Thursday, December 21, 2006
Late Holiday Update
Tis the Season...To be very, very busy.
Last Thursday we bought our first Christmas Tree. I've named him Bert and he is very cute. He's quite small, but we thought that would be a good introduction for the cats. He's also extremely sappy. So far I've found sap on my scarf, my coat, my hair, my rings, my husband, my face, and many other things at any given moment. The cats love to lie underneath of Bert's branches, but have not yet 'bothered' Bert or his lovely branches. Bert is ready to delight. He drinks way too much though, and his lights are probably 25 years old. Bert is probably a fire hazard.
Last Friday night, I met the girls out for dinner as we bid Meagan adieu before she heads to Bulgaria. There were no tears because we all know she will be happier there and will come back again some day. Plus, we've been having a long distance relationship for many years and we're really good at it. Last Saturday I went to my first holiday tea party and had dinner with Sean and my parents. We brought back many old decorations for Bert and some firewood ready to be burned. Sunday was a very exciting and busy day. Four of my girlfriends came over and we baked cookies for over 6 hours! We made Chocolate Chip cookies, a generic version of Peanut Butter Blossoms, Christmas Tree cookies, Shortbread cookies and Candy Cane cookies. Then we split them 5 ways! This gathering provided us with lots of variety and it was a nice day to hang with the girls. It was a fun day enhanced by lots of gossip.
Highlights of the day included:
-An engagement announcement
-The beginning of a giddy romance
-The exchange of a Christmas gift between two people who gave each other the exact same gift.
-Devoted teamwork while rolling dough for candy canes
-Mismanaging the oven
-Strange, out-of-the-blue one-liners (i.e. "I've got one in the oven. One on the table." Cookie sheets of course.)
-The Walsh family portrait
-Candy cane bashing
-Endless conversations about Kisses. (Hershey Kisses)
-Calling 3 places to get dinner delivered
-Proofreading the local restaurant menus
After everyone left, I made fudge for work and it was off to bed. I just love a busy, productive weekend!
Last Thursday we bought our first Christmas Tree. I've named him Bert and he is very cute. He's quite small, but we thought that would be a good introduction for the cats. He's also extremely sappy. So far I've found sap on my scarf, my coat, my hair, my rings, my husband, my face, and many other things at any given moment. The cats love to lie underneath of Bert's branches, but have not yet 'bothered' Bert or his lovely branches. Bert is ready to delight. He drinks way too much though, and his lights are probably 25 years old. Bert is probably a fire hazard.
Last Friday night, I met the girls out for dinner as we bid Meagan adieu before she heads to Bulgaria. There were no tears because we all know she will be happier there and will come back again some day. Plus, we've been having a long distance relationship for many years and we're really good at it. Last Saturday I went to my first holiday tea party and had dinner with Sean and my parents. We brought back many old decorations for Bert and some firewood ready to be burned. Sunday was a very exciting and busy day. Four of my girlfriends came over and we baked cookies for over 6 hours! We made Chocolate Chip cookies, a generic version of Peanut Butter Blossoms, Christmas Tree cookies, Shortbread cookies and Candy Cane cookies. Then we split them 5 ways! This gathering provided us with lots of variety and it was a nice day to hang with the girls. It was a fun day enhanced by lots of gossip.
Highlights of the day included:
-An engagement announcement
-The beginning of a giddy romance
-The exchange of a Christmas gift between two people who gave each other the exact same gift.
-Devoted teamwork while rolling dough for candy canes
-Mismanaging the oven
-Strange, out-of-the-blue one-liners (i.e. "I've got one in the oven. One on the table." Cookie sheets of course.)
-The Walsh family portrait
-Candy cane bashing
-Endless conversations about Kisses. (Hershey Kisses)
-Calling 3 places to get dinner delivered
-Proofreading the local restaurant menus
After everyone left, I made fudge for work and it was off to bed. I just love a busy, productive weekend!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
You get a line and I'll get a ....
Pole! I finally got this fine shot downloaded. Please excuse the red eye.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Christmas Survey
I got this today and filled it out.
1.Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Chocolate. Sometimes with peppermint schnapps.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps them now, however sometimes he doesn't label them and they get all mixed up.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? To be decided as we will put up our first Christmas tree in our house this year.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. I may not want to kiss everyone that walks under it.
5. When do you put your decorations up? About two weeks before Christmas if I'm lucky.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I can’t include dessert? What kind of deranged questionnaire is this? I guess it would be stuffing, but I'm picky about what kind I like.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Rushing out to the living room to make sure Santa had been there before waking everyone up. I didn’t sit on Santa’s lap until I was in my 20’s.
8. When did you stop believing in Santa? Probably when I heard the disgruntled sounds of family members trying to put stickers on a cabbage patch stroller late one night. The sounds of midnight assembly weren’t always positive in my house.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sometimes we open all of our gifts on Christmas Eve. Depends on when the whole family can get together.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? This year starts a new tradition. All of the ornaments I have been collecting from my travels will make their first appearance and will go on the tree with new lights. We are buying a small live tree this year that hopefully we can re-plant. We don’t have many ornaments, and don’t have the time/energy this year to go out and buy lots more, so I’m going to wait for the after Christmas sales and work up to a huge beautiful tree. I decorate somewhat carelessly though. I find that competitively searching acre after acre for the perfect tree is more fun than 'taming' it so to speak. The same pumpkin patch hunting tactics apply, but I dress warmer and carry a saw.
11. Snow? You never know. I prefer that it falls after I’m where I need to be on the holiday.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, one of my favorite things as a child to do on an outdoor pond. Now it hurts too much when I tumble, but I still make sure I go once a year if I can.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember my first tricycle, and my Barbie Dream House and many others, but I do not know my favorite.
14. What's the most exciting thing about the Holidays for you? Probably the Christmas Tree and decorations, and all of the parties.
15. What's your favorite holiday dessert? Apple, Lemon Merengue, Cherry, Pumpkin pie... Mom makes them all! Oh and the green Christmas tree shaped cookies Mom makes.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Every Christmas Eve we gather around the tree and sing Christmas carols while my brother plays the violin. My Mom sings Silent Night and then my Dad reads us The Night Before Christmas. We sip hot chocolate in front of the fire and we each open one very special hand made gift from Santa. After a final group family hug, we put out the cookies and milk for Santa and go to bed so that Santa can come. I'm almost teary-eyed just thinking about what a wonderful Christmas that is in store. For someone, somewhere. Well, let's get real. Who really does that? Not me! Truthfully, spending our kind of quality time with the family and bickering with each other is good enough for me. We traditionally go to mass on Christmas Eve and I enjoy the folk ensemble that plays/sings. I also enjoy unwrapping the gifts! Although I wish my brother could play the violin.
17. What tops your tree? I can’t decide whether I want an angel or a star! My guess is that it will be a 20 lb cat.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? What kind of dumb question is this? I love to give gifts. Oops, I cracked a smile. Ok, I do like to give gifts, but I also really like to receive gifts.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Sleigh Ride! is my favorite. My favorite Christmas Soundtrack is the one with John Denver and the Muppets!
20. Do you like Candy Canes? Just a bite here and then.
21. What is your favorite Christmas Candy? Do they make Christmas candy? Not really into it I guess, not when there are pies and cookies to eat.
22. Do you celebrate Christmas for the Birth of Jesus or do you celebrate it as just another Holiday? A little bit of both I guess. I do go to mass every Christmas Eve, but when we drive home, I’m more looking for Santa Claus in the sky than I am the North Star.
23. When do you usually have your shopping done for Christmas? It depends. I used to ship all my gifts to location so I would be sure to complete it all before December, but this year I anticipate I will finish the week before Christmas. I only have a few more things to buy.
24. What would you like for Christmas this year? I have a list with a few items, but I’d like everything to go smoothly and to have a nice, fun time with everyone. We’ll be in MD and the Walsh’s are coming too.
25. What is the worst gift you have ever gotten? There have been some gifts I wasn’t really fond of, but nothing horrific.
26. Do you buy presents for pets? They get stockings, but usually the grandparents buy the gifts.
27. Who is the easiest to buy for? My husband, he seems to like everything and I always have tons of ideas for him.
28. Do you send out Christmas Cards? Yes, mailing them tomorrow!
1.Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot Chocolate. Sometimes with peppermint schnapps.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps them now, however sometimes he doesn't label them and they get all mixed up.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? To be decided as we will put up our first Christmas tree in our house this year.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. I may not want to kiss everyone that walks under it.
5. When do you put your decorations up? About two weeks before Christmas if I'm lucky.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I can’t include dessert? What kind of deranged questionnaire is this? I guess it would be stuffing, but I'm picky about what kind I like.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Rushing out to the living room to make sure Santa had been there before waking everyone up. I didn’t sit on Santa’s lap until I was in my 20’s.
8. When did you stop believing in Santa? Probably when I heard the disgruntled sounds of family members trying to put stickers on a cabbage patch stroller late one night. The sounds of midnight assembly weren’t always positive in my house.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sometimes we open all of our gifts on Christmas Eve. Depends on when the whole family can get together.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? This year starts a new tradition. All of the ornaments I have been collecting from my travels will make their first appearance and will go on the tree with new lights. We are buying a small live tree this year that hopefully we can re-plant. We don’t have many ornaments, and don’t have the time/energy this year to go out and buy lots more, so I’m going to wait for the after Christmas sales and work up to a huge beautiful tree. I decorate somewhat carelessly though. I find that competitively searching acre after acre for the perfect tree is more fun than 'taming' it so to speak. The same pumpkin patch hunting tactics apply, but I dress warmer and carry a saw.
11. Snow? You never know. I prefer that it falls after I’m where I need to be on the holiday.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, one of my favorite things as a child to do on an outdoor pond. Now it hurts too much when I tumble, but I still make sure I go once a year if I can.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember my first tricycle, and my Barbie Dream House and many others, but I do not know my favorite.
14. What's the most exciting thing about the Holidays for you? Probably the Christmas Tree and decorations, and all of the parties.
15. What's your favorite holiday dessert? Apple, Lemon Merengue, Cherry, Pumpkin pie... Mom makes them all! Oh and the green Christmas tree shaped cookies Mom makes.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Every Christmas Eve we gather around the tree and sing Christmas carols while my brother plays the violin. My Mom sings Silent Night and then my Dad reads us The Night Before Christmas. We sip hot chocolate in front of the fire and we each open one very special hand made gift from Santa. After a final group family hug, we put out the cookies and milk for Santa and go to bed so that Santa can come. I'm almost teary-eyed just thinking about what a wonderful Christmas that is in store. For someone, somewhere. Well, let's get real. Who really does that? Not me! Truthfully, spending our kind of quality time with the family and bickering with each other is good enough for me. We traditionally go to mass on Christmas Eve and I enjoy the folk ensemble that plays/sings. I also enjoy unwrapping the gifts! Although I wish my brother could play the violin.
17. What tops your tree? I can’t decide whether I want an angel or a star! My guess is that it will be a 20 lb cat.
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? What kind of dumb question is this? I love to give gifts. Oops, I cracked a smile. Ok, I do like to give gifts, but I also really like to receive gifts.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Sleigh Ride! is my favorite. My favorite Christmas Soundtrack is the one with John Denver and the Muppets!
