Happy Halloween!

Well, it's October 31, 2005. The night that I look forward to, and buy lots of candy (and the good kind, too....KitKats, and Starburst, and Nestle Crunch bars. Not the crappy "grab bag" candy. Even if it is $2.99 for four pounds of candy, I just can't do it. I've got to give the ghosties and goblins the good stuff.), and hope to hear lots of knocks on the door, and the sound of "Trick Or Treat!!!" and then I get to exclaim on how scary/cute/funny all the little ones look.

And it doesn't happen.

Not a single Trick-Or-Treater. Not even a knock.

I did hear a noise outside & I got all excited, and looked out the window. It was a cat. And I'm not wasting my Crunch bars on a cat.

I even cut out & hung the cutesy picture that that Apartment newsletter said to hang on your door if you want to have Trick-Or-Treaters. I have to admit, though, that I didn't color it. Not sure where our crayons are, and when I went to Eckerd to paw through the 10 remaining bags of candy, I forgot to pick up crayons. I'm hoping that my lack of color didn't deter children...but I don't think that was it.

I talked to Patrick tonight, who told me that one of the things he loves about me (one of the many, many things, I'm sure) is that I do get so excited about Halloween. Every year, I get excited, buy way too much candy, and eagerly await for the knocking & begging for candy to begin. And every year, I'm always disappointed by the lack of activity, and the utter mass of candy that's left over (for which Patrick is ever grateful).

But what he loves about me is that the next year, I'm excited. Nevermind that I was disappointed the previous year, and there's no reason to believe that this year will be different. I'm still excited. I'm still optimistic. I still have hope that in the 364 days that have passed, 150 children have somehow snuck into the neighborhood, and are all, at this moment, making their way to our house to yell "Trick Or Treat!"

So, that's me tonight....at 9:00 p.m., sadly taking down the picture of the kitten in a pumpkin that was to signal to the world that I'm ready--I've got candy, and I want to give it to you! Here I am, stuck with four bags of good candy....and not one Trick-Or-Treater.

But maybe next year.

How long can a body go without sleeping and/or breathing?

That's my quandry right now...because I've not been able to both, simultaneously, for about a week now, and it's really starting to irk me. And make me quite cross. So I guess it's good for everyone that I'm by myself right now.

Patrick is in Lancaster at the moment; today is his first day, and from the brief e-mail he sent to me this afternoon, he seemed like he was doing okay...the unfortunate thing, though, is the Ramada Limited in Mt. Sterling, KY (where he's actually working...it's just that people have heard of Lexington) is NOT Wi-Fi...which is a bit funny, as he was all set to get his Palm T/X that's Wi-Fi enabled so that he could take advantage of all these hotels he was staying in that did have Wi-Fi. The hotel next to the Ramada has Wi-Fi...Patrick said he was sitting in his parking lot using theirs for a bit...he may try to switch hotels. Not just to get the Wi-Fi, but also to have some of the smaller creature comforts, like a microwave & mini-fridge. I mean, if you're going to be there for a week, you may as well have some semblance of home.

Patrick's Birthday weekend was a lot of fun--lots of cards & money from lots of people (Thank You Notes are on their way!), and Dan, Janet & Rachel seemed like they enjoyed their time here. It was fun to show them Greenville 20 years later--they all thought downtown & the Park was amazing (it is), and that Frodo's pizza is still the same. Except for Rachel. Who didn't remember much. But she was only two when she lived here.

I know this is short, and forgive me. I need to go upstairs & kill the dog that is barking. I think he's doing it deliberately because I'm not feeling all that great, and he knows it annoys me.

(Post Script on the Open House that our realtor said she held this past Sunday--1 couple showed up, and they needed more privacy. *Sigh* Everyone--pray to St. Joseph. )

Tuesday night...

Sorry for the lack of regular postings. I don't know what happens when Patrick leaves, but I really do think that somehow I start morphing into a slug.

