Great Gifts In The Mail

The only thing better than cards in the mail are gifts in the mail. (Actually, I love cards so much that they are usually just as good but not this time) Today, I arrived home from work to not one but TWO gifts in the mail! Thanks so much Diane and Jane for sending us Valentines Day wishes!

XOXOXOXOXOXO P.S. With custom embroidery the possibilities are endless!!!!!

Another Trip To Disneyland

Andrea (Leahy) has the most commanding voice of anyone I know. Today, I ran into her at Disneyland, well, I didn't run into her, I heard her.....

While walking from "It's a Small World" to the Carousel I heard "Kim Thomas". The voice was so loud and clear that it reminded me of cartoons where people hear a booming voice shout their name from heaven. I looked up and immediately spotted Andrea and her family while they waited in the ultra short line for Dumbo.

It was great seeing her, Paul and the kids. It was a also a perfect morning to enjoy Disneyland. People tend to stay away when there is fear of rain and that makes it perfect with very short wait times and few people getting in your way. We all ate lunch at the Winery at California Adventure and then headed out (It was starting to rain). We made it on all three of Sydney's favorites (Dumbo, It's a Small World and the Carousel) as well as the Winnie the Pooh ride.

Since resuming my Disneyland annual pass membership (January 16th) I have been 4 times. Gotta love the mouse!

Sydney's 3-D Ultrasound

A little over a year ago I decided to get a 3-D Ultrasound of Sydney. I had only seen one before (Ben's daughter's) and it looked really cool. So off we go to get it.......

















I couldn't make heads or tails (no pun intended) of any of it and a couple days later I showed Laura the pictures (figured the Radiology background could help me translate the pictures), she couldn't tell what most of the body parts were. This is the exact reason why the Radiology Technicians aren't supposed to tell you anything and respond to your query of "Does everything look okay" with "We are not allowed to share the results with you, they need to be viewed by the doctor first". So what does Laura say to Kim's query? "When you go to your next doctor appointment you should ask him what this is, I'm not really sure". NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THAT!

So I go to the doctor and I specifically ask him about picture number 1 and 3 and he says "I'm not really sure, you know these pictures are not as good as they could be. For the next 4 months I was terrified I was having an alien.

When she finally made her appearance I just asked "Does she look relatively normal?"

Moral of the Story: Don't go for the 3-D Ultrasound

Other Income By Turbo Tax

I was working on my taxes the other day and Turbo Tax prompted me to verify if I had any of the "Other Income" listed below:

Crime Hot line Reward (You really have to report this as income? You report the uni bomber and have to get taxed on the reward money? That sucks!)

Beverage Container Recycling Income (Who does this?)

Sale of a Bond or Note

Received Income from Foreign Sources

Water and Energy Rebates

Payments Related to Forest Land

Compensation for False Imprisonment (What about people who consider work or their home to be prisons?)

Grants Received for Energy Efficient Buildings

National Guard Surviving Spouse and Children Relief

Ottoman Turkish Empire Settlement Payments (Is this so common that it needs it's own entry?)

Other Income (I guess this is for income that is more obscure than Ottoman Turkish Empire Settlement Payments)

"I Lost The Softball Checks"

This morning at the beginning of our all day encryption meeting the following conversation ensued:

Kathleen: I need your help. I am the team mom for softball and I had to collect $75.00 per player. Last night I was reviewing the checks and this morning I can't find them.
Kim: You had them last night before bed and you can't find them this morning.
Kathleen: Yeah, I can't find them now. I did have a glass of wine last night
Brian: How big was the glass?
Kathleen: It was just a normal glass. I have ripped the house apart trying to find them. And my car!
Kim: Did you check the trash can
Kathleen: Why would I throw them in the trash?
Kim: If you had mail that you threw away it could have been all stacked together
Kathleen: But what am I going to tell the parents?
Kim: Well, where do you guys think they are
Brian: Maybe it's on the toilet reservoir
Juan: I think it's in the cushions on the couch
Kim: The freezer is also an option but I am definitely thinking trash.
Kathleen: But I still don't know what to say to the parents
Kim: Just tell them that you were shredding bills and you accidentally shredded them.
Kathleen: That is unbelievable! Nobody would believe it.
Kim: Any other suggestions?
Juan: How about? I was in Starbucks and somebody swiped them from my purse
Kathleen: That's not believable I live in the safest city in America, Simi Valley
Brian: Say they were stolen from your car
Kim: Mike what would you say?
Mike: I would tell the truth
Kim: Mike is so great! I should have said that, he gets the integrity award for the day

***3 hours later***

Kathleen: I found the checks in my car!
Kim: I am so happy!
Mike: Great!

