Are You Kidding Me?

Dear A**holes Out There Driving This Morning,

How freakin hard is it to stop and let a car pass in front of you? Are you so much in a gard damn hurry that you've lost all of your common courtesy? And Holy Hell No, why would you let TWO cars through the line of traffic? I get that everybody is on their way to get to where they need to be, but me and the driver in front of me sat waiting to take a left on a busy street, into the flow of traffic for what seemed like an eternity! I was floored!

The person on the car in front of me must have been pissed too because as he inched closer into oncoming traffic, just to let them know he was there, trying to go left, you all swerved around him like he was an idiot! It was sort of like a game then...with all of you giving him dirty looks and swerving around him like maniacs.

I have to know... how hard is it to let someone go in front of you?? How many seconds out of your precious day will it cost you to be NICE? And a whole line of parading as*hole drivers for minutes on end?? What are the odds of that happening?

Really, I have only to thank you because when we finally did get through traffic, I stopped for every car that I saw on the road today. Every one, and it felt amazing! I took a pleasure in knowing that that tiny gesture of common road courtesy quite possibly got someone to where they needed to be a bit faster, and a lot more pleasant for sure. I took great pride in knowing that I was not the selfish butt hole that you all are.

Thanks for the reminder that a good deed never goes unpunished.
I'm sure all your a**hole friends that were behind me today when I stopped for every car that needed it where pretty pissed too!

xoxo-
Candy

A Cautionary Tale

So My Guy and I went to a fabulous fundraiser last night, located in the town next to ours. We had a great time, and despite the heat and high humidity, the party was a success. The foundation that the evening benefited is an organization that inspires kids and we really believe in the great work that they are doing.  So after we ate some fantastic food, drank some wine and listened and laughed at the entertainment and events of the evening (I won a pair of Hudson jeans in a raffle! So excited) My Guy and I began the short drive home.

We were driving down the darkened suburban windy roads, chatting about our fantastic evening, when our headlights revealed a car in the middle of the road, horizontally, the front end smashed into a pole with full front and side airbags deployed. The dark color of the car and the moonlight of the night were almost the perfect backdrop for the bright white airbags that outlined the driver of the car who was leaning on the driver side door with her head down.

My Guy immediately pulled over and got out as I reached for my cell phone to call 911. While I was explaining to the dispatcher the location of the accident, I could see the driver was standing, dazed and confused talking to my husband. She kept saying, "I have to go now. I need to find my cell phone and get home. I just want to go home." My Guy assured her that the blood streaming form her nose and forehead were not, "fine" as she kept repeating, and he said she could not drive her car in it's condition anyway. He asked her to please sit down and wait till the paramedics arrived.

She screamed at me, "NO, don't call the police. They are going to be SO mad at me," she said. "I need to go and find my friends." And with that, she began to cry. I almost felt bad for her. Like I had ratted her out or something, because we all knew that once she got some medical attention she was going to be in a bit of trouble.There was no doubt she had been drinking. As My Guy escorted us to a safe side of the road, I told her how lucky she was that she walked away with a few bumps and scrapes, but the poor thing kept repeating, "I just want to go home. Can I go home? Please don't call the cops."

She then walked over to the passenger side of the car, which was most definitely a point of impact judging by the huge dent in the rear door, and scurried around looking for her cell phone, which she found . She called her friend. She then handed the phone to My Guy and asked him to speak to her friend. It was then that the paramedics, fire truck and police arrived. They walked over to the driver, clearly the one in need because the white shirt she was wearing was bloodstained. The police asked us our names, and we explained that we were driving home and came upon this scene. The police officer, wrote our names down and told us we were free to leave, which we did, but I couldn't help but feel terrible for this stranger, who was scared and now alone with the paramedics.

I never even asked her name.

It really happened so fast, and she was so frightened that the "cops are going to be SO mad at me", that I felt like I had to almost agree with her. She was lucky, but was she? Had we not found her in the middle of the road, who knows what would have happened? My call to 911 was immediate. I wasn't even out of my car before I had placed the call and I think it was the right thing to do, so why do I feel like I did something wrong?

Even My Guy said on the ride home, maybe we should have driven her to the hospital ourselves, but we both know that was coming from a place of compassion. Maybe even because we have all been there, although we shouldn't be. I guess the real lesson for all of us is simple. It doesn't even need to be said at this point. It's really just a cautionary tale.

Fun, Fun, Fun, Till Her Daddy Takes The T-Bird Away

It's been so wonderful having Frick home from college. Everybody is happy to be a complete family unit again. Even the dogs! I notice that Frick and Frack have a new found love and respect for each other, which is VERY rare and something I do not want to disturb. Part of this new buddy relationship may relate to the fact that they do not have to share a car anymore.

