national signing day

uh-oh, been a while since i posted. my b. i've got a lot of stuff i've been meaning to post and i'm totally running out of time because i'm going to utah early tomorrow morning and my stuff is kinda all over the place and not in my suitcase where it should be...so i'm typing this while catching up on "double shot at love." this show is insane. remember tila tequila from the original? well, this season featured the "ikki twins," rikki and vikki - bisexual identical twins. ridiculous. soft-core porn. too much girl-on-girl action. i feel, well, icky when i'm watching it. the twins date from the same collection of girls & guys, and then have to agree on who to eliminate. once they got down to the final two, you would think that one twin would pick one contestant, and the other twin would pick the other. but noooo...both twins picked the same guy and then *he* had to choose. poor bastard.

anyway.

one thing i've completely neglected to blog about is my uncle's sorta-stepson donovan. donovan tate. check it:

yeah, he's kind of a big deal.

he's a senior at cartersville high (georgia) and is my uncle's ex-wife's son. i've only hung out with him a few times, but he and my uncle (lee) are pretty tight. this kid is so good at baseball and football that he beat out other awesome high school athletes for the cover of this magazine. he was being recruited by some big-time football programs (usc, michigan, alabama) but went with unc. interesting selection. word on the street is that he'll be a top-10 pick in the baseball draft this spring. not even kidding.

since today was national signing day i met him & his mom at fox sports grill at atlantic station for some interviews and celebration. here are some pics.

donovan & his mom tracy looking tar heel-ish

"i'm a total badass"

i totally had a blue sweater. no white & gold today.

looking studly with some of his cartersville team mates

as i mentioned, i'm leaving for vacation tomorrow morning. andy & i are going snowboarding in utah. i fricking love utah, except for the low-gravity beer. we'll be at the canyons for 2 days and then we are meeting up with some buddies for more craziness down-valley. peace out dudes.

home improvement projects

andy upgraded from plastic el cheapo blinds to the premium faux wood blinds. yeah, not a huge deal, but much better. you like?

might i mention that these were totally free. many thanks go out to the person who left them in the trash chute closet, along with the original box and extra slats. and of course to the lady at home depot who provided the hardware...at no charge. and like the situation with the vacuum cleaner (refer to post from 12.07.08), andy had plans to purchase the item. he took all the measurements and got prices and everything. and then the next day when he went to throw his trash down the chute, lo and behold, some blinds. they are even custom-cut for the funky door handle. and they totally work and aren't grody.

also, check out the newly painted stools:

these used to be a light wooden color (is there even a name for that besides "yellow?"). now, i know what you're thinking - "there's no way they scored these for free," and you're right, we had to buy paint, about $15 tax included. but yeah the stools were free, complements of some people i work for who have too much stuff.

someone could have been seriously injured

there were a lot of drinks left over from an event at work and since there wasn't any room in the fridge i decided to let nature keep them cold. i totally left the cokes on the table overnight. you know what happened. check out the aftermath:


did you see that one can in the first picture, like, six feet from the rest? that is so awesome. i recycled the empty cans, but since nature made this mess i'm gonna let nature handle the cleanup.

i got your "first post of '09" *right here*

andy & i went to costco last night to look at an entertainment center. as usual we [andy] got distracted by other merchandise. merchandise that looks suspiciously like a part of the male anatomy. see for yourselves - and make sure the volume on your computer speakers is at a comfortable listening volume.

for the record, andy saw it first, got real excited, and then showed it to me. and of course i had to turn it into an awesome video. click here and here to see other photos. sorry about the blurry. i was starting to draw a crowd so i had to hurry it up, plus i was laughing so hard i couldn't hold the camera steady.

another fat lady caught on camera

i'm a huge fan of people not giving a shit what they look like when they go out in public, but this woman needs to check herself:

i saw this gal at the at&t store near cumberland mall. this time i wasn't afraid to put myself in the middle of the action to get these shots, unlike the incident at chickfila, which i am still regretting (see post from 6.30.2008). honestly, i could have done a little better by getting a shot of the sandals from the front, but i knew the only way i could score one would be saying something like this: "hey sasquatch, you look ridiculous. i need your picture for my blog." and even i'm not that mean. i know that the socks-with-sandals look isn't that astonishing, but do not underestimate the power of the sock/tevas *and* really effin' bad pants. quite a formidable combination.

i bet i could pull off this look, but only because i'm very good looking.

quite a productive weekend

so andy says to me, "last night i was watching the video game awards..."

good grief.

