Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ai Chihuahua!

I came across this article on yahoo the other day and it is too good to pass up!

Enjoy,
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Tinker Bell has been reunited with her owners after a 70-mph gust of wind picked up the six-pound Chihuahua and tossed her out of sight. Dorothy and Lavern Utley credit a pet psychic for guiding them on Monday to a wooded area nearly a mile from where 8-month-old Tinker Bell had been last seen. The brown long-haired dog was dirty and hungry but otherwise OK.
The Utleys, of Rochester, had set up an outdoor display Saturday at a flea market in Waterford Township, 25 miles northwest of Detroit. Tinker Bell was standing on their platform trailer when she was swept away.
Dorothy Utley tells The Detroit News that her cherished pet "just went wild" upon seeing her.

I have a hard time not laughing when I think of what this would look like. I mean think about it, one minute your dog is there and then all of a sudden whoosh there it goes. How crazy is that?

Note to self, do not buy a pet that has the potential to blow away!

Monday, April 27, 2009

On Lockdown

I'm officially up a creek. Well, at least for the next seven days I am. Apparently, someone has made a duplicate copy of my debit card somewhere here in Santa Barbara, so my checking account is on lockdown! I got a phone call from my bank yesterday afternoon telling me that there was suspicious activity on my card that they needed me to verify. I of course do screen my phone calls, so if you call me from a strange number be prepared to leave a voicemail because I am not going to answer. A little worried that this was just a scam to try to completely steal my identity I decided to investigate the matter myself.

After conducting my investigation I noticed that yes there were two charges to my account that were not mine. Still unsure of the phone call I received I decided to call my banks twenty-four hour help line just to make sure I was talking to the right people. After eighteen minutes on hold and a failed connection I got transfered to the right department and got everything taken care of. Unfortunately, my card has been deactivated and all activity on my account has been halted. This leaves me with three dollars in my wallet and no way to access my money till my new card arrives.

Luckily, I am not responsible for the two charges that were done. I did however ask how something like this happens and they explained to me that one of the places that I used my card at someone must have come right behind me and stolen my card number and then made a copy. This seems completely insane to me that people could do that, but technology is not infallible. Looks like, I'm going to be paying for things in cash more often again.

Be careful out there people and swipe responsibly!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Five Months in the Making...

... and Allison can officially expect the package that I promised her for every major holiday since Thanksgiving of 2008. I present the following two pictures as evidence that she can expect a package in her mailbox early next week:
I promise that is not just an empty box!
Outside the Goleta Post Office

I would have gotten a picture of handing the package over to the USPS, but that would have been a little awkward!

Anyway, Allison I hope that you enjoy your five month late package. I think there is a good mix of things in there that you will enjoy. Thank you so much for being an excellent friend!

Enjoy, the small token of my appreciation!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

From the Portfolio of Andy Everson


"Rain"

Aids Lifecycle

Last Saturday I took another adventure down to Los Angeles to volunteer my services to the LA riders training for the Aids Lifecycle. The riders were doing a sixty-five mile ride from Santa Monica to San Pedro and back. I was there to see what a typical day on the ride may be like to help prepare for what seven full days on the ride will be like.
It was a beautiful day to be outside. My day began at 4:45 am to get down to Santa Monica by 8 am. As one may expect traffic was virtually non-existent on the way down. I got there just as the riders were going through their pre-ride stretching program and then watched them head out onto the route. My first task was to meet Tony who is one of the Sports medicine team captains for the ride. Once I met up with Tony we helped the other volunteers break down the bicycle staging/parking apparatus and then headed down to San Pedro to set up our treatment tables and wait for the riders to arrive at the lunch stop.
As the riders began filtering in to the lunch stop we started to get busy with riders needing a little TLC. This was a great opportunity to meet the riders. As I worked we engaged in pleasant conversation and began to get to know each other. Quite a few of the people I helped explained that this was their first year doing the ride as well. I met one USC student who when I asked why she had decided to do the ride was simply because she heard there was a ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and that was something she wanted to do. Many other riders were supporting or honoring loved ones living with or no longer with us because of HIV/AIDS. I also met a gentleman named Carlos who quit his job at a production company to run an outreach program for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Los Angeles area.
In the short amount of time I spent working on each rider that asked for assistance I was excited to be able to chat with them and get to know them. They were all very grateful and appreciative of our effort and helping them out. I didn't get home till about 9:45-10 pm that night and immediately crashed on my bed till noon the next day, but it was totally worth it. I am looking forward to volunteering for the ride and meeting more people.
I am supposed to help out this Saturday as well when a group of riders are going to take part in what is called the double century. The double century is basically a one hundred mile ride up to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles on Saturday and then the one hundred miles back to Los Angeles on Sunday. Hopefully, there will be more stories to share.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Recent playlist:

1. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs- Zero
2. Santogold- Lights Out
3. The Script- Before the Worst
4. Stephanie's Id- Cold Cold
5. Snow Patrol- Open your Eyes
6. Morcheeba- Wonders Never Cease
7. The Ting Tings- We Walk
8. Sia- Breathe Me
9. Depeche Mode- Precious
10. Death Cab for Cutie- Soul Meets Body
11. Feist- My Moon My Man
12. The Fray- Never Say Never
13. Coldplay- Violet Hill

Sunday, April 12, 2009

I'm addicted...

