New Experience...

When I was growing up, I remember being pretty good about getting homework done. Most of my friends were pretty good about it. Don't get me wrong - we hated doing it, but it was not in my realm of reality to be sneaky to get out of it. Believe me, I was sneaky about many other things...not school work.

Recently, MBB had to deal with laziness and lies surrounding a book report project. It was an experience that I hadn't had before.

What I really don't understand is that it was on a topic that was interesting and the project involved a costume and props. Sounds like fun for a kid who loves to "perform" (have I mentioned the drama try-outs coming up?).

The Result:
-Someone didn't get to go trick-or-treating because they are grounded...
-Three of us were sleep deprived from staying up so late while someone finished a certain project...
-One of the best reports the teacher has ever seen will end up with a "B" because it was late - automatic 10 point reduction...

Namaste.

My Life. . .

I am loving all of the changes in my life. . .
I am stressing about the changes in my life. . .

Sound crazy? Yep, that is my life!
And I wouldn't trade it for anything! :)

Namaste.

Bengals: 2 - 5

[from CNN's MMQB]

Ten Things I Think I Think
1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of Week 8:
f. Lost season for Rudi Johnson.
g. Lost season for the Bengals' D, too.

7. I think this is what I liked about Week 8:
f. Hines Ward kills the Bengals. They can't deal with his physicality.

Quote of the Week I "That's why they're 5-2 and we're 2-5. Good teams put it in the end zone. Teams like us kick field goals.''-- Cincinnati wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh after a 24-13 loss to Pittsburgh, the Bengals' seventh straight loss to the Steelers in Cincy.

I think T.J. said it best...
Don't think I need to say anything more about my Bengals.
I will say that the NFL needs to screen/train the refs a bit more!

Namaste.

Not enough time?

"When the days are too short, chances are you are living at your best." - Earl Nightingale

Many times I find myself wishing for more hours in a day or wanting to know where all of the time went. The more I enjoy my life, the more that this seems to happen to me.

Now when I start to get stressed, I remember this quote and try to enjoy the moments that I do have.

Namaste.

I Love Flowers!

Being that I like lots of non-girlie stuff such as football, weight lifting and remodeling projects, it may come as a surprise to some of you that I like flowers.


My favorite flower is a Stargazer Lily.

The one problem is that it is huge and not always easy to put in a bouquet.

For my 30th Birthday, MommyMarie ordered a combination of 30 roses and stalks of mini-lilies (that looked similar to a Stargazer). Since a stalk has more than one flower on it, no one at work realized that it was a major birthday! (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of my birthday bouquet to post)

I try to plant a "color of the year" in the front flower beds (this year is red) and all over the tiny plot that I call a back yard (this year is pink). My friend who designed my back yard even put in a great variety that surprises me with gorgeous blooms in the spring. I am going to majorly miss my colorful spring when I decide to move.

MBB surprised me last Friday with a gorgeous bouquet of coral roses and mini-lilies. It was a "flutter" moment!

They are absolutely gorgeous and all of the roses have opened beautifully!

I am being sappy and am trying to save most of the rose petals. I'm not sure how well that will work or what I will use them for. . .But, I'm doing it anyway! :)

Namaste.

Sunday was. . .

. . .a great day to be a Bengals Fan. . .

What a great game - though the first half was a little disheartening and the last few minutes was very nerve wracking. If I had nails, they would probably been bitten off!

I will admit that I am a Bengals fan, even when our record isn't that great. . .
I own two seat licenses and enjoy going to every home game. . .
SB calls me a "Bengals Stalker" due to the amount of gear that I own. . .

Having said all of that - I don't understand people that get soooo worked up (in the first minute of the game, no less) that they look like they are going to have a heart attack. Though I did pay a large amount of moolah for my seats, my world is not going to come to an end because of an incomplete pass or not converting that third down. It is a game - one that I do enjoy, but not one that I will risk my health over.

And some Bengal-related tidbits from MMQB on SI.com (like how he focuses so much on the Jets' loss and so little on the Bengals' win):
1. I think these are my quick-hit thoughts of Week 7:
g. You can blame a lot of things on Chad Pennington, Jets fans (and you do), but the performance of Kenny Watson cannot be one of them. Watson -- 31 rushes, 130 yards, three TDs -- was everything Rudi Johnson would have been for the Bengals had he not been plagued by a strained groin.
4. I think the Jets need to soul-search a bit, and not just because they're 1-6. In the second half in Cincinnati, Pennington threw an awful interception (returned for a touchdown) and fumbled a center snap. Cornerback Darrelle Revis got called for two pass-interference penalties. Ben Graham shanked a punt 20 yards, safety Abram Elam slugged Kenny Watson at the end of a running play and got 15 yards for unnecessary roughness ... a disaster.


