Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Every Woman Needs a Jacuzzi
My back has been painfully sore the last few days. I am not sure if I slept on it wrong or if my new workout I tried kicked my ass or a combination of both. I got into my Jacuzzi, which I must say my dogs get more use out of it than I do…Wow did that feel amazing. I cranked up the jets and let it rip on my sore muscles. Relief! Of course if I tell Tony this he will want to get out of giving me a back rub later. I had the jets on high so the tub was overflowing with bubbles. Made me feel like a queen. Every woman really needs a Jacuzzi to relax. I may only use my a few times a year but for those few times it is worth it! I need to make more time like that for myself. My friend Jacque gave me these vanilla scented bath soaps a few years back for my birthday. I use them every time I get in my tub…so yes Jacque…I think of you every time I bathe in my tub. LOL!! Okay, back to the bath soaps, Tony loves this scent on me. When I was washing up I completely forgot what happens when I use these soaps. Shit! I am going to have to give up the goods tonight. There is no lotion that will cover up the smell of these soaps. It sinks into the skin and makes you smell incredible. Hmm…bargaining chip for a back rub later.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Southeners Can't Get Enough Fried Chicken
So I just read on Yahoo New that North Carolina, South Carolina, and Mississippi tie for 10th place for the fatest states. Michigan is the only state not in the South that is in the top 10. I have to wonder if this is due to the way the South cooks food. I mean common! Every thing is fried and sweetened to the point of gut rot.
You want butter...the South has butter...on every freaken thing! Whenever I order a sandwich at a restaurant I request no butter or mayo. Nine times out of 10 it comes with butter or mayo and I have to send it back. No doubt the care coughing in my sandwich after I send it back. What in the world is it with butter? I hate it! Any time there is a recipe that calls for butter or oil I use applesauce, unless I am baking for other people. I can't stand sweet things. The Southern sweet tea can put a Northerner (or as they say here, Yankee) into a sugar coma. I was given sweet tea by accident and nearly spit it out on the table. There is nearly 1,000 calories in a large glass! It is gross. You know there are fast food restaurants in the South that have fried chicken for breakfast! WTF are they thinking? I was at a chicken pickin the other weekend and was happy to see green beans but when I got close to them they were soaked in BUTTER!! No thanks, I'll pass.
It comes as no shock to me to see Southern states on the list of the fatest states. Of course there are other factors like poverty and race but it seems to me some of it is how they are brought up. I do not think you will ever see sweet tea or fried chicken leave the South..or even cut the amount available in half!
Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100629/hl_hsn/obesityratesjumpin28statesreportshows
You want butter...the South has butter...on every freaken thing! Whenever I order a sandwich at a restaurant I request no butter or mayo. Nine times out of 10 it comes with butter or mayo and I have to send it back. No doubt the care coughing in my sandwich after I send it back. What in the world is it with butter? I hate it! Any time there is a recipe that calls for butter or oil I use applesauce, unless I am baking for other people. I can't stand sweet things. The Southern sweet tea can put a Northerner (or as they say here, Yankee) into a sugar coma. I was given sweet tea by accident and nearly spit it out on the table. There is nearly 1,000 calories in a large glass! It is gross. You know there are fast food restaurants in the South that have fried chicken for breakfast! WTF are they thinking? I was at a chicken pickin the other weekend and was happy to see green beans but when I got close to them they were soaked in BUTTER!! No thanks, I'll pass.
It comes as no shock to me to see Southern states on the list of the fatest states. Of course there are other factors like poverty and race but it seems to me some of it is how they are brought up. I do not think you will ever see sweet tea or fried chicken leave the South..or even cut the amount available in half!
Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100629/hl_hsn/obesityratesjumpin28statesreportshows
Monday, June 28, 2010
Stay At Home Wives
I do not understand why women ever wanted to have a full-time job when they are married. I love being at home and taking care of things around the house. My life is less hectic than what it used to be. I am able to go to the stores during the day when there are not many people out. Being able to do that while Tony is at work also gives us more time to spend together. I finally found a solution to my 100+ shoe collection that was overwhelming my closet. (Yes I know...who has 100 shoes) Walmart has plastic barrels for $5 each. I bought four of them and filled them with shoes and for the ones I still have boxes for they are stacked nicely in the closet. I have so much more room now than having them all set out like I used to. It was a mess! It is just small things like that I am able to work on that I was never able to before. I feel more alive than I ever have been. It just shows you do not need a job and loads of cash to make you happy. Of course I think not working is so great now since it has been less than two months but I am sure I will think differently in a few months.
Today I met some former coworkers at Chili’s for lunch. I did not sleep well last night due to some pain and did not wake up until 10 AM! The longest I slept in that late in a very long time. So I did not eat lunch but did have some good conversations and got caught up on all the old work drama. Probably best I did not eat lunch since I had to get my bridesmaid dress fitted right after. Now I cannot gain a single pound since the alterations are being done!
I thought my knee was doing better today but as the day went on it became more painful. I did a lot of walking around today when I was shopping. I may have over done it. I can’t wait for it to heal! My foot that I slammed into the door jam is not any better either. On the bright side no new injuries, however, I still have to get my work out in for the night.
Next week I am going to be interviewing for a job as an account support manager at a company I used to work for. It will be a permanent position and I will not have to deal with any recruiters! If hired I would get to work at home. Once you worked at home it is near impossible to go back to working in an office. Tomorrow I am going to be talking with another recruiter for a reporting business analyst position. The pay is great but it is another contract job. Also seems like a job I would be boarded to death doing but hey, at least it would be something for now if I am hired. I know I can’t stay not working forever!
Today I met some former coworkers at Chili’s for lunch. I did not sleep well last night due to some pain and did not wake up until 10 AM! The longest I slept in that late in a very long time. So I did not eat lunch but did have some good conversations and got caught up on all the old work drama. Probably best I did not eat lunch since I had to get my bridesmaid dress fitted right after. Now I cannot gain a single pound since the alterations are being done!
I thought my knee was doing better today but as the day went on it became more painful. I did a lot of walking around today when I was shopping. I may have over done it. I can’t wait for it to heal! My foot that I slammed into the door jam is not any better either. On the bright side no new injuries, however, I still have to get my work out in for the night.
Next week I am going to be interviewing for a job as an account support manager at a company I used to work for. It will be a permanent position and I will not have to deal with any recruiters! If hired I would get to work at home. Once you worked at home it is near impossible to go back to working in an office. Tomorrow I am going to be talking with another recruiter for a reporting business analyst position. The pay is great but it is another contract job. Also seems like a job I would be boarded to death doing but hey, at least it would be something for now if I am hired. I know I can’t stay not working forever!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Dinner, Games, and a Movie - Perfect Night In
Tonight I made Tony's favorite meal. Hungry Girl Buffalo Nuggets with my Spicy Potatoes. We took the Harley down to the farmer's market in Moore Square in downtown Raleigh. We bought fresh potatoes, corn, cherries, jalapenos, shallots, and watermelon all for only $10. I love the farmer's market! They have the best fresh potatoes.
My spicy potato recipe is from my friend Kelly in WI. She made them for Tony and I about 6 years ago and we have been making them ever since. The original recipe called for oil but I use butter spray and it tastes even better and cuts out so a lot of calories and fat. I also like red potatoes over the Idaho.
Now the rest of the night is going to be playing board games and watching When in Rome. The best times with my husband are right on the couch watching a movie, enjoying a glass of wine, and eating popcorn.
Hungry Girl Buffalo Nuggets: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1309
Spicy Potato Recipe:
Spicy Potatoes
1 tb oil or butter spray for a low fat version
3 tb Parmesan cheese
2 ts parsley
1 ts paprika
½ ts garlic salt
1/8 ts pepper
4 Idaho Potatoes cubed
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix Parmesan, parsley, paprika, garlic, and pepper together in small bowl. In large bowl add cubed potatoes and oil. Stir together. Then add seasoned mixture. Stir together well. .Place on foiled, greased baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes flipping potatoes half way through.
My spicy potato recipe is from my friend Kelly in WI. She made them for Tony and I about 6 years ago and we have been making them ever since. The original recipe called for oil but I use butter spray and it tastes even better and cuts out so a lot of calories and fat. I also like red potatoes over the Idaho.
For the HG Buffalo Nuggets I like to use the Frank's Red Hot Sauce but this time I used Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce. It does not hold the breading as well so I do not recommend this brand.
I got a little creative with our corn on the cob. I melted light butter and mixed it with some herbs to create a herb butter spread. Of course I did not eat that since I do not like butter but Tony LOVED it.
Now the rest of the night is going to be playing board games and watching When in Rome. The best times with my husband are right on the couch watching a movie, enjoying a glass of wine, and eating popcorn.
Hungry Girl Buffalo Nuggets: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1309
Spicy Potato Recipe:
Spicy Potatoes
1 tb oil or butter spray for a low fat version
3 tb Parmesan cheese
2 ts parsley
1 ts paprika
½ ts garlic salt
1/8 ts pepper
4 Idaho Potatoes cubed
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix Parmesan, parsley, paprika, garlic, and pepper together in small bowl. In large bowl add cubed potatoes and oil. Stir together. Then add seasoned mixture. Stir together well. .Place on foiled, greased baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes flipping potatoes half way through.
Black Widow
The joys of living in the south. I love weather, the people, and the life. I do not love the spiders. I can take regular spiders. Kill them no problem. Even killed one today. Now when it comes to the black widow and brown recluse....holy shit. I killed a black widow a few years back when I was trimming my hedges. Today Tony and I got back from a bike ride downtown to the farmer's market. The web that Tony keeps taking down by our garage was back up again. This time with a surprise. A giant black widow was in it. Yikes! I ran to get the camera to take a picture. When Tony took it down rather than stomping on it right away he toyed with it. Seriously! I was screaming for him to kill it; I had sandals on and was not about to do it myself. He is telling me take another picture. How many pictures do you want? Kill the damn thing already! We have some bug spray in our shed to spray around the outside of the house and the garage to keep spiders from entering. I think we are going to have to get that out tonight. We rarely every have spider problems but it seems this year will be different. 
Friday, June 25, 2010
Job Hunting Update
Yesterday I had two leads with recruiters and just received a phone call today from another one. I like it when things seem to be moving along with the job search. It makes all the time spent on applying feel worth it. One of the positions I really want and it is with a bank in Raleigh. I am perfect for the job. The recruiter submitted my resume yesterday to the bank. I am going to follow up with her on Monday to get a status.
My life feels like it is getting back to normal now that I have my new computer that is running perfectly and I am also back in karate. I am taking it easy with my knee. I have a follow up appointment with an orthopedic doctor in six weeks. If my knee still is not better I am going to have to suck it up and take money out of my savings account for a MRI. He thinks there may be a piece of cartilage that is floating behind the knee cap. I hope not! Today is a beautiful day outside. Hot but beautiful. Going to clean the house and cut some flowers from my garden. No idea what to make for dinner yet. Tony and I may take the Harley downtown for a ride if the rain holds off tonight.
My life feels like it is getting back to normal now that I have my new computer that is running perfectly and I am also back in karate. I am taking it easy with my knee. I have a follow up appointment with an orthopedic doctor in six weeks. If my knee still is not better I am going to have to suck it up and take money out of my savings account for a MRI. He thinks there may be a piece of cartilage that is floating behind the knee cap. I hope not! Today is a beautiful day outside. Hot but beautiful. Going to clean the house and cut some flowers from my garden. No idea what to make for dinner yet. Tony and I may take the Harley downtown for a ride if the rain holds off tonight.
Friends that Drink and Drive
Would you have the guts to chew out a friend that drinks and drives? I did just that yesterday. My friend that drinks and drives claims it is only once in a while and last time we talked about it she said she would never do it again. To give some history, her friend rolled her car a year ago with her in it. Alcohol was involved. She quit drinking for a while and was a great person. She even came to visit me in NC and at this time she had been sober for a few months and was slowly starting to drink alcohol again. We had a blast together. This year I start seeing postings on facebook about hangovers, comments about how much she was drinking, even a post about how she had to pull over to puke. I started getting worried about her. She did admit to me she was drinking and driving after she denied it for a while. A week or two ago she put pictures on facebook of her and her friends drinking while driving. I tried talking to her about that and told her open intoxicants are treated as drunk driving when it comes to insurance and the laws and that she may want to take the pictures down since they can be used against her. Her response is she does not care anymore.
Yesterday I lost it on her after so many times of trying to be nice. I put a picture on facebook of a church bulletin that said “Honk if you love Jesus. Text and drive if you want to meet him.” I found humor in the picture and it takes harsh comments like that to get through to people. She told me it was not funny and posted a link to a British PDA about texting while driving. It takes a lot for me to lose it on someone. She finds texting and driving offensive but not drinking and driving. My response was “this is coming from someone that drinks and drives.” And you can imagine how it went on from there. I don’t think she is a bad person but she makes bad choices. She told me how her cousin was paralyzed by a drunk driver a few months ago and learned her lesson. If she learned her lesson she would not have been in a vehicle with other people drinking and driving. Now I am not trying to make her seem like a raging alcoholic. She may go out once a week or so. It is what she does when it comes to getting into a vehicle with people that are drinking or when she decides to drive. When we discussed her drinking and driving a few months ago she said my life my choice.
Another one of my good friends almost lost her cousin to a drunk driver so it has been hard for me to be friends with her. I felt like I was betraying my other friend. She had the nerve to take a shot at me about my unemployment. That is the difference between the two of us. I was upset over her drinking and driving and focused only on that. She makes personal attacks about my unemployment situation. I do not need toxic friends in my life and ended the friendship. I’ve never ended a friendship before. You can have disagreements with a person but I find personal attacks very immature and something true friends do not do. I will miss chatting with her. She is very funny. I do love and care for her but I can’t be friends with someone that engages in that behavior and then snaps on me for saying something. I tried too many times to talk to her about it and nothing changed.
Yesterday I lost it on her after so many times of trying to be nice. I put a picture on facebook of a church bulletin that said “Honk if you love Jesus. Text and drive if you want to meet him.” I found humor in the picture and it takes harsh comments like that to get through to people. She told me it was not funny and posted a link to a British PDA about texting while driving. It takes a lot for me to lose it on someone. She finds texting and driving offensive but not drinking and driving. My response was “this is coming from someone that drinks and drives.” And you can imagine how it went on from there. I don’t think she is a bad person but she makes bad choices. She told me how her cousin was paralyzed by a drunk driver a few months ago and learned her lesson. If she learned her lesson she would not have been in a vehicle with other people drinking and driving. Now I am not trying to make her seem like a raging alcoholic. She may go out once a week or so. It is what she does when it comes to getting into a vehicle with people that are drinking or when she decides to drive. When we discussed her drinking and driving a few months ago she said my life my choice.
Another one of my good friends almost lost her cousin to a drunk driver so it has been hard for me to be friends with her. I felt like I was betraying my other friend. She had the nerve to take a shot at me about my unemployment. That is the difference between the two of us. I was upset over her drinking and driving and focused only on that. She makes personal attacks about my unemployment situation. I do not need toxic friends in my life and ended the friendship. I’ve never ended a friendship before. You can have disagreements with a person but I find personal attacks very immature and something true friends do not do. I will miss chatting with her. She is very funny. I do love and care for her but I can’t be friends with someone that engages in that behavior and then snaps on me for saying something. I tried too many times to talk to her about it and nothing changed.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Rose Bush Mystery
For the last two months the dogs have been digging at my rose bushes and I could not figure out what was possessing them to nearly rip them out and ruin my landscaping. My wonderful brother Tim taught me to feed plants with weird liquids and they will grow. Last week when I made beer brats I dumped the beer over the rose bushes. The next day, the rose bushes were torn up. It finally occurred to me the dogs were digging for beer! They did this the last time I made beer brats and I did not put two and two together. These dogs are crazy over alcohol. If I leave a wine glass on the table and walk away or even look away Jack or Sydney will take a sip right out of the glass and then look at you like it never happened. Warning to friends and family: wine or a glass of beer on my coffee table is fair game to my dogs.
Computer Problem Solved!
After over five hours of trying to fix the problem with my new Gateway...two of those hours on the phone with Microsoft support...they told me something was wrong with the computer and I would have to go through the reinstall process. Forget that! Way too much effort for a computer I just bought. I took it back to Best Buy with only moments to spare before they closed and traded it in for an Asus. I love this computer. I got it home and it did not take long to setup and there was no problem downloading Microsoft Office 2010. Gateway was just added to my Suck It list. Now hopefully I can get my days back on track and go back to being the 1950's housewife.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Housewife - You're Fired!
This week has been a terrible week for me with being a 1950's housewife. My house has been a mess all week and dinner has been turkey dogs with mac and cheese. There has been so much going on this week and now I am on the verge of being fired as a housewife. I even locked Jack in my office while I went to the doctor. He snuck in behind me and I did not realize he was in there. I was running around the house like a frantic parent that just lost their child while I was trying to find out where he was.
I cancelled Sydney's vet appointment for the wart removal. After we went to the beach the salt water must have helped clear it up because it ended up being half the size. I am going to give it another month to fall off which is still within the time frame my vet said to wait.
My Dell computer that I had for the last four years finally is on its last leg. It takes forever to search and apply for jobs and I am about to loose my mind. I bought a new one today and after trying to get it up and running I am about to smash both computers with a baseball bat. I have very little patience right now for just about anything. I know the medication I am taking for my knee is just adding to my irritability. Four years ago I paid $2500 for my laptop and the one I bought today was $430! Amazing how cheap laptops are now.
I am trying to download a free trial of Microsoft Office 2010 from their website and my computer is not letting me. I am beyond pissed. I check out the download through my Dell and there were no issues so that takes away my theory of it being an issue with Microsoft's website. I have a free trial for Home and Student 2007 but it does not include Outlook which I need for my email. Right now I am chatting with someone in India that can hopefully help me fix my problem before the laptop becomes target practice.
I cancelled Sydney's vet appointment for the wart removal. After we went to the beach the salt water must have helped clear it up because it ended up being half the size. I am going to give it another month to fall off which is still within the time frame my vet said to wait.
My Dell computer that I had for the last four years finally is on its last leg. It takes forever to search and apply for jobs and I am about to loose my mind. I bought a new one today and after trying to get it up and running I am about to smash both computers with a baseball bat. I have very little patience right now for just about anything. I know the medication I am taking for my knee is just adding to my irritability. Four years ago I paid $2500 for my laptop and the one I bought today was $430! Amazing how cheap laptops are now.
I am trying to download a free trial of Microsoft Office 2010 from their website and my computer is not letting me. I am beyond pissed. I check out the download through my Dell and there were no issues so that takes away my theory of it being an issue with Microsoft's website. I have a free trial for Home and Student 2007 but it does not include Outlook which I need for my email. Right now I am chatting with someone in India that can hopefully help me fix my problem before the laptop becomes target practice.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Feeling the Healthcare Pinch
My follow up with my doctor today about my knee was not so good. There is a tear in a tendon on the front of my knee but he is worried there may be more damage behind my knee cap since that is were most of the pain is coming from. He scheduled a MRI for tomorrow. I called the office where the MRI would be at to get a price quote since it will be out of my out of pocket deductible. The MRI is $1400 and my out of pocket deductible is $1750. Holy Hell! I canceled my appointment. I now fall under the category of the insured but can’t afford to use my insurance. We pay $400 a month to even have this insurance. The doctor said from what he believes is wrong with my knee it will heal in 6 to 12 weeks but not knowing what else could be wrong is kind of scary for me.
Sydney is getting her wart removed on Wednesday that is $300. When I took her to the vet a month ago she said to just give it a month or two and it will fall off. It is so gross looking and it is miserable for her to not be able to play with other dogs. Since the wart grew and is now in the way of her gums I think the best thing to do is remove it rather than wait. Funny how I am putting my dog’s needs over my own when there are so many people in this economy that do the opposite and even abandon their pets.
Sydney is getting her wart removed on Wednesday that is $300. When I took her to the vet a month ago she said to just give it a month or two and it will fall off. It is so gross looking and it is miserable for her to not be able to play with other dogs. Since the wart grew and is now in the way of her gums I think the best thing to do is remove it rather than wait. Funny how I am putting my dog’s needs over my own when there are so many people in this economy that do the opposite and even abandon their pets.
Father's Day at the Beach
Tony and I took Jack and Sydney to the beach yesterday. We had a wonderful time. Dogs are allowed on the beach in the 4x4 access area in Carolina Beach. They had a great time in the ocean and even after their baths yesterday sand is still falling off of them. Tony’s cousin, Danielle, met us at the beach for an hour with her boyfriend. She is from Maine and recently moved to Wilmington a few months ago. It is nice to have family close by.
There were some people that had their dogs off their leash, which is not allowed, and it really bothered my dogs. The people were throwing balls for their dogs to chase after and my dogs were crying. Dog Whisper: where are you when I need you! Jack started off the day by crying when he would see other dogs and it ended with him growling like he had rabies. So embarrassing. Then I realized he was tired and needed his nap. (Sounds like I am talking about kids and not dogs). We packed up and the dogs fell asleep on top of each other in the back seat of the truck. It was very cute.
One of our umbrellas broke at the beach. Tony and I had to make room under one umbrella for us and the two dogs. Half of my body is burned. It looks so hot! I did not take my own advice in a previous post about reading the label on the medicine bottle. Stay out of the sun! At least this drug was not that bad and I do not have second degree burns. It will likely look like a tan tomorrow or the following day.
There were some people that had their dogs off their leash, which is not allowed, and it really bothered my dogs. The people were throwing balls for their dogs to chase after and my dogs were crying. Dog Whisper: where are you when I need you! Jack started off the day by crying when he would see other dogs and it ended with him growling like he had rabies. So embarrassing. Then I realized he was tired and needed his nap. (Sounds like I am talking about kids and not dogs). We packed up and the dogs fell asleep on top of each other in the back seat of the truck. It was very cute.
One of our umbrellas broke at the beach. Tony and I had to make room under one umbrella for us and the two dogs. Half of my body is burned. It looks so hot! I did not take my own advice in a previous post about reading the label on the medicine bottle. Stay out of the sun! At least this drug was not that bad and I do not have second degree burns. It will likely look like a tan tomorrow or the following day.
Hungry Girl Red Velvet Cupcakes
These cupcakes are amazing. They only have three grams of fat per cupcake and it will leave you wanting to lick the plate clean. Low fat when you eat just one...not so low fat when you eat the entire batch. Even my husband loves these. Great option for those of you that struggle with finding healthy recipes that do not taste like it. What I love about the frosting is it is made out of marshmallow fluff, fat free cream cheese, splenda, and cool whip. It is not over powering with sugar. As much as a I like a gourmet cupcake once in a while, the amount of sugar in the frosting leaves me with gut rot.
Link to recipe: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1313
Link to recipe: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1313
Friday, June 18, 2010
Yard Work and Movies
I over did it today. While I am supposed to be resting my knee the yard really needed to be attended to. For some reason Tony thought 20 hours of xbox this week took priority over everything else. Yes I am a bit irritated but I did get a great tan today. Misty invited me over to the pool just after I finished mowing so it was a great time to cool down and catch up on some gal chat.
My uncle called me yesterday about a job that opened up where he works; also where I used to work when I lived in WI. The company is now more lenient about people working remotely so I may have a shot at this position.
I went to see Get Him to the Greek tonight with Alex. This movie was hysterical! What was not so hysterical…the guy two seats over that was burping up his dinner and blowing it my way. So gross. If that was not enough every time something funny happened he would practically jump out of his seat clapping and stomping his feet. It is no wonder with all that giggling from his fat belly was making his dinner come up.
And now...while Tony is having guys night...I am watching Sex and the City getting prepared for Sex and the City 2.
My uncle called me yesterday about a job that opened up where he works; also where I used to work when I lived in WI. The company is now more lenient about people working remotely so I may have a shot at this position.
I went to see Get Him to the Greek tonight with Alex. This movie was hysterical! What was not so hysterical…the guy two seats over that was burping up his dinner and blowing it my way. So gross. If that was not enough every time something funny happened he would practically jump out of his seat clapping and stomping his feet. It is no wonder with all that giggling from his fat belly was making his dinner come up.
And now...while Tony is having guys night...I am watching Sex and the City getting prepared for Sex and the City 2.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Good Interview and Protest Brewing
I had a great interview today with a recruiting firm. Normally I hate dealing with recruiting firms but I really feel this one will work for me. The guy I met was so nice and I know he could feel my energy. I already have a lead at another bank through him. I hope things work out.
If Tony does not stay in his lane he is about to have a 1950’s Housewife on protest. I like that he is interested in how my job search is going but the last few days he has been constantly asking about follow ups, what’s the status in this job, what’s that status on that job. I was so irritated yesterday that he got tuna helper for dinner. He is lucky he got any thing at all. I do not mind him asking but lately it feels like he has been pushy more than any thing.
Maybe I am just a little irritable since I am on this steroid for my knee. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on Monday. I can move it around a little better but only because of the medication. My toe still hurts like hell (the one that I jammed after hurting my knee) and I cannot bend my two small toes. All of this after just getting over both my big toes having fractures and ligament damage. Can I get a break here? I miss going to karate. The longer I have to stay out the less likely it will be I will get my black belt by the end of the year.
If Tony does not stay in his lane he is about to have a 1950’s Housewife on protest. I like that he is interested in how my job search is going but the last few days he has been constantly asking about follow ups, what’s the status in this job, what’s that status on that job. I was so irritated yesterday that he got tuna helper for dinner. He is lucky he got any thing at all. I do not mind him asking but lately it feels like he has been pushy more than any thing.
Maybe I am just a little irritable since I am on this steroid for my knee. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on Monday. I can move it around a little better but only because of the medication. My toe still hurts like hell (the one that I jammed after hurting my knee) and I cannot bend my two small toes. All of this after just getting over both my big toes having fractures and ligament damage. Can I get a break here? I miss going to karate. The longer I have to stay out the less likely it will be I will get my black belt by the end of the year.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Abs of Steel
Last night I decided to try a new ab exercise I found in All You magazine. I have been doing hundreds of crunches a week since I was about 14 years old and the last five years or so it turned into thousands a week. Yes, I do 1000 crunches each time I work out. So I have a hard time trading my daily 1000 crunches for new exercises. The pilates ab exercises in All You magazine only took me about 20 minutes to do if even that. I did not feel like I got much out of it so I did some of the exercises a few more times. I woke up this morning feeling fine and told myself that was too easy and I am going back to my crunches.
About twice a year I touch up my hardwood flooring with stain and fill in all the dents the dogs put in it. Today it took me two hours on my hands and knees fixing all the nicks. When I finally got up and was ready to take a shower my abs felt like someone punched me for a few hours straight. They hurt so badly! I am now convinced I am going to have to switch up my work out every few months. It is easy to stick with the same routine but I now realize I was not getting every muscle. I am going to research some other arm and leg exercises as well.
My plum and peach jam did not turn out bad. It was not to die for but was not horrible. Tony likes it on an English muffin. I don’t care for it since I do not like plums to begin with.
I found out my out of pocket expenses for the two day delay on the trip are covered through our travel insurance policy we purchased. I did not save all my receipts but my credit card statements are good enough proof. I am so thrilled the expenses are going to be covered. Well…wait…we will see what happens after I submit the claim. Cross your fingers for me.
About twice a year I touch up my hardwood flooring with stain and fill in all the dents the dogs put in it. Today it took me two hours on my hands and knees fixing all the nicks. When I finally got up and was ready to take a shower my abs felt like someone punched me for a few hours straight. They hurt so badly! I am now convinced I am going to have to switch up my work out every few months. It is easy to stick with the same routine but I now realize I was not getting every muscle. I am going to research some other arm and leg exercises as well.
My plum and peach jam did not turn out bad. It was not to die for but was not horrible. Tony likes it on an English muffin. I don’t care for it since I do not like plums to begin with.
I found out my out of pocket expenses for the two day delay on the trip are covered through our travel insurance policy we purchased. I did not save all my receipts but my credit card statements are good enough proof. I am so thrilled the expenses are going to be covered. Well…wait…we will see what happens after I submit the claim. Cross your fingers for me.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Curacao and American Airlines
Curacao is an amazing island. When my husband and I tell people where we vacation they always respond with “what?” Exactly! It was a trip many people we know have not been nor heard about. Curacao is off the coast of Venezuela and is part of the Netherland Antilles that also includes Aruba. The water was crystal clear and the island is also out of the hurricane belt. I highly recommend visiting Curacao. It is nothing like American owned islands. In the seven days we were there we only came across one beggar. Tony and I snorkeled, hiked in caves, did lots of swimming, shopping, and met awesome people from the US, Austria, and Holland. We felt so safe and even rented a car one day to explore.
My flight home was very eventful. We got to the airport on Tuesday to a mess. The flight was delayed due to mechanical issues in our plane in Miami. They told us we would not make our connecting flight in Miami and would have to stay the night. The agent revised our schedule to leave Wednesday out of Miami. An hour later our flight was cancelled and we had to stay in Curacao another night. Okay…I was not too upset about this. American Airlines put us up in a nice hotel, Renaissance by Marriott, in Curacao that was right downtown. The other Marriott we stayed at was about a 10 minute car ride away. We were upgraded to a suite at the Renaissance because of my gold status with Marriott. We decided to go to happy hour after getting checked into the hotel. We ended up with a table full of new friends we met on the island. We felt like locals! The bad thing…we ended up enjoying happy hour until nearly 11 PM and I did not have dinner. That buffet at the hotel was pretty good and helped keep the five glasses of wine I had down. I think that night was actually the best night we had on the island.
Snorkeling and hiking at the caves
Swimming at the beach
My flight home was very eventful. We got to the airport on Tuesday to a mess. The flight was delayed due to mechanical issues in our plane in Miami. They told us we would not make our connecting flight in Miami and would have to stay the night. The agent revised our schedule to leave Wednesday out of Miami. An hour later our flight was cancelled and we had to stay in Curacao another night. Okay…I was not too upset about this. American Airlines put us up in a nice hotel, Renaissance by Marriott, in Curacao that was right downtown. The other Marriott we stayed at was about a 10 minute car ride away. We were upgraded to a suite at the Renaissance because of my gold status with Marriott. We decided to go to happy hour after getting checked into the hotel. We ended up with a table full of new friends we met on the island. We felt like locals! The bad thing…we ended up enjoying happy hour until nearly 11 PM and I did not have dinner. That buffet at the hotel was pretty good and helped keep the five glasses of wine I had down. I think that night was actually the best night we had on the island.
Downtown Curacao
The next day we get ready to go back to the airport. We get there and again our plane is delayed. This time by two hours for mechanical problems as well. We get to Miami and our next plane to Raleigh is boarding as we land. For those of you reading this that never flew international you have to pick up your luggage in customs and check it back in the US flight. STUPID!!! We missed our connecting flight and were stuck in Miami overnight. The Regency we were put up in was a shit hole. I was scared to touch anything.
Thursday, back at the airport. Our flight is delayed by 2 ½ hours. American Airlines would not provide us any customer service. Any time we asked for something we were told they could not help us and to email aa.com. Tony missed two days of work because of this incident, we had to pay our dog sitter more money, more money out of pocket for food because their vouchers did not cover everything, international calling fees for having to call the dog sitter to stay extra days, and internet fees at the hotel in Curacao. I think I covered everything and it ended up costing use a couple hundred dollars because of their mess. Our compensation that just came today…a measly $400 in vouchers. I got $500 from United just for them adding two hours onto my layover in Chicago because they consolidated flights. I am beyond disgusted. I would have at least appreciated my international calls to AA to be covered since I had to use that to call them after they screwed up my flight reschedule. I am probably going to write back and complain that is very little considering every thing that happened and let them know what United did for me on such a small issue. Right now American Airlines is on my Suck It list with Samsung.
Thursday, back at the airport. Our flight is delayed by 2 ½ hours. American Airlines would not provide us any customer service. Any time we asked for something we were told they could not help us and to email aa.com. Tony missed two days of work because of this incident, we had to pay our dog sitter more money, more money out of pocket for food because their vouchers did not cover everything, international calling fees for having to call the dog sitter to stay extra days, and internet fees at the hotel in Curacao. I think I covered everything and it ended up costing use a couple hundred dollars because of their mess. Our compensation that just came today…a measly $400 in vouchers. I got $500 from United just for them adding two hours onto my layover in Chicago because they consolidated flights. I am beyond disgusted. I would have at least appreciated my international calls to AA to be covered since I had to use that to call them after they screwed up my flight reschedule. I am probably going to write back and complain that is very little considering every thing that happened and let them know what United did for me on such a small issue. Right now American Airlines is on my Suck It list with Samsung.
Hungry Girl Crazy Crumbly Coffee Cakes
I made the Hungry Girl Crazy Crumbly Super Yummy Coffee Cakes. They are any thing but super yummy. The recipe called for ¼ sugar free hazelnut syrup. It is way too much hazelnut. If I make this again I would only use two tablespoons. Another problem with this recipe is the crumble topping. It had more of a burned flavor to the crumble. Rather than putting it on top I think it would be smarter to gently fold the crumble mixture in.
If you want to try this recipe I would suggest making the modifications I listed above. Here is the link. http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=1211
If you want to try this recipe I would suggest making the modifications I listed above. Here is the link. http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=1211
Monday, June 14, 2010
Dinner Tonight
I got up this morning fearing what the scale would say since I have not counted Weight Watcher Points in a while. I made sure I went to the bathroom first, stripped down, and got on the scale. I closed my eyes for a second and then looked down. 130.2 pounds. Big sigh of relief. I am OK.
For dinner tonight I made one of Tony’s favorite meals. He loves angel hair pasta with marinara sauce. I only use Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta and Classico or Bertolli sauce. I cooked up some spiced chicken sausage to go with it. I made Hungry Girl’s cheese sticks as our appetizer. If you never tried this recipe before it is so good and hard to believe these cheese sticks are not fried.
For dessert I made the Hungry Girl Double-Trouble Chocolate Trifle. I googled what VitaTops are since I never heard of them. Holy Shit are they expensive. Online for a 12 pack they are $17 and all they really are is the tops of a muffin. I was not spending that kind of money when I can easily find substitutes. Instead of making it with the VitaTops I bought Weight Watcher Chocolate brownies and used two 100 cal packs of Chip’s Ahoy I already had. I used four brownies in my recipe. This dessert is just like a low fat dirt cake. I loved it and had to do every thing from eating the entire dessert. Tony found it just as amazing. I was going to use two Weight Watcher chocolate muffins for this recipe but could not find any when I was shopping. I am sure it would taste just as good.
Hungry Girl Cheese Sticks: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1156
Hungry Girl Double-Trouble Chocolate Trifle: http://www.vitalicious.com/recipe-double-trouble-chocolate-trifle.html
For dinner tonight I made one of Tony’s favorite meals. He loves angel hair pasta with marinara sauce. I only use Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta and Classico or Bertolli sauce. I cooked up some spiced chicken sausage to go with it. I made Hungry Girl’s cheese sticks as our appetizer. If you never tried this recipe before it is so good and hard to believe these cheese sticks are not fried.
For dessert I made the Hungry Girl Double-Trouble Chocolate Trifle. I googled what VitaTops are since I never heard of them. Holy Shit are they expensive. Online for a 12 pack they are $17 and all they really are is the tops of a muffin. I was not spending that kind of money when I can easily find substitutes. Instead of making it with the VitaTops I bought Weight Watcher Chocolate brownies and used two 100 cal packs of Chip’s Ahoy I already had. I used four brownies in my recipe. This dessert is just like a low fat dirt cake. I loved it and had to do every thing from eating the entire dessert. Tony found it just as amazing. I was going to use two Weight Watcher chocolate muffins for this recipe but could not find any when I was shopping. I am sure it would taste just as good.
Hungry Girl Cheese Sticks: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1156
Hungry Girl Double-Trouble Chocolate Trifle: http://www.vitalicious.com/recipe-double-trouble-chocolate-trifle.html
My First Canning Experience
As mentioned yesterday Tony picked plums from our tree. I went out today and bought every thing I need to make home made jam. I had a feeling I would not have enough plums so I bought peaches to go with it. Why not more plums? Well stupid me just thought of that now but I had it in my head that peaches and plums would make a nice combination.
The first thing I had to do was cut up the plums. With how small they are that was not working for me so I placed the plums over my 4 cup measuring cup and smashed them until the pit came out. My hands were very red and the juices were all over. I started to get the hang of it and was speeding up until…wait for it…a plum splattered all over my face. I looked like I should have been a victim on Friday the 13th. Not only did it cover my face but it was all over my dress and apron. I quickly washed my self off and put my dress in the wash. That now leaves me in my panties and an apron. I am not ruining another dress. After the plums were pitted I only had about 2 ½ cup and I needed 5 cups. So I cut up the peaches and it got me just about 5 cups. I put the peaches, plums, sugar, and water in the pot and begin cooking it. I was reading the recipe for the plum jam and the recipe for the peach jam while my mixture was cooking. The peach jam called for sure-jell and the plum did not. Well maybe I should put in a half packet? I dumped in a half packet and figure what the heck, I will dump in the whole thing. What is the worst that could happen? The peaches were still a bit too big to me so I got out a potato masher and smashed them. Not sure if that was canning etiquette but it worked. Etiquette…coming from the woman in an apron and panties.
The first thing I had to do was cut up the plums. With how small they are that was not working for me so I placed the plums over my 4 cup measuring cup and smashed them until the pit came out. My hands were very red and the juices were all over. I started to get the hang of it and was speeding up until…wait for it…a plum splattered all over my face. I looked like I should have been a victim on Friday the 13th. Not only did it cover my face but it was all over my dress and apron. I quickly washed my self off and put my dress in the wash. That now leaves me in my panties and an apron. I am not ruining another dress. After the plums were pitted I only had about 2 ½ cup and I needed 5 cups. So I cut up the peaches and it got me just about 5 cups. I put the peaches, plums, sugar, and water in the pot and begin cooking it. I was reading the recipe for the plum jam and the recipe for the peach jam while my mixture was cooking. The peach jam called for sure-jell and the plum did not. Well maybe I should put in a half packet? I dumped in a half packet and figure what the heck, I will dump in the whole thing. What is the worst that could happen? The peaches were still a bit too big to me so I got out a potato masher and smashed them. Not sure if that was canning etiquette but it worked. Etiquette…coming from the woman in an apron and panties.
I filled three cans with jam and started to prepare them to go into the water to seal. I may have been wearing an apron but it does not even begin to cover my huge knockers. It sure was dangerous cooking with just two pieces of clothing on but I had no idea what to expect as far as jam bubbling and shooting in the air. The jam was the least of my worried when it came to the boiling water. When I pulled the basket of cans out of the water I had hot, boiling water splash on my chest. OUCH! I have no idea what the jam tastes like and will not be able to find out until tomorrow. At least it looks pretty in the cans! I took some pictures of me cooking over the stove from the back side. They are hilarious! I also discovered I could be a rear end stunt double for Jennifer Aniston. I was laughing so hard over the picture and I had to send it to Tony at work. I did not tell him what it was and he opened it up and it took up his entire computer screen which is about 22 inches! He laughed and told me to warn him next time in case someone was in his cube.
Sometimes Going Cheap Does Not Pay
I bought flea and tick control from Walmart for my dogs. In the past I always bought Frontline from Doctor’s Foster and Smith. I decided to save money by going cheap in this area. I looked over everything on the Adam’s brand flea and tick control and it looked like it does exactly the same thing as Frontline. I applied it to each of my three dogs and it was a mess. It is so much more oily than Frontline. I applied it four days ago and my dogs still look like grease monkeys from the ’80’s. Well what I did not think about was how this stuff would rub off on my bedding. Sydney slept next to the bed by Tony and stained the bed skirt. Not just a small spot. A huge area. Oscar sleeps in bed with us so of course he got it on the duvet. What makes me want to cry…my duvet is $270 and my bed skirt is $120 at Macy’s. I did buy an extra duvet last year that is still in the package but not the bed skirt. I washed and oxy cleaned the bed skirt and duvet and it is not coming out. I went to macys.com and found my bed skirt is on sale for $70 and with my Macy’s rewards I can get it for $50 plus shipping. I am not going to put the new bed skirt on until I use up all the Adam’s flea and tick treatment. So I saved $58 by using Adams for a three month supply but spent that amount on a new bed skirt. Frontline never damaged my bedding.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Suck It Samsung!
I really dislike Samsung products. They have come a long way since they used to be a low budget brand but still need some work. I used to only buy Sanyo but wanted to give Samsung a try since I was reading about them in one of my text books when I was in grad school. Three years ago I bought a new Samsung cell phone and after about two months it started taking pictures and video on its own. The thing was possessed. I sent it to Samsung for warranty work and they sent it back voiding the warranty claiming it was water damage that is not covered. I argued with Samsung for a while since my phone had never come in contact with water. I finally asked the guy on the phone what he considers water damage. He said if the phone goes from an air conditioned building to humidity outside it causes condensation which is water damage. I was flabbergasted. What the hell are you doing selling that product in the south? My next battle was with Sprint. It would cost the same amount of money to buy a new phone through Sprint to cancel my contract and go to another provider to get a free phone. Since I am a loyal customer and a great negotiator they did allow me to get another phone with the discount. And yes, my new phone was a Sanyo.
Two years ago Tony and I were TV shopping for a new flat screen in our living room. My number one rule. No Samsung. What does Tony buy, a Samsung. The speakers are shit on this TV. I hate it. Oh but it has a swivel base, Tony argues. (Samsung was the only brand that did swivel base at that time). That swivel base makes it so unstable.
Fast forward another year. Tony is due for a new phone through Sprint after he put his through the washing maching. Now that is what I call water damage. I told him over and over again so it was drilled in his head…do not come home with a Samsung. What does he come home with…a Samsung. Today, a year later, what happened? Condensation and a possessed phone. I took the phone apart and put it in rice to soak up the moisture. Going to try it out again tomorrow to see if it works and if not Tony is going to use my old phone. I always save our old phones when we get new ones in case something happens. So now that this finally happened to his phone maybe he will listen to me when he gets a new phone. Which will not be for a year so he gets the $150 discount over the $75.
Closing Statement: SUCK IT SAMSUNG!
Two years ago Tony and I were TV shopping for a new flat screen in our living room. My number one rule. No Samsung. What does Tony buy, a Samsung. The speakers are shit on this TV. I hate it. Oh but it has a swivel base, Tony argues. (Samsung was the only brand that did swivel base at that time). That swivel base makes it so unstable.
Fast forward another year. Tony is due for a new phone through Sprint after he put his through the washing maching. Now that is what I call water damage. I told him over and over again so it was drilled in his head…do not come home with a Samsung. What does he come home with…a Samsung. Today, a year later, what happened? Condensation and a possessed phone. I took the phone apart and put it in rice to soak up the moisture. Going to try it out again tomorrow to see if it works and if not Tony is going to use my old phone. I always save our old phones when we get new ones in case something happens. So now that this finally happened to his phone maybe he will listen to me when he gets a new phone. Which will not be for a year so he gets the $150 discount over the $75.
Closing Statement: SUCK IT SAMSUNG!
Baby Shower, Friends, and Other Sunday Fun
I went to my friends’ baby shower today. Okay…I love my friend and will do any thing for her but baby showers make me want to hurl. I am not sure exactly what it is. Maybe all the awing over how small the clothes are and the talk about sore nipples, dirty diapers, and vomit. Or maybe my problem is I cannot relate to any of it since I do not have kids. One of the games we had to play was to make a baby out of play dough. That stuff has come a long way since I was a kid. It is nice and fluffy now and does not stink like a dead rat…just as a type that my dog lets one go. So nasty. Anyway, back to the baby making, Misty made this game fun. While I was stuffing my face with this amazing honey mustard dip and pretzels I look over at the game table and see Misty and her mom leaning over the play dough baby and laughing. Knowing Misty this could only mean one thing…she gave the baby a penis with blue balls. It was hysterical and classic Misty. The food was good. I ate so much. At least it was with cheese, fruit, vegetables, and low fat cake but I still feel like I completely blew my weight watcher points today…the points I am no longer counting. Did I mention I am stuffing my face with a huge bowl of popcorn right now too? I think tomorrow I go back to counting points.
I really did not realize people read my blog. My friend stopped over tonight; the one that did not invite us to the fundraising event. He apologized for not inviting us and thought Tony and I were out of town when he was making the original plans. I did express that it would have been nice to have the heads up rather than finding out about it on facebook to avoid any misunderstanding. I know the event was about him and had nothing to do with Tony and I and we should be celebrating his life and being cancer free. I am more emotional now than ever with being unemployed and tend to let that get in the way of things. In the end there was misunderstanding on both sides and some hurt feelings but it is something that I know we can easily get over. I love my friends dearly which is why we both were hurt rather than mad.
I still want to stress about treating your unemployed friends the same. That posting was not directed towards my friends other than the one paragraph. That day I had a conversation with another friend whose husband does not work while he is kicking off his not for profit organization. She told me about a few situations when people left her out of events because they knew she was making financial cut backs. Then with what happened that day to me I felt compelled to express not to change how you treat your friends when they are unemployed. Her stories were heartbreaking and hard to believe people really treat you differently when living off of one income. It has only been a little over a month for me making changes but a few years for her.
I had another SCORE with DirectTV. I called them yesterday to cancel my renewal for the NFL Sunday Ticket. Tony was so going to kill me when he finds out. When the lady asked me why I had to cancel I told her I lost my job and am making cut backs. She offered me $5 off a month for six months. I told her I was still not sure and asked if she could go any more. She came back with $10 off a month for six months. I will take it! Tony still gets to keep his Sunday Ticket and we are saving $60. I also recently had $5 taken off for three months as well because DirectTV had a huge screw up with the DVR upgrade. I bet the software engineer that approved that upgrade is no longer working.
Tony and his biker friends were held up in a rainstorm today so I did not have to do any cooking. They ended up eating dinner at a pizza place while I sit here and write this blog while continuing to shove massive amounts of popcorn down my throat. However, when Tony got home we realized the plums on our tree were getting ripe. We planted the plum tree about four years ago and never were able to get plums off of it until now. The bugs always beat us to it. I do not like plums. Way too sweet for me but Tony likes them. He picked about every single one he could find and I have a feeling it was a bit too early for them. They are very sweet. I am going to make jam out of them for Tony. It should be interesting since I never made jam before. Will blog about that tomorrow.
I really did not realize people read my blog. My friend stopped over tonight; the one that did not invite us to the fundraising event. He apologized for not inviting us and thought Tony and I were out of town when he was making the original plans. I did express that it would have been nice to have the heads up rather than finding out about it on facebook to avoid any misunderstanding. I know the event was about him and had nothing to do with Tony and I and we should be celebrating his life and being cancer free. I am more emotional now than ever with being unemployed and tend to let that get in the way of things. In the end there was misunderstanding on both sides and some hurt feelings but it is something that I know we can easily get over. I love my friends dearly which is why we both were hurt rather than mad.
I still want to stress about treating your unemployed friends the same. That posting was not directed towards my friends other than the one paragraph. That day I had a conversation with another friend whose husband does not work while he is kicking off his not for profit organization. She told me about a few situations when people left her out of events because they knew she was making financial cut backs. Then with what happened that day to me I felt compelled to express not to change how you treat your friends when they are unemployed. Her stories were heartbreaking and hard to believe people really treat you differently when living off of one income. It has only been a little over a month for me making changes but a few years for her.
I had another SCORE with DirectTV. I called them yesterday to cancel my renewal for the NFL Sunday Ticket. Tony was so going to kill me when he finds out. When the lady asked me why I had to cancel I told her I lost my job and am making cut backs. She offered me $5 off a month for six months. I told her I was still not sure and asked if she could go any more. She came back with $10 off a month for six months. I will take it! Tony still gets to keep his Sunday Ticket and we are saving $60. I also recently had $5 taken off for three months as well because DirectTV had a huge screw up with the DVR upgrade. I bet the software engineer that approved that upgrade is no longer working.
Tony and his biker friends were held up in a rainstorm today so I did not have to do any cooking. They ended up eating dinner at a pizza place while I sit here and write this blog while continuing to shove massive amounts of popcorn down my throat. However, when Tony got home we realized the plums on our tree were getting ripe. We planted the plum tree about four years ago and never were able to get plums off of it until now. The bugs always beat us to it. I do not like plums. Way too sweet for me but Tony likes them. He picked about every single one he could find and I have a feeling it was a bit too early for them. They are very sweet. I am going to make jam out of them for Tony. It should be interesting since I never made jam before. Will blog about that tomorrow.
WARNING: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication
So do you really ever read the warning labels on your medication? Do not take with alcohol. Stay out of the sun while taking medication. Well I normally glance over it and do not pay much attention. One year I burned so badly from medication I had second degree sunburns on my back with nerve damage. It took a month for my nerve endings to grow back and for the pain to stop. A lot of sleepless nights. The medication I was given for my knee says not to take with alcohol. Normally I am pretty good at not drinking on meds but Friday night I really wanted a glass of wine with dinner and forgot about the medication. As soon as I sat down for dinner…SHIT. I just realized what I had done. I did not want to waste the bottle of wine. I decided to have the wine with dinner and just take the pills in a few hours. BIG Mistake! Saturday I was sick as a dog. I felt like I had a giant, burning hole in my stomach. I curled up on the couch most the day in the fetal position wishing the pain would go away. I did manage to do some straightening up in the house but at about 4 PM I asked Tony if he wanted to go upstairs and watch movies in the DVR. We normally do not do that until around 7 or 8. I can’t even remember what we watched so either I was pretty sick or the movie sucked really bad. I would have given anything for a large bucket of Edy’s Slow Churn ice cream in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough to ease the pain. I ended up giving my bottle of wine away to my neighbors and my knee was in pain today since I did not take medication yesterday and probably will not again today.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Other People's Kids
I love this title. It was a topic on the Early Show today. Can you discipline other people’s kids? Well of course it depends on the situation and their report was absolutely stupid because it all was common sense.
On my flight from Miami to Raleigh this kid about 7 years old was told by the flight attendant to put his seat up while we land. After she walked past him he put his seat back again. He was in the seat in front of Tony. As soon as he put his seat back I banged on it and told him to put it back up. His mom was not paying any attention to what happened and went back to sleep. After we landed I could tell he told his mom in Spanish I scolded him and she kept glaring at me. Really? How about you tell your bratty child what he did was wrong rather than getting mad at me. I think when parents fail the kid becomes society’s problem and I took care of the situation. Not many people really understand the purpose of putting your seat back up while landing. Gee…let’s think about this. If there is a rough landing my head is going to go in the back of that seat. I really do not feel like breaking my nose for your comfort…asshole. On a take off one day when the jet took off in the air the guy in front of me put his seat back and used the gravitational force of the jet going straight in the air to do so. If I was bent forward when he did that I would have been really injured because of how fast and forceful the seat went back. Use common sense people!
Okay…back to other people’s kids. The kid on the airplane was not the first kid I scolded before. While I had a garage sale these people pulled up. To be politically correct as best as I can…they were from the ghetto. This kid about two or three runs out of the van and starts pushing things over. The mom hardly yelled at him. The family continued to go through the things I was selling when the kid when under an unstable clothes wrack and started to push it around. I was screaming at him to get out of there. It was more of an immediate re-action rather than scolding because it was going to collapse on him; seriously hurting him. The mom pulled him aside and started spanking him and threw him in the van. What a good way to raise another abuser. The problem was she was not watching him. Can I spank her?
So the moral of my stories are if you kid is misbehaving in front of me and it affects me in some way I am going to say something if you do not. I have yet for a mom to get in my face for scolding their child. I feel bad for the mom that dare does that someday. Not that I would harm her but she will get one hell of a lecture controlling her bratty child rather than getting mad at the person the child was impacting.
On my flight from Miami to Raleigh this kid about 7 years old was told by the flight attendant to put his seat up while we land. After she walked past him he put his seat back again. He was in the seat in front of Tony. As soon as he put his seat back I banged on it and told him to put it back up. His mom was not paying any attention to what happened and went back to sleep. After we landed I could tell he told his mom in Spanish I scolded him and she kept glaring at me. Really? How about you tell your bratty child what he did was wrong rather than getting mad at me. I think when parents fail the kid becomes society’s problem and I took care of the situation. Not many people really understand the purpose of putting your seat back up while landing. Gee…let’s think about this. If there is a rough landing my head is going to go in the back of that seat. I really do not feel like breaking my nose for your comfort…asshole. On a take off one day when the jet took off in the air the guy in front of me put his seat back and used the gravitational force of the jet going straight in the air to do so. If I was bent forward when he did that I would have been really injured because of how fast and forceful the seat went back. Use common sense people!
Okay…back to other people’s kids. The kid on the airplane was not the first kid I scolded before. While I had a garage sale these people pulled up. To be politically correct as best as I can…they were from the ghetto. This kid about two or three runs out of the van and starts pushing things over. The mom hardly yelled at him. The family continued to go through the things I was selling when the kid when under an unstable clothes wrack and started to push it around. I was screaming at him to get out of there. It was more of an immediate re-action rather than scolding because it was going to collapse on him; seriously hurting him. The mom pulled him aside and started spanking him and threw him in the van. What a good way to raise another abuser. The problem was she was not watching him. Can I spank her?
So the moral of my stories are if you kid is misbehaving in front of me and it affects me in some way I am going to say something if you do not. I have yet for a mom to get in my face for scolding their child. I feel bad for the mom that dare does that someday. Not that I would harm her but she will get one hell of a lecture controlling her bratty child rather than getting mad at the person the child was impacting.
I'm Unemployed, Not Dead!
One of the worst things you can do to a friend that is unemployed is to treat them like they do not even exist. Some people may think it is better to just not include your unemployed friend in activities but it is just the opposite. You should still invite your unemployed friend on outings and let them decide if financially they can go. Do not make that decision for them. Your friend just had his or her job taken away from them and it is not right to take away their choices.
So far a majority of my friends have been very supportive with my unemployment. They still treat me like nothing happened but at the same time still ask how the job search is going and ask if there is any thing they can do for me. It is so nice to know I have people that care about me. Recently Tony and I were not invited to an event that was free for a fundraiser because our friends did not want us to feel bad for not being able to bid on auction items. Our other friends were invited. Our friendship is more important than our pride and I had to find out about this event after it happened through facebook. I am more hurt than mad, even cried a bit. I would have loved to have gone to the event. It looked like a great time that Tony and I need right now. And it was FREE! I felt like I was kicked while being down. I should also mention I donated money to this charity prior to me being unemployed and Tony sold more raffle tickets than anyone for a prior event. I have not talked to my friend about what happened and probably will not unless they bring it up. While their heart may have been in the right place they clearly did not think it through on how my feelings would be hurt if I found out about the event.
So bottom line if you care about your unemployed friend(s) continue to treat them as an equal while showing you care about their job search and success. If you are going to an amusement park with some friends still invite them with and let them make the decision to go or not. If you want to have lunch with you friend invite them but be smart on where you choose to take them. A place where it is $50 a plate is not the smartest choice.
So far a majority of my friends have been very supportive with my unemployment. They still treat me like nothing happened but at the same time still ask how the job search is going and ask if there is any thing they can do for me. It is so nice to know I have people that care about me. Recently Tony and I were not invited to an event that was free for a fundraiser because our friends did not want us to feel bad for not being able to bid on auction items. Our other friends were invited. Our friendship is more important than our pride and I had to find out about this event after it happened through facebook. I am more hurt than mad, even cried a bit. I would have loved to have gone to the event. It looked like a great time that Tony and I need right now. And it was FREE! I felt like I was kicked while being down. I should also mention I donated money to this charity prior to me being unemployed and Tony sold more raffle tickets than anyone for a prior event. I have not talked to my friend about what happened and probably will not unless they bring it up. While their heart may have been in the right place they clearly did not think it through on how my feelings would be hurt if I found out about the event.
So bottom line if you care about your unemployed friend(s) continue to treat them as an equal while showing you care about their job search and success. If you are going to an amusement park with some friends still invite them with and let them make the decision to go or not. If you want to have lunch with you friend invite them but be smart on where you choose to take them. A place where it is $50 a plate is not the smartest choice.
Friday, June 11, 2010
All you have to do is ask
I made several phone calls to companies to try to reduce my bills since being laid off. Below are my successes.
My first call was to DirectTV. I went to the lowest package possible which is not even advertised on their website and I cancelled HBO. While cancelling HBO the service representative asked if I would be interested in another movie station. Gee…I just told him I lost my job and he is trying to sell me on something else. I told him not unless you can give it to me for free. He paused for a few seconds and offered me three free months of Showtime. SCORE! When Tony got home that evening he turned on the TV and the first channel he always goes to is ESPN. All the sudden I hear yelling from downstairs with Tony freaking out that ESPN and CNN are no longer part of our package. He insists I get our old channels back. I told him he can look up sports online and this is the way it is going to be for a while. We are saving about $50 a month with our cut backs on DirectTV.
Next was Time Warner Cable for my home phone and internet service. I explained my situation and they offered me a promotional rate for my home phone so I did not have to down grade. I saved another $16 a month there. I could downgrade my internet speed to save another $10 but since I am constantly searching for jobs online I might drive myself insane with a slow internet speed.
There is not much I can change with Sprint. I already have a business discount rate but Sprint did come to my aid with the international calling fees I had to make while in Curacao because of American Airlines (that is another story). I asked if I could get the international calling charges waived since I had to make emergency phone calls due to a day delay getting off the island because of American Airlines. Fees Waived except for the calls I had to make to American Airlines when they screwed up my new tickets. They said I should recoup those costs from American Airlines. Still waiting on a response to my letter to them.
Before I left for Curacao I had to see the doctor for my ear. I had blockage in my ear and it is not very safe to fly with ear issues. When she was getting ready to hand me my prescription I asked if she had a sample I could have since I am unemployed. She disappeared for a while and then came back with the nasal spray she took from another doctor’s stash to help me. Saved about a $20 copay there.
I redeemed Marriott points for the trip to Curacao. I was given a garden view room for free. Upon arrival I asked for an upgrade with my gold status. Bam! Upgraded to ocean view. My surprise stay because of American Airlines landed Tony and I another night in Curacao at the Renaissance by Marriott. Again I asked for an upgrade because of my status and we were put in the Executive one bedroom suite.
I called my auto and home insurance company, All State. I did not want to make any changes to my policy but wanted to know if there are any additional savings I qualify for. My agent did a re-write of my policy and I am saving $30 a month on my auto and $45 a year on my home insurance. My policy stated the same with no changes in coverage.
My schedule for my trip to WI in July and August keeps changing with United Airlines. When I called the airline to see what was going on it turns out they are slowly pulling their services out of central WI. Because of the inconvenience of my schedule now Tony and I each received $250 ticket vouchers to use in the next year. Just a simple phone call. Too bad American Airlines will not take any complaints by phone…assholes.
The point of this posting is to have the guts to just ask if you want something. The worst they can say is no. You would be amazed how far just asking with a smile or sweet tone will go with people. I have been mastering this art for the last few years and it is amazing all the upgrades and savings I received because of just asking.
My first call was to DirectTV. I went to the lowest package possible which is not even advertised on their website and I cancelled HBO. While cancelling HBO the service representative asked if I would be interested in another movie station. Gee…I just told him I lost my job and he is trying to sell me on something else. I told him not unless you can give it to me for free. He paused for a few seconds and offered me three free months of Showtime. SCORE! When Tony got home that evening he turned on the TV and the first channel he always goes to is ESPN. All the sudden I hear yelling from downstairs with Tony freaking out that ESPN and CNN are no longer part of our package. He insists I get our old channels back. I told him he can look up sports online and this is the way it is going to be for a while. We are saving about $50 a month with our cut backs on DirectTV.
Next was Time Warner Cable for my home phone and internet service. I explained my situation and they offered me a promotional rate for my home phone so I did not have to down grade. I saved another $16 a month there. I could downgrade my internet speed to save another $10 but since I am constantly searching for jobs online I might drive myself insane with a slow internet speed.
There is not much I can change with Sprint. I already have a business discount rate but Sprint did come to my aid with the international calling fees I had to make while in Curacao because of American Airlines (that is another story). I asked if I could get the international calling charges waived since I had to make emergency phone calls due to a day delay getting off the island because of American Airlines. Fees Waived except for the calls I had to make to American Airlines when they screwed up my new tickets. They said I should recoup those costs from American Airlines. Still waiting on a response to my letter to them.
Before I left for Curacao I had to see the doctor for my ear. I had blockage in my ear and it is not very safe to fly with ear issues. When she was getting ready to hand me my prescription I asked if she had a sample I could have since I am unemployed. She disappeared for a while and then came back with the nasal spray she took from another doctor’s stash to help me. Saved about a $20 copay there.
I redeemed Marriott points for the trip to Curacao. I was given a garden view room for free. Upon arrival I asked for an upgrade with my gold status. Bam! Upgraded to ocean view. My surprise stay because of American Airlines landed Tony and I another night in Curacao at the Renaissance by Marriott. Again I asked for an upgrade because of my status and we were put in the Executive one bedroom suite.
I called my auto and home insurance company, All State. I did not want to make any changes to my policy but wanted to know if there are any additional savings I qualify for. My agent did a re-write of my policy and I am saving $30 a month on my auto and $45 a year on my home insurance. My policy stated the same with no changes in coverage.
My schedule for my trip to WI in July and August keeps changing with United Airlines. When I called the airline to see what was going on it turns out they are slowly pulling their services out of central WI. Because of the inconvenience of my schedule now Tony and I each received $250 ticket vouchers to use in the next year. Just a simple phone call. Too bad American Airlines will not take any complaints by phone…assholes.
The point of this posting is to have the guts to just ask if you want something. The worst they can say is no. You would be amazed how far just asking with a smile or sweet tone will go with people. I have been mastering this art for the last few years and it is amazing all the upgrades and savings I received because of just asking.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Easy Day
Dinner was easy today! Tony forgot to take his left over buffalo shrimp so he had leftovers and I had a goat cheese and jam sandwich. Yeah for me! Three days in a row with no meat. Tomorrow is going to be another story since I am making tacos. The best thing was when Tony came home and he hugged me and said "I love coming home to you." Then he looked on the kitchen counter and said..."what is this, my dinner?" How easily men are distracted by food. Okay...wait...the first thing he did was grab my boobs and said these look nice today. So food and boobs distract him.
While on vacation in Curacao I did not count Weight Watcher points which now has made me not wanting to do it any more. I lost 15 pounds on Weight Watchers in 15 weeks (been on it for 21) but I had enough of counting points. I am going to see how well I can do on my own without counting points. If I start gaining then I will go back to counting. I went from a size 6-8 to a 2-4.
My unemployment benefits are good for a year but I can only claim 23 weeks in that year. While other unemployed people have been able to claim unemployment for nearly 3 years those extensions expired and have not been re-approved. It freaks me out a little bit to know there are no extensions for me right now but I hope things will turn around. I called a company back in CA that wanted me to work for a short period of time. I can stop claiming unemployment while I work for them for a month or so and then go back on unemployment without it impacting my weekly benefit amount and how long I can receive benefits. They were excited to hear I am available. They wanted me to work a while back but I was worried it would impact my unemployment. They are calling me back on Tuesday to work out the details. It will be nice to get a job for a while and then feel comfortable going back on unemployment.
My evening has been pretty easy. Tony mowed the lawn since he does not want me to hurt my knee any more. I laid out on the hammock reading magazines in my bikini. It was nice to have that break and nothing makes Tony happier than seeing me in a bikini. I am able to do stomach and arm exercises but my lower half is out of commission right now. Speaking of my bum knee. As if that was not enough I jammed my pinky toe on the other food today. Hurts like hell.
Pictures of my weight loss. Before 145 pounds in August 2009 and now 131 pounds in June 2010. Well…if you subtract my breast implants it is 127 pounds. Yes, today’s housewives have breast implants. HA! I still felt good at 145 but feel fantastic now. I don't want to lose any more. I do not find any thing sex about skin and bones. My best "ass"et already shurnk.
August 2009: 145 pounds
June 2010: 131 pounds
While on vacation in Curacao I did not count Weight Watcher points which now has made me not wanting to do it any more. I lost 15 pounds on Weight Watchers in 15 weeks (been on it for 21) but I had enough of counting points. I am going to see how well I can do on my own without counting points. If I start gaining then I will go back to counting. I went from a size 6-8 to a 2-4.
My unemployment benefits are good for a year but I can only claim 23 weeks in that year. While other unemployed people have been able to claim unemployment for nearly 3 years those extensions expired and have not been re-approved. It freaks me out a little bit to know there are no extensions for me right now but I hope things will turn around. I called a company back in CA that wanted me to work for a short period of time. I can stop claiming unemployment while I work for them for a month or so and then go back on unemployment without it impacting my weekly benefit amount and how long I can receive benefits. They were excited to hear I am available. They wanted me to work a while back but I was worried it would impact my unemployment. They are calling me back on Tuesday to work out the details. It will be nice to get a job for a while and then feel comfortable going back on unemployment.
My evening has been pretty easy. Tony mowed the lawn since he does not want me to hurt my knee any more. I laid out on the hammock reading magazines in my bikini. It was nice to have that break and nothing makes Tony happier than seeing me in a bikini. I am able to do stomach and arm exercises but my lower half is out of commission right now. Speaking of my bum knee. As if that was not enough I jammed my pinky toe on the other food today. Hurts like hell.
Pictures of my weight loss. Before 145 pounds in August 2009 and now 131 pounds in June 2010. Well…if you subtract my breast implants it is 127 pounds. Yes, today’s housewives have breast implants. HA! I still felt good at 145 but feel fantastic now. I don't want to lose any more. I do not find any thing sex about skin and bones. My best "ass"et already shurnk.
August 2009: 145 pounds
June 2010: 131 pounds
The Revised 1950's Houswife Rules
I am sure you all have seen this information before that comes from a 1950's high school home economics textbook, teaching girls how to prepare for married life. I listed the 1950's way and my take on the 2010 way.
1. Have Dinner Ready
The 1950’s Way: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
The 2010 Way: Still have dinner ready. You don’t have to plan ahead the night before and it can come from a box or bag. Still make an attempt to at least cook a few homemade meals a week.
2. Prepare Yourself
The 1950’s Way: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work- weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
The 2010 Way: Still touch up your make up before he comes in the door. It can’t hurt to still look beautiful for your husband. No need to rest for 15 minutes as it will not make a difference in your wrinkles or sagging boobs. If you were gay today for your husband you will be waiting at home in bed with another woman. Don’t do that unless you are in that type of marriage. Instead be who you are without the bow in your hair…unless you are going for the school girl role playing. You want to be interesting…give him today’s newspaper and let him entertain himself.
3. Clear away the clutter
The 1950’s Way: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
The 2010 Way: A little clutter in one section of the house is not going to kill his day. A pig pen will and would even ruin my day. Still pick up stray things if you have time and frebreeze the house.
4. Prepare the children
The 1950’s Way: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
The 2010 Way: Are you kidding me? Children are little treasures? Every child has a demon inside of them and your husband should experience that part just the same so he knows what you go through. Don’t bother changing their clothes unless they need it and don’t do it just for the sake of your husband.
5. Minimize the noise
The 1950’s Way: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
The 2010 Way: Keep doing the laundry, dishes, or vacuum. A little noise is not going to hurt anyone and he should be thankful for everything you do. Encourage children to be quiet? Good luck with that one. Still greet your husband with a smile and be happy to see him.
6. Things to avoid
The 1950’s Way: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.
The 2010 Way: I would not greet with complaints…give it 10 minutes. You have every right to complain about something that may have gone wrong in your day as he does. Just because you are home doesn’t mean things don’t suck once in a while. If he is late for dinner no need to complain, just tuff shit for him his food is cold and he knows were the microwave is.
7. Make him comfortable
The 1950’s Way: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
The 2010 Way: Give him a beer and the remote. As for those shoes…I am not touching them unless I want to inhale some form of toxic rotten feet. My voice is my voice and I am not changing.
8. Listen to him
The 1950’s Way: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
The 2010 Way: Conversations are a two way street. If you have something to say just say it and don’t wait for him to speak. You are just as important. However if you are one of those women that does not come up for air while speaking I would not want to even come home if I was you husband – learn when to shut up.
9. Make the evening his
The 1950’s Way: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
The 2010 Way: If he does not take you out to dinner or out to other places he deserves a swift kick in the ass. He may have a world of pressure but that is no reason for you to stay in the house 24/7. The evening should be about the two of you and not just one person. If he does not want to go out he at least should give you some money for new clothes and you can go shopping without him.
10. The goal
The 1950’s Way: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.
The 2010 Way: Make your home a place of love and warmth for BOTH you and your husband to relax.
Reference for 1950’s information: http://www.funfacts.com.au/1950s-housewife/
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Two Days with No Meat!
I really am trying to eat less meat. I am not going to go vegetarian - I hate every type of seafood - I just want to do it for the health benefits of not eating steroids and all the other crap that is pumped into meat. I do buy so called "natural" chicken breasts. Today was my first day making it two days in a row with no meat. My substitute is the Morning Star products. They are so good. The chicken pattie really does taste like a chicken pattie and their black bean burger is amazing! Their products are low in fat and I cannot get over how good they are. For breakfast I had cereal and lunch was a Hershey bliss candy bar. It has been so long since I had a candy bar and it tasted like Heaven.
I tried out a new recipe for dinner for Tony. Buffalo Shrimp Sliders from Redbook magazine. He loved them! I used large Kaiser rolls rather than dinner rolls so they were more of a sandwich for him. With it I made my famous spicy potato and I had a Morning Star chicken sandwich. Funny how with me trying to eat light and healthy Tony is the one that gets the home cooked meals and mine come from a box. I also made meringues with fresh strawberries, cool whip, and sugar free chocolate syrup. Awesome dinner. The meringues with strawberries reminds me so much of being at my Grandma Dorothy's house. I can't quiet remember when she would buy them when we were kids. I think sometime in spring. Recipe Link: http://www.redbookmag.com/recipefinder/buffalo-shrimp-sliders-recipe-rbk0610.
I saw the doctor today about my knee. He is not exactly sure what is going on with it but definitely some weakness and pain. I have to rest for two weeks and take some meds. If it does not get better I have to go back for a MRI to see if I have a tear in my muscle. Not very fun. So that last post I had about getting off your ass and mowing the lawn...not going to happen for me for a while. It actually does upset me because I love the work out and the tan.
I tried out a new recipe for dinner for Tony. Buffalo Shrimp Sliders from Redbook magazine. He loved them! I used large Kaiser rolls rather than dinner rolls so they were more of a sandwich for him. With it I made my famous spicy potato and I had a Morning Star chicken sandwich. Funny how with me trying to eat light and healthy Tony is the one that gets the home cooked meals and mine come from a box. I also made meringues with fresh strawberries, cool whip, and sugar free chocolate syrup. Awesome dinner. The meringues with strawberries reminds me so much of being at my Grandma Dorothy's house. I can't quiet remember when she would buy them when we were kids. I think sometime in spring. Recipe Link: http://www.redbookmag.com/recipefinder/buffalo-shrimp-sliders-recipe-rbk0610.
I saw the doctor today about my knee. He is not exactly sure what is going on with it but definitely some weakness and pain. I have to rest for two weeks and take some meds. If it does not get better I have to go back for a MRI to see if I have a tear in my muscle. Not very fun. So that last post I had about getting off your ass and mowing the lawn...not going to happen for me for a while. It actually does upset me because I love the work out and the tan.
New Housewife View on Yard Work and Gardening
Why in the world would yard work be in a housewives list? Because it is 2010. While the men work get off your ass and mow the lawn if you are a housewife. It is great exercise and you will get a nice tan if you do it in your bikini. With how many looks I get when people drive by I am convinced a bikini landscape service would make a fortune. For now my neighbor’s and the people driving by get the show for free. But hey…I have a golden tan for a pale white girl and an ass of steel from pushing the mower. I also get out the landscape edger and edge around our landscaping. For those of you that have seen my yard you know it is not an easy task. Trim the bushes(haha...that's what she said), wheel barrel the yard waste to the woods in the back of the development, spray bug killer, fertilize, and much more. The only thing I do not do in the yard is weed whack. I destroyed the weed whacker last time I attempted to use it leaving my husband with a mess.
I have amazing hydrangeas and rose bushes along with some other flowers. I just cut a few and used them as a centerpiece on my dinning room table. Nothing makes you feel more like a housewife when you cut your own flowers and make an arrangement. I would have a vegetable garden if it were not for my dogs. I have a peach tree and the dogs rip the peaches down since they look like balls. There are two beautiful lilac bushes that are supposed to grow and overtake my ugly shed. Something in the lilac attracts the dogs and the lilacs are gone even before they bloom. Today I cut some tiger lilies and roses and use them as a centerpiece on my kitchen table. Before when I was working I never took the time to cut my own flowers and enjoy them in the house. Doing that recently makes me want to plant more flower bushes and more varieties to pick from.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Crappy Interview and a Bum Knee
I had a phone interview at 9 AM this morning. My phone interview did not even last 10 minutes. Now if you are in HR please forgive my next comments. I cannot stand most HR reps especially when the job I applied for is technical. This guy had no clue what he was talking about and I kept asking what area of the bank the position was in and all he could tell me was financial. Yeah...thanks buddy...that really narrows it down. What a douche bag. All he could ask were generic questions since he does not know the business and finally I said this is not the right job for me. I so badly wanted to say let me interview with the hiring manager since he will be able to answer my questions and understand the perspective I am coming from.
Some other not so optimistic news on my job front is the fact I will not be able to work at the bank I was just at as a contractor again. They have a strict policy on not rehiring contractors for contract work but I could go back as a perm employee...if they would only hire perm employees! It really bites because there was an open position for an 18 month contract I was completely qualified for and cannot get.
I hurt my knee a week ago while in Curacao. I have no idea what I did to it. I first noticed something when I tried to bend down and I had to sit. Now it is swollen, warm to the touch, and I can hardly walk or go up the stairs. The walk I took yesterday did not help it. I go to the doctor tomorrow at 11 AM and I hope it is nothing bad. I had to put my karate account on hold until I find out what is wrong. Tony will not be getting his 1950's housewife today. I did manage to clean up the dog piles outside and straighten the house a bit but that is it. He will not come home to me in a dress and apron but rather shorts and a tank top. No fancy meal tonight. It is going to be fish sticks and fries for him and a Morning Star chicken pattie for me. Luckily I have a husband that even appreciates that. A few weeks ago I tried to stop Tony from helping me clean up after dinner. I figure I can do that all now since I do not work. He said "we are in this together". Not many men would say that.
Some other not so optimistic news on my job front is the fact I will not be able to work at the bank I was just at as a contractor again. They have a strict policy on not rehiring contractors for contract work but I could go back as a perm employee...if they would only hire perm employees! It really bites because there was an open position for an 18 month contract I was completely qualified for and cannot get.
I hurt my knee a week ago while in Curacao. I have no idea what I did to it. I first noticed something when I tried to bend down and I had to sit. Now it is swollen, warm to the touch, and I can hardly walk or go up the stairs. The walk I took yesterday did not help it. I go to the doctor tomorrow at 11 AM and I hope it is nothing bad. I had to put my karate account on hold until I find out what is wrong. Tony will not be getting his 1950's housewife today. I did manage to clean up the dog piles outside and straighten the house a bit but that is it. He will not come home to me in a dress and apron but rather shorts and a tank top. No fancy meal tonight. It is going to be fish sticks and fries for him and a Morning Star chicken pattie for me. Luckily I have a husband that even appreciates that. A few weeks ago I tried to stop Tony from helping me clean up after dinner. I figure I can do that all now since I do not work. He said "we are in this together". Not many men would say that.
