So, school. As I mentioned in here before (I think?), I am interested in going back to school to become a High School Math teacher. I've actually been thinking about this for a few years, now; it was just a matter of getting off my butt to find out what I need to do.
Well, a few months ago, I made an appointment to see one of the Councilors at my old school. She wasn't able to access my files, said it was the financial aid office blocking it, and told me to go see them about getting off of probation so she could access my file again.
I finally got around to heading back down to talk to the FA office, and the lady there told me, no, the Councilors are the ones you talk to about getting off of probation, and she had no idea why the Councilor I spoke to would have sent me to them.
So I went back to the Councilor office, and spoke to the lady at the desk. Lo and behold, I came in during walk-ins, and since there was no-one in front of me, she had me sign in and was able to look up my file with no problem. I now have a (unofficial) copy of my transcript, and a form to fill out for applying for an appeal to the financial aid probation.
Here's the funny part. The original reason I was on Financial Aid probation in the first place, is my old school was not part of the MNSCU system. I did not take classes Spring semester 2000, because the school's web site said that if I did not have my tuition paid in full by X date, I would be automatically dropped from all classes. Since I knew I wasn't going to have the full amount, I simply didn't sign up. (So naturally, I got a call from my adviser asking why I didn't sign up, and was told, "Oh, no! We wouldn't have dropped you! Where on Earth did you get that idea??" 9.9) Anyway, Fall semester 2000, I went to Japan as part of the St. Cloud State/Akita Daigaku partnership in the MNSCU system. MCTC is not part of MNSCU, so they did not count these credits at all. I was going to return for Spring semester, but alas could not afford the plane ticket to return, and since Akita Daigaku's Spring semester started about 4 weeks into MCTC's Spring semester, I didn't sign up for classes for MCTC Spring 2001 either. Which means I missed 3 semesters in a row, as far as MCTC was concerned.
Well, MCTC is part of the MNSCU system now, so they have those 16 credits in my file - not the specific classes, I'm sad to say, but my transcript does list the credits and where I got them. But, I'm still on Financial Aid Probation. Because MCTC is a two-year degree program school, and the programs all have 60 credits. A student is allowed up to 150% of these credits, or 90 credits. Those 16 credits from Akita? Yeah, those bring my total credits up to 105.
Yeesh.
On the plus side, since I did finish my previous degree, the Councilor I saw this last time figures that the appeals committee will most likely rule in favor of my appeal. I've the forms mostly filled out, I just need to write the letter stating why I'm over on my credits. :)
Friday, January 29, 2010
I Should vs. I Want
But what of the self-control?
I'm having fun with conundrums. I'm getting not-quite $400 back, between my federal and state tax returns. (Which is good, as it means I don't have to pay in. Whew!) My main issue is what to do with the money.
I could be responsible with it - pay off more of the one credit card, so that it gets paid off that much sooner. I like this idea, truly,
But there's also the "I want X" issue to deal with. I want to get the wood for making my needlepoint loom. I want/need new shoes (or at least better inserts!). I want a new cell phone (mine is 3+ years old). I want to get some stuff for my business so I can play with metals again.
Another thing to consider is theoretically, I'm supposed to get a $50 bonus for getting another "You're doing a great job" patch at work - my total was brought up to 6, and that means I'm now at silver level. Except the computer shows I got that back in October (???), so I get to look into that with the Store Manager tomorrow. There's also the bonus checks for beating the crap out of our sales plan, and last year I got ~$140 for that. Since we beat sales plan even better this year, I should get more than that (I hope).
There's also the whole "I should start saving money for a car/house" dealy. Which, yeah, I should do, but I'm not going to actually get either for at least two years, so it's not like it's a Dire Emergency that I start saving for those. My education, now, that's another matter, but I shall put that as a separate journal entry.
What I've decided to do, atm, is use the Federal refund as follows: $250 to the one card, and use the rest to buy the new cell phone, which (last I checked) has a $50 mail-in rebate attached to it. I can then use the rebate to pay off more of the one credit card, or another card. Jury is still out on the state refund, though. ;P
I'm having fun with conundrums. I'm getting not-quite $400 back, between my federal and state tax returns. (Which is good, as it means I don't have to pay in. Whew!) My main issue is what to do with the money.
I could be responsible with it - pay off more of the one credit card, so that it gets paid off that much sooner. I like this idea, truly,
But there's also the "I want X" issue to deal with. I want to get the wood for making my needlepoint loom. I want/need new shoes (or at least better inserts!). I want a new cell phone (mine is 3+ years old). I want to get some stuff for my business so I can play with metals again.
Another thing to consider is theoretically, I'm supposed to get a $50 bonus for getting another "You're doing a great job" patch at work - my total was brought up to 6, and that means I'm now at silver level. Except the computer shows I got that back in October (???), so I get to look into that with the Store Manager tomorrow. There's also the bonus checks for beating the crap out of our sales plan, and last year I got ~$140 for that. Since we beat sales plan even better this year, I should get more than that (I hope).
There's also the whole "I should start saving money for a car/house" dealy. Which, yeah, I should do, but I'm not going to actually get either for at least two years, so it's not like it's a Dire Emergency that I start saving for those. My education, now, that's another matter, but I shall put that as a separate journal entry.
What I've decided to do, atm, is use the Federal refund as follows: $250 to the one card, and use the rest to buy the new cell phone, which (last I checked) has a $50 mail-in rebate attached to it. I can then use the rebate to pay off more of the one credit card, or another card. Jury is still out on the state refund, though. ;P
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
(Rant Warning) And the Number One Reason is....
The number one reason I want to get out of credit debt (including my student loan, which, because it's unsecured, count as credit debt)?
So I can move out of my parents' house.
In that, I gotta say I'm kinda jealous of my older brother. Not only does he actually have a significant other (read as, his wife; I'm still single, and haven't had a date in ~10 years), but because he has two incomes, even though he has student loans larger than my own, he moved out of our parent's home... Oh, I'd say three years ago. He lives in an apartment in our sister city, about ½-hour away from here.
Which means he doesn't have to listen to Dad. Dad, yelling and swearing at the top of his voice because his computer won't work for some reason. Dad, yelling and swearing because he's having trouble with a power tool in his workshop. Dad, yelling and swearing slightly quieter (because he doesn't want you to hear him calling you a (female dog) or an (f-ing) person (and failing miserably at the not-wanting-you-to-hear part)) because - gosh! - he has to heat up his own can of soup, which he doesn't want to do despite knowing how because the other person in the house (be it his wife or his daughter) is busy doing something, so - oh noes! - he has to put his computer game on pause and do it himself. Dad, yelling and swearing at the top of his volume because someone filled a bowl with water to let it soak in the sink from the pancake batter, and he decided to load the dishwasher before we could get to it, and he just - has - to let everyone know, at the top of his lungs, that he doesn't like having to empty f-ing water into the f-ing sink because the stupid f-ing people he lives with are incompetent. Dad, yelling and swearing because he can't find a cheese slicer, or can't find the ice-cream scoops, or he doesn't like the kind of spoon you gave him with dinner. Dad, yelling and swearing because you just told him supper is ready, and he's started a project despite your just telling him that supper would be ready in five minutes. Dad, yelling and swearing because you just interrupted him to tell him you are going to take a shower or a bath, and does he need to get in there first, since we've only the one bathroom?
Do you know, my older brother dislocated his shoulder by slamming a door because he was so angry at what Dad did or said to him one evening? I wasn't home at the time. That was part of the catalyst that prompted him to move into an apartment with his girlfriend (now wife), despite not really knowing her all that well at the time (I think they'd been going out for about 3-4 months, if that).
Given that he worked in machine shops most of his life, Dad doesn't know how loud he is. (It's the general opinion of myself and Mom that our next-door neighbor, after her divorce, took her 12-year-old son and moved out to CA not only because she has friends out there, but because she was tired of hearing Dad swear. We do not see the neighbors on either side of the house with any regularity; now that the couple to the North have a baby, it's even less frequently, and we try to keep him inside and quiet when our neighbors two houses to the North are outside with their daughters.) On the plus side, since he had new windows installed in his area in the basement, unless he has them open, his voice doesn't carry outside as much as it did (you can still hear him, though).
Quite frankly, he is past getting on my nerves. I tolerate it. I don't like it, and I really wish I didn't have to, but I tolerate it. I am, however, to the point that, on the days that I'm home from work, I hope he stays upstairs and quiet, either reading, playing a game (at which he'll swear when he dies), or napping. In a way, I'm like a young mother with a baby in the house: when the kid is down for his nap or playing quietly, I'm fine. The moment he's not, I get massive headaches. I suppose I could therefore consider this basic training for when I do finally have kids, though - if I have to put up with this from him, I think putting up with a child might turn out to be a walk in the park. O_o On the other hand, children have higher pitch and aren't -quite- so loud (trust me, they're not), I'd like to think children don't swear like he does, a child would be yelling/crying for other reasons, and children are not borderline senile/showing signs of brain-rot disease.
