Longhorns & National Treasure

Tonight we went out to dinner at Longhorns with Bobby's friends Nathan & Laura. They're both very nice. Longhorns, as you can probably guess is a steak place. They had a HUGE black longhorn bull head & shoulders mounted on the wall above the bar. It didn't look happy to be there.
I had a steak and scampi meal, and it wasn't bad, but nothing compares to Demos.
We went to see National Treasure 2 afterwards. That was a good movie.

Video Card's are Go!

My new video card arrived today (my christmas pressie from Bobby), so Bobby's brother Daniel came over to install it. Now my computer is very very good. Good enough to run Crysis which is a VERY video intensive game. Pretty much needs the best thing on the market to run, and I can do it at medium settings with no problems at all.
Lets just say it is very cool and leave it at that. :-D

Chair: Wanted

Phoned Office Depot today and got the code for the chair I originally wanted, but it turns out that when I looked on the net it was twice the price. So I phoned the online people and the guy on the other end was Stupid with a capital "S". He said "oh, that model is more expensive because they're a new manufacturer (it was their home brand!) and they've changed the design and it costs more." I was like.. "uhhh.... then it wouldn't be the chair that I'm asking about.........."

The Great Chair Hunt

Ok, ok, this isn't the most exciting blog ever written, but at the moment I'm not doing anything exciting.... There really isn't that much to do.

Boxing day: most people around here havn't even heard of it. Its just the day after Christmas and the shops are busy (apparently) with people returning/exchanging stuff and going to the sales. There doesn't seem to be the rush to the sales that we're used to. Then again, all the stores are open till at least 9pm every night, so I guess they're spread out through the day a bit more.

We went shopping at about 5pm looking for a chair for me and the shops were pretty dead.
found a great one in Office Depot, but when I tried to buy it, it was out of stock. That was a bit disappointing. So we went to a different store and their cheapest chairs in stock were about $150, and were those huge executive leather ones, which wouldn't do at all, so we went to a third store and there were two that I would have liked, but when I went to buy them, it turned out that THEY were out of stock too! Crazy. These places needed to put "out of stock" labels on their chairs. SOME chairs were labeled like that, but these weren't.
I was also looking at GPS systems, but they were virtually all sold out.
I'm coming to the conclusion that when you walk into a store wanting to spend money, and you find what you want but then can't buy it.. That is the most frustrating thing about shopping. I'd rather see a cheery "Sold out, back soon!" sign than be turned away when I'm reaching for my credit card.

Went into a new Barnes & Noble bookstore.. Very huge, had a Starbucks in it too. Very weird filing system for the books. to the extent that they've about 6 computer terminals dotted around so you can find what you're looking for. I brought a book and the Harry Potter Wizard Chess set

to add to my Chess collection. Sorry Christine, didn't see any Mr Potatohead's, but I did look. Saw something there that I'm going to go back and get for Dad.

We went to Taco Bell for a munch of dinner before going home. Cost me all of $5. I had a Steak Fajita, small drink and Cinnamon twists.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope it has been a good one!

Christmas Eve we went to have Christmas Lunch/Dinner with Bobby's extended family where they had the giving of gifts for the kids. Everyone was pretty friendly. In the evening we went over to Bobby's Mums place

so he could open his gifts from them. We both ended up going to our beds quite early - these cold winter days really tire you out - that and the fact that everyone seems to use very dim lamps instead of overhead lighting. Its like constant twilight.

Today we havn't done much, Bobby

opened his gifts from me

which he liked, then we watched the end of a movie which was good, played a bit of World of Warcraft, which is uncomfortable after a little while because I'm on a dining room chair - I'm getting a proper computer chair tomorrow I think. Watched a couple of episodes of SG-1 I'd not seen before since they're doing a 20 episode-in-a-row thing on one of the tv channels, played a couple of games of pool, and went over to Bobby's mum's again for dinner. Bobby is getting me a new video card for my computer for Christmas, but it hasn't arrived yet.

ohh here is also a pic of Bobby's house
and Bobby's truck

Dinner and a Movie

okies. I've got a computer now, and a phone. the phone cost me $15 and I've brought a 90 minute card for it, I'll figure that out tomorrow. The computer is about a million times better than my one at home, and cost $850 including 19" widescreen High Def LCD monitor. Its very flash. I havn't got the car yet. going to do that after Christmas now, maybe Thursday.
Went out to dinner last night at a place called Davy Crocketts. Food was nice, had a steak & chicken with buffalo chips which turns out to be like a hot version of thick cut potato chips, and a bowl of mushrooms. The steak was a little dry, but on the whole it was good.our total bill was less than $40.
We did all our shopping for the computer and stuff after that.

