Category: Gadgets

Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This

I totally thought the perfect day I’d envisioned was going down the toilet. After blogging from my cell phone while waiting for Mario at his workplace I waited for about 20 more minutes until he was done with the car he’d been working on. He gets into the car and breaks the news: no paycheck. The boss hadn’t come around to sign them yet so they couldn’t give them out. We were totally broke so we had no choice but to go home. BUMMER. As Mario was getting out of the Equinox to get into his truck (the Silverado) I get a call from John telling me I’d received a package from FedEx. Yay, my laptop! The day seemed just a little brighter. We both left and (safely) raced each other home to get the first glance at the laptop.

I got here first with the boys (buahaha) and we started taking the box apart to look at the new beauty. And let me tell you: it’s gorgeous. The 17″ screen is huge, the case is a metallic-y indigo, it’s got a built-in webcam and mic, an SD card reader, it’s got a regular-sized keyboard so there’s a number pad…I could go on and on. I want to have its babies.

I set everything up and I had to make lunch so Mario messed around with it. We had some ice cream (those of you who live where there are H-E-B’s have GOT to try the Creamy Creations Smores ice cream. I could eat the whole thing on my own. But I held back…) and then looked at the clock. 3:15. Darnit. We’d missed the last “less expensive” showing of Transformers. I hate going after 6 because it’s so expensive. Then I got an idea–hello, the theatre in McAllen! We searched and there was two we could still make it to at that one. We rushed around getting shoes back on and I got Alaethia’s food ready so Mom could feed her (she was babysitting for us, bless her. If it weren’t for my mom I’d have no social life). We had exactly half an hour to get there on time but still had to stop at the ATM. We get there, it didn’t work. DAMMIT. Only other thing to do was go all the way around the crossover to the bank and withdraw from our savings. We’d already wasted 15 minutes — there was no way we’d make it on time. Mario stopped by his workplace to get something since we were already over there to get his drill and then stopped by Jorge’s work a few blocks away. Jorge told him about the Carmike Theatre. We hadn’t even thought of that one! So there we go and there’s two shows we can catch. Woo!

We get our snacks then get in line. The line was about a mile long but we still got perfect seats for the 4 of us. I ask the boys if they need to go pee and although they don’t, they go just in case. Then the movie starts.

SPOILER ALERT!! DON’T READ IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE AND HAVEN’T!

It was THE GREATEST MOVIE, EVAR. Seriously, the best thing I’ve seen this year. Brought back memories of childhood and hoping we could have a car that would turn into a giant robot. I’ve got to admit, as girlie as I am I love cars and robots, always have. Maybe it comes from having mostly male cousins and a brother. I’m so glad my kids get to experience Transformers. Although they have loved Transformers even before the movie was even announced. Anyway, enough cheese. It was just awesome. I seriously had chills running up and down my arms and it was just suspenseful and awesome. There was also a sad part where I held it together and let the boys wrap themselves around my arms since they were crying. Eenan couldn’t stop crying after that. John totally missed out! He didn’t want to go because he said he wouldn’t enjoy it but my God, he’s going to regret it!

/END SPOILER ALERT.

I can’t wait till next week, for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! I know I’m going to love it as much as (if not more than) Transformers.

We were a bit somber on the way home. Mario’s becoming really stressed with stupid things that keep happening at work. I won’t go into detail, but I just wish they’d notice what a hard worker he is and show their appreciation. Gargh. But anyway, we got home and chilled out at Mary’s with Jorge, Mary, Yadira and her kiddos, and Mom. We talked, laughed at Alaethia and Matthew’s baby-ness, and checked out our new laptop. We had some ice cream cake and then after everyone went home (and Mario went to Chris’) I came home with Aly. The boys are both sleeping over at Mary’s so the house is quiet, I washed up before bed and have Aly here in bed with me while blogging. This is the life right here, people. Why didn’t you all who surfed the web from bed ever tell me just how awesome this is?!

Surfing From Bed

I may just finally get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (if I don’t have it already…I have these weird balls on the back of my wrist that Carmen said look like the cysts she was diagnosed with) but dammit, it will be well worth it!

(Just looked at the time –it’s 07/07/07!! How cool is that?)

[Edit: 12:59am.] Okay, so Christina Aguilera is apparently pregnant and Mario’s heart has broken into a million pieces. Nicole Richie is also supposedly pregnant, but that one’s not confirmed. Craziness.

And also, J.K. Rowling bawled her eyes out while writing the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

She finished the book alone in a hotel room.

“I was sobbing my heart out — I downed half a bottle of champagne from the mini bar in one and went home with mascara all over my face. That was really tough.”

… She also tells interviewer Jonathan Ross how she changed the last word in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the 11th hour.