Knowing this does not help my headache, however, nor does it help my own throat. Why my throat? Well, Dad is loud enough that he'll say something, and you think he's in the hallway or in the doorway when he's really in the kitchen. So I say something, thinking he's in the hall, and he just asks his question again. I wind up shouting at him, still thinking he's in the hall, and he still can't hear me, because, well, he's at home, so he doesn't need to wear his hearing aid. And he can't just go to where someone is in the house, he has to holler his questions of "what is this?" and "where does this go?" from four rooms away, and expect you to either come running, be able to see what he's talking about, or be loud enough that he can hear you from four rooms away.
What this basically equates to is verbal abuse. Psychological abuse, also. I went for quite a number of years on up into high school cringing and wanting to hide anytime someone in authority raised their voice to what I consider a yell, even if it wasn't directed at me. I did not take any after-school electives in high school, because I dreaded my Dad throwing a fit, yelling and swearing, about even the barest possibility of having to pick me up after school. And my hearing damage? I'm not sure whether it's from Dad yelling, or my having my stereo on loud enough to *try* drowning out his yelling (I am getting much better at lowering the volume, in an effort to keep it from getting worse).
And no, he won't go to a psychologist. Quite frankly, we don't want him to go to one anyway. Because a psychologist is what started him down this path in the first place. Way, way back before I was born, Dad did see a psychologist. Who told him, "it's okay to yell and swear, so long as you don't hit anyone." Well hey, great! Thanks a lot, guy! You had him trade physical and psychological abuse for verbal and psychological abuse. Yeah, we're being tortured, but at least it's not leaving marks! :D Yeah, I am *so* glad said psychologist is no longer practicing. 9.9 I understand he was fired and lost his license, actually. :j Thank the Gods for that.
My current reaction to how he acts is basically to stay out of his way. Before, when I got upset at him, I would go shopping. That was my therapy, and it got me away from him for a few hours. During college, this was also dealt with by going in to the jewelry lab at school and getting to work on projects early (and also shopping for said project's components before school). This is also, unfortunately, where the debt issues started in the first place. These days, I try relaxation and meditation techniques, which works fairly well. There are, or course, other coping tools (such as this blog). And speaking of "other coping tools," I'm going to go take a couple of aspirin.
So I can move out of my parents' house.
In that, I gotta say I'm kinda jealous of my older brother. Not only does he actually have a significant other (read as, his wife; I'm still single, and haven't had a date in ~10 years), but because he has two incomes, even though he has student loans larger than my own, he moved out of our parent's home... Oh, I'd say three years ago. He lives in an apartment in our sister city, about ½-hour away from here.
Which means he doesn't have to listen to Dad. Dad, yelling and swearing at the top of his voice because his computer won't work for some reason. Dad, yelling and swearing because he's having trouble with a power tool in his workshop. Dad, yelling and swearing slightly quieter (because he doesn't want you to hear him calling you a (female dog) or an (f-ing) person (and failing miserably at the not-wanting-you-to-hear part)) because - gosh! - he has to heat up his own can of soup, which he doesn't want to do despite knowing how because the other person in the house (be it his wife or his daughter) is busy doing something, so - oh noes! - he has to put his computer game on pause and do it himself. Dad, yelling and swearing at the top of his volume because someone filled a bowl with water to let it soak in the sink from the pancake batter, and he decided to load the dishwasher before we could get to it, and he just - has - to let everyone know, at the top of his lungs, that he doesn't like having to empty f-ing water into the f-ing sink because the stupid f-ing people he lives with are incompetent. Dad, yelling and swearing because he can't find a cheese slicer, or can't find the ice-cream scoops, or he doesn't like the kind of spoon you gave him with dinner. Dad, yelling and swearing because you just told him supper is ready, and he's started a project despite your just telling him that supper would be ready in five minutes. Dad, yelling and swearing because you just interrupted him to tell him you are going to take a shower or a bath, and does he need to get in there first, since we've only the one bathroom?
Do you know, my older brother dislocated his shoulder by slamming a door because he was so angry at what Dad did or said to him one evening? I wasn't home at the time. That was part of the catalyst that prompted him to move into an apartment with his girlfriend (now wife), despite not really knowing her all that well at the time (I think they'd been going out for about 3-4 months, if that).
Given that he worked in machine shops most of his life, Dad doesn't know how loud he is. (It's the general opinion of myself and Mom that our next-door neighbor, after her divorce, took her 12-year-old son and moved out to CA not only because she has friends out there, but because she was tired of hearing Dad swear. We do not see the neighbors on either side of the house with any regularity; now that the couple to the North have a baby, it's even less frequently, and we try to keep him inside and quiet when our neighbors two houses to the North are outside with their daughters.) On the plus side, since he had new windows installed in his area in the basement, unless he has them open, his voice doesn't carry outside as much as it did (you can still hear him, though).
Quite frankly, he is past getting on my nerves. I tolerate it. I don't like it, and I really wish I didn't have to, but I tolerate it. I am, however, to the point that, on the days that I'm home from work, I hope he stays upstairs and quiet, either reading, playing a game (at which he'll swear when he dies), or napping. In a way, I'm like a young mother with a baby in the house: when the kid is down for his nap or playing quietly, I'm fine. The moment he's not, I get massive headaches. I suppose I could therefore consider this basic training for when I do finally have kids, though - if I have to put up with this from him, I think putting up with a child might turn out to be a walk in the park. O_o On the other hand, children have higher pitch and aren't -quite- so loud (trust me, they're not), I'd like to think children don't swear like he does, a child would be yelling/crying for other reasons, and children are not borderline senile/showing signs of brain-rot disease.
Knowing this does not help my headache, however, nor does it help my own throat. Why my throat? Well, Dad is loud enough that he'll say something, and you think he's in the hallway or in the doorway when he's really in the kitchen. So I say something, thinking he's in the hall, and he just asks his question again. I wind up shouting at him, still thinking he's in the hall, and he still can't hear me, because, well, he's at home, so he doesn't need to wear his hearing aid. And he can't just go to where someone is in the house, he has to holler his questions of "what is this?" and "where does this go?" from four rooms away, and expect you to either come running, be able to see what he's talking about, or be loud enough that he can hear you from four rooms away.
What this basically equates to is verbal abuse. Psychological abuse, also. I went for quite a number of years on up into high school cringing and wanting to hide anytime someone in authority raised their voice to what I consider a yell, even if it wasn't directed at me. I did not take any after-school electives in high school, because I dreaded my Dad throwing a fit, yelling and swearing, about even the barest possibility of having to pick me up after school. And my hearing damage? I'm not sure whether it's from Dad yelling, or my having my stereo on loud enough to *try* drowning out his yelling (I am getting much better at lowering the volume, in an effort to keep it from getting worse).
And no, he won't go to a psychologist. Quite frankly, we don't want him to go to one anyway. Because a psychologist is what started him down this path in the first place. Way, way back before I was born, Dad did see a psychologist. Who told him, "it's okay to yell and swear, so long as you don't hit anyone." Well hey, great! Thanks a lot, guy! You had him trade physical and psychological abuse for verbal and psychological abuse. Yeah, we're being tortured, but at least it's not leaving marks! :D Yeah, I am *so* glad said psychologist is no longer practicing. 9.9 I understand he was fired and lost his license, actually. :j Thank the Gods for that.
My current reaction to how he acts is basically to stay out of his way. Before, when I got upset at him, I would go shopping. That was my therapy, and it got me away from him for a few hours. During college, this was also dealt with by going in to the jewelry lab at school and getting to work on projects early (and also shopping for said project's components before school). This is also, unfortunately, where the debt issues started in the first place. These days, I try relaxation and meditation techniques, which works fairly well. There are, or course, other coping tools (such as this blog). And speaking of "other coping tools," I'm going to go take a couple of aspirin.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Dreaming
I've noticed, for the past few years, that's I've often thought statements with, "When I have the money~." This trend was part of what galvanized me to finally get my finances in order. (The other part was doing the math and figuring out that if not for the payments on such-and-so, I would have an extra $700+ for spending money during the month. This would be a lot of extra money to squirrel away in case of emergencies.)
I've started thinking like that again, which I take as a good sign. For one thing, it means I'm still capable of dreaming; losing that ability is, in my opinion, one of the things that can slowly kill you. You stop dreaming, and all you're doing in sloughing through life, you're not really enjoying it.
So, I've been dreaming again. Not that I ever really stopped, but I've stopped sitting on my rear and doing nothing about my dreams. I thought I'd compile a short list of what dreams I've been thinking about lately.
"When I have the money, I want to:"
-Get my own place, even if it's just an apartment, but ideally a house. I'm tired of not having the space for my crafts, as I have almost all of my stuff crammed into a 11' x 10' room.
-Try Speed Skating. I remember watching this in the Olympics back in 1994, and I thought it looked like fun then. I still do. I also happen to live about 20 minutes from the Roseville Arena, which has one of the largest Speed Skating ovals in the US. Might as well take advantage of this, right?
-Try fencing. Looks fun, and also looks to be good exercise. Whether I'd be any good at it is, of course, another matter entirely, but you never know until you try.
-Play around with/learn PMC. For this, I would need a kiln, and proper venting, and this is also something that I've been wanting to try out for awhile.