20. Do you like Candy Canes? Just a bite here and then.
21. What is your favorite Christmas Candy? Do they make Christmas candy? Not really into it I guess, not when there are pies and cookies to eat.
22. Do you celebrate Christmas for the Birth of Jesus or do you celebrate it as just another Holiday? A little bit of both I guess. I do go to mass every Christmas Eve, but when we drive home, I’m more looking for Santa Claus in the sky than I am the North Star.
23. When do you usually have your shopping done for Christmas? It depends. I used to ship all my gifts to location so I would be sure to complete it all before December, but this year I anticipate I will finish the week before Christmas. I only have a few more things to buy.
24. What would you like for Christmas this year? I have a list with a few items, but I’d like everything to go smoothly and to have a nice, fun time with everyone. We’ll be in MD and the Walsh’s are coming too.
25. What is the worst gift you have ever gotten? There have been some gifts I wasn’t really fond of, but nothing horrific.
26. Do you buy presents for pets? They get stockings, but usually the grandparents buy the gifts.
27. Who is the easiest to buy for? My husband, he seems to like everything and I always have tons of ideas for him.
28. Do you send out Christmas Cards? Yes, mailing them tomorrow!
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Fat Cat
Yesterday Mum and Dad took my sister, Alamo, to the vets. She had to get her rabies shot and while there, the vet said she had ear mites. My sister is kinda dirty and doesn't clean herself as well as I do. She had a very rough beginning and as her big brother, I have to take care of her. The vet also said that Alamo was getting fat and would need to diet. Mum and Dad were not completely surprised, but Mum made the mistake of telling the vet that Alamo was the 'light' cat at 17.2 lbs, and that her 'other' one was 20 lbs. Now, I'm on a diet too. We're not fat, we are just big-boned, but no one believes us.
The diet started Saturday night and I'm already miserable. I think Mum and Dad are mad at me because I was mean to Alamo. When Alamo came home, I walked up to her and she smelled different. So I hissed at her. And again, right in her face. She was pretty loopy from the shot and ignored me. I am fascinated by her though and kept approaching and hissing; she just wanted to sleep. I think deep down I knew she had earmites so I hissed to say, "Heeee, Bad earmites stay away!" I didn't want to hurt Alamo, I just wasn't sure she was my sister. Mom checked my ears too. As usual, mine are crystal clear. Mum says I'm a trooper when it comes to administering medicine, brushing, nail clipping etc. Alamo is not as easy to work with. She's a whiner. She fights the ear drops tooth and nail, but never uses either her teeth or her nails, which is a good thing.
My sister and I are getting along fine today but I'm super sensitive. I just want to follow Mum around all day. I might be big, but I've got feelings. Dad thinks I want attention because I want more food in my bowl. I reckon Dad is right.
I also think Mum and Dad are not happy with me because I've discovered something great. Although the old sofas in the family room are comfortable, it's cold down there. So I've started sleeping on the beautiful new red sofas in the living room. This is the life! I sleep on the loveseat and Alamo now sleeps on the other sofa. We sleep right in the middle, wedged in the crack between the cushions. We've ignored these sofas for over 6 months until this week. Mum got the vacuum out today and spent 30 minutes vacuuming our orange and gray locks. Then she put a less-than-attractive maroon towel on the sofas. I don't think she was happy to cover her nice pretty sofas. I don't know what the problem is? Why would she put anything in the house that Alamo and I can't use?
So the diet starts. We get fed once a day and a small snack in the morning.
Mum, If you are reading this, I know I'm bad sometimes. I'm sorry I hissed at Alamo and I'm sorry I broke your blue star trinket box from Tiffany's and your lamp last weekend. If I swear to never be bad again, will you put just Alamo on the diet? Remember Alamo and I were born in Texas, and everything is bigger in Texas.
Luv,
LoneStar
The diet started Saturday night and I'm already miserable. I think Mum and Dad are mad at me because I was mean to Alamo. When Alamo came home, I walked up to her and she smelled different. So I hissed at her. And again, right in her face. She was pretty loopy from the shot and ignored me. I am fascinated by her though and kept approaching and hissing; she just wanted to sleep. I think deep down I knew she had earmites so I hissed to say, "Heeee, Bad earmites stay away!" I didn't want to hurt Alamo, I just wasn't sure she was my sister. Mom checked my ears too. As usual, mine are crystal clear. Mum says I'm a trooper when it comes to administering medicine, brushing, nail clipping etc. Alamo is not as easy to work with. She's a whiner. She fights the ear drops tooth and nail, but never uses either her teeth or her nails, which is a good thing.
My sister and I are getting along fine today but I'm super sensitive. I just want to follow Mum around all day. I might be big, but I've got feelings. Dad thinks I want attention because I want more food in my bowl. I reckon Dad is right.
I also think Mum and Dad are not happy with me because I've discovered something great. Although the old sofas in the family room are comfortable, it's cold down there. So I've started sleeping on the beautiful new red sofas in the living room. This is the life! I sleep on the loveseat and Alamo now sleeps on the other sofa. We sleep right in the middle, wedged in the crack between the cushions. We've ignored these sofas for over 6 months until this week. Mum got the vacuum out today and spent 30 minutes vacuuming our orange and gray locks. Then she put a less-than-attractive maroon towel on the sofas. I don't think she was happy to cover her nice pretty sofas. I don't know what the problem is? Why would she put anything in the house that Alamo and I can't use?
So the diet starts. We get fed once a day and a small snack in the morning.
Mum, If you are reading this, I know I'm bad sometimes. I'm sorry I hissed at Alamo and I'm sorry I broke your blue star trinket box from Tiffany's and your lamp last weekend. If I swear to never be bad again, will you put just Alamo on the diet? Remember Alamo and I were born in Texas, and everything is bigger in Texas.
Luv,
LoneStar
Report Card
This weekend I spent a lot of time trying out new recipes. I like to have a few great recipes that I can whip up for a party very quickly. I also have a lot of great kitchen tools that I've never used so it was time to practice.
Jack Daniels Whiskey Balls: C-/D+
They probably taste like they should, but they are way too strong. Sean politely ate two and then suggested I not take them to work. I agreed. Whiskey belongs with coke, not chocolate. I will try them on a few other people just to be sure that it's not our sensitive tastebuds.
Fudge: B+
Sean and I both enjoyed the fudge. It was very good considering the recipe was super easy, including the clean up. I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Chocolate Chip morsels. I'm having a gathering in a few weekends to bake cookies, and since the morsels I had were past the 'best if used by' date, I thought I would experiment with them (as opposed to sharing the expired morsels with my guests). Although I think it's good, I didn't give it an A, because it's not as rich as some other fudge I've had.
Rosemary and Garlic Bread: A
Baking bread from scratch (without a bread maker) is hard. This came together perfectly, although next time I'm leaving the toasted pine nuts out. I'm don't like the extra texture in my bread. I think the picture below speaks for itself. Next bread I make with my new Kitchenaid mixer will be a Parmesan and Olive Bread. Come over and try some!
Rosemary Garlic Bread, Fudge and Jack Daniel's Whiskey Balls pictured.
Jack Daniels Whiskey Balls: C-/D+
They probably taste like they should, but they are way too strong. Sean politely ate two and then suggested I not take them to work. I agreed. Whiskey belongs with coke, not chocolate. I will try them on a few other people just to be sure that it's not our sensitive tastebuds.
Fudge: B+
Sean and I both enjoyed the fudge. It was very good considering the recipe was super easy, including the clean up. I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Chocolate Chip morsels. I'm having a gathering in a few weekends to bake cookies, and since the morsels I had were past the 'best if used by' date, I thought I would experiment with them (as opposed to sharing the expired morsels with my guests). Although I think it's good, I didn't give it an A, because it's not as rich as some other fudge I've had.
Rosemary and Garlic Bread: A
Baking bread from scratch (without a bread maker) is hard. This came together perfectly, although next time I'm leaving the toasted pine nuts out. I'm don't like the extra texture in my bread. I think the picture below speaks for itself. Next bread I make with my new Kitchenaid mixer will be a Parmesan and Olive Bread. Come over and try some!
Rosemary Garlic Bread, Fudge and Jack Daniel's Whiskey Balls pictured.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Show Me The Money
T'is the season to think about money. Christmas is just around the corner and I’m constantly pulling out my credit card. Today I spent $80 at Safeway so that I could spend the weekend making fudge, Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Balls, homemade rosemary and garlic bread and soup. (Be sure to tell my husband how lucky he is!) I hope everything is edible because I made a large investment in my cooking talent, and I am not sure I will be successful. I want to try new recipes out in time for the holiday. Instead of writing about vacuums and recent flights (which were mostly on time, plus we were upgraded to first class on one flight), I chose a topic that I often think about. This week I transferred my last deposit for the year to max out my Roth IRA.
Many of you will be shocked, maybe even disgusted to learn that I am extremely fond of MONEY. Cash in my wallet, pennies on the ground, loose change in the sofa, a growing savings account, IRA, 401K, CDs, APR, checking accounts, mutual funds... If it has to do with possessing money, I want to know more. Once ashamed of my drive to have more money, I decided to research my motives. I absorbed any advice on growing money so I can live a "good" life. This means I have to understand my values and goals. Living a good life and the Freedom to spend money on my priorities keeps me going. By prioritizing, I am able to save money on items like coffee and cigarettes, and focus on having better home-cooked meals and vacations.
I take most free financial planning opportunities offered by Fidelity, American Express etc. Last year my company brought in a Financial Planner and I made an appointment to see if I could learn anything new. The lady asked me what my retirement goal was. I said, “I don’t know. It depends on how many years I spend out of the work force in the next 30 years and if something unexpected happens.” I didn’t really know what was realistic. Could I retire at 62, what about earlier? I casually mentioned that my husband was 8 years older than me and she suggested that maybe I wanted to retire at the same time as my husband.
Eerrrrttt. Back up. Maybe? My face went white, my eyes blank as I pictured giving Sean a kiss as he stayed in bed, while I went to work. Images of Sean watching Oprah and The Simpons all day flashed in my head while I was trying to explain the benefits of segmentation to new clients. The wind was sucked out of me.
Umm, “Yeah of course I plan to retire when my husband does.” Younger or not, I’m not going to work 8 years longer than my dear husband. “So yes,” I said, “mark me down for retiring at 54!” Although I did agree to work one extra year because I entered the “real world” one year later. I started kindergarten at 4, graduated high school at 17, finished college at 21 and had my first job lined up before college graduation. Thank goodness for that late birthday to get the ball rolling early!
About five years ago I picked up a great practical book called "Smart Women Finish Rich." It reinforced many of the principles I already believed in. I'm also interested in traveling, driving a car, living under a sturdy shelter, sharing my home with pets (next year I may even track what food, litter and vet bills cost for two hairy felines with attitude), and buying things I want. I also enjoy giving gifts that I know my friends and family will like (i.e. not re-gift, return, or send straight to Goodwill.)