Tonight we went to the movies and saw the new Will Smith movie "I am Legend" which was pretty good, but as Bobby said, it was just starting to get really good when it ended. It was only an hour and a half long too.
You know, I always thought that buying movie tickets at a little booth outside the front door of a movie theatre was just something you see IN the movies, but no. Apparently some places still do it like that. tickets were $6. and they keep the lights on (though dim) in the theatre while the movie is on. The floor was concrete and sticky. no surprise there.
We went to a place called Demios to eat afterward which is a steak & spaghetti restaurant, and OH MY GOODNESS the food was GOOD! I ordered the steak and chicken and hashbrown.. ohhh it makes me drool just thinking of the taste again. So So good. The bill was less than $40 again.. man food is cheap.
Called in to the video store on the way home & rented a couple of vids which we'll watch this week. At the moment Bobby is watching a sports game he recorded while we were out. I think its football. I'll go and take a look soon.

On the subject of TV

(which I wasn't, but I am now..)

The ads on tv are hilarious. theres one for sleeping pills that says "make sure you have 7-8 hours available to sleep, and take it just before you go to bed because it works fast, and if you find yourself driving, eating, talking, something, something or something while asleep...." the ad for erectile dysfunction is hilarious too.. it works for 36 hours! but if you have an erection for longer than 4 hours..... there's also some medication for a stomach condition I've NEVER heard of, heartburn, weak bladders, asthma, a bunch for medical insurance, one for funeral insurance.. I'd not be surprised if every other American was a hypochondriac.

With food, they do have chips, but the flavours are mainly Cheese and sour cream and chives and plain. Nothing seems to be chicken flavoured at all in any department which is weird. Yet just about every food conceivable has a peanut butter flavour, filling or topping. Heaps of packaging has got written on it in BIG letters "Just 100 Calories!" like thats special.. and yes, white butter looks weird, but tastes fine..

Migration

Saw a migration of birds go over the house today. Well they were either migrating, or something bad is coming from them thar hills. They landed in a field not far away which gave me time to run and grab the camera, then they all took off again and went right over the house so I got a few cool shots. (and stayed under cover just in case they were dropping missiles..) I think they were some sort of starling. They were all black.
I suspect the weather is taking a cold turn and they were just ahead of it. All day has been very dark and the clouds are low. This afternoon it rained, but not very enthusiastically. The temperature has dropped noticeably - I'm hoping for snow.

Phoned all the car rental places this morning - looks like I'll be going with Budget - they were HEAPS cheaper than the next one, and really good service. It'll be nerve wracking to drive for a bit, but I'm not planning on heading into places that are toooooo populated for a while, so its all good.

Took a photo of Bobby today too, but still need a way to get it off the camera and onto a computer before I can show anyone.

Planning on going into town tomorrow looking at computers & mobile phones. Car will probably be Saturday.

Met Bobby's Mum tonight, she came around with some fudge and an extra quilt for me which is real nice. I realised while I was talking to her that I had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN to bring any photos of home, scans of scrapbook layouts or anything like that. D'oh! hmmm.. Christine, if you're reading this.. check your email, I've a little favour to ask..

I'm Awake!

Slept most of the day and night, waking up every few hours feeling a little more human. Each time I woke up I'd get up, but then I'd be sleepy again within about half an hour. All better now though, I guess I must have caught up.

I've been making a bit of a list of things I need to buy - stuff like a clock for my room because I like to know what time it is when I wake up. I took photos of the house, but there isn't a port to plug my computer card in to share them from this computer. I'll be getting a computer in the weekend though and should be able to do it on that one.

I have arrived!

When I'm a bit more awake I'll update properly, but I'm here!
12 hours from NZ to LA, then LA to Denver, Denver to Nashville, a call to the motel for a shuttle, about 4 hours sleep (and no shower since I couldn't figure out the weird shower system thing) then Bobby picked me up from there and I'm now at his place. I think I'm going to like it here :-)

We called into Walmart on the way... it is the weirdest feeling looking at shelves and recognising its food, but not actually knowing what anything is. (imagine a supermarket on one side, and KMart on the other - thats Walmart)

Anyway, will take photos soon..

Last day at work

I nearly forgot!

Today was also my last day at work before I leave, thanks for all your well wishes everyone!

