Get Me Scotland Yard on the Phone!!!

Ok... so it has been an interesting 12 hours or so. I was looking at our Visa card statement online last night, and noticed a pending transaction for EasyJet Airlines for around $800. I had noticed a transaction from them earlier in the week for about $300... but assumed it was a travel expense for Jon's work. So I asked him about the $800 charge, and he said it was not him.

So... I immediately called Bank of America, and explained what was going on. They did not offer to cancel my card, they just gave me the number for the Billing Dispute department and told me to call them in the morning when they opened... and they suggested that I call the Merchant.
So... we had to look up EasyJet online, get their number... (they are a British airline company... so we had to make an international call). Jon called them this morning, to verify what we ALREADY KNEW! That we did not make the charges! But... because Jon is a top airline employee... he was smart enough to ask about the reservations that were made! And... EasyJet was STUPID enough to provide it! We now know the two reservation numbers... which tell us who is flying... and WHEN!

I called Bank of America back, and after telling my story again (twice) their Fraud department cancelled our card, and told me that we were not responsible for the charges. So no worries there. To their credit, (no pun intended!) they are expediting new cards to us by 10am tomorrow... in time for our holiday vacation departures!

When I told the Fraud department at Bank of America that EasyJet had the information about the flight information, mailing and email address etc. they suggested that I call the police and file a report. So... trying to do the right thing, and even though I felt like a fool... I called the Mesa police department and told them my story. Which prompted them to send a squad car to our house... so that I could tell my story AGAIN!

The officer was very nice, and took down the report. At one point, he asked me if I wanted to prosecute. Um... what kind of question is that? Of course I do! He said "I have to ask." Whatever!

I honestly think that having Jon book me a flight, so I could go over there and catch the people myself would have been more efficient! I'm sure he probably went out to his car and laughed his ass off!

At one point, he asked to see my driver's license... to write down my address info, etc. While looking at my drivers license... he said "HOW much do you weigh?" I was SHOCKED! I am filing a police report on credit card fraud and you want to know how much I weigh!? I was all "Well, now about 180." (I later looked and my license said 160.) Truly... it was the weirdest moment of my day.

With that... (special tribute to you, Connie!)... I am moving on with my day. Just thought you all would be amused/mortified by the whole experience. The moral of the story... keep a vigilant eye on your credit card statements!

Old Girls Gone Wild - Holiday 2007

Here is Anita look for great deals at BLACKLION... a store in Concord Mills. Part of our pseudo-annual Holiday Shopping tradition!

I flew in late Friday night to stay with Tori in Roanoke. Saturday, I was lucky enough to have lunch with my parents and nephew who drove up to meet me! Then a fantastic night on the town with Tori and Kelly! I'm pretty sure we were home by 9:30pm! Ha! We are such crazy party animals!

Anita, Juli, Tori, Carrie and I left Sunday morning for a fun filled adventure at Concord Mills mall in North Carolina. After a crazy fun day of shopping we found ourselves at On The Border... where we treated ourselves to well deserved margaritas! We even celebrated a fake birthday! Well... not really fake... just early... as Anita's birthday is next week! Unfortunately... I don't have any pictures of Anita doing the "It's My Birthday!" napkin dance. Suffice to say... it was a magical moment... for us all!

Oh! It was a true holiday miracle! Carrie finally found a bra that fits her!

After a good night's sleep at the nearby Embassy Suites, we fueled up on a complimentary breakfast and headed back for Concord Mills! There was still the giant TJ Maxx that needed to be plundered!

Finally after a crazy affair of loading everyone's bags in the car... we set out in search of the Charlotte Airport so I could return home! Juli pulled the car over the curb and booted me and my suitcase out as she peeled away! Ha! Not really. She didn't peel away. :-)

Seriously though! What a fantastic weekend with my favorite gals! Many thanks to Tori for putting up with me over the weekend, and securing our lodging! Many thanks for Juli for being our chauffer! Many thanks to Anita for putting up with ALL of us... and giving us one of the best laughs any of us have had in a while! And Carrie... ummmm... thanks for... napping in the car I guess. :-) Only joking! Thanks for being YOU... who we all love and wouldn't have any other way! To borrow a phrase from Bridget Jones' Mark Darcy... 'We like you just the way you are!'

