(e:yesthatcasey) pointed out I never post on (e:strip) anymore the other day and I realized I hadn't posted anything since April and definitely hadn't posted tons even before that. I looked back and I used to post almost daily at the beginning and a lot for years after that. I will likely post that much again because I don't necessarily want to post every last detail of my life online anymore but at the same time having all my old posts was so nice because it really provided a lot of memories of what I was doing at the time. So I am going to try and post more we will see.

First things first, read til the end there is a surprise ending (or just skip right ahead to the end now if you don't want the whole story)..well only a surprise if you don't really know me and we aren't friends on face book but read on....

Dave took me to Toronto this past weekend for my birthday. He originally booked this what seemed very expensive hotel so we talked about how it was a waste to spend that much and so he book the Sheraton instead. In the end it only ended up being like 50 or 60 dollars less a night and didn't include breakfast so he wasn't sure it was worth the change but the new reservation couldn't be canceled. We got to Toronto really fast and luckily didn't get pulled over even though only one of my headlight was working. (it has been out for weeks but I just keep practicing my shocked "What do you mean officer I had no idea " look because they generally just give you 24 hours to get it fixed) Anywho, we parked across from the hotel because it was cheaper at what we thought was $25 a day (BUT OMG when we left after three days it was only $40 so that was awesome, and that was $40 canadian which I think equals like $3 but more on the exchange rate later) Well actually now, the exchange rate is 25% right now which is amazing. I took out $200 and it was only $150 out of my bank account. And really prices there in general don't seem that much more so with the exchange rate.

Anywhoser, we get to the hotel and suspicious thing #1, one of the two revolving doors was broken. The lobby was really nice and it seemed like a nice hotel. While waiting forever to check in , the poeple in front of us were complaining about something but we weren't sure what it was. We got to our room and it was a nice standard hotel room but then we noticed this beeping sound every few minutes and then this machine grinding sound pretty much constantly. We were pretty sure it was noise from the elevator So we discussed it for a few minutes and decided to call the front desk to complain. It was kinda late, we checked in around 9pm I think but a man answered and took our complaint and said he would call us right back ....never called back so after 20 minutes we tried again and it just rang and rang and rang...we tried again a little bit later and same thing...we decided to give up for the night and go out and not waste the night...

...we walked around Toronto and ended up at a gay bar called zippers...I had been there before and liked it but this seemed like a particularly bad night...there were lots of much much older men without shirts on and dancing really sadlyish...one had a tambourine which seems amaze but he wasn't shaking it at all. In the other corner ,t ehre was a vvery methy couple fighting. Summertime sadness came on and dave was like "this truly is summertime sadness"....so we left there and went to Church or Chapel or something like that. It was Indian (India not Native American) night and everyone was there dancing in a very bollywood type way which I loved! They even played a song I knew from the Bride and Prejudice (an indianish version of pride and prejudice movie that I love) soundtrack so I could sing along. After that we went to the most boring drag show ever at Woody's....the drag queen was so boring and was trying to get people to come on stage for some contest but noone would....all in all a fun night...so then we went back to the hotel and tried to sleep through all the sounds frome th elevator...

...Saturday morning we woke up and Dave called the front desk again to complain about the noise and they transferred him to another department where again it just rang and rang and noone answered. While I showered he decided to go downstairrs to complain. I guess like 3 other people in front of him were also copmlaining so that's not really a good sign. It's not like it was a bad hotel, it was nice enough , there just seemed to be something off about a lot of things and they were very scammy. Like the pictures when you book it show more of a suite but that isn't really the room. Anywho they "upgraded" us to a new room and gave us free breakfast buffet for both days (usually $30 a person) so that was good, that would save us a bunch of money and was very confventinent. The "upgraded" room was basically exactly like the first room except it had a nicer shower and didn't have the elevator noise. It also weirdly only had 1 free bottle of water, (the previous room had 2) and a free loofa. Anywho, it was nice and worked for us since we didn't have to pay more for the "premium" room but if I had paid more for a "premium room" and known the only difference was the shower head I would have been pissed.

The views from the room were really nice and I enjoyed the room too. After the breakfast buffett we walked around Toronto all day and just did some shopping and walked aorund and people watched and building watched which is really what I love to do. We also went to Hairy Wet Dog or something like that which is a restaurant and had some cocktails and food. It was nice sitting ont he porch just enjoying the perfect weather and chatting and people watching. I had two bloody marys (well one and then a few sips of a second one) which was too much. They are just real rough on the stomach but were delicious! I gave Dave the ok in the future to tell me I do not want a second bloody mary (unless I reallyw ant it. I want it documented here it only applies to Bloody Mary's he cannot control my other consumption haha)

