I decided to swing by the gas station to buy a coffee and a ticket to freedom this morning. (Yes, I felt like white trash buying a lotto ticket, but hey ... for $220 million I'll just be white trash) This particular gas station is pretty busy in the morning, so I'm always careful to park at the edge of the parking lot so that it isn't a hassle to back out. I tell you that, so that you'll understand that when I am walking to my car (alone) I am somewhat vulnerable as I am on the very edge of the parking lot.
So as I'm walking to my car, minding my own business, this man is standing by his truck and starts talking to me. He was clearly trying to ask me something and I'm not even sure what he needed because I brushed him off (politely) by saying "no ... sorry" and basically ran to my car. I HATE that feeling!! I realize that there is a good chance he was harmless, but I don't understand why he would select ME to talk to out of all the other people in the parking lot. Furthermore, if he really needed something legitimate, why couldn't he go inside?
What bothers me most is that he only tried to talk to me. I saw about 3 other people walking in his general direction (after I was safely to my car) and he didn't try to talk to any of them. Those people happened to be middle-aged men. I'm sure I was profiled because I'm a young woman. Now, this man could have been legitimate - I'll never know for sure. But because this is something that happens to me often, I don't take the chance. I do try not to be rude, but I also don't ever put myself in a bad situation by stopping and listening to their plight and I most certainly never reach into my wallet to give any money.
Does this ever happen to anyone else? Please say I'm not the only one.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Waterboarding Out .... IPS In
There has been so much media-hype over these enhanced interrogation techniques put in place by the Bush administration. I've heard the term 'waterboarding' several times and didn't really understand exactly what it meant. So I just looked it up on wikipedia and I think what I endured yesterday is a hundred times worse than that ....
An orthodontist visit.
I'm dead serious. If we really want these terrorists to start talking (and we don't, as evidenced by Obama's stance on these interrogation methods) then all we really need to do is send them to my orthodontist! After five minutes in his chair, those clowns will be singing like canaries!
The procedure I had done was called IPS. I'm not sure what that stands for exactly but the way it was explained to me is that he needed to polish between two of my upper teeth to create room for them to move and align corectly. Based on that definition, I thought they were basically just going to use that scraper thing that the dentist uses. Sounds pretty harmless, right?
WRONG.
Immediatley when I sit in the chair, the hygenist starts putting together this saw-looking contraption. A little scary, but I also saw the scraper tools on the tray so I figured the saw wasn't even for me. I was wrong again. When Dr. Williams finally got to me, he checked my teeth quickly and started in with the saw.
A SAW.
BETWEEN MY TEETH.
This was certainly uncomfortable and of course I had concerns about what if his hand slips, etc but it wasn't really that big of a deal. When he finished I breathed a little sigh of relief, thinking that I was done. Nope! He then pulls out this little metal strip. Think dental floss, but thicker. And made out of metal. He scraped that thing between my teeth several times and it HURT. LIKE. HELL. My man even drew blood! My gums are still sore today.
I let him know how torturous this procedure was, and he acted like he understood but I got the feeling he's never really endured it. I go back to the ortho in August and if they tell me that they are doing that IPS thing again I'm going to quit. My teeth are straight enough and I can't take another round of that torture, thankyouverylittle!
An orthodontist visit.
I'm dead serious. If we really want these terrorists to start talking (and we don't, as evidenced by Obama's stance on these interrogation methods) then all we really need to do is send them to my orthodontist! After five minutes in his chair, those clowns will be singing like canaries!
The procedure I had done was called IPS. I'm not sure what that stands for exactly but the way it was explained to me is that he needed to polish between two of my upper teeth to create room for them to move and align corectly. Based on that definition, I thought they were basically just going to use that scraper thing that the dentist uses. Sounds pretty harmless, right?
WRONG.
Immediatley when I sit in the chair, the hygenist starts putting together this saw-looking contraption. A little scary, but I also saw the scraper tools on the tray so I figured the saw wasn't even for me. I was wrong again. When Dr. Williams finally got to me, he checked my teeth quickly and started in with the saw.
A SAW.
BETWEEN MY TEETH.
This was certainly uncomfortable and of course I had concerns about what if his hand slips, etc but it wasn't really that big of a deal. When he finished I breathed a little sigh of relief, thinking that I was done. Nope! He then pulls out this little metal strip. Think dental floss, but thicker. And made out of metal. He scraped that thing between my teeth several times and it HURT. LIKE. HELL. My man even drew blood! My gums are still sore today.
