9.28.2007

Answer: How to Talk to a Drunken Father

Question: What is the book Lisa Simpson was reading while riding the school bus in the episode "Catch 'Em If You Can"? Thanks to B, that's the question on my Simpson's calendar today. I got that one right!

Busy week, yet the working hours seemed to d...r...a...........g. One of the longest weeks of my life. Though today will likely drag as well I'm pleased to report the car is packed and I'm ready to leave at 3:30pm to pick up B and head to Davenport, Iowa. It looks like we'll have great weather Saturday and it appears we will have my grandma mostly to ourselves. I can not tell you how excited I am.

Since my last post was regarding TV season openers, I must do a quick recap/judgment section:

House A-
The parts with Dr. House and Dr. Wilson were great, and the janitor scenes were funny! Unfortunately a big storm came through so I missed the last 12 minutes do to loss of satellite. Grrr. I looked up the show summary on Television Without Pity so I know what happened but I'm still ticked. I'll have to look for it in reruns so I can see how that final scene played out. The next couple episodes should be brilliant - Dr. House searches for a new team "Survivor-style"!

Kitchen Nightmares C
I've seen Gordon Ramsey's British version of this show and so far I'm liking the U.S. version a little bit less. However, this show is one of my guilty pleasures so I'm not about to stop watching anytime soon. I'm just hoping the moral of the story changes soon - I'm tired of seeing every show focus on the restaurant's failure being the fault of bad management. I want to see some fault on the chef's side as well!

My Name is Earl B-
Not my favorite show and it was also not my favorite episode. They did have to fill an hour though so I think they did a decent job. I'm curious how this "Earl in jail" thing will play out. For now it's fresh but it might start getting old really quick. I'm also still wondering how Jamie Pressley won her Emmy over Jenna Fisher. She's talented but I still think Jenna was robbed.

The Office 1st Half: A+ 2nd Half: B+
This was the show I've been waiting to see since May 24. The first half of the show was brilliant. I was dying with laughter! The funniest parts had to do with Dwight/Angela/Angela's cat Sprinkles. It was hilarious when Dwight gets back from checking on Angela's cat...she asks how things went and his response? "Well, your tv was on. Oh, and your cat died." Yes, it's sad about the cat but the scene was still funny. Great writing! And of course we all knew Pam and Jim would do the secretly dating thing. Works for me.

The second half of the show was mixed. Not as funny as Part I. Pam seeing Michael naked in his office - ugh. The fun run was not that fun. The camera crew confronting Pam and Jim about their secret romance was well acted. I think Dwight/Angela stole the show again when it finally came out that Dwight euthanized Angela's sick cat by singing it's favorite song and sticking it in the freezer. (and Angela figuring it out by finding bags of fries shredded in the freezer by her "dead cat's" claws!) It's horrifying, yet it's Dwight, so it's believable he would do such a thing and think he was doing the noble thing for a sickly cat who has no "food/clothing" purpose in life. I think this is an interesting development in their relationship. Angela being mad/vengeful always makes wonderful TV!

9.23.2007

Season Premieres!

Oops, I forgot. Tonight is the start of some great season premieres. Yeah!

Tonight was The Simpson's premiere. Awesome!!! Great tie-in during the opening sequence to their summer movie. PLUS...Homer & Mr. Burns went to Chicago where Homer bought and wore a #54 Bears jersey - Urlacher!!! Extra brownie points for The Simpson's creative team this week.

So what else will I be watching this week for premieres? House on Tuesday; The Office on Thursday. From what I've read they should both provide some great entertainment. I haven't decided if I'll be watching any new shows this season. We'll see. I like tv as background noise but actually do not watch too much besides my key shows.

Ok, now I'm signing off for the night.

Go BEARS!

Peace and Quiet in W-Town

This weekend was awesome. Relaxing, peaceful, and quiet in our little eight-home neighborhood, which I'll call W-Town. Out of the eight homes only three of them were occupied, which was awesome. The other two homes didn't have a peep coming from them so we literally had the place to ourselves. So what did we do? We took advantage of it!

We cleaned the garage and patio, added mulch to our patio area, planted some mums in a new planter on our front porch, etc. It was awesome. No interruptions, no having to worry about nosy neighbors coming over and interrupting what you were doing just so they could gripe about other neighbors. We had every window open, including the front/screen door, even into the evening. As I write this all I hear is the sound of crickets and the light wind rustling the trees that surround us. Beautiful.