That night we went to a restaurant that had good reviews on Yelp called Little Anthony. Well let me tell you I think they might have gotten their name from their portion size but they alos were just not that good. Th waitress never told us there were specials and then after i heard what they were form another waiter telling his table I was made because I would have ordered one but it was too late. I got sea bass and it was like slimyish which was not great. Dave got a spaghetti and turkey meatballs (turkey meatballs are supposedly their famous dish). He literally got I would say at maximum 6 strands of spaghetti, and 2 dry not that tasty turkey meatballs and it was like $25. It seemed redic how tiny it was. That night we went to Fly 2.0 to see DJ Kitty Glitter who is a drag queen Dj from Australia. It was pretty good, I enjoyed the dancing but drinks are so weak in Canada. You really need to drink beer but I don't like beer so it just is tough to stay buzzed/drunk. Anywho we did a shot of vodka and Dave instantly threw up which is usually my job so that was weird.

After a fun night at Fly 2.0 the next day we got up and had breakfast and tehn went to the beach. The line to take the Ferry to the beach was incredibly long but moved somewhat fast. There is a real push in the line to sign a petition against forced organ removal in China. I don't know, but it felt too pushy so I wouldn't sign. I mean I guess I don't know what the negative side to anti-forced organ removal could be but they were so forceful about it I didn't trust it. The lady just kept screaming "sign it, just sign it, sign it". I didn't trust her though I was prolly overreacting....

...anywho this is were the story starts to get real good. After lathering up the sunscreen and laying out for a little bit we head into the water. It was freezing cold and I didn't want to go in farther but Dave insisted so we did ....and thats when it happened, Dave whips out a glittery ring and asks me to marry him. I was shocked , utterly shocked, I know we were together 10 years but I really thought we would be the just discuss it and decide to get married one day. I was overwhelmed and surprised and of course I said YES!!!!!!!!!! We're getting married, we're thinking next fall. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!! I love him, I can't believe he did something so unexpected and romantic and I can't wait to marry him (well I can wait until a huge amazing party full of glitter is planned) So pretty much this was the best weekend ever!

P.S. I usually hate finger with ring pictures on it but for (e:strip) I thought I would post it.

Some pics from the weekend.


The Bling


Selfie at Kitty Glitter


View from our Window


In front of the cutest elephant statue ever!


Having a drink at the Wet Dog.


Welcome to the broken hotel.


Summertime Sadness

Maureen would be turning 32 on Monday and it kills me. A bunch of my friends have their birthdays in March and April , Jill March 17, MK March 28 and Jen April 25 and Maureen April 27 and it just seems so unreal that Maureen will not turn 32 with the rest of them. It is just so incredibly unfair and I hate it.

We had Maureen's mom and her mom's boyfriend Lou over for brunch last weekend. I feel terrible because I promised her mom I would keep in touch and haven't contacted her since before Christmas. I just oculnd't bring myself to do it. I felt like talking to her or seeing her would be too much for me to handle. Luckily (e:libertad) is very thoughtful and amazing and called her and set up the brunch. It was really great to see her mom and I really want to keep in touch more. I feel terrible becasue I know if things were opposite Maureen would be checking in on my parents all the time and she would know all the right things to do and say. She always knew what to do and what to say in every situation and how to make everyone feel better. That has never been my thing. Maureen always made me want to strive to be a better person. I know people say that a lot after someone passes away but is really true. I am not saying I put one ounce of effort into becoming a better person but she definitely made me realize how great a person coudl be and how much someone could really affect other people. No matter what was going on in her own life she always took time to ehlp others in any way and make sure everyoen else was taken care of. I miss her so much.

This weekend is Diana's bachelorette and shower which will be nice in some ways because we will all be together and in another way is incredibly terrible because it is something Maureen won't be a part of. Me , Jill, Mk and their babies are going to the cemetery on Monday and I'm glad I will be able to spend that time all together.

I miss you Maureen. I always will.

I guess yesterday was National Sibling Day. Seems like a made up holiday but I am all for made up holidays. I guess in reality all holidays are made up. Nothing is like naturally a holiday. Maybe the solstice? I don't know. Anyhow that is not the point. The point is I have a brother and he is pretty great. We have had our ups and down but all in all I am really lucky to have a brother like Paul. As much as I hate that he got all the luck in the family and we don't see eye to eye on so many things. IN so many ways he is the only person who really understands some things about me and we can always have fun and just say stupid things and find them hilarious. And we are always inventive from glitter mace to vodka tampons. So thanks for being a great brother even if you held me down and shaved my head and put my cash registers out in the rain. So in some ways you were the worst brother ever. Haha.

I was really quite the sausage back in the day.


