During the time I was doing my packing on Friday, I made sure to put a change of work clothes and a pair of workout clothes in my gym bag. That way I would be ready and raring to go Monday morning no matter how much had or hadn't been unpacked.

Unfortunately, that bag has not shown up anywhere yet. It may be in the garage - but I just haven't come across it.

In it, is the only pair of non-jeans pants that fit me right now. It is getting cooler here in Texas, and so I am probably going to be wanting long pants sooner rather than later.

Also, the pair of jean capris that I wear to work a lot are starting to wear out. I've had them 3 or 4 years I think.

So, probably this weekend, I ought to look for a new pair of pants - but I don't think I'll replace the capris just yet.

I hate shopping for pants. It is SO hard to find ones that fit me. I might just start off at Lane Bryant (where my lost pair came from) and hope they have some great sale going on right now. Ugh!

Of course, as soon as I buy the new pair, the bag is going to show up. That's how it works. :roll eyes:

I have been quite busy the past few days, and am just now having a few moments to sit down and check in with ya'll.

Midnight Parties:

Friday night about 12:15 p.m. my downstairs neighbors decided that was a perfect time to have a party. Music with a steady beat vibrating my floor, and of course, the best place to congregate was in the foyer. The foyer which is tiled. And in which sound carries easily up the stairs.

After about 20 minutes of this, I finally called the police. About 40 minutes later the music was somewhat turned down, but of course they continued their constant drunken chatter in the foyer. (I could hear the lids of of their bottles clink on the floor.) I finally managed to get to sleep, and was able to sleep in.

Saturday I spent from about 6 pm till midnight packing. I realized I still needed at least a few more hours to be ready, so set my alarm for 5:45 a.m.

At 12:15 p.m. the music started again, although at a lower volume, and the chit chat group began again. About 1:30 I had enough, so I went out and said, "Senors, por favor, ustedes hablamos en el apartmento." (Sirs, please talk in the apartment.) They looked at me like I was loony. Then they responded in rapid fire Spanish. Uh... yeah. Didn't get that, sorry. Pretty much exhausted my knowledge of Spanish just now.

So, I went back to my apartment and had the pleasure of listening to them continue to talk loudly in the foyer until 3 a.m. Then I finally was able to go to sleep.

Needless to say when I woke up Sunday morning, I was dead tired. So, of course I needed some good music with a loud beat to wake me up. :snerk: (I made sure my music could not be heard outside my door - but I do have a subwoofer - so lets just hope the downstairs neighbors weren't light sleepers.)

---
The Move:

Somehow, even with all the stuff I gave away recently, I still have WAY TOO MUCH stuff! It took me way longer to pack then I thought it would - and I even had to ask my mom and stepdad to help me - and we still didn't get everything before the movers arrived. (And the movers arrived an hour late!!)

I've gotta say, it was really, really, nice to not have to carry any boxes down or load up the truck. The three guys got everything taken care of boom, boom, boom!

On the way to my new home, I got us lost. I knew exactly how to go, but somehow I managed to get this idea in my head that we had to take the left exit instead of the right exit!! Luckily I figured it out right away, so it only added maybe 15 minutes (by the time we got turned around.)

My mom and stepdad arrived at the destination well before we did. Mom told me she likes my landlady, and is satisfied with the neighborhood. (She *hated* the apartment complex where I'd been living.)

The movers got everything moved in pretty quickly. The one that I paid at the end was extremely honest. I accidentally gave him an extra $100. He came back and asked me if I'd meant to give him that much. Whooh! I'd meant to give him a $40 tip (they really did a great job.)

I just love the dogs and cats. They are so sweet. Maybe tomorrow I can get pictures of them. (My landlady keeps the lights off pretty much all the time - and doesn't seem to use the a/c either.)

Here is a picture of my room. What you can't see in the picture is my dresser. But I think this gives a pretty good idea of the size of the room.



My drive to work is virtually the same distance and time as before. So, that is good news to me.

Tomorrow I don't work, so I'll be going back to my apartment to try and get the remainder of my stuff and start working on cleaning it. I still need a box large enough for my pictures, so will have to go back again probably on Friday after work. Hopefully at that time, I will be able to turn my keys in.

Ok, I better get going. I still have classwork I need to get done before tomorrow night.

Today I got a phone call from the place I'm going to be donating a bunch of stuff to. I'd wanted them to come next Wednesday so it'd be closer to my actual move date. But the lady told me that their driver (male) who could handle furniture would be on vacation as of the 11th.

So .. he's coming over tomorrow afternoon to pick up the furniture and whatever else I have ready to go. (I can have their other driver come again next week to pick up non-furniture items I don't have ready.)

Today Mr B who was my teacher's assistant years ago drove me home from work - the second time this week. (He's probably going to pick me up on Thursday night as well.) I wanted to do something for him to thank him. So I asked if he'd be interested in my vcr/dvd combo or my rolling office chair. He was very interested in both - so they are now gone!

Tomorrow evening my apartment is really going to start looking empty.

Sunday afternoon after my bed is removed, it will look even more emptier.

It really hit me today that a week from this Sunday I will no longer live in an apartment, nor will I be living alone anymore. Weird feeling.

----
So, a car update. Le sigh. Screaming my head off and throwing random objects. (Okay, okay. Not reality - just a fantasy.)

Anyway. S, the original mechanic, checked out my car today. After being told over and over and over again that it is NOT the alternator --- it IS the alternator.
Oy vey!

I expressed to him my great frustration with everything car related and money outgo. I asked him if there was anyway to tell what damage was done by Saturday's explosion. Nope - not until the alternator is fixed.

So ... I told him to go ahead and fix it. He's also going to keep the car for a few days for testing - make sure it is running right before handing it back to me.

Thankfully I don't work tomorrow, so I don't have to come up with rides to and from work. Thursday, E has said he'll pick me up again (6 a.m.) and Mr. B will bring me back home. Friday morning ... I'm not sure yet how I'll get there - maybe E again (5:40 am.) Then hopefully after work my mom or stepdad can take me to get my car.

One thing I can be very thankful for right now is that I'm taking my classes all online. Otherwise I'd have to worry about how to get to and from classes as well as work.

Well ... Friday afternoon I got a ride home from work. Called the tow truck people at 2:40 p.m. Tow truck finally showed up about 4:45 pm. Mechanic shop was closing at 6 - I was starting to panic.

Even with a few traffic snarls, we made it to the mechanics by 5:30. Mom and stepdad picked me up from the mechanics.

Saturday I called at noon to find out what was happening. Was told they'd call me when they knew more - but that it def. wasn't the starter or alternator.

I knew they were closing at 3 - so I called them again at 2:50. Was told to go ahead and come to get the car - it should be ready to go in 30 minutes. They said there'd been an electrical short in the front and back, and my 3 week old battery was burnt out. So, I'd have to take my car to Firestone to get a replacement battery.

Mom and I got there about 3:30. They pulled my car up to the garage with a car starter thingy hanging off the battery. After taking it off, they shut the hood and told me it was fine to go to Firestone. (Paid $85.)

Got in and gave it a little gas. Weird clicking noise. Gave it a little more gas. POP! BANG! Smoke starts pouring out my middle console.

I immediately turn around and take it back to the garage - they've already closed up tight. So I beep my horn and they come out.

My car gets put back in the garage and I'm told they'll look at it on Tuesday.