There was really only one negative this weekend - I got a speeding ticket. $145. Yuck. I haven't gotten one in six years, (and it's only my second one) and considering how much I drive on a daily basis I guess I was probably due. Still really sucked, though.

So what's up for this week? Paying the ticket. Trying to get in to the acupuncturist, since I have been feeling pretty lousy pain-wise since my last appointment - he needs to rework things, and I don't want to wait until my next appointment on Oct 8. I think on Friday B and I will be going to Iowa after work. We'd leave a bit early (4pm), and then make the 8 hour drive to Davenport. That would leave us with all day Saturday to spend with my grandma and would also give us time to see my great-aunt who had a stroke about a month ago.

I'm going to sign-off now and enjoy the quiet. I hope everyone out there had a wonderful and peaceful weekend as well.

9.17.2007

Emmy's Part III

So I watched the whole thing, just so I could see the following people/shows lose:

  • Steve Carell for best actor in a comedy (I was still glad he got to come on stage with his Daily Show buddies, though. And his announcer bit with Rainn, John and Jenna was hilarious!)
  • Hugh Laurie for best actor in a drama (I didn't even know Boston Legal was still on the air)
  • The Office for best comedy (though I like 30 Rock too, and I'd rather Tina Fey win that the popular Ugly Betty)
  • House for best drama (though I'm not surprised Soprano's won just because it was their "last year")
Not the best year for my favorites, but at least they were nominated and better yet, they are still on the air.

9.16.2007

Emmy's Part II

The middle. This huge "middle" part of the show that is boring, non-interesting and takes up the most time. Sure, there is some funny stuff. Loved the Steve Carell/Office bit. Conan O'Brien won something. So did Jon Stewart. It's boring but still better than the Oscars.

So as a time out I want to publicly tell Brad that I'm sorry that his Chiefs gotten beaten by my Bears today. He should take to heart, though, that unless they get rid of Grossman or manage to hypnotize him in order to improve his game, the Bears won't be going to the Super Bowl either this year. Poor Urlacher. He deserves to go to the Super Bowl. They just need a quarterback who can actually throw the ball to someone and have them actually catch it. Instead he keeps throwing it to some invisible dude that I never see. That invisible guy must not be able to catch because I see the ball bouncing a lot onto the field or ending up in competitor's hands. Maybe Grossman should try throwing to the visible people. Sure, I'm not football expert, but at this point what does he have to lose?

Oh no, now they are doing a big Soprano's tribute. I think I'll just TIVO the rest and watch it in the morning only AFTER I find out if any of my favorite shows won anything.

Emmy's Part I

Rainn didn't win Supporting Actor (S.A.) in a Comedy. Grrrr.....

But Terry O'Quinn won S.A. in a drama for Lost! About time, that's for three years of great acting on his part.

Jenna Fisher did not win S.A. in a comedy. Two Office shut-outs! Whaaaaaa??? Emmy voters must have just been selecting their votes by closing their eyes and pointing on the paper. I've done that before, but just with road trips. Votes should be taken seriously. Are these same people doing the same for government elections as well?

9.14.2007

Just because it's good to laugh....

Leave town or hide out?

So I've decided to not drive to Iowa this weekend, as I feel it would overwhelm my grandmother as she will already have enough people there at the hospital. Maybe within the next month or so I can, but not now.

I still have this urge to leave though. Somewhere, anywhere. I feel caged. I either have to get in the car and go somewhere or else just hide out at home since I want to avoid the HOA Board members who are driving me crazy right now.

Instead I will probably end up just sitting at home and working all weekend on this big conference I'm in charge of, taking place in November. Plus I have a mailing list to finalize for a direct mail piece and also some web copy to write.

No wonder I want to escape!

9.13.2007

Surprises

This week has been the week of surprises. Some really great, and some really bad.

Today's bad surprise was that my grandma in Iowa was taken in for an angioplasty procedure. Completely unexpected. Luckily the family, including my mom over the phone, was smart enough to recognize she wasn't her normal self and took her to a doctor. Turns out she probably had a big heart attack three days ago and then another one this morning. Three of the aortic "valves" were completely blocked.

She's in her hospital room resting and the doc said things went well and that they got it all. However it's going to be a long road to recovery and there is definitely long term heart damage. Mom is driving there early tomorrow morning; an 8-hour trip. She's packing her bags for an indefinite stay, since she is the only one of the five children that does not work and can stay with Grandma until at least the harvest season is done. Then my uncle (a farmer who lives down the road from my grandmother) can take over responsibilities.

