What the F is wrong with my car??

I need to find out if anyone can help me without having to spend an arm and a leg at the Chevy Dealership. I'm probably to the point where I'd have to spend $90 for a diagnostic and however much they wanna milk me for a computer reset that can only be done there, unless someone randomly reading this just happens to have run across this problem and might know what's up. 

So here's the sitch. I have a 2015 Chevy Sonic LTZ. The Infotainment center worked flawlessly up until about, oh I dunno, a year ago I guess (I bought it used). I play music with a usb stick. So basically what began happening with no provocation as far as I could tell, was that upon starting up my car, whenever it was done playing the song I had currently stopped at, it would start over at the beginning of the usb. The only way I could stop this from happening was if I pull up the song menu and manually select the next song on the list, and then it would continue playing from there.

 
Obviously this is not a big enough issue to pay Chevy to fix, hence my wish to ask around so see if anyone else knows how I might fix this issue. (And yes, I've tried to google this but it's kind of specific and I haven't been able to find this exact issue so far).

This is what I have tried:

• Formatting the USB and reloading all of the music
• Buying a different USB stick
• Deleting the first song on the list (I was getting tired of hearing 30 Seconds to Mars every time I forgot to select the next song)
• Discharging the battery to try and reset the system (I can't even tell you if this did anything)
• Letting the battery completely drain out and jumping the car. Literally the only thing this reset was the average MPG. It didn't even reset the oil life. And when I plugged in the USB it started in the exact spot of the song I left off, and of course, went back to song #1 after).

• Kicked the car in frustration (In order to discharge the battery, I had to leave the damn keys in the ignition with it on aux, otherwise it would go into self preservation. Fucking smart car.)

I even tried changing it to shuffle mode. This was kind of hilarious actually, because it takes about a minute to load the USB completely. So, when the song it's on is done early, it will STILL go back to song #1 on the usb, but I can't skip to the next song right away because it's not done loading the USB stick yet. So in essence, this is worse because then I HAVE to listen to the first song. In desperation, I made my absolutely favorite song song #1 by putting a 29 in front of it (ahead of 30 Seconds to Mars) just to stop me from going crazy. So at least I have that.

This is a stupidly important issue to me because I live in the city and literally everything I need, including work, is within a 10 minute drive or so. So I get maybe 3 songs out before I shut off my car and have to deal with this issue all the fucking time.

And please don't give me other options. Yes I KNOW I can play bluetooth music. It's a pain in the ass and not worth setting up for 5 minute drives. No I don't listen to the stupid radio. And no, I don't have a CD player and an aux port isn't worth the hassle either.

I'm under the assumption at this point that the infotainment center has a motherboard with memory chips and battery capacitors that hold onto all of this information regardless of the state of the car's battery. Which is great in theory, but kind of stupid right at this moment as I can't find any way to completely wipe and reset the system.

So, if ya'll have any ideas, PLEASE let me know. I've kind of given up at this point.

"Washington State" Fair

Puyallup Fair. End of argument.

I haven't been to this fair since 2015. I find no reason to go every year, especially since admission is $11, parking is $15-$20, and I spend all my energy weaving through the mass of humanity to the point where I get tired of existing. I don't play the games, and I'm not into any of the rides.

But this year, it was a bit different. This year, there was a concert that I wanted to see: Gabriel Iglesias, aka Fluffy. 

I'll give credit where credit is due: my best friend Matty introduced me to Fluffy years ago with a Netflix special, and I've been pretty hooked ever since. He's one of those comedians that doesn't need to be vulgar and cuss every other word in order to be funny. He's a great storyteller, and uses his own life experiences to make jokes.

Buying a ticket to his comedy special came with a fair ticket, so I invited mom to come with me and hang out until the concert started at 7:30. This was gonna be a no-holds-bar fair experience. There were certain foods I wanted to try, and one particular ride I wanted to go on: The Extreme Scream. Why? I don't even know. I keep trying to do extreme stuff hoping to feel that "rush" that thrill seekers get when they do crazy stuff, but it never happens for me. I've done parasailing, zip lining, and a few tamer fair rides from years past, but all I ended up feeling was 

A. Annoyed that the view went by too quickly, 
B. It was fun for the first [5] minutes but now I'm over it and 
C. Shit, get me out of here.

