Summer's Shenanigans

Blogger is pretty lame, if you ask me. I am going to switch over to Wordpress soon. Then I will blog more, I promise :).

I was never the little girl that dreamed about getting married one day. As a matter of fact, I still have zero desire to ever have a wedding. Weddings seem a little cheesy to me, not to mention a waste of money. If marriage meant anything anymore, perhaps I wouldn't feel that way, but with the average divorce rate nearing 50% it's obvious that vowing to be with someone for better or worse is not taken to heart (or, 50% of Americans are liars), so why make such a big deal about getting married? I can think of 1000 other things I would rather spend $20,000 on (the average US couple spends between $14,000 and $43,000 on their wedding!).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a bitter old maid (yet...haha...just kidding), I love seeing people get married that are truly in love. And seeing a little old man and women hobble down the street holding hands is probably the cutest thing ever.

Any how, I'm totally getting off topic here! Along with not ever "dreaming" about getting married, I never wanted to change my name. It seems strange to me that a women loses her identity as soon as she gets married. BUT, that all changed when I met Stefan. Ever since we started dating I couldn't wait to become Summer Rest :). Now that is a great name...haha

Thanks to Conner that took the picture above. He found Summer Rest Road in North Carolina.

Labels: Funny, Weddings

It's a Whirlcat!!


Ever since I was a kid, I knew what all of our baby animals would look like when they grew up. That's the beauty of "purebreds". But is that nearly as fun as discovering new species in the tropics?!?!

Well, in Puerto Rico, when you adopt a baby animal, you have no idea what it will end up being. Take for example, the cat we adopted (after finding him starving in the middle of the road). We thought he was a mere cat. But, no. I have decided that he is really a cross between a weasel (long body), squirrel (outrageously fluffy tail) and a cat. Chichieto is a Whirlcat. Who woulda thought...

My friend Carrie has two (Puerto Rican) dogs from the same litter and you would totally not believe it. One is tiny (8lbs?) with a short brown coat and the other dog is 4 times his size with a long ivory-colored coat. I really thought she was joking when she told me they were brother/sister.

Labels: Animals, Cats, Dogs, Puerto Rico

I'm so incredibly sick of people that don't do their jobs. Today I spent most of my day chasing people around (via phone and email), trying to get them to do their jobs. I also found out that my license is expired and there is a warrant out for my arrest in the state of California. Not because I did anything wrong, just because people don't do their fucking jobs.

Last time I was in San Diego, I made sure that the DMV had my current address, so that I would receive the paperwork I would need to renew my license online. It never came. Although I did get a bill from the DMV for registration (OH, so you DO have my address, huh?) What else did I receive? A letter from the court telling me that I didn't complete my "work service" and that a warrant would be issued for my arrest if I didn't clear this up with them. I already cleared this up with them. Someone just isn't doing there job (on my tax dollars).

I've had a claim filed with Kaiser for reimbursement of medical bills, for 8 months now. It's just sitting in someones file waiting for me to give up calling and asking for status.

Six months before 2007 taxes were due, I hired a CPA/financial planner to take care of my business stuff (taxes/investments/etc). When I emailed them 2 weeks before taxes were due, they decided that they couldn't really help me. They were nice enough to file an extention for me (enter sarcasm here).

I hired a Quickbooks "specialist" that was supposed to get my company books fine tuned. I gave him a $1200 retainer, that he promptly cashed (within 2 days). Then I stopped hearing from him. Until I finally threatened legal action. Now, he wants me to jump through a bunch of hoops to get my money back. So I'm flying back to San Diego to sue him in small claims court, to get my money back for work that he never performed. Because, you know, actually DOING the work that I gave you $1200 for is entirely too hard.

I can see it now. As soon as I get back to CA, I get pulled over, while driving with a suspended license, record run to reveal a warrant out for my arrest and arrested. Wasting more of my time. Time that could be spent trying to get people to do their jobs, or, dare to dream, doing my own job. All because people are too fucking stupid and/or lazy to do their fucking jobs, and it's all somehow my problem.

Labels: The Justice System, Work

Man, those Nigerians are getting trickier and trickier. I got this email from "FedEx" the other day and nearly fell for it! The email is simply so well written and convincing (My favorite parts are in bold)!

Customers Service Hours--Monday To Saturday:
Office Hours Monday To Saturday:

Your attention:

FedEx provides access to a growing global market place through a network of supply chain, transportation, and business and related information services. The FedEx courier Service Company is hereby passing an essential message to all our valuable customers to be very careful while presenting their Receivers/Residential Address to avoid wrong delivery.

Authoritatively, this is the FedEx courier service company mailing you in respect of your parcel that was brought to this company to be delivered to you by one Mr. Grahams Gilliam. Before the delivery protocols commenced, there was a misunderstanding between the Central Bank and the National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria (NICON) over the Insurance Certificate which caused the delay of you receiving your parcel for the past one year. Meanwhile we are happy to inform you that the FedEx has finalized everything with the (NICON) and subsequently approved yours among the 24 valuable parcels to be couriered after the released of the parcels from the (NICON).

We are happy to inform you once again that your parcel that contains an ATM Card worth US$200,000 (Two hundred thousand dollars) which is programmed to be used in any parts of the world, is among the 24 parcels listed which is now in our office and also with your name as the receiver despite that we lost your private residential address which is an indication that you can now re-send your residential address back to the FedEx company where your parcel can be delivered to you without hesitation.

Meanwhile remember that the sender of this parcel Mr. Grahams Gilliam still owes this company the sum of US$105 before the incident occured. Know you that we have spent some money in the process by recovering back your parcel from NICON. We once again appreciate your patronage. Without hesitation you are to pay for just the balance left by your sender via western union money transfer so that your parcel can be delivered to your residential address before it attracts demurrage. Your parcel is not just an ordinary parcel but with a huge amount of money in the ATM card and I think you will appreciate a speedy delivery and you will not allow a delay to happen. This is a recovered parcel that was almost gone if not for the love that the good God has for you. I urge you to make hay while the sun shines.

We assure you that your parcel will arrive your country within 3 days as soon as this company receives your full residential address and the balance left by your sender and the tracking number of your parcel will be sent to you via e-mail immediately so that you can track it yourself to see whether we are competent in the discharge of our duties. FedEx courier Service Company do hereby inform all their customers to be at alert especially with all sorts of scam mails that might be coming to you globaly. Be careful with their e-mails so that your parcel will not be in danger with their evil plans.

PAYMENT INFORMATION OFFICE
SENDERS NAME-------
SENDERS COUNTRY-----

RECIEVER'S NAME----------:NELSON FRANK
RECIEVER'S COUNTRY-----:LAGOS NIGERIA .
TEXT QUESTION-----------:WHO IS OUR SAVIOUR.
TEXT ANSWER--------------:JESUS
AMOUNT TO BE PAID------:US$105
ALSO SEND THE MTCN NUMBER FROM WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER.

FedEx is one of the world's great success stories, the start-up that revolutionized the delivery of packages and information. In the past 30 years, we've grown up and grown into a diverse family of companies' -a FedEx that's bigger, stronger, better than ever.

ATTENTION: FEDEX COURIER MANAGING DIRECTOR
Thanks for your Co-operation.
Yours Affectionately.
Mr. John Newton.
Ikeja Branch Manager,
FedEx Express,
Lagos-Nigeria.
Tel::+234-8025 546 973

I seriously feel bad for honest Nigerians. Nigerians are known world-wide for being scam artists (well, attempted scam artists, because they don't seem to be very good at it) and I'm sure that generalization follows them around when they travel outside of Nigeria.

Labels: Computers, Funny, Internet

While I wouldn't exactly call myself an environmentalist, I try to do what I can to not kill the world. I love those 20oz bottled waters, and now that I live in the tropics, where it is hot year round, Stefan and I were going through a 24 pack of bottled water every four days or so. I was already feeling guilty looking at our trash cans filled with plastic bottles, and then I got the latest Surfrider newsletter that contained an article titled: "Repeat After Me: I Will Never Use Another Plastic Water Bottle Again". These are the facts:

- Every piece of (petroleum-based) plastic ever manufactured still exists.

- Plastic in the ocean may be noe of the most alarming of today's environmental stories. Plastics are forever because plastics do not biodegrade, no naturally occurring organisms can break these polymers down.

- Over 300,000 pieces of plastic per square mile have been found in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. 80% of the plastic comes from land-based sources.

- 100,000 marine mammals and 2 million sea birds die every year after ingesting or being caught in marine debris.

- Plastic is the most common type of marine litter world-wide.

- Globally, the proportion of plastic among marine debris world-wide ranges from 60 - 80%, although it has reached over 90-95% in some areas.

- Plastics comprise up to 90% of floating marine debris.

- Americans consumed 50 billion plastic water bottles last year, that were totally recyclable polyesthylene terephthalate plastic. Recycling rate for (PET) is 23% which means we pitch 38 billion water bottles into landfills per year - more then $1 billion worth of plastic!

I have tried many times to break my water bottle habit, but nothing has really stuck. I really like the convenience of being able to close up my water and if I leave it somewhere (which I do a lot), bugs are not going to fly into it and it will still be good the next time I find it. So, Stefan and I found the recycling center in our little Puerto Rican town and have started recycling all of our plastic and aluminum (for whatever reason, our recycling center does not accept glass). I also found these awesome 750ml, vintage-style glass bottles from France that I have been refilling and drinking out of every day. I love them!

Labels: Environmentalism, Puerto Rico

Music totally drives my life/emotion/energy. I have to have music on all the time. I can't run a block without listen to music, but crank some "DJ Trashy" or anything with a strong beat and I can easily run 5 miles! I'm the type of person that is totally honest, but I can stuff my emotions away, so when I'm alone and hear a song or watch a movie that hits certain cords, I will totally cry my eyes out (as long as no one is around). With that being said, this song by Evanescence has made me cry more then once. I'm not going to go into details as to why this song twists a dagger in my heart, but I'm sure some people can probably guess:

My Immortal by Evanescence

I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

You can listen to the song here.

Labels: Music

Do you ever stumble across "inventions" that make you think , "WTF?". What do you think about an acrylic dome window for your fence so your dog can shove his face inside and take a look at the world? I don't know about you, but this seems kind of silly...unless you and your dog live in a submarine. If not, then I would recommend walking your dog in order to "help satisfy their curiosity and make it possible for them to have a peek.". Then you don't have to cut a hole in your fence and attach this silly doggie window (that your dog probably won't even use).

Labels: Animals, Dogs, Funny, Weird