Add in the snow and it was an eventful night

It's never a dull shift when you work the night before a holiday.

What else can top Kenny Rogers, former Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler, an armed robbery, a hunter who shot himself in the foot and groin and opening night at a holiday light display?

And to think, The Coach told me "not to work too hard."

Yeah, that didn't happen.

I was always told to say please and thank you

Tomorrow's the day most turkeys fear: Thanksgiving.

Although I like most holidays, Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. I get to enjoy turkey and mashed potatoes while surrounded by my family. And this year? Add in some Green Bay Packers. It makes for a good day.

I admit though, I'm not a fan of the entire Thanksgiving fest. Cranberries? I'll pass. Yams? Yuck. If I have to I'll eat some green beans, but my vegetable of choice is corn. The mashed potatoes and gravy is yummy as is the turkey (but I'll take some white meat, thanks). For desert, you can kept your pumpkin pies. I'll take a slice of the chocolate.

I know, it sounds like I'm an incredibly picky eater. And in some cases, I am. But I've gotten better. Besides, I never promised I was an equal opportunity eater.

But the holiday isn't just about the food or the football or even being surrounded by family. It's about taking time to realize what you're thankful for. And I am thankful for a lot of things.

Here's just a few:

• I'm thankful that I finally am living in a city close to my family.
• I'm thankful for having a job that I enjoy.
• I'm thankful I have a loving family who support me in whatever I choose to do, even if it's a crazy idea like running 13.1 miles.
• I'm thankful for my friends, both the new ones I've made over the past year and the ones I've known forever.
• I'm thankful for my upcoming four-day weekend.
• I'm thankful for my health.
• I'm thankful for warm woolen mittens.
• I'm thankful winter weather has made its appearance. Don't hurt me, but I loved the snowflakes that fell from the sky today and the chilly weather. It's perfect weather for curling up under a blanket with a book and settling in for a lazy day.

I've been keeping a secret

I didn't want to jinx it, so I've kept it kind of mum.

But I think it's safe to fess up.

I've met a boy.

I'll give you a moment or two to compose yourselves, faithful readers, because this is big news.

* waits *

OK. I'll continue now.

So yeah, the girl who went through a self-imposed two year dating hiatus met a boy. Actually, it was a blind date set up by a co-worker. Which is impressive for me. Because me? I don't usually do blind dates.

It was about a month ago that I first chatted with the boy. From now on, we'll call him The Coach, which is appropriate since he's an assistant high school coach. Anyway, our first date was dinner. And we got along fabulously. Let's just say we sat down for dinner at 8 and before we knew it the clock said it was 11:45 p.m. and it felt like it had been five minutes.

There have been more dates since, including one Sunday afternoon when we toured Lambeau Field and watched football, rooting for the players on our fantasy football teams.

Like I said, The Coach and I get along fabulously. We have a lot in common and there doesn't ever seem to be those awkward silences that can exist during that "getting to know you stage." He's a pretty sweet guy too, even sending flowers to me at work when I was pulling a weekend shift two weeks ago. And there's no need to worry about if I'd be taller than him if I chose to wear a pair of heels since he towers over me at 6 feet, 5 inches.

And tonight? He's making me dinner!

So cross your fingers for me faithful readers. Because I think I like The Coach and I hope he sticks around for a while.

Happy birthday to my blog

It's been a year since I started this blog. I've rambled about nothing for 365 days. But because it's my blog's birthday today, let's take a look at some monthly highlights from the 322 posts I've come up with during the last year.

November 2006: My first blog post. I had been living in the City on the Water for a few weeks and all I wanted was to order a pizza. But I had no phone book.

December 2006: A month filled with holiday related posts. First there were the twinkling Christmas lights that decided not to twinkle, and what about AskMoses.com, or the day I helped bake over 600 cutout Christmas cookies?

January 2007: With birthdays come visits to the friendly folks at the DMV. Apparently they trust my ability to drive.

February 2007: I caught the running bug. Again.

March 2007: Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to conduct a phone interview and take notes while your finger is gushing blood.

April 2007: When my smoke detector wasn't being a pain in the butt, I found myself running. Including my first 5K since middle school.

May 2007: Need I say more than the Great Neck Slicing of 2007?

June 2007: I got that crazy idea in my head to run a half marathon.

July 2007: The Raptors came to town. And they were loud, and fast and so cool.

August 2007: There was an adventure to Alpine Valley, battles waged with crickets and some crazy fool trusted me with a gun.

September 2007: Remember that half marathon? I finished it. Oh, I also got to go back to Camp Randall.

October 2007: I went ghost hunting.

November 2007: Always make sure the tire store gives you your flat tire back.

Thanks for stopping by during my blog's first year. I hope the next year's adventures are just as blog-able.