The concert on Friday night (Wilco, in Asheville--Patrick's birthday present from me) was fabulous. I'm not a huge Wilco fan, not like Patrick, but I really enjoyed the concert. Jeff Tweedy (the lead singer, and main guy) is one of those rare performers who sounds just as good--maybe a little better--live than on the studio recordings. Very unusual in these "Ashlee Simpson" lip sync performances we've become used to. The opening band, Rose Hill Drive--they're something else. Completely opposite Wilco. They play rock. Straight-up. Hard. Loud. Rock. I was trying to figure out who their influences may be, but I think those neurons were pounded into submission by the bass line. Rose Hill Drive is comprised of three guys, I think the oldest is maybe 22--and I must say that I'm impressed with their drive. I took a look at their tour schedule...they're all over the place, all the time. They were going to be in London 2 days after Asheville, then 2 days later back in the States. I think that for the next 2 weeks they didn't have a single free date. You may not like the music, but you've got to take your hat off to these boys who have that much drive & determination to tour like that. But again--they. were. loud.

We got back to the car, and it died when I tried to start it. Patrick said twice, but it was only once. And it died right after I started it...and Asheville was a bit cool, so I thought maybe the car is just cold. (It had stalled that afternoon, but I was driving slowly up a hill, and sort of rolling backwards a bit, so I chalked that stall up to the fact that the car was confused.) But, to ease our minds, the car's "Service Engine Soon" light came on. Great. Last time it did that, we ended up putting in a new battery. Oh yeah. And an alternator. So we weren't happy, but we just trucked on home; I vowed that we wouldn't stop...I figured we got it going, so we'll just push her until 1) we get home; or 2) it explodes.

We get up & out on Saturday, and figure we'd go to Fall for Greenville. It's a huge annual celebration; the paper said that 150,000 people were there this past weekend...it's HUGE. The entire strip of Main street for pretty much all of downtown & the side streets are all blocked off. They've got lots of various restaurants selling food (you buy tickets & the tickets are good for food, beer, rides, etc.). We started off with Fried Green Tomatoes with Smoked Cheddar sauce; then had an authentic Cornish Pasty w/beef (pronounced "pass-tee" not "pay-stee"); then we had Teriyaki chicken w/rice; some good raspberry sweet tea; I think Patrick sampled a local brew, Thomas Creek...their stout...what was it--Dunklebock? Something like that? Anyway. He was most pleased. So we just walked around, ate, people-watched; walked down to the Falls park & waited until the people who were swinging on our swing left, then we sat & swung. The swing is at this great vista, where you can see the falls straight on, and the pedestrian bridge is above it. Very picturesque.

But oh, yeah--the fun that we had--that we were supposed to have had on Saturday. That happened on Sunday.

"So what happened on Saturday?" you ask...well, we attempted to get to Downtown. But when we tried to go up the hill, my car started lurching. I pressed the accelerator to the floor. Switched to 1st & 2nd & back to drive...still lurching. We pulled in to the nearest pull-out & tried to call to get the car into a shop now. Unfortunately, because we got in late the night before, we were a little late in getting out. It was 2pm on Saturday. CarMax (where we bought the car & the extended warranty....) isn't even open for service on Saturday. Nissan wasn't taking any more appointments. The local shop that we went to for the alternator I know wasn't open that late. So we were, in effect, up a creek without the proverbial paddle.

We lurched home. I switched from profanity to prayer, and back to profanity. I'm not sure which worked, but we chug-chug-chugged back to the apartment. We nixed the idea of going back into downtown that afternoon--we figured we'd start fresh, and with the truck.

So...it's 3pm on a Saturday. What to do for fun....oh, I know!! We can go to the storage unit to get Patrick's winter clothes!!!! And while we're at it, we'll take my summer clothes back, along with the kitty carriers! Whee!! So we trucked on over to the storage unit, where I displayed my monkey-like prowess with clambering over the Atari, standing on the TV, and nimbly making my way to the exercise bike, where I proceeded to haul up duffel bags & boxes that I think are Patrick's winter clothes. I think those are his, because they're the only things in the unit that aren't marked. See, I know this is hard to believe, but I'm somewhat, shall we say, anal, about certain things. Like marking boxes so that when one is trying to figure out what's in a box while perched atop of an exercise bike, one can do it quickly & effectively. So, I handed over a few boxes & bags, and Patrick handed a few back for me to put in their place.