-Better tools for my jewelry making. This basically would be a whole lab set-up: better torch, rolling mill, casting equipment, lapidary, etc.
This is what I look forward to for when I can finally type in here that I have paid off all of my debts. :)
I've started thinking like that again, which I take as a good sign. For one thing, it means I'm still capable of dreaming; losing that ability is, in my opinion, one of the things that can slowly kill you. You stop dreaming, and all you're doing in sloughing through life, you're not really enjoying it.
So, I've been dreaming again. Not that I ever really stopped, but I've stopped sitting on my rear and doing nothing about my dreams. I thought I'd compile a short list of what dreams I've been thinking about lately.
"When I have the money, I want to:"
-Get my own place, even if it's just an apartment, but ideally a house. I'm tired of not having the space for my crafts, as I have almost all of my stuff crammed into a 11' x 10' room.
-Try Speed Skating. I remember watching this in the Olympics back in 1994, and I thought it looked like fun then. I still do. I also happen to live about 20 minutes from the Roseville Arena, which has one of the largest Speed Skating ovals in the US. Might as well take advantage of this, right?
-Try fencing. Looks fun, and also looks to be good exercise. Whether I'd be any good at it is, of course, another matter entirely, but you never know until you try.
-Play around with/learn PMC. For this, I would need a kiln, and proper venting, and this is also something that I've been wanting to try out for awhile.
-Better tools for my jewelry making. This basically would be a whole lab set-up: better torch, rolling mill, casting equipment, lapidary, etc.
This is what I look forward to for when I can finally type in here that I have paid off all of my debts. :)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Not a bad day.
Not terribly productive, but not a bad day. Actually woke up with my alarm clock; good sign when I do that on my day off. Much better food day today, also.
Breakfast was oatmeal, heated in the microwave. One of these days, I shall get the timer set properly enough so that I do not wind up with puddles of oatmeal and water around the bowl when the timer is done. It's kinda gross, and semi-annoying to clean up. On the plus side, we have raisins, so I put some in the oatmeal, and it was very tasty. :) I had a carrot while watching the Price is Right, had one of the bean burgers for lunch with some chips and water, don't remember having a second snack, but oh well; it's not required, really. Dinner was Maple-Glazed Salmon, a recipe I have in one of my Light and Tasty Annual Recipes cook books. One of the few recipes with salmon I can get my dad to eat. There's another serving leftover, so I might have that for lunch tomorrow. Downer is, mom chucked the rest of the glaze when she loaded the dishwasher. You'd think that, with another serving of salmon left on the broiler pan, she would think to save it, but apparently not. :/ Ah well.
My morning was spent making the bean mixture for my bean and rice tortillas; I'll probably be having those for lunches some of the week. I think I finally made it with the beans soft enough to be tasteful. I had to substitute red pepper for green pepper, though; didn't know we were out of green when I had done the minor grocery shopping yesterday. Did the major grocery shopping with mom this afternoon, and thankfully, it wasn't that bad, given that it's Friday today. There was quite a bit of traffic, but that's mostly because we left the house at about 12:35, so people were still out trying to get lunch. Not too bad, but a long wait at the stop sign. I also was able to stop at the bank, and got out $15 - a five and a roll of quarters for the bus.
Why quarters for the bus? Because I was going to go down to school yesterday, but realized I had no money for the bus, nor quarters for the meters near school. I have therefore elected to visit the Financial Aid office on Tuesday, which is my next day off. Might be easier that way, anyway.
Meanwhile, bills have been paid. The one credit card didn't quite get as slammed as I had planned it to be for this paycheck, though. I had some smaller bills that had been stacking up, so decided to get rid of those first. This included a bill form the dentist on what my insurance did not cover. At least it's done and taken care of; that's half the battle.
Breakfast was oatmeal, heated in the microwave. One of these days, I shall get the timer set properly enough so that I do not wind up with puddles of oatmeal and water around the bowl when the timer is done. It's kinda gross, and semi-annoying to clean up. On the plus side, we have raisins, so I put some in the oatmeal, and it was very tasty. :) I had a carrot while watching the Price is Right, had one of the bean burgers for lunch with some chips and water, don't remember having a second snack, but oh well; it's not required, really. Dinner was Maple-Glazed Salmon, a recipe I have in one of my Light and Tasty Annual Recipes cook books. One of the few recipes with salmon I can get my dad to eat. There's another serving leftover, so I might have that for lunch tomorrow. Downer is, mom chucked the rest of the glaze when she loaded the dishwasher. You'd think that, with another serving of salmon left on the broiler pan, she would think to save it, but apparently not. :/ Ah well.
My morning was spent making the bean mixture for my bean and rice tortillas; I'll probably be having those for lunches some of the week. I think I finally made it with the beans soft enough to be tasteful. I had to substitute red pepper for green pepper, though; didn't know we were out of green when I had done the minor grocery shopping yesterday. Did the major grocery shopping with mom this afternoon, and thankfully, it wasn't that bad, given that it's Friday today. There was quite a bit of traffic, but that's mostly because we left the house at about 12:35, so people were still out trying to get lunch. Not too bad, but a long wait at the stop sign. I also was able to stop at the bank, and got out $15 - a five and a roll of quarters for the bus.
Why quarters for the bus? Because I was going to go down to school yesterday, but realized I had no money for the bus, nor quarters for the meters near school. I have therefore elected to visit the Financial Aid office on Tuesday, which is my next day off. Might be easier that way, anyway.
Meanwhile, bills have been paid. The one credit card didn't quite get as slammed as I had planned it to be for this paycheck, though. I had some smaller bills that had been stacking up, so decided to get rid of those first. This included a bill form the dentist on what my insurance did not cover. At least it's done and taken care of; that's half the battle.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
And two steps back...
Well, the change in diet was going okay. Then came today.
Breakfast was okay, started out fine with a half a bowl of cheerios. Had a small apple for a snack around ten.
Then made the mistake of going grocery shopping for supper materials at noon, before I'd eaten lunch, and very hungry. My lunch consisted of a cheese danish, two donuts, and a bowl of sour cream and onion potato chips. *^_^* Not good.
On the other hand I tried making bean burgers for dinner. Not too bad, but I may have over done it with the cayenne pepper. On the plus side, dad actually liked them. O_o Wasn't expecting that. My only complaint on them was that it fell apart while I was trying to eat it. Also, I have been drinking either water or tea all day - I haven't had any soda or hot chocolate today, and given the fail of my lunch, I shall not have any.
Well, on the plus side, I only said I was going to try losing weight; I didn't promise to. Which means that, even if this is a step in the wrong direction, I shall not use it as an excuse to stop. So long as I keep going and don't just quit because of a failure, I shall succeed!
(ie - Fall off the bike, get back on and try again. :) Tomorrow shall be better.
Breakfast was okay, started out fine with a half a bowl of cheerios. Had a small apple for a snack around ten.
Then made the mistake of going grocery shopping for supper materials at noon, before I'd eaten lunch, and very hungry. My lunch consisted of a cheese danish, two donuts, and a bowl of sour cream and onion potato chips. *^_^* Not good.
On the other hand I tried making bean burgers for dinner. Not too bad, but I may have over done it with the cayenne pepper. On the plus side, dad actually liked them. O_o Wasn't expecting that. My only complaint on them was that it fell apart while I was trying to eat it. Also, I have been drinking either water or tea all day - I haven't had any soda or hot chocolate today, and given the fail of my lunch, I shall not have any.
Well, on the plus side, I only said I was going to try losing weight; I didn't promise to. Which means that, even if this is a step in the wrong direction, I shall not use it as an excuse to stop. So long as I keep going and don't just quit because of a failure, I shall succeed!
(ie - Fall off the bike, get back on and try again. :) Tomorrow shall be better.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Time for Another "Good Idea, Bad Idea."
Today's installment of "Good Idea, Bad Idea" (brought to the world originally by the Animaniacs) was brought on by a Twitter comment that included this link:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97550-Atkinson-Government-Cracks-Down-on-R-Rated-Videos
Now, in a way, I agree with them. It does seem like a good idea to me. If they did this with video games also, it might even clue parents in to what their children are really trying to get them to buy. That being said, there are some inherent problems with the idea.
First of all, ratings exist for a reason. Essentially, to let people know what the content of the video is, so they won't buy it if it's going to offend them, or it's not something they want their kids to see.
Second, simply covering the cover isn't going to lessen a minor's curiosity about it, and might even have the opposite affect.
Third, what's the point of covering up an image like that shown on Fight Club? Personally, I'd rather it be the horror movies that get their images covered up. The image on Saw is the stuff nightmares are made of (to me, at least) - I'd rather not see that, or let my (inexistent) children see that - can we get a cover for the movie jackets please?
I think, if it was applied properly, something like this could be good - cover up the covers for porn movies, and covers with very suggestive themes on them, and we should be good. But all of them?
Yeah, no.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97550-Atkinson-Government-Cracks-Down-on-R-Rated-Videos
Now, in a way, I agree with them. It does seem like a good idea to me. If they did this with video games also, it might even clue parents in to what their children are really trying to get them to buy. That being said, there are some inherent problems with the idea.
