Amy convinced Brian and I to go to Spinning class with her last night at the gym. Woah. It was serious.
Good points:
• It's dark in class.
• There is loud music, 75% of it good.
• It's kind of like a dance club. Or a planetarium. But no dancing, booze or stars. Wait, that's not really good. Nevermind.
• It was free cone night at Ben & Jerry's so we got to have ice cream after class. Oh wait, it's not free cone night after every Spinning class, is it?
Bad points:
• I thought I was going to pass out.
• There are men in class.
• It smells a little funky in that co-ed gym.
• Up and down on a bike seat for an hour hurts. A LOT.
Conclusion: I felt nice and energized afterwards. It was a great workout. But today I feel like a mule kicked me in the crotch and/or I fell down a flight of stairs on my ass.
Spinning = ouch.
We'll see if Amy can convince us to go again next week. She might have to bribe me with more New York Super Fudge Chunk.
Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Whew! Otto is OK now. Some kind of sensor was loose and made the computer go wacky, which made the CE light go on and could have possibly made the car lose power. But he is fine now, and I can pick him up after work. Horray! I hope he is still clean. I bet he did this because he was jealous that I sat in all those other cars at the NYC Auto Show on Saturday. Check out my photos here.
Oh, Otto. Check Engine light came on last night on the way home from work. And he was just at Curran for an oil change on Saturday! Poor baby. I bet it's the coilpacks going. Damn 1.8T engine. Hopefully that is it, and they can fix him up today and I can take him back home. I hate it when he's not home. And I even got him washed yesterday! Oh, Otto. :(
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Horray for ImageStation and new Nikon cameras. Here is a link to my new ImageStation homepage. And here is a link to Evy's. Bookmark it, I promise to update mine often!
Tonight Buns and I are going to a press premiere of The Real Cancun. I can't wait for wild, drunk, naked college antics on the big screen. It is rated R for strong sexuality/nudity, language and partying. Sweet.
Tonight Buns and I are going to a press premiere of The Real Cancun. I can't wait for wild, drunk, naked college antics on the big screen. It is rated R for strong sexuality/nudity, language and partying. Sweet.
Monday, April 21, 2003
Yay digital camera fun! I took pictures of everything this past weekend — Friday night's c.o. Jones tequila antics, Sunday's sunny Mets game, Easter, and of course, many photos of my loves Otto and Ruffles. Here's a link to the photos from Day 1, but make sure you look around all the albums and bookmark my site for photo updates. (I swear I upload photos more than I blog.)
Thursday, April 17, 2003
OK, today it's 40 degrees, and that stinks. Bring back spring!
But I am happy because Reality Check made it onto the national entertainment wire today. (That means my column could get picked up by pretty much any Engligh language paper around the world!)
And this morning I finally ordered a digital camera. The Nikon CoolPix 2500. It's nothing too crazy or fancy, but that's OK. I just want something fun, portable and good enough to take photos of Otto and his friends. I can't wait to get it!
But I am happy because Reality Check made it onto the national entertainment wire today. (That means my column could get picked up by pretty much any Engligh language paper around the world!)
And this morning I finally ordered a digital camera. The Nikon CoolPix 2500. It's nothing too crazy or fancy, but that's OK. I just want something fun, portable and good enough to take photos of Otto and his friends. I can't wait to get it!
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Friday, April 11, 2003
Today is Ruffles' birthday. He is 14! That's 98 in doggie years. That's older than Grandma!
I can't believe my baby is 98!
Not bad for being half-blind, half-deaf and a little bit wobbly. I can't believe his scary back surgery was over two years ago, too. You laugh, but his K-9 Cart totally saved his life. He'd be handicapped and in doggie diapers if he didn't have it. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? That doggie wheelchair taught an old dog how to walk again in just a few months. And it made him a neighborhood celebrity.
