I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but is it my lucky day (or two)?
Last night on the way home from work I won four movie tickets on Star 99.9! OK, I know, it's a total dork radio station, but I listen to it for the traffic. And the tickets are for some cartoon: "Sinbad — Legend of the Seven Seas all the way in Westbrook (at least an hour away). But so what, I won something! Whee!
Then this morning while I was getting dressed, I saw Mr.Curran drive up the street in brand spankin' new Touareg. Exciting!
And Otto had a good morning. It only took 45 minutes to get to work today. I forgot how much I love Friday mornings in the summer. The lack of traffic almost makes up for the hellish Thursday afternoon commutes.
But most importantly Otto raced a Honda S2000 this morning and WON! OK, I think the old guy I was racing was a little apprehensive, but no matter, Otto won! When we pulled up to the next traffic light, all the guy could do is smile, and I said, "Come on, did you even try? I know you're faster than me," and I drove away. Hehe.
Happy Friday!

Also, today I will begin keeping track of the wondrous items I spot on I-95 every day during my commute from Hell. Now that Otto is back from the hospital and his fender is fixed, surely he will be part of a game of highway ping-pong or pinball again soon.
Today I spy:
A banged up hood of a car in the left shoulder in Stamford. Thank you, Volkswagen gods, for not letting it be in the left lane.

See, I told you I love that $5.98 Wal-Mart bin.


YOU LIVE IN A WALMART BAG!!!


what's YOUR deepest secret?
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I love the bargain $5.98 DVD bin at Wal-Mart. In the past few weeks I have purchased two real gems: "The Mod Squad," which I heard was horrendous, but I bought it anyway because Giovanni Ribisi is in it, and "Cabin Boy," which I know is horrendous and I purchased it only because it stars Chris Elliott. I love Chris Elliott. This reminds me that I must buy those "Get a Life" DVDs. That show is the best ever. Now if only those DVDs were in the $5.98 bin.
Also, I love the $5.98 bin for people watching purposes. Bratty children and pushy hicks adore the $5.98 bin and dig and throw and dig and throw the DVDs all over the place, usually ending up with sourpuss faces because they can't find anything good in there. What exactly are they looking for? Definitely not the endless copies of "Major League 2," "The Smokers" or cheap Bruce Lee flicks. I know they were all jealous when I found the lone copy of "Cabin Boy." Teeheehee!

This week blows:
1. Otto is still injured.
2. One, but possibly two, of my best friends are moving.
3. A very special kitty went to kitty heaven yesterday.
4. And at this rate, I don't think I will ever leave familyland.

Tell me to shut up and stop complaining. Remember, Kara, the glass is half full:
1. Otto is getting fixed Monday for approximately $360, which is less than I expected.
2. Friends in new places is fun, because then I get to visit them.
3. The kitty is happy and not suffering anymore.
4. I can concentrate on saving money.
And of course, Vegas in 41 days.
But it seems so far away.

Wow, I'm such a bitch this week.

This morning Otto became part of a little pinball game on I-95 South in Darien. Out of nowhere a black, round, bouncing object about the size of my fist came flying at him. Being the aggressive bully boy that he is, he fought off the object and got a little bruised up. His war wounds are three, half-inch deep scratches and a small dent above the wheel well on the right front fender. Otto, of course, wears this with pride, but I, of course, want to cry. My poor baby.
I hate I-95. I hate traffic. I hate road debris.
But I love Otto and he will be in the body shop as soon as possible.

T0d@y at w0rk I r3v3aled th@t 5omet1mes when I send emails fr0m my work addre55, I use a l!ttle code to h!de swe@rs. They were l!ke, "Wh@t the h3ll are y0u wr1t1ng?" I tr!ed to expl@1n that sometimes y0u need to h!de word5 like "c@sin0" or "c@sh" because spam-block!ng pr0g@ms won't @ccept emails with w0rd5 like that. They definite1y d!d N0T believe me, and pr0bably th!nk 1 am running a p0rn ring out of h3r3. Eh, @t lea5t I can pr0vId3 some enterta!ntment to @n 0therw!5e dre@ry d@y.
By the w@y, my fav0r!te w0rd to c0d3?
51ut.
G0t th@t?

Thanks, Buns.

1. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR KITCHEN PLATES?
Fiestaware pastels: green, pink, blue, grey and yellow.
2. WHAT ARE YOU READING NOW?
The newspaper. Always.
3. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
American Girl Place in Chicago.
4. FAVORITE GAME?
Spin the Bottle.
5. FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
Eurotuner. Too bad I never buy it.
6. FAVORITE SMELL?
Satsuma. (Orange.)
7. LEAST FAVORITE SMELL?
When it smells like Otto's engine is on fire.
8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP?
Where's the TV remote?
9. FAVORITE COLOR?
Silver. Reflex Silver.
10. LEAST FAVORITE COLOR?
That nasty Acura metallic burnt orange.
11. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?
Many. I hate answering the phone.
12. FUTURE Child's NAME?
Jule. Syndel. Sandra. Maybe William for a boy.
13. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE?
Family.
15. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate love.
16. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?
Once you go turbo, you never go back. Oh Otto.
17. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Yes. A stuffed bear. (Jiggs forever!) And Ruffles. But he's alive.
18. STORMS: LIKE/DON'T LIKE
I like them unless I have to drive in them.
19. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
1982 Honda Civic 4-door. The Grey Ghost. 2nd place in Clunker of the Year contest at Shelton High School, baby. I love rust.
20. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE WHO
WOULD IT BE?
My Aunt Sandy. I wish I could remember her.
21. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?
Cosmos.
22. WHAT IS YOUR SIGN &YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Sagittarius. December 10, 1977.
23. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
Yes.
24. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB WHAT Would IT BE?
Race car driver! And watching TV in the off-time.
25. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY COLOR HAIR, WHAT WOULD IT
BE?
I will stay blond.
26. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Yes.
27. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Full.
28. FAVORITE MOVIE?
"The Fast and the Furious" and "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."
29. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS?
Sorta.
30. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?
A stash of boys.
31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER?
337.
32. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH?
Baseball. College basketball.
33. WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST FEAR
Loneliness.
34. SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS
TO YOU.
I like Bunny because she plays Power Hour with me, drives me around in the Jetta when I am drunk and watches TV with me. That's three things!
35. PERSON Most LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Kitty.
37. FAVORITE GROUP?
Consistenly, Pantera. But lately I like Machine Head. And I'm liking this new Metallica Patrick is playing!
38. FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
"Home Movies," "The Amazing Race 4," "The Anna Nicole Show," "Big Brother." All reality TV, of course. And "Emeril Live!" And anything on the Food Network with Tyler Florence. I know I watch way too much TV.
39. KETCHUP OR MUSTARD?
I love that Las Ketchups song. Hey, ha, hey...
40. HAMBURGERS OR HOTDOGS?
Both. OK, if just one then, hamburgers.
41. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK?
Ginger Ale.
42. THE BEST PLACES YOU HAVE EVER BEEN?
Here we go:
Las Vegas, Nevada. Every ounce of it.
Vienna, Austria. Especially the Christmas Market and Schonbrunn Palace.
Istria, Croatia. That bar on the rocky beach. The water is the truest blue I've ever seen.
Lago di Garda, Italy. It's the ultimate Euro holiday land.
Berlin, Germany. For the cool factor and it's the land of the VW Golfs.
Porto, Portugal. And the Minho Region of Portugal on the Atlantic Coast.
Budapest, Hungary. Consistenly awesome.
Of course the Domincan Republic.
Uehling, Nebraska. (No kidding.)
Driving through the twisty roads of the Austrian Alps in the summer with my brother (and seeing snow) is probably one of my favorite memories. And then we stayed in that palace in Salzburg, Austria, where "The Sound of Music" was taped!
And the freakin' Autobahn!
I need a vacation.
43. WHAT SCREEN SAVER IS ON YOUR COMPUTER RIGHT NOW?
$$The Price is Right!$$
44. BURGER KING OR MCDONALD'S?
McDs.

Dr. Scholl's sandals are the best shoes. My mom bought me a pair of navy blue leather exercise sandals. I remember when I was a kid, I used to love clomping around in her wooden soled Dr. Scholl's sandals. I thought they were so grown up and cool and pretty lady. And now I finally have my own, but now they have rubber bottoms over the wood. They're still the coolest, though. Happy 1970s!

Last night I gave Otto a bath and then we took some night shots. Too bad it's going to rain today, again. You can see the pictures here. I really like this one: