Not This Time (Warner Cable)...

The Facts

We use Time Warner Cable. It's a rocky relationship.

His Side

I know this blog is about having differences in opinions yet finding common ground. Sometimes, though, no matter how different you are, you must come together to do battle with a common opponent. That may be a bit overdramatic but I just wanted to prepare you for the fact that our opinions might be pretty similar on this topic. What topic? TIME WARNER CABLE!

We have internet and cable provided by Time Warner Cable. We don't have a house phone because house phones are pretty much obsolete these days. No offense intended for those that still have them; that's a personal choice… but I am perfectly fine without one. Anyway, internet and cable are important to us. I need access to internet for email correspondence as I pursue screenwriting opportunities and we need it to provide you guys with these blog posts for your entertainment. And cable is important to us because one way we spend quality time together is lounging on the couch, halfway paying attention to a TV show while we chat and hang out.

With that being said, it's obviously quite an inconvenience when cable and internet are down. And they have been going down a lot recently. The first time, we called TWC and they gave us a one day credit which equates to basically nothing. But, it's a nice gesture. As the outages continued, though, single day credits were not going to cut it. We pay for reliable service and we were not getting reliable service, so we were trying to see if we could receive a discount. It's the least they could do. We talked to various people from TWC and, each time, we got more and more frustrated because they kept telling us how much they understand how we feel and that they could give us a credit. After asking one girl to speak with a manager 4 times, we still never got to speak to one. She gave us an extension to call where we could speak with someone about getting a discount. It turns out that the extension was just the in-house extension that they use to connect you with the department we were trying to get in touch with. And she had no authority to tell us we would get a discount… or so we thought.

After getting the runaround again on the phone when trying that extension (which obviously didn't work), all we got was another credit on our account. It was a generous credit but I literally asked specifically for a discount on the services since they were far from reliable and nobody was able to do that for me. I was flabbergasted. We started exploring other options for cable and internet but it's not just like changing which deodorant you use… it's a bit more complicated. Then, however, we had even more issues with TWC. 

As we were trying to set up my Sonos Playbar (which is amazing, by the way), all TV sound cut off. It wasn't because we set up the Playbar incorrectly, either. It was a TWC issue… we thought. We called TWC again. The thought of calling them again made me sick but it had to be done. Surprisingly, the technician we spoke with was extremely helpful. But here's the craziest thing about the call:  while we were waiting on our system to reboot after he reset it, he said, "while we wait, let me see if we can't get your monthly rate lower." WHAT?! Did he seriously just offer to do that without us asking? Yes, he did. I was thinking there was no way he would come back and say he lowered our rate. I was wrong again… He didn't lower it much but any little bit helps. When we called and specifically asked them to do that, everyone (even managers) told us that it couldn't be done. Then this guy just does it like it's nothing. 

The weirdest part, though, is that the sound issue took 4 seconds (I counted) to fix. A technician came out to check on our box, asked how we connect it to the TV (I told him HDMI), then he changed the audio output setting to HDMI and the sound magically returned. I've got to be honest, I felt pretty dumb. 

The moral of the story is that our relationship with TWC is much like a marriage, friendship, dating relationship or whatever you have. You will have your ups and downs and you might even be ready to give up on it. You may even be made to feel really dumb sometimes; but, if both sides work together, you can make the relationship work. TWC just doesn't always seem to be trying. Hopefully your spouse, friend, family member, or whomever you have does work on it so that your relationships can be better than ours is with TWC… (cheesy, I know, but think about it).

Her Side

We live in a country obsessed with what’s going on NOW. In order to know what’s going on, we have to be able to quickly go to a website or flip to (your favorite) news channel... Mine is obviously E! News (duh!). Needing news channels and websites translates to needing cable and internet which translates to choosing between a few companies who hold a monopoly over the industry. We get those services from probably the most annoying one of them all, Time Warner Cable.

I relish the times when I don’t have to have any contact with them other than simply paying our bill. Recently, however, we have talked to way too many customer service representatives than I’d like to admit. This wouldn’t happen, though, if their service was great and didn’t mess up constantly.

In the past month or so, we have experienced situations where both our cable and internet goes out and it’s usually in the evening when we are trying to relax and watch TV. When this happens, one of us will quickly call TWC in hopes of getting this resolved, only go be met with a recorded message telling me what I already know:  there is an outage in my area. They go on to say that customer service reps cannot help with this outage and to sit back and relax and wait until the service is restored. That response pacified us the first time or two; but, after that, these outages began to make us very angry (understandably so).  

I must, however, give a shout out to the most recent Customer Service Rep that we talked to. Among the gamut of problems we have had with TWC, the sound while watching cable was one of them. It just so happened that the night we wanted to install our new Sonos system, the sound went out. We called TWC and spoke with the most delightful gentleman, Raymond (and no there is literally no hint of sarcasm in that previous statement). He was the most helpful person I have ever spoken to at TWC. He walked us through a number of various options to rectify our silent situation and, even though he wasn’t able to fix the problem in the end, we hung up the call fully satisfied. Why? One, we could understand what he was saying… as in his accent wasn’t too think and we didn’t have to ask him to repeat himself. Two, we didn’t have to get firm, stern, or demanding with him. He provided options without us having to ask about them. Third, he is the ONLY person who OFFERED to give us a discount on our monthly services. This is without a doubt the biggest reason we were so pleased with his service. In the number of times we have called TWC in the past month, no one has ever been able to decrease our monthly bill… We asked nicely, pleaded, demanded, and even threatened to end our service with them… but, to no avail. Each person said there was nothing they could do for us. So, when Raymond casually mentioned he was going to see if he could get us a discount without any prompting from us, we were shocked! I thought he was just saying that to buy time and keep us happy while our cable box reset and I figured as soon as he came back on the line he would conveniently forget about the offer he just gave to help reduce our bill. To our surprise, he casually mentioned at the end of the call that he was able to cut our monthly bill. Granted, it was only cut by a measly $6; but, in this economy, any little bit helps!

So, Raymond, if you’re reading this (which I know you aren’t because, lets be honest, only family and a few friends read this blog at this point), I want to thank you immensely for providing such great service to us. We hung up the phone with smiles on our faces instead of the normal angry face and steam blowing out of our ears (not literally, of course).

It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Later...

The Facts

Life's not always fair.

His Side

When you start dating someone, you want to get to know them and have fun together. Sometimes you don't get to know who they really are, though, because everyone puts their best foot forward when starting out in a relationship. You're nice, you try to look your best, you act happy even when you're not, etc. When I started what would become my last dating relationship ever, it wasn't like that. A week after I started dating Kristi, her dad was diagnosed with stage four cancer. That's heavy. Most guys, it would have scared away because that is a tough thing to willingly get involved with. I stuck around, and I'm glad I did.

I was fortunate enough that I did get to know her dad a little while he was still able to do pretty much everything he could always do. He was a prosecuting attorney and had a big, imposing build which would be enough to intimidate most people (especially guys wanting to date his daughter), but I wasn't intimidated. This is in part because I would only be intimidated if I had bad intentions for his daughter and in part because he was one of the nicest people on the planet. He was genuine, loved his family more than anything in the world, and was lighthearted and funny.

As things got worse for him in his battle with cancer, Kristi and I got closer. There's something about going through an emotional experience together that makes people closer faster. Seeing someone at their lowest and most vulnerable point speeds along the emotional connection process. She was going through the hardest thing she has ever had to go through but it was also hard on me for a different reason. She (understandably so) wanted to spend a lot of time with her parents and I, sometimes, just wanted to spend time with her. After all, we were trying to get to know each other and grow in our relationship to see if it would go anywhere beyond casual dating. Also, being the shoulder to cry on can be emotionally draining and I would sometimes not know what to say as I was getting to know the family for the first time a situation that is vastly different from when most guys get to know their girlfriend's family. To talk about the reasons this situation was hard on me, though, made me feel selfish because my issues paled in comparison to what Kristi was going through. Even though it was tough on both of us, we were there for each other and, as I mentioned, we grew much closer in the process.

As we grew closer, Kristi and I decided that we loved each other and wanted to get married. As is customary (especially in the South), before I could ask her to marry me, I needed to make sure her dad was okay with me asking her this ever-so-important question. I am very happy that I was able to have this conversation. Before that conversation was the only time I was ever intimidated by her dad. I was intimidated because I wanted to make a good impression, not because he was severe or hard to talk to. He actually made the process very easy. He made sure that he got across everything he wanted to get across to me and he didn't, by any means, take it lightly. But he told me that he would be honored for me to have his daughter's hand in marriage… assuming she says "yes." He did give me one stipulation before I asked for her hand in marriage - he told me I had to take the rest of her also, not just her hand. We shared a laugh about that and I told him I would be happy to.

