With one accord

If there is one car that I would definitely love to have. it's a new accord. Can you get anything better? My old '88 accord lasted me throughout many a troubled times and lasted FOREVER! In the time that Jed and I had old snowflake, we replaced an axle and the belts - that's it! No alternators, no (whatever else you may need to replace in the life of a car). We maintained it and it was great up until we sold it. Even though you needed to keep your foot on the gas (and clutch) as you braked, and it make a wonderful screeching sound, it was a great car. If the new accords are anywhere remotely as reliable as that thing was, I'd take one in a heartbeat. I just have to be able to afford it first.

Humira out: Remicade in?

So, I got the letter from Blue Cross today denying me in the use of Humira injections for my ulcerative colitis. It is listed as "Experimental and Investigational," therefore not covered under my plan. What a surprise, my insurance company not coming through. I did actually have hope after I had spoken with someone on the phone about it, but no guarantees, right? Next, I'll have to see if they'll authorize me for Remicade. It's going to be much more spendy, but if it does the trick, it does the trick.

Additions to the top ten

Here are some additions that I'd like to make to the top ten, or some funny new shows to look for this fall:

• Miss Guided


• Eureka


• Chuck

The Windy City

I must say, the wind in Idaho Falls has to compete with that of Chicago. I have never lived anywhere so windy. Personally, I'm sick and tired of it. Seriously, how many places can you live and experience wind (regularly) at 15-25 mph (yes, this is from today's weather report.) Let me repeat that: fifteen to twenty miles per hour! This being the case, you just can't get anything done! Just walking to the mailbox is a test of strength (or weight for that matter)! And it never lets down. I parked my car earlier today and was just sitting in it for a minute and the whole thing was jiggling and vibrating like it just might take off! There's no point in doing your hair. The garbage can blows across the street. All I can say is I hope that our house is properly built and the roof remains intact.

Reno or bust!

Jed and I drove to Reno, NV last weekend. Nine hours of fun-filled driving bliss (one way)! I had a good friend, Trista, from hygiene school who was having a wedding reception there. We had a pretty good time. Reno is a lot bigger than I had expected. We shopped, went to a movie, shopped some more, had pulled pork (from best in the west ribs winner BJ's BBQ). We hoped to catch them filming an episode of Reno 911 (is it really filmed there?) We had good intentions to maybe play the slots or something, but it never happened. We also discovered a truly great invention: the portable DVD player. We borrowed one from Jed's sister, Melissa, for the drive. Of course, we thought that it was so great that we bought one while we were there! (Sweet! Now I can take it to entertain me for my future travels to NYC next month!) Any future road trips will require movies and popcorn now!

Tomatoes, Anyone?

I just finished reading Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It was a great book! Now, I need to rewatch the movie. It also is pretty cool because Jed and I ate at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Georgia. (Of course, we had grilled cheese instead of the fried green tomatoes!)

I also reread one of my favorite books of all time: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. This was brought on by the fact the Jed and I just watched the movie with Johnny Depp. When I first saw the movie, I thought that Willy Wonka was a bit too weird. (Although I do love Johnny Depp!) The second time around, he was still a little bit weird, but I could appreciate it. The movie follows the book really closely - (With the exception of the additional traumatic dental scenes, of course.) I think I need to reread (and PURCHASE) all of Roald Dahl's books. He is still my favorite childhood author. How can you not love his books?

It's a JUNGLE out there!

Literally, a jungle. Today, for the first time, I mowed the lawn in its entirety. It took me two hours. There are sooo many weeds. This picture doesn't do it justice. Our lawn is HUGE! (Why did we think that MORE property was better, again?) Surprisingly, the grass is quite a bit taller where there are more weeds. I think I mowed a thousand ladybugs down this morning. To the untrained eye, it may not look like the undertaking that it has been. We brought in three dump truck loads of dirt, one (or two?) loads of road base. Two rentals worth of a bobcat, one ditch witch - pipe puller, a grater, the purchase of a landscape rake, probably over a thousand feet of polypipe, hundreds of feet of funnypipe, over twenty additional sprinkler heads, over nine thousand square feet of hydroseed and lots of waterings later, we do have the semblance of a lawn! I think it'll be worth it!