Happy Anniversary, Baby

Today, marks Q's and my 16th year of marriage (has it really been that long!?). The day has been pretty low key. That is, in contrast to last year's Palm Springs trip.

No, instead we spent the morning at home, where Q gifted me with Fiesta rectangular baker in the Sunflower color. I'm sure he'll got lots of use out of it. :-P I had bought him some baseball tickets to one of the Diamondbacks NLCS Finals games, which occurred about 2 weeks ago.

Anyway, we spent the day running errands, including a trip to the antique shops in downtown Glendale. After I left $18 in one of the store cash registers, this little vintage beauty followed me home:

Cell Phone Confessional?

Everybody gets the occasional wrong number. Most times, you're able to tell the caller that they misdialed, hang up, and continue with your day.

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But then, you sometimes get that errant caller who won't go away quietly. I once got such a call from a woman, who thought I was her son's ex-wife. She proceeded to lambaste me for refusing to let her see her grandchildren. She called her twice before I convinced her that she's got the wrong person.

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And about 3 years ago, some woman from Chicago called, claiming that Quinton owed her child support for their 11 year daughter. Apparently, Q has same first and last name as the guy she's looking for. I insisted that she has the wrong guy, but she wouldn't hear it. I believe said, "Oh, Honey, he's been lying to you!" She finally backed off when I vaguely told her that my Quinton is an "office worker". The guy she was looking for is a truck driver. Oops! Q thought the whole thing was funny, but that woman made me cry.

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But this most recent call really takes the cake. The other day, someone left the following message on my voice mail:

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"Hey, Valerie, I think I've got the wrong number. I was calling for Cindy*, my mother-in-law to thank her for last night and to let her know that she did things to me that her daughter cannot even think of. And... I don't know why I'm telling you this, but...yeah, I slept with my mother-in-law, and she ROCKED my world! Um...anyway, well, I got the wrong number so now I've got to call and tell her that. Alright, thanks. Bye."

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*The above name has been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

How about some cheese with that whine?

The following article appeared in the online edition of today's Arizona Republic:
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Local reality show exposes housing woes of the rich
Financial struggles know no boundaries, producers say
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Jimmy Magahern
Special for The Republic.
Oct. 14, 2007 07:18 PM
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A Phoenix couple are hoping to turn real-estate woes into reality-TV gold.
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Tentatively titled Real Estate Rescue, the show promises to focus on a class of overlooked victims of the current foreclosure boom: well-off folks with real estate they can no longer afford.
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The pilot's plot?
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An affluent man in his early 50s agrees to take the retirement offer from his company and moves with his wife to an elegant house in northeast Scottsdale. With golden-parachute pay and a healthy nest egg, they buy into a school for children with learning disabilities and eventually take over from the other partners.
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A few years later, they decide to build a new house closer to their daughter in Anthem, signing a contract in March 2006. The house is scheduled to be completed in December, but they are caught in the nasty real estate slowdown.
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The couple is forced to slash the asking price of their first home in Scottsdale five times — to a paltry $759,000.
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Now, the man's post-retirement job as a pharmacist at a neighborhood Safeway — a career he left long before joining the corporate world — pays that second mortgage rather than for extras at the school or for the couple. In broad strokes, this is the real-life story of one Scottsdale couple, Sandi and Terry Mahan, whose decidedly upscale travails currently are being filmed for Real Estate Rescue's pilot episode.
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Kim and John Landry, the co-creators of the show, admit their subjects are not hard-luck stories.
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Still, the Landrys, who also live in Anthem, believe American couch potatoes have heard enough stories from “the truly down-and-out,” as Kim calls them.
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When it comes to feeling the pain from today's softened real-estate market, even folks in the best ZIP codes get stung.“A lot of real-estate reality shows profile the people who are really destitute,” said Kim, a mother of two and a one-time struggling actress.
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She has been calling all her contacts within the entertainment industry to drum up interest in the new show. It is yet to be picked up by a cable network.
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“You know, the people displaced by Katrina or those living in poverty, of course, the public's hearts always go out to them,” she said.“But there are people in the middle- and upper classes who have been affected by this situation, too,” she added, “and it's not like they're all just having to sell their yachts!”
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The Landrys were drawn to the story of the Mahans because of the couple's involvement with the Totem Learning Center, which they own and where Sandi works as an adminstrator and language therapist for children with learning disabilities. “When I saw her working with those kids, I just knew, ‘This is the pilot!'.” Kim said. “Both of their hearts and souls are so into that school. It's clearly become their calling.”
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The Mahans themselves recognize that not everyone will feel sympathetic to their plight.“People like to see the lofty come down,” said Terry, who retired from a high-paying career with Eli Lilly. “Even in the Bible, there's the story of Job,” he said. “Someone who had so much and then lost it all, in essence, to remain true to his passion, his commitment.”
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The Landrys say they think viewers will warm up to their subjects for courageously airing their financial woes in public, something many in their social stratum consider the greatest taboo.
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“There are actually a lot of people at the Mahans' economic level who are facing those same foreclosure fears now, but they cover it up,” said John Landry, a retired architect who now works as a real-estate agent, “so nobody ever knows.”
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Terry said he believes that if the rich can't come up with their own solutions to the real-estate mess — something the Landrys' show intends to examine — things will only get worse for people who have even fewer resources to bail themselves out of the market's downward spiral.
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“It's kind of like the collapse of Wall Street back in the Great Depression,” he said. “There were very wealthy people jumping out of buildings and leaving others to clean up the mess.
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“We're saying those who have the capacity to get out of this need to lead the way,” Terry added. “I mean, if we can't do it, who's going to bear our burden?”
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I love real estate shows: flipping shows..."help me find a new home" shows..."tell me what my house is worth" shows... "stage my home for sale" shows... I watch them all. But now, someone is trying to pitch a "save my McMansion from foreclosure" show.
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I think the line has been drawn. For one thing, it's very difficult to feel sorry for these people. Although the shows producer seems to disagree. She thinks that the TV watching public has "heard enough stories from 'the truly down-and-out'.”
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Be that as it may, I think I'd rather hear about the mom who struggles to keep the bills paid, the kids fed, and the household running while her husband fights for his life in the ICU. Particularly because that could have been my story. But luckily, Q had excellent disability benefits that provided our family with full pay for the six months he was unable to work.
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No. I don't care to hear about the over-extended, over-privileged retiree who has to take a job (gasp!) to keep his plush life afloat. I should point out that this Mahan guy is luckier than most. He was able to find work as a pharmacist. Decent money there. Most people have to supplement their income by bagging groceries or cleaning bird cages at PetsMart.
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Life is full of choices. The Mahans chose to buy a second home before the first was sold. Nobody held a gun to their heads. They got themselves into this mess. Now, they must accept the consequences...just like anyone else. Nope, I don't feel sorry for them one iota.
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One more thing: $759K is NOT "paltry". Not even for a Scottsdale address.

