Somebody stop me

Folks, it's that time again. The time where many in the United States are spend 2-3 nights a week in front of the tv cheering and booing hopeful singers. Yes, that's right. It's American Idol time. The season just began last week so we're still at the early audition/crappy singer stage. Some of the singers are amazing and I look forward to seeing how they do. Others are either in it for the attention and the five minutes of fame or are horribly disillusioned.

I had this dream a few years ago. I was at the American Idol auditions and I had agreed to audition to support a friend. My audition was only to be supportive because I, unlike some of the auditioners, was fully aware of my limitations and I knew that singing was not one of my strengths (incidentally, that's true in real life as well). So imagine my surprise that I had made it past the first two rounds of auditions! And that's when the confusion set in. I knew that I had no vocal talent whatsoever, so how did I make it to the Paula/Simon/Randy round? And then it hit me. I had made it to the third round because I sucked so badly that they put me through so that all of America could make fun of me.

And so I have a request to make. Should I ever have the misfortune of having something happen to me that would make me forget that I do not sing well, please, please, please stop me from auditioning for American Idol. It will not end well.

I. Am. Pissed.

I often talk on my cell phone while I drive. Yes, not the best of habits, but I at least always use a hands free device when I do it. In August 2006, I got a new cell phone. It came with a wired hands free device so it was adequate to use in the car, but I wanted a bluetooth headset. So in October 2006, I went to Honolulu Wireless after eating at the Pearl City Genki Sushi and purchased a Samsung WEP200 because the person who worked there (I think it was actually the proprietor) told me that it was a popular model. I usually like to research these kind of purchases before I buy them, but I really wanted it so I impulsively bought it. When I got home, I tried it out and was dismayed to discover that the sound quality was horrible. I could hear the person on the other end of the phone fine, but the person I was talking to complained that I was difficult to hear and understand when I used the device. I wasn't happy, but it wasn't that big of a deal because I still had my wired device.

Sam recently changed service providers so he got a new phone. He gave me his old phone (though it's pretty new) and I love it, love it, love it. But I needed a hands free device. So I dug up the bluetooth that I had purchased because I read online that bluetooth devices perform differently with different phones. It paired easily with my phone but it didn't work at all. So I tried it with Lance's phone. It worked, but the sound quality was pretty crappy even though we were at home. Frustrated, I turned to the internet and was surprised to find out that the Samsung WEP200 actually rated pretty high on cnet.com and it got a lot of good feedback from other users. I was pretty grouchy already so Lance took over the computer to search online forums for troubleshooting information. As I contemplated chucking the device across the room, I watched him pick up the box and snort. He told me to look carefully at the box. So I did and saw that on the silver authentic looking sticker it said, "Samsing Official Accessory." Samsing? WTF?

I was sold a knockoff. I'm pissed. It's not like I bought the item from the Swap Meet. At least there I would expect to go home with a knockoff. And it would've been priced like a knockoff, instead of the going rate of a bluetooth device. I bought the device from a bloody "reputable" store. I had every intention of marching myself into the store and telling the owner off and contacting the Better Business Bureau, but the fact of the matter is that I bought the device over a year ago and I don't know if I even want to deal with it. I'm trying to live a more stress reduced life and I feel as though dealing with an issue that I should have dealt with over a year ago is not conducive towards that goal. We'll see.

Renovation Update #3

Upstairs air conditioner in? Check (sure, it was sitting on the bedroom floor for 2-3 months, but whatever). Last of bedroom stuff unpacked? Check. Living room coffee table cleared? Check. Disgusting laundry room tile removed? Check. Scraping in laundry room/entry way completed? Check. We're moving along quite nicely here at Hale Spice. The most exciting part was when the final crap was scraped from the front area and the horrible, disgusting black plastic sheet (think heavy duty garbage bag material) was finally removed. My uncle came over yesterday to help us install the tile in the front of the house. I'm feeling quite handy right now. Lance and I finished it up yesterday afternoon and we're giving the thin set a couple of more hours to set before we venture into our first grouting experience. I don't know what my favorite part of this project was. Perhaps it was when we initially tried to remove the tile and discovered that whoever had installed the original ugliness used a particularly strong bond in the front area. Or maybe it was the lovely entryway of bumpy concrete covered with black plastic that we lived with for six months. Or maybe it was when Lance and I tried to cover the area with self leveling concrete but discovered it came out crappy and had to re-scrape the laundry room. Or maybe my favorite part was when they had to re-do part of the tile because they discovered that it wasn't straight. I don't know, there's been so many "favorites" during this project. All I know is that my body is ridiculously sore and I hope it feels better in the next hour or so because I'm getting back down on my hands and knees soon to do the grout. I must admit, however, that it is looking pretty snazzy. M*Bark wants us to hurry up and finish. This was her tethered to the stairs landing while we worked:
Next up: The Bathroom

2007: A Look Back

I can't believe the new year's here already. As we entered 2008, I took some time to reflect back upon the last year. Like any other year, 2007 had its share of good times and bad, but all in all, it was a good year. Here's my Top 10 experiences from 2007 (in no particular order):

