round two...

so this week we had our second round in small claims court and it was pretty entertaining. in case you don't know why we're there...e's band had some individual agreements drawn up years ago to protect different parties from financial issues if something happened with the band. for example, e purchased/financed the band's van and an agreement was signed by all members of the band that stated the band would make payments and if it couldn't then van would be sold and any deficit would be paid by the members of the band (e included). well, we had to sell the van recently because it wouldn't run and we ended up with a $3000 deficit. the old drummer who left the band about a year ago signed this agreement and has refused to pay his $1000+ hence the reason we are in court.

the first round consisted of a pompous attorney who made accusations, lied and pretty much denied all obvious facts. a very bizarre, frustrating experience. and we had to go back this week to present more evidence regarding the value of the van and did we sell it at a reasonable price. sigh. below is an email that i sent to my friend/attorney who is currently vacationing in cabo...so it's written in a letter format but should give you the overall idea. she has since told me that in the 30 years she's been practicing law she has never heard of anything like this. imagine that...

recap starts now...

Again, they came in with all sorts of random accusations that in most cases conflicted with each other. But I had a much better idea this time of what his approach would be so I had all sorts of things there to refute his accusations. You would have been proud of me because there were a couple of times I was able to just shut him down. For example when he made the point that T was not contacted about the sale of the van and that T wanted to be included in the choice. I promptly pulled out the letter that you had written him that clearly stated the van was going to be sold and there would likely be a deficit. It really was sort of like chasing my tail, their logic was just insane.

I produced documentation from our mechanic stating what work needed to be done on the van at sale (our mechanic was supposed to come but didn't show up) and all service records on the van. I also had trade-in and retail values. E's dad also came to testify about the sale and payoff of the van. We also had invoices for auto work that the church (current owner) has already done on the van. These were also very handy to have.

They had a witness who owns and operates a used car lot. He basically provided NADA values and stated that we sold the van for far less than it was worth. But he had only seen pictures of the van. He spoke a lot about the wholesale process which seemed rather pointless to me because I'm just an individual selling a car. At this point, the judge starts making them nail down a value and the cost to repair. They basically state the van in fair condition is worth $4500 and to fix it would cost around $2500. Both Tommy and the attorney state that they would pay $4500 for it. The judge seems very interested in this.

I'm starting to get a little confused at this point because my selling price was based on the fact that $3000 in repairs were going to have to be done and I'm not sure what's going on. I'm about to make the point that these numbers are all relative and the judge stops me. And calls me the one who talks a lot and asks me if we win this case do I think we will ever see the money. And I say no. And he says neither do I so I'm going to try to make this easier for you.

He then tells me that I need to subpoena both the mechanic who helped sell the van and the pastor of the church who purchased the van. We need to talk to the pastor and if we can convince him to sell the van the defendants have stated they are willing to pay $4500 for the van in its current state. This money will reimburse the church their initial cost, the repairs they'e made and give us the money we're suing for (plus some). He told the defendants to bring their check book because his ruling wouldn't be a judgment it would be a transaction.

end of recap...

as we left the courtroom, everyone had a blank look on their face. i partially still do. i think we're winning. e and i have come up with the analogy, it's kind of like we're winning the race but we haven't quite won it and we can't claim victory. someone compared it to obama today...

the more i think about it, i think the judge is trying to force their hand. possibly encourage them settle, but they are stupid and prideful and my guess is they are willing to buy that van. which is so funny because this is thing they have been running from...all connection to the band but they could potentially own the band's van. with a bad transmission and 230,000 miles.

but seriously, this has gotten weird.

the next showdown takes place on the 17th. you should come watch, there could be blows this time. or crying when they pay way too much for a crappy 15 passenger van.

i'm still alive...

it's just been a busy week.

coming soon...small claims court round three.

blah, blah, blah...

i need a vacation.

i know that i'm getting older when the idea of warmth and laziness are my dream get away.

but instead all i get is high winds. i guess i can at least enjoy the stinky bradford pear trees and lovely purple flowers.

what would jesus buy?

yesterday i was at barnes and noble and there was a display of children's easter books. i would guess that out of the 15 books on the table (granted i was amazed that there were so many easter kid's books) only one had a reference to jesus...all others were eggs and bunnies. mind you, i'm not the most religious girl these days...i never go to church, i do try to pray and remain somewhat reverent to the big guy but often fail miserably but i must say this easter stuff is out of control.

i just read this...
Last year, the National Retail Association estimated Americans would spend $135.07 on Easter, 11 percent more than in 2006, for total holiday spending of $14.37 billion. And 1.9 mil on candy alone.

holy smackers...that's a lot of cadbury eggs. it's like the easter bunny is the new, spring santa. i wonder who will become the summer santa? uncle sam?

happy easter. jesus loves you. 

movie baggage...

so tonight i finally saw "the hottest state" and it was pretty good. it was interesting and thought provoking to me...not necessarily the broken heart/love story stuff but the family baggage that the main character carries with him. and how it affects him as an adult...i suppose as he's learning what to do with it all. and well this resonates with me. just yesterday i was talking to one of the many pseudo counselors/friends in my life and we were discussing my parents so it's fresh on my brain. in the clip below he mentions not having a connection to anything and sometimes i feel that way...and i think it's often self-inflicted. dealing with connections (aka relationships) are generally painful things. it's almost like, as i travel through my life, if i can avoid dealing with certain things, i avoid emotional pain. in my mind they are kind of like exposed nerves...it doesn't really bother you until it becomes exposed to the elements and then all you want to do is cover it back up. and never open it up again (ie. avoid connections).

but let's be honest, how productive is that in life. not so much.

anyway, you should check it out.

as if...

i didn't have enough sources for random facts and information...my lovely friend stephanie (who was hired and fired within a week of me) introduced me to "good" magazine today.  and it might be the coolest, most inspiring mag i've seen in a really long time.  so check it out...www.goodmagazine.com.

and here are some of the interesting tidbits i found in my first flip through the hard copy (and these are also on the web site).  

How many starving artists have wished that merely by painting a plate of food, they could make one appear? The New York designers Justin Gignac and Christine Santora have found a way to do just that. Creators of the website Wants for Sale—and its charity-oriented sibling, Needs for Sale—the couple simply illustrates something they want, be it Buffalo wings, next month's rent check, or "instant street cred," and sell the Lichtensteinesque canvas online for the item’s exact cost ($12.70, $1,056.07, and £1, respectively—the last available only for purchase by Charles Saatchi himself).

There's a refreshing certainty to this way of valuing art. As Gignac says, "It takes the subjective out of it. We don’t make the prices—the companies do." And it has turned out to be an excellent vehicle for giving. With a price floor of $100, the Needs—a sink donated to Habitat for Humanity, footballs for Toys for Tots—have sold even more briskly than the Wants.

www.needsforsale.com
www.wantsforsale.com

and i am a believer is this...

Take a quick glance at a public school in New York, and it would seem as if government painters were restricted to a very limited color palette. Publicolor, a New York City–based nonprofit organization dedicated to brightening the walls of inner-city schools, is betting that kids learn better when their schools are painted a bright sapphire instead of an institutional gray.

Trained as an industrial designer at the Pratt Institute, Ruth Lande Shuman started Publicolor in 1996 after noticing how many schools in Harlem resembled prisons. The organization has since painted nearly 200 schools and community buildings (police stations, pediatric wards) across the five boroughs. After the painting, teachers and students say they feel safer; graffiti and violence also decrease. In each school, the students do the redecorating, learning useful painting skills in the process. "I want our youngsters to paint their way out of poverty," Shuman says. "I want them to paint their way through college."

www.publicolor.org

and i found this on my own...for those of you do gooders who carry your re-useable bags (which i suck at) this is for you. 

thanks for the inspiration today sj...

happy weekending friends.  spread some love. 

the end of the world is near...

today my mother told me that she really liked osama, i mean obama's race speech.  she thought he seemed very nice and was impressed.  she also said that she wasn't sure about mccain because he makes her nervous. 

seriously...my jesus loving, republican mother is saying good things about a democrat...there is some sort of shift in the universe taking place. 

and i'm scared. 

today was a better day.  not quite as much crying.  and tomorrow is friday.  and then it's saturday. and i will sleep late. 

today...

i cried multiple times for no reason. i'm completely feeling overwhelmed but can't figure out why.

i'm guessing it has something to do with settling in at the new job, a trip back to small claims court, doing my annual tax duties for both that annoying band and myself, hatred for winter, and the prospect of spending every day this weekend with family.

but seriously it was a bad one...i'm just going to say it's been a bad week. i've been cranky for a few days and today the tears just started appearing.

i need a break and quite possibly a drink.

feeling...

rather down and out today. 

not sure why but i'm in a complete funk.  

better yet...

tell my mom i want one of these for the celebration of my birth. 

i would go for the big daddy kitchen aid but let's be honest my mother is too cheap for that. and i have very little storage.  but seriously tonight i had a wild hair to make homemade green cupcakes from scratch and ai yi yi i have a clear understanding why betty crocker mixes have become the staple of all american households...you add some milk, an egg and maybe some oil and you're done.  you take the homemade route and your sifting things, and adding and mixing, pouring and adding and mixing...  all the while trying to hold a hand held mixer and getting covered in white powder. i can just see it one day while trying to be domestic my bowl is going to fly across the room because i'm pouring and mixing and well, it's going to be ugly. 

and honestly the cupcakes are just all right...my guess is betty's would have been just as appreciated by my co-workers.

so i'm sort of depressed tonight.  i really am enjoying my job but i think i'm lonely there.  i don't really have any friends and i'm not sure i've really been making an effort. which is odd because i'm a pretty social being and generally i'm all over making new friends but i figure i'm a little gun shy after starting about five new jobs in a pretty short period of time...so i'm trying to be nice and encouraging to myself to get out there and make some friends.  or at least bribe them with my sub-par green cupcakes. 

this weekend was ok.  the wedding was friday and it was a complete bore and slightly annoying for various reasons.  while getting ready, i was honestly trying to figure out how i could slip some liquor in for the reception.  i know i've joked about taking a flask to work on occasion but that's always been somewhat in jest...but friends i was serious about this wedding. i think i'm going flask shopping for future occasions like this. 

in other news this weekend - saw the movie penelope.  e got some sort of food poisoning/stomach bug. i went to steve and barry's for some bitten shopping...everything is $8.98 right now.  took a few walks. went to the farmer's market.  it was a good one. 

must wrap up my cupcake making now.  

happy monday. here's a pinch for you.

a fairly extreme view...

but a nicely done concept.

warning: turn the volume down or listen with headphones. seriously.



this might seem like a random question but what projects were blown up?

good week.

this was a good one. e came home. i've hung out with a variety of friends. work has been good. the sun is shining. only one minor drawback, i'm fighting some illness. it's not the infamous croup/flu epidemic of 2008...just a little throat bug (fingers crossed).

i am ready for the weekend though...i could use a little rest to fight off said bug. and our crazy friend tracy is marrying his crazy girlfriend so i'm expecting a crazy wedding.

here's some randomness for your friday.




for the poopy pants out there.

i could not have these around because i would constantly want a chocolate dipped cone. unfortunately i have no idea what the description says but it does speak the universal i love ice cream language.

poor sally kern's assistant...could you imagine picking up this phone call.

just a hodge podge...

in case my mom asks i want one of these bags for my birthday. 

and if you were wondering about my chicken usage (thanks for the suggestions), i opted for the fajita route. some onions, peppers, garlic, mushrooms and four chicken breasts.  i didn't even cook all six...i knew there was no way i would eat them all.   i was able to eat four meals of basic fajitas (wheat tortilla, cheese, sour cream) and one small pizza (pita, cheese, pesto, mushrooms and spinach).  and still managed to throw out a serving or so.  i've been thinking this could be a good lunch options during the week...make some fajita meat and eat on it all week. 

really...worse than terrorism?  geez lady.  i really need to get out of this state.  i worked down the hall from her office...oh her poor assistant. 

i forgot a l/h.

l: bagged baby leaf spinach - yummy with so many options

h: the fact that i can never use a whole bag without it getting all stinky and gross. 

e is coming home tonight.

work is good. busy but good. and our insurance kicks in on april 1. woo-hoo.

this sounds like the funnest thing ever...and i'm not even a dancer.

hillary has lost her mind. 

hot dog...

it's 6:03pm and i'm going for a walk in the sunshine.

a peek inside my insane brain...

i do believe i am stuck somewhere between half-full and half-empty.  it depends on the day, depends on my mood and often can sway back and forth within seconds.  so tonight when i was thinking about how much i heart the dollar movies and then promptly thought of why i hate the dollar movies...and then proceeded to make a list in my mind about the many things that bring me great pleasure and their counterparts.  so here goes...the loves (l) and hates (h).

l: the dollar movies

h: 1) when you are in one of those itty bitty theaters...you know the ones that have a valley.  it's all good until you end up in the valley or the uphill closest to the screen. 2) or when you're in the big theater and there are rows and rows of empty seats and the family of four with a seat kicker sits directly behind you.  seriously folks, there's a nice lady by herself at the dollar movies...she obviously is not a lover of people. do not sit directly behind her. 