It's hard to know what to say here. A part of me is considering driving to Iowa on Saturday for a short weekend trip, but I feel like I'd probably be in the way. On the other hand, I did the drive when my grandfather was admitted with leukemia just a couple weeks shy of two years ago. It was nice just being with family and being back home in Iowa/Illinois, even if most of it was at a hospital.

I'm not sure what I'll do.

9.10.2007

Wow.

Today I received an unexpected e-mail from a previous employer. Here's the background:

I worked for a service firm in downtown Cleveland for four months shortly after we moved here. It was a great firm, over 100 people, very reputable in the national community. The people were great, I had a private office on the 15th floor, downtown, with windows and a door and I enjoyed my work. The downside was that the company had been in a rut for awhile and they didn't have the work needed to keep me busy. They underestimated my ability to learn quickly, streamline processes, etc., so I ended up with a job where I was really, really, really stretching on daily basis to find things to fill my day.

Then a job opportunity came from someone I had worked with at a freelance/side job I had. I barely knew the guy but I thought he seemed nice and smart, and then he changed jobs. He called me out of the blue one day asking if I'd be interested in a job with his new employer. I did a few interviews and they offered me a job. That same day the downtown firm cut everyone's hours except mine and my bosses to 32 hours a week. I saw others in the department who were close to retirement now at risk to lose their jobs; and here I had this unexpected opportunity. It seemed destined that I take the job, so I took it. Unfortunately I was already miserable even after the first day. It didn't get better...I just very slowly adapted to the negative, completely dysfunctional and at times abusive environment. I made it work, yet always slightly regretted leaving the much more enjoyable environment even though it was extremely boring.

So fast forward 3-1/2 years to today:

I received an e-mail from my former boss at that downtown firm. We had actually spoken in March when I asked him about being a reference for me. At the time he really drilled me about what I was looking for and also offered me advice, telling me to not accept anything below a management position. Well, as it turns out he announced his retirement for the end of the year. During discussions my name came up as a possible replacement so he asked if I would be interested in discussing the opportunity.

Needless to say I am pretty excited. I'm trying not to be because there are no guarantees, but the timing does seem perfect. I'm also very flattered because on my last day at the downtown firm my boss and one of the company partner's, in separate conversations, mentioned that my boss was looking to retire within the next couple of years and when that happened they would really like it if I would consider coming back. After working for a company for 3-1/2 years where they tell you one thing and then never follow through with it, it's nice to see companies/people in this world still follow through with things. I'm just really shocked they even thought of me, mostly because I feel I'm a pretty forgettable person.

So I've already sent the e-mail reply that I'm interested. I'm not sure what to expect from here. "It's just an honor being nominated." If it's meant to be then it will happen. If not then it won't. At least I'll have a job either way.

I'll give updates when I have them. I just had to share!

I hope all of you reading this (all 5 of you or whatever the small number is) had a great Monday as well.

9.09.2007

Sunday...

The Board meeting was dreadful.

The Bears lost, horribly. (thanks to a crappy offense)

My mom keeps calling me about things not pertaining to me.

Those are the three things that make me rank this day as an "ugh."

9.08.2007

Superbad

So tonight B and I went to see Superbad. For me it was my second time, as I saw it with my brother when B was in Iowa. I love Michael Cera (I still can't believe Arrested Development was canceled after three seasons) but watching the movie for a second time was a bit much. B enjoyed it though and the cop scenes are hilarious, so it's all good.

Tomorrow will be interesting as we are having a homeowners association meeting. I'm expecting it to be horrible. I'm the treasurer so I can't skip it. It's been a bit messy these last few weeks as the secretary, who was someone I considered a friend, resigned. Without telling me; I had to find out from another neighbor. He's acting like a 4-year-old over something that is, in reality, not a major issue. For an eight-house neighborhood (and only six of the houses are currently occupied), there is a lot of dissent and childish behavior going on around here. It's getting to the point where B and I are taking day trips on weekends just so we don't have to be here since even if we are locked up in our house it doesn't stop people from stopping by or calling just so they can complain about the other neighbors or Board members.

It sucks I have two days in a row where I have to attend meetings I'm not looking forward to. Tomorrow is the Board meeting, Monday is a staff meeting which we have 2 times (or less) per year. If anyone can think of a good excuse I could use to get out of both let me know.

