leppard

"Borrowed" from LJ on LJ!

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:53:54 GMT

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicise those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE, or strikeout the books you read but didn't like.
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read only 6 or less and make them read.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
~~21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell~~
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
~~30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll~~
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
~~54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy~~
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
~~92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel~~
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

Cute little "thang" gakked from Santiago!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:24:17 GMT

1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs you like that start with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

My letter- F, given by Santiago

Foolin' - Def Leppard
Forever- Y&T
Feels Like the First Time- Foreigner
Feuer Frie- Rammstein
Figured You Out- Nickelback

fun, gakked from Tacit

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:09:00 GMT

Bold all the ones you've done....
01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain ...Ben Nevis, I was much much younger
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it 0
9. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise...frequently, I used to suffer insomnia, and also for fun once or twice, on the way home from playing in a club, too tightly wound to relax, so stopped to watch sunrise in a quiet place I used to live close to.
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game ...and it's rubbish. Organized spectator sports stuck.
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables ...Competitively too! Grew 20lb onions and 50lb cabbages
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment ....Frequently under extreme pain or duress when playing, not a good reaction to have! 28. Had a food fight ...many!
29. Bet on a winning horse....Grand National, bet every year, won a few times...you have to be english to get this!
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight ...Great memories, college days, one of only 2 girls in a technical college of 2,000, spent all of the 2 winters there on the defensive...lol!
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb ...many times, grew up in the north of rural england
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy ....often
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath ...yes, but under orders.....i thought it was the worst thing I could endure...ntil the naked snow angel in 3 feet of snow!
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states.
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced ...ex was a functioning alcoholic
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales...sitting in half moon bay, do it every spring I get chance
56. Stolen a sign ...passing place sign from scotland, you had to be there!
57. Backpacked in Europe...does Scotland count?
58. Taken a road-trip ...three thousand miles to relocate to CA from VA...with 4 dogs, a cat and 2 hamsters in an RV!
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62.Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Bench pressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theatre
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favour of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class Used to study shotokan katate and kung fu
88. Sword fought for the honour of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight....days at a time, in fact still play 6 hours straight every thursday night!
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie (Does a TV show count?)
92. Crashed a party ...and met a lover there
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest SAtan's Secretary, halloween
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas...passed through
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house...I’m a Realtor...lol!
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children - just not my own
127. Recently bought and played with a favourite childhood toy
128. Followed your favourite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Member of Congress
132a. Had them write back ...a form letter. Natch.
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over.... twice so far, and 1 country!
134. ... more than once?...yes
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did ...vasectomy FTW!
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a TV game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle ...and I miss it.
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced ...and also pierced such body parts myself.
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol All of the above, actually. I like guns.
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than US states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi ...ewww!
171. Had your picture in the newspaper...local paper, for growing huge veggies and donating them to a local retirement home 172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school ...and not finished that time, either.
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes Also not all that. Kinda gross, actually.
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read, several actually, I’m a bookworm!
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ... and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself art from scratch ...if photography counts as an art. I think it does.
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream...on good days!
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196. Dyed your hair
197. Been a DJ
198. Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199. Written your own role playing game
200. Been arrested

EEEEK!! Annual aging attack!!

Tue, 27 May 2008 21:29:31 GMT

I was quietly enjoying my week last week, (well, as quietly as possible, given I have a wonderful, but hard to sell listing in Boulder Creek, call me, email me, send me a telepathic message or a carrier pidgeon if you know ANYONE looking for an amazing mountain home with all, and I mean ALL mod cons, including pool, sauna, hot tub, high speed cable internet....the list is endless!) um...back to the plot....it came to me in a flash of horror that I am almost upon the anniversary of my birth. I have never really cared about the years rolling by, since I never *really* get any older, my body may age, but my mind set apparently never will...thank goodness!

