My favorite holiday

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My favorite holiday is coming up....Thanksgiving....now why would Thanksgiving be the favorite holiday of a vegetarian? Well, obviously the day after is actually my favorite holiday. My Dad and I wake up early every Black Friday to shop, now I'm pretty sure he doesn't look forward to this as much as I do, but it's tradition now. This weekend I have devoted several hours in competitive research of leaked sales ads for the items that I'm willing to knock over a soccer mom at 5 AM to obtain. There are always a few stores I focus on....Kohls and Best Buy (points for originality, I know).



My search is focused on a DC25 Dyson....I want one and Ryan just doesn't understand why a Dyson versus any other brand of vacuum. It's just not the same. To prepare for this purchase I saved up my credit card points and cashed in for $150 worth of Kohl's gift cards. Clearly, I was hoping Kohl's would have the best deal on the Dyson. According to the leaked Kohl's ad my Dyson will be on sale for $399 from $549. Clearly this is a bargain. Now I'm just concerned how early I should wake up to wait in line at the local Kohl's. How many other crazy ladies (or men) are in the market for my Dyson? These are questions I need answered. How willingly will the BH Kohl's be to provide sales figures on the Dyson DC25?

The remainder of my shopping is focused on potentially replacing my household desktop computer. I almost feel like a traitor saying this as my current desktop has survived 6-years of use. My first computer purchased before I left for college freshman year. My computer has been a good friend and survived hours of usage, and many a term paper in college. It saw Facebook before Facebook was cool, and many a episode of Grey's Anatomy online. However, the time has come to look for a replacement. The sad part is today I could purchase a much more powerful, faster, etc. desktop for about a 1/3 of the price. Damn you technology.

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 :)

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.

Stupid things I do

Yesterday afternoon/evening was the ultimate roller coaster day...down a bridesmaid....up a bridesmaid...dance classes are completed....quick trip to the ER....too much...too much. All after working all day.

T-minus 8 days till I get my normal life back (well, let's be honest it's more like 15 days because we'll be on vacation the week after the wedding - so def not my normal life). Side note: sorry readers, I will not be mobile blogging via Carnival Cruises...I discussed this with T-Mobile, but they wouldn't reduce their mobile fees with Carnival, even if I gave them a shout-out on my blog. I mean do they know how large the following of "Marisa Explains it All" is? Clearly not!

So how did I end up with a quick trip to the ER....bottom line...I am an idiot and I jinx myself. While prepping for the office potluck, (I placed 2nd for best dish - okay it was a 4-way tie & I voted for myself, but hey - what can a girl do) I was in search of a knife that could travel well. Low & behold, I find a knife with it's own safety cover, except the I cannot easily remove the safety cover. Here is where men come in handy, I pass it off to Ryan and say I'm afraid I'm going to cut myself (it's like I can see the future). Ryan shows me how simple it is to take out. I say let me try, I hold the safety lock in my palm and pull the knife out...and cut my palm open....major ouch. I proceed to run into the living room holding my hand very tight so I don't bleed everywhere, while my soon-to-be-husband sits on his ass, thinking I am joking! Let me be clear, I'm never the little boy who cried wolf, I am that stupid, that I would cut myself with a kitchen knife. After yelling my "f-ing hand is bleeding" Ryan realizes I am not joking and I am stupid. Due to the amount of blood we weren't sure if stitches were in order, so we made a quick trip to the Portage ER, to find out stitches weren't needed (woop, woop) only steri strips. An awesome end, to an awesome day.

Quick ways to reduce your self-esteem

If you are looking for fast & easy ways to ruin your self-esteem sign up for private dance lessons as a beginner. Last night, was the second dance lesson for the fiancé and I….key point here – I was dreading going. After the first lesson and paying to get yelled at by the female instructor, I knew round 2 wouldn’t be much better. The first half hour of the last night’s lesson involved me being instructed to practice ball, heel, ball, heel on the ballet bar. Hearing “Marisa…ball, heel, ball, heel makes me feel like a dog….almost as if it’s “fetch Marisa…ball…now heel.” I just can’t keep up.

Now, let me point out that I am NOT a dancer – I don’t know my foot from my arm – and the instructor has no qualms about calling me out here. The fiancé is no help here, as he is evidently the next Fred Astaire – where this comes from – I don’t know….supposedly it was due to his many years in high school band. If only I would have kept up with that damn clarinet. How does a band geek equate to the next 'Dancing with the Stars' guru anyways? Something tells me that the instructor has a thing for younger men and teaching private lessons is her personal cougar hunting ground – I’ve seen her winking at Ryan while yelling ball, heel, ball, heel at me. Maybe she is trying to distract me with ball & heel while stealing away my fiancé. The end of the lesson finally comes around and while Ryan gets 2 thumbs up & a round of applause, I get a “keep practicing”. Remind me again why I’m paying to get yelled by a broad trying to steal my boo. Next Tuesday is dance lesson number 3, guess I bet get my dancing shoes on in the meantime.