In Light of Today's East Coast Earthquake

Feeling the earthquake in Columbia, MD was a bit unsettling...especially from a second floor cubicle. But, I think about those people in NYC that were on the 22nd floor and can't even imagine the panic I might have felt.

In light of that, here are some pretty funny tweets from today...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/top-16-earthquake-tweets/2011/08/23/gIQANgmJZJ_blog.html

Hope all are safe,
Lindy

Oh! Now I Remember...

As I sit in my cube, day after day, I think about a lot of things. Sometimes I think about people back home, how much I like the idea of central air conditioning, how annoying "Thank You Suppression" is (yes, that's a Lindyism), how important morals are, storms, black tennis shoes and that new recipe I can't wait to try. But one thing that never crosses my mind is how much I miss traveling.

Tonight, outside of my cube, I'm reminded of those two years of my life where it seemed I was all alone with thousands of other people in an airport.

My flight is delayed, of course. For those of you that know me fairly well know that something like this doesn't generally upset me. I'm typically pretty numb about setbacks like these, because there's nothing I can do about it anyway. Tonight, though, I can't help but think it might be my fault. Everything I touched today broke, or caused me so much confusion I gave up (which means it broke me).

I decided to stop moping around and go for a walk. I don't subscribe to the idea that if something unfortunate happens to you, that you should run and treat yourself to something like ice cream, clothes shopping or a brand new car. Nope. I think you should settle your mind and dwell about that unfortunate happening until you can come to terms with it. I called my own bluff tonight and stopped by a McDonald's for a milkshake!

The milkshake woke me up! Helped me realize that treats can really be a great thing! I suddenly noticed all of the things I used to blog about..... The inch of unsafe grime on the tile of the McDonald's food prep area that allowed all of the employees to slide around like they were wearing roller skates, the amount of college-seeking teens traveling with their parents, how many people must have loved McDonald's milkshakes too, the cutest baby I have ever seen, the abnormally tall man from Belgium, how good guacamole is, those men and women that serve our country in one way or another, Brian's crab cakes, my deflated hair, that large man that is about to buckle that bar chair, someone who inspires me without realizing it, that grandmother who is having the time of her life with her daughter and granddaughter, Smemy, whether or not I would actually name someone Indy, how great it is to only be delayed two hours, how weird it is to travel without my Corporate Card and status, that guy in Brooks Brothers that needs to buy the other tie, and finally...the older hairy gentleman (that's a stretch) with a shirt on that reads, "the more hair I lose, the more head I get!". Ugh. He was accompanied by a woman who must have forgotten her teeth at the house and a young teenager that looked scared to death.

Being delayed isn't so bad. But it's still not worth it! I'm ready to be in Tampa to hang out with my bro, sister-in-law and monster niece. It's only a two-day vacation, but certainly needed.

Have a good rest of the week everybody...
Lindy


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The New Car...

It's time that I actually blogged about my new whip. I decided while living in Maryland, I might as well add on another challenge - to actually save money. The Jeep wasn't exactly my pride and joy, but I did love it. And, I was sad to hand it over.

The new car is a 2010 black Dodge Charger. The poor sales guy had an ENTIRE Saturday with me, and that proved to be A LOT of Lindy. All day long, I was going back and forth between the black Charger and the 2007 Chrysler 300, seen below.


As I was going back and forth, I just kept driving them...over and over. I even took the sales guy through the drive-thru at Wendy's. I was starving, and it turned out he was really craving a Frosty! On one of the drives in the Chrysler, we passed by a construction worker that took one look at me in that thing and yelled, "HEY SHOOOORRRRRTY!". It was awesome, but pretty much sealed the deal for me. Yeah, I'll take the Charger.



Doesn't look so bad at Gramma's House...

I'm not the biggest fan of this car. It's rear-wheel drive and for someone who is used to driving a Jeep, I've had to learn how to drive the Charger. It doesn't really like to stop when it's just a teeny bit wet outside. I guess I'll have to trade it in or move before the winter!

I installed a pretty awesome stereo system in the car, which suddenly makes me want to drive it all the time. Yes, it plays DVDs and even has a remote!




This is SO out of my element, but a friend of mine took me to a junk yard to look for leather seats for the Charger. This was on the top 5 list of saddest placest I've ever been to. This is where cars go to die.

Ducky Derby

So... the first Rubber Ducky Derby Race didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped, but it was still pretty cool. I was a bit disappointed. I would've liked to have it be a bit more automatic...perhaps with a frame, a pump, lights and waterfalls. BUT - the kids seemed to enjoy it! And that, my friends, means it was a success (sort of...)


I built the track with a little too much amibtion. If I had a good place to keep it, we would have a race every other weekend (after making sure it had the necessary enhancements...like the above mentioned lights and waterfalls). BUT, I have since taken it apart and am going to turn it into cornhole boards or something equally as cool.





Some of the guys found frying pans in the garden. I have always wanted to grow my own frying pans.

PBR Easter Basket? I can't get rid of this crap!!

This jerk had a great time after everyone left.

Example A.

Example B.

On a happier note - I have a whole extended family of these guys. They hang out during the day (and have apparently had some babies! YAY!!)

Toe Cramp From Hell

So here I am, minding my own business.... Driving from one errand to another.... Thinking about how great of a singer I am.... Wishing I could sleep all day tomorrow.... Wondering if cows have gas four times as much as normal animals because they have four stomachs.... Then it hits me!

TOE CRAMP!!!

Ugh, I get toe cramps all the time. My friends used to make fun of me in high school (and probably still do), because when I got a toe cramp I was down for the count! No one is allowed to touch me, talk to me or even make a suggestion of how to help it. Toe cramps are the worst! The only thing to do is spread your toes as best you can and deal with it until it passes.