Quick back story: Frick left for college in August of 2012. Frack did not have his driver's licence at that time, so Frick's car sat unused until Frack got his licence in Feb 2013. Said car then became Frack's car, and you know how  a boy feels about his first car. When Frick came home on the occasional weekend during the year, it wasn't always smooth negotiations between the two of them for the car. BUT, lucky for us, we have 4 cars, and My Guy and I only need a car each for driving to work and back. Precious evenings out with their friends were salvaged by the parents carpooling at night. Problem temporarily solved right?

Wrong.

Now that we have Frick all to ourselves for the summer, the need for everyone to have their own car has reached a crescendo.Summer jobs, Frack still in school, my job, My Guy's job, we all need our own wheels. So what are we to do? Again, I said we are fortunate enough to have 4 cars. The fourth car is what we will call "the race car", and it's a two seater, five speed. The only one's that can drive a five speed in the family are My Guy and myself. The race car is a a little showy for My Guy to pull up to his office everyday, so guess who has to take one for the team and drive the rag top, race car everyday???

Oh hell YES! It's meee! and I'm loving it!

I have to say, driving a five speed is very freeing, especially when the top is down and the wind is blowing through your hair, but it's a lot of work too. It's definitely not as smooth sailing as an automatic, but who the hell cares? The work out, (I'm definitely getting an arm workout) and the power I am experiencing daily is a complete blast!! Heck, I may never give up this car. If it weren't for the severe winter weather here, one would have a hard time prying the key from my hand later in the year.

Nothing erases the stresses of a long day at work like the ride home, top down, in my race car and I'm taking downshifting to a whole new art form. I'm also feeling like I want my kids to experience this kind of joy, so I'm thinking it's time to teach them.But then again, if I do that, I may never see the race car again.

In fact, they may start fighting over the race car, and then we would be back to square one again.

No, I'm going to wait on Frick and Frack's stick shift lessons until later in the summer and keep on having my own personal fun. Because once I bring them in on the party, I know exactly what will happen.

It will be just like dear old dad taking my T-Bird away.

Freakin' Friday

Slow, steady and take deep breaths.

Mid morning already and I'm one fender bender away from a mental breakdown. Not really bloggers, but I'm feeling much like my friend in the picture above right about now.

And it wasn't even me who had the fender bender.

It was minor and thank God, but it was my car. Christ, I need a vacation.

Happy weekend bloggers and DRIVE SAFELY.

Like A Thief In The Night....

I am certainly no stranger to robbery.

Just 8 months after my EX-ASS and I split up many years ago, my home was burglarized. Thieves took every bit of my jewelry and my daughter's jewelry and nothing else. It was so violating and scary, even if it was an inside job, that we were all shaken by it. But that's a blog for another day. Today I mention it because we got hit again, on Sunday night.

It was minor, and thank God for that, but violating nonetheless. Frick's car and My Guy's car, both parked in our driveway, were cleaned out. They only got about 3 bucks in quarters from My Guy, but poor Frick had her iPod Touch stolen, along with her iPod connector for her car. My Guy discovered it on Monday morning when he got into his car to got to Home Depot.

While walking to his car he happened to glance inside Frick's car, parked just beside his. He noticed that the inside of Frick's vehicle looked completely ransacked. He figured it was her looking for something in a teenage fury and had not cleaned up after. That was until he got into his car and realized the same thing had happened to his car, but to a lesser degree.

I felt so bad for Frick. I mean, she was only 10 when our house was robbed, and she was more frightened then about the violation of her security than the loss of her jewelry. This time, she was just pissed off that someone stole something of hers that she cherished. I think she was more upset about the loss of the iPod car connector than anything else, but she had a real uneasy feeling about the thought of people rummaging through her stuff in her car.

And let that be a lesson to all of us. Take nothing for granted. Frick also left the keys to the car inside it that night. The thieves could have taken her car, so it could have been much worse, but it got me to thinking. My mom (who is also one of my neighbors) was telling me that her handy man took her to the front door to show her something disturbing last week. He was working on the outside trim all week and when he went back to check his work around the door, he noticed that the freshly painted area between the door knob and the door latch had been scraped up. It definitely appeared that someone was trying to get in, then he showed her a drop of blood that was dried on the threshold of the door. Sure enough, this could be a tel tale sign of an attempted B&E.

Then last Tuesday, just as I am leaving to go to work, Buddy, my big white boxer, started barking ferociously and caught my attention. As I glanced out I saw a very tall and large man in a suit with a brief case and a woman in a long skirt approaching my door. They weren't at all afraid of ferocious Buddy, which unnerved me right away. Instinctively, I opened the door and went outside with more than an attitude and I might have even been rude.

"How can I help you?" I snapped as I went to grab my dog before he reached them and possibly hurt one of them, leaving me liable for their injuries.

"We are here to talk to you about the Lord," they pleasantly replied.