However....this year I reach 43. Nothing out of the ordinary you might think, but to me it is HUGE! From my early teens I have always had a wierd interaction with the number, a silly superstition if you will. I spent many years living in a house with that number, and the only 2 times I ever won prize draws those numbers featured prominently. My best ever job had 43 for a payroll number, my first car had it in the registration, the list is endless. All of these things seem to be good luck, I don't recall ever having anything bad linked to it. BUT I had a whole series of nightmares in my early teens in which I died, aged 43. Lots of different and typically teen age drama style deaths, but always aged 43. I fell from a silky white stallion in a horse race, (I can't ride r/l btw) I drove my car off a cliff in an exciting road chase, (don't ask me what or who I was running from, I can't remember) I even very dramatically took my own life with poison to avoid being enslaved by aliens. For the first time in many years my birthday has a very odd significance, so the question is this.....do I celebrate with a party in the hope that there is safety in numbers, go and play at renfaire, spend the time quietly at home with J, or some combination of all of these things? Or something else? Or hide in bed til its done, oh, and another thought, I will be 43 for a year!!

Is a good job I don't really take this seriously, or I could pass away from stress!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:25:31 GMT

From Physicsduck very cool, thank you! (When shown to my programmer hubby, "I doubt it kills them -- the harvester writers could ignore any page that says "this link kills spam" for example. it'll slow them down for as while though. nice idea."

I'm all for slowing them down at least!!

Game on!!!

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:07:42 GMT

Wow, time to post!

We have been hugely busy, both at work and home, (who wouldn't be with 6...count em...6...dogs to take care of). But I can now proudly reveal the biggest recent project....wait for it... The NEW IMPROVED Gameroom!! For a while now we have been too lazy to actually use graph paper to map when we are playing DnD, so we hung an old projector from the ceiling in the "gameroom" aka the spare bedroom, and projected maps onto a whiteboard topped table. This has always worked great, allowing notes to be scribbled and progress to be mapped....but it had a huge major flaw. It wasn't portable, and since we live somewhat in the boonies....way up in the redwoods of Santa Cruz Mountains, we always had problems holding a good sized group of players and convincing them to haul ass 20-30 miles on a mid week night, play til midnight and then drive home. To their credit there have been and still are a few hardy souls who do this, including our "core player" Sarah, who has been in this from the beginning, and for whom the gameroom morphs into a bedroom each week.

Cool ain't it?? You have no idea how hard it was to figure out how to suspend the mirror...lol.
In the end we used a studio boom mic stand, a drum kit clamp to make a small shelf for the projector to sit on, and the door from a bathroom cabinet (it already had hinges so that adjustments are much easier), which we hung from the boom and tilted to direct the image to the table top. Its first outing will be tomorrow night, so watch this space!!

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:32:12 GMT

Superhero Team Quiz

LiveJournal Username

Your Primary Super Power

Cape?

Identitiy

Origin

Location of Head Quarters

Primary Costume/Uniform Colors

Why are you a Superhero?

Your Superheroic Codename

The veteran grim member of the team

jammorn

The sexist and crass but annoyingly effective one

jammorn

The bright-eyed novice or sidekick

mastersantiago

The teammate that will eventually go evil or insan

moraine_sw

The inept yet determined/reoccurring supervillain

physicsduck

The sinister Arch-Villain and team's greatest foe

roswtr

The perky civilian that keeps getting kidnapped

zimbach

How often does your team actually 'save the day'?

27%

This Fun Quiz created by Shannon at BlogQuiz.Net

Pisces Horoscope at DailyHoroscopes.Biz

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:04:08 GMT

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

um......speechless...again! Gota stop with the memes!

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:37:55 GMT

Gimli

With a hearty attitude and a gruff yet caring demeanor, you are staunchly dedicated to fighting the good fight.

Nobody tosses a Dwarf!

And no tossing me either!! (ummmm)

Meme Time

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:35:09 GMT

hmmm.....*checks for stubble!

Friends

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 08:08:57 GMT

Nothing earth shattering, I simply want to wish a peaceful and happy Christmas day, (in whatever way you choose to celebrate it) to all of the wonderful people I am so lucky to be able to call friend!
To me, it is a winter holiday, with bright lights and colours, and greenery indoors. Great smells of cooking, spices and scented candles and roaring fires. Time spent with my Love and our amazingly and unreasonably large family of pets large and small.
...and friends, did I mention friends? :)

Put aside problems, personal or otherwise and take a little time for yourself, to look around at what you have, family, friends, a roof over your head and food to fill your stomach. Cliched I know, but something I have striven for over a lot of years, and am only now beginning to be able to do.