Finally... a group shot of the whole gang!

The best part... is knowing that in a few weeks... I get to come back and spend an entire week with you folks! I can't wait!

Okay... time to return to the real world. I'm off to work to see what the next few weeks have in store for me!

Fantastic Birthday in Palm Springs!

A day late on my birthday post... but it will have to do.

We are in sunny Palm Springs celebrating my 37th birthday! No, Anita! It is NOT my FORTIETH!

Arrived late Wednesday night... to find only one other guest staying at our resort. They only have 9 rooms anyway. The resort is a former apartment building built around 1955 which was later converted to a resort in the 70s.

The entire decor revolves around mid century! Beautiful avocado green and orange EVERYWHERE with great furniture elements by the Eames and Phillipe Starck! They carry the color scheme right down to the beach towels on the lounge chairs... the beach balls floating in the pool... right down to the PEN on the notepad lying on the bedside table! Really well done! Plus, we got a really great rate for our stay... so we have no guilt whatsoever with regard to our getaway!

All in all, a very semi-private, and quiet birthday getaway! But, I will say that I received some fantastic birthday wishes via cell phone which were much appreciated!

After a relaxing morning in the pool yesterday, we had a late lunch at El Mirasol... a nice little Mexican restaurant that is rumored to be a favorite of Mr. Barry Manilow himself! Alas, there were no Manilow sightings during lunch. Can't have EVERYTHING on my birthday!
After a nice refreshing post lunch nap, we headed out to Village Fest. This happens every Thursday in Palm Springs. They close off some of the main city streets for a little "street fair" with artist booths etc. all along the street... and a lot of the businesses stay open later in the evening. We had a late dinner at a fantastic little Tapas inspired place calld Azul, and then browsed our way back through the street fair.

We concluded our day with a late night dip in the pool/hot tub and relaxing with a nice glass of wine! All in all... a FANTASTIC birthday! One thing we have noticed... due to the vegetation, etc. in Palm Springs... while the daytime temperatures rival those of Phoenix, the temperature is MUCH cooler at night than back home. So... emerging from the heated pool at night... it was almost a necessity to head to the hot tub to warm up!

Sounds like only five rooms will be occupied this weekend, so I think we will continue to enjoy a wonderfully peaceful weekend getaway!

Happy Jack in August!

We had a fantastic day yesterday! We travelled back to Happy Jack, AZ... (where we went Quad-ing a while back) to visit Connie and Ross who were staying at the Happy Jack Lodge in their camper!

On the way up there, we made a brief pit stop just outside of Payson, AZ at a casino. We both walked out with more than we walked in with! Hooray! I actually won enough to pretty much cover the cost of the laptop that I purchased last weekend!

With that done, we ventured on to Happy Jack. Ross took us out riding in the Jeep and showed us this fantastic place. Blue Ridge Reservoir I think it was called! Looks like a great place to go kayaking! So... we are now thinking of purchasing kayaks! Much cheaper and easier to haul than Quads!

We returned and had a fantastic dinner of Connie's homemade chili... and Ross' famous hot dogs! (Pass the celery salt, please!) We even had a little spot of rain... even though the sun was out in full force! A very nice afternoon indeed!

After enjoying a perfect day of great temperatures and fresh air... we had a leisurely drive back to Mesa, and were ready for bed by the time we walked through the door! All in all... a fantastic day! Thanks Connie and Ross for inviting us up!!! Today... we need to do a bit of kayak shopping research! :-)

I'm Wireless!

Maybe not truly blog worthy... but I have joined the wireless age and purchased a laptop! It wasn't really planned, but with the various back to school sales going on... the prices looked good! It didn't take long before I was all set up and on our wireless network at home! Hooray! Only $500 after all of the assorted rebates! This INCLUDED a free all in one printer/scanner/copier (again after rebates!) so we were quite pleased. Amazingly enough... we bought a 5 year warranty for $200 which covers the entire machine... and they will even provide a "loaner" if I need to take it in for any reason! All in all... I am a very satisfied customer at the moment!