"Ya. No. My dog doesn't like solicitors and I'm not interested so please leave," I said. It gave me a freaky feeling all day. Stupid, I know, but even though they seemed harmless, the little visit left me feeling uneasy.

And now this.

Let's just hope my thief quota has been filled for good.

Mama Likey

This is just one of those many ways in which my extra Y chromosome rears it's masculine little head. I love cars, and I like this little ride which was revealed at the 2010 Paris Auto Show yesterday, the Range Rover Evoque. I even like the color, which is saying a lot because they say that the color of your car speaks volumes about your personality.

Today, I drive a silver car, but for years I drove a black car. Come to think of it, this is the first car I have owned that wasn't black, including and up to my first car. A black Ford Mustang hand-me-down from my two brothers. Now don't get all excited, my Mustang was not one of which dreams were made. No, that car was made during Ford's small, economy, sedan, piece of crap Mustang years, and it was black. I loved it for sure, because it was MINE and that was good enough for me.

Yet every time I see a black car now, the thought runs through my head, "I should have chosen a black car". Needless to say, when the time comes for me to choose my next car, I'm pretty confident it will be black. But I'm liking the white too..

Anyway, here's what the color of your car says about you according to Socyberty.com:

Red:
A red car indicates that you are a passionate person. You are a “take charge” kind of individual and you are at least a little wild. If you are thinking of buying a red car keep in mind that red cars are still among the most stolen and one of the most ticketed vehicles on the road. Bright red paint also subconsciously sends the message that the owner is in a higher income bracket.

Orange:
An orange vehicle is exceedingly hard to find. If you have an orange car you most likely crave attention. You are also generally a happy and upbeat person who enjoys being unique.

Yellow:
There aren’t too many yellow cars on the road either, but a few companies do put them out; think the Ford Focus and VW Bug for instance. If you drive a yellow car you are confident. You like to have fun and you embrace the child within.

Green:
Green is the color of nature. The person who chooses a green car is conscientious. They tend to be the go-to person in tense situations because they know how to keep their emotions in balance.

Blue:
If your car is dark blue you are likely a very loyal person. You value relationships over wealth and you are calm. Rather than stand out, you like to blend in. If your car is light blue you are serene and peaceful. You also have a strong maternal instinct.

Purple:
This is the color of royalty. If you have found a purple car you are a cherished individual who loves beauty, but walks with strength and purpose.

Pink:
There are few pink cars out there, but they can be found. If you have a pink car, you like to be treated with a soft touch. You like to smile and you think good health is important.

Brown:
If you have a brown car that signifies that you are reliable. You are true to yourself and to those around you. You are earthy and don’t engage in “showboating.” You are approachable, responsible and worthy of friendship.

Black:
A slick black car is the epitome of power and authority. Think CIA or Secret Service. If you have a black car, you are sending the message that you are in control and are self-assured.

White:
There are many white cars on the road. What they say about their owners has a lot to do with their upkeep. A clean white car shows that you pay attention to detail. You are careful and pure. A dirty white car makes you look sloppy and indifferent.

Gray:
Although gray often represents the dreary and depressing in clothes, furniture and paint, that is not the case with your gray car. A gray car is a comfortable one. It represents stability and self-reliance.

Silver:
Silver cars represent prestige, wealth and luxury. The newer and shinier the car, the more this will come across.

Gold:
A gold car represents wealth and pride. If you have a gold car, you likely want to be noticed. You want people to know you do not lack financially and you are independent.

Please do leave your car color in the comments section so we can learn more about what the color of your car says about you bloggers!

Never Lost, My A**

I got lost this morning with my navigation system.

Can you believe it? That's why this post is late, because my Navi got me lost and I was late for the fridge repair guy and for the bloggersphere. I had to drive Frack to a golf tourney about 45 minutes away very early this morning and by the grace of God I got him there with 6 minutes to spare. It wasn't easy. The Navi let me down.

What's up with a system that was originally dubbed "Never Lost" getting me lost? AND I thought I was going to loose my mind! It kept directing me to the major highway because it is programmed for major roads, but the traffic was unbearable, so I kept driving around hoping it would re-direct me on a back route. I was driving My Guy's car and I don't know exactly how to re-program it for alternate routes, nor did I have time with Frack sitting next to me reminding me every 3 seconds that he was going to be late.

My only saving grace was when we pulled into the course, the official waiting there to check Frack in for golf said he also got lost with his navigation system. He told me he felt my pain. And wouldn't you know it, that little Navi bastard worked perfectly on the ride home. These days I look at driving directions and laugh thinking, "I've got GPS, I'm all set. I just need the address."

Well not anymore. What a joke. If my Navi system works 90% of the time, I refuse to wait around for that 10% malfunction to rear it's ugly head. From now on it's Map Quest and/or driving directions, even if to just make myself familiar with the routes and streets on way to my destination.

