, started new features and even did little nerdy things like creating a special icon in case anyone ever bookmarks me on their iPhone. :D
The ironic thing is that in the midst of all of the above activity, I actually napped and slept a lot.
Okay I know I said this post was not going to be about food but I do have to say that this weekend was a good food weekend... had dinner at Savoy which I haven't had in months and yesterday at Crazy Fish which I still think is one of the better "Roll" sushi places on the Westside. Nothing beats Chochosan though.
Yesterday we... took down the Christmas tree! Finally! I think this has to be the record for the longest I've ever left the Christmas tree up. The apartment looks so bare and empty without it, I think we might get some type of plant for that corner. In addition to taking down the tree, Steve gave Lulu a bath and we both cleaned up the house. It was so dusty -- it's no wonder I've been having itchy eye problems. Lulu shed a lot this month. Also, I took pictures of my entire "eBay" pile, so hopefully I'll list all those items this week. I'm thinking of invading my shoe closet for stuff I can list on eBay... addicted. :)
We also caught up on Nip/Tuck... I never watched that show until this season and I'm embarrassed to say I was pretty hooked. A lot of the content is still pretty shocking to me (hey, I was sheltered) but I do like all of the characters and the shallowness of it all. :)
I also had the chance to finally work on CT, where I completely upgraded the platform, moved the domains, cleaned up all the spam, regained my Google Page Rank, wrote new posts, started new features and even did little nerdy things like creating a special icon in case anyone ever bookmarks me on their iPhone. :D
The ironic thing is that in the midst of all of the above activity, I actually napped and slept a lot.