---

on a related note, i played some old nintendo games this weekend. andy & i spent the weekend with our friends naomi & brandon at their new house in newnan. brandon has some old game system emulators on his xbox and i spent about 2 hours reliving my childhood. here are my reviews.

• paper boy:
  
  i figured i would rule at this game since it's been at least 12 years since i last played, but i totally sucked. the concept is ridiculously simple, but it has got to be the hardest game ever. i throw a paper a little too late, which breaks my subscriber's window and for some reason that doesn't count as a delivery? they got their paper, didn't they?! infuriating.
  
  
• bubble bobble:
  
  i never played this much as a kid, but i remember spending hours watching my brother & his friend chris play it. if you're not familiar with this game, don't waste your time because it is nowhere near as awesome as i remember it being. it has the same music in each level. don't blame me if you can't get the tune out of your head after watching the video...
  
  
• adventure island 2:
  
  for some reason the original adventure island was not available through the emulator so i had to settle for #2. like bubble bobble, this game is nowhere near as awesome as i remember. andy made fun of it and called it a mario rip-off. i was like, "no way this is totally different," but as i played it...yep...just like mario. the main character rides a dinosaur that looks a lot like a pokemon, although i cannot recall which one.
  
  
• excitebike:
  
  this game did not disappoint me; it was just as cool as i remembered it. check it out here.
  
  
• 1943:
  
  this was probably my favorite game when i was younger. i remember renting it numerous times, and then i got it for my birthday when i was like, 8 years old or something. the music is pretty good.
  

while i'm reminiscing on the days of nintendo goodness, check out this video. sometimes i sing this commercial to andy and he thinks i'm making it up. never!

santa was early this year

i've been telling andy that he should buy a new vacuum for, oh, about three years. only recently has he begun to agree with me. he's using a hand-me-down from his parents, which is totally fine because it was free and it works. it's always emitted a stale odor with a hint of dog, but if you lit a scented candle after vacuuming you wouldn't notice it. lately though it's started to smell less like dog and more like electrical fire. we'd checked out a few vacuums but andy could never justify spending $100 when the one he had still worked. plus, he's infatuated with the dyson models and didn't want to be stuck with an inferior vaccum just incase it started raining dysons or something. anyway, we kept expecting this old vacuum to go at any moment. and by "go" i mean explode into a flaming ball of destruction.

the day after thanksgiving i went shopping, mostly out of boredom but also figured i might could score some good stuff for cheap. i saw a decent bissell bagless upright at big lots for $70 and figured i'd give it to him for Christmas, but i didn't buy it...couldn't tell ya why, i guess i just had a feeling i shouldn't buy it. a few days later andy told me he'd told his parents that he wanted one for Christmas. so i was glad i didn't get him one.

and then earlier last week i was driving home - it was about 10:30pm so some people in my townhouse complex had already put their larger items on the curb for thursday trash pickup - and of course i drove by real slow just in case there was anything "good" up for grabs. in the past i've gotten some awesome free stuff out of the trash piles: a big fake tree (sold it at a yard sale for $35), two nice patio chairs (currently on andy's patio), and a small utility shelf (it's now in the laundry room). this might embarass most of you, but i have no shame. then i saw it. standing tall and proud behind a busted chair and some cardboard boxes was a vacuum, glistening in the moonlight. it looked too good to be true, and i figured it was broken if it was in the trash pile. so i kept driving. but then i thought, hey, if this thing works then 1)andy would have a better vacuum for free and 2)i'd have a good story to tell. so i turned around and put the vacuum in my trunk. i tested it the next morning and it worked perfectly as far as i could tell. this weekend we bought a new filter, gave it a thorough cleaning, and vacuumed every inch of andy's condo. we're still wondering what's wrong with it.

