Archive for the ‘Life’ category

« Older Entries

Call the Landlord!

June 5th, 2009

Back in November I became a first-time home owner.  Thanks to the National Association of REALTORS®,  I bought into the hype that “It’s a Good Time to Buy.”  Sure, it’s only a condo, but it’s all mine and I get to do what I want with it.  Well, to the inside…although, I can’t knock down walls, or my upstairs neighbors might fall through the ceiling.  And I can get new windows…but only a certain type.  But I foiled their rules about outside changes and got myself a doormat.  Yeah!  Take that!

houseinhands

Being a new homeowner means that I’ve had a lot of work to do.  When I moved in, all the walls were one generic color.  The carpet in the bedroom, while newer, was an ugly shade of blue.  There was an accordion door on the closet.  And the light fixtures, well…lets just say I didn’t want my kitchen looking like a high school cafeteria.  And the utility closet…just…nasty.

And so, with the help of a small army of friends, I went to work.  Got new carpet installed.  Removed the accordion door.  Painted every room.  Threw out the nasty stuff in the utility closet.  Put in new shelves in various places. Put up stuff on the walls.  Replaced all the outlets, switches, and light fixtures…well, I didn’t…I actually just watched (thanks Jones)…but I went to home depot to buy the stuff!   Cleaned all over the place. 

What I DO miss about being a renter though is having a landlord.  Toilet not working?  Call the landlord.  Squirrel in the attic?  Call the landlord.  Drippy faucet?  Call the landlord.  The landlord was good for so many things…but guess what?  Now I’m the landlord…I gotta call myself.  It’s kinda like at work when I run into a problem and the solution the help manual give is “Call your Network Administrator”…but that’s me!!!

So now I face the problem of having my entire shower re-tiled and 2 walls replace due to water damage and mold.  One day water just started pouring out of my wall every time I turned the shower on…like a mysterious waterfall.  Turns out the pipe was messed up.  Hey landlord, call a plumber!  Oh wait, that’s me…darn!  And so I must call the plumber, insurance company, must get quotes, must schedule contractors…must do it all.  But hey, that’s what I signed up for.  I’m a “homeowner” now…me and my 1%, the bank and it’s 99%.   I think I should be able to call the bank and have them come do the work…they own most of it anyway.

I wanna hear your homeowner horror stories, and how you made the decision to jump from renter to buyer!  Or are you really a landlord with some great tenant stories? Share below!

3 comments »

Posted in Life, Living in NJ

Tags:

I think I’ll go to Boston…

April 30th, 2009

So, I am getting married in 24 days… and this weekend is my bachelorette party… when asked where I wanted to go for the weekend extravaganza, all I could say was “I think I’ll go to Boston”.  I absolutely love the city, and have already planned out where I am going to be running on Saturday morning while the other 7 girls are asleep (although if I do enough convincing I may be able to get 2 of my companions to do a shorter version of my planned run).  Vacationing becomes interesting once you become a runner… my plans always tend to revolve around when I can get a run in and where I may be able to run.  This is something I research for weeks before making my journey to whatever my destination is. 

Running is something that, once you start doing it, becomes a part of your soul… it is something you can never do without… its part of your identity.  This is the first time in 2 years that I have not planned my vacations and events around and the races I would like to run, but am planning my running around my wedding and that of my cousin’s in August.  Spring events were off because I wouldn’t be able to commit enough time to training coming down to the wire… an event too early in the fall wouldn’t work because I would miss some of the most important long runs between my cousin’s shower, bachelorette and wedding… so that leaves just one race for me for this year!  Its not necessarily a race I was ecstatic about, not my first choice… but the circumstances of the important events in my life right now have led me to it…. the Philadelphia Marathon.  Now that I have been led to this race, I am getting very excited about it… its right before Thanksgiving, which makes eating a whole turkey that day acceptable… AND I may just run up the stairs of the museum and pretend to be Rocky, even though this isn’t a part of the actual race itself (it should be!)

Anyway… this brings me to a completely different point entirely dealing with the 2 cities mentioned above… Boston and Philly…. they get my vote for most angry/passionate sports fans, although Philly beats out Boston by leaps and bounds… who gets your vote?

No comments »

Posted in Life, Running

Tags:

Two Days in the Raritan Valley…

April 21st, 2009

So…what goes on during your typical day?

Wake up? Yes.

Commute? Yes.

Work?  Yes.

Lunch Break? Yes.

Work some more? Yes.

Go home? Yes.

Here at “Is There Any Cake Left,”  we do our best to improve the quality of our day with insightful conversation that may or may not solve the issues facing (wo)mankind.  It does turn a mundane day into something interesting.  Perhaps one day we’ll discuss global warming, the economic crisis,  war on terror, or other current events that are headlining newspapers.  This day…well…this day wasn’t that day.