So if she cried, I might just die. I can’t tell you just how friggin’ EXCITED I am about this book. I have all these theories swirling around inside my head but we’ll just have to see. Okay, I’m going to bed now, for reals. Alaethia’s asleep and it’s 1:05am, which is pretty “early” for her, so hopefully she’ll stay asleep when I place her in her crib. [/End Edit]

Electronics and Appliances Make Me Happy

I’m so excited. *squee* In 7-10 business days I will be the proud owner of this Toshiba Satellite Notebook! FINALLY! My old notebook (that Mario sold a few months ago) was also a Toshiba Satellite, but much slower with a lot less features. Mario actually broke and let me order it (on credit, of course). Good thing we paid off 4 of our other credit cards, buahaha.

I actually wanted the other Satellite that had one more Gig of RAM, but it was a measly $40 over my credit limit and I couldn’t get it. The nice lady I spoke to searched for all the features I wanted and found this one for me. The only difference is the 1 gig of RAM, but we can always upgrade up to 4 Gigs later on. And this one is almost $200 cheaper!

But anyway, I’m thrilled!

Another cool thing that happened today: Noelia and Andy gave us a microwave! Woo! We’d been needing a new one for quite some time already, since the one we had was over 8 years old, didn’t have the glass plate at the bottom anymore (Jaylen broke it when he was 3 and I was using a regular plate in its place), and it was the knob kind, not digital, so I could never tell how much I was warming up Alaethia’s food. And the new one’s much bigger than the other one. They didn’t even let us pay them for it. Bless them <3. The rest of today's activities included Mom, Alaethia and me (John stayed with the boys) going to Walmart and getting the 4th of July stuff Mom's contributing and Alaethia's formula and baby food jars. We witnessed a fender-bender in the parking lot. One of the cars was a Stratus like Mary's and it's good to know that if she ever gets in a fender-bender (*knock on wood*), her bumper would pop right back into shape! We also went to H-E-B for the apple pies and ice cream Mario and I are contributing. There, while standing in line to pay Mary's water bill I witnessed a grandmother wailing on her grandson while waiting in line to pay for her groceries. She smacked him on the mouth, pushed him around, shook him...it was awful. And nobody said anything! I would have, had I been much closer to them. The cashiers were a mixture of shocked and embarrassed...they looked so uncomfortable. At one point, the boy got so annoyed by her that he smacked her in the mouth! I’m afraid to know how violent that poor kid is at school. Who knew what he did or said to provoke the grandmother’s behavior, but there was no need for her to treat him that way. Ugh. People like that just irk me.

Anyway, Aly needs attention. Goodnight!

Time Warner, How I Loathe Thee

I finally have time to blog and whaddya know, I can’t! I’m currently typing this in Word (9:00am).

I hate the cable guy right now. Namely, the cable guy who came over yesterday to fix the few channels that weren’t showing from our box and ruined everything. My channels are now working correctly, but for some reason he ran a new line to the pole and totally effed up Mary’s cable at her house—the box in Noelia’s room and the regular cable in her bedroom. Oh yeah, and the Roadrunner as well.

Alaethia decided that last night was the perfect time to fall asleep at 2am. Grr. She always does things like that when I absolutely have to stay awake the next morning after Mario and the boys are gone. I feel so darn sleepy right now.

So, I guess I can update a bit since I haven’t really since last Saturday. Lord knows I have the time right now. The Little Miss won’t be awake for at least 15 more minutes.

Sunday, the 6th – Mario and I spent all of last Sunday morning and afternoon putting together our new TV table for the living room. We cleaned up a tangle of wires and several piles of dust bunnies from behind and under the old entertainment center. Everything looks much neater now and there’s a lot less free surface on the TV table to leave junk on. That’s always a plus. We also freed up at least 10 cubic feet of space since getting rid of the old entertainment center.

We went to Home Depot (accompanied by John—Mom stayed with all the kiddos) to buy the stuff for The Bathroom Floor Makeover. Some 16×16 ceramic tile, adhesive, grout, a step ladder (yay, now I can finally reach the highest cupboards in the kitchen!), and a few other things equaled to $125. Our bathroom is kind of small, so that seemed like quite a lot but what can you do?

We went to an impromptu party on the way back home. It was a Communion party for one of Mario’s co-worker’s little girls. We had some posole and John and I talked about the fight from the night before and how I was more like Oscar de la Hoya (hitting and going crazy) and he was more like Mayweather (running around like a sissy after getting a little punch in) LOL. It was John’s analogy, not mine!