fire drill

there was a fire drill at my office building a few weeks ago. hooray for safety. some lady came up to me while we were all standing around on the lawn and said , directly to me like we were pals, "ugh, these are so inconvenient." before i get into this story, let me paint a picture here: this lady - let's call her "sharon" - mid-forties, average build, neat appearance, uptight & snooty-looking. snooty because her husband makes major bank but she still has to work as a secretary so they can afford a second home. she was wearing a really weird red & gold/black plaid skirt - pleated - and a red ribbed turtleneck sweater. yes, i remember that outfit because it was that bad. i know it doesn't sound bad, but it was. don't let my lack of photos inhibit your imagination. so sharon just walked right up to me and made that statement, pretty much assuming that i felt the same way, and for the record i did NOT feel the same way. maybe she was hoping we could bond over the experience of walking down a crap-ton of stairs. i don't know what floor she works on, but i'm on floor 20 so i walked down about...yep, a crap-ton of stairs. unlike my plaid friend, i welcomed the opportunity to get some exercise & enjoy the afternoon sun. i don't even think i have to mention the nice 30+ minute break from doing work, PLUS, the free publicity when everyone who works in the building is checking everyone else out as they make his/her way to safety (oh wait, am i the only one who does that?) i was pretty annoyed that anyone would make such a statement, and i said "uh, you know what would be inconvenient? AN ACTUAL FIRE." just like that, all mean and stuff.

what's the good word?

thanksgiving break, full of ups & downs.

pro: lots of food
con: i ate lots of food

pro: had a great hockey dream last night, scored two goals, yes!
con: i dont get to play hockey until january

pro: gt over uga
con: almost gave me a heart attack and i think i have heartburn/indigestion


and if you're wondering what the good word is, it's "to hell with georgia"

maybe next year, chron

only a handful of people are going to think this is amusing. just so you know.

my brother & i play a stupid game around this time of year: the race for boiled custard. i'm not sure if you could really call it a "game," and i totally just made up the name i mentioned there, but it's fun. it always seems to be the case that the loser is completely caught off guard, which is also good for a laugh.

so some background info - my brother & i grew up drinking boiled custard as a holiday treat. this stuff - along with mary ellen's homemade ginger cookies - signified that the holidays were upon us, ie. santa was on his way, most likely bringing us an excellent haul. ah, good times.

anyway, like egg nog, boiled custard is a seasonal item. unlike egg nog, it is delish. tastes like really rich vanilla ice cream melted down and then chilled. a tall glass of this stuff - which is what i am inclined to drink right when i buy it - will send me into diabetic shock. so i am almost forced to train with smaller portions a few days prior to full-on custard consumption mode. back in the late eighties i remember it came in a small carton, like a really skinny milk carton. now it comes in those plastic jugs and thank goodness it comes in a half-gallon size, you know, for those lonely nights. and so far i've only seen kroger's brand. apparently they've got the market cornered (and i'm possibly the only one buying, so whatever).

POINT IS, this stuff is sacred. brings back some good memories. oh, and it's freaking delicious. my bro & i get a kick out of how we, as kids, used to make a huge deal over something that costs four bucks. now we have this "thing" where if he or i think we've spotted the first batch of the season, we have to call the other and gloat. i know for a fact that this is my third consecutive year winning (which is weird because i usually steer clear of the dairy case). i saw some tonite, bought it, and made the call: "hello dear brother, i want you to listen closely: i am now the owner of something delicious!!" and with absolute certainty as to what i was referring, he told me he'd get me back next year.

i love gooooooold

sunday (yesterday) i did something that i don't usually do: i sat on my ass in front of the tv [and watched tv] the entire day. i got sucked into this stupid "the lottery changed my life" mini-series on tlc which was pretty entertaining, but the ads during the commercial breaks were all for those gold buyback programs which are pretty damn annoying. you know the ones: "i had no idea my gold jewelry was worth so much money!" here is a snippet from one of those commercials, starring possibly the most frightening woman alive. woman? i bet you already know what i'm about to show you...



and omg they totally trick you into watching the commercial because the first woman is attractive. then they pull the ol' bait and switch. oh and don't get me started on the 3rd lady - "i got more money than i ever imagined!" really. more than you could *ever* imagine? anyway now i'm getting into advertising tactics, but my point is that i'm extremely frightened by the 2nd lady. i think i'll have to check under my bed for monsters before i go to sleep.

damn i love me some tv

oooh, oooh! tv time. it is the bestest time. right now i am trying to blog whilst watching the finale of america's next top model. eh, who am i kidding. i can't do *anything* and watch antm at the same time. this show gets 100% of my attention. so, i'll be back in a bit.

--

alrighty. tyra just crowned another winner of antm and i am sad because once again there will be this huge void in my life... so thank goodness there are more shows to watch:

• the biggest loser
  
  this show makes me feel skinny and awesome. there's a lady on this season (the family edition) - vicky - and she pisses me off so bad. she's this hulking, manipulative troll, and while she is looking better since she's dropped some serious poundage, she is as mean as ever. also, she has a son named chance. i have a problem with that. i think it's a good name for a dog, not a human. unfortunately vicky is doing well in the game much to my (and my friend naomi's) dismay. naomi & i have gotten into this groove of emailing each other our frustrations over the show, usually right after it airs. here's a snipppet:
  
  "omg...vicky. i despise her! everytime she opens her mouth or does one of her evil looks i have to turn to brandon and say "WHAT A BITCH!" she needs a beat down..... i will be anxiously waiting for her to be voted off. and yes, heba is a retarded fat cow and she is next in line on my hate list."
  
  dude. harsh. naomi, you are a bad, bad girl.
  
  
• stylista
  
  ah. another elimination challenge show. this gem is from the makers of top model and project runway and is a huge waste of time. which means i'm watching it. the contestants are vying for an internship as a fashion editor at elle magazine. think the devil wears prada as a reality show.
  
  
  
• paris hilton's my new bff
  
  this really needs no explanation. and i am not going to apologize for watching this.
  
  
• the real housewives of atlanta
  
  they've got more money than they've got sense, but i'll still watch 'em on tv. the show follows 5 ladies from atlanta (well, metro) and features footage of their day-to-day activities, relationships, and personal projects. all of it is complete rubbish. all of these gals have personal assistants, chefs and stylists, but one actually has a personal shoe salesman. i can understand having a chef, a maid, and all that, but come on. makes me sick because that shoe dude probably makes way more $$ than i do. he's gotta be laughing all the way to the bank. so one chick (the only white one) is an aspiring country singer which makes absolutely no sense because she can't sing, oh but wait, she knows dallas austin and she thinks he's actually going to produce her album. she's totally nasty. as my brother would say, "money can't buy class." the lady with the shoe man is trying to launch a clothing line, and it's laughable because she just pays other people to do the work - as in, she has to hire someone to sketch for her since she is obviously talentless, and you better believe another person does the sewing, and then someone else does marketing, etc. most of the show focuses on how they are all two-faced backstabbing whores. they insist they all knew each other before the show, but i'm not buyin' it.
  

wow is that it? i seem to be slacking on the number of series i am watching. oh, i was totally watching project runway season 5 and top design, both on bravo, and both are over now. this was my first season watching project runway and i'm an addict now. top design was stupid but i got sucked in early so i had to finish it out. right. now i'm just waiting for the apprentice to return and i will be happy.

another game i like to play

if you're having a bad day, maybe this photo of a random guy with a sweet 'stache will make you chuckle.

i was searching for some graphics on google images for a project i'm doing at work, and this is what came up when i queried "independent counsel resources." friendly looking fellow. what's so awesome is that his name - well, a common abbreviation of his first name - is exactly what you'd think it would be. go ahead, take a guess. you can find the answer here. fun game, huh. sometimes i think i look like a "stephanie" in some of my photos.

today i exercised...

...my right to vote. boo-yah! this post is brought to you by my boredom as i watch the election coverage on tv (as soon as paris hilton's my new bff comes on, i'm changing the channel).

back o' the line bright and early at 7:10

dedicated fulton county citizens endure a long line.

my passion for democracy is clearly evident in this photo. clearly. but really, i think i look pretty good for having just rolled out of bed. and screw you if you think i'm lame for having someone take my photo.

life on mars

(no, not the tv show)

scientists should send me to mars to probe for signs of life. it is guaranteed that whatever creatures exist there will bite me.

for added grody-ness, here are some pics!!

*update - i censored by request, but honestly it's not that gross except the fact that it's a shot of my foot. if you really wanna see it just click the image.* these are fire ant bites from saturday. i totally just took this pic like 5 minutes ago. i know, it could have been a lot worse, but these still hurt/itch like hell. perhaps i should leave my shoes on while tailgating in the grass.

i don't know what bit me here, but it was rough.

advertising

awesome:

as i was driving to work on tuesday i saw an airplane working on a skywriting. there was a big "A" and an "I" and something that looked like the beginnings of an "R." kinda weird to see that at 8:00 am but figured that skywriters need practice just like anybody else...or some lucky lady in atlanta was about to be surprised with an early-morning marriage proposal. the following day around mid-afternoon i saw the same thing, but this time i could see "AIRTRA" which i figured could be airtran. and then i saw it again on my way home from work as i was driving on the interstate. funny i never saw the entire message. i tried to get a picture of it but my camera was stuck in my purse and by the time i got it out of the case i had veered off to the west and couldn't see it anymore. major failure, and i'm still disappointed with myself. anyway, mystery solved: http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/delta/stories/2008/10/22/air_tran_skywriting_ads.html

target stores have this awesome ad/promotion thing for "going green" in people magazine this month. there is a postage-paid address label printed on the inside cover and if you remove the cover (front & back) you can make a little pouch. and then if you stuff the pouch with 5 plastic bags from target stores, seal it up, put your return address on it, and pop it in the mail, target will mail you a reusable tote bag. how freaking cool. and its totally free, as long as you can round up 5 target bags. i haven't done this yet but i better act fast before someone else in my office steals the people magazine.

this is totally unrelated to advertising, but it does fall under the category of awesome: i scored my first goal last sunday. not just my first goal of the season, but first goal *ever.* totally rad. and it was a legit goal too. the bad news is now i guess i have to put up more points or i'll look crappy.

tastes like burning

new food in my neighborhood:

pollo brassa - this is a casual rotisserie chicken place in the old giorgio's pizza location across from post collier hills apartments. peruvian flare. i feel bad making judgments on this place since it's very new and they don't really have their shit together, but i'll give you the scoop. really tasty chicken. weird atmosphere. still feels like giorgios except it's brighter and there's no pizza. they need to ditch the foam cups and plastic cutlery. i have a feeling the disposable stuff is due to the newness. anyway, i left smelling like a rotisserie. not a good thing. seriously, the smell permeated every fiber of my clothes. i wore the same jeans again the next day to work and i smelled like burning. i probably even tasted like burning. heh.

bone garden cantina - really cool mexicanish place by the guys who brought you the vortex. i say "mexicanish" because although the food is definitely mexican, the servers look like they're straight out of a used record shop in little five points. or they're georgia state students. probably both. this place is on ellsworth industrial blvd between howell mill & marietta blvd. my friend walter has been telling me about this place for months. luckily i convinced my friends that six feet under was a bad idea (see post from february 27), and we wound up here. the restaurant is a part of the "lumber yard" complex which is really cool but smelled like a used diaper filled with indian food inside a rotten pumpkin, according to chad. so that was kinda nasty. the restaurant is small but the decor is awesome. total skeleton theme. there are custom paintings and sculptures that will definitely scare the kids. the menu is one of those a la carte deals which allows you to sample a lot of things, but doing so can get expensive if you're super-hungry. i kinda felt like i was gambling since i wasn't familiar with a lot of the items and wasn't sure how big the portions were. after i had ordered i got scared because heard this lady at the neighboring table say "this is nasty," directly to the server. anyway, i got a tilapia taco and a pork sope (pronounced SOH-peh) and both were awesome. i could have eaten another taco but my cheapness held my stomach in check. oh and the guacamole was great but not worth $4. so i'll definitely be back here as long as someone else is treating.

some stuff, part 2

i'm experiencing a noticeable lack of blog-worthy stuff these days, but screw that, i'm gonna type some stuff anyway because that's the joy of blogging.

- i wore capri pants to work today with sandals. maybe they were technically cropped pants, i dunno. anyway, my point is that it's hot as crap outside and i'm ready for fall weather. then i can wear long pants and closed-toed shoes and won't have to deal with comments about my feet looking long (see post from 9-25-08) hahahaha i'm still laughing about that.

- i have all this paperboard in my trunk because i like to recycle it. the most convenient place to do this is at my office, but i always forget to get it out of my trunk. so it just collects back there and i'm too lazy to bag it up. also, i don't like carrying it up there because most of it is beer boxes and i can't fold it up small enough to fit in a normal size bag

- if anyone needs a snowboard and bindings i'm trying to sell mine... i'll make you a deal!

- my hockey team is awful. i have yet to score a goal. i've knocked a few people on their asses, so i guess that's something. andy, on the other hand, is the best player on the team.

- my roomie bought another tv and another comcast dvr. so that makes two dvrs. score. this means i can record twice the crap that i usually do, like paris hiltons new bff and housewives of atlanta!! woo!! i've started to geting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning so i can peruse the listings and record all the garbage that's on. seriously, there are not enough hours in the day...

- jamie lynn spears is rumored to be preggers again. what a mess.