---
Nearly 4 days spent at my mom's reminded me why it would NOT work for us to ever share space for more than a few short days.

--
So, tomorrow E is picking me up in the am so I can be at work. Then depending on the car verdict, my stepdad or my mom will pick me up and take me home, or take me to the car mechanic to pick up my car.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. This was NOT how I wanted to spend my long weekend.

---
Oh, both my mom and stepdad hated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. They just didn't get the humor - thought it was the stupidest movie they'd ever seen. Oh well. To each their own, right?

We did see The Librarian: Quest for the Spear of Destiny with Noah Wyle (sp?) of ER fame. It was really good/funny. Sort of similar to Indiana Jones, but a lot less intense.

My brother recently purchased an Iphone. Last week he spent some time at our Aunts house in San Jose, while our grandma also happened to be there. He espoused the wonders of it (iphone) to our aunt and grandma, and even got our uncle majorly intrigued.

Our Aunt was considering switching everybody from Sprint to AT&T and getting iphones (1 for her and uncle, and 1 for my dad and grandma.) In the end she decided not to because the company she works for gives an 18% discount for using Sprint.

But ... my grandma really thought the iphone was really neat. Especially the gps function and the internet browser function.

She knows how I am majorly directionally challenged, as well as how I am without internet at work.

So ... she and my dad have made me the following offer:

1. They'd buy me an iphone
2. They'd pay for any charges over the $50/month ($39.99 + taxes/fees) I currently pay for my plan.

At first I told them I really appreciated the offer, but I'm really okay with my cheapy phone that just makes and takes calls. They kept pushing for me to think it about it more.

I *am* really, really interested in the GPS turn by turn directions capability, because I do have a great tendency to get royally lost quite easily.

Also, the internet capability at work - even if it was just enough to be able to find the articles I have to read for my classes, would be a huge time saver.

Looking at At&T's site, it looks like these are the basic costs (above the voice plan):
$30/mo - data plan
$10/mo - GPS service
$5/mo - 200 text/picture messages

With a bit of trepidation, I mentioned this to my mom. She thinks I should take advantage of their offer.

Oh, I don't think I've mentioned this before, but they also have offered to pay up to $300/mo towards a new to me car payment. (Which so far I have politely declined.)

I guess I'm feeling really torn about this - making roughly $850/month, and then going around carrying a phone that costs %12+ of monthly gross income?

Am I looking a gift horse in the mouth? Being ungrateful?

It would be really hard to give up the iphone once I got used to it -- I know how much I love technology and gadgets. And I do think it would be a really beneficial tool for me. I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around a $200+ phone with a $100/mo price tag.

If you were single, looking at two years of school, probably continuing to make under $900/mo for those two years, and had an offer like this, what would you do? Oh yeah, also think of this as though you are someone who has gotten majorly lost, more than once, coming home from the mom's house - a route you've done a million times.

ETA - Oh yeah. I'm also really interested in some of the apps you can use with it -- like the Kindle app -- and it looks like there is an app that you can use to track your distance walked/ran ...

This morning around 10:30 I got a call from Sam (car mechanic) that my car would be ready by 3 p.m. He told me it needed an oil change (yep, knew that) an air filter (yep!) and a transmission tune up (yep, not surprised at all.) I gave him the go ahead to do all that.

Total cost when I picked it up today was $750. That includes the EMC, a fuse box, oil change, air filter, tune up, labor and something else I'm forgetting.

All of that would have run a LOT more at Firestone!

Before heading over to pick up my Honda, I went to drop off the rental car (sweet car - Mazda 3 -- loved it except it had a weird blind spot.) That was a bit of a frustrating experience because I was dropping it off at the airport. On the way there I wanted to stop and get gas, but didn't want to get it *too* soon. Unfortunately after passing up a couple stations near the beginning of my trip, there were not any more easily visible before entering the airport.

So, as I was driving to the rental car place, I saw a sign - Gas on the right. So, I went to the right .... and ended up exiting the airport! But ... as I was getting turned around, I found a gas station. Whew.

Then I turned in the car. And looked at the price tag. :big eyes:

$345.xx!!!

Whoa! I thought it would be a lot less because I was turning it in several days early. But apparently there is something called a "minimum charge." No matter if you have it out one day or five days, you will be charged at least $249.xx plus a bunch of taxes and fees represented by acronyms which are not explained.

I'm not sure if this is just for airport rental cars, or rental cars across the board. But one way or the other -- it stinks!

--
So total cost for my car adventures of the past few days:

1. New battery + diagnostics at Firestone: $155.xx

2. Towing from Firestone to Sams: $45

3. Rental Car (3 days 21 hours): $345.xx

4. Actual work on car: $750

5. Leaving work 1 1/2 hrs early (Monday): $10.xx

Total: $1,306

Having my car back? Priceless!

-----

I finally connected with one of the people who wanted my converter box and sold it for $10. There were at least a dozen people wanting it - the lady who actually bought it was one of the last ones who responded. I'd given the first three people several days to finalize a meeting time, so basically told her that if she wants it, and called me to set up a meeting time before 6 pm yesterday, and no one else had jumped in ahead, it was hers.

I think I am going to attempt to sell my entertainment center still via Craigslist, but other than that, I think I have decided that I'm just going to donate everything to the Family Place and be done with it.

The Family Place is a resale shop who sells the items at an 80% discount to women who are having to start over due to domestic violence, etc. They'll send someone to pick up everything - all I have to do is have it ready.

----
I arranged for the same people who moved my mom and stepdad a year ago March to move me on September 20. It is $75 an hour for two men, with a two hour minimum charge. They don't charge extra for stairs, packing equipment, using a dolly, how much space the stuff takes up, setting up or taking down. (I've been reading some articles on how these moving companies scam people out of more money than agreed on. So, I asked a lot of questions.)

I found someone who wants my bed, and they'll pick it up on Sept 13. Then I'll get to sleep on my air mattress again for a week. That will remind me of the time I first moved to McAllen, TX. I lived with the Kindergarten teacher and her husband for about three weeks until I got my first paycheck and had found a place to rent. Then, about two weeks later my furniture arrived. 5 weeks sleeping on an air mattress. One week will be no problem, whatsoever (even with a body that's 9 years older!)

Last night I got a phone call from my brother. He married J Oct, 2006. For a little over a year now, they had been having some major problems. About 3 months ago, they officially separated. Yesterday they went to the courthouse and paid the fee, and are now officially divorced. (No lawyers involved thankfully.)

My brother is really torn up about it. We talked for about an hour, and he was pretty choked up the whole time. I wish I could have been there to give him a hug. He told me that I've been a rock for him this past year, just because I've let him talk and not judged.

He is such a good kid. My heart hurts so much for him. So many of his adult dreams are now tarnished - marriage, owning a house ...

He'd been talking about maybe training to be a ski patrol person, but now that it is officially over, he might just head out to start nursing school. I really hope he can stop in Texas on his way there.

----
If you haven't heard yet, the Kroger stores in the Southwest are having Double Coupon Day on August 15. They usually only double up to 39 cents, but on the 15th, they're doubling up to $1. Only the first coupon for any multiple items will be doubled.

---

I listed my VHS/DVD player on craigslist. I've now had two people respond as being interested - but both want me to prove that it works. I understand why, but ... the only way I can think of is to have them come to my apartment. I really would rather not do that.

Does anyone have any ideas?