On a good note the local Fox station is airing the Bears vs. Chargers game. Go BEARS!!!

9.03.2007

Catching Up - Part 2

This past week was pretty packed, tiring yet fun. I decided to make two things this week - chewy chocolate caramel bars for my brother's roommate (and one of his best friends) Chris, since he helped us with our cell phone plan earlier this year and that is what he requested as payment, and also a birthday cake for my mom. Thursday after work I went shopping for the supplies I would need, then I headed home to start baking. Managed to get the bars completed and in the freezer, and since I had time I decided to at least bake the cake. I used a fairly new recipe I found that uses white cake mix as a base but also adds butter, milk, vanilla and eggs. I decided to go the fancy route and bake 2-8" round cakes. They turned out great. As it was after 9pm I cleaned up and called it a night.

Friday I got out of work early, did a bit more shopping, came home and started working on finishing the cake. I had found a strawberry filling recipe, which I did...and it turned out like a jello. Not what I was going for. So I decided to go with my own concoction, which consisted of cool whip, vanilla pudding (just the powder/box stuff) and pureed strawberries. Yum! Much better than the stupid recipe. Once I had the filling I started to work on a quick buttercream frosting, which I've used before from the Food Network. Made two batches, grabbed a quick bite of dinner and then began the frosting process. I'm not the best cake decorator as I rarely make cakes and hardly ever decorate anything, but I do enjoy since I find it creative. I think it turned out pretty well. I didn't know what I was going to do, just started at the base and worked up. Finished around 9:30pm, spent another half hour cleaning up, then crashed on the couch. The important lesson I learned that evening was that I can not handle standing on my feet/legs for that long. I really suffered from nerve pain that evening, and I would say I still haven't recovered.

Saturday (Mom's birthday) we took the cake, gift and other birthday accessories to my mom and dad's house, where we met up with the parents and my brother who is back in town for the weekend. We piled in parent's Camry...or should I say crammed in as there is not enough space for five adults to sit comfortably...and off we went for a slightly less than two hour drive to Port Clinton. Port Clinton is about 15 minutes west of Sandusky, and most of the city is surrounded by Lake Erie. We managed to hit the 11am Jet Express and off we went to Put-In-Bay, a fairly large island located on Lake Erie. Since no one except me had been to the island before I thought it would be a fun day, especially since the weather was going to be perfect - high 70's and sunny.

Put-In-Bay (PIB) has something for everyone. About 450 people live on the island year round, but they have a lot of hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, attractions and parks for visitors. Since it was a Saturday during Labor Day weekend there were a lot of people but it was not overwhelming. Most of the people were at the bars watching the OSU game, or sitting on their boats listening to the game on the radio.

We first stopped to pick up a rental golf cart, which is the transportation option of choice in PIB. We drove through the downtown area and finally picked a place to eat. Nothing fancy, just simple bar and sandwich fare. We all ordered burgers and fries, enjoyed the view out the window at the Lake and the friendliness of the restaurant staff. Once we were done we decided to walk around downtown and hit some of the stores in an effort to find my brother some more comfortable shoes. After 30 minutes the shoes were found, we returned to the golf cart and decided to start seeing some of PIB's attractions.

First we hit Perry's Memorial, which is a big tower that provides a great view of not only the island but of Lake Erie, the other islands and Ohio coastline. I did go up in May and the view was wonderful, even on a not so bright day. We went inside, went up the initial steps that led to an elevator, but found the line too long. We decided to go back to the cart and find something else to do.

We drove around the perimeter of PIB and saw beautiful houses, trees, and more great views of the Lake and surrounding islands. Finally we came across a beach where we took a short walk, dipped our feet in the warm water and enjoyed the cliffs, waves and smell of barbecue from the beach.

After drive around almost the entire perimeter of PIB we finally came upon Heineman's Winery and Crystal Cave. They were giving tours of the winery and cave for $6/piece so we decided to do it. This was an interesting decision considering neither of my parents drink (I had never seen my mom have a sip of alcohol and my dad gave up beer decades ago), and my mom is incredibly claustrophobic.

We go through the winery tour, which is pretty lame mostly because B and I have been to a lot of wineries in California where the process is a lot more detailed and interesting. That took about 20 minutes. Then we got in a line for the cave, which all we knew was that it was down 42 steep steps and is the world's largest geode. My mom, to my complete surprise, decided to go down into the cave.