I think that's pretty much what we did on Saturday.

Sunday we did have fun...lots of wandering, spending the day outside (was fabulous--blue sky, perfect temperature, nice breeze)...just being with Patrick.

Then the fun began on Monday. We got the car over to CarMax, where the service area opens at 7:30, but the service techs don't come in until 8, and then they don't start taking cars back until 8:15. So why are they paying people for 45 minutes when no work is getting done? Why not have the techs come in at 7:30, or open for service at 8:15? I don't get it. But anyway. They hooked the car up & found that it was the mass air flow sensor (regulates the ratio of fuel & air...too much or too little & you don't go. Which is pretty much what was happening. I wasn't going.); but they also found a large bit of carbon buildup on the fuel injector ports, AND my transmission fluid was dirty. I know that the transmission fluid is a maintenance thing, so nothing I can say about there...but good heavens--I've only had the car 1 1/2 years, and it's only a 2001!!!! So, I figure it's best to get everything taken care of...luckily the mass air flow sensor is covered under the warranty--I only have to pony up $50 for it. The other stuff...well, it ain't cheap, but it's "routine maintenance" (though I'm not sure how "routine"--I had Christine, my beloved Camry for 210,000 miles, and never cleaned her fuel injector ports. Though in hindsight, maybe I should have....maybe that's why she was so tempermental.).

The warranty does provide for a rental car--"basic transportation." The rental car guy needed an impression of my credit card, just to make sure that I didn't steal the car (* which, on thinking about it, makes me laugh--how much can the car be worth that a normal person's credit card would cover the cost of replacing it?????)....I asked him what kind of car it was; I hadn't seen it, he'd just come to CarMax (which is nice--they bring you the car & pick it up for you when you're done, so you don't have to drive all over creation)--and he told me it was a Chevy Cavalier. I said, "Yeah, you'll be getting the car back." Luckily he laughed.

So this afternoon, I took the sweet ride that was the Cavalier back to CarMax to pick up my car...who is all better, after a modest amount of greenery was thrown in CarMax's general direction.

I talked to the CarMax guy, asking him why all this stuff needed to be done (and I brought up the alternator from July)...he said that Nissans are known for being bad for carbon buildup on the fuel injectors...great. He said that I can help it by putting a higher octane gas in my tank. As far as the alternator & mass air flow sensors...he's said he's seen them go out in brand new cars. I didn't ask if they were CarMax cars, or just cars in general....but he did tell me, very nicely, that I can call the warranty folks, explain what happened with the alternator, and they'll be happy to reimburse me.

Great!!! I call the warranty people up; talk to a very nice but very humorless young man who pretty much assured me that they'd deny my claim since it wasn't pre-approved. I pointed out that an alternator isn't usually a "spur of the moment" purchase--it's usually because it's needed. I think it's just their policy to deny all claims. But, with Patrick in Lancaster today & tomorrow, then Belmont on Thursday & Friday, I really don't have anything better to do that to write a letter to the warranty people.

And, as Patrick will be beginning a new assignment in Lexington, KY (that's about 5 1/2 hours away, for those of you who have your atlases handy) on Monday, for about 3 weeks, I'll really have nothing better to do than to appeal the claim that I'm sure will be denied.

Stay tuned for the upcoming saga of How Chauntelle Got Reimbursed for the Alternator (or, How Does One Bored Wife Harass The Heck Out Of The Extended Warranty Company). I'm sure it will be riveting.

Friday is here at last...

I can't tell you what a draggy week it's been...it seems like this week has been 492 days long. But, it's soon to be Friday (cuz I'm dog-tired, and I hear my pillow calling my name....).

