Tell Me How You Really Feel

I saw this license plate while leaving work. I wonder how this person was feeling at the DMV when they decided to order this vanity plate. Can things really be that bad?

Starburst Commercial

Seriously this is my favorite commercial of 2007. It always puts a smile on my face.

Christmas Cheer

While I was nursing my cold last night I decided to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, said the most amazing thing in a letter to Santa:

"I have a long list of presents I want.
All I want is what I have coming to me.
All I want is my fair share!"

Classic

Ohio Gun Laws

I saw this sign posted everywhere in Ohio. I even spotted one at a Catholic Church. Is gun-toting a huge problem in Ohio?

Wedding Seating Charts

This weekend I went to a wedding in Cleveland. When I arrived at the country club where the reception was being held, I noticed that the seating chart has me as Cassandra Brown not Cassandra Burton. Fruedian Slip? LOL. Anyways, the wedding was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun.

Fall Pockets

Everyone knows that Fall is my favorite season, mostly because it is a nice change from the oppressive heat of summertime. Well I have found another reason to love Fall. POCKETS.

I am now able to wear a coat with out sweating even in the balmy metro stations. (Why is the heat on? It is like 50 degrees Fahrenheit, no need for heat until we get to the 30s) Coats come with pockets. I can put my metro pass in one pocket and my blackberry in the other pocket. Perfection. No longer must I dig in my purse to grasp the essentials of my daily commute.

Do the Shuffle

Nannersp inspired me to list the first 10 songs that play on the shuffle function on my iPod.

1. Shorty Wanna Ride - Young Buck - Crazy robbing video - does not make me want to be a robber - I do not want to ride - what does shorty mean? Urban dictionary defines shorty as "affectionate term for a girlfriend, attractive girlfriend or concubine."

2. Can I have It Like That - Pharrell and Gwen Stefani - Dislike and HP Commercials

3. Fully Loaded - 50 Cent - Basic tenant of this song: While everyone was lovin' I was gang bangin. LOL. Whatever 50 cent. You are a millionaire living in Connecticut. Which is cool and all but while jay was kissing B you were counting cash at the bank.

4. Blood - Kacy Crowley - I have never heard this song and I have no clue why/how it is on my ipod. Who put this here? The iPod ghost? Yuck.

5. I Want U - Floetry - Floetry is the best group ever. I love their music and have seen them several times in concert. Unfortunately they have broken up. That makes me sad. Allegedly the group is rejoining but with a new member. This sound of this song so conveys I Want You. The yearning is so evident. I have to hit forward because I don't want to dwell on the past. That is where this song takes me.

6. Do You Remember - Jill Scott - Love Her. Hated that awful wig in Why Did I Get Married. With that wig on it should have been titled How Did I Let Them Make Me Wear This Rug. A lot of Jill's music was inspired by her husband. They are now getting a divorce. I wonder why and how that makes her feel.

7. Where We At - Jurassic 5 - G gives me a lot of music. We went to see Jurassic 5 at 9:30 club last year. They are great performers. I don't know this song but I don't think it is their best.

8. Compton - The Game - LOL. This song sample's Gangster B*tch by Apache. When I was 10 I snuck and bought Apache's cassette tape while my mom was in another store at the mall. When we got in the car she kept asking me what I bought. I finally showed her and she put it in the deck. I was in trouble. She yelled at me all the way home from Oakland mall. Something about how the lyrics were degrading. Mom, Apache was simply trying to convey that he needed a woman that was as strong as he was. Sorry mom, I still listen to rap music. For atonement I try to mix in a little Mos Def and Common.

9. Chop Me Up - Jutin Timberlake and Three 6 Mafia - Not the best song on the FutureSex/LoveSounds CD. The beat is nice. Three 6 Mafia has won an Oscar but this is not their best work. Nuff' Said.

10. Glamorous - Fergie - Tony Soprano once said that "remember when" conversations are the lowest form of discussion. Whatever Tony. Remember when Fergie was on KIDS INCORPORATED. I used to love that show. Anyhoo, Ludacris' rhyme on this is a bit weak but I will give him some slack.

Maryland VEIP

Over a month ago I received a letter from the Maryland Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program ("VEIP"). The letter informed me that as a Maryland resident with a car, I am required to have an emissions test done on my vehicle AND I have to pay a $14.00 fee (read:tax) for this test. I have a 2005 SUV. Get real Maryland. I am so going to pass this test.

I am originally from Michigan, what used to be the automotive capital of the world. The rule there is that if your vehicle is over 10 years old you have to come in for an emissions test. I will dare say that the air is so much cleaner in Michigan. This assertion is not based on any scientific evidence but it is based on the cleaner smell of the Michigan air.

According to the VEIP site:
"VEIP is an important component of the State's plan to improve air quality. By requiring inspection of vehicle emission systems every two years and repair of vehicles that fail to meet emissions standards, VEIP significantly reduces vehicle emissions that contribute to Maryland's air quality problem of ground-level ozone.

Maryland's VEIP is working. By having your vehicle tested, you are playing an important part in Maryland's successful and ongoing efforts to create a healthier Maryland. Along with cleaner fuels and vehicles, VEIP has significantly reduced Maryland's carbon monoxide pollution problems. However, we continue to have a problem with ground level ozone, a major component of smog."

Another major component of smog is traffic congestion. How about fixing the traffic problems in the area like widening Georgia ave to include left and right turn lanes. So that when drivers make left turns traffic does not come to a complete halt.

Better yet don't require me to come to an emissions testing facility 30 minutes away from my home and make me idle my car for 30 minutes waiting in line with my heat on. I rarely drive during the week because I take the Metro to work. I passed the test as I knew I would. It was a waste of my time and money. And worst of all, this test contributed more pollution as I sat in rush hour traffic to get to the testing station and waited in line with my car idling.

Linganore Winery

A few weeks ago I went to the Linganore Winery in Mount Airy, Maryland. I made the hour long trip because this winery makes my hands down favorite red wine (Steeplechase). I was not at all disappointed. The scenery on the way to the winery was amazing. So many farms and cute homes. It was a nice to be away from city life. Anyways, the wine was amazing. I tasted roughly 34 different wines and I found some new faves, including but not limited to Peach and Skipjack. I highly recommend that wine lovers make a trip out to Linganore Winery, the largest wine maker in Maryland.

In Love

I am officially in love with this new BMW X6 'concept' car/suv. Everyone seems to think this is actually production ready. 21 inch wheels. Sleek styling. What is a girl to do? I feel like I am cheating on my suv by salivating at these pictures. Ladies, men come and go but vehicles like these are hard to find.

Rescue Me and VitaminWater

I enjoy watching Rescue Me starring Dennis Leary. However, the show now has a new star his name is VitaminWater, he comes in many flavors, and he is mentioned in many scenes. More scenes than the chief of the firehouse. I think tonight I saw Mr. VitaminWater in at least 5 scenes and he was mentioned at least twice.

I get it. Firefighters like VitaminWater. Thank you FX for letting me know that juicy bit of information.

Harry Potter and Amazon Delivery Problem

When I pre-ordered the seventh Harry Potter book from amazon.com on May 5, 2007, I was GUARANTEED that I would receive the book on the official releaase date (July 21, 2007). Well it is after 10pm EST and I still have yet to get my book.

At 5pm I tried to track my package via UPS, the tracking information stated that the book was delivered July 21 at 6:53am. Umm I never got it. I called UPS and they said that meant that the book was delivered to the United States Postal Service and that USPS would finish delivery. Say WHAT?? By 6pm I still had not received my book from either UPS or USPS.

I went on about my day a bit miffed. Oh well. Then I thought about it, I won't get the book tomorrow because it is Sunday and I won't get the book before I leave for work on Monday. Thanks Amazon. At 9pm I was at target and they have the book for $17.99, the same price I paid at amazon without the lovely shipping fee. I am steaming mad.

I went to the amazon.com site and it says the following:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Update
The vast majority of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows orders which qualified for Guaranteed Release-Date Delivery have now been delivered. If you have not received the delivery of your order, and your order qualified for Guaranteed Release-Date Delivery, you can contact us through our Contact Us form on this page.

Whatever Amazon. I am not using your idiotic form. I am calling you. I am typing this blog as I am holding for them to answer because they are "experiencing a high call volume." I wonder why. "Thank you for calling we will be with you shortly." Oh really? I think I am going on 30 minutes at this point.

I know most adults out there are wondering why I am so angry. With most books I read I wouldn't really care when it arrived. However, I am nervous that by delaying reading the book I will overhear or read on the web the ending of the book. That's just not fair to me. So when the customer service rep answers the phone I am going to ask for a FULL refund. Do not deliver. I will buy the book elsewhere tomorrow. Thanks but no thanks Amazon.

40 minutes later - Customer service rep: the book will be delivered on Monday.
No thanks. They were very gracious in giving me a FULL refund including the shipping costs. I will just go buy it at the store. Thanks for the disappointment Amazon.

Pink Tree

This gorgeous tree is right outside from my balcony. Yay for me!