Now this was a monumental moment. My mom has gotten off of planes before takeoff because she felt too enclosed in, and now she wanted to go into a potentially very small cave filled with crystals. About 30 of us went down the stairs single file to the geode site. The guide, who sounded Russian, asked us to all cram in this small "room", where the walls and ceiling was nothing but geodes. We were crammed in shoulder to shoulder, the air was hot and you could not feel a single, even slight, breeze. My brother and I looked at each other in panic, waiting for my mom to eventually crack, start shoving people out of the way and working her way back up the stairs. It was honestly the worst case scenario; the cave was horrifically small and smothering. My mom was the farthest away from the stairway out, next to a wall filled with geodes that were dripping water.

So the guide goes on about how the geode got there, how there were other parts that were deemed unsafe for patrons (they could cave in at any time), and finally at the end of her long speech she actually says "Now, we should all probably leave room before I get claustrophobia attack." Yes, that is what she actually said. People start filing out of the room, we make sure my mom is the first of the family to go up the stairs...and she makes it. No attack. We were so proud, and I know she was too. That was a really big thing for her.

Part of the wine tour was that we each got a chip for a free sample of wine or grape juice, so we went to the bar area and got our drinks. Mom and Dad had grape juice, the rest of us tried different wines. Mind you, I was stilled pretty shocked about the whole cave thing, but then that monumental event was topped when my mom asked for a sip of my brother's wine. I kid you not. She took a sip. Then she asked if she could taste mine. She takes another sip. She goes back for a third sip from my brother's glass. I about keeled over. Though I didn't get a picture of her drinking the wine, I had everyone crowd around the table afterwards so I could get a picture to remember that big event by.


We decided we had some time to spare so we headed across the street to play some competitive mini-golf. It was a nice course, though we only managed to get in nine holes before we had to hoof it to the cart, drive back to town and hit the JetExpress back to Port Clinton.

Once we arrived back on the main shore we crammed back into the car and back to Cleveland. I had made reservations at a highly recommended restaurant called Carrie Cerino's, an Italian establishment. The place was huge and ornate, and we were seated in a private booth where we could easily talk and share moments from the day. The food was amazing and I think everyone enjoyed it.

We went back to the parent's house to open gifts. It was after 9pm and we were starting to drag a bit. Mom loved her basket. Then after gifts/cards were opened I presented her with the cake, which she liked. We sang "Happy Birthday", she blew out the candles. We served up cake and ice cream, both which tasted pretty good if I do say so myself. By the time we were through we were all stuffed and exhausted. B and I called it a night, packed up the car and drove home.

Looking back, it was one of the most enjoyable birthday "days" I've ever been through. Everyone was in good spirits, we saw and did a lot of new things and we really just enjoyed each other. Even B thanked me when we got home for a great day. I think that says it all.

Lately I've been wishing that I was back living in northern Illinois, but days like Saturday make me glad that I'm here. It's a good reminder that Illinois will still be there in 2-3 years, and for now I need to enjoy the time I am here and take advantage of it.

Catching Up - Part 1

Today is one of those great days where you wake up, it's a Monday, you're getting paid to be at work yet you don't have to show up. I love days like these.

It's been a busy past couple of weeks. Work always consumes a great deal of my time, but on top of that I had to deal with home association issues and preparations for my mom's birthday two days ago. These last two weeks I've spent traveling quite a bit around the area so that was fun. Last weekend B and I went to Pittsburgh on Saturday, where we hit The Waterfront for lunch and IKEA for some good deals. On Sunday we went south through "Amish Country" in Ohio, though I did not see a single Amish community. We headed to Longaberger Basket Company and I'll be honest, that was a pretty terrifying place.

I'm not really into baskets, crafts, etc., so that's the first problem. I went there because my mom loves baskets and I wanted to get her a basket since they are "the basket" to have, so I've heard. B and I arrive on their factory site, which is nestled between hills and trees...really in the middle of nowhere. The factory looked like a typical factory building, but then we got to the Longaberger Homestead. We walk into the Welcome Center, which has a modern, perfectly spotless design yet just doesn't belong because you're in the middle of nowhere. It's too nice, too perfect, too clean and too quiet. And it's just too big for the surrounding area. The staff get you right away, telling you about The Homestead area, which includes a huge building with 16 shops, a large barn with more shopping, a Victorian house that is a "tea house", a small ice cream parlor building and a two story building which has a large restaurant.

After we leave the welcome center we enter this courtyard where you get the full view of The Homestead. A ton of landscaping, all perfect. Huge buildings in perfect shape and design. There were only a few small groups of people walking around the grounds, slowly, not talking. It was eerily quiet, I can not stress that enough. You get this feeling you're being watched by cameras and that any minute someone will throw a bag on your head, grab you, brainwash you and before you know it you are now a Longaberger employee working in the factory or at one of The Homestead shops.

We hit the big building with the 16 stores inside, which was basically one big store with 16 different sections. Some stuff was reasonably priced, but most of it was outrageous. I found a Christmas gift for my mom, B bought some tea and we also decided to purchase some soup mix. As it turns out very few baskets were for sale in this huge building; they were all in the factory building in their outlet store. B suggested we go to the factory but I wanted to see the Crawford Barn. I don't know why. So we walk toward the barn, and right before you get to the barn there is a huge sign saying that any video collected on the property can be utilized for Longaberger promotions. I KNEW I was being taped! So we head to the barn where a family was heading in right before us. The man held the door open for me so I had to walk through.

B and I got through the door and our eyes were attacked by country merchandise. And I'm talking deep southern country merchandise. I took one look, turned back towards the door where there was a rack of big rhinestone-studded cowboy belts. Yup, that was it. We left the building laughing hysterically, with B reminding me that I was the one who wanted to go to the barn. I'm glad we did because it was just too funny.

We do a quick walk around the rest of the property but at this point neither of us want to try out one of the other buildings. We came across this big "basket" of apples" and I think that was it for us, we wanted to get out. They had a shuttle that would take you to the factory outlet store (so they claimed - I think it was part of the brainwashing plan), but instead we got in the car and just drove there. Not a big deal, and much safer. We go in the main door; to the right is a make your own basket store where a lone saleswoman stood waiting for her next victim. I mean, customer. To the left was another welcome center with two employees talking and waiting to welcome us there, I assume. I avoided contact and went immediately towards the stairs leading to a second floor. I assumed that was where the outlet store was. I was wrong. It was one big concrete "plank" that went from one end of the factory to the other, where you could see all of the equipment. No one was working and most of the plant was dark, since it was a Sunday.

We decided to do the long walk, as at the very end you could see a store of some kind. Maybe that was where the baskets were. After all, this is a basket company. They should be selling them everywhere, right? We are walking along and see this huge, Sam's Club like area that appears to the factory outlet, which is on the floor below us. We went in the wrong entrance. Oh well, we keep walking. Along the path are reading boards regarding the history of Longaberger and their baskets. We get to the very middle of the building and all of a sudden there is an employee with a piece of equipment, ready to show people how a basket is made. Note that Brad and I are, at the time, the only ones there. He says hello, and his eyes try to get me to stay there and watch him showcase his basket-making talents. I move on, because I'm just not that compassionate. Unless he's going to let me buy the basket when he's done I'm not interested.

We get to the end of the plank and reach the store. Which only has a few very small baskets for $80+. Ugh, what a waste. We now head back across the plank, past the basket-making guy, down the stairs, past the other employees who have nothing to do, out the door. We walk around the side of the building and find a very small, not very well marked door for their factory outlet. Finally.

The interesting thing about the factory store is that they were set up for mass shoppers. There were at least 30 registers, there was rope in place for "line control", and there were hundreds of carts in the entry way. During the time we were there I would say there were less than 20 people in the store. So it was weird. I walk around and to my disappointment, there are still very few baskets. And the baskets they do have are the ones that did not sell well or the ones they call "Second QualitE" - meaning they are reduced in price because they do not meet Longaberger's high standards. I finally found a "lower quality" basket for my mom that I think she'll like, even if it's not perfect. The price is a lot more affordable than the other baskets I had seen up until that point, so I took it. We went to one of the five registers open and checked out. Honestly, is that place really that packed at any point in time during the year? They hardly even had anything to purchase other than a few baskets, a ton of basket protectors and basket linings. That whole place was just messed up.

We finally got back to the car and drove home. Safe, wonderful home. It was a good day...we drove down some really cool back roads, saw new sites and towns and managed to survive our time at Longaberger and even got a gift for my mom. Plus I got to spend the day with B so to me it was a good day.

I'll write more later on what we did this weekend for Mom's birthday. And it will have pictures!