old skool

Currently--November 2009

So the theme of this post is copied from the Lauren from Texas blog. She is an adorable little blogger whom I found through my bloggie buddy Chelsea at Roots and Rings. They know each other IRL and I'm kind of jealous...I don't know too many real life bloggers. Anyway, let's get down to it...

Current Book(s): This is going to be sad and pathetic. The main books that consume my life right now are Images of Organization, Reframing Organizations, and Essentials of Corporate Finance. Are you jealous? I thought you would be. I've also been making a more concerted effort to read my Bible. I'm not doing this in any type of organized fashion, but I would like to find a book of devotionals or some type of organized reading plan.

Current Playlist: Umm yeah. Don't really have one. I listen to Classic Rewind, the Highway, and Hits One on Sirius Satellite radio. I also sometimes listen to Pandora when I'm at work and one of my favorite stations is Ray Charles Radio (for serious). Also, I've recently discovered the music channels on my digital cable so sometimes I listen to the "meditate" channel while doing homework. It usually makes me sleepy though.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: The stupid "Sorority Life" game on Facebook. I want to stop but it's like I just can't. Plz help stat!

Current Color: I'm currently loving plum/purple/eggplant, as well as dark grey. Together or separate, the two are fab.

Current Drink: Per usual I have been drinking too much Sprite. I recently purchased some orange juice for the first time in a long time, and it was delicious. It made me wonder why I don't purchase it more often, but then I remembered it is because I forget about it and it goes bad.

Current Food: My eating habits have pretty much sucked lately, so we don't have to go into too much detail here! For dinner I ate spaghetti o's with meatballs. We'll leave it at that.

Current Favorite Show: My favorite shows, hands down, are Gossip Girl and The Office. This is mostly because these are the only shows I watch.

Current Wishlist: A new Blackberry or an iPhone. Pajama pants. New house slippers. Gap Curvy jeans in dark rinse size 6 short. I'm pretty easy to buy for, really :)

Current Needs: A Dunkin Donuts medium hazelnut coffee with cream and sugar that actually tastes like it has hazelnut syrup and cream and sugar. I've tried a local DD two times now, and both times they failed me. Oh and also a good pedicure and a good solid eyebrow wax.

Current Triumphs: Last week a project I organized/completed at work got us some good press. Good press as in TV. For my 4th week on the job, I wouldn't say that was too bad...

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Laundry monster...homework...cleaning my house...I thought about offering my to pay my mom to come up here and clean my house, but I didn't ask because I thought she'd say no. Plus I felt kinda bad about it, but she doesn't have a day job...and she could see her granddogs...but still, I felt kinda bad.

Current Indulgence: Peanut butter chocolate no-bake cookies from the Walmart bakery. I don't have any right now, thank goodness. I blame my mother in law for getting me started on these...they are delicious. 

Current #1 Blessing: My dogs. They have been keeping me sane during a really hard time lately. My husband is a close second (sorry honey)

Current Outfit: Meaning current as in right this moment? Okay...a Live United t-shirt, blue checked UK pajama pants, and fuzzy houseslippers. The epitome of a sexy wife, I know. 

Current Excitement: I came home today and our fence was completed in the backyard. It looks great and offers some much needed privacy. Now I can let my dogs out and not worry that they are doo-doo'ing in my 80-year-old neighbor's backyard!

Current Mood: Sleepy. Irritated at myself for being a procrastinator and not having self-discipline.

Current Link: I'm going with Lauren's link here, because I followed and really liked it. The No Spend Month Challenge on Small Notebook really caused me to think. Could I go for a month without spending that money? I honestly don't know. I think I could, but I think it would be really hard. It caused me to think about those items on which I spend my money...and think about wants versus needs! I liked what I read on the blog, so I'm going to try to read more when I have additional time.

What's going on with you currently?

Seven Quick Takes (v.3)

In an effort to revive this thing I call blogging...here's your weekly dose of me! Brought to you in the form of Seven Quick Takes. Visit other "Quick Takers" at Conversion Diary.

1. Let me just start off by saying...I'm writing this blog when I definitely should be in bed. DEFINITELY. Especially considering that by 9:00 last night, I had fallen asleep on the couch in an upright position. I may or may not have had a Finance book in my lap, which may or may not have contributed to my drowsiness. It is midnight, and this is the latest I've stayed up all week. I'm sure I'll pay for it tomorrow.

2. My job is kicking my butt. Well, let me rephrase that. The job is going well, it is the commute that is kicking my butt. I live in the same town as my job, just 16 miles away! Our locations, however, could be considered polar opposites. It takes me forever to get home, and this makes me sad (and tired). But like I said, the job is going well. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but at my last job we only worked 35 hours a week, 8:30-4:30 each day. While it might not seem like such a huge deal...working 8 to 5 is a big change! Plus last week I worked about 47.75 hrs...but who's counting, right?

3. I've been really stressed out. Today I broke down and cried. I've been worried about all my homework. I was later than usual getting home. I came in and the dog (which one I do not know) had been sick and doo-doo'd everywhere. I take them outside and they run into my neighbor's back door (no lie). Spend an hour cleaning up the mess. Then I try to order a pizza (do not judge me, I'd had a hard day). Well...my street is so new it is not on any map. I put in my address on the Papa John's website and it can't find me! Anyway. Called the Papa, the Papa who had in fact delivered pizza to me before, and guess what I did. Argued with Habib the Manager! He informed me he did not deliver pizza here and wanted to "transfer" me to another store (like 2x as far away). I informed him that oh yes he did and told him turn-by-turn exactly where I was located. Somewhere in there I also said, "Please do not interrupt me." You know what he said? "Oh. Okay. I get this right out to you." That's right you will...anyway it was after all that jazz that I started crying.

4. I'm getting my hair did on Saturday, by a new person. It is actually a man, recommended by a friend. I've never had my hair done by a man before, but let's hope it goes well and doesn't take four hours like my last hair experience! The bad news is that my appointment is at 7:30 in the morning, but apparently he's in high demand, and I got roots a-showin.

5. Last week I joined a gym. I have been once. I have determined that I need more hours in the day as well as more motivation. Have you any suggestions...please pass those my way.

6. Because my brain is gooey...how about some pictures for these last two?

My bubby and me last Saturday night. His college band was playing an "exhibition" at a high-school band competition here in town. It was the first time I'd ever gotten to see one of his college marching band performances. I also got to meet his girlfriend, and she is very pretty and sweet. Usually he dates girls that don't have much to say (for whatever reason), so I like this one already, haha :)

7.

My honey TJ and me a couple weekends ago before Big Blue Madness. It was AWeSOME. UK Basketball is going to be great this year. Love him ♥

That's all I've got for now peeps...I hope you all have a great weekend! Have a safe and Happy Halloween! :)

10 Days Later: I suck at blogging

Hi peeps. Let me tell you something. This work-life-school balance? I am no good at it. Please accept my humble apologies. And because I don't have the brain cells or the awake-ness to generate a deep, thought-provoking post, I thought I'd update you on some things I mentioned in the last post.

Work...I'm still hating the commute. As far as the job itself, I feel kind of lost. I think I will like it more once I feel less idiotic. I am just brand new to this industry, so there is a lot for me to learn. I'm also the youngest person that works there. Which is a little intimidating.

Church...I have been three weeks in a row now. Now, I want to tell you something strange. Last post I mentioned how my grandmother referred specifically to that church, then the guy that installed our blinds mentioned he went there. After I went the second time (the day after I wrote my last entry), I received my voter registration card in the mail that week, letting me know my voting site. I think you know where this is going! My voting site is at that church. I think God must be trying to tell me something here!

I finally received an electric bill, and it wasn't too bad. So I've turned the heat on a couple of times! My father-in-law insists that there must be "something" up with the bill because there is no way I could have been using the AC so heavily and have such a low bill. It was a full billing cycle, so I'm hoping he is wrong. Also, the piles of mail I mentioned 10 days ago? Yeah, they're still sitting in the same place. I've determined I need a filing cabinet. That is still no excuse for my kitchen counter piles though, but I digress.

Also, I finally have cable tv! FINALLY! We live in a new development, so cable has not been available until just recently. It was turned on for us this past Friday, and on Saturday TJ and his friend installed our new television. It looks really good! One more thing crossed off the list.

To avoid this post being totally boring, some pix of my fall decorations...

Wreath on the door, which I made myself via inspiration from nichole

Another pic of my wreath will my $5 Hobby Lobby scarecrow

Whole porch

Full effect and you can see my red mum :)
These mums are really big and were only $10 each!

Okay, that's all! I'll try to come back in >10 days!

Friday (on Saturday): Seven Quick Takes (v.2)

No, I haven't lost it...I know full well that it is Saturday, and that this should have been done yesterday. I just didn't get around to it, okay? I actually thought about it, around 7:20 as I was getting dressed for work. I was already running behind schedule so there was no sitting down to blog for me. Anywho, let's do this thang...

1. I just mentioned "work." Yes, I'm finally off the dole (aka unemployment). I think I'm going to like my job. I do not like the commute. I was spoiled living in Connecticut, because I was only 6 miles from work and I could get there in about 10 minutes. Now I'm about 16 miles from work and it takes me 30-40 minutes to get there and longer to get home. It's annoying, but I guess I'll deal. I don't mind so much in the morning (who am I kidding--I''d rather be sleeping!) but I don't get home till almost 6:00 some days and that is aggravating!

2. Last Sunday I went to church! I actually didn't go to the Methodist church I referred to previously, but a Baptist church that is pretty close. My grandmother had mentioned it specifically, then the guy who installed our blinds Saturday said he went there, too. I decided to give it a try, and I really liked it. This little old lady who sat in front of me talked my ear off before and after the sermon, and her husband gave me a life saver mint. It was really cute :) I am hoping to make it back tomorrow!

3. The weather has really been cooling down! In the mornings I have been cold...and right now I'm cold, actually. I'm trying really hard to NOT turn on the heat. We've yet to receive an electricity bill, so I have no idea how much the bill might be. Once I have some kind of idea, then maybe I'll turn the heat on. TJ always says I freeze him to death...so I don't imagine I can hold out for too much longer. Brr! The leaves, however, have not really started to change. That is one thing I'll miss about Connecticut. Fall in New England was soooo gorgeous.

4. This morning's to-do list looked like this: wal-mart, dog baths, dishes, mail, pick up living room. So far, I've crossed off bathing the dogs and doing the dishes (problems with the dishwasher, grr). I've started the mail. I had a HUGE stack of mail to get through and now it is separated into piles--Action, File, Other. I still need to pick up the downstairs and go to walmart...but I am of course procrastinating!

5. I think I've decided that after you buy a home, the realtor must give your name and address to everyone in town--dentist, dry cleaner, church, interior designer, plumber, etc. Why? Because I keep getting random mail from businesses. It is addressed with our NAMES--not just "our friends at..." How would they know it was ME? How would they know to send me something? Any insight peoples?

6. Sometimes Facebook friend requests are so random. I occasionally get one from someone I went to high school with but wasn't really a friend. In fact, sometimes I'll get them from people who didn't even like me (or so I thought). I don't know what to think about that.

7. I need some ideas for a Halloween costume. I have never been one that is good at thinking up really fun/creative/unique costumes. My cousin on the other hand...she always had the best costumes. My brother is pretty good, as well. I don't typically like to be anything that is super scary, but any other ideas you have? please share! :)

Have a great weekend! :)   

Friday: Seven Quick Takes (v.1)

This week, I'm taking a page from Chelsea's book and doing something called "Seven Quick Takes." You can visit www.conversiondiary.com to visit other Quick Takers. Yes Chelsea I copied and pasted that line from you blog. Hope ya don't mind! ;) Ok, here goes...

1. My Blackberry is DONE. KAPUT. Well, sort of. What I really mean is that it is currently (and forevermore) serving no other purpose than a regular cell phone. Why? Well my husband purchased this "unlocked device" for me from newegg.com instead of getting it from AT&T. Apparently they lied. Research in Motion, the manufacturer of Blackberries, says my phone is an illegally modified device which is in violation of Blackberry policy. There is nothing I can do to get it unblocked. It worked for about 3 months and then Blackberry "caught it." Dang them. Perhaps I shall say hello to an iPhone soon...but I'd like to get some $$$ back from New Egg first (unlikely).

2. I start my new job on Monday. I will be the Community Outreach Coordinator for a local company. The good news is that this is a new position. The bad news is that this is a new position, so I'm not entirely sure what I will do. I'm sure I'll figure it out. I meant to wake up early enough this morning to drive there, and test out how long the drive will take me, but as you can see I did not do that and am instead here blogging. This probably means I will need to set many alarms on Monday to ensure that I wake up on time. At any rate, I'm nervous about the job. I hope I like it and can do well.

3. We have two friends coming to stay the night tonight. I am very excited. Actually, it is my hubby's cousin and his wife. Tomorrow morning we are going to try to get tickets for Big Blue Madness. If you're not a UK Basketball fan, you probably don't know what that is. It is the first official practice of the season for our b-ball team, a BIG DEAL and open to the public. We have a new coach this year, so naturally the entire state is going to try to go. I really hope we can get tickets! During my sophomore year in college, I won a hundred bucks at Madness by eating a pint of ice cream (in 2 bites, no lie) and making a basket. Worst bball shot EVER. It hit the front of the rim and SOMEHOW made it in. The guy who's ball went in right after mine was TICKED. Me on the other hand, I was a hundred dollars richer :)

4. I went to the doctor earlier this week because I thought I had given myself a hernia, which I already told you. He gave me some medicine and luckily, my cough and side pain are getting better. Unfortunately, I now have a really bad headache/neck-ache (I don't think the two [dr. visit and headache] are related). It has been hurting since yesterday. This happens pretty regularly, which sucks. I'm sure my liver appreciates all the Advil I take. I once read somewhere that you shouldn't be taking OTC pain meds more than 2-3 times a month. I was then convinced I was a total pill-popper, because what the crap, sometimes I take them 2-3 times in one day. Here's hoping the my headache/neck-ache gets better really soon.

5. I need to go get my driver's license and car registration changed today. Why today? Well, because I start work on Monday and because I will likely have to drive a company car at some point, they probably want me to have a license from this state. I have been putting this off all week. Naturally it is pouring rain today. I guess that is my punishment for being a procrastinator.

6. I got a postcard earlier in the week, addressed to my husband and I, inviting us to church services at a nearby Methodist church. I am not really familiar with the Methodist church, as my husband and I were both raised in Baptist churches. So guess what I did? I got on The Google and searched "baptist vs. methodist." I didn't learn much about the differences, other than robe-wearing, female ministers, and the differences in the methods of Baptism. I'm not opposed to trying out a non-Baptist church, I just wanted to get a little background info.

7. The company where I had my 403(b) invested/managed sent me a check for $500-ish dollars. Obviously my first instinct is, "Woohoo! MONEY!" The issue is that I don't know WHY they sent me this check. I recently received something stating I would receive a check if I had less than $1,000 in my account. According to my paystubs, I should have had A LOT more than $1,000 in the account. So now I'm wondering if perhaps I didn't fully understand the letter, or if my employer did not pay in the monies that were deducted. Of course, this will require me calling this company and getting an explanation. I hate those types of phone calls. Isn't that what adults do? Oh, wait...nevermind. UGH.

Okay bloggies, that's it for today. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! :)

This Was My Day

Morning. Wake up early, and I am freezing. The good news? I could breathe and wasn't hoarse, thanks to the humidifier I purchased at 10:00 pm last night (from Wallyworld)! Proceed to call several doctor's offices {DOES NO DOCTOR IN THIS TOWN TAKE NEW PATIENTS?!} I decided it was time to do something about the persistent hacking cough...but I did not arrive at this decision on my own. No, I only decided to go to the doctor because last night, I got on The Google. Shortly thereafter I was 99.9% convinced I had given myself a hernia from coughing so profusely.

Fortunately, I do not have a hernia, just some really bad pulled muscles. I feel kind of dumb for going to the doctor for pulled muscles, but as I explained my symptoms, the doctor also thought I could potentially have a hernia. So see? The Google wasn't ALL wrong/mis-informative/bad. The bad news however is that if I continue to cough so much, I will need Depends in the near future. Hopefully this medicine will kick in before I pee my pants...

After the doctor visit, I stop at home because I need my prescription card. I come in through the garage and very quickly become scared. There was a light on that I'm pretty sure I've only turned on like...3 times since living in this house. In fact, I'm still a bit scared. I looked in the linen closet, shower, closets, etc. for a boogeyman. I'm *hoping* that I leaned against that light switch by accident as I carried a box in the house and just didn't realize what I had done. I don't know how I would have totally BLOCKED that from my mind, but I'm hoping that is what happened, okay? Okay.

Once I've picked up my prescription card, I go to The Walmarts which is just a short drive away. After dropping off my prescription, I peruse the "Health & Beauty" aisles, also known as "Make-Up and Nail Polish" here in the Bluegrass State. Of course, I find $15 worth of beauty products I desperately need. Then I decided to use the restroom.

Now we're all well aware that The Walmarts offer the finest facilities in town. I walk in, fully prepared to find The Stinky Stall, which seems to be a refined talent I possess. Instead, though, I find a stall with the door WIDE OPEN and a lady sitting on the throne to be seen by God and Everybody. She had something in her hands...what I do not know, as I only caught her from my peripherals. Was she reading? Texting? Searching her handbag? WHY did she leave the door open?! As I was washing my hands, I see her exit the stall. She is holding a large envelope of photographs, so I assume that is what she was looking at so intently...and then SHE washes her hands. I lost all hope that she was just using the toilet as a seat, and can only assume that she used it for it's intended purpose. GA-ROSS, PEOPLE!

That was my day. I can only hope tomorrow is not so gross. I'm going to try NOT to go to Walmart, so surely that will help?!