(To be fair, zip lining only garnered feeling A)

So of course that ride (which costs $15) came first, before I decided to eat. And no, it was not fun, and not exciting. I wasn't scared while watching it from the ground, but once I was on it my heart rate picked up a bit. I've known this already but fun fact: I am definitely not a screamer. I did however, say "Oh shit" on my way up. And going back down was not at all pleasant due to the weightless feeling as I plummeted towards the earth. That ride is thankfully extremely short, and I couldn't be happier when it was finally over. My adrenaline had spiked, that was a fact. But instead of feeling a sense of joy or a rush, my body was shaking and I was breathing way too hard. I had tried to quickly teach mom how to record using my phone before I went on but um, come to find out that didn't work so I have nothing to show for my experience but the loud hydraulic whoosh sound that will now forever haunt my dreams. So, I think that finally settled it. I'm not an adrenaline junkie and I'm done trying to chase that feeling that others seem to get when they do crazy stuff. It's just not for me.

In other news, though, trying weird foods is quite fun and something I won't stop doing any time soon. So, the first thing on my agenda was 40 Below Joe's coffee Dippin Dots. As you're probably aware (maybe from all the news articles explaining how liquid nitrogen is unsafe for the tissues in your mouth due to the new fad called "Dragon's Breath") Dippin Dots are small bit of ice cream frozen with liquid nitrogen. And coffee dippin dots are just that: a frozen latte. It was really good. The problem with dippin dots is that when something is chilled that low, the compounds become fairly flavorless to the tongue, so there wasn't much to it. But it was a nice novelty, and one with more than 1 shot of caffeine ta boot.

Next on my list was The Original House of Doughnuts. Nothing special here; I've had their doughnuts and they are simply the best around, save for Voodoo down in Oregon. Which brings me to why I wanted to go: They were serving a cereal doughnut. This is the best thing about Voodoo. They have cereal-topped doughnuts with icing that tastes like milk. Would OHD give me the same satisfaction as Voodoo?

Hell yes it does. A valid replacement for a doughnut shop too far away.

Mom and I did do some exploring around the fair, but she had already gone with her sister at the beginning of the month for the Chicago concert, so she'd seen it all already. We walked around Hobby Land, checked out the ducks and chickens, but not much else. There was one other place I wanted to try though, despite the fact that Extreme Scream basically soured my stomach for the whole day. Exotic Meats.

Yeah that's right, I'm turning into an Andrew Zimmern mini (Not really. The stuff he puts in his mouth is disgusting). First on my list was a snack of crickets. Hey, I'm a logical person. I've seen video of people talking about how crickets (and other insects) are a great source of protein with no fat. And how they don't taste bad once cooked. They're a great and easy renewable resource, and if we're not careful, humanity is going to be forced to turn to this food source one day just to stay alive. So, crickets.

I'm not sure why I decided on them over grasshoppers. I didn't remember that they looked like baby roaches. It did take me a second to psych myself up to eating one. (This is the kind of thrill *I* like!) But, here's the truth. They only taste like the seasoning that was used. And it was a good seasoning. They tasted hollow and crunchy. There was no substance to them. I ate the whole batch, but I certainly didn't look at them as I did so. I'm glad that I tried them!

After that, Mom and I went walked around some more and we came back to Exotic Meats for my dinner before the show. Originally, I had wanted to eat an alligator burger, but it was $16, and I'd already had alligator a couple years back at the Taste of Tacoma (it was fried on a stick, and I'm not joking, it tasted *exactly* like chicken. I think they used chicken and I got duped.) Plus I was not that hungry. I did see something else they had that wasn't specifically on their menu, though. Rabbit and Python sausage. I was like, sure, why not. Python sounds tasty. Plus it was $6 cheaper. It was boiled and not grilled which was slightly disappointing. It kind of just tasted like it needed ketchup. Sometimes I wonder if people that sell exotic meats or exotic jerky are just a long con and have been duping all of us since forever. It's not like we can prove that there's really any python in that sausage, you know?

Anyway, by this time they were opening the Grandstand for the show, so we went and got scones for the road and I grabbed my blanket and fancy folding chair out of mom's car. She drove home and I had the plan to take the fair bus back at the end of the concert.

 
I didn't know what to expect for this comedy tour experience. I'd seen Fluffy's Netflix specials so how different could this be? Well for one, comedians take from their environment and use it to craft jokes. So, we got jokes about coffee, how cold it was, and how to say "Puyallup" (Pew-all-up.), And he spent quite a while joking with (not at) the sign language interpreter. I'd had one at Alton Brown's tour as well and I thought they were always at events just in case they were needed but turns out [they're not] Gabriel rarely sees them so he had a field day making them sign stuff, including curse words that he was contractually obligated not to say because it was a "family event". 

