About sixteen years ago, I met him for the first time. My trainwreck sibling brought home this adorable puppy he had no business adopting because he had not one thing in his life that wasn’t a mess. I was furious at my sibling – he didn’t even take care of himself, how could he drag
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June 26, 2008
This is getting tres frustrating. I know the economy’s tanking so it’s going to take a while, way to go me for waiting this long to sell the truck, but still, it tries my soul that there has been absolutely no response to my Craigslist ad in the past several weeks. Not even a single flaky, half-interested email. None. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Nothing.
I went to AutoTrader and found that they don’t even have their 90-day, sell or get your money back guarantee anymore. Dangit!
I’m doing so well with the little things, but the big things are really breaking my budget.
So, am I a standard, enhanced or deluxe ad buyer? I’m so anxious to get rid of the thing that I’m willing to consider springing for the deluxe ad!
Standard: $29
-
Online Ad
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3 Weeks
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1 Online Photo
Enhanced: $49
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Online Ad
- Magazine Ad
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8 Weeks
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9 Online Photos
- Single Photo
- Thumbnail Photo
Deluxe: $79
The mood I’m in? I just want to spring for the $79 and pray for the best. It’d feel worth it get the craptacular payments off my expense sheet!
June 25, 2008
What a disappointment. The title of this event, Fashion Meets Finance, had me jazzed, until I read the article. Then I was just completely disgusted:
The invitation for the Fashion Meets Finance event held last Thursday at Taj read, “Women in fashion need men who can facilitate their pre-30 marriage/retirement plan … And men in finance need women who will allow them to leverage their career in their dating equity.”
Can these people really be serious? Can people really be so shameless?
Apparently, there are so many people out there happy to attend such an event, “over 1,000 — twice the capacity of Taj) that the organization would have to turn away more than half of them.”
Ugh. This completely tops my disgust over the glorification of prom.
Whoops. I’d mentioned before that I have this weird cycle of either acquiring or divesting myself of stuff. Sometimes I’m ruthless, other times I’m sensible about the decisions to keep or not to keep, but most times I assume that if I hadn’t worn it up until that point, I won’t want to ever again.
Apparently, I’m wrong about that.
The weather has been insanely hot of late, hot enough that my usual uniform of jeans and a shirt was unbearable. Sorry, FB, it was the weather that forced me to finally follow my resolution to dress better for work, not a sense of fashion. Or shame. 😀
I’ve broken down and been wearing dresses and skirts to the office. This is quite the rarity, and while I have a lot of dresses, some of which date as far back as early high school, I don’t have that many office-appropriate dresses. I’ve been pairing tank tops (that are still cool and much more appropriate layered than alone), or 3/4 sleeve button downs with skirts to stretch the summer wardrobe. While contemplating what other spring and work appropriate items I could pull out from storage, I realized there was one dress that would work, from high school graduation: it was a nice, stretchy darker lilac material and ran a bit longer than knee-length. Not the maxi-dress, but not too casual, either. Unfortunately, I decided several months ago that I had too many dresses and I could well part with that one because I’d not worn it in years.
It’s rare that I regret clearing out the closet, and the one-in-one-out method, but I’ve really got to rethink my keep or toss strategy.
June 24, 2008
Happily, two bits of great news: I got confirmation from a friend that I can use his lodgings for my trip to San Diego this July. A couple friends will be joining me, and normally that would require a hotel room for them, costing about $130 for a motel that’s none too near our destination. This is a great convenience! I have to find something cool for him there, or think of something cool to give him. I don’t know what to give a man who can afford to live in NYC and maintain a condo in downtown San Diego, though. Any ideas?
The other thing is the truck registration was unexpectedly $12 cheaper! I went online to pay the bill today, and noticed the reduced price. It’s nearly enough to offset the increased airfare. Yay!
That wasn’t the best display I’ve ever made. The coworkers were all chattering, and I with them, about twenty minutes ago as I had a snack, and all was fine.
I went back to grab something as I’d delved deep into my work, and needed something from the other room, and found them deep into yet another animated conversation. This after the secretary couldn’t be bothered to get off her personal call to answer the dang phone that was also another personal call for her. They were still laughing and talking, despite knowing they had tasks that were due immediately.
They greeted me excitedly, “Revanche! Look!” as they went to show me something on the computer and my stress of being on deadline for three major projects, simultaneously, snapped. I started to ask, “what?” but found myself going straight into “Is NO ONE else on deadline? Is it JUST ME??” Then walked out.
Geebus.
Thanks to this doggy, who is blurred because he can NOT stay still, our tomato plants have been moved out in our front planter. I wouldn’t think that’d be the best place for them, but it seems like they’re thriving in the sunlight and non-doggy-thrashing zone.
At $2.49-$3/pound, I’m glad to have our own little patch of veggies. It took me a while to figure out which general vicinity to photograph, but I finally found it!
I still can’t spot our cucumbers, but Pa says they’re growing too, despite my visually-challenged skepticism.
Yikes, it’s already nearly the end of June! Two weeks ago, I realized that June had well and truly started, and if I was going to visit Portland and Phoenix this summer, I’d better get my tuckus in gear!
I missed my chance to make the Portland trip this month, and the Phoenix trip in August, so I thought to cram them both into August. Then I was informed that I was attending a wedding in August with BF. Hmm….. August will be insane if I go on a trip every weekend. Yes, the opposite of relaxing. Also, there’s a sporting event to be attended in October, also for BF. Portland will have to happen in August, Phoenix will probably get pushed to September, I believe. Work is claiming one of my weekends in August, so there’s just more than enough going on that month.
So there’s a lot of travel juggling going on. My travel budget this year is a wee one, so I have to be very creative in mixing award flights, gift cards, and real cash money.
The wedding flight ran $149, just within the $150 budget I’d allowed. I wanted to buy it immediately, and use the $100 GC for the October flight. But I didn’t take my own advice because I wanted to consult with BF about dates and times before I purchased the tickets. He’s still out of town, but I just guessed and purchased the tickets before they went up more than the $15 they already had. *tsk* Yeah, the price went up. No, I’m never going to learn.
I might as well get that SW gift card now so I have the GC and discount code ready at hand when I have to purchase the October flight.
There’s a quiet voice inside me whisper-screaming: Hey!! Skip one of those trips and use the money to pay bills! BILLS!!!
I’m ignoring that voice. I’m ignoring it.
The temptation to skip it all and leave the money in the travel fund “just in case” is overwhelming, but I just don’t see how I can renege after promising over and over that I’d visit these friends for the last few years. The PF blogger in me keeps saying that I’m going to use up ALL of my travel money by October and then what’ll I do? Things at work are still chaotic and I’ve got no plans for replenishing this fund. But that’s what the e-fund is for, Chicken Little. The sky’s not going to fall down if I go and have a nice weekend with childhood friends, and it very well might if I go back on my word!
Terrorism isn’t the reason I’m going, though. If I don’t do it this year, I might never. If I talk myself out of a promise this year, I very well may do so again next year. There’s never going to be a perfect time, at least not for the next ten years because I imagine the perfect time is something like, I have 5 months’s worth of vacation time, $100,000 in the bank for nothing but pleasure, etc. Not. Going. To. Happen.
As it is? I have nearly 180 hours of vacation time. I could be out on sick and then vacation leave for two months.
I’m going to play, dangit.