Cast:

EJ – Endorphins Junkie.

Banks – Banks.

JCML – Just Call Me Lungs.

RC – Rice Cakes.

__________

Dialog -

EJ:  So ready to go back to sleep!!  Good news is, the week is half over.

RC:…how was dance dance revolution?

EJ:  It was pretty good… we are getting decent… hopefully we don’t embarass ourselves at the wedding.

JCML:  I spent some of the night hugging the toilet bowl and sleeping on the bathroom floor  :-(

RC:  I hope your nickname for (Enter JCML’s Significant Other’s Name Here) is not “toilet bowl.”

JCML:  unfortunately, no

RC:  remnants of costa rica making its debut in New Jersey?

JCML:  perhaps

EJ:  that sucks JMCL!  I hope you feel better…. laying on the bathroom floor is the best when you are sick, the tile always feels nice and cool on your face

RC:  Nothing pepto bismo couldn’t cure.

__________

Banks:  is tnt’s site still down? i have no idea how far i’m supposed to run this weekend…

RC:  I think its 10-12?

EJ: for Long branch? the next few weeks are 12 8 12 7 race  I think…or chop that 12 off if there’s one less week

Banks: whatever i’ll do 10 this week…high bridge anyone?

EJ:  i’m pretty sure i was supposed to do 12 last weekend, which i missed but am not too concerned about since a few weeks back i was supposed to do an 8 but did 12 anyway…

__________

RC:  its annoying to get telemarketing calls at work.  even more annoying when the telemarketer has the wrong number but still insists on talking to you.

JCML:  I keep getting “this is your second notice that the warranty on your car is set to expire…”

Banks:  i still get those notices and my warranty expired years ago.

JCML:  except it’s a work, and I never had a warranty

RC:  I hate my Toyota dealership for selling my information to scammers.

JCML:  They can get the info from DMV.

RC:  True dat…but…the DMV doesn’t know what dealership I go to.  The calls are very specific on my car mileage and dealership here in NJ.  I bought the car in Michigan.

Banks:  maybe Michigan and New Jersey dealships are friends then.

__________

Banks:  After reading EJ’s latest blog, i’m curious to find out who she knows that has ever gotten into someones pants using missleoe….it just seems too easy.

RC: Me.

Banks:  no, seriously.

RC:  Ok.  Not me.

EJ:  well.. its one of those things that some stupid guy would come up with, like maybe if i get to kiss this girl, she will be so into it that she’ll come home with me… one of those stupid things that guys think will get a girl… as in that was his intention in coming up with mistletoe… no one said it would be something that worked.

RC:  Sort of like “Sweetest Day”…which some stupid gal came up with, like maybe if I get another day of gifts it will make me feel better about myself.  One of those stupid things that gals will hold over the head of their man…as in that was her intention in coming up with Sweetest Day.

EJ:  sure…. its like when guys do things like stop short in the car so they can reach their arm across the seat to make sure you are ok… while accidently groping you…. like who came up with this and thought it was a good idea?  the same guy that came up with the mistletoe

RC:  Sure…. its like when gals bitch and moan during their monthly cycles and take it out on their man…. like who came up with this and thought it was a good idea?  Do we actually need a reason to bitch and moan at our man?  I guess having an excuse is better than no excuse at all, either way it won’t stop me from complaining…the same gal that came up with “Sweetest Day.”

EJ:  Although, I will tell you, PMS is real… for some it is worse than others.. the crankiness comes from not feeling well and being easily annoyed…. like when I feel like my uterus is being ripped out, its not in (Enter EJ’s Significant Other’s Name Here) best interest to do things that annoy me…. it brings forth a response like “for the love of god and your own life will you knock that off”

RC:  Oh…I’ve seen the wraith of PMS.  I was  just joking.

EJ:  I know some girls that do use it as an excuse though to just be mean, like even when they aren’t pmsing they are bitchy and then say, oh i am pmsing… the wrath of pms touches everyone

RC:  Ya…it was girls like that who came up with sweetest day.

__________

RC:  Spooooooooooooooooooooooooon!

EJ:  i need to sleep for days… what are your easter plans?  my first EVER 20 miler was on Easter in 2007 down to preview the NJM course…

RC:  I might hide some eggs, wait an hour, and then go look for them…And a 20 miler run too…

EJ:  I want to set up a “beerster” event… basically how this works is I go outside and hide coronitas around the yard… give each person who is a part of the hunt a bucket with some ice in it, and have them go searching…. at the end they get to drink whatever they find…

__________

Banks:  on the missletoe…i’ve seen girls try to kiss guys with it. i’ve also seen girls who otherwise would have no chance with a guy try to get him drunk for some action.  it’s not quite that gender specific.

RC:  I never meet these kind of girls.

Banks:  thats because you don’t drink. you’re better off….

RC:  interesting…thanks.

Banks:  i see it so clearly in my head… some drunk sloppy girl who can barely stand up trying to kiss you under the mistletoe, slurring sweet nothings into your ear.

1 comment »

Posted in Humor, Life, Living in NJ, Running, Uncategorized, World View

Tags:

Coming Home…

April 7th, 2009

Recently I had the incredible opportunity of visiting Costa Rica on vacation.  It was awesome.  I went rappelling, zip lining, horseback riding, hiking, and swimming.  I visited a volcano, the rain forest, and the beach.  I saw iguanas, exotic birds, raccoon looking animals, and monkeys (los monos)!  It was a whirlwind vacation that was just absolutely amazing, and came at just the right time.

My first night home was a late one…so I just ate and crashed.  After a full day of work (of which I was almost an hour late due to oversleeping…oops!), I came home and worked on my pictures from my trip and did some laundry.  Repeat sleep.   Repeat work.  Second night home it happened…

I slipped off my work clothes and slipped on my running clothes.  Laced up my shoes.  Stepped out the door.  The cold air, so different from Costa Rica’s 86 degree temperatures, smacked me in the face, taunting me.  I turned my GPS on (gotta love the Garmin) and waited patiently as it located the satellites.  Looking around as I slowly walked down the sidewalk, I didn’t truly understand why  I was out here, freezing, while everyone else was in their warm homes or, the lucky ones, back in Costa Rica.

The Garmin found its satellites…it was time.  As I took one step, and then another, a wonderful feeling came over me.  Although I had been back in the US, back in New Jersey, back in my condo, back in my own bed, for two days…I hadn’t been home.  But as I took step after step, as my breathing rate increased and my blood started flowing, as the wind blew through my hair…it felt like coming home.

Home is where the heart is, and my heart belongs to running.  It’s the one place where I always feel right…whether it’s 70 and sunny, 25 and snowing…whether it’s flat and easy or hilly and hard…running will always be my safe haven.  It’s my escape, my sanctuary, my “happy” place.

While vacation was a blast, there’s nothing better than coming home.

 

1 comment »

Posted in Life, Running

Tags:

Hi, My name is Banks…

April 1st, 2009

And im a Dunkin-Donuts-aholic.
*HI BANKS!*

I should specify…im not big on donuts, bagels, breakfast sandwiches or any beverages that begin with cappa/frappa or end in latte. I’m just straight up in love with their coffee. To call myself a coffeaholic would be inaccurate because I only really love Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Oh I’ve tried other stuff…there’s community coffee where I work. Usually it’s your standard grocery store brands though sometimes it’s something wild like blueberry flavored weirdness or a pound of grounds blazoned in advertisements claiming that it’s 100% indigenous to some region unfamiliar to me and therefore superior in some way. It doesn’t matter what it is really because if it’s not D&D it’s all schwag. I drink it and panic – the jitters set in the world is ending and suddenly I can’t cope with simplest of life’s circumstances. Caffeine sensitivity? Not likely…because D&D doesn’t do that.

Beyond that I feel loved there, it’s like they know me. Try walking into your hometown coffee shop – Unless you speak ‘Fratalian’ are big on emo tunes and carrying a ‘journal’ (see my last blog for more on that) you’re not welcome. I had a friend suggest that I go to Mikey D’s for coffee because it’s .99 for any size cup. How crazy is that? The Super-sized empire selling their stash for less than a buck at any size because even they know…

I tried MD’s. They asked me how many creams and sugars I wanted in it like I’m supposed to know that information. I walk into my local D&D tell ‘em ‘Cream and Sugar’ and it’s perfect every time. Beyond that, they hand me a cup…just a cup…with a brilliantly engineered self-containing spill-proof heat-containing lid. No fancy cardboard heat shield with a crummy plastic lid that I have to peel back or worry if it’s sitting in my car’s cupholder that a small bump will send scolding hot liquid all over me and my car’s what-nots.

Oh, and their corporate slogan – “America runs on Dunkin” …how did they know I was a marathon runner? They’re THAT good, that’s how.

About the only problem I have is that you HAVE, I repeat, HAVE to get it from them. You can buy a pound of their stuff and try to brew it yourself, it’s not the same, don’t even try it. I can’t tell you how many $’s I’ve spent trying to perfect the brewing methodologies to make it taste like they do. I’ve concluded it’s impossible. I’m not sure what they do to make it taste like that but I believe if anyone ever figured it out the process would become illegal.

So thank you Dunkin Donuts, I hope this economic recession does not affect you. I truly believe that if you were to stop waking up when it’s “Time to make the coffee” the backlash would be worse than if the government bailed out banks (the financial institutions, not me) only to have them take the money and pay bonuses to the executives that started the problem in the first place. (Thank goodness that never happened)

And they didn’t even pay me for this…
Banks

3 comments »

Posted in Humor, Life, Running

Tags: