It Just Doesn't Add Up

I went bowling last night at AMF Pleasant Valley with the BF and his old co-workers. Seeing as how I completely suck at bowling, the fact that I bowled 5 games is pretty damn impressive. The first two games were unforgettable.

But look at this:

The 125 is me!!! 'A' is for 'Asia.' I was representing my peeps. Anyway, the important part is that I broke 100! This is the third time I've done it, and I'm sure the last.

What's really amazing was the next game where I got 4 strikes!!! 4 fucking strikes bitches!! And I didn't break 100. Sigh...I dunno how that happens.

I had forgotten how much fun bowling can be. Especially when the lights go down and its Rock n Bowl. Of course the fact that the place darkened, combined with me playing 3 games previously meant that I did nothing but sucked at the end. I thought that my arms would be sore the next day, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case. Probably due to the fact that my ball was only a 9 pounder.

Winter Wonderland

ITS SNOWING!!! I've never lived in a place where it actually snowed! I've seen snow, but that's about it. And now its snowing!!! School has been canceled for far far less, but this year maybe they think people have finally learned how to drive in snow. Me? Hell no. I'm Asian and I'm female. Putting me on the road in this condition is a stupid and deadly trifecta.

Across the street is the neighborhood pool, but the land it sits on is slightly elevated, making it a soft hill. Perfect for sledding. I wake David up and ask him where his sled is so Jessie and I can go down the hill. 'I don't have one' is his reply. WTF??? So no sledding for me...sigh...

Here's Jessie running around in the backyard. She went totally ape shit, but that's probably because she had to do her business and couldn't figure out where the grass was. Basically, she couldn't sniff out the correct spot to lay her goodies.


This is the cul-de-sac and my car. Totally nuts! You can't even see where the driveway ends and the grass begins! I declare today a hot chocolate and pj day.

Bad Influence

I've heard that once people get into a relationship, they tend to "let themselves go" and gain a few pounds. I'm sad to admit that that's true. I don't think its necessarily because I don't care how I look anymore or whatnot, but the sheer fact that there always seems to be other things that need to be done that are more important than slaving away at the gym. That and since I'm busy with the avalanche otherwise known as school, I'm reduced to eating out a lot. Or eating nothing, which has happened a few times. Neither are healthy, I know.

The BF and I have made it our New Years resolution to lose weight. Well, its actually broader than that-just to be healthier. Since I have Fridays off, I should go to the gym. But did I? No. I had to study. And then I decided to be Martha Stewart and do the whole cooking thing. I never realized how hard it is to prepare meals. I had to troll through all the grocery weekly ads to find whats on sale, make a list, and make sure I go to the cheapest place (there are 3 grocery stores near BF). I got boneless pork, chicken breast, mushroom, asparagus, squash, pomegranate, and a whole bunch of other stuff that somehow added up to $50. Obviously there's still room for improvement on the whole budgeting thing. At least we're not eating out as much.

So I've cook twice in 4 days. Not bad. And it was edible. And I'm alive. And the BF is alive. Overall, a success! I'm going to try to do this at least 3-4 nights a week. It really all depends on my class load. But seeing as how I'm all out lazy and read the morning of instead of the night before, I really don't have an excuse.

In addition to eating healthier, we're walking in the evenings. Its a little hard now since it gets dark at 5 ish, and its cold (its supposed to be 12 degrees this weekend!). Why else? Because of me OUR DOG IS OVERWEIGHT. Before I took my BF's life over by storm, Jessie was healthy. She weighed the correct amount, yada yada yada. Enter me.

I have this propensity to buy her all sorts of goodies. Especially ones that are shaped and decorated (because she understands this). I like getting her bone shaped doggie biscuits dipped in carob, dipped in peanut butter, dipped in just about anything. And she just inhales it all. I got her treats that are shaped like bacon and eggs, peanut butter balls, apple and cinnamon biscuits, etc. She's basically tried it all. I declared her birthday two weeks ago and got her a doggie cake.

The result? In the 7.5 months I've known her, Jessie's gained 10 POUNDS. We put her on the scale at Petsmart before her bath, and she's a little over 9 lbs heavier. We have to walk her now. She's right on track to the Freshman 15. Actually, she walks me. Its ok-its good for both of us.

Vegas Baby, Vegas

If I had the money, I'd enter in the MBA Poker Tournament in Vegas Jan. 16-18th. However, the gambling gods have different plans for me. That and I royally suck at poker. Nevermind though, I'm going Super Bowl weekend! I will be out of Vegas by the time Super Bowl starts, but I will be there to party. And hopefully expand my budget. Expand, not contract. Well honestly, my bank account can't shrink anymore.