Near the end of the show he turned to a couple of old but good jokes, which was actually kind of fun because all these guys - over 10,000 (the only show bigger was Macklemore, sorry Mom/Chicago) knew them by heart and actually said them right along with him.

Even if you know the joke, watch it 

until the end. We were given permission

to film at the end because he's a cool dude.

It was a great experience. I'm glad that I went. Gabriel Iglesias is a very down to earth kind of guy. He's very appreciative of everyone and everything, and doesn't let fame go to his head at all. I am super excited to see this new sitcom he's apparently got in the works!

So, that was it. Ride a crazy ride, eat some crazy food, watch a crazy Mexican make jokes, and go home!

Why is Lucifer so Facinating?

I don't watch stuff more than once, generally. Even if I really really like it. Sure, there are some movies I've seen more than once, like Jurassic Park, or October Sky. But even some of the greatest movies I've ever seen will only pull my attention on their initial run, never to cross my eyeballs again.
For the longest time, Star Trek is the only series (and I'm talking all of them, save Enterprise) that I've seen more than once. Some more than twice (Voyager, I'm looking at you).

And then came Lucifer.

 

Something about this show fascinates me, and I'm thinking it might have something to do with Tom Ellis (okay, everything to do with Tom Ellis). It's almost like I can watch each episode and it won't stick in my brain like other shows will to the point where I can't watch it again. Every time I watch an episode it's like I'm seeing it again for the first time.

By the way, I'm on re-watch number four. Yeah, you heard me. FOUR. As in, as soon as I'm done with the last season, I start over again. I know, it's crazy.

There's something about the Lucifer character that turns me to mush (could it be his charm? haha) which is very strange because he's the exact opposite of any guy I would ever look to date. He's selfish, conceited, and could almost be considered narcissistic if it wasn't for the fact that his naivete stops him from realizing how he's acting sometimes. Lucifer also treats most women as mere objects and conquests and doesn't hide how he looks at them. With the #metoo movement going on now, he'd be banished to Hell for his behavior, I'm sure.

But he's also incredibly charming, witty, and funny as hell. The British accent doesn't hurt either.
 
[Side note: I don't know how much of what he says is scripted or improvised, but how British he sounds is at least 50% of what makes Lucifer so well cast with Tom Ellis. Without all the British wit, it wouldn't be nearly as fun to watch.]

Lucifer actually hits all three things on my must-have list for any relationship:

1. Honesty
He never lies. It's a point of pride for him. It's especially evident in the Season 2 episode "It's a Good Day to Die" where he's sitting next to Chloe in the hospital bed and she's asking if they'll have a talk later. He doesn't even respond verbally, because he knows he's about to run away. (admittedly not the best example... lol)

[Bonus points: He never once lies about who he is. He straight up says he's the Devil from day one. Invulnerable, immortal; all that. That's another reason I love this show and why it is so unique. There are too many shows out there where the character is always trying to hide who they are and people around them almost find out (gasp!) it's kind of getting old. This is new and refreshing.]

2. Loyalty (or faithfulness)
This one is kind of up to interpretation because he's very self-centered generally. But, even when he ran away to Las Vegas to get married (a plan hatched just to get Chloe to fall out of love with him), he still came back. Because he wants to be by her side, even if it means only friendship and nothing more.

3. Humor
A man's gotta be funny!

4. Not into Kids (this should be at the top, really lol)
We gotta be on the same page.

Perfect.

 

Review Wednesday

Exercise equipment is one thing that I buy all the time thinking that if I just have it I'll use it, you know? I live in a small apartment and don't have room for large pieces of equipment, nor does our complex have any sort of gym. I bought a BodyBoss, which is a cool idea in theory, using resistance bands on weighted base so you don't have to deal with attaching it to a door, and if you have a bench you can do a chest press. But do I ever use it? Hell no.

I've also never spent as much money on a piece of exercise equipment as I did for my review product: Treadly. Treadly is an interesting concept. They managed to fit a huge, normally bulky treadmill into a very compact package. They do this by getting rid of everything unnecessary. You can't specifically change any settings, there are no safety arms or safety latch. The only information you get to see is your distance, your steps, and your time (kind of wish they could add your pace or the speed of the treadmill in real time). 

You change the speed by walking in a specific zone. It's kind of a frustrating experience actually, because I am often inadvertently changing the speed of the pace unintentionally because I have a long stride. But when I'm spot on, it's great. I decided to order the hydraulic bar attachment, which allows the speed to increase from 3.8 to 5mph, in case I ever wanted to run on it (might take me a while to work up to that, but it's good to know the option is there). 

