New Verb - Shiver

Thursday
Carol, Michele and I try to leave for Chicago to visit Melly Mel. Due to some interesting weather in the Greater Chicagoland Area, we were canceled. Oh joy - We were cool - we had a place to stay and apparently we were the only nice people in line at the United Counter. I think our jocularity and good spirits helped our United Shiney Headed Guy work harder to help us, which we higly approved of. "Screw them" we giggled of the mean folks. =)
As follows, a wee pictorial of our adventure

Friday =)
are we there yet? Mind you at this point we've been trying to get to Chicago for 24 hours and there was NOTHING to eat and the 15 minute cab ride was an hour. Poor Michele, Me and Carol

Can we eat yet? - Poor Michele

From 2707

Interesting Illumination


Saturday =)
Preparing to go outside - This was not the weather of my people

Hey, a robot, he's being all flurty

Hey, a robot makers fanny, now I'm being flurty

The ZarnChiCago chapter of MENSA meeting will now begin. President Girl Next Door, VP Surly and Secretary Queen of the EYE Ball
The Water Tower - a ghost lives there, right in front of a mall, so that's good realestate for him

Cab ride home


Sunday =)
Viewing of the bean - Carol and Michele

We're in the bean - Carol, Michelle and Me

Ah... Hey Carol, look at the skaters..

Yeah Michele, they're ass cold like we are

skaters in the bean - you can just make us out in the bean too, 3 little spots

waiting..... Carol & Michelle

Amazing Grace

From the L


The sign is so right


Home from 8F

Vacation: a photo essay of a verb

FEMA? Red Cross? Meet Gema

Every person you meet, they had a mom and a dad - parents. Whether they were merely biological donors or guiding mentors for life - we've all got them. I count myself very lucky. My dad will come over for an hour and I'll have new electrical outlets in a room or a new toilet or tile floors under my washer and dryer. My mom - well, you're read about Gema. She is ever the guider, the feeder, the dresser, the helper.

We had a pretty decent snow fall in the last few days and that put G.E.M.A. into action. The Garcia Emergancy Management Agency hit the kitchens and began to prepare MRE's for the 3 main locations:
Location: Homestead
Location: Grandpuppies
Location: Lone Striker

Homestead - Mission Control for all operations
Mission: MRE (Most Remarkable Eats) Drop - food for a week so no one has to worry about groceries

Grandpuppies - this location has a higher volume of Garcias, and largest age gap, so food prep is key for growing little monkeys and their parents. Wrench in the works: grandpuppies have been hit with colds - runny noses, flemmy breathing. Mission steps up and food prep become monumental in vitamin content and hearty tummy filling for optimal health and toothly little grins. Grandpuppies MRE Drop involved large scale containers and plenty of Grandparent Snuggling and Singing of Old MacDonald.

Lone Striker - That would be me, the sniper, Daddy's little girl armed with a Home Depot Credit Card and a sassy sense of sarcasm. Care and feeding require ease and compactablity. Drops are rare as schedules often don't align, so I did a drive by.

Below are images of my drop pack and my MRE's:

MRE DROP BAG: A mild mannered Starbucks bag with coffee treats...

Or is it? as you can see, it's camo'd for protection from looters

One Drop Pack contains 3-5 MRE's

One serving of KILLER G.E.M.A. pasta sauce and mini pene (she knows I love the mini pene)

One serving of Uber Hearty Homemade White Bean Soup. Totally worth the "toots of fire" about 2 hours after consumption - best consumed alone and at home

Two to Three servings of Beans and Rice Ala G.E.M.A. If you have a cold or the flu - this will cure it

"Ah, Mah-ghee - if you have a little salad at the house, here is some dressing, if you don't, well, no salad"


I just adore my mom =) she's is so funny
For those of you who've eaten G.E.M.A.'s MRE's - you know the eatin's good!
For those of you who haven't - As Gema would say, "Oh really? too bad, may be next time"

All that and no toaster?

Back in the day, a Bank would give you a blender, a toaster, maybe even a commemorative bank calendar depicting great events in American History such as "The Crossing of the Potomac" - a gift from us to you, our loyal customer.
Now, some, just hijack your cash.

I bank a great deal with one particular Bank - mortgage, checking, savings, CD, credit card

A Busy Little Beaver at the main office of My Bank has decided I owe My Bank $293.00 USD.
Instead of informing me of this find, they choose to take my $293 from my checking account with out asking/informing.

I am single - my salary goes to my mortgage people, my credit cards, electric, cable, phone, yadda. I manage to put a little away for a little VayCay (vacation). $293 constitutes groceries, gas for the car, bills, maybe a movie or a book. It's not float for me - it's needed funds.

I called My Bank branch (they're nice, the old lady teller has a crush my on my dad =))- I got the Teller guy who I think secretly has a mohawk b/c of how his hair is styled -"That's not right, let me make a few calls" 10 minutes later, My Bank person calls me back and gives me the low down:
In 1997, I closed a checking account in Richmond VA and that account has accrued $293 in fees.
I beg your pardon?
History - In 1996, I had my car broken into, my back pack with wallet stolen
24 hours later, a 6ft Black man (which I am not) took my ID and one of my checks filled out and signed with my name spelled incorrectly (which I certainly know how to spell) to a bank teller (who I knew well and saw every week when I deposited my merger salary) and cleaned me out - not a penny left. The Result of which A. The teller revisited her procedure policies and her ability to read, B. I recovered every penny from the bank (as it was their poor procedures that allowed the cleaning out as determined by My Banks fraud department) and C. Closed the account ASAP.

My Bank person tracked down the phone number of the BLB for me and called to find out why BLB felt the need to take my money with out asking.

I did not find BLB but I did find the Supervising Beaver of this Money Taking Den.
He said "Huh, that's odd, let me check with the person who tagged this.... [on hold with no music] Well, we have it here that you owe $293 in fees."
"Really? Can you produce bank statements to this affect?" I ask inquisitively
"Well, let me check....[on hold, no music]...Well, we're looking for them" he says with authority
"well, until you find proof I owe this money, which I do not, I'd like my money back" I said with an wee tone
"Don't you have your records?" he asks like I'm an idiot
"Well sir - the burden of proof is yours, poodle, not mine. Your group has taken money from my account without my knowledge or permission - that's called 'stealing' in some places." said mildly annoyed with a pinch of 'don't f*** with me'
"one moment...[on hold, still no music, what's that about] we can't get those records b/c it was almost 10 years ago, so your funds will be back in your account by COB today" he says with a hint of 'oh crap, we f***ed up'
"And the over draft fees I've incurred b/c of all this?" I ask sweetly but with a forked tongue
"Oh, well, i don't hav--" he says trying to regain his authority
"And the over draft fees I've incurred b/c of all this? 'This' meaning your group stealing my money" I reply with balls the size of the Greater Washington DC area, emphasizing the 'stealing' part
"We'll take care of that right away" he says very politely
"Thanks so much! Seriously you guys have been awesome!" I reply like I'm made of honey, sugar cane and Barbie dolls

I called My Bank person to fill him in on the doin's - His words - That's f-ed up, man.. just wrong

Rock on My Bank Person - it is totally f-ed up

learning another language...might be a good idea

http://www.zenadsl5692.zen.co.uk/WeAreSinking.swf