This book talks about paying yourself first and increasing your net worth so that you achieve your financial goals. This book is written especially for women because too many times women do not play an active role in the household finances and then are left in a terrible scary situation when they find themselves alone. Every person (man or woman) should take charge of their financial future. I recommend this book for my gal pals and for the guys. The author, David Bach, believes everyone has a few extra bucks to put away for their future based on what he calls the Latte Factor. If just the $5 a day spent on a Latte and a muffin were saved, the time value of that money would be astonishing. Check out www.finishrich.com for more information.
Many of you will be shocked, maybe even disgusted to learn that I am extremely fond of MONEY. Cash in my wallet, pennies on the ground, loose change in the sofa, a growing savings account, IRA, 401K, CDs, APR, checking accounts, mutual funds... If it has to do with possessing money, I want to know more. Once ashamed of my drive to have more money, I decided to research my motives. I absorbed any advice on growing money so I can live a "good" life. This means I have to understand my values and goals. Living a good life and the Freedom to spend money on my priorities keeps me going. By prioritizing, I am able to save money on items like coffee and cigarettes, and focus on having better home-cooked meals and vacations.
I take most free financial planning opportunities offered by Fidelity, American Express etc. Last year my company brought in a Financial Planner and I made an appointment to see if I could learn anything new. The lady asked me what my retirement goal was. I said, “I don’t know. It depends on how many years I spend out of the work force in the next 30 years and if something unexpected happens.” I didn’t really know what was realistic. Could I retire at 62, what about earlier? I casually mentioned that my husband was 8 years older than me and she suggested that maybe I wanted to retire at the same time as my husband.
Eerrrrttt. Back up. Maybe? My face went white, my eyes blank as I pictured giving Sean a kiss as he stayed in bed, while I went to work. Images of Sean watching Oprah and The Simpons all day flashed in my head while I was trying to explain the benefits of segmentation to new clients. The wind was sucked out of me.
Umm, “Yeah of course I plan to retire when my husband does.” Younger or not, I’m not going to work 8 years longer than my dear husband. “So yes,” I said, “mark me down for retiring at 54!” Although I did agree to work one extra year because I entered the “real world” one year later. I started kindergarten at 4, graduated high school at 17, finished college at 21 and had my first job lined up before college graduation. Thank goodness for that late birthday to get the ball rolling early!
About five years ago I picked up a great practical book called "Smart Women Finish Rich." It reinforced many of the principles I already believed in. I'm also interested in traveling, driving a car, living under a sturdy shelter, sharing my home with pets (next year I may even track what food, litter and vet bills cost for two hairy felines with attitude), and buying things I want. I also enjoy giving gifts that I know my friends and family will like (i.e. not re-gift, return, or send straight to Goodwill.)
This book talks about paying yourself first and increasing your net worth so that you achieve your financial goals. This book is written especially for women because too many times women do not play an active role in the household finances and then are left in a terrible scary situation when they find themselves alone. Every person (man or woman) should take charge of their financial future. I recommend this book for my gal pals and for the guys. The author, David Bach, believes everyone has a few extra bucks to put away for their future based on what he calls the Latte Factor. If just the $5 a day spent on a Latte and a muffin were saved, the time value of that money would be astonishing. Check out www.finishrich.com for more information.
I’m now reading Smart Women Finish Rich again to re-motivate myself to make smart financial choices. This is especially important now that the “I” I often refer to is now a “We” and “Us.” We are going to complete the worksheets together, taking a hard look at our reserves and our current expenses.
Money, unfortunately, is pretty important. I wish I had more for all of us. But since the money tree is yet to grow in my yard (I assure you I have looked!), we have to be a little smarter on how we prepare for our future. I am driven to make money. I do not go to work each day because I enjoy talking on the phone. (Yes, I know there are people out there who LOVE their job, I just cannot find anyone who will pay me a lot for lying in a hammock and drinking iced tea.) I understand the earlier I start saving, the better off I’ll be. I accept that I am middle class, and always will be, and that driving a Buick (with transmission and radiator problems) is OK. I do not deprive myself of the things I want, but I do try to make good purchasing decisions. I also do make several charitable donations each year for my top causes.
Kristin’s Tips:
-Avoid Starbucks.
-Pack a lunch 3-4 days a week.
-Use coupons at the grocery store and for car maintenance.
-Only shop catalogues when the shipping and handling is free. Only purchase from stores that allow you to make returns at their local stores.
-Don’t put food on a credit card if you can’t pay the bill off. I find that food doesn’t taste very good when you are still paying for it months after you ate the meal.
-Avoid credit card debt or at least avoiding using too many cards.
-Know your credit card interest rate. Consider consolidation.
-Save all of your charity receipts for tax purposes.
-Collect loose change and deposit into a savings account occasionally.
-Once you put money in a savings account, leave it there.
-Never make impulse purchases with high-priced items. Wait a week or two, but not too long to miss the sale!
-Open your Val-Pak once in a while.
-Cable, Satellite, Internet service, and Phone features, are not always ‘must-haves.’
-Be sure to at least contribute enough to your 401K plan to get the full company match if available.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Dancing
Greetings,
On Friday, we fly to San Antonio for the holiday. It will be good to visit the family, friends and hopefully there will be time to visit my favorite bar in the country. In the good ole days it used to be called Far West Rodeo but now they call it Cowboys Dance Hall. Far West rodeo was a cool place with lots of different types of people and music, although they played primarily country music. Cowboys Dance Hall has more of a stuffy, twangy, feel and they also initiated Friday Teen Night! Ick. I know that it has changed since my my days of sipping white wine on a bar stool while watching the two-steppers and sometimes surprisingly, finding myself tipsy by accident. Of course the wine helped me to accept dance offers from the strange types of men that would get up the nerve to ask me to dance. They were mostly old enough to be my father. It was at Far West I tested my theories that I still believe in:
1. Theory 1 - Be nice and cordial to everyone. (This is a rule for the single folk, I've dropped it for now.)
Action: I accepted dances from everyone and anyone. (The caveat being that they had at least 15 teeth left, right Meag?)
Result: This usually meant a lot of dances with old men, but they were good dancers and once everyone saw me as friendly and willing to dance with anyone, I got a lot more offers. And usually guys in my age range would ask as the night wore on and they built their confidence from seeing the successful older men.
2. Theory 2 - Guys are intimidated by packs of women.
Action: I went to Far West alone most nights.
Result: This actually worked out OK although it was very intimidating. I also made sure I was always alert and didn't do anything stupid. It was weird to be at a bar alone but the place was so big I could move around and no one seemed to really care. I also met several women this way which was nice to add some more friends. Sometimes I would go two or three weekends in a row and I was a 'regular' and recognized many others. This was cool.
3. Theory 3 - Look approachable.
Action: I would sit on my bar stool (back right, end stool) and smile. I would be certain to not cross my arms. I would laugh and smile as I watched the dancers go by like I was having a conversation with someone. This was totally a game and totally fake, but I knew I was far from approachable and needed to be dramatically more open than usual. Just like overdoing stage make-up. I'm sure I looked looney.
Result: This worked as well. I would start this drill and within 15-20 minutes someone would ask me to dance.
It will be nice to go back and not do any of the three things above! Except for drink the white wine!
Dancing With The Stars
I must admit, I love the show. I loved it from the first season although I didn't really start watching it until the end of the first season.
I like the popular music they play and the different compilations they use. I love the costumes and I love to watch people dance. Just like I enjoyed going to Far West for that purpose. I'm always amazed to hear a popular song and find out that you can cha-cha to it, or do a tango, or jive or even the pasa doble. And it's fun to watch second rate celebrities give it a whirl.
Tonight was the season finale and tonight Emmitt Smith and his professional partner Cheryl won! Cheryl won last season with Drew Lachey, and I picked them early on as the winners. I don't like to brag, but I picked Emmitt too. Cheryl is my favorite and now I'm pretty sure she is the best partner. Emmitt and Cheryl did a great freestyle dance last night to MC Hammer "Can't Touch This." Mario Lopez (from Saved by the Bell) was the main competitor, and I thought the favorite, although I couldn't stand him. News came out that he has been taking dance lessons (hip-hop is the clarification) since he was young. Now although not ballroom lessons, I think that is still shady. I also think Mario and his partner have a 'special' relationship which is fine, I just find them both annoying.
I could go on, but all I have to say is: 1. I'm glad Emmitt won, he deserved it, and I was very surprised with his dance talent. 2. Although I really like Sarah Evans, she really shouldn't have aired her dirty laundry on TV and she wasn't very good considering she is a performer. 3. I can't wait until next season.
Happy Thanksgiving!
On Friday, we fly to San Antonio for the holiday. It will be good to visit the family, friends and hopefully there will be time to visit my favorite bar in the country. In the good ole days it used to be called Far West Rodeo but now they call it Cowboys Dance Hall. Far West rodeo was a cool place with lots of different types of people and music, although they played primarily country music. Cowboys Dance Hall has more of a stuffy, twangy, feel and they also initiated Friday Teen Night! Ick. I know that it has changed since my my days of sipping white wine on a bar stool while watching the two-steppers and sometimes surprisingly, finding myself tipsy by accident. Of course the wine helped me to accept dance offers from the strange types of men that would get up the nerve to ask me to dance. They were mostly old enough to be my father. It was at Far West I tested my theories that I still believe in:
1. Theory 1 - Be nice and cordial to everyone. (This is a rule for the single folk, I've dropped it for now.)
Action: I accepted dances from everyone and anyone. (The caveat being that they had at least 15 teeth left, right Meag?)
Result: This usually meant a lot of dances with old men, but they were good dancers and once everyone saw me as friendly and willing to dance with anyone, I got a lot more offers. And usually guys in my age range would ask as the night wore on and they built their confidence from seeing the successful older men.
2. Theory 2 - Guys are intimidated by packs of women.
Action: I went to Far West alone most nights.
Result: This actually worked out OK although it was very intimidating. I also made sure I was always alert and didn't do anything stupid. It was weird to be at a bar alone but the place was so big I could move around and no one seemed to really care. I also met several women this way which was nice to add some more friends. Sometimes I would go two or three weekends in a row and I was a 'regular' and recognized many others. This was cool.
3. Theory 3 - Look approachable.
Action: I would sit on my bar stool (back right, end stool) and smile. I would be certain to not cross my arms. I would laugh and smile as I watched the dancers go by like I was having a conversation with someone. This was totally a game and totally fake, but I knew I was far from approachable and needed to be dramatically more open than usual. Just like overdoing stage make-up. I'm sure I looked looney.
Result: This worked as well. I would start this drill and within 15-20 minutes someone would ask me to dance.
It will be nice to go back and not do any of the three things above! Except for drink the white wine!
Dancing With The Stars
I must admit, I love the show. I loved it from the first season although I didn't really start watching it until the end of the first season.
I like the popular music they play and the different compilations they use. I love the costumes and I love to watch people dance. Just like I enjoyed going to Far West for that purpose. I'm always amazed to hear a popular song and find out that you can cha-cha to it, or do a tango, or jive or even the pasa doble. And it's fun to watch second rate celebrities give it a whirl.