I let him know how torturous this procedure was, and he acted like he understood but I got the feeling he's never really endured it. I go back to the ortho in August and if they tell me that they are doing that IPS thing again I'm going to quit. My teeth are straight enough and I can't take another round of that torture, thankyouverylittle!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Finally
Remember how I reported a few weeks ago that I was in the midst of a huge closet clean out? Well, after about 3 weeks I have finally finished the job! It was quite overwhelming. Our master closet is typically the place where we just kinda 'throw' things so it gets pretty messy. As much as I would like to blame Ben for the mess in our closet, its just as much me as it is him. Anyway, here are before and after photos. Can you believe the difference a good spring cleaning makes?? Oh! And as a bonus ... I'm throwing lots of stuff out so there should be a good What Not to Wear post in your near future :)
Oh, and the BEST thing about cleaning out my closet? I found 2 brand-new pairs of summer shoes that I don't even remember buying. Sweeeeet! Here a picture of one of the pairs:
New topic now. Man vs. Wild. Did anyone else hear that Will Ferrell is filming an episode with Bear Grylls? AWE. SOME. Ben and I both love this show despite all the allegations of him sleeping in hotels and staging certain scenes. No doubt he stages stuff. And frankly, I wouldn't spend the night in a forest full of bears either. The man still drinks his own urine and eats bear droppings. He's pretty tough! I'm not sure how Bear got hooked up with Will Ferrell. Will doesn't strike me as the type to do hard-core stuff like climbing waterfalls and eating puff adders but I think we'll definitely put it on the DVR list anyway!Last new topic .... my desk chair at work has been sitting at the perfect height for a midget for the past several days. (Not sure why it was adjusted) And I've JUST NOW figured out how to raise it! Yaay! I feel like a brand new person now.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Weekend Recap
Ben and I had been planning to spend this past weekend up at the lake for several weeks now. When the warm weather finally rolls around, he knows that the only place I ever want to be on the weekends is the lake. So that's just what we did!
He went fishing with people from his work on Friday afternoon/evening. Things have been pretty stressful at his office (hello: shitty economy!) for the last few months so the owner organized this fishing excursion just to lighten the mood a bit. He spent several hours outside Friday afternoon, meaning he got a head start on me in the tanning contest. (Yes, we're 30 and still ruining our skin by tanning) He also caught lots of fish.
So he claims. (Ben, if you email me your pictures I will post them and you can prove yourself!)
Anyway, we headed up to Lake Hartwell late Friday night and were both so tired from the week that we passed out immediately! We got up Saturday and had breakfast and immediately went out to the dock. The weather was fabulous -- a nice breeze in the morning made it easy to lay out and get some much-needed sunshine. We rode the jet-skis for a while and just explored the lake. The lake has been really low the past year, so it is good to finally see the water levels coming back up. Anyway, we finished our ride and parked the jet-skis.
Somehow, when Ben parked his, he was attacked by ants! Weird, huh? Somehow I guess they had build a nest on the Sea Doo platform and they sprayed up on him when he parked. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal when you're reading it, but he seriously had about 100 bites!
Once we got inside, Ben was in a cold sweat from getting bit so much, so I had to give him a benadryl! I then rushed him to hurry up and grill our hot dogs for lunch so we could eat before he knocked out. We grilled and then I returned to the dock for the afternoon while Ben slept off his ant bites. After he woke up from his nap, Ben went out and fished a little bit in the cove before dinner.
We went to one of our favorite local restaurants for dinner that night and were disappointed to find that they had a 'special' menu which was terribly inferior to their regular menu. Oh well, we at least enjoyed a few drinks even if our food wasn't any good.
That is about all I have for you today. It was a good weekend, where Ben and I got to hang out and relax. We definitely needed the break as we spend so many weekends "on the go" these days!
Writing this post pretty much put me to sleep ... I promise I'll think of something more exciting to tell you tomorrow!
He went fishing with people from his work on Friday afternoon/evening. Things have been pretty stressful at his office (hello: shitty economy!) for the last few months so the owner organized this fishing excursion just to lighten the mood a bit. He spent several hours outside Friday afternoon, meaning he got a head start on me in the tanning contest. (Yes, we're 30 and still ruining our skin by tanning) He also caught lots of fish.
So he claims. (Ben, if you email me your pictures I will post them and you can prove yourself!)
Anyway, we headed up to Lake Hartwell late Friday night and were both so tired from the week that we passed out immediately! We got up Saturday and had breakfast and immediately went out to the dock. The weather was fabulous -- a nice breeze in the morning made it easy to lay out and get some much-needed sunshine. We rode the jet-skis for a while and just explored the lake. The lake has been really low the past year, so it is good to finally see the water levels coming back up. Anyway, we finished our ride and parked the jet-skis.
Somehow, when Ben parked his, he was attacked by ants! Weird, huh? Somehow I guess they had build a nest on the Sea Doo platform and they sprayed up on him when he parked. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal when you're reading it, but he seriously had about 100 bites!
Once we got inside, Ben was in a cold sweat from getting bit so much, so I had to give him a benadryl! I then rushed him to hurry up and grill our hot dogs for lunch so we could eat before he knocked out. We grilled and then I returned to the dock for the afternoon while Ben slept off his ant bites. After he woke up from his nap, Ben went out and fished a little bit in the cove before dinner.