Aloha

Coveting the iPhone

So - I have decided not to purchase the iPhone. I have been obsessing for months over this gadget. All the pre-release info scared me away. These are the reasons I decided not to buy one before the release: touchscreen typing, lack of any IM, and AT&T. Well today I went to the Apple store and played with it for a good half hour. Um wow wow wow. I was blown away.

The iPhone is beautiful. Period. Videos are super crisp. Directions on Google Maps are amazing. A very nice weather tool that can be configured for several cities worldwide. Safari was really nice and using the various touch features on web pages was fun. I was able to make a call that sounded ok but the Apple store was loud so I didnt get a true sense of the call quality.

Anywho, I asked my mom to drag me out of the store for the following reasons:

(1) AT&T plans are the pits. I recently switched from Cingular(AT&T) to T-Mobile. Tmobile customer service is amazing and MyFave 5 is nothing short of genius. I talk to the same people all the time. 1300 minutes of anytime and 9pm nights won't cut it for me. On T-Mobile I never need to look at the clock to determine whether a call can be long or short. My T-Mobile bill is roughly $60/month, for the amount of minutes I use I would have to get one of the highest iPhone plans. Also, 200 text messages - is AT&T crazy? If this phone is not for business users than why is 200 text messages acceptable? It's not. So that would be another $10 to get more text messages.

(2) Texting on Touch. Honestly it was not as bad as I thought it would be. However, it was sort of a pain. It would be nice if the keyboard was available in all applications in landscape mode.

(3) Instant Messaging. Dear Mr. Jobs: I could do without a stock ticker widget and weather widget. But I cannot go without IM. That is BASIC. YouTube is not basic. Don't get me wrong I love YouTube and I love that I was able to watch the Starburst Berries & Cream commercial on the iPhone via YouTube. But that is so not necessary. Maybe in Cupertino you have some sort of ESP communication with friends. Out here in the real world IM helps communicating electronically. Also, the email app is sort of unnecessary if safari works so well. If you ever do come out with an iPhone with IM please don't be a jerk and not include Windows Live Messenger. I get it - you hate Microsoft and Mr. Gates. They both have done awful things to you and your company. But grow up and be the bigger man. I don't care about your fight. I just want the iPhone and Windows Live.

(4) EDGE. When I was in the Apple store safari and YouTube were very snappy. I was very impressed. When I demoed the iPhone in the AT&T store, safari was slooooow and YouTube didn't work at all. Why the discrepancy? The iPhone at the store was on Wi-Fi and at AT&T it was on EDGE. After experiencing the difference, I doubt I would even want to use the iPhone unless it was on Wi-Fi. (I will say that the pages displayed very well and the zoom feature is a pleasure.)

(5) Price. One would have to be the village idiot to buy the 4GB version. For $100 more you get double the space. Ok so $600 for the phone and $36 for activation. (The AT&T plans are reasonable for data plans and as slow as EDGE is the iphone needs unlimited data, but the voice minutes on the plan are paltry). Why is there an activation fee if one does it at home? AT&T is making its money. Apparently so is Apple. Recent reports state that Apple receives $250-$300 profit on each 8GB iphone sold. This is America. Profit is important. However, $636 and $30 in state taxes is STEEP. And I have to commit to At&T for two years? Ouch.

All that being said, I really want an iPhone. Despite its shortcomings. Buying one would be akin to dating the perfect person, their only drawback being halitosis. And that is a no go. No matter how pretty the iPhone is, I can't get over its shortcomings and then pay $666. So I will wait until V2.0 and be jealous of those with the iPhone.

Berries and Cream

Below is a link to my favorite commercial of all time. Please enjoy thouroughly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYX_zhlTDr8

Wrap It Up

Note to all people who hold meetings - wrap it up. Recently, I was in a meeting and there was no agenda, no set topic and no action plan. Remember the Dave Chappelle skit about the Wrap it Up box that would signal to people that there speaking time was up. I wish I had one of those. Instead it is my fervent hope that people who call meetings have a set agenda and an list of objectives to accomplish. I will promise to do the same.

Apple iPhone

I am extremely excited about Steve Jobs' announcement about the mythical iPhone. From news reports there will be a 4GB and 8GB version. The phone will have a 3.5" screen, it will be thinner than that Blackjack, it will have an iPod connector and a 2.0 megapixel camera. If I am not mistaken the base model will start at $499. The most significant drawback - cingular will be the only carrier until 2009. I just switched from Cingular to TMobile to get the Magenta Razr (as opposed to the Pepto Bismol Razr that Cingular carries) so looks like I won't be getting the new iPhone until 2008. :(

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9674644-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

Instant Karma for only having one cell phone provider - Apple will have a battle on its hands for the iPhone name. Allegedly, Cisco owns the trademark.