99 In The Shade

Auto insurance is a crazy business, so you have to find ways to have fun, even at a salvage yard in the middle of summer.

At least someone is working hard while I'm taking pictures...

 

 

Double letters let you know you're in the "Back Forty"

Cool accessories are how we vehicle owners roll here in Cali!

And who says china marker isn't fun?

Kings vs Ducks: Quack, Freakin' Quack!

Thursday nights HUGE win against Vancouver was so incredible, I just wanted to bottle the feeling I had walking home so I could spray it around whenever I needed to feel good.


(Hmmm...still got my shiner. Maybe another hat-trick tonight?)

I could have used it right away, because our latest effort against the Ducks...well, pretty much stunk.

Not enough puck possession, no sustained control of play, too much chasing back and forth and up and down the ice - and yet we somehow had a 1-0 lead until 2 minutes left. The King most to thank for that stat was our #1 goalie Jonathan Quick, who was an absolute rock all night.



And then, it happened. Two minutes left, and we take a penalty, the Ducks pull the goalie, we have 6 Ducks on the ice vs 4 Kings, and damn Saku Koiviu gets the puck...and ties it up.


(Sorry we dropped the ball Quickie...ya ready for some OT?)

The game stayed tied through overtime, and then went to a shoot-out. Anze Kopitar, Jack Johnson, Dustin Brown - should get some goals outta that, right? Uh, no. Personally, I think Nadine jinxed Kopi by finally buying his jersey.



And who scored the game winner in the shoot-out? FREAKIN' SAKU KOIVU AGAIN!! At least Lubo didn't break our hearts like he did with Edmonton. Or even worse, it could have been Teemu Selanne that buried us.

Either way, with the play-off's at stake, losing to to a hated crosstown rival that won't even get a SNIFF of the play-offs this year just sucks big time.

At least the fans are still bringing the right spirit to games, and great signs as well. Except for Nadine, who for some reason did not bring her "We Believe" banner. Bad girl, Denie!







Except you, honey. Please go away....



Speaking of fans, I gotta give a huge shout-out to my Facebook buddy Jerry Archuleta, who I finally got to meet in person after many on-line hockey chats! And it was an absolute blast running into the "Frotographer" herself, Nichole Glaze! We had fun catching up over coffee at Starbucks.

So the Kings only have 4 games left until the play-offs start, and in spite of tonight's performance, I still believe we're gonna be there. Of those 4 games, only 2 more are at home, and the Kings need your support! I actually get a blogger discount code (part of a new ticket promotion the Kings are doing), so if you don't have tickets for April 8 vs the Coyotes or April 10th vs the Oilers, hit this link for discounted seats:

https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/group_corp_start.htmI?l=EN&team=kings&owner=2560656&group=277&err=&event=&customerID=

The password is LAKings.


Hope to see you there. I still bellieve! GO KINGS GO!!

Putting a Better Spin on Customer Service

Working in auto insurance claims for 15 years, I've come to understand a bit about the importance of customer service. And I also know just how much effort goes into providing it. I've always said everyone should wait tables at some point in their career, because having a huge chunk of your pay come from tips is a great lesson in how important it is to take care of people, as well as understand what's important to them.

One of the perks of my job now is that I travel a lot, and I get to keep my frequent flyer points for airlines, hotels, rental cars, etc. and use them to have fun Or I should say, I USED to travel a lot, as the not-so fine marketing folks at Hilton reminded me when I got this in the mail:

That's right. After 6 years as a Hilton Diamond member, and in spite of being one of their "favorite guests," I'm busted all the way down to SILVER. They were kind enough to send me my "new" Silver status card and congratulate me on my silver status, but I have to reclaim my VIP standing with them. Nice try on the spin doctoring, Hilton, but I'm not having it.

On one level I understand their approach. Your status level is based on accumulated points over a period of time. To be fair to all the members of the program, you have to be consistent in how you apply the rules. But you know what? That's inside the box thinking. And inside the box thinking makes me feel like I don't matter as a customer, even though I've been incredibly loyal to you for 6 years.