To family in England, I can't wait til August, I love and miss you!
Thats it! Cuddle time with J!!

silly stuff

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:35:19 GMT

eeeeeek! This was fun, but the result disturbing...lol....

http://www.dungeonmastering.com/inner-dnd-character

After analyzing your answers with state-of-the-art medieval fantastic psychology profiling tools, Dungeon Mastering is confident that your inner D&D character is a Lawful Good Half-Elf Paladin!

A goody 2 shoes paladin?? and and elf too?? erk!

Just too funny!

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:50:00 GMT

where did the time go?

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:22:44 GMT

So a whirlwind few weeks of fun and mischief!
Its been a whole lot of fun working with Josh and Sarah to get ready for our first public appearance in costume at a renfaire. I know we didnt need to be overly concerned with authenticity for this one, however with an eye to not remaking everything for future SCA related things, we decided to aim high from the start.

http://sarahbernard.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album07&id=P1010090

I think we got pretty close with the above outfits for our early scottish "look". Comments and critiques very welcome!

Now of course Sarah and I have the bug badly and are even now working towards a variant on the costumes for a return visit this weekend, this time no shopping, just wandering around and taking in the fun.

On a much darker note we are considering legal action against the car dealership mentioned previously. Yes I finally have the car, and she is wonderful. But I am still short of almost $3k worth of options I was promised "in 7-10 days". This was 22 days ago...the first car payment is due and I still don't have *all* of my car.
I called, as did Josh 4 times yesterday, with a further 3 times for me today, finally getting hold of the parts guy I had been looking for by accident, when I demanded to speak to a manager! He promised to check into it, even thinks the parts are here and ready to install. He promised to call back, which he hasn't, and worse is obviously avoiding my calls again.

After 3 further such calls Josh finally snapped and called Jeep Corporate HQ with a very polite complaint, detailing the catalogue of lies and deceipt we have taken from these idiots. They are looking into it, but I STILL don't have U connect to allow me to use my phone easily in the car, which given that I am a Realtor and conduct much of my business on the road, is ridiculous. I also still don't have the full sized spare that I paid $200 extra for, nor the $600 amplifier promised by them to bring it up to the higher standard I have paid for.

Josh is giving them until the end of the week, then we will be seeking legal advice.

None of these items are hard to find, they are all standard stock Jeep items, I know, I checked with another dealership in Normandin, who, btw, are a good deal easier to deal with!

So the saga continues, for the forseeable future, and I can only re emphasise for anyone reading this to be very VERY wary of this dealership and if you MUST use it, then get every tiny promise in writing or record all of your phone conversations.

purloined from jj_macrimmon

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:15:28 GMT

This should be interesting!!

You're on my friends list. I'd like to know 27 things about you. Just copy and hit reply and paste in the comments section with answers. Thanks! You'll be surprised how much you didn't know about your friends after this! Then copy the meme and see if anyone answers you.

1. Do you have a tattoo?

2. How old are you?

3. Are you single or taken?

4. Fish?

5. Do you dream in colour?

6. Ever seen a corpse?

7. How about them hipsters?

8. How did we meet?

9. What's your philosophy on life and death?

10. If you could do anything with me, and have no one know, what would it be?

11. Do you trust the police?

12. Do you like musicals?

13. What is your fondest memory of me?

14. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?

15. Would you cheat?

16. What are you wearing?

17. Have you ever peed in a pool?

18. Would you hide evidence for me if I asked you to?

19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?

20. Which do you prefer - short or long hair?

21. What's your favorite day of the week?

22. What's your favorite color?

23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?

24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?

25. What was your first impression of me?

26. Have you ever done drugs?

27. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

I have most of my new car!!

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:26:33 GMT

Yay! ..almost!

