Car shows are fun

I think my husband and I are in the minority, when considering this blog's readership, when I say we enjoy attending car shows. To most, car shows equal large convention centers holding hundreds of cars and lots of meaningless swag that ends up littering the streets and sidewalk just outside the exit. But alas, there's more! You probably didn't know that at car shows you can take a ride in a Jeep around a four-wheeling course, or play a car racing video game to test your eye-hand coordination, or even catch a concert raising money for charity featuring Gary Sinise. I also enjoy looking at the design of thee electric car of the future or hopping into the third row seat of a luxury SUV, only to find out that the seats seem to meet but not exceed toddler car seat specifications. We aren't there because we want to buy a car. We're there for the aforementioned combination of things. It's a good time.

Not sure about the direction VW is taking

Testing the toddler seats, aka third row of the BMW X5

Taking a turn at the VW GTI racing game

My younger brother loves this car's predecessor, the Nissan Skyline NTR

Coolest concept of the show, the Saab Aero

Confusion Conclusions

When I was 17, driving downtown in my Plymouth Sundance with my friends, I asked them if they wanted to take the fast route or the scenic route back home. One of my friends laughed as she said to me, "There is no scenic way home from here - it's either the freeway home or the busy local roads home, but neither of those options are scenic." With all of the confidence in the world I answered, "Yes, there is a scenic way home. You just mentioned it. The busy local roads are the scenic way, or the long way." She paused a while, then answered over the tunes from the radio, "You think scenic means long?" I replied, "I know scenic means the long way home." I debated the meaning with her and the rest of my passengers for the 20 minutes home. I have since figured out the correct meaning of scenic.

This is not the only instance when I, or others, have totally mistaken something that is so obvious to the majority.

Take for instance my uncle. There was a time when he thought the neck tie on the old head icon of Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders was actually his body. Little arms and little legs.

And that icon in Microsoft Office applications used to "Fill Color." I always thought it strange that a tool that filled a shape in with color looked like a mortar board. (See icon to the left of the large A with red underline.)

Shocked? Surprised? Think this has never happened to you? You've never totally mistaken something that is clearly obvious to the majority? I bet not. I've talked with others concerning these confusion conclusions, and surprisingly many, if not all, have experienced one or two at some point in their life. Is there a word for this? Maybe my dad could tell me...

tag -eriffic

8 things I'm passionate about:
1. my husband
2. my kin
3. quality conversation
4. taking pictures
5. the gospel
6. kindness
7. neat shoes
8. written fonts

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. have children
2. run a marathon, or just a half marathon
3. become a good cook
4. write a book, whether it's published or not is another matter
5. know where important verses of scripture are
6. learn how to oil paint or water color or both!
7. visit Korea
8. drive an Aston Martin

8 books I have read recently:
1. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
2. The Jungle - Upton Sinclair
3. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky
4. Dracula - Bram Stoker
5. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
6. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
7. My Antonia - Willa Cather
8. currently: Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe

8 things I often say:
1. jesso
2. sure
3. thanks
4. indeed/indweed
5. what should we have for dinner?
6. good times
7. that's awesome
8. I love you

8 things that attract me to friends:
1. kindness
2. awareness
3. easy to talk to
4. when I notice something unique about them that I'd like to develop
5. laughs easily
6. sincere
7. unselfish
8. creative

8 songs and albums I could listen to over and over:
1. Gershwin music
2. Andrew Bird music
3. Beatles music
4. songs I learned when I was young
5. The Osmonds Christmas Album, me too kel!
6. High on a Mountain Top with harmony
7. mixes my sisters make for me, thanks guys!
8. Just in Time - a song I sang to try out for acapella and did listen to and sing over and over

8 things I learned this year:
1. it's okay to kill insects, namely crickets
2. having furniture is definitely worth the cash you'll spend on it
3. a thoughtful deed can make my week
4. hanging up pictures in your house is a plus!
5. blogging is fun!
6. being intimidated is overrated
7. missing your family never goes away, but calling/emailing them works wonders
8. tears seem to come more often as you get older

8 random things about me:
1. I can tell you the make, model, and price range of most cars on the road
2. my birthday is on the same day as my sisters'
3. I thoroughly enjoy So You Think You Can Dance
4. I took 1st place in a family go-cart race once, but haven't been able to do it since
5. I was in a commercial at age 7
6. I've sounded a couple of notes through a genuine Swiss alp horn in the Swiss mountains
7. I'm an Elvis fan
8. I've been on a handcuff date

8 people i tag: seeing as my personality finds this a bit difficult (who do I choose? what if they don't want to do it? do I have 8 people I can tag?), I'll put down a few and let you decide...
1. tammy
2. angie
3. holley
4. natalie
5. abbey
6. chap
7. kristi
8. brooke

It's runny nose season

I caught a cold this past week and have been suffering the symptoms ever since, one of which is a continually running nose. Another of which is not being able to taste food. On Friday, my lunch consisted of a chocolate muffin (which I don't usually get the opportunity to eat since I don't hold a membership to any mega-superstores that carry these type of muffins, and only had the opportunity because a friend gave it to me the previous day), a Whips orangesicle yogurt, and a Gala apple. Here is what each tasted like as I snacked on one or the other throughout the day.

Egg shell mattress with a tinge of chocolate



Unscented hair mousse



Dense styrafoam with 1 tbsp diluted apple cider

Rodent causes his own demise

Oh, the irony...

This Christmas I showered before we opened the gifts

I'm not sure what this signifies, but I must say I felt fairly foolish as I sat amongst the pajama-ed bodies, enjoying the I - just - woke - up - and - am - now - enjoying - opening - presents feeling. I was reminded of my dad, who, many years, took a shower before we opened all of our presents. I remember thinking to myself during those times, "Wow, dad is patient!" But, this year, it was the people who were waiting for me to finish my shower before opening presents who were patient. Still, I felt clean and fresh (kinda like the feeling you get when you look at the pic to your left) and had a wonderful time. Next year, I'm not sure I'll shower before gifts, but it's not all that bad really.