A Shamrock Shake by any other name

Back in March when the McDonalds' across the nation serve up delicious Shamrock Shakes in honor of St. Patrick's day, the city of Los Angeles was devoid of minty goodness. Oh, I looked. I drove near and far, hither and yon, and at every turn my request for these seasonal treats was met with confused looks, "Mint?". Come on. It's MC Donalds for crying out loud. A little Irish spirit wouldn't kill ya.

Yesterday I finally got around to reading "Fast Food Nation" and, ironically, it made me hungry for a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I scanned the menu and what did I see? "Minty Mudbath Shake" in honor of Shrek The Third. Hmm...isn't it strange that when a film studio throws money at them they are lousy with mint-flavored shakes.
I'll remember this next March, McDonalds. You'd better come through for me or I'll be fomenting a riot.

Boo to the Hoo

My knee keeps giving out on me at random moments. It's fun. (not really) So, after a long day and some swelling, my knee was not in prime shape as I made my way home today.
Unfamiliar with the stops on the 328 line, I rang the bell early and ended up getting off four or so blocks before Crenshaw. I don't get it. Weinerschnitzel looks so close to Crenshaw when driving.

I stepped off the curb, lost my balance and fell flat on my face and my knee. I got up quickly and hobbled across the street. My knee was bleeding. The pain was tremendous, but my stop was just four blocks away. I walked on, each step more painful than the last, but just four blocks. I walked on and on and looked up and--Son of a Sea Cook, where the hell is Crenshaw? I swear it was just down the street. I kept walking and soon the pain became a dull throb. I stopped at Rite Aid to get some Clairol Nice & Easy #118A and Q-Tips. There was the hair dye right up front. But where are the Q-Tips. I looked in the make up aisle. No swabs. I looked in the first aid aisle. No swabs. I looked in the baby aisle, where they usually are, and still no freakin' swabs. Is it too much to ask?? Finally, I found them way up high jumbled under a pile of army men. Crimony! It's just a cotton swab.

Got home, found a letter from Frau Moneygrubbing Beyotch and my rent is going up. 5% this time instead of the usual 3%. At least she didn't try to soak me that $7 "city fees" this time.

I need ice cream. Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream, a Ben & Jerry joint.
Link

It's Delightful!

A little while ago, Annika mentioned this guy's "50 banjos" project to raise money for his roof repairs. I've been checking back every now and then admiring his work and debating what kind of banjo picture I would want. Finally I thought, "well, gingham, of course, and sunflowers, because they make me happy." So I sent Eric my money and said, "I like sunflowers and gingham." And this is what he made for me.
Check out Eric's site and order yourself a banjo. It's bound to make you smile.

It must be his busy season

I got the diagnosis for poor little Jamie. It actually had nothing to do with the oil at all. That was just a coincidence. Although, the oil stunt wasn't good either, but that's easily fixed with a quick flush and filter change. No, apparently my spark plugs have plugged their last spark. The cost of repairs far outweighs the balance in my checkbook and I don't get paid until next Thursday. The mechanic said, "So, do you want to pick up your car and bring it back next week?"
I asked, "Is it safe to drive?"
He replied, "I wouldn't recommend it. It'll probably just break down on you."
Um, then why did you suggest it, doofus?

I needed help. I made a call.

I left a message. We'll see if he gets back to me.

I have a good excuse for missing SnB tonight

Remember Sunday when my oil light went BEEP BEEP BEEP? It was nearly dry and I only put in two quarts, so I have been a little concerned that it needed more oil ever since. Before I left work, I checked the oil and it was at the "add more" level. I stopped at 7-11, but they only had 10w-30 oil. Jamie is a discerning little car. She only likes 5w-40 (but she'll take the 5w-30 if need be). So, off I drove to the Mobil station at Alvarado. I bought two more quarts and added them without spilling a drop. I check the oil level and--oops--it was a little over the full level. Not way over, mind you, just a little over.

[DANGER WILL ROBINSON--here's where you start to get nervous for our heroine.]

I headed off down Olympic for a fun night of Stitchin' and Bitchin'. At some point, I noticed Jamie was idling a little rough. That's not like her. For the next block or two, she was a little jerky. Then, I smelled something and the "Check Engine" light came on. Now, I know you don't want to mess with oil and engine issues, so I turned up the first street I could find and parked in the only spot available--the red zone--and called AAA.

How much do I love AAA? So much. I called at 6:55 and the tow truck was there within 10 minutes. Not only that, but the tow company called the dealership to see if the repair shop was still open, then called me back to tell me there was a drop-off service. And the driver? So nice. His name was X-Ray, or at least that's what his shirt said.

Me? Back on the bus, I'm afraid. What I'm really afraid of is the repair bill. I was going to drop the car off at the body shop tomorrow to FINALLY fix the rear end damage, but now I have to worry about these repairs.

The first of many.

Go Blue! See Greene!

Tonight was Stitch N Pitch night at Dodgers' Stadium. I can't believe I didn't take ONE picture. Dang! I'm sure many other gals will post photos. The Dodgers won despite the presence of Uccellina and Husband, both self-proclaimed jinxes. Special thanks to Ucc and Hubby for picking me up on the hill.

Afterward, I realized that I had to get food for a breakfast meeting in the morning. Rats!
On to Ralphs on Sunset where pickings were slim, but I managed to get some croissants and fruit. I just need to pick up the coffee on my way in.

As I was heading toward the check out, I nearly ran over Ellen Greene (you know, Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors). She didn't look happy to be at Ralphs either.

OH--as for that project I was working on? I frogged it. It was going to be a baseball purse. It didn't work out. Sorry. Thanks for guessing, Helena.

That's what I get for being impulsive

I was online this morning reading a blog that mentioned Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream and nothing would do but a pint of Ben & Jerry's. So, I put clothes on and ventured out. I was going to walk over to 7-11 but thought I'd find it cheaper at the grocery store and maybe get something substantial to eat too. Then, as I turned onto Sunset, I suddenly got a bug up my butt to go to JoAnn's in Glendale for a little something for my latest project (see below).

All went well. I got the little something I needed plus something I didn't know I needed but it was cheap. Then as I was headed home all proud of myself for figuring out how to get to the freeway and get home, singing out loud to the Pearl Jam CD in my player, a loud piercing BEEP BEEP BEEP went off. Oh look, it's my oil light--AGAIN. I quickly took the first exit I saw, not knowing that it leads to another exit. And all the while the beeping, MY GOD, the beeping won't stop. "I'm trying to pull over. Quit beeping at me," I shouted at the incessant alarm. Fortunately, after the last incident, I have had two quarts of oil in my trunk for just such an occasion. Plucky gal that I am, I popped the hood, dumped in the oil and waited for it to settle before checking the dipstick again. Then I wiped my hands and headed home.

I never got my ice cream because I didn't want to tempt fate with the car and all. My brakes are making horrid noises and I still have to get the back end fixed from my little accident. Rats.

In other news, I knit another cupcake from the One Skein book, and while I think the color scheme looks like Winnie The Pooh's treehouse, I'm very proud of the candle. That's an I-cord, with a coffee stirrer stuffed inside and some fuzzy Target yarn as the flame.


So, guess what I'm knitting now? Here's some pictures to help you.

Is it a jelly fish? A hat gone wrong?

A boob warmer?
You guess.

Sorry, I don't have any prizes for you, but I'll be sure to laud you to the rafters via this here blog. Stay tuned for the results (by Tuesday, I hope). And please take note of the beautiful stitch markers courtesy of the lovely and talented Sachi.