I'll probably miss those long hot days of summer, but as Pam so succinctly put it.. Winter is great for snuggling...

Chiropractic

All week I've been plagued by a bad back, but the last couple of days I've had trouble raising my left arm - to the point where I had trouble steering my car last night. I've felt like I'd pinched a nerve in my neck or something.

Max dose of Panadol, a voltaren and dreaming all night of my back crackling like popcorn and when I woke up this morning - at 7.30am no less - I knew I needed it looked at. (Thats like the middle of the night for me. Usual bedtime is between 3-4am, though I went to bed early last night at 2.30am because of the owch factor)

A quick search of the internet to figure out the difference between a physiotherapist, osteopath and chiropractor and remembering there was a chiropractor at Contours gym, and I was on the phone at 8.30am setting up an appointment with a chiropractor for 10.30am. Back to bed for another hour's sleep then away I went for my appointment.

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Never having been to a chiropractor before I didn't really know what to expect, but to find everyone who worked there (Hammond Family Chiropractic) in the reception area chatting and laughing and playing with a poodle was actually very refreshing. Certainly not a dimly lit doctors waiting room, the sun was shining in, and well.. like I said, very refreshing.

Keith was really friendly, explained about how the spine affects the nerves and was very easy to talk to. He actually listened when I was discussing the problems I was having with my back and shoulder, and was actively paying attention rather than doing that thing that some doctors do of making conclusions before you've said three words.

Once he'd assessed where the problem was coming from, or to be more specific, one of the three places on my back that needed attention, he showed me this cool little spring loaded hammer thing which didn't hurt at all when he demonstrated what it did on my hand, found the spot at the base of my skull where the first vertebra was out of place, popped the hammer on it and I was immediately improved. Before and afterwards he did a resistance test where I try and raise each arm and leg as he pushes down to see how much my nerves were being blocked. At the beginning I was pretty darn poor, immediately afterward I was able to resist really well. And that was just one single pop with the nifty hammer!

There were two more spots in my upper back that were troubling too, but for those I lay down and he did a push and turn type movement which sounded more like "crunch" than "crackle", but again made me feel better straight away. Ideally I should go back a few times to make sure my back stays where it's put, but since I'm leaving in a few days, I'll just have to wait and go back when I get back to New Zealand.

I'm still a bit achy, but it feels like an ache that is fixing itself, rather than one that is yelling for my attention, so in my opinion, that is $47 well spent.

Finances Pt 2

Money situation all sorted. Have brought $US funds, paid for insurance, my credit cards are working and won't expire while I'm away, I'm learning about my flight stuff tomorrow (or more accurately, later today) and I'm a happy gal. Now, if I can find the time to finish my Christmas cards, Altered books, do the Santa thing and check my list twice... what I REALLY need to do is throw some clothes in the wash.

A Day Early

Well it's decided. I am going to leave on the 17th, not the 18th so I can take advantage of the cheaper national flights in the US on Tuesday. On Thursday I'm going to be learning how the procedure works for travelling on the AirNZ buddy system thing. Tomorrow I need to go to the bank and withdraw some money so I can go to the other bank and buy US$$ which will give me a discount on my travel insurance I'm getting with them.
All that means that there's only SIX sleeps till the day I go!

Thunderbirds Are Go!

Well, maybe not Thunderbirds, but I've got this blog looking something like what I imagined. Only part missing now is some details about me. I'm a work in progress.

Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 - Trans Siberian Orchestra

Getting out of the country

Was working on figuring out how and when to get from A to B to C last night, and came up with an itinerary for my flights and accommodation. It took me AGES to find just the right thing.

but then I noticed a flaw...
arriving LAX Terminal 2, 10:25am Tuesday 18, departing Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007 at 11:55 AM Terminal 4 .. and that just isn't enough time. Back to the drawing board.

Finances

Things are starting to happen on the money side of life - I've just received a new credit card hooked up to Fly buys, and a second new credit card with a very low interest rate which I'll transfer the balance of my Old credit card to. No rewards plan on that one though. I've received a quote for travel insurance which I thought quite reasonable, and which has discounts if I purchase it with my new Credit Card, and a further discount if I have a receipt for at least $500 foreign currency purchase with that bank. Handy, since I haven't purchased my foreign currency yet.
Funny thing is, I've been saving hard, and I don't like to see my balance go down, even though I know it is just money buying money.

Calvin & Hobbes

“I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time.” - Calvin & Hobbes

One Month To Go

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