Knowing I had his blessing, I had created some epic plans for a proposal. One involved skydiving and another involved a TV show Kristi and I enjoyed and utilized my love for filmmaking. With her father quickly declining, though, I didn't want to waste any time. We knew we wanted to get married so why wait? So I proposed in front of her family while her dad sat in his recliner. It couldn't have been more special. After she said yes, I got a picture with her dad and that is the only picture I ever got with him. That is something I regret, but I would hate it if I didn't have a single picture with him.

The following weeks got even harder. He was declining very quickly and we all knew he didn't have much time. At the same time, though, Kristi's brother and sister-in-law were expecting the first grandchild of the family, Kristi's other brother was about to get married, and Kristi and I were planning a wedding. It was such a bittersweet time. Once her dad passed early in the morning on April 24th, I was overwhelmed by how I was treated by the family. We had just gotten engaged and I had only known the family for 8 months or so, but it was as if I had known them forever. It meant a lot to me in how I was welcomed in and it got me excited that I was going to have such good people as in-laws.

It's been a year since he passed and it's still very hard on Kristi and the rest of the family. Kristi will apologize to me when she cries about it, but I would be much more concerned if she didn't cry about it on occasion. When you're 25 years old, you still need your dad for things. I know I still need my dad and am very fortunate to have him around. I used to take that for granted. You never really don't need your dad but it's a lot easier to handle losing him when you he has been around to see his grandkids grow up and maybe even met a great grandkid. 

It's very hard to see the positive in something as tragic as this, but it's important to look for those positive things. Kristi's brother and sister-in-law decided to have a child sooner because of her dad's illness and that child has been such a blessing to everyone. Kristi and I got a lot closer a lot faster and began our life together more quickly than we might have without her dad being sick. And, it has brought her family a lot closer. They were already close but not like they are now. So, there are some positive things that have come from this, you just have to look a lot harder.

In closing, I know it's really hard on Kristi but, selfishly, I would have loved to have a father-in-law. I hear a lot of people say they dislike their in-laws but I love mine and I will never have the chance to do things with my father-in-law. Since he passed away before the wedding, I never even had a father-in-law. But, the last thing I said to him was that I would do my best to take care of his daughter and love her forever. I know he's looking down on us from Heaven and making sure that I keep that promise. So, he's here… we just can't see him. 

Her Side

They say that time heals all wounds. Well, I can tell you that a year hasn't been enough time to heal the wound of losing my father and I'm honestly not sure any finite amount of time will. Today marks one year since he passed away. While I know he's no longer in pain or suffering and that he's in Heaven with a restored body, it's still so hard to comprehend and understand that he's not here on Earth. While he's not physically present, I'm comforted in knowing his spirit is among us.

I see my father in my husband. This is something that has slowly shown itself to me. To be honest, when Nolan and I first began dating I remember a specific conversation I had with my mom. She could tell I was smitten, but was slightly perplexed. She thought I would choose someone a little more like my dad (since that's what daughters with strong relationships with their dads tend to do) and Nolan seemed to be nothing short of the exact opposite. Nolan is shorter (the perfect height if you ask me) than my dad who capped out at over 6 feet. Nolan has red hair while dad's was gray or, if we are getting really specific, "salt and pepper" colored (he loved it when we called it that!). Nolan has a more spontaneous personality and Dad was much more of a planner. What I didn't realize at the time was that while outwardly they couldn't be more different, inwardly they are almost the same. My dad had the kindest soul and was willing to help anyone. Similarly, I see that same deep kindness in Nolan. Dad would analyze EVERYTHING (I'm pretty sure that was the lawyer in him) and sometimes it drove me crazy! Nolan, too, tends to analyze things and yep, this still drives me crazy. When I wrote something, Dad would always be the in-house editor… he was GREAT at it. It just so happens that writing is one of Nolan's passions, so he's taken on that editor role. Dad didn't let things "ruffle his feathers"… at least outwardly. Nolan constantly tells me "it's not a big deal" or "there isn't anything we can do about that" and we move on. There have been so many instances where we have been having conversations and I will stop in the middle of it thinking that Dad would have said the exact same thing. So, it turns out that I chose someone just like my dad after all. I wouldn't have it any other way and, for that, I'm truly thankful.