So we finally got the call we had been waiting for, but Josh is smart. He asked them to confirm it had all of the desired options before subjecting me to a horror drive in the "thing" for the exchange.
"Yes, it has the power sunroof, yes it has the speaker package, um...can I call you back after I check for Uconnect?"
Alarm bells begin to ring so loud I can't hear myself think. I can't say at this point that it spoiled my excitement, since I no longer feel anything but stressed about having to go collect it and argue...yet again...about the delivery time, the broken promises, the actual lies, etc etc.
The call back finally happens and its bad news, the Uconnect is missing. After some irritation from Josh, they agree to fit it as an aftermarket mod, which is actually a nicer unit, so we set off to collect the car.
As soon as we arrive they give us the key and walk away to allow us to check it over. The first thing we notice is that the $500 extra speakers are missing. Then there is no full sized spare, another $120. There is a further list of smaller things, but I am not feeling like taking the car off the lot until all of this is worked out and a work order is given to us in writing.
I point out all of the missing options and the sales guy tells us that the car was hard to find and that we were told it might not have all of them.....which of course we weren't.
As well, the other dealer had left his price sticker in the window, for a full $3k less than we are paying for the same vehicle.
Since the missing options only cover about $2k we query the price. After a lot of negotiation we accept the price, providing the more expensive upgrades are completed, that is to say that they will install the much more expensive Uconnect, a new amplifier unit to boost the sound system, since adding the speakers isn't possible after market, and a number of smaller luxury items....oh and they take us to the nearest gas station and fill her up too.
So finally we leave the lot with the new car, with mixed feelings. I love the way she drives, I love all of the details we actually have, but the saga continues, since we have to wait 7-10 days for the parts for the work order.
We drive to a carpark nearby to set up all of the little things, like seat positions, work out how the lights operate etc. By now I am happy and excited, she is everything I had hoped for and more, a really nice car.
Then I switch on the radio....nothing but static. I fiddle around with it for a while then look out of the window and realise what is missing....the very distinctive antenna!
Trying to keep calm we return to the dealership and drive onto the forecourt. My thinking is to make this public, to make sure they deal with it.
Josh points out the missing antenna and 4 salesmen race in different directions, heads firmly up asses, panicking. To his credit one of them remains calm, asking us to take the car round the back of the showroom, which we do. He whips out his pocket swiss knife, uses the screwdriver to remove an antenna from a different vehicle and attaches it to ours.
For once I am actually impressed with his handling of the situation.

So this is the update so far, sadly I am sure we will encounter more problems once they do the upgrade, but we shall see! At least I am now able to drive my new car, which I really do like.

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:56:21 GMT

The dealership in question is the dodge/jeep/chrysler one on stevens creek in cupertino. Definitely steer clear of them!

Stoopid Dealership

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 06:08:09 GMT

So, we decide to buy a new car to replace the faithful CRV. Simple huh? We do the research, then go look at the shortlist, finally test driving, and deciding on the Jeep Compass. Nice car, reasonable mileage for an SUV, big enough for an emergency escape vehicle for ourselves and 6 dogs, a cat and 3 hamsters! Also with leather interior cos I need a car that looks classy for my work as a Realtor. (And dog hair will vac off)

So..simple ya? Nope. We sit down and hammer out the deal, trade in, warranty stuff, and reach a fair price. We decide to take one last look at the Suzuki Grand Vitara, and get ready to leave. The salesman asks the inevitable question..."what can I do to get you to sign the deal right now"?

I think a moment, the car I want is a wierd one, all the high end stuff, but with a stick shift (I'm english, what can I say?). So I say "Get the car here with all of my options by tomorrow".

The salesman goes to his manager, much frantic phoning takes place and he comes back and tell us he has located one just 200 miles away at another dealership and it will be there the following afternoon.
We sign, leave the CRV as the deposit and take the loaner car. A ford focus, ewwwww, but its only one day right?

HAHA!
WE call the next day and are told the other dealership hasn't completed the paperwork for the transfer, someone over there is not at work. It will be the following day, Sunday. Since I had no great need of the car we decide to agree. We also return the too tiny focus and get a Hyundai Santa Fe. I hate it! But its only one day right?

The next day we call to confirm pick up and are told a new tale of woe. The paperwork is done, the car is secured, but the other dealer is insisting that the exchange vehicle and the Jeep be transported. Again we give them some slack and agree that tuesday isn't SO far away, and by now I'm kinda getting used to the sore knees and ankles I'm getting from driving the loaner.

Tuesday we call again, this time to be told that the car is on the transporter and will arrive on Friday. Now I'm getting sore, and fed up and sick of this by this point, but still trying to be reasonable I chew them out a little...well OK, a lot, but let it lie.