My mom and stepdad are out of town on vacation right now. They asked if I would go over to their place a few times to check on things and water their trees.

So yesterday was the first day I was to go to their place. I got off work at 3, but I hadn't eaten lunch because I wasn't really hungry. I very rarely go out to eat, (of my own volition at least.) I really had a hankering for IHOP - Garden Stuffed Crepes.

Well, there was an IHOP on the way to my mom's. So, a little after 3 I stopped there and placed my order. The crepes comes with sauce on it, and I prefer to put it on myself. So, I asked for it on the side.

Therein ensued hilarity.

The cook on duty was a trainee. (And from overheard conversations, I don't think he spoke much English.) He didn't understand the abbreviation SOS (sauce on side.)

The first attempt, he made it correctly, except he used Nacho Cheese sauce and slathered it on. The second attempt, he made the crepes, but put the eggs on the side.

Finally, nearly 40 minutes after I placed my order, and with having one of the other employees standing guard over the cook, I received my meal.

My waitress was very apologetic. I let her know I wasn't annoyed and not in a big hurry, although was getting pretty hungry.

After I finished, she gave me my check. I was kind of expecting to be given a discount of some kind for my trouble. But there was none. It wasn't the waitresses fault, so I paid and left my normal tip, and left.

I suppose I could have kicked up a fuss and demanded a discount of some kind. But, I was just happy to have food in my stomach and be able to be on my way.

---
One of the places my mom and stepdad stayed at so far during their vacation is a cabin outside of Gatlinburg, TN. The second day they were there, some people came and changed out their tv. The first tv was not working.

The night of the third day they went out to eat and to do some shopping. When they came back, they found out that their cabin had been robbed! There was no sign of forced entry, so they think it might have been the people who put the new tv in, or acquaintances.

The police told them that usually the theives just take the tv and leave the inhabitants belongings alone. But, I guess my mom's 6 year old *just* functioning laptop, along with a beautiful leather bag from a high-end store (Cachet) filled with various clothes, a number of pieces of her really good jewelery, and of course all their medications ... was just too good to pass up.

Luckily no one was hurt, and my mom and stepdad had all their identification and credit cards, etc. with them. My mom says that she should be able to come up with receipts for everything - which is good, because from my prior experience in dealing with theft loss, if you don't have a receipt, they don't believe you actually owned the item.

The one good thing of all this is that my mom has been wanting to upgrade her computer for a long time. So, even though she has lost 6 years worth of documents and other information that was stored on her laptop, she'll be able to start over with a new one.

What a thing to happen while on vacation. Ugh.

ASK how much the place charges!

In the local Kroger sales paper this week they had a coupon for a $25 gift card with the transfer of a prescription. I also had the same deal for CVS. The Kroger one expired on the 11th, and the CVS one on the 28th.

I decided that I'd go with the Kroger one because $25 at Kroger would get me more useful groceries than at CVS.

The last time I had my scrip filled it cost me $31 at Walgreens. I *assumed* it would be a similar price at Kroger, so I dropped off my bottle to transfer the prescription without asking how much it would be.

Well, today after church I stopped by to pick it up. It was $43!!!!! My jaw was hanging open. There wasn't anything I could do at that point since they'd already filled it .. so I paid for it.

Something interesting that they're doing now. Instead of giving you a gift card with the money loaded on it, they load the credit onto your Kroger savings card.
That is a very sensible cost saving and environmental measure. Too bad that I will probably only visit Kroger one more time to use my credit, thanks to the WAY overpriced meds.

----
I have a potentially sticky situation. My dad has been very generous to me, especially since I was laid off in February. Every so often I'll find a letter from him with a check in it. I have never asked for it, and have even told him that as much as I appreciate it, I'm really okay without it.

Well, as I've mentioned before, I will be having a hotel stay near the end of August for school. On Friday I received a letter from my dad with a $300 check in it. That more than covers the hotel expense plus a good bit more.

I called to tell him thank you and for our usual weekly chat. He told me that 200 of it was from my grandma.

Later, he put me on with my grandma. I expressed to her my appreciation and we chit chatted a bit. Then she told me that she'd had some big ideas lately for me. I asked her what those were.

She told me that she thought I should trade my car in under the Cash for Clunkers program. I tried to tell her that I doubted my car would qualify for it, nor that I'd be able to afford a car which would get better gas mileage.

(I have a 97 Honda Civic which gets between 28 and 32 mpg.)

She insisted that even though my experience told me that I get at least 28 or 29 mpg, that I should check out the program. So .. I told her that I would check it out. Then she told me that even if it doesn't qualify, that she really thinks I should start thinking about replacing my car.

I tried to be as polite as possible and told her I appreciated her thinking about me. (She also mentioned that she'd help me out in getting another car.)

Help! My car runs just fine! The last major repair was rebuilding the starter (2 years or so ago). It probably needs new tires and brakes soon, but other than that, it's in great shape. It's paid for, and I know everything that's happened to it since 97.

I know I need to be prepared that I'll have to let go of this car someday ... but it makes no sense whatsoever to me to let go of it now. And I absolutely refuse to make car payments ever again - nor do I want to be beholden to someone else for "helping" me purchase a different car (unless my current car starts going bonkers on me or it gets totaled and I can't find a car for 3 or 4 thousand to replace it). Money for school is a whole different ballgame - but for a car, when I have a good one already?

So, I've already looked into the cash for clunkers program. As expected, my car doesn't qualify. Other than telling her that I looked into it, what would be a good response? Her heart is in the right place ... but I don't like the feeling I'm getting that she thinks she can make me do what she thinks is best because she's giving me money (which I didn't ask for in the first place.)

Should I not cash this check?

Yesterday after work I stopped by the home I'll be moving into in September to give her my deposit (basicly needed to hold the room till I can move in.) I'd taken measurements of my computer desk/chair and dresser so I could see if they'd fit in the room or not.

After emptying the room out, and moving the bed into a different position, I figured out that they both will fit in, plus possibly my nightstand.

I played tug of war with the chihuahua while talking to CC - that was fun.

After I was done, I went over to my mom and stepdad's. They're going on a vacation and have asked me to stop by several times while they're gone - to check on the house and to water the trees. I took advantage of being there, and got my laundry done.

---
When I got back home this morning, I checked to see if my final grade was posted yet or not for my graphic novels class. I got an A! Now I just have to get 12 more A's to finish out my degree.

--
For some reason I thought you had a 10 day grace period for vehicle registration renewals. Luckily I got on the ball and double checked *today* because it actually is only 5 days! Whew! I got my registration renewed online - now just have to wait for the sticker.

(I prefer doing it online because you can use a credit card and you don't have to drive all the way to a tax office. It's worth the extra $2 for me.)

Well, it looks like things have worked out for me to move into the room I checked out last week.

Yes, the room itself is small, but really, for the price ... I don't know that I could find a much better situation. And it'll only be until I finish school.

Tomorrow is my last day of my summer class, and I'll be spending a good 5 - 6 hours finishing up a project for it. After that, I have until August 22 before Fall semester classes begin.

So, that means I'll have about three weeks to sell, give away, pack and clean as much as I possibly can. Then about the middle of September, I'll move into my new home.

Advantages:
Free cable and internet

Lots of animal lovin' (2 dogs/2 cats)

Weekly access to washer/dryer

Be able to put money in savings again!