We went to one of our favorite local restaurants for dinner that night and were disappointed to find that they had a 'special' menu which was terribly inferior to their regular menu. Oh well, we at least enjoyed a few drinks even if our food wasn't any good.
That is about all I have for you today. It was a good weekend, where Ben and I got to hang out and relax. We definitely needed the break as we spend so many weekends "on the go" these days!
Writing this post pretty much put me to sleep ... I promise I'll think of something more exciting to tell you tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Miss California Controversy
I heard a little blip about this on the news the other day, and then a friend told me the whole story of the Miss California controversy. I did a little research into the facts behind the controversy and really feel that the whole thing was unfair. (I hate that word, but its the best way to describe how I feel about it)
At the Miss USA pageant on Sunday night, Miss California was asked a question by one of the judges, Perez Hilton. Immediately after it was revealed that Miss California had drawn Perez's question, one of the commentators said "are we worried?"
Perez's response: "you should be"
And then he delivers his question: "Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Her response: "I think its great Americans are able to choose one way or another. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised, and that's how I think it should be -- between a man and a woman."
Now, I'm not writing this in order to spark a debate over gay marriage. Don't even go there.
The problem I have with this? Perez Hilton. Perez may be more polarizing than Jesse Jackson. So why was he chosen as a judge? Because the pageant owner (Trump) knew he would ask controversial questions which would ensure media coverage and debate.
Secondly, Miss California had no choice but to respond controversially. Had she said that she believes all states should legalize gay marriage, she would have been criticized by conservative groups out there. Her other choice was to state that she did not believe states should legalize gay marriage. And now, of course she is being slaughtered by the media. It was virtually impossible for her to give a middle-ground response.
Shortly after the pageant aired, Perez Hilton posted a video blog. He stated that Miss Prejean's response was "THE worst response in pageant history". He then went on to say that she lost because she was a "dumb bitch". I will give him credit in that he went on to explain what would have been a better answer. But the answer he suggested? It didn't answer the question he had posed. Furthermore, as a judge of the pageant he really should not speak out for or against any of the contestants.
I feel that Miss California was treated unfairly. She was a victim of Trump's love of media-controversy and Perez Hilton's desire to be a #1 you tube or google search. What are your thoughts?
At the Miss USA pageant on Sunday night, Miss California was asked a question by one of the judges, Perez Hilton. Immediately after it was revealed that Miss California had drawn Perez's question, one of the commentators said "are we worried?"
Perez's response: "you should be"
And then he delivers his question: "Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Her response: "I think its great Americans are able to choose one way or another. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised, and that's how I think it should be -- between a man and a woman."
Now, I'm not writing this in order to spark a debate over gay marriage. Don't even go there.
The problem I have with this? Perez Hilton. Perez may be more polarizing than Jesse Jackson. So why was he chosen as a judge? Because the pageant owner (Trump) knew he would ask controversial questions which would ensure media coverage and debate.
Secondly, Miss California had no choice but to respond controversially. Had she said that she believes all states should legalize gay marriage, she would have been criticized by conservative groups out there. Her other choice was to state that she did not believe states should legalize gay marriage. And now, of course she is being slaughtered by the media. It was virtually impossible for her to give a middle-ground response.
Shortly after the pageant aired, Perez Hilton posted a video blog. He stated that Miss Prejean's response was "THE worst response in pageant history". He then went on to say that she lost because she was a "dumb bitch". I will give him credit in that he went on to explain what would have been a better answer. But the answer he suggested? It didn't answer the question he had posed. Furthermore, as a judge of the pageant he really should not speak out for or against any of the contestants.
I feel that Miss California was treated unfairly. She was a victim of Trump's love of media-controversy and Perez Hilton's desire to be a #1 you tube or google search. What are your thoughts?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Redundant
This isn't the greatest quality photo, but I think you get the point ....
Am I the only person who thinks this is too much? So you want to put a 'G' sticker in your back window -- no problem! You're a proud UGA fan, I get it. And hey, I can even understand why you might put the 'UGA Alumni' border around your license tag. Someone probably gave it to you as a gift after you already had the 'G' sticker on your back windshield, but you put it up so that you didn't hurt anyone's feelings. But do yourself a favor and stop there.
Am I the only person who thinks this is too much? So you want to put a 'G' sticker in your back window -- no problem! You're a proud UGA fan, I get it. And hey, I can even understand why you might put the 'UGA Alumni' border around your license tag. Someone probably gave it to you as a gift after you already had the 'G' sticker on your back windshield, but you put it up so that you didn't hurt anyone's feelings. But do yourself a favor and stop there.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
April Faves
I have a little (semi-annoying) housekeeping item to talk about before I get into this month's favorite products. You see those google ads over there on the right hand side of this page? Those ads support my love of blogging, so if you'll just throw me a bone and click on those when you visit my blog that would be fantastic! If yall start clicking, I'll maybe be able to do more frequent "favorites" posts. (I'm sure I'll do them regardless ... but just click!!)
Sorry for that -- I know it is annoying.