- here's a depressing piece - my mom's dog (prissy) had to be put to sleep. she was old. i'm thinking if her previous owner hadn't fed her all those blasted hamburgers from wendy's she'd still be here. r.i.p prissy!!

tuesday commute

so there was this huge gas shortage in atlanta, ya know, in case you didn't hear about it. i guess it started about two weeks ago, which is the last time i filled up my tank. the whole thing seriously pissed me off. no one seemed to be conserving gas at all. people were flocking to the stations, cars were clogging up the roads, and i got real close to having three or four car accidents. and i probably reached my quota of giving people the finger.

so in an effort to avoid fueling up, and purely for the sake of stickin'-it-to-the-man (and for my own amusement/torture, i guess), i took MARTA to & from work on tuesday. in theory, not a bad idea. in reality, WORST IDEA EVER. i was prepared to suffer, and i did: the 7-mile/15 minute journey i usually make in my car twice per day took an hour and 15 minutes (going). coming home however took almost 2 hours. the transit time alone sucked really bad, but the ride/overall experience itself was pretty shitty. can't say i wasn't expecting it. for one, i had read on the website that you could load fare onto your card on the bus (i had a breeze ticket with no funds). well that was either false or that feature wasn't working. at least the lady let me ride. so i bought a new card at the rail station. then on the CCT bus going home the driver told me that unless i call marta customer service to inform them i will be using my card on CCT, the card won't work on CCT: it works on CCT buses only when your trip originates with MARTA. it won't work on CCT if CCT is the first leg of your journey (which for me it was, coming from my office). i was completely unaware of this and then the subsequent transers messed up the card. the driver on the #37 bus almost ran over some chinese kids, the guy across from me was bitching about how loud another rider was talking - like, he was talking directly to me about how big of a moron this guy was - and well, it freakin' took forever. i was tired and cranky when i got home and wanted to kiss my car when i saw it.


yeah, gas prices are way too high, but i'll still pay up.

some stuff

over the past few days i've seen and experienced some interesting/noteworthy things. some made me laugh, some made me angry, some greatly frustrated me. regardless, i feel like i must share:

• leg warmers
  i was cruising through the mall in the accessories section and i saw a display of leg warmers. omg no way. big slouchy sock minus the footie. ridiculous. it was like i was in a time warp. if your legs are cold just wear tall socks. or warmer pants. oh...wait, i do get it. they're for fashion, not function.
  
  
  
• holidays are almost here!
  wha? i can't remember what is being advertised, but project 9-6-1 is playing this spot that says "the holidays are coming and you should come buy stuff" or something like that. well. of course the holidays are approaching. i think it's it's called THE PASSAGE OF TIME.
  
  
  
• dental hygeine
  here is a random and little-known fact about me: i floss my teeth every day. even when i come home drunk on friday night. i haven't missed a day in over 3 years. my dentist does not believe me.
  
  
  
• i have big clown feet
  someone in my office asked what size shoe i wore. i told her most of my shoes are size 8 (totally not boats). i was wondering what point she was trying to make, if any, and then she says "well, your feet look really long in those sandals." still wondering what she was getting at - i mean, that wasn't meant as a compliment, right? and funny, because those shoes were a smaller size. so i'm thinking this is the most pointless conversation i've ever had with anyone, ever. then she comes over to check my feet out, comments on the optical illusion of my shoes (something about the long piece down the center yada yada) and then says "oh, it might be because your pants are short" and i'm like bitch, they're called cropped pants, and are you trying to say i look ridiculous? the sad thing is that i thought i looked really good for once.
  
  
  
• uga flags on ambulance
  yep, that's right. if i needed to get to the hospital and that ambulance came to take me away i might just refuse the ride.
  
  
  
• my t-shirt twin
  i have this awesome t-shirt that says "aspen base operations" on the front. on the back is a nice graphic of the rocky mountains with some airplanes at the base and beneath it reads "park it in aspen." i bought it in the thrift shop in downtown aspen colorado. i saw this dude in costco wearing the exact same shirt. i went up to him and told him that i had the same shirt, only because i knew it was a rare find and because i was just curious about the shirt. he said he used to fly commuter jets into aspen and apparently that was the team shirt. so, that's kinda neat.
  
  
  
• old lady can't park car
  no surprise there. you know how some of the handicap spaces at cumberland costco are right at the front & totally separated from the other spaces by the curb? anyway, this old lady was trying to back into this handicap space and it was so pathetic. these spaces are huge and unless you're pulling in perpendicular to the space it's pretty much impossible to end up with your car outside the lines. she must have pulled up/backed in/pulled up/backed in like 10 times, and i think she curbed her tire and hit the sign post. at first i was like, oh, how sad, this old lady is having trouble parking. then i was like whatever, you suck at driving, get off the road.