car woes

my poor little honda has been conking out on me.  as i slow down to a stop at a sign or light to turn, all the lights on the dash go crazy, i lose power steering and my gas pedal won't let me push down on it.  in the past week i've become a pro at flipping on my emergency blinkers and idling over to the side of the road to turn off and on the in a matter of seconds. (although, it seems like a lot longer with cars behind me!)  called around to some honda shops and garages and explained my problem.  most agreed it must be the alternator.  i took it into kragen for a free alternator test and low and behold, it was indeed the alternator!  was mighty proud of myself for accurately describing the problem over the phone since i am not a car person.  purchased a new one with a lifetime warranty for $292 (ouch!) and assisted shrek as he installed it the next day.  am really liking having such a handy boyfriend around :)

car woes don't stop there, unfortunately.  shifting's been a bit rough and i realized i was way overdue (about 9,000 miles!) for a major service.  saved about $150 by taking it to a generic automotive garage (found with excellent yelp reviews) instead of the honda dealership.  still paid a pretty penny, tho, but what's that saying?  something about an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?  yeah, the kicker is after all that my car conked out on me AGAIN on my way home from work!  what's the deal?!  

yes please

i was telling my mom today over the phone that shrek and i completed our christmas shopping this weekend(!) and she mentioned she had yet to receive mindy's annual christmas wish list.  man, that makes me look so spoiled.

...but just to prove you wrong: mom always gives me a hard time when she receives it just because it's annoyingly practical.  in college i asked for target and safeway gift cards.  last year i asked for an eye exam and contacts (this is before i had vision coverage and my contacts run $500 for a year's supply  :X ) or just to pay for my plane ticket home to see them.  shrek got me right away: for valentine's day he gave me mace and a year's supply of my favorite candy bar :P

this year i'd like/need a new pair of running shoes.  after my brush with compartment syndrome in h.s., i found the only shoes that really work for me are these:

women's mizuno wave rider 11, size 9.  not necessarily in that color, but it works, too.

finally.

mom's coming to visit me for christmas!  

she hasn't been to see me since i moved into my 2-bedroom apt. nor has she seen where i've been working for over a year.  it's about time, lady!  :D

strike a pose

was messing around with the apps on my mac today and found photo booth.  shrek and i got some belly-aching laughs outta it.  check it out:

heaven in a half pint

last night shrek and i discovered ben and jerry's s'mores ice cream.  check it out: rich chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, marshmallow and graham cracker swirl (yes, graham cracker SWIRL--who knew?!).  and now that little half pint is GONE and already replaced with a new one in the freezer. :D 

mmmm

a lighter look at the presidential election

as shrek and i watched the election results last tuesday, i shared one of my past presidential election memories with him -- how when i was in eighth grade my classmates and i had the option to return to school later that evening to watch the election results roll in as we colored each state red or blue depending on which way it voted.  i finished my story with,  "yeah, i think it was '98 and clinton won." 

an odd look crossed over shrek's face and he said, "'98?!  i graduated from high school in '97.  i was in college and you were coloring in eighth grade?!"

haha

well, it turns out that my memory was a little off: i was actually in seventh grade and it was '96, so shrek was still in h.s. -- even though he could still vote.  phew!  doesn't sound half as bad for reason :P

  

what you don't know can hurt you...!

especially when it comes to food.  i just discovered the caloric and fat content of my beloved noah's spinach and bacon breakfast panini.  seriously, there are weeks that i devour one a day as a snack because i'm so ferociously hungry around 9 a.m. and i want something hearty.  these things are great but i think i'm going to have to limit it to once a month now.  my pocketbook will appreciate it, too.

check it out: 770 calories + 49 grams of fat!?  :(  

on the plus side, i managed to make it to the gym sunday-friday!!  (and look, here i am the morning before daylight savings which i was so looking forward to, and up at 5!)  that and cutting out those bfast sandwiches must be the reason my coworker asked if i'd been losing weight :)

mailed it in last week!