... to a German Soap Opera! Yes, you can laugh your ass off at me! I know how ridiculous this is. The worst part is that I became addicted to it on Youtube! I know! Completely ridiculous! I think I have lost my mind, but I am completely addicted to it! I became so addicted that I began watching clips of it from 2007 and stayed up till four and two thirty in the morning on two consecutive nights watching it. Believe me I know how completely crazy this is, but I connected with the story and became completely enthralled by it. It has also gotten me back to speaking what limited German I can. Unfortunately, the story line also got me thinking about my life and its current state. I'll post more on those revelations later.

If you want to see a clip of what I've become addicted to let me know and I'll post it.

Living with an angry cell phone

What a day Tuesday was! I had a tennis match to cover and friend and I were to go to an Arts and Lectures event that evening. Well the tennis match got cancelled because of rain after we had begun playing singles. It was while I was waiting for the officials to call the match that I first noticed my cell phone not working properly. I thought it was weird that when I hit the side button that the time display did not pop up, but thought nothing of it.

It wasn't until I got home that I noticed that no button whatsoever worked on my cell phone. I couldn't call or text anyone! I couldn't even set my alarm or take my phone off vibrate. Apparently my phone was angry about being left behind on Sunday. Luckily, my friend called me and I could at least answer the call and we arranged to meet up for the show that night. I left my cell phone at home since it wasn't going to work anyway and I was really frustrated with it. I had visions of going all "Office Space" on it. When I got home my cell phone was still being cranky and not working. My friend asked if he could take a look, so I tossed it over to him and what do you know the damn thing was back to normal. My friend must have some magically healing cell phone hands. Next time I have a problem with my cell phone I'm going to ask him to perform an exorcism. "The power of AT&T compels you!"

My cell phone has been okay ever since, but I probably should look into upgrading; it is going on four years old after all. But let's keep that as a secret, I don't need any more cell phone drama!

An Adventure in Los Angeles

Last weekend was my first real first weekend off since sometime in August. I had plans for this to be a great weekend. My weekend started really good by playing some beach volleyball and hanging out at the beach on Saturday. On Sunday I was to head down to LA for AIDS/Lifecycle Volunteer training. I was also to meet up with an old co-worker (Nina) who is now working in LA with the Lakers organization.

Nina and I had been texting each other all week trying to figure what we were going to do and where we were going to meet. By the time Sunday morning had rolled around we still did not have a decided meeting place. It was a long night for me the evening before as I went out and had some drinks with some friends from work. So, I woke up Sunday morning got ready and hit the road for LA. I got down to Malibu and stopped to fill up my gas tank when I realized that like an idiot I left my cell phone at home! I immediately started freaking out, because with my cell phone the only numbers I have memorized are my own cell phone and my office number. I essentially had no way of getting a hold of Nina! As I got back on the 101 to continue down to LA I started trying to figure out a way of how I could get a hold of Nina's number and call her from a pay phone. Luckily, I had Nina's number on a laminated phone list of the staff before I joined.

Once I found the place where training was at I began searching fro pay phones, but the two that I visited were not working. One of the volunteer training people was nice enough to let me call Nina with their cell phone and Nina called back with a place to meet at. After volunteer training I made my way over to the Staples center and began looking for parking. In my pursuit of parking I circled around Downtown LA for about an hour. Eventually, I found a parking spot. I went straight to the Holiday Inn to use their pay phone to let Nina know that I would be standing on the corner waiting for her. Of course I giggled a little when I said that.

I worked that corner for a good 45 minutes before Nina showed up to rescue me from the ticket mongers. I got asked by three different guys whether I had tickets for the game that night. I even got a fist bump from one. Nina promptly told me when I got in the car LA is not a place to talk to strangers!

After Nina and I finally met up and the day was saved we charted our plan for the rest of the evening. Our friend Rob was meeting us as well to hang out. Nina scored some tickets to the Lakers game that night so we watched the first three quarters and then headed off to get some grub.

Finding a place to eat was another adventure as Rob guided the three of us each in our own cars through LA to Little Ethiopia. We've done this whole thing before after trips down to curl and we always seem to get lost somewhere along the way while dodging in and out of traffic. This time there was the added wrinkle of myself with no cell phone. We made it work though and had an amazing meal. At first I was a little nervous about the meal, but once the food arrived and I had a taste I couldn't help but dive in and eat it up.

It was an amazing Sunday in LA. I went to my first Lakers game and had my first Ethiopian meal! And all without a cell phone! I should leave that thing at home more often and go off the grid!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I hope the Easter Bunny brought you all some tasty treats to eat and rot your teeth!