Monday, June 7, 2010
The New 1950's Houswife's View on Cooking
I wake up each day around 8 AM. My husband leaves for work at 6:30. Part of being a 1950’s housewife in 2010 is NOT waking up before your husband gets up to do your make up and make his breakfast and pack his lunch. 1950’s housewives in 2010 recognize the importance of beauty sleep and my husband enjoys waking up to seeing my ass cheeks poke out of my nightgown. I made the offer to my husband several times to wake me up when he gets up so I can make him breakfast. He prefers to let me sleep in. How sweet is that? I may attempt to get up early tomorrow since I have a phone interview at 9 AM.
Now 1950’s housewives in 2010 also do not make their husband’s lunch. Why? Because today’s housewives are more health conscious than in the 1950’s. If I pack my husband’s lunch it will be with all health food leaving him to toss it and go to McDonald’s. Yeah I am sure he would be so thrilled about me packing a Morning Star Brand Meatless meal, vegetables, fruit, and tea. So that leaves today’s housewives only having to make dinner...EXCEPT for the weekend! You must prepare breakfast and lunch.
Not every dinner is homemade. As much as I try to we have to make some shortcuts to save money. One of those short cuts is hamburger helper. YUCK! My husband and I have not eaten hamburger helper since we were dirt poor when we first were married. There is so much sodium in that crap that I bloat to the point I look like I am 5 months pregnant. We will only eat it occasionally and I only use a half pound of 96% ground meat so it ends up not being the worst thing in the world and only costs about $3.00 for the whole meal. And yes, my ground beef is clearance beef I take out of the freezer. Other shortcuts are pizza and bagged meals in the frozen isle. When I do make homemade food it is to die for. I do consider myself an excellent cook and baker. My husband’s favorites are my spiced tilapia and pasta. I can make one hell of a reduced fat cupcake and southern style banana pudding.
Now since this is the only meal I have to focus on for my husband it is cooked to perfection and hot as soon as he walks in the door. I make sure to start dinner when he leaves work so it is ready for him. The table is set when he comes home and there is a frosty mug in the freezer waiting for his beer. I touch up may make-up before he comes home so I look picture perfect in my dress and apron with dinner all ready for my hard working husband. There are two days a week this does not happen. On the nights I go to karate I usually leave before Tony comes home or shortly after. He still has a meal but does not see me all dolled up and it is normally a short cut meal. Nothing sexier than a karate uniform.
Now homemakers with kids may be cursing me right now but let it go...I am having fun with this and I can't imagine what it is like to do all of this with kids.
Now 1950’s housewives in 2010 also do not make their husband’s lunch. Why? Because today’s housewives are more health conscious than in the 1950’s. If I pack my husband’s lunch it will be with all health food leaving him to toss it and go to McDonald’s. Yeah I am sure he would be so thrilled about me packing a Morning Star Brand Meatless meal, vegetables, fruit, and tea. So that leaves today’s housewives only having to make dinner...EXCEPT for the weekend! You must prepare breakfast and lunch.
Not every dinner is homemade. As much as I try to we have to make some shortcuts to save money. One of those short cuts is hamburger helper. YUCK! My husband and I have not eaten hamburger helper since we were dirt poor when we first were married. There is so much sodium in that crap that I bloat to the point I look like I am 5 months pregnant. We will only eat it occasionally and I only use a half pound of 96% ground meat so it ends up not being the worst thing in the world and only costs about $3.00 for the whole meal. And yes, my ground beef is clearance beef I take out of the freezer. Other shortcuts are pizza and bagged meals in the frozen isle. When I do make homemade food it is to die for. I do consider myself an excellent cook and baker. My husband’s favorites are my spiced tilapia and pasta. I can make one hell of a reduced fat cupcake and southern style banana pudding.
Now since this is the only meal I have to focus on for my husband it is cooked to perfection and hot as soon as he walks in the door. I make sure to start dinner when he leaves work so it is ready for him. The table is set when he comes home and there is a frosty mug in the freezer waiting for his beer. I touch up may make-up before he comes home so I look picture perfect in my dress and apron with dinner all ready for my hard working husband. There are two days a week this does not happen. On the nights I go to karate I usually leave before Tony comes home or shortly after. He still has a meal but does not see me all dolled up and it is normally a short cut meal. Nothing sexier than a karate uniform.
Now homemakers with kids may be cursing me right now but let it go...I am having fun with this and I can't imagine what it is like to do all of this with kids.
The 1950's Housewife in 2010
Who is the 1950’s housewife in 2010? She is young, beautiful, educated, tattooed, and unemployed. She is me. Since loosing my job I wanted to make sure my husband would get some kind of benefit for working so much overtime to help make up for the lost income. I vowed to be a 1950’s housewife in 2010. My husband comes home everyday to dinner, a clean house, and me in a dress wearing my lacy apron to add to the 1950’s look.
More to come with today’s version of the 1950’s housewife from my point of view.
More to come with today’s version of the 1950’s housewife from my point of view.
Grocery Store Savings and Ending Stupid Spending
I have always cut coupons but now more than ever I have to find creative ways to save. I created a spreadsheet and wrote down all the items I buy on a monthly basis in the rows and the stores I shop at in the columns. I visited Walmart, Target, BJs, and Lowes and wrote down the price of each item and calculated the unit cost. This took a long time to complete but am very happy I did. I always thought Walmart was cheaper on everything and they are not! I also was able to figure out if something was cheaper at Lowes when the coupon is doubled versus just using the coupon at Walmart. My spreadsheet is 8 pages long. My monthly grocery bill prior to being unemployed was around $1100 - $1400. This included pet supplies (I have three dogs and a cat), beauty products, and cleaning supplies. My first month of unemployment my grocery bill was $643.07. I am so proud of myself. It helps I am one of those crazy people that stocks up on food when there is an incredible sale. My friends always make fun of me about how many cans of vegetables I have but they sure are coming in handy right now considering when I bought the Del Monte vegetables I only paid about 35 cents a can and they are in the stores for around a dollar a can. I buy meat on clearance and am not ashamed. I always bought meat on clearance in the past just more so now. People freak out over brown beef. Hello! It would be that color if it were not for the oxygen that is injected in. It is just as safe.
My eating out expenses prior to me being unemployed were $120 - $250 a month. Even when I had a job my husband and I only ate out once a week and he went out to lunch once a week. Eating out is such a waste of money if you do it all the time. My first month unemployed our eating out expenses were $81 excluding what we had to spend on vacation. Not too bad but I hope to have it even less this month. When we do eat out now I will buy coupons from Restaurant.com when they are 80% off.
Stupid Stupid Spending: Shopping...who does not like to shop? My monthly department store and clothing costs before being unemployed were between $1,000 and $1,500 for Tony and me. Now my budget is $50. Luckily I have more clothes than I can imagine. I know you all are wondering how someone can spend that kind of money on clothes each month. I wonder myself. Much of the expense was for things around the house. I did a lot of redecorating but I do love clothes. You don't have to tell me twice...how much I spent each month was just stupid. But I was smart with my 401k and put in the max I could. I just wish I would have bought less and saved more. Changing my spending habits in this category is not going to be easy but I really do not have a choice in the matter. I do not have credit card debt other than what my husband I just had to charge on our vacation. Only about $700 on a 0% credit card. Not bad and I do not indent on charging any thing else. I could easily pay it off with money out of my savings account but it seems smarter to leave it on a 0% card and leave more money in the savings account. Lets see how I do over the next few months. I am under some serious retail therapy.
It is going to be hard not to donate to good causes. I always took out the checkbook for animal shelters and other fundraising events for causes I fully believe in. I still want to donate but it will have to wait until I am employed.
My eating out expenses prior to me being unemployed were $120 - $250 a month. Even when I had a job my husband and I only ate out once a week and he went out to lunch once a week. Eating out is such a waste of money if you do it all the time. My first month unemployed our eating out expenses were $81 excluding what we had to spend on vacation. Not too bad but I hope to have it even less this month. When we do eat out now I will buy coupons from Restaurant.com when they are 80% off.
Stupid Stupid Spending: Shopping...who does not like to shop? My monthly department store and clothing costs before being unemployed were between $1,000 and $1,500 for Tony and me. Now my budget is $50. Luckily I have more clothes than I can imagine. I know you all are wondering how someone can spend that kind of money on clothes each month. I wonder myself. Much of the expense was for things around the house. I did a lot of redecorating but I do love clothes. You don't have to tell me twice...how much I spent each month was just stupid. But I was smart with my 401k and put in the max I could. I just wish I would have bought less and saved more. Changing my spending habits in this category is not going to be easy but I really do not have a choice in the matter. I do not have credit card debt other than what my husband I just had to charge on our vacation. Only about $700 on a 0% credit card. Not bad and I do not indent on charging any thing else. I could easily pay it off with money out of my savings account but it seems smarter to leave it on a 0% card and leave more money in the savings account. Lets see how I do over the next few months. I am under some serious retail therapy.
It is going to be hard not to donate to good causes. I always took out the checkbook for animal shelters and other fundraising events for causes I fully believe in. I still want to donate but it will have to wait until I am employed.
First Month of Unemployment
May 5th was a day that seemed like any other day for me. I woke up, took a shower, and logged onto my computer to start my hectic day working on a bank merger. Then my meeting came at 9:30 with my manager. I was being let go on Friday. The bank was millions over budget on the project I was working on and I was one of the many contractors that would be let go...three years early. My manager told me she did not expect me to do any work the next few days and I just do what I needed to do. The following day of work she emailed me a letter of recommendation and job links. How many managers would do that for you?
The following weeks were ups and downs for me. I had two in person interviews and several phone calls. The job I really wanted at another bank was given to someone who was already employed. URG!
My husband and I tried cancelling our vacation to Curacao but our travel insurance claim was denied since I was not employed with my employer for three years straight. What the heck is the point of travel insurance then? We still took the trip and so glad we did. It was amazing. Our hotel was free through my Marriott points so we just had to pay for meals and a dog sitter.
So here I am exactly one month from my last day of work. I have a very supportive husband that tells me not to take the first job that comes by and wait for the job that is right for me. He is able to work overtime to make up for my lost income. With his job and my unemployment we are still able to pay all of our bills with some cut backs. I thought I would get a new job right away since I have a MBA but since I did not I figured I would write my way through unemployment by blogging. I know this introduction has been pretty boring but I assure you it will get interesting!
The following weeks were ups and downs for me. I had two in person interviews and several phone calls. The job I really wanted at another bank was given to someone who was already employed. URG!
My husband and I tried cancelling our vacation to Curacao but our travel insurance claim was denied since I was not employed with my employer for three years straight. What the heck is the point of travel insurance then? We still took the trip and so glad we did. It was amazing. Our hotel was free through my Marriott points so we just had to pay for meals and a dog sitter.
So here I am exactly one month from my last day of work. I have a very supportive husband that tells me not to take the first job that comes by and wait for the job that is right for me. He is able to work overtime to make up for my lost income. With his job and my unemployment we are still able to pay all of our bills with some cut backs. I thought I would get a new job right away since I have a MBA but since I did not I figured I would write my way through unemployment by blogging. I know this introduction has been pretty boring but I assure you it will get interesting!
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