a close call

i almost ran out of gas on my way to work this morning. i know, i know, how hard is it? i probably glance at the dashboard with the gas meter thing 20 times a day while driving. i knew i was cutting it close by trying to get to work and stopping for gas once i got there. so i was on the freeway when my gas light came on. i don't really understand that thing. if i didn't pay attention that i was almost out of gas by looking at my gas meter, how is a light going off right above that going to make me notice it? well, that's what i used to think before that gas light saved my life. i saw the light flash on, panicked and got off at the nearest exit. i washed my windows while i was gassing up. i was trying to keep my mind off the small fortune i paid filling my tank.

there is a receptionist with the general contractor at one of our job sites and she congratulated me for lasting this long. i said, "well, it has been a month today." she said, "yeah, it's kinda like being in a tourettes's support group everyday." nailed it.

so precious was picked up yesterday by her rightful owners. we were all rejoicing and i like my dog peaches much more now. before i thought she was annoying, always right under my feet and craving attention. then i realized that she is a DOG and that's how they act. plus, with precious the demon child gone, peaches is much more chill. she's kind of "depressed" with her friend precious gone, as kelsey put it.

okay so lindsay lohan is in rehab... again. she is my age (20). she can't even legally drink. underage drinking + driving = jailtime. am i missing something here? i wonder if her 21st birthday bash sponsored by the vodka brand svedka has been called off. that is not a joke, but she is.

Johnny McEnroe

i have about a 30 minute drive to work everyday. i don't mind it. as long as i've got my music, life is good. but the situation i'm about to explain happens everyday without fail and i'm fed up. rather than calling my congressman or crying about it to my family (they're sick of my whining) i will blog it and bug all of you instead. i'm pretty sure that making you aware of the problem will not change the idiotic behavior i witness each day while driving to work but realize that i am venting.

okay, so i'm driving east on the 215 to get to work. i realize that there is traffic at 6:30 in the morning because i'm not the only person in the city who needs to be at work at 7. naturally, there is traffic. i understand that. but what i do not understand is the complete slow-down and stop of every car on the road. thoughts of twisted metal and red lights begin flashing in my head. was there an accident? is someone hurt? i think that people are stopping to make sure that no one they know is involved in the wreck, if there is a wreck. keep in mind that there are 2 million people in las vegas today and the chances are slim to none that a random driver will "know" someone in the crash.

anyways, after trying my best to be patient (another battle i face besides the traffic), i finally pass whatever seemed to be the hold up. daily, i am greeted with the exact same outcome. there was no accident in the middle of the road. there wasn't even an accident off to the side of the road. the source of the traffic slow-down and stop each and every day is unbelievable. a motorcycle cop has pulled over a driver for speeding or something. THAT'S IT! a driver pulled over by a cop causes all of the sheep, i mean drivers in front of me to essentially stop and stare at the unlucky person being lectured. now if that isn't ridiculous, i don't know what is.

i'm telling you, i've got tennis on the brain or something because everyday i am tempted to scream out my window at the sea of morons, "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!"

i heart tennis

while at the movies on friday, my aunt spotted a celebrity. yes, i live in vegas and no, i do not run into a celebrity on a daily basis. we were walking through the red rock casino to the theatres when THE andre agassi walked by us. his arms were buff, like seriously ripped and he was grinning from ear to ear. by the time what my aunt was telling me, "that was andre! that was andre!" had registered in my head and i realized that i had a camera in my handbag, he was probably speeding away in his limo. it was surreal. next time i run into him, i will know what to do.

so i haven't decided if our encounter with one of the greatest tennis players of all time inspired us to brush up on our tennis skills (or lack thereof in my case) or if we just wanted a change of scenery. nonetheless, my cousins, my sisters and i played on saturday night. i forgot how great the sport is. it requires serious coordination and finesse. my mom has said if she could play any sport professionally it would be tennis. i agree. there is so much glory in the sport. if you win a match/tournament, you get all of the recognition and credit. you can't blame "the team" for losing. plus, the pros have some rockin' bods.

i learned a few things from our play last night: my backhand sucks, playing doubles is awesome and my jealousy of sharapova became real. i may take it up as my new hobby with all of my free time these days.

3 more days and the evil twin is gone.

her evil twin

i'm a dog person. i especially love big dogs that tackle you when you walk in the door. i cannot even bear the thought of a cat. i'm allergic to them, they sleep all day, are judgemental and moody. i hope to have a golden retriever someday. while growing up, we had one named garvey and he was the best. my aunt and uncle have 4 big dogs and all of them are absolutely gorgeous. the dogs all have news anchor names: brinkley, lunden, sawyer, huntley.

we have a dog too. her name is peaches and she is a miniature shih-tzu. she weighs like 6 pounds soaking wet and is smart and playful. she loves to go on walks. she wishes she could go upstairs but that's forbidden, kind of like the west wing on beauty and the beast.

my dad's parents are out of town for 10 days and we said that we would keep their dog while they were away. their dog is the same type as peaches and has almost the same color coat. one difference though: precious (that's her ridiculous name) is so irritating! i love it when charley calls her name like that bald skinny creature on lord of the rings when holding the ring, "my precious!"

this demon has an underbite and a scary face. she antagonizes poor little peaches, always biting and clawing at her. the worst is whenever we go to pet peaches, precious runs over so we will pet her too. she's jealous. don't get me wrong, we are nice to this mutt and take great care of her, but we are counting down the days. seriously. here are the pups in question: peaches is front and center while the other one is her evil twin

a chip on my shoulder

saturday. lunch with the family. we are at this mexican restaurant called bajio's. i have always said it with the accent on the "a" like bAhio's, but the owners (remember the smiths from the magic auction? same people) told me the accent belongs on the "i." but to avoid the butchering of the spanish language, i now refer to it as "the cafe rio wannabe place." problem solved.

so i am having a little queso dip and out of nowhere, my sister kelsey who's sitting diagonal from me says, "why does whitney have a chip on her shoulder?" i look up at her with raised eyebrows and ask, "um, what? i'm fine." my dad then turns to me and says, "let me knock that chip off your shoulder," and brushes an actual chip from the queso off. laughter ensued.

i bought some iron pills to combat anemia. i ain't goin' down without a fight. the pills are called slow fe. fe is the periodic symbol for iron, get it?! i feel like a new woman: more energized and alive, happier and more enthusiastic. well the truth is, i did buy the pills but i haven't noticed a change in personality. this is only my second day on "the pill" (haha) but maybe this is a miracle drug and will remedy my impatience. i go back to the blood donation place this thursday and everyone cross your fingers that i won't be denied the privilege of saving a life, being a hero or something like that.

out for blood

i am a regular blood donor. my blood type is o positive and the donation center calls me on the exact day when i am eligible to donate again. i feel guilty if i don't regularly donate blood. i'm one of those weirdos.

so i make my appointment yesterday and after waiting 30 minutes in the lobby, they call me back for the interview. this is when they ask insanely personal questions to see if there is anything in my past or present behavior that would put me at risk of contracting AIDS.

before the inquizition, the lab technician checks blood pressure and iron levels. my technician, aubrey (who kept repeating my birthday back to me incorrectly), pricked my finger and drew blood. then, she dropped my blood in a jar filled with blue solution. the droplet is supposed to sink to the bottom of the container within 15 seconds to show that i am not iron deficient.

well, i failed. my blood floated on the top like a buoy and barely sunk at all. aubrey then told me that i was iron deficient and borderline anemic. i looked at her puzzled and said, "i've donated many times and never had this problem." i then proposed to her that we try another finger. i knew as soon as those words escaped my mouth that made absolutely NO sense. yeah, i was desperate. she shot me down and told me to "go home and eat some meat."

i told her that i was a vegetarian and have been for almost 10 months now. she then mirrored my puzzled look. but the thing i don't understand is that i gave blood back in march up in provo and there was no problem at all. i think i'm going to take iron pills or turn into popeye and eat spinach 24-7.

napster

i sometimes criticize people when they take naps. it's a weird thing i do. i just don't really understand it. okay people, go to bed earlier and get more sleep so you're not tired. if this happens, chances are you won't be falling asleep in the day. am i right? it's common sense really.

i think there is a difference between accidental naps and planned naps. it's one thing to fall asleep during a tv show, during church or while driving but, it is quite another thing to change into comfortable clothes and make a point of falling asleep in the middle of the day.

what about sunday naps?! surely i take sunday naps, everyone does. wrong, i never take sunday naps. i've had some callings with church that have made that virtually impossible due to meetings, visits and planning. as a result, i've gotten in the habit of not sleeping on sundays.

confession time. i just woke up from a nap (the planned kind) and i will never diss on naps or napsters ever again. i feel like a new person: rejuvenated and happier. i'm finally ready to take on the day... at 6pm.

ashtyn was right all along.

hey mama

for mother's day... carey said, "i don't want anything. save your money for school." take notes kids, that is mom language for "get me a card and clean the house." so we can take a hint. my sisters and i got the cards (to each her own) and we will clean every nook and cranny of this house. no mess is safe. the hair supplies drawer, linen closet, garage, tupperware tower in the kitchen, dusting the curio, mopping the floors... all of it. okay kelsey and kaley, put your money where your mouth is!

we got to talk to my cousin casey serving his mission in paraguay yesterday. the family went over to my nana and papa's house to have a big dinner with everyone. a few key members were missing though (ashtyn creel i hope you are reading this!). casey, i mean elder moore, comes home at the end of july. i am very happy to have him home again. yay!

also, kaley got her graduation present from my grandparents yesterday at the big family gathering. so we all go to the living room after enjoying the near-perfect weather outside and there is this huge box lying in the middle of the room. we all have no idea who it's for, let alone what it is.

so my nana, one of the few who actually is aware of what's going on, announces to the group, "who knows what this is?" everyone looks around at each other with these ridiculous faces of confusion. we were stumped.

charley suddenly raises her hand and exclaims, "it's kaley's cedar chest for graduation!!!" yep. nailed it. i'm going out on a limb here but i think charley may have been one of the few who had known...

the magic auction

last night, my mom and i went to an auction for her elementary school. all of the funds raised go directly to the school and help pay for computers, lockers, what have you. it was held as this country club called siena. it was absolutely beautiful. in the room where it was held, there were these floor to ceiling windows all around. i wandered over to the glass to look outside at the view and also to escape the meaningless chit-chat surrounding me. there was this incredible golf course with a lake. i was envying the 10 or so tanned, salt and pepper haired men dressed in their preppy polos and khaki shorts sitting around a table, talking sports or politics with their heads tilted back in occasional laughter. i was reminded why education is important... go to college, get an education and marry a doctor. they are living in a dream world.

as i pulled myself away from daydreaming/coveting, it was back to the auction. chocolate fountains. chandelieres. shiny balloons. food i couldn't pronounce the name of. celebrities. yes, i said celebrities. i was unaware that my mom had the famous las vegas strip magician, rick thomas' kid in her class. so rick thomas was there and he is quite tall. he was wearing what appreared to be his stage makeup. creepy. the channel 3 news anchor was there too. his name is kendall tenney and he was the master of ceremonies for the auction. his teeth are crazy white and he is a friendly guy who could have been born in the osmond family. i may watch the evening news with him now.

there was a silent auction in addition to the live auction where everyone holds up their paddles with numbers on it and tries to outbid each other. the parents of one of my mom's students were there, the smiths and our family is friends with them. they were explaining to us that the only thing that they wanted from the night was a rick thomas (remember the magician with all the makeup?) gift basket, complete with tickets to his show, a stuffed white tiger and a box of magic tricks. they, the smiths, told us that their oldest son jordan is obsessed with magic and would love nothing more than to attend an acutal show.

this basket was up for silent auction and the smiths bet a bunch of money on it. they were eyeing the basket all night and whenever someone went up to outbid them, they basically followed them up and bid higher. with the five second warning for the silent auction to end being announced, a lady walked up to outbid the hopeful smith family. my mom happened to be standing by the magic basket, in a way "guarding it" for the smiths. as the lady approached to win the basket, my mom said to this lady, "you can't bid on this. this is for MY HANDICAPPED SON." the lady looked at my mom, shocked and said, "oh. sorry to hear that. it's all yours." to make a long story short, (that was a long story, if you're still with me... congrats.) the smiths got their beloved basket, my mom is their hero/most loved person in the entire world and i have a handicapped brother at home who i've never met.

unlucky us

my mom, my sisters and i saw "lucky you" last night. it's the new drew barrymore movie. i love drew yet it was hard to get through the movie. the soundtrack consisted only of boring and clunky country songs. the dialogue was mediocre at best, laced with way too many card playing analogies. and i was really looking forward to seeing that movie, i mean lifetime movie, too. go rent "casino" instead. now that's a worthwhile movie.

today at work we met with a material supplier guy named michael. the project manager was asking him questions about a manlift. the materials dude then said, "a manlift? oh so i guess she (looking at me with raised eyebrows which seemed to function as some kind of spotlight for everyone to direct their attention to) can't use it!" wow, real original buddy. your wit is astonishing. i humored him and the group with my courtesy laugh. the situation called for "this is awkward. let me begin my nervous giggling" which i save prize moments such as this. when my new best friend michael and i parted ways, i politely shook his hand and said, "nice to meet you michelle, i mean michael." i got no courtesy laugh from him on that one.

got grease?

this is a picture of what we call "the roach coach." it serves what some people consider food around lunchtime for the workers here on the job site. maybe it's just me, but the last thing i would want after sweating and working like crazy for hours is hot lard on a plate.

while walking the job site today, i saw a female laborer! i have never seen that before. she's my hero: out there everyday in the heat, working her butt off amongst all those guys, proving to them that she is capable of "a man's job." represent! and she complimented my pink hard hat... we are bffs.

kelsey can drive!

my sister kelsey passed her driver's test yesterday! i blacked out all of the information necessary for you to steal her identity. she can now legally create chaos on the roads. perfect. she's actually a better driver than me. i failed the written permit test the first time. during the driving test, i drove with my emergency brake on. i went 10 miles over in a school zone. a pedestrian came within inches of my car. yes, you read that right... i almost served time for manslaughter. that minor mishap with the pedestrian results in "an automatic failure," that's a direct quote from the dmv employee/sacrificial lamb in the passenger seat during the test.

however, my other sister kaley has no desire to wreak havoc in the streets. she will be 17 in august and doesn't have her learner's permit yet. according to her, she has no reason to drive. she figures that since kelsey and i both have our licenses, we will just chauffeur her around. she will end up like barbara walters: 80 years old and no driver's license.

i pulled my back out. kaley wants to drive like barbara walters but i feel like her with this back of mine. i am hurting more after therapy at the chiropractor's. i asked my mom if this pain was normal, since bad backs run in our family. she said, "oh yeah, when i got home from the chiropractor's, i was in serious pain. you'll probably cry yourself to sleep tonight." wait, WHAT? i go to a doctor to get better, not to leave there feeling worse. it's no wonder the profession is called practice.

ripe

i was told today to prepare myself because the port-a-potties we use at the site "get pretty ripe in the summer." that's a direct quote. after vomiting, i learned how to use microsoft excel for tracking supply orders. the guy explaining it to me told me to "use my imagination" until i got the hang of it. no problem, i'll imagine that the "restrooms" won't be RIPE tomorrow.

my uncle is an incredible businessman, truly a master of the craft. i am learning a lot from him, priceless gems like, "find a way to make it work" and "we don't work for free." it reminds me of something my friend cooper said, "believing in yourself doesn't pay the bills." but, i think the lyrical geniuses, aka the beastie boys said it best when they declared, "you gotta fight for your right to party." well, i'm trying to make sense of that paragraph so when you figure that one out... let me know.

anyways, i went swimming after work with my younger sister who is seven. we were doing handstands in the water and i asked her to judge mine on a scale from 1-10. after doing what i thought was a perfectly decent handstand, i asked her, "how'd i do?!" she responded, "leaning tower of pisa." ouch. the great thing is that she actually pronounced pisa correctly.

weapons of mass confusion

the adjustment from BYU to vegas has been weird enough and the construction scene is a whole different world. when i tag along as the project manager's shadow to meetings and job walks, i am in awe at the foreign language spoken. no, i am not referring to spanish. "well, what if we used the 7/8 hat channel instead and flushed the tub against the wall to avoid the jutting?" "just 'cheat' the closet space in order to maintain the four feet of vanity." "the re-bar isn't capped!"

my favorite so far is, " there are no stupid questions, just stupid looks." thank you mister superintendent. i'll try to keep that in mind next time my face is twisted in utter bewilderment. today i had the term 'scaffold' defined to me in plain english... baby steps.

pretty in pink

for the summer, i am working for my uncle's painting and drywall company out on a job site. i am the assistant to the project manager. i'm not sure what that means exactly, but it has an apprentice-type ring to it so i will milk that baby for all it's worth!

basically i fax documents, order suppplies, make runs to the office, walk the jobs/buildings that the company is currently working on and do my best to tolerate the dominant male population. i am the only female for miles. this job is right up my alley: just me and hundreds of guys. plus, as you can see from the picture, i have the lovely privilege of sporting a hard hat and boots everyday.

i walk into work today and there is a PINK hard hat sitting on my desk. WHAT in the WORLD? after laughing for a while, i realized that it's a good thing. i was walking the job today with the project managers and a guy said, "nice helmet." that's weird because to every guy, that is a hard hat, but since a girl is wearing it, it suddenly changes form into that of a helmet. anyways, i said to him, "yeah thanks, i have to remind them that i'm a girl." he said back, "i think they already know that. yeah, they definitely know that." hmmmm.

also, i love it when right before a guy is about to use profanity, they look right at me, to kind of warn me for what is to come. they are thinking that i have the special ability of reading their minds, most likely they are thinking: pardon my french. i wonder if they can read mine: clean up your damn mouth!

welcome to fabulous las vegas!

this encounter happened a couple of weeks ago while visiting the bellagio fountains with my younger sisters. it is pretty much the only worthwhile thing doing on the strip. i think i am the only one on the planet with that opinion...

while there, a disheveled man was selling glowsticks out of a golf club carrier, already unusual and slightly creepy. i asked him how much they were and he said, "one for three, two for five." i answered with, "just one would be great" and then he said, "it would be great if i could get your number." what the ? i thought, YOU ARE A GLOWSTICK SALESMAN! let's not forget that you are selling those magic tubes out of a golf club bag. i said to him, " now, what would be great is if i could get this glowstick for free, but it looks like we both aren't getting what we want tonight." and with that, i handed over three dollars, grabbed the fluorescent beauty and left. yet, looking back as a wise adult, maturing substantially in a matter of two weeks, i regret what i said to him. kinda.