Closer to my mom and stepdad's house

5 minutes from an SDA church/school

Only ONE toll between it and the gym

Area where room is, is pretty much out of the main traffic areas in the house.

Good amount of storage space in garage.

Good sized living room right off room which I'd basically have to myself.

Disadvantages

Small room

Will have to change churches, because will be too far from regular church (same denomination)(our pastor's last day was today - so this may be as good a time to go to a new place as any.)

Will be a lot further away from my good friend T (but don't see her all that much anyway ...)

------
These are the items I'm planning on selling/giving away:

small wooden rolling table (about the size of a large dinner tray) -- maybe $10

20+ year old beat up working Lazy-boy recliner - probably a give away, but will try $5 first

beautiful real wood entertainment center - going to start at (new was around $1000) $200, if no bites, will go to $150

rolling desk chair - $10

beanbag - $5 or giveaway

round one-piece solid wood dining table in great shape - $50 (5 chairs will be included for free, if they want them - pretty much falling apart)

King size bed- mattress/frame/sheets/comforter - about 12 years old - $25/$10 or giveaway

So, the big thing I'm wondering about, is what would be the best way to list these things on CL? Pictures of course, but should I list them separately, or in one or two "moving sale" posts?

Do my prices seem reasonable?

After checking my credit card statement online, I realized that I had prepaid for my hotel stay - no cancellations allowed. When I made the reservation, I saw that clause, but somehow it didn't stick in my mind. So ... hotel it is. (for my on campus days)

-------

Today I went and checked out the home of the single mother with two teens, dogs, and cats. (For a total of $290/mo including utilities.)

The room was small. BA, maybe twice the size of your closet.

There is room in it for a twin bed (in room already) a dresser, and *maybe* my computer desk.

If the room was all there was to it, I probably would have to pass. But, it wasn't.

Included in the rent is an amount of storage space in her garage, which is nearly equal to the size of the bedroom. Plus, there is a large living room which her family rarely uses right next to the bedroom - which I've been told I can use if I need to for my furniture/items.

The two dogs and cats are adorable and so sweet and lovable. If I end up renting there, I'll be sure to post pictures.

There isn't much of a closet for hanging clothes. But, since I'll have easy access to a washer/dryer, I would reduce my clothing amount quite a bit. (I could possibly get one of those portable closet things and put it in the living room if I really needed to...)

The only problem is that she is really needing someone right away. The earliest I could move in would be mid-September. (I put in my notice to vacate yesterday - my complex requires 60-day notice.)

However, she really liked me, (especially liked how her animals took to me), so is going to see if she can find someone to just rent for a month or so.

Seriously, I hope this works out.

It is maybe an extra 5 or 6 minutes driving time to the gym, and if I took the toll road, would only have ONE toll (instead of two.)

So, my budget would look something like this:

~$870 Income

$290 - Rent/Utilities
$50 - Cell Phone
$22 - Renter's Insurance (pd yearly)
$55 - Car Insurance (pd 2x yrly)
$100 - Food
$80 - Gas/Tolls
$87 - TITHE!!!!
$100 - SAVINGS!!!!!!!!!!
$86 -- Miscellaneous (meds, treats, clothing, etc.)

I cannot even begin to tell you how much it would do for my morale to actually be able to put money into savings again.

Granted, most of it will be going straight out again whenever I pay tuition, but it will at least help to slow the drainage a good bit.

----
I got an email back from the pastor of the church where the University is - he said he'd check with his members about possibilities. So, if the above doesn't work out, hopefully he'll find something.

I have to be on campus from Aug 22 - 25 for two of my classes. I've already reserved a hotel room, at $63/night + taxes. It was the going rate for everything I checked (one of the cheaper rates actually.)

Well, I don't know how smart this is ... but I decided to see if I could save a good bit of money by posting an ad asking for a couch to sleep on during that same time period. $70 - 100 (Couch &70; Room $100). If I get any responses, what would you all suggest I should ask? Should I ask for a reference? I suppose I could always get there and access the situation - then if it doesn't feel right, head to a hotel...

I also responded to 3 different ads for rooms to rent. One person responded back - $290/month, single mom with two teens. She basicaly wanted to know if I had an income, because I guess previous renters had trouble paying the rent. I told her that I do have an income, but if anything happened to it,that I have my emergency fund + promise of financial backing from a parent. I also offered to pay 3 months up front (with some kind of legal document to protect both of us.) and/or provide her with several references.

This may be a possibility.

Then, I responded to a job listing. I am WAY overqualified for it, but it pays at least $10/hr, so even at 20 hours a week, it would be more than the gym job. It basically is teaching computer classes to little ones - they provide the curriculum, and you work with trained classroom Master teachers. I think this would be a lot of fun, and I could learn a lot (plus maybe make some good contacts for librarian jobs in schools.)

Well ... we'll see what happens!

Ok - got a response to the need a bed listing ... what do ya'll think?

I may have a deal for you. I am about 20 mins from . I am needing a person to look after my house. I am thinking about taking a new job, but the job require for me to travel. so here the deal i have a 17 year old daughter, she does not need to be look after, but i want to make sure my house does not become a party zone. If this sounds like something you would be interested in please let me know. rent is free.

John

Hi all.

Well, this past Saturday I managed to complete the 5 mile long run with my group. After I got home I took a cold bath/warm shower then got ready for church. I had a few twinges of pain in my lower back during church and felt pretty stiff, but otherwise okay.

Took Sunday off as a rest day. Monday did 30 minutes on the elliptical - my knees made a few creaky noises and still felt stiff, but otherwise okay.

Monday night I stayed at my mom's (going to a meeting with her Tuesday.) We went for a 3 mile walk. I didn't run - just walked. 2 miles in the spot in my left foot where I broke a bone in 1992 started hurting a good bit. (It did that about at mile 3 on the long 5 miler too.)

I've had several people suggest that before adding more miles I should really get that bone checked out.

However, I think I've come to the conclusion that I decided to train for a half way too hastily. If I were 50 pounds lighter (thus less stress on bones/joints) and had health insurance, I think I probably would make a different decision. However, since I'm not 50 pounds lighter, and don't have health insurance -- I've decided to stop my training for the half.

This really stinks because I put about $100 into this already-- but I'm afraid that if I continue I may come up with an injury which will cost me a whole lot more.

I think I'll be ok just going back to my 2 miles in 30 minutes 2x a week + elliptical 2x a week + weights 4x a week.

2 years from now, hopefully I'll be a lot thinner, and have a job with health insurance. Then I'll take up this goal of doing a half again. Right now, I think I just have too many pounds hitting the pavement to risk injuries needing xrays and physical therapy with no insurance.

Le sigh.

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My pastor (the one who I was planning to ask about housing ideas) announced at church that he is leaving, after 8 years. Selfishly, I am most sad that I won't get to see his oldest daughter or son graduate from 8th grade (I taught both of them.) I will also miss his sermons - he always had a way of coming straight out and not sparing any punches.

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Oh! I got my first two assignments graded from my class. 100% on both.

I would really highly recommend pretty much anything by Harvey Pekar - Although I would suggest starting with "American Splendor." (Word of warning - he does use some colorful language at times, but not often enough to spoil his writing.)

This weekend I went to my mom and stepdad's place. Saturday night we drove to another town to go to a church concert that one of my moms friends was singing in.

