A couple weeks ago, I had my Xbox Live membership renewed for me because I forgot to cancel it before they billed me for this year. Since I recently finished a game with extra downloadable content, I decided to sign on for the first time in a long, long time to grab it -- and promptly discovered that I'd forgotten my profile password (four buttons you press on the controller when you log in). I dutifully filled out the support request form on the Xbox Live website, and eventually received a semi-automated response along the lines of "it looks like you forgot your Windows Live ID password."

I politely informed the robot of its mistake, but I also headed over to the Live ID login page in case I'd been forced to establish one for my email address when I signed up in the first place. Having failed to login (I'm pretty sure because I don't have a Live ID), I requested a password reset, which required entering my email address and solving out a CAPTCHA, which was one of the more visually confusing ones I'd run into. This failed a few times, so in a last-ditch effort to ensure that I really didn't have a Live ID, I opted to try my luck at the audio CAPTCHA rather than the visual one. I actually don't, it turns out, but that's not the point of the story.

Here's the upshot of this post: the audio CAPTCHA in question.

If you don't want to listen, imagine a numbers station playing on a broken loudspeaker in a busy train station, and you'll have some idea what this mess sounds like.

Is this unusually bad, or am I just not particularly sharp? I had to replay it at least six times, transcribing a couple digits at a time, since they weren't even kind enough to embed the audio in the page somehow so I could type the digits as I heard them. It's like they're punishing the visually impaired for being visually impaired.

Currently, about eleven of the seventeen Wiis at the Nashua Best Buy have been spoken for by me, Jaimee, and the rest of our anonymous compatriots. It's going to be a long, cold night.

What's a "spoiled" kid? How about scuffing your iPod across airport carpeting face-down while talking on your RAZR?

I'm sitting at BWI, waiting for my plane to leave. I was sort of hoping that, sometime in the months between the last time I actually read this page and now, my sweet wife might have written something interesting for me (or, I guess, _you_) to read. It's kind of gross that there are still entries on the front page from more than a year ago; clearly, I should be filling this form out much more often. If any of the people who used to read this still exist, drop me a line sometime. I miss you guys.

If anyone still reads this side of the page, we put some of the wedding pictures up in the obvious place.

If anyone wants bigger versions of anything, let us know -- they're 640 by whatever to save space and bandwidth on the webserver. We still have at least one CD to merge with what's already up.

A new car! A new car!

PS: 41 mpg last fill-up, mixed driving.

Geez, everyone asks me to write a list and then only Dawn gets me stuff off it. Slackers!

In other news, I have recontacted Ellie, so I feel warm and fuzzy and happy. :)

My snail is still dead though. :(

I'm avoiding putting up a memo. Don't want to. Gotta get it proofed beforehand anyway.

Sigh.

Also, I really stink at Rock Band. :(

Lookit!

Deal: 15% off your order at Delias!

Deal: Delias has a coupon code AFF15D good for 15% off your order.

So everyone always complains about how I'm super hard to shop for, so I'm cheating this year. Cheating! Here are some things I like:

• This shirt. Size XL, they run very small.
  
• This shirt. XL.
  
• I kinda like this one too, but not as much. The truth hurts, you know. XL.
  
• Ths shirt is amazing. XL.
  
• Super cute. L.
  
• Anything from Ann Taylor Loft. Shirts and sweaters size medium, pants size 12 Marisa fit. I don't know what exactly I wear at Ann Taylor, because they are super expensive, though awesome.
  
• Most things from Old Navy. Shirts and sweaters medium or large, pants either 12 or 14. If they are low rise, they have to be 14, otherwise I am indecent. Otherwise, for regular higher rises, 12 is fine. I actually do need some decent jeans.
  
• I always prefer button down sweaters to any other type.
  
• I love awesome and exciting socks. And ridiculous t-shirts.
  
• I love Rao's coffee, and I love Sumatra the best.
  
• I like pretty earrings, but they need to be silver or gold because I'm sensitive. *single tear*
  
• I really want a nice leather jacket (like the super awesome one Dawn has), but I don't know how to go about picking that out without trying that on.
  
• I need circular tablecloths, preferably ones that don't stain.
  
• I like gift certificates, especially to any of the above-named stores, Linens N Things, and Victoria's Secret.
  
• I also have an Amazon Wish List for those who prefer nerdier stuff.
  
• I like shiny stickers. I also like scratch tickets. A lot.
• Edit: Oh yeah, I super need a mug warmer for work with a long cord. I keep having to micro-ondes my tea and that just gets gross.
  

Avoid:
• Any shirt that is supposed to cinch under the breast. No one understands how big my boobs are. :(
  
• Pants that are terribly low rise. No one wants to see that. :(
  
• Stickers that are not particularly shiny.
  
• Losing scratch tickets.

My class is going well. My script will be reviewed for the second time this coming Monday. It will not do as well as the first time, where everyone seemed to love my script. I need to be more focused and less rushed.

I have snails in my tank at work now. The pleco went to my home tank. One apple snail and three mini pond snails. Cute. I need minnows or something for the betta to chase. :)

I have joined Facebook, as has Anthony. How sad! But I wantedto use Enemybook. If anyone wants to be my enemy, let me know. :) I knew Lanny would, so I added her.

I have a few things to do at work today, but mostly nothing. Sometimes this job is too quiet and boring. Makes me nervous. :)

My tea that I'm drinking is very tasty.

I've come to the realization that I will probably never be particularly thin and beautiful, but that it is okay, because I'm still a pretty good person. There are definitely positives about me. :) It's okay to not be perfect.