I see my father in my mother - her strength, her support, her love. She's the string that ties us all together. She's always had an unconditional love for us, but it's even more evident now (if that's even possible).

I see my father in my brothers. My dad was my go-to person for any question that required any kind of technical knowledge whether it be in reference to my house, car, or anything else I could possibly dream up. My dad was a great teacher and, thus, my brothers gained a vast amount of his knowledge. They have become go-to people when needing advice on how to fix or build something. More literally, my brothers stood in for my father at my wedding. While I would have done anything to have my father walk me down the aisle, I couldn't ask for better "stand-ins". 

I see my father in my nephew. For the obvious reason:  in his name (Dean Lucas Eichelberger). In his face… oh that sweet face. His eyes twinkle JUST like my dad's did. When my nephew smiles, he lights up a room… just like dad did. You can see a smile creeping up on my nephew's face even before the edges of his lips curl toward the sky. How? His eyes begin to squint, just like dad's. My nephew has the sweetest dimples on his face just like dad did (although dad's were covered by his beard… but we knew they were hiding under there somewhere). My nephew already shows he's going to be stubborn, and what do you know… my dad was too (but with sound reason, of course!). I can't help but see my dad in that sweet baby boy and, for that, I'm truly thankful.

I miss my dad so much. I miss the way he would always speak in that legal jargon of his and sometimes I'd have no clue what he was saying; but he would never pass up an opportunity to teach me something new. I miss the way we would challenge each other to the "Word Power" section of Readers Digest. Spoiler alert:  he pretty much always won, unless luck happened to be on my side that day (which didn't happen often). I miss seeing the twinkle in his eye and the devious eyebrow raise that he was known for. I miss hearing the corny jokes that he told oh so well. I miss being at Mom and Dad's on Sunday and NASCAR being on TV (well, I don't technically miss the racing, but the sentiment behind it). I miss picking up the phone and calling Dad at the office and occasionally seeing if he wanted to meet up for lunch. I miss his voice. I miss his big hugs. I miss comparing our hands to one another's. Mine are exact replicas of his, just a smaller version. I miss the occasional outing to the Flea Market that I would take with him (but only when I was crazy enough to get up super early on a Saturday). I miss hearing him sing in church and harmonize with the music. I miss seeing his foot tap to the music… no matter where we were. This list could go on and on, but the fact remains that I miss my dad.

While I'm still skeptical that time will heal THIS wound, I'm thankful to have such a great support system. As a family, we talk often about my dad so as to not lose a moment of our memories with him. I've got great in-laws who are so thoughtful and have helped me as I've navigated this past year. I've got great friends who check up on me and make sure I'm doing alright. I've got a great husband who lets me cry on his shoulders and wipes my tears away when the reality of the situation hits me hard. For all of those things, I am truly thankful.

Remember that family and friends are all you have. Make memories. Cherish them. Don't take a single second for granted.

Sounds Good to Me...

The Facts

He wanted it louder. She didn't. They got a sound system.

His Side

As you know, I love movies. Movies are made to be watched on a big screen with a powerful sound system and with an audience. That's why they come out in theaters. But, you can't always afford to go see movies in the theater; so, the next best thing is getting a nice big TV and a solid sound system. We got the TV, so we need a sound system. "Need" might be a little strong, but I'm going to continue to go with it instead of "want". 

When it comes to surround sound systems, I want something that has great sound (quality AND quantity), quality workmanship, a sleek design, and is completely wireless. That doesn't seem like too much to ask. It turns out, though, that it is too much to ask of most companies. Even the big boys like Bose and Sony don't offer what I want. The kicker is the "wireless" part of my demands. Here's a secret about the surround sound industry:  "wireless" doesn't really mean wireless. What it usually means is that there is a receiver to which you can connect two of your speakers in order to make them "wireless" from the main pieces at the front, but still wired to the receiver… that doesn't seem wireless to me. Does it to you? Didn't think so.

The only way to go truly wireless right now is Sonos. And you pay the price for this wireless luxury. The pieces are expensive but you can build your system as you go which helps ease some of the strain on your wallet. The sound is amazing from these things, too. But, before this starts to sound like an advertisement for Sonos (we don't have an endorsement deal with them, but if you know someone, we'd totally be willing to talk about such an endorsement), let me move on.