Tonight was the season finale and tonight Emmitt Smith and his professional partner Cheryl won! Cheryl won last season with Drew Lachey, and I picked them early on as the winners. I don't like to brag, but I picked Emmitt too. Cheryl is my favorite and now I'm pretty sure she is the best partner. Emmitt and Cheryl did a great freestyle dance last night to MC Hammer "Can't Touch This." Mario Lopez (from Saved by the Bell) was the main competitor, and I thought the favorite, although I couldn't stand him. News came out that he has been taking dance lessons (hip-hop is the clarification) since he was young. Now although not ballroom lessons, I think that is still shady. I also think Mario and his partner have a 'special' relationship which is fine, I just find them both annoying.
I could go on, but all I have to say is: 1. I'm glad Emmitt won, he deserved it, and I was very surprised with his dance talent. 2. Although I really like Sarah Evans, she really shouldn't have aired her dirty laundry on TV and she wasn't very good considering she is a performer. 3. I can't wait until next season.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Lies and Waffles
I feel horrible. The going got tough and I told a bold-faced lie. I had even planned to lie if I got caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. But, I had to do it or I would regret it for the rest of my life. Or at least the next 3-7 years.
After thoroughly cleaning (I promise) the canister, the filters, the brush and every other component, I packed up the big blue vacuum and took it back to the store. While standing in the customer service line with my big box, I read the return and exchange rules and I panicked. It clearly stated that they would return or exchange unopened or unused items only. When asked if the box was opened, I said with a blank expression, "No." However behind that blank stare I was making a list of what I should pack for Hell, because karma is a funny thing. In my defense, I had done a nice job repacking the box and taping it, so at the time when asked, I was telling the truth. No, the box was not opened. Currently. Anyway, I took it back for my full refund and I'm going to buy a Dyson vacuum in the next week or so when I get a chance. Too many good reviews from friends not to. Forgive me, for I have sinned. I bought a few other things as not to feel so bad, however I waited to hear my name over the intercom the entire time. "Would the lady who returned the vacuum and lied about using it prior, return to customer service. We have towed your card and sold your Visa number."
I wonder how many 'bad' people get caught by blogging too much about the details?
Moving on...
Sean and I saw what we think is one of the Top 10 worst movies we've ever seen. We extremely disliked "Running with Scissors" so much in fact that we were hoping after the first hour (which at this point was when we realized that the movie was bad and it was too late to go into another theater) that everyone would just fall on their scissors.
I always like to state the positives and the negatives, however I don't have anything positive to say and just too many negatives to write. Take it from me, the frugal one, save your money on this one.
I went to Safeway today and had a strange experience. I like to select my groceries and get through the line as quick as possible. For one, I don't like being there and I want to get home. The second reason that efficiency is important, is that I have frozen items that need to be put in their proper place. I was third in line and was catching bits and pieces of conversation between the cashier and customer. The cashier was quite the chatty character and the line was moving very slow. I don't mind if cashiers want to exchange pleasantries, but if you can't scan the items and talk at the same time, I'm not to pleased.
It's my turn to check out. Oo rah. By this time I've learned that it's "Let's call him Stan"s first day. He is pleasant, says hello, asks me how I am. Then he is curious to know what I'm planning to do with my two "cute" mushrooms. I tell him, "I put them in salad." He agrees this is a great idea! Just the confirmation I needed. "Stan" is efficient with the register, he knows how to do everything, however he's not sure of any of the fruit/veggie codes and doesn't seem to be too fond of looking them up. The lady the next register over is nice to give "Stan" the codes. I had about 6 items with codes and this probably tied me up for 10 minutes alone. To be clear, it doesn't bother me that he doesn't know the codes, afterall it is his first day.
When the syrup skates across his scanner he drops it in the bag, looks me in the eye and asks, "How do you make waffles?" I'm a bit taken aback, but I tell him how I do it. "Buy a box of Bisquick or Hungry Jack Pancake mix and look for the recipe on the back. Eggs, oil, milk and you're ready to go."
This isn't good enough. Excited with his new waffle maker (he told me so!) he wants to know if he should add nuts to his waffles. Maybe almonds he asks? Tired, frustrated, but trying to be polite (and trying to make peace with the whole vacuum scandal) I exclaim honestly, "I. do. not. do. nuts. I don't like them in my waffles. I'm not sure how to put nuts in waffles." I start to wonder if I'm on candid camera and if my face will be plastered on TV exclaiming, "I DO NOT DO NUTS." I "recover" by saying "I don't do blueberries in my waffles either" as if that might help my case. I just wanted to be clear that I eat my waffles plain and could not offer assistance with adding other items to the batter. Luckily, no cameras. But "Stan" agrees, maybe he should keep it simple his first time and just stick with plain waffles.
I notice the scanner is charging me too much for my Healthy Choice microwave meals. They are supposed to be on sale. I'm ticked, but I can't possibly bring this up with "Stan." I chalk it up to karma and try not to think about the money. My conversation with "Stan" is over and there are now 3 people behind me looking tired and frustrated and thumbing through People magazine. We got to skip the discussion about single servings of food or about the yogurt flavors I chose like he did with the guy in front of me.
As I carry my stuff out to the car, I suddenly realize just how lucky I was. Thankfully I didn't have any feminine hygiene items or other things no one wants to discuss in my cart. I'm not sure I could have handled those questions. But, I can see it now.... "Do you prefer paper or plastic?"
After thoroughly cleaning (I promise) the canister, the filters, the brush and every other component, I packed up the big blue vacuum and took it back to the store. While standing in the customer service line with my big box, I read the return and exchange rules and I panicked. It clearly stated that they would return or exchange unopened or unused items only. When asked if the box was opened, I said with a blank expression, "No." However behind that blank stare I was making a list of what I should pack for Hell, because karma is a funny thing. In my defense, I had done a nice job repacking the box and taping it, so at the time when asked, I was telling the truth. No, the box was not opened. Currently. Anyway, I took it back for my full refund and I'm going to buy a Dyson vacuum in the next week or so when I get a chance. Too many good reviews from friends not to. Forgive me, for I have sinned. I bought a few other things as not to feel so bad, however I waited to hear my name over the intercom the entire time. "Would the lady who returned the vacuum and lied about using it prior, return to customer service. We have towed your card and sold your Visa number."
I wonder how many 'bad' people get caught by blogging too much about the details?
Moving on...
Sean and I saw what we think is one of the Top 10 worst movies we've ever seen. We extremely disliked "Running with Scissors" so much in fact that we were hoping after the first hour (which at this point was when we realized that the movie was bad and it was too late to go into another theater) that everyone would just fall on their scissors.
I always like to state the positives and the negatives, however I don't have anything positive to say and just too many negatives to write. Take it from me, the frugal one, save your money on this one.
I went to Safeway today and had a strange experience. I like to select my groceries and get through the line as quick as possible. For one, I don't like being there and I want to get home. The second reason that efficiency is important, is that I have frozen items that need to be put in their proper place. I was third in line and was catching bits and pieces of conversation between the cashier and customer. The cashier was quite the chatty character and the line was moving very slow. I don't mind if cashiers want to exchange pleasantries, but if you can't scan the items and talk at the same time, I'm not to pleased.
It's my turn to check out. Oo rah. By this time I've learned that it's "Let's call him Stan"s first day. He is pleasant, says hello, asks me how I am. Then he is curious to know what I'm planning to do with my two "cute" mushrooms. I tell him, "I put them in salad." He agrees this is a great idea! Just the confirmation I needed. "Stan" is efficient with the register, he knows how to do everything, however he's not sure of any of the fruit/veggie codes and doesn't seem to be too fond of looking them up. The lady the next register over is nice to give "Stan" the codes. I had about 6 items with codes and this probably tied me up for 10 minutes alone. To be clear, it doesn't bother me that he doesn't know the codes, afterall it is his first day.
When the syrup skates across his scanner he drops it in the bag, looks me in the eye and asks, "How do you make waffles?" I'm a bit taken aback, but I tell him how I do it. "Buy a box of Bisquick or Hungry Jack Pancake mix and look for the recipe on the back. Eggs, oil, milk and you're ready to go."
This isn't good enough. Excited with his new waffle maker (he told me so!) he wants to know if he should add nuts to his waffles. Maybe almonds he asks? Tired, frustrated, but trying to be polite (and trying to make peace with the whole vacuum scandal) I exclaim honestly, "I. do. not. do. nuts. I don't like them in my waffles. I'm not sure how to put nuts in waffles." I start to wonder if I'm on candid camera and if my face will be plastered on TV exclaiming, "I DO NOT DO NUTS." I "recover" by saying "I don't do blueberries in my waffles either" as if that might help my case. I just wanted to be clear that I eat my waffles plain and could not offer assistance with adding other items to the batter. Luckily, no cameras. But "Stan" agrees, maybe he should keep it simple his first time and just stick with plain waffles.
I notice the scanner is charging me too much for my Healthy Choice microwave meals. They are supposed to be on sale. I'm ticked, but I can't possibly bring this up with "Stan." I chalk it up to karma and try not to think about the money. My conversation with "Stan" is over and there are now 3 people behind me looking tired and frustrated and thumbing through People magazine. We got to skip the discussion about single servings of food or about the yogurt flavors I chose like he did with the guy in front of me.
As I carry my stuff out to the car, I suddenly realize just how lucky I was. Thankfully I didn't have any feminine hygiene items or other things no one wants to discuss in my cart. I'm not sure I could have handled those questions. But, I can see it now.... "Do you prefer paper or plastic?"
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloween
October is my favorite month of the year, hands down. Halloween is my favorite holiday. On the 30th I grow another year older and on the 31st it never fails... I revert back to being an eight year old no matter what my numeric age is. We've had about 25 trick or treaters so far, but I was hoping for 300. We had the older kids who grab handfuls and don't think you notice that they are using a pillow sheet as their bag. And of course the tiny ones who are too scared to even talk; they pick the Almond Joy that you know they won't like yet. The tiny ones are my favorite though.
I came home early, heated up leftovers, and after some ice cream and some candy, I have been standing vigilantly at my door waiting for the doorbell to ring. Occasionally I'll sit on the stoop waiting for the next batch of kids. Do you know how hard it is to wait when you are as jacked up on sugar as I am? Look at me now, I'm blogging, so I won't peer out the peephole for endless minutes getting dizzy from the blurry view.
I live in a town home development so you would think the streets would be swarming. Maybe it is still early. I wonder if the kids are at the mall trick or treating. Have you heard about these new safe events they hold for the children at the mall? My kids will be dressed in costume and hoofing it across every street in the neighborhood. (pillow sheet in tow.) A boy around 10 years old just came by dressed in his private school clothes (we think) and holding a briefcase. I asked if he was a traveling salesman, but no, he's a tax collector.
This is my first Halloween in a house I co-own. My husband and I own the closets and bathrooms and the bank owns the rest. Oh and I own the doorbell which makes tonight very exciting. Maybe I'm so excited because I've always wanted to live in a place with lots of trick or treaters. Where I grew up, if we got 2 we were shocked and those were my friends down the street. A good Halloween for us was waiting until morning to see if our mail box survived another night.
