My day | Peaches Prattlings

{August 26, 2014} Losing something

I was looking for something and I think it’s gone and I’m sad.

I have a feeling it is gone for good and it is totally my fault, but I’m still sad. I was unloading my car on Sunday when I got to the hotel in Louisville, finally! and I had to make 3 trips since I was not able to park near the front desk, specifically to get a cart and I think I left this small container on the ground during one of my trips and either missed it or left it while I was making a trip and someone must have come by and taken it.

I’ve searched the car, but it was dark, so I’m going to take another chance tomorrow in the daylight to see if I can find it. If I can, wahoo! If not, my fault and stupidity and I’ll get over it eventually.

Don’t you hate [yes, I know it’s a strong word] when you do something like that? Grrr…I could use a hug!

{August 25, 2014} Meeting new people

A little flirting and a lot of fun!

As I told you last night, I drove to Louisville for a new project and today was my first full day. My hotel is less than a mile away from the office I had to go to, so I went for a walk this morning. Boy howdy, it was HOT!!! It felt like the surface of the sun! Ok, I know I’m exaggerating, but I’m ok with it!

You know it’s bad when it’s so cold inside that you are looking forward to walking outside where it’s 90 and muggy to warm up! I got a ride from a very nice RN back to the hotel and then it was time to meet one of my co-workers for dinner. PM is a very nice guy who was on the University of Michigan project with me, but we did’t get to spend much time getting to know each other and as we are the only ones from that project here, guess what we’re going to do over the next month or so!

Tonight we went to dinner at Gordon Birsch, had a great waitress, Rockin’ Robin, she was a lot of fun and better than the food. I’ve eaten at GB several times in Atlanta, with CKM, TS and a few other people, so I usually like it. The sweet potato fries were awesome!!

After dinner, I went for a walk, found a nice guy to give the rest of my dinner to and watched someone getting arrested, what else could you want for your evening activity? Louisville is interesting!

As I was crossing the street I started talking to a group guys watching what seemed to be entertainment for them and the oldest of them all, a very nice older gentleman, wearing a USMC t-shirt, Ooh Rah, asked if I needed help crossing the street, how sweet was he!

So, being a shy person, HA, I stood there and talked to some of the group for a while. The Marine was a sheriff and the rest of the group were S.W.A.T. in town for training. You know how guys like to make women feel good by telling them how young they look? I’ll take 31, he was sweet, a professed dirty old man with 14 grandchildren! Wow! But what a sweetie I enjoyed talking to and when we parted company I got a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

Let’s just say, I smiled all the way back to my hotel. A little flirting is good for the soul!

{August 22, 2014} Lions vs Jaguars

Tonight KLS and I went to see a pre-season professional football game!

I got an offer from Groupon for $39 tickets to a pre-season Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars football game, how could I not ask KLS if she wanted to go! Go figure on the answer! So, i got two tickets and sent out the meeting invite and we would be ready to go tonight!

The game started at 7:30, so based on advice from people on the traffic, we left at 5:30 and made it about 7:15 to the stadium. We were making good time until we got about 8 miles out, then we stopped and crept forward. Not only was there a football game at Ford Field, across the street [literally] at Comerica park, where the Tigers play, was an Eminem and Rhianna concert, think there was traffic?

While we’re driving, or creeping, as it were, we start seeing men getting out of cars on the highway, what? Eventually, we see them taking concert t-shirts out of their bags to sell, really? So, here we are trying to make headway and we have to wait for someone to block traffic buying a shirt? Great…

We finally get to parking and it’s $50??? FIFTY DOLLARS??? Seriously? Is it my fault that there are multiple events going on? I know you want to make money, but this is highway robbery. Disgusting, that’s all I have to say!

We get wanded heading into the stadium, you can only have a clutch [a small purse for those of you not in the know] or a clear bag. Then we head towards our seat and before we go in, we grab some food. Turns out you can’t have caps on any beverage, they’re afraid of people flicking the caps towards other people or the field, what? Who, above the age of 5 does that?

Popcorn, beer, water and Twizzler and $34 [WHAT?] later we were ready to find our seats.

We find our seats and they are great! We are in section 317, up, but right behind the goal post, how cool is that? The national anthem came and the arena was on its feet paying respect. Then the game started and we settled in to watch. Within the first 8 minutes, touchdown! I love watching the flags run down the field when there is a touchdown.

Some of the game was exciting to watch, some not, but I had a phone and there is great people watching, it was all good.

During half time, there were a series of pee wee football teams running plays, SOOO CUTE! And I SO see LB or Baby A in a few years on the field during a game playing football, can’t you just see it?

We hung out through most of the 3rd quarter, where Detroit was down 12 to 7 and headed to the car and breezed out of the city, much easier than it was when we went to the Tigers game! It took us no more than 45 minutes to get back to the hotel, where we went to the bar past the disco hopping party in one of the ballrooms where Nel told us that Detroit won in the end. Go Detroit.

We hung out until midnight, talking to Debra and Nel, then headed to our rooms so I could talk to you and sack out.