All Work and No Play...

...makes Ms. Val one pi$$ed off bitch!!!!! I have FIVE sketches due on Monday...one of which is comprehensive. It must include ALL the principals and elements of design that we have been covering this semester. I have been laboring over that one all day.

I worked on the other four yesterday--one of which took me all afternoon--but only two are completely done. The other two are most of the way there.

In addition, we have a mid-term test on Monday. I don't know when I'm going to have time to study for that one! Oh, and we have to have our supplies for the "color" portion of the course on Monday. Good thing I found the time to go buy that stuff back on Thursday.

This is the current state of our dining room:

For the last three days, my family has had to eat all meals in the kitchen, living room, or wherever they can find a flat surface to set a plate.

All this effort, energy, and resentment is directed at ONE CLASS! Or more aptly, the instructor. The spring schedule was released online this week. And this harpy little woman is slated to teach both the classes I need to complete my degree. I'm seriously considering completing my coursework in Scottsdale. I'll have one hell of a commute, but it just might be worth it.

Also, due to the endless workload, the above photo will serve double duty as tomorrow's edition of "Sunday Dishes". Sorry.

Thursday 13: The Last

1. The last person I talked to on the phone: Kyle's friend, GK. He called here looking for Kyle, and I happened to answer the phone.
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2. The last article of clothing I bought: 2 trapese tops from the Old Navy clearance rack. One pink, one ivory and black. I Paid $10 for both.
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3. The last restaurant I ate at: Tuesday afternoon, Q and I ate lunch at a place called Under Wraps.
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4. The last place I spent money: The vending machine at school
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5. The last acquaintence I ran into in the grocery store: Sheryl, a lady I know from the school PTA.
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6. The last flavor of ice cream I ate: Mint Chocolate Chip
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7. The last book I read: A coffee table book about art deco design and architecture. It had Harlequin featured in it.
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8. The last time I had to use my car horn: Tuesday morning, a woman in a Crown Victoria (or was it a Grand Marquis?) wasn't paying attention and veered into my lane.
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9. The last DVD I bought: The boys and I bought Q the Mission: Impossible Season 2 DVD set for Father's Day.
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10. The last time I moved: 8 years ago.
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11. The last time I ordered a pizza: Sunday night. Q and the boys spent the entire day washing the cars and doing yard work, while I did laundry and worked on sketches for my CDT class. I felt we deserved it.
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12. The last person who made me angry: My CDT instructor. That woman is getting on my last nerve. I find myself biting my tongue a lot in the class. Now, I just need to learn to keep my angry sneers in check.
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13. The last time I had a laugh attack: In textiles class last week, we watched a video about cotton production, and they interviewed a monotone farmer who sounded exactly like Hank from King of the Hill.