First of all, ratings exist for a reason. Essentially, to let people know what the content of the video is, so they won't buy it if it's going to offend them, or it's not something they want their kids to see.
Second, simply covering the cover isn't going to lessen a minor's curiosity about it, and might even have the opposite affect.
Third, what's the point of covering up an image like that shown on Fight Club? Personally, I'd rather it be the horror movies that get their images covered up. The image on Saw is the stuff nightmares are made of (to me, at least) - I'd rather not see that, or let my (inexistent) children see that - can we get a cover for the movie jackets please?
I think, if it was applied properly, something like this could be good - cover up the covers for porn movies, and covers with very suggestive themes on them, and we should be good. But all of them?
Yeah, no.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Cleaning again.
Cleaning. It needs to be done.
Lately, it seems like it's the only thing I do. :(
The majority of the mess seems to be paper, though. I finally have all my books put onto the shelves, which is going to help keep the clutter down. Have a box of stuff to go down into my workshop, and have some fabric and patterns that should go out into the living room (since that's where the rest of my fabric is). Still have some clothes that need to be put away, but it's not nearly as bad as it was earlier this week. Need to move the little area rug, since quite a bit of it is under the ladder, and there's really no point in it being that far under there.
So, yup. Progress, progress.
Man this is boring. :(
Lately, it seems like it's the only thing I do. :(
The majority of the mess seems to be paper, though. I finally have all my books put onto the shelves, which is going to help keep the clutter down. Have a box of stuff to go down into my workshop, and have some fabric and patterns that should go out into the living room (since that's where the rest of my fabric is). Still have some clothes that need to be put away, but it's not nearly as bad as it was earlier this week. Need to move the little area rug, since quite a bit of it is under the ladder, and there's really no point in it being that far under there.
So, yup. Progress, progress.
Man this is boring. :(
Hungry...
Well, I kinda expected this to happen. Hunger pains. Doesn't mean I like it, but I did expect it to happen.
In order to facilitate my loosing weight, I've cut my portion sizes. this is something that I really should have done quite awhile ago - I just didn't, for one reason or another. *shrug* Now, I'm actively watching how much food I'm putting on my plate, and trying to keep my portions under control. Granted, this isn't very easy when it's my mother that's doing the serving, but when I'm fixing myself food, I can certainly watch what I eat.
Take this morning, for example. I didn't feel like having cereal this morning - I decided I wanted one of my egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches on toast that I sometimes make. I usually cook the eggs sunny-side-down (drop the egg into the pan and cook both sides until brown). Before, I was making this sandwich with two slices of bacon (each cut in half to fit on the pan better), two eggs (put close enough together to fit onto the slice of bread relatively well), and two slices of (American) cheese, melted over the bacon and egg. The whole is then put on white toast. Granted, I have switched to canola oil instead of regular vegetable oil for the majority of my cooking, but that would still be a lot of calories.
So this morning, I used one slice of bacon, one egg, and one slice of cheese on two slices of honey-oat toast. It didn't quite cover the bread all the way (in retrospect, I probably could have used only the one slice of toast and folded or cut it in half, but I didn't think of it this morning). I was hungry almost to the point of pain by the time I went on my 15-minute break at about 8:30-9:00 this morning, though. This isn't really a bad thing; I'm also drinking more water because of it. Thus far today, I've had 2 20-oz. bottle of water, and... Um... Well, I'm not really sure how much water this green glass I'm using holds. I'm guessing a cup and a half, though, which isn't too bad. But, I actually have the room for water. Last week I didn't drink a lot of water, and wound up with leg cramps that were just mild enough to be really annoying.
Actually started cutting portion sizes last night, truth be told. Mom served pork steaks (like chops, but no bone to speak about), baked potato, and green beans. The first thing I did was cut the chop and potato in half, and take less beans than I would have otherwise. I set those aside, and ignored them until after dinner, when I put them into a plastic container with a bit more beans, and had that for my lunch today. The potato was a bit dry, admittedly, because I forgot to bring a small thing of butter for it, but still edible once the meal was reheated in the microwave at work. Break one was some carrot rounds that I'd cut and put into a container that morning, along with a clementine orange, and break two was a small apple and the rest of the carrot pieces from before. I had to resist the urge to bring a little container of French dressing for the carrot rounds, since I don't need the calories form it, but aside from that, didn't have much trouble.
Was hungry again when I got out of work at about 2:30, was going to wait until supper, but finally decided to have a pb&j on toast (more honey-oat) to quiet the tummy about half an hour ago. The bad news is, I finished off the honey-oat, so shall be stuck with white for a few days, but I think I can handle that. Supper will most likely be later, since Mom decided she was tired enough to take a nap when she got home. Not sure what we're going to have; she was thinking of just making pancakes. :/
In order to facilitate my loosing weight, I've cut my portion sizes. this is something that I really should have done quite awhile ago - I just didn't, for one reason or another. *shrug* Now, I'm actively watching how much food I'm putting on my plate, and trying to keep my portions under control. Granted, this isn't very easy when it's my mother that's doing the serving, but when I'm fixing myself food, I can certainly watch what I eat.
Take this morning, for example. I didn't feel like having cereal this morning - I decided I wanted one of my egg, bacon, and cheese sandwiches on toast that I sometimes make. I usually cook the eggs sunny-side-down (drop the egg into the pan and cook both sides until brown). Before, I was making this sandwich with two slices of bacon (each cut in half to fit on the pan better), two eggs (put close enough together to fit onto the slice of bread relatively well), and two slices of (American) cheese, melted over the bacon and egg. The whole is then put on white toast. Granted, I have switched to canola oil instead of regular vegetable oil for the majority of my cooking, but that would still be a lot of calories.
So this morning, I used one slice of bacon, one egg, and one slice of cheese on two slices of honey-oat toast. It didn't quite cover the bread all the way (in retrospect, I probably could have used only the one slice of toast and folded or cut it in half, but I didn't think of it this morning). I was hungry almost to the point of pain by the time I went on my 15-minute break at about 8:30-9:00 this morning, though. This isn't really a bad thing; I'm also drinking more water because of it. Thus far today, I've had 2 20-oz. bottle of water, and... Um... Well, I'm not really sure how much water this green glass I'm using holds. I'm guessing a cup and a half, though, which isn't too bad. But, I actually have the room for water. Last week I didn't drink a lot of water, and wound up with leg cramps that were just mild enough to be really annoying.
Actually started cutting portion sizes last night, truth be told. Mom served pork steaks (like chops, but no bone to speak about), baked potato, and green beans. The first thing I did was cut the chop and potato in half, and take less beans than I would have otherwise. I set those aside, and ignored them until after dinner, when I put them into a plastic container with a bit more beans, and had that for my lunch today. The potato was a bit dry, admittedly, because I forgot to bring a small thing of butter for it, but still edible once the meal was reheated in the microwave at work. Break one was some carrot rounds that I'd cut and put into a container that morning, along with a clementine orange, and break two was a small apple and the rest of the carrot pieces from before. I had to resist the urge to bring a little container of French dressing for the carrot rounds, since I don't need the calories form it, but aside from that, didn't have much trouble.
Was hungry again when I got out of work at about 2:30, was going to wait until supper, but finally decided to have a pb&j on toast (more honey-oat) to quiet the tummy about half an hour ago. The bad news is, I finished off the honey-oat, so shall be stuck with white for a few days, but I think I can handle that. Supper will most likely be later, since Mom decided she was tired enough to take a nap when she got home. Not sure what we're going to have; she was thinking of just making pancakes. :/
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Sign of Environmental Changes?
Okay, I live in a state that can get very cold in the winter. These last few winters, it's actually been fairly mediocre. I remember, in high school, the governor canceled all classes for public schools because it was already -20 degrees F outside, and the wind chill was -30 on top of that. (My older brother was in college at the time, though, so he still had to head out in the cold.)
Then we had El Niño and La Niña, and our winters became very sloppy. They didn't get very cold, we didn't get a lot of snow - maybe a dusting around the holiday season. We'd get a bit more in January and February, but I think we topped out (where I am) at about 4 inches on average. And I remember thinking over the years in college, "how long is this West Coast weather trend going to affect us for?"
Well, apparently it's not anymore. This past Christmas, it snowed enough - a heavy, wet snow (great for snowballs) - to give us nearly two feet of snow over the course of one weekend. Now, shoveling this wasn't a lot of fun, but it was a snowfall like the ones I remember us having when I was a kid. This was combined with some rain at the same time, which did not make the shoveling any fun, as it made an ice cap on top of the snow, and driving was a mess. Walking wasn't much fun either, and we had trouble getting up our alley's driveway, since we have hills on both entrances to it. However, we did get snow, and watching it fall was awesome.
This was followed by a few weeks of very cold weather, during which the lumps of snow that the plows wound up leaving on the roads froze solid so the plows could no longer get them up. Roads are kinds bumpy, but so long as you don't go too fast, this can be overcome. Which is actually fine, as you really don't want to drive too quickly on what might be snow over black ice anyway.
But now we've had the environmental talks, and we actually had customers coming into the store to argue about the environment as well as shop. Apparently, a lot of people are thinking, "The weather is cold again - see, we knew all this "Global Warming" crap was a load of bull! We've wasted money worrying about nothing, and they're over there wasting their time and our money talking about something that's just a non-issue!" And blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.