In other news... I have completed Harry Potter Book 7. No spoilers here... I promise. I will only say that in my opinion, I was very happy with the way that J.K. Rowling finished up the series. Currently I am participating in a chapter a day re-read with my BookCrossing pals... so the Harry Potter fun is far from over! For any Harry Potter fans out there... feel free to check out the message forum from our read along... Harry Potter Book 7 Read Along

Not much else to report right now. We are tentatively making plans for a long weekend getaway for my birthday in Palm Springs next month. Aside from that... work is keeping both of us pretty busy and life is pretty normal and boring.

Do Not Open Until July 21, 2007!

Finally something noteworthy to share on the Blog! Harry Potter... Book 7! Woo hoo! Last night after partying with some die-hard Harry Potter fans at a local Border's bookstore... Christa and I got our hands on the latest book! Luckily, Christa stopped at the store earlier in the day and picked up our "pre-order" wristbands so that we could be in the first wave of people to purchase the book at midnight! So... at 12:04am... we had them in our hot little hands! The cheers that erupted when the bookstore employees rolled out the carts with boxes that said "Do not open until July 21, 2007" was very exciting!

Jon and Emily were very supportive! We had a great little base of operations staked out at a table in the bookstore cafe where Jon and Emily intermittently read books and magazines etc. while Christa and I kept going to the "ballroom" as they called it to see what was going on at the party.

There were lots of fun costumes, and some great debate by the kiddies as to whether Snape was a friend or foe! Some of the costumes were just weird. One Asian guy... claimed to be a "male Cho Chang". I decided that using your ethnicity to try to win a costume contest... was just tacky! Still, I will admit it was quite comical!

I did manage to read the first chapter last night before I conked out. Now I have a Potter coffee... er... a POT of coffee brewed and am ready to tuck into the rest of the book!

Not to be overshadowed by all the Harry Potter excitement... our friends Paul and Jackie visited from the Dallas last weekend! We had a fantastic weekend! Friday night we took them to one of our favorite restaurants... China China! A must stop for any visitors that we have! Saturday we took a day trip up to Sedona! It was a bit on the hot side... but it was beautiful as always!

Sunday, while Jackie and Paul got in a bit of golf and a little bit of R & R, Jon and I prepared a nice meal for all of us which made for a fantastic evening of visiting before they left on Monday. Jon and Paul even broke out their LaGrange High School yearbook! Good times! Jackie and I concentrated on brainstorming for our "It's All Good™" product line. Don't ask... just look for our products... coming soon to a store near you! (Potentially... at a 7-Eleven... near the Dr. Pepper).

Not sure when I will Blog again... but right now... I've got some Harry Potter to read!

Oh... my... QUAD! That was so much FUN!!!!

Yesterday we were invited to join our friends Connie and Ross who recently purchased Quad ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) in breaking in the new toys up in Happy Jack, AZ. Lorrie and Kevin... if the fun we had riding the Quads is anything like the joy that you guys get from your Jet Ski's... then we TOTALLY get it now! We had a blast!!!

We started our day at Con and Ross' house about 7:30am... loaded up their truck and trailer (which we affectionately refer to as the "wagon") with our chairs, picnic goodies, etc.
After a brief, but adventure filled stop at a local Safeway store for some breakfast pastries and Starbucks... we were on our way! After a lovely drive from Mesa to Payson, AZ... and beyond... to Happy Jack we found a great little spot in the Coconino National Forest! We set up "camp" and unloaded the quads... and Connie and Ross headed out on an inaugural jaunt while Jon and I took some time to enjoy the fresh air, the whispering pines... and the beautiful peace and quiet.

The temperature was in the mid 80's which was a welcome relief from the 100+ temperatures that we left behind in Phoenix. It was a gorgeous day!!!! At that point, we were ready for lunch! Except for fighting against the wind, we enjoyed a fantastic tailgate lunch of tasty sandwiches!

After lunch, Jon received a tutorial from Ross on Quad operation... and the two of them headed off on a ride! They returned a little bit later... and Jon was grinning from ear to ear... having a BLAST! At this point, I was sleepy post lunch, and had decided I would forego a ride on the Quad. But... everyone strongly urged me to give it a try, so I was convinced. Jon said I would either "love it" or "hate it"... (and since he so obviously LOVED it... I think he was hoping I would hate it to avoid further temptations!)