Day Trip

On Saturday, we loaded up the Mustang and took a day trip up to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Bell Rock

We took a hike on the Soldier's Pass Trail in western Sedona. Early in the hike, we encountered the Devil's Kitchen Sinkhole.

"Now, let's all smile and pretend that we like each other."

The Seven Sacred Pools. It's impossible to get all seven pools in one picture without the aid of a helicopter.

No trip to the mountains would be complete without a brush with wildlife.

Lucas, King of the Mountain.

Coffee Pot Rock. There's another rock formation in town that looks like Snoopy lying on his doghouse, but I couldn't find it.

After lunch we decided to do more hiking. This time, took a scenic drive up highway 89A. Just north of town, we found a trail that took us down the canyon to Oak Creek.

Lucas found a bunch of miniature pine cones.

Our car is parked up there somewhere.

Don't fall, Kyle!

Lucas totally wants to scale that rock and claim it as his own little island.

The only downside to the trip--if there has to be one--was that we didn't get to see any fall color. But we'll be going to Overgaard in a few weeks, and there should be lots of yellow and orange leaves by then.

Thank Goodness for Beamed Ceilings...

I knew it all along. Last season, Desperate Housewives ended with Edie having apparently commit suicide by hanging. As the the credits ran, I rolled my eyes and said "she didn't do it". Sure there was shock value, but knowing Edie, I predicted that it was all a well orchestrated ruse. She had no intention of dying. Or perhaps, it wasn't Edie at all. I was actually hoping it was Lynette's hateful mother.

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I actually thought the wispy-thin scarf would break, Edie would fall to the floor, and would walk away with little more than a few bumps and bruises. I wasn't prepared to see her clinging to the beams in the ceiling. Now, I wonder how long she had to hold herself up there before Carlos came home.

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In any case, I'm glad Edie lived. Nicollette Sheridan needs to be featured more. She's been relegated to B-character status for too long.

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Other random thoughts on last night's show:

--For a fake pregnancy, Bree sure has the cutest maternity outfits.

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--Does Mike own any clothes other than grey t-shirts?

--Barfing in someone's purse is the best revenge.

--I've been pregnant before, but have never been approached by pushy women (or men) who insist on touching my stomach. I know many pregnant ladies don't like having their bellies patted, but I really couldn't imagine someone being so forceful about it that security has to intervene!

--Retractable barbecue fork? Puh-leez!!!!!!

--I'm not liking the new neighbor woman already. I especially didn't like the saccharin way she informed Bree that she was going to have to cut down the shade tree in her back yard.

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--Susan should have put her foot down (pun intended), and rescheduled her doctor's appointment.

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--If Carlos has $10M in a Cayman Islands bank account, what's he doing living in the suburbs? Wisteria Lane is a very nice neighborhood, but it's still the suburbs!

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--Doug Savant definitely has a knack for noticing crooked wigs.

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--Gabby is getting on my nerves. She has been since the second season. If that situation ever changes, and I need more Gabby, I'll just tune in to a marathon of The Real Housewives of Orange County.

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--Who has a barbecue that spills out into the rest of the neighborhood? Most of these suburban soirees are confined to the host's backyard.

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--I know it was just a plot device, but the idea of a table full of old ladies saving a seat just for Susan seemed really far-fetched. Especially since they didn't save a place for her new husband.

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--Short-shorts and a low-cut top. Interesting coming-home-from-the-hospital outfit, Edie. I wear more clothes in the swimming pool.

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--Mrs. McClusky showed some cajones when she got in Carlos' face about the trash cans being left out. In this situation, I find that a passive-aggressive approach works much better. In our old house, we has a neighbor who habitually left her can out for 2-3 days after it was emptied. In those days, I had a baby who still used a stroller, and an errant dumpster blocking the sidewalk was quite an annoyance. Whenever I approached this situation, I simply moved the can to the dead center of her driveway. So when the neighbor came home, she would have to get out of her car, and move the dumpster in order to get into her driveway.

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Being a bitch can be fun!

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