I went to Vegas over Christmas. Its not quite the family feel-good holiday hot spot, but it was fun. The main thing I did was play craps. I won more money than anticipated. Hooray for me for even leaving Vegas with a profit. And the one thing I learned about gambling is that its impossible to win money playing low minimums. I spent an hour playing at the $5 table and walked away with $30. I spent 30 minutes playing at the $10 table and walked away with $150. Too bad its already spoken for. And damn you to the little Asian lady who bet $10 on me and walked away with an extra $500--I demand a cut of that action!

For my communications class on Thursday, I have to present on a "process" for 3-5 minutes. In all my infinite wisdom, the only thing I can think to present on is how to play craps. Not sure its a process, but its something I know about. Good enough, no? We'll see when I get my feedback. What I should really talk about is how to spend money. I seem to be an expert at that. With an extra emphasis on things I neither need nor afford.

So Super Bowl weekend is also my birthday weekend. I'm scared. I'm going to be 29. My last year in my 20s. I'd like to list all my accomplishments but none come to mind just yet. Everyone tells me that the 30s are more enjoyable than the 20s, but I secretly think it is because they are in their 30s, and if they could go back to their 20s, they'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd actually hate to know what my parents think. Bet they never imagined they'd still be partially supporting me after undergrad. I find myself using the phrase, "oh when I grow up I want to..." Peter Pan Syndrome Victim #48362419 here. I've thought about making a list of things I want to accomplish in life, but then it seems too Bucket Listy, and I don't want to feel like I'm going to croak any day now.

Christmas at Biltmore

Immediately after my last final, the BF and I went to Biltmore to see the Christmas extravaganza. It was nice, although not as done up as I had hoped. And still...no pictures allowed inside. No wonder it's not an Asian tour stop. The big tree in the dining room was a sight to see though. It had to be over 20 feet tall, and unlike mall trees, it was actually one tree, not 30 perfectly put together. The Estate had to buy two of them because each only lasts about two weeks. So when its time to change the tree, they only have one night to remove all Christmas ornaments, take down the tree, put up the new one, and get all the ornaments back on. Once again, too bad I couldn't take a picture of it.
This is a pic of the front of the house. I really thought that the house would be outlined with Christmas lights. Obviously that wasn't the case...maybe my tastes are tacky or something.
Here's a pic of the house from the road that leads to the garden, winery, and outdoor center.

The next day we took the Segway tour. It was way better than riding on a regular Segway because these were off-roading Segways. The tires were super fat and seemed all-terrain like. Here's us in front of the reflection pond. The pond is crazy because it had to be far back enough so that the whole reflection of the house fit.


At first I was scared shitless of hoping on the Segway. Even though we had an instructor, it wasn't like he had the ability to stop me if I went careening off course. We started off in Turtle mode, where the fastest is 6 mph. That was practice mode. When it came time to go on the course we got upped to Rabbit, where the fastest is 12 mph. That rocked. By the end I was a Segway fiend, but it took a while to get there. At first it was hard for me to balance. The machine is pretty big, and I had a hard time controlling it in the beginning. To go forward, you lean forward. To go back, you lean back. So when I was going forward and tried to stop, I would lean back a little to far and start going backwards. It took me a minute to realize it, and then another minute to figure out that I had to lean forward slightly to stop. By the time my instructor told me I was going backwards and I actually stopped, a good 30 feet were between us. Good thing quick thinking and reflexes weren't required to operate this bad boy. Either that, or good thing no one else was on the trial at the same time we were... Although I think the Segway rocks, I can see why it never really caught on as the new travel medium. The ones we rode cost $5,500! Ouch if we broke it!

After the Segway, we did the Landrover Experience Driving School. This is my second time, and luckily I got the same instructor (he remembered me!). Since it had been raining the few days and hours beforehand, we had to take a different route. Why the instructor didn't want to use the winch was beyond me.
I've told the BF many times that I 'need' a Range Rover. And he always rolled his eyes at me. But this time...wah la!!! He loved it! (Even the heated steering wheel).


I got the last ten minutes of the lesson and ended up in Superbowl sized mud pit. It took around 8 tries to get out of it.


We've decided that when we make enough money (or win the lottery), we're getting a Range Rover. Our dog would look fantastic with her head sticking out the window. I guess this will happen after I finish school, get a job, and bank out the ying yang.