Josh calls again on Thursday and is reassured that the car has been placed on the transporter and is on schedule for Friday. Joy! I suffer further agony and continue to not go out as much as possible to avoid driving the now named "thing". It lurks under the carpark its bloated gold toned body (did I mention that I HATE gold?) mocking me. It has now also developed a wierd metallic screech when I lift my foot of the accelerator. The thing hates me as much as I hate it apparently.

Its Friday, oh joy and excitement, today IS the day!!!
Ummm....nope!

I call around noon time to find out when I can pick up my new baby, to be told it won't arrive until midnight. But it HAS been loaded onto the transporter. Clever car, it must have snuck off and been reloaded again!!

I inform the hapless salesman that I insist that he does overtime and sits in the showroom until the transporter, presumably still with my car onboard, arrives. He will then sign it over to me and take the stupid "thing" back. He stutters mightily and apologises, saying htere is nothing he can do but he will talk to the manager.

By now I am so tired of being lied to that I am close to cancelling the contract. I yell a little...lot...more and finally hang up and call Josh after being promised that I can pick up my car early on Sat morning.

He calls them and gets a slightly different version of timelines, now the car will arrive on Saturday, and will not be ready for pick up until the afternoon. He clearly and concisely explains that we will be picking up one car on Saturday afternoon, either the new Jeep or my ill traded CRV.

Watch this space......sigh

A beginning....

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:09:39 GMT

So Josh and I spent a lot of the weekend with Sarah, researching the possibilites for mayhem ...um...fun within the SCA. We think we have narrowed things down a little, we want to form a clan from the northwest of Scotland since we all share common heritage from that country.....loosely.
My mother is Scottish, Josh has Scottish family in his line, and Sarah is from Nova Scotia....told ya it was loose...lol. We (Sarah and I) also like the fact that stockings and head gear was optional for the most part in this culture!
The issues we need to deal with are as follows:
We need to tightly define our exact timeframe, so far we are looking at 13th thru 15th Century.
We need to discover wether our part of Scotland has to have supported gentlefolk, or if we can simply choose a spot and "create" such a town. Also how historically accurate do we need to be, how closely should we fit into actual historical events?
How deep does our clan "history" need to be?
How do we go about choosing names, both personal and clan?
What rules exist within our Kingdom regarding coats of arms...in fact did clans actually have them?
Both Sarah and Josh have an interest in archery, (and possibly me too, depending on natural abilites and slight physical restrictions) so what actual weapons do we have options of choosing for our era?
Sarah and I have some desire for a musical "thing" and really liked the idea of pipes, but seem to be unable to find evidence of their use beyond bagpipes in the scotland of "our times".
As she says, any help or advice would be great!!

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:01:42 GMT

So much for the really early start to get to SF for renfaire...LOL Sleep was apparently much needed by all of us after the traumatic and mightily uncomfortable trip home.
I bought my new car last night and it entailed a trade in with my poor old CRV. The new car is a hard one to find, since I want a stick shift with all of the fancy crap for my work as a Realtor, gotta impress the clients! It will be here tonight...ish, so they loaned me a "car" til then. First offering was a jeep liberty, with automatic shift...which I had made very clear I can't actually drive with any reasonable expectation of survival. We came home in the car from hell...a ford focus "thing".
It was fun trying to invent new and imaginitive insults as we labored up the mountain on the way home! (Any suggestions gratefully received since I have to drive it all day today!)
No doubt I will be way too excited to post for a few days, or at least out on the road communing with my new baby jeep.

teehee!!

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:17:36 GMT

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Venerable Lady Marianne the Unusual of Leg over Wallop
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Stolen from Santiago!

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:36:45 GMT

Your Score: Wednesday Addams

Our test has determined that you possess
76% Hellbentness, 34% Sanguinity, and 20% Creeps!
Well done!

Your Proto-Goth Icon Match is Wednesday Addams!

Wednesday Addams, whose middle name is Thursday, was originally- as her name suggests- a quiet, somewhat pathetic child, full of woe. She was a sweet-natured, happy child, largely concerned with her pet spiders. A favorite toy was her Marie Antoinette doll, which she had guillotined and which she often showed to visitors.

