Lola's Victory Garden Contest Ends Friday!

Why haven't you joined us? Friday is the last day to enter Lola's Victory Garden Contest. As I post this we have 25 Prizes and 6 entrants. You do the math! At this point you are virtually guaranteed to win something!

So come on! What are you waiting for? It's easy peasy!
Why not get your entry in now?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Dogs

Please, I beg of you, don't let our son see this video. He has been campaigning since we moved out to the suburbs to get a dog. I love dogs, but I have three real sticking points keeping us from getting a dog. They are:

1. I had a dog when I first moved to Chicago. He was a Springer/Terrier mix. He was my only friend when I moved to Chicago, I knew no one here. When he got old and sick and I had to say goodbye, it was the hardest thing.
2. I love dogs, but I also love my leather furniture. We do have a cat, Sophie, and we got her declawed when we moved to the burbs because she had destroyed all the furniture at my previous house. (We tried scratching posts, but she liked the furniture better.) I also have not very fond memories of my puppy unzipping the sofa cushions and chewing up and spitting out the foam padding. (And yes, he really did do that, because to get him to stop, I sewed the zipper pulls to the fabric.)
3. I am the one that is home nearly all the time, so I know I will be stuck with caring for a dog, if we get one.

We have told our son that he can earn a dog with good, responsible behavior and that he has to read up about caring for and training dogs. He has yet to make an effort to do any of the required reading.

I think this video does have some wonderful points.

Now, if you showed Anastasia and I The Divinity of Dogs video and followed it up with Sarah McLachlan's ASPCA commercial, we would be in line right now at Animal Cruelty waiting for them to open.

Seriously!


Don't you dare tell our son!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

RANTS

Ok, so this morning I had a doctor's appointment at a new doctor. This was a hastily picked doctor and appointment because my I need forms filled out. Beggars can't be choosers, right? I could get in quickly with this doctor, so she was it.

I arrived promptly, 25 minutes before my scheduled time so that I could complete any necessary paperwork. I asked if they got the forms that were faxed to them, they said no, so I got on my cell phone and called the place that was to have faxed over forms and asked them to resend them. About 45 minutes later the staff bring me into an exam room and I again ask if they got the fax. The woman said no, they were out of paper. (WTH?) She said they were going to send someone out for paper, did I want to wait to see the doctor? Well, yeah, because what if she has questions about the forms? So I sat and waited in the waiting room for an HOUR, for paper.

I see the woman leave with petty cash to go to Walgreens to get paper. I see her return an hour later with the paper, then I overhear a conversation she had with the doctor.

Doctor: How much was the paper?
Staff member: $4.99.
Doctor: For how much paper?
Staff member: 400 sheets.
Doctor: Not 500?
Staff member: No.
Doctor: Walmart has 500 sheets for $2.99, why didn't you go to Walmart?

I'm thinking: Umm, hello? Remember me? I'm the patient, not very patiently waiting for an hour for paper and you have to chew out your staff because they aren't as cheap as you are?

When I finally got in to see the doctor, Anastasia calls, I can't answer, so I let it ring. I don't answer, so she calls AGAIN. I can't blame her because I SHOULD have already been home by the time she called.

So then the doctor tells me she can't fill out my forms now, she will fill them out and someone will call me after the weekend when they are ready to pick up. Who am I to complain at this point? I need those forms and I don't care whose arse I need to kiss to get them. So I said thank you very much and I'll look forward to that call, have a nice day, in my daughter's Mother's, pleasant as punch, sickening sweet, arse kissingest voice I can muster at this point.

What doctor's office runs out of fax paper and makes a patient wait for an hour, and then chews out staff in earshot of said patient???

Arghhhhh! It's a good thing I don't have a life and I didn't need to be somewhere.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Are You Ready For Mother's Day? What Are Your Plans?

Don't you love the image I borrowed from Photobucket? Clearly, Mom is on the right, holding the hand of her little munchkin. And what is she doing with her other hand? Hmmm, is she holding up a cell phone to her ear? What do you think?

I booked a tee time at our local golf course for Sunday, for the 4 of us. Golf is free for women at this particular course on Mother's Day. The kids have really been jonesing to play a round of golf with Anastasia. Not so much with me, because they are determined I won't make it 9 holes because of my back problems. They are probably right. It's not like they've never played a round of golf before, they have had lessons and last year I signed them up to play golf all day on Tuesdays for the summer. The course teams them up with another couple of teens to make a foursome. Amazingly enough, they never killed each other.