I think it's time to pack it away

I love my fleece. Both of them. The red one and the black one.

They're comfortable and toasty warm. But at the same time, not so warm that I end up sweating buckets if I decide to wear one of them on a super sunny day when temperatures are hovering in the upper 50s.

But yesterday? It was getting a bit chilly. And the fact that the wind was blowing around 30 miles an hour? That made it that much colder. So last night while I was laying in bed, reading a book, the howling and growling wind played a huge role in my decision.

It was time to put the fleece away and pull out the work-appropriate winter jacket.

So this morning it was the charcoal gray pea coat that I threw on instead of the red fleece I would have preferred. But I think it's the right decision, especially since the weatherman is telling me the mercury in the thermometer might reach 40 degrees this weekend, if I'm lucky.

Tonight the fleece will get hung up in the hall closet, where they'll stay until spring or the mid-winter heat wave, whatever one comes first.

Choices

I thought about getting reacquainted with the YMCA tonight.

But it was cold, the wind was blowing and that makes for the perfect night to come home, throw on the sweats and curl up underneath a blanket with a good book.

Which is exactly what I'm going to do. Now it's just deciding if I want to read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" for my book club or crack open "New Moon," the second book in the vampire series that I loved. Decisions, decisions.

Watch out for flying cable boxes

Seriously? They're telling me I won't be able to watch UW and Minnesota this weekend?

I realize Minnesota is winless in the Big Ten. But come on, it's the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.

For a refresher:
Number of Badger games Badgergirl was unable to watch this season because they were only being aired on the The Big Ten Network? 5
Number of games the Badgers played this season? 11

And folks, it's going to get worse once the basketball season starts, where something like 18 of the games are being shown on the network my cable provider refuses to carry.

Something must be done. Because Badgergirl? She's not so happy.

Note to the cable box. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Because you might get thrown out the window.

Most parades were for veterans today. Here? We're celebrating the holidays

I went to a "holiday" parade today.

And yes, you're reading your calendar correctly. It's only Nov. 10. But regardless of what the date on the calendar says, the City on the Water decided to have their holiday parade today. Completely with Santa Claus and Christmas carols.

I have a few problems with this.

Did I mention it's only Nov. 10? Seriously. Kids were running around neighborhoods less than 2 weeks ago, dressed up as pirates and princesses. And what about the holiday where we stuff ourselves with turkey and celebrate pilgrims and Indians? In my mind, we start celebrating Christmas after we do the whole turkey thing.

Even if we forget the date on the calendar, I still had problems with today's holiday parade. For starters, it was at 10. In the morning. When it was light out. And to me, holiday parades are supposed to be when it's dark out. Maybe it's because I grew up in Appleton. Where they hold their Christmas parade (yes, they call it a Christmas parade, not a holiday parade) is held the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week and it's at night. Part of the tradition? The Christmas lights along College Avenue are lit for the first time when the parade begins. It's not only a signal to begin the parade festivities, but also to start celebrating the holiday season.

Plus, since Appleton's is later in the month, there's an actual chance of snow. And nothing is better than a Christmas parade marching down the street with a light snow falling.

But Santa Claus and the Christmas carols were out in full force today in the streets of downtown here in the City on the Water. And I was there. But I'll be waiting eagerly for the "real" Christmas parade in just over a week.

Bucky's beating up the Wolverines

If I wasn't sitting at my desk working this morning, it would be a very good morning.

But still. A 20-7 Wisconsin lead at halftime? Against Michigan? That makes for a happy Badgergirl.

And the red roses that were sitting at my desk this morning? They were a nice touch and made this morning that much better.

It has the potential to be a good day.

Don't believe me that I got tased? Here's the evidence

Remember how I got tased? Now I can offer you photographic proof.

Preparing to get shocked.

That hurt, just a bit.

That's highway robbery. Of the tire variety

Thieves.

That's what I call the Tire Store people who stole my flat tire. Although I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would want to steal a flat tire.

Confused? Let me back up a bit.

So remember yesterday, how I walked out of my apartment to do errands in the afternoon and discovered I had a flat tire? And I took it over to the Tire Store? And they told me it was flat and unfixable?

Well, I didn't mention that first they attempted to sell me a set of four new tires. Yes, you read that right. A set of four. Now, I may not know much about cars, but I do know that one flat tire does not mean I have to purchase an entire set of four tires. Because when I got my oil change just three days before? They told me my tires were fine (little did they know I'd be dealing with a flat tire in a matter of days).

It might have been the skeptical look I gave Tire Man, because all of a sudden he's talking about me purchasing either one or two tires. It sounded a bit more reasonable, but like I said, I know very little about car maintenance aside from getting my oil changed every 3,000 miles.