I cannot BELIEVE I considered NOT riding! After a bit of explanation, Ross and I set out on a short ride so I could get accustomed to the Quad. FANTASTIC! It was so much fun... I can't even begin to put it into words. It took me awhile to get used to going over rough terrain... but as the day went on I got more and more comfortable with it.

After that, Ross insisted that Jon and I take the Quads out on our own for a bit! What fun! Jon took to Quad riding like a fish to water! Was great to see him having so much fun! But then I realized that I was having just as much fun! Plus... our surroundings were just so beautiful! There were free range cattle roaming all around and they just looked at us like we were crazy!
At one point, Connie and I took a break and went to Happy Jack Lodge to use the facilities, and pick up some sodas. We returned to tales from Ross and Jon of their crazy adventures! Apparently they had graduated BEYOND level ground... and found some hills! I think Connie and I are in agreement that we are not yet ready for such advanced techniques!

Connie and I set out on our own leisurely outing... where we encountered more cattle. Some of which I think were bulls! (Which alarmed me a little bit as I was sitting on top of a RED Quad!!!!) At one point, Connie assumed the lead and suprised me by running headlong into a very intimidating (for us anyway) dip in the terrain! I was so proud of her... but when I pulled alongside her, she was all "That was SCARY! I almost lost control!!!" or something to that effect! At that point, Connie was ready to head back!

Unfortunately, when we returned to camp, one of the Quads decided to have some technical trouble. While Ross troubleshooted... Connie went off on the other Quad to explore. A bit later she came flying down the straightaway practically full throttle... hat swinging in the wind behind her with a big smile! I think she is going for some rougher terrain next time!!!

Took some effort for us to pack up... but I was given the honor to drive the still working Quad onto the back of the trailer! Fun! Was some hard work getting stuff loaded back up... but very rewarding! Felt like we had all had a real workout!

We drove back through Payson and stopped at Macky's for a hearty dinner! Amazing how good food tastes when you have worked so hard! Dinner was topped by some fantastic pie for dessert! What a perfect day!

By the time Jon and I arrived home and got settled, it was at least midnight. I swear... I was asleep before my head hit the pillow! Next thing I knew, I was waking up this morning... a little sore and with a little too much sun, but I feel great!

Now... just need to figure out how Jon and I can incorporate the purchase of Quads, a trailer, a new vehicle to haul them... plus a new house to store all this stuff into our life!

Giacometti at the Getty!

Today we had a fantastic day at the Getty Center in L.A. Saw lots of great art... one of which was van Gogh's "Irises" which is ALWAYs a treat! For any of you that saw our pictures from our Paris trip last year... you may recall that we had a great pic of Jon standing beside a Giacometti sculpture. Well, we saw a variation of the same work... but I couldn't persuade him to do it again... so I had to be the one to pose with it this time!

While sitting in my FAVORITE spot in the world (the stone bench that looks onto the reflecting pool in courtyard area of the Getty...) I saw a guy walk by wearing a super classy t-shirt... "Master Baiter - Bait and Tackle Shop". I just can't believe people actually buy this stuff... let alone wear it in public! But... who am I to judge!

One of the rotating exhibits that we saw was a series of photographs taken in L.A. by a photographer named John Humble. While we were looking at the photos (which were indeed nice!) a woman sidled up to me and said "That's the artist over there..." I turned to look and she said "the tall guy..." I was all "Cool!" At first I thought she mistook me for someone else... then decided she was just being friendly. I alerted Jon to the fact that the artist was present... and the woman proceeded to say "If you asked for his autograph... it would just make his day!" At this point... I realized that she is his wife, or friend or something! SHAMELESS! It was kind of funny though... we assumed that this was the first time he had visited the installation... as he took a good handful or two of the exhibit programs to take with him or autograph or something! Later, I saw him again in the gift shop chatting with an employee about autographing some of his books or something. Later, I realized I should have bought some of the post cards of his photos... and had him sign the postcards so we could sent them! Ha!

Ok. A fun but exhausing day! We are back home and preparing to go back to work in the morning and return to a normal schedule after Jon's Asia trip.