I started with the sound bar which sounds great by itself without any extra pieces. The next step is a subwoofer, then the back speakers to get the full 360 degree surround sound experience that any movie lover desires. I'm not going to mention any prices here, but it's easy enough to find the prices for each piece of the Sonos system if you care to look. Spoiler alert:  they aren't cheap. And, since this is something I want and Kristi couldn't care less about, it's my personal money that I put into this. So, it's time to start saving again and that subwoofer will be mine soon enough! Even though it's my money I'm spending on this system, I guess I'll still let Kristi watch "The Real Housewives" on it.

Her Side

Sound systems… I don't understand why we need them. Isn't the sound coming from the TV good enough? I've found the answer to that question is a resounding NO. I mean, if you ask me about it, I would be absolutely fine with the simple sound that the TV puts out. After all, you'd think that it would be a good enough quality considering the amount we paid for our new TV, right? Wrong again (at least according to Nolan). Apparently, in order to have "good" sound, it needs to boom and shake the house and practically sound like you're in the theater.

Since it's such a big deal to my husband, I agreed that we could get a sound system... on one condition... he had to pay for it with his own money. Now, that's not nearly as cruel as it sounds, I promise! We each get an allowance each month to spend on whatever our little hearts desire. All he had to do was save up that money along with any extra he managed to obtain along the way. Honestly, I was hoping this would buy me some time to enjoy the normalcy of the standard ol' TV speakers, but it really didn't. Nolan was determined with a capital "D" to get this sound system.

Now, as is the usual case with men, they want the biggest and the best piece of equipment. So, naturally he would have his eyes set on the MOST EXPENSIVE system out there. I guess that's good b/c it means we won't have to go through this process again for a long time since quality should mean it lasts for a while. I'm thankful that he wanted to get a wireless system because I can't stand seeing wires all over the place (even the few that run from our TV to various additions in our entertainment center that we didn't have the guts to run through the wall as most of them are... drives me crazy). 

I guess I shouldn't complain too much about having to get a surround sound system because the one he chose will gradually let me get used to having one. Not because it's magical or something, but because it's a build-as-you-go system. In layman's terms that means that the system is so expensive the company graciously decided to let you build it as you go. So, you can buy one piece at a time and that's exactly the approach we are taking. We bought the main piece and now Nolan is saving up for the Subwoofer… yay!

As you've probably come to realize, no project can be completed easily and without roadblocks at our house. As it would happen, the sound on our TV (well it wasn't technically the TV, but rather the output from our cable box) went out as we were trying to install the system. No need to worry, because after a quick and painless call to Time Warner Cable (and no, I'm not joking about the quick and painless part) and a visit from a technician the next day, the system was up and running!

The main piece of the Sonos system is called the Soundbar and it already has some subwoofer sounds coming out of it. They freak me out! So, I'm not so sure how I'll react to a full blown wall shaking subwoofer when the time comes to purchase it. Case in point... we watched "The Conjuring" the other night and every time a door slammed in the movie, I literally thought it was someone breaking into our house. I even made Nolan pause the movie a few times because I was convinced something eerie was going on in our home. Turns out, I'm just a little bit crazy!

You should have seen Nolan's face light up when we first hooked up that Sonos Soundbar. While I may never understand why we needed that sound system and I may never get used to that subwoofer sound, that smile on his face makes it all worth it to me.  

Under Pressure...

The Facts

A light came on. He thought it was one thing. It turned out to be another.

His Side

I am a man. Men are not known for asking for directions, reading instructions to assemble something, or thinking that they are wrong about anything. I like to think I'm not much of a stereotype but stereotypes exist for a reason:  because there is some truth behind them. No matter how hard I try to avoid the cliche pitfalls of my gender, I can't always do it. For instance, I had a recent experience which made me feel kind of dumb.

I bought a car when I lived in Los Angeles. It was the first time I had bought my own car, paid my own money for it, made the deals myself, etc. I was very proud of myself when this happened. It wasn't a new car but it was new to me and in very good shape. I vowed to keep it in very good shape so it would last me a long time. With this goal in mind, I would get concerned when one of those pesky "check engine" style lights came on. 

One light in particular is the focus of this post, though. It looks like a cauldron (something witches would stir up a magic potion in) that is empty with an exclamation mark inside of the empty space. Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't immediately make me think of anything about a car. You'd think, at this point, that I would look up what that particular light means since I had no earthly idea. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I honestly am not sure. Maybe I tried looking through the owner's manual and couldn't find it so I gave up. Maybe I never even cracked the owner's manual. To be honest, I have probably only looked in that thing 3 times at most in the couple of years I've owned the car. I know how vehicles work, no need to read about it.