What beach ready hotties.

i forgot about this. i was taking notes during the oscars to write a post. never did that but here are my notes.

why does Chloe kardashian get to talk fashion? she looks like she was styled by wet seal and wont stop playing with her hair.

laura dern played reese witherspoons mom even though she is only nine years older. I hate laura dern. I hope she hated every moment of it.

wth gwenth paltrow. are you trying out to be in the romy and michele high school reunion sequel.

ooh so sparkly

wow oprah is with stedman not gayle

yay moulin rouge

less oprah please

what are those furry balls

wow nph has some erect nipples

why is john stamos at the oscars

So since we moved out of the Elmwood Strip area I have been taken cabs a little more often. When the meter is running, it is about $15 from our house to going out on Allen with Tip. Well last night the cab driver picked Steve up and then came to get us and told Steve it would be $5 to get to our house (Steve lives like 4 blocks away). They negotiated a flat rate of $15 for the whole ride from Steves to our house to Allen. Seemed reasonable but weird that they weren't using the meter.

Then on the way home with Dave and Casey they did the same thing and we told them the route and they said it would be a flat $15 . After we dropped Casey off and they had to go to our house the cabbie was like"now it's $20" which we made lcear there were two stops when he made the $15 deal. Anywho, Dave was just like "um no we take taxis all the time , we are only paying $15" and the cab driver was like "ok no problem".

It was all very strange. I really think I rather have the meter on. I don't understand why this is happening all of a sudden. They were regular taxis with meters in them , just not being used. Very very strange.

I just had my second helping and I am pretty sure this might be the last helping of my life. The more i eat the less i like it.

I have never had hamburger helper and I always felt like I was really missing out on something by never having it. Well the other day I had a coupon and Dave is at his grandfather's today so I decided to make it. First of all, who knew there were like 100 varieties to chose from. There's tuna, chicken, hamburger. But I wanted the hamburger , the original, the grand pooba of helpers. I did get the three cheese variety though which I don't think was the first.

I have had people tell me I am going to love it and others saying I am going to hate it. Well I just ate it and it's ok. I liked it , but it wasn't everything I dreamed it to be. I really thought it was going to be one of my new favorite things but it's definitely not that. I probably wont' make it again any time soon but may make it sometime in the future.

All in all I am now a proud member of the American public who has had Hamburger Helper!

I just cannot get enough of this song:

So me and (e:libertad) wanted a folding table for my craft laundry/craft room . (though to be honest should you really fold laundry in a room filled with glitter?) Anywho we found the table we wanted on staples.com and it was on sale for like $55 with free shipping. That seems like an easy transaction right........WRONG!!!!

Here is the whole sordid tale from initial delivery date of December 11th to January 2nd with a lot of yelling and craziness in between... I warn you its long and I tell it better in person but I wanted this documented so I never forget to never order from Staples again.

So we order the table and the delivery email they send me says it is being shipped on Dec. 11. I didn't think that meant it would come to my house on 12/11 but it did. I wasn't home and they didn't leave it......now you see they don't use FedEx or UPS or USPS they use their own service which it turns I think is nothing mroe than a few men and a wheelbarrel.....anywhoser so I wasn't home on 12/11 and so they left the little taggy thing I could leave on the door but then I got a phone message saying I wasn't home so it wouldn't be delivered until 12/19.....

12/19 was fine , I was in no rush for the table but then instead they came again on fri 12/12 , well I wasn't home again and hadn't left the tag out since they said they weren't coming until 12/19 and we heard our nieghbors (who have since moved) steal packages so i didn't really want to advertise for a week that a package was coming. So I got another call friday night saying since i wasn't home it won't be delivered until 12/19. Once again that was fine.............but no...theycome to deliver again on monday 12/15...well of course I wasn't home and had not left the tag because they had said 12/19.

To make it worse then I get a call on monday 12/15 at night saying since I wasn't home my order was being returned to the warehouse. So i called and some lady answered and said she would check into it but the delivery service was close and she would call me back the next day....well she was the first of many staples employees who never called me back...she didn't call me tuesday and then wednesday I did the online chat with them so at least I would have a record.

Now Wed 12/17 on an online chat tey apologized for all the confusion and gave me a $10 refund and said the table would be there Friday 12/19 for sure. ....12/19 comes and there is no table! So i do the online chat again on Friday night and they tell me they don't know what happened but it looks like the table got on the wrong truck but it will defintiely be there by monday 12/22. Now mind you it was like 9pm on Friday night that night and I asked so it is coming on monday and he kept saying by Monday and I asked if they deliver on the weekend and he kept saying no so I wasl ike so it is coming on MOnday and he would not say that, he only kept saying by Monday but not on the weekend which leaves only Monday.....

...anywho Monday 12/22 comes and still no table....Tuesday 12/23 I do the online chat again and they tell me they have no idea what has happened and they can't figure it out but they will give me another $10 off and it will be there 12/24. Instead of $10 off , they send me a $10 coupon for another purchase , I insist that is not the same thing and i get in an argument with the guy that $10 off a future purchase is not the same thing as $10 of my current table. Plus I was like um i am never making a future purchase but I want my $10 now. They couldn't do it on the online chat and said I had to call an dtalk to a supervisor. So I call and talk to a supervisor and tell her my whole story and she gives me the $10 and apologizes and tells me it will be there maybe 12/24 but if not 12/26 (even though the previous person insisted there is no reason it would be there 12/24)...