When we got back to their place, it was nearly 10:30 p.m. and it was 95 degrees out. But I needed to do my 4 mile run - all three of us went out together, but I ended up just walk/running the two loops with my mom and stepdad, which put me at a bit over 3 miles.

This morning mom and I got started early (for a Sunday) and made Special K Roast; Cottage Cheese Patties; Banana Quinoa Oatmeal Pancakes; and Crustless Quiche. All of these items are now sitting in my freezer being flash frozen. I put the Special K Roast in muffin pans so it'd be easier to freeze individual portions.

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When I got back home and had put away my laundry and the food, I went to check my mail. I usually only check it maybe 2 or 3 times a week.

I had a very nice surprise today! A very thoughtful and sweet person sent me a bit of money, with the stipulation that it was to be used for something I want.

Hmmm... could that person be reading my blog? No, the money was sent the day before I posted about my salivating over the Garmin.

Well, from some of the comments on my Garmin 305 post, I decided that wasn't the way to go, even if I had the money. But, I have been doing some more looking, and I think that maybe the Garmin 50 with the footpod would work -- I've found it in several places for less than $90.

Although I already have a sportswatch/heart rate monitor, the three big things the Garmin 50 has that I really really would like:

1. Track my distance without having to calibrate step stride or mess with GPS

2. Track my pace/speed

3. Able to upload info to Garmin tracking software - see trends on heart rate, distance, pacing, etc.

I really could have used the Garmin 50 last night. I was supposed to do 4 miles, but my mom and dad only had a 1.5 mile route set up. My stepdad tried to explain the route to me, but there were too many turns, and with my err... directional talents ... I decided to just stick with them. If I'd had the G50 I could have struck out on my own till I hit the 2 mile mark, then just turned right around.

Though the 3 + a bit miles pretty thoroughly wore me out. How am I going to do 5 miles this coming weekend!!!!???

So ... anyone have any experience with the Garmin 50?

Yesterday when I got home, my apartment was hotter and more humid than I think it ever has been. I'd left the a/c on in the morning - it's on constantly actually, thanks to our constant 100 degree weather we've been having.

I called the apartment management office, but it was after hours. So I called the emergency line to report it. Apparently I wasn't the first to call about it - they had a message saying that if you were calling about the A/C being out to not leave a message because they were aware of it and working on it.

At that point I did what I could to get myself and my apartment as cool as possible. Turned my ceiling fan on high, brought my floor fan into my bedroom, opened up a window and put a wet towel over it, got down to minimal beach ware.

All that made it just bearable - but I was already sleepy. So I ended up zonking out on bed for a couple hours, then got a call from my mom at 10:30.

By that time either the A/C was working again, the night had cooled down enough, or my cooling measures had worked -- maybe a combination of all of them. Then I preceded to stay up till 2 a.m. Heh.

Here's really hoping the A/C doesn't go out again. The temps do NOT look like they're going to get any better any time soon.

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I don't remember exactly where I found this link, but it was pointing actually towards the bottom of the Wikipedia page talking about how CNN has pre-formatted obits on famous people and how some years ago somebody found them.

So, anywho. I looked at that and thought it was kind of interesting, but then kept on reading (going up).

Boy howdy, there were a bunch of interesting stories. A few of the more famous ones involving Bob Hope and Mark Twain. Ernest Hemingway's story is a sad one. Then a couple stories of Japanese soldiers who didn't believe the war was over until 1974.

Then I read this one, and thought that it could be turned into an amazing book under the right talent:

"Ann Green (or Anne Greene), a servant in Oxfordshire, was hanged for allegedly murdering her newborn child in 1650. Having presumably been declared dead, her corpse was taken away for dissection, but she revived. She was ultimately pardoned, and became something of a celebrity."

I mean, can you just imagine what kind of backstory there was to the whole thing? And I'd be really curious as to how she didn't get accused of being a witch (Salem witch trials was around that same time, right?) And then how she was pardoned, why? What did she do with her life after that? How did it change her?

I don't know why that one just popped out at me. I wonder if a writer has already taken that story and used it as a book?

Here's the link if you want to look at some of the other peoples stories:

Pre-mature Obits.

I think the link was posted because someone was wondering how in the world they (CNN, etc.) were able to get the memory clips up so quickly after MJ's, etc. deaths.

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Well! Upon googling a bit, I have found that someone *has* written a book based on Anne Greene's story -- Newes From the Dead by Mary Hooper. As morbid a story as it seems, I am going to have to see if my library has it. Wow!

Eta more: And, my library has it! 3 copies! It's billed as Juvenile Lit. Interesting. Now I just have to wait for it to come in and get it.

Today I spent about 90 minutes or so searching the internet for the various required books for my upcoming courses.

The first course, coming up here in just a few weeks, requires a great number of books. Most of them are novels, but two of them are actual textbooks. Guess what? I found ALL of them at my library!! Yes!!!

Of the three classes I'll start in August, one of them has no required texts (Yay!), one of them I have not found any info on yet (will be calling Monday!), and the third requires two texts. I found one of them at my library, and the other one I found a very used copy of at AbeBooks.

Hopefully, I will have as much luck in finding the required text(s) for the one remaining class.

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I made a suggestion to my brother today. I suggested that maybe we could convert my livingroom into a bedroom for him, and clear out closet space for his stuff, and we could split my apartment.

Long story - he and sil are getting divorced - have already short saled their house. He's decided to go back to school and become a nurse.

If he can find a nursing program he can get into here in Dallas, he said he'd be willing to talk further about the idea.

With me working 4 days a week at the gym and going to school full time and him going to school full time and working, we probably wouldn't see each other much at all. I very very rarely use my living room for anything, so it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice.

This would cut 3 -4 hundred dollars a month off my expenses - and I would know I'd have someone I get along with pretty well.

So this morning around 4 am, after an already fitful night of little sleep, I was thoroughly and soundly woken by the start of a wicked lightning show. I laid in bed listening to it cracking away, and wondering just how long it would last. It just seemed to keep going and going.

I really don't recall ever experiencing quite a lightning show like this one. It *finally* started to calm down a little after 7, although it still was pouring down rain.

Oh, and the best part? Yesterday I had slightly cracked my car windows while at the dollar theater. A fact I totally forgot about -- until this morning when I got out to my car. Talk about WET! Even better, I had a bunch of library books on the front seat that were ready to be returned. Luckily they seemed to dry out fairly well today, but the car sure is one Musty ol' car.

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Now, why did I have such a fitful sleep before the storm hit last night?

I was reading some different threads on sparkpeople, and saw someone mention a cool youtube exercise video. So, I checked the video out. While there, I saw another video in the related section - demonstrating a move with resistance bands.

Eventually that led me to visiting the Bodyelastics.com website. Even though I kept telling myself to go to bed, I was just so interested I kept on going.

Bodyelastics are resistance bands. But they're not you're normal run of the mill bands. Two of the really neat features (that I was impressed with at least) was how you add the weighted bands to the handles - you just clip them on! I also like how they have each band clearly labeled for how many pounds.

A set runs $45+. Yes, I know I probably could get an adequate set for $20 or so. These just captured my imagination.

What if I could get E to purchase 5 sets of them? Then, what if I could get people to sign up to use them in classes? Maybe do 3 classes a day 4 times a week? I could go over to G3 location where we have the mirrored cardio room. Maybe charge a $25 equipment fee and then $3/class. do a 50/50 split with the gym on class fees.