All I remember about the first time that light came on was that I got my oil changed and it went away. To my logical brain, that light forever became the oil light. It is a stretch, but I figured that the cauldron shaped thing that looks empty in the dashboard alert was an oil tank and the exclamation mark is saying "I'm running low, fill me up!" From that moment forward, I would see that light come on once in a while and I would check how long it had been since my last oil change. Each time it seemed logical that it could be time for another oil change. 

I operated like this for a long time until recently. That light popped on the other day, I got my oil changed, and it went away. All was well. Until two weeks later, the light came on again. This immediately made me wonder if the place I got my oil changed messed something up because that light obviously means I need an oil change. Kristi decided it would be prudent to just make sure that was the oil change light and not something different. After leafing through the confusing owner's manual, she found the light in question… it has nothing to do with oil. It means that tire pressure is low. How in the world does that picture even remotely seem like it should relate to tires?

As is expected, I am not going to blame myself for this debacle. Could I have looked it up when it first happened? I could have if the owner's manual was a bit more user-friendly. Could I have used my problem solving skills to figure out that it had nothing to do with oil? Sure… if car places didn't fill up your tires when you go in for an oil change. It turns out I was a victim of poor user manual assembly by the car company and of car mechanics going the extra mile when helping me maintain my vehicle. That part is actually pretty nice though.

Her Side

In the nearly eight months that I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, I’ve found out a LOT of things about him. Yea, he’s not as concerned with a “clean” house and he doesn’t always see those crumbs on the counter. Even more than that, he’s not always super attentive. Please don’t mistake this for me knocking who he is or complaining about how he does things; it’s just something I’ve realized happens.

The most recent case would involve the newer of our two cars…. his. I got to drive it to work the other day. When this happens, it is the highlight of my day. I feel like a new woman driving with the sunroof down and the wind blowing my hair into a tangled mess (well, not so much the tangled mess part, but you get the point). So, as I’m pulling out of the driveway, I notice one of those annoying lights on the dashboard lit up and wouldn’t turn off. Since I was driving, I called Nolan and asked what this particular light was referencing and he retorted quickly with “that’s the oil light”. So, I took his word for it and became increasingly worried because the oil in his car had been changed a mere 2 weeks earlier. So no oil indicator light should have come on.

Part of me thought that the light was messed up and when I started the car up after work that day it wouldn’t be an issue; unfortunately, that didn’t happen. So, after work, I checked the oil level in the car and it was right where it needed to be. Perplexed, but satisfied that it wasn’t that oil was draining out of his car as some crazy rate, I put it out of my mind. Fast forward about 2 days and we are on our way to the store. The stupid light was STILL on and I was about to go insane. I asked once again what that light was indicating. This time Nolan said “I’m pretty sure it’s the oil… every time it comes on I’ve had my oil changed and then it goes off." Shocked and confused, I asked if he had ever actually looked up the symbol in the owner’s manual to confirm what it means… to my surprise he had not. In hindsight, however, I don’t think I should have been shocked… it’s the same concept as a man asking for directions… and we all know that just doesn’t happen!

Now, maybe it’s a difference in how we grew up or perhaps it shows a difference between men and women; but, when I’m not pretty confident of what something means, I look it up to confirm… ESPECIALLY when it comes to something as expensive as a vehicle. So, as we’re sitting in the car I frantically began to pull out the owner’s manual and search for what this mysterious indicator light means. It might be a good time to note that they don’t make it the easiest thing to find in these manuals. You turn to the section that says dashboard lights and it tells you to turn to section 7.23 which then tells you to jump up, turn around, do the hokey pokey and turn to section 8.3 where you finally find the symbol you were looking for. In our case, the symbol was an indicator for tire pressure… not even related to oil… not even close.

Thankfully my mom has an air compressor and tire pressure gauge at her house and we live a hop, skip, and a jump away from her. So, we drove over and checked the tires and sure enough that was the problem! Both of us learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Nolan will NEVER mistake that light for oil again, I can assure you. And I learned, even more so, that men and women are wired completely differently. We act differently, think differently, and problem solve in completely different ways. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though. I love Nolan JUST the way he is.

Dig Deeper...