I was cruising the blog circuit earlier today and hit 'next blog' after my own. It's a random thing I guess but it was an eighth grader's blog talking about boys and her friends and I got totally weirded out. I'm still not sure how I feel about the world of blogs especially with today's youth.
That was just a side note. OK, well I'm going to sign off and check the street again.
Happy Halloween to you and yours!
I came home early, heated up leftovers, and after some ice cream and some candy, I have been standing vigilantly at my door waiting for the doorbell to ring. Occasionally I'll sit on the stoop waiting for the next batch of kids. Do you know how hard it is to wait when you are as jacked up on sugar as I am? Look at me now, I'm blogging, so I won't peer out the peephole for endless minutes getting dizzy from the blurry view.
I live in a town home development so you would think the streets would be swarming. Maybe it is still early. I wonder if the kids are at the mall trick or treating. Have you heard about these new safe events they hold for the children at the mall? My kids will be dressed in costume and hoofing it across every street in the neighborhood. (pillow sheet in tow.) A boy around 10 years old just came by dressed in his private school clothes (we think) and holding a briefcase. I asked if he was a traveling salesman, but no, he's a tax collector.
This is my first Halloween in a house I co-own. My husband and I own the closets and bathrooms and the bank owns the rest. Oh and I own the doorbell which makes tonight very exciting. Maybe I'm so excited because I've always wanted to live in a place with lots of trick or treaters. Where I grew up, if we got 2 we were shocked and those were my friends down the street. A good Halloween for us was waiting until morning to see if our mail box survived another night.
I was cruising the blog circuit earlier today and hit 'next blog' after my own. It's a random thing I guess but it was an eighth grader's blog talking about boys and her friends and I got totally weirded out. I'm still not sure how I feel about the world of blogs especially with today's youth.
That was just a side note. OK, well I'm going to sign off and check the street again.
Happy Halloween to you and yours!
Monday, October 30, 2006
My Next 30 Years
I took the day off today in honor of my 30th birthday. I felt I was due a day off from work. I woke up today just like every other day: tired, cranky, and bothered by the alarm. I couldn’t fall asleep last night and then by the time I was tired it was 11:56PM so I figured I should wait until midnight at least so I could welcome my birthday. That’s how we celebrated our college birthdays and it was the only time in my life where we celebrated throughout the day. I'm essentially the last of the group to turn 30. I usually like to be first but it's been OK waiting for the age fairy.
I got up early to take Sean to the metro and then I mostly ran errands today such as:
getting my chimney cleaned, took new passport photos, went to the bank, looked briefly around the mall, watched my neighbor trim my tree which was actually quite entertaining considering how many branches came down. The good news is both my fence and the neighbor’s is still standing.
Not a terribly exciting day, but it was sure nice to be able to spend a large part of this beautiful October day outside versus my cube world.
I don’t feel any different today. I am not sure what I expected. It’s not like I got the right to drive, or vote, or buy cigarettes, or drink alcohol, or rent cars. However, I have earned the right to complain about cellulite, and ask very important questions such as: what are those darn kids doing up so late, and turn that music down, and what is that pain in my neck/back/leg? As a good friend who turned 30 last week pointed out in my birthday card, it’s OK that we are 30 because we’re not experiencing the aftershocks such as gray hair, a larger butt, missing teeth and a few other signs of aging. And then he pointed out that terrible little word – ‘YET.’ Overall, it sounds like I’m in good shape although for the record I am not planning on losing my teeth for a long while.
As my birthday fades away this evening, I look forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day that will hopefully bring me loads of trick-or-treaters. (I’ve been hiding candy for weeks from my husband, saving it for the kids that I hope will come out in droves, and I still won’t reveal its location.) Today I can reflect on how I spent my last thirty years, but tomorrow the time has come to focus on my next thirty years as Tim McGraw would say. It will probably be a slower pace in some aspects, but I’m sure it will be filled with many rewarding stories, experiences and memories to add to my collection. Let’s hope that I can document them better to so they don’t slip from my memory anytime soon!
I’m going to relax the rest of the evening and I’m not embarrassed to tell you… First I’m going to eat my yummy birthday pies and cupcakes (don't remind me about the cellulite just yet) and then I’m going to watch The Bachelor and then What About Bryan. It’s the small things in life.
Happy 30th Birthday Kristin! May the best be yet to come!
I got up early to take Sean to the metro and then I mostly ran errands today such as:
getting my chimney cleaned, took new passport photos, went to the bank, looked briefly around the mall, watched my neighbor trim my tree which was actually quite entertaining considering how many branches came down. The good news is both my fence and the neighbor’s is still standing.
Not a terribly exciting day, but it was sure nice to be able to spend a large part of this beautiful October day outside versus my cube world.
I don’t feel any different today. I am not sure what I expected. It’s not like I got the right to drive, or vote, or buy cigarettes, or drink alcohol, or rent cars. However, I have earned the right to complain about cellulite, and ask very important questions such as: what are those darn kids doing up so late, and turn that music down, and what is that pain in my neck/back/leg? As a good friend who turned 30 last week pointed out in my birthday card, it’s OK that we are 30 because we’re not experiencing the aftershocks such as gray hair, a larger butt, missing teeth and a few other signs of aging. And then he pointed out that terrible little word – ‘YET.’ Overall, it sounds like I’m in good shape although for the record I am not planning on losing my teeth for a long while.
As my birthday fades away this evening, I look forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day that will hopefully bring me loads of trick-or-treaters. (I’ve been hiding candy for weeks from my husband, saving it for the kids that I hope will come out in droves, and I still won’t reveal its location.) Today I can reflect on how I spent my last thirty years, but tomorrow the time has come to focus on my next thirty years as Tim McGraw would say. It will probably be a slower pace in some aspects, but I’m sure it will be filled with many rewarding stories, experiences and memories to add to my collection. Let’s hope that I can document them better to so they don’t slip from my memory anytime soon!
I’m going to relax the rest of the evening and I’m not embarrassed to tell you… First I’m going to eat my yummy birthday pies and cupcakes (don't remind me about the cellulite just yet) and then I’m going to watch The Bachelor and then What About Bryan. It’s the small things in life.
Happy 30th Birthday Kristin! May the best be yet to come!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Surprise!
Picture it, October 22, 2006, in the Mid-Atlantic.
It was a Sunday drive away from the urban sprawl of Northern VA, cruising highways and then less traveled roads, enjoying the pre-peak change of the foliage. Large trees of magnificent red, delightful yellow, lovely orange and stubborn green line the roads that take us farther from town. About 40 minutes into the trip we are on a two-lane road that seems to encourage us to race through the rainbow of color, but we slow down to smell the wood-burning stoves and look for deer. The sun is shining with all of its intensity, producing just enough heat to require opening the windows to cool us down from our fleece-warmed bodies.
Just under an hour, we arrive at our destination. A farm with beautiful rolling hills, lakes, produce for sale; bustling with young and old alike playing with the animals and buying farm treats. We are headed to Denise&Chuck's farm (www.sharpfarm.com) for a delightful day visiting a corn maze. Or so I thought.
What does a day on a farm, a hayride with a majority of my favorite people, running through a real live pumpkin patch in pursuit of the perfect pumpkin, eating, searching through a corn maze with a bunch of pranksters, sipping warm cider, eyeball bobbing, and visiting with friends and family sound like to you?
To me, it sounds like the perfect day, during the best time of the year. And that is before I know that I have just arrived at my Surprise Birthday Party!
It's no surprise that I'm turning 30 on the 30th (the only time this phenomenon will ever happen in my life), but it was quite a surprise to see everyone hiding in the barn waiting for me to arrive. I am pretty hard to surprise. It was even noted that "Kristin is a quite suspicious person." I never thought this was a bad thing, it is just a good practice to know what everyone is up to.
A few weeks ago, when I arrived home, Sean told me that my cousin Denise had called and invited us to their corn maze. Sounded like a fun time since we were talking about going up there a few months ago when we visited the farm in the early summer. We headed up to Brookesville on Sunday. When we arrived my cousin Bryon directed us where to park and informed us that we should check in with Denise first. Sean and I walked into the barn where many goodies were for sale and many folks were wandering around, and then out of the corner of my eye I spotted my father. Always a bit impatient and trying to get a better hiding spot behind the apple butter. And then I noticed the rest of my family and friends hiding in the backcorner. "Thankfully I showered, " I exclaimed since I been debating that decision earlier in the day. How fun to see everyone all decked out in their sneakers and jeans. This is my kind of party!
After greetings, we were assembled into the first trailer. The farm is open on the weekends to the public. The Pumpkin Brigade got the special seats in the front. Although I only knew about two dozen of the people, it was nice to think everyone else was there for the party too. We rode around the farm until we got to the Great Pumpkin Patch. If only Charlie Brown had known about this place. We all got off the hay ride and picked a pumpkin or two to take with us. This was serious business. I made Sean stand by the one I liked to hold it for me while I continued searching. Lisa held hers like an infant, becoming very protective of it, and protecting it from the sun with her Windbreaker. Robert found out his perfect pumpkin that was right by the side of the trail was probably someone else's leftovers. I picked the biggest one Sean could carry for me. Nothing beats picking your own pumpkin. Back on the trailer. As we drove past the house, we all waved to the folks inside the house I hadn't seen yet. We put our pumpkins in the car and then we went up to the house for some good food.
As the sun began to set and the temperature dropped, we decided we better get in the corn maze and tear it up! Many of us went through and tried to follow the clues the best we could, but we think some were missing and we came out the wrong exit. But no one got lost and we made it out safely. After a few group photos, and we were finally able to pry Christy's head out of the pig hole we headed to the house for some warm apple cider. My favorite!
As darkness settled in and a little bit of rain began to fall, we warmed up inside with a snazzy birthday cake and presents to open. Christy, through her invaluable Internet searching skills, found a game for us as well. She hid several "eyeballs" in a box of packing peanuts and we had to bob for them. It was quite funny watching Becca, Lisa, Christy, Deb, Robert and Bryon do this. This was pretty hysterical, words won't do it justice. I was content to just watch and snap some photos. Always a great way to end the day. The farm is quite desolate and we were able to see quite a few stars even though rain clouds had just blown by. I even spotted a shooting star briefly just by luck of course. All we were missing was a bonfire, which was actually occuring down the hill for the children's program that was still going on. I didn't think it was appropriate to crash the bonfire, but oh the stories we could tell.
What a perfect way to spend my big birthday. I couldn't help but think that a hay ride, a corn maze, a petting zoo, riding a golf cart, and a pumpkin patch would be a great party for an 8 year old, but it worked even better for a 30 year old! All we were missing was the clown making hats out of balloons. And pin the tail on the fancy steer in the front yard that looks like an ox. The good news is... I still have one more complete week of being 29. Thanks to all who were able to come to the party of course the party organizers. If you are in town on Saturday, come on over in costume and check out the glowing face on my pumpkin!