In preparation for the Mother's Day golf tournament (and it is a tournament, because it's going to get very competitive between the 2 kids and Anastasia), our son watched this:


So what are your Mother's Day plans?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Lola's Diner Comment Contest Winner Again!

Lola's Diner won 5th Place in the Comment Contest in April!
If you recall, last month Lola's Diner won 6th Place in the Comment Contest in March.
I'm moving up! It's only a matter of time when I start winning some ca$h~
Considering I think I only left 1 comment, that's extremely lucky. Maybe I should hit the casino tomorrow?
Cash would have came in handy, but EC credits spend pretty good too.

Not familiar with Blognet Blog Awards?
Click on their banner and check it out.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Where Is Everyone`?

That isn't a smudge on your monitor after the last "e" in "Everyone". That's an accent. I thought I'd go all McCafe` on you. You know, those dumb commercials that say that you enjoy things more if you have an "`" on the end of things, like the McCafe`. So...I thought you might enjoy my blog post today more, with a "`" on the end. How am I doing so far?

For everyone who was jealous about my weekend purchases, don't worry, according to Anastasia I've been smote. (Actually she said smited, but there is no such word, past tense of smite is smote, who knew?) This morning my son went down to get something out of the dryer and found the basement floor wet and the sump pump overflowing and not running. Good times! I wake Anastasia up at 6:30am. Normally, normally...she gets up for work at 3pm. Yikes! Fortunately Anastasia is a cracker jack sump pump installer and the unit had a lifetime warranty. Unfortunately Lowe's no longer carries that brand/model. The refund desk cashier wanted to credit the purchase back to my now expired credit card from two and a half years ago. I don't think so. Three manager calls later she tells me she can only put the refund on that expired card and then the credit card company will send me a check. Ummm, no, my basement is flooded now, I need my money now so I can go buy a new unit elsewhere. Finally she calls the store manager who figured out how to do it. Trip to Ace Hardware for a larger and more expensive unit because it was the only unit with a lifetime warranty they had. Oh well, it was way cheaper than not having the warranty. Anyway, got home and Anastasia installed it in less than the time it took to get my refund! Yup, cracker jack sump pump installer!

So what's going on in the blogosphere? Everything is so quiet. Not that many people are putting up new post and not many commenting, even at other blogs. Did everyone else get a life but me???

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Doing The Happy Dance!

Friday I bugged out early to go check out laptops. Uncle Sam being very, very nice to me and sent my refund quite early. I did my research online and my intent was to go to Best Buy and check a few out in person, but I got sidetracked on the way. Several John Deere delivery trucks were mocking me on my route. (You remember my previous post,Lola's Diner - This And That.)

I drove past 3 as I took Route 30 to Route 45, so it couldn't have been the same truck. THREE! Ok, read more about it at Lola's Victory Garden - Something Red And Shiny!, but be sure to come back to finish reading here.

I got home and Anastasia asked what I bought. Ahh, errr, nothing. What do you mean nothing, I though you were getting your laptop? Not yet.

After sealing the deal on our purchase I dropped Anastasia and our son off at home and my daughter and I went in search of a graduation (8th grade) present for him and my laptop. We snagged the last of the item (can't say what it is, cause he's a snooper) that Kmart had in stock.

I know I had mentioned wanting an Mac, but they are just too expensive. Having to deal with the reality of my budget, there was no way I could afford one. We went to Best Buy (one of 2 trips to there on Saturday.) The first trip, I purchased my laptop - HP 16 inch screen, 2.0ghz, 3gb ram, 320gb hard drive and a 500gb portable hard drive for backups. Went home, got the wireless working, tried to install the ATT disc and the dvd drive made this horrible, awful grinding noise and wouldn't access the disk. Called Best Buy, they said bring it back, they'd give me a different one. Back to Best Buy. The Geek Squad dude had to check the drive (why would I lie?) and it didn't make that noise when he inserted a disk. Then he tried a different one, nothing. Then, finally he tried a different one and it made the noise. Quick exchange, come home, have dinner and start again. This time I didn't pay the bogus $60 to have them "optimize" the laptop and make the recovery disks. I thought, I'm not stupid, I can make those disks, I've done it before! I made the first disk, no problem. Tried to make the second one and I got an error message and it said to insert a new disk. I did this 5 times! I trashed 5 cd's! Then I called HP. Yes, it was almost midnight and I called anyway! I spent about a half hour on the phone. After telling them about the first laptop I brought home with the bad dvd drive and the problem trying to burn my own recovery disks, they ordered me recovery disks at no charge. Pretty cool. Time consuming, but cool. So I've been noodling around, downloaded Firefox and Entrebar, had to search from printer drivers because the disc from the newest printer we have just disappeared. Poof! Monday I'll probably start transferring my stuff from Anastasia's laptop. She can't wait!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Sunday Stealing - The 20 Firsts Meme