And I have to think, Wait a minute - I don't think this is as much of a non-issue that you're making it out to be.
The thing is, we've had hybrid cars since, what, 1997? Even if they were only in Japan at the time, they were there. Granted, Toyota Prius was the only one at the time, but that model all by itself have sold nearly 1.5 million units worldwide. That's for one model of car. There's that many cars, minimum, that are not releasing as many toxins into the air we breath. Since then, we've added Honda, Ford, Nissan, Saturn, Dodge, Lexus and Chevrolet brands onto the market, also replacing cars that had much higher toxic emissions.
From that time, we have also had motorcycles, buses, military trucks, some mining machines, trains, and some aquatic vehicles go to hybrid, at the very least. That's going to account for a lot of emissions taken out of the air, world wide. Which is going to contribute to the lessening of CO² in the atmosphere, and steer the planet's atmosphere a bit more closely to where it was before we started all of these industrial shenanigans.
Does this mean, because we now have colder weather, that all the environmental talks are unnecessary? No. It means we're taking steps in the right direction, and reducing things enough that they might even get back to what could be considered "normal."
Then we had El Niño and La Niña, and our winters became very sloppy. They didn't get very cold, we didn't get a lot of snow - maybe a dusting around the holiday season. We'd get a bit more in January and February, but I think we topped out (where I am) at about 4 inches on average. And I remember thinking over the years in college, "how long is this West Coast weather trend going to affect us for?"
Well, apparently it's not anymore. This past Christmas, it snowed enough - a heavy, wet snow (great for snowballs) - to give us nearly two feet of snow over the course of one weekend. Now, shoveling this wasn't a lot of fun, but it was a snowfall like the ones I remember us having when I was a kid. This was combined with some rain at the same time, which did not make the shoveling any fun, as it made an ice cap on top of the snow, and driving was a mess. Walking wasn't much fun either, and we had trouble getting up our alley's driveway, since we have hills on both entrances to it. However, we did get snow, and watching it fall was awesome.
This was followed by a few weeks of very cold weather, during which the lumps of snow that the plows wound up leaving on the roads froze solid so the plows could no longer get them up. Roads are kinds bumpy, but so long as you don't go too fast, this can be overcome. Which is actually fine, as you really don't want to drive too quickly on what might be snow over black ice anyway.
But now we've had the environmental talks, and we actually had customers coming into the store to argue about the environment as well as shop. Apparently, a lot of people are thinking, "The weather is cold again - see, we knew all this "Global Warming" crap was a load of bull! We've wasted money worrying about nothing, and they're over there wasting their time and our money talking about something that's just a non-issue!" And blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.
And I have to think, Wait a minute - I don't think this is as much of a non-issue that you're making it out to be.
The thing is, we've had hybrid cars since, what, 1997? Even if they were only in Japan at the time, they were there. Granted, Toyota Prius was the only one at the time, but that model all by itself have sold nearly 1.5 million units worldwide. That's for one model of car. There's that many cars, minimum, that are not releasing as many toxins into the air we breath. Since then, we've added Honda, Ford, Nissan, Saturn, Dodge, Lexus and Chevrolet brands onto the market, also replacing cars that had much higher toxic emissions.
From that time, we have also had motorcycles, buses, military trucks, some mining machines, trains, and some aquatic vehicles go to hybrid, at the very least. That's going to account for a lot of emissions taken out of the air, world wide. Which is going to contribute to the lessening of CO² in the atmosphere, and steer the planet's atmosphere a bit more closely to where it was before we started all of these industrial shenanigans.
Does this mean, because we now have colder weather, that all the environmental talks are unnecessary? No. It means we're taking steps in the right direction, and reducing things enough that they might even get back to what could be considered "normal."
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Beans.
I've been experimenting with beans this past week. Thus far, I've only made the one dish (which was on the back of the bag of beans) though.
The directions for the black beans gave two options for preparing them: either soak them overnight (which I did not want to do), or pour hot water over them, boil them for two minutes, then set them aside for an hour. I did the latter one, and I do not think it worked very well. The beans are still rather tough, though more in a "not quite as cooked as they could be way" as opposed to a "not cooked at all" way. So I spoke with one of the vegetarians at work, who has been known to bring in bean-based dishes rather frequently, and he recommended the soak overnight method. This is what I'm going to do next time.
The recipe I used was pretty strait forward. Onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, white wine or apple wine vinegar, and the special spices. I gotta say, it smelled very nice while it was cooking. Alas, the taste is still pretty bland. It might have something to do with my not being able to find the correct vinegar while I was cooking (I could not find out white wine vinegar, which I know we have, so I used Balsamic instead, and not as much as the recipe called for to account for the difference in the taste), but I think it has more to do with the spices melding themselves to the bottom of the frying pan instead of mixing into the onion/pepper mix.
Gotta say, it works okay on a corn tortilla. Steamed rice and the beans with shredded Swiss is okay, but tastes a bit better with lettuce and tomato. Very filling, too. And, despite that lovely little children's rhyme about beans, they have not given me any digestive issues.
The recipe still rates a taste fail this time around, but I have hopes for the next time being better. For one thing, Mom found the correct vinegar for me - it was on the floor in a one-gallon jug by the cake pans cabinet, instead of in the cupboard where I expected it to be. 9.9 Like I'm going to look fof vinegar there! Yeesh. I shall also be soaking the beans overnight for the next time, and might add a bit of hamburger to the onion/pepper mix. I, after all, am not a vegetarian. ;)
The directions for the black beans gave two options for preparing them: either soak them overnight (which I did not want to do), or pour hot water over them, boil them for two minutes, then set them aside for an hour. I did the latter one, and I do not think it worked very well. The beans are still rather tough, though more in a "not quite as cooked as they could be way" as opposed to a "not cooked at all" way. So I spoke with one of the vegetarians at work, who has been known to bring in bean-based dishes rather frequently, and he recommended the soak overnight method. This is what I'm going to do next time.
The recipe I used was pretty strait forward. Onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, white wine or apple wine vinegar, and the special spices. I gotta say, it smelled very nice while it was cooking. Alas, the taste is still pretty bland. It might have something to do with my not being able to find the correct vinegar while I was cooking (I could not find out white wine vinegar, which I know we have, so I used Balsamic instead, and not as much as the recipe called for to account for the difference in the taste), but I think it has more to do with the spices melding themselves to the bottom of the frying pan instead of mixing into the onion/pepper mix.
Gotta say, it works okay on a corn tortilla. Steamed rice and the beans with shredded Swiss is okay, but tastes a bit better with lettuce and tomato. Very filling, too. And, despite that lovely little children's rhyme about beans, they have not given me any digestive issues.
The recipe still rates a taste fail this time around, but I have hopes for the next time being better. For one thing, Mom found the correct vinegar for me - it was on the floor in a one-gallon jug by the cake pans cabinet, instead of in the cupboard where I expected it to be. 9.9 Like I'm going to look fof vinegar there! Yeesh. I shall also be soaking the beans overnight for the next time, and might add a bit of hamburger to the onion/pepper mix. I, after all, am not a vegetarian. ;)
Work's holiday party.
We had our "holiday party" for work this past Sunday. Wasn't all that bad, as far as holiday parties go. Actually, was the best one of the six I've been at the company for. This year, like the one two years go, the party was held off-site.
The last time the party was held off-site, we had a different manager. That party was pretty dull. We basically sat around and talked. Before dinner, during dinner, after dinner. I imagine, if you're higher up in the company and want/need to mingle, then it would have been a good party. For a group of people 18-30 (mostly), this was fairly boring. It did not help the atmosphere that both our manager and the manager over HR were not the approachable type. The food was okay, the desserts good, but a lot of us felt it wasn't worth what the company was paying for it. Quite frankly, the after party, in which about 50% of our coworkers went to a bar for karaoke, was a lot more fun than the party itself.
This time, like that time, the party was held at a hotel. Unlike last time, this hotel was within a mile of work. This was good, as it meant we did not have far to go. It was also right off the highway, so made it fairly easy to get to for those who weren't at work already. Unlike the off-site one two years ago, there was also ample parking, so no worries about that. This hotel had an actual bar in it, so the people who were interested could wander down the hall and catch the rest of the football game on tv, which no few people appreciated.
The contrasts continue from there. This time, we had an actual bar, so people could go and buy drinks. Last time, there were drinks, and they were free - but nothing had alcohol in it. Soda bar. This time, we had a little bar area set up in the hall where the food was going to be set up, and people could buy a beer and munch on the snacks while waiting for the food to be ready. (Snacks being cheese and crackers, veggies and dip.)
Dinner was later than people thought it was going to be (7:30 instead of 7), but we had the snacks to tide us over, along with whatever you wanted to drink, and water on the the tables (along with coffee) if that was your preference. Dinner was surprisingly good. 4 kind of salad, rolls, chicken with the stuffing inside, beef, a vegetable lasagna (which was good, as we had at least one vegetarian (my brother's wife) present), a selection of fruit and veggies, and there were desserts set up on a separate table (where the cheese and veggies had been earlier).