Tomorrow night Patrick & I are going to see Wilco in concert in Asheville. Patrick really, really, really likes Wilco; they're starting to grow on me. I don't know if it's a "they" so much as just Jeff Tweedy. Tweety? Anywho, something like that. It's what Patrick wanted for his birthday (we do that big blow-out, the Celebration of All Things Patrick, next week.)--he saw they were coming to a place near us, so I bought tickets for us to go. We're going to have to meet up south of Asheville, though, as he's still stationed in Lancaster--about 2 1/2 hours to the east of Asheville; and I'm, of course, in Greenville--about 1 1/2 hour south of Asheville. So, we're going to meet up at a gas station at exit 9 off of I-26. Romantic, huh? Maybe they have Cheez-Whiz in a can. We'll call it a party.

Lest you get the wrong idea--I am looking forward to the concert. It'll be fun, and different, and it'll get us out of the house! I'm not sure if we'll stay in Asheville tomorrow night or not--the annual Fall for Greenville celebration also starts tomorrow, and runs through the weekend. It's a BIG DEAL. Rick & Bubba will be there tomorrow & Saturday (radio hosts...I know they're big in TN & in the Carolinas. Not sure about Florida & Georgia.); along with a slew of musicians, and food. So, we want to be back in town to enjoy some of that, and if we stay over in Asheville, it's easy to full under Asheville's spell and stay there awhile. We'll see. A lot depends on what time the concert lets out.

On another musical note, I think I am, in a way, cursed, when it comes to R.E.M. songs. Patrick can vouch for me: every time I turn on the radio, be it on TV w/the cable music stations, in the car w/the Satellite, or listening on-line to a music station, I am guaranteed to hear at least one R.E.M. song, sometimes two. Anyway. Not sure what that pertains to, but it was on my mind, and as this is my blog, I felt like I could share it with y'all.

I'm looking forward to the weekend--hopefully they'll tell Patrick that he can come home, and he won't have to leave me again next week....I really can't keep eating like I have been. When he's home I have to at least pretend I'm an adult & fix real meals. Or at the very least, meals that don't revolve around cheese & chili.

Well, it's Tuesday

It's Tuesday, and that's about all I can say for today. Patrick is back in Lancaster, SC (about 2 hours away), and he's coming back on Wednesday night. I like to think it's because he misses me so much during the week, but there's a part of my brain that knows it's because he didn't take enough clean undies. I am glad he's coming home mid-week, though. I miss him, and it seems like when I'm by myself, I turn very slug-like. I'm not proud of this fact, but it's a fact nonetheless.

Take last night fer instance. We have got a pantry chock full o'food. The fridge? I've never seen more food in my life (well, maybe when we visit Mee Ma & Pee Pa's, but that's another story). The freezer? We're stocked. So when my tummy starts grumbling, I know there are about 14 things that I can fix for dinner. What do I have?

I eat the rest of the Terra 'tater chips (they're fabulous--especially the blue ones)--about 10 full chips & the crumbs I licked off the side of the bag. No, not really. Well, maybe a little bit. And then I made some peanut butter toast. Then around 10ish I had a salad (complete with croutons & baco-bits. Because the spinach leaves are just a conveyance for the bacos & croutons). And that was my dinner.

Tonight I'm having Petros for dinner. Those of you in Knoxville know what a "Petro" is; "Frito Pie" is what others call it....and for those of you who are still clueless: you take fritos. You put chili on top. You put some cheese on it. You microwave it until the chili is hot & the cheese is all melty. Presto--you've got dinner. Then, because one can't have enough chili (and I needed to do something with the remaining 1/2 can of chili), I'm going to melt some pepper jack cheese into the chili & dip tortilla chips in it.

I'm already in my pajama pants...I'll wrap my faux fur blankie around me at some point & watch some pointless show that I've got saved on our PiVo (I think I'm in the middle of "Ballroom Bootcamp" right now), and that'll be my night.

