Yesterday I tried to change the headlight on my car. 
Yesterday I failed at trying to change the headlight on my car.  

Rewind...last weekend I bought the cutest little bistro set from World Market to put outside for alfresco dining with Michael when he finally returns home.  After a confusing second trip to the store, (at first I was told that I would have to get a rain check for the table, only to be called back 10 minutes after leaving the store to tell me that they found one...) I am at home and seriously struggling to get the outrageously heavy table top out of my trunk...when all of a sudden Squid, my car, slams her trunk closed!  Oh yeah, while I'm leaning into it.  Can I tell you about the pain this caused?  I'll just say it caused an instant bruise...right on my back bone.  But I finally got the damn thing out and assembled, so all is well.

World Market:  Asian Poppy Candle and Hurricane Candle Holder

 

 

 

 Anyway, back to the headlight.  Why anyone would design a car light to be removed from the back of the headlight, but not leave enough room for it to actually be taken out and replaced from the back is beyond me.  I can not, for any reason, grasp the concept of why this was logical. 

So, my dad (who is on the phone instructing me) is trying to explain how to remove the front, which honestly isn't helping because his description is incorrect.  SO in the background my brother starts chiming in...mind you he is in the hospital bed, and probably heavily medicated...and actually correct!  But his correctness (damn kid) is useless because the screw is stripped.  And I call it quits.

Lesson learned:  I need my dad and brother to take care of Squid.  From tire changes, to oil changes, to headlight changes...It's like she was in a nursing home and taken care of by two wonderful nurses and uprooted and moved to a new place without any care takers.  So she is rebelling against the lack of care.

I kind of feel bad for her.

New Reads...

I have always enjoyed reading.  I don't often read books, but every once in a while I pick up a great book and let myself become completely enveloped in the story.

As most of you know, I have been back and forth to Louisiana a couple of times in the past month and the flight is quite lengthy for my attention span.  Especially if I don't have a window seat....

So I picked up Water for Elephants in the airport.  I really want to see the movie (Reese Witherspoon is one of my faves), and have heard great things about it and decided that I should read the book first...because we all know that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie.

WOW.  It was not what I had expected.  I wasn't sure what to expect, I guess just that it was a book during the Great Depression about a guy in the circus, that brought water to elephants.  And it was that, and SO much more.  I loved the story, but won't ruin any of for those of you who don't know it yet.

In the back, there is an interview with the author about her research before writing.  Reading that gave me an even greater appreciation for the book.  She did all this research about elephants and the circus and the train circus life.  She went on a few trips and made contact with old circus crew members.  There is also an underlying reference to the Biblical story of Jacob.  The interview sort of spelled out the author's "design process" for the book, which I thought was pretty cool.

Anyway, I would highly suggest reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  Now I am super excited to see the movie!

Lesson 1

Since I am on the complete other side of the country from about 95% of the people that I know, and am absolutely bored out of my mind;  I thought that blogging would help the time to pass.  I have never thought of myself as a writer, but I have been known to come up with some pretty extravagant stories...usually with the help of friends and, according to most, a little exaggeration .
And with that, here is my lesson learned today:

Living in Washington and being married to someone who has to leave often has lead me to face things I never thought I would have to do, and especially not alone...which also has lead to some pretty interesting days.

Never a dull moment around here. 

Today started off with a sick Capone.  And that's just that.
Once I got home from work I had to deal with an overflowing toilet.  I've never seen a toilet overflow like this.  I'm not sure about everyone else, but when something goes wrong, my mind goes blank.  I did manage to turn off the water (or so I thought).  Which solved the problem temporarily.  Then I turned it back on, which apparently only agitated the situation and sent the toilet into a violent rage of overflowing water.   When all else fails, or just when I fail, I call my Mama.  She always knows best. 

"Turn off the water,"  was her advice.  Genius. 

And so the violent rage stopped.  I was left with a massive amount of water in the bathroom (which I just mopped and cleaned yesterday).  What a joy that was to clean.  Again.

And finally finished with me almost falling outside in the wet yard at about 11pm, all because tomorrow is the coveted 'recycling day.' --which you do not want to miss because people around here just don't throw things away.  This is a whole other topic which I get into at a later date.

At around 11:15pm, I had the idea to start blogging.  Mind you, I was washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen...yes, I'm that bored. 

I guess it's the designer in me fighting to come out and stay up all hours of the night;  really I have no explanation for my random need to stay up for no reason at all.  

A word from the wise, "Turn off the water."

Tomorrow's lesson:  Fight the inner design student, and go to bed at a reasonable hour because work is not going to be fun in the morning.

Good night!