Number 1

The selling of our first house: Lance and I loved our first house. We had a lot of happy memories there. Our townhouse was pretty and comfy and was the perfect place to start our life together. However, we decided to sell it in order to buy a single family home. Which brings us to:

Number 2

The purchase of our new home: After we had our townhome listed, Lance and I started looking at properties to purchase. We found one that we loved but needed to accept an offer on our first home first. And it was meant to be. Our dream house had other offers on it that fell through and although that wasn't good for the sellers, we were thrilled as it was like the house was waiting for us. When we were finally ready to put an offer in, we were dismayed to discover that we were a few hours too late, as the sellers had just accepted an offer. Our offer was stronger and I don't know how it happened, but the sellers accepted our offer and we were blessed to purchase our single family home. There's a lot of cosmetic work to be done but the layout and the location was perfect. I love looking out of my living room windows and seeing nothing but green.

Number 3

M*Bark: With the move to our new house, we were able to bring M*Bark home. I am notoriously a cat person, though because of Lance, I've grown to love dogs as well. But still. I always imagined my first "adult" pet to be a cat, despite the fact that my husband is a wee bit allergic to them. But M*Bark has been an absolute joy (okay, most of the time). I think it helps that she's smart and is a little bit cat-like.Number 4

Weddings: 2007 was the Year of the Weddings. Lance and I went to 9 weddings this year. We were supposed to have 10, but let's not discuss that. 2007 saw many of our friends and family united. Note: I love the Willows food.

Number 5

Spice Girls: Yes, 2007 also saw the reunion of the Spice Girls. A reunion tour, a best hits CD, and a new single? Girl Power. I entered online for the opportunity to purchase tickets to one of their concerts and was thrilled that I was picked to purchase tickets for their Vegas show. Unfortunately, as I was about to purchase them, my personality got in the way. The show was right before Winter Break and we were supposed to be saving money to renovate the house and to go to San Francisco with the MIL. So of course, Good Kat overwhelmed Bad Kat and I missed my opportunity to see the Spice Girls. I'm starting to think this practical side of me is really a character flaw.

Number 6

12-0: The University of Hawaii football team had an amazing, undefeated season. We were fortunate enough to have tickets to the last regular season game against Washington and it was an amazing game. Trailing 21 points, UH came back to win it. A perfect season. For the first time ever, UH was selected to play in a BCS bowl game. Although they eventually lost to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (and wow, lost they did), the Warriors gave Hawaii an unbelievable season. Colt Brennan, June Jones, and the rest of the Warriors: We believe.

Number 7

Little people: 2007 also brought the arrival of new little people. Kiyomi and Alli both had wonderful little girls. And now that Alli's brought a great-grandchild to popo, she's leaving me alone. Well, sort of. And I got to feed Alli's baby on Christmas Eve, which is a first for me. I had to hold her while I did it (I also waited until she was old enough to not be so scary...) and guess what! She didn't break! I wanted to post pictures of both Kiyomi's and Alli's babies, but I don't believe in posting pictures of young people without permission. But trust me. They're cute.

Number 8

Harry Potter: 2007 also brought upon the moment that I had been looking forward to for two years - the completion of the Harry Potter series. Of course I joined the throngs of "crazy" people at Borders at midnight to pick up my reserved copy. And of course I started reading at soon as I got home. I read until 4 am and I only went to bed because I knew I had to get up relatively early the next day. I admit, I had to remind myself to be a good matron of honor and not tell the bride-to-be that bridesmaid dress shopping was occurring on Harry Potter weekend. Truth be told, there's not many people that I would've stopped reading Harry Potter for. Sadly, she was one of them. In 2005, I had to put down Book #6 to attend my cousin's graduation and graduation dinner. She's another one that Harry Potter went down for. Anyway, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows did not disappoint and it was the most satisfying conclusion to a series that I've ever experienced. J. K. Rowling? Genius.

Number 9

Knitting Club: I taught Melissa and Vera and finally convinced Joy to learn to knit this year and the knitting club was born. It was a small knitting club (it was really just me, Joy, and Melissa), but it was a knitting club nonetheless. And then Jodi wanted to learn. And then Doreen wanted to learn. And yes folks, we have a knitting club! The best part was when I found out that three of them were knitting together at a complex wide meeting (I didn't have to go). Most of the time knitting relaxes me and I love the feeling of creating something. I also find it an effective way to pay attention in boring meetings. I always take a project that doesn't demand too much of my attention and keeping my hands moving keeps me awake and attentive during the inevitably long presentation. I love knitting and I'm glad I was able to share the joys of it with others this year.

Number 10

Rock Band: Lance and I looked forward to the release of Rock Band ever since we heard rumours of its development. The game was not a disappointment. There's drums, a mic, and a lead and bass guitar. I'm finally realizing my dream of playing the drums and it's awesome. And Rock Band's delivering on their promise to have lots of downloadable songs to expand the game's offerings even further. The game's been out for less than two months and there's already quite a few selections to purchase and download. We just got Buddy Holly. :) However, playing the game has really made me realize how much I miss playing music so I'm planning to get my piano from my parents' house in the coming months.

2007 was a fantastic year and I have no regrets. I'm looking forward to see what 2008 will bring. I'm sure it was be a fantastic ride.