Wednesday Addams is in most respects a typical little 8-year-old girl. She likes playing with dolls and holding tea parties with her stuffed animals ? only her dolls are headless, her stuffed animals are the cobbled-together remains of real animals, and her tea parties have ingredients such as cyanide, arsenic, and sulfuric acid.

Like her mother, Wednesday rarely makes a show of her emotions. She is a quiet girl, speaking little but saying some rather disturbing things when she does speak. Many a visitor to the Addams home has been put at great unease by her uncomfortable stare. Also like her mother, she is not without emotions, as anyone who has gotten onto her bad side will surely attest! Perhaps her wealthy, doting parents spoiled her a little too much. One thing is for sure, she is definitely an Addams and will make her family proud.

Link: The what Proto-Goth Icon are you? Test written by anastasia_x on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

WOW! so this is where I left off.....

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:55:35 GMT

So its been a long, long, LONG time since I last found motivation to put my thoughts in here!
I am doing some new classes for my work as a Realtor, and they insist that its good to make goals and intentions public to hold yourself accountable. So here goes....

First, an update on how my life has been for the many months since i was last here!
J and i still have a close, strong relationship. (Still some issues, but you show me any relationship with no issues....), my job is going well, with over $1.5 million in sales in my first year, i am proud to say that i much more than broke even!
i am continuing my education, making sure that i gain the knowledge and experience to protect my clients and serve their best interests, and of course constantly marketing myself and seeking new work. In the unlikely event that you stumble on my blog, remember i AM one of the best Realtors in the Santa Cruz mountains, because i CARE!
i no longer work for the church, i long ago became a full time Realtor, with my own office space in the company i work for, Keller Williams.
Our home is safe and stable with the addition of many repairs over the summer months, finally we don't have to worry about the work waiting to be done!

So enough about the past....on to the future!
I am now working to complete 6 transactions in 2007, though more is always better of course! I have expanded my areas to include Campbell, since I share an office and work closely with another Realtor, and between us we want to be able to cover client needs in all areas. Though i specialise in the mountains and Campbell, this doesn't mean i can't work elsewhere. in fact i frequently preview homes right across the valley, and monitor market conditions in most areas.

We are also proud "parents" to 2 new puppies, 2 tiny miniature pinschers, who bring out total number of dogs to 6! Polly and Jake are wonderful, easily integrating into our pack...ruling it in fact!
Jake (9 weeks old) recently figured out that if he sits he gets treats....which sounds great until you pick something up that rattles and find a tiny puppy firmly sitting on your foot!!

So life is good, no deep problems right now, and looking better all of the time. I intend to take all of my positive energy and channel it into growing my business, taking my Broker's exam in late November and working hard to balance homelife, educational stuff and actual Realtor work. Oh and also to make time to figure out spell lists for my new D&D characters...lol!

Hopefully there will be time to write here more often now, here goes!!

Mon, 07 Nov 2005 01:54:16 GMT

So....much happening in the world!! Spared from bankrupcy in ways i cant divulge, passing my realtor exams, getting really deep into my church job.....it just goes on!!

The stress levels are easing a little, its still hard work but now its at least feasible. We are thinking of slowing down a little in our social lives too...taking some much needed time to be home together and work on us. (the dogs are loving this approach!)

Sadder news is the death of one of our cats, taken by a mountain lion or a bobcat if the hunting type guy who called after he found her is to be beleived. She had a tiny name tag on her collar which let him get in touch with me to let me know. It hurts badly to know she had survived for 13 years or more up here, i almost feel somehow its my fault, but we couldnt get her to spend the night indoors, unlike our other little one.

yo ho ho??!!

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 03:38:01 GMT

Your LiveJournal Pirate Crew
LiveJournal Username
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest!
Cutlass or pistol?
What is the name of your pirate ship?
Where is your secret pirate base?
What kind of loot do you prefer?
What do you and your crew prefer to be called?
Parrot or monkey?
Argh!

Your capable first mate	courtneydisney
Your bumbling cabin boy with a heart of gold	courtneydisney
The aloof, yet honorable, pirate with a mysterious past	mcl
Is always the first one into the fray	mcl
Is the naval officer who ruthlessly pursues your ship	mcl
Is the comical pirate who is always drunk on grog	courtneydisney
Is currently in Davy Jones's locker	mcl
The amount of money you make as a pirate	$96,715


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