Okay, so I haven't done a 'favorites' post in a couple of months now so this is long overdue. I have been blogging about more serious topics (mainly because someone accused me of being 'overcome by consumerism') but now I think its time to switch it up! These are some of my most recent discoveries.
Tide Total Care
I think I've mentioned this before, but I am a total sucker to a good ad campaign. Tide claims that washing your clothes with their Total Care product will help to prevent your clothing against the 7 signs of aging. I have mixed emotions on that, but mostly I believe that P&G invented a new formula which allows slightly higher profit margins than the rest of their line and the marketing department decided to come up with a convincing ad campaign so they could sell it. I needed detergent, so I of course picked up a bottle.
I can't and won't speak to their claim that it protects clothes against aging. Maybe that is true, maybe it isn't. But the stuff SMELLS FANTASTIC! It honestly doesn't smell all that great in the container, but once you pull your clothes out of the wash .... ahhhh! So fresh and so clean.
Thomas Strawberry Bagels
These were a bit of an impulse purchase the other day at the grocery store, but definitely a good one! I haven't noticed these before so they may or may not be new but they are delicious! I toasted one this morning and put a little cream cheese on top ... they were fabulous.
Crest Pro-Health Night Toothpaste
Mamacita recommended this one to me. At first I was skeptical because I am a stickler for making sure that any toothpaste I use has the ADA seal of approval and sometimes these 'weird' toothpastes do not (even if they are Crest or Colgate). Anyway, I tried it and it is great! It has these little notsurewhattocallthem bubbles in with the paste that kinda massage your gums and really scrub your teeth. You really do get that just-left-the-dentist clean feeling after using it! I'm not quite sure why it is recommended for night use, but I use it day or night.
Coffee-Mate Italian Sweet Cream
Another one my mom introduced me to! (She's a savvy shopper, I tell you) If you are like me and like your coffee sweetened with a little flavored cream, this is a must try! I don't think it comes sugar free or fat free, but I promise its worth it.
And don't forget .... click on my ads!!
Sorry for that -- I know it is annoying.
Okay, so I haven't done a 'favorites' post in a couple of months now so this is long overdue. I have been blogging about more serious topics (mainly because someone accused me of being 'overcome by consumerism') but now I think its time to switch it up! These are some of my most recent discoveries.
Tide Total Care
I think I've mentioned this before, but I am a total sucker to a good ad campaign. Tide claims that washing your clothes with their Total Care product will help to prevent your clothing against the 7 signs of aging. I have mixed emotions on that, but mostly I believe that P&G invented a new formula which allows slightly higher profit margins than the rest of their line and the marketing department decided to come up with a convincing ad campaign so they could sell it. I needed detergent, so I of course picked up a bottle.
I can't and won't speak to their claim that it protects clothes against aging. Maybe that is true, maybe it isn't. But the stuff SMELLS FANTASTIC! It honestly doesn't smell all that great in the container, but once you pull your clothes out of the wash .... ahhhh! So fresh and so clean.
Thomas Strawberry Bagels
These were a bit of an impulse purchase the other day at the grocery store, but definitely a good one! I haven't noticed these before so they may or may not be new but they are delicious! I toasted one this morning and put a little cream cheese on top ... they were fabulous.
Crest Pro-Health Night Toothpaste
Mamacita recommended this one to me. At first I was skeptical because I am a stickler for making sure that any toothpaste I use has the ADA seal of approval and sometimes these 'weird' toothpastes do not (even if they are Crest or Colgate). Anyway, I tried it and it is great! It has these little notsurewhattocallthem bubbles in with the paste that kinda massage your gums and really scrub your teeth. You really do get that just-left-the-dentist clean feeling after using it! I'm not quite sure why it is recommended for night use, but I use it day or night.
Coffee-Mate Italian Sweet Cream
Another one my mom introduced me to! (She's a savvy shopper, I tell you) If you are like me and like your coffee sweetened with a little flavored cream, this is a must try! I don't think it comes sugar free or fat free, but I promise its worth it.
And don't forget .... click on my ads!!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Update
This is just too good not to share! Remember my post the other day about the cigar dude wanting to use my picture in some photo group?
This was his message to me:
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called The Beauty of a smoking Woman, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
I clicked "no thanks" and responded to him in my comments section:
I'm sorry Stefgauloises ... I don't know that the person in this picture with me would approve so I had to decline your request
His response:
awww.. so sorry Katie.. but thank you anyway ;-))
all the best from germany
Stef ;-)==~~
Easy out, right? So then of course I created the starred out picture to put it on my blog. Well since I did that through a Flickr program, it saved the new photo in Flickr. I thought nothing of it.
Then I get another message on the newly saved picture:
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called The Beauty of a smoking Woman, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Since he was so persistent, it really did make me a little curious. I tried to click into the link he put to his gallery but that group was private. Of course that wierded me out, so I just went into this person's public photo stream. It wasn't anything terrible but still strange -- lots of women smoking very provocatavley. All of the photos were posed and looked like professional shots. The photo that he asked me about? Completley a novelty picture. So I really don't understand why he wanted my picture so badly.
BUT
Against my better judgement, I responded to him:
Can I have permission to view the other photos in this group before I agree?
I don't mean to be weird, but I'm just curious as to what I'm agreeing to!
The response:
sure Katie....i would like to invite you to join "The Beauty of a smoking Woman" but i only can send you an invite to join my group when you add me as a contact or friend...the flickr police forced me to make this group private and so i only can invite contacts or friends..... means people who have me on their contact and friends list....
i hope you understand.. i am so sorry for this trouble
Unfourtch for me, I had already clicked on the email to view his group before I saw this message on my Flickr account.
I didn't ever even get into looking at his photos because I read some of the information on his group site and it was just ... EW.
FILTHY.
So, it is a fetish site. I had a bad feeling about it from the very first message but I really didn't think it was going to be something sooooo drastic. I really just thought it was some dude who liked smoking pictures. I mean that was totally plausable in my mind -- some people like pictures of kittens, cars, and all different things. Oh well. Live and learn, right? Needless to say I told him that I was a fairly conservative person and would prefer that he did not use my image in his group.
This was his message to me:
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called The Beauty of a smoking Woman, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
I clicked "no thanks" and responded to him in my comments section:
I'm sorry Stefgauloises ... I don't know that the person in this picture with me would approve so I had to decline your request
His response:
awww.. so sorry Katie.. but thank you anyway ;-))
all the best from germany
Stef ;-)==~~
Easy out, right? So then of course I created the starred out picture to put it on my blog. Well since I did that through a Flickr program, it saved the new photo in Flickr. I thought nothing of it.
Then I get another message on the newly saved picture:
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called The Beauty of a smoking Woman, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Since he was so persistent, it really did make me a little curious. I tried to click into the link he put to his gallery but that group was private. Of course that wierded me out, so I just went into this person's public photo stream. It wasn't anything terrible but still strange -- lots of women smoking very provocatavley. All of the photos were posed and looked like professional shots. The photo that he asked me about? Completley a novelty picture. So I really don't understand why he wanted my picture so badly.
BUT
Against my better judgement, I responded to him:
Can I have permission to view the other photos in this group before I agree?
I don't mean to be weird, but I'm just curious as to what I'm agreeing to!
The response:
sure Katie....i would like to invite you to join "The Beauty of a smoking Woman" but i only can send you an invite to join my group when you add me as a contact or friend...the flickr police forced me to make this group private and so i only can invite contacts or friends..... means people who have me on their contact and friends list....
i hope you understand.. i am so sorry for this trouble
Unfourtch for me, I had already clicked on the email to view his group before I saw this message on my Flickr account.
I didn't ever even get into looking at his photos because I read some of the information on his group site and it was just ... EW.
FILTHY.
So, it is a fetish site. I had a bad feeling about it from the very first message but I really didn't think it was going to be something sooooo drastic. I really just thought it was some dude who liked smoking pictures. I mean that was totally plausable in my mind -- some people like pictures of kittens, cars, and all different things. Oh well. Live and learn, right? Needless to say I told him that I was a fairly conservative person and would prefer that he did not use my image in his group.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Growing Up Is Hard
I'm going to blog about something that I told myself I wouldn't. I wasn't going to discuss this on my blog because I frankly don't like to tell people about (major) things that I am doing, but rather things that I have done or accomplished. However, this is what is going on in the Longmire household right now and I'm conflicted about it, so really seems like perfect blog material. Also, if you have any related experiences or knowledge, I would love to hear your insight. (Because seriously, is there any better place to get your questions/concerns answered than on google or your blog?)
Ben and I met with a Realtor tonight - we're thinking of putting our condo on the market. Stupid? Probably. But we need a house. We need more room. We cannot stay in this condo forever and the market isn't going to get better. Interest rates are rock bottom right now and it seems like the best time to lock in at an attractive rate. Anyway, with trying to sell a property brings about so many questions.
The Realtor happens to be a really close friend of Ben's mother. So of course I think she's looking out for our best interests. But at the same time, there are questions to be considered. Of course my main concerns are how much should/can I negotiate her commission down? (Especially considering we are already going to have to take a loss AND we'll buy through her once we sell). Also, we don't quite see eye to eye on the listing price -- she thinks we should back into our bottom line number based on what we'll need as down payment on our next purchase while I'm more concerned with only taking a certain amount of a loss. Also, she has encouraged us to contact mortgage brokers and talk about pre-qualifying and how much down payment we'll need. I'm not worried about that yet. Is that not putting the cart before the horse?
This is all probably way too personal for me to put on my blog. But its what we are dealing with at the moment. I know others have been through it, so please ... give advice!
And also, I do realize there are people out there with much larger problems than this. I'm not that shallow. Like I mentioned earlier ... I'm just reporting on what is going on in my life!
Ben and I met with a Realtor tonight - we're thinking of putting our condo on the market. Stupid? Probably. But we need a house. We need more room. We cannot stay in this condo forever and the market isn't going to get better. Interest rates are rock bottom right now and it seems like the best time to lock in at an attractive rate. Anyway, with trying to sell a property brings about so many questions.
The Realtor happens to be a really close friend of Ben's mother. So of course I think she's looking out for our best interests. But at the same time, there are questions to be considered. Of course my main concerns are how much should/can I negotiate her commission down? (Especially considering we are already going to have to take a loss AND we'll buy through her once we sell). Also, we don't quite see eye to eye on the listing price -- she thinks we should back into our bottom line number based on what we'll need as down payment on our next purchase while I'm more concerned with only taking a certain amount of a loss. Also, she has encouraged us to contact mortgage brokers and talk about pre-qualifying and how much down payment we'll need. I'm not worried about that yet. Is that not putting the cart before the horse?
This is all probably way too personal for me to put on my blog. But its what we are dealing with at the moment. I know others have been through it, so please ... give advice!
And also, I do realize there are people out there with much larger problems than this. I'm not that shallow. Like I mentioned earlier ... I'm just reporting on what is going on in my life!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I'm not so sure about this whole internet thing
I have always stored my photos on these online galleries. I always thought it was the easiest place to upload and then later purchase my pictures. I have a CD somewhere for most of these pictures so I could get them back if it was ever necessary, but I really just like having them organized online. This was working pretty well for me until I realized that my photos were on several different sites. I switched around for various reasons -- usually because I wanted to buy product from one site that wasn't available on another. Or I liked certain formatting options on a different site better. Whatever the reason, the point is that my pictures were spread in various places.
In an effort to reduce the need for me to reduce the number of different usernames/passwords, I decided that I really needed to make the switch to one site. Now, I realize it makes sense to move everything to whatever site that I have the most on but that is Kodak photo gallery and I don't like it nearly as much as Picasa and Flickr. I decided that since I liked Flickr best, I would move everything over there. (And yes, I know this task will take me a year or longer) So I started.
For whatever reason, I uploaded some (not even close to all) of my pictures from my trip to Cuba 2 years ago. Totally legit, trip btw ... I still have proof that I had liscense to go in case Obama reads my blog and decides to give me hell about it. This was one of the pictures in that set:
The other girl's face wasn't blocked out on my flickr site, but I did this since I was posting it on my blog and she doesn't have any clue this blog exists. (I post pictures of friends and family that read my blog, but they can always tell me to take them down if they have concerns)
I logged onto my Flickr today and had a message from an administrator of some site/group called The Beauty of a Smoking Woman asking permission to add this photo to their set. I declined for various reasons, but it did get me thinking. I'm not so sure I like all this random stuff about me all over the internetz.
I know that I can make that photo private, and I can make my blog private but really once its online it is out there. Plus, I like for people to read my blog and look at my pictures. It is too late for me to go private at this point, and I really don't post or write anything that I would be all that embarassed about so there is no reason really.
I know I sound hypocritical, you don't need to tell me that. I'm just thinking out loud. On one hand, I enjoy blogging and putting my pictures out there but on the other you just never know if there is some creep lurking out there. I'm not saying that this Smoking Beauty person is a creep at all (because probably a creep wouldn't ask my permission) but this is just what got me to thinking.
I'm probably still going to add my photos up to Flickr. I may just make my profile private so that only friends and family can see. Not sure.
That's all.
In an effort to reduce the need for me to reduce the number of different usernames/passwords, I decided that I really needed to make the switch to one site. Now, I realize it makes sense to move everything to whatever site that I have the most on but that is Kodak photo gallery and I don't like it nearly as much as Picasa and Flickr. I decided that since I liked Flickr best, I would move everything over there. (And yes, I know this task will take me a year or longer) So I started.
For whatever reason, I uploaded some (not even close to all) of my pictures from my trip to Cuba 2 years ago. Totally legit, trip btw ... I still have proof that I had liscense to go in case Obama reads my blog and decides to give me hell about it. This was one of the pictures in that set:
The other girl's face wasn't blocked out on my flickr site, but I did this since I was posting it on my blog and she doesn't have any clue this blog exists. (I post pictures of friends and family that read my blog, but they can always tell me to take them down if they have concerns)I logged onto my Flickr today and had a message from an administrator of some site/group called The Beauty of a Smoking Woman asking permission to add this photo to their set. I declined for various reasons, but it did get me thinking. I'm not so sure I like all this random stuff about me all over the internetz.
I know that I can make that photo private, and I can make my blog private but really once its online it is out there. Plus, I like for people to read my blog and look at my pictures. It is too late for me to go private at this point, and I really don't post or write anything that I would be all that embarassed about so there is no reason really.
I know I sound hypocritical, you don't need to tell me that. I'm just thinking out loud. On one hand, I enjoy blogging and putting my pictures out there but on the other you just never know if there is some creep lurking out there. I'm not saying that this Smoking Beauty person is a creep at all (because probably a creep wouldn't ask my permission) but this is just what got me to thinking.
I'm probably still going to add my photos up to Flickr. I may just make my profile private so that only friends and family can see. Not sure.
That's all.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Randomness
Lots of random thoughts from yours truly today. I'm all over the place.
Ben and I went to Tennessee this weekend to visit his parents. It was a nice, relaxing weekend filled with shopping, golfing (for Ben), eating, and watching basketball. While Ben and his dad were playing golf on Saturday his mother and I went out shopping. I don't normally shop in J Crew too much, but we were at the mall on Saturday and had time to kill so I stopped in. I am LOVING their spring line! I guess the trend this spring is lots of feminine detail ... flowers, ruffles, etc. So stinkin' cute!
I'm not sure how this one would look on me, but I adore the Victorian collar and think I could (maybe) pull the look off.
Tracey bought this when I was visiting her in DC ... I absolutley love it but won't copy her!
This would be a great piece for this time of year! And the flowers make it springy.
The second thing I have to report is that I did find a pair of black flat sandals. Not thongs, but they are cute nonetheless. I can't find a picture of them online, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. OH! And I found the best deal on a pair of Kenneth Cole boots --- $16!! I won't be able to wear them until next winter, but for $16 it was so worth it.
I've heard a lot recently about McDonald's new coffees and lattes. I guess they are trying to beef up their coffee offering to compete with Starbucks. I've heard good things about their iced coffees and stuff so I figured it was worth a try. The verdict? Pretty good, but my experience wasn't very good due to the fact that I went to a McDonald's that was a little out of my way. Also, they didn't seem to understand the concept of making a latte with skim milk and no flavor added.
You remember how I posted a few weeks ago about my GOOP challenge? Well, evidently putting it on my blog for 'accountability' doesn't really seem to work out. Because I quit after 3 days. I have worked it into my regular 3-4 days/week workout routine though and think I'm much more apt to stick to it now. We'll see
Lastly, I've been inspired to do a serious closet clean up. Our closet is so overfull and is seriously messy. I'll post before and after photos, but since the before is super embarrassing you'll have to wait until I'm finished! I'm sure I'll come up with some good what not to wear ensembles as well.
Ben and I went to Tennessee this weekend to visit his parents. It was a nice, relaxing weekend filled with shopping, golfing (for Ben), eating, and watching basketball. While Ben and his dad were playing golf on Saturday his mother and I went out shopping. I don't normally shop in J Crew too much, but we were at the mall on Saturday and had time to kill so I stopped in. I am LOVING their spring line! I guess the trend this spring is lots of feminine detail ... flowers, ruffles, etc. So stinkin' cute!
I'm not sure how this one would look on me, but I adore the Victorian collar and think I could (maybe) pull the look off.Tracey bought this when I was visiting her in DC ... I absolutley love it but won't copy her! This would be a great piece for this time of year! And the flowers make it springy.
The second thing I have to report is that I did find a pair of black flat sandals. Not thongs, but they are cute nonetheless. I can't find a picture of them online, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. OH! And I found the best deal on a pair of Kenneth Cole boots --- $16!! I won't be able to wear them until next winter, but for $16 it was so worth it.
I've heard a lot recently about McDonald's new coffees and lattes. I guess they are trying to beef up their coffee offering to compete with Starbucks. I've heard good things about their iced coffees and stuff so I figured it was worth a try. The verdict? Pretty good, but my experience wasn't very good due to the fact that I went to a McDonald's that was a little out of my way. Also, they didn't seem to understand the concept of making a latte with skim milk and no flavor added.
You remember how I posted a few weeks ago about my GOOP challenge? Well, evidently putting it on my blog for 'accountability' doesn't really seem to work out. Because I quit after 3 days. I have worked it into my regular 3-4 days/week workout routine though and think I'm much more apt to stick to it now. We'll see
Lastly, I've been inspired to do a serious closet clean up. Our closet is so overfull and is seriously messy. I'll post before and after photos, but since the before is super embarrassing you'll have to wait until I'm finished! I'm sure I'll come up with some good what not to wear ensembles as well.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Sandals
I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair of flat black thong sandals for a few years now. I have this precise vision in my head of the ones that I want and of course I cannot find them anywhere. Since I'm getting old and must stop wearing heels every day of my existence, I am on a serious mission this spring!
I like these too. Especially the chunky rocks (or whatever they are) in the middle. I think these could actually be perfect because they can be worn dressed up or worn with a walking short or capris. Of course these are also a little bit price prohibitave.
I've found a few pairs on Zappos and DSW that I like. You tell me what you think
I like these, but what I have in mind is slightly more dressy. These may work but I'm not totally sold on them. I also wanted to avoid an ankle strap.
LOVE the simplicity of these puppies but of course I look at the price and they are $210. Yeah, probably not going to pay that for a sandal. Let's move along.