Can you believe how many sporting events I have been to in the last 3 months? More than in the last 3 years it feels like!

{August 21, 2014} Line Dancing…me?

Tonight I went line dancing!

This is not me! Anyone who knows me knows I am not into line dancing, never have been, never will be. I can no longer say that I’ve never been line dancing, but I don’t think I’ll be making a habit of it!

This was a great girls night! It was so much fun to hang with the girls and be silly and get a great workout! Let me tell you, line dancing is a great workout! It’s like an aerobics class!

I followed the steps, missed a couple, but all in all, we moved and grooved to everything from country to rock to hip hop, how could you go wrong! Doesn’t matter, as long as there is a beat, you can rock the house!

And you don’t have to “dress the part”, ie cowboy boots and cowboy hat, wait, shouldn’t it be cowgirl? Well, I didn’t have either of those things here in Ann Arbor, so I went in jeans, t-shirt and skips, I even wore lipstick! Go me!

Do it once in your life, line up with other people and dance! Go for it! Rock that boot scoot boogie!

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{August 19, 2014} The world is so small!

You’ve heard the expression that the world is small, today proved it!

I was walking down the hall to my room today and passed a guy, about my height, who looked very familiar. I thought he looked like a guy I worked with about 10 years ago, could it be?

As I was about to ask, he turned around and said “Didn’t I work with you somewhere?” I mentioned the company and he said yes, I said his name and he said yes, what are the odds?

I worked with him in Atlanta, GA. Buckhead and Alpharetta to be exact starting in 1999, through a merger and two name changes and then in 2003 got laid off along with about 100 other people from the company.So it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other and we run into each other in a hotel in Ann Arbor, MI? What are the odds?

The world is very small, point proven!

{August 19, 2014} It was a very, very, very, very, very…long drive

I drove about 9 hours yesterday and thought I only had about 10 left today, not so.

The day started off about 7:30am, I woke leisurely, well as leisurely as two cats let you wake. Nose on face, nose on hand, head pushes, ‘c’mon mom, time to get up, wake up, c’mon, c’mon”. Anyone with a cat will know what I’m talking about! This video screams it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrq03XENSdY

I got up, got breakfast and was ready to get on the road at 8:30, which I did, cats and all. I decided I would leave them in the carriers for a while so I could keep the top down on the car. Contrary to popular beliefs, cats do not find riding in cars with their heads hanging out the windows as entertaining as dogs, go figure.

As soon as I got on the road, the tire pressure indicator came on, I wasn’t sure what it was, so I had to Google it, I now know what all the symbols on my dashboard are, so if you need to know what any symbol for a VW Beetle are, here you go!

There were no service stations in the downtown Omaha area, so I got on the highway and pulled off for the first gas station I could find. When I got there, luckily, I found the air pump and got out of the car and lo-and-behold…the rear drivers side..almost dead. I started inflating the tire and it looked like it was starting to bubble and might possibly explode and again, contrary to popular belief, I’m smarter than I look and stopped pumping. I went inside to ask for help and guess what, the woman who worked there pointed me across the road to Paco’s Tires! Wahoo! Saved!

I went to Paco’s and they said, yup, flat and it could have exploded! There was a screw in it and then 30 minutes [total] later I drove out with a new tire and peace of mind!

I had the top down on the car for about two hours and then decided it wasn’t fair to the cats, or my ears as they were crying intermittently, so up went the top and out came the cats. No! Don’t sit on my feet, I still have to drive! I finally got them situated and was on my way again.

I listened to the radio, some pandora radio and then…I plugged in my phone and then iPad to the stereo jack and played a movie, putting the device on the floor, of course! But I listened to a movie, and since I know the movies so well, it was like listening to an old radio serial! One of the movies was even Haunted Honeymoon, which was based on a radio show! Clever me!

When I wasn’t listening to something, I got to chat with a few people, MM, Dad, JCT, JFT, SR, BD and BG, it was awesome, I had lots of time and could only concentrate on the road and my friends!

I drove and drove and drove and enjoyed myself, most of the time, the country is beautiful, boring in some places, but beautiful. I understand why JASC loves to drive so much, but honestly, I would rather have been on a plane getting there faster, unless I had company, then it would have been even more entertaining, but I wouldn’t have gotten to talk to so many people. Go figure.

I finally got to Debra’s house to drop off the cats, she so generously offered to keep them for me this week until I leave on Sunday. She even sent a picture of Jymy cuddling with her as I was heading to the hotel.

I finally got to the hotel about 12:30, after driving forever. I wish I knew exactly how many hours as I went through a few different time zones today! [Omaha, Nebraska, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, yeah, I think that’s it!]

Goodnight!

{August 17, 2014} Traveling with animals

It’s interesting.

Today, I packed up the car with some stuff, a cat box, food and two cats. How much do you think they liked that?

I picked up my car and cats to drive to Ann Arbor and then next week I will drive to my next project. Let’s just say they weren’t the happiest creatures; dogs, at least most of them, like going for rides in the car. Not so with cats.