We had a DJ playing music (Frank Sinatra and similar, mostly) during the dinner, and after the dinner, four of the tables were cleared off the dance floor to open it up, along with prizes being drawn. Prizes were done in a nice fashion this time around - they put everyone's name into a bucket, someone would draw a name, and they'd go to the table and choose a box. There was a number in the box corresponding to a prize, and the winner would then draw the next name. I didn't win anything, but my brother won an ipod Nano (this is an upgrade from his Shuffle), and Mother won a gas barbecue grill (which is good, as the charcoal one we have is falling apart). This was done in two stages - half the prizes during the found round, the other half during the second round.
Interspersed with the dancing, we also had Karaoke. This was fun, though I missed most of it. Dad wanted to leave early, and Mom had won that grill, so I took Dad home in the Buick (we we'd elected to use to get there), and came back in the van, since there was no way the grill would have fit in the Buick. I changes out my book for my knitting when I got home, simple because there was no space for my book on the table, but I was getting bored with nothing for my hands to do. Came in during the prize drawing, so kinda missed that. Went to karaoke, then took a break for dancing. They played the Cha-Cha Slide, but it was only my third time hearing it, so I decided not to participate.
We left before it could go back to Karaoke, which I find unfortunate. They extended the dancing by 20 minutes, so the brother elected to head home instead of staying to participate in the Karaoke. I find this unfortunate, because if he had stayed, he would have done "The Masochism Tango." Given the looks on most of our coworkers faces at the song title, the reaction value alone would have been good. Maybe next time.
As it stands, it seems that the people who showed up for the party had a very good time this year. Hopefully the next one will be just as good. :)
The last time the party was held off-site, we had a different manager. That party was pretty dull. We basically sat around and talked. Before dinner, during dinner, after dinner. I imagine, if you're higher up in the company and want/need to mingle, then it would have been a good party. For a group of people 18-30 (mostly), this was fairly boring. It did not help the atmosphere that both our manager and the manager over HR were not the approachable type. The food was okay, the desserts good, but a lot of us felt it wasn't worth what the company was paying for it. Quite frankly, the after party, in which about 50% of our coworkers went to a bar for karaoke, was a lot more fun than the party itself.
This time, like that time, the party was held at a hotel. Unlike last time, this hotel was within a mile of work. This was good, as it meant we did not have far to go. It was also right off the highway, so made it fairly easy to get to for those who weren't at work already. Unlike the off-site one two years ago, there was also ample parking, so no worries about that. This hotel had an actual bar in it, so the people who were interested could wander down the hall and catch the rest of the football game on tv, which no few people appreciated.
The contrasts continue from there. This time, we had an actual bar, so people could go and buy drinks. Last time, there were drinks, and they were free - but nothing had alcohol in it. Soda bar. This time, we had a little bar area set up in the hall where the food was going to be set up, and people could buy a beer and munch on the snacks while waiting for the food to be ready. (Snacks being cheese and crackers, veggies and dip.)
Dinner was later than people thought it was going to be (7:30 instead of 7), but we had the snacks to tide us over, along with whatever you wanted to drink, and water on the the tables (along with coffee) if that was your preference. Dinner was surprisingly good. 4 kind of salad, rolls, chicken with the stuffing inside, beef, a vegetable lasagna (which was good, as we had at least one vegetarian (my brother's wife) present), a selection of fruit and veggies, and there were desserts set up on a separate table (where the cheese and veggies had been earlier).
We had a DJ playing music (Frank Sinatra and similar, mostly) during the dinner, and after the dinner, four of the tables were cleared off the dance floor to open it up, along with prizes being drawn. Prizes were done in a nice fashion this time around - they put everyone's name into a bucket, someone would draw a name, and they'd go to the table and choose a box. There was a number in the box corresponding to a prize, and the winner would then draw the next name. I didn't win anything, but my brother won an ipod Nano (this is an upgrade from his Shuffle), and Mother won a gas barbecue grill (which is good, as the charcoal one we have is falling apart). This was done in two stages - half the prizes during the found round, the other half during the second round.
Interspersed with the dancing, we also had Karaoke. This was fun, though I missed most of it. Dad wanted to leave early, and Mom had won that grill, so I took Dad home in the Buick (we we'd elected to use to get there), and came back in the van, since there was no way the grill would have fit in the Buick. I changes out my book for my knitting when I got home, simple because there was no space for my book on the table, but I was getting bored with nothing for my hands to do. Came in during the prize drawing, so kinda missed that. Went to karaoke, then took a break for dancing. They played the Cha-Cha Slide, but it was only my third time hearing it, so I decided not to participate.
We left before it could go back to Karaoke, which I find unfortunate. They extended the dancing by 20 minutes, so the brother elected to head home instead of staying to participate in the Karaoke. I find this unfortunate, because if he had stayed, he would have done "The Masochism Tango." Given the looks on most of our coworkers faces at the song title, the reaction value alone would have been good. Maybe next time.
As it stands, it seems that the people who showed up for the party had a very good time this year. Hopefully the next one will be just as good. :)
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Ah, taxes
Well, taxes are done for the year. My business taxes are, that is.
I file sales and use tax in three states - MN, IL and PA. At the moment, PA is filed bi-annually, though, so I shall have to file that one again later this year.
Regardless of this, it is nice to have it done and out of the way. Then again, it is also nice that I remembered to file this year. Most states have a filing date of mid-January, maybe mid-February at the latest. I have a tendency, usually, to miss this deadline. Not this year!
My main concern with having taxes that I collect in three states is how it will affect a web site's setting, once I actually get around to having one. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with customer attempting to by-pass that portion. I'm not quite sure how taxes work for web-sales. Not on the vendor's side, anyway. Customer side? No problems. :j
Meanwhile, I am eagerly awaiting my W2's, and the statement on my student loan interest, so I can file my personal taxes and get those done and out of the way. Mainly because then I wouldn't have to worry about them until next year.
I file sales and use tax in three states - MN, IL and PA. At the moment, PA is filed bi-annually, though, so I shall have to file that one again later this year.
Regardless of this, it is nice to have it done and out of the way. Then again, it is also nice that I remembered to file this year. Most states have a filing date of mid-January, maybe mid-February at the latest. I have a tendency, usually, to miss this deadline. Not this year!
My main concern with having taxes that I collect in three states is how it will affect a web site's setting, once I actually get around to having one. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with customer attempting to by-pass that portion. I'm not quite sure how taxes work for web-sales. Not on the vendor's side, anyway. Customer side? No problems. :j
Meanwhile, I am eagerly awaiting my W2's, and the statement on my student loan interest, so I can file my personal taxes and get those done and out of the way. Mainly because then I wouldn't have to worry about them until next year.
So far, so good.
At least, the first paycheck is. It's only about $7 more for the new insurance we have through work, so the increase is not going to interfere with my current budget. This was my biggest concern for the new year.
Meanwhile, I've yet to get my eating back on track, as I'm still having portion controls troubles. Also need to increase my water intake. On the plus side, I'm limiting myself to either one cup of hot cocoa or one can of pop per day, which seems to be working just fine. Tea, on the other hand, I can have as many cups of as I want, since it's mostly water and herbs. ^_^ So my throat shouldn't suffer overly much. I hope.
In the meantime, I have a stinking suspicion that I'm coming down with something, as I have not been able to talk as long as I have before without my throat getting dry and scratchy. This is not only a bad thing, it's downright annoying! Why does my body do this every January? February is just as bad, too. Bah.
I am trying to get a photo taken of myself both for this blog and for my Facebook page, but am having trouble taking pictures of myself that I like, so will most likely enlist the assistance of coworkers at tonight's holiday party. Yes, we're having our holiday party in January. It's too busy at work until the new years starts to be able to hold it otherwise. At least this year we'll be having the party at a hotel, and not at work. There's going to be a bar, which some of my coworkers appreciate quite a bit. I expect to be the designated driver, though, so shall be sticking with water and maybe more soda than I'm supposed to have. There shall also be Karaoke. This shall prove to be amusing. :j
Meanwhile, I've yet to get my eating back on track, as I'm still having portion controls troubles. Also need to increase my water intake. On the plus side, I'm limiting myself to either one cup of hot cocoa or one can of pop per day, which seems to be working just fine. Tea, on the other hand, I can have as many cups of as I want, since it's mostly water and herbs. ^_^ So my throat shouldn't suffer overly much. I hope.
In the meantime, I have a stinking suspicion that I'm coming down with something, as I have not been able to talk as long as I have before without my throat getting dry and scratchy. This is not only a bad thing, it's downright annoying! Why does my body do this every January? February is just as bad, too. Bah.
