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Pretend I Have A Clever Title

I should be curled up on the couch right now under my green chenille afghan by the warmth of the gas logs.  Instead I’m shivering in my office chair at my usual perch in front of the computer.  WHY?  Because when I was at the grocery store this evening, I noticed the Red Box by the entrance — do y’all have those?  It’s like a soda or snack machine dispenser but instead of buying sodas and snacks, you can rent movies.  I had never tried the Red Box before because it looked intimidating and I generally only try new experiences under duress.

But I knew that tonight I’d be home alone after the kids went to bed, and I had a sudden hankerin’ for a chick flick so I stopped by the Red Box on my way out and gave it my best shot.  All went swimmingly until it was time for the machine to spit out the movie, and then nothing happened.  I stopped a passerby to ask if I was supposed to be doing something, and she said that it usually pops out right away.  So we waited for a few minutes, and just as I was about to call the 800-number on the box, I got an error message that reassured me that my card would not be charged but also informed me to try again another time.

And THAT is why I’m sitting here rather than watching a movie.  Aren’t you glad you asked?

Speaking of the grocery store, I had a sudden and rare opportunity tonight to shop unhindered by demanding children, but I was lost without a list.  I wandered the aisles until I finally gave in to the fact that I am totally uninspired in the cooking department these days.  I bought a few bare essentials such as milk and Boursin and Wheat Thins and then called the Mexican take-out joint nearby and placed an order for dinner.

That would make tonight the second night in a row that we have had takeout for dinner.  Which is disgusting, I know, don’t judge me.  Takeout is a funny thing.  It always sounds good in theory, but it never quite lives up to its expectations.  Food has a way of all tasting the same after it’s been sitting in a paper bag for 20 minutes.

And speaking of absolutely nothing related to high maintenance automobiles, my car is fixed.  AGAIN.  My husband worked from home today so we could take my minivan to the dealer’s, and a mere $550 later, I have working front AND rear windshield wipers and 5 working door handles.  So it’s as good as new.  Or, you know, as new as a Toyota can be with 110,000 miles on it.

Oh get this.  On the way to pick up the car, we had the whole family packed like sardines into my husband’s pickup truck and we witnessed a near head-on collision.  The cars missed each other by about 2 feet.  Fortunately neither was going too fast to stop.  I wish you could say the same for my heart.  It was like watching a TV show play out before my eyes — I could see what was about to happen but I couldn’t do anything to stop it.  But all’s well that ends well, and I’m sure everyone drove a little more carefully after that!

So that’s about the sum total of my day.  I can NOT believe that a week from today I’ll be in Nashville at BlissDom09!!  Sorry, I just had to throw that in.  Can. Not. WAIT.

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16 Responses

  1. They are in all the McDonald’s around here and some other stores. They even send me text messages for a free rental every Monday. It never ends up being free because I can’t return them on time. I think Redbox is great though!

  2. Ok, I absolutely loved that post. We hate redbox most movies we get have been handled by sharp nailed toddlers before we rent them thus rendering them un-viewable when we get them home. so we quit.

  3. You ready for the unsolicited advice of the day? Okay, here goes…try Pay-Per-View if you haven’t already. I never used to think of it as a viable option but it really is a handy alternative to the Redbox (which btw I’ve never heard of). The movies are only about $4, totally convenient, and if you have a DVR you can pause them just as if it were a DVD.

    Okay, that’s the end of my commercial.

    I’m totally with you on the lost without a list thing. My brain just doesn’t function that way. I’ve had many a meltdown where I actually had to just leave a half-full cart of groceries right there mid-aisle (after replacing the perishables of course – I know, just call me citizen of the year).

  4. Hmmm. 110,000 miles on a Toyota? You have another 90,000 to go. Easy.

    And the take out thing. I think it’s because we live out in the boonies. I heard that other places actually has good food. And variety.

    And I’ll miss you while you’re away. What if I have a fashion crisis?

  5. Bummer about the redbox! My Toyota is at 140,000 and we’re going to keep pushing it until it dies. 🙂

    As for my day – my sick toddler pooped on her sister’s newish hot pink shag rug. That pretty much sums it up and I am totally jealous of your upcoming trip. 😉 Enjoy your weekend!

  6. Never tried Red Box, we get Blockbuster in the mail. I don’t know what I’d do if I got to grocery shop by myself…maybe I’ll have to give it a try some time soon.
    I am jealous that you have 2 working windshield wipers on your Toyota…mine only has one working at the moment (or the last 9 months). All of the handles are working but we have had to replace some. I have no clue what the mileage is on ours…hmm I’ll guess a lot.

  7. Oh, I am SO let down! I can’t believe you fixed the door handles! Oh well, good for you…. at least only one of us is still driving around like a hillbilly 🙂
    BTW, Redbox? In my world, that’s a very evil thing. The problem is that they have to be returned the next day, and I can’t manage to get them returned in under 6 days. I know, I have issues.

  8. You are so funny! I love the way you write – just like you talk! I now feel like we just had coffee together at the kitchen table – but we didn’t. 🙁 Something is wrong with that picture? Miss you!

  9. there is nothing wrong with take-out, so no judgment here! I am actually take-outs biggest fan. However, I know how you feel as it does usually fall a little flat!

    meanwhile, I have no idea what I am wearing tonight on our date night let alone at blissdom. I need some serious help!

  10. Sorry for all your issues – good thing you have the therapist that is blogging.

    We use redbox and DVDplay – have always worked great and can’t beat $1 or less! Except for free DVD rentals from the library. We also use Netflix which includes instantplay movies on your computer.

    Hope the rest of your weekend turns out to be fabulous!!

  11. My husband loves RedBox. He gets one movie a week, when the free code comes out. He has never had a problem, but who knows.

    I love quiet nights, to bad you didn’t get to watch your movie. That always seems to throw a kink.

  12. I wish I was going to Blissdom. And I agree–takeout is never as good as you want it to be. The fries get soggy, the beans get hard, whatever, it is just never as good. We have been eating out too much lately as I try to regain my cooking mojo. So far no luck.

  13. Do you have a laptop? You can watch movies for free with sites like QuickSilverScreen, FanCast, and Hulu. The sites have lots of movies (and tv shows) to choose from. They work on desktops too, of course, but it’s harder to watch in bed.

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