***1/2 hour later***

Kathleen: I am so happy that I found the checks. You know I wasn't very nice tracking down those parents for the money. It was going to be hard to tell them I lost them.
Brian: What would you have told them?
Kathleen: The truth (Second integrity award for the day)

Super Bowl Post #3 (AKA: The Feast)

Super Bowl Post #2 (AKA: The Cell Citation)

While watching the Super Bowl, I received the following citation from James:




















In case you can't read the citation it says that I made a General Infraction of lack of consideration. A Conversation Infraction of airing dirty laundry and Several Environment Infractions including talking in a an inappropriate location with no disregard for my surroundings. The Remedy for my citation includes apologizing, considering others, seeking therapy and having my phone impounded.

Super Bowl Post #1 (AKA: Being Sassed)

Tonight while watching the Super Bowl I got yelled at by Jessica. She called to yell at me for being a Steelers fan. Apparently her mother told her I was a Steelers fan. I call foul! First and foremost, I am a Green Bay Packers Fan, second, I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan, third, I am a Baltimore Ravens fan and fourth, I am a Jets fan (Hey, I can't leave Favre). I am not a Steelers fan......however:

Everybody I was watching the game with was rooting for the Cardinals so I decided to create a little controversy and root for the Steelers. I changed my Facebook status to: "Kimberly has finally chosen a team, go Steelers. (Give me a break it will make our PA family happy)"

Back to being told off by Jessica. From the background I hear someone say "We don't like anybody that is a Steelers fan". I didn't like this and I changed my Facebook status to: "Kimberly doesn't like being told "We Don't like you", regardless of the circumstances". This prompted many comments via Blackberry Messenger, Facebook and email:

Comments included: "Wow, what is that all about", "Love you, Kim", "Wait, who said that?", "Well then they have issues, cause I love you so much and you are a terrific person", "What?,Why? Who?", "Who doesn't like you?", "Do I need to kick some arse or what?", "Who said they didn't like you".

Thanks to all those looking out for me. I am waiting for my apology, sore losers.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!!

Thank you for everything you do for us!!!!! We love you very much!!!!!

Shopping And A Meal At Downtown Disney

Tonight, Mom and I made a trip to Downtown Disney. After some shopping (and no dinner for me) it was about 8:30PM and I was hungry. I decided to try the Jazz Kitchen Express for some Nawlins food. I couldn't decide what to order and I had narrowed it down to Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Po-Boys when I asked mom to decide for me. She picked the Jambalaya so we could compare it to Jim Braun's. Then I ordered some beignets with plans to compare them to Andrea's (which we havent made yet).

The Jambalaya was not even close to being as good as Jim's. Not even in the ballpark. The rice tasted like Spanish rice and I would never order it again. The beignets were the same recipe as Cafe du Monde so they were pretty darn good.

An Email I Received Today

Why did this make me laugh? Oh, maybe because of this: Paper Towel Dispenser

Subject: Paper Towell Dispenser Upgrades

Body of Message: MESSAGE BEING SENT ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF THE BUILDING

Dear Tenants:

Over the course of the next few days, we will be upgrading the paper towel units in the restrooms to electronic "no-touch" dispensers. (KT: Yes!!!!) These automated touch less dispensing units provide efficient towel dispensing by eliminating waste, utilize paper supplies that meet U.S Green Building Council LEED requirements, help improve hygiene and assist in making an overall positive impact on the environment. (KT: Yes!!!!) Most of this work will be done after hours to minimize any disruption to the use of the restrooms. (KT: Good, I don't want to be inconvienienced)

For your convenience, we are also installing automatic Purell Dispensers in each restroom as part of the overall Corporate Center Pasadena Green Cleaning Policy. (KT: They have a Green Cleaning Policy-LOL) Instant hand sanitizers effectively sanitize hands, wipe away light soil and dirt without the use of water or towels and assist in killing most common germs that may cause illness. (KT: Who Knew?) For this reason, we are integrating them into the building's cleaning operations.

We appreciate your patience during this conversion and anticipate that you will enjoy using these new amenities.

U-Haul Police Pursuit

Throughout 2009, the Kim1Champ blog is going to bring you the U-Haul police pursuit as televised by KTLA. This police pursuit occured today in Los Angeles and the commentary from the news room had me on the floor. I taped it and David and I re-watched it tonight-He laughed and laughed as well. The speculation and discussion from these two covering the police pursuit is the funniest thing I have heard in ages.

Here's the deal, each video will be a maximum of 5 minutes but I promise it will be worth your time.

My Hard Drive Crashed

Last week when my hard drive died I took a picture of the screen....Note how many seconds it froze on. Yep, that's right, it never went past 22 seconds. Thanks to my FSO team for restoring my data and rebuilding my hard drive.

There's An Information Safety Card In The Seat Back Pocket In Front Of You!

Today, while looking at the information safety card in the seat back pocket in front of me I noticed the bottom two pictures. I wondered if the reason nobody exited the plane out the rear doors in the Hudson River crash was because the passengers had carefully studied the Information Safety card.

Next I wondered what in the world the instructions were for a mountain or desert landing. Based upon the drawing I don't think I would have a clue what to do. I am also impressed with how well the plane survived the crash.

I would like to see more scenarios. For example: Where is the picture that shows what happens when a plane crashes into a geyser or into snow, or what about the everglades, a forest?

Happy Birthday, Laura!

There's nothing as nice as someone who shares,your laughter, your secrets, your wishes and cares,someone who's there through your good times and tears,who stays by your side as your friend through the years.- Autymn Skillings -

Overheard At The Grocery Store

Tonight when I was ordering some Sushi Grade Ahi at Vons I overheard the following conversation

Shopper to Fishmonger: You need more fish
Fishmonger to Shopper: We have a great collection of Salmon, Swordfish, Mahi Mahi, Halibut, Orange Roughy and Talapia
Shopper to Fishmonger: But I want more fish
Fishmonger to Shopper: What kind?
Shopper to Fishmonger: I don't know but I want more
Fishmonger to Shopper: OK, well we have some shellfish. Shrimp, Crab and Lobster
Shopper to Fishmonger: I really just want more
Fishmonger to Shopper: Is there a problem with our selection?
Shopper to Fishmonger: No, I just have a lot of people to serve and I think there should be more
Fishmonger to Shopper: If there isn't enough in the case I can bring more from the back but it's going to get expensive.
Shopper to Fishmonger: Oh, but I don't want to pay more.

Kim Show: Episode 4

Thirsty FSO Managers

It's A Big Day, America!!!!!

It's Becca's (and Michelle's) Birthday!!!!! Please join me in wishing her a very Happy Happy Birthday!!!! I Love You!!!!!!!!!

"I'm Sorry, We Are All Out of That"

The McDonalds by my house totally sucks. They are always out of something, most often it is Ice Cream. If we are ordering Ice Cream at McDonalds thats the only thing we are getting so it's really irritating when we wait in line and they don't have any.

Yesterday, during the breakfast hours, they had this sign stuck to the ordering screen. Really? Are they serious? How could they be out of most of the beverages (and at 9:00AM)?

Then this morning on the way to my moms to drop off Sydney she called and asked me to bring her a Sweet Tea from McDonalds. I made the error of returning to this McDonalds and after waiting in line they informed that their location didn't have Sweet Tea. Big Surprise.

I just need to swear off McDonalds entirely.

Crawl Space Death Is Terrible Way To Die

David and I were watching the news the other day and they featured this horrific "Crawl space death. Christine Divine started out the story by stating that one of the most terrifying ways to die would be to die in a crawl space.

I thought the story would be about how so guy got stuck in the crawl space and he was found dead from starvation or lack of oxygen. Not the case.

This terrible, horrific crawl space death should not really have been the story. This man tried to murder his wife and his teenage son chased him and he hid in the crawl space. When police arrived he started to shoot at them and they shot back, killing him while he was still in the crawl space.

Information Technology

It's amazing. Really it is. I feel so privileged to be surrounded by such an amazing group of IT individuals. A group of people that can research, drill down and produce accurate results. Even if the results disappoint me, I do know they are accurate. Well done, everyone!

And to that certain someone, I am sorry for whatever I did that obviously hurt you so deeply. You should consider seeking some professional help.

P.S. To everyone that posts anonymously, I am sorry but I have blocked anonymous posts. You will need to sign up for a blogger account to post.

In Training For 24?

First, let me just say that I thought the season premiere was great! I can't wait till tomorrow night. It blew the season 6 premiere completely out of the water (wasn't as good as the Season 5 premiere but could any show ever top that?)

Half way through, Sydney was so impressed with 24 (Jack and the new red headed Agent Renee Walker) that she decided to start practicing for her life as a government agent by going under cover. I think she'll do a great job since she covertly is able to locate every cord in the house, change the station on the TV before we know she is in proximity, gain access to well hidden remote controls and sneak into secure areas undetected.

I Don't Drink On Airplanes

Despite having more drink tickets than I know what to do with (Usually I just toss them but my last bunch I sent to Queen B) I never drink when flying. When I say never, I mean never, I have never had alcohol in flight.

Tuesday, Laura was unnerved by my computer bag since all the pockets were open and it looked like I would lose a number of things at any moment. It is always this way but since items were clearly at risk I decided to clean out my bag and zip up some of the pockets. This morning at the airport (when the bag cleaning began) I discovered all these unused drink tickets.














Other Items of interest? 2 necklaces, 2 pairs of earrings, my camera, my new HD video camera, Bluetooth head set, portable charger, 2 small gifts for Diane

But back to the point, I don't drink on airplanes.....ever.

New Additions To My Office

A couple of months ago, I did a post of my office tour. Since then, I have had 4 new additions to my office. They are as follows:

I have added a new 8x10 to my autographed 8x10 collection. This autographed photo was given to me my the Braun's for my birthday and it is of Christian running in the marathon. Run On, Christian!

The next items aren't really additions but they are updated photographs for my desk.

The next item is my new IPod Speaker system that David got me for Christmas! It is really awesome and fits perfectly on my docking station.

Last but not least I have a new paper weight which was a gift from Jane.

The Kim Show-Episode 3

Last month I blogged about the Dyson hand dryers in terminal 4 at Sky Harbor airport and how they are so powerful they make your skin go all over the place while drying your hands. Today, I went into the bathroom, put my left hand in the sink, got it all wet and then went to dry it for the benefit of the blog.

Watch the video. (P.S. It's hard to hear me talking over the dryer-yes thats hard to believe) Note: at the end of the video I state that this is Episode 4 of the Kim Show but it is actually Episode 3.

A Follow-Up On Today's Blog (For Anonymous)

This Ham Actually Looks Like a Pig

On New Years morning I was mezmorized by this ham, still am. The bones look like eyes and I swear it looks like a pig snout underneath the eyes. The whole thing makes me not want to ever eat ham again.

Could You Pass This Security Test?

The test question below was included in a a security education exercise we went through for work. It has to be the dumbest example ever and why in the world does it have to be so freaking long? I am just glad that the right answer was selected and I am so appreciative of the explanation-LOL!

Happy Birthday Ringmaster!

I am so happy that we found you in 2008 and made you apart of our lives! You are a great friend and we all adore you!!!!! Happy Birthday and I'll see you in 9 days!!!!

The Stray Stroller

Forget the Stray Shopping Carts (which by the way is the best book and most fun ever). Today, I saw a stray stroller. This stroller was damaged and sitting alongside the road. A stray stroller is much more scarce than the stray shopping cart. I don't think we will find enough of them to make a book.

Float Viewing or Police Viewing?

Rose Parade float viewing has been going on since the end of the parade. I haven't seen the floats but I am telling you I have seen a whole heck of alot of police. They have been everywhere! I suggest they change the name of this sign from "Float Viewing" to "Police Viewing"

How great is it that I took all these pictures while driving? That hasn't technically been outlawed yet.

Uggs At Disneyland

A couple of weeks ago, I snapped the picture below of some high school girls at Disneyland. Five of the seven girls were wearing Ugg type boots, the other two were in tennis shoes. One of the 5 Ugg wearers was wearing imitation Uggs. To be specific, she was wearing Emu's. Emu's are the Big 5 brand Ugg's. I pondered the following:

• Does the girl in the Emu's think she is cooler than the girls in the tennis shoes?
• Do the girls in the Ugg's think the girl with the Emu's or the girls with the tennis shoes are the least cool?
• Why do they all need purses?
• Do the girls in the tennis shoes think the girl wearing Emus is stupid for trying to fit in?
• Do the girls wearing Ugg's think I am cool since I am wearing Ugg's too?
• I also noticed that all the Ugg wearers had their jeans tucked into the Ugg's. I never do that but maybe it's the style?

Applauding The 120th Tournament of Roses Parade. Happy New Year!!!!

Sydney loved her first parade!

No Smoking On The Parade Route

There is a new city ordnance that says there is no smoking on the parade route. People smoking would get fined. I have nothing against the smokers but the lady below approached James and I to ask if we knew if the smoking ban rumor was true. Since the Evans family news reporter (Mom) had told us earlier about this ban, we confirmed it.





The woman then proceeded to hide out and smoke near the port-a-potties. I told James that we should make it our mission (only for our own entertainment) to get a policeman to give the smoker a ticket. We did not go through with the plot but we did talk trash about it for awhile. I still think it would have been fun and for sure the most entertaining thing that would have happened all day.