So if y'all will excuse me, I've got some cheese to melt.

Some words of wisdom....

The other day, I was heading to work, and I was struck by how profound the following is:

One life, I’m gonna live it up.
I’m taking flight, I said I’ll never get enough.
Stand tall; I’m young and kinda proud.

If you think I’ll sit around as the world goes by,
You’re thinking like a fool, cause it’s a case of do or die.
Out there is a fortune waiting to be had--
You think I’ll let it go, you’re mad,You’ve got another thing coming.
(R. Halford)

And then again, on my ride to work this morning, I was inspired by these words of wisdom:

No stop signs, speed limit;
Nobody's gonna slow me down.
Like a wheel, gonna spin it;
Nobody's gonna mess me round.
(B. Scott)

And that just made me really think: we do only have one life, and we need to live it up. We should stand tall—we’re young and (some of us) very proud. We should not let the world just pass us by, we should be reaching for our fortune (in this case, I see “fortune” as “what makes you happy”). We shouldn’t let anyone slow us down, mess us around.

And if someone does slow you down, mess you around, stand in your way:

They’ve got another thing comin’.

Sorry it's been awhile....

I know that I've been lax in my postings--to all of my fans, I apologize. I wish I had some good reason for the lack of news. It's just that nothing's really happened.

We've just been kicking back, enjoying what Greenville has to offer (mainly in the way of food...I REALLY need to get back to the Y!).

I've cleaned out my closet & gave a bunch of stuff to Goodwill (even some shoes, and for those of you who know me & my love of shoes...this is big news. Well, maybe not big news. Okay, just a tidbit of information that will be of no relevance whatsoever.).

Had a GREAT visit with Mom & Dad--didn't really do much. We just kicked around Greenville; went to Connemara in Flat Rock, NC & petted some stinky goats; watched MXC & laughed until we just about peed our pants. I've really enjoyed seeing Mom & Dad as much as I have these last few months. Hopefully their house will sell soon, and they can be even closer.

And on that note, I hope OUR house sells soon. Still no word from our realtor as far as if anyone has even looked at the house. Everyone, just think positive thoughts. It's a good little house, in a nice area, and I'm sure it will make a very nice place to live for someone. We just need that someone to see the house. It would be nice to have it sold by the end of the year, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen. We're still trying to figure out a way that we can go back, what with me not having any vacation time...I'm sure it'll all work out. Or, we can draw straws to see who flies back & who stays here.

We did have fun this past week--Patrick had read about an arcade where they have miniature golf, go-karts, & food on a stick, so we went on Tuesday night. We played miniature golf (Patrick won...by 1 stroke) and we played Air Hockey (I won, by one point). We had a rematch on Friday night...just on the Air Hockey. We had to play 3 games, because at the end of the 2nd game, we were tied. He ultimately won. Not without terrorizing some of the other patrons with our fast & furious playing, though (the puck flew off the table and almost beaned some people walking by. When we play, the really need to give helmets to bystanders. We get rough.).

And, we've finally entered the age of high-speed interent. Yup, our DSL modem arrived on Friday, so we've been marveling at 1) how fast it is, and 2) how someone could call & we'd be able to talk to them. So, as you can imagine, we've been somewhat slug-like this weekend, what with rediscovering the 'net & all.

We did get out to run some errands yesterday, and will be running to the Bi-Lo & drug store this morning, so that Patrick can get some snacky-yums to take with him to....Lancaster, SC.

Yes, boys & girls--it's that time again--when Patrick gets to go to some other plant in a city that isn't Greenville. Lancaster is better than Cheraw, both in terms of things to do there & distance, but it's still 2 hours away. He'll be able to come in late on Monday mornings & leave early on Friday night, so we'll have the full weekend together, but it's still gonna suck. Okay, that's my one gripe--I know that it could be so much worse, and we're grateful that he's got a paycheck, and we'll just deal with it. On the plus side, I'll have the computer & high-speed internet all to myself.....

I think that's about all for now...My love to everyone!!!!