The Navi is some what like a bad lover....

When it's good it's sooooo good.

And when it's bad it's just a plain old waste of useful time.

Tid Bitty City

(remember these things??? I used to love them)

Random tid-bits From the Desk of Candy:

• Tonite marks the second episode of "Glee" on Fox. I am supercilious excited for this show, which I think combines the perfect ingredients for good fun on TV. Jane Lynch alone is worth the watch, and I got my daughter all pumped up on Glee over the summer. She is now a self-proclaimed "Gleek", who had the awesome opportunity to meet the cast at Hot Topic at the mall for her birthday. That day she got to preview tonite's episode and she informs me that it does not disappoint. I have to keep reminding her not to reveal the plot for tonite's episode, as I am a bit of a"Gleek" myself.

• The sports world in Beantown is all abuzz about the recent Richard Seymour trade to Oakland. Seems since the Pats traded Vrabel and Cassel, and now that Teddy Bruschi just retired, fans are more than a bit concerned over the pending team at Foxboro. Relax people, did we not coin the phrase a few years back, "In Bill we trust"? We have seen worse days in Foxboro, for sure. Let's just hope that Tommy Boy is in fine form and that he has all the weapons needed to prove that he is arguably one of the greatest the game has ever seen. I have faith, love and the season tix to prove it.

• Why is it that the first signs of Fall always show up around the start of school?? Do we not have a few more weeks of summer left here?? This was quite possibly the shortest summer on record in MA. We lost June, due to 28 days of rain, waited for July to heat up and had a week or two of hot weather in August. That's it. DONE. And as my grandmother used to say, "Shut up and like it, capiche??

• I am totally DIGGIN' me some Black Eyed Peas, at the moment. Completely Ferg-alicious, they are the "soul food" of pop right now. Their song, "I've got a feeling" is one that resonates throughout the day with it's optimistic feel good vibe. My favorite part, the some what after-thought "L'chaim", (pronounced phonetically "la-hiem") chanted after "Mazeltov" which is a Jewish salutation which means "to life". Good stuff that keeps a little bounce in your step, and who couldn't use a little extra bounce these days??

• Things are finally starting to take shape and I am SOOO excited. My hard work will hopefully pay off very soon, but we will talk more about that later.

• AND-if you've ever thought that your blog has no power and felt as if someday's it just isn't worth it-here is living proof. When checking my email this morning, I recieved this. In the Re: section was "Turtle Wax Love!" At first glance, I thought it was spam, but thought differently since I had just yesterday wrote on this blog about my experience with Turtle Wax Car Wash.

I opened it to reveal this:

Candy,
Your blog popped up in my Google Alerts when you mentioned Turtle Wax Car Wash. Glad your experience was good and that the van revealed it's true color!
If you're interested, we'd love to send out a care package for you to help keep the van clean now that you've got it that way.
Shoot me your mailing address and we'll send it out.
Thanks for the Turtle Wax love!

Brand Director
Turtle Wax, Inc.
www.turtlewax.com

Now that's a touchdown if I ever saw one!!

To you all today, L'chaim!! and if the Peas come on your radio, whether you like them or not, leave it on and toast to life!

Peace.

Mini Me

A while back, on some,"10 random facts about me" meme, I posted the fact that I love miniatures. I still have my childhood doll house, pimped out with awesome, life like mini-furniture and home accessories, rugs, lighting, etc, that would rival any museum-quality reproduction. In certain places in my home today you will find a few miniatures, here and there, tastefully placed as to enhance the decor of the room. My mom used to joke when I was a kid that I would one day marry a midget to encapsulate my love of mini things, (I married a mental midget, but that's a story for a different day) and both of my kids got the "mini" gene.

Having said all that, I consider myself a discriminating mini collector, as a coveted mini, for me, must have that certain aura of duplicity to send me into a frenzy.

By now I am sure that you have all seen the SmartCar.

Adorable, economical and all over Europe. I thought they were cute, but they did not leave me running for the car dealership wanting to make a deal.

Today that has all changed. I got an email that sent my mini-instincts into overdrive, literally! I'm not quite sure these are real or not, but I am more than sure that I want them all!!!

I present to you my mini fantasy.

heehee, The Smorvette! For those "just you and the open road" days.

The Smaudi A3, for the one child pick-ups after the soccer game!

The Smorche!! This one is quite possibly my favorite, as I am a Porsche owner. (My Guy technically is the owner, but I drive it more than he does)

The Smerrari! AHHHHHH! This one is so stinkin' cute I can hardly stand it!

The Smamborghini!! By BFF's hubby has the exact big version. G-Dog, this could be for you and Big's weekend driving!!

How could I choose between them? I want them all!

I think I'm in love.....