I am trying to get a photo taken of myself both for this blog and for my Facebook page, but am having trouble taking pictures of myself that I like, so will most likely enlist the assistance of coworkers at tonight's holiday party. Yes, we're having our holiday party in January. It's too busy at work until the new years starts to be able to hold it otherwise. At least this year we'll be having the party at a hotel, and not at work. There's going to be a bar, which some of my coworkers appreciate quite a bit. I expect to be the designated driver, though, so shall be sticking with water and maybe more soda than I'm supposed to have. There shall also be Karaoke. This shall prove to be amusing. :j
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Whoa. O_O
Okay. Re-did the budget for a third time, this time with using ~$325 to pay off the last of my 401(k) loan at the end of the year. (Yes, I have one of those. I used the money to pay off a bit of debt and go to a convention. This was a stupid idea, but I also did this about 3-4 years ago. Given that I've had most of my credit cards for about 4-5 years, I'd say that was when I was going through a preiod of financial stupidity.)
*If* I am stoic and do everything right (ie - don't go out and spend money, and don't go to any conventions), then I can potentially be virtually debt free by the end of next year.
Two years to get rid of about $16,000 in debt isn't too bad.
With any luck, I'll be able to buy stuff and/or go to conventions out of my own pocket, instead of using someone else's money. I like this idea. A lot.
*If* I am stoic and do everything right (ie - don't go out and spend money, and don't go to any conventions), then I can potentially be virtually debt free by the end of next year.
Two years to get rid of about $16,000 in debt isn't too bad.
With any luck, I'll be able to buy stuff and/or go to conventions out of my own pocket, instead of using someone else's money. I like this idea. A lot.
Bah.
This is what I don't like about the way i do my finances.
All but one of my creditors in done online. I can go online, pay my bill, there's no additional fee, no mailing delay, no need for a check. Well, all but two if you count my student loan in there. Which I suppose I could do online, I just haven't explored the possibility yet.
So, I don't really use the checks in my checkbook. I use them for three things: Paying my folks the rent every payday, and paying two bills. Everything else I do online.
I *was* going to move the last credit card to online bill pay, also. Then I found out they charge a fee for that. The other creditors? No. Only if you pay over the phone. This last? Yep. $10, iirc. I've only dont this once so far, mainly because of the fee. Incidentally, this is the same company that charges the yearly fee. Figures.
The downer is that I'm almost out of checks. I only use about 4 checks a month, and since I'm not going to be spending money in every-day matters, I won't really be using the checks. Not enough to warrant buying a full box, anyway. Which means I will still have checks when I change my first and middle names at the end of the month.
It's not all bad, though. Right now I have enough checks for the next 4 months, providing nothig unexpected comes up. It can wait a bit. It's just annoying.
Maybe I should wait until next year to change it, then? Something to think about, anyway.
All but one of my creditors in done online. I can go online, pay my bill, there's no additional fee, no mailing delay, no need for a check. Well, all but two if you count my student loan in there. Which I suppose I could do online, I just haven't explored the possibility yet.
So, I don't really use the checks in my checkbook. I use them for three things: Paying my folks the rent every payday, and paying two bills. Everything else I do online.
I *was* going to move the last credit card to online bill pay, also. Then I found out they charge a fee for that. The other creditors? No. Only if you pay over the phone. This last? Yep. $10, iirc. I've only dont this once so far, mainly because of the fee. Incidentally, this is the same company that charges the yearly fee. Figures.
The downer is that I'm almost out of checks. I only use about 4 checks a month, and since I'm not going to be spending money in every-day matters, I won't really be using the checks. Not enough to warrant buying a full box, anyway. Which means I will still have checks when I change my first and middle names at the end of the month.
It's not all bad, though. Right now I have enough checks for the next 4 months, providing nothig unexpected comes up. It can wait a bit. It's just annoying.
Maybe I should wait until next year to change it, then? Something to think about, anyway.
Budget is set.
I was up late last night, getting my budget set for the year.
The down side is, I won't have much spending money this year. Point of fact, after January, my only spending money is going to come from either tax returns (and he's hoping I don't have to pay in this year!), or bonuses from work.
This is going to be a bit stressful, but except for a few notions, I don't really need any materials for my craft projects right now. The main thing I need to do with my craft projects is get them done! This is one of the main things that annoys me about my crafting habits - I plan all these projects, and get some of the materials (if not all of them) then flag about the execution. On the plus side, I've already gotten one major one started, so I should have some progress to report at the beginning of next month as far as that goes.
I do need to tweak my budget just a little bit to account for something, but that shouldn't put too much of a snag into things, really. If I am able to play my cards right, I should have at least two of my credit cards paid off (and at least one canceled) by the end of the year.
I say at least one canceled because out of all the credit cards I have (6 *^_^*), only one of them has a yearly fee attached to it, which means over the course of a year, even if I pay it off completely, it continues to have something charged to it. Alas, this is also the one that has the lowest interest rate, so I'm not going to be paying it off very quickly. But, this is the one that I hope to cancel first. Secondarily, canceling a card does make your credit rating go down, afaik. Therefore it is within my best interest to have the credit card company itself decide to close my account. Meanwhile, if I continue to pay my bill on time, I should, in theory, see the interest rate go down. I'm not going to count on that, though.
My main concern is spending money, of course. I live with my parents, since my debt has made me unable to afford my own place right now (not to mention that rents are really high in the city I live in - I mean, really, $700 a month for an efficiency?? Before utilities?? O_o). Because of this, I don't have to worry about very many bumps in the road as far as utilities and suchlike. I don't have my own car (yet) so don't have to worry about gas or insurance on a regular basis, so there's no worry there.
The main downside is that I won't be able to go see the new Sherlock Holmes, or The Princess and the Frog, like I had wanted to. (Considering there aren't very many movies I want to see when they're in theaters, the fact that there are actually three that I want to see right now (also, Avatar) is saying something!)
Ah well. Life is tough all over, right?
The down side is, I won't have much spending money this year. Point of fact, after January, my only spending money is going to come from either tax returns (and he's hoping I don't have to pay in this year!), or bonuses from work.
This is going to be a bit stressful, but except for a few notions, I don't really need any materials for my craft projects right now. The main thing I need to do with my craft projects is get them done! This is one of the main things that annoys me about my crafting habits - I plan all these projects, and get some of the materials (if not all of them) then flag about the execution. On the plus side, I've already gotten one major one started, so I should have some progress to report at the beginning of next month as far as that goes.
I do need to tweak my budget just a little bit to account for something, but that shouldn't put too much of a snag into things, really. If I am able to play my cards right, I should have at least two of my credit cards paid off (and at least one canceled) by the end of the year.
I say at least one canceled because out of all the credit cards I have (6 *^_^*), only one of them has a yearly fee attached to it, which means over the course of a year, even if I pay it off completely, it continues to have something charged to it. Alas, this is also the one that has the lowest interest rate, so I'm not going to be paying it off very quickly. But, this is the one that I hope to cancel first. Secondarily, canceling a card does make your credit rating go down, afaik. Therefore it is within my best interest to have the credit card company itself decide to close my account. Meanwhile, if I continue to pay my bill on time, I should, in theory, see the interest rate go down. I'm not going to count on that, though.
My main concern is spending money, of course. I live with my parents, since my debt has made me unable to afford my own place right now (not to mention that rents are really high in the city I live in - I mean, really, $700 a month for an efficiency?? Before utilities?? O_o). Because of this, I don't have to worry about very many bumps in the road as far as utilities and suchlike. I don't have my own car (yet) so don't have to worry about gas or insurance on a regular basis, so there's no worry there.
The main downside is that I won't be able to go see the new Sherlock Holmes, or The Princess and the Frog, like I had wanted to. (Considering there aren't very many movies I want to see when they're in theaters, the fact that there are actually three that I want to see right now (also, Avatar) is saying something!)
Ah well. Life is tough all over, right?
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Car Review - Chevy Cobalt
Every now and then, I attend conventions. This last convention I went to was in Memphis, TN, and my group (myself and two others) had elected to drive down there from MN. Now, normally, I take a minivan went I rent a vehicle. This time, to save on money, I decided to try a compact. I selected one at the rental place based on the largest trunk capacity, which turned out to be a Chevy Cobalt.
This was a mistake. This drive was the most uncomfortable I have ever had to endure, and coming from someone who used to take the bus to go to conventions, this is saying a lot.
Roads are pretty good in MN. Drivers can be very lousy, but the roads are generally good. One stretch of highway we had to drive in order to pick up the third member of our group was buckling every 20-30 feet of it's length, so consistent bumps for a few miles. I've driven that stretch of highway in my Mother's Buick before, and while it has never been pleasant, it's not too bad.
Not so, the Cobalt. I felt every single one of those peaks, and after awhile, my tailbone started to get sore. As the driver of the car, this was not a good thing. Was not happy two hours later, when we reached the house.
Other problems with this car:
-It did not accelerate well. If I wanted to burn a lot of gas by ramming down on the accelerator, I imagine I might have gotten up to speed fairly quickly, but since that tends to also burn more fuel, I'm not in the habit of doing so. This had a tendency to irritate the people behind me, even more so than normal.
-It lost speed going uphill. Missouri has a lot of hills. At least, in the area where we were, it did. This car consistently lost 5-10 miles of speed going uphill, even when I depressed the accelerator 1-2 inches. Not only was this irritating, but on a highway where the speed averages 65-70 mph (and people still speed), this is dangerous.
If we were on smooth roads that were flat, this car was no trouble at all. Once we got up to speed, there were no troubles, either. But accelerating was a pain, going uphill was a pain, and the shock absorbers were so bad, they might as well not have been there.
