Ah My TV Died!

Tonight after eating my fabulous Friday dinner of Chinese food with my boo, we sat down to watch some TV. Typical Friday night at the Paruch household. Only to be ruined when my TV died! Now this TV was a gift of sorts, we bought it after I got my first job out of school - so I guess it could be considered a post-grad self-gift. Now, I'm no TV professional but I think it's a nice TV.

However it suddenly when rainbow-colored in vertical stripes! AH! Out of nowhere....so tragic. It also made noises that sounded like an alien attempting to talk to me through the TV. I told Ryan aliens were taking over - I still think this is true.

Anyways, thank godness I have experience with bad luck, and you know I bought the extended warranty on that TV. We called it in and someone is coming to take a look on Monday - YAY!

UPDATE: My TV is home! Thank goodness we purchased the warranty plan the motherboard or something had to be replaced...value of the part alone was $300!! The doesn't even included labor to repair the TV. Bottom line....warranties are my new best friend.

Compliment or Diss

Today I was en route to catch my train and some incredibly small for his age kid stops me and starts with, "This is going to sound really stupid, but I have a question for you." Oh God, what a great start....at this point I can't just keep walking and pretend I didn't hear him.

So what was his question...."Where did you get those boots, they would be great for my Halloween costume." Now, I really like these boots, but the LAST thing I associate them with is Halloween. I have no idea what costume this kid was planning on and why my boots went with his costume.

Is that a complete diss or compliment; I'm really not sure.

AHHH My New Favorite Jam

Please you know I'm all over the new jams...especially when they are written about me....haha

Now, I'm a fan of most T-Pain jams (obviously) and the occasional Jesse McCartney song....but combine the two and I'm listening. However, this song has a real selling point for me, that hooked me the first time I heard it. Now, anyone who knows me knows just about anything with a French-accent has me sold....if only you could see my decor. During the hook of the song "Body Language" Jesse sings "parlez-vous francais?" and I sold like a kid in a candy store. Interesting though, because this woman/girl must be someone Jesse doesn't know well as he uses the formal. Minor details - Jesse you know this shits on my iPod.

My Guilty Pleasure

I finally figured out my guilty pleasure is....and it's completely dorky. It's Quizno's veggie sub. There is a Quizno's located near my house, but I only visit it about once a month. I've realized that it's some sort of a lame special treat for me. On Friday, I picked up my favorite sub on my way home from work and I got home and was deliriously happy (granted it was Friday, so that helps). But why on earth does a disgusting looking and terrible un-healthy sub make me so happy.....because it's so damn good. On Friday I came to the realization that every time I pick up their sub I enter a complete happy food coma - and it's great.

Also, I like their apparent new slogan....now I couldn't find anything online about this...but the folks at my local Quizno's were rocking some new t-shirts. The slogan on their shirts "Friends don't let friends eat Subway." Now, I'm no Subway-basher but I thought this was hilarious. Clearly they know Subway is the market leader in subs, but the shirts made me laugh. Ah, I'm so easily amused....it's the small things in life.

Movie Review: Law Abiding Citizen

Overall: Action-packed, suspenseful, and original. I would recommend if you like any of the above statements.

At first, you might think by the title I'm going to see a movie about myself (HA....I know - I'm corny). Then if you know what the movie is about you might, wonder why I wanted to see this movie. If you are wondering that, please let me remind you I'm a fan of rap & hip-hop music. Also, I like Jamie Foxx and Leslie Bibb (she's in private practice). While true movie critics weren't a fan....are you surprised? I thought the movie was riveting. Gerard Butler's character is insane, I mean he goes crazy, and it's amazing to watch. Thankfully, the movie has a chance to take the turn towards Saw-esque scences, but it did not. Which made me very happy, as I did not sign up to see that. Although, like any action movie it has a few highly unbelievable scenes - can you really move bomb? Would no one really notice? I don't want to give it all away but more than once I said I don't know about that.

Book Review: "Love Season"

I borrowed "Love Season" by Elin Hilderbrand from a friend, after borrowing a previous book by Erin "Barefoot". "Barefoot" was enjoyable with a surprising ending - at first I thought it was just a book version of "Beaches" (you know..."you are the wind beneath my wings") but a far more cheerful ending. It took me about 3 weeks to actually start "Love Season" (sorry Carrie), I have to be in a reading mood. Once I started it took me about 5 days to complete (note: I have a 3-hour round-trip daily commute), so let's just say I have down time :)

Although, the book left me wanting more....what happened to Miles & Sallie? Do Renata and Dan leave Nantucket or stay with Marguerite? Does Porter really never talk to his niece, and how could he leave Marguerite!? So many questions and I need answers! Does Cade really give up on Renata?

What I loved about the book - was that it all takes place during one very long, hot, summer day - but yet it spans an entire lifetime. The characters were all so intriguing and I could picture them all perfectly in my mind. Also, the book has many a French reference, which will easily win me over.