The Facts

3 weeks in. Still on week 2 of the program. oops

His Side

So… funny story… we didn't really stick to our work out plan. It's two weeks after we planned to start Insanity and we are done with the first week. We did 2 or 3 days of it that first week but wimped out. Kristi might blame herself but it wasn't just her. I had part in it, too. I wasn't exactly pushing us to work out or encouraging us to get out of bed in the morning to do that day's exercises.

So, after failing the first week, we decided to start over from week 1 this past week. We only took one day off. That was her birthday so it's acceptable. We did, however, skip the warmup part of the video a couple of days. It's not just a warmup, though. When Shaun T does a warmup, it's like a full on workout for most people… well, people like Kristi and me who aren't in outstanding shape. 

Even though we did most of the workouts last week, we didn't do them exactly as planned. Our plan is always to get up in the morning and do them. That only worked once last week. But, when we skip in the morning, we do them when I get home from work. Eventually, it would be best if we could actually do them in the morning but we'll get there (hopefully).

The good news from all this, though, is that I have seen results. No, I haven't gotten much stronger, lost inches off my waist, gotten a six-pack or anything like that. I have lost two pounds in the last two weeks but that's not what I'm talking about. When we first did an Insanity workout, I could barely walk for the next two days. Now, after an Insanity workout, I'm a little sore the next day but it's nothing debilitating. That, to me, is progress.

This might sound crazy, but I actually like doing Insanity. It is like torture while doing it, but the sense of accomplishment afterward is worth it. Also, I know that I'm improving my health and will hopefully look a little better for my lovely wife. That's always a plus!

Our (not so) intricate setup

Her Side

Getting up early has been a challenge (big surprise…). But, trying to walk after doing these intense, insane workouts is even worse! I feel as though I've aged 80 years (give or take a few) in reference to my mobility, or lack thereof. The first few days, I would grab onto something to steady myself as I would attempt to stand up; and walking was an almost impossible and very embarrassing feat. I found myself shuffling along the halls at work and trying to sneak around so no one could see how hard of a time I was having doing the simple task of walking... something I've been doing for way more than the majority of my life.

I have to admit, I had a moment of weakness within the first two weeks of starting the program. In fact, it was on day 3... the Pure Cardio day (dun dun dun.... cue the horror music). The loud, annoying, atrocious beeping noise that is commonly known as an alarm went off early that Wednesday morning and I had not slept well that night. It seemed as if I had only fallen asleep 5 minutes before the alarm sounded. Once I finally dragged myself out of bed and put my workout clothes on, I made my way to the garage where we do our workouts. The video started and Shaun T was trying to get us pumped up. It wasn't happening for me. I mean, I don't need anyone telling me to "dig deeper" (one of his motivational lines) and especially not at 6:30 in the morning. Nolan began the warm up and I just stood there staring at the computer screen with a disgusted, yet blank look on my face. I didn't budge for a few minutes and, in fact, I probably made some snide retorts to Shaun T's peppy encouragement to the tune of "No I won't dig deeper" or the ever so mean "shut up Shaun, you don't know me!" Finally Nolan paused the program and asked me what was wrong. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or the fact that I could barely walk because I was so sore, but I proceeded to let the tears flow and express how I didn't think my body was up for "digging deeper" that morning. Nolan is such a great guy, because even though he wanted to continue, he took a moment to hug me and make sure I was really ok. He also probably questioned whether or not I was mentally stable (news flash, I totally wasn't... but at least I admit that, right?). Then he told me that we weren't going to go forward with the program that day because my well-being is more important to him than a workout. So, we went inside and spent the time we should have been working out by having some quality time with one another. 

Sometimes you just have to listen to what your body is telling you. Skipping a day within the first few of starting a program isn't what I had envisioned. I told myself at the beginning that we would push through no matter what; but, at the end of the day, missing a workout isn't the end of the world. So, week one was a little less intense than we originally planned, but we picked up on the repeat of week one. We still didn't work out every single day like we pledged to do, but I think we did a great job with the amount we were able to squeeze in. My hope is that this week and the weeks to come are that much better and we get stronger and stronger as we continue.

And, in case you're wondering... we still have yet to perfect the art of waking up early to work out. That snooze button is just way too easy to push. Whomever invented that button should be punished... I mean didn't they know people out there like me would take advantage of such a glorious thing?!