It was a Sunday drive away from the urban sprawl of Northern VA, cruising highways and then less traveled roads, enjoying the pre-peak change of the foliage. Large trees of magnificent red, delightful yellow, lovely orange and stubborn green line the roads that take us farther from town. About 40 minutes into the trip we are on a two-lane road that seems to encourage us to race through the rainbow of color, but we slow down to smell the wood-burning stoves and look for deer. The sun is shining with all of its intensity, producing just enough heat to require opening the windows to cool us down from our fleece-warmed bodies.
Just under an hour, we arrive at our destination. A farm with beautiful rolling hills, lakes, produce for sale; bustling with young and old alike playing with the animals and buying farm treats. We are headed to Denise&Chuck's farm (www.sharpfarm.com) for a delightful day visiting a corn maze. Or so I thought.
What does a day on a farm, a hayride with a majority of my favorite people, running through a real live pumpkin patch in pursuit of the perfect pumpkin, eating, searching through a corn maze with a bunch of pranksters, sipping warm cider, eyeball bobbing, and visiting with friends and family sound like to you?
To me, it sounds like the perfect day, during the best time of the year. And that is before I know that I have just arrived at my Surprise Birthday Party!
It's no surprise that I'm turning 30 on the 30th (the only time this phenomenon will ever happen in my life), but it was quite a surprise to see everyone hiding in the barn waiting for me to arrive. I am pretty hard to surprise. It was even noted that "Kristin is a quite suspicious person." I never thought this was a bad thing, it is just a good practice to know what everyone is up to.
A few weeks ago, when I arrived home, Sean told me that my cousin Denise had called and invited us to their corn maze. Sounded like a fun time since we were talking about going up there a few months ago when we visited the farm in the early summer. We headed up to Brookesville on Sunday. When we arrived my cousin Bryon directed us where to park and informed us that we should check in with Denise first. Sean and I walked into the barn where many goodies were for sale and many folks were wandering around, and then out of the corner of my eye I spotted my father. Always a bit impatient and trying to get a better hiding spot behind the apple butter. And then I noticed the rest of my family and friends hiding in the backcorner. "Thankfully I showered, " I exclaimed since I been debating that decision earlier in the day. How fun to see everyone all decked out in their sneakers and jeans. This is my kind of party!
After greetings, we were assembled into the first trailer. The farm is open on the weekends to the public. The Pumpkin Brigade got the special seats in the front. Although I only knew about two dozen of the people, it was nice to think everyone else was there for the party too. We rode around the farm until we got to the Great Pumpkin Patch. If only Charlie Brown had known about this place. We all got off the hay ride and picked a pumpkin or two to take with us. This was serious business. I made Sean stand by the one I liked to hold it for me while I continued searching. Lisa held hers like an infant, becoming very protective of it, and protecting it from the sun with her Windbreaker. Robert found out his perfect pumpkin that was right by the side of the trail was probably someone else's leftovers. I picked the biggest one Sean could carry for me. Nothing beats picking your own pumpkin. Back on the trailer. As we drove past the house, we all waved to the folks inside the house I hadn't seen yet. We put our pumpkins in the car and then we went up to the house for some good food.
As the sun began to set and the temperature dropped, we decided we better get in the corn maze and tear it up! Many of us went through and tried to follow the clues the best we could, but we think some were missing and we came out the wrong exit. But no one got lost and we made it out safely. After a few group photos, and we were finally able to pry Christy's head out of the pig hole we headed to the house for some warm apple cider. My favorite!
As darkness settled in and a little bit of rain began to fall, we warmed up inside with a snazzy birthday cake and presents to open. Christy, through her invaluable Internet searching skills, found a game for us as well. She hid several "eyeballs" in a box of packing peanuts and we had to bob for them. It was quite funny watching Becca, Lisa, Christy, Deb, Robert and Bryon do this. This was pretty hysterical, words won't do it justice. I was content to just watch and snap some photos. Always a great way to end the day. The farm is quite desolate and we were able to see quite a few stars even though rain clouds had just blown by. I even spotted a shooting star briefly just by luck of course. All we were missing was a bonfire, which was actually occuring down the hill for the children's program that was still going on. I didn't think it was appropriate to crash the bonfire, but oh the stories we could tell.
What a perfect way to spend my big birthday. I couldn't help but think that a hay ride, a corn maze, a petting zoo, riding a golf cart, and a pumpkin patch would be a great party for an 8 year old, but it worked even better for a 30 year old! All we were missing was the clown making hats out of balloons. And pin the tail on the fancy steer in the front yard that looks like an ox. The good news is... I still have one more complete week of being 29. Thanks to all who were able to come to the party of course the party organizers. If you are in town on Saturday, come on over in costume and check out the glowing face on my pumpkin!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Nickel and Dimed and I Feel Short-Changed
Please note that my book reviews will be based on personal opinions only. I admit I frequently skim pages (I'm a busy girl who gets bored easily) and miss small details, so I don't want to argue specific points.
Book Review: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
After hearing good reviews, I decided to purchase this book for a quick read. A short paperback of 221 pages, it was the perfect companion for a business trip. The premise is fairly simple. The author, Barbara, accepts a writing assignment where she will work in unskilled positions to see if she can get by on her hourly salary. She chooses 3 cities, usually two jobs in each, and each city she spends 30 days.
I’ll pretty much read anything. I judge a book not by its outside cover but by the mood and the emotions it leaves me with. Can I relate to the characters? Do I become a character in the story? Does it invoke a reaction?
In this case, not really. I didn’t feel any compassion for Barbara at all. I felt her story lacked passion and that was the main problem. I’m not going to be too hard on her because I have a feeling a lot of her experience was lost in editing and trying to keep the story interesting which for the most part it was. Plus, she admits, it was a total artificial circumstance. She’s a good writer, the story flowed, and she does have an overall evaluation in the back that does express her feelings. I did feel compassion for many of her co-workers who were truly living in hotels and cars, supporting their families. Some of whom showed great pride in their “unskilled” jobs whether it was a waitress, housekeeper, maid or Wal-Mart employee. Truth be told, and the author knows this (I skimmed her blog) she couldn’t wholly be integrated into this other world. Without truly working multiple jobs just to have shelter (and some of her accommodations were downright crappy) and fast food (a main staple of the low income), one cannot possibly understand the disadvantages of lower income people.
Her rules of engagement for the project:
1. She could not fall back on any skills derived from her education or usual work.
2. She had to take the highest paying job offered to her and do her best to hold it.
3. She had to take the cheapest accommodations available (with an acceptable level of privacy and safety).
Here are some random thoughts about the book and hopefully I won’t spoil it for you or offend anyone.
1. I love passion. That’s why I love/d the Crocodile Hunter. I mentioned that I didn’t feel any passion for this story. Interestingly enough I’ve seen a television show on a similar topic. Morgan Spurlock is passionate. Maybe you’ve seen the crazy documentary, Super Size Me? He ate the red-headed clown’s food for 30 straight days, 3 meals a day. He took this experiment seriously and then he also did a television show where he and his fiancée spent 30 days living on minimum wage. (There was a series of 30-day ‘stunts’ although this is the only episode I ever saw.) Although artificial circumstances again, he truly made a real attempt to live the disadvantaged life. If I remember correctly, he took the bus, he walked to work, he sat on the floor because he didn’t have furniture, he ate ramen noodles, he had several jobs, he bargained with landlords for cheaper rent deposits, and when he got sick, he sat in urgent care with the rest of the people without insurance, concerned with how to pay the medical bill. I enjoy Morgan Spurlock’s work. He’s motivated, passionate, and when he sets out to prove a point, he succeeds.
2. Apparently most unskilled jobs require a drug test before hiring. I personally haven’t had to take a drug test, but I imagine many of you have. Barbara states in the book that “If it weren’t for the drug test, I might have stopped looking right then and there, but there has been a chemical indiscretion in recent weeks and I’m not at all sure I can pass.” It goes on to describe that marijuana is the one drug that usually shows up. I’ve read this paragraph twenty times wondering if I’ve missed the joke or it’s a piece of wise literary prose that goes over my head. She’s smoking weed during the experiment knowing that every job she is applying for has a required drug test? Maybe this is part of her experiment on the “other side.” This just bothers me.
3. When her waitressing job gets tough one day, she just walks out. Quits on the spot. This might just be a function of editing in that her 30 days was up. I can’t just quit when my project blows up, welcome to the real world. (I’m hoping this didn’t really happen and she went back in there to finish the day.)
4. Barbara has a rental car in each city. Her paychecks only have to pay for rent, food and gas I think. When she gets a rash on her arms (probably from the chemicals she uses as a maid) she calls her dermatologist at home to get a prescription. Granted, I don’t want her arms to fall off, but if she was true to character, she would have to miss a few hours at work and go to the doctor and then buy medication all without insurance probably. She admits (on her blog) that she took the easy road here.
5. The book does do a good job of outlining some of the “tricks” these companies perform to get you in the door as an employee without even a chance to negotiate pay, work schedules etc. These items which we all think about are really glossed over in many of the application processes of unskilled jobs, which is unfair.
It was an easy read, but as I mentioned I felt short changed. If you’d like to read it, I’ll let you borrow my copy.
Book Review: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
After hearing good reviews, I decided to purchase this book for a quick read. A short paperback of 221 pages, it was the perfect companion for a business trip. The premise is fairly simple. The author, Barbara, accepts a writing assignment where she will work in unskilled positions to see if she can get by on her hourly salary. She chooses 3 cities, usually two jobs in each, and each city she spends 30 days.
I’ll pretty much read anything. I judge a book not by its outside cover but by the mood and the emotions it leaves me with. Can I relate to the characters? Do I become a character in the story? Does it invoke a reaction?
In this case, not really. I didn’t feel any compassion for Barbara at all. I felt her story lacked passion and that was the main problem. I’m not going to be too hard on her because I have a feeling a lot of her experience was lost in editing and trying to keep the story interesting which for the most part it was. Plus, she admits, it was a total artificial circumstance. She’s a good writer, the story flowed, and she does have an overall evaluation in the back that does express her feelings. I did feel compassion for many of her co-workers who were truly living in hotels and cars, supporting their families. Some of whom showed great pride in their “unskilled” jobs whether it was a waitress, housekeeper, maid or Wal-Mart employee. Truth be told, and the author knows this (I skimmed her blog) she couldn’t wholly be integrated into this other world. Without truly working multiple jobs just to have shelter (and some of her accommodations were downright crappy) and fast food (a main staple of the low income), one cannot possibly understand the disadvantages of lower income people.
Her rules of engagement for the project:
1. She could not fall back on any skills derived from her education or usual work.
2. She had to take the highest paying job offered to her and do her best to hold it.
3. She had to take the cheapest accommodations available (with an acceptable level of privacy and safety).
Here are some random thoughts about the book and hopefully I won’t spoil it for you or offend anyone.