Let's think outside the box for a second. What would be so wrong with a new Diamond membership card with the message, 'We miss you. We hope you miss us too." Why not recognize that my employer, like so many others, is watching it's pennies and that MIGHT be why I'm not staying in one of your hotels 10 nights a month. What would it cost Hilton to extend my Diamond benefits for one more year? Nothing.

If you want to keep your customers, forget the spin doctoring and start thinking outside the box.

The Thought Locker: Las Vegas Travel Edition

• Just once, I would love to have my rental car upgraded when I can actually enjoy it. This one is only fun when it's not raining.

• Leave it to Las Vegas to ruin a perfectly good muscle car by putting purple neon glow-stick material in the cup holder.

• Sometimes a late night drive-thru really comes in handy.

• Only in Henderson, NV do you check into a hotel and are advised there is no one in the room above you, so you won't be disturbed by any loud noises.

• I wonder how often the rental car shuttle driver has to collect cocktails people shouldn't be bringing them on the bus...and where exactly do they go....

• A request to my fellow travelers...When 75% of the flights going through an airport are delayed and everyone and their mother is trying to sit down and eat, please do not take up enough space for 4 people unless you are a party of 4 people! We'll all get through this if everyone shares just a little.

• A "charging station" with no lights and non-working power outlets is a cruel joke.

• Nothing about being delayed leaving this place on a Monday night says "Party!"
  

The Thought Locker: Random Friday Edition

Sometimes I just get a crazy craving for really cheap, bad-for-you food. So when I saw the blue and orange box on the end cap at Target, I knew I had to have it.



Making a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese is one of life's simple pleasures. Of course, it must be made - and eaten - with my favorite beat-up wooden spoon. It's the first thing I ever stole from my Mom's kitchen when I got my own place after college, and it's still my very favorite thing to cook with. Yes, it's enough pasta for 4 people. But I ate the whole thing. Directly out of the saucepan. Because I can. It's one of the last joys of single life, right up there with drinking milk straight from the carton. Because when you're single, no one's looking.



The junk food gods must have pushed me towards that box of Mac & Cheese, because I needed some comfort food when I arrived home to this:



And a fine layer of dust over EVERYTHING in my apartment.



They're redoing all the hallways in the building, so everything looks like this right now:



It's supposed to look great when it's done. Of course, it was supposed to be done TODAY based on the schedule the building sent out before Christmas. But as anyone who has lived in California for any period of time knows, nothing around here gets done on time or on budget. I guess that explains why the state is such a financial mess right now and why our leader is know as "The Governator."

On the plus side, my weekend to-do list is one item shorter. No point in cleaning this weekend, since it's pretty much a losing battle until they get the hallway cleaned up.

And since I was trying not to get covered in dust coming in the door as I was sipping my second Starbucks of the day, I managed to spill coffee down the front of my light colored 100% silk blouse. Thank goodness it's hand-washable....



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Is it just me, or does the baby on the Q-Tip package look like it's thinking, "Hey Mom, I'm sure you know what you're doing, but are you REALLY gonna stick that up my nose? "




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When a fun Friday night in Los Angeles is watching a beer league hockey game, you know you're either

• A) hopelessly addicted to hockey in any form
  
• B) A really awesome friend
• C) Both

I answered C.



Props to Mikey, Tim and the Caribou team. You deserved a win, even though Mikey went to the box and couldn't get a sniff at the goal crease. Tim - your goal rocked, man.

Kings vs Wings: When Your Best Just Isn't Enough

When your hockey team puts 52 shots on net against the back-up goaltender for the other team, and your opponent only gets 25 shots, the reasonable likelihood is that your team is going to win. Unless your team is the Kings, your opponent is the Detroit Red Wings, and the goalie is Jimmy Howard. In short, tonight's loss was one of those games that reminds you why sports builds character. We did everything possible to win that game, but we just didn't.