Sunday Stealing: The Twenty Firsts Meme

First Job:
Babysitting

First Real Job:
Cashier - Gas Station

First Favorite Politician:
JFK

First Car:
Pontiac Grandville

First Record/CD:
I used to buy 45rpm records at the grocery store. I recall purchasing a very collectible Beatles With Tony Sheridan single, all I remember is "My Bonnie" was on side 2. First album - probably "Saturday Night Fever", first 8-track tape - Fleetwood Mac "Rumours".

First Sport Played:
Badminton

First Concert:
Rush

First Foreign Country Visited:
Still hoping to visit one.

First Favorite TV Show:
Leave It To Beaver

First Favorite Actor:
David Cassidy

First Favorite Actress:
Katherine Hepburn (still)

First Girlfriend/Boyfriend:
Patty/Mark

First Encounter with a Famous Person:
Bart Starr (former Green Bay Packer) and Terry Ann Meeuwsen (former 1973 Miss America). I think I met them at a 4-H event.

First Brush With Death:
I was 7 years old, missed the handle on our storm door and put my hand through the glass. Lots of stitches.

First House/Condo Owned:
Fixer upper house in Chicago.

First Film Seen:
In a movie theater - probably an Elvis Presley movie. My Mom always took us.

First Favorite Recording Artist:
Do I have to say? Argghhh! Donnie Osmond. How embarrassing!

First Favorite Radio Station:
WXRT Milwaukee

First Book I Remember Reading:
Cat In The Hat

First Meme You Answered on Your Blog:
8 Random Things About Me

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

TGIF! VGNO!

It has just been rainy and dreary for days here in the Chicagoland area and I felt I needed something upbeat. Enjoy!

Time To Share & Win
Ann asked if anyone had brought anything to a potluck that no one was eating. It's been awhile since I've been to a potluck. Actually yes and no. Once I was going to an L Word home viewing party and I needed to bring something, but didn't have time to make anything, so I stopped at Dominick's Grocery Store and picked up a completely sinfully scrumptious looking chocolate layer cake. None of those skinny betches would touch it, but they were salivating like dogs! No one touched it until I cut into for a slice. Then they were like vultures, I tell you! Hardly a crumb was left and someone stole my slice! I couldn't get mad about it, because after all we were bringing to share. The bad thing was, no one else brought any dessert. So I sat there and ate the hummus and pita chips someone brought.

Thanks for stopping by for VGNO! If you like what you see, please consider becoming a regular at Lola's Diner by becoming a Follower.
Also, be sure to check out my contest at Lola's Victory Garden

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Top Commenter Winners Announced!

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

I am pleased to announce the winners of my April Top Commenter Contest.

Drumroll please...

1st Place Harriet @ I Am Harriet winner of 750 Entrecard Credits.
2nd Place Auntie E @ At Home With Auntie E winner of 500 Entrecard Credits.
3rd Place John @ Gay Dads In Munchkin Land winner of 250 Entrecard Credits.

Congratulations to the winners! The Entrecard Credits have been transferred before this post.

Thank you to everyone who participated! You can join in the fun in May where I will again be rewarding my Top Commenters.

Let the Comments begin!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Do Re Mi - Amazing!

"Antwerpen Centraal gaat uit zijn dak want Op zoek naar Maria komt er aan! Bekijk hier hoe meer dan 200 dansers en danseressen het station op zijn kop zetten op het klanken van de Sound of Music!"

Thanks to Auntie E @ At Home With Auntie E for taking the time to search out an online translation for us.
"Antwerp Central goes out of his roof because Looking for Maria is coming! View more than 200 dancers and dancers of the station on his head onto the sounds of the Sound of Music!"


Lola's Diner
©2008-2009