Overall, I recommend the book and I enjoyed the tiny references to "Barefoot" in the book. During the dinner party, the conversation changed to a mother of three with cancer....hm, what could that be referencing? However, the book left me wanting more...it didn't feel complete to me.

Life lesson learned

Ever do something then think shit, that was stupid? Well I do, and often, then I just chalk it up to a learning experience. This was the case with using a world phone in Antigua. Now, I have experience with world phones from my study abroad days, yes imagine life without a cell phone, then those pay phones come in handy. However, things in the Caribbean most be rigged for "rich tourists" unlike "poor students/backpackers" in Europe. I think to myself "I should call my parents and check-in" well I decide to use the world phone at the dock in Antigua. BAD IDEA.

I made a total of 3 calls - 2 of which went straight to voicemail. This week I learned how much those calls cost me. $41 + change PER CALL!!! Are you kidding me?! This was my first reaction - $120 for a 2 minute call to my parents! First step, call Chase and see what they can do....scored a contact number for this mysterious telecom company. Next, I call the telecom company and explain my situation. Fortunately for me, the representative takes pity on me and tells me since I am a first time user (NOTE: and last time user) they might be able to credit me back. I was able to get $60 back - which was nice. Still the $60 2-minute call to my parents is now my most expensive call ever......life lessons learned.....never use a world phone at a cruise ship port.

SUCCESS!

So this is what success tastes like....my birthday party for Ryan & Jason over the weekend was a success! This was my first ever...technical dinner party! I created an Italian Cream Cake (three layer cream cake), baked ziti (after some good tips from Doug's grandma), a Marisa-style cheese platter (chipotle cheddar, basil & dill cheddar, and aged gouda), and brushetta.

We had 9 dinner guests (it was a family-affair) and everyone told me what a wonderful meal it was (now, I'm assuming they weren't lying). The cake may have been the biggest hit of the evening....hooray for my potential career in cake-making! And they said I couldn't cook....all a girl needs is some new tools :)

Euforquestra - Soup Album Review

A friend told me download the album 'Soup' by Euforquestra.....I know Eufro-what is your first reaction......euforia + orchestra = Euforquestra (very creative in my humble opinion). The album is free to download here: http://www.euforquestra.com/ so I thought I should at least take a listen. Now, I'm no professional music critic, but I think they have a unique sound. The first song on the track had a reggae vibe, and reminded me very much of my most recent vacation. So I pondered what genre they considered themselves, and their website states "Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk” bringing together Afrobeat, Reggae, Afro-Cuban, Samba, Soca, Funk, Salsa, and Dub. I would definitely agree here, as some tracks have a strong reggae vibe, while others have a salsa vibe.

The cd will definitely keep you awake, so quick, if you are falling asleep at your desk - download it - you'll wake right up. I could see the album being good to listen to while on vacation or spending a day at the beach.

How is this news?

Dear CNN,

Levi Johnston posing for Playgirl is NOT news. First off, does anyone subscribe to that publication? I'm pretty sure the answer here is no, because last year the considered folding the magazine.

Second, Levi Johnston is Sarah Palin's daughters ex-boyfriend....in case that doesn't stand out enough, that means no one gives a shit. Okay yes, there are some people who give a shit about Sarah Palin (a few are followers of my blog), but no one cares about her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

I guess some people just want to extent their 15 seconds of fame......lame

Dress in a box

While I was basking in the glory of sun, fun, and being done with wedding planning. My madre was at home and took my most-expensive dress ever bought to the cleaners. Do you know how much they charge to clean a wedding dress? Well this cleaner charged $190 and 3 weeks (really?!) Doesn't that seem like a waste of money? To clean a dress that'll be in a box until I try to force it onto my oldest daughter?

Overall, I feel like a wedding dress is a huge waste of money, yes it's pretty, and traditional, but think about it, what's the hourly rate of that dress? I'm betting $100+/hour saying you put it on around 1 PM and are done with it around 1 AM. The thing is never worn again. Maybe I should put mine on Ebay, I could see some potential takers out there...okay maybe, not. I need a good sales pitch "Gently worn bridal gown...."

I'm Back

More posts to come as I have returned from my blogging hiatus!

I'm back from the Caribbean pale as usual (except for the hidden sunburn on my back)! Some of my favorite comments upon returning home:

"Didn't you go to the Caribbean....I thought you would have more color"
"Was it cloudy there?"
"You didn't get tan at all?!"

Dear friends....I am albino....we albinos DO NOT tan....again DO NOT tan. If I were to wear absolutely not sunscreen and sit outside all day I would only come home crying and burnt. My burns do not turn into tans....this is a cycle of life for a burn: pain, pain, dry, itch, peel, new skin under the peeled off skin is again albino. Also, I generally hide in lots of sunscreen and sun hats. For those of you who aren't aware pale skin, reddish/blond hair, and many a burn in my younger years....puts me at high risk for skin cancer. So no I did not come home with a beautiful Caribbean tan. Wrong girl folks.

And yes the weather was beautiful and it was hot, hot, hot all week. We visited: St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia (my favorite island), Antigua (the hottest island), and St. Kitts.