His other secrets to success? Luxury and arrogance — getting his hair and nails done every six weeks, having his laundry done every other day, sleeping on a Sealy Posturepedic pillowtop mattress, sunbathing, weekly car rides, two balanced meals a day, monthly photoshoots, his red sweater, and of course, not taking shit from anyone.
Yay for Ruffy! Happy Birthday!
I can't believe my baby is 98!
Not bad for being half-blind, half-deaf and a little bit wobbly. I can't believe his scary back surgery was over two years ago, too. You laugh, but his K-9 Cart totally saved his life. He'd be handicapped and in doggie diapers if he didn't have it. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? That doggie wheelchair taught an old dog how to walk again in just a few months. And it made him a neighborhood celebrity.
His other secrets to success? Luxury and arrogance — getting his hair and nails done every six weeks, having his laundry done every other day, sleeping on a Sealy Posturepedic pillowtop mattress, sunbathing, weekly car rides, two balanced meals a day, monthly photoshoots, his red sweater, and of course, not taking shit from anyone.
Yay for Ruffy! Happy Birthday!
Thursday, April 10, 2003
I love tires. I am obsessed with my tires — Michelin Pilot Sports. And I'm usually pretty obsessive about making sure the pressure is correct in my tires.
So last week as I was in the driveway, my mom said, "Gee, Kara, that tire looks a little low," and points to the front right tire. I get out, give it a glance, and say, "They're low-profile tires, Ma, I think it's OK." I shrugged it off.
The car has been driving fine, but yesterday on the way out of the gym I noticed that tire looked a little low. Come to think of it, they all looked a little low. I vowed to check the pressure when I got home. Of course I went upstairs and watched "American Idol" instead. But at 10 o'clock I dragged my dad outside and asked him if they looked low. I got out the trusty tire pressure gauge...
(Background info: Front tire psi should be 30, rear tire psi should be 28.)
The right front tire's psi was 16.
!!!
The rest were at least 5-10 psi underinflated, too.
(I'm assuming that when Curran VW swapped the rears to the front and vice-versa, they didn't check the tire pressure. Grrr.)
But 16 psi?!
I almost died. I felt like a neglectful mother who left her baby out in the cold for days. Or left the baby's shoes untied. Or let the baby choke on the strained peas. (You get the idea.) I almost cried. How could I be such a bad momma? God bless Otto for not hitting a pothole and bending a rim or losing control. That's 14 pounds under accurate pressue! And according to TireRack:
"If your vehicle’s tires are underinflated by only 6 psi it could lead to tire failure. Additionally, the tire’s tread life could be reduced by as much as 25%. Lower inflation pressure will allow the tire to deflect (bend) more as it rolls. This will build up internal heat, increase rolling resistance and cause a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%. You would find a significant loss of steering precision and cornering stability. While 6 psi doesn’t seem excessively low, remember, it usually represents about 20% of the tire’s recommended pressure."
I hereby vow to check Otto's tire pressure twice a week from now on.
Go check your tire pressue... now!
So last week as I was in the driveway, my mom said, "Gee, Kara, that tire looks a little low," and points to the front right tire. I get out, give it a glance, and say, "They're low-profile tires, Ma, I think it's OK." I shrugged it off.
The car has been driving fine, but yesterday on the way out of the gym I noticed that tire looked a little low. Come to think of it, they all looked a little low. I vowed to check the pressure when I got home. Of course I went upstairs and watched "American Idol" instead. But at 10 o'clock I dragged my dad outside and asked him if they looked low. I got out the trusty tire pressure gauge...
(Background info: Front tire psi should be 30, rear tire psi should be 28.)
The right front tire's psi was 16.
!!!
The rest were at least 5-10 psi underinflated, too.
(I'm assuming that when Curran VW swapped the rears to the front and vice-versa, they didn't check the tire pressure. Grrr.)
But 16 psi?!