l: cupcakes

h: poundage

l: weekends

h: sunday nights

l: the transition seasons - hope for the future, lovely weather, santa is coming

h: office clothing dilemmas.  it's not spring enough for sandals but you are sick and tired of knee highs.  do you commit to a pair of transition shoes or just freeze your toes?

l: blonde highlights

h: the never ending roots battle

l: sleeping really late on sunday morning

h: not being able to sleep sunday night and monday morning being a horrible, grumpy ordeal

l: my husband

h: his ability to dirty so many things.  and his inability to notice the trash overflowing

l: the internet

h: wasting hours and hours of my time

(random tangent here - has talk of global warming really led us to asking these questions...it's like a weird futuristic movie where al gore has the last laugh.)

holy mother of sunshine...

spring has shown itself and i am giddy with delight.

some fun things...

i found online today. this is why i heart the internet.

"A fascinating exhibit exploring color opens at MoMA this week. But don't worry if you can't make it to the show, the accompanying website captures the flavor of the show with a lovely, polychromatic interface designed by the MoMA team in cooperation with interactive firm Render Monkey."

not only is this site super cool, it's a great interactive art exhibit.

ohhhh and this so awesome...

happy change your clocks weekend...woo-hoo.  more sunshine for everyone. 

el pollo...

i have the big package of chicken breasts that i need to cook...it's a long story but when originally purchased it should have been broken up into two separate servings but it wasn't and i thought i would use it this past weekend, now it's thawed and e is gone and i'm lazy and have a crap load of chicken breasts to use.  so i was thinking that i could probably find a casserole of sorts that would be super easy to make and would feed me for the next few days.  so i start poking around the internet and i stumble onto the below recipe...seriously are you trying to break the record for most number of ingredients. jiminy christmas. if a recipe calls for more than 8 ingredients...i'm out. but really if anyone has a suggestion let me know...i'm looking some fiber and veggies..or things that i at least have in my kitchen..

Cowboy Chicken Casserole
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse,
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound white button mushrooms, wiped clean and stems trimmed, quartered
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
12 cups tortilla chips
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped bell peppers
2 jalapeno peppers, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped, optional
8 ounces grated Pepper Jack
8 ounces grated Cheddar
1 tablespoon Emeril's Southwest Seasoning, recipe follows
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chopped drained canned tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
Combine the chicken, chicken stock, wine, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and tear or cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve the chicken. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until foamy. Add the mushrooms, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, stir to blend, and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken cooking liquid, stir, and cook until very thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the tortilla chips in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole. Crush the chips with your hands so they form a thin layer on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid over the tortilla chips and allow them to soak up the liquid. Scatter the chicken over the top of the tortilla layer. Spread the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos evenly over the chicken. Top with half of the grated cheeses. Sprinkle with the Southwest Seasoning, chili powder and ground cumin. Spoon the reserved mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the spices, then top with the tomatoes and green chiles. Cover with the remainder of the cheeses. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Tip: This casserole may be prepared in advance and frozen until ready to use. Simply allow it to thaw 1 day in the refrigerator and come to room temperature before baking.

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

not quite judge judy...

i can't muster up the energy to do an indepth post about my trip to small claims court. but i can tell you that not much was resolved, we have another court date in three weeks, i've cursed more today than i think i ever have...and well people suck.

is it possible to just accept that people suck? and if you can accept it...is that a good thing? because if i could come to terms with some things in life...life would be much easier and less of a downer.

i'm so dramatic.

more weekend please...

this weekend was quite busy and i don't feel remotely rested. here are some highlights...

haircut
purchase of two birthday gifts and one shower gift
wedding shower
incredibly large meal eaten
birthday party
driving too many miles
watching ufc (still baffled by that)
talk of niece or nephew on the way
trip to see dad in the ER (all is ok)
not enough sleep
political commentary all around

i've been a little stressed today...i'm still settling in at the new job. it's good and i'm enjoying it but i'm still getting in the groove and i'm a little freaked out about it. plus we are heading to small claims court this week and i'm completely annoyed by the whole thing. e is leaving town for about a week. and i still have a bunch of tax crap to do...ahhhhahhhahaha...i hate living in my head.

let's everyone try to calm down, keep things in perspective and have a lovely monday.

and is there really a possibility of snow...wtf?