Right from the start, the pace of this game was crazy - fast, aggressive, amazing hockey. The Kings had some great chances in front of the net, but just couldn't manage to convert. We even almost had a short-handed goal on a penalty kill while Drew was in the penalty box for hooking. Then, just as he came back out on the ice to join the play and finish the period, Detroit right winger Dan Cleary grabbed a rebound that bounced off our goalie Jon Quick and scored... with .2 SECONDS LEFT! Two tenths of a second! What?????

The second period was equally fast and furious, and Drew had a couple of tough defensive assignments in Dan Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi, shown here.



I know he doesn't look like much here during warm-ups, blowing bubbles with his gum, but he's a general pain in the rear. I got some great video of he and Drew locking sticks, so if you're on Facebook look for it on the Drew Doughty Fan Club site. Not in Drew's fan club? Then get your rear in gear and join the fun!

But by far the biggest disappointment this period was being on the power play the last 2 minutes and not converting. Apparently we left our power play in San Jose Monday night.

Things were just as tough in the third, but the Kings hung in there and finally kept banging at the net enough for Ryan Smyth to score a goal with about 4 minutes left, assisted by Dustin Brown and Jarrett Stoll. Then, just when it looked like overtime was imminent, Darren Helm jammed the puck right under Quicker's left pad, and scored the game winner...with 20 seconds left.

What a heart breaker. I can safely say it's gonna take me a while to get over this one.

Given that I'm reeling from such a tough loss, it almost pains me to name the "Opposing Team Hottie of the Night" for Detroit. But in the spirit of true sportsmanship, I will admit there are some very attractive men on this team.

Pavel Datsyuk is always a contender....but not this time.



Then we have the "Hockey Jesus" himself, Henrik Zetterberg. Again, nice but no.



In the end, the big thumbs up goes to right winger Patrick Eaves, of Calgary, AB. And I have 3 photos that will leave you with no doubt I made the correct choice.

Photo #1 - Intense blue eyes....



Photo #2 - Hockey hair...



And photo #3 - hockey booty.....



What's not to like? Congratulations Patrick, and welcome to my hottie club!

The Kings next match-up is Saturday's contest against the St. Louis Blues. At least it's a Saturday night game, so hopefully this loss doesn't grow legs and turn into a streak. And maybe next time our best will be enough.

"Zinc Your Pups"

Right now I'm sitting at the dining table, listening to the Kings game on the radio and addressing Christmas cards. The Kings game is stress relief, while the Christmas cards are part of the stress sandwich that is my current to-do list. I love the holidays, but fighting a cold with this much to get done just sucks. With that in mind, here's a short list of some of the thoughts rattling around in my brain at the moment.

• Envelope glue just tastes awful. Someone needs to come up with cherry flavored envelope glue. If they can add cherry flavor to make cough medicine taste better, why can't it work with envelope glue?

• I can now confirm the Vicks-on-your-feet-with-socks trick works! Why, I have absolutely no idea, but I don't care. I'm breathing with more ease than I have in days, which is all that matters to me at this point. I was having a conversation with my girlfriend Denise about Vicks, which Mom always put on my nose when I was sick growing up. Denise has a term for it -"Zinc your sniffer." So I've decided putting Vicks on your feet should be referred to as "Zinc your pups." An old boss of mine always used to tell me her "Dogs are barking" when she was on her feet in high heels all day, but "Zinc your dogs" just doesn't have the same ring as "Zinc your pups."

• I'm up to two Starbucks drinks a day. This is not good. The extra caffeine may have me thinking I've got more energy than I do. This is known as a dilemma, both because I love Starbucks and the extra energy. Or maybe I just need that sweet pepperminty flavor to stay in the holiday spirit...

• I could ALMOST live on Progresso chicken noodle soup, Zone Perfect dark chocolate almond energy bars, and chamomile tea if my life depended on it. I like where it's putting me on the scale! Maybe I should write a diet book....

But my most disturbing thought is questioning if I am actually feeling better? Or is the adrenaline kicking in as I realize I still have a BOATLOAD of things to do before I get on a plane Saturday?