Eh.. I doubt it would work. Liability issues with my not being a certified trainer probably would prohibit it in the first place. But it was kind of fun to dream and scheme - although it wasn't so fun to not get much if any shut-eye.

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Ooohh! I just got a call from a job posting I responded to on Sitter City. It's two days a week for a total of about 16 hours taking care of a 1 and 3 year old - $11 - 13/hr! If I got this, then I'd reduce my gym time to 20 - 25 hours a week, and still end up making more than I'm making now - plus have fun with kidlets!

Unfortunately I think I sounded kind of like an idiot on the phone. I've always babysat for people who already knew me. I had to admit that I thought I could do pretty well keeping the 3 year old busy, but would probably need to do some research to figure out how to keep the 1 year old busy.

Then she asked me what I was looking for in a family. Ack! I started rambling about how I was looking for something that would last through next August or so because I'm going to be getting my Masters in Library Science.

Ugh! I don't do well with unexpected phone interviews.

But, she did set up a time to meet me -- next Friday afternoon. Hopefully I can make a better impression in person.

Any ideas on how to keep both a 1 yr old and 3 yr old busy at the same time?????

Okay, first off, I have to share this video. Hey Kashi, if you're reading you might just recognize this.

Mall of America "You Make My Dreams Come True"

For those who don't know, Mall of America is in Minnesota. It's one of the largest malls (at one time I think it was the 3rd largest anywhere, but I don't know if that is true anymore.) I remember a number of times my family eating in one of the restaurants lining the ice skating rink and people watching. It's a really neat mall, as malls go.

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Ugh! So I finally *finally* got the final materials mailed out today for grad school. What a fiasco trying to find stamps.

First I had a doctor's appointment this morning (paid cash, got 20% discount.) Then I went to the dollar theater which was on my way home, and saw "Knowing." Ok movie, not great. Next I stopped at Kinko's and printed out the documents I needed to mail. Kinko's didn't have stamps!

So, I went next door to Tom Thumb. They only sold stamps in books. I only wanted two. A book would take me at least 5 years to use up.

Next, I stopped at the Post Office which still was on my way home. Got my envelope stamped (went to counter.)

Then I realized I needed to get a card for Father's Day. Stopped at Walgreens and found a card. Asked about a stamp - again, only sold in books!

Finally, I stopped at another post office which was on my way home. I thought I would get a stamp from the machine in the lobby. I only had cash/change on me because I didn't want to spend more than I had budgeted for the day.

The machine only would take credit or debit cards!!!!! I got in line to go up to the counter. Then I saw a note saying they also only sold stamps in books - plus the line was at least 20 people deep.

Arghh!!!

So, I think I might look into buying a set of forever stamps. That way, it won't matter how long it takes me to use them because they'll still be good. I just will have to be very careful to keep track of them!!

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Update on my gift card on Ebay - it's now up over $21!!! Woo Hoo! I hope my other two do as well.

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Weird, I think the tornado sirens are going off. The weather doesn't seem like tornado weather - it was really hot and humid today.

Speaking of weird. I was looking on msn.com at the local news, and saw that Cleburne (a town about 45 miles South of Dallas or so, and where I lived for a few years) has had three mini earthquakes in the past 7 days. They've never had an earthquake before this past week.

Eta: A few minutes after I posted, it started raining. It now is raining and I think they're may be some small hail thrown into the mix. Rain wasn't even in the forecast earlier today!!

Well, I bit the bullet. After not having sold anything on Ebay since December of 07, I listed a gift card.

I actually was going to list 3 gift cards, but apparently you can only have one listed at a time. They are all $25 gift cards (thanks Mypoints!) for Gap, Macy's and Magazines.com. I originally redeemed the points for them to use as gifts ... but various circumstances happened, and they were never sent.

So, since I am looking for extra money whereever I can find it, I thought I'd see if I would have any luck.

The Gap card already is at $9.99 with one bidder. I really hope it gets bid up to near full value like most of the other cards have,(listed on Ebay for Gap) but I can live with $10.

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Tonight I went with my friend T to see "Angels and Demons." (Thanks to a really sweet gift my dad gave me a few weeks ago - with specific instructions to spend it on fun stuff!) I had really liked "Davinci Code," but even though "Angels and Demons" was kind of predictable in places, I think I liked it better. The ending just had a a whole better feel to it.

I have a pair of black knit jersey pants. They were given to be by a co-worker amongst a bunch of other items she was parting with as she lost weight. Of all the items she gave me, these pants have proven to be the most useful.

Unfortunately, there was a small hole in the pants. Fortunately, the hole was in an area where no one was likely to see it unless I sat cross legged, or in other unladylike positions.

I wore them a lot. The hole grew and grew. Finally a couple months ago it was getting big enough to where I wondered if it might be noticeable soon. So, I bought a small sewing kit for $1.

I mentioned it to my mom, and she told me to just throw them out.

I don't think she realized how difficult it is for me to find pants that *work* for me - plus, I really just like these pants.

So, like I mentioned yesterday, I can sometimes, err..., procrastinate. Remember the sewing kit I bought two MONTHS ago?

I opened it today - this morning. I sewed up the hole - which luckily was along the seam line. I turned the pants inside out first -- and it turned out beautifully.

So now I can sit in unladylike positions with these pants on and not worry about giving views of things that are not fit for public viewing.

I was pretty proud of myself - I hadn't ever mended something before, and the last sewing class I had was in 1990.

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Hey, if you ever need a little motivation to do your workout, check out this video:

Dog Doing Squats . (Yes, it is again from one of my favorite blogs to get a laugh.)

Wednesday was my day off from the gym. I had lots of ideas of things I'd get done ... but then I opened up my freezer and realized that it really had gotten bad.

My freezer is a hand me down from my parents. It is well over 20 years old and is HUGE. It also has a bum leg which has to be propped up in order to keep the freezer stable and the door sealed tightly.

Last week apartment management came by and did their "inspect electrical plugs" tour. I had unplugged everything I reasonably could - with the exception of the freezer. There was no way I was going to try to move that behemoth and unplug it - especially with not knowing when ..or if .. they'd actually come.

I arrived home one day last week to find a note letting me know they'd been through. They had obviously unplugged both my fridge and my freezer, because both were noticeably out of place.

I noticed that the freezer wasn't totally frozen, but just checked the door. After a few days I realized that when they pulled it out to unplug it, they had pulled the unstable leg off the deck of notecards used to stabilize it.

I procrastinated about doing anything about it.

Then yesterday morning I opened it up and saw that nearly the entire first shelf was full of ice. Ooops.

So I spent the next 7 hours defrosting the monster. It never did get totally defrosted - the roof and first shelf still had bits of ice on it - and that was after taking cups of hot water and a blowdryer to it. But it was close to my bedtime, and I decided it was good enough.

Unfortunately, I did end up having to throw out a good bit of food. Some of it was food in packages that tore while I force freed them from their icy tombs, and other packages were frozen fruit which had um... melted and refroze and melted again.

Somehow everything that was left just barely fit into my upper freezer on my fridge.

It's a good thing I don't have to pay for electricity, because I'd really hate to find out how much kilowatts the freezer is using.

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I *finally* submitted my application for grad school last week and got busy with having all my transcripts sent. Today I received an email telling me that the first glance through my application was complete, and that I met the basic requirements for the main grad school. It now is being sent on to the Library Sciences department.