...well no table 12/24, 12/26, or Monday 12/29... So I call Monday night and talk to someone named Liza and she goes through this whole thing and apologizes and is like no I have idea what happened, looks like the wrong box waso n the wrong truck or something but it is definitely coming Tuesday 12/30 and they will call the delivery service in the mroning to ensure it and if it isn't coming for any reason the supervisor Mandy will call me .....well not call on Tuesday and no table

OOOOH Mind you I have had the stupid tag saying they can leave on the porch taped to my door since 12/18 at this point.

So Tuesday night I call and I really kinda lose it at that point. I get ahold of a supervisor named Bonnie oh and I was calling from work and kinda screaming which is not super classy but it was funny becasue after that everyoen at work was very invested in my table and me getting my table.....so Bonnie the supervisor said she had to check and would call me back. I refused to hang up because I told her I did not believe she would actually call me back...she emailed me her info and so once i had that I said fine she could call me back

She called me back a little later and said she called the delivery service and they weren't there but she woudl ensure it came the next day and she also was off the next day 12/31 and her offie was closed but she gave me the extension for another supervisor who would be there and I coudl call in the mroning and ensure it was coming..Bonnie actually seemed like the first person who was even somewhat helpful. Then an hour later I get a call saying my order has been cancelled and refunded!! I WAS LIEK WHAT THE F but wanted to call the next day when the person who knew my story was there.

....12/31 I call the number Bonnie gave me and it just rings and rings and rings. I was at work so I just let it ring for like a half hour and finally someone picks up and is "Hi this is jamie who are you trying to reach, this phone has been ringing for a half hour. I explained my whole story and said I was [planning on letting it ring for days if that's what it took for someone to answer." Anyway Jamie explained noone was in the office as it was closed and she just happened to be there and answeredt the phone but no one named Gila the name of the supervisor I was given was there......

AT THIS POINT I FREAK THE F OUT. I CALL the regular customer service line (oh and remeber i am at work now ) and noone has ever heard of Gila or BOnnie even though I have bonnie's email address and extension. I FLIP THE F OUT AND START SCREAMING in the middle of my office "IS THERE EVER A TABLE! WAS THERE EVER A FREAKIN TABLE< WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE" DO YOU EVEN DELIVER TABLES! and so on an dso forth. I guess like the vice president in his office across the office could hear me but eveyrone found it hilarious I think.

The new supervisor Vicki says she can'treally do anythign because my order was cancelled by Raymond but he didn't leave any notes as to why. She then said they had treid to deliver it like a hundred times but I was never home. I lost it again and basicallys creamed "I HAVE HAD THE STUPID FLIER SAYING YOU CAN LEAVE ITON MY DOOR FOR 12 DAYS STRAIGHT AT THIS POINT!!!". She said she could place the order again and i said fine but I want it at the price i got it minus the $20 I had been refunded so far. She said she would charge the full price but it was the same thing because I already had been refunded $10 twice and when they cnacled my order they refunded the full price of the table. I said fine .....I hung up....got the invoice from them and that is not what happened at all. The table was now costing me $10 more than original and was now 20 days after the original delivery date.

I coudl nto handle calling another person at Staples. I even googled the warehouse with at my parents on NYE and we discussed a plan of like raiding the warefhouse and liberating my table but in the end I wrote Bonnie an email since I had her contact info explaining the whole thing.

She wrote back the next day and apologized profusely and said she doesn't know why the other supervisor was there and said my table woudl come 1/2 for sure and she refunded me the full price of the table and gave me a $20 voucher for the future for staples. I wrote back and said I wouldn't thank her until the table was actually in my physical possession.

ON 1/2 I FINALLY GOT MY TABLE AND I LOVE IT AND NOW IT WAS FREE SO THAT WAS NICE!

BOnnie was really the only competent person at Staples. I sent an email to her supervisor telling her my whole story and that Bonnie was the only good employee they had in the whole company and she should be grateful to have her.

SO now I actually have like $40 in staples vouchers in addition to the free table but really stil never ever want to order from there again. Except I kinda wanna order like a pencil a day just to make them deliver it....

I know you are thinking, why didn't you just canncel the ordero n like day 10 and save yourself the time and frustration but by then it seemed like it was more about the principal > I wanted them to give me the table i watned. I didn't want to have to have went through like half of that and then still have to go buy a mroe expensive table elsewhere. And in the end I won...welle xcept it probably was about 5 hours of time at least total in talking to staples Customer Serviceless line. I still feel like I won!