I like these too. Especially the chunky rocks (or whatever they are) in the middle. I think these could actually be perfect because they can be worn dressed up or worn with a walking short or capris. Of course these are also a little bit price prohibitave.
Don't mug on these, I know they're purple in this picture but I think they come in black. I'll admit that the flower on top isn't ideal but this is the style I'm looking for -- thong, not paper-thin sole, not sparkly, no ankle-strap, wide enough for my fat foot.
Those are basically my only options. Everything else is too gladiator-y (although I do love glads), too sparkly, too ugly, too flimsy, or too trashy. I just don't know what to do. After a 2 year search, it just doesn't seem like I'm going to ever find the perfect shoe.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The New 90210
I've been out of the blogosphere for about a week now. I have things to talk about, just haven't had time to really think through a post. Anyways. I'll try to be better.
Am I the only 20-something that watches 90210? I'm pretty certain that I'm not. Did anyone see last night's episode? WOW. That show has done a complete nosedive. Ben and I started watching it mainly because it was an escape and we've continued to watch simply because it is a trainwreck. Actually, trainwreck is an understatement when describing last night's episode.
If you don't appreciate spoilers and haven't watched last night, stop reading now.
Okay. So Silver was on my nerves the whole night. I liked her so much better when she was edgy and cool. She's turned downright annoying. Over the top. And you know Dixon was frustrated with her, but since she got that tattoo of his name he felt trapped. And WHAT IN THE WORLD was she thinking with that video? I mean, seriously. Girl is deranged. I have to admit that I didn't see that one coming. As if that wasn't bad enough, she had to go psycho light her videos on fire in Dixon's yard then break into Matthews' place? (BTW, does he live at Melrose Place? I think so) I guess she was just so pissed that Dixon broke up with her that she couldn't think logically. In my not-so-humble opinion the producers went a little over the top with Silver last night. They should have stopped with her Left Eye Lopesing Dixon's house.
Moving right along, let's talk about Annie now. She is annoying. That's all. And her expressions? SO OVER HER.
I actually like Namoi these days. The fact that she's doing the whole Dylan thing and living in a hotel due to a fallout with her parents is fun. Unrealistic? Sure. Formulaic? Absolutely. But still it makes for an entertaining storyline. Now enter bad boy, Liam, and we pretty much have a new Dylan in town. I'm just hoping the real Dylan McKay will show up.
Adrianna: She, like Naomi, has gotten much better over time. Obvi, she mellowed out since she's preggers but she's pretty much the most stable of all the main characters. She didn't have enough air time last night and neither did Navid. And while we're at it neither did Brenda, Kelly, or DONNA!!
I think I'm going to keep giving it a try. For at least a few more weeks. I'm crossing my fingers that Silver will downgrade from psycho to just weird, Annie will learn to act, and the show will focus more on Naomi, Adriana, and Kelly.
What are your thoughts?
Am I the only 20-something that watches 90210? I'm pretty certain that I'm not. Did anyone see last night's episode? WOW. That show has done a complete nosedive. Ben and I started watching it mainly because it was an escape and we've continued to watch simply because it is a trainwreck. Actually, trainwreck is an understatement when describing last night's episode.
If you don't appreciate spoilers and haven't watched last night, stop reading now.
Okay. So Silver was on my nerves the whole night. I liked her so much better when she was edgy and cool. She's turned downright annoying. Over the top. And you know Dixon was frustrated with her, but since she got that tattoo of his name he felt trapped. And WHAT IN THE WORLD was she thinking with that video? I mean, seriously. Girl is deranged. I have to admit that I didn't see that one coming. As if that wasn't bad enough, she had to go psycho light her videos on fire in Dixon's yard then break into Matthews' place? (BTW, does he live at Melrose Place? I think so) I guess she was just so pissed that Dixon broke up with her that she couldn't think logically. In my not-so-humble opinion the producers went a little over the top with Silver last night. They should have stopped with her Left Eye Lopesing Dixon's house.
Moving right along, let's talk about Annie now. She is annoying. That's all. And her expressions? SO OVER HER.
I actually like Namoi these days. The fact that she's doing the whole Dylan thing and living in a hotel due to a fallout with her parents is fun. Unrealistic? Sure. Formulaic? Absolutely. But still it makes for an entertaining storyline. Now enter bad boy, Liam, and we pretty much have a new Dylan in town. I'm just hoping the real Dylan McKay will show up.
Adrianna: She, like Naomi, has gotten much better over time. Obvi, she mellowed out since she's preggers but she's pretty much the most stable of all the main characters. She didn't have enough air time last night and neither did Navid. And while we're at it neither did Brenda, Kelly, or DONNA!!
I think I'm going to keep giving it a try. For at least a few more weeks. I'm crossing my fingers that Silver will downgrade from psycho to just weird, Annie will learn to act, and the show will focus more on Naomi, Adriana, and Kelly.
What are your thoughts?
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