1. I love passion. That’s why I love/d the Crocodile Hunter. I mentioned that I didn’t feel any passion for this story. Interestingly enough I’ve seen a television show on a similar topic. Morgan Spurlock is passionate. Maybe you’ve seen the crazy documentary, Super Size Me? He ate the red-headed clown’s food for 30 straight days, 3 meals a day. He took this experiment seriously and then he also did a television show where he and his fiancée spent 30 days living on minimum wage. (There was a series of 30-day ‘stunts’ although this is the only episode I ever saw.) Although artificial circumstances again, he truly made a real attempt to live the disadvantaged life. If I remember correctly, he took the bus, he walked to work, he sat on the floor because he didn’t have furniture, he ate ramen noodles, he had several jobs, he bargained with landlords for cheaper rent deposits, and when he got sick, he sat in urgent care with the rest of the people without insurance, concerned with how to pay the medical bill. I enjoy Morgan Spurlock’s work. He’s motivated, passionate, and when he sets out to prove a point, he succeeds.
2. Apparently most unskilled jobs require a drug test before hiring. I personally haven’t had to take a drug test, but I imagine many of you have. Barbara states in the book that “If it weren’t for the drug test, I might have stopped looking
3. When her waitressing job gets tough one day, she just walks out. Quits on the spot. This might just be a function of editing in that her 30 days was up. I can’t just quit when my project blows up, welcome to the real world. (I’m hoping this didn’t really happen and she went back in there to finish the day.)
4. Barbara has a rental car in each city. Her paychecks only have to pay for rent, food and gas I think. When she gets a rash on her arms (probably from the chemicals she uses as a maid) she calls her dermatologist at home to get a prescription. Granted, I don’t want her arms to fall off, but if she was true to character, she would have to miss a few hours at work and go to the doctor and then buy medication all without insurance probably. She admits (on her blog) that she took the easy road here.
5. The book does do a good job of outlining some of the “tricks” these companies perform to get you in the door as an employee without even a chance to negotiate pay, work schedules etc. These items which we all think about are really glossed over in many of the application processes of unskilled jobs, which is unfair.
It was an easy read, but as I mentioned I felt short changed. If you’d like to read it, I’ll let you borrow my copy.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Not Guilty
Dad and Rob proudly display their second place trophy at the boat race in Cambridge, MD in September 2006. This was the 8th season for Not Guilty.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Buying the Right Vacuum
Product Review: Bissell Lift Off Revolution Pet
I was in the market to buy a new vacuum cleaner and I didn't want just any vacuum. I wanted one that works and works well, especially on very long cat hair. I have two Maine-coon like cats and vacuuming is a job we take very seriously in the household. It's the one chore we do regularly (besides cleaning the bathrooms.)
We had two vacuums and one stopped working about a month ago. I contemplated getting the Dyson Animal, however at $500 a punch (and I don't care how much you save by not replacing filters) I thought that was a bit steep. However, if I were assured greatness, I was willing to splurge. There were several positive reviews on amazon and epinions, however the one major draw back was that it didn't always work on different types of area rugs. I have 3 area rugs, so this was an important thing. I decided to go to +++++ and see what else I could find that might not be as great as the Dyson, but also wouldn't cost me so much money.
I checked out the Hoovers, the Eurekas, the Dysons and I found a Bissell in a big box that was plastered with a large picture of a sheepdog head. It comes equipped with The Turbo Pet Brush, especially for houses with animals. A sucker for a cute face, the sheep dog sold me. It must be the perfect tool I need to keep my carpet hair and dander free.
Style: It's a very pretty royal blue. It's pretty heavy though. I read lots of review with people complaining about vacuum weights and thought these people were just complainers, but it's definitely noticeable when a vacuum has extra weight.
Ease of Use: It was easy to put together out of the box but that is where things went downhill. Just pushing it around on regular wall to wall carpet is easy enough. Nothing noteworthy here. The problem becomes when I try to use the attachments. The flexible tube that you detach is way too short and doesn't give you much room to do anything. The Bissell's solution to this is that the canister detaches from the base unit. This is handy for steps and other things, but you would think it would be fine as is to just do the sofas. This is the hardest job with the vacuum.
The Turbo Pet Brush: Tried vacuuming the cat tree. Took 60 seconds for the brush to stop working. I admit our cat tree is pretty thick with hair, but it was worthless. It took me so long to do the sofas last weekend (after unclogging the brush) that I wasn't sure the brush had any suction. The hose extender thing also has a locking mechanism which is weird and doesn't really lock into place. Between that and the unflexible vacuum hose, I was not happy.
I did a test tonight. I broke a pretzel on my sofa to see if the Turbo brush had any suction. It blew some of it away but it did pick it up. I had to make sure it still worked and thought this would be an easy test.
I'm still not sure that the vacuum picks everything up versus just moving it around and I'm constantly pulling the hair out of the main rotating brush. After reading the Internet reviews where everyone was astounded by how much it picked up, I was expecting more. Now I think those people just never vacuumed and I do a better job cleaning then I think. The canister (it's a bagless!) is pretty small and easy to use, but never came close to filling which is surprising.
I do think overall it's better than the two vacuums I currently own (one that no longer works, although I think is just a loose wire and my old Eureka), however I think the sheepdog marketing is totally unworthy! The question is to return it, or suck it up and keep it.
Anybody else have this vacuum with opinions? Any thoughts on the Dyson? Let me know.
Rating: C+
I was in the market to buy a new vacuum cleaner and I didn't want just any vacuum. I wanted one that works and works well, especially on very long cat hair. I have two Maine-coon like cats and vacuuming is a job we take very seriously in the household. It's the one chore we do regularly (besides cleaning the bathrooms.)
We had two vacuums and one stopped working about a month ago. I contemplated getting the Dyson Animal, however at $500 a punch (and I don't care how much you save by not replacing filters) I thought that was a bit steep. However, if I were assured greatness, I was willing to splurge. There were several positive reviews on amazon and epinions, however the one major draw back was that it didn't always work on different types of area rugs. I have 3 area rugs, so this was an important thing. I decided to go to +++++ and see what else I could find that might not be as great as the Dyson, but also wouldn't cost me so much money.
I checked out the Hoovers, the Eurekas, the Dysons and I found a Bissell in a big box that was plastered with a large picture of a sheepdog head. It comes equipped with The Turbo Pet Brush, especially for houses with animals. A sucker for a cute face, the sheep dog sold me. It must be the perfect tool I need to keep my carpet hair and dander free.
Style: It's a very pretty royal blue. It's pretty heavy though. I read lots of review with people complaining about vacuum weights and thought these people were just complainers, but it's definitely noticeable when a vacuum has extra weight.
Ease of Use: It was easy to put together out of the box but that is where things went downhill. Just pushing it around on regular wall to wall carpet is easy enough. Nothing noteworthy here. The problem becomes when I try to use the attachments. The flexible tube that you detach is way too short and doesn't give you much room to do anything. The Bissell's solution to this is that the canister detaches from the base unit. This is handy for steps and other things, but you would think it would be fine as is to just do the sofas. This is the hardest job with the vacuum.
The Turbo Pet Brush: Tried vacuuming the cat tree. Took 60 seconds for the brush to stop working. I admit our cat tree is pretty thick with hair, but it was worthless. It took me so long to do the sofas last weekend (after unclogging the brush) that I wasn't sure the brush had any suction. The hose extender thing also has a locking mechanism which is weird and doesn't really lock into place. Between that and the unflexible vacuum hose, I was not happy.
I did a test tonight. I broke a pretzel on my sofa to see if the Turbo brush had any suction. It blew some of it away but it did pick it up. I had to make sure it still worked and thought this would be an easy test.
I'm still not sure that the vacuum picks everything up versus just moving it around and I'm constantly pulling the hair out of the main rotating brush. After reading the Internet reviews where everyone was astounded by how much it picked up, I was expecting more. Now I think those people just never vacuumed and I do a better job cleaning then I think. The canister (it's a bagless!) is pretty small and easy to use, but never came close to filling which is surprising.
I do think overall it's better than the two vacuums I currently own (one that no longer works, although I think is just a loose wire and my old Eureka), however I think the sheepdog marketing is totally unworthy! The question is to return it, or suck it up and keep it.
Anybody else have this vacuum with opinions? Any thoughts on the Dyson? Let me know.
Rating: C+
Busy weekend
Howdy,
It was generally a good weekend. Thursday night my in-laws flew in from San Antonio to spend the evening with us. They were in transit to a high school reunion up in Scranton on Friday and came back to spend Sunday afternoon into Monday with us. This was their first time to see the house and we always like entertaining! We had some good food and I (much to Sean's relief) turned on the heat this weekend since our basement gets pretty cold. Lonestar loves visitors and kept his eye on the Walshs' the entire time. Alamo on the other hand is 100% a Daddy's girl. I often remind her who buys her food and litter and veterinary attention but at the end ofthe day, she wants to be with Daddy. Luckily I'm a Daddy's girl too, so I understand.
Friday night I treated us to my favorite dishes... The Chick Fil A number 1 w/sweet tea, followed up by a Like It cup of Cake Batter ice cream from Cold Stone. It was wonderful. I went to hockey on Saturday and for the second time out of maybe 4 weeks, I came back with legitimate pain. Maybe I should learn my lesson and quit but I keep thinking with just a little more practice, I'll push through the injuries. But if I eat like I did Friday night, it's off to hockey I must go.
Three weeks ago I came home feeling fine after playing on a very soggy ground and after about 2 hours (and conveniently in the middle of our closet redesign job) I couldn't walk. At all. My ankle starting feeling sore but I went to Home Depot anyway. By the time I got back Sean had to carry me into the house to the sofa where I cried in throbbing pain. I hadn't rolled my ankle playing that I remembered, the pain came out of nowhere. I did what every self-respecting athlete does.... I asked Sean to get me some ice and the number for the urgent care place and then I called my Mom for sympathy and tried to coax Dad to come down and take care of the closet. In the end he offered to bring down the crutches but wasn't interested in our closet. After ice and heat, my ankle was fully restored and I was spared a visit to the hospital. My guess is that my achilles tendon "froze" and I needed the ice and heat to help me stretch it back out. That was pretty painful. Ironically before my game, Sean was gettingon my case about not stretching out enough. I'll learn.
This past Saturday I was feeling pretty good. I had missed the past two weekends because of funeral travel and a rain cancellation. But I put in a good stretch beforehand. Unfortunately stretching doesn't prepare you for when you get hit in the back of the hand by the hockey ball. Wow, that smarts. I put myself on the bench and whimpered. Luckily the girl who had gotten hit on the knee just a few minutes before was kind enough to share the ice. My hand is still swollen today and very bruised. And then I pulled a muscle near my hip and was limping around. Does anyone else have these issues when they exercise? I find myself making up excuses such as 'my legs must be different lengths.' It's just easier then admitting I'm weak.
It was generally a good weekend. Thursday night my in-laws flew in from San Antonio to spend the evening with us. They were in transit to a high school reunion up in Scranton on Friday and came back to spend Sunday afternoon into Monday with us. This was their first time to see the house and we always like entertaining! We had some good food and I (much to Sean's relief) turned on the heat this weekend since our basement gets pretty cold. Lonestar loves visitors and kept his eye on the Walshs' the entire time. Alamo on the other hand is 100% a Daddy's girl. I often remind her who buys her food and litter and veterinary attention but at the end ofthe day, she wants to be with Daddy. Luckily I'm a Daddy's girl too, so I understand.
Friday night I treated us to my favorite dishes... The Chick Fil A number 1 w/sweet tea, followed up by a Like It cup of Cake Batter ice cream from Cold Stone. It was wonderful. I went to hockey on Saturday and for the second time out of maybe 4 weeks, I came back with legitimate pain. Maybe I should learn my lesson and quit but I keep thinking with just a little more practice, I'll push through the injuries. But if I eat like I did Friday night, it's off to hockey I must go.
Three weeks ago I came home feeling fine after playing on a very soggy ground and after about 2 hours (and conveniently in the middle of our closet redesign job) I couldn't walk. At all. My ankle starting feeling sore but I went to Home Depot anyway. By the time I got back Sean had to carry me into the house to the sofa where I cried in throbbing pain. I hadn't rolled my ankle playing that I remembered, the pain came out of nowhere. I did what every self-respecting athlete does.... I asked Sean to get me some ice and the number for the urgent care place and then I called my Mom for sympathy and tried to coax Dad to come down and take care of the closet. In the end he offered to bring down the crutches but wasn't interested in our closet. After ice and heat, my ankle was fully restored and I was spared a visit to the hospital. My guess is that my achilles tendon "froze" and I needed the ice and heat to help me stretch it back out. That was pretty painful. Ironically before my game, Sean was gettingon my case about not stretching out enough. I'll learn.
This past Saturday I was feeling pretty good. I had missed the past two weekends because of funeral travel and a rain cancellation. But I put in a good stretch beforehand. Unfortunately stretching doesn't prepare you for when you get hit in the back of the hand by the hockey ball. Wow, that smarts. I put myself on the bench and whimpered. Luckily the girl who had gotten hit on the knee just a few minutes before was kind enough to share the ice. My hand is still swollen today and very bruised. And then I pulled a muscle near my hip and was limping around. Does anyone else have these issues when they exercise? I find myself making up excuses such as 'my legs must be different lengths.' It's just easier then admitting I'm weak.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Getting Fit
Hello. I've decided that before I release my blog out to the public, I should include a few more entries. I'll start today with a summary of what I've been up to.
It's not really new news, just reconfirmed that my cholesterol is a little higher than it should be. I think because I'm on the thin side, nobody is rushing to put me on daily medication which is nice. In order to avoid the meds, I decided it was time to try some other tactics. I could watch what I eat, but I'm not ready to give up the nightly ice cream or some of my other cravings. The primary thing I'm really missing is exercise. So I went looking for exercise that I would be interested in participating in. I need fun activities that help me stay motivated.
I joined the work co-ed softball team that plays on Tuesdays for a few weeks. Of course, we all know that softball isn't the best source of exercise, especially since I barely even get to run to first base, let alone past it! I usually play second base, but isn't really my strong point. We play down at the Washington mall by the monument which is cool, but we don't even have a real diamond to play on. The league is a bit too unstructured for me. It's almost over which is good because there aren't lights and we are losing evening light quickly here.
It's been 12 years since I've played field hockey as a high school sport and 10 years since I've played summer league. It's also been 10 years since I had seen my sticks which were at my parents house. But I decided to give it another go. I found a league that plays in Kensington, MD. I am playing Club hockey which isn't as demanding or competitive as association play. And that's a good thing. We are all divided into four teams and each Saturday each team plays two games in about 2 hours. I am a proud member of the Key Lime Green Team. I'm also a complete slacker. With no prior conditioning, each game is painful and I am appreciative each time a substitution is sent for me. In fact, it can't happen enough right now. And that's a huge thing to admit. In high school, bench time was an insult to me and I didn't really spend much time on the bench. Things have changed. Each week I get a little better but it's going to be a long road. The good news is, it's fun and I enjoy it. We play until the week before Thanksgiving and then I'll look for another league so I can keep improving my skills.
I thought one more activity was necessary and if possible, it could be something to do with a friend. So when Christy invited me to join her for a pole dancing class on Wednesday nights I thought why not? Pole dancing, which is not just for strippers anymore, is a very popular trend in the area. All types of women are trying it and raving about the experience. I prefer dancing on bars, but I thought this class might be helpful to my dance move repertoire. And the good news is, my very own pole can be purchased for about $300. Although this is tempting, I feel that if I can't do it right, I just won't do it at all. And my thought is, if I can't drill a hole into the floor so that I can travel by pole to the kitchen in the mornings without taking the steps, well, it just won't do. Would my homeowner's insurance need to go up to cover the pole?
I showed up for the first class not knowing what to expect. The class is up in Potomac, MD which is no easy feat during rush hour traffic. The class is in the basement of someone's house, probably to the chagrin of the upscale neighbors. Pole dancing is much harder than I could have even anticipated. I have no upper body strength and it was difficult. I tried my best, but I won't be quitting my day job. By the second week, I was able to hold myself up a little better and perform the spins. At the end of week 2, we started learning our routine. I have a hard time watching our instructor show us the moves with a straight face. I cannot take this seriously. I've completed week 3 and one thing that I do take seriously... the tingling numbness in my right arm. It recently started and I have figured out that the pain-like feeling started with this class. I think I have to exert so much energy to hold myself up and spin that my arm is stressed out. But, hey, what's a little numbness for a new skill?
And if all this doesn't work, I bought an exercise bike from amazon which arrived yesterday. We'll put it together this weekend. Stay tuned for the product review! Let's all hope these activities help lower my cholesterol. I'm not sure what other activities are out there for me, although I suspect yoga might be a good, safe alternative.
As far as other things go, all is well. The house is coming along and we are debating what rooms to paint if any, what color, what style, above the molding, below the molding, two colors, accent walls only? Lots of decisions. Sean and I are pleased with how the house looks and will spend quite a few upcoming weekends with projects. The cats are doing great too. That's the latest update!
It's not really new news, just reconfirmed that my cholesterol is a little higher than it should be. I think because I'm on the thin side, nobody is rushing to put me on daily medication which is nice. In order to avoid the meds, I decided it was time to try some other tactics. I could watch what I eat, but I'm not ready to give up the nightly ice cream or some of my other cravings. The primary thing I'm really missing is exercise. So I went looking for exercise that I would be interested in participating in. I need fun activities that help me stay motivated.
I joined the work co-ed softball team that plays on Tuesdays for a few weeks. Of course, we all know that softball isn't the best source of exercise, especially since I barely even get to run to first base, let alone past it! I usually play second base, but isn't really my strong point. We play down at the Washington mall by the monument which is cool, but we don't even have a real diamond to play on. The league is a bit too unstructured for me. It's almost over which is good because there aren't lights and we are losing evening light quickly here.
It's been 12 years since I've played field hockey as a high school sport and 10 years since I've played summer league. It's also been 10 years since I had seen my sticks which were at my parents house. But I decided to give it another go. I found a league that plays in Kensington, MD. I am playing Club hockey which isn't as demanding or competitive as association play. And that's a good thing. We are all divided into four teams and each Saturday each team plays two games in about 2 hours. I am a proud member of the Key Lime Green Team. I'm also a complete slacker. With no prior conditioning, each game is painful and I am appreciative each time a substitution is sent for me. In fact, it can't happen enough right now. And that's a huge thing to admit. In high school, bench time was an insult to me and I didn't really spend much time on the bench. Things have changed. Each week I get a little better but it's going to be a long road. The good news is, it's fun and I enjoy it. We play until the week before Thanksgiving and then I'll look for another league so I can keep improving my skills.
I thought one more activity was necessary and if possible, it could be something to do with a friend. So when Christy invited me to join her for a pole dancing class on Wednesday nights I thought why not? Pole dancing, which is not just for strippers anymore, is a very popular trend in the area. All types of women are trying it and raving about the experience. I prefer dancing on bars, but I thought this class might be helpful to my dance move repertoire. And the good news is, my very own pole can be purchased for about $300. Although this is tempting, I feel that if I can't do it right, I just won't do it at all. And my thought is, if I can't drill a hole into the floor so that I can travel by pole to the kitchen in the mornings without taking the steps, well, it just won't do. Would my homeowner's insurance need to go up to cover the pole?
I showed up for the first class not knowing what to expect. The class is up in Potomac, MD which is no easy feat during rush hour traffic. The class is in the basement of someone's house, probably to the chagrin of the upscale neighbors. Pole dancing is much harder than I could have even anticipated. I have no upper body strength and it was difficult. I tried my best, but I won't be quitting my day job. By the second week, I was able to hold myself up a little better and perform the spins. At the end of week 2, we started learning our routine. I have a hard time watching our instructor show us the moves with a straight face. I cannot take this seriously. I've completed week 3 and one thing that I do take seriously... the tingling numbness in my right arm. It recently started and I have figured out that the pain-like feeling started with this class. I think I have to exert so much energy to hold myself up and spin that my arm is stressed out. But, hey, what's a little numbness for a new skill?
And if all this doesn't work, I bought an exercise bike from amazon which arrived yesterday. We'll put it together this weekend. Stay tuned for the product review! Let's all hope these activities help lower my cholesterol. I'm not sure what other activities are out there for me, although I suspect yoga might be a good, safe alternative.
As far as other things go, all is well. The house is coming along and we are debating what rooms to paint if any, what color, what style, above the molding, below the molding, two colors, accent walls only? Lots of decisions. Sean and I are pleased with how the house looks and will spend quite a few upcoming weekends with projects. The cats are doing great too. That's the latest update!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
My First Blog
Greetings everyone. Welcome to THE WALSHINGTON POST.
Isn’t that clever? I know it’s time to start a blog because I finally found a name for it! I was hoping my “new” last name would send some Irish luck my way. This blog is another means to stay in touch with family and friends near and far as well as it prods me to find interesting things to do so I can write about them. Please be aware that I sometimes feel inspired by things that will not appeal to the greater masses, however I’ve just got to let it out.
This blog will serve as a posting board of family news, life updates, random thoughts, essays, book reviews, consumer product reviews, vacation summaries and more. Please check back frequently as it will be my goal to post at least once a week.
Please be sure to leave comments or email me directly, however do keep in mind this is a public forum that is shared with family and friends and maybe the occasional stranger.
Please refrain from:
-Derogatory comments
-Insults (the writer is sensitive)
-Curse words
-Inappropriate comments that make the writer and her contacts look bad.
You get the picture. Thanks and Let's Blog!
Isn’t that clever? I know it’s time to start a blog because I finally found a name for it! I was hoping my “new” last name would send some Irish luck my way. This blog is another means to stay in touch with family and friends near and far as well as it prods me to find interesting things to do so I can write about them. Please be aware that I sometimes feel inspired by things that will not appeal to the greater masses, however I’ve just got to let it out.
This blog will serve as a posting board of family news, life updates, random thoughts, essays, book reviews, consumer product reviews, vacation summaries and more. Please check back frequently as it will be my goal to post at least once a week.
Please be sure to leave comments or email me directly, however do keep in mind this is a public forum that is shared with family and friends and maybe the occasional stranger.
Please refrain from:
-Derogatory comments
-Insults (the writer is sensitive)
-Curse words
-Inappropriate comments that make the writer and her contacts look bad.
You get the picture. Thanks and Let's Blog!
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