I can definitely say that I would not recommend this car to anyone who needs acceleration, is in a hilly area, or is overly fond of their tailbone not hurting. XP
This was a mistake. This drive was the most uncomfortable I have ever had to endure, and coming from someone who used to take the bus to go to conventions, this is saying a lot.
Roads are pretty good in MN. Drivers can be very lousy, but the roads are generally good. One stretch of highway we had to drive in order to pick up the third member of our group was buckling every 20-30 feet of it's length, so consistent bumps for a few miles. I've driven that stretch of highway in my Mother's Buick before, and while it has never been pleasant, it's not too bad.
Not so, the Cobalt. I felt every single one of those peaks, and after awhile, my tailbone started to get sore. As the driver of the car, this was not a good thing. Was not happy two hours later, when we reached the house.
Other problems with this car:
-It did not accelerate well. If I wanted to burn a lot of gas by ramming down on the accelerator, I imagine I might have gotten up to speed fairly quickly, but since that tends to also burn more fuel, I'm not in the habit of doing so. This had a tendency to irritate the people behind me, even more so than normal.
-It lost speed going uphill. Missouri has a lot of hills. At least, in the area where we were, it did. This car consistently lost 5-10 miles of speed going uphill, even when I depressed the accelerator 1-2 inches. Not only was this irritating, but on a highway where the speed averages 65-70 mph (and people still speed), this is dangerous.
If we were on smooth roads that were flat, this car was no trouble at all. Once we got up to speed, there were no troubles, either. But accelerating was a pain, going uphill was a pain, and the shock absorbers were so bad, they might as well not have been there.
I can definitely say that I would not recommend this car to anyone who needs acceleration, is in a hilly area, or is overly fond of their tailbone not hurting. XP
Saturday, January 2, 2010
OMFG It's Cold Out!
Just checked WCCO.com to see what the temp is outside. it's -8 degree F where I am right now.
This is both good and bad.
It's bad because, well, that's really cold, and we never got around to re-insulating the attic.
It's good because this is the kind of weather I remember in grade and high school, and what I expect winter to be like. Last year we didn't have very many below zero without the windchill contributing, so I think global warming might be going down a bit. (Whether it really is is a matter for more expert minds than my own.)
Regardless, I think I'll be staying in for the rest of the evening.
This is both good and bad.
It's bad because, well, that's really cold, and we never got around to re-insulating the attic.
It's good because this is the kind of weather I remember in grade and high school, and what I expect winter to be like. Last year we didn't have very many below zero without the windchill contributing, so I think global warming might be going down a bit. (Whether it really is is a matter for more expert minds than my own.)
Regardless, I think I'll be staying in for the rest of the evening.
Rant - Need More Space
I need more space!
This is a rant most crafts people have, actually. My main problem is we've got three of such people* crammed into one house. This problem is compiled by my essentially having, due to the current economy, my state of debt, and the prices of rents in this burg, the equivalent of a 2-bedroom apartment crammed into one 11'x10' room. Well, plus a few items in the living room and my little workshop downstairs.
I'd love to be able to get my own apartment, but until I get a handle on my debts, I don't see that happening. Mainly because, unless I'm supremely lucky, I would need my own car to get from said apartment to work.
So, that being said, I think I'll add "See about getting own vehicle" to my Goals for 2010 that are previously mentioned. Probably will have to wait until fall, though, if I do get my own car.
We shall see what happens.
In the meantime, I shall continue to be thankful that my parent's live on a major Bus Route. :)
*Dad does woodworking, and Mom sews and does embroidery (and is also a farbiholic), while I have my jewelry, writing, and sewing interests. D'oh.
This is a rant most crafts people have, actually. My main problem is we've got three of such people* crammed into one house. This problem is compiled by my essentially having, due to the current economy, my state of debt, and the prices of rents in this burg, the equivalent of a 2-bedroom apartment crammed into one 11'x10' room. Well, plus a few items in the living room and my little workshop downstairs.
I'd love to be able to get my own apartment, but until I get a handle on my debts, I don't see that happening. Mainly because, unless I'm supremely lucky, I would need my own car to get from said apartment to work.
So, that being said, I think I'll add "See about getting own vehicle" to my Goals for 2010 that are previously mentioned. Probably will have to wait until fall, though, if I do get my own car.
We shall see what happens.
In the meantime, I shall continue to be thankful that my parent's live on a major Bus Route. :)
*Dad does woodworking, and Mom sews and does embroidery (and is also a farbiholic), while I have my jewelry, writing, and sewing interests. D'oh.
New Year, New Blog
This being a new year, I decided to try blogging again. Sort of. I have never had a "blog" account on this service. The only one I've had is Livejournal, which I tend to not update. Really, the only reason I got on that service in the first place is pressure from friends. In this case, it's my own decision, which may be better in the long run.
Hopefully, since I've more of an interest in this blog, I'll actually update it. XD
I'm hoping to keep track of certain things in this blog - how I'm doing on my New Year's Goals, what's going on in my life, etc. In theory, this will allow me to make more progress on these goals than I would otherwise.
So, my goals for 2010 are as follows:
Health: -Lose ~70lbs. I plan to do this by improving my eating habits and exercising more.
-Checkups: I need to have a physical done, which I really do not look forward to. I know I'm overweight, darnitall! D: Still, needs to be done.
Finances: Stick with the budget plan I set so can save some money. This will be accomplished by making sure I bring a lunch from home, instead of buying my lunch 75% of the time. I've been spending too much money on food that I don't need to buy.
Education: Get back to language study (French and Japanese, at the moment), and brush up math skills for placement tests in April. I want to go back to school this Fall and see about becoming a Math teacher for secondary education.
Arts and Crafts: I definitely want to keep up with my bead work, silver work, drawing/painting, writing, knitting, sewing and needlework. I have a lot of crafty stuff that I do. I would like to get at least one project done per month. I can't guarantee pictures, but I will try to keep a log of what I make each month. Or, at least, what I've done to finish something.
So, once a month, I plan to post a list of what I've done that month. Projects finished, and pounds lost. The latter of this is apt to be embarrassing for awhile, but I shall have to suck it up and deal with it. Nothing like a bit of motivation, eh? This means that, once a month, I will have a progress report posted. This will list what I've done during the month:
Knitting (scarves, etc.)
Jewelry (this can be both silver and beads; number of pieces made and what kind it is (ring, necklace, etc.).)
Pages Typed (how much progress I've made in my book)
Needlework (charts made, progress on construction)
Weight (what I now weigh, and whether it's gone down from the previous month)
Sewing (did I make any progress in getting rid of the 3 boxes of fabric that I own and have done nothing with?)
Otherwise, this blog is going to be about anything that comes to mind at the time. This may include rants, random comments, etc.
Let the weight record show that I'm currently at 206.5 lbs (with clothes on, at night, shortly after eating). I shall hopefully update this with what I weigh in the morning, seeing as my mother just gave me grief about it. 9.9 *sigh*
Hopefully, since I've more of an interest in this blog, I'll actually update it. XD
I'm hoping to keep track of certain things in this blog - how I'm doing on my New Year's Goals, what's going on in my life, etc. In theory, this will allow me to make more progress on these goals than I would otherwise.
So, my goals for 2010 are as follows:
Health: -Lose ~70lbs. I plan to do this by improving my eating habits and exercising more.
-Checkups: I need to have a physical done, which I really do not look forward to. I know I'm overweight, darnitall! D: Still, needs to be done.
Finances: Stick with the budget plan I set so can save some money. This will be accomplished by making sure I bring a lunch from home, instead of buying my lunch 75% of the time. I've been spending too much money on food that I don't need to buy.
Education: Get back to language study (French and Japanese, at the moment), and brush up math skills for placement tests in April. I want to go back to school this Fall and see about becoming a Math teacher for secondary education.
Arts and Crafts: I definitely want to keep up with my bead work, silver work, drawing/painting, writing, knitting, sewing and needlework. I have a lot of crafty stuff that I do. I would like to get at least one project done per month. I can't guarantee pictures, but I will try to keep a log of what I make each month. Or, at least, what I've done to finish something.
So, once a month, I plan to post a list of what I've done that month. Projects finished, and pounds lost. The latter of this is apt to be embarrassing for awhile, but I shall have to suck it up and deal with it. Nothing like a bit of motivation, eh? This means that, once a month, I will have a progress report posted. This will list what I've done during the month:
Knitting (scarves, etc.)
Jewelry (this can be both silver and beads; number of pieces made and what kind it is (ring, necklace, etc.).)
Pages Typed (how much progress I've made in my book)
Needlework (charts made, progress on construction)
Weight (what I now weigh, and whether it's gone down from the previous month)
Sewing (did I make any progress in getting rid of the 3 boxes of fabric that I own and have done nothing with?)
Otherwise, this blog is going to be about anything that comes to mind at the time. This may include rants, random comments, etc.
Let the weight record show that I'm currently at 206.5 lbs (with clothes on, at night, shortly after eating). I shall hopefully update this with what I weigh in the morning, seeing as my mother just gave me grief about it. 9.9 *sigh*
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