After we wrangled each cat into a carrier, loaded the car and took off. The crying started. Who are we kidding, it started as soon as they were in their crates! After I was on the main highway and knew I was in for a long stretch, I let them out of their carriers and let them roam around, that seemed to help a little.

Peanut thought she needed to be at my feet or on my lap, the lap was fine and after a while she disappeared under one of the seats and didn’t come out until I got to the hotel. Jymy got on my shoulder like she did when she was a kitten and acted like a neck pillow for a while and eventually she sacked out on the passenger seat and slept there the entire trip.

I had no troubles when I got to rest stops or gas stations, they strayed right where they slept and never tried to get out and of course tried to stay in the car when we got to the hotel, go figure.

I’m in a pet friendly Hilton, which is great and I’m looking forward to having them with me on my next project, they’re calming…most of the time.

So…I drove about 9.5, maybe 10 hours today and have about 9 or 10 tomorrow with two cats, hopefully the crying won’t last too long…who wants to trade places with me?

{August 17, 2014} Warrior Dash…Go!

Today, I participated in the Warrior Dash at Copper Mountain, CO and had a blast!

I participated in the Warrior Dash two years ago in Georgia, actually, my first obstacle/mud run. Then, as I’m thinking about it, I’ve participated in 11 obstacle/mud runs over the last two years! WOW! One of the tag lines for The Warrior Dash is “The hardest, most fun you’ll ever have” and it was!

Admittedly, I skipped 4 of the 11 obstacles and I’m ok with that, I’m the only one who has to live with it! The obstacles that I skipped involved steep drops on the other side and I don’t trust what happens with my ankles in those cases. The first one I was already waiting 15 minutes to do because there was a bottle neck and it would have been another 15/20 minutes before I had the opportunity to go. But…it was awesome the way everyone was helping each other, especially on that first obstacle, either push or pull over the top and then the cheering was fantastic!

The last obstacle I skipped was the last one, which i would have enjoyed a lot. It was a cargo net climb and then a slide down into a pool. There wasn’t enough water at one point, so they had to shut down while they pumped water in so it would be safe. It was already a 30 minute delay and it would be another 30 minutes, maybe more, no thanks! Although, it did make the end of the run a little anti-climactic!

I will say, there wasn’t enough mud or barbed wire, like the first one I did, but…it was Colorado and there was SNOW! Before the mud pit, there was about .20 running through snow! What? Too cool!

All in all, it was a fun run, lots of people encouraging each other and just having fun and getting down and dirty, what more could you want!

After the run, it was time for a KILLER veggie burger and yes, you can say that, but only after I finally donated my sneakers, they had seen at least 6 of the mud runs for the last two years and it was time. I guess I’ll be calling RG to hook me up with a new pair of sneaks so i can turn my current ones into mud ones!

Hmmm…what’s next?

https://www.warriordash.com/location/2014-warrior-dash-colorado/

{August 16, 2014} How many things can go wrong on one morning…

Or, as DCM so eloquently put it, wth! Sort of.

First…I drove KLS, RG and myself to the airport for our 10am flights. We drop off the rental car and guess what I forgot to do…put gas in the rental car before turning it in.

Second… As KLS and I are standing in line to drop our bags, I have a duh moment…for the first time since I’ve been on this project, I did not book a 10am flight, I booked a 8:40am flight. What???? Yup, I got to the airport just after my flight left, fun.

I talked to Delta and they got me stand by on the 12:30 flight, sounds good. Whew…I had a 3:30pm appointment to get Annie an oil change! I did make it, by the way.

We had some time so KLS and I went to have breakfast. When I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, I walk in and there is a boy, about 13 or so in the rest room. I’m used to little boys in the ladies with their moms, but not a big kid. I focus and realize there are urinals behind him. Yes friends, I had found the men’s room! Seriously?

Can I go back and start the day over? The day is done, it ended on a high note. Here’s to a new day….

{August 14, 2014} My day…

Today was a good day…

Today was pretty simple, I got up, a motivated, had a catch up call with someone helping me to find a new project, answered emails and got work done.

Next, I walked 3.5 miles to a Pure Barre Class, http://purebarre.com, it was an interesting and intense class. After class, I walked to Ginger Deli for some vegetarian summer roles and a beet juice and some Sonic Lunch and some good music.

After lunch and entertainment I went to the post office, obviously to mail something and on the way in, a gentleman commented on my NY Yankees hat and we chatted about being from NYC and living in Ann Arbor.
After the post office, I headed to the shelter to drop off some toiletries and then turned around for the wall back to the hotel.

Got some work done, cleaned up and head out with KNOB and KLS, today is her birthday!! We headed downtown to The Black Pearl, http://www.blackpearlonmain.com,
which is a place we’ve been wanting to go.

We had a great time laughing, sharing stories and enjoying each others company. And there was a piece of cake and singing, what more could you want?

After dinner we walked and window shopped, then headed back to our hotels to relax, have a drink and hang out with some fun people on town for the week.

Lastly it’s time to talk to you and pack because I’m heading to Denver tomorrow to participate in the Warrior Dash on Saturday.

Good night!

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