Now, we are officially in week 2 of the Insanity program... only 5 million more to go (or so it seems)! 

Watch Star Wars, She Will...

The Facts

He likes Star Wars. She thinks it's crazy.

His Side

I love Star Wars. I mean, it's almost to the point of obsession. I have seen each movie countless times, I had the action figures, I used to own Star Wars Trivial Pursuit (and won a lot), I had a toy lightsaber, I dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween, I read some of the books, and I even played a Star Wars card game. Is that a bit much? Maybe. Did I care? Not at all. Technically the card game was a CCG (customizable card game) which are cards that you collect but also play a strategic game with. My brother and I would play all the time and I would usually lose… because he would cheat, I'm certain of it! But, it was a blast and, yes, very nerdy.  Much to my chagrin, they discontinued the card game. That was a sad day; but, now that Disney owns the franchise, they should restart the card game with new expansions and everything… just saying… it would make tons of money. I may have played that card game but I have only played two of the video games and have never seen an episode of "The Clone Wars." So I'm not crazy. 

Back then, it was just an obsession because I liked the action and special effects of the movies, they told a fun story, and the aliens looked cool. A lot of my friends were into Star Wars as well. As I got older and the newer iterations of the franchise hit theaters, I was a bit disappointed. Episode I was alright but I was just happy to have new Star Wars to experience. Episode II was awful, in my humble opinion, mostly because Hayden Christensen cannot act his way out of a paper bag. But I really liked Episode III. It's not the greatest film ever made and doesn't live up to the caliber of filmmaking embodied by the original trilogy, but it was good. 

As I got into film more as a critic and writer, I began to see how solid the original films actually are. Episode IV is especially good and is classic storytelling at its best. It embodies the "hero's journey" story in it's purest form and is highly entertaining. Yea, the acting is iffy sometimes, the dialogue is cheesy at times, but I would put Episode IV up as one of the greatest movies of all time. And, it redefined the Sci-fi genre… actually, it redefined the entire film industry.

Anyway… enough of my film-nerd rant. The fact that I love these films so much and how integral they were in my childhood led me to wonder how I could marry someone whom had NEVER SEEN A SINGLE STAR WARS MOVIE IN HER LIFE! I quickly got over that, though, because it's ultimately not that big of a deal. I did, however, ask if she would be willing to rectify the fact that she had never experienced these life changing films and she was willing to do so. That meant a lot to me. The initial deadline to see the original trilogy was by wedding day. August 24th came and went and she had watched two of them. I gave her a pass (ya know, because I love her) and the new deadline was the end of 2013. That didn't happen either, but we will watch Episode VI soon enough. I am not requesting she watch Episodes I - III because they aren't nearly as strong of films.

As you may know, Episode VII has recently started filming and I will be one of the first people in line to see that film on opening day (or a midnight showing somewhere if I can convince my wife that it's a prudent choice). I am not expecting her to go with me but maybe she will take a chance on Episode VII simply because of my excitement… I guess that stands to be seen.

Her Side

Dooo doo, do do do doooo dooo, do do do dooo doo, do do do dooooooooo…….

You just read those "do's" in tune to the Star Wars theme song, didn't you? Good, and if you didn't, then you missed out because that's probably the only correct reference to the movies that I will make this entire post.

When I think Star Wars, the first thing that comes to mind is the extremely strong desire to NEVER watch any of these movies. All of them crush the maximum time limit criteria that I have imposed on movies I am willing to watch. I'm not quite sure what category of movie they would fall under; but, whatever they are, they're just not my thing. So, based on this information, it's totally logical that my husband has asked me to watch Episodes IV - VII. Being the naive newlywed that I was, I agree to watch all three before the end of last year. Why would I do that?! Well, I know marriage is about sacrifice and it's not always about what I do or don't want. With that being said, I made the crazy decision to watch two of them in one sitting. TWO OF THEM! That comes close to six hours of my life that I can never get back.

I will admit that the first one was way more interesting than the second; but, let's be honest, that's not really saying much. I'm not entirely sure what happened in the second one because I began to doze off halfway through it. Nolan graciously gave me an extension on seeing the last one, but I'm beginning to think that I can't put it off much longer.

I will probably never understand the allure of these movies, but I'll endure the last one Nolan wants me to watch simply because it means so much to him.

Am I good wife, or what?!

Are you a Star Wars fan? If so, to what extent? Let us know how crazy you are about it in the comments below!