"How about you guys just put on the spare and I'll talk to my Dad."

Because that's what any reasonable 27-year-old girl would do. Talk to her dad. Because dads? They know about cars.

Tire Man gave me this look and said OK. His cohorts put on my spare, making the Focus a bit ghetto looking and off I drove, with my quotes for a set of four tires, four tires that I would not be buying from Tire Man.

I get back to my apartment and tell Dad about what just went down at the Tire Store. He says he'll talk to Trusted Tire Store, where my set of somewhat functioning tires were purchased two years ago. In the meantime, I'm thinking my old, flat tire is sitting safely in the trunk of my car.

Fast forward to today. Something just didn't feel right. So after work I pop the trunk, just to make sure my now flat tire was there.

IT WAS GONE!

There was an old winter jacket, some mittens, my bike rack and my comfy campfire chair. But there wasn't any sign of a flat tire.

I go inside and immediately dial the Tire Store.

"I was in last night with a flat tire. You guys weren't able to fix it so you put my spare tire on. Do you by chance still have my old tire? Because I kind of need the rim and hubcap thing."

"Oh, was it from a Ford?" the Tire Man asks.

"Yeah."

"Yup. It's sitting right here."

"Can I have it back?"

Tire Man kind of chuckles. But at this point. I'm not laughing. Not only do I have to make another trip to the Tire Store, but I feel as though the Tire Man is holding my flat tire hostage, like he'll only give it up if I buy a new set of four tires from him. And last time I checked? That flat tire (and the hubcap/rim thing attached to it) belonged to me.

But I got it back. And I will never in my life recommend someone go to the Tire Store if they find themselves faced with a flat tire. Because at the Tire Store, they steal your flat tires. And that's just not cool.

If you call 2 books reading

Reading took a backseat in October. Although I don't have any explanation why. I have no excuses. I just didn't read.

I did manage to finish two books for a total of 618 pages. That brings the yearly total to 42 books and 15,666 pages.

And for those of you interested in what I actually did read this month:
Slightly Married by Wendy Markham
The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

Of course, there was another one in the works, but since I didn't finish it, it doesn't count towards October's totals.

General yuckiness in bullet point form

Because I'm not sure I can string together enough coherent sentences to form actual paragraphs, you're getting bullet points.

• I feel like crap and my voice? It kind of sounds like a frog.
• I ache.
• My car? It has a flat tire. I didn't pay attention in driver's ed class, therefore, I didn't learn how to change a tire. I'm currently in the process of finding someone of the male gender (who knows how to change a tire) to come over and help me.
• I spent my day off, glued to my recliner, dozing and watching cheezy Lifetime movies.
• I was supposed to get a flu shot today. That plan went down the drain when I walked outside and discovered the aforementioned flat tire.
• Is it bedtime yet?

UPDATE: The tire? It's officially flat. As in unfixable. Meaning I have to buy a new tire. Ugh. For now, I'm riding around with my spare and the Focus? It looks a little ghetto.

The month's first run

The Weather Channel told me it was 48 degrees outside. And the sun? It had already disappeared.

But it had been a long week and all I really wanted to do was go for a quick run. And the treadmill at the YMCA? That didn't sound so appealing.

So I pulled out so pants, layered a long sleeve shirt over a T-shirt and off I went. I admit, it was a bit chilly. But I wasn't about to complain. Between the crunchy leaves on the side of the road and the smell of someone burning a fire in their backyard, it was heavenly.

My only gripe? My MP3 player decided to die. Less than a mile into my run. And of course it had to happen just as the new Matchbox 20 song was coming on. So for most of my run, I was left with just my thoughts and the sound of fall. And honestly, it wasn't that awful.

The run itself was only 2 miles. But after choosing to not lace up the shoes for a good chunk of October, it just felt good to run again. And I need to start again, because the brain? It's been thinking. And it involves an early April event.

My teachers always taught me 2 comes before 3

Dear Public Library,

You're my friend. You've finally come through with producing one of the books I put on hold way back in the beginning of September.

But I do have a small problem. See, this book that is now sitting on a shelf with my name on it? It's the third book in a series. And I'm still patiently waiting for your guys to provide me with the chance to read the second book in the series.

And you finding Book 3 for me? That puts me in a odd situation. Because I need to read number 2 before number 3, because that's the way it's supposed to be done. But I don't really want to go out and buy Book 2, because why should I buy the second book if I don't already own the first or third book. And besides, you know as soon as I buy the book, you'll tell me it's at the library, waiting for me.

But I'll still come and pick up my copy of Book 3, because it's here. And I'll figure something out for Book 2.

Sincerely,
The Girl Who Likes to Read Books in Order