To Live and Blog in L.A.

So after a hectic week, I flew out Friday evening to meet Jon in L.A. after his return from a week long series of business trips in Asia.

After sleeping in this morning, we picked up our rental car and headed to the Farmer's Market which we have never been too... but have heard good things about it. We enjoyed a wonderful French lunch and browsed around the market, then we did a tiny bit of shopping at The Grove shopping center... where I took the time to pose for a photo in front of the American Girl store... as a tribute to our pal Emily.

We ventured down to West Hollywood to pop into one of our favorite gay and lesbian bookstores... A Different Light... and completely by accident found ourselves in the middle of L.A.'s gay pride weekend! What fun! We saw a police car with the doors opened... and I told Jon that I had to fight the urge to jump into the car and ask the policemen if they could take us to visit Paris Hilton in the slammer!!

Later, we headed over to Century City to visit The Container Store for some of their fantastic leakproof travel bottles!

Finally, we topped the evening off with dinner at Petrelli's Steak House... a restaurant that we found in a book on L.A. that Jon had bought earlier in the day. We didn't know anything about it... other than it was close to where we were... and we were tired and hungry! Turned out... it was overpriced... and the food was very disappointing.

But... now, we are ready for a good nights sleep (Jon more so than me... due to his crazy worldwide travels) before getting up and heading to the Getty Center tomorrow!

Not that exciting of a day... but... just had to post the American Girl picture for Emily!

Can I borrow that?

Wow. That is what I get for saying I had nothing to blog about. Brace yourselves!

After an otherwise uneventful Monday, I decided to stop at the gym on the way home. Almost talked myself out of it... but I thought it would be good for me. After my workout, I showered, dressed and was packing up my gym bag with my used wet towel in my hand when a little bald head popped around the corner of the lockers and said something like "Can I borrow your towel for a second? I just need to wipe something up." (Swear to God that is what he said! But I could be have misunderstood.)

Now at this point I was just taken by surprise... and the fact that he had his hand outstretched taking the towel from me as he asked the question... all I could respond with was "Um... okay..."
But then it hit me... a total stranger just asked to borrow my USED towel... the towel that I just dried my man parts with... to wipe up some mystery substance in the gym locker room. Ewwwww! I figured that someone had just left a bench wet or something and that he would hand it right back. Creepy... but valid, I guess.

So, I continued to pack my gym bag... then walked over to the mirror and adjusted my hair... giving him ample time to return my towel. But no. He did not return from his side of the lockers. So... I walked around in search of my towel... and he was GONE! Not sure because I didn't get a good look at him... but I saw a little bald guy on the other side of the door to the showers with a towel around his waist... that I am SURE was mine!!!!! The freak took my soggy wet towel... AND WENT TO TAKE A SHOWER WITH IT!

At this point, I was thinking... I don't need that towel bad enough and just left. Luckily... it was just a cheapo white towel that I bought at Family Dollar or someplace like that specifically to go in my gym bag. Not one of our good towels from home. The only logical thing that I can think of... is that he thought the towel belonged to the gym... and that he was borrowing a used towel that I didn't need back. But, I'm pretty sure that this particular LA Fitness DOES NOT OFFER A TOWEL SERVICE! And... even if they did... how desperately would you need to take a shower if you had to borrow a used, wet and soiled towel from a total stranger!

And of course... driving home I desperately needed to stop at the grocery store... but after that experience, I didn't want to interface with another human being... so I convinced myself that we had the makings of a Zone Perfect meal in the pantry. Thus my dinner consisted of tuna fish, garbanzo beans and a handful of olives. Now I think I need a cocktail to wash it all down!
Hmmm. Guess this is what blogging is all about, huh?

Seriously... this is right out of a Laurie Notaro book!!!!

Very first post on the blog!

Okay! Following Christa's lead... I had to create a blog. Not quite sure what to put on here right now, but I figured I would at least get started and see what kind of inspiration takes hold.

I've started with a section that shows what I am currently reading... as well as a section for some of my favorite websites to visit. Shocker! BookCrossing! :-) I know... boring stuff. I'll try to do better.

Stay tuned!