Back on the Sauce

Apparently I became delusional this week and mistakenly thought I was feeling better. So I stopped the drugs, tried to get back to a normal schedule, and then the beast came back and bit me in the ass. Or maybe it never really went away. For some reason, at least once a year I manage to get a cold that lingers so long I start referring to it as "The Crud." I'm functional and don't miss any work, but for at least a month everyone I talk to comments that I sound congested and not like myself. My frustration led to the following Facebook status update.

Meg Jarrell is back on the sauce...unless anyone has a better cough remedy than Robitussin....

As you all know, I LOVE social media activity in general, and Facebook in particular. I have a small group of people I regularly (as in every day) chat back and forth with, but a whole host of other friends that I hear from so seldom that I have no idea whether they even care about what I post. They may even find me annoying.

But the awesome thing about the social media world is you can always count on people to offer their opinion, even when it comes to matters of suffering and sickness. In fact, these are the times the best thoughts come out in people. So I was cheered and encouraged by some of the alternate cold remedy suggestions I got.

• Bourbon. If you drink enough you won't care if you're coughing.


• I know it sounds weird but tonight, put vicks vapor rub on the bottom of your feet and put socks on. It will take away the cough.


• That Vicks thing works!!


• The Vicks thing really does work. I like Delsym for coughs (12 hours to boot)


• None of the cough syrups have enough active ingredient to help. Mucinex pills have mega doses of the same thing and really work.


• Jagermeister.


• Try Bigelow's Ginger Snappish tea with a spoonful of honey. Also get a vaporizer -- makes a HUGE difference!

• 1 part bourbon, 1 part honey, 1/2 part lemon juice. Warm and serve.
  

OK then. I'm off the pharmacy AND the liquor store, and hopefully I can kick this thing once and for all. And although I'm scratching my head a bit on the Vicks-feet thing, I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point. Plus it's clearly winning in the cold remedy popularity contest.

Wish me luck.

The Thought Locker - Post-Thanksgiving-Holiday Sickness Monday Blues Edition

• You know how people always tell you when you're having a tough time, "Just sleep on it. Everything will look better in the morning." Sometimes that works. Sadly, today it did not.
  

• When I woke up at 4 AM from 8 hours of drug induced coma, my first 5 minutes of consciousness included these thoughts, in no particular order - "I should get up right now...if I get up now I'll be a zombie by 2 pm....didn't get the laundry done last night...what the hell am I going to wear today...do I have clean pants or do I have to shave my legs?...crap! Addie's birthday is Thursday and I haven't sent a gift yet...where is that Pottery Barn Kids catalog....ugh, I can't breathe....*cough, cough, cough* now where is the Kleenex....haven't ordered Christmas cards yet...wonder how much I'll have to suck up for rush shipping...do I really only have 3 weeks until I leave for Christmas?...hmmm, I'm in Irvine Tuesday for a meeting, so I COULD go see the Kings-Ducks game at Honda Center....arrghh that might be pushing it...you still feel like crap....screw it, I'm going back to bed."
  


• I wish there was a way to download the feelings you have during the best and worst moments in your life and save them for later. That way, when you're having a pity party along the lines of "I've never felt this sick in my life" you can go back to that previous time, relive the feelings and compare them to what you're experiencing now. It would really help me know whether I'm truly on the brink of death or not that sick and just complaining too much.
  

• I just smeared Chap-Stick on my nose. Even with lotion-infused tissue, I still look like Rudolph and I can't stand it. My regular moisturizer isn't helping, so it was time for plan B. No idea if this will actually work or not. Then again, maybe supermodels have been keeping this a secret for years and were just too embarrassed to tell anyone it helps.

• One unexpected benefit of cold medication containing anti-histamines is the temporary elimination of my oily skin. I normally would have blotted and re-powdered the shiny spots a couple of times by now, but I'm dry as the Sahara.

• Sometimes there just isn't enough Starbucks in the world to make it better....