Namaste.
*78 Days Until Metal-Free!!!

Do They Think I'm Stupid?

Fire had her eyes corrected in the late 90s. . .The cost? $1,000.
MBB had his eyes corrected about five years ago. . .The cost? $2,000.

I went for my eye surgery consultation today. . .
Same place. Procedure has been around for awhile now.
I was told that my eyes are "normal" for the procedure.

My quote? $4,000.
If they think that I am going to pay that much - THEY ARE NUTS!

Looks like I am going to be making some phone calls and getting quotes from other places.

Namaste.

And The Countdown Begins!

I don't have a specific date that my braces are coming off yet. . .
But since my orthodontist is good about scheduling my appointments every six weeks and the magical month is January, I feel pretty comfortable starting my count-down.

84 DAYS UNTIL I AM METAL FREE!

Why is this the big day that the count-down starts?
Well, a few reasons. . .

• My co-workers decreed (the week I got the braces) that a count-down wasn't allowed until it was double digits. 84 looks like double digits to me. . .
• I have had rubber bands for 5 weeks, 6 days. . .Nuff said.
• My current record is popping a wire every 10 days (that happened consistently every 10 days one month) and three bands snapping in my mouth in one day. . .
• I hate taking pills, yet I am popping Advil like it was candy (the band locations were moved today). . .
• I am looking forward to being able to get a kiss whenever I want and not just went I take the bands out to eat. . .
• I'm ready to be done with this part of my transformation and move on to the next (I have my consult for Lasik on Monday). . .

Namaste.

It was YUMMY!

Growing up, I ate LOTS of ketchup. I would put it on the typical sandwiches and fries. I would also put it on the weird stuff of scrambled eggs and potato chips.

Then, I found myself growing away from ketchup. . .French fries found new companions in Chili & Cheese, Pink Mayonnaise and Milk Shakes. I even went as far as giving it up completely during the transformation time. . .

Last night, I found myself eating something from years past.
What, you ask?
Well. . .

Ketchup on macaroni and cheese. YUMMY! :D
Yes, I got weird looks and was told that it was disgusting.
My response - Don't knock it until you've tried it!

What "weird" things do you eat?

Namaste.

Being Creative. . .

I spent the weekend with Lucy, BabyGirl and Fire scrappin'.
For those of you who may not know what that is - some people call it "creating scrapbook pages".

I was worried that I wouldn't get a lot done this weekend because we took a break to see BabyGirl dance (well worth the break!) and I actually sleep full nights.
Historically, I only took short naps between scrappin' runs - But not this time. . .
Some may blame that on their age, but I know better!
I'm not getting old. . .I just had a busy week at work and was already sleep deprived! :)

So, my grand tally:
In approximately 21 hours (okay - let's say 20 since I did spend quite a bit of time in the hot tub!). . .
I completed 47 pages!!!
WhooHooo. . .The weekend was a success!!!

Unfortunately, I cannot share the pages here as they contain pictures of the people in my life.
But never fear! I am not going to leave you high and dry!

"What great masterpiece is going to be the first filed under "Creations"?" you ask. . .

Wellllllll. . .

I think it shall be. . .

Yep, it will be. . .

MBB's birthday card that Nickey helped me make last month.Namaste.

In a world. . .

"In a world where celebrity equals talent and where make-believe is called reality, it is most important to have real love, truth and stability in your life."
- Bernie Brillstein

Looks like I am working on the right things!

Namaste.

Stereotypes

I understand that there are stereotypes out there.
Some are complete crap and some have a grain of truth in them.

I fit in some:
I like girlie stuff like skirts, earrings, pedicures, etc.

I don't fit in some:
I work on my house.
I like and understand football.

There are a few that I never understood - like "female thinking is illogical, irrational and unreasonable. . ."
Until now.

I have become aware of a situation where someone fits this stereotype.
I am baffled and have to say - IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME.

Namaste.

WHAT THE (!&%^%)*^&_???