Now I just have to print out my essay and mail it in along with my Library Sciences application. Then wait and see.

Last month when I transferred my prescription to Tom Thumb to get the $30 gift card, I received a $25 check from Walgreens which would be good if I transferred a prescription to them. So this past weekend I transferred the same prescription back to them and had the check validated.

I debated about using it today or tomorrow, and came **very close to waiting. But, I didn't.

What did I find in my email box when I got home? An email from Walgreen's saying that on Wednesday or Thursday if you spend $25, you get $5 off (using the coupon included in the email.) Argh!!!

I couldn't have used it anyway, since my printer still isn't working. It's just the thought though - if I'd waited one more day and my printer was working, I could have saved another $5, so I'd have gotten $30 worth of merchandise for free.

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Ok, another video from one of my favorite pick me up blogs. And funnily enough, it relates to one of my favorite children's stories, Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McClouskey.

Enjoy!

The Banker and the Ducklings

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Thanks to my book blog, I have received a free children's book! It arrived in my mailbox this weekend, and I read it while I was waiting to go in to my friend's daughters ballet recital. Adorable!

(My friend's daughter is graduating from Kindergarten on Wednesday night. I remember feeding her with a bottle when she was just a few days old! Time flies!)

I'll be reviewing it on my Children's book blog - it should be posted in the next hour or so.

Yay me! Uh... maybe not. So my computer's been giving me problems. Been running slower and slower, and freezing up for no apparent reason. Last night it froze up on me once again. So, I turned it off (the hard turn off - couldn't get the soft turn off to work) and turned it back on. Got the blue screen.

Great.

So, I turned it off again, and then tried to turn it back on into the safe mode. Unfortunately, instead of entering safe mode, I must have hit the key to enter into recovery.

Once in that mode, there was no way to get out of it. I had two choices, a complete reformatting where I'd lose everything, or just a recovery of messed up files.

I chose the second option. Three hours later I found out that it hadn't mattered that I chose the second option -- everything was wiped out anyway.

In a way, this could have been a good thing -- if I had done it by choice. There were a number of text documents I would have liked to have not lost - could have emailed them to myself. Then there were also a bunch of photos I hadn't uploaded to Snapfish yet, which I could have uploaded.

All gone now.

But, the good thing is that my computer seems to be running quite fast again. I just now have to try to find all the links I'd had in my favorites again.

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I got my final payout from today . com this past Tuesday. And then spent it. I used it to hire someone named LadyJava to make my two blogs look more professional/spiffy. She did a fantastic job, and I felt it was worth every penny to not have to spend more hours trying to figure out how to make them look better on my own.

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I found a neat way to make a few extra dollars which doesn't take much time at all. is a website that pays you to look at advertisements. So far I have received two payments via PayPal - the first one for $2.51, and the second one for $.97. They pay every Friday.

To get the most amount of paid ads, enter the least personal info possible. They do have a referral program. If you sign up for the service using my link (above) then I will get up to $1 ($.01 per ad click through the first 100 ads.)

In the past two and half weeks since I signed up with YouData, I have maybe spent 15 minutes on their website (including signing up) and earned $3.62.
No, not a lot of money, but the little bits add up.

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Okay, here is yet another link to one of my favorite pick me up blogs -- This one will appeal to cat lovers and do it yourself'ers alike.

Kitty Whack A Mole

To all the mother's on Saving Advice ..
Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a cute video dedicated to Mom:

To Mom

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I just got back from spending time with my mom. Got my laundry done there too.

We played Monopoly on my stepdad's PS3 -- he won! (By a landslide.)

Today I helped my mom set up her own blog on blogger. Last time I was at her house, I set her up on Facebook.

I think Dave (my stepdad) probably wishes I wasn't introducing her to all these computer places (timewasters ....)

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I got transcript request forms printed out for all the colleges I attended, and will be faxing them tomorrow.

I have definitely passed the deadline for the Spring semester, but have until July 15 for the Fall semester. So, I will (if accepted) be able to start my Masters in January.

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Yesterday I posted about some of my beloved pets on the Living Frugal and Simple blog. Some of you may remember me talking about them from time to time.

If you recall, when I came back from my California trip in January, my Toll Tag was missing. I'd looked and looked for it, but it was nowhere to be found. So, finally I gave up and got another Toll Tag, which I had to pay a $25 replacement fee for.

So on Monday I was to open up at the gym. The gym key wasn't in my purse where I normally put it. A search of my apartment and subsequently my car did not turn it up. In the end, I had to call security to let me in. (Subsequently, I found it in my makeup bag!)

While searching for the gym key, lo and behold I found the Toll Tag! It was in an area of my car that I was *sure* I'd checked carefully before.

So, today on my one weekday away from the gym, I trouped over to the Toll Tag place and turned it in. They in turn gave me a $25 credit on my account, which is roughly 4 weeks of tolls.

Yay!

----- *Warning - The following is a bit of a ramble, bit of whiny, bit of long.

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I think I mentioned a few weeks ago how one of the gym regulars gave me a job posting for an admin asst who also needed to be able to translate Spanish/English. I let him know of course, that that wasn't in my skill zone.

Well, yesterday he came by at least 4 times, as well as calling me a couple times -- with two new job postings. One was in the insurance part of his company (needing someone with math and analytical skills... cough...cough...) and the other was in the engineer part.

I'm torn. Should I attempt to go for either of these positons or not? The money, no question about it, would be significantly better - and I can only guess about the benefits. But.. both of these are full-time/permanent positions.

If, on the off chance I was offered either one, then I would have to do school one-class at a time. Which means it would take two or more years to complete my degree. And, at some point I would have to quit the job in order to do my practicum.

On the other hand, my job at the gym offers the sole benefit of plenty of time for studying, and if needed, I could just cut back on my hours a little, or rearrange my schedule when it's time for the practicum.

The other thing is, that it may be that I won't be able to start school until January. I *may* have missed the deadline for applying for the Fall semester, let alone the summer sessions. (The deadline, as far as I can tell, was March 1.)

So, what I'm trying to figure out is, should I tell him thanks for looking out for me on these job opps, but I'm ok with where I'm at for now. Or, should I go ahead and see what happens ... then if I get the job, it'd take me that much longer to finish school, or maybe I'd just not go back to school at all....

I think the main reason I'm having a conundrum about this is the fact that this person is personally recommending me.

As far at the gym job and payment issues .. E told me that as a result of his mom's inheritance (parents dying recently) his parents are infusing the business with enough to ensure payroll for a long, long time.

It probably is a moot issue anyway. The one position wants someone with math skills, and the other wants someone with *advanced* powerpoint skills. I don't fit well into either needed skill set. Yes, I could learn powerpoint, but with the economy and how many are out there looking, they probably will have 100 people who already have everything they're looking for already - no learning curve needed.

But then my next thought is, what if I do all the schooling to be a librarian, and can't get a job as one? ARggh!

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Like BA posted the other day, about feeling blah. I think that's kind of what I'm feeling too. It's so hard to get myself motivated to do anything. And the few things I manage to make myself do, seem pretty futile.

Prime example -- The last three weeks I've ran on the treadmill 2 x a week. But, I have also now gone slightly past my highest weight ever.

It's really, really hard for me to find enough motivation to post to my new blogs. I was in the middle of a series on my frugalton blog when the whole she-bang with today .. com went down which caused me to essentially stop posting on the today blogs. But now on my new ones, I'm finding it really hard to pick up the rhythm again - especially on the frugal blog. I'd like to pick back up on my series, but feel like I need to backtrack a bit. But most of the people who'd follow me there will have already read what I said previously, so even with a good bit of rewriting, it'll be a rehash.

Part of me just wants to quit on both of those blogs. Maybe if I had a good internet connection at the gym, so had more internet connected time to work on them... because the past few weeks, the only time I have to work on them is Wednesdays, the evenings, and the weekends - and its taking a lot of that time.


I think part of it may be that I'm feeling really, really alone. And I'm really, really missing an ex. Have even thought about emailing him just to say hi.

Recently a different ex contacted me and made me an offer ("friends") - which I refused at the time -- but I sometimes sort of wonder if it wouldn't be such a horrible thing after all.

The one really good thing about maybe getting an office job would be being around people most of the day again. But, then again, it isn't necessarily a good thing.
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Anyway, if you've managed to sludge through the above ... I interviewed the author of Sate of Wilderness and State of Quarries (two books I reviewed recently) and that interview is up on Children's books for storytime.

On the frugal blog I posted on some ideas for mother's day.

Last night I talked to my dad for awhile. He told me I really should check my mail. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs with a good bit of lightning thrown in for good measure. So, I didn't get to the mailbox till this morning.

In the mail was a letter from my dad, and an envelope from my grandma. In the letter from my dad was a check for $100 -- for FUN not Savings -- was clearly specified on it. Heh, he knows me so well. It was totally unexpected and so sweet of him.

In the envelope from my grandma was a dvd of Les Meserables (the one with Liam Neeson.) Nice! She and I saw the traveling broadway production of it in San Antonio in 1996??

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I spent a good portion of my evening yesterday trying to figure out how to get comment luv off my other blog. Comment luv is this add on that is supposed to make it so that when a person leaves a comment along with the url to their own blog, then a link to their latest post shows up. Well, not only have I not been able to get it to function like that, I also can't figure out what feed the comments are on --- this is a problem because my recent comments widget and my top posts/most popular posts widget can't work either!

Never did figure out how to get it off, but did end up switching to a totally new template/design. I also made my own header for it. Not completely sure I like it just yet. I may need to do a bit more tweaking of the header.

I posted about my

Tom Thumb shopping trip on Living Frugal and Simple.

And on Children's Books for Storytime I posted a review of Mandie and the Secret Tunnel. A great children's mystery book (Christian fiction.)

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I feel bad for E, the gym manager. Three weeks ago his grandfather died. Then on Friday his grandmother died. He asked me to call all the gym workers and let them know that the paychecks wouldn't be ready until Wednesday. One person I called and told this to was so callous - saying 'it's always something.'

While that may be true, the poor guy has lost both of his grandparents in less than a months time!

This same person told me that he refuses to do anything other than sit and watch the gym, do towels, etc. If E wanted him to make phone calls to people regarding invoices due, or call other gym workers on various issues, or update the waiver file, he'd have to pay him extra.

Me on the other hand, sees how much E has to do and how overloaded he is. I see how much free time I have while at the gym, and for two reasons: 1. To help E out; and 2. Hope to help E be more ...errr.. organized -- have volunteered to do anything I can to help lighten his load. (which he has taken me up on -- and I still have plenty of time on my hands!)

I hope you all don't get tired of me posting links to animal videos. Just some of the ones on this particular blog are SO good.
And I'd like to think that this video in particular has applications to our financial life - especially those of you who are still struggling to pay off your debts.

Just like the baby squirrel in this video, we all have obstacles to achieving our financial goals. We may have people in our lives that we look up to and attempt to copy what they do to succeed. But even doing that isn't always enough. Sometimes, we may need even more help than just that one person we look up to. Maybe the obstacle is just too big for the financial place we are in right now, and our legs just aren't strong enough to get over it.

Don't give up. Any obstacle can be overcome eventually with persistance and maybe a little help from a friend.

*warning - may want a tissue handy

Baby Squirrel and Wall

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I had a lovely lunch at IHOP today.

They were pretty slow. I felt kind of bad for my waitress because her manager was standing/sitting in my area the whole time. It did kind of work out for me though, because there was no problem getting exactly what I wanted: one garden stuffed crepe and one nutella crepe.

Some places refuse to do partial orders like that, and others do it with no problem. I'm glad today's place gave me no problem with it.

So yesterday afternoon I checked my mail. And guess what was in it??? I bet you'll never guess. Oh, ok. Maybe you did.

My debit card for unemployment!

Now all I have to do is go to the bank tomorrow and get that money safely into my checking account. Woo Hoo!

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Something else in the mail which made me laugh, although it also was kind of a reminder of what the economy is like right now.

Walgreen's sent me a check for $25 for a transferred prescription. What prompted this? My transferring a prescription to Tom Thumb to get their gift card. LOL!

So, once I'm ready to refill the prescription again, I guess I'll just have to find $25 worth of Walgreens stuff to buy. (You have to use the whole $25 at one time, no cash back.)

Thanks Tom Thumb and Walgreen's!
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I was contacted a few weeks ago by someone asking if I'd review a couple of books for their publishing company on my book blog. I let the person know that I wouldlove to, but that I would be moving soon to a new blog.

Long story short, the person who contacted me is an artist/illustrator. She offered to create a header for my new blog.

I managed (after nearly 3 hours of messing with it) to get it added last night.

I really hope you check it out - she did a beautiful job and I just love it!

Childrens Books For Storytime

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I've subscribed to the Holy Cuteness blog, and tonight when I opened up my email I found a link to the latest post, and thought I just HAD to share it with you.

Especially for cat lovers:

Cat Needs Boxhab

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Tomorrow is my one weekday off, so I will be catching up on my internet time, and also probably go and do my celebratory IHOP meal.

Hope all is well with ya'll!

Well this may or may not surprise you, but I still haven't received my Chase debit card yet. So much for it arriving by the 23rd. Ugh.

Maybe it'll be in tomorrows mail. I wouldn't be able to get to the bank until Wednesday anyway.

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I've added my two new blogs to my sidebar. They're still not quite the way I want them, but they're close enough to where I'm ready to share and seek any suggestions.

Living Frugal and Simple


Children's Books for Storytime and Beyond

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Yesterday after church I had lunch with some friends and then spent the afternoon with them chatting. One of the other guests is a financial planner. He was saying that he advises all his clients to be debt free, have two months expenses in cash, and 10 months expenses in silver coins. He also believes that the dollar is going to completely tank by the beginning of next year, and that the US is not going to remain divided by states, but be divided into ten districts.

I thought he was a bit off (more than a bit really) with all that he was saying, but then later I was talking to my dad and he said that he'd heard some similar notions.

This guy also was saying that he and his family have a one-year supply of food on hand, and he really urges everyone to start their own garden.

I'm not really sure what to think about all that. I don't believe that our media presents us with all the facts, and the ones they do give us are usually slanted to one end or another. So just because this info isn't in the mainstream media, I don't think that means much.

As far as if it'll really happen or not? Who knows. I don't see that there really is much we can really do about it, other than get out of debt as quickly as possible and maybe have backup plans.

I'm out of debt, but as far as a backup plan .. if the dollar fails ... then I have no clue, because what good will all my savings be then?

Oh yeah, and then of course there is the swine flu which has already killed people in Mexico - people my age - and has already reached the US, including Texas.