I bought this because I wanted the ability to increase my steps goal without having to go outside (I'm an introvert, what can I say?), especially while watching TV. In reality though, I was making all kinds of excuses. I live in an urban area, I'm a young woman who lives alone, and I'm not in the safest of neighborhoods. Living in WA state, the weather is only 3-bears perfect probably 2 months out of the year. Right now it's in the 90s and the last thing I want to do is go for a stroll and have to shower afterwards. The rest of the year it's raining or threatening rain. And besides, it's so boring to walk around the neighborhood. With this baby, I can set it up in front of my TV and concentrate on watching my program while getting my steps in.

It is still heavy. They could only reduce the weight so much. It's large and unwieldy enough

to be glad that I have it set up right where I want to use it because I just know that trying to pull it out from under my bed and roll it down the hallway and getting it around my furniture would not be happening. It definitely could have used some kind of handlebar system on the back end to give me something to grasp while wheeling it around, though. If the hydraulic bar could lock in place when it was down that would be perfect, but it moves so it won't work for that.

The other issue I have it that it is so thin that it doesn't work well on carpet. Some thicker rubber feet on the bottom would be ideal. As of right now, I have to place a piece of particleboard under the back end so that the tread doesn't rub against my carpet. It had left powdery streak marks, which I didn't realize was a problem (it can be vacuumed up) until the treadmill gave me an E2 error code one day from overheating due to all the friction on the carpet. Which, by the way, is no fun when the treadmill abruptly stops and you so weren't ready for that. Thank goodness I wasn't running on it!! Maybe some warning beeps or something? Slow before stopping? Anything? lol

Really though, those are minor gripes for what I'm getting here. I mean look at how little space it takes up! As long as I'm watching TV, I can pull that sucker down and get in a few extra steps. My goal is at least 10,000 steps a day. And now the weather doesn't even matter. I can do it any time. NO MORE EXCUSES! :D

Am I the only one?

This is me reaching out to other people that have lost loved ones/spouses in the past many years ago. I'm reaching out to see if others experience this as well.

I keep dreaming about Josh (short blurb here for those who don't know). It's been more than 10 years since his passing but it seems as though my unconscious brain has not given up hope of being reunited in some way. At this point, I think I've dreampt up every feasible way of being reunited with him; from him faking his own death, to being reincarnated, to last night, actually taking the lock of hair that I had saved and used his DNA to clone him. The funny thing is my brain is trying to rationalize it somehow because if you know me, you know that I'm a logical thinker and require explanations for everything. 

And don't get me wrong, I don't mind dreaming about my Joshie at all; and generally speaking, when I think back on the dream I had, I was not unhappy or sad in it. But I sure as hell am sad/disappointed after I wake up. It's no fun to be yanked out of the reality you built for yourself, especially when it includes a deceased loved one.

I just wonder if anybody else does this? 10+ years later, are you still dreaming of someone who has passed on? Is your brain trying to rationalize their death, or trying to explain how they suddenly came back to life (wishful thinking)? Is this normal?

I'm starting to wonder if it's because I believe that we were soul mates, and maybe it means something significant whenever I dream about him. I don't know. Does this mean that I haven't really moved on? Somehow I don't think that's the case because my brain certainly knows it. It's using his DNA to clone him ffs. Obviously I know he's gone.

Anyway, let me know in the comments please! I hope I'm not alone, here.

Getting Lasik

I finally pulled the trigger. With a $1200 off coupon (for $12) and $950 saved up in my HSA for medical use, I decided to finally get Lasik surgery.

To be fair, I'm probably the least likely person to need such a procedure. The only reason my contacts bug me constantly is because I never wore them correctly. They are 30-day night and day lenses, and they say you can sleep in them (although eye doctors are against that), so it was like having Lasik surgery because they just sit in your eyes and you forget about them most days. Until your eyes start itching, you rub them a lot, the lens moves, or pops out, or gets cloudy. Sometimes if you rub enough it'll slide up to another part of your eyeball or fold over on itself and it'll feel like you're being stabbed in the eyeball every time you blink. I'd often pinch my eye trying to take them out, which is why I would just leave them in my eyes until one of them became unmanageable and then I'd just replace that one lens with another. They're a pain sure, but much better than glasses, no doubt.

[Case in point, I literally just experienced my worst nightmare while in the shower the other day; having been forced to wear my glasses before my procedure I was all but blind while taking a shower and yup, there was a spider.] 

I decided to take the plunge with Lasik after an experience of driving out to the mountains in the middle of the night to take milky way photos, and my contact was being horrible and blurry and I finally decided to see if I could rinse it real quick and put it back in my eye, and it never made it back in my eye and I drove up the windy roads in the dark, basically blind in one eye. Good times.

Anyway so here was my experience: I chose King Lasik due to the massive amount of good reviews and the extensive training Dr King has had doing these surgeries. Plus, they added a satellite location down in Tacoma which would make my follow ups much easier to do. I was able to make an appointment online for Monday 8/6, and the consult was basically just checking my eyes to make sure I was a good candidate. The doc there told me that I had slightly dry eyes (which I had no idea) recommended that I start taking an omega-3 supplement. After that was done, I talked to a lady about how much it would cost, and I booked my surgery for that very Saturday. Basically it is $5,000, but that includes the wavefront scan [which makes it a custom Lasik procedure, much safer. Read up on it here], using the Intralase laser instead of the microkeratome [read up on that here], and lifetime enhancements in case my eyesight were to ever regress to needing a prescription again (which, admittedly, is a very low chance).
 
I got my two eye drop prescriptions filled (one is an antibiotic, the other is a steroid drop) and went in on Saturday with my mom so that she could drive me home. They first took me back to do the wavefront test on my eyes and gave me a care package that included sunglasses, sleeping glasses, and of course, a tumbler. And then I went over financials with another guy. Obviously they will need payment upfront because it's a cosmetic procedure and not covered by insurance. That's when I also received my one lorazepam pill. After that, I was taken to their "relaxation suite" to wait for my turn. They were pumpin' people in and out of this office; it was crazy. Lasik can be done in about 15 minutes. Add that to about a 15 min turnaround time to prep and sterilize the room, they were gettin'em done every 30 minutes.

The Lorazepam kicked in while I was waiting, and it made me tired and heavy but didn't do much to alleviate my anxiety.  I got to meet Dr. King to ask any questions before I was walked into the laser room. 

First step was the numbing drops; and then I was put into position for the first laser. This laser is the uncomfortable one. He places a plastic shield over one eye and tapes the other shut, and it causes pressure on your socket. The laser is then pressed directly down onto that shield, creating even more pressure. All I could see were these little flashing pinpricks of light as the laser cut open my corneal flap. After both eyes were done, I was completely blurry as I was walked over to the other chair. I laid down on this one, and my eyelashes got taped back. The worst part was Dr. King having to lift the corneal flap. I could feel it, and it was disturbing and uncomfortable. The lorzeapam was barely helping at this point. I was breathing heavily and was super anxious; wondering how I'd feel without the drug in my system. Now that the corneal flap was out of the way, all I had to do then was stare at the laser, and smell the retinal tissue burning (smells like burning hair).

Then, it was over. I felt a little ill, and I was shaking, but otherwise okay. Dr. King checked my eyes with the microscope quickly and declared me a success. Hooray? After that, I got to go home. I wore the wrap-around night-time glasses basically all afternoon. I had to avoid straining my eyes, so I couldn't get on my phone or computer, or watch TV. I have to take both sets of drops every 4 hours for a week, and the refresh drops ever 1-2 hours for 2 weeks. I also can't rub my eyes and I have to wear the night mask for the next week.

Like they say, the first couple hours after the procedure are the worst, but I think I personally got off very lucky. I managed to sleep for a little over an hour after I got home, but I had a stinging sensation in my eyes for a couple of hours. They didn't water much at all. It was just kind of uncomfortable. And my eyes felt fatigued so even though I wanted to check out how good my eyes have gotten, I just continued to wear the night mask (which isn't really a "mask", just sunglasses with foam for comfort) and keep my eyes closed for the remainder of the afternoon. I did end up with burst blood vessels in each eye which should dissipate in about a week, otherwise, I was/am doing very well.

Today at my post op, I got my "legal to drive" card that overrides the "c" on my driver's license. I have 20/20 vision now, even though I'm still having some hazy blurriness from the procedure, which should go away in a few days. She also told me "Good job not rubbing your eyes. I don't see any wrinkles." and I was basically like "wat???" in my head. I had no idea that I could flipping winkle my corneas. That's a good reason not to rub your eyes. Much more convincing than someone just saying "don't rub your eyes". I'd be like, "bitch please." lol

Anyway, now that my vision is fixed, is anyone interested in contact lens solution and about a year's worth of -3.00d Air Optix night and day contacts? (They aren't cheap!!) Hit me up if you're interested. 

Man, I sure am going to miss my anti-onion powers.
 

Do I Have a Type?

Hmmm, I don't know, maybe. 3 of them have English accents.

Damn celebrities.