I tried not to leave the house unless I absolutely needed to the rest of the week. 1) because of gas prices (going to and from town will guzzle up a quarter of a tank) and 2) because I had a lot to do around the house and leaving would only prolong housecleaning. I did, however, go to Goodwill on Monday with John to drop off all the dishes, breakables and trinkets that didn’t sell at the yard sale.

Remember how I said I shouldn’t take my junk to a thrift shop I frequent because I’d buy it back? I almost did just that! I told John, “Let’s look around real quick,” after getting the stuff off the car. I ended up finding a really cute Fondue set, which I’ve always wanted for $5. Can’t WAIT to use it! I also got the boys a brand-new Golden Book of Poems for $1.

One of the items I’d donated was a ceramic Care Bear. I’d glued it back together after it came crashing down on the floor once. Since Noelia gave me another Funshine Bear exactly like the one I’d glued back together I took that one to Goodwill. As we were walking out I noticed they were bringing a shopping cart out from the back. That only means that they’re bringing out “new” merchandise. I scuttle over to the cart and tell John, “Oh, look! This Care Bear looks just like mine!” As I get closer I notice IT IS MINE. The one I’d just donated LOL. Told you I’d end up doing that!

I spent most of last week trying to gather all the junk leftover from the yard sale and what I didn’t take to Goodwill to distribute it wherever it needed to go. Didn’t help that once again the darn news didn’t tell us that it was going to rain so a lot of the stuff got wet. I had to let a lot of the clothes air-dry and some of the toys, too. I was trying to find a place to take the clothes to where they just give them to the needy and I had no luck until I remembered Norma C., one of Mary’s co-workers. Her church gives the clothes, toys, anything to needy people. So Mary took all the clothes and small toys. In all she took a good 10-15 bags of toys and clothes combined.

I still have a few things left to take to Goodwill that I didn’t notice the last time I went, so I’ll save that trip for this weekend.

(Grr. It’s already 10am and the darn cable guy STILL hasn’t gotten here. Alaethia already woke up and had a bottle and went back to sleep. I could have spent all this time sleeping! I KNEW Time Warner would do this to me!)

Mario had his day off on Friday, of course, so after picking Jaylen up we went straight to pick up Mario’s paycheck. It was pretty depressing. He made a pretty good amount this time but most of it went towards the bills. I was so hysterical over how we’d make ends meet that I was already talking about trading in my Equinox for a smaller, less expensive car. But Mario talked sense into me and told me, with the size of our family, the truck was the most practical vehicle we could have. And, as always, he was supportive and made me feel so much better about being poor LOL. He also took us to the Taco Bell/Long John Silvers restaurant, which was really sweet of him since I know he doesn’t really like either one and both are my favorites :P.

(Mother’s such a bad influence! We’re watching the DIY channel and they’re showing how to make really cute things out of polymer clay. Well, she wants to go to Michael’s—which’ll use up that quarter of a tank I was talking about—to go buy some. And some paints. Lately she’s been the one nudging me to go places when all I want to do is stay home and save gas!)

We bar-b-q’d that night (it was Jorge’s idea), which I didn’t mind at all since it saved me from cooking! I tried going to sleep early that night but of course Alaethia had other plans. I didn’t take a shower till really late and had to wake up the next morning to go run errands.

I deposited money at the bank to pay bills (damn bills!) and then I drove Mom around all over the place to get a check and then find a bank that would cash it. We ended up going to her own bank, which she was positive wasn’t going to cash it *scowl*. We went to JC Penny next, where I was going to buy myself some capri pants from Mario for Mother’s Day and got Mom some Capri pants for herself. I bought two blouses with $20 Mom gave me for Mother’s Day. I didn’t try them on at the store since there was a line a mile long for the fitting room, so unfortunately when I got home and finally tried them on I didn’t like how they fit.

We bought Gramma an outfit and some snacks for the kids and then went to see her. We spent some time with her and fixed her closet a bit and then went to have lunch again at the Taco Bell/Long John Silver’s restaurant. (And then I wonder why I don’t lose weight!)

Mario, bless him, tried to surprise me for Mother’s Day and got me a PSP. He’d overheard me saying how cool John’s was, so he thought I wanted one for myself and got me one. He told me he was going to Sears with his co-worker, Ricky, since Ricky was buying one for his son. He kept going on and on about it and said he wanted to get one. Since I thought he was talking about getting one for himself I told him John said he didn’t really like how you browsed with it online and then he said, “Well, darnit, I got you one for Mother’s Day.” Aww. I told him to keep it, since he never gets anything like that for himself. He tried. He really did try to love it and use it but he got bored really quick. That’s why the boys have the Xbox in their bedroom—Mario got bored of it REAL QUICK. He’s currently getting offers from guys at work (I think he’s selling the PSP + game and all the accessories for $250?).

