13 Weird Things about   (plus some extras)

1. Bide  (need i say more?)
   
2. TP Protector – in all hotels that had a little metal cover over the top of the tp holder
3. No peep holes in hotel doors
4. No plain jeans – all jeans have some large design on them
5. Prego means everything – it’s the universal word, hello, ok, come here, come on in, sit down, are you ready to order, thanks for paying…
6. No screens on the windows – we got eaten alive by misquitos in Florence and Venice
7. Nylons are like another pair of pants – everyone wears ones with patters, colors etc. Never bare legs
8. Hoochie skirts are ok – since they wear nylons!
9. Hi-heels on the cobble stones – I have no idea how they do it
10. They wouldn’t dream of drinking tap water, but will drink from public water fountains on the street
11. Restaurants basically open for 1 sitting.
12. Cappuccino prices – 1.50 – 4 euros…
13. Turn down usually includes setting out slippers
14. No alarm clocks – all rooms had a TV and that had the time on it
15. No secure locks on the hotel doors. No way to lock out everyone, maids, etc could get in at will
16. Vespas - again, need i say more?
    
17. Parking – why use the street when the sidewalk is right there!
18. Ch,ch,ch, caio  - they said goodbye at least 3, sometimes 7-10 times
19. The 24 hour clock. I never know what time things close.
    

13 Best Things about

1. Gelato
2. Great Wines
3. Gnocchi
4. Cabonara
5. Salami
6. Buffalo Mozzarella
7. English at upper crust hotels
8. Old Fashioned Stair Climbers
9. History comes to life
10. Cappuccino
11. Panini
12. It’s not
13. Public Transportation

The following are companies or stores that we boycott (We aren’t up to 13 yet, so if you have any, state your case!)

Best Buy – appliance delivery drama!
Office Depot – for being butt heads about people advertising ahead of time for them.
California Closet – for promising that our fully built in office was totally modular – big fat frickin lie (story to come)
Aaron Brothers – they withhold student discount unless you look like a student
Burger King – don’t honor coupons and when you call customer service (which isn’t an 800 number) you get ignored and put down
Kacy Fine Furnishings – friends of ours shopped here years ago and were ignored because they looked like they might not have any money.
American Furniture Warehouse – I hate this store. I always think I’ll find something, I never do. And we even had drama when we did find something we wanted to buy.
Direct TV – the whole drama with promising me that their DVR was exactly the same as tivo and then not allowing me to return the stupid drv when that was 100% false!

1. Pink Lady (version 1) - great creamy drink! Suggested by our server

2. White Russian - another suggestion by our server

3. Grasshopper - the best suggestion by our server!  Minty alcoholic milk shake!

4. Pisco Sour -  too strong for me!  Similar to whiskey

5, Red Footed Bobbie - served in a martini glass, grenadine at the bottom, something yellowish above. Pretty strong, but yummy.

6. Blue Footed Boobie - creamy blue drink

7. Pink Lady (version 2) - this time it was made with gin and a smidge of grenadine. Not as tastey as version 1

8. Trio Merlot - wine each night with dinner. Yummy!

9. Fanta - hubby loves the orange

10. Mixto (blackberry, tree tomato, strawberry juices) - yummy

11. Tree Tomatoe Juice - our welcome to Ecuador drink. Very different and yummy

12. Champagne - lots of toasts, very yummy

13. Chocolate Milkshake - we read Fernanado made the best, and he sure did!

13 Random Things and Thoughts

1.I read a money magazine about 3 ways to protect your name. I did them, maybe you should too – Get your free credit report from each of the major bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – from annualcreditreport.com – get a different one 3 times a year, so you are more informed. We are doing, Feb 1 (well did is yesterday, but on the calendar for next year), May 1, and September 1 for them. It is also suggested you pay for your credit score.
2.Another item said to get your insurance history – auto and home. Again you can order a free copy (CLUE report – it’s the button on the left that is free) once a year from here – choiceetrust.com. It was a little complicated of a website for confirming identity – since I recently got married, changed states, changed jobs, and changed addresses, I had to do it via mail. If you can get yourself verified there is also a need thing about public personal info – anyone tried it, let me know how it is!
3.Last item from the article was to check your job profile. Hubby had a ton of references, but he’s also been published, chats on user groups etc. I had one hit. But apparently companies are starting to check here – zoominfo.com. Try it!
4.Since I’m telling you what to do – how bout LinkedIn? Have you been on it? Great place to stay in contact with old co-workers, current ones, and keep you on the top of their mind for that new position waiting for you.
5.Last recipe we did was Red curried Tofu – yummies! Hubbie cooked it before but without the tomatoes – so no sauce. I did it this time with the tomatoes and it was yummy! Had a nice kick. We will try it again with tomatoes sauce or maybe tomato paste and some veg broth.

6.Last night we ate at Bara – YUMMY! It is right next to Cool River, but we just never ate there till our friends said they liked to go there. So many good choices! Centenial Roll and Moonlight Roll were a couple of our favorites. I wanted to try the monkey brain appetizer… maybe next time!
7.We are going skiing at Breckenridge with friends this weekend. Can’t wait! It’s my sewing buddy, and she also make jammie pants for her hubby. So it will be a jammy pant time! Yeah!
8.I got a bunch of Lazy Bear Pottery Logo wear. I’ll take some pictures and show you soon! Anyone want to buy a T-shirt?
9.I got 3 boxes of new glazes for Lazy Bear Pottery! Now I need to find time to make them all, filter out all the bad stuff, stir, stir stir… Then make more pots, fire said made pots, then glaze them in the new glazes to see what they will look like! I also have about 15 test tiles. Just waiting to be used for their new colors! They have snowmen on them. It’s a cookie mold that my mom gave me years ago that I used to make my test tiles. It reminds me of my mom and my niece. She loves snowmen.
10.I am having a wine tasting at my house at the end of February. I’m excited! We are going to pair wine and food and learn stuff! I also have a partially empty wine fridge in need of some new stock!
11.I am going to a Mardi Gras party in mid February. It should be a blast. If you live in the Denver area and are interested let me know. It is being put on by a couple ladies from Louisiana, they main gal has been putting on these things down in Louisiana for 16 years and now she is putting one on here! They are flying in a chef from Baton Rouge and I’m so excited I’m drooling on my keyboard! As you all know I love food!
12.Tomorrow is a gala for the chamber. I’ve got my dress, my bling shoes, my hair dresser appointment and my hubby! I’m excited to get gussied up!
13.I got a new helmet for skiing!  (I really am sexy!)

A little more than a thursday 13 but I was laughing out loud and making my co-workers nervous... So I had to share!  I've shaded the ones that fit me in purple!  (ok, well they were... but apparently my editor went nuts....not everyone applies to me, but i'm not going through and re-coloring again)

The one hundred and one ways to know a Bostonian.

1. The Red Sox World Series win was, and will always be, one of the
greatest moments in your life.

2. The guy driving in front of you is going 70 mph and you're swearing at
him for going too slow.

3. When ordering a tonic, you mean a Coke.

4. You went to Canobie Lake Parkor Water Country as a kid.

5. You actually enjoy driving around rotaries. (It always fun to try and run someone off the road!)

6. You do not recognize the letter "R" as a part of the Englishlanguage.

7. Your social security number starts with an 0.

8. You can actually find your way around Boston.

9. You know what a "regular" coffee is.

10. You keep an ice scraper in your car year-round.