Well, a toe cramp while driving is a different story. Holy crap! There was no possibility of spreading and dealing. My toes were so trapped, they felt like a kitty cat in a brown grocery sack, a lion in a zoo or a bunch of oranges hanging out with a bunch of apples (you know the oranges get sick of the saying, "that's like comparing apples to oranges.")

I managed to actually take off my shoe while driving. Kids, this is not recommended unless you are professionally awesome. Yes, my foot is on the break.




Now, blog friends, I'm sitting in the grocery store parking lot, blogging and dealing with it.....

Lindy
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Have to do it...

I can't believe I'm about to do this.

I used to blog about the things (or people) I'd see in airports all over the US and Canada. Why should I stop blogging about things (and people) just because I'm rarely in an airport now?!

Well...probably because this guy could track me down and kill me. I really hope he's not a blog reader.




Dear Man-with-boots-that-remind-me-of-farmers-back-home,

Next time you go out in public, and might possibly have to wait in a room with other people for any extended period of time (while sitting), please make sure you wear pants with no holes in the crotch. And, no, I am not interested in seeing you outside of the waiting room. I just couldn't stop staring at your flashy tighty-whities.

Thanks,
Lindy


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

OMG, I'm blogging from my phone!

Isn't this GREAT?! Apparently, when people say, "there's an app for that," they aren't kidding!!

And look! I can even post a picture!!



This pic is awesome! At a friend's house, I found this little strap light thingy. It even had a strobe light! LOVED IT!!


So, now, I will definitely keep my promise.... I think I am now, officially, a blogger.

WATCH OUT WORLD!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Another trip...

First of all... I'd like to tell everyone, if they can, to donate a little to the Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/. All of us have a little baggage, pain and sorrow in our lives...we may not like our jobs at the moment, be arguing with someone important to us, or living through a sickness of a loved one. But there is a whole country of people that are struggling with items we all take for granted. Most of us will never have to deal with something of that magnitude. Think about that.

Just sayin'...................


Okay, onto the post. I had the chance to go to Naples, FL again for work and I had a weekend free. In classic Lindy-Style, I enjoyed dinners with buddies, tennis and a big game of beach volleyball! YAY!! (I also got a lot of grief over not posting enough.... So, let's see if I can keep my promise now. I will blog at least twice a week. How about that?!)

Here are some pictures from the trip...

I love this picture...

Volleyball in the rain. NICE!!

That's right! Nice.

AWESOME game of beach volleyball.

And an AWESOME bruise to prove it.

And some AWESOME baby-time!! YAY!! They called me the Baby Whisperer after this!

And there were some sunsets too, of course!

There were dolphins for this one. Didn't catch them on camera though. Dang!

A few questions...

Things constantly run around in my mind.  Thoughts that behave like little mice.  They stop for a minute at the forefront of my brain and then they scurry away.  I'm trying to remember to write them down, so I can share them here.  There are only a few.  I've only trained myself to think, "Oh man, I should write that one down."  Maybe the next step will actually be writing them all down. 

* Someone made up the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  Well, I want to know who made that up, because he was a jerk.  What about all of those people in the world that don't like apples?  Seriously.  It's not like those people have enough money to afford a co-pay every day.

Fortunately, for me, I LOVE apples and have just gotten a fresh batch.

*  Why can't someone just invent like five different sizes of containers?  Then, maybe I won't have a lid for every freaking size of container known to man.  I haven't even been domesticated and off the road for a year and I have a surplus of lids that fit nothing.  I'm terrified of throwing any of them away, because you know what will happen.  When I throw out all the lids that have no home, then I'll suddenly have containers without lids.

My tupperware cabinet... drives me crazy.

*  While watching the State of the Union every year, or whenever it is that they do that stupid thing, I always wonder if the people attending have to stretch and/or workout a bit beforehand.  Do you see how many times those people are up and down?  It's like a Catholic service.  I've never been to one, but I can only imagine.

That's it for today.  Thanks for listening...  Until next time, when I have a new list.

A Night on the Town

It turns out that some people actually listen when I speak....weird.  Apparently, at one point, I mentioned that I wished I would go out more and see more things.  The past two weekends, I've done just that!!

**All of the following photos were taken by professional photographer, Delroy Cornick.  See me, if you'd like to use his services.  I'll be more than happy to put you in touch with him directly.

I went to an RV Show.  Yes.  I went to an RV Show.  I was completely overwhelmed the entire time.  I had never been in an RV before and there was a lot to take in!!  It's just amazing what they do with those things.  You can park your RV in front of a mountain range, open the door to the bathroom and just do your business or take a shower while watching the clouds climb over the peaks.  WOW.  I'm sorry - that's just where my mind goes.  Like I said, there was a lot to take in.

Bored by the Mercedes RV.  So lame for a Benz.

So much to think about...

I managed to lighten up a little after spending some time in a recliner.  I forgot how much I love me a good rocking chair and a laugh.

I have never been to DC either...EVER.  Weird, since I traveled so much, and it seems that's the one place in Indiana that everyone has been.  Me?  Never.  Until last weekend.  Just drove around, was too cold and far too late to go walking around.  I will return in the summer, FO SHO.

I was in shock, because you could just pull up to the Capitol Building and hang out for awhile.

The very next weekend was very interesting as well.  How about going to watch a Romanian band in Fells Point?  Just for fun?!  OKAY!  I happen to love music, especially LIVE music of any kind.  BRING. IT. ON.

I am having a GREAT time here in Maryland.  Just had to share.  :)