We stayed home Saturday night and watched Spiderman 3 (shh!) with the kids. We had some brownies and ice cream and just sat on the couch together. It was great—we hadn’t had a night like that in quite some time!

I woke up around 10:30am Sunday morning, Mother’s Day. I noticed Mario disappeared for a while but thought nothing of it. When I got out of the shower he tells me breakfast is on the table. He’d gone over to his Mom’s to surprise me with an omelet he’d made and fruit—my favorite breakfast!

From Mario

John, Mario, Mom and Alaethia stayed at the house while the rest of us went to church. It was a lovely service—long, but nice. They even sang “Las Mañanitas” and “Wind Beneath My Wings.” All around us people were crying silently and sniffing. I was emotional but held it in and was proud of myself for not bawling. Eenan had been acting up, so I told him to sit down and listen to the words of the song and after a few minutes he turns around, tears in his eyes, and wraps his arms around my waist and says, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!” I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing after that LOL.

We came back after church and this time Mom and John stayed with all the kids while Mario and I went with Mary and everyone to the cemetery to visit Mario’s maternal grandmother. We visited Grandma Ofelia, his paternal grandmother, next. She immediately told us to leave upon noticing that we didn’t have Alaethia with us LOL.

After visiting for a while, we came back home and chilled out for a bit. Noelia invited us to the Olive Garden and Mario quickly started making excuses about not going. He’s the only person on Earth that I know that doesn’t like Olive Garden. He said to take Mom with me and it can be a Mom’s night out. Plus Andy LOL. I, of course, took Aly with me since Mario was already becoming panic-stricken about looking after her. The boys are no problem since, you know, they can basically look after themselves.

It was a 2-hour wait at Olive Garden. I had to have Alaethia in my arms since it was hot and steamy with all the people that were clogging up the waiting area. We eventually made it in to the benches inside with the cool air, after we’d been waiting about 45 minutes. It was actually an hour wait, so it wasn’t that bad.

I ordered the Seafood Alfredo, which is one of my favorites. It was a really nice meal and a nice evening altogether. It would have been much more enjoyable had Mario been there, but I’m not going to force him to eat something he doesn’t want to eat.

Alaethia spent the whole time, since we left the house, sucking on her bottle and didn’t finish one ounce. It was like she was just sucking on it for comfort. I really do think she’s teething. When she became inconsolable in the car I gave her her pacifier, even though she doesn’t use it. Well, to everyone’s surprise she used it for a good 15 minutes until she fell asleep.

Those Big Eyes

I half-jokingly told her, “You’re finally, at 3 months, using your chupy! You do know I’m going to take it away from you in three months, right?”

We got home later that I thought we would. We stopped by Subway to get Mario and John some meatball subs and then at Noelia’s friends’ house to drop off Noelia’s wedding invitation. By the time we got here I was exhausted and had a huge pile of dishes that had slowly accumulated throughout the week (please tell me I’m not the only one who puts off chores like that!). Since it was Mother’s Day I thought, “I’m not doing dishes today!”

The boys had Monday off from school. Inservice day. After Mario left to work and giving the boys breakfast, I cuddled up with Aly for a nap. Until around 10am when I heard Jaylen yelling at Eenan. At least I got about an hour’s worth of a nap.

I had lots of places to go that day, like Target. I knew though, that if I went without John I wouldn’t hear the end of it, so I waited for him. Then I remembered that the stupid cable guy was supposed to come by and fix my nonworking channels and I had to wait for him from 1-5pm. Greaaaat. I spent the whole afternoon washing all the darn dishes (I made a vow not to let that happen again!) and did laundry, too.

4:30 rolled around and John had already gotten home from work. Mom told us to go ahead and go, she’d watch the boys. I didn’t want to get home super late, and I knew I was, so we went. We got Alaethia in the car and left.

Post office first, forgot Mario’s PSP so we went back home, then went to the Mall to return my blouses, couldn’t find a white long-sleeved shirt for Jaylen’s field trip, John went to a few stores, then we went to Target. Our last stop was H-E-B to get groceries since we were low on everything. We got home at 8:30pm. I’d bought a ready-made lasagna since I wasn’t going to have time to get dinner ready but Mario didn’t get home till 11:30pm anyway. Hate when he does that. He could at least call and let me know he’s going to be late!

Which brings us to now, 12:12pm and still no signs of the damn cable guy. They called Jorge, to let him know they were coming to Elda’s to fix her problem but they haven’t called us. What fuckers!

(3:03pm) I got Roadrunner back up. All it took was a call to reset the IP address. The cable, however, is still not fixed. We’re still waiting for the cable guy. So yes, I stayed awake and I’m dead sleepy right now for absolutely nothing. They supposedly didn’t have a work order for our address at all. GRR.