I have had three mortgages on my condo in the last 11 years. The first was with a horrid company where I was fighting with them every month to make sure that everything was paid on time and my credit stayed blemish free. My second company was much better. So much better in fact, that when I refinanced three years ago, I stayed with them. They have always taken my money and left me alone.

All was good.
Until now. . .

Last month, my account went into default because they changed their website which eliminated all of the auto-payments.

I called. . .
They waived the late fee. . .
I re-set up my auto payment (with their directions: click here, submit there, etc).

All was good again in my world.
Or so I thought. . .

For some unknown reason, I logged into my bank account on-line and found that my mortgage payment wasn't listed for October. I logged into the mortgage company's site and confirmed that they hadn't received a payment and I am just a few days from getting hit with another late fee!

WHAT THE (!&%^%)*^&_???

I called AGAIN. . .
No one can explain why the auto payment didn't work. . .
No one can guarantee that it won't happen again. . .
NO ONE BETTER GIVE ME ANOTHER DANG LATE FEE!!!

This just gives me even more incentive to get my mortgage paid off quicker!

Namaste.

No Wisdom To Share Today. . .

I don't have any wondrous thoughts to share with you today.

I'd like to be able to write a hilarious post blaming that on a long list of things; however, the truth is that I have been enjoying a life full of football, volleyball, hugs, smiles and lots of driving.

I'm hoping that my blog juices get flowing again in the near future. . .
So for today, I'll just wish you a wonderful day with your loved ones.

Namaste.

Changes. . .

I am now on the basic plan for my home phone.
And by basic, I mean BASIC:

• No long distance
• $.03/min for any local out-going calls
• Free incoming calls

I know that sounds crazy, but the next plan up is $10 more for the exact same service with free outgoing local calls. I would have to be on the phone for about 5 hours on my new plan to be charged the $10...Since I am not on my home phone that much, I couldn't see paying more for something I'm not going to use!

Why am I doing this? Yep - Still trimming the budget. That combined with the fact that I am very rarely home anymore. . .This change will save me about ~$33/month. The only cost to me: I am searching for a cheap answering machine.

I am keeping my zoomtown and my current cell phone. . .But mobile to mobile and free nights & weekends are going to be my best friend!

Hmmm...
I guess that with these changes, I need to keep my cell phone charged!

Namaste.

AUGH!

Let me tell you a story...

There once was a girl who was good with numbers. She could rattle off this number and that number. . .She remembers prices, account numbers, phone numbers - you name it, she could remember it. . .Math was fun, Calculus was so much of a breeze that she took it twice - once in High School and once in College.

She grew up and started buying electronic toys. She bought DVDs, CDs, computers, iPODs (though her goofy computer and the iPOD aren't friends yet), cell phones. . .even a blue tooth!

Then one day, this girl forgot her cell phone at home. She felt so weird and cut-off from everyone because. . .








SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER ANY PHONE NUMBERS!!!

Namaste.

Did I Just Hear That Right?

"Attention members, this is your training director. . .
Come out to the 'smoothie bar' for soft pretzels and chimichangas!"

A gym where the training director is promoting/selling overpriced fattening food in their front lobby at the request of the General Manager.

Is this the right place for me to be trying to lose weight?

Namaste.

Can I Boycott?

Those dadblasted VISA gift cards. . .

My understanding (though I have never bought one, so I am not sure) is that there is a fee to buy a VISA gift card and now I found out that if the recipient does not spend the gift card in a timely manner, the company begins deducting monthly fees from the balance.

I have never bought one of these because of the initial fee. If I am willing to spend the money on someone for a gift of money, then I would rather that they got all of the money.
I did receive one of these for Christmas last year and set it aside to spend on the many remodeling projects in the condo. One thing lead to another and my working on the condo got pushed back to September. I went to use it - DECLINED. Yep, because I was trying to spend the amount originally put on the card and not the balance after fees.

My last grip about these cards (and then I'll let it go because I am hopeful that I never come in contact with one of these again): The "timely manner" count-down starts from when the card was purchased and not when it is activated. In my family, most of us try to get our shopping done early. This situation followed that norm and the card was bought over a month prior to being gifted. You guessed it - I was playing a guessing game as to how much was on the card and ended up having to call the company for a balance.

In the end, the company got us for the initial fee and $12 in monthly fees.
My recommendation: AVOID THESE THINGS AT ALL COSTS!!!

Namaste.