I almost died. I felt like a neglectful mother who left her baby out in the cold for days. Or left the baby's shoes untied. Or let the baby choke on the strained peas. (You get the idea.) I almost cried. How could I be such a bad momma? God bless Otto for not hitting a pothole and bending a rim or losing control. That's 14 pounds under accurate pressue! And according to TireRack:
"If your vehicle’s tires are underinflated by only 6 psi it could lead to tire failure. Additionally, the tire’s tread life could be reduced by as much as 25%. Lower inflation pressure will allow the tire to deflect (bend) more as it rolls. This will build up internal heat, increase rolling resistance and cause a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%. You would find a significant loss of steering precision and cornering stability. While 6 psi doesn’t seem excessively low, remember, it usually represents about 20% of the tire’s recommended pressure."
I hereby vow to check Otto's tire pressure twice a week from now on.
Go check your tire pressue... now!
Friday, April 04, 2003
My brother is the coolest brother ever. He sent me a little package this week and asked me if I want to volunteer with him at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. It is a year and a half away, but of course I'm going to fill out the application. I want to go to Greece! Of course, there is no one better to explore an exciting new country with than Chris. And the official mascots of the games are a brother and sister, Phevos and Athena.
"Phevos and Athena are two children, simple and joyful, full of vitality and creativity, perhaps mischievous and hence lovable. Phevos and Athena see sports like a game, as all children do. ... Through their laughter, their lively presence, their freedom of movement and their will to cooperate and stay united, Phevos and Athena will be with us from now on to express with enthusiasm and optimism our will to be united and to share the joy of the greatest celebration of humanity: the Olympic Games. Together, they are ready to show us the way towards the 2004 Olympic Games."
See, it's perfect. Chris and I must go be brother and sister goodwill ambassadors at the Olympics, just like Phevos and Athena. And after all our hard work, we'll just have to go party it up ouzo-style on a Greek island for a few days afterwards.
Besides, I must go to the 2004 Olympics as part of my preparation to be on the USA Bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
Now go fill out the application so you can come, too!
"Phevos and Athena are two children, simple and joyful, full of vitality and creativity, perhaps mischievous and hence lovable. Phevos and Athena see sports like a game, as all children do. ... Through their laughter, their lively presence, their freedom of movement and their will to cooperate and stay united, Phevos and Athena will be with us from now on to express with enthusiasm and optimism our will to be united and to share the joy of the greatest celebration of humanity: the Olympic Games. Together, they are ready to show us the way towards the 2004 Olympic Games."
See, it's perfect. Chris and I must go be brother and sister goodwill ambassadors at the Olympics, just like Phevos and Athena. And after all our hard work, we'll just have to go party it up ouzo-style on a Greek island for a few days afterwards.
Besides, I must go to the 2004 Olympics as part of my preparation to be on the USA Bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.
Now go fill out the application so you can come, too!
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Oh, it's been so many days. So much drama, I don't want to get into it.
You know it was a good weekend when you're still recovering and it's Tuesday.
For Laura's birthday we spent Saturday night being swank at The Villard at the Palace Hotel, then being hip at Openair, and then after many Red Bull and vodkas and one midnight-enforced SMOKING BAN later, three of us ended up at Go, which is apparently one of Moby's hangouts. And Britney and Justin used to hang out there, too. And we didn't even have to pay the supposed $80 cover charge to get in. We're so money.
Sunday's Volkswagen get together was rainy, cold, hungover, tired and stressful. It makes me hate Fairfield County's VW counterparts. Here's some boy's album online. Go spot Otto in the rain!
You know it was a good weekend when you're still recovering and it's Tuesday.
For Laura's birthday we spent Saturday night being swank at The Villard at the Palace Hotel, then being hip at Openair, and then after many Red Bull and vodkas and one midnight-enforced SMOKING BAN later, three of us ended up at Go, which is apparently one of Moby's hangouts. And Britney and Justin used to hang out there, too. And we didn't even have to pay the supposed $80 cover charge to get in. We're so money.
Sunday's Volkswagen get together was rainy, cold, hungover, tired and stressful. It makes me hate Fairfield County's VW counterparts. Here's some boy's album online. Go spot Otto in the rain!
